There were three oil lamps in front of Chen Mu, and the oil-soaked cotton thread was dragging a faint firelight, which was the color of silver in Chen Mu's misty eyes.

Two bulky pocket watches alternately wound up and rested in front of the oil lamp on the table to keep track of the time, which is still a rarity even today.

The structure of the escapement can be found in ancient astronomical machinery, not to mention the ready-made structure imported from the West, which is not difficult to make, but it is difficult to make it in large quantities, and it has not been possible to make it in large quantities due to the limitations of materials.

It was not until the end of the war in Annam and Burma that a large amount of Burmese iron was imported into Nanyang, and in addition to the military supplies that supported the flintlock, some of it still flowed into the private sector for all kinds of crafts.

At this point, Nanyang had a watch company, producing half-table-sized table clocks, and occasionally making a few high-value pocket watches to sell to dignitaries, but its cumbersome discus-like shape was not popular.

Not to mention others, even Chen Mu never puts a pocket watch on his body, even if he takes it with him in battle, he is stuffed into the backpack of his own soldiers - the weight of more than two catties can prevent any nobleman from carrying it in his heart.

Not to mention that there are still problems with the watch of this year, and I don't leave when I walk, and I have to work hard before I use it.

"I haven't opened the windows for a long time, it's ventilated, and the oil can't be burned, and the dirt inside will make people sick."

Juniper didn't have Chen Mu's firm will to stare at the flames for half an hour, and when he heard the order, he hurriedly opened the window to ventilate, but Yang Fan and several other businessmen under the rule of the Beiyang Military Government looked at the oil lamp very energetically, and kept saying which one was hot and which was clean.

Opening the window is to ventilate the merchants in the house, Chen Mu walked directly to the corridor outside the door of the side hall and stood up, and then re-entered the hall, he knew in his heart that the burning of fire oil would produce carbon monoxide, but at this time, the amount of fire oil used in the oil lamp was very small, and it was not poisoned.

He told Xu Jue the truth a few days ago, now the God of Wealth is also going to run out of food, repair the Yamen schoolyard, recruit troops and pay so far, the silver that Nanyang transported to him has already been spent, and the shipping of Nanyang in the new year has not yet been delivered, even if it is sent there, it will be returned to the Beiyang Military Government, and then escorted to the household department, and he has no right to dispose of the money.

If he hadn't made a special trip to write an official document to Gao Gong to adjust the silver, Nanyang would only be able to provide him with a part of the rations of tens of thousands of soldiers, that is, enough rice.

At the beginning of April, Japan brought in two ships of silver, lead, tin, and a small amount of gold, and only passed through his Beiyang warehouse, and then he was asked to go by the Tobu Shangshu Wang Guoguang, who was preparing for banking affairs, and more than 10,000 old soldiers and recruits from the huge Beiyang opened their mouths, and there were only 30,000 taels of silver on the books.

The expedition is imminent, the food has not yet been settled, and it is impossible to throttle, so Chen Mu has only one way left, and the oil lamp burning on the table is the product he is going to put on the market - kerosene and kerosene lamp.

He submitted to the cabinet a five-year plan that focused on military and economic affairs, and took over a large area of wasteland and coast along the Bohai Sea, and in addition to the horse farms, pastures, ordnance bureaus, and shipyards directly under the military government, he also summoned local businessmen to set up timber factories, oil mills, oil refineries, pottery factories, and brick-burning factories.

At present, in this area, in addition to the Changlu government-run salt factory and the Zunhua Kuaiguanzhang Iron Factory, the newly unopened large factories have forty percent of the official shares, which will be the largest investment of the Beiyang Military Government in the future.

Just as Chen Mu was breathing in the corridor outside the side hall, Zhao Shizhen entered the yamen from the outside, disbanded a group of soldiers who followed at the yamen, and inquired about Chen Mu walking briskly over there, arching his hand from a distance.

Chen Mu asked, "The boat was sent to Your Majesty?" ”

"Go back to Dashuai, send it to Tianjin for loading, four small boat models, Caoyun and Jinyi will take over, and Xu Gong will escort it with a small flag soldier." Zhao Shizhen sent four small boats to walk dozens of miles on land and water, and he was physically and mentally exhausted, and asked Chen Mu: "Why did Beiyang Shipyard open and build four small boats and eight-foot-long boats!" ”

Chen Mu didn't dare to send the old madman to send the boat to the emperor, and it was Zhao Shizhenyue and Xu Zhenming who led the troops to escort the boat.

"Don't underestimate the eight-foot boat, that's Wanli, Taiyue, Nantang, Shuanglin, there are many shipyards in the world, and only Beiyang and Nanyang can build these four ships." Of course, Chen Mu knew that the Beiyang Shipyard was building a model ship, and said with a smile: "It is time to let the Beiyang shipwrights be familiar with the shape of the ship, the size is different but the construction process is the same, and they are more skilled in rebuilding new ships." ”

Chen Muzheng was talking in the corridor, and he heard Juniper shouting behind the window: "Handsome man, it's finally extinguished, and the fire oil is extinguished." ”

"Oh?"

Chen Mu raised his hand towards Zhao Shizhen, ignored him and walked quickly into the hall, several businessmen made way for him, motioned him to look at the oil lamp, picked up the porcelain lamp pot and looked at the bottom of the pot, leaving a thick layer of inexhaustible stains.

Shangjia surnamed Liu from Jinghai smiled at Chen Mu and said: "Dashuai, this fire oil can't help but burn, it is not lamp oil, and everyone knows that it is not good to burn." ”

As he spoke, he looked at another lamp, and the lamp burned the lamp oil that was normally used in this era, which was vegetable oil, that is, oil extracted from sesame seeds and other plants.

"I know that the oil used to light the lamp is wasted, and I just want to see how wasteful he is." As he spoke, Chen Mu looked at the pocket watch on the table, took a pen and paper to write down the time, and then pointed to another kerosene lamp after distillation of fire oil and said, "This burns well, what is the value of the lamp oil of the shopkeeper Liu on the market?" ”

"A pound of five to six cents of silver, depending on the distance and near, the value is slightly up and down."

"One pound and five cents, one hundred pounds and five taels." Chen Mu nodded slowly, turned to Yang Fan and asked, "How much kerosene can the refinery produce in a day?" ”

Yang Fan was the owner of the mine who was almost forced to become a thief in Qingyuan in the early years, and later sold illicit salt, and also went to sea to do business, and made some money Thinking of going to Beiyang to repay his kindness, Chen Mu stayed in the military government and hung up an official position, specializing in managing the business affairs from the Zunhua Iron Works to the coast of Dagukou under the rule of Beiyang, and at the same time there was a fleet of seven ships in hand, shuttling between the Bohai Sea to buy commercial goods.

"If the oil is enough, it can bake a thousand catties a day, and there are two main ways of oil at present, one from Sichuan to the canal, one from Sumatra to the sea, all of which are only the cost of transportation, and the craftsmen of the baking process have figured out, as long as the volume comes up, the output can also come up."

Yang Fan had already memorized the situation, and at this time, he came at his fingertips and said: "If it is enough, three thousand catties a day." ”

Regardless of whether Sumatra is still an oil field in Sichuan, there is no other use for thermal oil except as military supplies, and the price is quite low, and it is less than a hundred catties and a tael to buy locally, as long as there is a shipping money, it can be purchased.

Chen Mu calculated in his heart, this itself is a low-cost, low-yield transaction.

Calculate the loss and foot money of the ship's drifting probability on the sea, and then remove the oil mill and divide it into seven points, roughly less than 100 catties and 2 taels of the final flow into the military government, if it is calculated in this way, the military government can also have more than 10,000 taels of income in a year.

"It's not bad, shopkeeper Liu, vegetarian oil is edible, the cost is high, this kerosene is not edible, the cost is also low, 100 catties and 4 taels, are you interested in selling this in Tianjin and Beijing? I also have kerosene lamps, kerosene firers, and various types of tile oil bottles that are specially used to burn them, all of which are good deals. ”