nucmednet Chapter 449 Wang Shixiong Returns to Jinyang at Night
Chapter 449 Wang Shixiong Returns to Jinyang at Night
In the conference room with simple decoration but tense atmosphere, Zhao Sheng glanced at the representatives of various families present, thinking about the many difficulties in railway construction.
This time, he was quite pleased with the persistence of the noble families. Those who could make it to the end were not only financially strong, but also full of confidence in the prospects of railway investment.
However, the reality is like a mountain, standing in front of everyone - there is a shortage of steel. In order to complete the entire railway line from Dingzhou to Yiyou, a large amount of iron ore needs to be purchased to cast the rails.
Zhao Sheng cleared his throat, breaking the brief silence, and proposed his own plan: "Everyone, we are currently short of steel. Why don't we focus on building a railway first?"
Cui Qilian, who comes from the Cui family and is the vice-chairman of the railway group's board of directors, has always fully supported Zhao Sheng's plan to build a railway.
He responded immediately, saying in a loud voice, "Mr. Zhao's suggestion is brilliant. If we build a railway and put it into operation first, we can get profits as soon as possible."
"Haha, he is a businessman after all, and he has a keen sense of profit." Zhao Sheng muttered to himself, but still had a calm smile on his face.
At this moment, a hint of curiosity flashed in Li Youran's eyes, and he asked, "So, if we only build one railway line, how should we arrange its operation?"
Zhao Sheng, noticing someone raising a question, explained methodically, "Given the current situation, we can operate one train a day. On odd-numbered days, the train will run from Luancheng to Yiyu; on even-numbered days, it will run from Yiyu to Luancheng."
When everyone heard this, they nodded, thinking that this plan was feasible under the existing conditions, and there were no more objections for a while.
At this moment, the usually restless Gong Shangjin suddenly spoke up, his voice clear but with a hint of trepidation: "Commander-in-Chief, can we have the two cars drive in opposite directions?"
Gong Shangjin's words were like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, instantly sparking a flurry of discussion in the audience. Everyone looked at each other, puzzled as to why he had such an idea.
Zhao Sheng's heart moved, and he began to think quickly in his mind. However, he did not express his thoughts immediately. Instead, he asked, "Tell me what you think."
Seeing that Zhao Sheng didn't blame him, Gong Shangjin suddenly grew bolder and said, "Let Luancheng and Yiyu's cars drive in opposite directions. We'll find a central spot in the middle, where the passengers can get off and transfer to another car to continue our journey."
After hearing Gong Shangjin's thoughts, everyone began to discuss in low voices.
At this time, Zhao Changjing stood up and put forward his own opinion: "Why not just replace the locomotive and continue to tow the train forward?"
When everyone heard this, they felt that what Zhao Changjing said made a lot of sense and couldn't help but admire him in a low voice.
Seeing this, Mr. Zhao smiled and said, "Mr. Shangjin is still young and hasn't considered the complexity of freight. It's great that he has such an idea.
Director Zhao Changjing's words make sense, but we don't need to go through so much trouble. We can just avoid this by moving along a different section of the railway line."
After hearing this, everyone showed a puzzled look on their faces, as if they did not understand what Zhao Sheng meant.
Zhao Sheng patiently added, "Build an extra section of railroad in the center. When two trains arrive here, the one that arrives first will stop and let the other train pass."
At this point, everyone suddenly understood and praised Zhao Sheng for his extraordinary intelligence.
Zhao Sheng felt very pleased to hear these praises.
After all, he was a time traveler, and being able to come up with such a method was considered a trick in this era.
The fact that Gong Shangjin and Zhao Changjing were able to come up with similar ideas also made him see the wisdom of everyone.
After the meeting, Zhao Sheng specially kept Gong Shangjin to work together to improve the plan for staggered railway operation.
In this way, one railway can allow two trains to depart at the same time.
It was precisely because of this little episode that Zhao Sheng thought about the possibilities of standardized operation of the two railway tracks in the future, and even considered optimization solutions such as allowing four trains to run per day.
In the end, Guangchang County was temporarily designated as the central station, designed specifically for the intersection of two trains.
Since it is a central station, it is naturally not as simple as just considering two staggered railway tracks.
To this end, three new types of jobs have been added to the railway: forklift workers are responsible for switching the tracks to ensure the smooth passage of trains; section commanders coordinate and dispatch to ensure the safety and smoothness of train operations.
……
At the same time, in the distant frontier, a storm was brewing quietly.
The Xiongnu had been planning to attack Bingzhou as early as April, but it wasn't until May that they actually took action. The Xiongnu army surged forward like a tide, and in just three days, they captured Linhu and quickly designated it as a temporary command city.
They then sent envoys to Mayi to try to contact the head of the Wang family.
The person in charge of the Wang family in Mayi is Wang Shixiong, the cousin of the head of the family, Wang Shizun. He is also the commander of the troops in Mayi.
When the Hun envoy appeared in front of him, Wang Shixiong finally understood their intention - to trade the various types of artillery in the hands of the Wang family.
Originally, the Wang family's artillery manufacturing workshop was located in Jinyang.
Later, due to the destruction of Shili, the workshop had to move to Mayi.
Although Wang Danwang later regained control of Jinyang, the artillery manufacturing remained in Mayi and was never moved back.
However, Wang Shixiong was really unsure about selling a large number of weapons directly to the Huns, as these weapons would most likely be used to attack other cities in Bingzhou.
After careful consideration, he decided to disguise himself and leave Mayi without authorization, rushing to Jinyang overnight to meet the head of the family, Wang Shizun.
Late at night, the lights in the Jinyang Wang family mansion were brightly lit.
Wang Shixiong hurried over and asked anxiously after seeing Wang Shizun, "Brother, what do you think about this matter?"
Wang Shizhen frowned slightly, his eyes revealing a hint of coldness, and said slowly:
"Now that the imperial court has appointed Du Ziqing as governor, it's clear that they intend to bring Bingzhou under the direct jurisdiction of the imperial court. This is to sever the foundation of our family's shared rule over the world with the imperial court.
In this situation, what's wrong with our Wang family cooperating with the Xiongnu?"
As he spoke, Wang Shizun glanced at Wang Danwang and Wang Kui standing beside him.
Although Wang Kui was a member of the Wang family, after Wang Danwang was laid off, he continued to work in the yamen as a Tongpan.
This time when Wang Shixiong came back to discuss important matters, he invited Wang Danwang and also called Wang Kui to discuss this major event that concerned the fate of the Wang family.
Wang Danwang had been an official for many years and was well-versed in the subject. He knew full well that what Wang Shizun said was true. He gritted his teeth and said, "The new emperor has such thoughts in our Wang family's territory. It's time to let him know that the importance of our Wang family cannot be underestimated."
Wang Shixiong knew in his heart that once this matter was implemented, it would be discovered sooner or later.
After all, a large number of weapons made by the Wang family suddenly appeared on the battlefield, and people who knew the business could see through them at a glance.
He looked worried and asked, "Brother, if this happens, will it bring disaster to our Wang family?"
Wang Danwang seemed to have anticipated Wang Shixiong's concerns. He sneered and said, "Let's not talk about the emperor's true intentions. During the last battle in Yanzhou, I heard that the weapons used by the Xianbei included cannons produced in Dingzhou."
"Oh? How did they determine that those weapons came from Dingzhou?" Wang Shixiong asked with a puzzled look on his face.
"It's gunpowder. The gunpowder used in cannons produced in Dingzhou is different from that used elsewhere." Wang Danwang said slowly.
As soon as Wang Danwang finished speaking, Wang Shixiong's face couldn't help but twitch.
He really didn't expect that the Xianbei could buy so many weapons from Dingzhou.
With this incident as a reference, Wang Shixiong's worries were immediately alleviated. He seemed to feel that selling weapons to the Xiongnu was not an unforgivable sin...