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Chapter 589 Luanzhou Base
Although this post road with a total length of more than 700 miles is not paved with stones, it is not ordinary soil. It is a bit like Sanhe soil. It is very hard and relatively flat. The carriage does not have much bumps when driving on it. There are nine relatively large-scale inns scattered along the route, mainly used for delivering messages.

Since the baggage at the rear was still being transported, Hong Tao was not in a hurry and traveled no more than 100 miles per day. On the evening of the third day after leaving the Navy depot, he arrived at Luanzhou, his second stop after leaving Beijing.

Since the end of the Qing Dynasty, many small coal kilns and iron-making kilns have sprung up in Kaiping and Luanzhou. At that time, from the government to the private sector, industry was more popular to save the country. If you want to engage in industry, coal and iron must be the foundation.

In 1907, with the support of Yuan Shikai, the Beiyang government established the Luanzhou Official Mining Co., Ltd. and purchased the most advanced machinery and equipment from Germany. At its peak, it could produce 700 tons of coal per day.

The iron ore area that Hong Tao asked Li Zhizao to choose was not the Kaiping and Guye mining areas of later generations, but the Sijiaying mining area in Luannan. The reason is simple. He has been here for an internship, knows the specific location, and has special markers.

The name of Luanzhou comes from the Luanhe River. A few miles south of Luanzhou, the Luanhe River has a tributary called Suhe. On the west bank of Sanchakou is the Sijiaying open-pit iron mine of later generations. No matter which dynasty it is in or what its name is, it is relatively easy to find.

The Luanzhou Iron Works and Foundry are built two miles downstream of the iron mine. There are also a large number of ancillary factories such as brick factories, lime plants, coking plants, alkali plants, coal washing plants, etc. nearby, all built on the west bank of the Luan River and upstream of the river. .

In addition to unified management, this arrangement is also convenient. The products can be shipped down the river into the Bohai Sea. They can be transported to Haihe Machinery Factory or transferred to larger ships to go south.

"Long live the city, isn't it a big city? It just smells a little bit worse and there's a lot more dust."

Wang Chengen had only been as far as Tianjin Wei and Dagokou before. This was his first trip away from Beijing. He was extremely excited along the way and saw everything new. Suddenly I saw a large factory area surrounded by brick walls, and started yelling again.

"It's just a drop in the bucket, and it will be bigger in a few years."

Although he didn't mean to flatter him, these words spoke to Hong Tao's heart. In the past, I could only imagine it from the words on the memorial. Today, when I see the reality, I can't help but feel a sense of accomplishment in my heart.

Regardless of whether he can succeed in transforming the Ming Dynasty, at least he gave a strong push to the coal and iron industry. No matter who becomes emperor in the future, this large factory can make the country's backbone a little harder.

"It's big! Isn't it bigger than the capital city?" After hearing this answer, Wang Chengen couldn't help but be a little confused. The emperor is the most powerful person. The palace he lives in must be the most splendid and the city where he is located must be the largest. Anyone who exceeds this is arrogant.

"I'm afraid not only here, but also Guangzhou and Fuzhou will be bigger than the capital in the future, and maybe the Port of Manila will be bigger than the capital. So what does it matter? As long as I am here, I will still be the emperor even if I live in Tongzhou City.

If you want to be respected, feared and surrendered from the heart, it does not depend on the size of the palace or the height of the seat, but on what you can bring to others. My new policy can feed more people and prevent foreign invaders from invading easily. It is much more effective than living in a big city. "

Wang Chengen is right. If the area is calculated alone, the Luanzhou Heavy Industry Base will soon surpass the capital. If the population is calculated, Guangzhou can also surpass the capital in the visible years. Even a certain port in Nanyang will become a large city in the future due to the development of maritime trade.

However, the capital will not expand in size as a result, and the population may even decrease. In my own plan, it is just a center of power, and there is no need to turn it into a large city. In my mind, face is not as good as shit. If the emperor can get a reputation bonus by living in the village, there is nothing wrong with immediately packing up and taking the queen to Nanhaizi.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Li has led the crowd to greet you!"

Li Ruzhang was not as excited as Wang Chengen. Not only had he been to Luanzhou Industrial Base, he was also a frequent visitor. The army stationed 10,000 troops here, and it was also the headquarters of the factory protection team. If it wasn't to defend the capital, I'm afraid the Army Governor's Office would have to move here as well.

"Everyone dismount and follow me on foot. Li Zhizao is the pillar of the country. He has worked hard for six years and built such a large-scale foundation on a piece of wasteland. Even if I were here in person, I might not be able to do better.

Especially you, the guns and carriages in the army all rely on the steel here. Without the day and night work of Li Zhizao and tens of thousands of craftsmen, there would be no army or navy. "

Looking in the direction Li Ruzhang pointed, there were many people standing on the road a hundred meters away from the factory wall. Hong Tao dismounted first and handed the reins to Wang Chengen. As he walked, he introduced the origin of this place to the army generals who followed him, which was a good support for Li Zhizao.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I have never treated Mr. Li lightly, but Mr. Li often wants me to look good." Li Ruzhang followed the emperor closely and began to tell the truth.

"He would bully you?" Hong Tao really didn't believe it.

"It's not bullying, it's just that I often get angry when training the factory protection team. Once a team member is injured due to training, my generals will definitely be reprimanded. Even in front of the minister, I will show no mercy."

"Just scold them. You won't lose any meat anyway. Didn't you delay training? Just in time, you went over and told Li Zhizao to stop them from kneeling around. The ground is too dirty. It's outrageous to be covered in dust. Dinner is too late. Don’t make it too complicated, fried noodles are enough. By the way, I’ll call in all the masters from the factories. I have something to ask.”

Unfortunately, the needle didn't hit the right place, and Hong Tao didn't want to care at all. Li Zhizao was not a soldier, so it was meaningless to talk to him about hiding troops among the people. Seeing such a large group of people, it is true not to let them salute yet.

After a day of traveling, my stomach is still empty. If I have time to perform, it would be better to quickly find a warm room to eat something hot and chat about some production issues. This time I'm just passing by with the army. I have to leave early tomorrow morning. I don't have time to visit various factories, so I can only get an overview first.

"Long live my lord, I will send someone to get noodles with soybean paste, so you don't need to worry about Mr. Li." Before Li Ruzhang could go far, Wang Chengen came over again.

"Shut up. This is the military, not the palace. You, the butler, are of no use. Ignore him and just do what I want!"

Li Ruzhang might not quite understand what Wang Chengen meant, but Hong Tao knew it in his heart. Since the Yangxin Temple rebellion, the Cuju team has taken full control of their own food and drink. From the selection of raw materials to cleaning, processing and cooking, no one is allowed to contaminate.

In fact, even if someone poisons him again, he will most likely have no reaction. But you can't say that you are immune to all kinds of poisons. Anyway, there is no shortage of money for a small kitchen in the Forbidden City. But after leaving the palace, it is no longer his turn to take charge. He must eat whatever he wants and with whomever he wants!
(End of this chapter)