Chapter 1624 The Power of Industry
Zhang Qianzhi had been paying attention to Fei Cexian's reaction. Although the expression on his face remained calm, the clenched fists hanging down by his legs betrayed his true feelings at this time. Zhang Qianzhi looked at the veins popping up on the back of Fei Cexian's hands and knew that this man, like many Mingren who had taken the train for the first time in the past, was shocked by this steel monster that was completely contrary to common sense.
In fact, Fei Cexian had seen the steam locomotive galloping on the railway track at the foot of the hillside more than once a few days ago on the observation deck of the Guest House, but it was too far away and he didn't feel the pressure he felt when he was face to face with the giant steel monster. Comes strong. In the past, Fei Cexian had seen a Ming Dynasty person describe this steam locomotive as "an iron dragon made of ten thousand kilograms of fine iron, traveling through the mountains, surging like wind and thunder, swallowing clouds and fog all the way, unstoppable", but Now that I see the real thing, I still feel that this description is too brief. Even he himself has difficulty in using words to fully describe his inner feelings when he sees the real steam locomotive.
The train slowly stopped next to the platform. After some passengers got off the carriage, people waiting on the platform began to get on the train one after another. Fei Cexian came to his senses and planned to follow him into the car, but Zhang Qianzhi stopped him: "Sir, your carriage is at the back, please follow me."
Fei Cexian looked in the direction indicated by Zhang Qianzhi, and then he noticed that the last carriage of the train was indeed somewhat different, so he immediately followed him.
Generally, the two or three carriages behind the front of this commuter train are freight trucks, carrying some raw materials 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 transportation task. Certainly. The last carriage is usually a temporary add-on, and only high-ranking officials and distinguished guests are eligible to ride on it. Although Fei Cexian is not of high rank, he is an envoy representing the Ming Dynasty, so he is naturally qualified to ride.
Zhang Qianzhi stopped at the door of the carriage and made a gesture to Fei Cexian to come in. Fei Cexian had no doubt that he was there. After entering the carriage, he saw that there was no one inside. He couldn't help but turn around and asked Zhang Qianzhi: "Are you and me the only ones here?"
Zhang Qianzhi said: "That's not true. Minister Bai from the Ministry of Industry will also 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 Ming Dynasty envoy to visit Tiandu Industrial Zone. Of course, it was impossible for Zhang Qianzhi to just lead him around. It would not necessarily appear to be too little regard for the Ming Dynasty envoy's status. Therefore, although Bai Kesi is also very busy, he still takes time to accompany him in person, so that Fei Cexian can fully appreciate the importance that the Haihan Executive Committee attaches to this. Moreover, with Bai Kesi coming forward, when visiting certain sensitive projects, it would be easier than Zhang Qianzhi to exercise discretion.
After arriving in Sanya, Fei Cexian only met Minister Bai once, who was said to be very busy, but he also knew that Bai Kes occupies a seat in the executive committee that symbolizes Haihan's highest power and is the de facto ruler of this country. For one of them, such a high-ranking official personally comes to accompany him, which is really a big deal. Fei Cexian thought that his status was inferior to that of the other party, so he suggested to Zhang Qianzhi that it would be better to get out of the car and wait.
Zhang Qianzhi saw that Fei Cexian had such self-consciousness, but he did not object. So Fei Cexian turned around and got out of the car before he could even see all the furnishings in the carriage, and waited on the platform with Zhang Qianzhi. Of course, they did not wait too long. A group of armed military police came to the platform and cleared the place where the last carriage was. Only Fei and Zhang were left waiting on the platform. After a while, Bai Kesi's passenger 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 get on the train and set off. Fei Cexian followed Bai Kesi into the carriage and sat down. After a while, he felt the carriage shake slightly and then slowly start to move. He turned his head and looked out the window, and sure enough he saw that the scenery on the platform was slowly receding, and as the vibration frequency of the carriage increased, the forward speed also gradually increased.
"I heard that Mr. Fei has read a lot of information related to trains and railways in the library these days. If you have any questions, you can ask them and I can try my best to explain them to Mr. Fei." After driving, Bai Kesi He took the initiative to chat about the train he was riding.
Fei Cexian was not surprised that the other party was so aware of his movements. After all, Zhang Qianzhi had been with him these days and knew exactly what materials he had borrowed from the library. If he didn't report what he knew to his boss, Fei Cexian would feel a little strange.
Fei Cexian has indeed read a lot of books and documents related to the principles of steam engines and steam locomotives in the library these days. Although they are all basic contents, to be honest, he did not understand much. Many terminology and drawings are very different. It was too difficult for him to understand. And he couldn't ask Zhang Qianzhi, that would leave too many traces, not to mention that even if Zhang Qianzhi knew the answer he wanted to ask, it would be impossible to tell him. And now that Bai Kesi said that he could answer his questions, this was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity.
Fei Cexian had a lot of problems, but he knew that if he told them all, he would only reveal his ignorance to the other party. So after careful consideration for a moment, he very cautiously asked three questions to Bai Kesi.
First, the construction period and approximate cost of building a railway; second, the construction cost and service life of a steam locomotive; 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 sufficient? practicality?
Fei Cexian consciously did not ask technical questions, because he also knew that even if Bai Kesi was willing to answer them well, he might not be able to understand much. It would be better to ask something practical and see how Haihan officials view this advanced technology.
When this railway was first built, Bai Kesi was one of the planners and on-site foremen. He naturally knew the situation of this 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 were often all kinds of strange, but not as essential as Fei Cexian's. Questions such as whether the train is driven by magic, why so much fine steel is not used to make weapons and armor, and why two tracks must be laid on the ground as a path for the train to move forward. Questions such as these that would make Bai Kesi dumbfounded have emerged one after another in the past few years. . Even when Xu Xinsu came to visit, the questions he asked were not as practical as Fei Cexian's. It can be seen that Fei Cexian has been spending time in the municipal library these days and has not wasted his time. He has indeed used his brain to study Haihan's advancements.
Bai Kesi said: "Master Fei, these are good questions, so I will answer them one by one. Let me talk about the first one first. The Sanya railway runs from Tiandu to Shengli Port, with a total length of about twenty miles. Later, it goes from Shengli Port to Shengli Port. It extended to the west for a while, all the way to Sanya Port. As for the construction period, it took about two years from the start of construction to the opening of traffic. However, this also depends on the amount of manpower invested and the surrounding environment. There is no definite figure. . 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 those of us who were officials were working on the construction site, and there was no law on how much we should charge.”
While listening, Fei Cexian silently remembered what Bai Kesi said in his mind. No matter how true these words are, they are real first-hand information, and their value is as immeasurable as the project cost of this railway. . However, Fei Cexian thinks that Bai Kesi's answer is still a bit sloppy. If senior officials like them confiscate their wages, will ordinary migrant workers also confiscate it? A lot of steel, wood, and stone were used to build this road. These construction materials always have a cost, right? With how smart the Haihan people are in business, how could they not be able to calculate the cost of the project? But of course he would not question this. If it made Bai Kesi feel unhappy and skipped the next two questions, it would be more of a loss than a gain.
Bai Kesi continued: "As for the second question, I can give a more accurate answer. If calculated in silver, the manufacturing cost of the first steam locomotive will cost approximately 200,000 taels of silver, but this cost will increase with time. The number of constructions has gradually decreased, and now it is only half of this number. As for the service life, it depends on the meticulousness of maintenance. Generally speaking, it should be ten years."
Fei Cexian silently calculated in his mind that if the manufacturing cost of a steam locomotive was 100,000 yuan, and calculated based on ten years of use, it would be equivalent to an average depreciation cost of about 10,000 taels of silver per year, which was not expensive at all. What's more, the Haihan Railway is a commercial operation, and it can collect some freight to cover the daily passenger and freight loads.
Bai Kesi has already mentioned the third question at this time: "As for the last question asked by Mr. Fei, the truth couldn't be simpler. If the people and goods I am pulling on this trip are converted into the carrying capacity of the carriage, how many carriages will be needed? How long it takes to complete can be calculated. If the depreciation, personnel, and coal and water consumption of a train run are more cost-effective than a horse-drawn carriage, or even to a similar extent, then we will definitely choose the former as the main option. Transportation. Because this is not just a matter of cost, manufacturing steam locomotives can also enhance our country’s industrial manufacturing capabilities, which is also difficult to measure in terms of money.”
When Fei Cexian heard this, he couldn't help but add 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 carry trains?"
"Good question." Bai Kesi responded: "This goes 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 needs of people and materials between the two places. Railway tracks Where to build and how long to build depends on objective demand. Obviously, the construction and operating costs of railways will be much higher than traditional roads, so we can only choose to build in areas with the most outstanding needs, such as Sanya. and Tiandu, such as between Changhua Port and Shilu Iron Mine. In addition, there are actually many short-distance small freight railways in use in various places, mainly built in places with relatively high transportation capacity requirements, such as mines and ports. In the future, if we have enough manpower and resources, we will, as you said, build more railway tracks on the island for daily transportation. ”
Bai Kesi answered this additional question very frankly and did not make any cover-up, and Fei Cexian understood it clearly. But leaving aside the technology required to manufacture steam locomotives and operate the railway system, if this transportation system was to be implemented in the Ming Dynasty, a one-time investment of hundreds of thousands of taels would be required to build roads and purchase equipment for a distance of just twenty miles. Baiyin, after completion, a number of personnel will be required to maintain and monitor the roads and equipment continuously for a long time. It is basically impossible to apply for this project budget from the court.
If Fei Cexian hadn't personally sat in a train carriage and felt the convenience brought by this new mode of transportation, it would have been difficult for him to convince himself to accept such a high-cost new gadget. And he also realized a problem from Bai Kesi's answer. The railway built by the Haihan people here is not something new to them. A mature transportation system must have been formed in their original country, otherwise it would not be possible. Maybe so many resources and manpower were spent on operating this incredible new mode of transportation before it was firmly established.
Fei Cexian couldn't imagine what kind of country these Haihan people lived in in the past, but perhaps existences like railways and trains were just a part of their daily lives, and there was nothing worth making a fuss about. As Bai Kesi said, when the time is ripe, more railways may be built for daily transportation.
Fei Cexian suddenly asked another question: "Is this...also an industry?"
Bai Kesi nodded and said: "Yes, this is also the power of industry. For you Ming people, Haihan may be full of miracles, but for us, these are just the benefits brought to us by industry. Mr. Fei, The goals that our country wants to achieve are different from your country. There is no fundamental conflict between our two countries. On the contrary, there are many common interests that can be slowly developed. I believe that after you stay in Sanya for a while, you will have more. Real feelings.”
Bai Kesi felt that Fei Cexian's mind was loose after the impact, and immediately took the opportunity to pour him the ecstasy soup. Making Fei Cexian realize 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 chapter)