Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Lai Gou'er was shocked and his heart surged as he looked at the scenery flashing past the car window again.

The train was so magical.

This was just the beginning, but on the way here he had already seen the court busily laying railway tracks.

If one day, the railway tracks covered the entire country, what would that be like?

He was in charge of foreign affairs and business, and he was quite sensitive in this regard.

Once materials could all be transferred by train, there was no doubt that the strength of a country would be mobilized hundreds of times over.

Not only that, but the exchange of people and information would also be unprecedentedly rapid.

If you were begging for food on a train, it would be very convenient. With a group of people crammed into a carriage, how could you be embarrassed not to give money...?

Seeing him lost in thought, Fang Zheng didn't bother him too much, adjusting himself into a comfortable position and leaning back in his chair, pretending to doze off.

Along the way, Lai Gou'er watched and pondered, various fantasies springing up in his mind.

It wasn't until the train arrived at the station and a crew member came to notify them that he woke up as if from a dream.

The two got off the train, and the Taoyuan train station was still bustling with people.

Lai Gou'er asked, "Brother, along the way I saw many houses emitting black smoke like the train. What are those houses for?"

Fang Zheng walked and said, "The core of the train's drive is the steam engine. The steam engine can also replace manpower through modification. Now, some factories in the capital have begun to use steam engine-modified machines to produce materials. The black smoke you see is produced by the steam engine burning coal."

"It can be applied to many fields, but it's just the beginning. If there are a few more years or more than a decade, perhaps most of the factories you see will be using steam engines. At that time, the smoke from the factories will turn the whole sky gray."

Lai Gou'er clicked his tongue secretly: "Then can people still breathe? Is the smoke produced by burning coal poisonous?"

Originally, hearing that the steam engine could greatly replace manpower, he felt it was infinitely useful, but after hearing what his elder brother said, it seemed that this thing was not as perfect as he imagined.

Fang Zheng smiled slightly: "I won't let it happen. It's just that the use of steam engines is still in its early stages, and the railway network is far from perfect. Many factories must be located in the capital to facilitate the transfer of materials."

"In the future, if the factories become large-scale and the air is polluted, we can plan a special factory area, or move it to some prefectures in the south of the capital."

If the pollution problem cannot be solved, is it just changing to polluting others?

Lai Gou'er scratched his head.

Fang Zheng slowly said: "In the future, many problems will arise with the construction of factories. In the future, a large number of new-style factories will be completed, and a huge number of people will gather in areas where factories are developed. This trend already exists."

"The imperial court has relaxed the restrictions on road permits, and people from the surrounding areas have come to gather and make a living. This trend is even more obvious in Taoyuan County."

"To solve this problem, one is to continue to expand the existing cities outwards, and the other is to build high-rise buildings. The higher the building, the more people it can carry."

Fang Zheng pointed to the distance, full of spirit, and said: "Look there, I have already arranged for people to plan in Taoyuan County and try to build high-rise buildings in Taoyuan County."

"In the future, the first unparalleled world's tallest building will be completed in Taoyuan County. With the current technology and resources of Taoyuan County, it should not be a problem to build a building more than ten feet high in the future. I have already thought of the name, let's call it a skyscraper!"

"A building more than ten feet high! ?" Lai Gou'er was shocked.

There are buildings in Da Jing that are taller than this, and many pagodas are often more than fifty or sixty meters high.

However, those buildings are more symbolic than practical. The skyscraper that the elder brother said is obviously prepared to carry a large number of residents.

According to his understanding, he has not heard of such a building.

"It would be exhausting to go up and down such a tall building, can people live in it?" Lai Gou'er asked, "And this is a residential building, will the court agree?"

"The court will realize sooner or later that the capital's capacity to carry manpower is a problem. If you don't want to expand outwards, you must build high-rise buildings. Although the court has regulations on the height of residences, compared with practical problems, the court will definitely compromise with reality," Fang Zheng said.

"What you said about living in it is indeed a problem. It is very difficult to go up and down the stairs. But we now have steam engines. Some factories have already produced steam engine-modified elevators. In the future, as long as the design is proper, they should be able to be used upstairs. Besides, there are..."

Fang Zheng explained unhurriedly.

In fact, as a construction worker, he had the idea of building high-rise buildings a long time ago, but before, it had neither practical significance nor technical strength.

Now, more and more people are gathering in Taoyuan County, which is no longer a problem that can be solved by outward expansion.

Besides, he has already illegally expanded outwards once. Only by building high-rise buildings can he carry more people and add some highlights to future history books.

After the successful development of the steam engine, he once talked to people about this issue.

Whether it is possible to build a skyscraper with glass curtain walls and elevators.

As soon as the idea was put forward, almost everyone was excited about the idea of a skyscraper, and they said that President Fang was the god of architectural design.

This is no less than building a wonder of the world! A magnificent stroke in the history of architecture!

There are also many civil engineering students at Dongjiao University, and they have been making progress over the years.

With the current steel and cement, it is not a problem to simply build high-rise buildings, and even sketches have already been drawn. Fang Zheng also added elevator shafts to the sketches beyond the times.

Caesar Ritz, a legendary figure in the hotel industry in later generations, built elevator shafts in hotels before the invention of elevators.

Now such a legendary story can only fall on the head of the historical plagiarist President Fang, others... don't get involved!

".... In another ten or twenty years, you may be able to see countless high-rise buildings rising from the ground in Taoyuan County! That scene is absolutely spectacular!"

After listening to Fang Zheng's vision, Lai Gou'er kept making up his mind and was already in great shock.

Looking at the surrounding crowd, the world was even more unfamiliar...

"But, but... if people all live in the city, who will farm in the future?" Lai Gou'er said after regaining his senses.

"The imperial court was also worried that the invention of the steam engine would replace manpower, leading to a reduction in grain production due to no one farming, but these are not problems. We will have more foreign resources and advanced agricultural tools," Fang Zheng smiled mysteriously.

If he guessed correctly, there are countless hidden treasures and labor reserves on the distant equator, so there is nothing to worry about at all.

It's just that the imperial court is facing too many choices at the moment, and there is no time and energy to continue to develop the outer seas.

It will be used sooner or later.

He has already been brewing a brand new version of the triangular plan for the future in his mind... but this plan must not be implemented by Da Jing.

If he messes up, wouldn't the reputation he has saved for so long be ruined?

He has to wait until Da Jing has completely gained a firm foothold in the West before finding a white glove to execute it...

"By the way, you should buy more watermelon and cotton fields when you go back to the West in the future. They will be useful in the future."

......