After the Railway Observation Group returned to the capital, they immediately delivered the memorial to Li Zhuo's desk.
After Li Zhuo finished reading the memorial, he immediately called the heads of the six ministries over.
After reading it, the heads of the six ministries all frowned.
How should I put it? If you haven't seen it with your own eyes, it's really hard to understand the shock mentioned in the memorial.
But it is true that both Xixia, Liao and Jin wanted to build railways. If there were no great benefits, these two countries would not have gone to such lengths.
After much deliberation, the top leaders of Da Qi finally decided to organize another group of people to go for investigation. This time, all six ministries would send personnel to lead the team.
The trip back and forth took another month and a half. When the inspection team returned, the peach blossoms in the imperial capital were in full bloom.
Although the faces of these people were weathered, everyone could see the flames of excitement dancing in their eyes.
At the grand court meeting, Ke Fuji gave an impassioned speech, describing in detail what he had seen and heard along the way, and emphasized on praising the train's powerful transportation capacity.
Not to mention anything else, the huge amount of transportation it can handle at one time is something that no oxen, horses, or mules can compare to.
What's more, trains don't need to rest and can run day and night.
The improvement in transportation efficiency will directly increase Da Qi's tax revenue, and the country will definitely become richer because of the railway.
So Ke Fuji meant that the construction of the railway must begin immediately, and the Minister of War Cui Shanzhan also stood on his side.
Cui Shanzhan's reasons were very sufficient. Once railways could be built in the country, it would greatly shorten the time for domestic mobilization and transportation of troops. Just as Lu Chen had said before, railways would make Da Qi an indivisible whole.
There are those who support building railways in the country, and naturally there are also those who oppose it. Of course, the reason for the opposition this time is not some nonsense about feng shui.
The opposition this time mainly focused on construction costs and which department would manage the railway.
The Ministry of Revenue naturally hoped to set up an institution under them to carry out unified management of domestic railways.
But other departments are not willing to be outdone!
Everyone can see that railways will be a piece of fat meat in the future, and everyone wants to get a piece of it.
Liang Licang felt there was no need to rush this matter. He stepped forward and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, I've heard that railway and train technology isn't very mature yet. Why not let Xixia, Liao, and Jin help us with some experiments? Once the technology is mature, it won't be too late to promote it domestically."
"The Grand Canal is being built in China, and there are also ocean exploration activities. Several ports are currently holding the keels of large ships ready for construction. We have too many places to spend money, so we should slow down a bit."
"Your Majesty, this kind of thing cannot wait. Xixia and Liao and Jin have already seen the benefits of the railway. They can enjoy it earlier if it is completed earlier. They can operate it one day longer than us, and they can accumulate one more day of experience. We cannot fall behind in this matter." Ke Fuji said earnestly.
Liang Licang frowned and reiterated, "Operations are managed by our people, and even if it's experience accumulation, it's our people who are accumulating experience. Lord Ke, there's no need to be so anxious. It's beneath your status as an important official."
Liang Licang is accusing Ke Fuji of not being steady enough, which is a bit too much. This is no longer a matter of fact, but a personal attack.
Even if we think about it more deeply, this may very well be paving the way for the subsequent struggle for prime minister. After all, everyone hopes that the prime minister can be a person with a steady personality, and the six ministers actually have a chance.
Upon hearing this, Kefuji became furious. He pointed his finger at Liang Licang's nose and angrily shouted, "You idiot! Is your Ministry of Revenue always taking in money and never spending it out? You've delayed important national affairs and wasted the fortune of our Great Qi. Can you bear the responsibility for this?"
This is a very sophisticated statement, very rite-of-passion.
First of all, why does the Pixiu only take in but not give out? Because it has no excretion organs.
Pointing at Liang Licang's nose and cursing him like this is actually saying that Liang Licang didn't do anything.
Secondly, as the Minister of Rites, his words and deeds must be connected with destiny, luck and the like.
As the saying goes, if you don't take advantage of unexpected fortune, you will suffer the consequences. This is what it means.
"You're such a fool! You know how much money is in the treasury, and you just talk nonsense, right? It seems like you don't have to pay for it. You're already in this position, can you use your brain before you speak?"
"You are the one who has no brains, and your whole family has no brains!"
"Old thief, don't you think your fists are hard enough to bully me?"
Looking at the two adults fighting in the court, Li Zhuo felt a lot of emotions in his heart.
I haven't seen this kind of scene for a long time. It seems that since the country became rich, people rarely get angry like this.
As expected, the court is just like a family, most of the conflicts are caused by lack of money.
Li Zhuo has learned his lesson now. Since the train was invented by Lu Chen, Lu Chen must have the most say in this matter.
So he turned to look at Lu Chen, who looked calm, and said, "National Master, you know the most about trains. In your opinion, is it necessary for us to get on the train now?"
Lu Chen thought for a moment and nodded. "Railway is a large-scale project with a long construction period. I think we can start construction now. As for the subsequent updates and iterations of train technology, the impact on the railway will not be significant."
"If it's a funding issue, the central bank can take the lead. The government doesn't even need to pay back the money. All it needs to do is hand over the operating rights of the railway to the central bank."
"In addition, I suggest setting up a dedicated railway ministry to coordinate the management of the national railways. This department will be responsible for a series of tasks including construction, operation, management, maintenance and protection."
Letting the central bank pay for the construction of railways is what everyone wants to see, and it can also give full play to the functions of the central bank. No one, including Liang Licang, has any objection to this.
But when it comes to establishing a separate Ministry of Railways, there is a lot to say.
First of all, how high is the level of this department? According to Lu Chen, this department will be on par with the six ministries.
The six-department system has been in place for so many years. Is it necessary to change it at this time?
Some people were extremely excited, while others disagreed.
However, those who opposed did not speak immediately because they could not think of a better solution at the moment.
Since Lu Chen had caused so many problems, the officials of Da Qi could clearly feel that their daily work was becoming more and more onerous.
Could it be that it is time to reform the court structure?
Sure enough, Lu Chen spoke at this time: "Given that our dynasty will develop faster and faster in the future, the current six ministries are obviously unable to meet the needs of the country, so I think it is time for reform."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
