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The benefits of establishing the capital in Beijing are obvious to everyone.

With the emperor guarding the nation's gates, the restless barbarian tribes in the north no longer dared to easily venture south.

The Yanshan defense line was impregnable, with each pass—Shanhaiguan, Gubeikou, and Xifengkou—heavily guarded by troops.

The Liaodong and Liaoxi regions were as stable as Mount Tai. Pan Mei sent the Longjie Army out for a stroll every few days, and the tribes on the grasslands would run away at the sight of Zhou's army flags.

The National Defense Army's cavalry galloped across the grasslands, and the once arrogant and domineering remnants of the Khitan tribes now hid far away, not even a shadow could be seen.

Some daring tribes tried to graze their livestock near the border, but were chased away by the Zhou army and never dared to come again.

However, the downsides gradually became apparent.

The capital city is too far from the south, making even communication with the Central Plains inconvenient.

The Grand Canal was indeed fully utilized, but it started from Hangzhou to Yangzhou, then made a big detour to Luoyang, and then from Luoyang to Youzhou.

Historically, until the Yuan Dynasty, in order to improve the efficiency of grain transport, the canal was straightened, abandoning the curved section of the Sui and Tang Dynasty canal that connected Luoyang, forming a straight north-south waterway from Youzhou to Hangzhou, which is the Grand Canal we know today.

Therefore, the excavation of the canal has already begun, but it will take some time before it is fully connected.

The officials who were transferred from Bianliang didn't think much of it at first.

But as time went on, problems arose.

Officials from the Ministry of Revenue were the first to notice something was wrong.

In the spring of the eleventh year of the prosperous reign, Zhang Zhao, the Minister of Revenue, entered the Imperial Study with a pile of account books in his hands and a worried expression.

"Your Majesty, it takes two months for silk from Jiangnan to be transported to the capital. The transportation cost is more expensive than the silk itself. A piece of fine silk that sells for five taels of silver in Hangzhou will have to sell for ten taels in the capital, otherwise we will lose money."

Su Ning put down the vermilion brush and looked at him. "Two months? How could it take so long?"

“The road is difficult to travel, Your Majesty,” Zhang Zhao said with a bitter face. “From Hangzhou to Bianliang, we travel along the Grand Canal, which is relatively smooth. But from Bianliang to the capital, we travel by land. Although the road has been paved with cement, the carriages are slow and can only travel a short distance in a day. In addition, there are checkpoints, loading and unloading, and transshipment along the way. In the end, it would take at least two months to travel back and forth.”

Suning frowned.

This is just silk.

What about grain? What about tea? What about porcelain?
Zhang Zhao continued to complain: "Your Majesty, 30% of the grain transported from Huainan to the capital is lost. It either gets moldy from rain on the way or is stolen by thieves. Last year, the batch of rice transported from Yangzhou was found to be 40% short when it arrived in the capital."

"Lychees from Lingnan? They rot into a mess by the time they get to the capital. I've tried several times, and the best result is that they're completely rotten, but you can still smell a bit of lychee."

Suning stood up and walked to the map.

His finger started from the capital and moved south.

Bianliang, Yangzhou, Hangzhou, Fuzhou, Guangzhou... each city is separated by thousands of mountains and rivers.

Too far.

It's really too far.

Those prosperous places, those places that produce grain, those places that produce silk, tea, and porcelain, are all thousands of miles away.

The territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty was so vast that it would take several months to travel from north to south.

How to deal with it?

There is only one way – transportation.

We can't just rely on digging canals. In those days, there was no machinery, and digging by hand was very slow.

……

In the spring of the eleventh year of the prosperous reign, Su Ning issued several imperial edicts in succession.

The first step is to continue building high-speed cement roads.

In the imperial study, Zhang Yongde, the Minister of Works, knelt on the ground, his face turning green as he listened to the contents of the imperial edict.

"The road from the capital to Bianliang needs to be widened and reinforced. The road from the capital to Jizhou, and from Bianliang to Yangzhou, also needs to be repaired. The road from Yangzhou to Hangzhou, from Hangzhou to Fuzhou, and from Fuzhou to Guangzhou should be repaired all the way."

"The roads will be three zhang wide and paved with cement, with a post station every hundred li. Within ten years, all the major cities of the Great Zhou will be connected by cement roads."

Zhang Yongde raised his head, his lips trembling, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, how much cement? How much labor? How much money?"

Su Ning looked at him. "A lot. So I'll give you ten years."

Zhang Yongde swallowed hard. "Your subject... Your subject obeys the decree."

When Zhang Yongde left the Imperial Study, his legs went weak.

The accompanying officials helped him up: "Minister Zhang, are you alright?"

Zhang Yongde waved his hand, "It's nothing. It's just... my legs are a little weak."

Then, he glanced back at the direction of the imperial study and said with a wry smile, "Your Majesty is trying to turn the whole world into a net."

The official asked, "Can we complete the repairs?"

Zhang Yongde was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Yes. If His Majesty says it's possible, then it definitely is."

……

The second order was to allow the Royal Academy of Sciences to continue researching and developing trains and railways.

In the imperial study, Shen Gong knelt on the ground, listening to the contents of the imperial edict, his old face scrunched up in pain.

"Engineer Shen, the steam engine is complete. The next step is to figure out how to use it on trains. I want trains, trains that can run on rails. They can carry goods and people, ten times faster than horse-drawn carriages, and a hundred times more than horse-drawn carriages."

Shen Gong kowtowed, "Your subject obeys the decree."

Upon leaving the Imperial Study, Shen Gong looked distressed.

The craftsman beside him asked, "Engineer Shen, building a train is much more difficult than building a stationary machine. The wheels need to turn, the carriages need to be able to pull, and the tracks need to be able to bear the weight... Is this even possible?"

Shen Gong glared at him. "Whether it works or not, we'll only know after we try. His Majesty said, if it doesn't work in ten years, try twenty; if it doesn't work in twenty years, try thirty. Let's try slowly, and one day we'll succeed."

The craftsmen nodded and followed Old Man Shen back to the Academy of Sciences.

The sounds of hammering and banging filled the workshop again.

……

The third step was to develop steamships.

Su Ning stood in front of the map, his finger pointing to the location of Jizhou.

Jizhou is the same as Tianjin in later times.

That place is by the sea and has a natural harbor that can accommodate large ships.

Starting from Jizhou, heading south along the coastline, you can reach Yangzhou, Hangzhou, Fuzhou, and Guangzhou.

Sea freight is much cheaper than land freight.

A ship carrying goods departs from Yangzhou, travels north along the coastline, and arrives in Jizhou in half a month.

Then it was transported from Jizhou to the capital, which took only one day.

The shipping cost is only one-tenth of that of land transportation.

The losses are only one-twentieth of those from land transportation.

It's fast, low-cost, and safe.

"Once maritime transport is available, the South will be firmly in our grasp."

Wei Renpu stood to the side and nodded, "Your Majesty is wise. With maritime transport, no matter how far south is, it can't escape us."

……

In the summer of the eleventh year of the prosperous era, the expansion of Jizhou Port began.

The small port was transformed into a huge construction site overnight.

Tens of thousands of laborers worked day and night to dredge deep waterways, build stone wharves, and construct warehouses and storage yards.

On the sea, cargo ships come and go, transporting timber, stone, and iron to the shore.

On the dock, the supervising officials waved their whips and shouted work chants.

"Hurry! Hurry! This section must be dug before sunset!"

The laborers, shirtless and drenched in sweat, shoveled away at the mud and sand.

Some people were so tired they couldn't straighten their backs, so they took a sip of water, rested for a bit, and then continued working.

However, the food supply and wages were never compromised, so the laborers were full of enthusiasm.

The first steamships also began construction in the dock.

That was a new ship designed by people from the Academy of Sciences based on Suning's blueprints and combined with the principles of the steam engine.

The ship has a pointed bottom, which can cut through the waves; a long hull, which can carry cargo; and a huge steam engine at the stern, which drives two large paddle wheels.

Engineer Shen stood by the dock, his eyes shining as he looked at the ship under construction. "If this thing is completed, who will need to travel by land anymore?"

The craftsman beside him chuckled, "Engineer Shen, don't you hate the sea the most? You say you get seasick." Engineer Shen glared at him, "Seasickness is nothing! You get used to it after a while!"

The craftsmen burst into laughter.

Amidst the laughter, the ship was gradually taking shape.

……

In the autumn of the eleventh year of the prosperous era, the first cement road from the capital to Jizhou was opened to traffic.

The road surface was smooth and flat, and the carriage ran on it quickly and steadily.

It used to take two days to get there, but now it only takes half a day.

There were three rest stops along the way where people could change horses, rest, and eat.

The drivers all say that this road is comfortable to travel on; neither the horses nor the drivers get tired.

The merchants from the south, traveling this road for the first time, were utterly astonished, exclaiming, "This road...this road..."

"How about it?"

"It's even better than the stone-paved roads in the south! Walking on stone-paved roads for too long can break a car axle. This road isn't bumpy at all."

They squatted down and touched the road surface.

It is grayish-white, smooth and flat, like a large, solid rock.

"This cement is really amazing."

When the news reached the south, those merchants who were still observing finally couldn't sit still any longer.

With such good roads and fast shipping, what are we waiting for?
go!
Let's go to the capital!
Go to Jizhou!
Go do business!

……

In the winter of the eleventh year of the prosperous era, the first batch of seaborne goods arrived at Jizhou Port.

It was a clear winter day, and the sea was calm.

In the distance, a ship billowing black smoke appeared on the horizon.

On the flag at the bow of the ship, a large "Zhou" character fluttered in the wind.

On the dock, people stood on tiptoe to look around.

"They're here! The ship's here!"

The ship slowly approached the dock.

It was a large ship, bigger than any sailboat they had ever seen.

The ship was pitch black, with two huge wheels at the stern that were still turning slowly.

Black smoke billowed from the chimney, making a hissing sound.

The ship has docked.

The sailors jumped down and tied the mooring ropes to the pillars on the dock.

The hatch opened, and boxes of cargo were carried out.

Silk transported from Yangzhou, tea transported from Hangzhou, and lychees transported from Fuzhou.

The silks were brightly colored, the tea leaves had a fragrant aroma, and the lychees were sickeningly sweet.

The cargo ship docked, the goods were unloaded, loaded onto horse-drawn carriages, and traveled along the smooth cement road to the capital in half a day.

The people of the capital city tasted fresh lychees for the first time.

"This stuff is so sweet!"

"I heard it was transported from the south by boat."

"By boat? Can a boat go that far?"

"Yes! The new ships, powered by coal, are much faster than sailboats! I heard it only took half a month to get here from Yangzhou."

"Half a month? It used to take more than two months by land!"

"That's right. With this ship, we can enjoy fresh seafood from the south from now on."

In the imperial study, Su Ning listened to Wei Renpu's report, a slight smile playing on his lips.

What are the people saying?

"They're very happy," Wei Renpu said with a smile. "Everyone is saying that they'll be able to eat good things from the south from now on. The merchants are overjoyed. Freight costs have dropped, profits have increased, and they're all scrambling to place orders."

Suning nodded. "What about Jizhou Port?"

“It’s very lively,” Wei Renpu said. “Every day, ships dock and goods are loaded and unloaded. The docks are packed with people and vehicles, even more bustling than the streets of Bianliang. I reckon that we’ll have to expand it next spring.”

Suning thought to himself, "It's really fast."

Once the trains are operational and steamships become more common, the South and the North will no longer be two distant worlds.

Only then will the world be truly unified.

"Issue an imperial decree: continue the expansion of Jizhou Port. First, build the railway from the capital to Jizhou. As for the Imperial Academy, provide the necessary personnel and funds. I want these ships to travel all over the world. I want goods from Jizhou Port to be transported to the capital as quickly as possible."

Wei Renpu cupped his hands in greeting, "Your subject obeys the decree."

……

In the spring of the twelfth year of the prosperous era, a minor but significant event occurred in the capital.

Grand Secretary Wei Renpu has voluntarily resigned.

This old minister, who served three emperors—Guo Wei, Chai Rong, and Su Ning—and followed Su Ning for twelve years, has completely white hair and needs assistance to walk.

He knelt in the imperial study, holding his resignation letter in both hands, his voice aged yet calm.

"Your Majesty, I am getting old. It is time to hand over the position of Grand Secretary to a younger person."

Looking at this old minister who had followed Guo Wei in conquering the world and witnessed Guo Wei's ascension to the throne, as well as Chai Rong's brief rise to power, Su Ning felt a complex mix of emotions.

Guo Wei's most trusted civil official, strategist in the southern and northern campaigns, meritorious official in pacifying the country, and chief minister in the cabinet who assisted in governing the country.

For over twenty years, he has witnessed himself grow from a boy who crawled out of a well into the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

"Minister Wei, how many more years can you continue to assist me?"

Wei Renpu shook his head and smiled, “Your Majesty, I am truly old. My mind can no longer keep up, nor can my body. To continue occupying this position would only hinder the Great Zhou Dynasty.”

Suning remained silent for a long time.

Then he nodded.

"Approved."

Wei Renpu kowtowed three times, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Su Ning helped him up. "Minister Wei, you can continue to live in the capital! You'll be a high-ranking advisor to the court. I'll consult you if anything comes up. Otherwise, just enjoy your retirement and be with your grandchildren."

Wei Renpu's eyes welled up with tears. "Your Majesty, I thank you."

After Wei Renpu resigned, Su Ning did something that shocked the court and the public.

An imperial edict was officially issued, establishing the Grand Secretary system...

The prime minister serves a five-year term and cannot serve more than two consecutive terms.

The imperial edict sparked a great deal of discussion in the court.

"Replacing the prime minister every five years? What can the prime minister possibly accomplish then?"

"Two terms make up ten years, which is enough. If you're really capable, you can accomplish a lot in ten years. If you're not, even five years is too long."

"His Majesty is guarding against powerful ministers!"

"It's best to be cautious. If powerful ministers are in power, the court will descend into chaos."

There was much discussion, but no one dared to object.

Because no one can afford the cost of opposition.

The next step is to select a new prime minister.

Without hesitation, Su Ning appointed Zhao Pu as the new Grand Secretary and Chief Cabinet Secretary.

Zhao Pu knelt on the ground and kowtowed to express his gratitude, saying, "Your Majesty, I will certainly not fail in your trust."

Wang Pu, Li Fang, and Song Qi were appointed as Vice Grand Secretaries to assist Zhao Pu in handling government affairs.

With the formation of a new cabinet, the system of the Great Zhou Dynasty became more complete.

...(End of this chapter)