Back to Ming Dynasty with Industrial Revolution System

Chapter 495 National Telegraph Network
The northern street in the capital city, following Chu Yun's entry into the Dingguo Mansion, important institutions of the Kyushu Army, large and small, have also settled here.A new building rose on the ground, making the capital even busier.And these institutions settled in various forms, which are more scientific than those in the Ming Dynasty, but they seem so novel to the people of this era.

For example, a wooden lacquered signboard of "Kyushu Electric Power Bureau" was temporarily hung outside an official residence.The Electric Power Bureau contracted some houses in the capital to install DC generator equipment to supply lighting for a house or a street.

When Chu Yun was busy fighting at the border, he was more concerned about the establishment of China's industrial system.Industry is the source of strength and the largest capital of the Kyushu Army.Without the support of a strong industry, everything will easily become a ball of bubbles, which will burst at any time.

Now the territory occupied by the Kyushu Army is too large, which is equivalent to expanding the original land of Liaodong and Liaonan ten times.With such a huge territory, there needs to be something that can link them together.Since Qin Shihuang, it relied on official roads and post stations.Times were different then and now, Chu Yun felt that official roads and post stations were too slow!

If there is an accident in one place, wait until the news reaches the capital, and then the troops will be mobilized by the capital and handed over to the place, and it will be too late.Now that the technology is unlocked, Chu Yun has a set of plans and practices for building telegraph lines, which can perfectly solve this problem.

In Liaodong and Liaonan, telegraph lines had long been established between major cities.The military orders of Liaodong City, Jianzhou, Jinzhou, Dalian Port and other places could arrive in an instant, and even began to spread the telegrams to Heilongjiang, just short of reaching the Siberian Plain.

Therefore, Chu Yun came to the Electric Power Bureau to find these officials, and wanted to spread the telegraph to the main cities in the pass, and then connect the telegraph network in the pass with Liaodong and Liaonan to form a complete network.

"What do you think of this plan to build a large-scale telegraph network? Once the telegraph lines covering various provincial capitals and the Chief Secretary are completed, our military orders and government orders can instantly mobilize officials and troops thousands of miles away. They can also be in the shortest time. Report the situation on the front line to us, so that we can truly reach the end of the world." Chu Yun pointed to the map on the table.

On this map, Beijing, Liaodong City, Datong, Jinan, Xi'an, Xiangyang, Chengdu, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Guangzhou and other large cities are connected together to form a tangible network.The officials present were all reformists, and their ability to accept new things was not that bad, otherwise they would not have been selected by Chu Yun as officials of the Electric Power Bureau.Those who can be used by Chu Yun have been educated by the Academy of Sciences to a certain extent, and the intellectuals of this era can at least read and write, and soon have basic scientific literacy.

They also realized what it meant to have a well-established telegraph system.The speed of the current can connect the whole of China into one piece. Once established, it may be difficult to split in the future.

"Well... the benefits of it are self-evident. If we can establish a telegraph network, it is really a blessing for us in China. Moreover, we can cut down the station, reduce the annual expenditure of the station, and save several 10 taels of station expenses." A said the official.

"Saving the expenses of post stations is a direct effect, and the indirect benefits can be more than a few hundred thousand taels of silver. Allowing government orders and military orders to be quickly issued to local governments and improving administrative and military efficiency can indirectly save millions of taels of silver." Another power said the bureau official.

"Ahem, but if you want to lay electric wires, you need to spread all over the provinces and chief secretaries across the country. I am afraid that the manpower and resources you need to invest are astronomical. It is estimated that you will need an investment of one million taels of silver, and the manpower you will use will also be huge." It costs [-] yuan. Even with the efficiency of the existing generators, the cost of sending electricity for such a distance may be very high.” Some officials of the power bureau who understand the principles of generators poured cold water on it at the right time.

"You don't have to think that the construction of telegraph lines is very complicated. The difficulty of the Mongolian Grassland Railway we built is much more complicated than that of telegraph lines. And haven't we successfully built local telegraph networks in Liaodong and Liaonan?" Chu Yun disagreed.

In the original history, after Li Hongzhang established the General Telegraph Office in Tianjin, he built the Tianjin-Shanghai Telegraph Line with a total length of more than 3000 miles in the following year, and set up seven telegraph sub-bureaus along the line.

At that time, both external and internal troubles were able to achieve such a level, not to mention that Chu Yun had sufficient time and resources to establish a nationwide telegraph network.Not enough for one year?Then go to Nanjing in the first year, Guangzhou in the second year, and Yunnan in the third year. How can a nationwide telegraph network be established?At that time, the underground cables will be connected to Ryukyu, Yizhou, and Qiongzhou, and all the land belonging to China will be integrated. It can be done in five years.

And now the surrounding situation gave Chu Yun this opportunity.Except for Chu Yun's own death, sorry, there is really no force nearby that can threaten the status of the Kyushu Army.

"Don't worry about labor issues. Natural disasters often occur in various parts of China. Natural disasters and man-made disasters have occurred in northern Shaanxi and Heluo. There are millions of refugees, and we can't resettle them. We select a group of refugees who can't get land as laborers. Laying the line, they can also make a living from it, and make a living, isn't it much better than rebellion?" Chu Yun hit the idea of ​​labor on the refugees in Guanzhong and other places.

This arrangement is a bit like relocating unemployed workers during the Great Depression.As an official force, the Kyushu Army should take on the responsibility of taking care of the Chinese people after conquering the country, and they need to feed and clothe the people.But if they just donate generously to help the victims, the victims may be able to bankrupt the Kyushu Army, which is still considered rich.The most critical thing is to allow refugees from all over the world to return to the land or engage in productive work.

"This idea is very good. I heard that the General Textile Administration has recruited a group of workers at a low price while the refugees in the north are still in shock, and is setting up textile factories in Jinan, Zhending and other places. Our Electricity Bureau should also follow this approach. Firstly, it can alleviate the situation of homeless refugees, and secondly, the telegraph network can be set up without any extra salary, as long as the poor people have a bite to eat." The official of the power bureau said.

"This matter is listed as the same important matter as the construction of a thermal power station." Chu Yun thought for a while, "The Electric Power Bureau is responsible for power supply. I will specially transfer officials from the Electric Power Bureau to set up a telegraph bureau to be responsible for this matter and future telegrams." the operation of the system."

(End of this chapter)