Chương 754: Task Assignment in Progress

Song Yingxing replied solemnly, "Your Majesty, I understand! I will personally oversee the machine tool factory. If they fail to produce high-precision machine tools, I will offer my head as a reward!"

"And then there are non-ferrous metals, copper, lead, zinc, and aluminum—these are all essential for making wires and electrical appliances," Liu Ce counted on his fingers.

"Increase mining efforts for copper and aluminum mines, and upgrade mineral processing and smelting technologies simultaneously."

And the supporting materials, such as rubber, insulating ceramics, and tempered glass, will be developed simultaneously.

Shen Wansan stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I believe that rubber plantations can be established extensively in Southeast Asia and Annam to grow our own rubber, thus avoiding future dependence on others. I am willing to take the lead in recruiting merchants to invest together."

"Okay." Liu Ce nodded.

"You take the lead in handling this matter. Give us as much land as we need, and provide all the necessary policies."

From now on, rubber will be a strategic resource, as important as coal and iron, and we must keep it in our own hands.

The second stage is about improving internal capabilities, specifically in terms of materials and processing.

This is the most tedious, expensive, and least productive stage, but it is also the most crucial.

If you overcome that obstacle, the road ahead will be wide open; if you fail to overcome it, you'll forever remain stuck at a low level.

"Now that we've laid a solid foundation, we can officially tackle the core technologies."

Liu Ce's tone was somewhat excited, "Prioritizing electricity development will yield quick results, and the people will benefit sooner; parallel development of internal combustion engines is a long-term strategy."

"Walking on two legs won't delay anything."

"When it comes to electricity, we won't take detours. We'll start with DC verification technology and then move directly to AC high-voltage transmission."

Liu Ce made it very clear:

"The first step is to build DC generators and electric motors, and use the existing steam engines to generate electricity, and replace the electric machines in the military factories and textile factories in Luoyang."

Try it yourselves and you'll see how much easier and more efficient electric drives are compared to belt drives, and they're cleaner too, producing far less coal dust.

"The second step is to build the first thermal power plant around Luoyang to supply electricity to the imperial palace, government offices, and core factories, and then install streetlights."

Liu Ce smiled as he finished speaking, and looked at the officials of the Ministry of Revenue and other ministries:

"Hey, gentlemen of the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Personnel... don't be too happy yet. The electricity bills for the yamen will be deducted from your public funds, so that you won't waste electricity by keeping the lights on day and night."

Ordinary people use electricity at the same price, while government offices pay a higher price; whoever wastes electricity pays for it.

The civil officials below chuckled softly. Shen Wansan, the Minister of Revenue, stepped forward with a bitter face: "Your subject obeys the decree... and will certainly manage the subordinates well and prevent waste."

But in his heart he was thinking: His Majesty is too stingy, even the government offices have to pay for electricity...

But then I thought about it again, and His Majesty is right. If you don't spend money, you won't know how to cherish things, and it's easy to waste them.

"The third step is to master AC generators and transformers, and develop high-voltage long-distance power transmission." Liu Ce's tone became serious.

"Once the technology is mature, we will build power lines along the railway to connect the core cities of Luoyang, Chang'an, Kaifeng, Jinling, and Zhuozhou."

From then on, government orders and military intelligence would be transmitted by telegram and telephone. If an imperial edict was issued in Luoyang at 10 o'clock, it would be received in Nanjing at 11 o'clock, which was a hundred times faster than the urgent delivery of 800 li.

The post station system should be gradually phased out, and staff should be transferred to road administration and telegraph offices. Don't let them lose their jobs; make sure they have suitable places to go.

Our technological advancements shouldn't come at the expense of those at the bottom.

Everyone nodded in agreement, agreeing that His Majesty's considerations were thorough.

If it were any other emperor, they might have simply abolished the post stations and ignored your fate.

Your Majesty, however, is thinking of arranging new jobs for people; this is the mark of a benevolent ruler.

"Electricity is a convenient source of power for stationary applications, but to get things moving, you still need an internal combustion engine."

Liu Ce changed the subject, "This can't be rushed, we have to take it slowly, step by step."

Start by practicing with a gas engine to understand the principles of a four-stroke engine and figure out what the piston and cylinder are all about.

At the same time, the Ministry of Revenue was tasked with leading a search for oil in the colonies of the Middle East, Northeast, and Northwest—the kind of black, flammable, sticky oil that seeps from the ground.

Once a suitable location is found, an oil refinery will be built to produce gasoline, diesel, and lubricating oil. These substances will become more valuable than coal; they will be the lifeblood of industry.

Shen Wansan quickly agreed: "Your Majesty, I will immediately send men to investigate! I was a merchant in my younger days, and I've heard that there's a place in the west where black oil oozes; we're sure to find it!"

"Yes, search boldly, and you'll be richly rewarded if you find it." Liu Ce nodded.

"Once we understand the principles and have the oil, we can build gasoline engines and diesel engines in turn."

First, it's installed in factories as a fixed power source, then in farmland for pumping water, and finally gradually moved onto trucks and boats.

Pistons, cylinders, fuel injectors—these precision parts are all made by the precision machine tools we manufactured earlier.

Therefore, I say, you can't skip the basics; if you do, you'll get stuck.

He paused, glanced at the people from the Ministry of Industry and the Academy of Sciences, and said solemnly:

"This stage is the most difficult and also the most crucial. If we succeed, we will completely break free from the shackles of steam and enter a new era;" No, otherwise we'll be stuck in the steam age forever, unable to widen the gap with the Westerners.

Ministry of Industry and Academy of Sciences, I am giving you power. If you need money, I will give you money; if you need manpower, I will give you manpower. If you fail, I will not blame you. What scientific research is without failure?

But if anyone dares to cut corners or do shoddy work, I will not let them off lightly.

Song Yingxing, accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Works and the Academy of Sciences, stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, we will do our utmost to live up to Your Majesty's trust!"

Their eyes were determined, and they were eager to get started.

"Once the core technologies are mastered, the rest is simple: expand the industrial chain and turn the technology into tangible production capacity, combat power, and national strength."

Liu Ce said with a smile that this stage is the harvest period, and the previous investment is starting to pay off.

"Generators, motors, transformers, wires and cables, lights, and telephones are all mass-produced, forming a complete industrial chain."

In factories in key provincial capitals, electric motors replaced 60% of steam engines, doubling efficiency and significantly reducing costs.

Cities at the prefecture and county levels gradually gained access to electricity and telephone service. This meant that working at night wouldn't require candlelight, and meetings wouldn't require shouting—it was much more convenient.

Ordinary families can now use electric lights in their homes, making it easier for children to study at night.

"In the chemical industry, we will start with basic chemicals, including three acids and two bases: sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, soda ash, and caustic soda, all of which will be mass-produced on a large scale."

Don't let its intimidating name fool you; it's incredibly useful: dyeing cloth, papermaking, metal refining, gunpowder production—it's essential for everything. It's like industrial salt; every industry needs a touch of it.

"Go ahead and develop organic chemicals. Synthetic dyes, fertilizers, safe explosives, smokeless gunpowder, plastics—get them all to the ground."

With chemical fertilizers, grain yields per acre can increase, and people will have less to worry about when to eat.

With smokeless gunpowder, soldiers wouldn't be choked by gunfire, and the smoke on the battlefield wouldn't reveal their positions, making battles much easier to fight.

With plastic, many things no longer need to be made of wood, copper, or iron; it's lightweight, inexpensive, and durable.

Jia Sixie's eyes lit up when he heard about fertilizer, and he stepped forward and said:

"Your Majesty, if chemical fertilizers could be widely used, grain yields per mu could increase by at least 20%!"

More grain can be harvested from the barren frontier lands, making the resettlement of migrants more stable!

"That's right." Liu Ce nodded.

"So you also need to pay attention to the chemical industry. Cooperate well with the Ministry of Industry and give priority to fertilizer production."

Agriculture is the foundation; we can never abandon it.