For a military industrial enterprise that is mechanizing hydraulics, its production capacity is bound to be higher than those of workshops built solely on the work of craftsmen, and much higher.

However, we are now in troubled times, with frequent wars and huge consumption of weapons. And the manufacturing bureau in Foshan was just built in recent years. It is not like the arms bureau of the Zhongzuo Institute and the old manufacturing bureau in Chaozhou that have been in operation for many years.

, its large scale, limited machines and personnel can only be regarded as small-scale compared to those "old predecessors".

In this way, in this 17th century with low productivity, there was a joke about overcapacity, which really made Chen Kai dumbfounded. However, if we look closely at the cause and effect, there are deeper practical problems behind this joke.

Only then was it placed in front of Chen Kai.

After reading the report, Chen Kai set off for Foshan. The two places were not far apart and he arrived quickly. He went straight into the workshop of the Foshan Manufacturing Bureau to see for himself.

Stepping inside, wherever you look, you can see no expectation of busyness. They are not lazy at all. The craftsmen and workers are still working. Just by looking at their footsteps and expressions, you can tell whether they are really busy at the moment.

This is the vision Chen Kai developed when he was in charge of the Ordnance Bureau in South Australia. With just one glance, he knew something in his heart. Later, he led his entourage into the workshop of the workshop and took a quick look, which further confirmed his vision.

Idea - Most of the hydraulic machinery in the workshop is left idle, and the craftsmen use the limited number of machines in rotation to build something unknown. This rhythm is most likely caused by the workshop supervisor to reduce the cost of the hydraulic machinery.

It is thought out due to wear and tear, and it can reduce maintenance costs in disguise. As for whether it is effective or not, that is a matter of two opinions.

"No need to read any more, go to the office room and prepare the account books."

The person who wrote the report to Chen Kai was the director of this department, Ding Youyi, a former Panyu official who had just been transferred back from Chaozhou Manufacturing Bureau. It turned out that Ding Youyi was a subordinate of the governor's Yamen in charge of workshop construction at Chaozhou Manufacturing Bureau.

He started working there, and soon became the chief there. It was not until a few months ago that the general's office was called upon to make personnel adjustments, and he was transferred from Chaozhou, and another old subordinate of Chen Kai took over.

, an official who was originally in charge of civil affairs in Chaozhou.

When Ding Youyi returned from Chaozhou, he also returned to his hometown, which was of special significance to him. Although he failed to take up a post in Guangzhou City, the house in the city was returned to its original owner, and the land outside the city was also divided.

Is a contented one.

When he took over the vacancy of the official who was to be transferred to Fujian, Chen Kai asked him to report on the actual situation of the Foshan Manufacturing Bureau. In fact, the previous supervisor was also an old subordinate of Chen Kai and had always followed Chen Kai's lead. However,

, This person is too bureaucratic. The report always states that the situation is very good. After reading more, sometimes problems will only be caused by external factors, such as iron ore, insufficient supply of iron materials, etc. Made in Foshan

The Bureau itself has never had any problems.

Chen Kai is not a newcomer to the officialdom, and he can always see the clues. However, the focus of the Foshan Manufacturing Bureau has been very low recently, and it is far from being able to compete with the Consultative Bureau, Tiandihui, Guangdong Business Alliance and the like.

Compared with the organization, Chen Kaicai did not put too much thought into it. This time when the supervisor was changed, he was determined to take a closer look, but he was really shocked when he saw it.

When he came to the official room, he flipped through the files and account books, which had been prepared by Ding Youyi in advance. Chen Kai was not checking the accounts, so naturally he did not need to check them one by one. As long as he found what he wanted to see, it was enough to read them several times.

"It's easy to get fat, but it's hard to lose weight."

After saying this inexplicably, Chen Kai immediately closed the account book.

According to past files and account books, Chen Kai also vaguely remembered that when the Foshan Manufacturing Bureau was first established, Chen Kai regained Shaozhou Prefecture and took control of Guangzhou. At that time, because Li Dingguo entered Guangxi westward, he was also a royalist.

In accordance with the covenant, he provided weapons, equipment, military rations and salaries to help.

At that time, the supply of allies, plus the new troops in the control area, caused the Foshan Manufacturing Bureau to start work every day. There was a huge demand for iron ore and iron materials, so he tried to communicate with Luoding Prefecture and Wang Han. Especially with the follow-up

During the time when he started planning to build the Iron Man Army, the Foshan Manufacturing Bureau was extremely busy, and part of the hydraulic machinery was built at that time.

Subsequently, after the war, Wuzhou fell, causing Chen Kai's supply to Li Dingguo's troops to be interrupted. However, due to the recovery of the southern Jiangxi area and the actual control of the northern Zhaoqing Prefecture, a large number of weapons were needed to arm the troops, plus wartime losses.

And the excellent performance of the Iron Man Army in the Ganzhou Victory prompted Zheng Chenggong to decide to train the Iron Man Army. Not only did the production pressure of the Foshan Manufacturing Bureau not decrease, but it actually increased significantly.

As a result, a new round of hydraulic machinery manufacturing began naturally. With the actual control of the northern part of Zhaoqing Prefecture, a large number of Foshan blacksmiths who were originally brought by Lianchengbi to produce weapons nearby also returned to Foshan because of the urgent need.

To increase production capacity, many of them went directly to Foshan Manufacturing Bureau.

Next, the Foshan Manufacturing Bureau perfectly met the equipment needs of Zuohuwei Town and Youhuwei Town, and at the same time supplied the Ming Army in Southern Gansu through waterways. Expanding production capacity due to demand is undoubtedly a benign development.

However, after the sudden huge demand was achieved, it has been in a state of maintenance and replenishment until now. The sharp drop in demand has rendered many hydraulic machinery and personnel useless. This is another matter.

"Fujun, in fact, a similar situation has occurred in Chaozhou Manufacturing Bureau, but it is far from the level here in Foshan."

Ding Youyi came from the Chaozhou Manufacturing Bureau, and he is the one who knows the actual situation best. The production capacity of the Chaozhou Manufacturing Bureau was stimulated by Zheng Chenggong's crazy expansion of the army during the Qing Dynasty's peace talks in the eighth year of Yongli. At that time, due to the Zhongzuo Institute of Arms Bureau

Production capacity dropped sharply, but Chaozhou Manufacturing Bureau successfully plugged the gap, making hydraulic machinery once famous.

In the following years, due to the recovery of Fujian and Guangdong provinces and the massive expansion of local troops of the Ming Army, the stimulated production capacity of the Chaozhou Manufacturing Bureau did not appear to be excess, but developed smoothly. This situation continued until the Fuzhou Ordnance Bureau

After its completion, orders from Chaozhou gradually began to be transferred to Fuzhou because it was closer to the source of raw materials and the "market" and was under the direct jurisdiction of the workers and officials who recruited the general's residence.

"Chaozhou Manufacturing Bureau, I don't remember any similar report."

"That's right, because there were new orders soon, and the manufacturing bureau returned to the state of starting work every day, so the subordinates did not report it."

"oh?"

According to Ding Youyi, the Fuzhou Ordnance Bureau was completed at that time, and the impact on the Chaozhou Manufacturing Bureau was gradual. He saw the signs from the beginning, but soon Chen Kai wanted to train the Iron Man Army, and the armor was produced in Foshan

Yes, but other components, such as helmets, visors, iron gloves, iron boots, and even the Yunnan Zhanma Dao came from the Chaozhou Manufacturing Bureau and the Zhongzuo Ordnance Bureau, making them subject to the Fuzhou Ordnance Bureau.

The impact is greatly reduced.

Later, Chaozhou could not get much from the orders from Nangan, but Zheng Chenggong started training the Iron Man Army again, and new orders came in, which just filled the gap. With the establishment of the Guangdong-Hai Business Alliance, Chaozhou

The members also began to customize some hydraulic machinery for use in their workshops and mines, so that the Chaozhou Manufacturing Bureau did not suffer a collapse like Foshan.

As for the Ordnance Bureau of the Zhongzuo Institute, the handicraft production model has begun to be gradually eliminated by the Zheng Group. The craftsmen and workers have been diverted in batches to the hydraulic workshops in Fuzhou, Chaozhou and Foshan, but they have been exempted from this aspect.

Worry.

Declining demand and increasing competitors are all affecting the operating rate of Foshan Manufacturing Bureau. But in Chen Kai's view, the cause of all this is ultimately the problem of Foshan Manufacturing Bureau itself. To put it bluntly, it is still the same sentence, official

They run a business, can't control costs, and can't find a market. When their superiors give them tasks, they follow them. Without task targets, they have no motivation to look for business opportunities. Anyway, operations, labor, raw materials, etc. are all owned by the government.

.

"Lack of the instinct to pursue profits and overstaffing will result in being eliminated by the market, whether it is gradual elimination or sudden elimination."

Thinking of this, Chen Kai couldn't help but laugh secretly. The essence of Foshan Manufacturing Bureau is a military industrial enterprise. Even if it loses money, it will be subsidized by the government. Moreover, things like weapons cannot be sold casually. If

If you really do this, I'm afraid that the government's shackles and shackles will have been placed on both the seller and the buyer before the money has been paid, and they will even be investigated to see if they are guilty of being spies for the Qing court.

However, even if this is the case, Chen Kai does not intend to let Foshan Manufacturing Bureau continue to develop like this. It is not for profit, not even for capital preservation, but only for future development needs, and he will not do nothing.

"In terms of hydraulic machinery, the demand in Guangzhou should be greater than that in Chaozhou, right?"

Chen Kai's question was based on the precedent of Chaozhou Manufacturing Bureau. Unfortunately, after hearing Chen Kai's question, Ding Youyi recalled it and shook his head.

According to Ding Youyi, Chaozhou has been at peace for many years, and its population growth is second to none in Fujian and Guangdong provinces. However, the Ming army has used this place as a base for a long time, and a large number of laborers joined the army, making the manpower shortage here no less than that of other prefectures and counties.

Due to the development of agriculture and handicrafts during this period, coupled with the emergence of the Guangdong-Hai Business Alliance model, wages for hired workers also increased, so many workshops and mines in Chaozhou had a demand for hydraulic machinery.

In the final analysis, businessmen are pursuing profits and need hydraulic machinery to reduce costs. What's more, the government needs a large number of civilians to join the army to regain lost territory, and those officers and soldiers who receive military pay inevitably open up new areas in the process of garrisoning and conquering various places.

Due to their influence, even ordinary people who did not choose to join the army did not have a vision limited to a dozen miles around their homes like those in the peaceful years.

"The initial investment in hydraulic machinery is relatively large, but once it is built, the cost of maintenance and repair is very low. At least it is cheaper than hiring craftsmen of the same capacity, and it is completely tireless. Therefore, in Chaozhou, it has gradually become a popular choice among gentry and merchants.

So favored, Chaozhou Manufacturing Bureau has never stopped receiving orders."

The current situation in Chaozhou described by Ding Youyi really made Chen Kai stunned for a moment. Speaking of which, since the recovery of Guangzhou, Chen Kai's focus of work has shifted to this place, and his understanding of Chaozhou is often limited to the government.

Reports. There are indeed many traditional reports on taxes, taxes, corvees, expenditures and lawsuits, which are enough from the perspective of the traditional feudal government. But the problem is that Chen Kai is leading the change and needs to know

The content and the perspective that needs to be understood are far from enough.

Chen Kai learned this from Ding Youyi and turned his attention to Guangzhou again. According to his understanding, local members of the Guangdong Business Alliance also favor hydraulic machinery, especially now that Shunde's silk weaving industry is booming.

Hydraulic machinery has indeed brought them greater efficiency. Therefore, hydraulic machinery has indeed begun to become popular in the local area, but unlike the gentry in Chaozhou, most merchants have relatively strong funds, so the speed is actually not at all

Not happy.

Guangzhou has actually worked very hard, but the starting point is a bit low, so it has been subject to limitations in the development process. On the Chaozhou side, there is actually no shortage of hydraulic machinery that has made its name. At the same time, the natural economic model still exists.

There is a lack of a large number of industrial workers who have become landless people and go to factories. The craftsmen who can enter the workshops are mostly father and son. The inheritance of master and apprentice has a certain skill. If you don't work here, you can go elsewhere, which makes these workers

Even if the bosses want to exploit people even after death, they still lack suitable targets.

If you think about it carefully, the traditional economic model in Chaozhou is more deeply rooted due to the long period of peace. But in Guangzhou, the new pioneers have fewer constraints due to the previous war. For example, Shunde County is now the silk weaving industry.

Dominating the county's economic lifeline, other industries have become vassals of the silk weaving industry.

Foshan Manufacturing Bureau can actually follow this model. Chen Kai has already had an idea in his mind. But the problem has returned to the original point, which is that Foshan Manufacturing Bureau is a government-owned enterprise and is not as pure as Shunde Silk Weaving Workshop.

Private enterprises have completely different things to consider.

"Looks like we have to sing the double act again."

Shaking his head helplessly, Chen Kai chuckled and then said to Ding Youyi: "Has Director Ding ever considered developing new products?"

Development of new products?

This word was a bit unfamiliar to Ding Youyi, but he reacted in an instant: "Fu Jun said that he wanted to replace weapons and armor for the army?" This is not difficult to understand, because Chen Kai has indeed done it, just like the Iron Man Army:

"I'm not going to hide this from Fu Jun. I had this idea when I was in Chaozhou, but the problem with the Chaozhou Manufacturing Bureau was not big, so I put it aside. As for the reason, I still have to try to get Guo Xingye to agree, because the replacement of new

Weapons, battle formations, etc. also need to be adjusted, right?"

In this matter, Ding Youyi did hit the point. Chen Kai affirmed this, but his enthusiasm for "developing new products" has not diminished at all.

"I will discuss this matter with Guoxing. The question now is whether it is too late."
Chapter completed!