My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 304 Railway
Wan Jing said:

"Railway? Brother Zilin, are you talking about the railway used in the mines?"

Su Ze nodded. He had heard Zhang Mingyuan say that coal and iron mines in Fangshan had begun using railways.

Of course, this railway was not a steam-powered railway, but rather a mining car pulled by mules.

The earliest railways were laid in coal mines to transport coal from the mine shafts.

Su Ze said:

“I heard Zhang Mingyuan, a clerk in Fangshan County, say that the coal mines in Fangshan County have already used railways. The mines have laid iron tracks, and one horse can pull three mine cars, which greatly saves transportation costs.”

"Since mines can be connected by railways, could we build a railway to connect Fangshan with the outskirts of Beijing and bring iron and coal mines from Fangshan to the capital?"

Even the fearless Fu Shun was stunned. He said:

"Brother Zilin, are you suggesting connecting Fangshan and the capital by rail?"

Su Ze nodded, and Fu Shun couldn't help but exclaim:

"How much steel would that take?!"

Wan Jing also thought Su Ze's plan was insane!
The Ming Dynasty's steel production was experiencing explosive growth, but it was not so extravagant as to spread steel on the ground.

Fu Shun said:

"I've heard of the mines in Fangshan County. The railway tracks are only used in the mine shafts, and the longest ones are no more than a hundred zhang (approximately 30 meters). It's nearly a hundred li (approximately 50 kilometers) from Fangshan to the capital!"

If Fangshan County were placed in the original timeline, it would only take one or two hours to drive to Zhengyang Gate in the capital.

However, in the Ming Dynasty, the journey by post horse would take six hours.

The journey takes six hours, and it will take even longer and be more taxing on the carriage if we take other routes.

So even though it's less than 100 miles long, the transportation costs are actually very high.

Of course, this refers to the speed of a horse-drawn carriage; urgent military intelligence would not take this long.

Laying railway tracks along a hundred-mile stretch of road was something even the most imaginative officials in the Ministry of Works wouldn't have dared to dream of.

However, Su Ze knew that railways were almost an inevitable result of industrial development.

Early railways did not require steam engines; they simply used horses to pull carriages along the tracks.

This alone can greatly reduce freight costs.

In fact, Su Ze proposed building a railway for another important purpose: to stimulate the use of steel.

Developing industry is actually just like kneading dough; if there's too much water, add flour, and if there's too much flour, add water.

Now there's a steel surplus again.

With the construction of more large-scale ironworks, steel prices in the Gyeonggi region have begun to decline again.

Unfortunately, the various uses of steel today—cannon casting, construction, and everyday ironware manufacturing—while these industries are also experiencing growth, cannot match the increase in iron production from new steel mills.

That's how it is with steel; once there's a technological leap, the furnaces can operate day and night, producing terrifying output.

These included both government-funded ironworks and privately-funded ironworks built based on the profits from iron smelting.

For example, in Zhigu, there are ironworks invested and built by merchants. These ironworks were built to meet the needs of shipbuilding along the coast. The largest private ironworks has already caught up with the output of the official ironworks in the capital region.

For heavy industries like ironworks, investment is often delayed, and prices are cyclical.

In other words, investment only occurs when industry demand is high, but prices can easily plummet due to overheated investment.

Then, when investment decreases and demand for steel increases, prices will rise, which will then drive the next round of investment.

This cyclical growth can also slow down industrialization and may even lead to an economic crisis caused by overproduction.

With the completion of a new batch of steel plants, the steel demand driven by the previous round of construction has begun to decrease.

To avoid this cycle, new demand is needed.

The best way to address a steel surplus is to create demand.

Railways are the best place to consume steel production capacity.

Su Ze said:

"My two brothers, think about it. If a railway were built between Fangshan and the capital region, a few horses could pull several carts of ore to the capital. How much cargo could be transported in a year?"

"The cost of railway investment is high, but once it is completed, it is much more cost-effective than building an official road."

After listening to Su Ze, Wan Jing and Fu Shun were actually somewhat persuaded.

Both men had risen through the ranks by doing practical work in the Ministry of Works and had also presided over major projects of the Ming Dynasty. So the two of them really began to calculate the feasibility of building the Fangshan Railway.

Su Ze had someone bring paper, pen, and counting rods, and watched as the two began to argue back and forth.

"Actually, wooden tracks would also work?"

"No, wooden tracks are prone to wear and rot, and the maintenance costs are much higher."

"Where are the wooden tracks covered with sheet metal?"

"What about the rotting problem? And what about the deformation of the rails under such great pressure?"

"Even railway tracks have the problem of subsidence? After a period of use, the road surface will sink and need to be re-rammed. The same problem exists with brick and stone surfaces."

"If the railway tracks will face this problem, then should we compact the soil beneath the tracks?"

"Settlement is a problem, but as long as the train speed is controlled and it doesn't derail, it's fine. The more important thing is cost."

The two began to calculate.

Wan Jing had once organized the ironworks in the capital. As he calculated, he said:
"If we build an ironworks in Fangshan to burn coal and smelt iron, and use the produced steel to make rails, the price will be lower than that on the market."

Fu Shun, with his extensive experience in civil engineering, pondered and said:
“The tracks can be laid down along the railway in Fangshan. The ironworks produced the tracks and they can be directly loaded onto horse-drawn carriages. That way, not many craftsmen will be needed.”

If you do the math, Su Ze's railway plan actually seems feasible.
As Su Ze said, once the railway is completed, it will generate profits continuously. The coal and slag needed by the two cement plants in Beijing alone will save a lot of costs, not to mention the improvement in transportation efficiency.

As an official of the Ministry of Works, a railway track nearly a hundred miles long!?

This was incredibly tempting for the two of them!
Fu Shun's breathing became rapid:

"Brother Zilin, could you write to the imperial court to request the construction of the Fangshan Railway?"

Wan Jing thought further ahead, and he said:
“Brother Yinghe! Since Zilin has brought up the railway issue, he must have a plan in mind. All we need to do is cooperate with Brother Zilin.”

Wan Jing then looked at Su Ze and said:
"Brother Zilin, please give your instructions."

Su Ze looked at the two of them, surprised that they trusted him so much.

Wan Jing and Fu Shun were also the executors of the Suze Railway project. Their full support was a good start.

Su Ze said:

"My two brothers, the main issue with the railway is money."

The two nodded.

As officials in the Ministry of Works, Wan Jing and Fu Shun were middle-level officials and naturally knew the situation in the Ministry best.

Wan Jing said:

"Lord Lei has set the tone in the ministry: next year's Ministry of Works budget will be used for river works."

"Vice Minister Pan and Vice Minister Wang are arguing over whether to manage the Yellow River or build the Grand Canal."

"If we want the Ministry of Works to squeeze out more money to repair the railway, the ministry will be the first to disagree."

After Lei Li was promoted to Grand Secretary, the position of Minister of Works became vacant.

Pan Jixun, the Vice Minister of Works, and Wang Zhihuan, who served as the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner and concurrently as the Vice Minister of Works, were vying for the position of Minister of Works. The Emperor's intention was also clear regarding Lei Li's path to the Grand Secretariat.

The Minister of Works must be skilled in engineering.

To become the Minister of Works, one must demonstrate tangible achievements.

Throughout the fourth year of the Longqing reign, the Ministry of Works managed to raise funds through cost-saving measures, but the question of where to spend this money became a subject of endless debate within the ministry.

Under these circumstances, Wan Jing and Fu Shun dared not ask for a budget.

Su Ze smiled and said:

"Could the railway be built without the Ministry of Works' money?"

"Not using the Ministry of Works' money? Brother Zilin, do you want His Majesty to take money from the Imperial Treasury?"

Fu Shun quickly said:

"The imperial treasury is great! As long as the imperial treasury provides the funds, the Ministry of Works will definitely cooperate. Brother Zilin, do you have any brilliant ideas?"

Su Ze looked at the two of them speechlessly. So all he ever thought about was getting His Majesty to spend money?
Wan Jing also said:
"Elder Lei once said that among all the officials, only Brother Zilin can get money from His Majesty's private treasury. As long as His Majesty is willing to spend the money, there will be no obstacle to the railway project!"

Su Ze quickly shook his head and said:

"Even His Majesty would be cautious about such a large investment as railways. Moreover, His Majesty cannot see the returns from investing in railways, so how could the imperial treasury be willing to spend this money?"

The two were somewhat disappointed to hear that Su Ze hadn't gotten the money from the emperor's private treasury.

Wan Jing then asked:
"Does Brother Zilin intend to have the Crown Prince pay for it?"

"?"

Su Ze looked at his two friends. So this was his image among the court officials? Someone who only took money from the royal family's pocket?
Wan Jing was now completely confused. He asked:

"The Ministry of Works isn't contributing funds, His Majesty isn't contributing funds, the Crown Prince isn't contributing funds, and Brother Zilin is being kept silent. Where will this money come from?"

Su Ze smiled and said:

"This money can be raised from the public."

"What? Brother Zilin wants to raise taxes? That's absolutely unacceptable!"

Su Ze said, "It's not a tax increase, it's a loan."

Su Ze stood up and said:
"The government can issue bonds to raise funds from the public to build railways."

"Once the railway is completed, after deducting the annual operating costs, the remaining revenue will be used to pay off the debt."

"Of course, if that's the case, it will still be difficult for ordinary people to buy government bonds. The government will still need to guarantee the purchase of a fixed amount of government bonds each year according to the rate of return."

"In this way, it is equivalent to the government borrowing money from the people, which can spread the cost of railway construction over many years."

"And the people can also benefit from railway bonds, which is the way to resolve this dilemma."

Both civil engineers were completely bewildered by Su Ze's string of "stocks" and "bonds".

After listening to all the different opinions, it still seems that the common people have to pay for it.

Wan Jing asked, "Brother Zilin, is this really feasible?"

Su Ze said:

"Where there's a will, there's a way. You two gentlemen, just go back to the Ministry of Works and help me figure out how to build the railway. As long as there are no technical problems, I will do my best to make this happen!"

Fu Shun and Wan Jing breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that they would only be responsible for the technical work.

As long as Su Ze can solve the funding problem, the two of them are determined to build the railway, even if they have to work themselves to death on the construction site.
-
The fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month.

As the Lunar New Year approaches, the festive atmosphere in Beijing is stronger than in previous years.

People have made money throughout the year, so they naturally want to spend it during the Spring Festival. Shops and markets don't even have time to rest, and they pile goods all over the shelves.

Those out-of-town merchants were both happy and distressed. On the one hand, they were busy buying goods and trying to make a fortune before the New Year, and on the other hand, they sent messages to their families saying that they would not be able to return to their hometowns for the New Year.

Fan Baoxian, the clan head of the Fan family in Datong, rubbed his eyes. It seemed he wouldn't be able to return to Shanxi for the Spring Festival this year either.

This time, when Fan Baoxian came to the capital, he did not stay at the Datong Guild Hall, but instead bought a three-courtyard mansion next to the Datong Guild Hall as the Fan family's place of residence in the capital.

In the past, when the Fan family came to the capital, they would stay at the Datong Guild Hall. However, since last year, the Fan family has found that their business is becoming increasingly inseparable from the capital.

Sugarcane wine had to be sourced from the major grain markets in the capital, and goods from the grasslands and coal mines in Shanxi were also ultimately sold in the capital. Even the main business of the money exchange was located in the capital.

The newspaper's headquarters were located in Zhigu, but its distribution department was in the capital.

Just then, the gatekeeper announced that Fan Kuan had returned.

Fan Kuan, the editor-in-chief of the Commercial Daily, now holds a significantly different position within the Fan family than before.

Compared to the Fan family's other businesses, the newspaper business was barely breaking even and hardly profitable.

But now no one would look down on Fan Kuan just because the Commercial Daily doesn't make much money.

On the contrary, nowadays all branches of the Fan family want to curry favor with Fan Kuan.

Fan Kuan could make people rich just by leaking a little information, and if they could place an advertisement in the Commercial Daily, their business would flourish even more.

As the clan leader, Fan Baoxian valued the influence of the Commercial Daily and Fan Kuan's access to information.

With the Fan family in this predicament, Fan Baoxian felt even more like he was walking on thin ice.

At this rate of wealth accumulation, the Fan family's wealth will reach an unprecedented and exaggerated figure.

In any dynasty, this would have been considered a fat sheep to be slaughtered.

Therefore, the intelligence about the imperial court that Fan Kuan possessed was precisely what the Fan family needed most.

Fan Baoxian arrived at the flower hall and met Fan Kuan, who had rushed back from Zhigu.

"Clan leader!"

Taking charge of a newspaper shed the sleazy, broker-like air that Fan Kuan had previously carried. Wearing glasses, he exuded the air of a scholar.

Seeing Fan Kuan's temperament, Fan Baoxian became even more determined to send his children to school.

"Brother Zhongli (Fan Kuan's courtesy name), what urgent matter has made you rush all the way from Zhigu, and insist on telling me in person?"

Fan Baoxian was invited by Fan Kuan to meet him in the capital.

Fan Kuan immediately said:

"Clan leader, I have heard that Su Hanlin is preparing to raise funds to build a railway."

Fundraising?

Fan Baoxian naturally understood the meaning of fundraising. What was a railway?
Fan Kuan said:

"Chieftain, have you forgotten? Our coal mines in Shanxi also have this. It's two railway tracks, and horse-drawn carts are used to transport coal. After the railway is laid, it can save a lot of manpower."

Fan Baoxian remembered what a railway was. Just as Fan Kuan had said, the Fan family already had a railway in their coal mine in Shanxi.

Do you need to raise funds to build a railway?
For this little thing, Fan Kuan rushed back from Zhigu to discuss it in person?

Fan Baoxian picked up the teacup, trying to hide his dissatisfaction with the act of drinking tea.

But Fan Kuan then said:

"Su Hanlin proposed to build a railway from Fangshan to the outskirts of Beijing, which would be 100 li long."

*Pfft!* Fan Baoxian spat out all the tea in his mouth. After coughing violently, he asked in a hoarse voice:

"How many!?"

(End of this chapter)