Conspiracy theorists always try to find evidence of power transfer in the establishment of the Railway Bureau.
In fact, the newly established Railway Bureau became the emperor's favorite, just like the Academy of Sciences in the past.
The emperor favored it more than the prime minister's household.
Finance Minister Zhou Chao received clear instructions that all budgets of the Railway Bureau must be approved without any obstruction.
Furthermore, the Iron and Steel Bureau under the State Council was personally instructed by the Emperor to provide the Railway Bureau with whatever amount of steel it requested.
That's manageable, since railway manufacturing technology is still immature and manufacturing is relatively slow, while steel production can keep up.
But Yu Yunwen's subsequent railway plans made the ministers extremely uneasy.
In the next five years, the Great Song Dynasty must build ten railways!
This infuriated the ministers.
That piece of junk, and they still want to fix ten more?
In the first year of the Jingkang era, the annual steel production of the Song Dynasty was 300 million catties.
Based on the fact that the Song Dynasty produces 600 million catties of steel annually, at least tens of millions of catties would be needed for the railway.
Has the emperor gone mad?
The Song Dynasty now has a total military reserve of over 3 million, and it is still increasing.
The average weight of steel needed per person is as high as 30 kilograms. If the army were to cover one side, the amount of steel would definitely exceed 100 million kilograms.
The armor of the Song Dynasty infantrymen weighed as much as 50 or even 60 jin (approximately 25 catties).
Moreover, the Privy Council had strict quotas for the configuration of arquebuses and firearms, as well as the large-scale production of thunderclap bombs and flaming oil.
Take the arquebuses for example; 3,000 will be produced by the end of this year.
Moreover, agricultural reclamation has reached an unprecedented level of prosperity, and the private catering and restaurant industry is also flourishing everywhere.
The total annual output of the Imperial Steel Bureau was only 100 million, so the Imperial Court had to purchase steel from the private sector.
What's more, the emperor just ordered last year that ships be built with steel!
Xu Churen dared not continue calculating; doing so would be a disaster.
Therefore, the ministers of the Council of State Affairs began to collectively persuade the emperor.
After failing to achieve their goal, the ministers angrily denounced Yu Yunwen as a child who had brought disaster to the country and the people, and condemned Shi Xun for letting the wolf into the house.
In short, another war of words erupted in the Song Dynasty's court.
Moreover, partisan struggles have become increasingly complex.
Previously, it was the opposition between the State Affairs Bureau and the judicial system; later, it was the conflict between the Privy Council, the Military Governor's Office, and the Control Yuan; and now, the Civil Affairs Bureau has also split into two parts and begun to attack each other.
Yu Yunwen, who had just taken over the Railway Department, immediately impressed the emperor with his decisive and efficient approach.
In less than a month, the Railway Department was established and took over all the affairs of the Railway Administration, which was previously under the jurisdiction of the State Council.
A series of plans were introduced by the Railway Bureau, detailing everything from how many caravans to recruit from the private sector, the strict control measures for each caravan, and the average daily cost per person in each caravan.
However, the railway construction encountered resistance just two months after it began.
At the very beginning of the morning court session, Yu Yunwen stood up and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
"Granted."
"Your Majesty, I wish to impeach Li Chang of the Iron Case Division."
Li Changzai's expression darkened, and he was about to stand up and refute, but Xu Churen silenced him with a single look.
"What brings you here, Yu Qing?"
"Your Majesty, Li Chang is deliberately delaying the railway construction."
The emperor's sharp gaze swept over and landed on Li Chang: "Minister Li, is this true?"
"I am innocent. I have done everything according to Your Majesty's orders and fully cooperated with Minister Yu."
Yu Yunwen bluntly stated, "Full cooperation? Is Li Silang joking? Two months have passed, and I haven't seen any of the former railway bureau personnel return to their workstations. The manufacturing of railway tracks is currently at a standstill!"
Li Changdao said, "That's where you're wrong, Lord Yu. A month ago, I handed over all the affairs of the Railway Administration. The Railway Administration no longer exists. Now all railway affairs are under your control, Lord Yu."
Yu Yunwen said, "So, you're going to have all the railway bureau staff claim illness and return to their hometowns?"
“Minister Yu, this matter is not something I can decide. The railway workers are unwell and have voluntarily retired to their hometowns. I can understand your difficulties, Minister Yu. As a colleague, I am also looking for a suitable replacement for you.”
New candidate?
It should be no problem for it to remain colorless for ten or eight years.
In short, the goal is to increase the difficulty for you, Yu Yunwen, so that you will give up.
Don't run wild here before you've even grown all your fur.
After saying this, Li Chang said to Zhao Huan, "Your Majesty, I have devoted my heart and soul to establishing the Railway Administration, but I never expected it to fall apart like this. This is my fault, not the fault of Minister Yu. I failed to retain those people, so please punish me, Your Majesty."
The ministers' usual trick is to feign pitifulness and play the victim, using retreat as a means of advancement.
I've worked so hard, I've earned both merit and reward, and it wasn't really my fault. I even took the initiative to take responsibility. If the emperor were to do anything to me, the other ministers would absolutely not allow it.
"Li Qing, you've worked hard."
The emperor's gentle voice came from above, and the ministers looked at Yu Yunwen smugly. "See? You little punk, you want to mess with us? We have a hundred ways to make things difficult for you."
You should rebuild your team yourself.
Let's see how you manage to build ten railways in five years.
If you fail to complete the mission, hehe, not only will you lose your position as Minister of the Navy, but you'll also lose your position as Minister of the Railways.
What kind of bullshit "Four Strategies for the South China Sea" is this? If Shi Xun hadn't helped you up, would you even be standing here?
Yu Yunwen said, "I believe that Li Silang should be dismissed from his post!"
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