Zhang Xiaobao did not enter the palace with Li Longji as he had to return home. There were definitely many people waiting for them back at home, and he wondered if his younger siblings had fallen asleep yet.
With the expansion of Chang 'an, it would take some time to return home from the train station.
"In the future, if we want to build another train station or two, we can build a few more tracks in the capital. This way, we don't have to travel far to start the train. It's more convenient to travel short distances."
Zhang Xiaobao and Li Longji chatted casually. Speaking of short distances, all short distances were relative. After all, the capital was simply too big.
Wang Juan also had the same thoughts. In the past, Beijing was not just a single train station. In fact, some of the provincial capitals also had bad train stations.
Furthermore, the two of them had already discussed that the capital would remain in Chang 'an in the future. There was no need to think about moving to Luoyang or the original location of Beijing.
The location of Chang 'an back then was not good, and it was no longer as prosperous as it used to be. Although it was called a natural disaster, it was actually due to the destruction of forests and farmland. For example, the previous national policy encouraged the people to burn down forests and convert them into farmland.
In the past, the two of them did not have high statuses, so they could only bear with it. But now, who would dare to not listen to them? Not only were the forests not burned, they were going to plant more trees and transplant better plants to the yellow plains to fight against nature.
It was impossible to say that there was not enough food. How many people did the country have? How much land did they have? There was still enough food to grow. It was not because the land was not good enough, but because many people who had land did not grow food. Instead, they grew vegetables. The price of vegetables was higher than grains, but they did not plan properly before planting. As a result, the crops they grew were too large, and they could not sell them.
How many people did Great Tang have? It was just that their crops were not good enough, and they did not know how to open up a large plantation overseas.
Li Longji did not know that his capital had been decided by Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. When he heard Zhang Xiaobao's words, he smiled and looked at Pei Yaoqing and the other civil officials.
All the civil officials revealed helpless expressions. Gao Lishi chuckled and said, "Xiao Bao, during the morning court yesterday, we just discussed the matter of building an additional station. The discussion was about whether it was worth it to carry out short-distance transportation from one side of the capital to the other. They also said that after you know about it, you will oppose it because it will affect the other people in the transportation industry in the capital.
In the end, many people used this as an excuse to reject the idea of building a station. Ha, it seems that many people didn't see through your thoughts. Since you've brought it up today, then tell me, how can it not have a bad impact on the original transportation industry? "
Zhang Xiaobao was stunned. He used the light of the lantern to examine the faces of all the civil officials. He wanted to see who exactly had used his name to overrule the matters of the Imperial Court.
Those who felt guilty when Zhang Xiaobao looked at them lowered their heads. After sweeping his gaze around, Zhang Xiaobao roughly understood the situation.
"How can you prove that building more train stations will have a negative impact on the local transportation industry? The current train station is in the southeast of the capital. If we build one in the west, it will only take 20 minutes to get there. Whether it's people or goods, it will be convenient for both loading and unloading. "
Zhang Xiaobao felt that many of the civil officials were still not qualified. They considered the problem too simply.
"Xiao Bao …"
"Minister Wang, please call me Zhang Xiaobao." Zhang Xiaobao saw that the person who spoke was the Minister of Revenue, Wang Bei, so he impolitely corrected him. He wasn't that familiar with him. In public, it was normal. They didn't have that kind of friendship in private.
Wang Bei choked for a moment, but he didn't care at all. He smiled and said, "Zhang Xiaobao, I want to ask you a question."
Without waiting for Zhang Xiaobao to reply, Wang Bei asked the question himself, "If there is a normal train station, will the people in charge of transportation in the capital earn more money? From the southeast to the west, the asking price will be very high. If you add a train station in the west, the price will definitely not increase. Their income will decrease. Don't tell me they have to use the profits of the train station in the west to subsidize it? "
Many people nodded, thinking that what the minister said made sense. They looked at Zhang Xiaobao, waiting for his answer.
"This is the capital." Zhang Xiaobao replied with five words.
"Shouldn't the transportation industry in the capital earn more money?" Wang Bei asked.
Wang Juan took over the question at this time and replied, "The throughput in the capital is very large. It's people and goods that wait for the train, not the train that waits for people or goods. Although we haven't come back yet, our family has a lot of business here. With our family's influence, sometimes we can't transport out a day's worth of goods, let alone other people.
Adding a train station will definitely increase the speed of transportation. With two train stations in charge of the entire capital, the people in the transportation industry will have to travel at least half of the distance. This will increase the ability to transport people and goods from other places to the train station. How can the money earned be little?
Now the asking price is high. For example, from the train station to the west, an animal-drawn carriage costs 20 copper coins, and it takes one and a half hours to travel. From the west, it costs 3 copper coins, and it takes half an hour to travel.
The most important thing is that with only one train station, many people in the transportation industry have to wait. They can't get a job even if they wait for two hours. The unloading speed of the train is so fast. If they get a job, they can earn a sum of money. Then they wait for two hours and get a job back.
Obviously, they have wasted two hours. From the current train station to the west, the journey will take three hours. If they waste two hours, how many trips can they make in a day? If it's a short journey, they can earn 3 copper coins in half an hour, 6 copper coins in one hour, 12 copper coins in two hours, and 18 copper coins in three hours.
Compared to before, it's 2 copper coins less, but it saves two hours of time. They can earn another 12 copper coins in two hours. It's the same for the carriages pulled by people. That's not the most important thing. It's the use of rest time. This … "
"I understand." Li Longji suddenly said, "From the current train station to the west, one round trip takes eight hours. You can't make two rounds. Otherwise, you can work for 16 hours and rest for the remaining eight hours. Unless your home is in the west, you still have to go home.
If it's a short journey, you don't have to. You can work for 12 hours and then go home. With the flow of people and goods in the capital, they are earning money every second. Using 12 hours, they can earn 72 copper coins. It's more worth it compared to using 16 hours to earn 80 copper coins.
If it's a short journey, you can work for another two hours. That's 14 hours and 84 copper coins. Moreover, both the animals and the people need to rest. If you want to rest for a long journey, the customers won't allow it. If you want to rest for a short journey, the animals and the people won't be so tired. It's good for health. "
When Li Longji said this, the officials didn't need to think further. They immediately understood the situation. It was really like that.
One by one, they began to flatter Li Longji. All kinds of praises were thrown at him as if they didn't cost money.
However, Li Longji was very angry. He didn't sit in his carriage. As he walked, he said, "It's different now. In the past, the reforms proposed by the capable people of the various dynasties were all directed at a certain area. Usually, it was agriculture, water conservancy, merchants, officials, and so on. Furthermore, it was very general. It could be called 'governing by doing nothing'.
What they did wasn't wrong. They started from the big picture. However, the current Great Tang is different from them. We have to consider the relationships between the various industries.
When the rain continues to fall in Hangzhou, we have to consider whether there will be a shortage of Suzhou bamboo products in the capital. Why? Because Suzhou is close to Hangzhou and produces bamboo. When the rain in Hangzhou doesn't stop, when the speed of transportation is fast, there will definitely be merchants who make bamboo umbrellas in Suzhou and send them to Hangzhou to sell. In that case, how can the merchants who specialize in selling Suzhou bamboo products in the capital not be affected by the lack of supply?
This should be the thinking of the Great Tang's officials. Pull one hair and the whole body will be affected. Distant water may not be able to quench the immediate thirst, but the immediate thirst can affect distant water. A mantis's arm can't stop a carriage, but it can push a stone to a good position in front of the carriage wheels and flip the carriage over.
In the political economy that Xiao Bao and Cuckoo wrote for you, the macroscopic, microscopic, planned economy, and market economy aren't independent. We can't always rely on Xiao Bao and Cuckoo to do everything, right?
Didn't you see? The commoners all understand that we have to hide something. It's not that Xiao Bao and Cuckoo are weak. It's that we have to push them to the front whenever there's a small matter. What's the use of having you? Don't tell me that you have to use the last of your family's resources when there's a small matter? You should at least leave a backup plan for us. Our gun can't easily fire the last bullet, even though that bullet is very powerful. "
"Your Majesty, please calm down." "This subject is guilty." "This subject will definitely learn from you in the future."
After Li Longji finished speaking, these words could be heard from the crowd of civil and military officials.
Li Longji waved his hand, sighed, and said, "Actually, all of you have already done very well. Based on your current abilities, if you were placed in the previous dynasties, you would be the backbone of the officials. You're already several streets ahead of the people who carried out the reform.
However, the current Great Tang isn't like the previous dynasties. Our Great Tang has guns that can take lives in an instant, sharp cannons, invincible fleets that can protect the ocean, telegrams that can deliver news in the blink of an eye, hot air balloons and airships that fly in the sky, high-yielding crops, advanced factories, education, and medical systems for the entire population.
Shouldn't we keep up with the pace? We know that some of you have always felt that the Zhang Family and Wang Family of Sanshui County have too much power, and that no one can control Xiao Bao and Cuckoo. Then, you should work hard and become more capable than them, or at least be on par with them.
We can guarantee that there are twenty people who can match up to even half of them, and this subject will send them to the most remote, poorest, and most difficult place to make you happy. Wang Bei, do you think that with this arrangement, they will lament the accumulation of illnesses and die early? "
As Li Longji spoke, he suddenly turned to Wang Bei and asked.
Wang Bei was very vexed. He was indeed one of the people who opposed the construction of the new train station. Furthermore, his position was so high that he was practically the leader. He hadn't considered the problem of the capital's logistics. What he considered was the fact that his family had given up their land in exchange for the right to use the carriages.
There were already enough carriages now. Who could have known that this would happen back then? He had already fallen for the trap and wanted to add another train station. If that was the case, the number of carriages would increase, and he would have less and less control over the carriages. That was why he objected.
That damned Zhang Xiaobao, how many people had he fooled? In the beginning, there were only a few trains. When they were exchanging benefits with the imperial court, they could only control two-thirds of the carriages. Now, they didn't even control one-tenth of the carriages. Furthermore, the lost land had started to increase in value, and the production of crops had increased year by year. There were also new crops that could be used.
Comparing the two sides, they were at a disadvantage, a huge disadvantage. They had all been tricked by Zhang Xiaobao. He said that the merchants on the list of top billionaires were loyal and patriotic. Were they really? They didn't dare. They were afraid of Zhang Xiaobao, but they were even more afraid of him. They, who were exchanging benefits with the imperial court, were not afraid, but what was the result? They had become the chickens that were being slaughtered by those monkey-like profiteers.
"Wang Bei, I'm asking you. Will you be relieved if Xiao Bao and Cuckoo are sent to a faraway place? For example, the Strait of Malacca that they mentioned, or even Africa."
Seeing that Wang Bei was silent, Li Longji continued to ask.
"Ah?" Wang Bei recovered and thought about it as quickly as possible. He shook his head vigorously and said, "Why should I be relieved? I'm worried that if they go to Africa, the Great Tang won't be able to control them. They'll organize their forces there and carry out a better industrial revolution. What if they come back and attack the Great Tang? We have to keep them. It's best if they stay in the capital every day, right under our noses. "
"I concur." Many officials voiced their agreement at the same time.
"Haha, it's good that you know. You can't kill them, and you can't send them to a faraway place either. I can only pamper them. In the future, when you feel uncomfortable, think about what I said today. If anyone disagrees, kill them and their entire family. I'm grateful to you. Who's next? Wang Bei, you have some private soldiers in your hands, right? What do you think?"
Li Longji chuckled and asked Wang Bei.
Wang Bei lowered his head and said, "This subject … doesn't dare. Putting aside whether or not this subject's private soldiers can succeed in killing them, if we really manage to wipe them out while they're in the capital, our Great Tang will fall into chaos. The economic system will collapse, and we'll have to constantly hunt down the people who are revolting in the various prefectures. This subject doesn't dare to think about the consequences."
Wang Bei was very solemn when he spoke, and so were the other officials. They all understood how powerful Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were at the moment. They simply didn't want to vie for the throne. There had been such people in history who had the ability to seize the throne but didn't do so, but in comparison, those people were still far from Xiao Bao and Cuckoo.
Not to mention harming them, just standing on the street and cursing them would make one a hero. If the person who threatened Liu Yan on the platform really left Liu Yan behind, no matter where he was, there would only be one result: death. If he wasn't beaten to death, he would starve to death.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan also had solemn expressions on their faces. They knew what was going on. Just like those great people who had made many mistakes, when they passed away, how many people cried? How many people didn't have the heart to work? How many people committed suicide? Of course, this last point was suppressed and not reported, but it was true, and it wasn't a small number.
Besides, the two of them hadn't done anything wrong to the people of Great Tang yet. This responsibility … was too heavy.
"Your Majesty, my fellow officials, please be at ease. No one will be able to assassinate us. Throughout the world, no assassin has ever succeeded. The two of us will live well, but we won't stay in the capital every day. Tell the local officials who are in contact with you that if they want to do something bad for their own interests, they should think twice. Who knows, we might be by their side when they're bored and want to go on a trip."
Zhang Xiaobao threatened. He and Wang Juan both understood that everyone who had the right to participate in the morning court had their own little faction. The two of them didn't care, but as long as they were caught, they would investigate, and they would show no mercy. Other than Emperor Li Longji, the rest of the members of the imperial household were useless. They would arrest all the princes and crown princes, and even if they didn't kill them, they would lock them up so that they wouldn't be able to leave for the rest of their lives.
Hearing Zhang Xiaobao's words, the officials were indeed nervous. They were considering whether they should clean up their subordinates before Xiao Bao and Cuckoo made a move. By then, they wouldn't have a chance.
Li Longji was very happy with what had happened tonight. He knew that the governance of the officials would be clear for a while. He continued to be supported by Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan on both sides. He said, "The new train station has been decided? Xiao Bao, Cuckoo, do you think the train's speed can be increased? "
"Yes, it's very simple." Wang Juan spoke, and the officials were attracted again.
"How can it be increased?" Zhang Zhong asked.
"Father, doesn't the Ministry of Works have diesel engines and gasoline engines? We can just use them to replace the steam engine. Moreover, it's not just a single engine, it can also be distributed among the carriages. The number of carriages on a train is small now, but in the future, it won't be a problem even if there are dozens of carriages. Put one engine in every carriage, and it will start moving at the same time. Naturally, the train's speed will be faster.
Zhang Xiaobao replied to his father.
"How much? Three thousand miles a day? Fly? "Zhang Zhong couldn't believe it himself.
"It can fly faster than this, but it hasn't been successful yet. The planes that were sent over have already fallen twice. Fortunately, it didn't fly too high, so there won't be any problems with the people. It can still fly." Zhang Xiaobao said casually.
So that's how it is. Many people thought in their hearts. Previously, they didn't know the purpose of the diesel engines and gasoline engines developed by the Ministry of Works. They thought that they would only be used to carry them to work. They didn't expect that they would be able to increase the speed of the train and even make it fly.
Everyone talked and walked all the way until the wee hours of the morning. Finally, they couldn't take it anymore and got on their respective cars. They closed their eyes and returned home.
When Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan reached home, the sun in the east had already jumped out of the horizon.
There were a few sheds at the entrance of the usually quiet house. The cooks in the house were busy preparing breakfast. Under the sheds, there were a few temporary 'beds'. Although they were called beds, there were actually very thick curtains around them. It probably wouldn't be cold at night.
There was also something very familiar to Xiaobei and the others. It was a house, a house that they used to play in and live in. The two children slept on the first floor, and the five children slept on the second floor.
Xiaobei, who had fallen asleep before, was very awake now. He looked forward to going in, but found that the sheds were too short, so he had to give up. If it was just sleeping, it wouldn't be a problem. At least, it was better than Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's bunk house. A three-story house was higher than an ordinary two-story house. It was fine even if the adults were sleeping.
The ones sleeping on the first floor were naturally Jun 'er and Pan' er. There was no one on the third floor. That was the entertainment room. The ones sleeping on the second floor were the earless Hong 'er and Ji Xiang, Ruyi. Hong' er was the oldest, so she slept in the middle. On her left was Ji Xiang, and on her right was Ruyi. Through the window, one could see how they looked when they were sleeping.
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