In November, the north is already icy and snowy. The cold wind in Tianjin is fierce. At this time, Sheng Huaixuan sat in the office, looking out the window and pondering. The Tianjin weaving factory has entered the stage of machine installation, and he doesn't have to worry about it anymore. At present, Li Hongzhang has enough silver, so he has entered the imperial court to form the Beiyang Naval Division. He adopted Sheng Huaixuan's suggestion and built the shipyard in Lushun. There is a special person in charge of this part, so you don't have to worry about Sheng Huaixuan. His duty is to work hard to earn money and provide money.

Deng Zixuan's ghost hand played a role again, and the Lushun shipyard came out ahead of schedule. "My lord! Your letter! A subordinate handed the letter to Sheng Huaixuan. Sheng Huaixuan was a little confused and checked the payment of the letter, and quickly opened the letter and buried it in it. It didn't matter if Sheng Huaixuan was taken aback, and hurriedly got up to see Li Hongzhang. At this time, Li Hongzhang was leisurely sipping tea, in a high position, and it was smooth sailing. In particular, the Westernization Movement was surging and fruitful, and he was in a very good mood.

"Brother Huaixuan, what is so urgent, look at you in a panic," Li Hongzhang was completely concerned, at the moment he loved Sheng Huaixuan to the extreme, and Sheng Huaixuan didn't need to report it at all. "My lord, I just got the news that Shen Baozhen has laid a railway between Mawei and Fuzhou City, and has purchased a train. It will be open to traffic by the end of this month. Li Hongzhang was stunned for a moment and said: "Shen Baozhen is building a battleship, how can he have the money to lay a railway, is this news accurate?" "Absolutely!"

Sheng Huaixuan continued: "My lord, it is said to be a donation from the people!" He knew that this must be Deng Zixuan's masterpiece, no wonder this kid played dumb riddles, it turned out that he went to Fuzhou to lay the railway. Sheng Huaixuan would not confess Deng Zixuan, he concealed it at the beginning, and now he has to conceal it. You must know that the crime of bullying the king is to kill the head, no matter how great his credit is, Li Hongzhang will not forgive him. If Li Hongzhang knew that he had business dealings with Hu Xueyan, he would not tolerate it.

Therefore, Sheng Huaixuan had no choice but to do this, but fortunately, Deng Zixuan had been diving, but he was safe and sound, so the lie was logical. "Shen Baozhen's hand is very powerful, he did it for the imperial court. I have seen foreigners' trains in photos, and he knows how much profit he will make in the future. You immediately go to Fuzhou, find out the situation and report it to me. Laying railways is a great undertaking that will be achieved for a thousand years, and we must grasp it in our hands. ”

"My lord! There's one more thing to report to you! "What's the matter!" "I got the news that there is a huge coal mine in the Fushun area of Mukden Province, which can be mined in the open pit. At present, the demand for coal in the coastal provinces is very large, do we start to investigate? "Is the source accurate?" Sheng Huaixuan said without thinking: "I got the news from a foreigner, and it is said that the foreigner missionary found it. Adults, it is better to believe it than not to believe it, and not to let go of the opportunity. Sheng Huaixuan was convinced of the information revealed by Deng Zixuan in the letter. You can rest assured to go to Fuzhou! Where is Fushun, I'll send someone to check! "Subordinate Order!"

At Fuzhou Wharf, Deng Zixuan personally greeted Sheng Huaixuan. "Brother! You treat me like an outsider, you should tell me about this big thing. If Master Li knew that I was writing a letter to Lord Wu, my brother would suffer. Sheng Huaixuan said dissatisfied. Wu Tang had already misunderstood, he thought that laying the railway was the intention of Master Li, so he helped out. "Deng Zixuan didn't think about it. Sheng Huaixuan was startled when he heard this: "This is the crime of deceiving the king!" ”

Deng Zixuan smiled: "Brother Sheng! Don't worry, I didn't say anything, it was Lord Wu himself who misunderstood. Besides, he won't report this matter to Lord Li, because he just understands. Lord Wu is a smart person, what are you worried about! Then Deng Zixuan recounted in detail the experience of meeting Wu Tang. haha！ It's really you, if this matter is known to Lord Li, Lord Wu's top flower feather can't be saved, I have to beat him in this matter. Then Deng Zixuan accompanied Sheng Huaixuan to meet Shen Baozhen. Then Sheng Huaixuan met Wu Tang alone, as for what they were talking about, Deng Zixuan was clear in his heart.

Two days later they went to the Mawei Shipyard, which was crowded with people. Despite the cold winter, the temperature in Fuzhou is still more than ten degrees above zero. The local people spontaneously watched the ribbon-cutting event. Wu Tang and Shen Baozhen were in a prominent position, and the two of them were in the limelight, cutting short the big red silk in the cheers, and then the salute roared, and the warships moored on the river sounded the whistle to celebrate. Then the adults got on the train, and the train only pulled two passenger cars forward, and the people were surrounded by people watching the excitement along the way. I am afraid that what they see and hear will become a long-term conversation after their tea and dinner.

"Brother Sheng! How's that nice! "Sheng Huaixuan stretched his neck to look outside on the carriage, and the train was panting and roaring, and the speed was more than 20 kilometers." Yes, the foreigner's train is indeed unusual. "How about a suggestion for you?" "What advice?" "I suggest that you lobby Master Li to build a railway from Fuzhou to Shanghai. Considering the obstruction of the conservatives of the imperial court, it is difficult to build a railway in the north at present, but there should be no problem in the south, especially in the coastal zone. Sheng Huaixuan was shocked, this kid seemed to be a roundworm in Li Hongzhang's stomach.

"Brother Zixuan, could it be that you made a model to show Master Li?" "It's true, that's what it means. At present, only Lord Li can lay a railway in the territory of the Great Qing Kingdom, and the purpose of my pulling Lord Shen is to let him add fuel to the fire. In addition, I can see the actual train and the benefits of it, and I think that the government and the private sector will form a joint force to demand the operation of the railway. When I was in Wuhan, Mr. Zhang often mentioned the railways of foreigners and said that he would also run railways in the future, which shows that the Westernization movement has reached a certain consensus in the officialdom. ”

Sheng Huaixuan sighed and said, "At present, the imperial court's coastal defense is a major matter, the Wuhan Iron and Steel Plant is to be built, the Beiyang Naval Division is to be formed, and silver is needed everywhere." Even if the government and the people jointly run it, the imperial court will not be able to take out half of the money. "What's so hard about that? I have a brilliant idea? Sheng Huaixuan's eyes lit up and said, "What do you want to say?" ”

Deng Zixuan said confidently: "Laying railways can not be achieved without the support of the government, and the government can use land as a shareholder." The government can expropriate the land and guarantee that the land will be repaid when the railway is profitable, so that the government does not have to invest a penny. If Brother Sheng can persuade Li to build a railway from Fuzhou to Shanghai, I promise to invest 1 million, and I can lobby Hu Xueyan to join the shares. ”

"Brother Zixuan, you are simply too shrewd, yes, the operation is in our hands, I don't think Master Li will refuse." Sheng Huaixuan couldn't help but pat his thigh, overjoyed. The train model from Mawei to Fuzhou produced a sensational effect, and many dignitaries and nobles in the south of the Yangtze River flocked to it, especially the Manchu nobles came to check the rarities and took pride in taking the train, and the steam era of the Qing Dynasty appeared in advance.

At the end of the year, Sheng Huaixuan and Deng Zixuan returned. "Brother Zixuan, the Fushun Coal Mine you mentioned in your letter, Master Li has already sent someone to investigate, you won't let me do it!" Deng Zixuan said with a smile: "Brother Sheng, according to the records of foreigners, there is a huge amount of coal stored on the east and west banks of the Fushun Hunhe River. Especially in the area of Shengjinzhai, Xiaohuitun and Guchengzi on the west bank, the coal is buried very shallowly, some are almost bare on the surface, the deepest place is not more than 400 meters, and the thickness of the coal seam is about 30 meters, which can be mined in the open pit and the cost is low. ”

Sheng Huaixuan's eyes widened and said: "Can I not believe what you said in such detail, it seems that foreigners know my Great Qing Kingdom too clearly, and it is terrifying to hear it." "That's why we have to keep improving ourselves and catching up!" "Well said, the situation is gratifying and pressing, Brother Zixuan, I won't stay in Shanghai and go directly to Tianjin, now it's a race against time!"

After listening to Sheng Huaixuan's report, Li Hongzhang pondered for a moment and said: "Shen Baozhen is ahead of us again, and he actually uses private capital to build a steam airport factory. Your suggestion is very good, you don't need the court to pay money to lay the railway. Although the Westernization movement is struggling, we cannot afford to miss the opportunity, after all, there is a gratifying situation. I will go to the capital immediately, and you will immediately raise a construction road company when you return to Guangzhou, and hire foreigners to survey the line to raise silver taels. ”

There is a reason why Li Hongzhang is so urgent about laying railways, not only because he sees the huge profits of the railways, but also because he sees great results from a political and military point of view. Once a north-south railway line runs through the coastal zone, it will be of great significance for the movement of goods and troops, especially for the stabilization of coastal defense. The foreigners have opened the country several times with their ships and sharp weapons, and the importance of coastal defense is the heart disease of the imperial court, and Li Hongzhang is very confident that he will obtain the right to lay railways.

Then there was a big surprise, and the rhetoric prepared by Li Hongzhang was not used. The reason is that officials from the southern provinces have written to demand the construction of railways, and the appearance of the model railway in Fuzhou City has made the Manchu and Han officials in the south unconsciously reach a consensus. This is just like the special zone during the reform and opening up in later generations, when the benefits of seeing are vividly laid out in front of them, people's thinking will change without persuasion.

Li Hongzhang not only has a prominent position, but also is the first to get the moon near the water, and Li Hongzhang has his own strength, since the court does not need to pay silver, this is the most attractive. Soon Li Hongzhang was given the right of priority to build roads and authorized the expropriation of land. In order to take care of the interests of all parties and authorize Shen Baozhen to officially prepare for the construction of the steam airport factory, the situation that Deng Zixuan is most willing to see has appeared.

To great surprise, a month later, the imperial court approved the request of the governors of Liangguang and Huguang to authorize the laying of the railway from Guangzhou to Wuhan, on the condition that the imperial court would not pay a penny. This alone has silenced many provincial officials who are clamoring. On this day, the colorful flags fluttering in front of Shanghai Beiyang Industrial Group, gongs and drums were noisy, and the Beiyang Industrial Railway Road Construction Company was officially established.

Sheng Huaixuan dressed in official uniforms and was full of energy as the chairman of the road construction company, and announced the construction of the railway line from Fuzhou to Shanghai in public. Deng Zixuan invested 1 million in the name of his father-in-law, Shen Ruisheng invested 1 million in the name of Hu Xueyan, and then the businessmen of the rich side enthusiastically joined the shares, and Sheng Huaixuan raised 5 million silver taels on the same day. Sheng Huaixuan made a lot of money when he reported the success.

Sheng Huaixuan's official residence was very lively, and there was an endless stream of officials who came to congratulate him, so far Sheng Huaixuan's worth doubled. In the evening, the congratulatory personnel dispersed, Sheng Huaixuan was still full of energy and spirits, which can be said to be in good spirits on happy occasions. "Brother Zixuan, you and I will take a break when we are drunk, so be sure to celebrate." "Brother Sheng, don't be happy too early, the railway line hasn't been there yet, it's too early to celebrate!" Deng Zixuan poured cold water.

"What do you mean!" Sheng Huaixuan was confused. "The foreigner proposed that the construction period is three years, you must know that you will smash the silver in these three years, what if the silver is blown up?" "Continue to increase the shares, why worry about the silver and the two!" Deng Zixuan shook his head and said: "Shareholders are interested in the prestige of you and Hu Xueyan, and small and medium-sized shareholders will not follow suit if they do not see the actual benefits, so it will be very difficult to raise funds in the later stage." ”

"What do you suggest!" "The construction period must be brought forward, and I recommend two years to complete it!" "It takes three years for foreigners to have rich experience in road construction, and we can't do it in two years." "It's not that it can't be done, it's unthinkable, if the construction period is completed a year earlier, how many silver taels can you save? How much profit can you make if you operate a year early? "Brother Zixuan, presumably you have a way to advance the construction period?"

Deng Zixuan said with a smile: "It is difficult to build bridges along the river, so after the completion of the line survey, the roadbed and the bridge will be carried out at the same time, and the roadbed can be divided into three major parts, Fuzhou, Hangzhou, and Shanghai. In addition, you need to send someone to supervise the construction period and speed up the speed. ”

"Brother Zixuan, what you said makes sense, just take your suggestion!" Sheng Huai declares to obey.