Daming: The system rejected my request for salted fish

Chapter 1105

"Bringing those who control the largest share of grain transport to participate in railway investment can effectively balance interests."

"As long as we show them the benefits of railways, I believe they will not let go. At the same time, it will not affect grain transport."

"If the big ones leave, the people they take away will be able to make a living from the railway in the future, and naturally the smaller ones will fill the vacant shares."

The canal transport system seemed to be operated by merchants, but in fact it was deeply involved with the officialdom, and Zhu Biao was well aware of this.

The method Wei Wu proposed can indeed balance the interests and prevent the problem from being brought to the court.

Then the next question was the profit, so Zhu Biao asked again.

"The distribution of benefits has been resolved, but how to make them profit from the railway is something only you can explain."

Zhu Biao was able to think of bidding because he had experience with it, but train transportation was indeed a blind spot in his knowledge.

Wei Wu was a person from later generations. Although he had never worked in the railway system, he had seen pigs run even though he had never eaten pork!

So after briefly recalling how trains were operated in later generations, Wei Wu gave his answer.

"First of all, as a national strategic project, railways must not be controlled by businessmen. This is a crucial issue."

"The operation of the railway must be firmly under the control of the imperial court. Otherwise, if merchants get involved, it will inevitably lead to disaster."

Zhu Biao nodded in agreement. Merchants are a double-edged sword. They can make the economy more prosperous, but they have no moral bottom line.

As long as they can make enough profit, they dare to do almost anything, and projects like railways really cannot be allowed to get involved.

Just as Zhu Biao silently agreed, he heard Wei Wu's voice again.

"So, if you want to get them involved, you have to offer bait, such as freight concessions on specific routes or categories."

"Freight concessions for specific routes or categories? Please elaborate on this!"

Privileges are sensitive and troublesome things, so Zhu Biao must understand them carefully.

Wei Wu did not keep him in suspense and immediately explained the franchise to him.

"Just like the salt merchants, the 'Kaizhong Law' stipulated that merchants could send grain to the border and then exchange it for salt permits from the court to sell salt."

"If we change it to a railway system, we will give them some privileges, such as transporting coal from Jin to the capital by rail."

"Or perhaps we could use the railway to transport grain, silk, tea, and other commodities from Jiangnan to northern cities."

"Those businessmen are as cunning as monkeys. With this privilege, they will surely make a fortune."

"Even if you don't do business in related categories yourself, you can still make a lot of money by using your transportation rights to negotiate cooperation with others."

Zhu Biao understood what Wei Wu meant, but he was a little worried, so he asked directly.

"Xiao Wu, I admit that this privilege is indeed very attractive, but if it is really operated like this, will there be the monopoly situation you mentioned before?"

Wei Wu had long guessed that Zhu Biao would definitely ask this question, so he had already prepared the answer.

"Of course they will. After all, this approach restricts competition in exchange for public benefits that benefit the country. To put it bluntly, it's a monopoly."

"So there must be restrictions, just like when bidding for road construction, setting a fixed term of five, ten or fifteen years."

"Transportation pricing limits and the inspection of transported goods must comply with the court's regulatory requirements to prevent this monopoly from being abused."

"This monopoly is only to ensure the initial development of the railway. When the term expires, the court will have the final say on whether the privilege can be renewed."

Although Wei Wu's method was not perfect, Zhu Biao also understood that this method did solve the problem to a certain extent.

As for how to do it specifically, after returning to Beijing, we can hold a court meeting and formulate relevant laws to impose restrictions.

So after Wei Wu finished speaking, Zhu Biao immediately nodded in agreement.

“Although it needs to be regulated, as long as the businessmen are not stupid, they will definitely find a way to participate and obtain the franchise.”

"Let's talk about other issues. Being able to quickly deploy troops and transport supplies is indeed important, but it also requires a huge investment."

"Just like cement roads, subsequent maintenance also requires a lot of expenditure. How can we make a profit without placing too much of a burden on the national treasury?"

Wei Wu had already prepared an answer to this question, so he spoke directly:

"We can't make a fat man in one bite. We can eat rice one bite at a time, and build railways one line at a time."

"Initially, we don't need to lay out the entire country. We only need to build a few railways in key locations to meet temporary needs."

"This will not place too much of a burden on the national treasury, as the two biggest costs of building the railway have already been covered."

The two biggest costs Wei Wu mentioned were manpower and steel, and Japan voluntarily contributed manpower.

The imperial court only needs to provide food, and the people of the country need to pay some money for their work, but not much.

As for steel, the iron ore was provided by Goryeo and Annan, and the Ming Dynasty only needed to carry out smelting and transportation.

The expenditure in this area is actually not that much. After all, it is paid out in batches, and the current financial resources and size of the Ming Dynasty can afford it.

Zhu Biao also understood what the two costs Wei Wu was talking about, so he did not say anything and just listened silently.

Wei Wu continued speaking, giving Zhu Biao examples of railway development in later generations.

"Brother, during the most difficult times of my era, the country was extremely poor and had nothing, yet we still gritted our teeth and built the railway."

"Before I came to Daming, our railway mileage was already the longest in the world. The reason is very simple."

"Railways can drive development, quickly adjust and transport resources and personnel, and are of great benefit to national development!"

Having said that, Wei Wu took a deep breath and then continued:

"The subsequent maintenance of the railway does require expenditure, but the railway itself is profitable and can subsidize the expenditure of subsequent maintenance."

"First, passenger transport. We will build train stops in cities along the railway so that people can arrive here by train."

"Tickets can be priced based on the distance of the passenger's destination, and different carriages can be set up to cater to different passengers."

"For example, the luxurious Tianzihao carriages are for wealthy businessmen and aristocratic families, offering better service and a better environment for a higher ticket price."

"Of course, this profit point can only be truly profitable after the road permit system is abolished."