And so and so on

A train billows north in smoke at Zhenjiang Port on the north bank of the Yangtze River.

This is a feeder port.

The connection is the railway connecting Guangzhou and Zhongdu, and Zhongdu to Beidu.

It took six years to build.

The Beijing-Guangzhou Railway was finally completed and opened to traffic.

Of course.

Subject to current technological capabilities.

The ability to build a railway bridge across the Yangtze River was not available in the Ming Dynasty for the time being.

So now it is only possible to connect by ferry.

The first commercial freight train departed from Jianggang on the north bank of the Yangtze River at this moment and headed for the northern capital.

"It's not easy, the investment is tens of millions of yuan, and the first north-south artery across the north and south has finally been completed! In the next step, it is necessary to build several other north-south and east-west railways to form a north-south east-west stagger, and the northern line of the railway must be extended all the way from the north capital to Heilongjiang City. ”

Standing in a place in Jianggang, Emperor Zhu looked at the freight train rolling northward and sighed.

"Your Majesty, it is easy to repair the railway from the capital to the northern capital, it is all plains, but the railway from the northern capital is too difficult to cross Yanshan." The man who was talking was a man in his thirties who was wearing a navy blue birch suit and had an army hairstyle on his head.

The young man's name is Zhan Mingxing, a native of Panyu, Guangdong.

One of the three hundred brothers.

He studied for several years at several universities in Europe and was a founding scholar of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Daohua University.

He is now the chief engineer of the Daming Royal Railway.

This section of the railway that crosses the Badaling Great Wall from the northern capital is a nightmare for the engineers of this era.

If it weren't for the Royal Institute of Metallurgy's research on new cheap steel smelting technology and the large-scale use of explosives in railway engineering.

This railway that crosses Badaling will not even be planned at all.

"Train climbing is indeed a problem, although the cost of blowing up the mountain is high, but the significance of this railway construction is significant, and several industrial areas in Daming must be connected by rail!"

Emperor Zhu said.

Now there are three main industrial zones in the Ming Dynasty.

Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta, Bohai Bay.

And now the Ming Dynasty plans to plan a new industrial zone in the northeast.

It's near Shenyang.

Relying on the iron of Anshan and the coal of Fushun.

It will be the most important coal and iron community in the Ming Dynasty and the largest heavy industry base.

Moreover, with the expansion of the Northeast Collective Farm in the direction of the Outer Xing'an Mountains.

In Liaodong, Liaoxi, and Liaobei provinces, the colonial nature and collective production attributes of collective farms were abolished, and the land was auctioned off according to equity, and the matter of changing from collective farms to large-scale operating farms was also put on the agenda—now that the Ming Dynasty had firmly controlled the northeast region south of Heilongjiang, it was somewhat unnecessary to continue to let the collective farms maintain collectivization.

The farmers who owned collective farms could share dividends through their own land equity, and the three provinces of Liaodong, Liaoxi, and Liaobei became the provinces with the best population structure, the highest level of education, and the largest per capita disposable income in the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, the plan to plan an industrial zone in the northeast, establish a university, and build a railway is urgent.

"God bless, I heard that the design of this herringbone railway line has basically passed the acceptance?"

Zhu Daohua said with a smile.

Of course, Zhan Mingxing has little to do with the railway engineer in history.

His "Heavenly Blessing" name was also given by Emperor Zhu.

So in this plane.

There is also a railway engineer named Zhan Tianyou.

"Your Majesty, it has been verified, it is theoretically feasible, this will greatly reduce the number of heroes in the construction of the Badaling Railway, and in three years at most, the railway can be repaired to Shenyang!"

Zhan Mingxing said excitedly.

Emperor Zhu nodded, and then turned his head to look at the War Department Shangshu Wang Dayong beside him.

Wang Dayong was originally the commander of Emperor Zhu's Guards Corps.

However, Zhao Si resigned from the position of secretary of the War Department some time ago, and the official became a general, and now he is in charge of the Generalissimo's Mansion.

As the scale of the war decreased.

The older generation of generals has stepped down from their positions of real power.

They were replaced by young generals such as Wang Dayong, Luo Dingshan, Yang Yuchun, and Yang Fang.

"How's the redress of the northern corps?"

"Your Majesty, now all corps are loading needle guns after changing their equipment in an orderly manner, and at the current rate, in June next year, the northern corps will be able to complete the reloading."

Wang Dayong said hurriedly.

The Ming Army has now also undergone organizational reforms.

The era of brigade level as a basic combat unit is over.

At present, the basic establishment of the Ming Army is divisions.

The basic number of infantry divisions of the Ming Army is 12,000 people.

It has two infantry regiments, one mounted infantry regiment and one artillery regiment.

Now it belongs only to the regular army units of the Ming War Department, including 20 infantry divisions, 10 mounted infantry divisions, 5 shock cavalry divisions, and 5 large-caliber howitzer divisions.

The total strength of the army reached 400,000!

And this is only the regular army of the Ming court, not including the vassal armies in each direction.

The Corps, on the other hand, is a temporary institution.

According to the needs of the direction of operation, several divisions were filled in.

"First of all, the Liaodong Corps must fully complete the redressing and training by the end of this year."

"Yes!"

Wang Dayong said hurriedly.

Right now.

A freighter sails in.

A large number of boxes with munitions were unloaded from the freighter.

This river port is not only the starting point connecting the central capital and the northern capital.

At the same time, it is also an important material distribution center.

Arms made in Guangdong are transported here, and after being inspected and stored by the War Department, they are then distributed to the army corps stationed in various places.

Right now.

The staff officers of the War Department sweated profusely and inspected, numbered, and put the unloaded munitions into storage.

This is also the reason why the War Department Shangshu Wang Dayong is here today.

The Ming Army is now going to fully replace it with a new generation of rifles.

Liberation 6-year-old rear-loading needle pistol.

Rear loading guns appeared a few years ago, but at that time there were still many problems, there were no large-scale equipment troops,

After several years of continuous investment and iteration.

This rear-loading gun was finally finalized, and it began to be equipped with corps in several key directions.

Emperor Zhu asked people to open a box, take out the Guangfu 6-year-old rear-loading needle pistol, pull the bolt, listen to the crisp sound of the mechanical collision, nodded with satisfaction, turned his head and said to Wang Dayong: "This rear-loading gun is very good, several corps on the front line are rushing to ask for it, and the factories in Guangdong are too late to produce it!" However, the replacement of the 2-year-old rifled gun also has to find a way to recycle it, and now all the Western countries are replacing the rifled gun, we are the first to replace the rear-loading gun, and maintain a leading generation in the West in terms of equipment, but this financial pressure is not small, and it is best to find a way to sell some of the strong rifled guns that have been replaced. ”

The mechanical structure of a rear-loading gun was much more complex than that of a front-loading rifled gun.

Therefore, the relative cost is also much higher.

In terms of final selling price, the price of a rear-loading gun is three times more expensive than that of a front-loading rifle.

A gun costs 6 Ming Yuan.

The 400,000-strong army was all replaced.

2,400,000 yuan, plus the supply of bullets, training in new firearms, and so on.

To completely replace the rear-loading guns, the Ming Army must prepare at least four million additional military expenses.

The financial pressure is not small.

It's September now.

However, the temperature on both sides of the Yangtze River is still very high.

Emperor Zhu was just wearing a silk shirt.

But Wang Dayong has a neat military uniform and a straight collar.

The heat is sweating all over.

Holding a handkerchief in his hand, he wiped his sweat and said: "Your Majesty, although our Liberation Second Year rifled gun has been withdrawn by us, it is still a first-class rifle in the world." Now the Western countries, the rifled guns that have been reloaded are France and Britain, and the other countries are still mixed with musketeers and rifled guns, so the sales of rifled guns in the second year of the Liberation must not be worried, Japan, Korea, Siam, Burma, the king of Pingxi, the princes of India, they are all rushing to ask for it, but our guns, really want to sell them all? Don't be on the fence? ”

Zhu Daohua nodded and said with a smile: "Of course, the arms trade is subject to strict scrutiny, but this rifled gun is sold when it is sold, and now all countries can produce this type of firearm, if it is not sold now, it will not be sold at a price in a few years, if we don't sell it, others will sell it,"

Wang Dayong thought about it and felt that it made sense.

Arms dealing.

It's always been quite profitable.

When the Ming Dynasty fully replaced the rear-loading guns, other countries will follow suit after seeing the power of the rear-loading guns, and a large number of rifled guns will definitely flow into the market at that time.

At this time, you can sell it at a high price.

In a few years, it will be sold at a loss.

On the French side, the Duke of Jiaguo seized power in a coup d'état by Napoleon, and he was about to become the emperor of France.

This is the emperor of France, and Napoleon can't do things as the Duke of the Ming Dynasty.

The so-called ass determines the head.

Now the war in Europe has stopped.

The world is still fighting Russia and the Ottomans.

As for the countries of Western Europe.

Silence for the time being - everyone knows that they are all throwing their forces into the New World.

It seems that the Western powers also know where the future war will take place - after all, as long as Tsarist Russia and the Ottomans are still fighting, it is probably unlikely that the Ming army will drink the Madanube as much as the army of the Mongol Empire.

Future wars will definitely take place in the New World.

The key to the competition between China and Europa is also in the New World.

And to support the scale of the war in the New World, it was necessary to rely on the industrial system of a powerful Ming Empire.

Of course.

Now the Celestial Empire system is not monolithic.

The Europeans were also in private contact with some of the Ming subjects.

The British's spy ship appeared outside Busan, North Korea, some time ago, and was captured by the Ming Dynasty's Beiyang Fleet.

The rebellious army of the Dongxue Party.

There are certainly Europeans in it.

North Korea comes to mind.

Wang Dayong frowned.

The chaos in North Korea is getting bigger and bigger.

The heads of the two bands of wealthy families in various places were cut off and hung at the head of the city.

The Donghak Party also divided the land in Korea and was supported by the majority of the Korean common people.

And so on.

I am afraid that this place in Korea will become a slope of the Celestial Empire system, and the Europeans will seize the opportunity

But Emperor Zhu ignored this, as if he had forgotten this place in Korea.

The envoys of North Korea have arrived in the central capital, and they go to the Jiangbei Palace every day to kneel and cry.

But Emperor Zhu just didn't see it, but went to Zhenjiang to inspect the railway and military transportation.

At this time, the secretary next to the emperor, Lin Zexu, who had just graduated from the law school of Daohua University, walked over quickly.

In addition to being an official, Lin Zexu went to study.

And he also has the characteristics of a scholar.

In just one year, I completed my university courses and graduated with honors.

"Your Majesty, the two envoys from North Korea are waiting in the Jiangbei Palace today, and the chaos in North Korea is getting bigger and bigger."

Zhu Daohua smiled slightly: "I've been drying them for a few days, but I still have to inspect the railway construction site now, and I don't have time to meet them, so let the queen and the crown prince go to meet them instead of me." ”

Cho Jiakun, the judge of the Joseon Dynasty, and Kim Byung-hee, the constitutional official of the Sixian Mansion, had been waiting in the main hall of the Gangbuk Palace for a while.

They came over every day these days, although they didn't see Zhu Daohua, but they also learned the glory and wealth of the Ming Dynasty.

Compared with their Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeok Palace, and Emperor Zhu's Jiangbei Palace, they are just two small gardens that can't be put on the table.

Not only is it small, but it is also shoddy, and it can't even compare to one percent of the Jiangbeixing Palace!

And the Jiangbei Palace is only the temporary office and residence place of the Great Tomorrow, and they have also been to the palace in Zhongdu, which is magnificent and more prosperous than the Jiangbei Palace.

It's no wonder that the great tomorrow doesn't have the time to take care of North Korea, it seems that people don't look down on North Korea's territory and wealth at all!

They didn't see the emperor for a few days, but they went to the door and sent Korean ginseng and tiger skins, as well as ten beauties from the Andong Jin family and Fengyang Zhao family, to Empress Daming, and only then did they get the opportunity to be received by Empress Daming.

The place of the meeting is the magnificent Junhua Hall in the Jiangbei Palace, which is built like the Qiong Pavilion of Xianshan, and is the palace where the prince Zhu Yichi lives, but Zhu Yichi of course does not live here, but lives with Emperor Zhu and Empress Luo.

However, the first time the Ming prince met with the officials of the subject country, of course, it was reasonable to be on his own territory.

Luo Fangmei walked into the hall with a six- or seven-year-old boy, and Concubine Li walked in with a baby in her arms.

Zhao Jiakun and Jin Bingxi both bowed to the ground and made a big salute: "The minister knocked Zhao Jiakun (Jin Bingxi) to see the Empress of Daming and His Royal Highness the Prince." ”

Luo Fangmei sat down on the throne, and Zhu Yichi also sat down next to her, looking at the North Korean envoy kneeling below with a smile: "The two of you came from afar, presumably for the affairs of North Korea, I also saw the affairs of North Korea, and nine out of ten of the wealth of North Korea are concentrated in two classes of wealthy families, which is the root cause of the Korean rebellion." ”

Zhao Jiakun hurriedly said: "His Royal Highness the Prince, the ministers are loyal ministers of the Ming Dynasty, North Korea has always been the father of the Ming Dynasty, even if North Korea wants to change, it must change according to the order of the Ming Dynasty, how can it be coerced by the chaotic party"

Zhu Yichi pointed to the baby in Concubine Li's arms and said: "This is my fourteenth brother, my father has a word, he will be the king of North Korea, and now the king of North Korea has no queen, there is such chaos in the country, I want to calm the chaos in North Korea, and the North Korea is not as good as supporting my fourteenth brother as the king, so it is good to send troops to North Korea to quell the chaos." ”

Zhao Jiakun and Jin Bingxi glanced at each other, and the Ming Emperor didn't see them for a long time, and the two of them originally wanted to set up their own prince to be the king of Korea.

And it seems that this matter still has to be raised by the North Korean side itself, so the queen came to meet them first and give them a reminder.

(End of chapter)