"Here's a ticket to Songjiang Prefecture——"
"Three dollars——"
"Two berths to Changzhou Prefecture."
"No, you can just buy a seat, it's cheaper."
"Cheap? Am I the kind of person who can't afford it?"
Suzhou Prefecture, a station five miles outside the city, was already crowded with countless people, people bumping into each other.
People were carrying small parcels and looking around from time to time, not to mention how nervous they were.
Long queues of people lined up for hundreds of steps, moving forward one after another, making the people behind them sweat on their foreheads. locust
At the ticket window, there were about a dozen old men, tall and tall, with loud voices, and they were not easy to mess with at first glance.
They were aloof, like court servants in a pawn shop, speaking condescendingly, with cold and impatient expressions.
Those who bought tickets raised their heads, reluctantly put their money in front of them, and shouted out the tickets they wanted.
Although I know it's awkward, everyone is in a weak position, but no one dares to speak.
Even those with a slight fortune did not think to refute.
Compared with the attitude, the fare is more uncomfortable.
Here is the ticket office for the railway carriage. locust
At this time, the newly appointed Zhenjiang magistrate, Fang Yizhi, accompanied by a group of elders, came to the ticket office outside the city.
In front of them was the person in charge of operating the railway tracks. He looked gentle, but exuded a bit of a businessman's air, a mixture of the two.
Since the construction of the railway was a joint venture between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and private gentry, the person in charge was elected by the businessmen and was called the Grand Treasurer.
I saw that the big shopkeeper had seen the world, and he was not afraid at all when facing the prefect, and explained in an orderly manner:
"Master Fu, the rail carriage traveled five hundred miles from Zhenjiang Prefecture to Songjiang Prefecture. The stations it stopped at were Danyang, Wujin, Changzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou, Kunshan, Qingpu, and Songjiang, a total of eight stations..."
"Just these 500 miles of railway track cost 3.5 million yuan. It can be said that it was built step by step, paved with mountains of gold and silver..."
"Look, this railway track is a double track. It's very convenient and fast to go there and back. There is a train every two quarters of an hour..."
"Oh? Regarding the railway tracks, I have heard about them in newspapers. Now I am lucky enough to see them. It is better to meet them than to be famous."
Fang Yizhi stroked his beard and praised.
His old father passed away a few years ago, and he had been living in Anqing for two and a half years. Now he officially took office as the prefect of Zhenjiang. This was the first time he saw this thing.
"Master Fu, the people in Yingtian Mansion are not happy and are clamoring to retire to Yingtian." At this time, the governor also joined in the fun and said:
"They don't even think about it, can Ying Tianfu Yin make the decision? It has to be the Holy One's decision. It won't happen in a year and a half."
"Why should Ying Tianfu also cultivate?" Fang Yizhi asked softly, his eyes full of exploration.
"Master Fu, this railway track is naturally more convenient."
The big shopkeeper continued at this time: "In the past, it took three to five days to get off from Zhenjiang to Songjiang Mansion, including boats and carriages."
"Now that we have this railway carriage, although it takes time to replace the horses, it only takes half a day at most. It is very convenient and there is no danger."
After hearing this explanation, Fang Yizhi was unconvinced.
The colleague on the side whispered: "I hope the government knows that this railway track is convenient, but it is a bit expensive. One stop costs one yuan. From Zhenjiang to Songjiang, eight stops cost eight yuan."
"A carriage can transport about thirty people, and a round trip costs nearly 500 yuan. They can earn at least 400 yuan."
"What are the benefits of the Yamen?" Fang Yizhi asked in a deep voice.
"There are also benefits." Tongzhi chuckled and said, "Although this business is done by the emperor and the gentry, the government is also involved."
"Think about it, with such a long railway track, if there is even the slightest mistake, the train will crash and people will be killed. Moreover, we have to prevent those unscrupulous people from stealing the railway track, but we have to rely on the Yamen to protect it."
"Therefore, every station and every
They also have to pay 1,000 yuan to the local county government every month, which is considered a tax. "
Fang Yizhi suddenly realized.
One thousand yuan may not seem like much, but it is 12,000 yuan a year, which is extremely rich for the local county government.
But this shows how terrifying the profits of railway tracks are.
What's more, the entire southern Jiangsu area is densely populated and wealthy. Eight yuan may seem like a lot, but compared to several days of hard work, food, drink and accommodation, the money is worth it.
"It's no wonder Yingtian Mansion covets you."
Fang Yizhi sighed: "This is like a mountain of gold and silver, everyone wants to have it!"
"You're always right."
The big shopkeeper nodded, and said respectfully and proudly: "The gentry and government officials in those places want to build railway tracks privately, but they don't have the door."
"His Majesty personally decided on this matter. No one is allowed to build it privately without his permission."
"However, let me just keep it under wraps. There is still a lot of trouble to be done with the Yingtian Mansion!"
"oh?"
Fang Yizhi was a little surprised. locust
According to common sense, Yingtian Mansion has a very high status. As the capital of the imperial court, the governor's status can reach directly to the emperor. It should be very easy to build a mere railway track.
He took another look and saw an endless stream of people coming out of the station entrance, as well as shops, warehouses, inns, wine shops, and even more than a dozen places to find flowers and flowers as far as the eye could see.
In such a bustling area, the local government office probably collects more than a thousand yuan in taxes every month!
"You are so clever." The big shopkeeper whispered, "There is a Xiaoling Tomb outside Nanjing City."
"The government and the public are paying attention. Many people have written letters saying that the noise on the railway tracks has disturbed the peace of Grandfather Taizu. Who dares to bear such a big responsibility?"
"That's true." Fang Yizhi looked serious: "Huang Ming has always governed the country with filial piety. When it comes to Grand Ancestor, you really need to be cautious. A small profit is nothing."
"See you, Sir——"
Everyone praised him and started wandering around the station again.
The more he looked, the more shocked Fang Yizhi became.
The entire station covers an area of less than thirty acres, but an earthen wall has been built, which is more than three feet high, surrounding the entire station. There is only one exit.
All people who buy tickets will be stamped as proof of entry and exit.
In addition to money, guests must also have a road guide as proof, otherwise they will not be able to ride at all.
"This is the seal?"
Fang Zhifu looked at it with curiosity and felt surprised. locust
"This is a method that a certain dye dealer came up with. We used to use road signs to stamp the stamps, but we found that people boarded the bus repeatedly, so we just stamped them on the back of our hands."
The big shopkeeper chuckled and said, "This dye is also strange. It can be eliminated in a day's work."
"Look, at the entrance, those big guys are rubbing the backs of their hands. As long as they can't be rubbed off, they let him go. It's very convenient."
"It's like if you want to go to Changzhou, you will have Zhenjiang and Changzhou stamped on the back of your hand. If you take the bus to Songjiang, you will have to pay a fine..."
Fang Yizhi walked around for a long time before returning to the government office.
With the front office and the back residence, Zhenjiang Mansion is worthy of being the location of southern Jiangsu. It looks shabby on the outside, but it is magnificent on the inside, and the furniture is of the best style.
Not long after he sat down, the housekeeper came to report that businessmen from Anqing Mansion asked to see him. locust
Hearing that he was from his hometown, Fang Yizhi thought about it and agreed.
The businessman did not have a philistine air, but was very elegant: "Master Fu, the article you published in Anqing Wenbao has been published in the newspaper, and I have come here specially to pay you for the manuscript!"
After hearing this, Fang Yizhi suddenly realized.
It turned out that during his stay in Ding You, he was not idle, so he refilled some parts of the "Little Knowledge of Physics" he had compiled, and then published it in Anqing Wenbao.
He had not been seen for more than half a month. It was surprising that he got the news not long after he took office as the prefect.
However, after thinking about it for a moment, he realized that they were just looking at the food.
"Why don't you bother to repay me for my humble work!"
"What the hell." The businessman hurriedly apologized and said with a smile: "The editor of the newspaper was fired before, and then all your articles were missed. I saw it a few days ago and was shocked."
"When I wanted to send you the manuscript fee, I found out that it was your house. The common people were very frightened, so they came to Zhenjiang in person to apologize to you..."
After hearing these words, Fang Yizhi's expression softened.
At this time, he suddenly understood that it was reasonable for people to abandon their own articles.
My own "Little Knowledge of Physics" is not eight-legged or eight-legged, it just involves fifteen categories such as heaven, calendar, wind, thunder, rain, sun, earth, horoscopes, human beings, etc., and is explained in combination with Western learning.
For example, it has been traditionally believed that the sky is round and the earth is flat. Missionaries came to China and brought the theory of a round earth. Fang Yizhi accepted it, so he said: "The terrain is like a walnut, with convex mountains and concave seas."
Moreover, based on the fact that Xiyi used telescopes to observe that Venus "sometimes is dim, sometimes is full, and sometimes is waxing and waning", he put forward the hypothesis that Venus and Mercury orbit the sun. locust
No matter which one it is, the impact on the public is huge.
In this case, how could other newspapers publish it?
"This is your royalties."
The businessman handed over a bag of money.
When I opened it, it turned out to be a golden circle.
"This is quite rare." Fang Yizhi exclaimed in surprise, a bit surprised.
How many silver rounds are there on the market today? One silver round is worth one tael of silver, while one gold round is worth ten silver rounds. locust
Gold is more precious than silver, so naturally it is worth a lot of money, and the silver coins minted by the imperial court are not as common as those made in the past.
Only thirty pieces, worth three hundred silver coins.
The royalties seem to be quite a lot.
"I'm afraid it's not worth it!" Fang Yizhi shook his head and pushed his money bag forward: "Although my book is good, there are a lot of objections in it, and it's less than three hundred yuan."
"Who in Tongcheng doesn't know your reputation?" The merchant said respectfully, "Just your old name is worth the price."
Fang Yizhi is a representative figure of the Tongcheng faction, and his reputation is naturally very great. He is also one of the four famous princes.
Fang Yizhi straightened his expression and said in a deep voice, "If you have anything, just tell me directly. If you and I are from the same country, we can take care of you."
"Futai, there is really no other way."
The businessman smiled bitterly and said: "Recently, there has been news circulating in Anqing Prefecture that Yingtian is going to build railway tracks. You are from Anhui. You should know that if Yingtian Prefecture sneezes, we Anqing people will have to wear some clothes——"
"I heard that Yingtian Prefecture is building a railway track, and Anqing Prefecture is uneasy. The gentry among the people are clamoring, thinking of building a railway track to Luzhou Prefecture."
"No matter what happens, Tongcheng will go to Luzhou, right?"
"Nonsense——" Fang Yizhi heard this, frowned, and said in a deep voice: "The affairs of the railway tracks are all under the dictatorship of the Holy One. How can I, a little prefect, make the final decision?"
"The common people also know this, so the gentry are talking loudly, and the officials and the people are all attracted to the court. You are a native of the country, and your talent and reputation are high, so I want you to respond..."
The businessman said calmly and in an orderly manner, so Fang Yizhi had no choice but to agree. locust
Because this is a joint matter for the entire Anqing Prefecture.
If he didn't want to be ostracized and scolded at home, he had to agree.
"Why are the local gentry repairing the railroad tracks?"
Fang Yizhi frowned and asked casually.
"Our Anhui provincial capital is in Luzhou. Although it is not far from us, it is full of mountain roads and rivers. It is very difficult to walk. It is inconvenient to take the provincial examination or the provincial examination.
However, like in previous years, you can reach Yingtianfu by taking a boat directly from the pier, and you can get there in one day. "
"If you ask me, it would be best to put the provincial capital in Yingtian. Even if it doesn't work out, we'll still have it in Anqing."
The businessman complained that the provincial affairs were still on his mind.
Obviously, Yingtianfu has been the center for three hundred years, and the people of Anqing still do not trust Luzhou.
There is even a bit of pride in my bones.
Anqing is bounded by Hubei to the west and Jiangxi to the south. The Yangtze River passes through the city. The transportation is very convenient. Anqing is the richest city in Anhui, on par with Huizhou Prefecture, which is prosperous in business.
In terms of imperial examinations, Anqing Prefecture also ranked first in Anhui and was the best even in Jiangsu.
Now that Luzhou Prefecture has become the provincial capital, half of it has been divided into Lu'an Prefecture. Whether it is population or taxation, it cannot be compared with Anqing.
Under such circumstances, who would want to recognize Luzhou and wish they could become the provincial capital themselves? locust
"Okay, I agree." Fang Yizhi shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Just take the money back!"
The businessman refused.
Fang Yizhi had no choice but to take ten gold yuan. Words were only worth so much.
However, he said that in the entire Jiangnan region, because of the huge profits made from the railway tracks, there was a big uproar among the people through the propaganda in newspapers.
Firstly, the gentry loved the convenience, and secondly, they wanted to make money, so they all wanted to build railway tracks.
But this kind of matter was presided over by the emperor, so they had no choice but to make noises and submit letters.
At this time, the emperor, after inspecting Zunhua, went to Shanhaiguan. locust
The end of the railway track is Shanhaiguan.
As a barrier inside and outside the pass, the importance of Shanhaiguan is self-evident. Three thousand border troops are directly stationed here.
After all, unlike before, this is no longer a border, but a checkpoint.
The real frontier of the Ming Dynasty has expanded to the north for more than 500 miles, and 30,000 frontier troops are stationed in Chahar. As long as it is safe there, the entire capital is peaceful.
Zhu Yixi watched the endless stream of merchants passing through the customs, his eyes swept through the large and small bags, his expression remained unchanged:
"How much money can Shanhaiguan collect in a year?"
The guard general is a guerrilla general. He said tremblingly: "Your Majesty, I don't dare to be greedy. These are all controlled by the Commercial and Taxation Department. I am just a guard..."
Zhu Yixi was speechless and glanced at him, making the latter tremble with fear.
Soon, people from the Commercial and Taxation Department came and reported: "The huge Shanhaiguan Pass has more than 300,000 people passing through it every year, and it can collect about one million yuan."
"The humble minister is lying. As time passes and the whole of Liaodong develops, Shanhaiguan can rise again -"
