Cutting 1719

Chapter 432
At the Hankou Wharf, groups of soldiers from the Fuhan Army were lined up neatly. They were wearing military uniforms and white gloves, and they all looked resolute.

When Ning Yu got off the boat, there were bursts of cheers from the people on the pier. They were not specially organized by the government, but the people spontaneously came to welcome Ning Yu. They looked at Ning Yu with extremely enthusiastic eyes. The banner representing the emperor, with a smile on his face.

"Long live Your Majesty!"

"Long live Da Chu!"

Waves of voices came and went, and the soldiers of the Fuhan Army who were on guard had no choice but to form a human wall to prevent anyone from doing illegal things while taking advantage of the warm atmosphere.

Looking at the scene in front of him, Ning Yu couldn't help feeling a little emotional, and whispered to the officials beside him: "Our people are the most grateful, and their requirements are really very low, and often they only need to let them If you have enough food and clothing, they will be grateful to you. I am really ashamed in my heart, the country has not yet been unified, the people have not yet been peaceful, and there are still many things that need to be done, you should think about it.”

Cui Wancai, the second assistant at the side, also felt somewhat emotional, "Your Majesty's words are true, and you should do your best to repay Your Majesty's kindness, the country, the country, and all the people in the world."

Hubei Chief Envoy Ning Wanjun cupped his hands and said, "I would like to report to Your Majesty, the voice of the people is precisely the kindness of His Majesty. Since the establishment of the Great Chu, we have abolished exorbitant taxes, reduced rent and interest, implemented new policies, and practiced benevolence and righteousness. Ten thousand people have a chance to breathe, and now the population of Hubei Province and the number of cultivated fields have increased greatly, all thanks to His Majesty's blessing."

Ning Yu smiled slightly, and knew in his heart that this was not a place to talk, so he got into the specially prepared imperial carriage and headed for the old palace.However, he was not the only one on the carriage, there were also Cui Wancai, the second assistant, Ning Wanjun, the governor of Hubei, and Zheng Yumin, the newly promoted prefect of Wuchang, who were waiting here for Ning Yu's inquiries.

"The south is set, and the day of the Northern Expedition is getting closer and closer. The soldiers on the front line are ready to fight, and our rear security must also be done well. Among them, the matter of ordnance is particularly important. Hubei Province is an important province for the layout of our big Chu military industry. One should be guaranteed. Need to do better.”

Ning Yu held a teacup in his hand, and his face was slightly dignified. After all, the Northern Expedition was a bit hasty, and the test of the rear was very big in terms of logistics, so this time I came to Hubei to protect the this matter.

Hubei Chief Envoy Ning Wanjun said humbly: "Your Majesty, the military production in Wuchang and Hanyang has begun to work overtime, and the workers are also expanding. So far, all the weapons required for military expansion have been prepared. At the beginning, before the end of May, the relevant ordnance stored is enough to expand another three divisions."

"As for the daily consumption of lead bullets, grenades, flowering bullets, shotgun shells, and other emergency ammunition, relevant storage preparations have been carried out in Hanyang and Nanjing, which can be used by the 30 troops on the front line for three months."

Speaking of these, Ning Wanjun couldn't help showing a strong sense of pride in his tone. You must know that the initial scale was not so large, and it was gradually developed and grown in the hands of him and other Hubei officials. The painstaking efforts put in are definitely beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

Ning Yu nodded slightly. He is still satisfied with the achievements of Ning Wanjun and others. Maybe he can be transferred to the cabinet in the coming year. A lot of exhortations.

"Nowadays, military production is on track, so I won't say much, but we must ensure the safety of military production sites, and all precautionary measures must be taken, and there must be no disturbance or interference. normal life of the people."

Zheng Yumin, the prefect of Wuchang, who had been silent all this time, became energetic at this time. He was also a capable official from the Chu Palace in the past, and he was trained by Ningchu University of Government Affairs. Therefore, his official career has always been good. The prefect of Wuchang is only slightly lower than the prefect of Zhili.

After hearing Ning Yu's instructions, Zheng Yumin quickly said: "Your Majesty's words are true. Now Wuchang has set up two battalions as guards around the relevant military industry. As for the related vigilance, there is no need to worry about safety. And because the military industry is located in a remote place, there are not many people, and the original people have all moved to the city."

Hearing this, Ning Yu nodded, looked at the second assistant Cui Wancai and said with a smile: "If all the officials in the world are like Wanjun and Yumin, I and the cabinet can save a lot of effort."

Cui Wancai smiled lightly, "It's thanks to His Majesty that you are good ministers and capable officials. And when the imperial examination is over this year, in the future, all my officials in Dachu will be capable officials with hard work."

That's right, it has been three years since the reform, and Chunwei has ended early, and this time the Chunwei exam is different from the previous ones. Now everyone can only test for talents, and the content of the exam is all about practical learning and new style. Among the subjects, the Four Books and Five Classics only accounted for a small part, so most of the candidates who passed the exam were creative young people.

During the imperial examinations in the past, everyone only needed to do a good job in stereotyped essays, and the scope covered was the official Confucian essence. Therefore, everyone only needed to study a few books, which was basically enough. The kind of virtues of the students who come out basically can be known without looking.

Although there will be some talents among these people, but after all, they are built on the basis of a huge number of scholars. In contrast, there are generations of young people who have poor heads and good scriptures, and only know how to circle around in the essence of the sages However, it is of no use to the country or the people.

Therefore, Ning Yu has started to reform the imperial examination since he ascended the throne, but in order to ensure stability, the new imperial examination was officially opened in the third year of innovation, and the candidates who passed the examination were all flexible people who began to change their minds in the past two years. The old people naturally completely cut off the hope of becoming an official.

Regarding the imperial examination, Ning Wanjun and Zheng Yumin also knew a lot about it, and they agreed very much at the moment, especially Ning Wanjun, who was the chief envoy of Hubei, had some different opinions.

"The reform of the imperial examination system is really beneficial to the world. Scholars in the past spent too much time and energy and wasted too many talents in order to win a man who would be known to the world at once. Little do they know that there are more in this world. The industry needs more talents to complete it.”

Ning Wanjun's words reached Ning Yu's heart, and Dang even clapped his hands and laughed loudly: "What Wanjun said is very pleasing to me. There are thousands of different ways in the world, and all of them can do great things, not just reading The road of becoming an official? Besides, I am going to be prosperous in industry and commerce, so it is not worse to devote myself to this in the future than to embark on an official career."

While Ning Yu was talking, he became more and more optimistic about Ning Wanjun in his heart, so he secretly remembered that he could be transferred to the court next year.

After arriving at the palace, Ning Yu did not rest too much, and directly summoned the Hubei chief envoy, the procuratorate, and the officials from the Hubei admiral's mansion to have a big banquet together, which was naturally also to win people's hearts.

Of course, after the banquet was over, Ning Yu also had separate meetings with the left and right political envoys, the left and right inspectors, and the admiral of Hubei. Ning Yu was quite satisfied with the result of the meeting.

Maybe it's because Ningchu is in the new stage, and everyone still has the idea of ​​being rewarded for meritorious service, and they all hope to stay on the big ship of Ningchu, so there is not much corruption, and the overall enthusiasm will also be high.Of course, any empire has a period of decline, and the officials at that time may be different.

The next day, accompanied by other ministers, Ning Chu went directly to Hanyang. As the largest military factory at present, the Hanyang Military Factory was also the first place Ning Yu visited during this trip.

The current head of the Hanyang Military Factory is a student of Lei Tuozi. His surname is Du Mingkuo. He is in his 30s, and he is shrewd and capable. He is wearing a white scientific research uniform, and there are hundreds of people, big and small, behind him. Craftsmen of different levels can also be called engineers today.

In the current industrial system of Ningchu, a new type of craftsman hierarchy has emerged, which is divided into nine levels. Among them, Lei Tuozi is the only engineer at the highest level of level nine. Different levels below have different assessment tasks. They will also enjoy different levels of salary treatment.

On the faces of today's artisans, there is no longer the promise of the past, and most of them are filled with excitement. After all, in Ningchu today, the status of artisans has been greatly strengthened, even because of their high salaries. , has even become the envy of many people.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, there are 180 engineers in the Hanyang Military Factory, most of whom are working in the factory. I am here to welcome Your Majesty when I have nothing to do."

Ning Yu smiled, and said casually, "Is everything going well in the factory now?"

Du Kuo was upright, and said frankly: "Depending on His Majesty's blessing, everything has gone smoothly. There was still a problem of poor material distribution, but since the horse-drawn carriage invented by His Majesty has been implemented, these are no longer a problem. With Sufficient transportation capacity, whether it is the transportation of raw materials or the transportation of weapons, has become very smooth."

"The horse-drawn carriage was just a whim on my mind. I just briefly explained it to Lei Tuozi. I didn't expect you to build it so quickly. I still owe it to you."

Ning Yu had a look of joy on his face, "Then take me to see the tram, and let others see it too, it will be of great use in the future."

The appearance of the horse-drawn carriage is also an idea provided by Ning Yu based on the experience of the previous life, and it will also become the prototype of the future train. Since the steam engine has not been fully used, the use of horsepower is also a compromise idea. Wait until the steam engine is fully developed. After being used in the mining industry, real trains can be made.

The crowd followed Du Kuo all the way, and they didn't see the long tracks until they reached the factory building. They saw that the bottom was paved with thin stones, and the top was covered with sleepers and two wooden rails, which looked extremely eccentric.

"How does this track work?" Cui Wancai had never seen it before, so he couldn't help asking curiously. On the contrary, Ning Yu, Ning Wanjun, and Du Kuo, who knew the situation inside, all had smiles on their faces. appearance.

But before Du Kuo could explain, he saw a carriage driving out of the workshop. The two camel horses leading the way were running side by side, while the rear was pulling a huge carriage. It should be impossible to pull such a large carriage, but the reality is that the horse runs so fast that it doesn't seem to be strenuous at all.

Everyone was a little curious, and when they took a closer look, they saw that the wheels of the carriage were different from ordinary ones. They were four rail wheels that could just fit on the track, and they were just able to drive on the track. The flywheel can use the inertia of the flywheel to help the wheel to rotate. In addition, a rim is added to the wheel to make the driving appear very stable.

"Your Majesty, the current rails are made of wooden rails. Although their lifespan is short, the cost is relatively low. As for the rails, we need to wait until the amount of iron production increases in the future to meet the needs of use."

Du Kuo looked at Ning Yu and explained, because in Ning Yu's original idea, it was necessary to replace it with rails in one step, but after Du Kuo and others practiced it, they discovered that although the current amount of iron production has surpassed the past, there are still some problems. Therefore, in order to ensure the demand for iron in the war, it was temporarily replaced with wooden rails.

Ning Yu nodded slightly. He understood the intention of Du Kuo and others to make this way, so he could only sigh: "In the future, the track will spread all over the country, and the amount of iron needed is an astronomical figure. The cabinet needs to have a certain understanding of this." grasp."

When Cui Wancai heard this, he understood a little bit, and said curiously: "This thing is really good, and it saves a lot of labor compared with the previous transportation method, but what Your Majesty said, will this kind of carriage be promoted to the whole country in the future? That's not bad. Compared with Existing delivery methods are much better."

In this day and age, the most convenient mode of transportation is naturally water transportation, but apart from water transportation, only people are left with horses on their backs, which is not only very inefficient, but also quite laborious and costly. Railcars can transport more goods with less cost.

Ning Yu sighed softly and said, "Although this thing is usable, it can only be used in places with gentle terrain. If it is such a rugged mountainous area, it will naturally not be used."

With a look of approval on Du Kuo's face, he said with a smile: "Right now, the track is laid first in the mining area, and then the track is laid in the major factories and the wharf. It is true that it can only be used in flat terrain. , we can only think of other ways.”

Hearing this, Cui Wancai felt a little regretful, "There are many mountains in the south, and many places seem to be useless, but after arriving in the north, using this kind of rail carriage can definitely play a role, and it will be of great benefit to the Northern Expedition! "

(End of this chapter)