Although the current price of mild steel used in building ships is still relatively high, this is because the output of wrought iron has not really increased. At the same time, there are also some problems in the processing of mild steel, which has not yet been able to solve the industrial production of large parts.

However, technology continues to develop. As a soft material, wrought iron production will continue to increase, and the production rate will be very fast. It is estimated that it will reach more than 100,000 tons in a few years.

In terms of processing, Daye Heavy Machinery Company and even other machinery companies are also working hard. It may take one or two years, or three or four years, but they can always solve the problem of mass production.

When that time comes, the cost of iron parts for shipbuilding will drop significantly, even more than the cost of using wood.

This is what the top brass of the navy values.

Using cheaper iron materials to build ships can also achieve better performance.

In this way, the Navy can have a large fleet at a lower cost.

Therefore, the top brass of the Navy also attach great importance to the application of iron materials in warships. The successful construction of iron-ribbed wooden hull ships is directly related to the next strategic development of the Navy.

Luo Zhixue, as the ruler of the empire, was equally clear about these, even more so than the top brass of the navy, and this was also an important reason why Luo Zhixue continued to promote technological development.

The continuous development of industrial technology is the improvement of production efficiency, and the improvement of production efficiency means the reduction of costs. The reduction of costs can allow more industrial products to enter the homes of ordinary people and improve people's living standards.

As for making money or not, this is actually secondary.

For the ruler of a country, the purpose of developing industry is not to make money, because for the emperor Luo Zhixue, purely making money has no meaning to him, and it actually has no meaning to the entire empire.

The continuous improvement of people's living standards is what is truly meaningful.

The direct purpose of Luo Zhixue's industrial revolution was to increase people's income, improve people's living standards, and make people live and work in peace and contentment through industrial development.

Rather than any other messy things.

If something has no effect on improving people's living standards, then it has no value to the empire.

This concept can actually be expanded to develop armaments.

Why Luo Zhixue built a large-scale navy was not to build dozens or hundreds of warships, but to build a powerful navy and then use this powerful navy to compete for overseas living space for the people of the empire.

In Luo Zhixue's mind, the navy's direct role is to protect and compete for overseas interests.

For example, protecting shipping routes, protecting the overseas markets and raw material supply of enterprises in the Chu Empire.

The last step is to fight for overseas territories for the empire to accommodate more immigrants.

If not for these reasons, why would he spend so much military expenditure to develop the navy?

Finally, why does Luo Zhixue spend so much time improving people's living standards?

On the one hand, there are ideals and self-pursuits, which are relatively illusory things. Many emperors or other types of supreme rulers have a certain pursuit of false fame.

But the most important thing is to maintain one's rule.

After all, if the people can survive and live a good life, they will not think about rebellion. If there are hungry people everywhere... No matter how awesome Luo Zhixue is, there will be turmoil every day, and he will have to worry about the rebels one day coming in.

The palace cut him into pieces.

Maintaining rule is Luo Zhixue's greatest pursuit.

In addition to maintaining rule, they can then pursue some false prestige, such as opening up territories and expanding territory.

Therefore, there is no need to think that Luo Zhixue worries about people's livelihood issues every day and really loves the people like his own children... He is more worried about the hungry people revolting and giving himself to Kacha.

This is also a common concern of many supreme rulers, but because of this concern, the methods they adopt may be slightly different.

For example, some people use high-pressure control to forcibly suppress all kinds of dissatisfaction.

Others maintain a balance through various compromises and transfer of power.

Others use the development of people's livelihood to prevent people from rebelling. After all, as long as they can survive and live well, most ordinary people will not rebel.

As for careerists, this is beyond the scope of the discussion. No matter what era and under what circumstances, there will be careerists who are dissatisfied with desires. They just want to get more power or even become the emperor themselves, and they don’t care about you.<

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But as long as the interests of the majority of people can be guaranteed, then basically there will be no chaos.

As for Luo Zhixue, he adopted a two-pronged approach... On the one hand, he maintained high-pressure rule. For example, he enacted a lot of harsh laws, firmly controlled the military power, and even stationed C-class garrison divisions in every county.

Forces to suppress.

On the other hand, he continued to develop people's livelihood and try his best to make people's lives as sustainable as possible.

So far, the effect is quite good. Although there are still various rebellions every day, they are basically limited to some chieftains, gentry and wealthy families in remote places, or simply gangsters. These so-called rebellions are the so-called rebellions.

Careerist.

A few ambitious people made trouble but could not shake the rule of the Chu Empire.

And with the continued tough suppression, today's rebellions are becoming less and less... The Chu Empire's response to various rebellions has always been very severe.

Confiscating homes and exterminating clans is a traditional skill of the Chu army!

The key members of the rebellion were basically confiscated and exterminated, even ordinary rebel soldiers who were bewitched by their leaders.

The Dachu Empire never said that they would just release people home and wait for them to rebel again... They would usually put people directly into various prisoner-of-war camps and then throw them into various mines for mining or other heavy labor.

Live.

While suppressing the country with high pressure while developing people's livelihood, Luo Zhixue was a carrot in one hand and a stick in the other, carefully maintaining his rule over this huge empire.

Let’s not talk about high-pressure suppression, let’s talk about the development of people’s livelihood. The project that has had the greatest impact on people’s livelihood in the past 16 years of Chengshun is still the Yellow River diversion project.

This is a huge project that directly affects the livelihood of millions of people and indirectly affects tens of millions of people.

There are four provinces directly affected, Henan, Jiangbei, Anlu and Shandong.

Jiangbei is the province that is most directly affected and is also the largest, because this is where the lower reaches of the Yellow River are located. The Yellow River is in Jiangbei and directly takes the Huaihe River into the sea.

The Yellow River diverted the Huaihe River and flowed into the sea, even leading to the emergence of Hongze Lake.

Anlu was affected because after the Yellow River diverted water from the Huaihe River and entered the sea, the water in the middle and upper reaches of the Huaihe River system was unable to flow smoothly into the sea through the lower reaches of the Huaihe River during floods, and then accumulated in the middle and upper reaches of the Huaihe River, causing large-scale floods.
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Similarly, Henan was affected for the same reason. After the Yellow River took over the Huaihe River and entered the sea, the Yellow River water had to compete with the Huaihe River water if it wanted to go out to sea... Then during the flood, the water in the middle reaches of the Yellow River also had difficulty flowing eastward smoothly, which in turn led to more frequent floods in the middle reaches of the Yellow River.

The outbreak of floods.

These three provinces were directly affected by the Yellow River diverting water from the Huaihe River into the sea, causing frequent floods in the past few hundred years, with small floods every year and major floods every three years.

If the Yellow River is artificially diverted, the flood disasters in these three provinces will be significantly reduced visible to the naked eye.

Finally, in Shandong, the artificial diversion of the Yellow River will also have an impact on the local area, some good and some bad. The advantage is that after the Yellow River water enters Shandong, various water conservancy projects are integrated, especially some key water diversion canals under construction.

The project can bring abundant water resources to the local area, irrigate large areas of land, and make local inland shipping more developed.

Come and try it soon.]

But there are good things and bad things. With the influx of water from the Yellow River, even the Chu Empire had planned and constructed new river channels in advance, built river embankments in advance, and dredged and straightened the sections of the river that were prone to siltation.

We have prepared several flood storage areas and other powerful flood control measures, but if a major flood occurs, it will inevitably have a negative impact on the local area.

But overall, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and this is especially true for the entire empire.

Of course, the Da Chu Empire also eliminated and prepared for potential risks in advance. For example, in addition to preparing regular flood storage areas that are uninhabited all year round, it also delineated a number of areas that are still inhabited normally on weekdays, but in the event of extremely large floods.

A backup flood storage area for emergency evacuation of personnel.

Ensure that the losses to people and property are within control when the time comes.

The artificial diversion project of the Yellow River is a livelihood project. Luo Zhixue does not just want to make the Yellow River turn around and go to Shandong!

Since it is a people's livelihood project, one cannot do bad things with good intentions. Luo Zhixue does not want people to be extremely resentful and even cause unnecessary turmoil.

Therefore, necessary preparations are necessary.

In August of the 16th year of Chengshun, when Luo Zhixue summoned officials from the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and other departments to discuss the Yellow River diversion project, he once again proposed that the people in the proposed flood storage area should be properly resettled and the flood control and construction of the proposed river channel should be strengthened.

We should focus on the publicity and guidance of the backup flood storage area.

Luo Zhixue also proposed that during the construction process, practical considerations should be taken and priority should be given to hiring local people for construction to increase local people's leisure income.

However, Luo Zhixue also emphasized that during the construction process, people are not allowed to be forcibly recruited for construction under any pretext. Workers must be paid in place, and living conditions must be guaranteed. In addition, compensation for families who need to expropriate land must be in place, not only

There must be direct compensation in money and land compensation.

It is absolutely not allowed to happen that people are dismissed by just throwing out three melons and two dates.

In response to this, the relevant officials who attended the meeting bowed their heads one by one and remembered when they heard Luo Zhixue asking about the arrangements for the Yellow River immigrants.

Officials from the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, which coordinates immigration arrangements, reported this.

"For land expropriation compensation matters for resettled residents, we entrust financial banks to distribute funds directly to each company. There is no middleman or yamen handling the situation, ensuring that the compensation funds are 100% distributed strictly in accordance with various standards."

"For subsequent immigration arrangements, we have coordinated with Liaodong and other northeastern provinces as well as Nanyang, and planned a number of special resettlement areas. The immigrants can choose a certain place to immigrate according to their own wishes, either Liaodong or Nanyang.

Immigration conditions and treatments vary slightly from place to place!"

"However, although the amount of land distributed and the specific treatment vary, free arable land, free simple houses, free farming tools and grain seeds are provided, and corresponding agricultural tax exemption policies are given."
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"For those who do not need resettlement and want to work in the city, we also provide arrangements to work in government-run factories, and the subsidies will be paid over ten years and a certain amount of subsidies will be paid on a monthly basis."

"We strictly followed His Majesty's instructions and fully granted the Yellow River immigrants their independent will, ensuring that no one would be wronged!"

Luo Zhixue was flipping through the report and listening to the words of the official in charge. Although he looked kind and smiling on the surface, he was actually laughing in his heart...
To be continued...