If taking a small train once counts as one Children's Day, then in recent times, a certain prince has celebrated Children's Day more than a dozen times.
The train has undergone major improvements, and a certain prince will come to see it.
The circular railway was completed as scheduled, and a certain prince would also come.
The beautiful mother, a group of aunts, sisters and brothers came to join in the fun, and a certain prince naturally had to accompany him.
Zheng Laofi came here this time to affirm the cooperation between the two parties, and a certain prince had to attend...
At first, the railway was only built to the west of Taiye Lake. Later, a certain prince felt that it was not long enough and it was inconvenient to test, so he ordered it to be extended and changed into the shape of Taiye Lake.
Anyway, the entire Northern Eight Corners has the final say. Of course, the railways in Ouchi can be built as desired, almost becoming a tool for education and entertainment.
Building a railway of this length naturally does not cost much money, but even so, a certain prince does not intend to pay for it out of his own pocket. After it is completed, there will naturally be people willing to pay for it.
For one tael per person each time, you can try out the first train in the world and see the sights of Ouchi (it’s freezing in the winter, and there’s not much scenery). What a bargain?
As long as you say hello to Yu Songyi, the president of the Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber of Commerce will take care of the rest.
For merchants, it only takes one tael of silver to take a ride on the only fairyland vehicle in the world, and to travel around the city. It is incredibly cheap.
To use the advertisement that the prince admires, it is that one tael of silver cannot buy you a loss, let alone be cheated~!
All members of the Chamber of Commerce are eligible to be the first batch of nominal passengers (the people at the Academy of Sciences were almost sick from sitting).
Even the guy who was gnashing his teeth at a certain prince in private took this opportunity to find out and see if this car was as mysterious as it was said to be!
However, people with ulterior motives have greatly underestimated the strength of the train. It is really stable and comfortable to sit on. If you compare it personally, it is several times more comfortable than the bumpy carriage.
After the second test ride, the businessmen not only wanted to ride it themselves, but also wanted to open their eyes to their families.
After this experience, anyone who has never taken a train in the future will definitely be a laggard in the industry.
The fare is one tael of silver, and there is no discount, because as long as one child gets on the bus and occupies one seat, it is one ticket, except for those holding children.
To the common people, this fare is sky-high, but to merchants who are not short of money, it is too cheap.
You can please the prince with just one tael of silver. Is there anything more presumptuous than this in the world?
As a result, train tickets have become the most sought-after commodity in the city...
Currently it is only on sale to a targeted audience, but will be available at Qianqi Department Store in the future.
However, ordinary people must be searched when entering the building and must show their residence permit before they can ride.
There are also security personnel on board the train, and there are guard handles along the railway line to prevent criminals from succeeding.
According to the instructions of the prince, there are three days a week as open days, and test rides are available for take-out tickets.
For the remaining four days the railroad and trains were owned by the Academy so that improvements could be constantly tested.
Since the railway was not built long and fares were extremely expensive, the construction costs of the Ouchi Railway were already recovered.
Even Song Yingxing was astonished by this. This project is simply making money every day, so he has to accept it!
Of course, train tickets will not be so expensive in the future, and a certain prince will use large amounts of money to help the court recover its investment.
At present, train tickets are sold to merchants, officials, wealthy gentry, generals and their families, all of whom are not short of money.
It is the support of these people that makes everyone at the Academy of Sciences believe in the bright future of trains and railways.
"Your Highness, I wonder when this thing will appear in Fujian and other places?"
After Zheng Zhilong enjoyed it for a period of time, he felt very comfortable and planned to buy the train to his hometown, if the prince would bear the pain and give up his love.
"If you like it, you can buy it. However, I have already said that building a railway is not as easy as laying an official road. It cannot be laid where there are dense water networks, nor where there are many mountains, and it must be ensured that the railway cannot be used by bad people." It would be even worse if they dismantled the rails and sold them. The minimum cost of laying one mile of railway is as high as 10,000 taels of silver. The cost of land acquisition must be calculated separately, and does not include the expenses of the train and carriage itself. The cost of land Aiqing can handle the matter by herself. The cost of the railway can be borne by the imperial court. I will not charge more money to Aiqing, and the locomotives and carriages can also enjoy preferential prices."
A certain prince was telling the truth, because without the golden mountain in Monan as an ATM, Beiting would not be able to afford such a huge expense.
Building a 700-mile railway will cost at least 7 million taels of silver. Currently, Taicang, the Ministry of Revenue, does not have that much spare money, and it mainly has to be used to fight against braids.
In the carriage, a certain prince gave Zheng Laofi a quotation. He should carry this with him so that he would be prepared.
Since you invite the other party to take the train, it will inevitably involve railway matters.
If Old Fart Zheng wants to buy it, he might as well just make some money back.
Using the sales funds of the first-generation trains to develop the second-generation trains can form a cycle of conscience!
A locomotive is quoted at 50,000 taels of silver, and a carriage is quoted at 10,000 taels of silver.
A certain prince was not afraid that Mr. Zheng would send someone to imitate it. He gathered most of the smart people in the Ming Empire and worked on it for more than half a year before he came up with it.
If Zheng Laofi's team could imitate it easily, a certain prince would really want to worship him as his disciple!
The quotation of the locomotive must not be considered high, excluding the time spent on labor, materials and various experiments.
Letting Old Fart Zheng pick it up right away when he comes here is already showing the utmost kindness to him.
Besides, if you go to other places to buy, it is impossible to buy trains.
At most, it is assembled from CKD parts. I can’t guarantee what it will look like...
"I want to purchase ten locomotives, fifty carriages, and lay fifty miles of railway. Is it possible?"
After a brief discussion with a group of friends at the other end of the carriage, Zheng Zhilong felt that the opportunity was too good to pass up and time would never come again. If the prince regretted it, he might not be able to buy such a good item.
The total price is 1.5 million taels of silver, which is already a record-breaking huge order!
"Of course you can. Aiqing will be responsible for the land acquisition. I will send people there to conduct on-site surveys and come up with more feasible design drawings. If the local climate conditions in Fujian permit, construction can begin after the survey is completed. The front and carriage of the car will be waiting for the spring Bohai Sea After the sea ice melts, Aiqing will send ships for loading in Tianjin."
A certain prince is responsible for the logistics from the capital to Tianjin, because sea transportation is Zheng Laofi's strength.
Besides, if you encounter rough waves at sea and sink the transport ship, the other party will be responsible for the resulting losses.
Zheng Laofi's family has a big business and is not short of money. This loss is nothing and can be tolerated.
"Thank you for your generous help, Your Highness!"
Although he spent a lot of money to buy the railway and train, he would definitely not be able to buy them if the prince didn't let go.
Zheng Zhilong couldn't help but feel elated when he thought that it wouldn't be long before he could sit on this thing in his hometown.
Even the southern capital has never had this kind of thing, but Fujian has it first. This is a big step ahead of the other seven corners of the south.
"My dear, there is no need to be polite. My dear, you have made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty. I am worried that I will not be able to reward you!"
A certain prince originally wanted to give railways and trains to Mr. Zheng as a sweetener, but if he gave them less, they might not have enough, so he might as well just sell them.
Railways are not like a magic medicine that can be repaid immediately upon sale. There must be a time limit for return on investment, and the cycle is relatively long. If you don't have the patience and play short-term, then just don't touch this.
In the whole world, only Zheng Zhilong and Mu Tianbo can play.
Yunnan is extremely far away from the capital, and transportation costs are prohibitively high. There will be no railways in the short term.
Fujian has convenient sea transportation, and Quanzhou, Xiamen, and Fuzhou are all on the seaside, so it is very convenient to build railways.
"As a general of the Ming Dynasty, it is my duty to kill the enemies of the Ming Dynasty. I don't dare to expect anything in return!"
I have to reiterate again that so far, Zheng Zhilong is very satisfied with the cooperation between the two parties.
As long as you put in your own efforts, you can get considerable rewards, which is much better than Chongzhen's time...
"If all the civil servants and military generals are as loyal and brave as Ai Qing, our Ming Dynasty will naturally rise rapidly. The north will not be afraid of the Eastern captives, and the south will not be afraid of the red barbarians!"
For a large customer who is willing to spend 1.5 million taels of silver to buy goods, a certain prince must perform in public.
So if you don’t have any advantages, you have to create a bunch of advantages!
Not only verbally, but also praised in newspapers and announced to the world!
After defeating Braid, he also took away the Dutch stronghold. It was a double happiness.
The main content of the newspaper published on New Year's Eve is about Zheng Jiajun's glorious achievements in recent times!
Not only did they regain the southern part of Dongfan through land battles, they also won a great victory at sea, which must be written down!
A certain prince was not worried at all about offending the East India Company.
Because the two sides had fought two battles in Liaoluo Bay and Penghu waters before, this could be regarded as the third Minghe naval battle.
Counting this time, Daming has achieved three consecutive victories against the Netherlands, which is equivalent to a hat trick!
A certain prince was even less worried about whether the East India Company would cause trouble for Zheng Zhilong.
This kind of thing where the enemy takes the initiative and he can fight at home is Zheng Zhilong's favorite type of sex.
A certain prince is now worried that the Dutch will avoid the easy task and sail directly upstream from the Yangtze River Estuary to intimidate Nandu!
Fortunately, a flying knight has been sent to deliver a message to remind the blame-dumping father. Whether this "the most enlightened king in ancient and modern times" will listen is unknown.
The Ming Dynasty had thousands of miles of sea territory, and it was impossible to deploy heavy troops everywhere to guard against the Dutch.
Without Zheng Laofi's fleet, even key defenses would not be possible.
In view of the lag in news, I am afraid that it will take another three months for the Batavia headquarters to mobilize a fleet to go north again.
In other words, near-term danger may not develop until summer at the earliest.
Before that, Daming still had plenty of preparation time.
However, without Zheng Laofi's full help, Nandu Navy's little river defense and the Dutch fleet with strong ships and powerful artillery would really not be enough to put a gap in people's teeth.
Jiang defense itself is a systematic project, but the current defense line of the Yangtze River is neither engineering nor systematic!
The Nandu Navy has been in a state of semi-paralysis for many years due to being out of battle formation for a long time. At present, it is unlikely to win a battle on its home court.
The most capable force in Nandu is the Yongwei Battalion commanded by Huang Degong, but these elites cannot die together with the enemy.
No elite can withstand the bombardment of thousands of heavy cannons. Even the city walls can be blown down, let alone flesh and blood.
The idea given by a certain prince to his father was that the Shogunate Mountain could be defended and there was no need to move it for the time being.
On the contrary, we must escape as soon as possible. Under the salvo of the Dutch fleet, Nandu City will definitely not be able to defend.
Of course, after getting the information, you can run away first, but with the reputation of running away, a certain father may not be able to bear it...
In short, no matter what method is adopted, one cannot fight tooth and nail, one must make use of strengths and avoid weaknesses, and wait for reinforcements to arrive.
A certain prince could send Hong Chengchou's troops eastward, and then send troops from the capital south along the canal.
As long as the people who blame the father are not eliminated by the opponent within half a month, the battlefield situation will fundamentally change.
It is estimated that the landing force that the East India Company can gather in the Eastern World is only 5,000 people at most.
With this number of people fighting a land battle, it is obviously impossible to win a big victory once they are separated from the cover of naval guns.
It's nothing more than using naval cannons to blow down the Nandu city wall, and then sending troops in to grab a handful, that's all.
Therefore, a certain prince stated in the letter that the money, food and personnel must be withdrawn, and the rest can be used as he pleases.
The scapegoat has already been notified, and the remaining half will depend on Old Fart Zheng.
Whether the Dutch can be retained cannot be relied upon by the scapegoat, and must rely on Zheng Zhilong's fleet.
We can't really let the Dutch attack Nandu, looting and plundering, and finally escape unscathed, then the Ming Dynasty will be embarrassed...
Either don't come. Now that you're here, don't even think about leaving. You can leave, but you have to pay a heavy price!
Nandu is different from Xiamen. It is expected that the Dutch will not dare to invade easily without gathering hundreds of warships.
In the whole world, Zheng Zhilong is the only one who can compete with such a large fleet.
"The most wise king in ancient and modern times" relies on a former pirate leader to protect him. It seems that this is in line with the actual situation of the Ming Dynasty!
"I respectfully ask that your Highness be at ease. If the Hongyi invades brazenly, I and my subordinates will definitely sacrifice their lives for righteousness and fight to the death!"
After the prince finished explaining the situation to everyone present, Zheng Zhilong immediately expressed his determination to protect his family and country.
The Southern Capital was conquered by the Hongyi, and if the emperor died because of this, then his own sin would be too great.
Even so, the prince will ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor, which is equivalent to helping the prince get the throne.
But Zheng Zhilong is almost certain that the prince seems to have no intention of ascending the throne at the moment.
If this was the case, Chongzhen could have been forced to abdicate in favor of someone more worthy.
Since the prince still plans to continue to be the regent, he must try his best to ensure that Emperor Chongzhen is worry-free.
As long as there are a sufficient number of new bronze cannons and anti-ship missiles, Zheng Zhilong is relatively confident of defeating the Dutch Red Barbarians again.
"Ai Qing is truly loyal and brave, and I will not let Ai Qing's soldiers go into battle unarmed. In addition to the previous five hundred anti-ship missiles, I will give Ai Qing another two hundred anti-ship missiles and fifty new missiles. Bronze cannons, these weapons will be shipped before May!"
If you have something to ask for, you must feed him some dog food at this time.
There are not many, but they are all free gifts. These weapons are enough to arm five plywood boats and twenty black-tailed boats.
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Zheng Zhilong was naturally very happy to be able to obtain advanced weapons for free. If the Dutch Red Barbarians did not dare to come, these would be a net profit.
It doesn't matter if Hongyi dares to come. Zheng Zhilong has already planned to purchase 500 anti-ship missiles and 100 bronze cannons.
Including the portion donated by the Crown Prince, there are a total of 1,200 anti-ship missiles and 150 bronze cannons. The number and power are considerable.
If there are twenty plywood ships and two hundred other warships of various types equipped with such ordnance, Zheng Zhilong really has no fear of the threat of the Dutch Red Barbarians.
The weapons sold by the prince are relatively expensive, but the best value for money is that they are expensive. The subordinates are really comfortable in using them and have achieved amazing results.
The reason why we were able to defeat the Hongyi fleet at sea this time was because our warships were equipped with a large number of anti-ship missiles, which caught Hongyi off guard.
In comparison, anti-ship missiles are much easier to use than arson ships. According to fourth brother Zheng Zhifeng, such weapons are almost impossible for Hongyi to defend against!
