Jiang Tianyi and the staff officers of the General Staff Section began to evaluate the military merits of the soldiers and Guozisheng who participated in the Northern Expedition, and then approved their military ranks according to their military merits.

This matter involved more than 3,000 scholars and more than 6,000 national children.

With such a large amount of work, of course, it cannot be completed in a few days.

More than half a month passed in a blink of an eye, and the time came to the middle of July of the 22nd year of Chongzhen (1649).

After half a month of day and night, Zheng Zunrang, Shi Jiuke, Weng Zhili and other businessmen finally arrived in Beijing first, and at this time, Lu Zhenfei and other thousands of officials had just passed Xuzhou.

After arriving in Beijing, he didn't even wash the dust on his body, and a group of businessmen rushed to the Chaori Temple to pay homage to Chongzhen.

Looking at the hundreds of businessmen gathered in the military camp of the Asahi Temple, Chongzhen said in his heart that sure enough, only interests are the most powerful driving force, and these businessmen just smelled a little fishy smell, and they came to Beijing day and night.

"Have you read the prospectus of the Ministry of Internal Affairs? What do you want to ask? ”

As soon as Chongzhen's words fell, Zheng Zunrang and Shi Jiuke raised their right hands at the same time.

Chongzhen pointed at Zheng Zunrang and said, "Shopkeeper Zheng, you should ask first." ”

Zheng Zunrang immediately stood up and asked: "Is the railway transportation company mentioned in the prospectus limited to the operation of the Liangjing Railway, or is it concurrently operating all the railways in the territory of the Ming Dynasty?" ”

"It's an option." Chongzhen said with a smile.

"As long as you wish, the railway transport company is the general railway transport number."

"If you don't want to, it's just a railway transport company in Beijing."

The hundreds of businessmen present suddenly looked at each other, there is such a good thing in the world?

However, as merchants, these merchants know that no meal can be eaten for nothing.

At that moment, Zheng Zunrang asked again: "If it is the general number of railway transportation, what do you need to pay?" ”

In the end, it is a businessman, and it is clear that taking more benefits will definitely cost more in exchange.

At that moment, Chongzhen said with a smile: "The price paid is to bear the construction cost of the new railway line. ”

"For example, the direct railway to the Western Regions mentioned in the prospectus?" Zheng Zunrang asked again, "The Yunxi Railway, which spans the future territory of the Ming Dynasty and has a total mileage of nearly 10,000 miles?" ”

"Yes, for example, the Yunxi Railway."

Chongzhen said: "The cost of 50 million yuan of the Liangjing Railway, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will pay 15 million yuan, accounting for 30% of the shares, and the remaining 70% of the shares will be freely bid by everyone here. ”

After a pause, he said: "If it is only the Liangjing Railway Transport Company, all the dividends will be distributed in full, but if you choose to upgrade to the Daming Railway Transportation Corporation, you can only take one percent of the dividends every year, and the remaining nine dividends will be rolled into the capital of the General Contractor for the construction of the next railway line, such as the Yunxi Railway across thousands of miles." ”

Zheng Zunrang discussed with Shi Jiuke and a few Yangzhou salt merchants for a while and said: "Shengshang, then we choose to upgrade to the general number of Daming Railway Transportation, only a long stream of water is the way to do business." ”

Upgraded to the Daming railway transport number, although it is necessary to sacrifice the interests of the moment, but in the long run it is a steady profit, because the future of the Ming Dynasty will have a lot of railways, and the profits of the Daming railway transport will be extremely considerable, far from the profits of a two-Beijing railway can be compared.

So it's not a multiple-choice question at all.

But anyone with a normal brain will choose a long stream.

For the choice of businessmen, Chongzhen was not surprised.

Chongzhen is also happy to see the merchants choose to go the long run, because it means that the Daming Railway Transport General will have more capital for railway construction.

The construction of the railway in Daming will be faster.

"Good." Chongzhen smiled and asked, "Shopkeeper Shi, your question?" ”

Shi Jiuke got up and asked: "I heard that Jiannu Lianyong, the Eight Banners Han Army, and the Eight Banners Mongolia who were captured in the Battle of Bali Bridge were all sent to build the Liangjing Railway. ”

"Of course you need to pay." Chongzhen said, "These prisoners of war are equivalent to laborers sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the Daming Railway Transport Headquarters, and the Railway Transport Commanders certainly need to pay the corresponding amount of wages to the Internal Affairs Administration." ”

Shi Jiuke and Zheng Zunrang glanced at each other, and said in their hearts that there is really no free labor in the world.

However, Shi Jiuke still wanted to fight for it, and asked: "Holy Lord, there is still a difference between prisoners of war and real laborers, and they can't pay the same wages, right?" ”

"This matter can be discussed." Chongzhen pondered for a moment and said, "Then let's count it at half price." ”

"Holy righteousness." Hundreds of businessmen attending the meeting were overjoyed, which saved half of their wages.

Chongzhen then asked, "Shopkeepers, do you have any other questions that you need to ask?" ”

"There is no problem with the Holy One." Zheng Zunrang replied a little impatiently, "Hurry up and start bidding." ”

"I will no longer participate in the share bidding." Chongzhen said that he turned his gaze to Weng Zhiren and another Yangzhou salt merchant named Sun Shouting, and then said, "Weng shopkeeper, Sun shopkeeper, let's talk in another place." ”

Weng Zhiren and Sun Shouting hurriedly stood up and left with Chongzhen, while Zheng Zunrang, Shi Jiuke and other hundreds of businessmen began to bid for shares under the auspices of Li Kaixian, the capital of the Prospectus Division.

Chongzhen took Weng Zhiren and Sun Shouting to the Chaoyang Gate Tower.

Weng Zhiren is the younger brother of Weng Zhiyi, a big salt merchant in Yangzhou, and is now the chief treasurer of Daming Machinery Factory.

Sun Shouting was also one of the salt merchants in Yangzhou before, and now he is the chief treasurer of the Daming Construction Workshop, and Nanjing's urban infrastructure and real estate industry are all in charge of Sun Shouting.

Chongzhen summoned Sun Shouting to Beijing because he wanted him to build a new Beijing.

Needless to say, Beijing's urban infrastructure at this time was extremely bad.

Most of the streets in the city are unpaved with stone slabs, and when it rains, they are muddy and difficult to walk.

And there is no sewer pipe, the inner city is better, the residents of the outer city actually dump domestic sewage on the street at will, on a sunny day there is still a horizontal flow of sewage, the smell is overwhelming, and on a rainy day it is even more sour.

The original Chongzhen also hated all this, but he couldn't come up with the money to rectify it.

As a traverser, Chongzhen naturally will not tolerate such a cityscape, this is the capital.

At that moment, Chongzhen asked Sun Shouting: "Shopkeeper Sun, is Beijing City spectacular?" Is Chaoyangmen Street spectacular? ”

Sun Shouting hurriedly said: "Beijing City is naturally spectacular enough, Chaoyangmen Street is the essence of Beijing, the street scene is magnificent and prosperous second only to Zhengyangmen Street, this sincerity can be said to be the best in the world." ”

Chongzhen shook his head and said, "However, after all, it is only the surface of horse manure and eggs. ”

Sun Shouting instantly understood Chongzhen's thoughts, and then said: "What the saint said is extremely true, although Beijing is spectacular, although the street scene is prosperous, there are three major deficiencies, one is the streets and alleys, the second is drainage, and the third is the residential buildings in the outer city. ”

Chongzhen asked directly: "I want to create a new Beijing, does Shopkeeper Sun dare to undertake it?" ”

Sun Shouting didn't respond immediately, frowned and said, "There are three difficulties here. ”

"You say." Chongzhen had expected this, and said, "I will try my best to solve it for you." ”

Sun Shouting said: "The first difficulty is the demolition of private houses, whether it is widening and reinforcing the streets, or laying drainage pipes, a large number ......of houses need to be demolished."

"But there's no need to worry about this, you just have to tear it down." Chongzhen said abruptly.

"It's not just the houses that hinder the renovation work, but also the ones that have been built privately and indiscriminately."

Now it is the right time to carry out the renovation of the new city, because at this time, almost all the "residents" in Beijing are waiting for crimes, needless to say about the full people in the inner city, and the residents of the outer city are all subordinate generals and ministers Lian Yong or the family members or maids and slaves of the Mongols, even if they really demolish their houses and destroy their houses, they dare not say anything.

What's more, Chongzhen didn't plan to do things perfectly.

All the land of houses in the inner city and outer city have been confiscated, that's for sure.

However, Chongzhen will still divide two areas in Guangqumen and Guang'anmen, and let Sun Shouting build a large number of resettlement bungalows to house these subordinate generals and the families of Lian Yong.

Sun Shouting said: "The second difficulty is manual labor, such a large renovation project, without more than 100,000 laborers, plus more than three years, I am afraid it is difficult to complete." ”

"You don't have to worry about it." Chongzhen said with a smile.

"I will give you 200,000 laborers, and the same is only half price, is it enough?"

"Huh?" Sun Shouting said with some skepticism, "Will this affect the construction of the railway?" ”

"You don't need to worry about this, you just need to think about the reconstruction of Beijing." After saying this, Chongzhen asked again, "What is the third difficulty?" ”

"The third difficulty is money."

Sun Shouting said with some embarrassment: "You know, the Daming Construction Workshop is responsible for the construction of the city of Nanjing, and has invested a lot of money for this, but the Ministry of Internal Affairs is not letting the price of the house rise, so the income from the sale of the house can only barely maintain the operation, and now the account of the Daming Construction Workshop is really no money." ”

The lack of money for urban infrastructure is indeed a huge problem.

The easiest way is to speculate on high land prices, and then sell land at sky-high prices, and then invest in urban infrastructure after raising money, forming a cycle of land maintenance, but this will bring a serious hidden danger, that is, the real estate industry will become a parasitic freak, and then suck the blood of various industries, resulting in serious deformity of economic development.

So Chongzhen was very reluctant to open this opening.

It seems that the time has come to issue industrial shares.

After government bonds and industrial bonds, it is finally necessary to implement industrial stocks.

At the moment, Chongzhen said: "You can consider issuing shares in the two cities to raise funds. ”

Sun Shouting said with a wry smile: "Qi Sheng, the Daming Infrastructure Workshop has already issued two phases of bonds, and if there is no big input guarantee, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is afraid that it will not approve the issuance of the third phase of bonds." ”

Chongzhen shook his head: "I'm talking about stocks, not bonds. ”

Sun Shouting said: "Stocks are not bonds? ”

[A few words about the military system, the Ming Army is not a modern army, it is a modern army in the era of flintlocks, the smallest campaign unit in the book is the brigade level, so only the brigade level will be equipped with logistics units and staff headquarters as standard, and when carrying out independent combat missions, it will also be temporarily equipped with medical, guard and scout and other units, and below the regimental level, there are only the chief and deputy commanders plus eight heralds and service]

(End of chapter)