Ming Zuo

The train departs from Liangshan County at ten o'clock in the morning, passes through Dong'e, Pingyin, and Changqing, and finally arrives in Jinan at eight o'clock in the evening.

For Zuo Menggeng, the time was really too long.

Fortunately, he has adapted to the rhythm of this era and can still bear it.

But the impact on other people is too great.

Looking at the crowds of people at the Jinan Railway Station in front of him and the brightly lit lights, the old man Hou Xun chatted like a teenager.

"Over 300 miles, it only took ten hours. Such a speed is unimaginable."

Li Banghua was also excited.

"In the past, such a journey would have taken at least three to four days, and if it was a waterway, it would have taken five or six days. The benefits of railways must be promoted on a large scale."

Everyone in the carriage was discussing enthusiastically, but Qin Luo, Li Meizhi, Wei Zihua and others were living like years.

For ten hours, they didn't even dare to blink their eyes.I am afraid that a little accident will cause immeasurable consequences.

Seeing the train approaching the station now, several people finally let out a sigh of relief.Then I felt weak and dizzy.

But the mood was even better, and it went straight to the sky, which made people excited.

"Haha, we succeeded, we succeeded!"

Qin Luo held the door of the cab and shouted to the people outside.

Although the roar of the steam engine covered his voice, but he didn't care, he just wanted to share the joy thoroughly.

Wei Zihua was even more eager to fight, and at the same time his mind was overwhelmed.

As Minister of Transport, he understood better than anyone what the advent of railways meant.

How this project will work in the future, he, the leader, must come up with a proper plan as soon as possible to prove his ability.

Whether he can go further in the officialdom is all in one fell swoop.

At the train station, it seemed like everyone from Jinan had come.

When the railway was overhauled some time ago, people have heard about it.

There are those who are novel, those who doubt, those who criticize, those who obstruct, and those who expect.

In short, in this era of great change, people's thoughts are varied.

But in any case, what is going on with railways and trains will all be answered today.

Seeing the long steel dragon coming recklessly spraying thick white mist and black smoke, many people were so frightened that their faces turned green.

Some were even more unbearable, and they all prostrated themselves on the ground, kowtowing towards the slowly approaching train.

Obviously the steam train has become a monster in their eyes.

Especially as the train got closer and closer, the shaking of the ground became more and more intense, obviously completely beyond their cognition.

But most people are fine.

After all, the empire is changing with each passing day, and all kinds of new things are emerging one after another, which has also made the world suffer shocks, and the ability to accept has also been exercised.

Especially when I saw someone on the train, I knew it wasn't some prehistoric beast.

What I have to mention is that the education that the empire worked so hard to popularize played a huge role in it.Nowadays, many ordinary people have a deep understanding of mechanical knowledge, and can express some opinions casually.

Now seeing the train created by these knowledge, people only feel excited, wishing to board it immediately to experience it.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the train finally stabilized in front of the platform.

When the emperor and empress and the prime ministers of the cabinet came out of the carriage, people finally let go of the last bit of worry.They all stretched their necks, wanting to have a better understanding of trains.

It's a pity that the train has just been launched, and it's not yet time to get in touch with ordinary people.

When Zuo Menggeng and others left, the train station was immediately surrounded by heavy soldiers, and outsiders were not allowed to approach.

Qin Luo, Li Meizhi, together with engineers and technicians, immediately began to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the train and make technical statistics at the same time.

Technological progress is accumulated bit by bit through such a tedious and boring way.

And the people who returned to the center would not take care of these specific tasks.

They had seen the strategic value of railroads and steam trains.

"I propose to set up the Ministry of Railways to be responsible for the construction and operation of railways. This is a major project that takes a long time, is expensive, and is related to the country's fortune. It is really powerless to place it under the Ministry of Communications."

No one expected that Wei Zihua didn't invite credit, but put forward an unexpected suggestion based on the overall situation.

But just like that, everyone's eyes on him inevitably contained appreciation.

How can the superiors not love such subordinates?
"This proposal is undoubtedly correct. If everyone agrees, let's start preparations immediately."

Zuo Menggeng's longing for the railway became even stronger, and he wished that the railway network would spread all over the country immediately.It is obviously appropriate to set up a separate department to be responsible for this matter and improve work efficiency.

"The cabinet will come up with a specific plan within half a month."

In the face of the general situation, Hou Xun did his part and gave an answer.

Seeing that the emperor and the prime minister had set the tone, Jiang Wei, the cabinet minister in charge of industry, proposed a specific plan.

"Once the verification of the Shang (Du) Liang (Mountain) Railway is completed, the next thing to do is to connect Dongping and Dongchang through the railway, and initially form the intercommunication between the capital and the industrial zone."

There are both Liangshan Coal Mine and Dongping Iron and Steel Works near Dongping Lake.Most of the production capacity is to meet the needs of the capital. If there is a complete railway network for transportation, it will greatly save costs.

However, Zuo Menggeng's thoughts are still a bit conservative.

"Your vision must be completed within two to three years, and in the next three to five years, a main railway line connecting Dengzhou and Qingdao must be built to connect the most important centers in Shandong Province. .”

In addition to the capital Jinan, Dengzhou and Qingdao are the most important seaport cities both internally and externally.Materials and products shipped from various places are basically unloaded at these two places, and then transported to various places in Shandong.

As long as the two main railway lines mentioned by Zuo Menggeng are completed, the economic situation of the entire Shandong can be fully revitalized.

Zuo Menggeng was not even satisfied.

"In addition, the large-scale coal and iron mines discovered in Fushun, Weiningying (Benxi City) and Anshanyi in Liaoning Province, all the way to Niangnianggong (Yingkou City). Try to get rid of them within five to ten years. The main railway line was established, and then extended to Jinzhouwei (Dalian)."

Everyone understood as soon as they heard that Zuo Menggeng planned to increase the connection between various mineral resource zones and the outside world, and strengthen the manufacturing capacity of coal-steel complexes.

Steel is the foundation of a strong country. Once the layout he said is completed, the strength of the empire will be further improved and it will become the overlord of this era.

At that time, it will be logical to establish a world order in accordance with the wishes of the empire.