Qianlong: Qing Dynasty?What about my Daqing?

Chapter 356

besides besides besides
Smoke billows north from a train at Zhenjiang port on the north bank of the Yangtze River.

This is a port of entry.

It is connected to the railway connecting Guangzhou and Zhongdu, and Zhongdu to Beidu.

After six years of construction.

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

Of course.

subject to current technical capabilities.

The Ming Dynasty did not have the ability to build a railway bridge across the Yangtze River.

So now the only way to connect is by ferry.

The first commercially operated freight train departs from Jianggang on the north bank of the Yangtze River to the northern capital at this moment.

"It's not easy. With an investment of almost tens of millions of Ming Yuan, the construction of the first north-south main artery across the north and south has finally been completed! The next step is to build several other railways on the north-south line and the east-west line to form a north-south east-west crisscross. The railway has to extend all the way from Beidu to Heilongjiang City."

Standing at a place in Jianggang, Emperor Zhu said with emotion as he watched the freight train rolling northward.

"Your Majesty, it is easy to build the railway from the Central Capital to the Northern Capital. It is a plain land, but it is too difficult to cross the Yanshan Mountain on the railway from the Northern Capital." He has an army hairstyle shoveled on his head, he looks like a man in his 30s.

The young man's name is Zhan Mingxing, from Panyu, Guangdong.

One of the three hundred old brothers.

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

Now he is the chief engineer of Daming Royal Railway Company.

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

If it weren't for the new cheap steel smelting technology developed by the Royal Institute of Metallurgical Technology, and the large-scale application of explosives in railway engineering.

This railway that crosses the Badaling Mountains is not even planned at all.

"Climbing the train is indeed a problem. Although the cost of blowing up the mountain is high, the significance of this railway is of great significance. Several industrial areas in Daming must be connected by railways!"

Emperor Zhu said.

Now the Ming Dynasty mainly has three industrial areas.

Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta, Bohai Bay.

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

It is near Shenyang.

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

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

And with the expansion of Northeast collective farms to the outer Xing'an Mountains.

Establish provinces in Liaodong, Liaoxi, and Liaobei respectively, revoke the colonial attributes and collective production attributes of collective farms, and instead auction the land according to equity, and change from collective farms to large-scale operating farms. Agenda—Now that the Ming Dynasty has firmly controlled the northeast region south of Heilongjiang, it seems unnecessary to continue to maintain the collectivization of collective farms.

The households who own collective farms can distribute dividends through their own land equity. The three provinces of Liaodong, Liaoxi, and Liaobei have instead become the provinces with the best population structure, the highest education level, and the largest per capita disposable income in the Ming Dynasty.

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

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

Zhu Daohua laughed.

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

His name "Tianyou" was also bestowed by Emperor Zhu.

So in this time and space.

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 contributors to the construction of the Badaling Railway. At most three years, the railway will be able to reach Shenyang!"

Zhan Mingxing said excitedly.

Emperor Zhu nodded, then turned his head to look at Wang Dayong, Minister of the Army Department, beside him.

Wang Dayong was originally the commander of Emperor Zhu's guard regiment.

However, Zhao Si resigned from the position of minister of the Ministry of Army some time ago, from the official to the general, and now sits in the Grand Marshal's Mansion.

With the reduction of the scale of the war.

The generals of the older generation have stepped back 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 outfit change of the northern regiments?"

"Your Majesty, all the corps are now changing gears in an orderly manner and then installing needle guns. According to the current speed, the northern corps will be able to complete the change in June next year."

Wang Dayong said hastily.

The Ming Army has now also carried out organizational reforms.

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

Now the basic organization of the Ming Army is the division.

The basic number of an infantry division of the Ming Army is 1.

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 Army Department, including 20 infantry divisions, 10 cavalry infantry divisions, 5 shock cavalry divisions, and 5 large-caliber howitzer divisions.

The total strength of the army has reached 40!

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

The Corps is a temporary organization.

Fill in several divisions according to the needs of the combat direction.

"Follow the Liaodong Corps first. The Liaodong Corps must fully complete the change of equipment and training by the end of this year."

"As ordered!"

Wang Dayong said hastily.

Just now.

A freighter sails in.

A large number of boxes containing 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.

The munitions produced in Guangdong were transported here, and after the Ministry of the Army inspected and stored them, they distributed them to the army corps stationed in various places.

Just now.

The staff officers of the Ministry of War were sweating profusely to inspect, number and store the unloaded munitions.

This is why Wang Dayong, Minister of the Army, came here today.

The Ming Army is now fully equipped with a new generation of rifles.

Guangfu 6-year style breech-loading needle gun.

Rear-loading guns appeared a few years ago, but there were still many problems at that time. There were no large-scale equipped troops.
After several years of continuous investment and iteration.

This type of rear-loading gun was finally finalized, and it was first equipped with corps in several key directions.

Emperor Zhu asked someone to open a box, took out the breech-loading needle gun of the 6th year of Guangfu, and pulled the bolt. Hearing the crisp sound of mechanical collision, he nodded in satisfaction, turned his head and said to Wang Dayong: "This The breech-loading gun is very good. Several regiments on the front line are scrambling to get it, and the factories in Guangdong are too late to produce it! However, the replaced Guangfu 2-year-style rifled guns have to find a way to recycle them. Now Western countries are changing to rifled guns. Guns, we took the lead in replacing them with breech-loading guns, and kept ahead of the Western generation in terms of equipment, but the financial pressure is not small, and it is best to find a way to sell some of the replaced rifles.”

The mechanical structure of breech-loading guns is much more complicated than that of front-loading rifles.

So the relative cost is also much higher.

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

A gun costs 6 Ming Yuan.

All 40 troops were replaced.

Get 240 million Ming Yuan, plus the supply of bullets, the training of new firearms and so on.

To fully replace the rear-loading guns, the Ming Army must prepare at least 400 million Ming Yuan in additional military expenditures.

The financial pressure is not small.

Although it is now September.

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

Emperor Zhu just wore a silk shirt.

But Wang Dayong is neatly dressed in military uniform with a straight collar.

Hot all sweaty.

Wiping his sweat with a handkerchief in his hand, he said, "Your Majesty, although we have withdrawn our rifled guns in the second year of Guangfu, they are still top-notch rifles in the world. Now the western countries have finished rifled guns. The only ones who changed the guns were France and Britain. Other countries still use a mixture of smoothbore and rifled guns, so the sales of rifled guns in the second year of Guangfu are definitely not worrying. Japan, North Korea, Siam, Burma, King Pingxi, Indian princes, they are all scrambling to get it, but are we really going to sell all of our guns? Can’t we guard against it?”

Zhu Daohua nodded and said with a smile: "Of course the sale of arms is subject to strict scrutiny, but this rifle will be sold as soon as it is sold. Now all countries can produce this type of firearms. If they are not sold now, the price will not be able to be sold in a few years. , if we don’t sell it, others will, too.”

Wang Dayong thought about it and thought it made sense.

Arms deal?

It has always been quite lucrative.

When the Ming Dynasty fully replaced the breech-loading guns, other countries would follow suit after seeing the power of the breech-loading guns. By then, a large number of rifled guns would definitely flow into the market.

If you sell at this time, you can sell at a high price.

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

In France, Duke Jia Napoleon seized power in a coup d'état, and he was about to become the emperor of France.

Now that he became the emperor of France, Napoleon could no longer handle affairs as the Duke of Ming Dynasty.

The so-called butt decides the head.

Now the war in Europe has also ceased.

The only two countries in the world that are still fighting are Russia and Ottoman.

As for the countries of Western Europe.

Temporarily silent - everyone knows that they are throwing their forces into the New World.

It seems that Western countries also know where future wars will take place—after all, as long as Tsarist Russia and Ottomans are still fighting, it is unlikely that Ming’s army will drink the Danube like the Mongol Empire’s army.

Future wars will certainly take place in the New World.

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

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

Of course.
Now the Celestial Dynasty system is not monolithic either.

Europeans are also in private contact with some of Ming's vassal states.

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

The rebellious army of Dongxue Party.

There must be some traces of Europeans in it.

Think of North Korea.

Wang Dayong frowned.

The chaos in North Korea is getting bigger and bigger.

The heads of the two groups of wealthy families from all over the country were beheaded and hung on the top of the city.

The Donghak Party also divided up land in North Korea and won the support of most North Korean civilians.

Go on like this.

This place in North Korea is afraid that it will become a gap in the Chinese system and be seized by the Europeans
But Emperor Zhu didn't care about it, as if he had forgotten North Korea.

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

But Emperor Zhu just didn't see him. Instead, he came to Zhenjiang to inspect the railway and military transportation.

At this time, Lin Zexu, the secretary next to the emperor, 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 schoolmaster.

In just one year, he completed the university courses and graduated with honors.

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

Zhu Daohua smiled slightly: "It's been a long time since I left them alone, but now I still have to inspect the railway construction site, and I don't have time to see them, so let the queen and the prince go to see them instead of me."

Cho Gak-kun, the court judge of North Korea, and Kim Byung-hee, the constitutional official of the Sixian government, have been waiting in the main hall of the Jiangbei palace for a long time.

They came here every day these days. Although they didn't see Zhu Daohua, they also experienced the splendor and prosperity of the Great Ming Kingdom.

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

Not only is it small, but it is also shoddy, not even one percent of the Jiangbei Palace!

The Jiangbei Palace is only the temporary office and living place of Da Tianzi. They have also been to the Imperial Palace in Zhongdu. It is more magnificent than the Jiangbei Palace.

No wonder Da Tianzi didn't have the time to deal with North Korea. It seems that people don't care about North Korea's territory and wealth at all!
They didn't see the emperor for a few days, but they left the door to send Korean ginseng, tiger skin, and ten beauties from the Andong Jin family and the Fengyang Zhao family to the Empress Daming, and they were received by the Empress Daming. Opportunity.

The meeting place was the majestic Junhua Hall in the Jiangbei Palace. It was built like a Qiongge in a fairy mountain. It was the palace where Prince Zhu Yichi lived. Of course Zhu Yichi didn't live here, but lived with Emperor Zhu and Empress Luo.

However, it is reasonable for the Crown Prince of Ming Dynasty to meet the officials of the subordinate country for the first time, of course, on his own territory.

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

Both Zhao Jiakun and Jin Bingxi prostrated themselves on the ground, and made a big salute: "My servant knocks on Zhao Jiakun (Jin Bingxi) to see the Empress of Ming Dynasty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Luo Fangmei sat down on the throne, and Zhu Yichi also sat down beside him, smiling and looking at the Korean envoy kneeling below: "The two of you have come from a long way, and you must have come here for the affairs of North Korea. Ninety-nine out of ten of North Korea's wealth is concentrated in the rich families of the two classes, and this is the root cause of the chaos in North Korea."

Zhao Jiakun hurriedly said: "His Royal Highness, the ministers are all loyal ministers of Ming Dynasty. North Korea has always regarded Ming as its father. Even if North Korea wants to change, it must change according to Ming's orders. How can it be coerced by the rebellious party?"

Zhu Yichi pointed to the baby in Concubine Li's arms and said: "This is my fourteenth younger brother. The emperor said that he will be the king of Korea. Now the king of Korea, Li Yi, has no heirs. There are such chaos in the country. I want the Ming Dynasty to quell the chaos in Korea." It is better for North Korea to have my fourteenth brother as king so that the Ming Dynasty can send troops to North Korea to quell the chaos."

Zhao Jiakun and Jin Bingxi glanced at each other. The Emperor Daming didn't see them for a long time. They wanted to appoint their own prince to be the king of Joseon.

Moreover, it seems that the North Korean side has to raise this matter by itself, so the queen was asked to meet them first and remind them.

(End of this chapter)