area51novel Chapter 634 The Ming Dynasty is going to build a railway!
Chapter 634 The Ming Dynasty is going to build a railway!
The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the window lattice, bathing the West Warm Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace in a warm orange-red hue.
The hustle and bustle and scheming of the day have faded away, and tranquility has returned to the palace.
Zhu Cilang stood alone in front of the huge world map, his back to the palace gate, his shadow stretched long.
On the map, the overseas areas marked with different colors by the feudal lords appeared somewhat hazy in the twilight, yet seemed to be faintly glowing.
The Andes Mountains in South America, the Mississippi River estuary and Great Lakes region in North America, the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, the Spice Islands in Southeast Asia, the coast of the Indian subcontinent...
At this moment, distant and unfamiliar place names are all associated with the Ming Dynasty's vassal states such as "Chu," "Zhou," "Shu," and "Lu."
His gaze slowly swept over these places, but what came to mind was the transformation of those vassal kings in the Wenhua Hall today, from hesitation and pain to frantic buying; the thick stack of contracts and IOUs; and the light in the eyes of Hong Chengchou, Ni Yuanlu, Li Banghua and others, a mixture of admiration and excitement.
Achieving multiple goals at once.
He silently thought to himself that the problem of supporting the imperial family, which had plagued the court for a century and consumed countless national funds, had been fundamentally solved in a way that was almost like a "fire sale" plus "usury."
Those arrogant and unruly soldiers who became conceited and gradually turned into a menace were cleverly led overseas, allowing their excess energy and destructive power to expand the territory of the Ming Dynasty.
The Ministry of Revenue's military spending pressure was not only relieved instantly, but also opened up a new source of revenue that was long-term, stable, and incredibly profitable—arms exports and overseas trade.
But this is not enough.
Zhu Cilang's gaze deepened.
This is not just a business deal, but a grand strategy.
Through "mercenary" contracts, the imperial court maintained the final interpretation and a certain degree of influence over these overseas armed forces.
By monopolizing the supply of weapons and equipment, the imperial court controlled the military lifeline of the vassal kings.
Through "loans" and long-term trade agreements, the imperial court firmly bound the future economic lifeline of the vassal kings to the war machine of the Ming Dynasty.
They need the markets and goods of the Ming Dynasty; their prosperity depends on a trade surplus with the Ming Dynasty.
This deep economic bond is stronger than any blood oath or political promise.
From this moment on, the largest-scale era of armed colonial expansion in the history of the Ming Dynasty, dominated and driven by the will of the state, officially began.
It was no longer the sporadic actions of individual merchants and adventurers, but rather princes and dukes leading organized Ming armies, carrying sophisticated firearms, and aboard warships provided by the imperial court, heading towards the world's known richest lands.
They brought not only slaughter and conquest, but also the culture, technology, and institutions of the Ming Dynasty, as well as... endless conflicts and integration.
The course of world history will be irreversibly altered by this meticulously planned "Great Migration of the Zhu Family".
However, beneath that seemingly brilliant blueprint, undercurrents and risks are lurking in the shadows.
How will these heavily armed princes and armies develop overseas, thousands of miles away from China?
What kind of political entity will it form? Will it achieve complete independence after a few generations, or even turn against its mother country?
If those arrogant and fierce soldiers who were "hired" abroad combine with the vassal kings to form new and more aggressive military groups, how will the court check and balance them in the future?
Their clashes with the European and Brazilian colonial powers were almost inevitable. Would this lead to the Ming Dynasty being prematurely drawn into a global war for hegemony, disrupting its own development pace?
These are all unknowns, shadows that must be guarded against beneath the glorious light of the "Tianwu" era.
But Zhu Cilang did not show much worry on his face.
Risk always coexists with opportunity.
Since he dared to make this move, he must have the confidence and preparation to deal with all kinds of changes.
The overseas enfeoffment of the vassal kings was merely the first step in his grand strategy, a trial balloon and a reconnaissance mission.
Let these members of the Zhu family and their arrogant and fierce generals go out and explore, to test the depths and realities of this world.
The imperial court, sitting in the center, controls the supply chain, financial chain, and information chain, and is ready to adjust its strategies at any time based on feedback.
The sun finally sank completely behind the western mountains, and the last rays of its afterglow disappeared from the map.
Inside the palace, the eunuchs quietly lit the palace lanterns.
A warm, dim light spread out, enveloping Zhu Cilang's figure and the enormous world map within it.
He slowly turned around and walked back behind the imperial desk.
On the table were the summary of the articles of association finalized at today's meeting and several important contract samples.
He reached out, his fingers brushing across the cold papers, a slight smile playing on his lips, which eventually transformed into a determined and expectant one.
In the game of chess inside the Qianqing Palace, he had made the crucial move and won a great victory.
Meanwhile, outside the Forbidden City, on the turbulent deep blue ocean, an unprecedented grand game of chess, driven by the will of the empire and interwoven with bloodshed, wealth, dreams, and cruelty, has just begun.
Next, all that's left is for the warships to be launched, the troops to assemble, and the supplies to be ready, and then... a thousand sails will set sail, heading straight for the deep blue sea.
Outside the palace, the night wind began to rise, as if it had brought the scent of the ocean thousands of miles away.
……
June in Beijing is unbearably hot and dry.
The cicadas chirped their hearts out in the ancient trees outside the high walls of the Forbidden City, while sunlight filtered through the bamboo blinds of the West Warm Pavilion in the Qianqing Palace, casting dappled and still shadows on the smooth, golden brick floor.
Inside the hall, two enormous bronze ice chests emitted wisps of cool air, keeping out the summer heat and leaving only a reassuring tranquility.
Zhu Cilang was not wearing heavy everyday clothes, but only a dark blue Hangzhou silk robe. He was lying behind the large imperial desk, and his red brush made the last stroke on the last document concerning the "allocation of military equipment for the princes stationed overseas".
He put down his pen, let out a soft sigh, and was about to call Ma Bao to bring him a cup of hot tea when hurried but restrained footsteps came from outside the hall.
"Your Majesty, Minister of Works Zhou Shipu has an urgent military report to report and is waiting outside the palace."
Zhu Cilang raised an eyebrow slightly and closed the document:
"Xuan."
The palace doors were pushed open silently, and Zhou Shipu, the Minister of Works, almost stumbled in.
This capable minister, known for his composure and pragmatism, had fine beads of sweat on his forehead, and even the wings of his official hat were trembling slightly.
He didn't even bother with the proper kneeling bow; he simply lifted his robe and bowed hastily, his voice hoarse from the rush.
"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I have just received an urgent report from the Tianjin Garrison's Transport Department, delivered by express courier. Something has happened!"
Zhu Cilang's expression remained unchanged; he simply pointed to the embroidered stool beside him.
"Rise, Zhou Qing, and sit down. What's the matter that alarms you?" Zhou Shipu, however, dared not sit, and with trembling hands presented a document still bearing the post station's ink:
"It's the Zheng family's fleet! Yesterday at Shenshi (3-5 PM), dozens of Zheng family's giant ships docked at Tianjin Port. The Ministry of Works, as usual, counted and received them into storage, but... but this count caused a problem!"
He took a deep breath, as if he found it difficult to speak:
"The Zheng family's fleet was supposed to transport grain to replenish the granaries of the capital, but this time, the ships carried less than three thousand shi of grain! The rest of the hold was... completely filled with pig iron ingots! All iron!"
Zhu Cilang took the report, glanced at it, and showed no surprise on his face. Instead, he revealed a relaxed expression of "finally, it's here."
"Zhou Qing, continue. How did the Zheng family steward explain this?"
"They...they said it was decided by His Majesty before."
Zhou Shipu took a deep breath:
"Your Majesty! Is this...is this true? The Ming Dynasty has been short of food for nearly ten years. The salaries of officials in the capital and the military pay for the nine border regions have all been barely managed by tightening our belts. Now, suddenly, the focus has shifted to transporting iron. What...what's the use of bringing back this pig iron? To forge weapons? We can't possibly use that much!"
"Zhou Qing, there is no need to panic."
Zhu Cilang spoke in a calm tone, as if he were discussing tomorrow's weather.
"They are right, this was indeed promised by me! Don't worry, I will tell you why it has to be changed."
He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the scorching sun outside.
"Now potatoes and sweet potatoes are widely planted in the north and south. Liaodong, beyond the Great Wall, and even the barren northern Shaanxi have all had a bumper harvest this year. The Ming Dynasty no longer has any worries about famine."
He turned around and looked intently at Zhou Shipu:
"Zheng Zhilong's grain transport, ostensibly for trade, was in reality a form of blood transfusion. When the Emperor was in power, the national treasury was empty, so this method had to be used to replenish the capital. Now that the blood transfusion has been completed, the great tree of the Ming Dynasty has been revived. Now, it is time to give it a fresh blood transfusion."
"Blood transfusion?"
Zhou Shipu was stunned.
"Yes, a blood transfusion."
Zhu Cilang walked to the wall and pointed to the huge "Map of the Capital Region of the Ming Dynasty".
"Stop feeding the grain, transport the iron! This pig iron is not for forging weapons, but for smelting steel, making machines, and laying railway tracks."
"Railway...railway?"
Zhou Shipu repeated it subconsciously, his mind blank.
He had heard of this term before; Bi Maokang had mentioned it when he saw the steam locomotive that emitted black smoke and was incredibly powerful at the Firearms Research Institute.
Zhu Cilang stopped keeping him in suspense and, pointing to the capital region on the map, painted a completely new picture for Zhou Shipu in a vivid and evocative tone:
"Minister Zhou, do you still remember that steam locomotive in the Arsenal? Let me tell you, as long as two steel rails are laid on a smooth roadbed, the locomotive can pull ten or even a hundred times more cargo than you can imagine, traveling a thousand miles a day, day and night, undeterred by wind or rain!"
He paused, and to make sure the Minister of Works fully understood, he used a simple analogy:
"How much can a horse pull in an ordinary carriage? Five hundred catties is the limit. But on the railway, a horse can pull five thousand catties of goods! If it were pulled by a steam engine, the load would be endless! What I want to build is just such a road, a road forged from steel!"
Zhou Shipu shuddered, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his undergarments.
He recalled the monster he had seen at the Firearms Research Institute—a machine that didn't need oxen or horses, could run on its own, and was strong enough to pull dozens of cannons.
At the time, I thought it was just a strange and ingenious trick, but now I understand that Your Majesty is planning for the transportation of the entire world!
"Your Majesty means..."
Zhou Shipu's voice trembled slightly.
"A 'railway' is to be built in the capital region?"
"Not just the capital region."
Zhu Cilang's finger traced across the map, heading south from the capital to Nanjing, then turning back north towards Liaodong and Korea. Then, as if remembering something, he asked:
"How is the construction of the two cement roads that I ordered to be built progressing?"
When his job was mentioned, Zhou Shipu forced himself to calm down and quickly reported:
"Your Majesty, the cement roadbed and road surface of the line from the capital to Nanjing have been completed. Only the post stations remain to be repaired. The entire line will be open to traffic at the beginning of next month, allowing heavy-duty horse-drawn carriages to pass. This is a major artery between the north and south, and I dare not slack off."
"it is good!"
A hint of approval flashed in Zhu Cilang's eyes.
"What about the line from the capital to Liaodong?"
Zhou Shipu looked troubled and bowed, saying:
"Your Majesty, this road is a long and arduous journey, and it requires crossing the foothills of the Yanshan Mountains. It has now been completed up to Jinzhou, with seven stone bridges and countless culverts along the way. I am currently leading the laborers to advance towards Ningyuan and Xingshan. According to the original plan, it was to be built all the way to Korea."
"How much would it cost to build it to North Korea, a distance of three thousand li?"
Zhu Cilang asked the question knowing the answer already.
Zhou Shipu gritted his teeth and announced a figure that would make even the Ministry of Revenue wince:
"If the project were to be completed in one go and reach Korea, it would cost at least tens of millions of taels of silver. It would also require the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of laborers and take several years. The Ministry of Works... The Ministry of Works dares not act on its own initiative, for fear of harming the people's strength and also for fear that the national treasury will be overburdened."
A brief silence fell over the hall.
Only the ice in the ice chest made a slight melting sound.
Zhu Cilang was not alarmed by the number; he didn't even frown.
"Minister Zhou, you are the Minister of Works, the sharpest tool in my hands for road construction. I ask you, are you to spend these tens of millions of taels in one year, or in ten years?"
Zhou Shipu was taken aback.
Zhu Cilang smiled, his gaze deep:
"This is a ten-year plan. Spread over each year, it's only a few million taels. The Ministry of Revenue can't even finish the arms orders from overseas vassal kings right now, so this amount of money is within their reach."
He turned around and pointed heavily at the Liaodong Peninsula on the map, a strategic location that the Ming Dynasty had recently acquired and that it must hold tightly in its hands in the future.
"What I want is not a road, but a chain."
Zhu Cilang's voice turned cold, carrying the decisive and ruthless nature unique to emperors.
"Where the roads are open, the army can move freely; where the army can move freely, the government can function smoothly. I will build Liaodong into an unsinkable steel aircraft carrier, completely binding Korea to the Ming Dynasty's war machine! This road is not built for merchants, but for the army, for provisions, and for weapons!"
He stared into Zhou Shipu's eyes and said, word by word:
"This money is ten thousand times more worthwhile than supporting 100,000 military households, setting up hundreds of post stations, and dispatching tens of thousands of supervisors in Liaodong! Minister Zhou, tell me, should this road be built or not?"
Zhou Shipu felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight up to the top of his head.
He finally understood His Majesty's profound meaning—this was not just about building roads, but clearly a grand scheme with the national security at stake!
Paving the way with money and chaining it with steel, the Ming Dynasty's influence was forcibly extended to Korea, completely eliminating any possibility of remnants of the Later Jin or third-party forces interfering in Northeast Asia! (End of Chapter)