flstandardbreds Chapter 386: What We Have Done Over the Years
Chapter 386: What We Have Done Over the Years
In fact, even Wei Ling himself did not expect that under Su Jixiang's planning, Mangcheng had undergone earth-shaking changes in just four years.
Today, Mangcheng has a developed handicraft manufacturing industry.
Because Su Jixiang used the coal and oil he found in the mountains in daily production and manufacturing, the current Mangcheng seems to have moved forward an entire era compared to other places in Daxie.
There are water-driven mills by the river and various steam-driven tools in the streets. Under the suggestion of Su Jixiang, the skilled craftsmen in the army have begun to develop steam-driven textile machines. If they succeed in developing them, the weaving industry in the entire Mangcheng will undergo tremendous changes.
Su Jixiang exchanged tea and silk for high-yield cotton seeds from foreign lands. This winter, the Black Tiger Army has gradually put on new clothes and cotton-padded jackets made from the new cotton grown in Mangcheng. They no longer need to use reed flowers, Ula grass, and animal skins to keep warm. Cotton-padded jackets made of cotton are warmer and more comfortable than Ula grass, reed flowers, and other things.
Su Jixiang also encouraged everyone to raise geese and ducks, and taught the families of soldiers to use goose down and duck down to make quilts and clothes for warmth. He also set up a bedding factory to produce cotton-padded clothes and goose down and duck down products for the Black Tiger Army.
Now the people of Mangcheng are eagerly watching what the soldiers of the Black Tiger Army use and wear. Whatever they use and wear will soon become the weather vane of the entire Mangcheng.
This winter, the goose down quilts produced by Su Jixiang's factory have been sold at sky-high prices in the market!
In order to prevent the goose down from being drilled, Su Jixiang also invited the most skilled weaver in Mangcheng to improve the weaving method of the cloth to make the fabric more compact. Although the weaving process became much more complicated, Su Jixiang did not use this weaving process to make money, but directly announced it. As long as the weavers in Mangcheng were willing to use this method to weave cloth, she would buy it at a high price!
Su Jixiang improved the method of making soap, making it more powerful in removing dirt and also fragrant. After washing with the soap produced by Wanzhenge, not only will the skin be radiant and clean, but it will also have a refreshing fragrance. Just relying on this soap, Wanzhenge has made a lot of money in the whole north.
Su Jixiang also asked someone to develop a cleaning liquid called dishwashing liquid, which was used to clean grease stains on dishes and other items. Because it was cheap, easy to use and smelled good, this thing was snapped up by the people of Mangcheng and all the foreigners who came to Mangcheng to do business as soon as it was on the market. As soon as Wanzhen Pavilion produced a batch, except for a part reserved for Mangcheng, the rest was directly bought up by foreign merchants waiting at the door.
This thing is so useful! The price is also affordable, it is a daily necessity that all people can afford. Once you use it, you can't live without it.
Although many people in Mangcheng still use firewood to heat their homes, more than half of the households have begun to use coal briquettes, coal-made stoves and kangs for heating, which have better heating effects and provide more warmth.
In short, Mangcheng is now clean and tidy, with special people responsible for cleaning the streets, and people collecting and disposing of the garbage thrown out by people in a timely manner. Both the old and new urban areas have opened bus routes, and public horse-drawn carriages are available to pick up passengers, making it convenient for people to travel. At night, the streets of Mangcheng are also lit by lanterns lit by the government, and it is no longer as dark as before.
Xie Yingfeng accompanied Su Jixiang to develop a city patrol plan and strengthen patrol management. Although Mangcheng is still a border town, there is no longer a curfew. The government has also set up a night market in the old city to encourage people to start businesses and work at night. It cannot be said that Mangcheng is now a place where people do not lock their doors at night and do not pick up things on the streets, but it is basically not far from this ideal state.
Su Jixiang also funded Xie Yingfeng to set up a literacy training class in the city. Anyone who wanted to learn to read and write could sign up to study, and the expenses would be borne by Su Jixiang.
Two years ago, Su Jixiang asked Xie Yingfeng to come up with a talent introduction plan. People from other places who wanted to live and settle in Mangcheng could get government funds to help them settle down as long as they had a skill. This amount was enough for them to buy a small house in Mangcheng to live in.
After this plan came out, it really attracted many craftsmen from the surrounding areas to come to Mangcheng to inquire whether the news was true. After learning that the news was genuine, Xie Yingfeng really attracted many craftsmen with outstanding skills in various fields to settle down. The arrival of these people has raised the manufacturing level of all walks of life in Mangcheng by several levels.
If the emperor were to see the current Mangcheng with his own eyes, his eyes would probably pop out of their sockets.
So Su Jixiang was right, this treasure was just the icing on the cake for him. His real confidence came from the construction of Mangcheng and the large-scale reclamation of wasteland around Mangcheng by the entire Black Tiger Army under Su Jixiang's proposal three years ago.
After three years of accumulation, his secret granary in the mountains was almost full of food.
So Wei Ling had food in his hands and was not in a hurry.
However, if there was no Su Jixiang, Mangcheng would not be what it is now, and the combat effectiveness of the Black Tiger Army would not have increased so quickly.
Su Jixiang did not just build Mangcheng, she also put forward many suggestions on weapon manufacturing, use, and training methods. Today, the Black Tiger Army is strong and united, because Su Jixiang has solved all their worries for them. So now the Black Tiger Army can be said to be more sharp and powerful than four years ago, and they definitely follow the lead of Wei Ling and Su Jixiang!
Su Jixiang has put a lot of effort into building the entire Black Tiger Army. He also organizes a grand blind date event every year to encourage unmarried soldiers in the Black Tiger Army who have reached marriageable age to marry girls from the common people of Mangcheng. The Black Tiger Army will also give a special gift of money when they get married.
Nowadays, the image of the Black Tiger Army is getting better and better in the minds of the people of Mangcheng, and the connection and bond with the people of Mangcheng are getting deeper and deeper, which is a good thing for Wei Ling.
In the future, even if the emperor wanted to find some way to alienate the relationship between the Black Tiger Army and the people of Mangcheng, it would be difficult. What's more difficult is that he can't find another person like Wei Ling who can convince both the Black Tiger Army and the people of Mangcheng at the same time.
The more Wei Ling thought about it, the more he admired Su Jixiang. The things she did step by step seemed to be unrelated, but after the combined effect of many aspects, he had basically controlled the entire Mangcheng and even the Northland firmly in his hands. It was not an exaggeration to say that even if the current emperor turned against him in the future, he would have enough ability and confidence to compete with the court.