jdhmnovel Chapter 986 These officials aren't very competent either.
Chapter 986 These officials aren't very competent either.
Chen Mo began to use data to support his point: "According to the data on the trial production of iron steam locomotives and railways in Ningyang County Railway Workshop, each steam locomotive alone requires 40,000 jin of steel for the locomotive head alone, and each freight car also weighs about 40,000 jin."
"A single rail requires about 50,000 jin of steel per mile, and a double rail requires 100,000 jin."
"The steel used to produce steam locomotives and rails needs to be of the highest quality, even the steel produced in Luanxian using the latest blast furnaces, costs about 100 kilograms per kilogram."
"In other words, a single steam locomotive costs 40,000 strings of cash, plus nine freight cars, which would bring the total to about 400,000 strings of cash."
"According to Li Xiang's plan, the railway from Ningyang County to Luan County will be built first, with a length of about 1,200 li. Considering the unexpected situations in the actual construction process, the length will be calculated as 1,500 li for the time being, and the cost of the railway will be about 300 million guan."
"This is only a single-track railway."
"If a steam locomotive runs from Ningyang County to Luanxian County, no steam locomotive can depart from Luanxian County to Ningyang County."
"Therefore, the railway must be built as a double track in order to maximize efficiency."
“And building a double line means that all the costs will double.”
"Two steam locomotives cost 800,000 strings of cash, and four railway tracks cost 600 million strings of cash."
"..."
Chen Mo meticulously calculated the accounts, one by one.
Emperor Zhu, Li Shanchang, Liu Bowen, and even Yang Siyi and the ministers all changed their expressions drastically.
They had long guessed that building railways would be expensive, since a single locomotive would require 40,000 jin of steel, and Emperor Zhu and others already had a vague idea of this.
But who the hell would have thought that the most steel-consuming parts of railway construction would not be the locomotives and carriages, but those few inconspicuous rails?
The railway construction in Ningyang County and Luan County alone will cost 600 million guan. How much would the planned north-south and east-west railways cost?
Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of six hundred million strings of cash?
With so much money, let alone in copper coins, even in gold and silver, it could build a real mountain of gold and silver!
wrong.
This is no longer about money.
Sure enough, just as Emperor Zhu and the others were secretly alarmed, Chen Mo continued, "According to the data from the trial railway made by the Ningyang County Railway Workshop, it takes about four hundred able-bodied men to build one mile of railway."
"Based on the calculation that each able-bodied man earns sixty coins a day, four hundred able-bodied men would earn twenty-four strings of cash a day."
“Even if we use laborers, each laborer’s daily wage is ten coins, so four hundred laborers’ daily wage would be four strings of cash.”
"Building the entire railway from Ningyang to Luanxian will require approximately 100,000 people."
"If it were a commoner of the Ming Dynasty, the daily wage would be six thousand strings of cash, eighteen thousand strings of cash a month, and two million six hundred thousand strings of cash a year."
Emperor Zhu and others had become numb.
Compared to a figure of 600 million strings of cash, can 2 million strings of cash still be considered money?
Chen Mo coughed lightly, intending to continue using data to support his point, but Yang Siyi's expression changed drastically. He quickly bowed to Emperor Zhu and said, "Your Majesty, the figure of 600 million guan is almost equivalent to the entire Ming Dynasty's treasury's revenue for twenty years, and that's without any expenditures."
After saying that, Yang Siyi looked at Chen Mo with a face full of despair and said in a mournful voice, "Minister Chen, just say something reliable. If you keep bringing up 600 million strings of cash, I will hang myself at the gate of the Duke of Ying's mansion tonight!"
Li Shanchang looked at Yang Siyi with pity.
Indeed, the number 600 million guan is terrifying. Anyone who was appointed Minister of Revenue would probably want to hang themselves at Yang the Madman's doorstep that very night.
Well, before being hanged, they have to write a big "misery" in blood.
Chen Mo clicked his tongue in regret.
Is 600 million strings of cash a lot?
The officials in the imperial court aren't very competent either.
They're not even as capable as the clerks in Ningyang County.
Chen Mo shook his head slightly, clearing these chaotic thoughts from his mind, and said, "Minister Yang, don't be in such a hurry."
"Although the construction of the railway network will involve countless workshops, iron mines, coal mines, laborers, and funds, as I just said, we can find ways to raise the money ourselves first."
"The money and grain for next year's railway construction can also be obtained without going through the national treasury."
Yang Siyi's eyes lit up, and he blurted out, "You write a written agreement!"
Chen Mo nodded without hesitation, "This humble official can draw up a written agreement with Minister Yang."
"but……"
"Although I can try to raise money and grain, these resources cannot just appear out of thin air, nor can anyone lend them to me for free."
"Therefore, I will first borrow some money to build the railway. After the railway is completed, I will take on some private goods transportation. A portion of the money and grain earned will be used to continue building the railway, and the remainder will be used to repay the initial loan."
"If that happens, there won't be any money to pay taxes to the national treasury?"
"..."
Yang Siyi was immediately caught in a dilemma.
The benefits of building railways are obvious; just by undertaking the transportation of goods and money for private use, one can earn a large sum of money.
However, the cost of building the railway was simply too high, and the national treasury could not afford it.
How can one reap the benefits without incurring the costs of building the railway?
Seeing Yang Siyi's distressed expression, Li Shanchang almost burst out laughing.
Indeed, the saying "If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too" is an irrefutable truth.
Yang Dianfeng is no good, and Chen Mo, whom he brought out, is no better.
Just because Yang Siyi was crying poverty and playing the victim, Chen Mo, that scoundrel, used the trick of changing the subject to torment Yang Siyi.
However, Yang Siyi was indeed a bit too stupid.
If Yang the Madman were to become the Minister of Revenue, he could probably approve funds for the Ministry of Railways with a wave of his hand, and Chen Mo would be as docile as a quail.
Li Shanchang shook his head slightly and said, "The construction of the railway is related to the fate of the Ming Dynasty for thousands of years, and it must be borne by the national treasury."
Yang Siyi's expression changed drastically, while Chen Mo smacked his lips with regret.
He had originally planned to get some money for the county magistrate and his superiors' private coffers.
Now, those small sums of money seem to have grown wings and flown away!
Li Shanchang glared at Chen Mo and said in a deep voice, "The national treasury does not have much money left, but besides the national treasury, where does Minister Chen intend to borrow 600 million strings of cash?"
"And this 1,500-mile railway couldn't have been built in just one year, could it?"
"Six hundred million strings of cash can't be spent in a year, can it?"
"The most important role of railways is to connect the entire Ming Dynasty and enable the rapid mobilization of troops, money, and supplies."
"If Vice Minister Chen intends to undertake the transportation of goods and property from the people, what will you say when the imperial court and local garrisons need the railway?"