January 16, 4335 (1638 AD).
This is the first major court meeting after the New Year's Eve holiday.
Prime Minister Wang Zhongce and Zhao Wang Su Xiong respectively reported on the government affairs and military affairs accumulated during the holidays.
Officials from the Sixth Department, the Metropolitan Procuratorate and other yamen reported on the affairs of their respective yamen one after another.
Tian Jiapeng, Minister of Rites and President of the Academy of Sciences, saw that it was his turn to report.
Tian Jiapeng stood up and reported: "Your Majesty, the railway from Beijing to Tongzhou has been built.
After more than a month of experiments, the safety of the train has been verified.
According to relevant plans, today is the day when the railway is officially opened to traffic. "
When Su He heard the news, his face showed joy.
This was the news he had been waiting for.
Today's railway technology has reached the practical stage.
The experimental steam train can reach a speed of 43 kilometers per hour.
Really running at full load will be slower than this speed.
The speed is forty kilometers per hour. In this era, that is also very fast.
Horse-drawn carriages, especially heavy-loaded carriages, are slightly faster than walking, but not as fast as rickshaw drivers.
Su He said happily: "This is really good news. I have been looking forward to the opening of the railway for a long time.
Dear friends and I, go together to witness the opening of the railway. This is the beginning of a great era. "
At the imperial meeting before the holiday, Su He had listened to Tian Jiapeng's detailed report on the opening of the railway.
Su He has already arranged the relevant matters and will officially announce the news at the meeting.
The railway was built and trains were running continuously for a month.
Now steam trains have solved problems encountered in operation, such as boiler explosions and train derailments.
In the event of such an accident, the safety of the people inside the vehicle can be ensured.
The speed of trains is very slow now. Even if the train derails, it will not cause much harm to people.
The problem of boiler explosion is better solved by moving the carriages containing people to the back.
Trains burn coal and produce a lot of soot during travel.
The carriages farther forward will have to bear the unpleasant smell of soot, and a layer of soot will fall on them.
Nowadays, the carriages in the front row of trains are civilian carriages.
There are no seats inside, all tickets are standing tickets, and the price is very cheap.
The carriages at the back are hard-seat carriages and sleeper carriages, and the last carriage is a business carriage.
When many officials heard the news, they were not surprised and had already been prepared.
Some information from the Royal Council that does not involve confidential content spreads very quickly.
At every court meeting, officials know the issues that need to be discussed and prepare responses in advance.
Su He rushed to the Beijing Railway Station with the central officials of the Dahua Dynasty.
The location of the train station is right next to Dashi Yongfang, the Academy of Sciences and Huaxia University.
The carriage arrived at the train station in a mighty manner.
Su He got off the carriage and saw the completed train station for the first time.
The scale of the train station is extremely large, and Su He specifically stated that it would be built according to the daily traffic volume of 100,000 people.
And a large area around it was allocated to the railway station for management.
The expansion scale of the railway station can reach one million levels.
Suhe is very aware of the potential of railway development.
As the capital of the country and the central hub of railways, Beijing Railway Station has a very large flow of people.
When Wang Zhongce saw this train station, his first impression was that it was spectacular.
The train station occupies a large area, with a large square in front that can accommodate tens of thousands of people.
At the entrance of the train station, there is a stone train sculpture and I-beam graphic sign.
This I-beam graphic is the logo of the railway group.
As the leader, Wang Zhongce organized the officials present to visit the railway station.
Tian Jiapeng explained the situation at the train station to Su He and many officials.
“There is a ticket office in front of you, and you can take the train after buying your ticket.
The current price of taking a train from Beijing to Tongzhou is fifty copper coins.
This is the price for civilians. The hard-seat carriage is 200 copper coins, the sleeper carriage is 500 copper coins, and the VIP carriage is 5 taels of silver coins. "
Tian Jiapeng said and handed the train tickets to everyone to watch.
The train ticket is a piece of white cardboard with the departure and destination stations, as well as simple information such as carriage seats printed on it in black ink.
The information is simple and it is convenient to print uniformly.
Su He took the train tickets and led everyone to the train platform.
He told Wang Zhongce: "Passengers go from the ticket hall to the platform, and there is a security check area in the middle.
The flow of people on the train is extremely dense. If someone brings a knife or a gun on the train, it will cause serious safety accidents. "
Wang Zhongce nodded and took note of Su He's instructions.
Su He had already made arrangements at the previous imperial meeting.
The Cabinet established the General Administration of Railways directly under the Cabinet, which is responsible for formulating railway-related policies, planning the laying of railways, and the establishment of railway stations.
Shaofu established a railway group to operate railway stations in various places.
The management of the railway is given to the cabinet, and the operation of the railway is given to the Shaofu.
The two departments restrict each other.
At the same time, the Ministry of Punishment established a special railway patrol.
Several patrol officers are dispatched to each train to maintain law and order on the train and manage emergencies on the train.
Su He led the civil and military officials to the platform and looked at the huge locomotive and the fifteen passenger carriages behind the coal-carrying carriage.
Tian Jiapeng introduced on the side: "Railways and trains are developed by a team led by Academician Guo Zhenshan of the Academy of Sciences.
The steam locomotive and carriage width is 3650 mm, and the track width is 1825 mm.
The speed of passenger steam train is forty kilometers per hour.
There are 230 people in the civilian carriage, 160 in the ordinary hard seat, and 66 in the sleeper carriage.
VIP carriages need to be reserved in advance.
A steam train can transport about two thousand people.
In case of emergency, a few more carriages can be hung.
At its limit, a steam train can transport more than 6,000 people. "
Su He sighed: "Good, very good.
If railways were connected to all parts of the country, only two trains would be needed to transport a division of troops to all parts of the country.
As long as there are trains to transport troops, the cost of quelling the rebellion is low and the army can respond quickly.
We don’t need to maintain huge armies everywhere.
You only need to garrison troops in the main cities. "
The existence of railways and trains can ensure stability throughout the country.
Even if there is a small-scale rebellion, it will be suppressed quickly.
Tian Jiapeng continued: "Your Majesty, transport personnel cannot use the train to its maximum capacity.
The biggest role of steam trains is to transport supplies.
The standard load capacity of each carriage of this steam train is forty tons.
A steam train has a maximum load capacity of 300 tons of materials.
If cloth and cotton are transported, they are light in weight and large in size, so they can be solved by adding a trailer.
The speed of loaded trains is slightly lower, and can only reach 30 kilometers per hour. "
Su He asked in surprise: "During the steam train experiment, Guo Zhenshan did not stop research and development.
The carrying capacity of steam trains is greater than before, which seems to be a technological breakthrough. "
After Su He finished speaking, he saw no figure of Guo Zhenshan around him.
He looked in the direction of the locomotive. Guo Zhenshan was leading his apprentices to inspect the locomotive.
Su He looked at the civil and military officials and ordered:
“My dear friends, let’s experience the steam train together.
We took a train from Beijing to Tongzhou and back again. "
Cabinet Minister Li Zhisheng said worriedly: "Your Majesty, trains are a new thing after all, and their safety cannot be guaranteed.
Your Majesty must ensure the dragon's body in case of an accident on the train.
I don't know what danger would happen if such a big iron box tipped over. "
“My lord, please rest assured that the train is traveling at a slow speed and the train’s braking system has sufficient reaction time to stop the train.
From Beijing to Tongzhou, the railway basically has no big bends and no tunnels.
According to the design of the train, there will be no safety issues.
There is a greater possibility of human-caused train problems.
But along the railway, there are Qinglong guards standing guard.
I believe in the ability of Qinglongwei to prevent strangers from coming into contact with the railway tracks. "
Su He looked at the person coming. This was the designer of the train, Guo Zhenshan, an academician of the Academy of Sciences, and one of his most outstanding students.
He finished adjusting the locomotive and rushed here.
"Li Aiqing, don't worry! I won't make fun of my own safety.
During this visit to the train, adequate protection has been provided along the way. "
Trains have been running normally on the railway for some time.
In order to ensure that there would be no problems, Su He sent out the Qinglong Guards, an army that guards the Gyeonggi region, to guard the railways along the way.
This is not because he cherishes his life, but to ensure the safety of the railway.
Suhe rides a steam train for the first time and if something goes wrong.
Even if he persists, the steam train project is likely to not receive support from officials and the public.
Without the support of a large number of businessmen and relying solely on the power of the imperial court, if you want to quickly build a railway network, the money and time consumed will increase exponentially.
Su He also required that the speed of the train should not exceed 25 kilometers per hour.
Within this speed range, the steam train can brake the train fastest on the railway.
There are some officials who think the same as Li Zhisheng and are afraid of problems in Suhe.
But seeing that the senior cabinet officials failed to stop him, they did not dare to speak and boarded the train tremblingly.
Su He, members of the Royal Council, Guo Zhenshan and others arrived at the most luxurious VIP carriage.
The decoration here is like a big and cozy house.
It is not like an ordinary sleeper, it is a three-layer steel frame bed.
There are relatively comfortable single beds on both sides of the train, and there are tea tables and desks in the middle.
It is convenient for people in the VIP compartment to discuss matters directly here.
Guo Zhenshan looked at everyone and said: "Your Majesty, are you ready? Can you start the steam train?
When the train starts, there will be a slight shaking sensation. "
Su He smiled and said: "Start the train! We are ready."
When Guo Zhenshan heard Su He's order, he waved directly through the glass window to the people waiting outside the window.
The person outside the window saw Guo Zhenshan's gesture, and he immediately ran to the locomotive and informed the train driver to start.
The train's steam engine is at its lowest speed.
When the train driver received the order to drive, he immediately pulled the rope, notified the boiler car, quickly filled the coal, and increased the pressure of the boiler.
The boilerman heard the bell ringing in the carriage and immediately quickly added coal to the boiler.
The steam pressure in the boiler rises and the steam engine begins to run at high speed.
The train driver saw that the pressure of the boiler was sufficient and the number of revolutions of the steam engine reached the predetermined value.
He immediately blew the whistle.
Woo! Woo! Woo!
The sound of the train whistle filled the sky.
The train driver pulls the lever and the steam engine's shaft is connected to the train's power system.
The huge power of the steam engine drives the wheels of the train along the power system.
The train wheels made a clanging sound as they touched the rails.
This behemoth began to accelerate slowly.
…………………………
Li Zhisheng pulled the handle on the window and looked outside.
“He started running, really started running.
The train can still go so fast.
I saw someone riding a horse on the roadside, and the speed of the train was faster than the horse. "
Li Zhisheng looked out the window through the glass window. He nervously grabbed the handle and was extremely excited.
"The train is really great. I never thought that this big iron lump could run so fast.
With trains in the future, the country only needs to set up large granaries in a few key areas to ensure food supply for surrounding cities. "
Li Zhisheng spent this time checking the borers in the Grain Storage Bureau.
This incident is shocking, and the country has only been stable for a year.
Many officials of the Grain Reserve Bureau are candidates who have passed the scientific examination.
Within a few years, it was stained by the officialdom and turned into a rat. The food shortage problem was very serious.
The cabinet and the Metropolitan Procuratorate have limited energy and can only ensure the safety of a few large granaries.
As long as the train is connected in the future, the medium-sized granary can be dismantled.
The country focuses on large-scale granaries, and lets people below focus on small-scale granaries in various places.
…………………………
In the capital, many people stood beside the railway to watch the excitement.
Yesterday’s Lantern Festival, the festive atmosphere has not passed yet.
Today I was attracted by the opening of the railway.
Ding Wannian and Yang Wencai, two business leaders, stood beside the railway watching the steam train.
Ding Wannian looked at the steam train roaring past, and he sighed: "We are old, we are old.
Nowadays, things are changing with each passing day, and new things are emerging one after another. We can’t keep up with the times.
Who would have thought that Tie Liao could run faster than a horse.
The emergence of railways will change the future structure of the business world. "
Yang Wencai nodded and said: "Whoever controls the railway will have the upper hand in the future.
Whoever can quickly transport raw materials and products to all parts of the country can compete for the market.
I have inquired carefully and found that the cost of rail transportation is also very low.
I just hope that the railway group can be more fair and not favor certain businessmen.
We will definitely not be able to earn a small fortune, but at least we can ensure fairness for private businessmen.
I heard that the railway group was going to issue railway bonds and start large-scale railway construction.
Ten-year railway bonds can earn an annual interest rate of 5%, which is a very good investment opportunity.
I heard that the newly formed railway group was letting the wind blow.
Which businessman buys more railroad bonds will get more freight quotas. "
Ding Wannian nodded and said: "This is indeed the case.
The cost of railway construction is as high as 20,000 silver coins per kilometer.
This is still on flat land, and the cost of construction in mountainous areas is higher.
Except for the imperial court, which pooled numerous resources to build railways, who could afford such an expensive railway?
Railroad bonds are bonds issued by railroad groups and are repaid with railroad proceeds.
This bond is not as stable as a national bond, so of course it needs to give buyers certain discounts.
When ordinary people buy this bond, it is just equivalent to saving money.
Businessmen like us who own bulk commodities and need railway transportation must buy railway bonds.
We occupy more bond quotas, while other businessmen have fewer quotas. This is related to the railway freight quota, and we must compete for it. "
"The Evil God"
Ding Wannian looked at the steam train passing quickly in front of him, emitting thick black smoke.
He lamented the rapid changes of the times.
…………………………
More than two hours later, the steam train stopped safely at the Beijing Railway Station.
Su He led the civil and military officials on the streets of Yongfang in Dashi.
He looked at Guo Zhenshan and asked: "Previous trains often lay down on the road and required long-term maintenance.
This time I experienced the train and it was able to go from Beijing to Tongzhou smoothly and back safely.
There were no problems on the way. "
Guo Zhenshan immediately introduced: "Teacher, trains often had problems before, mainly the sealing problems of the steam engine.
Now with rubber seals, steam engines solve the sealing problem and reduce costs.
The steam engine can now operate safely for thirty-six hours continuously.
It's totally fine to run a steam train for a day and then overhaul it.
Teacher, wait for me to solve a few problems.
The safe operation time of the steam engine will definitely exceed one hundred hours. "
Su He said happily: "Is it a rubber seal? The sealing performance of rubber is indeed very good.
Guo Zhenshan, you must keep up your efforts and continue to improve the problems encountered by steam engines.
The locomotive company manufactures steam trains and will give you royalties.
The imperial court will also continue to allocate funds to your research institute, so you don’t have to worry about funding problems. "
Su He looked at Wang Zhongce again and said: "Wang Aiqing, I experienced the steam train today and it felt very good.
The cabinet followed the plan and began large-scale construction of railways. "
Wang Zhongce heard Su He's instructions and said with emotion: "The cabinet will start making arrangements to explore railway lines to various places.
The train is so fast. We can get from Beijing to Tongzhou in less than an hour.
Trains can quickly transport materials to various places and promote the development of various places.
Even if the construction of the railway is too expensive, the court must fully support it.
I wonder if enough funds can be raised by issuing railroad bonds.
It is extremely difficult to build a railway network covering the whole country with only the money from the court. "
Su He said confidently: "Wang Aiqing, don't worry!
A businessman with a keen sense of smell would never give up on railroad bonds.
Even if they are slow to respond, as long as the imperial court invests in the construction of railways from the capital to Tianjin and Songjiang County.
When they realize the convenience of railways, they will definitely buy bonds.
The cabinet has made arrangements for massive railway construction. "
