Ying Zheng nodded and said, "Bring it with you."
Later, Zhang Lang was led by a young eunuch and entered the political hall.
He knelt down in the hall with great nervousness, and even trembled with fear.
Ying Zheng and his courtiers had seen this kind of situation many times and didn't take it seriously.
Li Shui said to Zhang Lang: "I called you here today, not to interrogate you, but to introduce you to the situation of the steam train. What are you afraid of?"
Zhang Lang responded and relaxed a little.
After Chunyu Yue heard what Li Shui said, he was very puzzled and said: "Exiled Immortal, we were discussing the affairs of the Peacock Kingdom just now, and there is no conclusion yet. Why did you suddenly talk about steam cars again?"
Li Shui smiled slightly and said to Chunyu Yue: "Steam cars are related to the Peacock Kingdom."
He said to Zhang Lang: "Introduce me to Your Majesty and your Lordships."
Zhang Lang responded and began to introduce the situation of steam trains and railways.
After Zhang Lang finished speaking, Li Shui said to Ying Zheng: "Your Majesty, according to what Zhang Lang said, once the railway is completed, although the distance from Daqin to the Peacock Kingdom will not be shortened, the time will be greatly shortened."
"Departing from Xianyang, it takes at most three to five days and nights for tens of thousands of people to reach the Peacock Kingdom. And they will be accompanied by food, grass, and weapons."
"In this way, after occupying the Peacock Kingdom, the worry that the people in the Peacock Kingdom want to rebel because they are too far away will no longer exist."
"And the steam train only needs to burn coal to run along the railway to the Peacock Kingdom. Then the so-called uninhabited desert is not a barrier."
"Not only that, the railway can also be built throughout the central plateau. From now on, why does Your Majesty need to raise so many soldiers? Why does Your Majesty need to worry about soldiers rebelling on the border?"
"If there is an accident anywhere, you only need to take a steam train, and the army will rush over in a steady stream."
All the civil and military officials in the dynasty were dumbfounded.
Ying Zheng even stood up.
He suddenly realized that Li Shui had given him something wonderful.
Ever since he unified the world, Ying Zheng has been vaguely worried.
Because before him, the world had never been like this. An order is issued from the capital, and then all places must abide by it.
During the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, for thousands of years, there was a system of enfeoffment and the establishment of feudal states.
The emperor lived in the capital, and then the vassal states expanded their territories.
After the Qin Dynasty unified the world, Ying Zheng also took some measures to consolidate the world based on the suggestions of his ministers.
But after all, this was an unprecedented thing, and he was actually a little uneasy.
But the railway proposed by Li Shui today gave Ying Zheng hope of complete unification of the world.
Why is the world divided? It's just because it's too big. It would take several months for the emperor's decree to reach its destination from the capital.
And because the world is so big, different places have different customs and languages.
These factors can easily cause division.
But with railways, these are no longer problems.
After the railway is built, the distance between various places will not be shortened in terms of space, but it will be greatly shortened in terms of time.
Moreover, people came and went frequently and gradually integrated.
Da Qin is no longer inseparable.
Ying Zheng nodded with satisfaction and said to Li Shui, "Okay, very good."
Some of the ministers nodded, some shook their heads, and some looked puzzled.
Finally, someone stood up and said: "Your Majesty, the railway sounds very good. But... can this kind of thing really be built?"
Li Shui said quietly: "Didn't your Excellency hear just now? Zhang Lang has made it clear that the railway has been successfully trial-run in Beidi County."
Another courtier stood up and said: "Even if this railway can be built, I'm afraid it will cost a lot of money."
Li Shui said helplessly: "Everyone, did you listen carefully just now? Zhang Lang has already said that the railway is expected to make a profit in the second year. What's more... it doesn't matter even if the railway loses money?"
"If there is a rebellion in a certain place, thanks to the railway, it can be put down in three to five days. But without the railway, how long will it take? How much food will it cost?"
"There is a drought in a certain place. Thanks to the railway, food can be transported there within a few days. Without the railway, how many hungry people would have died of starvation?"
The courtiers fell silent.
Ying Zheng looked at Li Shui with satisfaction: "Do you have a detailed plan for building the railway?"
Li Shui bowed and said respectfully, "Yes."
He said to Ying Zheng: "I sincerely request your Majesty to take out gold from the treasury and send craftsmen to build it. And select some officials to form a railway courtyard."
"This institute imitates the way merchants do business and builds railways. After it is completed, it will be managed by the Railway Institute. If there is a surplus, it will fill the national treasury. If there is an accidental loss, the national treasury will subsidize it."
"In this way, this railway is firmly in the hands of the imperial court. As long as the imperial court grasps the lifeblood of this country, our country, the Qin Dynasty, will be safe forever."
Ying Zheng nodded with satisfaction, and then he looked at the civil and military ministers: "Who wants to go to the Railway Academy?"
The courtiers were somewhat reluctant.
The Railway Academy definitely needs a minister to take the lead.
But... what happened to the minister when he arrived at the Railway Yard? Like the banished immortal said, be responsible for management? Doesn’t that mean he has become a businessman?
Although the status of merchants is much higher now than before, in the eyes of these powerful people, merchants are still humble.
Everyone has a title, goes to the court every day to discuss matters, and is superior to others. How comfortable is it? Suddenly want to go into business? That is simply more painful than being dismissed from office.
So the courtiers expressed that they had no experience in this area.
In addition, they also recommended Li Shui to take on this important task.
The thoughts of the courtiers are simple: You Huaiguzi have no shame anyway and don't mind doing business. And you proposed the Railway Academy, so you should take the lead.
But Li Shui refused.
He said to Ying Zheng: "Your Majesty, my Shangjun Courtyard has already taken care of too many things. Printing factory, flour mill, paper mill. Now add a railway yard? I really can't get away from it."
"Since none of your lords are willing, I suggest that your Majesty... this position should be held by the prince."
Ying Zheng was stunned for a moment, and suddenly found that Li Shui had made another good suggestion.
Railways are indeed the lifeblood of the world. If this lifeline was in the hands of some ministers, he would even be a little worried.
It would be much more reliable if the prince presided over the Railway Academy.
The problem is...the princes have all been entrusted to become vassal kings. Only Fusu and Hu Hai were left.
Fusu likes to be benevolent and righteous, but does not like doing business, and he is leading troops in the Western Regions.
Fu Yao, on the other hand, although a bit younger, was very talented in business. It is said that he made a lot of money from the newspaper he ran.
Ying Zheng nodded and said: "Then Fu Yao will preside over the Railway Academy. And I will set a rule that in the future, the Railway Academy can only be chaired by the prince."
All the ministers agreed.
At this time, Ying Zheng's inner choice for the crown prince had already tilted towards Fu Yao.
Ying Zheng even had the idea to promulgate a rule after Fu Yao was chosen as the crown prince. The dean of the Railway Academy is the candidate for the future prince.
In the Railway Academy, you can familiarize yourself with the national political affairs in advance, so that you will not be confused and at a loss after becoming the emperor.
The Railway Court, unlike the imperial court, was unable to make friends with ministers and formed cronies, posing a threat to the old emperor.
Well, wonderful!
The establishment of the Railway Academy was thus settled.
Next, it was determined to build a railway between Xianyang and Beiji County as a trial operation.
If the railway could really make a profit and not even suffer too much loss, Ying Zheng would plan to thoroughly promote the railway.
After discussing the railway matter, Ying Zhengcai said: "Let's continue discussing the matter of sending troops to the Peacock Kingdom."
All the officials stared blankly, and no one was speechless.
What else are you talking about? How to discuss it?
Banishing the Immortal has moved all the railways out, so all the reasons I had thought up before to oppose sending troops are useless.
The courtiers were defeated again, shook their heads and walked outside with a sigh.
Now the courtiers want to go to Shangjun Courtyard to attend lectures. They really find that they are a little behind the times.
At the same time, an envoy rode a fast horse and rushed to the Western Region.
They wanted to convey Ying Zheng's edict and order Fusu and Meng Tian to prepare to send troops to the Peacock Kingdom.
The messenger's horse was very fast, running along the smooth road, and after a few days, he arrived at Fusu's camp.
Fusu and Meng Tian fell silent after reading Ying Zheng's edict.
After seeing off the envoy, Fusu said to Meng Tian, "General, what do you think?"
Meng Tian sighed and said: "I have sent people to investigate the Peacock Kingdom and found that this country has a very large population, but it is only slightly inferior to our Da Qin."
"If a war breaks out, both sides will suffer. In addition, the Xiongnu kingdoms of Shatilie and Maodun have been eyeing the west, and they don't know when they will attack."
"The general believes that the main focus should be on the Xiongnu Kingdom. As for the Peacock Kingdom, after all, there is no deep hatred and hatred, so let's let it go for now."
Fusu nodded in agreement.
Meng Tian said with some embarrassment: "However, His Majesty's decree is very clear, asking us to attack the Peacock Kingdom, but we cannot disobey."
Fusu said: "I will write a letter to my father right now."
Meng Tian shook his head: "No, this letter cannot be written by the Young Master."
Fusu frowned: "What?"
Meng Tian said: "Young Master is the eldest son. Originally, the position of Prince should belong to Young Master. However, Your Majesty sent Young Master to the army for training. Obviously, you are dissatisfied with Young Master."
"If the young master always opposes your majesty's decrees, what will your majesty think? I must think that if the young master succeeds to the throne in the future, he will change his mind."
"Therefore, I think that even if the young master doesn't agree with His Majesty's ideas, he has to keep pretending. The worst he can do is change his attitude after he succeeds to the throne."
Fusu sighed: "My master also advised me this way."
Meng Tian smiled slightly: "So, it's better for me to write this letter. It's better for you, Master, to stay out of the matter."
Fusu couldn't bear to let Meng Tian take this responsibility, but after thinking about it, this seemed to be the best way. So he nodded slightly.
That night, Meng Tian tactfully wrote down the situation in the Western Regions in a letter, and then gave it to the messenger to take back to Xianyang.
This time, more than ten days have passed.
At the same time, the exchanges between the Huns and the Peacocks became closer.
Shatilie and Maodun sent envoys to the Peacock Kingdom to discuss a flanking attack on Qin.
The two parties had a good conversation under the common enemy. They even made an agreement on how to divide the world equally after destroying the Qin Dynasty.
After the envoy received the reply from the Maurya King, he happily rushed to the Huns.
Unfortunately, not long after he left the Peacock Kingdom, he was caught by the spies sent by Meng Tian.
The Xiongnu envoy was escorted to Meng Tian's military tent. Soon, the letters on his body were found.
Meng Tian found someone who knew Sanskrit to translate it, and was shocked.
Because the contents of the letter are all about how to conquer the Qin Dynasty.
The Maurya King said that he had millions of soldiers.
The Xiongnu Kingdom said that he had thousands of good generals.
The Maurya King said that he had a lot of money and food.
The Huns said that he had spears and swords...
In fact, both parties are bragging a little bit in order to gain the upper hand in the subsequent cooperation.
But Meng Tian never expected that the kings of these two countries were all unreliable, and each one was as loud as the other.
What's even more frightening is that according to the information collected by Meng Tian, the Peacock Kingdom really has millions of soldiers.
Of course, Meng Tian didn't know whether the fighting power of these millions of heroes was good. After all, he had never fought in person.
He urgently discussed with Fusu and decided to send the Xiongnu envoy to Xianyang to be judged by His Majesty.
Because there were so many important things, Fusu decided to personally escort the Huns envoy back.
In fact, Chunyu Yue had been planning for a long time to help Su return to Xianyang.
He had long discovered that the longer Fusu stayed away from the capital, the more estranged he would be from His Majesty, and the less likely he would be able to obtain the title of Crown Prince in the future.
Therefore, he often wrote to Fusu, asking him to seize the opportunity and come back immediately if there was a suitable opportunity to return to Xianyang.
Fusu felt that this envoy from the Huns should be a good opportunity.
So he took the envoy and quickly returned to Xianyang City.
Ying Zheng did not blame Fusu for coming back on his own initiative, but instead greatly praised his behavior.
He felt that this son finally had his own mind. After you know something big has happened, come back and report it first, instead of sticking to the rules and dragging the matter out of control.
After Ying Zheng read the letter, he immediately told the young eunuch beside him: "Go tell the officials and come to the palace immediately to discuss the matter."
This is about to hold a court meeting.
As usual, the court meeting is held every ten days.
But in case of emergency, it will be convened suddenly.
It was already afternoon, and the young eunuch led his people to rule the courtiers from house to house.
The courtiers all realized that something big must have happened.
Therefore, the entire Xianyang City suddenly had a tense atmosphere.
Not only the courtiers were full of doubts, but even the people on the street who heard the news were whispering to each other in confusion, trying to find out the news from each other.
