The banquet lasted until it was getting dark.
The discussion was lively and many people, out of strong curiosity and the influence of alcohol, kept asking Fang Zhengyi questions.
Fortunately, he was well prepared and answered all the questions one by one.
It wasn't until everyone's mouth was dry that they finally satisfied everyone's curiosity.
At the end of the banquet, Emperor Jing was drunk, but he still had a satisfied smile on his face: "Zhengyi, you developed the steam engine and supervised its manufacture. This is an unprecedented achievement! You have made an indelible contribution to the country. From today on, railway affairs will be mainly handled by Dongjiao University and the Royal Academy of Sciences, and the Ministry of Industry will coordinate and handle them. No one else is allowed to interfere!"
"Dongjiao University... is going to expand its enrollment! A huge expansion, with funds allocated by the Ministry of Revenue!"
"Also, the heads of the Ministry of Industry will go to Dongjiao University to study scientific theories. Since the establishment of Dongjiao University and the Royal Academy of Sciences, they have made remarkable achievements, which the Ministry of Industry cannot catch up with. Let them study hard on the design of steam locomotives. If they fail to achieve anything, I will not support idle people!"
Although some of what Emperor Jing said was drunken talk, Fang Zheng's mouth was already crooked from laughing.
No matter whether he is drunk or not, his words are his words. If he said it in front of so many people, it must be counted.
With this promise, even if we get what we want, it will be a complete success!
The officials were still toasting each other, and Emperor Jing staggered to his feet, holding onto the table. "It's getting late. We can discuss anything tomorrow. It's time to go back. Get ready."
Fang Zheng said, "Your Majesty, the train is already waiting for you at the station. Please move your carriage."
All the ministers were smiling happily.
Go back by train? It’s good to go back by train. I love going by train!
......
After this exhibition, the train became unsurprisingly popular in Beijing.
In just two or three days, the people of the capital city went from being afraid of this spectacular and magical new thing to being obsessed with it.
The railway had been in operation for three consecutive days, and with the collective publicity from the Mid-Levels Daily and six other newspapers, a trend had already been set off among the people.
After get off work and having a full meal, I went to the railway to wait for the train.
The train stations and the railways are often crowded with people.
Whenever the train passed by a group of stupid people who looked like meerkats, they would raise their hands and cheer in unison.
Meerkat
The scene was both weird and a little funny.
There were also superstitious people who knelt down and worshiped the trains, and some brave enough even deliberately placed stones on the tracks.
Several greedy people found some tempting "dried meat" by the railway and ate it by mistake, and were sent to the hospital...
There are countless strange phenomena caused by short-sightedness.
In order to prevent accidents, the Mid-Levels Daily News urgently launched several popular science articles about railways.
At this point, this trend has been suppressed somewhat.
Compared with the prosperity among the people, the court was becoming more cautious.
.....
The cabinet was quiet and peaceful, and everyone inside was holding the Mid-Levels Daily News to read about the day's public sentiment.
After a long while, Li Yansong took off his glasses and breathed a sigh of relief: "It's really scary. The train is still running stably without any problems. It's enough to prove that what Fang Zhengyi said was not false."
"It seems that the railway connecting Taoyuan County to Hengjiang Prefecture is inevitable."
Zheng Qiao put down the newspaper and hesitated, "Isn't it too hasty? That's an investment of millions of taels, and it's only been a few days?"
Li Yansong shook his head: "Your Majesty has decided to build it, and Taoyuan County has taken the lead. Once this railway is completed, Hengjiang Prefecture will be no different from the capital. By then, the flow of materials will be greatly accelerated, and even military expenditures will be greatly saved."
"Your Majesty's attitude has been made very clear, and no one in the court objects to this matter... Who doesn't want to see the grand sight of a railway connecting the entire country?"
"This is a change that hasn't happened in a thousand years... Fang Zhengyi has really come up with something extraordinary."
Zheng Qiao felt sad.
Since he came back from Taoyuan County that day, the next day after he sobered up, he recorded everything he saw and heard in his diary.
Every time I look back, the deeper I go, the more shocked I am. This railway seems to have countless benefits.
The problem now is that although this thing has many benefits, the initial investment is also frighteningly high.
If the fleet's profits from sailing were not extremely lucrative, the court would probably not have had the courage to make a decision so quickly.
And there is another troublesome matter. The court is still considering how to reward Fang Zhengyi.
He was promoted too quickly. Almost every one of his previous achievements could be written off in great detail. The power in his hands and the favor of the emperor are unparalleled in the court. And now a shocking train has popped up... It's really difficult to deal with.
But at this moment, Zhang Dongxiang suddenly said: "The train is so popular, so won't the land price along the railway go up?"
Li Yansong and Zheng Qiao looked at him curiously at the same time: "You just thought of it?"
What, they have already taken action! ?
Zhang Dongxiang's face froze, and he felt something was wrong. "What do you mean?"
"It went up a long time ago, and it went up the next day. Even the wasteland along the railway line doubled in price."
Zhang Dongxiang was stunned and slapped his thigh fiercely: "Why didn't you tell me earlier? If you had told me earlier, I would have bought some land too. How much did you buy?"
Li Yansong and the other man began to look puzzled again. "We couldn't buy it. We asked a long time ago. We heard from the people in the real estate agency that when the railway was first built, a mysterious person bought up all the land along the railway at a low price."
"No need to think, it must be Fang Zhengyi. This guy has already made plans! Cunning!"
Zhang Dongxiang gnashed his teeth and said, "He really deserves to die! He had a plan long ago but he kept it hidden. He kept calling me his uncle. It's a pity that I even bought him a lot of milk tablets!"
"Do you have any more milk slices? Give me two. They are really delicious."
"for you."
Li Yansong chewed his milk tablets and said, "The land is indeed in Fang Zhengyi's hands, and there is no news of selling it for the time being. But houses are being sold outside Taoyuan County recently, and I heard that the price has increased dramatically."
"Forget it. I sent someone to inquire about the location. It's outside Taoyuan County, and the house is pitifully small, probably only one-tenth of an acre. Who would buy such a house?" Zheng Qiao smiled and shook his head. "There are big houses, but I don't think they are cheap."
Zhang Dongxiang's eyes lit up: "What's the big deal about a small house? As long as the price goes up, I can buy it and sell it again. What's the difference between that and buying land? You just have high standards. You are used to living in a big house, so you look down on small houses?"
Li Yansong and Zheng Qiao's eyes lit up at the same time, and then they regained their composure.
Zheng Qiao picked up the newspaper again and read the news carefully. He said calmly, "I'm not interested. The land price in Taoyuan County has always been frighteningly high. Only rich people can go there. Who would care about a small house? It's said that the price is rising, but it's just speculation."
Li Yansong put his glasses back on and laughed, "That's right, who would buy a small house outside the city? Don't be so eager to give money to Fang Zhengyi."
......
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