Kyushu Academy of Sciences.

"Master Li, there is a telegram from Quancheng County."

"Say."

The line explorers said that from Laoshan Mountain to Quancheng County, the total length of the straight line is 300 kilometers, but it needs to dig through ten mountains and dig ten tunnels. The total length of the tunnel is 20 kilometers and the cost is 1 billion. If the tunnel is not dug to detour, the length of the journey will increase by 120 kilometers, which is estimated to increase by 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes according to the speed rate. This tunnel, dig not dig. ”

Li Zhen pondered for a while and asked, "Ten billion twenty kilometers...... How long does it take to dig twenty kilometers? ”

"Tunneling is mainly done by hand, and workers mainly use chisels and hammers to knock it down little by little, and a tunnel project requires 2,000 workers, excavated from both ends and gathered at the middle point. If you don't take a break for 24 hours and change shifts, you can dig about half a meter a day if you progress on both sides together. If more workers were brought in, ten tunnels would be excavated together, and the longest tunnel would be five kilometers. If nothing else......"

Li Zhen snorted: "Twenty-seven years? ”

"Ahem......"

The atmosphere fell silent.

A lot of people just calculate how much money they will use, but they don't calculate how much time it will take.

In most people's feelings, the tunnel is just digged. It is estimated that it will be dug up in a few days.

But if you do the math carefully, you will know what a huge project it is to dig a tunnel, and it will take 27 years to dig a five-kilometer tunnel. not only frightened outsiders, but also scared Li Zhen. Digging for twenty-seven years, just to save twenty kilometers of road? How to calculate, how not to cost-effective.

"Master Li, what should I do then......

Li Zhen blinked his eyes and asked rhetorically, "What do you think?" ”

"I ...... This. Do not dig. ”

"That's right. Go reply to Telegram...... Wait a minute. ”

Li Zhen hurriedly stopped the telegraph operator again: "Otherwise, let's do it." First Rao, first open the railway, start construction on both sides, and lay the rails around the road on the other side. While digging tunnels. If you don't dig now, won't you dig later? This tunnel still has to be dug. ”

"Really digging?"

"Dig."

“……”

In Quancheng County, Du Taiping received Li Zhen's telegram, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, he was really afraid that Li Zhen would dig a tunnel. The cost of one billion is really terrifying. But when I saw the telegram behind it, I said that I still had to dig, but the work started on both sides.

While laying the railroad tracks around the road, we will use them first, and at the same time dig tunnels.

Du Taiping was about to cry: "Why do you have to dig?" One billion, who can dig this? It's not worth the loss. ”

The secretary general of the office looked at the telegram and was silent for a while and said, "Son of heaven, Dean Li should be preparing for the future, right?" ”

Du Taiping nodded: "I know." If you look at the geographical map, the straight-line distance from Laoshan to Quancheng County is passed, and the distance of the entire Dongzhou has been shortened by half. All counties along the way benefited. It's all about preparing for later. Highways are not needed now, and they will certainly be used in decades, or decades, or more than a decade. It's just that this investment is not proportional to the gain, a billion gold coupons, who can afford this? ”

"Actually, it doesn't take a billion yuan, the Son of Heaven may not have thought of this. It doesn't have to be a billion dollars immediately, one billion is the estimated total cost, but for such a long time, it is probably only necessary to pay one or two million gold coupons every year. One billion is paid in more than ten years or decades, which we can still bear. ”

Du Taiping suddenly woke up when he heard this, yes, he was in love. A billion will definitely not be able to come out, but if it is paid in installments, it will be fine.

I took the map of Dongzhou again and looked at it, and after a while, Du Taiping made a decision: "Then dig." But since this is a big project, let's make it bigger at a time. Don't go to Laoshan to Quancheng County, get through directly. Laoshan Mountain, passing through Weifang, Qingzhou, Quancheng, Liaocheng, Anyang, Jiaozuo, Balongcheng. Directly buy and sell with a hammer, and break through Dongzhou and Zhongzhou. It's the same digging, and it takes so much time, so let's just get through it completely. ”

The secretary general looked at a straight line drawn by Du Taiping on the map, and his eyes lit up: "Then let's just open up New Kyushu directly." Dongzhou, Zhongzhou, Northwest State, Xizhou, and the four continents all run through. ”

Du Taiping rolled his eyes: "Don't fantasize." Re-estimate the cost to get an accurate figure, and then ask Dean Li. ”

Three days later, the news came back.

"Son of Heaven, from Laoshan Mountain, all the way to the straight line of Eight Dragons City. During this period, 46 mountains will be excavated, a total of 46 tunnels, with a total length of 103 kilometers and a total cost of 5.5 billion gold coupons......"

Du Taiping cleared his throat: "Forget it." ”

“……”

————-

A few days later, Li Zhen heard about Du Taiping's grand idea and couldn't help laughing. Isn't Du Taiping quite timid and cautious, he even wants to eat a fat man in one bite and directly chisel through the new Kyushu.

But then Du Taiping said forget it, but returned to the once cautious Du Taiping. That's right.

Li Zhen doesn't have any idea of doing that kind of vast project at the moment......

That's horrible. The cost of more than 5 billion, even if it is expected to be completed within 20 years, then the annual payment is an astronomical amount. Paying astronomical sums of money every year and not seeing the results until 20 years later is too risky. Pay for one's whistle.

"Let's build bridges honestly."

Li Zhen muttered, as if he remembered something: "No, no, no." I seem to remember that Zhang Zhi told me about the existence of a shield machine before. If you can create that kind of shield machine, will you be able to reduce both time and cost? ”

With the EPBM, tunnels are no longer a problem.

It's just that Li Zhen feels that the shield machine doesn't seem to be so simple. It shouldn't be enough to add a drill bit to the front of a machine. If it were that simple, it should be called a drill truck, not a shield machine.

"When I dream tonight, I have to ask Zhang Zhi what is going on with this shield machine. With the technology of the new Kyushu, can it be built? ”|

There was a murmur. Li Zhen no longer thinks about digging tunnels.

It is expected that Laoshan will be dug to Quancheng County and more than half of Dongzhou will be opened, and these things will be implemented by national specialists and professionals from the Kyushu Academy of Sciences.

Of course, the railroad still has to be laid. But now it's a detour, and there are no tunnels for the time being, and there are some places where you can build bridges in the mountains.

The cost of building a bridge is also expensive, although it is not a bridge that directly crosses a mountain. But there are many sections that also require a river to cross, a gorge, and a bridge in various terrains.

The cost of building a bridge is also expensive, but it saves too much compared to tunneling.