Chương 651: The Plan for Four Major Capitals

"Your Majesty... the simultaneous construction of these four sites is costing money like water. Just the restoration of Chang'an's inner city alone... as you saw yesterday, from drainage to government offices to the reinforcement of the city walls to the repaving of the streets, it would cost at least a billion. If all four are started at once... even if I rack my brains, I still can't calculate this cost."

"Therefore, we can't do everything at once." Liu Ce had anticipated this, and picked up a pen to write a sequence next to the blackboard: First: Chang'an... The railway has already been completed, so we should take advantage of this and prioritize the restoration of the inner city's urban infrastructure, establish the Xijing Administrative Office, and relocate a number of workshops there. Let's revitalize the city first, then discuss other matters.

Second: Kaifeng... Taking advantage of the canal's transportation advantages, renovate the wharves and warehouses, build the Tokyo Warehouse City, and make the canal transportation hub bigger and stronger.

Third: Zhuozhou... First, build military supply routes and post roads, then lay railway tracks, and build the Beijing Garrison Industrial Zone, with military industry as the priority.

Fourth: Jinling... Dredging the Qinhuai River-Yangtze River estuary waterway, building the Jinling Shipyard + Weaving Bureau + Bank Branch... Water access first, then land access.

"Invest in stages, on a rolling basis." Liu Ce looked into the eyes of Shen Wansan, the Minister of Revenue.

"Where does the money come from at each stage? It comes from the incremental tax revenue generated in the previous stage. The ticket revenue from the opening of the Chang'an Line and the increase in land value along the line can support the start-up of the Kaifeng section. The following three follow the same logic. It's not about draining Luoyang to support them, but about using them to generate their own revenue to grow themselves. This is called money making money."

Shen Wansan stared at the four circles on the blackboard, his brows slowly relaxing.

The abacus beads clicked in his mind for a while, and finally:

"... Your Majesty, I do not object in principle. But there is one condition... The accounts for each stage must be overseen by a special envoy from the Ministry of Revenue. Funds must be used for their designated purpose. Anyone who dares to embezzle funds from the construction of the secondary capital will be personally bound and sent to the Meridian Gate. Your Majesty's calculations are not limited to addition; you can also subtract."

"Approved." Liu Ce laughed.

"I was hoping you'd play the villain."

Liu Ce put down his pen and leaned back in his chair: "Alright, I've set the framework. Now it's your turn... Is there anything else you need to add? Say whatever comes to mind, don't be so formal."

The group exchanged glances, and the atmosphere shifted from a "sacred judgment" to a genuine brainstorming session.

Fang Xuanling was the first to speak: "I believe that establishing a secondary capital is not just about building houses and paving roads. It also requires establishing schools. If a secondary capital does not have schools, then it is merely an administrative office, not a true city."

Your subject suggests that a royal university be established in each of the four secondary capitals… subordinate to the government offices, but independently managed, with local enrollment and training. Faculty should be rotated from Luoyang, and textbooks should be uniformly printed and distributed to ensure quality.

Liu Ce nodded and said, "Approved. You can draft a plan later, and I will stamp it. The budget for the branch academy will be separately allocated from the construction funds for the secondary capital... It's better to build one less government office than one less school."

Song Yingxing followed up, his line of thinking being completely straightforward, typical of engineering:

"The railway must keep up. Chang'an is just the first section. I suggest that the next step be to quickly survey the routes from Luoyang to Kaifeng and from Luoyang to Zhuozhou...

The Kaifeng section has flat terrain and the Grand Canal can be used as a reference, making it the least difficult section and should be started first; the Zhuozhou section will traverse the foothills of the Taihang Mountains, which is more difficult but has the highest strategic value, and can be advanced in two phases, first building to Handan and then extending it. As for the Jinling direction..."

He hesitated for a moment, "There are too many waterways in the south, and bridge and tunnel costs are high. We can take the post road-waterway combined transport as a transition, and postpone the railway."

"That makes sense." Liu Ce drew a bracket next to Jinling on the map and marked it "Waterways first, railway phase two."

"Don't rush the south. First, secure the northern and eastern lines. Wherever the railway tracks are laid, the fate of the secondary capital will be tied to that line."

Cai Yong raised his hand... Everyone thought he was going to pour cold water on things, but the old man took a deep breath and said something no one expected:

"This old minister has no practical advice to offer. Just one sentence: the four secondary capitals must be given official titles... It's not enough to just say they're 'secondary capitals'; there must be a decree, an imperial edict, an inscription on a stele, and a sacrifice at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Let the world know that the court has not forgotten any direction. Only with proper titles can things proceed smoothly.

If the titles are not proper, the words will not be proper, and if the words are not proper, things will not succeed."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Liu Ce looked at Cai Yong and slowly nodded: "... Well said."

He stood up and walked to the blackboard.

He picked up a vermilion pen, dragging a bold red line across the blackboard, and drew a neat square around the four circles representing "Chang'an, Kaifeng, Zhuozhou, and Jinling." Then he wrote: [The Four Secondary Capitals System] After finishing writing, he turned around, his gaze sweeping over every face in the room...

"Gentlemen, what I've done all these years, to put it simply, is to prove that 'new things' can work. New policies work, schools work, steam engines work, trains work, and now..."

"I want the 'world' to be in motion. Not just Luoyang, but all directions. Chang'an shouldn't just be a place I sigh over when I visit ruins... It should be transformed back into a living, vibrant, humane, and dignified city. The same goes for Kaifeng, Zhuozhou, and Jinling."

He looked at Shen Wansan, the Minister of Revenue: "Ministry of Revenue, take the lead in drafting the budget framework. Ministry of Works, coordinate the surveying and infrastructure scheduling. Ministry of War, submit the construction and garrison plan for Zhuozhou to my desk within a week. State Affairs Office, draft the imperial edict."

He looked at everyone one last time:

"Gentlemen, the plan for four secondary capitals is officially launched today."

"Yes, Your Majesty!!!"

When the palace gates reopened, the capital city of Luoyang was just beginning to fall into twilight.

In the distance, towards the Ministry of Industry's research institute, a small boiler undergoing night-shift testing let out a "whoosh" of steam, sending up white mist that, mixed with the evening breeze, resembled a huge, warm breath, brushing across the stone steps outside the hall.

Liu Ce stood under the eaves for a while, then walked into the night with his hands behind his back, his steps light and quick.

...

On the first day of the first month of the eleventh year of Shenwu, a heavy snow had just fallen in Luoyang. The glazed tiles of the Taiji Hall were covered with a thin layer of snow, which, when illuminated by the morning light, shimmered with fine golden light, as if sprinkled with a layer of broken gold, sparkling and shining.

Inside the hall, a gilded bronze incense burner burned charcoal, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere, but it couldn't suppress the restless excitement throughout the hall. Today was the grand court assembly for the final review of the Second Five-Year Plan. Governors from all over the country rushed back, and even border generals from as far away as Beihai and Pamir had traveled to the capital half a month in advance. Their eyes shone with an alarming gleam, like wolves that hadn't eaten for three days seeing meat.

Xun Yu, the head of the civil officials and Minister of State Affairs, gripped his official tablet, behind which lay four thick volumes of verification ledgers.

Behind him stood Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, the Left and Right Attendants, Xun You, the Director of the General Office, and Zhuge Liang, the Confidential Secretary. Each of them had a calm expression. After all, the accounts they had worked on for three months were about to be revealed, and no one was sure of the outcome, fearing that any number might not match up.

Further on, the eight ministers each held account books and maps, standing ramrod straight.

The military officers' platoon was even more lively.

Guan Yu stroked his magnificent beard, his expression calm, but a hint of anticipation lurked beneath his eyelids...

Zhang Fei stood beside him, secretly yawning. He'd drunk too much during New Year's Eve vigil and was still dizzy, his breath reeking of alcohol...