Wang Zhongce listened to Su He's instructions, but he did not agree directly.

"Your Majesty, there is no problem with railway planning and construction.

The railway construction process can absorb a large amount of labor.

The labor force in the Dahua Dynasty was abundant, and many people lived solely by farming.

There are some areas where land is tight, and each person only has one or two acres of land.

A large project like the railway is conducive to absorbing a large number of working people.

These people work and can support themselves and their families, so they will not think about rebellion or becoming bandits.

During the construction of railways, a large amount of sleepers and steel are consumed.

Nowadays, domestic steel has gone from being in short supply to oversupply.

After the construction of the railway, excess steel can be effectively absorbed.

But now the production capacity of steam locomotives cannot keep up.

We build a lot of railways, but there are not enough steam trains to run on them.

I suggest that we postpone the construction of the railway from Beijing to Songjiang County for now and focus on the railways from Beijing to Tianjin and Tangshan Prefecture."

Su He looked at Lin Wenjing, the young master's order.

The Shaofu is responsible for the government-run companies of the Dahua Dynasty, and almost all heavy industries are under the control of the Shaofu.

Before Su He celebrated the New Year, he still remembered Lin Wenjing's good news that the output of the three major coal and iron groups, Baotou Steel, Tangshan Iron and Steel, and Foshan Iron and Steel was rising steadily.

A large iron mine was discovered near Anshanyi in Liaodong Province, and a large coal mine was discovered near Qianhusuo in Fushun.

Su He discussed with the cabinet and decided to establish Anshan Prefecture and Fushun Prefecture, and asked the Shaofu to establish Anshan Iron and Steel Group, the fourth large-scale national-level coal and iron group in the Dahua Dynasty.

Lin Wenjing also happily reported that it will only take two years for steel production capacity to meet the requirements of the five-year industrial plan.

The Dahua Dynasty produced massive amounts of steel and provided society with cheap steel, which also prompted the flourishing development of various machinery.

The application of steam engines has penetrated deeply into the countryside.

There are wealthy households in the countryside who buy a large number of rice mills and agricultural machinery.

The steel industry is already oversupplied, which is why Suhe pushed for the construction of railways.

There is no shortage of steel, but there is a shortage of steam locomotives. Is it because there is a shortage of workers?

Dahua is different from previous feudal dynasties in that the status of workers is very high.

The treatment and wages of a fifth-level worker are comparable to those of an official in a township office, and he can support a family of seven or eight people without any problem.

After reaching the level of ninth-level craftsmen, they are called national craftsmen, can be named nobles, and become members of the parliament.

Being a craftsman and serving as a soldier are already the best ways out for civilians who cannot learn well.

Lin Wenjing saw Su He's eyes and understood what Su He meant.

"Your Majesty, please follow the academicians of the Royal Academy of Sciences to develop rubber seals.

Rubber gaskets have completely replaced metal gaskets due to their advantages of being easy to process, cheap and effective.

Metal gaskets must be made by level nine craftsmen. This kind of national craftsman personally processes the cylinder block and metal gaskets so that they can be made exactly right.

The processing efficiency is very low, and only two or three sets can be made in a month.

It is also the most effective gasket.

The seals processed by other craftsmen cannot reach this level of precision, and problems such as air leakage often occur.

If there is a gas leak in the factory, the factory has a spare steam engine that can be easily replaced.

Steam locomotives cannot replace parts, and they will stop on the railway if there is a problem.

His Majesty also requested that the technology of steam trains must be mass-produced technology.

Devices produced by this kind of national craftsman cannot be used on steam trains, which are mass-produced industrial products.

This is the reason why steam trains often had problems in the past.

It was not until steam trains used rubber seals that the air leakage problem was solved.

The processing of the rubber gasket is very simple. It can be slightly larger than the cylinder body, and it does not need to be exact.

Rubber gaskets can be processed directly by apprentices. As long as there are sufficient materials, tens of thousands of them can be processed every day.

Its sealing effect is not as good as the metal gaskets processed by Chinese craftsmen, but it is far superior to the metal gaskets processed by other craftsmen.

The rubber seal has a long service life and is very easy to replace.

Nowadays, steam engines using rubber seals have become the first choice of businessmen.

Now all rubber is imported, and the quantity imported is very rare.

Especially in recent times, Guangdong City has no rubber imports.

The source of rubber is broken and there is no rubber seal.

If steam trains want to continue running on the railway, they can only use metal seals processed by Chinese craftsmen.

The number of gaskets was too small to produce a large number of steam locomotives."

When Su He listened to Lin Wenjing's report, he did not expect that the material that restricted the mass production of steam trains was actually rubber.

"Shaofu Ling, how is the rubber industry now?"

Su He was very concerned about rubber. He had previously purchased rubber saplings and rubber products and handed them over to the Academy of Sciences for research and development.

Every time Tian Jiapeng reported, Su He would ask about the progress of rubber technology.

Rubber saplings and tobacco, as well as some spices.

It was he who sent Wang Bonuo to buy it a few years ago and started planting it in Yunnan.

After the conquest of Guangdong and Guangxi, these tropical plants were widely planted in Guangdong and Guangxi.

Especially in Qiongzhou, the southernmost area, a large number of rubber trees have been introduced.

When Lin Wenjing heard Su He's question, he glanced at Prime Minister Wang Zhongce who was beside him, and then said:

"Your Majesty, the rubber grown in the country still needs several more years to grow into useful materials.

Today's rubber is purchased from Count Wangbono in Java Island and other places.

The domestic rubber industry is basically non-existent.

I don’t know much about this situation in the foreign rubber industry.”

Lin Wenjing was very worried. His Majesty asked about this kind of thing, but he didn't know much about it.

I wonder if this will give His Majesty a bad impression.

When Su He learned about this situation, he looked at Wang Zhongce and said, "I saw Brother Bo Nuo during the Chinese New Year. He also brought many toys to the children.

There was no time for small talk at that time, and I didn’t even know what business Brother Bo Nuo was doing. It turned out that he was importing rubber.

I just have time today.

Others were shocked by the railway and let them digest the news first.

Zhongce, please inform Brother Bo Nuo that I will meet him at Kunning Palace."

Wang Zhongce agreed and watched Su He return to the palace.

His Majesty received his brother at Kunning Palace. This is good news.

Kunning Palace is the harem, a relatively private place.

His Majesty's identity is also brother-in-law, not His Majesty the Emperor.

With my sister by my side as a lubricant, nothing will go wrong and some things can be discussed.

Wang Zhongce hurried to his brother's house to discuss the matter with him.

…………………………

Wang Wenjun made a cup of tea with his own hands and brought it to Su He.

"Husband, why did you come to see my brother?

If you make any mistakes, my husband will bear with you."

Su He looked at Wang Wenjun and asked worriedly.

He smiled and said: "It's okay, I just asked Brother Bo Nuo for some consultation.

He didn't make a mistake. If he really wanted to make a mistake, the Metropolitan Procuratorate would come to him first.

I will directly exile him to the border to atone for his sins, so how can I summon him in Kunning Palace?"

When Wang Wenjun heard what Su He had said before, she felt happy.

After hearing what Su He said later, Wang Wenjun understood that this was the bottom line set by her husband.

Even her close relatives will have to pay the price if they break the law.

Wang Wenjun is not worried about the Wang family. The Wang family has a very good family tradition.

If they really broke the law, Wang Wenjun would not plead for mercy.

Wang Bonuo, led by the Qilin female guard, approached Kunning Palace.
To be continued...