Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

Different from the era of severe overcapacity in steel production in later generations, today's pig iron production efficiency is extremely low and is strictly controlled by local governments.

The total output of pig iron in the Ming Dynasty is now 40,000 tons, which is the result of policy relaxation in recent years.

According to previous regulations, an iron-making workshop could only employ fifty workers, and these fifty workers could not be foreigners. The output of pig iron was tightly controlled.

These 40,000 tons of pig iron are mainly supplied to the Ministry of War to make weapons, and then are handed over to the private sector to make farm implements and stoves. As for other industries, the amount is relatively small.

Now that the imperial court wants to build the Beijing-Tianjin Railway, which is more than 200 kilometers long, this will require the use of unplanned steel, so it is natural to find ways to increase the production capacity of pig iron.

Just want to increase the pig iron production capacity, and also transport so much pig iron between Beijing and Tianjin. This is undoubtedly a big project.

The most important thing is where the pig iron comes from and what tools are used to transport the pig iron to the designated location. These are all problems that need to be solved.

Chen Zheng, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, did not realize the seriousness of the problem, but took it for granted, "There is no iron to smelt, no mines to find, our Ming Dynasty can solve these problems! If the Beijing-Tianjin Railway can be built, this will be a great success You have a thousand years to go!”

"Iron can naturally be smelted, but this requires mining, and even more, the ore needs to be transported to Beizhili. Have these things been fully considered?" Liu Xuan, the Minister of War, asked repeatedly.

The left minister of the Ministry of Industry also realized that this matter seemed to be an oversight.

"He Shangshu, there is no such item in your budget list of the Ministry of Household Affairs!" Liu Xuan, Shangshu of the Ministry of War, glanced at the speechless Liu Xuan and said again.

He Cong, the Minister of Household Affairs, sighed secretly, but he saluted Zhu Youtang in the attic: "Your Majesty, this matter is indeed my negligence. Please punish me!"

Yin Zhi turned to look at He Cong, but he knew that the emperor was responsible for the pig iron incident, and now He Cong was actually shouldering this "fault" for the emperor.

Zhu Youtang usually does not express his position, but now he also said: "The Beijing-Tianjin road is something that has not been done in China for five thousand years. Now that we want to improve transportation capacity, we are crossing the river by feeling for the stones, so as not to make some mistakes. Liu Qing is now worried about the shortage of pig iron, and this matter must be solved. Dear friends, do you have any good suggestions?"

Originally, he did intend to downplay the pig iron shortage problem. After all, the Beijing-Tianjin Railway was something he wanted to promote, so he needed some "skills."

It's just that the current imperial court is not all sycophants after all, and the Minister of War, Liu Xuan, who is in charge of the Ministry of War, has seen the problem of pig iron and has now brought this issue to the forefront.

Faced with this raised question, Jia Jun also expressed his own opinion: "Your Majesty, since Liu Qing has raised the issue of pig iron, I think that the Tangshan Iron Mine in Qiaotou Town can be used, and it can also be imported from overseas!"

Since the Ministry of Industry's iron consumption has remained high in recent years, it has also been looking for iron ore in the surrounding areas, and a large open-pit iron ore was discovered in Malanzhuang, Tangshan, north of Qiaotou Town.

As for the idea of ​​importing from overseas, because of the existence of Tianjin Port, it is also possible to purchase iron ore from Japan, North Korea and other regions at some cost.

"Is there enough ore in the Tangshan Iron Mine?" Liu Xuan, Minister of the Ministry of War, immediately questioned the matter rather than the person.

Jia Jun took a deep breath, and then tried his best to use balanced language: "Liu Shangshu, I have no problem with my doubts about pig iron. It's just that you are the Minister of the Ministry of War. If you really care about pig iron, you should go and take a look at this new mine in person. , the savings of Malanzhuang Tangshan Iron Mine are far beyond imagination!”

"I personally went on an inspection tour earlier. At that time, I predicted that the Ministry of War's pig iron supply in the next few decades could be supplemented by this mine. If the imperial court spent all its efforts on mining, it would not be a problem to meet the pig iron demand of the Beijing-Tianjin Railway." Minister He Cong also joined in.

"It is true that I have not investigated this matter clearly. I will also take time to go to Tangshan Iron Mine for verification in the near future!" Liu Xuan, the Minister of the Ministry of War, seriously reviewed it, and then said to everyone: "Since Mr. Jia Ge and He Shangshu have all I believe that the Tangkou Iron Mine can solve the pig iron demand of the Beijing-Tianjin Railway, but what is the budget for this project? I’m afraid it’s more than 8 million silver dollars?”

After Zhu Youtang heard the question raised by Liu Xuan, Minister of the Ministry of War, he sighed heavily and silently took the hot tea handed over by Han Youying.

Ideal is full, the reality is very skinny.

Completely different from what some later novels depict, the cost of construction in this era was very high. Even with the invention of the steam train, it was not easy to build a railway, let alone spread it across the country.

As the saying goes, everything is difficult at the beginning, and the world's first railway is destined to be even more difficult.

Not to mention that the world's first railway was destined to face numerous technical difficulties and many detours. Especially in this era, the project cost was astronomical.

Taking the first railway in China as an example, the construction cost of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway ultimately cost more than 6.93 million silver taels. This railway connects Fengtai District of Beijing and Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, with a total length of more than 200 kilometers. Construction started in September 1905 and was completed in 1909. It was completed and opened to traffic in the year.

The Beijing-Tianjin Railway is now approximately 245 kilometers long. Although the lengths of the two railways are basically the same, the number of workers required must at least increase several times.

The initially estimated 8 million silver dollars is actually not enough. If various expenses are added, it may have to be increased by another 50%, or even doubled.

That's why, if mining and steelmaking are included, the total investment has actually greatly exceeded the 8 million budget.

"Whether it's 8 million or 10 million, our Ministry of Household Affairs can afford it! Development is the last word, and Tianjin's transportation capacity is insufficient. The Beijing-Tianjin Canal will be shut down in winter, and even in summer it will be affected by the flood season. If it can be built The Beijing-Tianjin Railway is not only a long-term success, but also can recover its capital in just a few years of operation!" He Cong, the Minister of Household Affairs, took a deep breath and showed the courage of a financial minister.

“Although the investment is a bit high, it’s really worth it!”

"Since it is something that will last forever, I will naturally support it!"

“Tianjin’s transport capacity really needs to be solved, and this time it’s a win-win situation!”

…

After some weighing, officials such as Liu Zhong, Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, and the fact that the current ruling thinking of the court was no longer conservative, stepped forward to express their support.

In fact, they all realized that 10 million silver dollars might not be able to build a brand new Beijing-Tianjin Railway, but thinking of the epoch-making significance of the Beijing-Tianjin Railway, they decided to choose this adventure.

If the Beijing-Tianjin Railway can really be built, this matter is destined to leave a mark in history.

"Since there are no problems with the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Industry, my Ministry of War will also give full support!" Liu Xuan, Minister of War, did not want to oppose the Beijing-Tianjin Railway, but more to think twice before acting.

If pig iron can be solved, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development has sufficient financial forecasts, and he will unconditionally support this Beijing-Tianjin railway project that will benefit the future.

Today's top meeting has a total of five topics. In addition to the Beijing-Tianjin Railway, there are also matters such as another reduction in the amount of grain sent northward, various major project expenditures, and the New Year's Day meeting.

But in the end, the topic finally pointed to the American continent.

The truth about the American continent, as Liu Zhang spoke that night, everything was revealed.

When the third Inca prince returned with an army of 80,000 people and was in the Inca royal city when Su Can and others were besieged, they thought Su Can was doomed, but things developed in a dramatic direction.

The 80,000-strong army was like paper. When Su Can used the Inca King to blackmail the third prince, the third prince actually entered the royal city with a few followers.

When Su Can killed the third prince, an army of 80,000 surrendered to Su Can, and even sent countless gold, silver, jewelry and Inca beauties.

Faced with this unprecedented treatment, the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, including Su Can, fell into the gentle country.

Originally they only planned to enjoy it for a few days, but as time went by, no one was willing to return to Daming, not to mention the risk of crossing the Pacific Ocean was too great.

After Su Can was put on a show of wearing a yellow robe by his subordinates, he completely forgot about the Ming Dynasty and officially inherited the throne of the Inca Emperor.

Liu Zhang is different from Su Can, even though he is a Confucian who has learned filial piety since childhood.

Not to mention, he is a man who has enjoyed glory and wealth, but he still can't let go of his mother, wife and children at home, so he still insists on returning to the Ming Dynasty.

After a period of struggle, Liu Zhang finally chose to give up the temptation of imprinting the imperial prime minister and led the crew stationed at the seaside to sail back to the Ming Dynasty.

In fact, he also had some selfish motives and was threatened by Su Can. Finally, he agreed to the plan given by Su Can.

Liu Zhang led a Mingyuan treasure ship across the Pacific Ocean and brought the treasure back to the capital to hand over to the emperor, which was considered to have completed his sacred mission.

If there is no obstruction, he will resign from his official position and return to the Inca Empire quietly with his family and Su Can's family in the name of returning home for retirement.

It's a pity that everything changed because of that assassination.

Liu Zhang told the whole story, and his plan to bring his family and Su Can's family back to the Inca Empire was destined to be impossible.

Su Can's rebellion was unexpected, but it was also reasonable.

In a country full of servility in the Inca Empire, even an army of hundreds of thousands of people could surrender easily. Who could not be tempted?

Su Can chose to stay there and be the king, living a life of luxury and wealth, completely forgetting about his family and country.

When Zhu Youtang knew the whole story, he did not become angry because of it. Instead, he was grateful to Liu Zhang for his final choice.

Now that sweet potatoes, corn and potatoes have been promoted, Ming's food production is destined to increase by leaps and bounds, and it will also be able to become a country of 40 million people.

Because of this, even though Zhu Youtang knew that Liu Zhang had intended to secretly take his family to the Inca Empire, he still retained the count of his new uncle.

However, it was impossible for the Ming Dynasty to do nothing against the traitor Su Can, and it had already prepared a brand new plan.

Since Su Can had already taken over the Inca Empire's army, the fleet that went this year did not conduct a crusade, but only conducted a negotiation.

Zhang Sheng, the Minister of Rites, is in charge of foreign affairs and reported the latest negotiation results: "Su Can hopes that our Ming Dynasty will make him the King of the Inca, recognize his status as a vassal state, and at the same time send all their family members there. What do you think? "

"This traitor has a pretty good idea!"

"If you really care about your wife and children, you shouldn't do such a heinous and unethical thing!"

"Your Majesty, we will never tolerate such a traitor. Please let me lead the army to destroy him!"

…

Faced with this last issue, the important ministers present seemed surprisingly unanimous, but they all pointed their fingers at Su Can, who claimed to be the Inca King.

Liu Xuan, the Minister of War, hesitated for a moment, but suddenly expressed his opinion: "Although I also want to raise troops for conquest, the American continent is too far away, so it is not appropriate to raise troops this time!"

He Cong, the Minister of Revenue, frowned and was about to confront the unsociable Liu Xuan, when the voice of the emperor in the attic came down.

"The Inca king can't give it, but there is no need to go to war for this kind of person! In the third voyage after the year, the number of Mingyuan treasure ships will be increased to ten, and this time it will be like Luzon, going to America to build cities and mine gold. !" Zhu Youtang's voice suddenly sounded, with an unquestionable attitude.

Although he hates such traitors, he is still a pragmatic emperor after all.

Su Can's matter can be put aside for now. The most important thing now is to solve the empire's own problems.

Since the creation of a new financial system, the Hongzhi Silver Dollar has become the official currency and the main currency circulating throughout the Ming Dynasty and even Southeast Asia.

In the later United States, thanks to its successful monetary system, a total of 51 trillion US dollars was printed, and each citizen could enjoy an average of 150,000 US dollars.

But once the currency loses credibility, all the early efforts will be in vain.

The 5 million silver dollars spent on the Ming-Myanmar Highway is very satisfying, and the 10 million silver dollars on the Beijing-Tianjin Railway, which is to be built after the year, is also very generous. It is also a Mingyuan treasure ship and heavy artillery regardless of the cost. This has actually exceeded the fiscal revenue.

In particular, the continuous investment in military and scientific research, the burden of talent training for the Imperial College, and various expenses require the empire to start printing money.

Zhu Youtang knows that he can still overspend with the dependence of the people, but once things change, it will be a different situation, or even a replica of the Ming Dynasty Baobao.

In view of this, he urgently needs American gold to endorse the current monetary system.

He is not a money-grubbing person, but he knows that the only way to stimulate the enthusiasm of the whole society is to bring back a large amount of continuous gold, and exchange gold for their continued productivity.

Originally, corvée work could be done, and people could be forced to work for free in an open and honest manner, but this method was destined to have low productivity and was not conducive to the development of social productivity.

Even in later generations, the country gave up the big pot and chose a more capitalized market competition model, thus greatly stimulating social development.

Because of this, Zhu Youtang decided to put Su Can's matter aside, and instead aimed very clearly at American gold. He needed to transport a steady stream of American gold back to the Ming Dynasty to support its currency credibility.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to go to America and vow to bring back a steady stream of American gold for Your Majesty and the Ming Dynasty!" Chen Zheng, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, and other young officials expressed their opinions with their eyes slightly brightened.

The corners of Zhu Youtang's mouth raised slightly, and he seemed to have made a decisive decision: "I already have a candidate for the governor of the Americas in my heart, so today's meeting will end here!"

ah?

Officials such as Liu Xuan, Secretary of the Ministry of War, couldn't help but look at each other, but they didn't know who the emperor's favorite candidate for the governor of America was. Would this person be as traitorous as Su Can? (End of chapter)