On the sixth day of the first month of the fourth year of Fuxing (1859).
Officials who have just celebrated the Lantern Festival are already engaged in the work of the new year.
At the year-end meeting before the Spring Festival, President Dong Shuheng reviewed the report on the completion of the first three-year plan submitted by the cabinet.
This plan was originally formulated by Dong Shuheng and others.
At the same time, the second three-year plan was also adopted.
The first three-year plan includes the construction of 5,000 kilometers of railways. There are three radial lines starting from Xinjing, connecting Xuzhou, Zhangjiakou and Shengjing. There is also a horizontal railway connecting Xi'an from Xuzhou to the west.
At first, Dong Shuheng was a little conservative when formulating this railway plan.
By the end of last year, these railway lines had already exceeded their capacity.
The railway connecting Xuzhou to Xi'an has been extended to Jiayuguan.
The railway heading north from Xingjing passed through the Gobi Desert and reached the left-wing center banner of the Tushe Tuhan tribe.
The railway connecting Shengjing also extends to Jilin Prefecture.
This is only the railway planned by the state. There are also some railway projects constructed locally.
For example, the railway from Urumqi to Hami built by the Western Region Protectorate, the railway from Jiangning Prefecture to Shanghai, the railway from Hangzhou Prefecture to Shanghai...
Now the total mileage of railways built by the Renaissance Army has reached 10,000 kilometers, which is exactly double the originally planned mileage.
This made Dong Shuheng feel that he had greatly underestimated the country's construction capabilities after social stability.
In the second three-year plan, the railway mileage to be built at the national level alone reached 20,000 kilometers.
Dong Shuheng plans to extend the Jiangning railway to the south, passing through Nanchang and extending south to Guangzhou. It will become a railway that truly runs from north to south.
In addition, a line will be extended westward from Xinjing to Taiyuan, and from Taiyuan all the way south to Xi'an.
The railway from Xi'an to the west will continue to extend all the way to Hami.
The line going north from Xinjing will also need to be built all the way to the Yuehu area.
The railway outside the Pass will also continue to be built northward until it reaches Temple Street. At the same time, it will connect to Vladivostok from Jilin Prefecture to the east.
The theme of railway construction in the second three-year plan is outward extension.
In this way, two main railway lines were formed, one vertical and one horizontal.
It's like two scaffolds supporting China's territory, making the Renaissance Army's control of the border more powerful.
This is due to strategic considerations, which is what Dong Shuheng calls the strategic railway. As for the improvement of the internal railway network, Dong Shuheng is prepared to put it behind.
After all, security and stability are the prerequisite for economic development.
This is the railway construction aspect.
In terms of industry, the first three-year plan is mainly to complete the construction of five steel production bases and the construction of five complete industrial circles.
The five steel bases are Luanzhou, Xuzhou, Jiangning, Foshan and southern Sichuan.
In fact, during the implementation, a Hanyangfu Iron Works was over-fulfilled.
Some of these bases are improved on the original basis, while others are completely built from scratch.
So, until now, they are uneven in scale.
But with these few steel companies as the foundation, Fuxing Army's steel industry foundation has been established.
Dong Shuheng did not intend to monopolize the steel industry. He also encouraged private capital to open steel plants.
The pig iron production of the Great Empire last year was 3.8 million tons, which was the total output of France, Prussia and the United States.
The Fuxing Army's pig iron production had exceeded 2 million tons by the end of last year.
Although there is still a certain gap between it and the Great Empire.
However, the Renaissance Army has an advantage that the Great Empire cannot match, and that is having a vast and resource-rich homeland.
At present, the local iron ore and coal mines are enough for the Renaissance Army to mine on their own.
Now there is no way to compare with the steel production of later generations, which can easily reach hundreds of millions of tons. The local iron ore producing areas are enough for use.
The Fuxing Army's pig iron production increased rapidly, especially after private capital joined the steel smelting. The accumulation of small amounts made up a large amount, allowing the steel production to grow rapidly.
Moreover, Dong Shuheng is currently engaged in construction, so there is no need to worry about the sales of steel.
At this time, the profit-seeking nature of capital will be revealed.
Dong Shuheng believed that by the time the next three-year plan was completed, the Fuxing Army's pig iron production would be able to surpass that of the Great Empire.
By that time, even if they really organized a Europa coalition force to come over, Dong Shuheng would still be able to fight.
The closer we get to modern times, the higher the weight of industrial strength, especially manufacturing capabilities, plays in war.
In the era of giant ships and cannons, hundreds of thousands of tons of steel may be consumed in a naval battle.
What we fight for is resources and production capacity.
During World War II, Japan's submarines sank tens of millions of tons of ships, but the United States' production capacity was even more efficient than Japan's submarines.
Rather than saying that Japan was defeated at the hands of the Allies, it was better to say that it was defeated by the beautiful country's manufacturing factories.
In addition to the steel industry, Dong Shuheng has also established several industrial bases with a wide range of categories.
These industrial bases are composed of one or several large prefectures and counties.
Through the combination of light and heavy industries and the integration of upstream and downstream industries, industrial production efficiency can be improved.
These industrial centers can easily play a leading role.
People of this era didn't know it, but Dong Shuheng knew it. In that era, even towns and villages were building industrial parks.
What supports the status of a manufacturing powerhouse? It is these industrial parks.
These industrial circles built by Dong Shuheng not only radiated to various areas in the country, but also radiated to the surrounding vassal countries.
It can be said that they are the foundation of the Greater China Circle established by Dong Shuheng.
As mentioned before, we need to establish a Greater China Circle and a relatively independent free economy.
China itself must be able to provide various industrial products to meet the needs of the Greater China Circle.
Allowing countries within the circle to enter a rising channel.
In the second three-year plan, Dong Shuheng focused on the development layout of electric power and internal combustion engines.
Dong Shuheng has always insisted on taking the lead in completing the second industrial revolution and overtaking in corners.
He now has two tractor production plants in his hands, one in Luanzhou and one in Jiangning, with an annual output of 15,000 tractors.
For the huge market demand, this output is just a drop in the bucket.
After the tractor becomes popular, the efficiency of agricultural production will be greatly improved.
The population required for agriculture will also be significantly reduced.
Considering that the Renaissance Army currently controls such a vast territory, as long as the production efficiency increases, there will be no need to worry about food issues in the future.
Dong Shuheng plans to increase tractor production to 150,000 units in the second three-year plan.
Build a tractor factory in Zhengzhou Prefecture, Chang'an City and Guangzhou respectively.
Now, gasoline internal combustion has also been developed. The production of automobiles must also be put on the agenda.
In this case, the construction of supporting roads must also be put on the agenda.
Dong Shuheng asked the Ministry of Transportation to divide the roads into national roads, provincial roads, and county roads for hierarchical construction.
The state is only responsible for the planning and construction of national highways, while the provinces are responsible for road construction at the provincial level. The counties are connected to small towns, and the roads in the villages are built by the county government.
In this way, the authority of road construction is divided down level by level, which can fully mobilize the enthusiasm of local governments.
If you want to get rich, build roads first. Dong Shuheng has always attached great importance to the construction of roads and other infrastructure.
Good road conditions are also a prerequisite for industrialization. Only with good roads can the circulation of goods and people be smoother.
The speed of industrial development will increase.
In addition to the internal combustion engine, the second industrial revolution also included the use of electricity.
In terms of electricity, Dong Shuheng is preparing to gradually promote the use of electricity.
At present, only big cities such as Xinjing and Shanghai have begun to use electricity. And this is more of an experimental use.
After these two years of experiments, Xu Shou and others have summed up a lot of experience.
There have also been great breakthroughs in power transmission.
It is no longer a dream for every household to have electric lights and for factories to replace steam engines with electric motors.
But it is not that easy to replace steam engines in all current factories.
Fortunately, Dong Shuheng can pass an administrative order to let state-owned enterprises replace them first.
The motor has low noise, does not pollute the environment, and has higher stability.
It is also a lathe, but the parts produced by the electric motor are not only faster, but also have a much higher yield.
This is Dong Shuheng's method to improve production efficiency without over-squeezing workers.
Dong Shuheng’s first step is to provide electricity to every government.
Many prefectures and cities have the conditions to build hydropower stations. Dong Shuheng plans to build 500 small hydropower stations in the next three years.
At present, the controllable power transmission distance of Fuxing Road can only reach 500 kilometers. Therefore, the radiation distance of hydropower stations is limited. Building large hydropower stations will face a problem. The electric energy produced by this hydropower station cannot be used up.
Dong Shuheng has asked the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Water Resources to cooperate so that factories that consume a lot of electricity will be built in the surrounding areas of hydropower stations as much as possible.
What Dong Shuheng has to do first is to at least let the common people know about electricity and slowly become familiar with it.
When electricity is produced, someone must use it, otherwise the more electricity is produced, the more it will be wasted.
This year is the beginning of the new three years. So now everyone feels that there is a heavy burden on their shoulders.
Everyone is holding back their enthusiasm. Next year, the cabinet will face its first change of leadership in its four-year term.
Many people are preparing
The Summer Palace is now a winter scene carved from ice and snow.
In the first month of the year in Xinjing it was still ten or twenty degrees below zero.
Dong Shuheng's office has floor heating, but it is as warm as spring.
There is a pot of orchid on the windowsill, and tiny white flowers are blooming in the room.
A energetic middle-aged man was led in by Wei Yuxiang.
He has a beard and wears the blue-breasted civilian uniform of the Fuxing Army. Although he is a civil servant, he has piercing eyes.
It was Zuo Jigao who came here. No matter when he was working, he looked full of energy.
He seems to have endless energy when working.
Arriving at Dong Shuheng's table, Zuo Jigao directly pulled up a chair and sat down.
"President, let me report to you on the inspection of the Western Region."
"Old Zuo, take a breath first."
"Duji, go and pour a cup of tea for Premier Zuo." Dong Shuheng ordered Duji who was standing behind him.
Zuo Jigao is still the deputy prime minister of the cabinet, and Zeng Xianfeng's energy in assisting Zeng Xianfeng in eliminating cabinet matters is not as good as before.
Being the Prime Minister of the Renaissance Army is a very nerve-wracking thing. Because Dong Shuheng is used to being a hands-off shopkeeper. For example, when he went south this time, Dong Shuheng went west for half a year.
However, since Zuo Jigao became deputy prime minister, Zeng Xianfeng has been under much less pressure.
Zuo Jigao was a workaholic and helped Zeng Xianfeng share many cabinet affairs.
Dong Shuheng was not very relieved after receiving reports that the Tsarist Russians had increased the scale of friction in the Western Regions.
So he sent Zuo Jigao over for inspection.
After all, Zuo Jigao had just returned from the Western Regions and knew the situation there very well.
This Zuo Jigao even spent the Chinese New Year in the Western Regions.
No, as soon as he came back, he reported to Dong Shuheng on the inspection situation.
Zuo Jigao drank the tea brought by Duji in one gulp and said: "The Russians are much smarter now than before, and their wars are becoming more and more flexible."
"However, I don't think they want to actually start a war with us. Because according to the news from the frontline rangers, they have not seen the main force of Tsarist Russia."
"According to the news from our intelligence personnel, Tsarist Russia has assembled nearly 50,000 troops in Orenburg. This number is not enough for them to fight us decisively. Moreover, they have not transferred supplies to the east on a large scale." Behind Zuo Jigao
The matter mentioned is actually a matter of the military department.
But this time only Zuo Jigao, a senior official, went to inspect the Western Regions.
Therefore, Dong Shuheng specially entrusted Zuo Jigao to learn about the friction between the Western Regions and Tsarist Russia.
"Well, they should have just been instigated by the Great Empire. Tsarist Russia is now very close to Britain and France."
"Yes, these European countries are changing their faces faster than flipping through a book. They were fighting to the death just now, and before their wounds healed, they formed an alliance again." Zuo Jigao also lamented.
Now that he has joined the cabinet, he also has to manage some diplomatic matters.
I gradually gained some understanding of the behavior of these European countries.
"Humph, this is called refined egoism. They only do things to see if they are beneficial to themselves, and don't care about anything else." Dong Shuheng invented another term, and this was the first time Zuo Jigao heard it.
But after thinking about it for a moment, it was indeed true.
"President, in addition to the military, I also took a look at the development of the Western Region."
"Now the Yili Huiyuan City in the Western Region Protectorate is developing very fast. The local iron smelting plant has begun to take shape. Driven by it, many industries in Yili have developed."
"Although Tsarist Russia often crossed the border, it did not affect the economic development of the hinterland of the Western Regions."
"Our strategy of establishing a buffer zone in the Gobi Desert in central Kazakhstan was right."
"Although we have lost a lot of rangers in the past six months, the war has not affected the stability of the Western Region." Zuo Jigao said.
He is actually very satisfied with the development of the Western Regions.