If you want to be rich, build roads first.
After Zhan Tianyou joined the Han army, Lin Yu immediately began to plan the railway between Yue City and Buddha City.
Buddha City was very close to Buddha City. It was located in the lower reaches of the Pearl River. The terrain was very flat, and it was close to the sea. It was very suitable for industrial development!
The development of industry required a large amount of steel, and the iron smelting industry in the Buddha City area had always been very developed. In modern times, it had always been an important pig iron base in China.
Overall, it was the most suitable place to develop industries.
Therefore, Lin Yu had long confirmed the plan of using Buddha City as an industrial base for the Han army.
However, there was a distance of about 35 kilometers between Yue City and Buddha City. This distance was neither far nor close.
If they didn't build roads, with the traffic conditions of this era, the transportation between the two places would take at least two days to reach.
However, if the railway was built, with the speed of the train, they could arrive in an hour!
Therefore, the convenience brought by the construction of the railway was very great. It could greatly shorten the transportation and logistics time between the two places and facilitate the development of Buddha City's industry!
Therefore, after Zhan Tianyou joined the Han army, Lin Yu immediately appointed him as the chief engineer of the Han army's railway, fully responsible for the construction of this section of the railway!
Because it was the first railway in China, Lin Yu specially chose this shorter and less difficult line for him to practice. After he accumulated enough experience, he would consider building a longer and more difficult line.
Of course, all of this was under the condition that the financial foundation allowed it!
After all, the price of a railway was very expensive!
The 35-kilometer railway alone consumed more than 6000 tons of steel, of which the railway consumed about 4200 tons of steel.
More than 1000 tons of bolts, construction equipment, and various consumables were used. In addition, in order to ensure sustainable development, Lin Yu also purchased a large amount of equipment and equipment from the system and built the first steel factory of the Han army in Buddha City.
Once the steel factory was built and put into production, the Han army's future railway could be processed and produced here. There was no need to buy it from the system store!
However, the first railway definitely could not wait for the production of this steel factory, so the equipment and steel needed for the first railway were all purchased by Lin Yu from the system store.
Including the steel mill and the railway, the total cost was about 2.4 million taels of silver. The cost of the railway was 1.8 million taels of silver. The first steel mill, smelting and forging equipment, etc. cost 600,000 taels of silver.
This price was not cheap, but compared to the Song Hu railway built by the Qing government in 1898, which cost 1 million taels of silver for 16 kilometers, this price was acceptable in 1864.
Moreover, the steel produced by the steel mill could not only be used to build railroads, but also to produce military equipment such as rifles, artillery, and even warships.
Therefore, this investment was worth it!
……
Just as Zhan Tianyou took up his post and began to oversee the construction of the first railway in China.
After the Han army returned to Yue City to recuperate for a period of time, they once again stepped onto the battlefield!
According to Lin Yu's previous plan, he planned to slowly accumulate strength after occupying Guangdong and Guangxi. Then, he would devour the surrounding provinces step by step and continue to expand his sphere of influence. Then, he would fight the Qing government!
However, after the Battle of Three Rivers ended, the situation in the south changed drastically.
As the Qing government's largest army in the south, the destruction of Zuo Zongtang's Chu army was an unprecedented blow to the Qing government!
Because they wanted to destroy Taiping Country, the Qing army was concentrated in the Tianjing area and Huainan area.
The military forces in the southern provinces were very empty. There were only some local garrisons and miscellaneous soldiers left.
Under such circumstances, if they continued to expand slowly according to their previous plans, it would be equivalent to not taking the land that could be taken, and instead give the Qing court a chance to breathe.
Heaven gives you, but you don't take it.
With such a good opportunity in front of them, Lin Yu and the Han army naturally could not let it go.
Therefore, after returning to Yue City, he immediately changed his battle plan.
With the Han army as the main force, Li Xiucheng would lead 10,000 troops to continue the western expedition and prepare to take down the three provinces of Gui, Yun, and Gui in the southwest!
It would then clear the obstacles for the Han army's northern expedition and lay the foundation.
Zuo Zongtang's Chu army, after completing the reorganization, began to march towards the Fujian and Zhejiang regions.
This was the old nest of the Chu army. They were most familiar with the situation here, so it was most suitable to send them out.
Of course, Lin Yu was not completely defenseless against Zuo Zongtang and Chu Jun.
After the Chu army surrendered, the Han army did not immediately give them the weapons and equipment of the Han army. They still let them use their original equipment. After they captured Fujian and Zhejiang and showed their loyalty, Lin Yu would consider giving them the equipment.
Apart from that, he would personally lead the 5,000 elites of the Han army to launch the first northern expedition, marching towards the border between South Jiangxi and South Hunan and Guangdong Province.
The purpose of the Northern Expedition was not to overthrow the Qing government.
With the current strength of the Han army, it was too difficult to achieve this.
His real goal was to control these key areas at the border of the three provinces, further expanding the territory controlled by the Han army and eliminating the direct threat of the Qing court to Guangdong Province!
Apart from that, after conquering this place, they could also open up a passage to the north, laying the foundation for the next large-scale northern expedition of the Han army.
In history, in 1927, when the revolutionary government launched the northern expedition from Guangdong Province, the main battlefield was in Hunan and Hubei. After occupying this place, the Han army could control the entire south and occupy half of the country!
On September 15th, the main force of the Western Expedition Army set off from Guangdong Province.
On the 16th, the Han army took down Wuzhou Prefecture and divided their forces there. A portion of them went north to attack Pingyue House, while the other portion went south to attack Xunzhou Prefecture.
On the 18th, the Han army in the north conquered Pingyuefu and began to threaten Guilin Prefecture from the south.
On the same day, the Han army in the south conquered Xunzhou Prefecture and Yulin Prefecture.
For a time, the Qing court's rule in the southwest was on the verge of collapse.
The local officials were all in a state of panic. Many of them began to pack up their belongings and prepare to escape!
They had yet to receive a response to their letter of request for help from the Imperial Court. Without reinforcements, it was simply a dream to hope that they could stop the Han army with their own forces.
On the other hand, the Han army was merciless towards corrupt officials. Some of them were raided, and some were beheaded.
These corrupt officials, who usually took advantage of the people and plundered their wealth, were naturally scared out of their wits when they saw this.
Under such circumstances, their only option left was to escape!
The escape of the Qing government officials made it easier for the Han army to attack.
For a time, the Western Expedition Army was like a hot knife through butter, and their reputation soared, causing the entire southwest region and even the entire world to tremble!
The name of the Han army was once again spread throughout the world along with the emergency documents sent to the capital like snowflakes!
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。