It's okay if ordinary people argue, but these two people opened their mouths and went straight to the point, there were examples and arguments, and they also brought out some inside stories that ordinary people are not familiar with, which immediately attracted everyone. When their companions revealed their identities, even Zhong Sanri pulled his ears and listened attentively.

One of these two people is an official of the Guangdong Transit Cao of the Ministry of Industry and Railways, and the other is a member of the Dongguan County Court. The former, of course, advocated that the railway industry should be returned to the imperial court, while the latter was resolutely opposed.

The railway industry was born, and not only the technology was still being explored, but the construction and operation methods were also immature. The current practice is that the Ministry of Industry is in charge of the Ministry of Works, which is responsible for the overall planning, the Ministry of Industry is responsible for bidding for construction, and the local government is auxiliary support. The construction funds are composed of multiple channels, including imperial court finance, local finance, and the introduction of various private capital. After the completion of the railway, the railway is temporarily operated by the railway bureau under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry and Railways, and the income also goes to the central and local finances, and the private capital is repaid with other preferential treatments.

This state of approaching the "government-run and government-run" state is obviously not normal, and there is an ideological consensus that Duan Guoshi and a large group of intellectuals have rearranged the changing history of the Ming and Qing dynasties and examined the power structure of Confucianism and society, and the idea that industrial and commercial affairs cannot be run in the form of a yamen has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, so people of insight are discussing the next direction of the railway industry.

The mainstream understanding is that the yamen will be transformed into a company and operated under the company system, but there is a debate about the ownership of the company's equity. There is a group of people who believe that ownership still belongs to the state and is run by the state. On the other hand, the state should only be responsible for control, and that companies should be open to the private sector and that the private sector should benefit.

The whistle whistled and the carriage shook. The clatter of heavy metal and iron sounded, and the train started.

When I got out of the station, the rhythmic gentle shaking of my feet gradually accelerated. The scenery also picked up speed, and it swept backwards on both sides of the window, a moment later. The train entered the normal state of running at a speed of thirty or forty kilometers per hour, which made Zhong Sanri and other fresh passengers who took the train for the first time very addicted.

Not only is the speed much faster than the ordinary carriage, but also the bumps are much less, such a train can carry passengers and goods, it is estimated that it can reach hundreds of heavy-duty carriages, it is said that when the new car comes out, not only can pull eight carriages, Zhong Sanri and so on are all businessmen. In an instant, I saw the huge benefits hidden in this train, which was a land boat.

With this feeling cushioned, the two started an argument again, making everyone more enthusiastic.

The debate among the officials of the House of Representatives revolves around the theme of "how to make this great benefit benefit more people".

The proposition of the courtyard has won the approval of many people, including Zhong Sanri, "The total cost of the Buddha incense line is close to six million. It took more than a year for the imperial court and Guangdong to contribute two million each, and then one million each, and it took more than a year to prepare for it, and the other railway lines were similar. Why is it difficult to attract investment? Because the profit is not in the people, it will not be shared. Naturally, private capital is reluctant to come in. If private capital is allowed to build itself, see how dissatisfied this railway blooms!? At that time, it will not be rich businessmen who can rely on this railway to get back and forth cheaply, ordinary people can also afford to take the train, and small businesses can also afford to transport goods. ”

The words of the Dongguan courtyard attracted applause and applause from everyone, and Zhong Sanri also secretly said well, for him, the passenger and freight prices of this railway are not eye-catching at all, but it is still ridiculously high for ordinary people. Speaking of customer prices, one person from Hong Kong to Guangzhou is one or two hundred wen, which is equivalent to one-seventh or eighth of the monthly income of ordinary people, and it is only a hundred kilometers from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, and the price of a carriage does not exceed 800 wen.

The official retorted that if the common people can afford to take the train, and let the small business also afford to use the train, the freight rate must be greatly reduced, the income is difficult to cover the expenses, and the railway will lose money. We have tens of thousands of workshops in Dongguan, as long as they can afford to use the train, they only spend 100 taels of silver every year to transport goods by train, which is also a million taels of revenue a year! ”…,

The official's response was also very powerful: "You just look at the benefits on the surface of this railway, but you don't know the cost behind it, and the investment of the imperial court is not more than money?" There are not many railways produced by the iron and steel plant, and the Machinery Bureau is not enough to make locomotives, even if the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau is also making locomotives, it is still not enough, and the imperial court has to invest millions every year. In addition, it is enough to build a railway with silver? Without the imperial court replacing the land and providing a number of compensations, the local government could easily handle the relocation of households along the railway? ”

"Give the railway to the private capital, and the private capital will only make money, regardless of the cost of paving the railway before the construction of the railway, then for the imperial court, the railway is a big loss. Of course, the imperial court is not a company, and the tax collection is used on the state, but the tax collected has been used on the railway, isn't it that our people are raising the railway, and then all the profits are made by those private capitalists? ”

The official's thinking is not so superficial as "the great profit should be in the country", not only taking into account who will control the development of the railway, so that ordinary people can get more benefits, but also taking into account the fairness and righteousness, Zhong Sanri and others can't help but nod in agreement.

"Besides, this railway is not only civilian, the West (An) Lan (State) Line that the imperial court is preparing will reach Kokand in 20 years, this line is more for the military, and it is to protect our country. The railways in the barren areas of southwest and eastern Liaodong are also mostly used for this purpose, if the railways are only regarded as a money-making business, then who will build these unprofitable railways? ”

When it comes to the military value of the railway, everyone immediately woke up, that's right, when the railway runs through the north, south, east and west, there are difficulties thousands of miles away, and the army can also arrive quickly.

The official said again: "Rails, trains, and even dispatching operations, these things still have to be promoted by the imperial court." If the imperial court continues to suffer a big loss in the railway, the emerging industry will become a burden, and the minister in the temple will have to consider more than just the railway. ”

"You probably don't know that before Song Xiang's illness, he had just drawn up a case for the great prosperity of culture and education, and he wanted to take a step forward on the basis of the enlightenment of the whole people, build 10,000 new primary schools, and increase his expenses by 20 million a year. The new entry of the railway into the home is always more important than culture, education and people's livelihood. ”

"Let the country lose less in the railway, and even have a surplus. The imperial court will have more motivation to build railways, and correspondingly, it will also be able to share some benefits to the local government. The imperial court and the local government joined hands to do it. We are Yinghua, and the government will do things faster and less disputes after all. So. Even if a company is established, the company should be under the direct management of the imperial court, just like the Manufacturing Bureau and the Machinery Bureau. ”

In the 40th year of the Holy Dao, the financial revenue of the Yinghua Imperial Court exceeded 600 million yuan, but the budget expenditure also rose, and the three major projects of education, military expenditure and national infrastructure have far surpassed the traditional projects such as government support and become the three major financial burdens. Railways are included in the national infrastructure as a new undertaking. Although they have been taken care of, they do not have too much sense of urgency in this matter from the court to the people, and most of them feel that they can take their time. Just like the original straight road project, it was built step by step over the past 40 years.

Saying this, everyone felt embarrassed. There are good reasons on both sides. If you don't give private capital the opportunity to make big profits, private capital will not be interested in coming in, and without a large amount of private capital, it will be difficult for the railway to prosper, and the railway will not prosper. It is difficult for ordinary people to enjoy the benefits. On the other hand, this benefit is not enjoyed by the country, and it is difficult for the country to continue to invest more, after all, many of the foundations behind the railway are built by the state at a cost, but in this way, the railway can only be built step by step like a straight road.

When it comes to the big game of chess of the country, the court affairs obviously can't talk about the officials, and hummed: "Yes, if it belongs to the country, it belongs to your officials, and the salaries and knights can be increased again, and as for whether the people can be convenient, it is not a matter of concern to your officials." ”…,

The official was also annoyed: "You always advocate that the court does not compete with the people for profit, don't you just want to gain great profits?" The convenience of the common people is your flesh and blood, rely on today's convenience to pull the common people on the boat, and then the common people will become the meat on the board! Our government is staring at you lion! ”

"The evil tiger bared his teeth, and he thought he was smiling elegantly!"

"The lion yawns, and it stinks!"

The two couldn't fight each other, so they simply attacked each other's positions, and the lion and tiger rivalry described by Duan Guoshi in the Three Generations New Theory was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and the two were put on hats by each other.

Someone came out to play a round: "It's not that there is no compromise, it's actually easy to solve." Those railways that can make money will be run by the imperial court to private capital, so that the problems beyond the reach of the imperial court and local officials can be solved, and the railways can also flourish. Then the imperial court collected more taxes on the railway company, and used the money to build unprofitable railways, isn't it the best of both worlds? ”

Everyone nodded their heads, this is a good way.

The official said: "This method has been proposed a long time ago, but the Lion Party says that railways are a new business, and the risk is too great, so the tax should be preferential." The country has always had low taxes on sea and straight roads, and if you want to go the other way on the railway, will the West Court nod? ”

The court affairs sneered: "Your official's tiger hair is thicker than the waist of our people, just pull one out, for example, reduce the subsidy, and don't increase the knight's money, it's enough to do big things." ”

The two quarreled again, and gradually became angry, Zhong Sanri was a little worried, is the dispute between the lion and tiger in the country already so acute? It is estimated that the direction of the railway matter will not be determined by the factors they say, but by the conflict of interests between the lion and tiger parties.

Another passenger who looked like a scholar shook his head and sighed: "Song Xiang retired from illness, His Majesty and the crown prince have not proposed candidates, and the political hall and the two courts have quarreled over the selection of successors...... There is a war abroad, and there is a lot of restlessness at home. ”

The two of them quarreled more and more, both of which hindered the passengers from enjoying the scenery along the road, and some people couldn't help but say: "You are all full of mouths for the convenience of the people, but in fact, you are waiting for the people to get used to it before slaughtering!" It doesn't matter if it's a lion or a tiger, don't they all have to eat the flesh and blood of the common people? ”

Another person also raised his voice and said: "Yes, the straight road company from Dongguan to Hong Kong is directly managed by Tianfu, how good is it when it is built in 29 years?" A thousand miles round trip is no more than a handful of copper coins, and it will be free in ten years. What now? People want 100 Wen, cars need 300 Wen! The government was also bought by the government, and it didn't mention the free thing! Several of the accountable members of the court also stepped down inexplicably. ”

As soon as many locals echoed him, another person said: "It seems that the fault is only in the government, and the merchant is reliable?" Originally, the imperial court reformed the thousand-year-old system of China, and no longer banned the salt industry, but handed over to private capital for self-management, and taxed on general commercial goods, what was the result? Several large salt valves arose, each monopolizing a place, doing everything possible to squeeze out others, and the price of salt was gradually controlled by the salt valve. forced the imperial court to issue a decree in the 28th year, and once again included salt in the necessities of people's livelihood such as grain and rice for exclusive control, and also acquired several salt companies to engage in the Changping salt system. ”

Eventually, someone concluded: "I see, no matter what the railway company does." Most of them are the same as straight roads, the people first get convenience, and then they have dependence. After that, it either increased in price, or I didn't have to sit, in short, it was inconvenient. ”

One only dared to listen before. It is estimated that the ordinary people who gritted their teeth and cut meat to take the train to taste the new came up with the courage to say: "Over the years, our people's pockets have bulged a lot, but there are more places to spend money, and there is not much surplus money in a year, and I am tired and panicked. I haven't understood why this is the case, but I just understood a little when I heard the old man say this, it turned out that the official master and the merchant master took turns to eat our meat. ”…,

As soon as these words came out. There was silence in the carriage for a while, and after a moment, the official sneered: "In the old world, you could live an easy life guarding the fields?" Can you huddle together with our so-called old men? Can I say to me, a seven-grade official, that the official is eating your meat, I can only laugh, and I don't even have the courage to scold you? ”

The merchant also said: "Wouldn't it be easy for you to spend as you did in the old world?" Who told you to be more decent than your neighbors? I'll just ask you, why are you here to take the train? In the old days, this car was enough for you to eat and drink for a month. ”

The man blushed and said, "This is the way of the world." Isn't that how everybody lives? When you eat and drink enough, you have to think more. What you just quarreled about, isn't it how to make it convenient for us ordinary people to get this train? ”

The crowd was about to express themselves around the words of the people, when suddenly someone shouted, "Mountain! It's in the mountains! ”

Before the words fell, everyone's eyes suddenly became dark. Only then did I realize that the train had entered the mountain tunnel. Zhong Sanri and the others were shocked in their hearts, and those who had long been experienced said with a hint of ostentation: "Don't panic, it's just the time ......for a pillar of incense."

The official's words made everyone's hearts even more shocked: "This tunnel is more than 1,000 zhang long, and it was dug out of the belly of the mountain!" It took tens of thousands of people four years and an unknown number of catties of gunpowder to build, and not only thousands of Nanyang slaves died, but hundreds of local workers were martyred. ”

In the dark carriage, a solemn silence enveloped everyone, including Zhong Sanri, each with their own feelings, but in the end, it all boiled down to one thought: the times are sophisticated, and the old world is gone forever.

Out of the tunnel, the rugged land of Hong Kong is left behind, and in front of me is a soothing plain, paddy fields and dry fields stretch out, it is the spring ploughing season, you can see the ploughing cattle coming and going in the fields, even if the train roars, there is no panic. The farmers near the train also extended their hands to greet them in a friendly manner, and their fleeting faces showed both satisfaction for the present day and longing for the future harvest, and occasionally saw a group of people fighting for something in the fields, and seemed to feel the anxiety floating in the carriage before.

Looking at the characters of his homeland, Zhong Sanri's heart was agitated, and he suddenly felt that his struggle overseas was not entirely for himself, whether it was satisfaction or longing, he seemed to have contributed, and the disputes and worries of people in the carriage and in the fields seemed to be burdened with a share of responsibility.

The train passed through a country road, and several donkey carts stopped at the intersection, and the heads of children sticking out from the sides of the car shouted excitedly at the train. This should be the "school bus" of Mengxue or primary school, and the vitality and joy on the ruddy face make the people in the carriage feel a trace of inexplicable satisfaction and even pride.

Thinking of the words of the people just now, Zhong Sanri's heart was high-spirited, everyone wanted to live a good life, and everyone saw that a good life was under their feet, just like the railway. We just don't know how to coordinate each other's interests so that everyone can walk on this road and not run into each other.

"Whether it is the imperial court or the private capital, we can't just listen to the rhetoric of both sides, we have to let our wishes have a place to be expressed. If the future of railways can't be cheaper, more convenient, and benefit everyone, then how can we change this? Can we change this? The students thought that this is what we should be more concerned about. ”

The scholar before told his heart, whether it was Zhong Sanri or everyone, and even the disputing officials and court officials all nodded at the same time. In today's world, lions and tigers are fighting, and the common people cannot just be the flesh and blood of the two parties, but must have the ability to control the two and benefit from the competition between the two.

With what he saw and felt along the way, Zhong returned to Yingde County, Chengtian Mansion on the third day, and stood outside the door in a house in Huangzhai Township, which had been greatly changed, hesitating. (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation and monthly passes, and your support is my biggest motivation. )