Chapter 92

Yang Yuanzhao found it very strange. All along, these master craftsmen had always been very respectful to him. He had never spoken ill of them, and in a certain sense, there had been no conflicts. Why would Master Zhang act this way? Yang Yuanzhao couldn't figure it out. He then found another master craftsman, but to his surprise, he was also refused. What he thought would be a simple matter was met with unanimous rejection. Some of the master craftsmen even got angry. The more irritable ones even raised their fists. If it weren't for the quick reflexes of two attendants who separated him from the master craftsmen, a physical altercation might have occurred. However, the attendants still had a minor conflict with the master craftsmen, and the scene was chaotic.

Wu Ming, who was immersed in excitement, only then noticed the commotion. Not knowing what had happened, he hurried over and loudly stopped the enraged master craftsmen. Then he asked for the reason. After learning the details, he pulled Yang Yuanzhao aside and said somewhat hesitantly, "Yuanzhao, the formulas are all secret traditions. Even as the owners, we can't force them to hand them over!"

"Secret traditions?" Yang Yuanzhao sneered. It seemed to be the traditional Chinese craftsman's way—treasuring what they have and passing it down only to sons, not daughters, to apprentices, not daughters-in-law. Because of this, China's brilliant civilization, with its countless inventions, often saw these inventions lost and then rediscovered. Some were completely lost. It was this narrow-minded thinking that, if not for the brick factory already being in production and the urgent need for building materials, he could have used the integrated machine to invent hundreds or even thousands of high-quality, low-cost brick formulas.

"Maybe we should put it aside for now?" Wu Ming looked at Yang Yuanzhao with some difficulty. On the other side, the master craftsmen had gathered together, and the mixing work had stopped. Clearly, they were discussing the matter.

The idea of putting it aside was not in Yang Yuanzhao's mind. He hesitated for a moment and then said, "Brother Wenju, I respect you, but this time, I don't want to back down. The master craftsmen who are willing to cooperate can stay and work. For each formula, I will compensate 500 yuan. If two formulas are the same, they will split the 500 yuan. Those who don't want to cooperate can go wherever they came from. They're just some lousy brick formulas. If it weren't for the tight schedule, I wouldn't even spend this money!"

Yang Yuanzhao waved his hand and made the decision. Wu Ming opened his mouth to say something but didn't. This meant that a lot more would be spent on the formulas. He knew that the brick factory had about seven formulas, which would mean a loss of 3500 yuan. He wanted to object, but since Yang Yuanzhao owned more than 50% of the brick factory, he couldn't say much more.

Just a moment ago, only a small part of the brick-making machine's power was shown, but the potential it demonstrated made Wu Ming pleased. Yang Yuanzhao had not deceived him. The efficiency of the brick-making machine was definitely much higher than that of the brick factories in Taiyuan, and the dependence on master craftsmen was much less.

Yang Yuanzhao's attendant announced his final decision to the master craftsmen, causing a stir among them. For these craftsmen, it was a great insult. Master Zhang turned and left first, and with his lead, over a dozen master craftsmen also left.

With the master craftsmen leaving, the mixing work couldn't continue, and the brick factory had to stop. Wu Ming was panicked and ran to Yang Yuanzhao, saying, "Yuanzhao, maybe we should slow down. Look, everything has stopped!"

"Aren't there still people?" Yang Yuanzhao said calmly.

"But..." Wu Ming, who was flustered, wanted to say more but was interrupted by Yang Yuanzhao, who said, "Wu Ming, do you think this is an isolated case? If a few people control the lifeline of a factory, how much of a risk is that? Don't tell me you don't know?"

"Risk?" Wu Ming was stunned and couldn't help but think back to over a year ago when the Taiyuan brick factory was just established. A master craftsman's departure had paralyzed the entire factory. They had to pay a large sum to hire a few more masters to get it running again. These people, who held a special status in the brick factory, were usually not offended by ordinary managers.

"It seems you know the drawbacks. This isn't the only one. In modern factories, machines replace human labor, not just ordinary workers but also skilled workers. The factory must be able to operate even if anyone is missing. You've seen it; just a simple formula caused such a big reaction. What if it involved something else? These people might demand raises or money to threaten us. Would we give it to them?"

Wu Ming opened his mouth, wanting to tell Yang Yuanzhao that he was overthinking it, but logically, what Yang Yuanzhao said was right. A factory couldn't be controlled by a few people. If a problem arose, it would be fatal for the factory.

Wu Ming calmed down, and the chaotic scene ended. Indeed, not all the master craftsmen left. The 500 yuan per formula was a significant temptation for most people, especially the ordinary master craftsmen. Faced with the potential wealth of several acres of land, they chose money over tradition.

With little effort, Yang Yuanzhao obtained nine formulas. He no longer invested in research; he only needed to design the best mixer based on these formulas.

Seven master craftsmen remained, a relatively small number, but with the help of workers, they managed to keep the brick factory running, albeit with reduced efficiency. The highly efficient brick-making machine had to be shut down for one, otherwise, the materials wouldn't keep up.

The master craftsmen who left, upon learning that seven had stayed, were furious but didn't dare to return. The power of the Wu and Yang families was not to be trifled with. Clearly, they had been dismissed. They had thought there might be a chance to make amends, but now, after some thought, they bid farewell to Wu Ming and left Baotou.

Yang Yuanzhao didn't care about their departure and focused on his research. After about a day and a dozen experiments, the new mixer was finally completed and moved to the factory.

The seven remaining master craftsmen had been very tired over the past day. The machine was tireless and fast, and they had to constantly mix materials to keep up. The intensity of one day's work was equivalent to two days' work before.

In the scorching heat, their sweat never stopped. Just as they were exhausted, several strong men brought a strange machine to the factory.

The machine was round, somewhat like a kerosene lamp's glass shade but much shorter and fatter. This was the mixer that Yang Yuanzhao had created based on the principles of modern concrete mixers. It was powered by a steam engine and could mix 12 cubic meters of soil at once, completing a mix in just 15 minutes. A task that would take 100 master craftsmen an hour could now be done in 15 minutes, either increasing the efficiency of the brick-making machine or using more machines.

The mixer was quickly installed, and the workers added the materials in the correct proportions to the mixer. The power shaft was connected, and the mixer began to rotate slowly, then faster, mixing the materials together.

In just 15 minutes, the mixed materials entered the feed port. A few master craftsmen, somewhat skeptical, picked up a bit and examined it closely. Their faces showed shock. In just 15 minutes, this strange machine, without human operation, had completed a task that would take dozens of people an hour or more. Most importantly, the mix was excellent, a first-class product.

Wu Ming also saw something from the master craftsmen's expressions. He gave Yang Yuanzhao a thumbs-up, thinking that with Yang Yuanzhao's approach, the master craftsmen would become dispensable, though still needed, they would no longer be essential. This was the greatest benefit for a brick factory. Once the Baotou brick factory stabilized, they would also purchase a few machines, including the large mixer. As for those few master craftsmen, their fate was already decided.

Unintentionally, he had decided the fate of several people, but this left no mark on Yang Yuanzhao's mind. The brick factory, if all went well, would soon complete the first batch of bricks, followed by the firing process. Even with firebricks, the firing would take over 20 days. During this time, Yang Yuanzhao had already made arrangements to prepare for the cement factory.