Chapter 1624 The power of industry

Zhang Qianzhi has been paying attention to Fei Cexian's reaction. Although the expression on his face remained calm, the tightly clenched fists hanging down by his legs betrayed his true feelings at this time. Zhang Qianzhi looked at Fei Cexian.

The blue veins appeared on the back of Xian's hand, and he knew that this man, like many Akito 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 did not feel the pressure he felt when he was face to face with the giant steel monster.

Fei Cexian once read in the literature that a Ming Dynasty person described 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 he has seen the real thing, he still feels 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, but Zhang Qianzhi stopped him.

He said to him: "Sir, your carriage is at the back, please come with me."

Fei Cexian looked in the direction indicated by Zhang Qianzhi, and then noticed that the last carriage of the train was indeed somewhat different, and 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.

The last carriage is usually a temporary extra carriage, and only high-ranking officials and distinguished guests are eligible to ride. 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 invite him in. Fei Cexian did not doubt that he was there. After entering the carriage, he saw that there was no one inside, so he couldn't help but turn around and asked Zhang Qianzhi: "

Is it just you and me 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, and that would not necessarily be the case.

It seemed that they did not attach much importance to the status of the Ming Dynasty envoy. So although 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 the Haihan Executive Committee attached to this matter. Moreover, Bai Kesi came forward during the visit.

When it comes to certain sensitive projects, it is easier to be more precise than Zhang Qianzhi.

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, having such a high-ranking official personally accompany him was a big deal. Fei Cexian thought that he was not as good as 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 didn't even see all the furnishings in the carriage, so he turned around and got out of the car, and waited on the platform with Zhang Qianzhi.

Of course, they did not wait too long. A group of armed military policemen ran 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 took the bus.

The carriage drove directly onto the platform from the special passage.

After Bai Kesi got off the carriage, he greeted Fei Cexian and invited him to board the train. 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 to look out the window.

Looking around, I 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 said

He took the initiative to chat about the train he was riding.

Fei Cexian is not surprised that the other party is so aware of his movements. After all, Zhang Qianzhi has been with him these days and knows very well what materials he has borrowed from the library. If he had not reported what he knew to his superiors,

After making a report, 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 terms and drawings are very different.

It was too difficult for him to understand. And he couldn't ask Zhang Qianzhi, that would be too confusing. What's more, even if Zhang Qianzhi knew the answer he wanted to ask, it was unlikely to tell him. And now.

Bai Kesi said that he could answer his questions, which was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity.

Fei Cexian had a lot of questions, 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 carefully asked Bai Kesi three questions.

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 give a good answer, he might not be able to understand much. It would be better to ask some practical things and see how Haihan officials view this advanced technology.

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, and they were by no means as essential as Fei Cexian.

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 like these that would make Bai Kesi dumbfounded have appeared one after another in the past few years.

Even when Xu Xinsu came to visit, the questions she 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 his time has not been wasted. He has indeed used his brain.

Study the advanced aspects of Haihan.

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 20 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’s really hard to calculate, because there was a serious shortage of labor at the 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 cost of this railway project.

. However, Fei Cexian thinks that Bai Kesi’s answer is still a bit careless. If senior officials like them confiscate their wages, then ordinary migrant workers will also confiscate their wages? A large amount of steel, wood, and stone were used to build this road. These construction materials always have costs, 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 Bai Kesi was made unhappy and skipped the next two questions, then the gain would outweigh the loss.

Bai Kesi continued: "As for the second question, I can give you a more accurate answer. If calculated in terms of silver, then the manufacturing cost of the first steam locomotive will cost approximately 200,000 taels of silver, but this cost will increase with time.

The increase in the number of constructions has gradually decreased, and now it is only half of this number. As for the service life, this 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 is 100,000 yuan, and calculated based on ten years of use, it is equivalent to an average depreciation cost of about 10,000 taels of silver per year, which is 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 are 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 cost.

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: "Sir Bai, since you spoke so well about this steam locomotive, why don't you build roads on the entire island into railway tracks that can pass 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, 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 such as mines and ports that require relatively high transportation capacity. Perhaps

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 disguise. Fei Cexian also understood it clearly. But leaving aside the technology required to manufacture steam locomotives and operate the railway system, if this system is to be implemented in the Ming Dynasty,

The transportation system is only a short distance of 20 miles. It requires a one-time investment of hundreds of thousands of taels of silver to build roads and purchase equipment. After completion, a number of personnel will be required to maintain and monitor the roads and equipment continuously for a long time. This is basically impossible.

Apply for this 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 have been difficult for him to convince himself to accept such a high-cost new gadget. And he also realized from Bai Kesi's answer

One question arises. The railway built by the Haihan people here is nothing new to them. A mature transportation system must have been formed in their original country, otherwise it would not be possible to build it before they have settled down.

So much resources and manpower are expended to operate this incredible new mode of transportation.

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 life for them, 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 yours. 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 was loose after the impact on his mind, and immediately took the opportunity to pour him ecstasy. Making Fei Cexian realize the advanced nature of Haihan society in all aspects was a necessary condition for him to completely give up resistance, and

Industry is the best embodiment of Haihan's productivity advantages.
Chapter completed!