The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 643 Frozen World, Center of Gravity Shifts South
By imperial decree, the rations and pay of the Beijing Garrison, the Border Army, the Navy, the Sichuan Army, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Imperial Guard were doubled.

This was truly a tremendous surprise for the soldiers.

Previously, their rations were really low; one tael of silver and one shi of grain were barely enough to feed a family.

The soldiers of the Beijing garrison and the border troops who were allocated land by their families were better off, as they could still live comfortably on the income from their land.

The navy, Sichuan army, Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard), and Imperial Guards, however, did not own land, and without additional income such as military merit rewards, they would find it difficult to live a comfortable life.

That's great! The rations and pay have doubled. Don't underestimate this extra tael of silver and shi of grain each month; it's more than just enough to make ends meet.

In other words, their basic needs for food and clothing had already been met with their original rations, so they could use the extra tael of silver and one shi of grain to improve their lives.

In those days, one tael of silver and one shi of grain had considerable purchasing power. One tael of silver was enough to buy three or four bolts of cloth, and one shi of grain was enough to exchange for fifty or sixty jin of meat.

It can be said that after their food and clothing were doubled, they were well-fed and clothed.

The soldiers were overjoyed, but Wanli suddenly felt immense pressure.

The number of soldiers in the Beijing Garrison, border troops, navy, Sichuan army, imperial guards, and Jinyiwei is not just a few, but several million.

After the pay and provisions were doubled, there was hardly any surplus in the profits from the Americas.

He still had to deal with the Oirat Mongols, and he also had to develop Nurgan Commandery, North American West Commandery, North American East Commandery, South American West Commandery, as well as Luzon Island, Fangzhang Island, and other places.

These all require money.

He needs to quickly increase the production of gold, silver, and copper in the Americas.

Now that the train has been built, Deng Zilong is taking the rails, sleepers, and craftsmen to the gold, silver, and copper mines in America to lay railways.

Transporting the train there is still a big problem.

They don't even have ships capable of transporting trains yet. Moreover, the Chaobai River, the Beiyun River, and the Hai River are about to freeze over. Even if they had ships to transport trains, they wouldn't be able to transport the trains once they were built.

This problem needs to be solved as soon as possible.

On the 21st day of the tenth month (戊寅), Wang Zheng and Peng Zungu were ordered to return to the capital.

Around 9 a.m. that day, they arrived at the Summer Palace.

At this moment, Wanli, Zhu Changxun (the younger Zhu), Yongnian Earl Wang Wei, and Song Yingxing were waiting for them in the workshop where they were assembling trains.

Inside the workshop, there was a train being assembled, consisting of a locomotive and ten carriages, totaling over a hundred feet in length.

When Peng Zungu saw the enormous workshop, he couldn't help but show a hint of shock.

When Wang Zheng saw the train being assembled, his eyes lit up, and he stood there motionless as if frozen in place, even forgetting to salute.

Peng Zungu tugged at his sleeve, and only then did he realize what was happening. He quickly cupped his hands and bowed in greeting.

Seeing this, Wanli smiled slightly and said, "Liangfu, what do you think of this steam train?"

Wang Zheng said with a look of fascination, "This humble subject truly did not expect that boats could actually travel on land, and that this steam train could be even longer than the Weiyuan warship."

The length could actually be increased.

However, that involves power issues, which are quite troublesome when combined.

A train that can carry ten carriages now is already quite good; it's enough to haul coal or ore, and mass production is possible.

Wanli pointed to the train being assembled and solemnly said, "Liangfu, you have seen the actual steam train now, and Changgeng has also prepared the blueprints."

"Once you return to Southern Zhili, you must build workshops and quickly begin mass production of these steam locomotives. The workshops should be built in Xinzhou."

You're asking me to build this thing too?

Upon hearing this, Wang Zheng's eyes immediately lit up, and he nodded repeatedly, saying, "Your humble servant obeys the decree."

You're too obsessed with Taoism; you don't consider anything else.

Building a train is not that easy.

Fortunately, I have considered everything for you.

Wanli explained in detail: "This train is mainly composed of castings and plates. You built a workshop in Southern Zhili, so the castings are definitely not a problem. The problem is the plates."

Currently, only the large workshops in the Summer Palace can mass-produce wood panels. If you were to build such a large workshop in Southern Zhili, it would require a lot of manpower and resources, and there wouldn't be enough time.

I have already ordered people to speed up the production of the timber needed for the trains. When you return, please take all the timber produced these past few days with you. Before the ice freezes next month, I will have another batch of timber sent over. You should have enough timber for the next two or three months to build your trains.

And then there's the track. As you can see, just assembling and testing trains requires laying a huge amount of track.

I have also ordered people to prepare this. When you go back, take it with you. At the same time as building the workshop, you should also lay the tracks.

Liangfu, although this train is not very complicated, its production, assembly, testing, and even how to operate it all require a certain amount of experience.

You need to consult Chang Geng thoroughly about all of this, and only after you have completely understood it can you return to Southern Zhili.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Zheng nodded hastily, and then eagerly pulled Song Yingxing to the train that was being assembled to ask for advice.

Seeing this, Peng Zungu said rather awkwardly, "Your Majesty, Liangfu is so fascinated by these things that he has no interest in anything else."

What is this.

Wanli nodded slightly and said, "It's alright, let him be."

Danyang, the reason I summoned you here is so that you can modify a ship specifically for transporting trains.

As you can see, this train is huge, and it's mostly made of iron, so it's quite heavy and has a large volume.

This thing has to be assembled section by section before it can be shipped overseas. If you just ship the parts overseas, it simply can't be assembled.

You have to convert the Weiyuan warship's cabin into a single-story structure, lay tracks, and add supports on both sides to secure it in case it encounters storms during transport.

Moreover, the dock needed to be specially built, completely flush with the first floor of the Weiyuan warship, with all the tracks able to connect, and the Weiyuan warship needed to be completely secured so that the locomotive and carriages could be pushed in.

These are not difficult.

Peng Zungu nodded slowly, then asked, "Your Majesty, what are the approximate length and width of the locomotive and carriage? And how many Weiyuan warships do we need to modify?"

You consider issues much more comprehensively than Wang Zheng.

Wanli explained in detail: "The length of the carriage head and the carriage body are approximately eight zhang, and the width is one zhang."

If we consider the size of the Weiyuan warship, it should be no problem to arrange them in two rows, with six sections in each row.

In other words, a modified Weiyuan warship can fit a locomotive and ten carriages, with the remaining space of about one carriage available for connecting parts.

As for how many ships to be modified, that depends on how many trains the workshops in Xinzhou can produce in a month.

The trains we've built in the last few months all need to be transported to America, and most of them will be transported to the east and south of America. The journey is very long, and it would probably take the Weiyuan warship about two months to make a round trip.

In other words, you need to modify the Weiyuan warships based on the fact that the workshop over there has doubled its monthly output. If they can produce ten trains a month, then you'll need to modify twenty Weiyuan warships.

Oh, it also depends on the production capacity of the trains.

Peng Zungu nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

Emperor Wanli reached out to feel the temperature, then sighed slightly, "The fact that Beizhili has a two- or three-month ice-covered period every year is a real problem."

Once the river freezes over, we can't do many things anymore, so we have to move our manufacturing center south to Zhili.

"Danyang, I'm entrusting the Ministry of Works in Nanjing to you. I plan to build a manufacturing center there that far surpasses the Summer Palace in scale, and I'm also assigning that task to you."

Does this mean I've been promoted to Minister of Works in Nanjing?
Peng Zungu bowed repeatedly and said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

Emperor Wanli nodded slightly, then explained in detail: "I plan to relocate all the people from Songjiang Prefecture. You can build workshops there, manufacture various machines, trains, and even ships."

Songjiang Prefecture is truly a wonderful place, with the Yangtze River estuary to the north and Hangzhou Bay to the south, making water transportation incredibly convenient.

However, that area is relatively wealthy and has a large population, so it would be difficult to relocate all the people there.

Forget it, this is not my responsibility. His Majesty will definitely arrange for someone to take charge. I'll just focus on building the workshop.

Upon hearing this, Peng Zungu slowly nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

Emperor Wanli thought for a moment, then carefully instructed, "For the next two years, you will help Liangfu build and transport trains. I need to completely resolve the problems in the north before I can consider the development in the south."

Oh, it's not moving immediately.

Peng Zungu nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

(End of this chapter)