The rear wheels of this four-wheeled carriage are huge, almost as tall as a person, which can enhance the passability and also play the main load-bearing role. The front wheels are much smaller, and their main function is to turn, but they are also very sturdy.
The carriage is a flat platform with low railings on it to prevent the cargo from falling. If more cargo is loaded, it is also equipped with extended railings that can be tied and fixed with ropes.
As for the bottom of the platform of the carriage, it is the chassis.
Except for the exposed wheels, other important components are all tightly wrapped with steel plates and riveted so that they cannot be opened easily.
If someone who doesn't understand the key is to dismantle it, the structure of the parts inside will be damaged. This is also the most effective way to prevent leaks.
The two front wheels are independent structures, and the two rear wheels are not connected by one shaft, but are separated, which solves the problem of different rotation speeds of the two wheels when turning.
All these designs are based on the hardness and wear resistance of high-strength steel. With this design, the four-wheeled carriage can completely turn in circles and is extremely dexterous.
After demonstration, it was found that this four-wheeled carriage was much larger than previous carriages because the load did not need to rest on the horses, and the carrying capacity naturally increased.
In front of shopkeeper Wei, shopkeeper Fang asked people to continuously pile goods on the carriage, which were all heavy wood.
As more and more wood was piled up, the smile lines at the corners of Shopkeeper Wei's eyes became deeper and deeper. According to the weight of the wood stacked on the carriage, not to mention three times the carrying capacity, it is estimated that four times would be no problem.
"That's enough, that's enough."
As shopkeeper Wei stopped him, the workers also stopped stacking the goods.
"Mr. Fang, can an ordinary horse pull such a heavy cart?"
The shopkeeper waved, and the worker brought over a pack horse from the side. After pulling on the harness, he raised his whip lightly and hit the horse's back. The horse neighed regularly and started to move around.
The first two steps were a bit laborious, but after starting to walk, the horse became obviously more relaxed and even started to trot.
Shopkeeper Wei smiled so hard that he couldn't even close his mouth.
In the past, when transporting goods, let alone the load, the horses could not run at all and could only walk step by step. Even so, after a day's journey, the horses were exhausted and had to take a good rest. They were more valuable than humans.
If all were replaced by these four-wheeled carriages, not only the loading capacity but also the speed would be greatly improved. A trip outside the customs would probably save at least one-third of the time.
"Shopkeeper Fang, this carriage is really good. You guys are traveling with the wind, you are really a leader." Shopkeeper Wei praised it and said, "I want all ten carriages. Shopkeeper Fang, please give me a good price."
"Shopkeeper Wei is generous, but these carriages are not cheap. Shengfa Department Store ordered fifty carriages, which were delivered just a few days ago. Yesterday, another hundred were ordered. I intercepted these ten carriages privately. It can be said that there are no more carriages on the market.
You can't buy it at all. I don't need to say more about the advantages of this carriage. There have been a lot of people asking about this carriage in the past two days, so the price..."
Shopkeeper Wei was used to traveling here and there, so he naturally knew the profits that this carriage could bring. When he heard that someone else was also interested in this carriage, he immediately gritted his teeth and said, "Shopkeeper Qian, just tell me a price.
"
"Three thousand, five hundred taels per car. No counter-offer. Shopkeeper Wei can consider it."
Shopkeeper Wei's face was stunned for a moment. Three thousand five hundred taels for a carriage?
Not including horses?
You must know that his previous carriage, including the horses, was only less than a thousand taels. This carriage is at least as good as the previous seven or eight carriages.
If he hadn't made a lot of money selling tobacco leaves on his last trip, I'm afraid the price would have scared him away.
But even so, he still felt a little sore.
Seeing him struggling, Yang Jie said from the side: "Shopkeeper Wei, otherwise forget it. I didn't expect this carriage to be so expensive. It's not like ordinary carriages can't be used."
Shopkeeper Wei is still confused.
Yang Jie added: "Otherwise, let's not buy so much. We can just buy half."
When Shopkeeper Wei heard this, he remained unmoved. His fleet and drivers were suitable for driving ten carriages. If you wanted to buy them, just buy them all. Why leave half for others? After all, you have the strength now.
After thinking about this, Shopkeeper Wei finally made up his mind: "I bought it. I want all of these ten cars."
Seeing Shopkeeper Wei take out the banknote, Shopkeeper Fang and Yang Jie secretly exchanged glances.
Shopkeeper Wei, who bought ten carriages, invited Lu Jingke to dinner the next day, planning to tell him the news and see if His Highness the Crown Prince had made a decision.
Lu Jingke was also amazed when he saw this four-wheeled carriage that turned freely. When shopkeeper Wei told him that he could carry three or four times as much cargo on a trip outside the customs, his eyes suddenly shone.
What he has been struggling with is that if the profit from this trip is too little, it will be a bit uneconomical compared to the risk.
After all, the tea is only five or six times more profitable. According to what Shopkeeper Wei is saying, the profits will be gone after just one trip.
"Since Shopkeeper Wei is so interested, why don't you sell tea?"
Shopkeeper Wei was so excited that he felt a little embarrassed when he spoke: "Your Highness, although tea is not as profitable as tobacco, but with this four-wheeled carriage, the money you can earn from one trip is definitely more than tobacco."
"good."
Lu Jingke was also beaming. This trip didn't require much. As long as he had as much money as last time, he could give his father another big gift, one hundred taels in half a year and two hundred taels in a year. According to this calculation, Youzhou might
No longer need to be controlled by the court.
Shopkeeper Wei was in high spirits, so he said goodbye to Lu Jingke and went out to purchase goods.
This cart can be worth three or four times the previous amount. Ten carts are equivalent to the previous thirty or forty carts of tea. Such a large amount of goods cannot be gathered in a short time.
The quickest way to get enough tea now is to purchase it from Shengfa Department Store.
…
Shengfa Department Store, after the four-wheeled carriage was delivered, it was immediately put into use, transporting goods between Yingtianfu and its seven branches.
It seems to have increased costs, but in fact it has promoted consumption. Many goods that are not available locally can now be purchased, and people are happy to buy them.
Now the four-wheeled carriages are not enough. When the number of carriages increases, Yang Xuan plans to use the freight department currently affiliated with Shengfa Department Store to set up a separate logistics company called Shengfa Logistics.
At that time, it will not only transport the goods of Shengfa Department Store, but also contact the freight business of other companies. At that time, we will cooperate with the court to change the existing post station into a logistics point. In that case, he originally said that the store will be opened.
The goal of spreading throughout the entire Dasheng Dynasty has a certain foundation.
Due to traffic constraints, Yang Xuan's plan could never be carried out.
But now, he finally saw a glimmer of light.
…
In just a few days, Shopkeeper Wei purchased enough tea from Shengfa Department Store and loaded it into the truck to prepare for departure.
Although the price is a bit more expensive than when he goes to various places to buy it in person, compared with the five or six times the profit of shipping it outside the customs, this increased cost is nothing.
The time it takes to go shopping in various places is almost enough to make a trip outside the customs. Shengfa Department Store should make the profit from this price difference.
Shopkeeper Wei vaguely understood the truth that time is money.
