Dragon Vein!
This has been a good excuse for enfeoffing territory since ancient times, and it works every time!
In order to keep this largest mine in the south of the Yangtze River, Chongzhen would also be his golden rice bowl in the future.
After much thought and hard thinking, I decided to apply the advice mentioned by a certain villain.
Otherwise, with countless Diao Min obstructing it, Maanshan Iron Mine would not be able to be mined at all, let alone profit.
If Diao Min was allowed to illegally mine the iron ore that should belong to him, Chongzhen would be even more angry.
I don't allow you to touch it easily. If you want to make money, you have to mine for me honestly!
The current situation is that let alone mining, the local Diao Min does not allow Han Zanzhou's troops to enclosure the land.
If even the plan to enclose the land cannot be implemented, how can we talk about mining?
"Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance. If Ma'anshan is really mined for our Ming Dynasty Dragon Vein..."
Zhang Shenyan, Shang of the Ministry of Industry, could no longer judge whether the mining strategy was correct. If the dragon's veins were touched, wouldn't it damage the feng shui of the royal family?
"Liu Bowen, the military advisor of the Immortal Realm, said that Ma'anshan had protected the southern capital for more than two hundred years. Today, the Tao has changed. Only by making this giant dragon leap out of the world can we protect the Ming Dynasty. Naturally, mortals cannot awaken the giant dragon for my use. It must be used Mining was the method, and the ore was smelted into steel. The prince used this dragon-veined steel to build a railway from the capital to the Western Regions. With the railway, the Ming Dynasty king's army could rush to help thousands of miles away, and it could arrive in as long as three days. Manpower and material resources All of them can be continuously transported to important border towns through railways. In this way, our Ming Dynasty can defend the captive chieftains in the east, defend Menggu in the north, and connect the Western Regions in the west. The railway is thousands of miles long, which is the steel dragon in the world! This is This is just one of the giant dragons. In the future, railways from Beidu to Nandu, railways from Nandu to Huguang, railways from Huguang to Guangzhou, etc. will be built. When the nine giant dragons appear, it will be the time when our great Ming Dynasty will stand proudly in the world!"
After saying this, Chongzhen himself almost believed it. This was actually what the traitor wrote in the bound book, and he just translated it in public.
A group of civil servants and generals in the palace, including chamberlains, factory guards, and Han generals, all thought deeply after hearing this. After thinking about it carefully, what His Majesty said does make sense.
Many ministers have read the relevant reports in the "Jingshi Newspaper" about the railway and have already learned about it. It is said that a long car can run on it without food and grass, and it can use the power of a thousand horses just by feeding it with coal.
With such a hundred or so long carriages traveling between cities, they can be equivalent to ten thousand or more horse-drawn carriages. Not only the transportation capacity is increased, but also a large amount of grain, grass and livestock can be saved.
If the territory of the Ming Dynasty is filled with such giant steel dragons, ZTE can indeed be realized. The prince can even build an airship that can fly into the sky, and the railway will no longer be a problem.
"Your Majesty, how much does it cost to build such a giant steel dragon? The Ministry of Finance in Taicang is in a tight situation right now..."
Zheng Sanjun, the Minister of Household Affairs, thought that this thing was good, but it was extremely expensive. Unfortunately, Taicang couldn't even raise the normal tax money, so he could only despair.
"The prince said that he has ordered the Beiting Ministry of Industry to send people to survey the line from Beidu to Changping. Construction will start in the spring of next year. This is the first stage. The second stage is to build a line from Changping to Datong, and then from Datong to Monan outside the pass. Jinshan Line. These three phases are the first phase of the entire northern line railway, and there will be second and third phases in the future. The initial cost is not much, and Beiting has completed the financing. If the costs are paid in the future, Beiting will Raise funds by selling railway company shares."
Ever since the two men separated, Chongzhen couldn't control the traitor anymore. This kid just did whatever he wanted.
Raising funds when he had no money and borrowing money from merchants to do things made Chongzhen despise him, but he had nothing to do.
But later I discovered that this road really works. Businessmen have always made profits. As long as the project is more profitable, everyone will be happy.
On the other hand, if you lose money, you have already been informed when raising funds, and you bear the risk at your own risk, and there is no room for explanation if you lose money.
Chongzhen felt that this method was very good, at least he no longer had to shirk responsibility after losing money...
"His Majesty!"
"His Majesty!"
"His Majesty!"
The amount of information the emperor said was too great. After the ministers initially digested it, they found many problems and asked to speak one after another.
"Play it one by one!"
"Your Majesty, Your Highness is building a railway in the pass. If the Donglu come again after the spring, what should we do?"
Yuan Jixian, the Minister of War, had automatically generated the corresponding map in his mind, and was very worried that the most feared thing would happen.
The railway is halfway through construction, just in time for Donglu to knock off the pass. Can the king's troops under the jurisdiction of Beiting be able to fight against Donglu? Can you win?
If there was a major defeat due to this, not to mention the loss of a large number of people, wouldn't the railway that had been built at a huge cost have been wasted?
Could it be that the prince has never even thought about such issues? Otherwise it would be too childish!
"What Ai Qing said is reasonable. The prince stated in his letter that after the spring of next year, he will continue to hire Japanese troops to land in Liaodong and harass the area occupied by Donglu. If Donglu sends troops to attack, Japanese troops can fight on the spot. If Donglu does not move his troops, The Japanese army can attack the hinterland of the Donglu! After the war, whether the Donglu can go south again is a question. Even if you prepare for the worst and the Donglu knocks on the pass again, the prince can mobilize 200,000 troops to resist to ensure that the Jifu area is out of danger! The prince said that in half a year, the Beiting King's Division will be equipped with a large number of advanced weapons, including airships, tanks, and various types of artillery. The combat strength of 100,000 soldiers and horses will be more than twice that of the past. After this defeat of the Donglu army, , the prince first sent flying cavalry to deliver the good news, and the transport airship will arrive in a few days, and then I, Junmin of Nandu, can see the majesty of the airship!"
In terms of military matters, the traitor took over everything. Chongzhen originally planned to laugh at it, but later found out that the traitor was quite capable and could actually defeat the arrogant Emperor Taiji.
In this case, I can be considered happy to be free and miserable, so I can do whatever the traitor likes. This arrangement is much better than losing the city and losing ground, or even losing half of the country.
"Your Highness is wise, I have no objections!"
Yuan Jixian didn't want to interfere with the prince's hiring of Japanese soldiers to fight against the Donglu. One more thing was better than one less thing, and he couldn't do it even if he wanted to.
The former Japanese army fought very well in the Lushun area, killing and wounding tens of thousands of Donglu soldiers and horses, but this shocked the government and the public, and the number of opponents suddenly decreased a lot.
Just spending some money and food, it is possible to consume the Donglu soldiers and horses without dispatching the king's army, which is indeed a good thing for the Ming Dynasty.
"Your Majesty, many scholars have asked the imperial court to give up hiring Japanese soldiers. Otherwise, countless money and food will be spent every year, while hundreds of thousands of royal troops are doing nothing, making outsiders laugh at them. How can I, the Ming Dynasty, have any dignity?"
Li Rixuan, the right minister of the Ministry of War, did not agree with the Ming Dynasty's hiring of Japanese troops. It would really undermine the dignity of the Ming Dynasty, but he could not express his position on this matter by himself, and had to rely on scholars.
"How to defend the enemy is a matter for the Northern Court. If the scholars of the Southern Capital want to express their opinions directly, they can go north to see the Crown Prince. The court is in urgent need of recuperation and recuperation. It can't even collect the money, silver and food needed for the Northern Expedition. How can it talk about sending troops to Liaodong? The Crown Prince Frankly speaking, who in the southern capital can collect 10 million taels of silver and transport it to the northern capital, and two hundred thousand royal troops can be dispatched within a month! Who can collect it, please tell me?"
Chongzhen first pushed the difficult matter to the traitor as usual, and then made a condition that no one could accept.
Can't accept it?
That'll be easy, just shut up!
I have no money, but I still point fingers at the prince. Isn't this a disgrace to the country's ministers?
It may be biased to call you a traitor, but empty talk is just right to harm the country!
"..."
At this time, Li Rixuan was directly rebuffed by the emperor. He couldn't get out even one hundred thousand taels of silver, let alone ten million taels of silver.
Maybe it would be possible for Qian Qianyi, who had a big family and a big business, but the emperor had ordered the head of the court to stay at home and reflect on himself, so he had already gone to rest early.
"Your Majesty, just now His Majesty said that His Majesty the Crown Prince will build the railway to the outside of the customs. He said that it is even to the Monan Jinshan Mountain. Could you please tell me something?"
Zheng Sanjun, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, was very interested in the word "Gold Mountain". Presumably his colleagues would also be very interested. Everyone doesn't like white money.
After being mentioned like this by Zheng Sanjun, as expected, all the civil servants and generals in the hall pricked up their ears and planned to listen carefully, maybe they could get some advantage.
"The prince said that there are two gold mountains in Monan, one of which contains 30 million taels of gold, 190 million taels of silver, and 800 billion taels of copper! Overseas gold mountains are too far away, thousands of miles away, and Monan Jinshan It is only a thousand miles away from Beidu. If the railway from Beidu to Jinshan can be built, the quarried stone can be transported to Beidu in three days. Therefore, the prince vigorously promotes the construction of the railway. Once the railway is opened to traffic, it will take up to three years to recover the cost and go to Beidu. Then we can harvest millions of taels of silver every year.”
Chongzhen was naturally very happy about such great news, and planned to get involved.
However, since the mining area is located outside the customs and is still the territory of Monan Menggu, Chongzhen is unsure about this and is still in a wait-and-see state.
If the railway can be built to the foot of Jinshan Mountain, and Huang Taiji's army will not enter the pass again to plunder, then this project will be profitable.
Since he had received "funding" from the vassals before moving to Nandu, and since he confiscated eight noble families after arriving in Nandu, Chongzhen's money was not too tight now, and he could easily come up with one million taels of silver.
Regarding the investment in railways, Chongzhen felt that he would have to wait and see for a while, at least until the construction of the railway from Beidu to Changping was completed before considering it. He was determined not to take Huang Taiji for granted.
But something is going wrong down there. Not counting gold and silver, the amount of copper alone reaches 800 billion taels, which is equivalent to 800 million taels of silver!
Even if the imperial court had an annual income of 40 million taels, 800 million taels would be the total annual income of the imperial court for the next twenty years.
No wonder the prince gave up overseas gold mountains and mined Monan gold mountains instead.
"Your Majesty, this Jinshan is located in Monan. Wouldn't future mining be controlled by others? Menggu is so greedy, how can we, the Ming Dynasty, transport the ore smoothly?"
Jiang Yueguang, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, is not optimistic about this deal, especially if it involves mining on the territory of the Menggu people.
It is well known that Monan Menggu defected to Donglu. Now that the prince plans to mine in Monan, the difficulty can be imagined.
"The prince has his own way to make Monan Menggu break away from the Donglu and cooperate with the Ming Dynasty. The prince said that this method is called resource development and is mutually beneficial. Monan Menggu needs the goods of the Ming Dynasty, and the cattle and sheep he raises must also be sold. . To them, our Ming Dynasty is far more important than the Donglu. If the two sides can cooperate, it can be equivalent to cutting off Huang Taiji's arm. In addition, the Japanese army has landed, so that the Donglu have no time to take care of our country, the Ming Dynasty!"
Naturally, Chongzhen looked down upon the wooing of Monan Menggu, but with the fat sheep of Jinshan, that was a different matter.
If the traitor can do a good job and does not need to do anything on his own, Chongzhen will certainly not object, but will give him some support.
Chongzhen will now be willing to do anything that makes Huang Taiji anxious, even if it is just to support him.
"Your Majesty, this must not be done! The Eastern captives are like wolves and have no humanity. Menggu is like a tiger, and they have repeatedly invaded our borders of the Ming Dynasty since the beginning of the dynasty. Your Highness is young and is not yet familiar with the dangers of Menggu!"
Li Rixuan originally served as the right minister of the Ministry of War in the northern capital. Later, he was dismissed because he offended the prince. After Chongzhen moved to the southern capital, he was reinstated and resumed his position as the right minister of the Ministry of War.
Li Rixuan didn't want the prince to accomplish this matter, both in public and private matters. It would be best if he could directly disturb the prince, so that he could express the evil spirit that had been suppressed in his heart for a long time.
"Aiqing knows it, but why does the prince not know it? Zheng Aiqing just said that the court is short of money, and mining gold mines is the general trend. Naturally, we, the Ming Dynasty, cannot decide the current affairs based on past mistakes. Monan Menggu is willing to cooperate with me, the Ming Dynasty, then Mutual benefit can be achieved, otherwise the war will be a defeat for both parties, and the captive chief Taiji will be used to the advantage of the fishermen! In this regard, I have already said what I said before, whoever can come up with ten million taels of silver, I, the Ming Dynasty, can ignore any enemy. Otherwise , but we must take a long-term approach, and thieves who undermine our revival of the Ming Dynasty will be severely punished!"
Not willing to pay for it out of pocket, just messing around here. Isn't this what happened often at the North Capital Court Meeting before?
Chongzhen had suffered greatly before, even his father-in-law Zhou Kui shamelessly tried to harm him, let alone other officials.
With the reminder from the traitor, when he arrived in Nandu this time, Chongzhen learned from the experience and would not make the same mistake again.
"Your Majesty, if you negotiate peace with your old enemy, you will be infamed throughout the ages!"
Li Rixuan did not give up and planned to try again.
"This is the instruction of Liu Bowen, the military adviser of the Immortal Realm. The prince is fully responsible for it, so there is no need for you to worry. The Ministry of War should focus on rectifying the worms that are eating empty wages and lining their own pockets, so as to prevent the Southern Court except the Yongwei Camp from even rogue bandits. Overcome.”
Chongzhen hated people who did not do their job and stirred up troubles everywhere. The atmosphere of Beiting was ruined by these scum.
The bunch of scum in Beiting were all sent to Shandong to mine by that treacherous son. If there are a bunch of scum in Nanting, they will all be sent to Ma'anshan!
"His Majesty!"
"If Aiqing wants to intervene, you can go to Beidu and explain the powerful relationship to the prince in person. How about that?"
"..."
As soon as he heard that he wanted to meet the prince, Li Rixuan flinched. He didn't want to be promoted to an official position for a second time. It would be too ugly and he would definitely be ridiculed by his colleagues.
"Your Majesty, the Northern Court has already begun to build the railway. I think it would be better for the Southern Court to do the same, such as building the section from Nandu to Ma'anshan!"
Zhu Yongyou, the right minister of the Ministry of Works, was unwilling to interfere in side affairs, so as to avoid the thankless effort and scolding in vain. Railway construction was still the business of the Ministry of Works.
"The prince said that the water network in the south of the Yangtze River is dense, and the load of the train is huge. Before running the railway, it must be stable. If it passes through a river, a strong bridge must be built to support a train weighing 10,000 kilograms. If the Ministry of Industry thinks it is okay, When the Ministry of Engineering of Beidu sends the exploration plan, we can explore the section from Nandu to Ma'anshan accordingly. We will then calculate the construction cost and discuss it at the court meeting."
Chongzhen also wanted to build a railway in the south of the Yangtze River, which could at least highlight his achievements and be praised by his subordinates and people.
However, firstly, the railway costs a lot, secondly, it needs to build a large number of bridges, and thirdly, it involves land acquisition.
Without solving these three problems, it would be impossible to build the railway, let alone allow trains to run on it.
Fortunately, Ma'anshan is close to the Yangtze River, so shipping is very convenient, whether by water or sea.
In comparison, shipping requires very little initial investment and no investment is needed now. It is actually cheaper than rail transportation.
Thinking of this, Chongzhen felt much better. It was acceptable to have no railways in the Jiangnan area in a short period of time.
