The Son of Heaven and the Zai Zhi were so excited that Han Gang asked calmly, "What should I do with the Chengshan channel?" ”

The scene suddenly cooled down.

was reminded by Han Gang, and Zhao Ji and Zhong Zaifu all reacted. In the end, do you want to continue to dig the Fangcheng channel? That's the problem from now on.

Now the Fangcheng track, which brings 20,000 net income to the imperial court in a month, has been said by Han Gang to be a temporary alternative before the Fangcheng channel is built. Once the Fangcheng channel is completed, the entire Xianghan Cao Canal will be connected, and the role of the Fangcheng track will disappear.

With the complex process of going from water to land and from land to water, how can a cargo ship fly straight to Tokyo? Idiots would not choose to give the imperial court a layer of skin on Fangcheng Mountain, even if they rely on the predetermined locks, they can also be charged, but where can it compare to the income of the upper city track.

Zhao Ji and the others were very embarrassed. The few people who rule and govern hundreds of millions of people have their eyebrows furrowed inward, squeezing out a few furrows at the center of their eyebrows.

As long as the canal channel is dredged in time, it can ensure long-term use. For example, the Bianhe River is dredged by people in winter, and then after the spring flowers bloom, it can be used for a whole year. The track is indispensable for daily maintenance, and people, horses, and vehicles must be prepared. If one day there is a problem with the track, the entire transportation line will be paralyzed.

But if you continue to dig the Fangcheng channel for this case, the net income of hundreds of thousands of yuan a year will be gone. It costs almost fifty times a year to raise a soldier of the forbidden army with a high rank. Without Fangcheng Mountain's 500,000 guan, that is, 10,000 elite soldiers are missing! With the huge amount of money invested by the imperial court in the transportation of Xianghan Cao—not only on the Fangcheng track, but also on the construction of ports, river improvement, and the cost of vehicles, boats, and livestock—it would pay for itself in three years, and then it would all be a net profit. Good wealth is hard to give up, and the fat that reaches the mouth is to be thrown away, who can give it?

Lu Huiqing frowned for a long time, and asked Han Gang: "What are the difficulties in track maintenance?" ”

"The daily maintenance and refurbishment have been taken into account beforehand, and manpower has been arranged to make rounds all year round. But whether this arrangement can keep the orbit stable depends on the results of the perennial operation in the future. The expedited transportation of 600,000 Shigang grain alone is not enough. ”

Han Gang seemed to be very conservative, but anyone could hear that Han Gang was talking for the track. The expedited transportation of 600,000 Shigang grains shows that the transportation capacity and safety are not inferior to those of Bianhe, but there is no time to verify it. But if he complied with Han Gang and something happened in the future, he couldn't find fault with his words, and there was no way to investigate it.

Because of his previous achievements, Han Gang is one of the top authorities in the DPRK and China in the construction project. If he patted his chest and assured that everyone present would be able to use the track with confidence, but his words were smooth, and people suddenly lost two points of confidence, and no one wanted to make a decision on this matter.

It's not that Han Gang doesn't want to make up his mind, he just wants to promote the development of railroads, with the ultimate goal of trains and railways in the future. But he didn't dare to guarantee that the income of the track would be comparable to that of the current one. Technique is very important, but management is even more important, if everyone stretches out their hands, there are fewer people on the track, and there is no money to be made.

Han Gang doesn't believe in the character of the local officials, it has just opened, the management is strict, and he has no experience in how to squeeze oil and water from the track, so he doesn't dare to reach out for a while, and he doesn't know how to reach out, but after a long time, neither of them will let go of the opportunity to make money.

But then again, there is a rule in the gray area where the sun does not shine, and this rule will gradually take shape during the operation of the orbit and then stabilize. The distribution of interests between the court and individuals was demarcated, and at that time, the income of the court was the normal income. It could be more or less than it is now, Han Gang can't be sure. Just throw it out and let the Son of Heaven and Zaifu think for themselves.

Lu Huiqing didn't speak, Yuan Jiang didn't speak, of course Wang Jue wouldn't express his opinion, and Guo Kui, the only one present in the Privy Council, was a stone statue, as a general who was in power by the military position, he had the right to speak in political affairs, and he was not as good as the supervision of the imperial history below, and he was not qualified to speak.

Zhao Ji's eyes swept around, and when he saw that several Zai Fu were carrying out the maxim that silence is golden, he could only say: "I'll talk about this matter when Xue Xiang comes." ”

Han Gang didn't expect Zhao Ji to also summon Xue Xiang. However, Xue Xiang is one of the top financial planners in the dynasty, and he has served as the six-way shipping envoy for a long time, maintaining the lifeblood of the imperial court, and is the authority on the platform, and his opinions are naturally extremely weighty, and they must be listened to.

Before Xue Xiang arrived, the question of how to choose between Fangcheng channel and Fangcheng track could only be put aside. But what has become no problem is the Hebei track.

The sixty-mile Fangcheng track can have so much income, and the seven-hundred-mile Hebei track will only be more. When Zhao Ji said this, his eyes began to light up again. Although the original intention of the Hebei track was military and could be used for civilian purposes, it would not affect the deterrent effect of the Khitans.

"The first phase of the track connecting the major state capitals in Hebei is a total of 700 miles, stretching from the other side of Baima County to Zhending, passing through the richest state capitals in Hebei." Han Gang paused for a moment and swept his eyes around, Tianzi and Zai Fu were both concentrated, "Judging from the Fangcheng track, the tax and freight are corresponding, and the tax received from these state capitals should be able to have a rough estimate of the income from rail freight." At the same time, long-distance passenger transportation is more difficult than short-distance passenger transportation, and more people will choose the track. Officials travel by rails, and the cost of post stations saved by various states and counties is not a small amount. ”

Zhao Ji's eyes didn't just shine, but flashed: "Wang Qing, after you go back, let people estimate how much you can increase and save after the completion of the Hebei track, and then report it as soon as possible!" ”

"Respectfully receive the holy decree." Wang Jue bowed down to receive the order.

"However, the difficulty of thousands of miles of transportation and 100 miles of transportation is completely different. It is to build roads, thousands of miles of roads and only sixty miles, and there is a world of difference between difficulty and difficulty, and it requires talented people to take charge of it. "Yuan Jiang is not doing political affairs in vain, and the problem of long-distance orbit is very clear.

"As Yuan Qing said, you should choose talents." Zhao Ji glanced at Han Gang, this virtuous talent can't be used at the moment, who will preside over the orbital service, and who will be in charge of the orbital delivery later, it is a headache to choose.

The Zai Fu continued to discuss the benefits of the Hebei Track, as well as the problems that might be encountered in the construction and operation, and Xue Xiang was summoned into the temple at this time.

When the professionals arrived, Zhao Ji immediately consulted him about the Zhonghebei orbit that was being discussed.

After listening to Lu Huiqing and Han Gang's narration, Xue Xiang groaned for a while, and then spoke: "The track of Hebei, the first one at the beginning, that is, the first phase of the project mentioned by Han Qunmu, is a north-south direction, starting from crossing the Yellow River in Gyeonggi, going all the way north, reaching Zhending, and maybe even further north, arriving at Sanguan. With the speed of its transshipment, it deters the Northern Barbarians. From the perspective of the ministers, it should be worth 100,000 troops. ”

Zhao Ji nodded repeatedly. Xue Xiang once served in Shaanxi, was responsible for the transfer of war materials, and also participated in strategic and tactical planning, and he also had a certain level in military affairs. When it comes to this topic, there is also a bit of weight.

After Xue Xiang praised a few words, his words changed: "But although this track runs through Hebei, the number of commercial goods in Hebei is far less than that of Xianghan Caoyun." The income that the imperial court can get after the most can't be based on the Fangcheng track. ”

Han Gang was noncommittal, but when the Son of Heaven's gaze came, his head moved up and down imperceptibly. It's not about agreeing, it's just about making an excellent wallflower in the court.

Smooth traffic will promote economic development. If you want to get rich, you must first build roads, this sentence is known to children after a thousand years. However, this is not something that can be understood by the current courtiers. It's not that they don't have enough intelligence, it's their own limitations.

The wealth of the world has its own fixed number, and if it is not here, it is there. The open source of the imperial court is to compete with the people for profit - this is Sima Guang's view.

If it is a society with agriculture as the main body, and it is a society that has been peaceful for more than 100 years, Sima Guang's view is not wrong. What is debatable is the definition of 'people'.

"And the track is nearly a thousand miles, a car of commercial goods from Zhending to the capital, in Hebei until the end, on the way to Lizhou County there are Zhending Luancheng, Yuanshi, Zhaozhou's Gaoyi, Baixiang, Lincheng, Xingzhou's Neiqiu, Longgang, Shahe, Yongnian of Zhuzhou, Handan, Fuyang of Cizhou, Anyang, Tangyin of Xiangzhou, Liyang of Anli Army." Xue Xiang pointed to the number of counties by county, showing that he knew the geography of Hebei well, "Fourteen counties along the way, the tax is two into eight, and the cars and horses on the track can't stop for a long time, how to collect the tax?" ”

Zhao Ji immediately turned his attention to Han Gang, and before Han Gang moved, he heard Xue Xiang ask himself: "In the humble opinion of the minister, depending on the number of states and counties along the way, collect it before loading, set the contract and customs, and check it at the unloading place." The difficulties of the small officials in the tax card are eliminated, the tax revenue of the court is not reduced, and the merchants are more convenient, so more merchants will choose the track...... The only thing to worry about is that there will be complaints in the state and county. ”

Zhao Ji shook his head, the more the imperial court can directly control the income, the greater the control over the locality, this goal has been working hard since the founding of the country: "It's okay to do this." ”

On the other hand, Hebei is not as good as Jiangnan, one is due to the folk customs, the northerners are honest and simple, and it is difficult to learn business, and the other is the lack of convenience of water transportation in the south, and the freight is too high, making it unprofitable for merchants. The construction of the track in Hebei and the convenience of commercial goods are bound to be a great prosperity of commerce, and the country's financial plan has its own benefits. ”

From the moment Xue Xiang began to count the states and counties along the track, Han Gang stared at him in surprise. To be so familiar with the geography of Hebei is either that he is like a palm on the official road of Hebei, or that he has a prediction of today's entry and has worked hard in advance.

This already made Han Gang a little surprised and admired, and it wasn't until he heard the last paragraph that Han Gang realized that he still underestimated this person.