When Tang Hongwen heard the summons from His Majesty, he quickly came to Chu Fan's carriage. When Chu Fan decided to meet Tang Hongwen, the palace maids such as Qiu Ya who served Chu Fan in the carriage also left the carriage in advance, leaving enough space for His Majesty to discuss the national situation with the Minister of Works without any scruples.
Because of the limited space in the carriage, Tang Hongwen simply bowed to Chu Fan and sat down. He then asked, "I wonder if Your Majesty has summoned me here to do anything you need me to do?"
Chu Fan looked at the workers busy outside the carriage and asked Tang Hongwen, "Lord Tang, is your Ministry of Works so efficient? The steam locomotive has just been successfully developed, and the railway laying work has already begun in full swing. Has the Ministry of Works fully assessed the safety of the rails? I don't want to see your Ministry of Works causing suffering to the people because of a momentary oversight."
Tang Hongwen hadn't expected His Majesty to ask such a question. Many emperors on Shengwu Continent didn't care about the lives of their people. Yet, upon seeing the Ministry of Works underway, His Majesty's first thought was the safety of the people. If an emperor like that couldn't win the hearts of the people, who could?
Tang Hongwen replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, our Ministry of Industry has already carefully considered your concerns. So, Your Majesty, there is no need to worry about any safety negligence."
Seeing that Tang Hongwen spoke so decisively, Chu Fan also wanted to know how the Ministry of Industry was planning the Wei State railway.
Chu Fan said, "Could you please tell me in detail how the Ministry of Works ensured the safety of the railway and was able to start construction in such a short time?"
Tang Hongwen said, "Your Majesty, this is not the credit of our Ministry of Works alone, but the credit of all officials in the Wei court."
After hearing Tang Hongwen's words, Chu Fan became even more interested. How did the task of building a steam locomotive, which he had entrusted to the Ministry of Industry, involve officials from the entire Wei court?
Tang Hongwen glanced at Chu Fan's expression and noticed that while His Majesty seemed very interested in what he was saying, he didn't ask any questions, but quietly waited for his next words. Tang Hongwen continued to explain, "Your Majesty, when I received the complete set of steam locomotive designs, I immediately summoned the craftsmen from the Ministry of Industry to carefully study them. It was only with Zhu Ziyi's reminder that the Ministry of Industry was able to understand the designs.
However, after I understood the design Your Majesty provided, I knew this was definitely not something the Ministry of Works could accomplish on its own. The steam locomotive design Your Majesty gave me was far too large, and the engineering effort involved was immense. If the Ministry of Works were left alone to build a railway that could completely connect the east, west, south, and north of Wei, it would take who knows when.
Therefore, I went to the Royal Government Affairs Office with the design drawings of the steam locomotive. After carefully reading the design drawings given by Your Majesty, the princes in the Royal Government Affairs Office said that such a project requires the efforts of the entire country and the coordination of various departments to be completed more quickly.
Moreover, His Majesty has decided to attack the Xiongnu and the Gan Kingdom in a few months. The princes and ministers of the Royal Government Affairs Office are thinking that if the construction of the railway can be completed before His Majesty goes on the expedition, the efficiency of transporting soldiers and food to the front line will be greatly improved, ensuring sufficient supplies during the war.
Therefore, Prince Chu Anping of the Royal Government Affairs Office called on the six ministers to work together to complete the task of building the railway. When the Ministry of Works had not yet successfully built a steam locomotive, the Ministry of War had already begun to send scouts to explore the terrain along the line to find the best route suitable for laying the railway.
The Ministry of Revenue coordinated the supply of raw materials to the steel mills to ensure sufficient steel for the railway; the Ministry of Rites was responsible for mobilizing the people along the line and relocating them to other places for resettlement.
The Energy Department of Lord Changsun was responsible for the supply of coal for steelmaking and the fuel for steam locomotives. It was also responsible for the supply of wood for railway construction and the recruitment and placement of workers for the railway construction.
When His Majesty successfully developed the rubber steam locomotive, the Ministry of War had already found the best route, and the supply of workers, rails and sleepers were in place, so in order to complete the railway construction as soon as possible, construction was carried out at a rapid pace.
What Your Majesty is seeing now is the intercity railway connecting Five Star City to Yao City. We plan to connect the three citadels outside Kaifeng City and the three Royal Palaces to build a circular railway. This will form an efficient transportation network and facilitate the flow of people between cities."
After hearing Tang Hongwen's explanation, Chu Fan finally felt relieved. It turned out that the Ministry of Works and the Imperial Administration Office had already considered these issues and had developed a detailed plan. However, there was one thing: Sun Dechong, the former Minister of War, had always been very good at whatever position he held.
Since the Ministry of Energy under the charge of Chang Sun Dechong has played such a big role in the construction of this railway, it seems that I need to talk to Chu Anping to expand the system of the Ministry of Energy, and Chang Sun Dechong's official rank also needs to be promoted.
Of course, this does not mean that Chang Sun Dechong should be transferred from the Ministry of Energy, but that the authority of the Ministry of Energy should be expanded, and at the same time, the official rank of Chang Sun Dechong, who is in charge of the Ministry of Energy, should be promoted. Previously, Chang Sun Dechong was only a third-rank official, but after the promotion, he will most likely become a second-rank court official.
Chu Fan said, "You have done a great job, but building a railway is not something that can be done overnight. I hope you can continue to work together sincerely to make Wei even stronger."
Tang Hongwen replied respectfully, "Your Majesty's praise makes me flattered. Everything I and I have done is due to your Majesty's leadership. If it were the emperor of another country on the Shengwu Continent, he might have become suspicious of his subjects when they communicated privately.
Only His Majesty can fully delegate power to us, his ministers. Even when we communicate privately, His Majesty never doubts us. This trust allows us to be more flexible in handling the affairs of Wei State, rather than waiting for His Majesty's order before we implement everything."
Chu Fan didn't say much about Tang Hongwen's disguised praise. He smiled and said, "These are all the credit of everyone. The prosperity of Wei State is inseparable from the hard work of all ministers. I have clear rewards and punishments. After nominating the colleges of Yaocheng and Zhonghua City and writing their mottos today, I will consider rewarding you meritorious officials."
Tang Hongwen said happily, "Thank you for your grace. I will definitely do a good job in the construction and operation of the railway and will definitely not let Your Majesty down."
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