Chapter 447: Slow Advance

"Eighty million taels...... What are you kidding......" Tan Xiaopei realized that his expression with his mouth wide open was really a little unsightly. That's too much, right, are you sure you want that much money? ”

"Your Majesty, you yourself calculate the current steel production of Dongping in the whole country, this Ministry of Industry must have a number, right? According to the current output, the cross-shaped railway trunk you are talking about will not be able to withstand the total output of a year. In addition, the cost of short-term rush work, the cost of training workers and operators, the construction of a series of stations and associated buildings...... Also, after the track is erected, there must be enough locomotives and carriages, right? The cost of this part is not small. And, Your Majesty, not only the direct costs, but you also don't want to see the construction of the railroad cause many of the industries that existed before, and those ordinary people suffer, right? The proper resettlement of related industries and so on is also an expense. Even if these are negligible, Your Majesty, the cost is not only 80 million taels. Squeezed steel production for more than a year, losses from all walks of life affected, loss of state tax revenues, and so on...... When I say 80 million taels, I am already a very conservative estimate. Ye Tao said lightly, and then added with a smile: "If you don't believe it, you can ask Xin'er." ”

Tan Xiaopei's brows were tightly locked. The railway is really attractive, but Ye Tao is right, this cost, and this price, are all unaffordable in Dongping now. In an instant, Tan Xiaopei even moved to split the entire railway system into many shares like Gondor and the new capital Danyang, and sell them to those great families who were able to devote themselves to it...... However, it is only for a moment. The railway system is so special that if you talk about Xiaopei's imagination now, you can think of the value of the entire railway system to the country in the future. Whether it's Gondor or the new capital Danyang, those grounds were originally going to be sold separately. But the railway system, which is not directly in the hands of people, is really not reassuring.

"Come, let's get in the car and sit down." After sighing lightly, Tan Xiaopei stepped on the train. Now the front of the locomotive, which looks relatively well-established, carries a passenger car, a private compartment car and a freight car. Compared with the front of the locomotive, these carriages are more mature, after all, technically speaking, the manufacture of the carriage is indeed simpler than the front of the locomotive. The current passenger carriage is basically very suitable for transporting troops, which are all long seats, and the table between the seats, the whole carriage is full, exactly eighty people, and the salute of these people, that is, the arms of the soldiers, can be carried together. After observing the details in the carriage for a while, Tan Xiaopei was extremely satisfied, and he asked, "How many carriages can be hung on the front of a locomotive?" ”

Ye Tao shrugged his shoulders and said: "The power of this experimental locomotive is still low, according to the test records here, according to the design capacity of the passenger carriage, it can tow sixteen carriages when it is full of people." However, you have to add a car loaded with coal and water. Basically, that's what fourteen to fifteen carriages look like. Not much. Also, because the railroad is relatively short, it can only be tested to be able to run. As for the rest, it is ready to be tested while laying the rails. The new locomotive is slightly stronger than this one, pull twenty carriages...... However, my goal is not only that, for the time being, the first thing I need to achieve is to be able to mount an integrated battalion for movement. Ye Tao said proudly: "Splitting into two vehicles, it's not so good for a unit to visit each other." ”

Tan Xiaopei agreed with this idea, and he nodded: "It should be so." Tan Xiaopei seemed to be interested in everything in the car, and kept asking about every detail.

What attracted Tan Xiaopei the most was that the carriage actually took into account the needs of the bathroom, and there was a flushing design. The small bathrooms use a lot of metal materials and achieve almost all functions in a small space. In this kind of design, although Ye Tao doesn't make much contribution, he can only rely on him for everything. You must know that Ye Tao and Tan Weixin have first-hand experience of the bathroom design of large passenger planes and the space. Ye Tao didn't need to use much brain, he was able to splice together those functional combinations that other craftsmen couldn't think of, and it became what it is now.

The chassis of the truck compartment is different from that of the passenger car, and the design of the shock absorption is more sketchy. The wagon bed is a classic metal frame with a wooden plank combination, but there are many small accessories on the metal frame, such as slots, hooks, etc., and by adding some standard size shelves or rope nets, the car can be suitable for transporting various items. Even if the outer planks can be removed and replaced with a thick canvas cover, it can also play a role in sheltering from the wind and rain, but it can effectively regulate the internal temperature, which is especially important when transporting horses and some special items. The basic concept of this modular design is now well known to the craftsmen of the workshop, who are already skilled in thinking about how to use the best solution to meet different needs.

On the contrary, it is a more exquisite box, and Tan Xiaopei just glanced at it a few times. Little did he know that this must have been prepared for the commercial operation of the railway line in the future. It's just that this is too far away for the railway in the initial stage. And the airship that limits the weight of luggage, presumably, the train that can carry a large amount of goods on the same car will definitely attract many merchants at that time. As for long-distance passenger transport, it may still be the advantage of airships in the future. Compared to trains, airships are faster, quieter, and take less time.

After reading it, Tan Xiaopei asked seriously: "It's because I'm in a hurry...... However, if you can really come up with 80 million taels of silver, I will still let you complete it within three years. Now, you should have a plan, right? ”

Ye Tao stood up respectfully, stretched out his hand to take a map with countless intricate markings from the hand of the attendant who followed behind him, and put it on the table in the box. The place where Ye Tao's finger pointed is the Ye Workshop where everyone is now. His fingers tugged from Yip's workshop to where Gondor was. On that slightly older map, Gondor was just a hand-drawn symbol. Ye Tao explained, "The first step is to connect the Ye Workshop with Gondor. This is much lower than the previous cost of sending goods to Ningyuan, and it is also more conducive to the secrecy of the workshop. …… This part of the project, the exploration has been completed, and it is estimated that it will be completed in three to four months. Then, I felt that the plan for the second part was to connect Gondor and Danyang together, and my suggestion was that Gondor set off, without passing through Ningyuan, and directly took the line of Thunder Cliff and Dongjiaji. At that time, many of Ningyuan's current popularity will be brought to Gangduo and along the railway, and Ningyuan will no longer be the central city of the entire northern Xinjiang in the future, and decline is inevitable. …… It's a bit far from connecting Gondor and Danyang, and we don't have the capacity to do it in sections, so I think it will take about two years or more to complete. Your Majesty, no matter how you calculate it, it is impossible to come up with a cross backbone framework in three years.

"Next step...... Your Majesty, Xin'er's suggestion is that if there is spare strength at that time, then the domestic railways in Dongping can be built at the same time, but more importantly, starting from Dongping and Zhenning Pass, stretching to the core of the Northern Liao border. On the one hand, the construction of the railway required a large number of manpower, which could promote employment and serve everyone by employing labor, and on the other hand, as the railway extended to the hinterland of Northern Liao, it was also more conducive to Dongping's in-depth control of Northern Liao. The minerals and other goods of Northern Liao benefited from the communication with Dongping, but they also became more and more dependent on the economic system of the entire country. Their abundance also shows that we are well governed. It is conceivable that in the first few years, there will inevitably be an imbalance in the circulation of money and goods, and when the time comes, it is necessary to make good adjustments and management, so as to avoid the disparity in development in various places. But in general, a relatively balanced situation will be reached in the end. Xin'er estimates that it could be five to eight years. And in these five to eight years, we should have the margin to complete the construction of the cross-trunk framework of this railway. And when the railway is completed, it will be time for a showdown between us and Xiling, or Chunnan. ”

Political, economic, military...... Obviously, in terms of railway construction, Ye Tao and Tan Weixin have thought a lot. And although these considerations are only some preliminary opinions, they have already made Tan Xiaopei nod. But then he smiled wryly and said, "I also hope to be able to put the final showdown until when we are all ready." However, Xiling and Chunnan have never been naïve like this. Five to eight years...... I estimate that this time is half open, which is about the same. From now, it's going to be about five years, and we're going to have a lot of things to do. ”

Ye Tao took a deep breath and said, "Your Majesty, turn what we can do into what many people can do, and turn what many people can do into what everyone can do...... That's what we're supposed to do. Dongping does not lack the momentum of rapid development, but it should not be confused by the rapid development and the endless emergence of new technologies and new items. Naturally, there are some things I didn't think about well. However, since there is still buffer time, let's at least start this moment and get things right. Your Majesty doesn't have to worry too much about the railway, I will naturally try my best to arrange it properly. ”

With such a tone, Tan Xiaopei's heart was settled, and he even began to feel a little funny, how could he, the lord of a country, be so uncontrollable, and let Ye Tao, his son-in-law, persuade him not to be rash. In fact, Ye Tao has done this kind of thing more than once. When they got off the train at the station of Ye's Workshop and walked onto the platform, they saw a messenger from the Intelligence Bureau wearing a dark gray suit, carrying a sturdy black leather bag, and wearing a short sword. The messenger who came this time was actually Cao Pojun's deputy Lin Yihua, something big must have happened. Tan Xiaopei took the letter and opened it casually, but when he saw it, he couldn't help laughing...... That's actually a great thing.