jdhmnovel Chapter 974 We're actually hoping the gentry will continue to cause trouble!
Chapter 974 We're actually hoping the gentry will continue to cause trouble!
After consulting with Emperor Zhu, Li Shanchang led Emperor Zhu, Liu Bowen, Chang Yuchun, and others to the huge "Great Ming Geomantic Map".
"As the Prince Consort said, the most important thing about the railway network is not the flow of money and goods, but that after it is completed, it will cover the entire Ming Dynasty like a spider web. If there is any disturbance in any place, other places can respond quickly with the help of the railway network."
Li Shanchang pointed with a small wooden stick towards the capital and then towards the Western Regions, saying, "If we send troops from the capital to the Western Regions, it would normally take several months or even a year or two, but with the railway network, it might only take a month or even less."
“Soldiers, weapons, provisions, ammunition, cattle and horses—everything needed for a war, including people and goods, and even livestock, can be transported from the capital to the Western Regions in about a month. The time and losses saved in this process are immeasurable.”
Emperor Zhu, Liu Bowen, Chang Yuchun, and others stared intently at the "Map of the Great Ming Dynasty," while the small wooden stick in Li Shanchang's hand seemed to possess some kind of magic, firmly gripping the eyes of Emperor Zhu and the others.
Fragrant.
It smells so good.
The Art of War, Chapter 15, "Military Maneuvering," clearly states: "If the entire army is mobilized to fight for profit, it will be too late; if the army is disbanded to fight for profit, its baggage will be lost. Therefore, if the army is rolled up and marches without rest, doubling its speed and speed, and fighting for profit at a rate of one-hundred li, it will capture three generals, with the strong ones first and the exhausted ones last, and only one-tenth of them will arrive; if the army is mobilized to fight for profit at a rate of fifty li, it will lose its commander-in-chief, and only half of them will arrive; if the army is mobilized to fight for profit at a rate of thirty li, two-thirds of them will arrive. Therefore, an army without baggage will perish, an army without food will perish, and an army without provisions will perish."
An army that travels thousands of miles from the capital to the Western Regions on foot and with the help of oxen and horses—even without considering those who fall behind or suffer casualties, or taking into account the time and losses along the way—would be significantly weakened by the exhaustion from such a long journey.
If the railway network described by Li Shanchang and Chen Mo could actually be built, it would greatly rewrite the literal meaning of the phrase "a long and arduous expedition".
Li Shanchang coughed lightly, then pointed to the map and continued, "However, although the railway network is good, the national treasury cannot afford it."
Emperor Zhu felt a faint sadness.
The pancake smelled delicious, yet it gave me a sense of powerlessness, as if it were so close yet so far away.
"It's not just a matter of gold and silver."
"It's not just a matter of manpower."
Li Shanchang also looked conflicted and annoyed. "Back in Liaodong, the master craftsman Chen Mo sent there already said that not all land can be used to build railways."
"In addition to unsuitable terrain such as swamps, mudflats, and steep mountain slopes, we also need to consider factors such as flat terrain, ease of construction and maintenance."
"That's one of them."
"Secondly, there is a shortage of steel production."
"The current steel production of the Ming Dynasty is about 20 million catties."
"However, in addition to supplying the military's needs, agricultural implements such as harvesters, water presses, rotary tillers, multi-furrow plows, hoes, and shovels also accounted for a large portion of steel production."
"These things are precisely related to people's farming and livelihood, and the demand for them will only increase in the future, not decrease."
"The remaining steel production, or the additional production each year, is simply insufficient to support the full rollout of the railway network."
Emperor Zhu's face was gloomy, and Chang Yuchun scratched the back of his head in frustration.
Li Shanchang looked at Emperor Zhu, then at Liu Bowen and Chang Yuchun, and said, "The only solution now is to use the method of compound interest to build the railway network."
"Let's abandon other places for now and build the railway line from Luanxian to Ningyang first."
"Use the steel produced in Luanxian County to manufacture steam locomotives and railway tracks."
"Then, build a railway line from Luanxian to Shenyang, and then connect Guide, Liaoyang, Jinzhou and even Huanglongfu through Shenyang."
Li Shanchang directly rejected the plan to build the railway line from Ningyang to Dengzhou first, and instead chose to build a railway line from Luanxian to Ningyang first.
Because there are no large, high-quality, easily mined iron ore mines along the route from Ningyang County to Dengzhou Prefecture.
Luanxian County not only has iron ore deposits, but it is also located within the Great Wall and very close to the grasslands.
Once steel production increases, the original Ningluan Railway can be extended directly to the grasslands through Luanxian County.
Li Shanchang then pointed the small wooden stick in his hand to the Liaodong area, saying, "In addition to the railway lines in Ningyang and Luanxian, a railway line can also be built from Guide in Liaodong to Liaoyang."
"Guide produces coal, and the two mining areas in the east and west can be directly mined in open pits, with excellent quality."
"There are iron mines in Liaoyang, and the iron mines in the Dagushan and Qianshan areas can also be mined in open pits."
"As long as we have enough manpower, the iron mines in Liaoyang will soon be able to produce a million catties a year, or even more."
"With this two-pronged approach, the extra coal and steel produced can be used to manufacture rails for other places."
"..."
Emperor Zhu's eyes lit up.
What Li Shanchang said was true, and more feasible than Chen Mo's memorial.
Chen Mo's memorial, in its general direction, focuses on the long-term planning of the entire railway network, and there are no problems in this regard.
However, in terms of details, Chen Mo proposed to first build two railways: one from Ningyang to Dengzhou and the other from Ningyang to the capital.
Simply put, Chen Mo wanted to make money using these two railway lines, and then use that money to build more railway lines, gradually weaving them into a network.
Li Shanchang, on the other hand, wanted to use steel to produce steel, thus directly disregarding the issue of money.
Chen Mo was not wrong, and neither was Li Shanchang.
Two people in different positions will have different perspectives, and naturally, they will be able to come up with different solutions.
Emperor Zhu curled his finger and tapped the table lightly, saying, "Mr. Shanchang is right. Since the national treasury cannot afford it, let's change our approach. Let's use railways to build railways."
"As for people..."
“Those bald monks and Taoist priests who were investigated and removed from the temples.”
"And those scoundrels who got involved in this textbook scandal."
"We'll settle those old cases from the Hu Yuan era after some time."
Emperor Zhu smiled menacingly: "Divide these people in two, give half to Luan County, and half to Liaodong."
"I wonder what kind of trouble these gentry will cause in the future?"
"We're actually hoping the gentry will continue to cause trouble!"
……
July of the seventh year of the Hongwu reign.
The nobles in the capital suddenly went mad.
The Duke of Han took the lead, followed by the Duke of Wei, the Duke of E, the Marquis of Chengyi, and others, and began writing release orders for their servants.
Li Shanchang took a tray containing Ming Dynasty banknotes from Chen Zhong, placed it aside, and then smiled at the steward, Uncle Fu, and the servants in the courtyard, saying, "By the grace of His Majesty, our Great Ming will completely abolish the status of slaves and lowly people. From this day forward, the Imperial Treasury will redeem you from your slavery, and you will no longer be servants of the Li family."
Li Qi was instructed to fetch the indentures and release papers of everyone and distribute them to the servants in the courtyard. Li Shanchang then continued, “You may take your indentures and release papers to the Shangyuan County government office to register your household registration.”
"After you complete the household registration process, Shangyuan County will allocate land and houses to you. After a while, they will also distribute seeds, oxen, and farm tools to you."
"If you are willing to cultivate the land, then cultivate it diligently. You may also visit our home when you have free time."
"If you still want to stay at home and work to earn money, then sign an employment contract with me."
"If you are unhappy with your work, or feel that the pay is too low, or feel wronged, just take out your employment contract, settle your wages, go back to farming, or find another way."
"..."
Li Shanchang slowly explained his plan to release the many servants back to their original social classes, leaving the servants completely bewildered.