Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

The five thieves with their distinct accents were still arguing.

Fang Zheng strode forward, grabbing the fattest one by the collar and coldly saying, "Where did you lot come from? Who gave you the guts to steal the Embroidered Uniform Guard's property?"

The man panicked, "Sir, sir, we really didn't know it belonged to the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Someone left the rails on the ground, and we thought they were discarded, so we took them. Who would just leave so much iron on the ground for no reason...?"

"You're not being honest, are you? Take them down and interrogate them separately. I want results in the time it takes to burn an incense stick!" Fang Zheng said sternly.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards responded and stepped forward in unison, escorting the men away for interrogation.

Li Yuanzhao sighed and said, "Old Fang, this can't continue. If it really doesn't work, let Banshan News Agency publicize it: stealing train tracks leads to jail time."

Fang Zheng shook his head.

He didn't want to publicize it widely before the train was unveiled. He would only feel at ease when it was 100% successful and presented to the world. Absolutely no hiccups could occur.

If it were made public, public opinion and the court's views would inevitably interfere with the progress, even directly halting the project.

Furthermore, even if the engineering verification was successful, there would definitely be many new problems when it came to practical application.

What if the train broke down on the tracks or derailed? Or what about a boiler explosion? These were all possibilities.

So, for now, the impact should be minimized as much as possible.

However, today's incident served as a lesson.

Perhaps it was a fixed mindset. He had ridden trains countless times in his previous life and never considered these problems.

The train tracks were heavy and nailed to the ground, making them difficult to steal, and selling them afterward would also be very troublesome.

But wealth moves people's hearts. He didn't expect anyone to dare take the risk and do this.

"Your Highness, can't the rails be made longer? Like two zhang long? That would greatly increase the difficulty of stealing them," Fang Zheng asked.

Li Yuanzhao pondered, "No, I actually wish we could make them longer, but after repeated experiments, half a zhang is the most suitable for transportation, and the construction efficiency is also the highest. Any longer would slow down efficiency. If you don't want to publish it in the newspaper, you can only use the stupid method of finding people to watch over them."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Embroidered Uniform Guards, who had left not long ago, quickly returned.

They reported loudly, "Your Highness, sir, we've already interrogated them. These people are habitual thieves from all over the capital, gathered together."

"Many thieves have been eyeing the tracks in the dark. They were the first wave to act. Sir, what should we do with these people?"

Li Yuanzhao asked in surprise, "Oh? How can the Embroidered Uniform Guards interrogate prisoners so quickly?"

The Embroidered Uniform Guard puffed out his chest and said loudly, "Reporting to Your Highness, our lord taught us a new method of handling cases today, called the Prisoner's Dilemma. We can quickly solve cases using this method."

Li Yuanzhao's eyes lit up, "Tell me, what is the Prisoner's Dilemma?"

"It's about detaining these prisoners separately and using their mutual distrust to coerce and entice them to confess on their own."

The Embroidered Uniform Guard spoke concisely, and Fang Zheng nodded in appreciation.

Not bad, learning ability is indeed fast. As expected of the elite in my Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"How did you do it specifically?" Li Yuanzhao asked.

"Because of the tight schedule and heavy task, this humble one made some adjustments to the Prisoner's Dilemma." The Embroidered Uniform Guard seemed a little restrained, "We separated the five people and picked the one who looked the most afraid, telling him that if he didn't confess, he would be imprisoned for ten years and would be fed the feces of the other confessors. Then we brought him four piles of feces, and he confessed everything on the spot!"

What new type of cruel torture was this?

Li Yuanzhao's face instantly drained of color...

"Is that what I taught you? Who the hell told you to play with such disgusting things!" Fang Zheng's old face also turned as black as the bottom of a pot. "I taught you the Prisoner's Dilemma, your own random modifications are just gilding the lily!"

The Embroidered Uniform Guards that I lead are using this kind of dirty trick? If word gets out, what face will we have left!

"Master, listen to my expl..."

"Address me by my official title in public! Don't think that just because you're from Taoyuan County you can disregard the rules!"

The Embroidered Uniform Guard pouted aggrievedly, "Sir, you said to enforce the law flexibly, and that petty theft doesn't require corporal punishment... Moreover, we only had half an incense stick's time, so this humble one could only resort to this last resort."

"Oh, you're capable now! You've made the Embroidered Uniform Guard lose all face, and now you want to pass the blame to me?" Fang Zheng said angrily.

"Alright, alright, Old Fang." Li Yuanzhao came out to smooth things over, waving his hand at the Embroidered Uniform Guard, "The method is not bad, but you'd better not come up with methods next time. Go back and continue watching the prisoners."

"Wait a moment." Fang Zheng called him back and arranged, "Those people don't need to be locked up. Since they are all habitual thieves, release them back into the capital and find someone to accompany them to infiltrate the thief groups. In the future, if anyone wants to steal train tracks, arrest them immediately."

"Yes!"

The Embroidered Uniform Guard quickly left, and Li Yuanzhao looked at Fang Zheng with a playful smile, "Old Fang, you have a way with playing with poop."

Fang Zheng cleared his throat and changed the subject, "Your Highness, let's talk about the specific issues, don't joke around. Regarding the construction of these train tracks, I will arrange for a patrol team later, and also find people to build guard posts along the way. Oh, and when the tracks are cast in the future, remember to print a serial number on them, so we can track them down."

"There's no problem in the early stages, but when the railway is long in the later stages, will your Embroidered Uniform Guard have enough manpower? What if we find outsiders to guard it and they steal it themselves? Each rail is worth a lot of money," Li Yuanzhao worried.

"Indeed, it's not easy to manage a long railway." Fang Zheng fell into deep thought, and suddenly a flash of inspiration struck his mind, "I have an idea. There are many industries in Taoyuan County, and some factories. When I go back, I'll make some adjustments and build new factories along the railway planning line. In the future, when the new factories are established, they can also be responsible for guarding a section of the railway."

"Since it concerns their own interests, they will definitely do their best."

Li Yuanzhao clapped his hands and said in surprise, "You reminded me! In the future, if the railway is completed, won't the land along the way make a killing? Then we should buy all the land along the railway line now! Let's go, Old Fang, let's go to the land brokerage to buy land."

Li Yuanzhao grabbed Fang Zheng's arm and was about to leave in a hurry.

However, with a pull, Fang Zheng didn't move an inch.

Li Yuanzhao raised his head in confusion, "Why aren't you leaving? It's a chance to make big money."

"Which piece of land does Your Highness want? Just buy it from me," Fang Zheng said calmly.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Oh, I already bought all the land along the railway line that could be bought. It's all mine. I can sell you as much as you want at cost price."

"......." Li Yuanzhao was stunned for a moment, then jumped up and said, "You thought of it long ago? Why didn't you include me? That's not very nice."

"It doesn't matter who of us buys it, don't worry, Your Highness. If you buy it from me, you can save some trouble."

"Hey, that's fine!" Li Yuanzhao smiled, and then said, "But now there's still an important problem. We need too much iron to build this railway, which may cause a significant impact."

"Since you want to keep it a secret, how are you going to explain the court's reaction?"

Fang Zheng rubbed his brow and sighed, "Explain what? Start construction as soon as possible. If there's pressure from the court, we'll delay it for a year and a half, and strive to complete it as soon as possible."

......