The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 677

The Ming Dynasty is now vastly different from what it used to be. More than half a year ago, after the first three railways were successfully put into operation, in addition to starting construction on railways on the grasslands, the planning and construction of the second batch of railways had already begun quietly.

The second batch of railways was significantly more than the first batch, totaling nearly ten lines. The longest of these lines was the one that ran directly from Beijing to Annam, a distance of nearly 5,000 li (approximately 2,500 kilometers).

Because the railway was constructed in sections, the speed and length of the railway construction were not related. In addition, with the experience gained from the construction of the first batch of railways, and with the continuous allocation of funds from the imperial court, the railway to Annam was fully operational in about six months.

If it used to take at least a month, or even nearly two months, for a mission to travel from the capital to Southeast Asia, now with trains, it only takes about five or six days.

In theory, the train could travel at a speed of about 80 li per hour, but this was only in theory. The terrain along the railway to Annam was much more complex than that along the railway to Jiangnan. In order to complete the railway as soon as possible, the imperial court allocated much more funds to this railway than to other railways.

The railway was divided into sections of approximately forty li each, and countless people along the route joined the railway construction team, which ensured that the railway was completed in just six months.

It's no wonder the people were so enthusiastic. Firstly, the wages offered by the imperial court were indeed quite substantial, and secondly, no one dared to withhold wages.

Secondly, the news of the construction of the three railways had already spread throughout the Ming Dynasty, and the people along those railways gradually became wealthy. In particular, many merchants were willing to pay out of their own pockets to help the court build the railways.

These merchants knew very well that the sooner the railway was completed, the sooner they could transport goods by train, which would greatly reduce both the speed and cost of transport, thus benefiting them in every way.

When the merchants learned that this was a railway to Annam, they all contributed a lot of money with the help of the Ministry of Revenue officials. Annam was now the largest outlet to the sea for the Ming Dynasty.

Once this railway is completed, the transportation costs for goods shipped by sea will be reduced to an extremely low figure.

Although the imperial court would build the railway even if they didn't pay for it, it was entirely up to the Ministry of Revenue to use it itself and prevent them from using it.

By doing so, Zhang Cong and other officials of the Ministry of Revenue saved the court a large sum of money.

With the investment from these maritime merchants and traders along the route, plus the government's funding, the railway was built very quickly. As long as the money was available, the Ming Dynasty never lacked manpower, and the construction speed could even be faster.

Wen Zhengming led the Ming Dynasty delegation and the Champa delegation by train, taking five or six days to reach the former capital of the Le Dynasty. The railway from the capital to Annam was not only built to this point, but also directly to the mouth of the Mekong River.

However, this place was already very close to Champa. Wen Zhengming and his delegation disembarked here. When Duke Li Chun of Annam saw Wen Zhengming and his party arrive, he gave them a grand welcome and wished he could hold a banquet for them.

"No need for such trouble, Your Excellency Annam. We need to get to Champa as soon as possible to stop the war between the Toungoo Dynasty and Champa. Thank you for your kindness, Your Excellency Annam."

Faced with Li Chun's enthusiasm, Wen Zhengming remained calm. He knew very well that he represented the Ming Dynasty and could not lose his composure.

After saying this, Wen Zhengming looked at the Annamite Provincial Governor standing to the side.

"We hope that you will prepare carriages and horses for us."

"You flatter me, Lord Wen. His Majesty has already issued the decree, and I have already had carriages and horses prepared, just waiting for you, Lord Wen."