Chapter 1624
The Power of Industry
Chapter 1624 The Power of Industry
Zhang Qianzhi has been watching Fei Cexian's reaction carefully. Although the expression on Fei Cexian's face remains calm, the tightly clenched fists hanging by his legs betrayed his true feelings at this time.Looking at the blue veins on the back of Fei Cexian's hands, Zhang Qianzhi knew that this old man, like many smart people who came to take the train for the first time before, was shocked by this steel monster that was completely contrary to common sense.
In fact, Fei Cexian has seen steam locomotives galloping on the railway tracks under the distant hillside more than once a few days ago on the viewing platform of the Guest House, but the distance is too far away and he does not have the oppressive feeling of being face to face with a huge steel monster. Come strong.In the past, Fei Cexian saw someone in the literature describe this steam locomotive as "the iron dragon is made of ten thousand catties of fine iron. Seeing the real thing now, I still feel that such a description is too brief, even for himself, it is difficult to fully describe the inner feeling of seeing the real steam locomotive in words.
The train slowly stopped beside the platform, and after some passengers got off the carriage, the people waiting on the platform began to board the train one after another.Fei Cexian came to his senses and planned to follow him into the car, but Zhang Qianzhi stopped him: "My lord, your car is at the back, please follow me."
Fei Cexian looked in the direction indicated by Zhang Qianzhi, only then did he notice that the last carriage of the train was indeed different, and immediately followed him.
Generally, the two or three carriages behind the front of this commuter train are trucks, which are loaded with some raw materials to be sent to Tiandu, and the next two or three carriages are used to load the staff going to Tiandu. The specific number of carriages depends on the delivery task. Certainly.The last carriage is usually temporarily added, and only high-ranking officials and distinguished guests are eligible to take the high-end passenger car.Although Fei Cexian's rank is not high, he is an envoy representing Daming, so he is naturally qualified to ride.
Zhang Qianzhi stopped at the door of the carriage, and gestured to Fei Cexian to come in.Fei Cexian did not doubt that he was there. After entering the carriage, he saw that there was no one there, so he couldn't help but turned around and asked Zhang Qianzhi, "Is it just you and me here?"
Zhang Qianzhi said: "That's not true, Minister Bai of the Ministry of Industry will come over later, and go with Mr. Fei."
The Minister Bai mentioned by Zhang Qianzhi naturally refers to Bai Kesi who is in charge of industrial affairs.Haihan arranged for the envoy of Ming Dynasty to visit the Tiandu Industrial Zone. Of course, it was impossible for Zhang Qianzhi to just lead him around.So even though Bai Kesi was also very busy, he still took time to accompany him in person, so that Fei Cexian could fully appreciate the importance that Haihan Executive Committee attached to this.And with Bai Kesi coming forward, when visiting some sensitive projects, it is more convenient than Zhang Qianzhi to be careful.
After Fei Cexian arrived in Sanya, he had only met this minister Bai, who was said to be very busy, but he also knew that Bai Kesi had a seat in the Executive Committee, which symbolized the highest power in Haihan, and was the de facto ruler of the country. For one of them, having such a high-ranking official come forward to accompany him in person, this face is really not small.Fei Cexian thought that his identity was not as good as the other party's, so he suggested to Zhang Qianzhi that it would be better to get out of the car and wait.
Seeing that Fei Cexian had this self-awareness, Zhang Qianzhi did not object.So Fei Cexian didn't even have a good look at all the furnishings in the carriage, so he turned his head and got out of the carriage again, and waited on the platform with Zhang Qianzhi.Of course, they didn't wait too long, and a team of armed military police ran to the platform and cleared the place where the last carriage was located, leaving only Fei and Zhang waiting on the platform. The carriage drove directly onto the platform from the special passage.
After getting off the carriage, Bai Kesi greeted Fei Cexian, and then invited him to board the train and set off.Fei Cexian followed Bai Kesi into the carriage and sat down. Not long after, he felt the carriage tremble slightly, and then slowly moved.He turned his head and looked out the car window, and he saw that the scenery on the platform was slowly receding, and as the vibration frequency of the carriage increased, the forward speed was also gradually increasing.
"I heard that Mr. Fei has read a lot of materials related to this train and railway in the library these days. If you have any questions, you can ask them. I can try my best to explain to Mr. Fei." After driving, Beks went Take the initiative to chat about the train that is currently on.
Fei Cexian was not surprised that the other party knew his movements so well. After all, Zhang Qianzhi had been by his side these days and knew very well what materials he had borrowed from the library to read.If he didn't report what he knew to his boss, then Fei Cexian would feel a little strange instead.
Fei Cexian has indeed read a lot of books and documents related to the principle of steam engines and steam locomotives in the library these days. Although they are all of basic content, to be honest, he really didn't understand much. It was too difficult for him to comprehend.And he couldn't ask Zhang Qianzhi, that would be too obvious, what's more, even if Zhang Qianzhi knew the answer he wanted to ask, it was unlikely to tell him.But now that Beks said that he could answer his questions, this was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity.
Fei Cexian has a lot of problems, but he knows that if he tells the whole problem, he will only expose his ignorance to the other party.So after a moment of careful consideration, he carefully asked Beks three questions.
First, the construction period and approximate cost of building a railway; second, the construction cost and service life of steam locomotives; third, this mode of transportation is limited by the track and the supply of coal and water, and is not as convenient as horse-drawn carriages. Is it really enough? practicality?
Fei Cexian consciously did not ask technical questions, because he also knew that even if Beks was willing to answer well, he might not be able to understand much.It's better to ask something practical and see how Haihan officials view this advanced technology.
When the railway was built, Bai Kesi was also one of the planners and on-site foremen, so he knew the situation of the railway well, but the questions Fei Cexian asked him were somewhat beyond his expectations. .Because the questions raised by outsiders who visited this railway in the past are often strange and not as essential as Fei Cexian.
Questions such as whether the train is powered by spells, why so much stainless steel is not used to make weapons and armor, why must two tracks be laid on the ground as the train's forward path, and other questions that will make Beks laugh and cry have emerged in an endless stream in the past few years .Even when Xu Xinsu came to visit, the questions he asked were not as practical as Fei Cexian.It can be seen from this that Fei Cexian has been spending these days in the municipal library, and he has not wasted the time. He has indeed used his brain to study Haihan's advancement.
Bai Kesi said: "Master Fei, these questions are good, so let me answer them one by one. Let me talk about the first one. The Sanya railway runs from Tiandu to Shengli Port. It is about [-] miles long. Later, it runs from Shengli Port to Shengli Port. It extends to the west for a while, leading all the way to Sanya Port. As for the construction period, it took about two years from the start of construction to the opening to traffic, but this also depends on the amount of manpower invested and the surrounding environment, and there is no definite number. As for the cost of the project, it is really difficult to calculate, because there was a serious shortage of labor at that time, and even us officials were all working on the construction site, and there was no law on how much we should be paid."
Fei Cexian silently memorized what Bex said while listening. No matter how true these words were, they were all real first-hand information, and their value was as immeasurable as the engineering cost of this railway. .However, Fei Cexian thought that Bai Kesi's answer was a bit sloppy. They confiscated wages like high-ranking officials, so did ordinary migrant workers also confiscate them?A lot of steel, wood, and stone were used to build this road. These building materials always have costs, right?With the business savvy of the Haihan people, how could it be impossible to calculate the project cost clearly.But of course he wouldn't question it. If Bex felt unhappy and skipped the next two questions, it would be a waste of money.
Bekes continued: "The second question, I can give a more accurate answer. If calculated in silver, then the manufacturing cost of the first steam locomotive needs about 20 taels of silver, but this cost will vary with the construction. The increase in the number has gradually decreased, and now it is only half of this number. As for the service life, it depends on the level of care and maintenance. Generally speaking, there should be ten years."
Fei Cexian silently calculated in his mind that if the manufacturing cost of a steam locomotive is 1, based on ten years of use, it is equivalent to an average annual depreciation cost of about [-] taels of silver, which is not expensive.What's more, the Haihan railway is a commercial operation, and the daily passenger and freight loads can be charged to cover the cost of freight.
At this time, Beks has already touched on the third question: "As for the last question asked by Mr. Fei, the reason is actually very simple. If the people and goods I pull this time are converted into the carrying capacity of the horse-drawn carriage, how many horse-drawn carriages are needed? How much time it takes to complete can be calculated. If the depreciation, personnel, coal and water consumption of a train run are more cost-effective than horse-drawn carriages, or even to a similar degree, then we will definitely choose the former as the main Means of transportation. Because this is not just a matter of pure cost, manufacturing steam locomotives can also enhance our country’s industrial manufacturing capabilities, which is also difficult to measure with money.”
Hearing this, Fei Cexian couldn't help but ask another question: "Master Bai, since you talked about this steam locomotive so well, why don't you build roads on the entire island into railway tracks that can pass through trains?"
"Good question." Beks replied, "This brings us back to the original question, why do we build railways and use steam locomotives? This is to meet the long-term and large-scale transportation of personnel and materials between the two places. Railway tracks Where to build and how long to build depends on objective needs. Obviously, the construction and operation costs of railways will be much higher than traditional roads, so we can only choose areas with the most prominent demand for construction, such as Sanya Between Tiandu and Tiandu, such as between Changhua Port and Shilu Iron Mine. In addition, there are many short-distance small freight railways in use in various places, mainly built in mines, ports and other places that require relatively high transport capacity. Perhaps With enough manpower and resources in the future, we will, as you said, build more railway tracks on the island for daily transportation.”
Beks answered this extra question very frankly, without any cover-up, and Fei Cexian could understand it very well.But aside from the technology needed to manufacture steam locomotives and operate the railway system, if this transportation system is to be implemented in Daming, it will take a one-time investment of 10 taels for road repairs and equipment purchases for a short distance of [-] miles. After the construction of Baiyin, several personnel will need to maintain and monitor the roads and equipment continuously for a long time. It is basically impossible to apply for the project budget from the imperial court.
If Fei Cexian hadn't personally sat in the train carriage and felt the convenience brought by this new mode of transportation, it would be difficult for him to convince himself to accept such a costly new gadget.Moreover, he also realized a problem from Beks' answer. The railway built by the Haihan people here is nothing new to them. They must have formed a mature transportation system in their original country. It may be that so many resources and manpower are spent to operate this incredible new mode of transportation when the foothold is not stable.
What kind of country these Haihan people lived in the past, Fei Cexian couldn't imagine it at all, but perhaps the existence of railways and trains was just a part of their daily life for them, and there was nothing to be surprised about.As Becks said, when the time is ripe, perhaps more railways will be built for daily transportation.
Fei Cexian suddenly asked another question: "This... is also an industry?"
Beks nodded and said: "That's right, this is also the power of industry. For you Ming people, Haihan may be full of miracles everywhere, but for us, these are just the benefits that industry has brought us. Lord Fei, The goal that our country wants to achieve is different from that of your country. There is no fundamental conflict between our two countries. On the contrary, there are many common interests that can be developed slowly. I believe that after you stay in Sanya for a while, there will be more Really feel."
Bai Kesi felt that Fei Cexian's mind was loosened after being hit, so he seized the opportunity to pour him the ecstasy soup.Making Fei Cexian aware of the advanced nature of Haihan society in all aspects is a necessary condition for him to completely give up resistance, and industry is the best embodiment of Haihan's productivity advantages.
(End of this chapter)
Zhang Qianzhi has been watching Fei Cexian's reaction carefully. Although the expression on Fei Cexian's face remains calm, the tightly clenched fists hanging by his legs betrayed his true feelings at this time.Looking at the blue veins on the back of Fei Cexian's hands, Zhang Qianzhi knew that this old man, like many smart people who came to take the train for the first time before, was shocked by this steel monster that was completely contrary to common sense.
In fact, Fei Cexian has seen steam locomotives galloping on the railway tracks under the distant hillside more than once a few days ago on the viewing platform of the Guest House, but the distance is too far away and he does not have the oppressive feeling of being face to face with a huge steel monster. Come strong.In the past, Fei Cexian saw someone in the literature describe this steam locomotive as "the iron dragon is made of ten thousand catties of fine iron. Seeing the real thing now, I still feel that such a description is too brief, even for himself, it is difficult to fully describe the inner feeling of seeing the real steam locomotive in words.
The train slowly stopped beside the platform, and after some passengers got off the carriage, the people waiting on the platform began to board the train one after another.Fei Cexian came to his senses and planned to follow him into the car, but Zhang Qianzhi stopped him: "My lord, your car is at the back, please follow me."
Fei Cexian looked in the direction indicated by Zhang Qianzhi, only then did he notice that the last carriage of the train was indeed different, and immediately followed him.
Generally, the two or three carriages behind the front of this commuter train are trucks, which are loaded with some raw materials to be sent to Tiandu, and the next two or three carriages are used to load the staff going to Tiandu. The specific number of carriages depends on the delivery task. Certainly.The last carriage is usually temporarily added, and only high-ranking officials and distinguished guests are eligible to take the high-end passenger car.Although Fei Cexian's rank is not high, he is an envoy representing Daming, so he is naturally qualified to ride.
Zhang Qianzhi stopped at the door of the carriage, and gestured to Fei Cexian to come in.Fei Cexian did not doubt that he was there. After entering the carriage, he saw that there was no one there, so he couldn't help but turned around and asked Zhang Qianzhi, "Is it just you and me here?"
Zhang Qianzhi said: "That's not true, Minister Bai of the Ministry of Industry will come over later, and go with Mr. Fei."
The Minister Bai mentioned by Zhang Qianzhi naturally refers to Bai Kesi who is in charge of industrial affairs.Haihan arranged for the envoy of Ming Dynasty to visit the Tiandu Industrial Zone. Of course, it was impossible for Zhang Qianzhi to just lead him around.So even though Bai Kesi was also very busy, he still took time to accompany him in person, so that Fei Cexian could fully appreciate the importance that Haihan Executive Committee attached to this.And with Bai Kesi coming forward, when visiting some sensitive projects, it is more convenient than Zhang Qianzhi to be careful.
After Fei Cexian arrived in Sanya, he had only met this minister Bai, who was said to be very busy, but he also knew that Bai Kesi had a seat in the Executive Committee, which symbolized the highest power in Haihan, and was the de facto ruler of the country. For one of them, having such a high-ranking official come forward to accompany him in person, this face is really not small.Fei Cexian thought that his identity was not as good as the other party's, so he suggested to Zhang Qianzhi that it would be better to get out of the car and wait.
Seeing that Fei Cexian had this self-awareness, Zhang Qianzhi did not object.So Fei Cexian didn't even have a good look at all the furnishings in the carriage, so he turned his head and got out of the carriage again, and waited on the platform with Zhang Qianzhi.Of course, they didn't wait too long, and a team of armed military police ran to the platform and cleared the place where the last carriage was located, leaving only Fei and Zhang waiting on the platform. The carriage drove directly onto the platform from the special passage.
After getting off the carriage, Bai Kesi greeted Fei Cexian, and then invited him to board the train and set off.Fei Cexian followed Bai Kesi into the carriage and sat down. Not long after, he felt the carriage tremble slightly, and then slowly moved.He turned his head and looked out the car window, and he saw that the scenery on the platform was slowly receding, and as the vibration frequency of the carriage increased, the forward speed was also gradually increasing.
"I heard that Mr. Fei has read a lot of materials related to this train and railway in the library these days. If you have any questions, you can ask them. I can try my best to explain to Mr. Fei." After driving, Beks went Take the initiative to chat about the train that is currently on.
Fei Cexian was not surprised that the other party knew his movements so well. After all, Zhang Qianzhi had been by his side these days and knew very well what materials he had borrowed from the library to read.If he didn't report what he knew to his boss, then Fei Cexian would feel a little strange instead.
Fei Cexian has indeed read a lot of books and documents related to the principle of steam engines and steam locomotives in the library these days. Although they are all of basic content, to be honest, he really didn't understand much. It was too difficult for him to comprehend.And he couldn't ask Zhang Qianzhi, that would be too obvious, what's more, even if Zhang Qianzhi knew the answer he wanted to ask, it was unlikely to tell him.But now that Beks said that he could answer his questions, this was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity.
Fei Cexian has a lot of problems, but he knows that if he tells the whole problem, he will only expose his ignorance to the other party.So after a moment of careful consideration, he carefully asked Beks three questions.
First, the construction period and approximate cost of building a railway; second, the construction cost and service life of steam locomotives; third, this mode of transportation is limited by the track and the supply of coal and water, and is not as convenient as horse-drawn carriages. Is it really enough? practicality?
Fei Cexian consciously did not ask technical questions, because he also knew that even if Beks was willing to answer well, he might not be able to understand much.It's better to ask something practical and see how Haihan officials view this advanced technology.
When the railway was built, Bai Kesi was also one of the planners and on-site foremen, so he knew the situation of the railway well, but the questions Fei Cexian asked him were somewhat beyond his expectations. .Because the questions raised by outsiders who visited this railway in the past are often strange and not as essential as Fei Cexian.
Questions such as whether the train is powered by spells, why so much stainless steel is not used to make weapons and armor, why must two tracks be laid on the ground as the train's forward path, and other questions that will make Beks laugh and cry have emerged in an endless stream in the past few years .Even when Xu Xinsu came to visit, the questions he asked were not as practical as Fei Cexian.It can be seen from this that Fei Cexian has been spending these days in the municipal library, and he has not wasted the time. He has indeed used his brain to study Haihan's advancement.
Bai Kesi said: "Master Fei, these questions are good, so let me answer them one by one. Let me talk about the first one. The Sanya railway runs from Tiandu to Shengli Port. It is about [-] miles long. Later, it runs from Shengli Port to Shengli Port. It extends to the west for a while, leading all the way to Sanya Port. As for the construction period, it took about two years from the start of construction to the opening to traffic, but this also depends on the amount of manpower invested and the surrounding environment, and there is no definite number. As for the cost of the project, it is really difficult to calculate, because there was a serious shortage of labor at that time, and even us officials were all working on the construction site, and there was no law on how much we should be paid."
Fei Cexian silently memorized what Bex said while listening. No matter how true these words were, they were all real first-hand information, and their value was as immeasurable as the engineering cost of this railway. .However, Fei Cexian thought that Bai Kesi's answer was a bit sloppy. They confiscated wages like high-ranking officials, so did ordinary migrant workers also confiscate them?A lot of steel, wood, and stone were used to build this road. These building materials always have costs, right?With the business savvy of the Haihan people, how could it be impossible to calculate the project cost clearly.But of course he wouldn't question it. If Bex felt unhappy and skipped the next two questions, it would be a waste of money.
Bekes continued: "The second question, I can give a more accurate answer. If calculated in silver, then the manufacturing cost of the first steam locomotive needs about 20 taels of silver, but this cost will vary with the construction. The increase in the number has gradually decreased, and now it is only half of this number. As for the service life, it depends on the level of care and maintenance. Generally speaking, there should be ten years."
Fei Cexian silently calculated in his mind that if the manufacturing cost of a steam locomotive is 1, based on ten years of use, it is equivalent to an average annual depreciation cost of about [-] taels of silver, which is not expensive.What's more, the Haihan railway is a commercial operation, and the daily passenger and freight loads can be charged to cover the cost of freight.
At this time, Beks has already touched on the third question: "As for the last question asked by Mr. Fei, the reason is actually very simple. If the people and goods I pull this time are converted into the carrying capacity of the horse-drawn carriage, how many horse-drawn carriages are needed? How much time it takes to complete can be calculated. If the depreciation, personnel, coal and water consumption of a train run are more cost-effective than horse-drawn carriages, or even to a similar degree, then we will definitely choose the former as the main Means of transportation. Because this is not just a matter of pure cost, manufacturing steam locomotives can also enhance our country’s industrial manufacturing capabilities, which is also difficult to measure with money.”
Hearing this, Fei Cexian couldn't help but ask another question: "Master Bai, since you talked about this steam locomotive so well, why don't you build roads on the entire island into railway tracks that can pass through trains?"
"Good question." Beks replied, "This brings us back to the original question, why do we build railways and use steam locomotives? This is to meet the long-term and large-scale transportation of personnel and materials between the two places. Railway tracks Where to build and how long to build depends on objective needs. Obviously, the construction and operation costs of railways will be much higher than traditional roads, so we can only choose areas with the most prominent demand for construction, such as Sanya Between Tiandu and Tiandu, such as between Changhua Port and Shilu Iron Mine. In addition, there are many short-distance small freight railways in use in various places, mainly built in mines, ports and other places that require relatively high transport capacity. Perhaps With enough manpower and resources in the future, we will, as you said, build more railway tracks on the island for daily transportation.”
Beks answered this extra question very frankly, without any cover-up, and Fei Cexian could understand it very well.But aside from the technology needed to manufacture steam locomotives and operate the railway system, if this transportation system is to be implemented in Daming, it will take a one-time investment of 10 taels for road repairs and equipment purchases for a short distance of [-] miles. After the construction of Baiyin, several personnel will need to maintain and monitor the roads and equipment continuously for a long time. It is basically impossible to apply for the project budget from the imperial court.
If Fei Cexian hadn't personally sat in the train carriage and felt the convenience brought by this new mode of transportation, it would be difficult for him to convince himself to accept such a costly new gadget.Moreover, he also realized a problem from Beks' answer. The railway built by the Haihan people here is nothing new to them. They must have formed a mature transportation system in their original country. It may be that so many resources and manpower are spent to operate this incredible new mode of transportation when the foothold is not stable.
What kind of country these Haihan people lived in the past, Fei Cexian couldn't imagine it at all, but perhaps the existence of railways and trains was just a part of their daily life for them, and there was nothing to be surprised about.As Becks said, when the time is ripe, perhaps more railways will be built for daily transportation.
Fei Cexian suddenly asked another question: "This... is also an industry?"
Beks nodded and said: "That's right, this is also the power of industry. For you Ming people, Haihan may be full of miracles everywhere, but for us, these are just the benefits that industry has brought us. Lord Fei, The goal that our country wants to achieve is different from that of your country. There is no fundamental conflict between our two countries. On the contrary, there are many common interests that can be developed slowly. I believe that after you stay in Sanya for a while, there will be more Really feel."
Bai Kesi felt that Fei Cexian's mind was loosened after being hit, so he seized the opportunity to pour him the ecstasy soup.Making Fei Cexian aware of the advanced nature of Haihan society in all aspects is a necessary condition for him to completely give up resistance, and industry is the best embodiment of Haihan's productivity advantages.
(End of this chapter)