I want to be emperor

Luo Zhixue is personally more interested in and more supportive of the Pearl River Delta railway network plan proposed by Wang Tu. Although this plan has the disadvantage of being expensive, like many expensive things, this thing has no shortcomings except that it is expensive. .

Guangdong, where Wang Tu is in charge, is not short of money either. As a coastal province, Guangdong has been stimulated by foreign trade since its early years and has developed its industrial and commercial economy quite rapidly.

In terms of the industrial construction positioning of the Great Chu Empire, this place was one of the four major industrial bases. It not only focused on light industry, but in fact heavy industry was also very developed.

The industrial layout of Guangdong is mainly based on iron ore mining in Qiongzhou Prefecture, coal mining in Guangning, and the steel smelting industry extended from the mining of these two resources... It may be different from that of later generations. Guangdong in the Da Chu Empire In fact, it is the main steel production base in the Chu Empire. Although the steel production is not as good as Hantian, Yingtian, Hebei and Liaodong, it is not bad.

In terms of other heavy industry layouts, there are Guangzhou Machinery Company, several national defense industries under the Guangdong and Guangdong Arsenal, and mechanical industries represented by Pearl River Heavy Machinery. In addition, the Pearl River Delta is also the second largest shipbuilding base of the Dachu Empire, with the Guangzhou Shipyard. Li's Shipyard, Huangpu Shipyard, Huangsha Shipyard and many other large shipyards.

Among them, Guangzhou Shipyard is the only two super-large shipyards in the Chu Empire that can build 10,000-ton battleships and 30,000-ton civilian ships. Its technical capabilities and production capacity are second only to Songjiang Naval Shipyard.

Lee's Shipyard also has great advantages in its various civilian merchant ships, such as oil tankers, bulk carriers, and fast passenger ships.

In the field of heavy industry, the layout of Guangdong is relatively complete, and there is no need to worry about resource supply. Guangdong itself has a large-scale and very high-quality anthracite coal mining area, namely Guangning Coal Mine... Guangning Coal is also owned by the Dachu Empire Navy Mainly coal is used.

At the same time, relying on developed shipping, Guangdong can also easily obtain various resources from Nanyang provinces, such as rubber, oil and other resources needed by modern industries. This has also led to Guangdong having the largest empire in the Chu Empire. Refinery base.

At the same time, it can also use the railway network and Xijiang to continuously obtain various resources from many provinces in the southwest and other regions.

All these have resulted in the current industrial layout in Guangdong being very complete and developed, and the prominence of industry and commerce has also led to the large local fiscal revenue that Wang Tu, the governor of Guangdong, can use.

Judging from the financial situation and local economic scale of Guangdong, it can support the Pearl River Delta railway network plan envisioned by Wang Tu.

Once this railway network plan is completed, it will further expand the transportation advantages of the Pearl River Delta region. Not only will logistics be more convenient, but it will also spread from core urban areas like Guangzhou to nearby suburbs and even several nearby prefectures and counties, and even people living in the suburbs. People here can also live in the suburbs, work in the city, and take these urban trains through these dense railway networks.

And this can also significantly promote the industrial development in other areas of the Pearl River Delta. Instead of being clustered together in areas along the coast and rivers like now, factories can go further into the inland areas of the Pearl River Delta.

After having an in-depth conversation with Wang Tu, Luo Zhixue gave Wang Tu reassurance and asked him to proceed boldly and make a plan and report if he needed any support.

In Luo Zhixue's view, this railway network plan is, to a certain extent, a substitute for the express highway network of later generations. Although it has many shortcomings, this is because the current automobile technology is not perfect and it is not possible to use automobiles for freight transportation on a large scale. At the same time, When the transportation volume of horse-drawn carriages is too small and the cost is too high, this urban railway network is a better substitute.

After the meeting with Wang Tu, Luo Zhixue also met with several other governors. However, these governors did not have any important reports to report. Some of them complained about poverty and asked for money... In many places, when meeting with governors, they like to cry about poverty and then ask for policies. or financial support.

But policies cannot be given casually, let alone money. Although the central fiscal revenue of the Da Chu Empire is large, it is also limited. There are so many funds that need to be invested in various aspects, and no matter how much money is spent, it is not enough.

Therefore, Luo Zhixue would depend on the situation for the local governor who complained about poverty. If he could indeed come up with a good reason, then he would approve a small amount of money on the spot... When the governor came to cry out for money in person, Luo Zhixue also Don't give it at all, you have to give it as much as possible, otherwise the governor won't be able to step down... There are also a lot of local officials down here who are watching the governor. If he doesn't get any money, he won't go back. When the governor returns to the place I'm afraid I will face criticism...

To a certain extent, the governor came to lament the poor and then took advantage of the situation to provide some financial support. This was actually a fixed process that demonstrated the harmony between the monarch and his ministers.

As for giving more and giving less, this is important. If the reason is good and the project is good, give more; if the project is not good and the reason is not sufficient, then just give some meaning.

Luo Zhixue has been doing this kind of thing for more than forty years and is very familiar with it. It doesn't take long to handle it.

Luo Zhixue and his party stayed at the Hong Kong Naval Base for three days. During these three days, Luo Zhixue met with some local officials, civil and military officials, and made some instructions.

At this time, the inspection fleet was organized into the last batch of fleets, mainly various auxiliary supply ships, including a specialized ship repair ship. This repair ship carried a large amount of equipment and raw materials. Many spare parts... This is actually a offshore factory!

Able to perform on-site repairs on malfunctioning ships at sea to ensure the safe navigation of the fleet.

At the same time, the inspection fleet also used these three days to complete material replenishment and simple maintenance. Among them was a new generation royal special train built by Guangzhou Machinery Company using the most advanced technology specifically for Luo Zhixue's inspection trip.

The locomotive of the new generation of royal trains uses their top-of-the-line train steam engines, which are extremely reliable and powerful... The most important thing is that this thing is also armored and can withstand ordinary rifle fire.

This royal special train is actually based on the armored trains from the Army. The protective performance is increased to ensure that the royal patented locomotive can still maintain strong power when being attacked by small arms or even machine guns. Keep running.

In addition to the locomotive, the attached royal carriage is also an armored carriage, which can greatly improve the safety of the crew.

Accompanying the royal armored train, there are also a number of military armored trains, which are mainly used to clear the way forward and compliment the rear. They are assembled and used by the Guards. This kind of armored train is equipped with artillery and machine guns, and its combat effectiveness is very powerful. .

Finally, there is a relatively special engineering train, which is the railway rapid repair vehicle. It has a large number of railway emergency repair equipment. When the railway is destroyed, it can quickly use the equipment and the rails it carries to carry out emergency repairs for the royal special trains and armed forces behind. Special trains pass quickly.

These things were designed and manufactured three years ago, and were completed and prepared this year. Now they are being shipped one after another at the Hong Kong Naval Base.

Subsequently, these special royal trains and armed trains will sail together with the inspection fleet. After arriving at overseas territories, if Luo Zhixue wants to take a train to inspect the interior, these special railway equipment will be disembarked and used.

It is precisely because even specialized equipment is carried along with a lot of messy security equipment.

That's why the inspection fleet is so huge. In addition to escort warships and more than 20 passenger ships or troop transports transporting personnel, there are hundreds of various transport ships...

After all preparations were in place, Luo Zhixue stepped onto the deck of the Royal Princess again under the courtesy of a group of local civil and military officials.

The Royal Princess then slowly left the pier of the Hong Kong Naval Base with the help of multiple high-powered tugboats.

At the same time, the ignition and pressure had been raised many hours in advance. Many boiler soldiers were working hard to continuously load coal into the combustion chamber of the boiler. The huge heat energy emitted from the combustion chamber continued to heat the fresh water in the water tube boiler and produce high-temperature and high-pressure energy. of water vapor.

The high-temperature and high-pressure water vapor generated by more than ten water tube boilers is transmitted to the main engine room through high-pressure pipes, driving two huge three-expansion four-cylinder reciprocating steam engines. After the huge steam engines rotate, the power is transmitted to the stern of the ship through the transmission shaft. Two huge copper alloy propellers.

After the propeller turned, it pushed the huge Royal Princess forward slowly, and then the speed became faster and faster!

The two propellers that drive the Royal Princess are also very exaggerated. Each one can reach a diameter of more than six meters and weighs more than 20 tons... This is something that not many countries can manufacture independently in the 21st century.

Because the propellers of large ships are not only large and heavy, but also require moisture and corrosion resistance. The most important thing is that this thing is curved surface processing...the requirements for processing technology and materials are very high.

This propeller, to some extent, also represents the top processing level of the Dachu Empire's superb large-scale parts.

Not only the propeller, but in fact many of the equipment and parts of the Royal Princess represent the most advanced technology in the contemporary Chu Empire, which is enough to amaze future generations, such as the boiler, which has a diameter of more than four meters. .

If future generations see this thing, they will probably be modern people in the 21st century in the original time and space. They will have the same feeling when they see a luxury cruise ship of 20,000 to 30,000 tons in the late 19th century... There will be an unbelievable feeling. It’s hard to imagine that such a behemoth could have been built more than a hundred years ago.

The Da Chu Empire has been expanding globally for more than thirty years, and as the core equipment support for global expansion, ships have naturally received great attention. Therefore, the shipbuilding industry of the Da Chu Empire has developed relatively better than other industries. Faster. Because the Royal Princess built by the Da Chu Empire is technically stronger than the late 19th century in the original time and space... Of course, the cost will have to rise dramatically, but what is the Royal Princess used for? of? This thing was built as a royal cruise ship from the beginning. As for its commercial application, it was just a measure to reduce costs...

Therefore, the Royal Princess was larger and more advanced than the oil tankers of the late 19th century in the original time and space... but the speed was not much higher.

The main reason is that there is not much change in the riding experience if the speed is faster or slower, but the cost and the impact on the layout of the ship are huge. Therefore, the designer uses more ship space to ensure the comfort of the ride, rather than simply Increase speed.

The Royal Princess left the dock and entered the entire sea after leaving the bay of the port. Some of the other ships in the formation had already set off in advance, some were around, and some were coming out of the port one after another.

There are more than a hundred ships in the inspection fleet, and sailing in this formation is also a troublesome matter. Although the generals on the Guards fleet work hard and have started studying and adaptive training a year in advance, to be honest, their strength is still somewhat lacking... ...After all, they had only engaged in offshore operations before, and they had never been to the ocean... let alone sailing in large formations with more than a hundred ships.

Therefore, although the generals of the Guards Fleet are still in command of the entire formation, a large number of naval generals also join it as advisors to make suggestions for the safe navigation of the formation.

Otherwise, there are so many ships in the inspection fleet, and we don’t know how many accidents and accidents will occur during the operation.

In this regard, the Guards fleet has also realized its shortcomings and has begun planning to establish the Guards' own ocean-going fleet.

The navy and the army have the ocean fleet, but there's no reason why the Guards don't have it...

Well, the Army also has an ocean-going fleet. It has three serious Army naval warfare divisions... It has more than fifty warships and transport ships of various types... This is not talking about the small offshore or inland river gunboats owned by the Army. Things like small transport ships start from a thousand tons, and are basically medium and large ocean-going warships with several thousand tons.

Now that we have the army, it is not enough without the Guards. Therefore, the Guards are already planning to upgrade their own fleet. On the premise of maintaining offshore combat capabilities and controlling the capital, they will appropriately develop the ocean fleet. , providing transportation, supplies, and support for the Guards troops deployed overseas for rotational operations.

But these are all things in the future. Now, if the Guards want to engage in such a large-scale fleet voyage, they have to rely on a large number of consultants sent by the Navy.

The inspection fleet of hundreds of ships left the Hong Kong Naval Base and went directly into the sea to the Port of Manila, the capital of Luzon Province.

Luzon Province is also the first stop for Luo Zhixue's overseas inspection. This place belongs to the overseas territory directly under the jurisdiction of the Chu Empire. It has completed immigration expansion early. Today, there are no local indigenous people in Luzon Province, only the Chu Kingdom. migrant.

Although the population is small, the economy is developing well. The local immigrants rely on the rich natural resources of the Luzon Islands to survive by mining and selling various natural resources, such as hardwood, pearls, ivory and rich fishery resources.

In addition, bananas, sugar cane and rice are also widely grown in the Philippines. As an important economic crop, sugar cane has a very good income in the contemporary era. Bananas can also be transported and sold through modern refrigerated ships, and the income is also very good.

Relying on these natural resources, the local area has developed light industrial industries such as fishery processing, sugar refining, fruit processing, and textiles.

Generally speaking, the local population is small and the resources are rich, so the local economy does not seem to be large, but the per capita income is still very good, much better than some poor provinces in the hinterland of East Asia.

Of course, even so, not many people from the hinterland of East Asia are willing to immigrate there... because in addition to superficial income, what determines where people settle down is also consumption levels, employment, education and medical care.

In fact, the overseas territories, including the Americas, are not very good in other aspects except income... For example, the consumption level of overseas territories generally has the same characteristics, that is, agricultural products are very cheap, and there is no need to worry about eating. food.

However, the price of industrial consumer products is relatively more expensive. This is because industrial products are basically located in the hinterland provinces of East Asia. If they are transported to overseas sales, there are transportation costs, and there are other sales costs.

The same product, after integrating transportation, sales channels and other costs, may only cost one Chu Yuan in Songjiang City, but it will cost one and a half Chu Yuan in North America, and it may cost two Chu Yuan in Europe.

Basically, the farther away you are, the more backward the local transportation is, and the more expensive the industrial consumer goods will be.

In addition to employment, medical care and education, not to mention... As for employment, overseas territories, even in the Americas, don't have much industry... If you want to find a decent job with a higher income, it's really hard to find... Therefore, even second-generation immigrants born in overseas territories often come to the mainland to find jobs.

The same is true for education and medical care... Many wealthy immigrant families will choose to send their children back to the hinterland of East Asia for education... There is no way, the educational resources in the hinterland provinces of East Asia are better.

Not to mention medical care, doctors in the Chu Empire have always been relatively scarce, and their incomes are also relatively high... Under such circumstances, doctors are more willing to work locally instead of going to overseas territories!

This is why the Dachu Empire has always had an overseas medical support policy. Government-run medical institutions need to send a certain number of official medical staff to overseas territories on a rotation basis to provide counterpart assistance... Otherwise, many overseas territories directly under the Central Government will not even have a doctor. Yes, let alone a hospital.

This also leads to the fact that basically every official medical staff has to work in overseas directly administered territories. Each time period shall not be less than two years.

As long as you apply to be a doctor in an official medical institution, you have to go there every three years to ten years after you start working, otherwise you will be fired...

All department directors and deputy directors in the official hospitals of the Dachu Empire must have participated in two medical aid dispatches, once when they were recruited, and once before being promoted to director... If you don't go, it doesn't matter what your skills and background are. No matter what, no matter how capable you are, you won't be able to get the establishment, and you won't be able to get promoted in the future.

After going once, if you don't want to go later, you can still climb up the promotion ladder. If you just become a doctor, you won't need to go later.

But as long as you want to climb up, you have to send a second medical aid.

In addition, if you don't want to go even once, you will be fired after ten years of employment... and you will lose your official status and benefits.

Of course, you can also work in private medical institutions or even open your own clinic. If nothing else happens, you will earn more...

In the future, when I see my former colleagues who work in official medical institutions on the road, I have to bend down respectfully to give way, and shout respectfully: Sir!

Because... doctors and teachers in government-run medical institutions and educational institutions in the Great Chu Empire all have official status, and can wear official robes in formal occasions.

Senior administrative positions in official education or medical institutions are generally awarded administrative treatment. This administrative treatment actually refers to the establishment of officials in the traditional sense... and further up, they can also enter the local government or Gyeonggi Province. Health management agency.

As for the Great Chu Empire, there is no doubt that it was an official-based imperial country where imperial power was supreme... Official status and treatment were more important than later generations imagined!

If you can't imagine it, then you can refer to the merchants in the late Qing Dynasty who had to donate a hat. Otherwise, no matter how much money you have, when you see a small official as big as sesame seeds and mung beans, you have to kneel down and bow...

Although it is not so exaggerated in the Chu Empire, officials still have many privileges that are explicitly stipulated or tacitly accepted by the people!

The official position is a tradition that has been formed in China for thousands of years, and it is difficult to change!

Luo Zhixue was not used to it at first, but later he found that it was too difficult to change... so he did not change. Instead, he included some of the industry personnel he valued, such as scientific researchers, doctors, and teachers, into the official system, so that They enjoy the benefits of official status...

Even later Luo Zhixue came up with a rule that every year a large number of outstanding people from all walks of life will be selected. After these outstanding people pass the assessment of the official organization, they will be awarded corresponding official status and political treatment... Of course, only political treatment , without wages or rights.

Luo Zhixue's idea is very simple. I can't beat you and I can't change you, so I will join you and then replace you... So far, the effect is pretty good.

Don’t you want to be an official? Come on, study hard to be a scientist, a doctor, or a teacher. You can also become an official...