Regarding the steam locomotive, Yinzhen had not previously revealed it, and the research and development funds were all funded by Yinzhen himself. However, the railway was different, and the expenses had to be covered by the Ministry of Revenue.
In recent years, the administration of officials has become much more efficient, and the Ministry of Revenue's tax collection has become increasingly complex. The tax revenue paid by merchants has become one of the important sources of income for the Ministry of Revenue.
The Ministry of Revenue allocates the majority of its funds annually to disaster relief. In the past two years, Emperor Yinzhen also built experimental fields that produce new varieties of high-yield crops every year. Additionally, research is being conducted on how to maximize the use of farmyard manure.
Gradually, starting from the capital, new seeds, new crops, and new fertilizers began to be planted in various parts of the Qing Dynasty. Even when natural disasters struck, local officials with a modicum of sense knew that embezzlement would be easily detected. Therefore, local government offices generally had sufficient disaster relief supplies.
After deducting grain as the major expense for disaster relief, the Ministry of Revenue had much less to spend on other things.
After discussion, it was finally decided that the first railway to be built would be from the capital to Jiangnan, and the route would roughly follow the route taken during the last tour of Jiangnan.
Therefore, at Yunrong's suggestion, Yinzhen established a new department, the Railway Bureau, specifically responsible for matters such as railway construction and subsequent operation.
Yunrong's experiments required materials with specific standards, which the existing smelting methods of the Qing Dynasty could not meet. Therefore, Yunrong continuously improved the smelting and purification processes, and now the technology allows the materials used in railway construction to meet the hardware requirements of railways.
Many mineral veins were controlled by the Qing government, especially metal mines, particularly gold, silver, and iron mines.
The former is a country's economic lifeline, while iron ore is related to a country's weapons, that is, its military strength.
Therefore, iron ore resources are still relatively easy to obtain.
Emperor Yinzhen, who was in charge of the railway, was not comfortable entrusting it to someone else, so he put it in the hands of Fucha Mingsi. Fucha Mingsi was originally in charge of the research and development of steam locomotives, so it was appropriate for him to take charge of the railway bureau. He was not good with words, but he was capable of getting things done.
The railway project cannot be rushed. The Qing Dynasty is now peaceful and prosperous, and Emperor Yinzhen does not want to be impatient for quick results in order to build a railway. Although the railway has many benefits, it cannot be accomplished overnight.
At the very least, it shouldn't be a waste of manpower and resources, and the quality must be guaranteed.
The Grand Canal was also a project that benefited the Minsheng Bank, but the person in charge of its construction became one of the representatives of tyrants.
Yinzhen was not in a hurry. He planned to take three years to build the first railway, which was just the right pace for this era.
When Yinzhen first proposed building a railway, some people in the court immediately objected, saying it would be a waste of money and resources and burden the people.
"Your Majesty, this servant feels this is inappropriate. I have heard Your Majesty say that if this railway is to be built, it will certainly not be completed overnight. In the long run, it will not be conducive to the development of the Qing Dynasty. I hope Your Majesty will proceed with caution."
There are those who oppose it and those who support it. Among them, the most supportive is Zhu Tao. Others may not know how beneficial the railway is, but how could he not know?
If there were railways, it would be more convenient and faster to travel long distances. Moreover, there would be much less bumping. Although the carriages had rubber tires and Yunrong had springs and other shock-absorbing measures installed, they still couldn't avoid some bumps even when traveling on cement roads.
If Zhu Tao had lived in ancient times, he would have been content. But having ridden in modern cars and airplanes, he naturally found horse-drawn carriages unappealing. Since the emperor wanted to build railways, there must have been trains. No matter what kind of train it was, trains were much more appealing than horse-drawn carriages.
Zhu Tao immediately stepped forward: "Your Excellency is mistaken. His Majesty has already said that if the railway is successfully built, travel will be many times faster than riding a swift horse. How can something so beneficial to the country and its people be detrimental to the development of the Qing Dynasty? As the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, you are naturally aware of the annual tax revenue of the Ministry of Revenue. The Qing Dynasty is now peaceful and prosperous, and it should naturally strive to develop in an even better direction."
Next, some people objected and some people agreed. Seeing that they had argued enough, Yinzhen said, "I understand your concerns, my dear ministers. How about this, I will take you to see the railway and trains in three days. After you have seen them, we can discuss it further."
Their current disagreement stems from their fear that the railway project will be a waste of effort. Once they experience it firsthand, they will undoubtedly flock to it, and they will likely be the ones rushing to agree.
Yinzhen had great confidence in trains, not for any other reason than that people are creatures of pleasure; with trains around, even bicycles would have to take a backseat, let alone horse-drawn carriages.
What Yinzhen didn't mention was that Yunrong had recently produced a steam-powered vehicle, similar to a modern sedan, though it was somewhat lacking in functionality.
This steam-powered vehicle was also useful to Yinzhen.
The court officials naturally had no objection to Yinzhen's proposal. There was no harm in meeting him, and if it was as good as the emperor said, the railway construction would not be a loss either. If not, they would have reasons to object.
It does them no harm.
Three days later, the steam-powered carriage manufactured by Yunrong appeared outside the palace gate.
The new look was something the ancients had never seen before. People gathered here early in the morning, and even though they were all powerful court officials, they couldn't help but gossip like gossipy old women on the street.
"Does any sir know what that is? The person guarding it is the Emperor's personal guard. What could it be?"
"I also wanted to know. I sent people to ask, but they didn't get any information. They only said that the Emperor ordered guards to be on guard and that no unauthorized people were allowed to approach."
"Why is it so mysterious? Why can't we get close?"
"It's probably just something we can't say for sure."
...
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