The Steam Train

The cabinet was discussing the empire's construction plans for the coming year when they suddenly received a message from His Majesty the Emperor, leaving them somewhat dumbfounded.

Prime Minister Bai Qing stared at the two hundred million yuan mentioned by His Majesty the Emperor. His brows furrowed tightly, but he still handed the document to the Minister of Finance and said, "Old Long, take a look at this."

"What the hell is this?"

"Making a steam train, and the Engineering Academy dares charge me two hundred million?"

The moment Minister of Finance Long Wen saw the message the Prime Minister had handed him, he shot to his feet, slammed the table, and glared furiously.

Two hundred million. What kind of concept was that?

How much was the empire's annual GDP?

The Engineering Academy actually dared to make such an outrageous demand and ask him for two hundred million in research funds?

Two hundred million was enough to support the people of the imperial capital for an entire year, with money left over.

Could it be that the steam train was made of gold?

"What's going on?"

Prime Minister Bai Qing looked at Minister of Finance Long Wen and asked tentatively.

Could there be a problem with this application?

"What's going on?"

"Is the Imperial Academy of Engineering taking advantage of His Majesty not knowing the market prices, or what?"

"They've gotten so greedy that they're actually trying to reach into my Ministry of Finance?"

"I only had to think it over once to know that this thing couldn't possibly need so much money, yet they actually dared to name an astronomical price."

Long Wen was absolutely furious.

You could take money from other places if you wanted, but if you wanted to get money easily from the Ministry of Finance, that wasn't going to be so simple.

With that, Long Wen stormed out of the cabinet headquarters, Zhu Que Hall, and headed toward Black Tortoise Hall in the distance, where the Engineering Academy was handling official business in the imperial palace. He looked utterly menacing.

Everyone watched the furious Minister of Finance leave and was left bewildered and confused.

What was this fellow up to?

But they did not hesitate. They immediately put down their work, rose to their feet, and hurried toward Black Tortoise Hall.

Black Tortoise Hall.

The head of the Engineering Academy, Liu Ming, held a document in his left hand and studied it while sipping tea from a cup in his right.

'Bang.'

Suddenly, the door to his office was kicked open, producing an extremely heavy impact.

The Engineering Academy's head, Liu Ming, was badly startled. His hand trembled, and the tea in his grasp splashed all over his trousers.

At once, he hurriedly rose from his seat and wiped at his trousers, gradually revealing an angry expression.

Who was it?

How dare they humiliate him like this?

But just as he was wiping the water stains from himself, a dark figure had already charged into his office.

Immediately afterward, a strong, powerful hand seized Liu Ming by the collar and lifted him into the air.

In an instant, Liu Ming forgot all about the water stains on his trousers. He stared blankly at Long Wen, who was gripping him furiously, his mind a complete mess.

He didn't seem to have offended Long Wen.

What was this guy doing?

"Old Long, Old Long, what are you doing? Put Dean Liu down, quickly."

Just then, the cabinet ministers who had hurried over from behind saw that Long Wen had actually lifted the head of the Engineering Academy into the air, and they were all badly startled.

One had to understand that the Imperial Academy of Engineering and the cabinet were currently unrelated. The Engineering Academy had also been separated from the cabinet.

But the head of the Engineering Academy was equal in status to them.

At certain times,

the Engineering Academy even possessed special authority.

"Brother Long, what do you mean by this?"

Although Liu Ming was being held up by Long Wen, he quickly calmed down. Looking down at Long Wen, who had lifted him into the air, he asked in a deep voice.

"What do I mean?"

After Minister of Finance Long Wen put him down, he threw the document from His Majesty the Emperor into Liu Ming's face and said coldly, "Your Imperial Academy of Engineering is quite the black-hearted bunch, daring to swindle money from me?"

Hearing this,

Liu Ming bent down, picked up the document from the floor, and carefully read through it.

"How did I swindle money?"

"That's a normal quotation!"

After realizing that this was his application and that His Majesty the Emperor had approved it, Liu Ming was utterly baffled.

This wasn't even his personal quotation.

It was a funding plan the entire Imperial Academy of Engineering had calculated in detail and compiled.

How had it somehow turned into a case of swindling money?

"A normal quotation?"

"Normal quotation my ass!"

"Do you know what two hundred million means to the empire?"

"Is your steam train made of gold?"

"Two hundred million? Two hundred million is already enough to cover the imperial army's military expenses for ten years."

"It's enough to build another city like the imperial capital."

"For a mere steam train, you actually dare charge two hundred million? Why don't you fly to the heavens? Why don't you just go die?"

Long Wen was utterly enraged.

It was one thing for them to fool His Majesty the Emperor, but how dare they try to fool people like them, who dealt with monetary figures every day?

Was steel really that expensive?

At fifteen yuan a ton, just look at these two hundred million yuan. How many tons of steel could you buy with that?

"No, did you even look at the calculations afterward?"

"For a two-hundred-million-yuan project, how could our Engineering Academy possibly be building only a steam train? We clearly wrote afterward that this also included laying railway tracks from the imperial capital to Mountain Gorge Pass in the east. The total distance from the imperial capital to Mountain Gorge Pass is as much as seventy-five kilometers. Calculate it yourself—how much land will be occupied, how many homes will need to be compensated for, and how much steel will be needed."

In an instant, Liu Ming understood what had happened. He looked helplessly at the furious Long Wen and explained.

So none of you had read the rest of the document? You only focused on the two-hundred-million-yuan steam-train plan and ignored the track-laying expenses afterward?

"This..."

"But it's still impossible for us to approve two hundred million yuan for you."

"At most, one million. My Ministry of Finance can approve only one million for you. You'll use it to build the steam train. As for laying the tracks, our Ministry of Finance will handle that ourselves."

Imperial Study.

Secretary-General Bai Ling hurried in from outside the Imperial Study and said, "Your Majesty, the cabinet ministers are heading to Black Tortoise Hall in a fury. They're probably planning to cause trouble for the Engineering Academy, especially Minister of Finance Long Wen."

Long Wen was the current head of the Long Family.

She was afraid the head of the Long Family would attack the head of the Engineering Academy.

After all, the Long, Bai, Lin, and Yang Families were all military clans. Their children had to maintain strong, robust physiques from a young age.

So how could academicians who spent all year conducting research projects possibly stand against people like that?

"Heh~"

"Let them go."

Yang Yu shook his head slightly. He had expected all of this long ago.

Year 456 of the Era.

The imperial government allocated one million yuan to the Imperial Academy of Engineering to research steam trains. At the same time, the Ministry of Finance took the lead in requisitioning the people's homes and land in preparation for building a railway, signaling that the Star Ancient Empire was about to enter a new era.

Year 457 of the Era.

After two full years of research and development, the Imperial Academy of Engineering completed the testing and construction of the steam train.

The steam locomotive made its first appearance.

Year 459 of the Era.

After four full years, the Star Ancient Empire used its population advantage and massive flow of funds to complete the construction of its first railway, stretching seventy-five kilometers.

That same year,

the three carriages of the steam train were completed. Through the efforts of countless workers, the steam train was finally transported onto the railway tracks.