Tang Hongwen began, "The steam locomotive is a divine artifact that Your Majesty entrusted to the Ministry of Works to build, benefiting both the nation and the people. Its principle is to generate steam through combustion in the boiler, which drives the pistons, which in turn drives the wheels. As long as there is sufficient fuel and water, the steam locomotive can continue to operate.
Furthermore, steam trains can transport large quantities of supplies at once, efficiently delivering food, weapons, and soldiers. This will greatly enhance Wei's strategic deployment capabilities. Once railroad tracks are laid throughout Wei's major cities and border fortresses, forming a network, rapid material deployment will be possible. This will eliminate the need for worrying about natural disasters preventing the delivery of aid, or enemy invasions preventing prompt support.
After hearing Tang Hongwen's words, a hint of confusion flashed in everyone's eyes. After all, it was the first time they heard of a steam locomotive. After all, the manufacture of a steam locomotive was a task that His Majesty had specifically entrusted to the Ministry of Industry.
Only the Royal Government Affairs Office was responsible for coordinating supplies. The ministers of other departments were all in charge of their own affairs and did not pay much attention to this matter. Now that they heard that the steam locomotive was so magical, they couldn't help but have some doubts in their hearts.
Minister of War Mu Yundian asked, "Minister Tang, is the steam locomotive stable? And regarding the large amount of supplies you mentioned, how much can it carry? And how fast is it?"
After all, if it is true as Tang Hongwen said, the steam locomotive manufactured by the Ministry of Industry is indeed a powerful tool to change the country's destiny.
Tang Hongwen replied, "A steam train needs to run on rails. As long as the rails are smooth, you won't feel the bumps when riding on one. Its carrying capacity can reach several hundred tons, equivalent to the load carried by thousands of horse-drawn carriages. Its speed can reach 30 kilometers per hour, several times faster than a horse-drawn carriage. Furthermore, steam trains don't need to rest and can run day and night, greatly reducing transportation time."
Except for Chu Anping from the Royal Government Affairs Office, everyone else was shocked. Hundreds of tons of supplies were equivalent to the storage capacity of a warehouse, and they could move forward day and night at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour. In other words, if a person sat on a steam locomotive and the steam locomotive traveled day and night, it could cross the entire territory of Wei within a few days.
Minister of Revenue Qian Dai said: "If railroad tracks were laid between all the cities in Wei, then the tax silver collected from various places could be quickly collected into the national treasury, reducing transportation losses and risks. It would also effectively improve the efficiency of financial dispatch and ensure that the national treasury is full to support various national construction projects.
Furthermore, if a disaster struck a part of Wei, relief supplies could be quickly delivered via steam train, reducing the suffering of the victims and stabilizing public sentiment. This would also help to avert many human tragedies, allowing the affected people to receive assistance more quickly and resume their lives and production.
Minister of Rites Fu Youde said: "If this can really be achieved, then it will truly be a divine artifact that will benefit the people."
Tang Hongwen said, "Which of the items Your Majesty has brought out is not a powerful tool for the benefit of the people? Steam locomotives can not only transport troops and military supplies, but also transport civilians and civilian supplies, promoting trade and promoting economic development. In turn, the Ministry of Revenue will be able to collect more tax revenue."
At this time, the Minister of War, Mu Yundian, raised a key question: "Minister Tang, steam locomotives are great, but laying tracks requires a large amount of rails. Will the demand for rails affect the forging of soldiers' weapons? After all, soldiers' weapons and equipment are related to national security. If the demand for rails is too great and there is not enough steel to forge weapons, then even the convenience brought by steam locomotives cannot make up for the gap in combat effectiveness."
Tang Hongwen pondered for a moment and replied, "Minister Mu is worrying too much. The Ministry of Works has already built several steel mills within the Wei Kingdom using the new steelmaking method given by Your Majesty. Steel production has increased countless times over. Moreover, we only need to build one main road each from east to west and from north to south to meet transportation needs. To cover the entire country, we can simply gradually extend branch lines in the future.
This approach would not affect weapons production, but would also enable rapid nationwide transportation, ensuring both national security and economic development. However, there is a problem: the initial capital required for track laying is enormous. If this were diverted from the national treasury, it would likely put pressure on other government expenditures. However, in the long run, the economic benefits and social stability brought about by track laying would more than offset the initial shortfall in investment.
At this time, the Minister of Revenue Qian Dai also began to consider this issue carefully. After all, laying railway tracks involves huge amounts of money. If a large amount of funds in the national treasury are occupied, other financial expenditures will inevitably be affected in the short term.
However, at this time, Eunuch Li came to the Royal Government Affairs Office to convey Chu Fan's will. When Chu Anping welcomed Eunuch Li into the room, Eunuch Li saw Prime Minister Cao Mengde and the six ministers were there, and said:
"Since everyone is here, I will directly convey His Majesty's will. His Majesty has stated that the railway transportation industry is directly controlled by the royal family. His Majesty will allocate funds from the inner treasury, which will not affect other expenditures of the national treasury. His Majesty has also stated that if the gentlemen present also want to invest in supporting railway construction, His Majesty can also provide corresponding shares.
However, His Majesty also emphasized that railway transportation serves the country and the people of Wei, so this railway construction and transportation industry will definitely not be profitable. I hope everyone is mentally prepared.
In fact, it cannot be said that it is not profitable. After all, as long as the railway network is built, merchants will use the railway for trade transportation in large quantities, and a certain fee will be charged at that time. However, in order to take care of the lives of the people of Wei, the fare for ordinary people will be very low.
Cao Mengde smiled and said, "Our Cao family has missed many opportunities to join Your Majesty in such grand undertakings. This time, the Cao family will fully support the railway construction. Furthermore, as the family of Your Majesty's Consort Liu Xueyu, the Cao family should naturally support Your Majesty's grand plan with all their might."
You must know that the Cao family only opened a bookstore in His Majesty's Royal Yuya Villa, and they can earn hundreds of thousands of taels of silver every month. Although Eunuch Li said that railway construction is not profitable this time, Cao Mengde knows in his heart that an emerging industry cannot be completely unprofitable. Even if it is really not profitable, the Cao family can gain a good reputation by participating in railway construction.
Several other ministers subsequently expressed their willingness to contribute to the railway construction. They were originally part of Chu Fan's community of interests, and since the vast majority of the family's wealth had been earned by working with His Majesty, supporting the railway construction would not only consolidate the family's status but also establish a good image among the people. Why not?
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