“Eighty million taels… You must be joking…” Tan Xiaopei realized that the expression with her mouth wide open was indeed a bit unseemly, and she quickly closed it. "That's too much, are you sure you need that much money?"

"Your Majesty, calculate the current national steel production of Dongping yourself. The Ministry of Industry must have the figures, right? Based on the current production, even the total annual output is not enough for the cross-shaped railway backbone you mentioned. In addition, there are the costs of short-term rush work, the costs of training workers and operators, and the construction of a series of stations and related buildings… Also, after the tracks are laid, there must be enough locomotives and carriages, right? This part of the expense is not small either. Moreover, Your Majesty, not only the direct costs, but you also don't want to see many existing industries and those common people suffer losses because of the construction of the railway, do you? The proper resettlement of related industries, etc., is also a cost. Even if these can be ignored, Your Majesty, this cost is more than just eighty million taels. The loss of more than a year's steel production, the losses of various industries affected, the loss of national tax revenue, etc.… I said eighty million taels, which is already a very conservative estimate," Ye Tao said lightly, and then added with a smile, "If you don't believe it, you can ask Xin'er."

Tan Xiaopei's brow furrowed. The railway was too attractive, but Ye Tao was right, the cost and the price were beyond what Dongping could afford now. For a moment, Tan Xiaopei even thought about splitting the entire railway system into many shares, like Gondor and Xindu Danyang, and selling them to those large aristocratic families who had the ability to invest in it… But it was only for a moment. The railway system was too special. With Tan Xiaopei's current imagination, she could imagine the value of the entire railway system to the country in the future. Whether it was Gondor or Xindu Danyang, those lands were originally to be sold separately. But the railway system, if not directly controlled, was really worrying.

"Come, let's get on the train and have a seat." After a light sigh, Tan Xiaopei stepped onto the train. The locomotive that now looked relatively complete was carrying a passenger carriage, a compartment carriage, and a freight carriage. Compared to the locomotive, these carriages seemed more mature, after all, technically speaking, the manufacturing of carriages was indeed simpler than that of locomotives. The current passenger carriage was basically very suitable for transporting troops. Inside were long rows of seats and table panels between the seats. When the entire carriage was full, it could hold exactly eighty people, and the luggage of these people, that is, the soldiers' weapons, could be carried together. After observing the details in the carriage, Tan Xiaopei was extremely satisfied, and she asked, "How many carriages can a locomotive pull?"

Ye Tao shrugged and said, "The power of this experimental locomotive is still low. According to the experimental records here, it can drag sixteen carriages when fully loaded with people, according to the design capacity of the passenger carriage. But it also needs to add a carriage for loading coal and water. Basically, it's about fourteen to fifteen carriages. Not much. Moreover, because the railway is relatively short, it can only be tested to the point where it can run. As for the rest, we are preparing to test it while laying the tracks. The new locomotive is slightly stronger than this, and can pull twenty carriages… However, my goal is not just this. For the time being, the first goal is to be able to transport an entire organized battalion." Ye Tao said quite proudly, "Dividing it into two trains won't make it so easy for a unit to visit each other."

Tan Xiaopei quite agreed with this idea, and she nodded and said, "That's how it should be." Tan Xiaopei seemed interested in everything on the train, and kept asking about every detail.

What attracted Tan Xiaopei the most was that the carriage even considered the need for toilets, and had a flushing design. And the small toilet used a lot of metal materials, and realized almost all functions in a narrow space. Although Ye Tao didn't take much credit for this design, everything could only be blamed on him. You should know that Ye Tao and Tan Weixin had personal experience with the meticulous attention to space in the design of large passenger plane toilets. Ye Tao didn't need to use much brainpower to combine and assemble the functions that other craftsmen couldn't think of together, and turned them into what they are now.

The chassis of the freight carriage was different from that of the passenger carriage, and the shock absorption design was simpler. The freight carriage used a classic combination of metal frame and wooden planks, but there were many small accessories on the metal frame, such as slots, hooks, etc. By adding some standard-sized shelves or rope nets, the carriage could be suitable for transporting various items. Even the outer wooden planks can be removed and replaced with a cover made of thick canvas, which can also play a role in sheltering from the wind and rain, but can effectively adjust the internal temperature. This is especially important when transporting horses and some special items. The basic concept of this modular design has now been familiar to the craftsmen in the workshop, and everyone is already very skilled in considering how to use the best solution to take into account various different needs.

On the contrary, Tan Xiaopei only glanced at the more exquisite compartment carriage. How could she not know that this must be prepared for the future commercial operation of the railway line. However, for the railway in its initial stage, this was too far away. Compared with airships that limit baggage weight, trains that can transport a large amount of goods at the same time will definitely attract many merchants in the future. As for long-distance passenger transport, airships may still have the advantage in the future. Compared with trains, airships are faster, quieter, and take less time.

After watching, Tan Xiaopei asked seriously: "I'm impatient… But if you can really come up with eighty million taels of silver, I will still let you complete it within three years. Now, do you have a plan?"

Ye Tao stood up respectfully, reached out and took a map with countless complex markings from the attendant behind him, and placed it on the table panel in the compartment. The place where Ye Tao's finger pointed was exactly the Ye Family Workshop where everyone was now. His finger slid from the Ye Family Workshop to where Gondor was located. On that slightly old map, Gondor was just a hand-drawn symbol. Ye Tao explained: "The first step is to connect the Ye Family Workshop and Gondor. This will be much cheaper than sending goods to Ningyuan before, and it will also be more conducive to the confidentiality of the workshop… This part of the project has been surveyed, and it is estimated that it can be completed in three to four months. Then, I think the second part of the plan is to connect Gondor and Danyang. My suggestion is that Gondor starts, without passing through Ningyuan, and directly takes the Thunder Cliff and Dongjiaji line. At that time, the current popularity of Ningyuan will be brought to Gondor and the railway line. After all, Ningyuan will no longer be the central city of the entire northern border, and its decline is inevitable… Connecting Gondor and Danyang is really a bit far, and we don't have the ability to carry out segmented construction now. I think it will probably take two years or even longer to complete. Your Majesty, no matter how you calculate it, it is impossible to create a cross-main framework in three years.”

"The next step… Your Majesty, Xin'er suggested that if there is spare capacity at that time, the railway in Dongping can be built at the same time, but more importantly, it should extend from Dongping and from Zhenning Pass to the core of the Northern Liao border. On the one hand, building railways requires a lot of manpower, which can promote employment by hiring labor and serve everyone, and on the other hand, as the railway extends into the hinterland of Northern Liao, it will also be more conducive to Dongping's in-depth control of Northern Liao. The minerals and other goods of Northern Liao will benefit the merchants and people of Northern Liao through communication with Dongping, but they will also become more and more dependent on the economic system of the entire country. Their affluence can also show that our governance is appropriate. It is conceivable that in the first few years, there will inevitably be an imbalance in the circulation of silver and goods. At that time, we must carefully adjust and manage to avoid disparities in development in various places. But in general, it will eventually reach a relatively balanced situation. Xin'er estimates that it may be five to eight years. And in these five to eight years, we should have such leeway to complete the construction of this railway's cross-main framework. And when the railway is completed, it will be the time when we confront Western Ling, or Chunnan."

Politics, economy, military… Obviously, Ye Tao and Tan Weixin have considered a lot in terms of railway construction. And although these considerations are only some preliminary opinions, they have already made Tan Xiaopei nod. But she then smiled bitterly and said: "I also hope to put the final showdown when we are all ready. However, Western Ling and Chunnan have never been so naive. Five to eight years… I estimate that this time is split in half, which is about the same. Starting from now, we will have about five years to do many, many things."

Ye Tao took a deep breath and said: "Your Majesty, turning the things we can do into things that many people can do, and turning the things that many people can do into things that everyone can do… This is what we should do. Dongping does not lack the momentum for rapid development, but it should not be blinded by the rapid development and the endless new technologies and new items. Naturally, there are places where I have not considered carefully. However, since there is still time to buffer, then we should at least start from this moment and do things right. Your Majesty, you don't need to worry too much about the railway, I will naturally find a way to arrange it properly."

With such a keynote, Tan Xiaopei's heart settled down, and she even began to find it a little funny, how could she, the monarch of a country, be so impatient, and even let her son-in-law Ye Tao persuade her not to be rash. In fact, Ye Tao has done this kind of thing more than once. The five-mile railway, a round trip is only that much time. When their group got off the train at the Ye Family Workshop's station and walked onto the platform, they saw a messenger from the intelligence bureau wearing a dark gray uniform, carrying a sturdy black leather bag, and wearing a short sword. This time the messenger was Lin Yihua, Cao Pojun's deputy. Something big must have happened. Tan Xiaopei took the letter and opened it casually, but couldn't help but laugh when she saw it… This is actually a great thing.

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ps. Say something outside of the word count. Recently, it happens to be the most tense and busy time in the past few months. The newspaper where the author works has a bunch of interesting but troublesome interviews and manuscript tasks, and then there is a continuous business trip process. Being pushed to the front page at this time, after I have exhausted my drafts in the previous months of chaos, I feel a little embarrassed and helpless. There should be more chapters dedicated to everyone, dedicated to the readers who have always supported this somewhat alternative book. I am working hard to see if I can make up for some afterwards. The plot of *Heart of Time* is coming to an end, and the long-prepared new book is also in a slow and difficult progress of saving drafts. I don't know what kind of results it will have at that time, but it is a book that can make myself excited and happy in the writing process. This preview may come a little early, just like my absurd online writing rhythm…

Thank you for your support, and thank you for your understanding.