Chapter 423: Unsold Military Equipment, the First Railway

The world map slowly unfolded, showing a panoramic view of the earth that most people in the Song Dynasty had never known.

The original world map was destroyed in the struggle between Zhao Jun, Lu Yijian and others.

Lu Yijian originally planned to let Zhao Jun integrate into the officialdom. After Zhao Jun was reminded by Fan Zhongyan, he burned the documents in a rage.

Although all this information is stored in the computer, the clearest one is indeed no longer visible.

However, the artist's hand-painted board in my hand now, even though it is not as good as the color printing plate, is very clear and the annotations are also very detailed.

Zhao Jun glanced at the map. The Song Dynasty still had the same problem. All the money was used for development, and the state treasury was short of money.

Expenditures are calculated every year. If something unexpected happens, such as a temporary war, taxes will be increased or some expenditure items will be cut.

But Zhao Jun didn't want to choose either.

Since the surrounding countries have been exhausted by sustainability and there is not much oil and water to squeeze out, it is time to open up new land and carry out intensive farming.

"Mayi Country, the Philippines in later generations, this country is still very popular in our later generations. It is close to us and has very rich mineral resources."

Zhao Jun finally fixed his gaze on the southeastern tip of Qiongzhou Island, pointed at the island on the map and said, "That's it."

"Mayi Country?"

Everyone put their heads together.

Yan Shu hesitated and said: "I do know that this country has a population of no more than a thousand households. The residents on the island are all dark-skinned and the population is sparse. It doesn't even count as slavery. It seems like a primitive society. What can it do?"

"This is because we don't know much about this place, and the only way to understand it is through a little bit of information from the merchants who come and go."

Zhao Jun said: "Actually, the population here is definitely more than a thousand households. It should be just a thousand households gathered together to form a city-state."

As he spoke, he pointed to the location of Guangzhou and said, "Let Jing Haijun and the Guangzhou Transportation Department send people to the island to investigate the local situation."

"They sent merchant ships here during the Taiping and Xingguo years. It's only been less than seventy or eighty years, so it shouldn't have changed much."

Song Shou said.

"This shows that the Philippines is still too backward. We should bring civilization and enlightenment to them. In a place that does not even have slavery and still has a primitive tribal structure, we should directly bring them advanced systems."

Zhao Jun sighed: "This is our responsibility and obligation as an ancient civilization, and it is also an excellent example of the big brother in East Asia helping the younger brother. Isn't this a good story?"

"As expected of you."

Cai Qi gave a thumbs up, then shook his head and said: "Even if you want to colonize Mayi Country, it is such a long distance. Even if you send people there this year and officially start mining locally next year, I am afraid that the distant water cannot save the nearby fire. We There’s going to be a war this year.”

"War is nothing more than two elements, one is money and the other is food."

Zhao Jun said: "Mayi produces grain and minerals in the country, and is very suitable for growing rubber. It should become the granary, mine, and rubber plantation of our Song Dynasty in the future. It is not a bad thing to lay it out early. As for fighting."

He pondered for a moment, then looked at Dali, Korea and Yue Dynasty, and said to everyone: "Then let's find our little brother to absorb the blood first. Once we survive the destruction of Xixia, Nanyang's interests will also come up. By then, naturally We will have the money to regain the Western Region and open up the Silk Road, allowing us to make a lot of money.”

"Looking for my little brother to suck blood?"

Everyone was puzzled for a moment, and Song Shou asked: "How to suck blood? Take it by force?"

"Of course not. We are a heavenly country and have been a country of etiquette since ancient times. How can we do such a thing?"

Zhao Jun smiled and then said: "Isn't the Yue Li Dynasty fighting against the rebels? They must be lacking weapons and equipment. Our Song Dynasty has eliminated so many weapons and equipment, I think they need it."

"There is also internal instability in Dali. The Gao family and the Yang family have always been at odds. It is only a matter of time before a war breaks out between them. I, the Song Dynasty, have always been generous in helping others. Selling weapons and equipment to them is all for the sake of their domestic stability. "

"As for Goryeo, I heard that the Jurchens in the north often invade the border. Although our Song Dynasty's heavenly soldiers are powerful, they cannot be stationed in Goryeo all the time. If we want to protect our country, we must rely on ourselves."

"In addition, life is not easy for the Jurchens in the White Mountains and Black Waters. Not only do they have to fight wild beasts, but there are also wars between tribes. It is reasonable to sell them some weapons to protect themselves."

He spread his hands and said: "The weapons and equipment of our more than 1.2 million troops have been eliminated. How can we sell out all the weapons and equipment sold by the Lu Dynasty in Japan? How can we do it without finding more buyers? ?”

"Forehead"

Everyone's expressions froze.

Yan Shu sighed: "If I want to talk about bad things, it has to be you."

"Don't be embarrassed."

Zhao Jun said righteously: "As the saying goes, peace can only be achieved through war. I reluctantly parted ways for them to end the war as soon as possible. We, the Song Dynasty, have always been eager for justice and righteousness. For the sake of the stability of their country, we want to put an end to the war as soon as possible. That is heartbreaking. ”

Everyone rolled their eyes.

really.

If a person doesn't show his face, he will be invincible in the world.

soon.

A few days later, the Constitutional Yuan's warrant was conveyed.

A warrant was sent to Chengdu and handed over to Song Southwest International Trading Company.

A warrant was sent to Jiangsu and Zhejiang and handed over to Da Song Ocean Trading International Company.

The last warrant was sent to Guangzhou and handed over to the Guangzhou transit envoy and the Guangzhou Jing naval commander.

Since the Qingli Year, many state-owned enterprises have been established in the Song Dynasty.

Including Songliang Group for grain trading, Songyou Group for oil and salt trading, Songhai Group for ocean trade, Songmao Group for land trade, etc.

In addition to the shares of the imperial court, there are also shares of the royal family. Zhao Zhen's internal fund income mainly comes from the profits of these state-owned companies.

Now many years have passed, Zhao Zhen's internal funds are very considerable, and he has accumulated more than 100 million coins as early as the sixth year of Qingli.

However, during the seven years of Qingli's war, the Academy of Sciences conducted experiments, established awards, and awarded bonuses, Zhao Zhen conducted his own experiments, and allocated funds to disaster-stricken areas, all of which were funded by him from internal funds.

After all, the treasury is mainly used for national construction, while internal funds are used for military expenditures and scientific research. Zhao Zhen can be regarded as making a contribution to the country.

By this year, there will only be more than 30 million yuan left in the internal funds, and a large amount of money will be spent to support the Academy of Sciences' research in science and technology. Zhao Jun has no intention of using the internal funds.

After those warrants were conveyed to various trading companies, these companies sent salesmen to Dali, Vietnam, Korea, Korea and other places to discuss business.

And instead of talking directly to the royal family of Dali Yue Dynasty and Goryeo, they went to some local feudal princes to talk.

Dali seems to be very stable in the country, but in fact it is not a completely unified feudal country, but should be regarded as a tribal alliance emirate.

The Duan clan founded Dali in name only, and all ethnic groups were dominated by the Duan clan. However, the troops and horses were under the control of the tribal leaders of each tribe, and the Duan family could not mobilize the army.

The Gao family, on the other hand, controlled the military power and resources, just like the Fujiwara family in Japan, holding the emperor hostage to order the princes.

The Yang family was the royal family of the former Dayi Ning Kingdom. After the Dayi Ning Kingdom was destroyed by Duan Siping, the founding monarch of the Dali Kingdom, the Yang family did not perish but fled back to its ancestral homeland of Jianchuan.

However, facing the increasingly declining situation, Yang was very dissatisfied and had always been at odds with Gao.

Fifteen years later in history, Yang Yunxian, the patriarch of the Yang family, launched a rebellion. Although it failed, Yang Yunxian's son Yang Yizhen continued to rebel, which shows the depth of the contradiction between the Yang family and the Gao family.

There was also the Yue Dynasty. After the Li family was destroyed by the Song Dynasty, the Song Dynasty supported the Li family of the previous dynasty to ascend to power. However, Li was unpopular and the internal rebellion was very serious.

If the Song Dynasty had not stationed troops at the seaside and would send troops to help the Li Dynasty when it was in danger, I am afraid that the Li Dynasty would have been destroyed by now.

Only Goryeo had no domestic rebel forces.

But the Jurchen invasion from the north also caused them a lot of headaches, so the surrounding countries were not very peaceful.

Although the Song Dynasty now has good relations with these countries, it is naturally impossible to send troops to help them all the time if they do not have their own interests.

Under such circumstances, if the hostile forces in these countries suddenly purchased a lot of weapons and equipment and their strength increased dramatically, how could they not choose to come to the Song Dynasty for help?

Two months later, the first batch of orders came in. The Dali Yang family bought thousands of blades and armor from the Song Dynasty, and delivered them directly with gold, silver, spices, and copper ore.

Not long after, the second batch of orders came one after another. Both the Le Dynasty and local rebels in Vietnam were willing to purchase Song Dynasty ordnance.

By late September, many orders were coming in, including from the Jurchen tribe in Northeast China. The blades and armors that were originally piled in the warehouse suddenly became popular.

"Ahem, weapons are unsaleable."

September 24th, late autumn is about to enter winter, and the weather in Bianliang is getting colder and colder.

Although it hasn't snowed yet, it has entered the autumn rainy season for two consecutive days.

The patter of rain hit the eaves, fell on the windowsill, and floated on the branches and leaves of the big tree in the backyard of the Political Courtyard, making a tinkling sound.

Zhao Jun coughed twice.

In the recent autumn and winter, I, a young man, have caught a cold, but the old men are fine and in good health. They appear in the hospital with glowing faces every day, and they look as if they can live a long time.

He suspected that he and his wife were too passionate at night and did not cover themselves with quilts.

I drank a bowl of Chinese medicinal soup in the morning.

It’s not that there are no Jiujiu Cold Ling and Gankang, but these medicines are all frozen in the ice cellar. Although they are frozen with ice cubes, they should be able to be stored for a long time, but no one knows whether they will go bad or not. Take it rashly. When it expires, it loses its medicinal properties and produces toxins, then it's over.

Secondly, it's just a minor cold. Even if these medicines haven't expired, it's really not worth it to cure a cold. It's better to use them to save lives in the future.

"Didn't they sell more than 40,000 pairs of swords and guns, and more than 10,000 pairs of armor?"

Yan Shu smiled and said: "This is more than a million dollars in revenue at once, plus the sales to Japan, a lot of inventory has been cleared in the past two years."

"There are still too many weapons and equipment for more than 1.2 million troops. There are millions of guns, knives, spears, and spears in total, and four to five million pairs of armor. If these were leaked to the people, they would not know how to cause trouble. What a mess."

Zhao Jun said: "If we don't make arrangements in this area, the supervision will be reduced in a few years, and it will flow into the market. Now it can be sold abroad, which can also increase a lot of foreign exchange."

"That's true."

"Han Long still has an idea."

"By the way, didn't Han Long previously sign an agreement to exile the most heinous criminals to Liuqiu Island? Why not put them in Nanyang? Wouldn't it be good to give them weapons and equipment to open up wasteland?"

"When it comes to not being a human being, you still have to ask Uncle Ri."

"Hahahahaha."

Everyone laughed.

After all, the Song Dynasty had a population of close to 100 million. Even though Zhao Jun had been demanding to ensure local security, crimes still emerged in endlessly.

For this reason, as early as last year, Zhao Jun signed an agreement to exile to Liuqiu prisoners who were not guilty of serious crimes but were guilty of serious crimes.

Of course, Liuqiu during the Song Dynasty was not Ryukyu Island, but a treasure island for later generations.

Now the miasma is everywhere, and the death and injury rate is very high.

Zhao Jun did not sign this resolution before. One reason was that the domestic labor force was insufficient and prisoners were needed as free labor to carry out work such as mining minerals.

Second, the living conditions there are too harsh. The exiled prisoners are those who are not worthy of the death penalty. If you really want them to die, just behead them. There is no need to spend so much money to send them there to escape death.

But it's different now. With Cinchona, the mortality rate will be greatly reduced, and the survival rate of criminals is guaranteed. They can open up wasteland and build, which is much better than letting them die.

While everyone was talking, at this moment, officials from outside hurriedly came in and reported to them: "Report to the Governor, Prime Ministers, there is news from the Ministry of Railways."

"oh?"

Zhao Jun quickly asked: "Has the Beijing-Xiangxiang Railway been completed?"

"Yes."

The official said: "The formal integration was completed three days ago."

"Very good."

Zhao Jun laughed.

Many other prime ministers were also very happy.

Last month, the Railway Road submitted an official document to the Constitutional Yuan, saying that they had built the project in Nanyang and that the two railway tracks were about to be connected together.

This railway was built from November of the fifth year of Qingli to September of the eighth year of Qingli. It has been under construction for nearly three years.

It stands to reason that the speed of railway construction in the plains will be very fast. For example, the American Pacific Railway has set a record of building fifty kilometers per month. It is only more than 400 kilometers from Bianliang to Xiangyang. How can it take so long to build three years?

However, the Song Dynasty is now the pioneer of railways. It is easy to go from one to one hundred, but not so easy from zero to one.

Various technical problems and transfer issues came one after another.

The most intuitive thing is how to repair the river along the way. We tried many methods, and the most important thing was to develop the pneumatic caisson method to solve the problem.

Moreover, the Song Dynasty did not build one railway, but two. One goes forward and the other returns, building opposite each other from Bianliang and Xiangyang respectively, and is expected to complete the connection in Nanyang.

In addition, it is necessary to connect surrounding counties and build branch railways for dispatching, etc.

Therefore, the actual railway mileage is not 400 kilometers at all. If you include the branch railways connecting various states and counties, it is almost a thousand kilometers.

Along the way, a train station, a dispatching room, a guard post, and guardrails to prevent surrounding villagers from tampering with the railway had to be built. The amount of work was not small.

Three years later, the hard-won railway was finally completed.

With this railway, as long as it can pass the trial operation and run multiple times without faults or problems, railway transportation from Xiangyang to Bianliang can be established.

It perfectly solved the problem of inconvenient communication from the south to the north, and also accumulated experience for future railway construction, allowing railways to spread all over the country in the Song Dynasty!

"This matter must be reported to the officials as soon as possible, so that the officials will be happy as well."

Zhao Jun then said: "Let the people from the Ministry of Railways start the trial operation immediately and try it a few more times. When the train from Xiangyang to Bianliang arrives at Bianliang Railway Station, we will also go and have a look."

"good."

"Then it's decided."

"Not only am I going to go, but I also want to take a train to Xiangyang."

"It's really a great event that everyone in the world celebrates."

The old men were all excited and their spirits were much better than before.

Even Zhao Jun's cold seemed to be cured, with a smile on his face.

It is indeed not easy to repair this railway, but as long as it is repaired, many problems in the future can be easily solved.

Not only can it train many experienced railway repair workers and technicians, it can also speed up the circulation of goods, provide a large number of jobs, and revitalize the national economy.

It can be said that twelve years after Zhao Jun traveled through time, the Song Dynasty completed the feat from zero to one. From then on, the Song Dynasty truly completed its industrial strides!