Chapter 59

"Boss, if you want to leave, do it quickly." Only Yang Qiu said, "Today we will leave the fort, and then I will spread the news under Liu Dequan's name. If in a few days, those dead men all float up, they will know the inside information has been exposed, and our plan won't work anymore."

"Alright." Zhang Han stood up and said to Wang Changfu, "Gather the men. Yang Qiu will spread the news now. I will say we are heading to Zhangjiakou. We will leave in the afternoon, and make a big show when we leave the fort."

"Got it!"

"Boss, rest assured, it will be handled properly."

Everyone stood up. Zhou Fengji and Liang Hong pulled Zhang Han aside and gave him a long talk. The bandits weren't a big deal; even if they abandoned the business in Zhangjiakou and Xuanfu, it didn't matter. The most important thing was for Zhang Han to protect himself. If anything happened to Zhang Han, no number of routes to Xuanfu could make up for it.

The current Heyu Sheng had no one who could replace Zhang Han. Moreover, Zhang Han had no brothers or nephews, and he was still young, not yet married, and had no heirs.

Zhou Fengji looked at Zhang Han and said, "Boss, once you return, get married quickly and have a child. Raise him well, and he will be a good helper in the future."

Zhang Han smiled and agreed. Zhou Fengji and Liang Hong then left. Heyu Sheng was now a large and prosperous business, and these two managers were extremely busy. Most of the managers of the branch stores were trained by them, and whenever there was an issue, they would send people to consult. Every day, there were detailed accounts, inventory adjustments, pricing, storage, financial records, personnel allocation, and various other tasks. Not all experienced managers could handle these tasks. For example, Liang Hong not only had to manage the main store but also the mule and horse market, the factory where craftsmen worked, the materials needed, the production of carriages, and the management of the mule and horse market. He was always busy.

This situation would likely last for another one or two years until the branch managers were more experienced and could be promoted to assist the two main managers. This hectic situation could then be somewhat alleviated.

Everyone went to their tasks, and even Zhang Chun went to prepare the firearms and ammunition. Zhang Han stayed in the room and looked at the account books and reports for a while. The reports were something he had taught the branch managers and accountants. Each branch sent a report daily, and those farther away sent them every few days.

For these managers with basic education, the reports were all over the place. The main idea was simple: various formats with dynamic data, not detailed accounts, but a report of the detailed situation of each branch, including daily customer lists, ranked by size, with notes on their background and simple information, as well as their requests. Then there were product lists, which items were consumed quickly, which were in high demand, and inventory lists, order forms, delivery forms, and storage forms.

These things, which could be learned in a few days by someone with a modern junior high school education, were very difficult for the branch managers. Zhang Han noticed that the reports were well-formatted, with clear handwriting, but few were concise and rich in content. He noticed that the managers of the Dong'er and Tiancheng branches, Li Dongxue and Mo Zongtong, were doing well, and today's reports were still good. The other branches had various issues. Normally, Zhang Han would correct them, but today he was a bit distracted. After correcting a few, he sighed and put the rest aside, planning to have Liang Hong and his literacy class correct them when he returned, with Zhang Han only providing guidance.

Putting down the reports, Zhang Han went out and looked up at the sky.

The sun was gradually moving to around ten o'clock. To get the exact time, one had to go to the intersection of North Street and South Street to see the clock tower. Xinping Fort was not like the south, where cities like Suzhou and Yangzhou had many self-sounding clocks sold by Westerners, ranging in size from large to small, and pocket watches would not be available for a few more years. Essentially, they were the same as clocks, just smaller.

Zhang Han wanted to buy a clock but would have to send a specialist to the capital, and it was uncertain whether they could find one. In the south, one could buy a clock with silver, but in the capital, such rare items were not common, and even if they were available, they would be snatched up by the nobles and the wealthy. As an outsider merchant with no reputation or connections, even with silver, one might not be able to buy one.

In Xinping Fort, there were some Japanese goods, such as fans and swords, but they were very rare. Only a few Mongolian nobles would buy these rare items to play with. In the Ming Dynasty, Datong could also sell some, and Taiyuan and a few other major cities had buyers. In Xinping Fort and other border areas, no one would buy these impractical items.

The mule and horse market had three sections. The outermost section had about a hundred rooms for stables and the workers' living quarters. The middle section, separated from the silver vault, was the grain and miscellaneous goods warehouse, which was off-limits to ordinary people.

Further inside was the factory area, where the craftsmen worked and lived. It was a large, open space.

Several dozen newly made large carriages were lined up neatly. A few lacquer workers were applying lacquer to the carriages. Once the clear lacquer dried, the carriages would be ready for use.

Zhang Han walked up close and examined the wheels of the front and back rows of carriages, a satisfied look on his face.

These four-wheeled carriages were designed and repeatedly tested according to Zhang Han's ideas. Compared to the old-style carriages with wheels on both sides of the body, the new carriages had wheels under the body, with a sophisticated iron structure, axles, and wheels. The front part connected to the horses with a precision iron steering shaft, making the carriage body simple and elegant. After Zhang Han provided the design, the carriage body also had a streamlined feel, eliminating the笨重 and awkward appearance of traditional Chinese carriages.

Zhang Han was also designing a lightweight carriage, pulled by one or two horses, with the driver sitting in front and a open compartment in the back that could seat two people. The rear wheels were larger than the front wheels, and the carriage had few components, maintaining a speed of 20 kilometers per hour. If the horses could be changed along the way, it could travel at least 200 kilometers in a day. Of course, this was the theoretical speed. Only on the most important large official roads in the northern part of the Ming Dynasty could the speed be maintained. On the road from Xinping Fort to Tiancheng or Zhenlu, or further south or west, except for the road to Datong, the other official roads were uneven, with three feet of dust on sunny days and three feet of mud on rainy days. Broken bridges often caused road closures. On sunny days, it was still manageable, but on rainy days, it was impossible to travel 20 kilometers in an hour, let alone 20 miles. One could only travel about 10 miles in an hour. This was already a miraculous feat for a carriage. For a regular large carriage loaded with goods, one could only travel a mile or two in an hour.

"Boss is here?"

"Servant greets Boss."

At the entrance to the factory area, opposite the new carriages, was a row of furnaces where iron horseshoes, firearms, and weapons were made.

Old Cai and others were inspecting the new horseshoes. A few people were leading horses, some with new horseshoes and some with old ones. Old Cai was on the ground, inspecting them very carefully, not missing any details.

It wasn't until Zhang Han approached that they noticed him. Old Cai quickly got up to greet him, and the others bowed, showing great respect.

Zhang Han waved his hand and smiled, "Everyone continue with your work, don't mind me."

The people knew his temperament and that he was not the type to be high and mighty or to like idle chatter that would delay their work. They apologized and continued their tasks.

Horseshoes were very important. Heyu Sheng now had over a thousand horses, each costing less than six taels. If they were warhorses, even the lowest quality third-grade warhorses cost more than seven taels. In the future, due to wars, the price of warhorses would only rise.

In the past few decades, the Ming Dynasty had used the horse market to buy large numbers of Mongolian warhorses. Each time the official market opened in Xuan, Da, Shanxi, and Jizhen, the silver spent on buying horses was over 100,000 taels, and the number of horses was over 10,000. The total number of horses in the border towns was several hundred thousand. These warhorses effectively ensured the combat capability of the border army, making it easy to deal with the poorly organized and equipped northern invaders and the southwestern tribes. Small groups of bandits could be quickly eliminated by the elite troops. However, when facing Nurhaci, the Ming army was at a disadvantage.

Zhang Han, of course, would not buy warhorses. Apart from the dozens of warhorses used by the bodyguards, the rest were draft horses, mules, and donkeys, totaling over 2,000. However, these mules and horses were not all in Xinping Fort; most were distributed among the branch stores.

As the number of branch stores increased, the number of mules and horses would also increase. Now, Old Cai and others were busy shoeing horses, feeding them, washing them, and taking care of sick horses. Their apprentices were also learning many things. Zhang Han had hired many veterinarians, as they had no other means of making a living. The original dozen or so mule and horse markets in Xinping Fort, along with the cart owners, had all gone bankrupt. The carters either worked for Zhang Han or scattered. The new carters did odd jobs for Old Cai, learning to take care of mules and horses. Over time, their loyalty increased, and the fittest and bravest were selected to join the bodyguards. Currently, the entire Heyu Sheng operated like a well-oiled machine, with every detail running smoothly.

"Boss," Yang Hegao walked over, looking somewhat nervous, "The wire drawing method you mentioned, we are still testing. The iron wire is either too thick or too thin, and it's hard to form properly..."

"Don't worry." Zhang Han patted Yang Hegao's shoulder and smiled, "You've never done this before, so it's not surprising that it's not working yet."

Zhang Han wanted Yang Hegao to draw rough springs to reduce vibrations and make the carriage structure more robust. However, this was something that even in the capital, few could do. Before the Ming Dynasty, China did not have chainmail or wire drawing technology. Chainmail was introduced during the Yuan Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty began to replicate it. When the country was strong, more chainmail was made, but in recent years, with the decline of the country, less chainmail was made, and its protective power was average. Generally, the border army preferred iron scale armor, with chainmail and leather armor being secondary. Chainmail