Chapter 108: The Three-Year Transportation Plan

Perhaps worried about losing the six experts, Jing Ni said with a smile, "Don't even think about running. Even if you made it ten kilometers away, your movements wouldn't escape our control. Given the speed of the carriage, your master wouldn't get very far either."

Although the carriage cabin was less than three meters long, the iron prison and private latrines they occupied inside were dozens of meters wide. Thinking of the mysterious sounds coming from within the carriage, Luan Shen completely abandoned any lingering thoughts of escape.

"Queen Jing, we wouldn't dare!" They were terrified. The twin sisters had no desire to risk another escape attempt; they would rather be executed than return to the harsh conditions they once endured.

Seeing how obedient the two girls were, Jing Ni was very satisfied. If she hadn't been uneasy, she would have wanted to keep them by her side immediately. Watching the pleasant interaction between Jing Ni and the sisters, Luna felt a pang of envy.

"My husband, perhaps you should take an opportunity to capture some disciples of the Yin-Yang School as well." The empire was no longer lacking in common talent, but there were few true experts worth utilizing.

"Hmm, that's possible. I'll check the Yin-Yang School headquarters when the opportunity arises." Seeing that even the Six Sword Slaves were so cowed, Lin Shu also found the situation quite amusing.

Luna was stunned. She could only offer a silent apology to Donghuang Taiyi in her heart. Of course, she also hoped her husband could topple that old schemer, Donghuang.

As they drew closer to the royal city, the moods of the two queens grew heavy. Even though Jing Ni had now reached the Grandmaster realm, and Luna was on the verge of breaking through to the mid-stage of the Grandmaster realm to catch up with Dongjun, they remained somber.

"Shall we let little Yan’er stay behind? I can have Xuan Jian watch over her." Lin Shu understood why Jing Ni was sighing.

"Ah!" Little Yan’er panicked, caught between wanting to shake her head and nod.

"Better not." Jing Ni shook her head; she was too busy with work to have much time for child-rearing. "Yan’er, take good care of your father for Mother. Don't let him do anything reckless."

Little Yan’er nodded immediately. "Don't worry, Mother, I'll remember everything."

"But, Baby won't be able to see Mother for a long time!"

Mother and daughter seemed to share some secret, but Lin Shu just smiled and didn't dwell on it.

As the carriage approached the city gates, Luna hurriedly gave instructions. "Husband, can you help Shao Shao reach the peak of the Grandmaster realm first? That way, it will be easier for her to act when needed."

Lin Shu didn't think twice. "Very well, let's focus on supporting Shao Shao first. It just so happens the carriage still has a large battery."

"Heh, that's good then." Luna was relieved; she didn't want Dongjun to break through to the late stage of the Grandmaster realm too quickly.

There were many carriages entering the royal city, and Lin Shu did not cut the line, following along behind the others. The bronze and old-wood carriage looked ordinary, but the coachmen were the twins Zhuan Po and Mie Po. Carriages entering the city only needed to have their passes checked, so the process was quick.

"Huh? What kind of carriage is this?" the young inspector frowned and remarked.

Not to mention the strange horses and the two girl coachmen, there were two rows of small seats on either side of the carriage, occupied by four cold-looking swordsmen.

"Quick, move aside!" Upon seeing the small dragon-horse, the young captain of the guards was startled and hurriedly signaled for the inspector to step back.

Once the carriage had passed, the inspector couldn't help but ask, "Captain, that carriage is so strange! Won't there be trouble?" Those four cold-looking swordsmen certainly didn't look like good people.

In truth, the young captain didn't know for sure, but he had seen the King’s great dragon-horse before, and it was identical to this small one. The gate commander hurried down, took one look at the departing carriage, and breathed a sigh of relief. "Do not discuss royal carriages. It's fortunate you didn't cause a scene."

"A royal carriage! No wonder!" The inspector was shocked.

It was the Six Sword Slaves' first time arriving in the North, and everything they saw along the way was unheard of. While their expressions remained indifferent, they couldn't help but observe their surroundings. The thick city walls, the towering buildings, and the smooth stone roads they traveled upon were all new to them. They were even more shocked by the hundred-meter-long vehicles roaring past outside the city.

What they saw were the steam-powered trains currently undergoing trial runs, the culmination of two years of work by the brothers Ma Bao and Ma Guo. Lin Shu had established a large number of machinery factories last year, including steel mills and steam engine production plants. To this day, only a third of these dozens of factories were operational. The Ma brothers had become the Minister and Deputy Minister of the Mechanical Division under the Ministry of Works. As the primary helmsmen of the empire's industrialization, they held numerous fundamental blueprints and technical documents.

...

Lin Shu did not intend to stay long this time. Before leaving, he needed to hold a small meeting. The various departments of the empire were not yet perfected, as there was still a lack of talent capable of taking full charge. Since there would be no military operations in the short term, generals like Wu Yangjing and Lei Ming were not required to attend.

There were quite a few attendees, but most were young interns, along with many young women. King Lin sat in the center, with the four ministers of the cabinet on his left and right. In the first row below the dais sat only a few people—the ministers of the various departments.

Jing Ke was considered a veteran of the empire, in charge of the Foreign Affairs Department, which included gathering intelligence and promoting the empire's policies. Beside him was Gao Jianli, the newly appointed Minister of Music and Martial Arts. In addition to them, the Ma brothers also sat in the first row. The Ministry of Works, established over two years ago, currently consisted only of a Mechanical Division and an Engineering Division, with the officials of the latter sitting in the second row.

While the officials in the first and second rows were few, there were many interns in the rows behind them. Everyone attending was literate; even the Ma brothers had mastered the vast majority of simplified characters. Through the use of dictionaries, Gao Jianli had also mastered the basics of language and mathematics within a month. Moving forward, the empire would abolish the scripts of the seven warring states.

Power could be divided into military, political, and financial sectors. Military and political authority were distributed among various departments and generals, while financial power was managed personally by Jing Ni.

With the bountiful harvests of potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes, along with the emergence of various factories, the empire's economy was officially recovering and operating. The paper, pens, fine spirits, iron pots, soap, and glass produced by the factories were beginning to be exported in bulk to the seven states. The wealth managed by Jing Ni grew greater with each passing day.

After everyone was seated, Lin Shu stood up. A projected blackboard appeared beside him.

"It has been four years since the empire was founded. All departments, cities, and villages have stabilized. Now, the three million citizens have no shortage of food or clothing, and the national treasury is filling up." It was time to begin the first Three-Year Plan, and Lin Shu intended to give the officials and village leaders something to do.

Everyone listened quietly, watching the words written on the blackboard: The First Three-Year Plan.

"For these three years, the empire will focus on transportation infrastructure. The empire has achieved self-sufficiency, and the next step is to ensure every household has a surplus. To get rich, one must first build roads. The Mechanical Division has completed preparations for the train and automobile industries."

"The first Three-Year Plan will focus primarily on the construction of railways and highways."

As Lin Shu spoke, the blackboard changed to a map of the Yanhuang Empire.

"The first railway will start from the royal city's harbor and extend to the northern county seat at the northern end of the Eastern Sea Mountains."

"The second railway will start from the royal city, pass through the Northern Yan mountain ranges, cross the Xiongnu plateau, and reach the Western Siberian county seat on the south bank of the Ob River."

"There must be arterial highways alongside the railways. The goal for local highways is to connect county and town centers. Liaodong and Liaoxi must have connectivity between all towns and villages, and the area from the royal city to the vicinity of Liaodong City must have major village connectivity."

After looking at the railway map, Ma Bao frowned. The King had finished speaking, but everyone remained stunned.

"This! Your Majesty, is this truly possible? A railway thousands of miles long?" The impatient Jing Ke was the first to voice his doubt.

"That's fundamentally impossible!" Ma Guo sighed and shook his head.

*Alas! Has the King begun to lose his senses?* Gao Jianli felt a bit disappointed. The highway plan didn't seem too difficult, as the empire had many steam-powered machines and building cement factories wasn't hard. But this!

Lin Shu smiled and sat down. Knowing that everyone had many doubts, the Chief Minister Jing Ni stood up.

"The various departments only need to be responsible for flat land, small slopes, and small river channels. As for high mountains, great rivers, and deep valleys, the Royal House will be responsible for their construction. Afterward, the Cabinet will have the hot air balloon team assist the Engineering Division in planning routes, using straight lines as much as possible without worrying about terrain issues."

*So that’s how it is!* Ma Bao understood. With the King stepping in, even the deepest abyss would be filled.

"Good, that's excellent!" Ma Guo said with a smile.

*Huh? What happened to them?* Gao Jianli was completely confused as to why the officials of the Ministry of Works had suddenly become so relaxed.