Chapter 207 Zhou Qinlong

The invention of the steam engine was to liberate productivity.

Why did I dare to lower the price of the newspaper to only two cents?
In addition to knowing how much profit newspaper advertisements can bring, the emergence of the steam printing press will greatly improve production efficiency and reduce production costs, which can provide an explanation to both merchants and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In fact, they advanced the cost of the newspaper development only to cover the few months while the steam printing press technology gradually matured.

Compared to not knowing how much it would cost before, now the expenses can be completely calculated all at once.

As long as there is an exact number, even if it is not small, businessmen will have a bottom line when following me and will not be confused or indecisive.

And with the example of the steam printing press, the cost of publishing newspapers for various schools of thought would be greatly reduced.

Originally, even if the Confucianists and Legalists were to publish a newspaper, they were not confident and needed to get all the other schools of thought to discuss and share the expenses.

But now, even a single household has the opportunity to afford the cost of publishing a newspaper.

This is the advantage of inventing machinery that ordinary people can use.

And bringing various schools of thought into newspapers is just the beginning.

This fantasy world even has self-propelled cars, spider towers, and flying rocs, and it has accumulated a lot of technology. After the demonstration of the steam engine printing press, these upper-level technologies will slowly be combined with the steam engine's power system, thus falling down and liberating the bottom-level productivity.

Without its own guidance, this process will take several years to more than ten years and will transform all aspects of society.

Zhou Tieyi is not planning to speed up this process for the time being, at least not this year.

For the same reason as before, he simply did not have the time to lead such a large and complex change.

Because reforming the original productive force structure and liberating productive forces will inevitably trigger a series of social changes, affecting the interests of the old land gentry and local clans, and allowing the capital gentry and emerging workers to grow rapidly.

The struggle between the two will affect the political situation, making the already treacherous situation more changeable and more difficult to control.

Therefore, when it comes to the application scenarios of steam engines, Zhou Tieyi does not want to start from traditional industries at all. To liberate productivity from traditional light industries, you also need to find a market to absorb this part of productivity. There are too many things to deal with, and they are too complicated.

It would be better to start with the newspaper industry, which is also an emerging industry.

Because it is an emerging industry, the obstacles involving the old classes are minimal. Everyone can participate in this gamble. Everyone is a new gambler, and everyone is cultivating a common emerging market.

But once they enter the gambling table, the identities of the gamblers will gradually change. The old land gentry and local families can also be transformed into capital gentry.

As long as they transform a part, they will start fighting against themselves.

At that time, you just need to fan the air a little and light the fire, and the rest can be left to the times. You don't have to charge to the front and attract everyone's firepower.

Thinking of this, Zhou Tieyi smiled. I am best at fanning the flames.

At the same time, the introduction of steam engines into the newspaper industry had two other benefits.

First, the newspaper industry is a propaganda machine. The results produced by the propaganda machine are often exaggerated tenfold or even a hundredfold, because the propaganda machine has the loudest voice. Even in modern society, this is true. Everyone knows that you are fat, but you have a loud voice.

But when ordinary people hear this, they think this guy has a loud voice and must be fat and strong!
This is everyone’s first instinctive reaction.

Second, thanks to the existence of the Taoist tradition in this world, even if he unveiled the steam engine, no one could take it away from him. Any development related to the steam engine required the authorization of its inventor, Second Uncle Gong Shusheng. This was recognized by the rules of this world.

Therefore, any development they do on this basis cannot bypass Gongshu Sheng and the Zhou family.

The carriage drove into the Huwei Bingfang overnight. Second uncle Gong Shusheng was still experimenting with various materials for making trains, trying to further reduce costs.

Compared to a month ago, Second Uncle's aura is now more restrained. He stands among a pile of parts, as if he is ready to blend in at any time.

Zhou Tieyi first talked with Gongshu Sheng about the topic of training young people in the Railway Chamber of Commerce.

The original plan was to train for three months, and now a month has passed. I will try to get another month to two months so that the teenagers can start working before I leave Tianjing.

"They have been well trained and the pre-production tools are ready. Now there is another problem."

Gongshu Sheng had a smile on his face beneath the mask.

"what is the problem?"

Zhou Tieyi was stunned.

"You publicized the news of the Railway Chamber of Commerce recruiting people in the Tianjing Newspaper. Now it has almost spread throughout Tianjing. In the past few days, many people want to send their children to be apprentices. There are thousands of people, and judging by the trend, the number will increase. Hao Ren has been worrying about this matter these days. You can go and take a look later."

After Gongshu Sheng mentioned this, Zhou Tieyi patted his head. There were too many things to do, and he had arranged a lot of information on his side, but because the information was not transmitted in time by various departments, the coordination was naturally inadequate.

I guess Hao Ren is now wondering how many people he should recruit and how many people he should train, so he is probably undecided.

Thinking of this, Zhou Tieyi smiled instead, "Well, making him anxious for a while can also be considered as adding to his burden."

There are many things that I don't have time to deal with, so I have to test my subordinates' ability to respond to emergencies.

Gongshu Sheng nodded slightly, and didn't say much, but asked another question, "You came here, do you have anything new that you want me to research?"

Zhou Tieyi smiled flatteringly and said, "I really can't hide anything from my second uncle."

He then gave a general description of the function of the steam printing press. He didn't have to worry about the specific mechanism structure. Gong Shujia could handle a mechanism structure as complex as the Spider Tower. The basic technical accumulation was already beyond the reach of a layman like himself.

What's more, the steam engine power system is already available, as is movable type printing. I have also proposed the specific research direction of roller printing. If I fail to figure it out, I would be underestimating my second uncle who was making trains by hand.

When others test a part, it takes several days to polish and calibrate it, but my uncle only needs a few breaths to rub it by hand. The efficiency of the two is incomparable.

Therefore, basic productivity must be liberated, and high-end productivity cannot be left out either.

Zhou Tieyi asked, "By the way, we can start training these talented youngsters and teach them the methods of cultivation."

The first group of people always receive some preferential treatment.

Gongshu Sheng was thinking about the steam printing press while nodding his head to indicate that he understood. "I can probably make a finished product of the machine you mentioned in about five days. Then you can come and see if it meets your requirements."

When Zhou Tieyi nodded, Gongshu Sheng said, "By the way, I have already told my brother about my upcoming promotion to the third rank. He told me to prepare for a month or two, after which I will leave Tianjing."

Seeing Zhou Tieyi's thoughtful expression, Gongshu Sheng smiled and said, "There is one more thing, my brother asked me to tell you."

"what's up?"

"You did a good job, kid!"

Gongshu Sheng imitated Zhou Qinlong's tone perfectly.

······
Sunset Pass, Tiger Army, in the commander-in-chief’s tent.

In front of the huge sand table, a man was sitting with his arms and legs spread out.

He was tall and strong, with a bronze complexion, no beard, deep eye sockets, and neatly trimmed temples. He looked to be about thirty years old and was in the best condition possible for a man.

Compared to Zhou Tiege's brothers, whose facial features inherited some of the softness of their mother Zhou Yulong, Zhou Qinlong's facial features are less handsome and more heroic and solemn, especially the black mole between his eyebrows, which not only does not carry a sense of compassion, but instead increases the sense of majesty.

But everyone who is familiar with Zhou Qinlong knows that the head of the Zhou family loves to laugh on weekdays, and he loves to laugh even more when killing enemies.

"Feng Teng, my kid is stirring up trouble in Tianjing. It really poses a problem for me."

Zhou Qinlong looked at Chang Fengteng beside him.

A hero needs three helpers. Apart from Gongshu Sheng, the manager of the General Huwei Mansion in Tianjing, the person Zhou Qinlong trusts the most is his counselor Chang Fengteng.

I don't know if it's the mysterious fate, but with Chang Fengteng around to plan and arrange things over the years, the Huwei Army has been thriving even without a third-rank general in charge. Not only has its power in Sunset Pass not declined, but it has made some progress compared to the time of Zhou Guangxia.

The astrological mysteries in their names are often mentioned, and they are considered a match made in heaven.

The heir of the family of diplomacy had an ordinary appearance, an ordinary height, and even an ordinary voice, as if he could be thrown into a sea of ​​people and could not be found.

Chang Fengteng pinched his beard and smiled, "Once the wind and clouds come, the world is beyond our control. It has not been easy for the Second Young Master these years."

He did not doubt Zhou Tieyi's transformation. For one thing, he had been at Sunset Pass for many years and the last time he saw Zhou Tieyi was five years ago. Five years is enough for a child to grow into a teenager and a teenager to grow into a young adult. There are too many changes in between.

Secondly, he really thought that Zhou Tieyi should be like this, and his previous forbearance was all to wait for the time when the situation changed.

The fact that His Majesty began to practice Taoism was a manifestation of this change.

There was a hint of nostalgia in Zhou Qinlong's eyes. Although he was surprised at the change in his son, there were too many examples in history of people who endured for a long time and turned into dragons overnight.

"When you've been away for three days, you should look at people with new eyes. This kid said it well."

After chatting about family matters, Zhou Qinlong quickly changed his mind from the love he had for his son. As the commander of the army, he had to control his emotions at all times, so he felt that his son did a good job.

"I heard that the Confucian family has been making a lot of noise recently and has been targeting our Zhou family."

Chang Fengteng said with a sneer.

The strategists had always had a deep grudge against the Confucians in the court. They were expelled from the court by the Confucians, and not even one of the nine chief officials was retained. This grudge was too great, and now they are planning for the Zhou family, so naturally they will not treat the Confucians well.

Zhou Qinlong stood up, the inkstone lamp above his head shone on him, casting a shadow on the sand table in front of him, "We can't control what happens in the court, it's too far away."

Then he laughed and said, "It's my kid. I heard that he has forced Dong Xingshu to be speechless in front of the Noon Gate. He is much more powerful than me, his father."

Chang Fengteng also nodded. All the things that happened in front of the Noon Gate were being watched by people all over the world, so the news spread the fastest. Even at Sunset Pass, eight thousand miles away, accurate information could be obtained.

"But I am not old enough as a father, so I cannot ask him to protect me from the wind and rain."

Zhou Qinlong restrained his smile and looked at the sand table in front of him.

Chang Fengteng also turned his gaze in the direction of Zhou Qinlong's sight. His pupils shrank slightly, and then he sighed, "A good father will have a good son." The same sentence is also true in reverse.

"General, do you want to take Miaoshan City?"

Zhou Qinlong said, "Yuan Meng feels that since His Majesty has been cultivating themselves, they have also been recuperating, so they have been making more small moves in the past two years. Instead of them coming to take advantage of us this year, we should do the same!"

He pointed to Miaoshan City, which was a thousand miles away from Sunset Pass. "This is the gateway to hundreds of barbarian nations. If we retreat, we can get food from hundreds of nations. If we advance, we can strangle the Yuanmeng army. This is a key place, we must take it!"

Chang Fengteng pondered for a moment, clapped his hands and smiled, "The situation is changing, and it is not just Tianjing that is changing. The time is right now, and only the general can take this place. It was only when I, a foolish monk, went to hundreds of countries alone that we have today's time."

The Yu monk mentioned by Chang Fengteng was an eminent monk during the Five Dynasties of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, who attained the first rank in Buddhism.

However, the people of the Great Xia Dynasty had complicated feelings towards this great monk.

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the foolish monk traveled alone to hundreds of barbarian countries, trying to spread Buddhism, educate the barbarians, and eliminate war. The first time he went there, he stayed in Miaoshan City, which was still called Loulan Kingdom at that time.

When he went there for the first time, there were hundreds of monks following him, but he was the only one who escaped.

This time of life and death catastrophe and the world's abuse did not discourage the foolish monk. Ten years later, he organized the monks and went north for the second time to spread Buddhism. This time he made more thorough preparations and happened to catch up with the time when Emperor Wu of Wei defeated Yuan Meng's army.

So even though the Loulan Kingdom disliked this monk from the Wei Kingdom, they still allowed him to stay and spread Buddhism.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. Ten years later, Emperor Wu of Wei died and the State of Wei fell into chaos. Even the Baoxiang Temple, where Monk Yu was born, was unable to take care of itself.

The Kingdom of Loulan attacked again and wiped out the monk Yu's group. This time he was the only one who escaped, so he was also called "Yu".

Another ten years passed, and Monk Yu went to Loulan for the third time to preach. This time he was alone, but this time he also achieved the first level of Buddhism in front of the shocked eyes of the world, the top level that could defeat the heavenly generals of Yuanmeng Divine Court.

Just when everyone thought that the foolish monk would avenge himself and massacre the entire Loulan Kingdom, they didn't expect that he would still just spread the Dharma. However, this time his Dharma was accepted by all the people of Loulan who were fearful of him. They even renamed the city where the foolish monk spread the Dharma to Miaoshan City in the Buddhist scriptures to show their respect for the foolish monk.

Buddhism was also introduced to hundreds of barbarian countries through the gateway of Miaoshan City, but the world still regarded it as foolish.

(End of this chapter)