Bismarck and Prince Karl have been dumbfounded. If they can still understand and accept the Kiel Canal plan, then the scale of the plan for this large railway connecting Europe and Asia is completely unimaginable to them.
"Oh God! You are so brave. You actually...oh...impossible, simply impossible! How many countries do you have to coordinate? This...should we declare war with Britain?"
Prince Karl was pacing back and forth in the room, and his words were gradually stammering. Of course he knew that this railway was very good. If the German Empire owned this railway, then the trade routes from Europe to Asia would be completely eliminated. dependence on the ocean.
German goods no longer need to be controlled by Britain. They will be sold to Asia through the railway. All along the railway will become a dumping ground for German goods.
Moreover, railways have another advantage over shipping. Although railways require upfront investment, the biggest advantage of railways is that transportation is safer and more efficient.
After all, shipping is risky. On the vast sea, humans will encounter pirates, storms, and other dangers, as well as wars! Therefore, a large amount of loss during transportation is inevitable.
But the railway does not have these shortcomings. The railway is basically a one-time investment that will benefit for thousands of years. The later maintenance costs are not high, but it can transfer materials all year round.
More importantly, maritime shipping completely depends on the original appearance of the earth and cannot be changed. The shipping routes can only connect the ports of a coastal country, but cannot cover the inland at all.
The initiative of railways is much greater. Railways can be built into a railway network through manpower. Wherever the population is densely populated and where minerals are richer, humans can actively build the past with their own hands, thus improving the efficiency of wealth development. .
The benefits of railways are endless, but precisely because the benefits of railways are so great, will Britain just watch Germany eat such a sweet cake?
The answer is definitely no. "My dear Xiao, the feasibility of your plan is really not high, and the UK will never approve it!"
Being able to make Prince Carl raise a voice of opposition shows that this plan is indeed too difficult! Bismarck, however, pondered for a moment and lowered his voice.
"Oh! My dear friend, this is exactly what you just said. This is a century-old plan. If Prussia wants to complete such a plan, I think there are a few things that must be guaranteed. The first Franco-Prussian War We must win, we must replace France as the most powerful country controlling the European continent!”
"Secondly, we must be prepared to compete with the British. That is to say, before advancing this plan, our comprehensive national strength in Germany must continue to be strengthened and strengthened..."
"If we are not mentally prepared for a direct war with Britain, then we must not rashly launch such a plan. We should consider the Kiel Canal first. As long as the Kiel Canal can be repaired, it will be time to consider the Baghdad Railway. …”
"More importantly, Xiao Letian, when will you be able to control the entire East Asia? If it is just to build the railway to the Persian Gulf, I think the benefits are not worth the risk that Germany takes!"
"Of course, if you can build a railway from Xinjiang to the Mesopotamia, then once the entire Eurasian railway is opened to traffic, the benefits will be much greater. We in Germany are also willing to take risks for this!"
Karl smiled bitterly and said, "Oh! God, is this project so big that it runs through Europe and Asia? How is this possible? I really can't imagine it. First of all, is it technically possible? The geographical environment in this area is very complex. It's really Can it be accomplished?"
Xiao Letian is very, very confident, "Nothing is difficult in the world, as long as there are people who are willing! Even a poor and backward country like Tsarist Russia dares to build the Trans-Siberian Railway with their little technological level! Is it possible to build the Trans-Siberian Railway on permafrost? Railway, isn’t it difficult enough?”
"As far as I know, Tsarist Russia has begun to lay railway tracks to the east. They have overcome technical difficulties one after another. Their railways are being laid meter by meter towards the Far East. Are we now inferior to the Tsarist Russians?"
"So technology is no excuse at all, the most important thing is determination!"
Xiao Letian considered it very carefully. In fact, during the construction of the Eurasian Railway, the biggest difficulty was not technology or funds, but geopolitics.
This large railway spans a large number of countries with different people's sentiments, which is a great test of the diplomatic abilities between countries.
And the most important thing is to withstand the pressure from the United Kingdom. Only by achieving these two points can the railway be built forward. But how can Germany make up its mind to bravely and hard-core the British? The current bargaining chip alone is far from enough.
If you want to convince Bismarck and Prince Karl, you must come up with some solid information. After all, they are not Kaiser Wilhelm. That little guy is more fanatical than his father and Bismarck. Of course, when William succeeds to the throne Germany is not as poor as it is now.
Grandpa and father have accumulated enough wealth for that little guy, so naturally he has the qualifications to waste it. He doesn't panic when he has money. He dares to do as much business as he has the capital. This is also human nature.
Xiao Letian gritted his teeth and finally decided to show his trump cards to Bismarck and Prince Karl.
My old friends, with your wisdom, I hope you can understand what I am saying below. Why can the UK succeed? Why can it become an empire on which the sun never sets? That's because they firmly seized the historical opportunity of the Industrial Revolution.
The industrial revolution did not come out of thin air. The basis of the industrial revolution was the explosion of science and technology!
Without railway technology, steam engines, textile looms, and the vigorous development of various navigation technologies, Britain would not be what it is today. Britain seized the historical opportunity and became an empire on which the sun never sets, becoming the strongest in the world.
So if we Chinese and Germans want to move forward, we must take into account the premise of scientific and technological progress!
I very much appreciate the universal compulsory education implemented by Prussia, and the Chinese are also implementing universal compulsory education at the moment. Even if I, Xiao Letian, eat pickles and drink gruel every day, I will squeeze out the last copper and use the money for education. superior.
I have a feeling that the second great development of science and technology is coming to me in the future. In our lifetime, we will definitely be able to see huge progress in science and technology.
I named it the second technological explosion. This technological explosion will definitely promote the second industrial revolution! This is my prophecy, my Xiao Letian’s prophecy!
So now I want to talk about my other prediction, which is the direction of future technological development. What kind of technology will lead the second industrial revolution?
Note: There will be updates soon!
:. :chapter;
