Although trains powered by steam trucks will take at least ten years or even decades to appear, another advance in the transportation industry still made the emperor very happy.

The horse-drawn rail car, or horse-drawn rail car, was abbreviated as "horse iron". It has been successfully tested and has begun to be promoted and used in various provinces.

The first "Ma Tie" is from Mentougou Coal Mine to the Fuchengmenwai Coal Factory in Beijing. It has a total length of 140 miles and took more than a year to complete the construction.

The construction speed is not fast, because it is the experimental stage, and the engineering and technical personnel have no experience. They are exploring and constructing, and finally completed before the Qianqiu Festival.

The construction of sleepers, road nails, gravel for buffering and slab tracks is built according to the standards for future trains.

Although there are still areas that need improvement, through the construction of this horse iron, corresponding standards and specifications have been formulated, which has set a technical foundation for the promotion and construction in various places, and has also cultivated a group of engineering and technical personnel.

In fact, the construction of the railway itself is not very difficult.

Thanks to the advancement of steel smelting technology, key technical problems can be solved whether it is railway tracks, steel axles vehicles, as well as whale oil for lubrication.

If it were later generations, pulling a train might make people laugh.

But in history, the existence of "horse-drawn trains" in foreign countries was quite long.

In the early stages of the development of urban power system, "horse-drawn trains" played a good role in today's trams and urban light rail.

In the Ming Dynasty, horse-drawn trains were first used for transportation. As for building stations and pulling people and goods, they were already in the next stage of the plan.

During the first trial run, the horse iron showed convenience and speed in transportation. Even the emperor was a little surprised. He did not expect that the horse's power was so amazing on the rails.

The carriage was equipped with coal, and at least one ton of them went up, only two horses were used. Moreover, the speed was very fast.

The emperor was surprised and was also very satisfied. The development of the Ming Dynasty accelerated again, not to mention that it was not a steam locomotive, but just a horse iron.

"Emperor, this is a letter from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and is willing to invest in the construction of the railway." Li Chengcheng presented the sorted documents to the emperor and said with a smile: "There is also the Maritime Commerce Federation, who is willing to invest in the construction of the railway from Tianjin to the capital."

The emperor took the document and looked at it. He smiled and said, "Well, the railway tracks have just been tested successfully, and they are very active."

"It's profitable, so they naturally have to fight for it." Li Chengcheng commented briefly, then the emperor hugged it in his arms and asked with a smile: "Tell me, what profit do they seek?"

Li Chengcheng has become accustomed to the intimacy of the emperor. He has long been the emperor's woman. It is only a matter of time before he can become a concubine. He blames his stomach for being unsatisfied and has fallen behind Fan Xiaohui.

Let the emperor's hand wander on his body, Li Chengcheng calmed down and said with a smile: "The newspapers are all published. The horse and iron transport coal quickly and save money. Isn't it the same if it is to transport goods? They have to pay some benefits to build a railway. Even the freight discount will be a big sum of money in the long run!"

The emperor's hand stopped, gently pinched a soft ball, revealing a thoughtful look.

There was nothing else, the emperor thought of something, or a story.

The advancement of technology means changes in lifestyles and also means a revolution that will affect the lives of thousands of people.

The opening of the horse-iron from the Mentougou mining area to the capital has reduced transportation costs and naturally lowered coal prices, which has facilitated the capital citizens, but has also lost the jobs of many people who are commuting coal.

Of course, this impact will not cause unrest, it only takes time to digest it. Those who transport coal to drive their feet will change careers and seek their own livelihoods.

But the emperor thought that the behemoths of the Elephant Marine Federation and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce should make plans in advance and should not make any promises of conditions rashly.

In the early 19th century, the development of the western region in the United States came to an end. The huge difference in industrial structures between the east and west gave birth to a demand for transportation efficiency and also led to a frenzy of railway construction in the United States.

Railways bring more than just speed and efficiency: large-scale construction has given birth to a large number of "railway towns", which has prompted the Midwest of the United States to quickly complete urbanization.

At the same time, various fundraising and mergers and acquisitions during railway construction also outline the prototype of the capital market.

With the roar of steam locomotives, the railway connected the vast and sparsely populated mainland America into a huge domestic demand market. It can be said that capitalism will spread wherever the rails are laid.

The most benefited from railway construction is the emerging oil industry. The railway network throughout the United States has become the lifeline of oil transportation, and the railway company has become the tax collector along the way.

Oil king John Rockefeller once tried his best to increase production to 1,500 barrels per day in order to get a 15 cents freight discount from the railway company.

In the second year after the Pacific Railway was opened, Rockefeller, who suffered from freight costs, decided to turn himself in as his master. He spent a huge amount of money to establish Standard Oil and persuaded other refineries to form a secret alliance with the railway company.

The alliance controlled the transportation routes in Ohio and Pennsylvania and secretly stipulated that the public price of crude oil freight was 80 cents a barrel, but internal members only had to pay 40 cents.

The agreement is called "the most brutal death agreement in the history of American industrial development." SMEs that fail to enter interest groups have only two ways to go: waiting for death at high transportation costs, or bowing to the Rockefeller-led alliance.

In this way, Rockefeller took almost all of Ohio and Pennsylvania's refineries, laying the foundation for his oil empire.

The emperor thought for a long time and kissed the woman in his arms before letting go of Lushan's claws.

The judgment has been made, although it is not comprehensive, it is not much different.

The two major chambers of commerce are willing to invest in the construction of railways. On the one hand, they are certainly trying to please the emperor, but on the other hand, they also have interests to consider, which is nothing to be worthy of.

But the emperor thought more than that. Capitalism was in its infancy, and all the words were occupied in his mind.

On the one hand, we are snatching and developing land, striving to make the farmer have their own land and alleviating the social contradictions caused by land annexation; on the other hand, we are developing industry and commerce, hoping to make the traditional farming society progress.

This seems a bit opposite. The farmer has his own land, so where do workers come from? Industry and Commerce make great profits. Will the farmer abandon the land?

The emperor stood up and walked slowly in the hall, thinking.

After a while, the emperor let out a long breath, narrowed his eyes slightly, and made a decision.

The stage of social development is still natural and naturally good.

Moreover, progress is certain and pain is inevitable. This itself is part of reform, and it can even be called revolution.

Revolution is not about treating guests to dinner, just like horse and iron will eliminate many coal traffickers. The popularity of machinery will destroy the jobs of many dock workers. Development and progress will inevitably cost a certain price.

If you can't cover everything, let people adapt to change!

As for the chamber of commerce to invest in railways, this is a good thing that benefits the country and the people. As for monopoly, it is too early to worry about it now. Moreover, if the emperor has prepared for the future, he will prevent it in advance.
Chapter completed!