At the beginning of the civil castle, the Ming God of War was a little panicked

Chapter 284 Railway Bureau
The successful trial of the steam train immediately caused a sensation.

Whether it is princes and nobles, officials and merchants, or ordinary Li people, they all felt a lot of shock.

Such a behemoth does not need the traction of cattle, horses and animals. It burns coal all the way, sprays black smoke, and runs away with a bang. Are you sure it is not a mythical beast recorded in the Shan Hai Jing?
Although this speed is not considered as fast as lightning, it is on par with the best carriages, but their endurance is strong!

No matter what kind of BMW horse, it always needs to rest, and the driver also needs to eat and drink, but the train is different, as long as there is coal, it can go, and it will never tire.

Just when everyone was talking about this giant steel beast, King Ning hurried into the palace.

"My minister, Zhu Mianpei, greets Sheng Gong!"

Seeing King Ning, Zhu Qizhen had a look of surprise on his face, and asked, "Isn't Uncle Huang sick?"

Zhu Dianpei bowed his head and said: "I was sick in bed yesterday because of the wind and cold. I failed to test the car according to the order. Today, my health has improved a little. I came to the palace to plead guilty!"

"Why is the emperor so polite? Since he is not feeling well, he should take a good rest. Wynn, go to the imperial hospital to find an imperial doctor, and let the emperor take a closer look."

"I just feel cold occasionally, and I have already taken the medicine, so I don't need to bother the imperial doctor."

Zhu Mianpei hurriedly stopped Wynn, and continued: "I came here today to announce something to the emperor."

Zhu Qizhen smiled and said: "You don't need to be too polite, Huai En, give me a seat!"

"Yes!"

Wynn moved a chair, Zhu Mianpei thanked him first, then leaned over and sat down.

"Uncle Huang has something to say, but it doesn't matter."

"Although I didn't test the train myself, the magic of this steam train is discussed in the streets and alleys of the capital. Everyone is sighing. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a wonderful workmanship. I dare to ask, how much does this railway cost?" ?”

"Approximately ten million taels of silver!"

Zhu Qizhen didn't know why King Ning suddenly showed great interest in railways and trains. The cost was actually transparent, so he told the truth.

"This... so many..."

After Zhu Mianpei listened, a look of disappointment suddenly appeared on his face.

Zhu Qizhen nodded and said: "This is not counting the cost of early research and development. After all, it is the first railway. The cost must be higher. After the technology matures, it may be reduced."

Zhu Mianpei's eyes lit up, and he asked, "What does the emperor mean, that the next railway has already been planned?"

"Yes, Wynn, go get the map!"

Zhu Qizhen waved his hands and said: "Uncle Huang, don't be cautious, come and see!"

As he spoke, he pointed to the map.

"The next railway will go directly to the north and south of Beijing, with a total distance of [-] miles. At present, the bachelors of the Academy of Sciences are surveying and planning the route along the way. It is expected that construction will start next spring."

Zhu Mianpei thought for a while, and then asked: "May I ask the emperor, what is the approximate budget for this railway?"

Zhu Qizhen found that there was something wrong with King Ning today. He was the first to make the move when he chose Wu Sizang.

"The budget for this road is roughly 5000 million taels."

"5000 million..."

Zhu Mianpei couldn't help taking a breath, what a great deal!

When did my Ming Dynasty cost 5000 million taels of silver to build a road?

"With so much money out at once, the treasury must be tight, right?"

Zhu Qizhen seemed to understand, so he said: "Uncle Huang, don't worry, I will find a way. I will give money, food, and equipment that I promised, and I will definitely fulfill it!"

"No... I didn't mean that!"

Zhu Mianpei waved his hands again and again, and said: "As the vassal king of the Ming Dynasty, I must consider it for the court. Such a huge expenditure, even if the treasury can afford it, is still a huge expenditure. If money is needed elsewhere, where should it come from? "

Zhu Qizhen felt that there was something in the words, so he asked, "What's the emperor's opinion?"

"Great opinion... I can't talk about it, I just have a small suggestion, I don't know if it is feasible..."

"Uncle Huang, don't be so cautious. We are all from our own family. If you have something to say, it's okay to say it."

"Yes!"

Zhu Mianpei saluted first, and then said: "I think that the wealth of the country comes from the people all over the world. If the money is collected through taxes and then used to build the railway, it is better...it is better to let the people participate directly. Everyone has money to contribute money. , make a strong contribution, and the future profits will be shared proportionally, I wonder what the emperor thinks?"

After hearing this, Zhu Qizhen suddenly became interested. This idea coincides with the upcoming stock offering system.

Projects like building railways cost a lot of money. Although they make money, they make money in the long run, and it is hard to see results in the short term. Therefore, it is difficult to maintain it only by spending from the treasury.

"Uncle Huang's idea is very good. It just so happens that I have a prospectus here. Wynn, go and get it."

Not long after, Wynn came to the hall with a prospectus.

Zhu Mianpei opened it suspiciously, glanced at it a few times, and his expression was greatly shocked.

Among them, I thought of it, I didn't expect it, others wrote it in.

The general meaning is that Daming established a railway bureau, which, as the name suggests, is responsible for railway repairs.

However, the operation of the Railway Bureau is not directly funded by the imperial court, but a stock raising system.

One share is one tael of silver. Investors use silver to buy stocks. At the end of each year, the accounts are published and dividends are distributed according to the shareholding ratio.

In this way, the pressure on the imperial court can be greatly reduced, and more common people can participate.

After reading it, Zhu Mianpei raised his head and asked, "Your Majesty, who drafted this prospectus?"

Zhu Qizhen said with a smile: "I came up with this idea, and the specific details were drafted by Yu Qian and the Ministry of Household Affairs. What does the emperor think?"

"Fantastic, wonderful!"

Zhu Mianpei clapped his hands and said, "May I ask the emperor, how many shares will the Railway Bureau plan to recruit?"

Zhu Qizhen said: "The preliminary decision is 5000 million shares, 5000 million from the treasury, and the remaining [-] million from the private sector."

Zhu Mianpei seemed to have suddenly made a major decision and said, "I would like to buy 300 million shares!"

"Ok?"

Zhu Qizhen was very surprised and asked, "Uncle Huang, have you thought about it?"

"Think about it!"

Zhu Mianpei nodded emphatically, and said, "I'm about to leave Uszang, and it's useless to keep the gold and silver belongings and land title deeds at home. They're all sold off, and there can be roughly 300 million taels."

Zhu Qizhen nodded secretly. As a vassal king, it seems that it is not too much to take out 300 million taels of silver in one breath.

To his surprise, why was King Ning so interested in railways and stocks all of a sudden?

The people who went to the test drive yesterday didn't say anything. You didn't get in the car, but you were the first to run?
Having said that, stocks are a novelty, and if they are put directly on the market, people may not dare to buy them.

I was planning to find a few trustees, but now I have saved them all.

(End of this chapter)