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.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his sister Wang Wenjun was also there.
Su He looked at Wang Bonuo's face and couldn't help but laugh.
Wang Bonuo now has a yin-yang face, with white skin above the eyes and tanned skin below the eyes.
This is because he has been outdoors in the tropics for a long time. He has a straw hat on his head to protect him from the sun, but it can only cover half of his face.
Su He politely invited: "Brother Bo Nuo, sit next to me. This is the best West Lake Longjing tea."
When Wang Bonuo heard Su He's tone, he felt relieved.
He sat respectfully next to Su He, picked up the tea cup and tasted the tea, but he couldn't taste the tea.
Su He didn't talk nonsense and asked straight to the point: "Brother Bo Nuo, I want to know something about rubber from you."
When Wang Bonuo heard this question, he told Su He in detail what he had learned about rubber.
He paused from time to time to let Su He digest what he said, while he drank a cup of tea to moisten his throat.
Wang Bonuo accepted Su He's assignment and went to Haojing to purchase some Western technology from Western businessmen.
Also buy some pyrethrum, tobacco, rubber and other plants.
Wang Bonuo was initially stunned by the benefits of tobacco.
But later Su He asked for a tobacco monopoly.
Most of the interests of tobacco are controlled by the Shaofu.
Wang Bonuo is a big tobacco grower, earning some hard money.
He found that Su He was more concerned about a plant called rubber.
However, domestic rubber is all small saplings, and it takes more than ten years to grow into a tree that can tap rubber.
After conquering Guangdong, they had direct contact with Westerners.
Wang Bonuo wanted to buy some finished rubber trees from Westerners.
The rubber product formed after drying is very brittle and does not have much effect.
This kind of rubber tree finished product is very cheap and doesn't cost much to buy. Wang Bonuo just took a gamble.
Scientists from the Institute of Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences have been purchasing rubber and developing its uses.
They found that after adding sulfur to rubber and vulcanizing it, the vulcanized rubber had very good properties.
Rubber's initial use was very narrow, only used in raincoats and boots and ball bladders for pens.
Vulcanized rubber is added with various substances by scientists from the Academy of Sciences to adjust the sulfur content.
They developed gaskets and tires.
In particular, the demand for sealing gaskets is very large, requiring a large amount of rubber.
The rubber accumulated by Wang Bonuo made him a lot of money.
Seeing this situation, he continued to go south to buy a large amount of rubber with the technicians he hired at high prices.
In order to enhance the value of rubber, technicians are asked to process it in advance after tapping it at the place of origin.
Wang Bonuo bought up all the rubber in Manila and other places.
Java Island and other places are suitable for the reproduction of rubber.
The rubber trees brought by the Dutch in the early years have multiplied into several rubber forests.
Wang Bonuo went to Java Island to buy rubber. The locals were very surprised why he bought such a useless thing.
Su He listened to Wang Bonuo's narration. He was probably afraid of missing something, so he rambled on a lot.
Su He asked the Academy of Sciences to study rubber. He knew that rubber is a material that has a wide range of uses and does not require high technology.
Before there were synthetic plastics, it was the most widely used organic substance.
Su He never imagined that the Academy of Sciences would develop the technology of vulcanized rubber before domestic rubber forests had grown.
Listening to Wang Bonuo's narration, he realized something that he had not considered clearly before.
Rubber is a tropical plant and it is highly dependent on climate.
Qiongzhou Prefecture is the southernmost landmass currently controlled by China.
This place is only the most fringe area of the tropics.
Rubber trees can only grow here, but the growth rate is slow and the yield is extremely low.
On Luzon, the big island at the southern tip, rubber trees grow a little slowly.
On the contrary, it is Java Island, even if there is no rubber industrial park for artificial planting.
Just by spreading seeds in a natural state, a rubber tree can become a rubber forest.
"Brother Bo Nuo, I hear what you mean, rubber trees grow faster in places like Java."
Su He just guessed that Wang Bonuo had been to Java and knew the local situation better. This matter needed to be asked clearly.
Wang Bonuo took a sip of tea, nodded and said, "Your Majesty is right, based on my observations and inquiries from the local Han people.
Rubber trees have extremely high climate requirements.
The ancients said that Huainan is called orange. Most plants have high requirements for the place where they grow. If the conditions are poor, they will not be able to grow.
In places such as Qiongzhou, it takes longer for rubber trees to grow, and the output is not as high as in Java.
Just compare the rubber trees in Manila and the rubber trees in Java.
I discovered that they are all rubber trees, and their yields vary greatly."
Su He asked again: "Brother Bo Nuo, you can still buy a lot of rubber in Java and other places at first.
Why can’t you buy rubber anymore?”
Wang Bonuo said helplessly: "It's not those hateful Dutch people.
After the Dutch were expelled from Taiwan by us.
The Dutch had great power in Java, and the indigenous forces in Java had no way to compete with the Dutch.
The Dutch began to expel the Han Chinese from all parts of Java with Batavia as the center.
I always contact local Han families and buy rubber from them.
All of us businessmen and Han families were expelled, and the supply of rubber was cut off."
Su He heard that the supply of rubber was cut off, which was caused by the expulsion of the Dutch.
He had previously thought that there was not much rubber from Java, so Wang Zhongce purchased all of them.
A trace of murderous intent flashed in Su He's eyes, and the Dutchman's actions had touched the bottom line of his interests.
Establishing a complete railway network is the most important thing for the Dahua Dynasty now.
Dahua Dynasty can promote the development of related industries and improve the heavy industry industry chain by building a railway network.
In the Great China Dynasty, only the light industry represented by the textile industry was developed.
Light industry makes money, but heavy industry is the foundation of a country.
The Dutch blocked the development of Dahua Heavy Industry, and they are unforgivable.
Dahua is now powerful, especially the navy, which has no rivals near Dahua waters.
Naval battleships have been tested in actual combat, and their power has been recognized by everyone.
Southeast Asia is already the back garden of the Chinese dynasty.
The small country of the Netherlands will become a chicken for the Chinese dynasty's external expansion, killing chickens to scare other monkeys.
Su He wants to find a perfect excuse to start a war.
The last expedition to Japan was opposed by many people.
This made Su He realize that the anti-war faction in the Dahua court was deeply hidden.
Thousands of years of Confucian education cannot be corrected by Su He in a short time.
He can use his prestige to promote the Great China Dynasty's foreign wars.
But doing this often undermines his prestige as an emperor.
Su He wants to be the helmsman of the ship of the Dahua Dynasty, he cannot be the propeller.
There must be enough interest groups to push the Great China Dynasty forward.
Many people now have not realized the benefits of overseas expansion.
He can only push through other means.
Su He asked Wang Bonuo in detail about his experience in Java.
Learned about Wang Bonuo’s encounter with a Javanese Han named Tang Defeng.
Su He thought this was a good entry point, and he immediately arranged for Wang Bonuo to act according to his ideas.