"Railway? What road is that?"

Hearing the new term proposed by Ying Yu, Ying Zheng couldn't help but ask with a trace of doubt on his face.

All the civil and military officials nearby also focused their attention.

They all know very well that every new concept that Ying Yu comes up with can have a great impact on Da Qin.

Not only are they useful for state-owned enterprises, but they also have extremely positive energy in driving the economy and increasing everyone’s wallets.

Although the courtiers are now much richer than in the past, no one would dislike themselves for having more money.

After all, with the development of Daqin's commerce, there are more and more places for consumption. A typical example is the steam car in front of you.

It is conceivable that when the first batch of steam cars available for sale come on the market, there will definitely be a rush, and the prices will definitely be driven up to the sky.

The profits from steam cars are absolutely astronomical.

The new railway concept proposed by Ying Yu at this time is probably related to these.

"The so-called railway can actually be regarded as an upgraded version of Daqin Chidao, except that the wooden track is replaced by a steel track."

"If the number of carriages passing through the current Chi Road increases, the wear and tear will increase, requiring frequent maintenance and replacement."

"If it is replaced by a railway, this problem will disappear. If it is well maintained, there will be no problems after decades of continuous use."

"More importantly, the rails have a stronger load-bearing capacity. The Engineering Academy is currently developing a steam train that is at least ten times larger than a steam car. Only on the rails can it pass smoothly."

Ying Yu explained with a smile.

All the officials immediately gasped.

The energy of steam cars has amazed them.

And steam trains, which are dozens of times or more larger than steam cars, are completely beyond their imagination.

No wonder special railways need to be built to carry the load. Ordinary roads will probably be directly crushed.

"These railways and steam trains are indeed good things, but the investment is probably an astronomical figure, right?"

Nestern on the side smiled bitterly and asked.

Nowadays, although the income is constantly increasing, the expenditure is growing faster. He, the Minister of Household Affairs in charge of the treasury, also has a headache.

Paving the road with steel gives Nesten a feeling of trepidation as soon as he hears it.

This isn't about building roads, it's just a waste of money.

"The cost of railways is indeed not small at present."

"However, with the successful development of steam engines, the number of Daqin steel plants will soon increase. By then, the price of steel will be much lower, and the cost will also be reduced to an acceptable range."

"And please don't forget that although the cost of railways is high, they are highly durable and have high throughput capacity. Once invested, they can be used for a long time. When amortized, the cost is not much higher than that of cement straight roads."

"More importantly, the emergence of railways and steam trains will directly change the situation in which land transportation in Daqin lags far behind waterways."

“An inland river ship can easily transport hundreds of thousands or even millions of kilograms of cargo, far exceeding that of land vehicles, and even steam vehicles are far inferior.

But the steam train running on the railway can also do the same, and is even stronger than the inland ship, and can catch up with the super sea ship!"

"The speed is not inferior to that of ships, or even exceeds it!"

"I don’t need to say more about the meaning of this, right?"

Ying Yu smiled slightly.

Ying Zheng's eyes suddenly lit up.

Isn't the reason why Da Qin wanted to cancel the feudal system and implement the system of counties and counties instead to strengthen the centralization of power and strengthen Xianyang City's control over various counties, states, and counties?

The roads and carrying capacity are the most direct symbols of Xianyang City's control.

The closer to Xianyang City, the smoother the transmission of government orders, and the stronger the centripetal force towards Xianyang City.

The farther away from Xianyang City, the more likely it is that the mountains are high and the emperor is far away.

In the past, the remnants of the Six Kingdoms could play hide-and-seek with the Qin officials. They were wanted all the time but to no avail. This was because Xianyang City was too inconvenient to reach these places.

Later, the cement straight road proposed by Ying Yu was to speed up the transportation from Xianyang City to various places.

However, although the speed has increased, the carrying capacity is still limited, so sea transportation and the Grand Canal are needed.

Any area where ports are built near the sea and where the Grand Canal passes through will not only have smoother communication with Xianyang City, but the people will also develop through the passing dividends, creating a sense of national peace and security.

It's just that there are too many conditions for canal construction. Many areas either lack water resources or the height gap is too large, making it impossible to build at all.

In these areas, the traffic capacity of cement straight roads is relatively poor.

A typical example is the newly established Yili County, which was originally the area of ​​the Western Regions.

Even with the Silk Road, it cannot keep up with the development speed of the mainland, let alone the coastal areas.

The immigration speed is also very slow. Even after mobilization for a long time, there is not much result.

And if the railways and steam locomotives that Ying Yu mentioned can really approach or reach the level of inland water transportation, then there will be no problem at all.

There will definitely be a huge increase in trade volume, and as the economy improves, immigration will naturally become more convenient.

Moreover, it can also completely connect the mainland of Daqin with Tianzhu County, Persia County and other regions by land, which is absolutely of extraordinary significance for enhancing the ability to control the Western Regions.

Needless to say, if this railway can be built to Persia County.

Then when I go on patrol next time, I can directly follow the railway and inspect these newly included areas, conduct on-the-spot inspections and appease them.

The civil communication between Persia County and Xianyang City will also become more and more prosperous.

The coverage speed and efficiency of Daqin Culture will be greatly improved.

The proportion of Qin people in Persia County and other places will also increase rapidly.

And these are the only way to achieve long-term peace and stability, to incorporate the new area into the region, and to truly become a part of Da Qin.

Thinking about it this way, this railway is even more critical than the sea route.

After all, for most people, the sea route is still far away, but the railway is literally right at their doorstep.

The more Ying Zheng thought about it, the more feasible it became.

Wang Ben and other army generals also showed expressions of ecstasy.

Even Nestern and others, after thinking about it for a long time, felt that this railway had many benefits.

Although the initial investment is a bit high, once it is completed, it will definitely be a huge profit and will bring countless benefits.

Seeing everyone's expressions, Ying Yu smiled lightly.

Da Qin's railway construction has no problems in the court.

The rest depends on the research and development capabilities of the Engineering Academy.
Chapter completed!