The most arrogant in history

Chapter 745: The four vital lines.

Ye Kun looked at everyone and said:

"We have four economic lifelines in China, which are also four transportation lifelines. The first is the Grand Canal; the second is the Yangtze River; the third is sea transportation; and the fourth is the Silk Road in the west.

These four lifelines are related to the country's destiny and people's livelihood. Today, the other three lifelines are running well, but the western transportation line is obviously not keeping up with the development. Therefore, the railway from Luoyang to Chang'an must be built. "

Ding Ding nodded: "The survey and planning of the railway from Luoyang to Chang'an have been completed, and we are just waiting for the decision of the Ministry of Finance and Taxation. As long as the Ministry of Finance and Taxation is willing to allocate funds, construction will start soon."

"I will put pressure on the Nine Ministries and the Ministry of Finance and Taxation."

Ye Kun nodded and asked about other technological advances.

Pang Jia gave a detailed report.

There has been some progress in research in various areas, more or less.

Mature hot air balloon experience has also been explored.

There are flying warriors who can ride in a hot air balloon, float for more than ten miles, and land safely.

Ye Kun asked: "How many operators died in the fall while developing hot air balloons?"

Pang Jia immediately lost his smile and whispered, "Seven or eight people fell to their death. All due to technical errors..."

"There is actually not much use in developing hot air balloons now, so we should stop at the right time."

Ye Kun looked at the latest inflatable rubber inner tube:

"This thing is of very poor quality and cannot be put into use at all. We need to speed up the development. Soon, our cars will be of great use and will be manufactured in large quantities."

The car has been made, but the problem now is the quality of the road surface and tires.

The previous rubber tires can also be used, but they have poor elasticity, are easy to break, and are expensive.

Ding Ding said: "We can build a cement road to test cars. It's a little early now, but it will develop sooner or later.

I have seen the records of the Ministry of Industry, and the current cement production is high enough to support road construction."

Ye Kun thought for a while and said: "Let's start from Zhuo County and Jinmen City and build a cement expressway. And also build one from Zhuo County to Beihai.

The stone slabs on the original official road were removed and replaced to build a secondary road. "

Jinmen City and Beihai County are now heavy industrial bases.

There are automobile production bases, steam engine and diesel engine production bases, national chemical bases, and daily chemical products production centers.

There are also many polluting industries over there.

Because it is close to the sea, sewage can be discharged directly into the sea without affecting the environment.

Ding Ding nodded and recorded it.

Two days later, at the meeting of the Nine Departments, Ye Kun put forward a series of construction proposals.

Most of the nine ministries approved it, but did not approve the Western Railway.

The reason is simple: the imperial court cannot afford it.

Ding Ding argued: "The Western Railway cannot be built in one or two years, nor does it require a one-time allocation from the Ministry of Finance and Taxation. We can build it slowly and you can pay for it slowly. Is that not okay?"

Wu Qiong refused to give in and shook his head:

"The money in the national treasury has been budgeted and has a master. If the Western Railway is approved, other projects will be cut. The construction of Jiaozhi, Nantianzhu, Hanhuangdao, immigration expenses, education and health expenses...

Which one do you think can be cut?"

Ye Kun frowned: "Jiaozhi can be self-reliant. Grain, sugar, rubber, fruit, and various animal skins are all money. It doesn't cost the court money, right?"

Wu Qiong smiled and said, "But in Jiaozhi, we have many officials sent abroad, and the salaries we pay are also very high. We also need to carry out cultural propaganda, education and medical investment, urban construction, etc. If we calculate it, we don't make any money by sending the few products in Jiaozhi back to China by sea."

"Okay, stop talking."

Ye Kun interrupted Wu Qiong and said thoughtfully, "Can we raise funds ourselves to set up a joint-stock road and bridge company to build and operate the railway?"

Wu Qiong was surprised: "Your Majesty, you mean, you don't need the court's money? Just like when you developed the real estate in Zhuo County?"

"Yes, we set up our own company, raised funds, and established a joint-stock company with shareholder management. If we don't have enough money, we can also borrow money from the bank."

"But Your Majesty, building the western railway will also require the conscription of a large number of civilians. How will you arrange for the laborers?"

"I'll pay wages and hire laborers to do the work!"

Ye Kun rolled his eyes.

"That's no problem." Wu Qiong shrugged and said with a smile:

"However, I still remind the emperor that building a railway is very expensive and the cost recovery is slow. It is not as easy as building a house. I suggest that you build 200 miles first and see if it can be sustained."

"That's my business, it's none of your business."

Ye Kun stood up and said, "Let's adjourn this meeting. I want to discuss the matters of the joint-stock company with Junior Sister Ding Ding."

Everyone bowed and left.

Back in the imperial study, Ye Kun called Ding Ding, He Tiantian, Tan Bamao and others to discuss the matter of the Western Railway.

The president of the Royal Bank was also there.

"Not only does Wu Qiong not support us, he's also laughing at us."

Ye Kun sighed and looked at everyone: "What do you think, can we raise funds on our own to build the railway?"

The bank president asked, “What is the total budget of the Western Railway?”

He Tiantian and Ding Ding had a brief discussion: "The budget for a thousand kilometers of railway should be at least three million taels of silver."

"One kilometer, and you get three thousand taels of silver?"

"This does not include the land cost, there is also compensation for land acquisition."

"Based on the calculation of three million taels of silver, we should be able to afford it." Ye Kun couldn't help but become optimistic when he heard this, and said with a smile:

"We take a little bit ourselves, the Royal Bank takes a little bit, and we raise some social funds, and that's about it."

Liu Hongyu and Jiao Nu, who were in charge of the palace's property, said, "There is not much cash left in the palace. We can only take out 500,000 taels at most. We do have a lot of jewelry and jade, but they are not easy to sell."

The bank president said: "Our bank can only take out 500,000 taels. The rest must be kept as reserves. We dare not touch it."

Ding Ding smiled and said, "One million taels is enough for the initial stage. If that doesn't work, we can still raise funds from the society. We will calculate based on 30,000 shares, 100 taels per share, to attract investment from experts in the Science and Technology City."

He Tiantian expressed his support: "Here in the Science and Technology City, we can at least attract a few thousand shares."

The experts in the Science and Technology City are the richest.

Various rewards are available.

Ye Kun made the final decision: "Let's get started. Arrange experts, recruit laborers, and build the western railway. When it comes to land acquisition compensation, don't mistreat the people."

Ding Ding smiled and said, "We also need to sign an agreement with the court. We will not pay the land fee, but directly transfer part of the equity to the court."

"Giving the court 5 percent of the shares is enough. The court is not short of money."

Ye Kun smiled and said, "Put an advertisement in the newspaper tomorrow to attract investment."

After returning to the palace, Ye Kun talked about this matter.

Jiang Yourong was very interested in joint-stock companies and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, can I invest? After investing, will there be dividends every year?"

Ye Kun nodded: "Of course you can invest, how much do you plan to invest, madam?"