"What do you say? Li Zicheng wants to meet me? ”

Chongzhen's face showed a look of astonishment, which he didn't expect.

Gao Qiqian also said that Chongzhen disagreed, and immediately said: "The old slave also thinks it's inappropriate, a thief, how can you see it?" The old slave then went to reject the envoy sent by the puppet Shun. ”

"Huh, don't." Chongzhen stopped, "Why refuse." ”

"Huh?" Gao Qiqian turned around and looked at Chongzhen in dismay, "What do you mean?" ”

Chongzhen stood up and paced beside him while analyzing: "The pseudo-obedient envoy must have said something to Li Zicheng after he went back last time, and Li Zicheng must have been stimulated by some kind of stimulation, so he proposed to meet with me." ”

"If I'm not mistaken, he probably has a lot to say to me."

"Of course, this may also be Li Zicheng's conspiracy, just trying to take the opportunity to harm me."

After a pause, he said: "Tell the pseudo-obedient envoy that I can meet with Li Zicheng, but the place must be in my big tent, and after the meeting, I promise that I will not use the excuse to make it difficult for him." ”

"Yes." Gao Qi received the will and ran to reply to the false obedient messenger.

"This Li Zicheng is quite good at working hard." Chongzhen smiled and shook his head.

Well, Chongzhen didn't take this matter to heart at all, so he just thought it was fun.

If you send a few watermelons, you have to let people try them first, and then run to meet you, am I stupid?

But when he turned around and faced Wang Pingshan and Hu Renzhi, the smile on his face gradually solidified.

"Wang Pingshan, Hu Renzhi, 2 million is too much, this is not the original expedition to Yunnan, the mountains are high and the water is long and the road is blocked, from Jiangnan to Beijing to transport grain can directly take the sea route to Dagukou, the next 400 miles are also flat roads, there is no danger, you two actually dare to ask for 2 million?"

Zhu Shunshui, who came from Nanjing, also helped: "What the saint said is extremely true, 2 million is really outrageous, and you only need to price 500,000 for the previous 1 million stones, but this time you dare to ask for 2 million for 2 million stones?" ”

Wang Pingshan and Hu Renzhi glanced at each other, and said with a wry smile: "Shengshang, Zhu gave advice, that's not what I said, although the mountains and rivers were blocked when the road to Yunnan was blocked, but only 600,000 stone of grain was transported, but this time the grain to Beijing was 2 million stones, which was more than three times that of Yunnan. Last time, we lost 1 million stones, a full 400,000. ”

Hu Renzhi also smiled bitterly and said: "The ministers have repeatedly calculated, and 2 million can only barely keep the capital." ”

"2 million is impossible, I can only give you 1 million." Chongzhen said categorically.

Wang Pingshan and Hu Renzhi's faces became more and more bitter, but they were lamenting in their hearts, sure enough, the business of the imperial court was not good.

However, just as the two sighed, Chongzhen said, "However, I can give you a little extra compensation in other aspects. ”

Listening to Chongzhen talk about the word compensation, Wang Pingshan and Hu Renzi suddenly came to the spirit, and the last time they transported grain to Yunnan was the same, relying solely on grain transportation was actually a loss.

But Chongzhen compensated them for a large number of jewels at a low price, and they could also sell them first and pay later.

At that moment, Wang Pingshan asked in a low voice: "But I don't know what kind of compensation the Holy Lord can give to his ministers?" ”

Chongzhen turned his gaze to Jiang Tianyi next to him: "Jiang Tianyi, a few of you were still discussing just now, saying that it was not easy to build Beijing City, and I shouldn't have demolished the city wall in the east, right?" ”

"Exactly." Jiang Tianyi, "The minister thinks that the city wall of Beijing should not be collapsed." ”

After a pause, Jiang Tianyi said again: "And it turns out that it is more difficult to attack the city after the city wall is destroyed. ”

In the era of cold weapons, once a gap was cut from the city wall, the attacking infantry could rush in through the gap, and the defending infantry had no other way to think of than to block the gap with their heads.

Attacking with a gap is obviously much easier than attacking by climbing a wall.

But in the age of firearms, the logic changed.

The defenders only need a few cannons, supplemented by infantry lines, to easily seal the gaps in the walls, while the attackers can only follow the tactics of refueling and are hunted down one by one.

In this way, the gap in the wall will not only become an easy path, but will become a meat grinder for the attacker.

On the contrary, if you don't collapse the city wall and climb the wall along the ladder, you can avoid the lake face of the Jiannu cannon, because the Jiannu cannon can't turn the muzzle down and directly bombard the Ming army on the ladder.

That's why Jiang Tianyi said that it would be easier to attack without demolishing the city wall.

Because the city wall is not demolished, only the flintlock pistols and traditional weapons of the city are faced with the Jiannu.

However, Chongzhen said: "I have already told you that the demolition of the city wall is not for the purpose of attacking the city, but only to exert psychological pressure on the Jiannu nobles and Han gentry in Beijing. ”

Jiang Tianyi said distressedly: "Then there is no need to open such a big gap." ”

Chongzhen said: "Then if I tell you that after the recovery of the capital division this time, the city wall between Chaoyang Gate and Dongbian Gate will be demolished as a whole, wouldn't you be even more distressed?" ”

"Why?" Jiang Tianyi asked in surprise, "Why do you have to demolish the city wall?" ”

Not only Jiang Tianyi, but also Xu Yingwei, Zheng Sen and other scholars also came to see it.

"Because the railroad is going to be built." Chongzhen said, "The railway should go straight from outside the city to the inside of the city. ”

"Railroad?" Zheng Sen, Xu Yingwei, Jiang Tianyi and other scholars widened their eyes, "Do you really want to build a railway?" ”

As early as the day after Gewuke successfully built the steam engine, Shengshang once told them about this railway, saying that a track was laid out on the ground with steel bars and wood, and then dozens or hundreds of carriages loaded with steel wheels were dragged by the steam engine, which could run quickly on the track, and could run from Nanjing to Beijing in two days and nights.

At that time, all the scholars thought that the Holy One was just talking.

But he never expected that the saint really planned to build the railway.

"Of course." Chongzhen said, "The first thing after the recovery of the Beijing division is to build a railway, with the railway as a link, the capital and the Beijing division will be integrated, and from then on, the north and south will be integrated." ”

Railways can greatly shorten the distance between time and space and promote the integration of the north and the south.

Railways will be built not only in the north and south, but also in the east and west in the future.

Eight verticals and eight horizontals are too extravagant, but two verticals and two horizontals are necessary.

After a pause, Chongzhen said: "In order to facilitate the people in Beijing, the railway station must be built in the inner city, otherwise the people will have to walk a long way to go out to take a train or consign goods, which is really too troublesome." ”

Chongzhen will not preserve the intact city wall for the sake of preserving the monuments for the descendants of hundreds of years, such as the city wall and the city tower, which bear witness to history, if possible, of course, try to keep it, but the premise is that it cannot hinder the development and not hinder the people's going out or life.

"The area around Gongyuan is the best location for the train station."

"So the city wall between Chaoyang Gate and Dongbian Gate needs to be demolished."

Jiang Tianyi still felt a little regretful, and said: "But in this way, Beijing's city defense will not be complete." ”

"City defense?" Chongzhen said with a smile, "You are just pretending to be a lake, after entering the age of firearms, can defensive facilities like the Beijing city wall still play a defensive role?" ”

】

Jiang Tian waited for several scholars and immediately stopped talking.

Indeed, after entering the age of firearms, the city walls were useless.

Now it is a facility like the Guntai that can play a defensive role.

Chongzhen turned his gaze to Hu Renzhi and Wang Pingshan again, and said: "The cost of transporting military supplies is only 1 million, and there is not a penny more, but I can hand over the railway from Nanjing to Beijing to you to build." ”

Hu Renzhi and Wang Pingshan didn't know what a railway was, and asked, "Shengshang, is the railway you are talking about the same official road as the straight road built in the Qin Dynasty?" ”

As businessmen, Hu Renzhi and Wang Pingshan are undoubtedly very fond of straights.

Because of the appearance of the straight road, it greatly facilitates the trade between Guanzhong and Hetao.

But there is already a canal between Nanjing and Beijing, and it seems completely unnecessary to build another straight road.

What's more, it seems unprofitable to build such a straight road? Co-authored Shengshang wants to knock the two of them to the marrow? It's not enough for the two of them to lose money to transport military supplies, but also for the two of them to lose money to build a straight road?

"Straight? A railway is not the same as a straight, a straight is just a road, but a railway is a system. ”

Chongzhen said: "After the completion of the railway, a railway transportation company will be established, and the profit prospects of this business will exceed the limit of your imagination, as compensation for the two of you, I will allow you to take half of the shares!" ”

"Half percent?" This proportion is really a bit low, but Hu Renzhi and Wang Pingshan suddenly thought of the steam engine factory and the machinery factory after that, the Weng family only accounted for half of the shares in the machinery factory, and so far has not been red, but now even a fool can see the huge profit prospects of the machinery factory.

Needless to say, the Weng family will definitely be the great wealth of the Ming Dynasty in the future.

Tens of millions of properties are conservative, and hundreds of millions of properties are possible.

At that moment, Wang Pingshan cautiously asked: "Shengshang, how does the prospect of the railway business compare with that of the machinery factory?" ”

Wang Pingshan and Hu Renzhi had already made up their minds that as long as the railway firm could have half of the profit prospects of the machinery factory, they would fight to lose money and take over the proceeds from the resale of the jewelry.

"Machine Factory?" Chongzhen said, "The prospect of the railway business is as good as that of the machinery factory. ”

After a pause, Chongzhen said again: "And it is impossible to build the railway only for you and Wanghu to invest, as long as you build the framework of the business, the follow-up funds will continue to be injected." ”

The Wang and Hu families would certainly not be able to afford such a big project as building a railway.

Therefore, it is necessary to issue bonds and raise funds through two market exchanges.

If it were another emperor, Wang Pingshan and Hu Renzhi might not believe it.

But Chongzhen's words, the two of them believed it, because Chongzhen never broke his promise.

At that moment, Hu Renyi patted his thigh and said, "Holy Lord, we have taken over this big job from the Wang and Hu families!" ”