A new mode of transport

The next day, Varro didn't get up until noon.

Anastasia was getting ready in front of her vanity mirror, chatting with her husband about what happened last night. "There was a shootout in Ninth District last night. Dozens of people drew their guns and opened fire for half an hour."

Varro hugged Anastasia from behind. "Dozens of people? You think this is a war? They fired a shot right then and there, and nearby agents and mounted police rushed over there like madmen."

If it's really as you say, with dozens of people exchanging fire with guns, it's bound to alarm the City Defense Army, the Court guards, and the field troops in the suburbs; the entire city will be thrown into turmoil.

Anastasia noticed something suspicious.

How did the husband know that only one shot was fired?

Upon learning that her husband had passed through the area the previous night, she began to complain that he had kept it from her. She cried and made a scene, demanding that he hire some trustworthy bodyguards to prevent her from being ambushed.

In Varro's mind, the security situation in Constantinople had always been good, as long as one avoided the predominantly poor neighborhoods, such as the Seventeenth District and Eighteenth District.

However, in a few months, I will be traveling to Egypt with my family to work on the canal project. The situation there is complicated, so it will be necessary to hire some bodyguards.

After calming his wife down, Varro went to Sixteenth District outside the city walls: the standard of living there was moderate and there was less gang activity.

After a long while, the carriage stopped by the roadside.

Varro walked into a restaurant with a sign that read "Fish and Fried Food" and greeted the owner, "Boris, are you free now? I need your help with something."

"Company Commander?"

The owner was once a retired sergeant in Varro's unit. After retiring, he returned to Sixteenth District and opened this down-to-earth restaurant, serving inexpensive fish and chips and lamb offal soup. Local veterans are frequent customers.

After exchanging pleasantries, Varro asked the other party to find a few candidates.

"I have been ordered to build the Southern Canal, and will be staying in Egypt for a long time. The climate there is hot, but the salary will be higher—seventy gold coins a year."

Boris had his son bring over the food and said, half-jokingly, "With such high wages, I'm even thinking of closing down the shop and taking you on a trip south."

Varro patted the boy's sturdy shoulder, took out a pocket watch and gave it to him as a referral fee.

After chatting with his old subordinate for half an hour, Varro, still burping from drinking, returned to the carriage and instructed the driver to head to the Fifteenth District in the north.

Fifteenth District is located in the northern part of the Golden Horn, where the Sideros River and Barbyses River flow into the bay.

During the Vitus period, workshops relied on water-powered machinery, and the area was home to numerous textile workshops, creating a prosperous scene.

After the invention of the steam engine, its power output was continuous and stable, unlike the flow of a river which varies with the seasons.

Gradually, factories moved to both sides of the Golden Horn and the southern coast of the Sea of Sea of Marmara, and the development of Fifteenth District gradually lagged behind.

Tap, tap.

The crisp sound of horses' hooves echoed through the street. The coachman reined in his horse and asked a man sitting by the roadside drinking, "Brother, is this number twenty-three Tuna Street? I'm looking for a retired sergeant named Baron."

The next moment, Varro stepped out of the carriage. "No need to ask, he is Baron."

Baron belonged to the Dragon Cavalry Company, and the two had a past relationship. Varro sat down next to the guy, picked up his beer bottle, and took a swig. "You've been retired for two years, how much savings do you have left? Interested in coming to Egypt with me and becoming my bodyguard captain?"

Baron nodded silently, without even asking about salary or benefits.

In fact, he had already spent all his savings, and the factory he worked for was about to go bankrupt. If he really couldn't find work, he would most likely end up working for some street gangster.

On February 3, after receiving the list from the restaurant, Varro did not reply immediately.

He first used his connections to confirm that none of the people on the list had a criminal record.

This process is crucial; Varro must ensure they are reliable enough to avoid introducing an unstable factor.

Two days later, Varro returned to the fish and chips restaurant and interviewed six applicants as the employer.

During the interview, Baron sat in a corner, eating fish and chips with his head down, but he exuded an intimidating aura that made the applicants quite nervous.

Soon, Baron's fries were running out, and Varro's speech was nearing its end.

"In short, I've said everything I needed to say. Living conditions in Egypt are not as good as in Constantinople, so the annual salary is seventy gold coins, which is thirty gold coins more than the market price."

I will most likely depart for Egypt this summer. Until then, you will stay at the machine factory awaiting instructions. Baron is your captain; he has a terrible temper, so please be careful.

During their stay in Constantinople, Varro did not intend to equip them with firearms.

Constantinople has strict gun control, and obtaining a gun license is extremely difficult; he didn't want to waste time on that. He would buy the guns and knives upon arrival at the Egypt port.

I wish us a pleasant cooperation!

Varro raised his glass and clinked it with everyone else's.

The restaurant owner stood cheerfully to the side, playing his harmonica, as if he were hosting a farewell banquet for everyone.

In the midst of the lively conversation and drinks, someone suddenly asked, "Captain, you're only in your thirties, why don't you serve in the army for a few more years?"

Baron forced a stiff smile and claimed that he had made a mistake during a mission and was ordered to retire early.

Varro knew the details of the matter, but did not speak up.

Two years ago, a relative of Tatars lord and member of the House of Nobles was kidnapped, Baron was ordered to go and rescue him.

The operation failed, and the hostages and several robbers died. As a result, Baron was hated by the senator and forced to leave the army early.

However, this allowed Baron to avoid the ensuing war, which in some ways saved his life.

With the bodyguard issue resolved, Varro returned to his previous lifestyle.

In the morning, he works in the factory, supervising the team of technicians in building new equipment; in the afternoon and evening, he goes out to parties or to accompany others.

Anastasia lived a very comfortable life.

On March 1st, Varro received an order from the palace:

The emperor was about to inspect the Danube front and requested that he accompany him.

"Hurry up and pack your things, then come with me to the palace to wait." Since it concerned the emperor's travels, the Eunuch wouldn't reveal too much, and quickly led the second-rank attendant away.

The following morning, a procession left the palace and arrived at the train station in the western suburbs of Sixteenth District.

Varro recognized the model of the steam locomotive as "Hera-cles Type 2".

This is a product of the Galata Machinery Factory. It has a power of 40 horsepower and can pull 22 carriages at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour.

However, the middle carriages of the train were modified, significantly increasing their weight, thus reducing the number of carriages to 18.

The Court attendants were assigned to carriages 15 and 16, which were enlarged versions of horse-drawn carriages, only six meters long and barely able to fit thirty seats.

At eight o'clock in the morning, the sound of a steam whistle came from ahead, followed by rhythmic vibrations as the train slowly moved forward.

A memory flooded Varro's mind. "Back when I was an intern at a railway construction site, I was the one who laid this section of track."

The construction cost of railways is very high. In plains areas, the cost is 20,000 Hyperpyron per kilometer, while in rugged terrain, the cost can soar to 30,000 to 40,000 hepburns per kilometer.

Even so, the Central Administration allocated a large sum of money to build railways because of their irreplaceable military value.

There is a main road running northwest to southeast from Belgrade to Constantinople, covering a distance of nearly 1,000 kilometers.

Vitus led his guards lightly equipped and traveled for twenty-five days.

If the troops are advancing normally, it is estimated that it will take forty days.

Modern steam locomotives can travel 20-30 kilometers per hour, covering 500 kilometers a day, and can reach the front lines in two days!

The Privy Council estimated that once the entire railway was completed, it would only take half a month for them to send nearly 100,000 troops to Belgrade. Within two months, more than 200,000 troops could be assembled at the front.

Even in peacetime, railways can play a significant role.

In the past, grain was transported by oxcarts and horse-drawn carts. These carts needed to eat along the way, and half of the grain would be consumed after traveling 100 kilometers.

After the advent of trains, the cost of transporting goods dropped dramatically, and they consumed coal instead of food. This advantage was especially important in times of frequent famine.

Currently, only the first half of this railway has been built. The terrain from Constantinople to Sofia is relatively flat, and the entire journey is 500 kilometers.

It took five years to repair.

Next, the railway needs to pass through the hilly areas of Serbia, where the terrain is undulating, which will take more time and money.

The latter section of the railway, over 400 kilometers long, is expected to take six years to complete and cost 15 million Hyperpyron.

"I've heard the Cabinet plans to build an Eastern Railway, and mines across the country are also constructing railways. Domestic demand for coal and iron is increasing year by year, and coal mines in the Tarol region have achieved a profit margin of 10%, with room for further improvement."

Varro leaned back in his chair, gazing idly at the fields outside the window, and gradually drifted off to sleep.

After a long while, the train stopped moving, and he stretched and stood up.

While the staff were adding water and coal to the locomotive, the group went to the platform for some fresh air, and vendors took the opportunity to sell them fish and chips and beer.

A few minutes later, a bell rang from the direction of the locomotive, and Varro returned to his seat to sleep.

Eunuch came over and reminded him, "Wake up! His Majesty is calling you."

Amidst envious glances from the crowd, Varro followed the Eunuch to the emperor's specially reinforced carriage.

The emperor sat by the coal stove, warming himself, and asked his distant cousin, "During your minor in engineering, you interned at the railway. What are the specific costs of a railway?"

Varro: "At the time, I was the assistant to the engineering team leader, helping him manage an engineering team of eight hundred people."

The biggest expense was building the roadbed, which required the most workers to cross mountains and build bridges over rivers, accounting for 40% of the total cost.

The cost of purchasing and laying railway tracks accounts for 30% of the total cost.

Land acquisition costs are roughly 10-20% of the land price. Land prices are higher in plains areas after passing through farmland, while they are lower in hilly areas.

The remaining expenses were used to purchase equipment and other supplies.

At present, railway construction in the Eastern Roman Empire is just beginning, with a total length of less than two thousand kilometers and two relatively large lines:

The first half of the Constantinople–Belgrade Line was repaired.

The Nile River Railway.

Natural disasters have led to Finance shortages, with the Central Administration allocating a maximum of five million NT dollars annually for railway repairs, relying heavily on private investment.

For example, the Constantinople–Belgrade Line was funded by the government, while the Nile River Railway was entirely funded by the private sector.

The problem is that investors' goal is to make money, so they tend to build popular routes, such as the Nile River Railway, the Cilician Plain Railway, and the Tauris Railway.

Given their character, it would be absolutely impossible for them to build railways in Serbia and the Anatolian Plateau, which would be too costly.

Varro believed that the best way to accelerate railway construction was to reduce costs.

Since labor costs cannot be reduced, he suggested developing the iron smelting industry to lower the price of railway tracks, which would also reduce the overall project expenditure.

That's the problem.

At that moment, Eunuch from the Inner Palace Directorate brought over two cups of coffee. Varro noticed that one of the cups was for him and accepted it with trepidation.

He took a perfunctory sip, showing no interest in appreciating the coffee's exquisite flavor, and continued answering the emperor's question, "Anastasia's family invested in the coal and iron industries, and her father left behind relevant notes."

Overall, the Eastern Roman Empire had a rich variety of mineral resources, but they were unevenly distributed, and each mining area had some drawbacks to varying degrees.

The largest coal mine in the country is near Ereğli, producing relatively high-quality coal. It is located in the Province Bithynia, close to Constantinople, but its scale is far smaller than that of the Tarol Coalfield on the Northern Black Sea Coast.

The largest Iron Mine is located in the hills near Sofia, where mining and transportation costs are moderate.

The remaining coal and Iron Mine mines are scattered throughout various regions, such as the northern mountains of Thrace and the southern part of the Trebizond Province.

The mining and transportation costs in the area are high, and leaving it unattended seems wasteful.

The Emperor nodded slightly. "The Cabinet expanded the scale of exploration, sending people everywhere to search for mineral veins. The Prime Minister doesn't hold out much hope; he's always wanted to develop the Iron Mine on the west bank of the Dnieper River, but then this damned war happened!"

Prime Minister Labeo is a staunch industrialist who advocates avoiding all unnecessary wars and allocating funds primarily to industrial development.

In January of this year, Labeo outlined his plans in the House of Nobles:

Within a generation (twenty years), the Southern Canal was dug, connecting Belgrade in the northwest, Armenia in the east, and Egypt in the south by rail, significantly enhancing Central Administration control over local areas and increasing Finance revenue.

Varro thought the Prime Minister's speech made a lot of sense.

The Eastern Roman Empire had no shortage of population, with 23 million directly controlled territories, the vast majority of whom accepted the official religion, while the Greece population reached 16 million.

The problem now is a lack of money.

Once the empire has amassed wealth through industry and has ample funds, it can mobilize an army of 800,000 under extreme circumstances.

None of the three powerful states bordering each other by land— Ryazan, the House of Habsburg, and Persia —could withstand this offensive.

Especially Persia. They were the weakest, but separated from Rome by the Anatolian Plateau and Armenian Highlands. For over a thousand years, the two sides had been locked in a constant struggle, neither able to gain the upper hand.

Once the Eastern Railway was completed, the Rome army would have ample logistical supplies, and Persia's good days were over.

Nikephoros's group also supported industrial development, but their demand was for tax cuts for factories and mines, so that industrial owners would have more funds for reinvestment.

What's most hateful is that they attempted to weaken the monarch's power!

The emperor hated these people. Fortunately, Nikephoros's faction was only a minority and couldn't cause too much trouble.

The House of Nobles has 280 seats. In addition to those allocated to Despot, Hereditary Nobility, local lords, and Garrison District commanders, 36 seats belong to the church system.

Patriarch Constantinople towards a grassroots perspective, aligning closely with a group of members of the House of Commons and advocating for improved treatment of lower-class workers.

Patriarch Antioch of the East sided with the rural people and demanded a reduction in Agricultural Tax.

In addition, there were some less influential voices within the Eastern Roman Empire, with some advocating for outward expansion and others advocating for the preservation of tradition.

There are no absolute boundaries between the factions, and they occasionally cooperate with each other. For example, last year, a majority of the House of Nobles united to oppose a proposal on inheritance tax, thus protecting their property.