My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 352 Railway Completion Ceremony
"Steel furnace?"

Su Ze nodded and said, "In the sweltering summer, people who work outside are prone to heatstroke. This is because excessive sweating leads to fluid imbalance. Therefore, the craftsmen in the workshop not only need to replenish water, but also need to replenish salt."

After Su Ze explained it this way, Wan Jing understood. It was just a heatstroke, wasn't it?
Summer heat illness was also a common ailment among craftsmen who worked outdoors in the summer. However, during the Ming Dynasty, summer heat illness was believed to be related to the sun. Since there was no sun inside the steel mill, Wan Jing did not consider summer heat illness as a possibility.

Su Ze said again:
“Brother Qinzhi (Wan Jingzi), the steel plant should do a good job of preventing heatstroke and cooling down the craftsmen in the summer. I suggest that the steel plant set aside a special fund to provide heatstroke prevention and cooling subsidies to the craftsmen.”

Wan Jing nodded hurriedly. The craftsmen of the steel plant were the Ministry of Works' treasures. Only after Su Ze said this did he realize that he had neglected to prevent heatstroke.

Wan Jing immediately said:

"Following Brother Zilin's suggestion, let's distribute saline solution to the craftsmen. I'll also have the medical bureau prescribe some medicine to treat heatstroke and keep it at the steel mill."

Su Ze said again:
"Also, Brother Qin, could you collect all the waste liquid after filtering the ammonia?"

Wan Jing asked in confusion:
What is the use of the waste liquid?

Su Ze looked at the ammonium sulfate and smiled, saying:
"This item is comparable to gold and is of great use. Brother Qin will find out in a few days!"
-
August 16th, outskirts of Beijing.

A platform was set up in front of the railway station at the steel plant in the suburbs of Beijing. Fan Baoxian, the CEO of Fangshan Railway Board of Directors, was all smiles as he was surrounded by a group of major shareholders, anxiously looking at the steam clock on the railway platform.

This steam clock is also a recent invention.

As the number of factories increases, the requirements for timekeeping also become more stringent.

Western mechanical clocks were also brought to the Ming Dynasty by merchants, and Ming craftsmen disassembled the clock structure to create new clocks.

However, the manufacturing quality of these clock parts varies, and the clocks are not very accurate. They are fine for use in ordinary factories, but not enough for use on railways.

Railway operations have very strict time requirements, and an even bigger challenge is that clocks along the railway line must be aligned.

The time at each station must be synchronized; otherwise, even if a timetable is compiled, errors in the timing instruments could lead to railway accidents.

A craftsman suggested using beacon towers, where smoke signals would be lit periodically, and each tower would immediately align its clock with the clock.

This method is theoretically feasible, but with smoke signals flying between the capital and Fangshan every day, what will the people of the capital think?
Therefore, this proposal was the first to be rejected.

This matter also troubled the railway company, and in the end, Fan Baoxian offered a reward to the craftsmen to solve the problem.

The last mad craftsman, Choi Si, offered a solution.

Cui Shi proposed building a steam pipeline and then installing this special steam clock through an opening in the pipeline.

Every fifteen minutes, steam is pumped into the pipes, and this steam flow every fifteen minutes automatically sets the time for each steam clock along the route.

In this way, the clocks at each station along the route can be adjusted every fifteen minutes, thus meeting the accuracy requirements of railway scheduling.

Even Su Ze was amazed by Cui Shi's ingenuity when he heard about this method.

In the original timeline, during the 19th century, steam clocks were also quite common.

During the industrial era, many cities built a large number of steam clocks to provide standard time for city residents.

Steam rose from the steam clock, and the steam whistle blared, followed by the dust and commotion of horse-drawn carriages appearing in the distance.

"coming!"

Fan Baoxian became excited.

The news that the railway company's shareholders are excited about today's railway completion ceremony, which will be attended by Grand Secretary Lei Li and Vice Minister of Works Pan Jixun.

This is a high-ranking official!

In the past, these merchants would never have seen a Grand Secretary, let alone a high-ranking official like the Nine Ministers.

Now, as the CEO of the railway company, Fan Baoxian can stand shoulder to shoulder with Lei Gelao at the ribbon-cutting ceremony!
As Lei Li's carriage approached the platform, Fan Baoxian and a group of railway company board members stood on both sides, warmly welcoming the arrival of the two important court officials.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lei Lifan and Bao Xian, accompanied by Pan Jixun and Wan Jing, boarded the platform where the completion ceremony would be held.

Su Ze and Luo Wanhua followed in the entourage of officials. Watching Fan Baoxian, the CEO, bustling around, Luo Wanhua felt a bit disgusted by this overly attentive businessman.

Not only Luo Wanhua, but all the officials present today treated Fan Baoxian with perfunctory attitude, and some even showed him no respect. However, Fan Baoxian, being a businessman, treated him with great hospitality regardless of his attitude.

Su Ze said to Luo Wanhua:
"The completion of the railway is also thanks to Executive Director Fan. Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—anyone who benefits the Ming Dynasty is a loyal subject of the Ming Dynasty."

Hearing Su Ze say that, Luo Wanhua also put away his contempt.

That's right. I heard that the Commercial Daily was funded by the Fan family of Datong. The Fan family's business acumen is indeed something they can do for the Ming Dynasty.

"Scholar Su from the Hanlin Academy! Editor-in-Chief Luo from the Hanlin Academy has arrived!"

After the ceremonial attendant finished calling out the names, Fan Baoxian rushed to Su Ze in three quick steps.

"I have long admired your name, Hanlin Su!"

Fan Baoxian was so excited that the fat on his face trembled. Su Ze extended his hand in a bow, which made Fan Baoxian even more excited, and he quickly returned the bow.

"I've heard Wan Langzhong talk about Executive Director Fan quite a bit. He also contributed a lot to the completion of this railway."

"It is truly an honor for a commoner like myself to have caught the attention of Hanlin Su!"

Fortunately, there were other distinguished guests present. Fan Baoxian heard the names of several nobles and had no choice but to reluctantly release Su Ze.

As Su Ze and Luo Wanhua stepped onto the platform, they saw Lei Li waving at them.

Su Ze hurried over, and Lei Li, looking at the railway tracks below the platform, said to Su Ze:

“Zilin, back when I was the Minister of Works, iron was a rare commodity, but now it can be laid on the ground as rails.”

Su Ze thought back to when he offered Lei Lixian the method to decipher the "Yingzao Fashi" back then. In recent years, the Ming Dynasty has indeed undergone earth-shattering changes.

"This is largely thanks to Su Zilin."

Pan Jixun, the Vice Minister of Works, chimed in jokingly.

Pan Jixun's temples were slightly gray. This historically renowned technical official was in his fifties at this time, the prime of an official's life.

Su Ze quickly replied modestly:

"These are all thanks to the Ministry of Works. These steel mills were all built by Wan Langzhong."

Lei Li and Pan Jixun nodded in satisfaction. This was one of Su Ze's strengths; he had done a lot but did not take credit for it and was willing to share the credit with others.

Lei Li suddenly said, "I have come here today to see if this railway is as the newspapers say, connecting the north and south of my Great Ming Dynasty like the canal."

The Grand Secretary would not speak casually; this statement was too abrupt. Su Ze looked at Lei Li, pondering the meaning of his words.

Lei Li simply smiled and said nothing more. Then, once all the guests had arrived, Fan Baoxian returned to the platform and announced the start of the completion ceremony.

It must be said that Fan Baoxian's design for the completion ceremony was quite innovative. Lei Li and Pan Jixun, holding hammers, struck the last piece of rail, and the scene erupted in enthusiastic applause. The railway, less than 100 kilometers long, from Fangshan to the outskirts of Beijing, was thus completed. Su Ze knew that this railway would inevitably be recorded in history, becoming a landmark node in a certain historical era.

But standing on the platform of the steel plant on the outskirts of Beijing, Su Ze felt no shock.

There was no other way; smoke was billowing from the steel mill not far away. The groom drove the horses onto the tracks, and three interconnected railcars were pushed onto the platform.

Su Ze boarded the carriage with the others. When the steam clock on the platform sounded its whistle, the driver began to direct the horses to pull the carriage faster.

Because the passengers were all distinguished guests, the driver didn't dare to go too fast. In Su Ze's view, it was similar to a sightseeing carriage in an amusement park.

It's hard to imagine that railways would develop into steel behemoths capable of traveling hundreds of kilometers per hour.

In less than fifteen minutes, the horse-drawn railcar arrived at its destination, a temporary platform not far from the ironworks.

The group got off the carriage again and watched as the driver turned the horse around and pulled it to the other side to prepare for the return journey.

However, the officials present still highly praised the horse-drawn railcar.

With just four horses pulling three carriages, it was far more efficient than a regular horse-drawn carriage.

The track vehicle traveled very smoothly, which gave everyone a very good impression.

Su Ze looked at Lei Li, who was surrounded by officials, and recalled the conversation they had just had.

In a flash of inspiration, Su Ze suddenly understood Lei Li's meaning.

The fact that this Minister Lei suddenly came and said those words to me clearly indicated that he was interested in the railway.

Apart from Lei Li, no other important official in the current court has realized the value of railways.

As a new industry, the imperial court did not have any departments related to railways.

The Ministry of Works was only responsible for building the railways; once the railways were completed, their operation was handed over to the railway companies.

However, this is only the Fangshan Railway, and it is foreseeable that the imperial court will build more railways.

After the railway is handed over to the railway company for operation, it doesn't mean that everything can be left unattended; a management department must be established.

By comparing the railway to a canal, Leigh was trying to bring jurisdiction over the railway under his own name as Chief Secretary.

So that's how it is! No wonder Rayleigh made a special trip to attend the railway completion ceremony!

Lei Li's idea was exactly what Su Ze wanted to do.

As a special industry, railways, whether public or private, require the intervention of the imperial court. To say nothing of other matters, at present, only the Ministry of Works in the entire Ming Dynasty has the capability to build railways.

To this day, there is still no government office to manage the railways.

Setting up an office just for the Fangshan Railway seems like making a mountain out of a molehill.

Placing both the railway and the canal on equal footing and entrusting them entirely to Mr. Leigh, a full-time Grand Secretary, would clearly be a better choice.

When the importance of railways increases in the future, and there are more railways, it would be smoother to set up an office in the imperial court to manage railways.

However, this matter obviously cannot be brought up by Lei Li himself. It seems that Elder Lei is implying that he should submit a memorial.

After Su Ze understood this, he lost interest in the remaining completion activities and was preoccupied with how to go back and draft a memorial to the emperor.

Fan Baoxian also prepared a dinner party, but the officials attending the completion ceremony were unwilling to have too much interaction with such a big businessman, and they all left after the ceremony.

Upon returning to the newspaper office, Su Ze immediately began drafting a memorial to the throne.

Memorial Requesting Unification of Railway Affairs

Su Ze first praised the railway to the emperor:
"I have observed that the Fangshan Railway in the suburbs of Beijing was recently completed. Its tracks connect all trade routes and facilitate the north-south transportation. It is truly a new instrument of our nation and a vital task for the country's prosperity."

"However, the benefits of railways are not limited to the transshipment of goods; they can be compared to canal transport."

"Although they are different in form, they are the same in function and are both crucial to the national economy and people's livelihood."

"Although the Fangshan Railway is now completed, the authority is not unified: the Ministry of Works is only responsible for construction, while the railway company is solely responsible for transportation."

"Just as the canal ships need to be managed in a coordinated manner along the river locks and dams, the railway also needs central dispatch to prevent accidents."

"In my opinion, in order to oversee all matters concerning the construction, operation, and regulations of the railway, a senior official should be in charge of coordination."

Su Ze quickly finished writing the memorial, doing Lei Li a favor by doing him a favor.

Su Ze had already compared the railway to the Grand Canal in his memorial, so it was obvious who the right minister to be in charge of the railway was.

Moreover, with the support of a high-ranking official like Lei Li, the second railway might be able to start construction soon.

This time, Su Ze was too lazy to use his cheat code. He had already submitted the petition himself, so it was now up to Elder Lei to push things forward.

After dealing with this matter, Su Ze looked at the cloth bag on the table.

The cloth bag contained white crystals, which Tao Guan had collected from the ammonia waste liquid of the steel plant, along with sulfuric acid, to form ammonium sulfate.

Su Ze never expected that Tao Guan would actually purify ammonium sulfate crystals, which are high-concentration nitrogen fertilizers!
But how do we promote this product?

Su Ze recalled that in his previous life, many of his colleagues who went to the grassroots level to alleviate poverty complained about the difficulty of promoting new agricultural technologies at the grassroots level.

In their view, the government has provided policies and technical support, but they refuse to change their outdated planting methods and resolutely refuse to plant new crops.

But now Su Ze understands the reason.

Unlike industry, any agricultural technological revolution is extremely difficult to promote.

Unlike industry, which pursues high profits and efficiency, agriculture's primary goal is stability.

Agriculture is a long-term endeavor; you can plant one grain of millet in the spring and harvest ten thousand grains in the autumn.

From sowing to maturity, crops require a great deal of effort. If any step goes wrong, leading to reduced yields or even total crop failure, people will starve.

Farmers won't just scatter strange things in their fields because of a word from the government.

Moreover, agriculture is affected by a variety of factors. If ammonium sulfate is applied and the harvest fails due to other disasters, farmers may also attribute the problem to the ammonium sulfate.

Ordinary farmers are inherently conservative; this conservatism is an instinct ingrained in their bones, an instinctive response to hunger.

To promote ammonium sulfate, we cannot rely on the forced promotion by governments at all levels; we must also ensure that ordinary farmers use it voluntarily.

Su Ze quickly came up with a plan and immediately approached Luo Wanhua.

(End of this chapter)