After scolding Zhuang Feng and the others, Fang Er left the workshop without looking back.
Although what Zhuang Feng and his group did was not quite right, their intentions were ultimately good; after the reprimand, some encouragement was also necessary.
Upon returning to his residence, he had Su Feng take a thousand guan of money to the workshop.
The bonuses for the Shenyang and Dongli workshops in the future would come from this thousand guan.
He then had Su Mu summon Liu Dacheng and the proprietors of the major merchant houses at the market.
Having seen nine vehicles circling Shenyang City that morning, and then receiving Fang Er's summons that afternoon, the proprietors of the merchant houses were greatly excited.
When they met Fang Er, they were all speculating whether the discussion would be about escorting merchant caravans.
"Your Grace, your subordinate/this humble one greets you!"
Upon entering the main hall, everyone cupped their hands in greeting.
"No need for formalities, please sit and speak."
Fang Er, seated in the main position, nodded slightly to everyone, returning the courtesy.
After everyone was seated, Fang Er gestured towards the direction outside the residence: "You all must have seen the test run today, right?"
Everyone nodded.
"These few vehicles are just the beginning; there will be more and more in the future. Previously, I had Magistrate Liu issue a notice stating that the Skyfire Army would escort merchant caravans between Chang'an and Shenyang. However, I later reconsidered. If I were to send people to deliver goods directly to you all in Chang'an, the round trip would take at most ten days. But if each merchant house were to send their own people along, the time could not be guaranteed, as we would still have to accommodate your travel speeds."
Fang Er got straight to the point, revealing his reason for summoning them. He had initially thought of merely having the Skyfire Army escort the caravans, but after considering the speeds of the vehicle convoys and the merchant caravans, he decided to go all out, changing the escort model to a consignment model. This is essentially the logistics model of later generations.
"A round trip in ten days?!"
Everyone looked at Fang Er in disbelief, seeking confirmation. Even Liu Dacheng was greatly astonished. "This speed is too fast!" Normally, the nearly four thousand li from Shenyang to Chang'an would take at least a month for merchant caravans to travel between the two places. But now, a round trip could be completed in just ten days!
Fang Er nodded with a smile: "Yes, ten days for a round trip! What you need to do is pack and seal your goods. The convoy will officially depart the day after tomorrow. Considering this is the first consignment, I am offering ten spots for accompanying personnel. Along the way, there will be brief stops for supplies in Beiping, Cangzhou, Weizhou, Ban, and Shanzhou, with the final destination being Chang'an."
After he finished speaking, everyone began to discuss among themselves. After a moment, Liu Huzhi was the first to stand up and bow to Fang Er. "Thank you, Your Grace, for your efforts on behalf of us humble folk. However, I have a few questions I would like to ask for your guidance."
"Speak freely."
With Fang Er's permission, Liu Huzhi voiced his questions. "May I ask, Your Grace, is there a size limit for the sealed cargo boxes? And how will the consignment fees be collected?"
Fang Er mused for a moment before stating his requirements. "The size of the cargo bay is five meters long and three meters wide. To ensure neat stacking, each sealed box must be one meter in length, width, and height. This way, each vehicle can hold thirty boxes. As for the weight, there aren't very strict requirements; the maximum towing capacity of the tractors is still a mystery in later generations! The consignment fee will be two guan per box."
After all the requirements were laid out, everyone fell into thought. For Liu Huzhi, Wu Guliang, Zheng Zaihao, and Xiao Jianren, transporting furs, mountain goods, and medicinal materials to Chang'an was highly profitable, so a two-guan fee per box was acceptable. However, some felt it was not quite suitable.
A slightly plump middle-aged man, with a crestfallen expression, stood up: "Your Grace, I am Feng Chun, the proprietor of the Feng Ji Lumber Company. My lumber consists of logs, and packing them into boxes might be inconvenient."
Another person also stepped forward. "Your Grace, and me too. I deal in livestock, and they cannot be packed into boxes either!"
Fang Er had not really considered these two trades before. After some thought, he said: "For goods that cannot be packed into boxes, you will need to organize your own teams for the short term, and I will have the Skyfire Army escort them. In the future, when there are more vehicles, we can consider letting you charter your own convoys."
"Thank you, Your Grace, for your consideration!"
After the transportation plan was finalized, Fang Er had them escorted out of the Duke's mansion. Liu Dacheng, who was asked to stay behind, asked curiously: "Does Your Grace have any further instructions?"
"I will be returning to Chang'an in three days. If you have anything that needs to be submitted to the Emperor, write it in the next couple of days and send it to the residence. After I leave, please take good care of the people of the Tianying Department."
Liu Dacheng waved his hands repeatedly: "Your Grace, you jest. These are duties that this subordinate should perform. Speaking of which, there are indeed matters that require submission to His Majesty. I will have someone deliver it to Your Grace once I return to my office."
After Liu Dacheng left, Fang Er instructed someone to notify the leaders of various departments to prepare for departure in three days. In addition to them, he also notified the brothers Li Tai and Li Ke.
In the backyard, Chai Yue, having learned that they would be flying back to Chang'an, was full of excitement. "My lord, do you want to bring anything?"
"No, we have everything we need at home. We depart in the morning and will arrive in the evening. There's no need to bring anything." Zhang Tian had previously tested it; a helicopter could fly at a speed of nearly three hundred kilometers per hour at full speed! From Shenyang to Chang'an, excluding refueling time, it would only take six to seven hours.