Chapter 582 Shocked, My Ming Dynasty (Second update, please subscribe)
At the beginning of 1872, what appeared before Ito Hirobumi and others was a typical country that had just started the Second Industrial Revolution!
Unlike other countries that are still immersed in or chasing the afterglow of the steam age, the Ming Empire has resolutely entered the second industrial revolution.
"It really deserves to be one of the great powers of the world!"
Putting down a Life Weekly pictorial in his hand, Ito Hirobumi once again looked out the window - the train had now entered Nanyuan, the largest industrial zone in central Ming Dynasty, a city full of chimneys and factories...
Suddenly, accompanied by a long whistle, a train loaded with coal came roaring and passed by the coach that Ito Hirobumi was riding in.
"There are thirty-six carriages. The trains of the Ming Dynasty can really load cargo!"
Ito Hirobumi, the Minister of Industry, specially counted the number of train carriages. Along the way, he found that the Ming steam locomotive was definitely powerful.
"Yes, the trains we encountered in the United States could only tow 15 freight cars at most, but in Ming Dynasty, there were twice as many!"
While Kido Takayoshi was amazed, he did not know that the steam locomotive technology of the Ming Dynasty began with imitation. However, after completing the initial technical accumulation, relying on the dozens of steam locomotive books that Zhu Xianhai bought from the mall, the steam locomotive technology of the Ming Dynasty made rapid progress.
Compared with European and American steam locomotives, Ming Dynasty had more powerful locomotives and more freight vehicles, which tripled the capacity of trains. Stronger rails allowed heavier loads, and further improved air brakes made Ming Dynasty's locomotives far ahead of the world three years ago.
Even now, Ming locomotives have become Ming's flagship export product. After all, no capitalist would reject trains with large cargo capacity.
In amazement, Kido Takayoshi turned to Ito Hirobumi who was sitting opposite him and asked:
"Ito, this must be Nanyuan, right? What are these factories doing?"
Ito Hirobumi immediately introduced:
"Yes, this is Nanyuan, and it is also the most important place for us to visit. After all, 50% of the industrial output value of the Ming Empire comes from here. The large factories here are basically American companies, which are the industries of the Ming royal family... Dahua Steel Company was also founded by Emperor Shengde. It has the most advanced steel technology in the world. I heard that the open-hearth steelmaking method currently used was first born here. Even the UK has introduced open-hearth steelmaking technology from them!"
"Oh my god, the science of the Ming Empire is truly unrivaled in the world!"
For a moment, the carriage was full of praise. If they knew that the "inventor" of the "open-hearth steelmaking method", Emperor Zhu, was helpless when he learned that "Siemens and Martin" had developed the "open-hearth steelmaking method" in 1868. You must know that before that, relying on the technical monopoly and confidentiality of cheap steel, Dahua Steel Company's steel profits could reach tens of millions of yuan.
Pig iron was 12 yuan per ton and steel was 130 silver dollars per ton.
What does such a high price mean?
Ten times the profit!
But after 1868, everything changed. The price dropped by 30% the following year. Up to now, the price of steel is only about 35% of the past. Even though the profit is still very considerable, it is far from comparable to the past!
The Ming Dynasty is at a loss!
Fortunately, in the past two years, relying on the more mature open-hearth steelmaking technology, Daming has made a small fortune by exporting steelmaking furnaces and corresponding technologies, and finally made another profit.
But it cannot be compared with the past. In the past, relying on the huge profits from steel exports, Nanhua introduced a large number of equipment, which directly promoted the rapid development of Nanhua's industry. That was the golden age of Nanhua!
Even though Ming Dynasty now has a large number of international students and local technical personnel, it cannot compare to that era with huge profits of tens of millions of yuan each year.
It can even be said that the entire Nanyuan was built on the huge profits from steel exports. Of course, all this is unknown to the outside world.
What is presented to the world is a huge heavy industrial city. Of course, no one knows the story behind this heavy industrial city. They only see the side of the city that is presented to the world.
"Dahua Steel Company, Nanyuan Locomotive Company, Qianlima Automobile Company and dozens of other companies are all here. To this day, this is still the largest steel industry center in the Western Hemisphere. It is said that the tax revenue paid here alone exceeds 30 million yuan every year!"
"Thirty million yuan!"
"This is really a great source of money!"
"It's several times more than Japan's fiscal revenue!"
For a while, there were endless sounds of surprise, and Ohbo Kurimichi and others even said.
"Japan will also have its own Nanyuan in the future!"
These Japanese who made great ambitions only saw that the factories made money, but they did not see that behind the money-making, the companies that could see through the future would of course make a lot of money!
To put it bluntly, industrial development is just like technological development. Direction is more important than effort! If the direction is wrong, no matter how hard you try, it will be useless.
What made Nanyuan develop? Of course, it was Emperor Zhu's grasp of the future direction of technological development. Not only did he grasp the direction, he even threw out a few technical books that could be called "heavenly books" from time to time. Driven by the technical books there, the level of industrial technology development in the Ming Dynasty far exceeded that of European countries. In this way, it was difficult not to get rich.
Amid the roar of the train, the train coming from Linhai, blew its clear whistle in the rising white steam, and rumbled slowly into the Nanyuan Railway Station, sending the Japanese delegation to a city they envied and looked forward to.
When Ito Hirobumi and his party arrived at this industrialized city, these big men who claimed to have seen the world looked at these people who came from a backward, primitive and "ignorant" country, just like the Ming people who had just left the immigration camp and came here to make a living. They all looked around with their mouths open and eyes wide open, gazing at this prosperous city.
The tram was slowly approaching on the road, making a clanging sound. Cars were running back and forth on the street, and there were tall and imposing buildings on both sides of the street.
The passers-by who come and go all have rosy complexions and are dressed neatly and cleanly. One can tell at a glance that they must be living a very affluent life.
Looking at the spirited passers-by and feeling the prosperity around them, the entire Japanese delegation was in a state of extreme shock.
It's really hard for them to imagine, it's really hard for them to imagine all this.
The Ming Dynasty, which had been established in a foreign land for only twelve years, could actually be so wealthy, prosperous and advanced!
It's only been 12 years.
How did they do it?
In fact, when they set foot on the land of Ming Dynasty, Iwakura, Okubo Toshimichi, and Ito Hirobumi all had this question in their hearts.
While marveling at the power and wealth of the Ming Dynasty, a question kept popping up in their hearts.
"How did the Ming Dynasty do all this?"
Perhaps when they were in the United States, they had felt the prosperity of American industry, but after all, the United States has been established for nearly a hundred years.
But what about the Ming Dynasty?
"They only won for 12 years..."
Ito Hirobumi muttered to himself.
"He, how on earth did they do that?"
I have set up a book club: 335260551. Everyone is welcome to join and discuss and deduce the plot together.
(End of this chapter)
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