Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 429: Chapter 413 If You Want to Be Rich, Build Roads_2

“There are four or five places where the river channel needs to be deepened, and if we can interconnect the whole river channel, medium-sized ocean vessels could sail directly into Jianzhou City via the Ying River!”

Yang Zhenshan pointed at the Ying River on the map, narrating his plan, “The Marquis has decided to clear the Ying River, and establish docks in Jianzhou City, Ningzhou City, north of Chongshan Pass, north of An Yuan City, and south of Songzhou City.”

“Utilizing this river channel, we can directly allow ships to go deep into Chongshan Town, transporting large quantities of goods from Chongshan Town to Tenglong Guard, Liao’an City, Jizhou City, and even Jiangnan. Likewise, goods can also be transported to Chongshan Town.”

“Besides the river channel, we also have five official roads that need to be refurbished. The first is the East-West official road that runs through the entire Chongshan Town; this road has always been the lifeline of Chongshan Town’s transportation, and we must ensure its smooth operation.”

“The second starts from Fuzhou City, passing through Songzhou City, An Yuan City, all the way to Qinghua Prefecture City.”

“The third starts from Black Cloud Mountain, connecting Chongshan Pass with Jing’an Prefecture.”

“The fourth starts from Guanshan Pass, passing through Xiling City, Daning City, and reaching Huade Prefecture City in the west of Liaodong.”

“The fifth runs from Black Cloud Mountain to Fuzhou City.”

“Five official roads, three vertical and two horizontal, plus a water channel, will connect the towns within Chongshan Town and facilitate a thoroughfare between the east and west of Liaodong.”

“Some of these already have the groundwork of existing official roads, but some still need us to plan and construct ourselves.”

As Yang Zhenshan spoke, the faces of the department heads in the hall grew solemn.

Constructing Black Cloud City and developing the Northern region is an ambitious plan, but the river and official roads Yang Zhenshan intends to build represent a colossal project.

The total length of the five official roads exceeds five thousand li (a Chinese unit of distance), and although most have a foundation from the past, the involved workload still feels overwhelming.

Here, there are no various types of engineering machinery; all construction must rely on manual labor. With five thousand li of official roads to construct, the manpower and resources required are far beyond what Chongshan Town can currently bear.

Being an expert in infrastructure, Yang Zhenshan is professional, but this time his plan is just too vast.

Compared to his previous efforts in Tenglong Guard, it’s like comparing a sorcerer to a great wizard.

The area of Tenglong Guard is less than one percent of Chongshan Town. The total length of the official roads Yang Zhenshan built in Tenglong Guard did not even reach two hundred li, and even including other roads, it wouldn’t total more than five hundred li.

And Chongshan Town?

According to Yang Zhenshan’s plan, it involved constructing five thousand li of official roads and a water channel over a thousand li long.

Such a workload, not just for Chongshan Town but even for the court, is a tremendous project.

Yang Zhenshan firmly believes in the saying, ’To get rich, build roads.’

Poor transportation stops all progress.

Only by building up the transportation network of Chongshan Town can its economy see transformative growth.

Otherwise, no matter what Yang Zhenshan does, Chongshan Town cannot become a land of riches.

“Marquis, based on such a plan, it would probably require tens of millions of silver taels to achieve.”

Others dare not contradict Yang Zhenshan nor offer different opinions in front of him, but Lu Wenhua dares. Not because he is related to Yang Zhenshan, but because he understands Yang Zhenshan’s temperament and knows he would not be blamed for speaking up.

“That’s right, not only a large amount of silver, but also a great amount of food!” Yang Zhenshan nodded and said.

In the five years at Tenglong Guard, he spent three million silver taels.

The salt fields and docks provided Tenglong Guard with a vast amount of silver, making it a rich region.

Now, Chongshan Town cannot develop following Tenglong Guard’s model, as it cannot construct salt fields, nor can it conduct large-scale maritime trade.

Chongshan Town isn’t just a small hub like Tenglong Guard; the court that once tolerated the randomness in Tenglong Guard will not allow Yang Zhenshan to continue in the same manner in Chongshan Town.

“But we don’t have so much money and grain right now, let alone ten million taels, not even one million!”

“And next, we still need to train troops and build Black Cloud City.”

Lu Wenhua softly said.

Yang Zhenshan smiled, “No money? Then let’s find ways to make money!”

With that, he clapped his hands, and a middle-aged man around thirty years old walked in from outside the door.

This person has an honest and simple appearance, dressed ordinarily, exhibiting some restraint after entering the hall.

“Come, let me introduce to you all, this is Zhu Dahai, the person in charge of the glass workshop.”

Without a trump card, Yang Zhenshan would not have ambitiously devised such an enormous plan.

And his trump card is none other than the glass workshop at Tenglong Guard.

Ever since Yang Zhenshan planned to make a telescope, the glass workshop had been established, and it has been over four years now.

While he was at Tenglong Guard, Yang Zhenshan never dared to mass produce glass.

Why?

Mainly because he feared the overwhelming benefits from glass; he estimated himself incapable of withstanding it.

But now, it’s different. He is Marquis Jing’an of Da Rong, the General of Chongshan Town, and a rising star in the court.

Perhaps he still can’t withstand the temptation from the enormous profits, but at the very least, he has some room for maneuvering, not completely powerless to resist.

Once glass production scales up, the profits can be easily imagined.

What can glass be used for?

Teaware, wine utensils, dinnerware, various vessels, decorative items, and window glass, etc.

Of course, there are also telescopes, mirrors, and so on.

Each type of glass product has a vast market.

As long as Yang Zhenshan is willing, he could become the wealthiest person in Da Rong at any time by manufacturing glass.

The premise is that he could keep the glass manufacturing method secret.

Yang Zhenshan has no desire to become the wealthiest in Da Rong, nor is he particularly interested in making money.

Therefore, there is no need for him to tightly guard the method of making glass, nor does he wish to monopolize the benefits of glass manufacture.

He just wants Chongshan Town to mark the inception of this and let Chongshan Town prosper from the widespread use of glass.

“Next, the General Mansion will establish a new Engineering Department, with the glass workshop under it, Li Dahai will take charge of the Right Capital Affairs, Wenhua, for now, act concurrently as Left Capital Affairs!”

Yang Zhenshan arranged.

Lu Wenhua responded, but hesitantly said, “Marquis, can glass really earn tens of millions of silver?”

The existence of the glass workshop in the Guardian Department of Tenglong Guard is not exactly a secret, but everyone has little concept of the uses of glass.

Lu Wenhua didn’t think there was anything miraculous about glass either.

Only Yang Zhenshan knows how extensively glass can be applied.

However, Yang Zhenshan didn’t explain, “You’ll know in the future. I will personally take charge of the glass workshop, with Li Dahai overseeing its affairs. Don’t intervene!”

“Yes!” What else could Lu Wenhua say? He could only nod in agreement.

At this moment, Li Dahai was plunged into a shock of happiness.

He was originally just a common apprentice blacksmith who later joined the glass workshop. Yang Zhenshan thought highly of his conscientious work and put him in charge of the workshop.

Initially, the glass workshop had only a dozen or so people, and even now it barely numbers in the two to three hundred.

Thus, Li Dahai always considered himself just a common craftsman, never imagining that he would one day become an official.

An official position with Standard seventh rank in the General Mansion is a true position with official rank and salary.

Of course, this position as department head is not classified as a civil servant role; the positions in the General Mansion are military, and certainly not comparable to those of civil servants.

But for a craftsman like Li Dahai, this is an extraordinary stroke of fortune.