The site of the Zunhua Iron Works was changed three times in the Ming Dynasty, all due to the depletion of iron ore resources.

Now it is located in Baiyezhuang, also called Baiye City, that is, near the town of Zunhua Iron Factory in later generations.

Baiye City, as the name suggests, has a city wall here, and it is also a stone town!

The city is not large, square, and its side is only one mile long. However, the walls are two feet high and one foot wide, and the foundation is tamped with nine layers of dust, which is a fortified castle.

The city, built to protect the ironworks, was stockpiled with steel, weapons and troops, and the people and craftsmen had to live outside the city.

The leader of the defenders in the city was swept away by Wang Chong, and was temporarily managed by the officer of the leopard room, and the head of the iron factory has also changed.

Ling Xia pointed to the map on the table and said, "We take it for granted in the capital, it is impossible for the railway to be repaired to the iron factory, otherwise you and my grandchildren can only build it." ”

Wang Chong smiled bitterly: "After coming to the iron factory, just look at the terrain to know that it is so easy to build over the mountains and mountains." ”

Ling Xia drew on the map: "Build a railway from the iron factory to the Baiye River, about five or six miles, and you can get to Jizhou by waterway by loading steel on a ship." We can then build a railway from Jizhou to the west to connect Beijing. In this way, only more than 100 miles of railways need to be built, and the mileage is shortened by one-third compared with the original plan. ”

From Zunhua Iron Works to Jizhou, the Ming Dynasty could be directly transported by water, and later due to the construction of the reservoir and the Tangshan earthquake, the river was completely cut off.

Wang Chong nodded and said, "That's fine." ”

Ling Xia asked, "How is the situation at the iron factory?" ”

"We need a large number of iron-smelting craftsmen, at least 10,000 people." Wang Chong had a headache.

The iron works of the Ming Dynasty were divided into government and private enterprises.

The government-run iron works are purely planned economy, and Zhu Yuanzhang stipulated that when the imperial court needed steel, it would assign quota tasks to each iron plant. When the imperial court did not need steel, all the government-run iron works were suspended.

This led to the fact that in the years when there was no large-scale war, the government-run iron works were in a state of suspension for a long time, so it developed into the Hongji period? The state-run iron works across the country were abandoned.

Don't blame Zhu Yuanzhang for being a child? Because the steel production at that time was too terrifying, the annual output of the national government-run iron plant was as high as 18.47 million catties (including pig iron). Hongwu twenty-five years to open the furnace? In three years, 37.43 million catties of steel (including pig iron) were smelted?

Take Zunhua Iron Works, for example? The largest iron-smelting base in the north, there are only more than 2,500 iron-smelting workers? They often take a break from work for several months each year. And the town of Foshan in Guangdong? There are as many as 30,000 iron-smelting workers, and they work day and night, and the vitality of private enterprises is much higher than that of the government.

What's even more odious is that the Zunhua Iron Works uses a large number of criminals to fry steel? Beaten and abused at every turn? The quality of the steel produced is worrying, and the mortality rate of iron-smelting workers is very high.

The imperial court demanded strict smelting tasks, and they used charcoal for smelting. When the imperial court was not demanding, they used coal to fool around. And there are also powerful people who let the workers do their own private work? A large amount of wrought iron was smelted and sold privately.

Wang Chong said: "One mile (559.8 meters) of railway, at least forty or fifty thousand catties of steel? With the output of Zunhua Iron Works over the years, the wrought iron smelted in a year will be repaired for seven or eight miles. So? I also need 10,000 iron-smelting craftsmen, 10,000 miners, and 5,000 charcoal-burners. The iron-making furnace here does not need to be changed? The wrought iron is used for railway components. Thirty more steel-making furnaces? All rails are cast using the teacher's crucible steelmaking method. ”

Ling Xia exclaimed: "You want twenty or thirty thousand people for one mouth? Don't talk about it? If you can get enough people, how much money and rations will be needed? ”

"Otherwise, a railway will have to be built until the Year of the Monkey." Wang Chong also had no choice.

Wang Chong sent a letter to Beijing, Wang Yuan went to Haoshan Garden to see the emperor, and the state apparatus immediately became operational:

3,000 blacksmiths in Nanzhili, 3,000 blacksmiths in Guangdong, 2,000 blacksmiths in Zhejiang, and 2,000 blacksmiths in Fujian. The whole journey by water can be reached in a month.

5,000 miners from Jiangxi and 5,000 miners from Huguang went north through the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal, and then transferred to the Ji Canal after arriving in Tianjin.

The charcoal burners were apportioned to the provinces, and they were sent to Zunhua as soon as possible.

Along the way, the local government must provide food and lodging, and those who are not well entertained will be recorded in the emperor's small book.

The remaining batches of grain in Nanyang did not need to be transported to the capital, but were directly transferred to Jizhou by the Ji Canal to be used as rations for miners, charcoal burners, blacksmiths and railroad workers.

At the same time, the inner treasury allocated 300,000 taels of silver for the purchase of various materials, and when the grain was insufficient, it was also purchased. There are still a lot of golden sands from North America, and the gold and silver from the Inca Empire were also released into the inner carrier warehouse last winter, and Zhu Houzhao now has money, and the Ming Emperor has never been so rich.

This series of orders caused a very big stir, which attracted the common opposition of the imperial court and the locality.

The opposition is invalid, the emperor wants to build the railway!

……

Beijing, Yang House.

Yang Tinghe called his son Yang Shen over: "Shen'er, you also have contacts with the School of Physics on weekdays, how much do you know about the train and railway?" ”

Yang Shen said: "It is rumored that thousands of catties of goods can be transported at a time, and they can travel thousands of miles a day without stopping. This is just one train, if ten trains depart at the same time, it is tens of thousands of catties of goods at a time. ”

In the first generation of trains, it was the limit of being able to pull two or three tons of cargo, and the speed was also very slow.

The good news is that this kind of train does not have high requirements for the railway, and the high-quality wrought iron smelted by the frying method can be used to lay rails.

Even this kind of bad capacity shocked Yang Tinghe inexplicably. He pondered: "Isn't that ten trains running, which can transport tens of thousands of troops at one time, and appear thousands of miles away the next day." And there is no need for too many grain carriers, just let the train transport grain and grass! ”

"Exactly." Yang Shen said.

Yang Tinghe suddenly realized: "I see, I see!" His Majesty allocated 300,000 taels of silver in one go, and Wang Ruoxu stuffed it into several reserve ministers of the Railway Department in one go, all of whom saw the future of the railway and the train. A good Wang Erlang, he actually made such a miraculous artifact, with the gold and silver transported back from the far east, and the railway will inevitably be spread farther and farther. Even if the mountains and mountains cannot be crossed, they can be built at intervals, and the railroad can be paved all the way to the grassland. Decades later, nothing worries! ”

Yang Shen said with a smile: "If you can really pave the railway to the grassland, Wang Erlang will be a famous minister through the ages." ”

Yang Tinghe said again: "There is also Cao Yun." Every year, 4 million stone cao rice will be transported into Beijing, and tens of millions of stone will be consumed on the way, and if the railway can be paved to the south of the Yangtze River, it can save tens of millions of stone grain expenses every year, and there is no risk of extinction. For the imperial court and the people of Jiangnan, it is a great good thing. It is the millions of workers who have to be properly settled. ”

Yang Shen added: "Cao Gong and Cao Jun, there must be some left. From Beijing to Jiangnan, there are many rivers and mountains along the way, and I am afraid that it will be difficult to lay railways in many places. This requires transshipment, and it should be enough to keep 100,000 workers. ”

Yang Tinghe sat down, he was very, very smart, and instantly thought of the countless uses of trains and railways, a new gadget that could change the whole country.

After sitting for a long time, Yang Tinghe said, "Call Dun'er." ”

Yang Shen immediately went to find his younger brother and captured Yang Dian from Wenhui.

"What is the matter with a father calling his son?" Yang asked.

Yang Tinghe instructed: "You find a time to visit Wang Ruoxu and ask for an errand from the director of the Ministry of Compliance." ”

"Father, son is a little confused." Yang was confused. He is now a sixth-rank Beijing official, and the head of the Ministry of Works is an official of the seventh-rank expatriate department, and this kind of dispatch is at least equivalent to a demote of two and a half levels.

Yang Tinghe could only patiently explain: "The Ministry of Railways Department will make great achievements in the future." The father's body is also getting weaker and weaker, and he falls ill every three or five days, and I am afraid that he will not live for a few years. In the future, the court will be controlled by Wang Ruoxu, and you should go to him as soon as possible. Wang Ruoxu's eldest son, Wang Ce, has already entered your brother's door to study, and the incense love is over. If you vote for it, Wang Ruoxu will definitely be happy. ”

Yang Dian was embarrassed: "But there is no need to be the head of the sub-division, my son is now a six-rank Beijing official." ”

"Confused!"

Yang Tinghe enlightened: "Wang Ruoxu wants to build a railway, and Zunhua Iron Works must be the top priority. The director of the Zunhua Chemical Department is in charge of the Zunhua Iron Plant, where can a positive seven-product be suppressed? Within three or five years, the director of the chemical department must be the same as the director of the six departments. What if it is downgraded and transferred? By the father's care, in the future, there will be Wang Ruoxu's support, do you still care about these two levels of official products? ”

Yang Dian hurriedly said, "My son understands." ”

Yang Tinghe said: "If Wang Ruoxu is such a person, you don't have to deliberately stammer, you can help him get things done with peace of mind, it is more useful than any flattery." Go to the Zunhua branch, don't embezzle a penny of silver, and spend a hundred hearts to manage the iron factory properly! ”

"Yes." Yang said.

"Go ahead." Yang Tinghe waved.

Just like Zhang Yong, Yang Tinghe is already old, and no matter how ambitious he is, he has to think about the aftermath.

Yang Tinghe's current mind is to compare his life with Zhu Houzhao. He had to hold out until the day of the emperor's death, and then lead the reform of streamlining the administration of the elite army, dismissing a large number of eunuchs, Huangzhuang, Jinyi guards and Jingying soldiers, and at the same time cracking down on those who were too arrogant.

This kind of reform is a targeted attack, and the civil officials raise their hands in favor of it, and it will definitely go down in history and will be of great benefit to the country.

After this vote, Yang Tinghe should retire, which can be called the perfect curtain call for a generation of virtuous ministers.

As for how Wang Yuan carried out reforms, it was about Yang Ting and!