Chapter 51 The First Official Railway
What are the rules of firearms warfare?
That is defense over offense.
As long as the firearm fires normally and there are no quality problems, defense is always better than offense. Especially with the addition of suitable fortifications, and the advancement of firearms, this point is very prominent. The ultimate situation in which this situation progressed was the trench warfare of World War I.
But before that, it was not without its features.
It just depends on whether the person can catch it.
Secondly, the consumption is far greater than that in the cold weapon era, and the reliance on logistics is too heavy. There is no way to fight a war without logistics. In the age of cold weapons, it might be possible to plunder on the spot to solve the problem of food and grass, but in the age of firearms, this is absolutely impossible.
As a result, the logistical burden is too heavy.
He Xi plans to use railways to transport logistics. A railway can transport more than 100,000 people. ..
Another function of railways is inner warfare.
It is convenient to mobilize troops from one direction to another line of defense quickly. Thereby improving the utilization rate of force. And this is the importance of the Beijing-Yingkou railway. Although the sea route from Yingkou to Tianjin is very close, the sea is not calm after all. Once there is a storm or weather with very low visibility, the connection between Liaodong and Beijing will be very slow. From Beijing to the south, there is a canal as a temporary substitute, but the land route from Yingkou to Beijing is too difficult to travel.
As long as the railway is built, Liaodong will be connected with Beijing. Liaodong's 100,000-strong army can be quickly mobilized to the capital, and the capital's army can also be quickly mobilized to Liaodong. In this way, the number of Liaodong's troops can be reduced and more strength can be used. In the south.
Similarly, after the railway was repaired, the speed of material distribution increased. In this case, Beijing can use fewer supplies to maintain stability in a larger area.
After all, lack of food was also a hidden worry in He Xi's heart.
The people below don't know what He Xi is thinking. Just listen to Zhang Zongde clearly explain steam trains and railways on the podium.
Just finished speaking. Zhang Youzhi stood up suddenly and said, "Sir, Puzhou Society is willing to serve the imperial court for free. I just ask that you give Puzhou Society a chance."
He Xi said: "No, the imperial court has always had rules in doing things, and there has never been any idea of serving services for free. However, the current national situation is difficult, and the court's expenses are somewhat insufficient. The imperial court intends to issue national bonds and will provide interest. When the time comes, you can Sell some, and as for business, just do whatever you want."
In fact, in He Xi's view, national debt is welfare.
Without him, banknotes would depreciate greatly. Although He Xi will control the decline, it cannot fall too sharply. But no matter what, holding a lot of cash now means losing money. The national debt is different. The national debt has interest. I dare not say how high it is, but there is no problem in outperforming inflation.
In other words, all those who support the Beijing court will have their property preserved and may even make a small profit, as for those who do not sell national debt. You will probably lose a lot of money. Of course, it has little impact on ordinary people.
Because, overall, human resources are tight near Beijing.
He Xi will artificially raise wages. The price of labor will rise a lot. Firstly, it is affected by supply and demand factors, and secondly, He Xi did it intentionally. This will offset the cost of machines, allowing large factory owners to change their thinking from increasing manpower to increasing machines.
And He Xi's railway project, as well as subsequent war preparations and consumption, will also dilute the cost of industry, thus causing the price of machines to drop. There is more room for competition.
In order to promote steam engines and transform society, He Xi can be regarded as no one.
All means were used.
Zhang Youzhi's story is just a small episode.
He Xi never thought that it would be settled today. Because He Xi knew that most of these people couldn't make the decision.
They must be allowed to discuss with the people behind it before any results can be achieved.
From Beijing to Nanjing, the fastest way is probably to go to Nanjing from Tianjin. Then we come back from Nanjing, which will take a month or two. This is also the reason why He Xi told this matter in advance.
He will go to the Northern Tour immediately and wait for the Northern Tour
After arriving, I happened to discuss important matters with these people.
However, He Xi didn't think that most nobles would reject her proposal.
Without him, is it possible to make money? No one's money is earned.
Not to mention that these nobles did not dare to make mistakes when Zhu Yuanzhang was around. Zhu Yuanzhang certainly went too far in attacking them. But they are definitely not loyal ministers of the Ming Dynasty royal family, whether it is Zhu Xiongying or Zhu Yunwen.
Therefore, it is one thing to take sides, it is another thing to make money, and it is another thing to leave a way out.
We have to fight a war on the surface, and we also have to fight a private war for people's hearts.
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In the Qianqing Palace in Beijing.
He Xi told Zhu Xiongying everything about his railway plan.
Zhu Xiongying frowned slightly and said, "So, the most important thing about a railway is the rails and sleepers. Is this enough?"
He Xi said: "Of course it's enough. In fact, the steel production in Beijing and Liaodong has been in surplus in the past few years. If we don't find a way out as soon as possible, the iron furnaces will be shut down in various places. As for sleepers, there shouldn't be too much wood in Liaodong. .That’s why they solve big problems.”
Sometimes, He Xi also felt that Zhu Yuanzhang was right.
Ming Dynasty needs a war. Without a war to reshuffle the cards, it is impossible to solve the problem.
The reason why He Xi can't wait for this war is also because the heavy industry sector has begun to overproduce. During the construction of Beijing City, cement, steel, masonry, etc. were produced on a large scale. After the construction of Beijing City was completed, He Xi continued to promote the construction of water conservancy projects in Hebei. On the one hand, it was certainly because Beijing's water conservancy projects needed to be built, otherwise it would be impossible to reach the level of water conservancy in the Tang Dynasty. But it is more because steel plants and cement plants have overcapacity.
After all, there is still a market for cloth and so on. But where is the market for steel?
As mentioned earlier, these factory owners prefer to add manpower rather than machinery. And a large amount of agricultural machinery cannot be sold at all. What can consume steel is also built. And war.
Which construction is unsustainable.
On the one hand, funds are limited. On the other hand, it is also incomprehensible for the court to spend money so lavishly.
To put it bluntly, the Ming court was basically a static management system in an agricultural society. It could not understand how to manage various industrial fluctuations in an industrial society.
If He Xi does not intervene, the steel industry will inevitably shrink, and Ming's steel output will see a sharp decline. Maybe you can wait for the invisible hand to adjust naturally. But within a few years, or even more than ten years, steel production would not be able to return to what it is now.
After all, today's steel production was almost spawned by He Xi's construction of Beijing City.
It's not normal in itself.
And He Xi has no time to wait for the next peak.
He must have wanted to use more drastic means to promote the industrial revolution. Only in this way could he maintain the rapid development of heavy industry and drive the development of the entire Ming Dynasty industry.
Therefore, the North cannot wait for this war. And the South couldn't take it anymore.
Zhu Yuanzhang also understood this and set up this situation before his death.
Zhu Xiongying partly understood, but partly didn't. Zhu Xiongying said: "I know my uncle's decision. I just hope that I will listen to my uncle's report next time."
Zhu Xiongying implicitly expressed Zhu Xiongying's dissatisfaction with He Xi's execution first and then his execution.
He Xi immediately stood up and apologized, saying: "The cabinet is now incomplete, the court regulations are missing, and the top and bottom are in chaos. This is why such omissions have occurred. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Zhu Xiongying said: "I know that when matters are urgent, authority must be followed. My uncle is right. It's time to talk about the cabinet."
He Xi said: "Who does Your Highness prefer?"
Zhu Xiongying said: "My uncle is the chief minister of the cabinet. Let me tell you who you prefer. I am absolutely sure."
He Xi said: "Thank you for your highness's trust. I can't do anything if I am in the cabinet alone. Yang Shiqi has been in charge of all aspects of Beijing for many years and is a capable minister. In the future, industry and commerce will also be the focus of development. Only industry can strengthen the country."
, I put Yang Zhen in charge. The rest of the candidates will be arranged by His Highness. "
Zhu Xiongying was stunned and said, "Just these two?"
He Xi said: "Just these two, plus the minister."
