Chapter 100 Tongzhou-Miyun Iron and Steel Defense Line Plan
To locate the industrial zone in Miyun, first of all, there are mines and water there! Of course, from a serious industrial development perspective, Miyun has too many mountainous areas and is not suitable for becoming a large industrial city. It can develop a small industry with a population of 20 to 300,000 people.
area, it shouldn't be a big problem.
In addition to considering resource issues, Zhu Youjian also has a more ambitious plan. He plans to start a major project now to build a railway between Tongzhou and Miyun.
That's right, you need to build a railway. Without trains, the railway you built? Can't horse-drawn carriages run on the railway? With railways, even if mules and horses are used as power, the transportation capacity will be several times that of the current two-wheeled horse-drawn carriages.
, the transportation efficiency will be improved a lot. This will first solve the problem of transporting products from Miyun Industrial Zone to Beijing and overseas.
This is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that we can rely on the railway to build a steel defense line. For a long time, whether it is the Qing army or the previous Mongolian army, they have a mobility advantage over the Ming army. Who can let their armies have all the advantages?
How can four-legged horses travel? With the advantage of mobility, they often form a numerical advantage on local battlefields, causing the Ming army to need several times the number of troops to cope with their offensives, and they are often tired of coping.
In order to solve this problem, the solution that Lao Zhu's family thought of was to build the border wall. The usable Great Wall seen in later generations was basically built by Lao Zhu's family. Although this thing requires a huge investment, it is not without effect. Now Zhu Youjian decided
Use a more positive approach to solve this problem!
The cost of building railways is huge, but no matter how big it is, can it be as big as building the Great Wall? The Great Wall can only be used as a fortification, but the railway can also play a role in changing the traffic environment. If it is completed, it will not lose money, but it can also make a profit. Two legs are good for running
It's just four legs, but four wheels may not be as good as four legs.
Relying on the railway, the reaction speed of the Ming army will be doubled, and the scale of transporting troops and supplies will be greater than that of the Qing army, which only has cavalry. If the railway from Miyun to Tongzhou is completed, the Qing army will no longer enter the customs like last year.
Going back and forth on the Miyun front line in Tongzhou, do you really think this is your home?
There is no money right now. If there are enough funds, Zhu Youjian would like to directly start the railway construction plan from Tianjin to Tongzhou, Miyun, and Xuanhua to build a semicircular defense circle. Because of the lack of money, he can only build a first-phase project at the moment.
Start the railway project from Tongzhou to Miyun.
"Is the railway track that I arranged for people to build is ready?" He stood up and asked the eunuch beside him to see how the experimental railway track that was built in Xiyuan a few days ago was going. If it is done well, we have to start the railway.
Construction work started.
Zhu Youjian wanted to build a two-lane railway line from Miyun to Tongzhou at once. This would have no problem in terms of transportation capacity, but it would cost a bit too much. The remaining 500,000 taels of silver from selling the enamel factory would naturally not be enough, but this
It is unlikely that this railway will be completed before this year, and additional investment will be required next year.
"Your Majesty, my servants have asked. The railway line one mile away from Xiyuan has been built. Your Majesty can go check it out."
After receiving the eunuch's reply, Zhu Youjian set off to the railway experiment site in Xiyuan. He carefully looked at the experimental road made by the craftsmen and found that it basically met the requirements.
The rails are cast, and the quality is not high, but they can be used. The rails are fixed with screw clips. This thing is very difficult to process with the current technology, especially for large-scale standard production, which is even more difficult and requires
Continue to improve the level of workmanship. The two rails are connected with sleepers, which is not difficult. The roadbed is paved with trimix soil and gravel, and the cost is not low. The track gauge is determined to be one step (1.3 meters), which is basically the same as
The mainstream railway gauges in later generations are the same.
After seeing the railway, Zhu Youjian asked the eunuchs to call Wang Chengen, the person in charge of the iron factory, and several head craftsmen to hold an on-site meeting with them.
"I have decided to lay two such railways between Miyun Gongfang District and Tongzhou. Construction will start after the location of Miyun Gongfang District is determined. The regulations of the railways are based on the road built by Xiyuan.
It must be completely consistent without any mistakes. Boss, after the meeting, you will arrange for someone to communicate with the Ministry of Works for their assistance, and determine the route first. Remember to be careful when selecting the route, and there must be no big slopes."
"Your Majesty, how much iron, sand, stone, and wood are needed to lay such two lines? It will also cost a lot of labor! This consumes too much money, food and manpower." Whenever money is involved, Wang Chengen will always raise objections.
It has almost become his habit. That is to say, he can raise objections in front of the emperor so casually without the emperor being angry. Others really don't have the courage and qualifications, and certainly don't have the loyalty.
"Daban, do you think it will cost more to build these two railways or build the border wall?"
"Of course it's time to build a border wall! But building a border wall can protect against prisoners. Building a railway line is of no great use except for the convenience of walking. Even if you walk, it won't be much convenient. You have to build a special car, and I'm afraid the wheels will have to be used again.
It's not cost-effective to do it with iron."
"What do you mean it's not cost-effective? I ask you, can a carriage running on the railway pull more than double the load? Can it be faster than a carriage running on the ordinary road?"
"This should be possible, right? The prototype truck I saw seems to be able to save more energy and haul more cargo than normal roads."
"This is a good deal. Do you think it is more convenient for our soldiers of the Ming Dynasty to intercept the enemy along this railway, or to intercept the enemy along the dirt road? If our soldiers use the road as a wall, can we use fewer troops to prevent the enemy from entering?
The captive soldiers at the Pass? If this road had been available, would the captive soldiers still be tossing back and forth between Tongzhou and Miyun as they did years ago? The railway transports goods in peacetime, and transports troops in wartime, providing convenience to both the military and civilians. Once this road is built, isn't it?
A steel defense line was built in Miyun, Tongzhou? Only a few brigades of elite soldiers can prevent the Japanese soldiers from going south to harm Gyeonggi and Zhili. Is this not cost-effective? Can the carriages running on the railway be carriages and artillery carriages? Can they be formed into a mobile movement at any time?
The side wall?”
Use the road as a wall, a steel defense line, and move the border wall? Zhu Youjian's words opened up Wang Chengen's closed mind. He also went out to supervise the army and knew that the carriage camp was a good way to fight against the cavalry. "The old slave failed to understand that the emperor
With my foresight and foresight, I almost missed important military and national affairs. I deserve death for my crime, I deserve death for my crime."
Seeing that Wang Chengen admitted his mistake, Zhu Youjian stopped worrying about it. Instead, he turned around and told the ironworks stewards and the craftsmen what they were going to do next. Of course, the next thing they had to do was to improve the quality of the workmanship and find ways to do it.
Increase production rate! In addition to working on railway facilities, they also have to work on vehicles. For a carriage suitable for railway use, first of all, the wheels and chassis must be made of iron, and bearings must be used to connect the wheels and axles.
Making a corresponding brake system for a car is a very troublesome matter. Just the production of standard bearings requires extremely high process requirements. This thing looks simple, but it is quite difficult to do, especially on a large scale.
It is more difficult to produce precise mass production. The size of each bearing cannot be different, right?