Chapter 998: Qiao Dongjia's trip to the Ming Dynasty (third update, please subscribe)

The tide of the times carries with it people's destiny, and people's destiny often undergoes earth-shaking changes in great times.

The ocean-going immigration ship sped towards the coast, and against the backdrop of light and shadow, the silhouette of Tianya Island emerged in the sea.

Tianya Island is actually a peninsula, located at the entrance of Linhai Bay, where the artillery fort guarding Linhai Bay is located. When the ship approaches, you can clearly see the sturdy artillery fort on the island. From the other side, you can see the huge cannon pointing directly to the sea.

“We’re here!”

Like all the passengers, Qiao Zhiyong was already on board before the ship approached the bay. Looking at the Ming Dynasty getting closer and closer, his mood was indescribably complicated.

"Dad, look..."

Pointing at Linhai City, Qiao Jingzhen said.

"This is Linhai City. More than a decade ago, when Emperor Shengde of the Ming Dynasty was still the owner of the Nanhua Company, he led his troops over the Andes Mountains, which were several thousand meters high, and fought here. Then he conquered Chile in one fell swoop and renamed Chile Shanxi! If we land at Ping'an Port in the north, we will take the train through Taiyuan..."

Before his brother could finish, Qiao Jingxi, who was only 12 years old, laughed happily.

"This Emperor Shengde must be from Shanxi, right? How come the place he named is all from Shanxi?"

"That's right, Boss. This Emperor Shengde is really interesting. Why do you think he uses place names from Shanxi? Maybe it's just like what the young master said. He might be a fellow Shanxi native."

"Haha, maybe not necessarily. However, the Ming Dynasty established a country in a foreign land. Every time it conquered a place, it changed the place name of our China. This not only showed its military power, but also meant that it did not forget its roots..."

Qiao Zhiyong nodded at his son's words.

"It is truly an honor for the Chinese people that this Emperor Shengde was able to build such a large foundation with his bare hands on Western territory..."

"Look! A skyscraper!"

Suddenly, Qiao Zhiyong's words were interrupted. The people on the boat pointed at the tall buildings on the shore and shouted excitedly.

They all looked towards the shore, and what came into view were tall buildings. Looking at those towering buildings, everyone was astonished.

Amid people's astonished gaze, the ship was pushed closer to the pier by a tugboat.

"After you get off the boat, you must follow closely. This is not China. If you get separated, you won't be able to return to Shanxi!"

"Who said you can't get to Shanxi? You can just take a train north, Fifth Brother, isn't that right?"

Qiao Zhiyong shook his head at his youngest son’s words. He loved his youngest son the most; after all, he was a son born in his old age!

Soon, they got ashore, passed customs inspection, and took a taxi to the train station. They waited only half an hour at the train station before boarding the train to Nanhua.

"Dad, this Pacific Railway is the world's first railway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This railway was built all the way from Nanhua to Linhai. It is the most important railway in the Ming Dynasty. It passes through thousands of miles of prairie, and then crosses mountains and ridges and crosses the Andes Mountains - it is the highest mountain in South America, and the highest point is five or six kilometers..."

"Brother, how high is five or six thousand meters?"

"It's almost 20,000 feet!"

Instantly, they were all stunned—20,000 feet! How high must the mountain be!

"This, this mountain is higher than Taihang Mountain..."

Looking at the surprised expressions of his father, brother and the guys, Qiao Jingzhen seemed a little proud. He had read all these from books. Usually, his favorite thing was reading. Even this trip to Daming was suggested by him.

The Qing Dynasty fell and China recovered.

Then what?

The Qiao family must either change themselves to adapt to the changing times, or they will completely disappear from the world. How should the Qiao family change?

Dad has been to Haizhou and Xuzhou, and has seen and learned a lot, but where should he go to see and learn more?

Of course it’s the Ming Dynasty!

What are you doing in Daming?

In the words of the Ming Dynasty, it is an investigation. What are we investigating?

Even Qiao Zhiyong had no idea, but what was certain was that he would encounter too many surprises on the road ahead.

When he was in China, he also took trains. To a certain extent, the railways in China were no different from those in the Ming Dynasty. After all, when Xuzhou began to build the railway, the rails and locomotives used were from the Ming Dynasty.

And what attracts Qiao Zhiyong now?

There are beautiful scenery on both sides of the railway, and of course the towns and cities seen along the way. What does the Ming Dynasty look like before his eyes?

The city is prosperous, the roads are flat and clean, and both the passengers in the carriage and the people met along the way look peaceful and healthy. This is perhaps the most intuitive impression.

After the train passed the Central Valley, it began to climb the hillside. The earth showed bridges and valleys. As the railway passed between the valleys, as the railway drove into the clouds and passed over the cliffs, Qiao Zhiyong was deeply shocked.

"This is truly amazing!"

Qiao Zhiyong couldn't imagine that the train was running on such a steep cliff. Looking up, there were strange rocks and cliffs towering into the clouds, and looking down, there were deep and narrow turbulent valleys, which made people dizzy.

"Dad, this is the famous 'Devil's Nose'. It means that the train is running on the devil's nose. As long as the devil blows, the train may..."

What is possible?

Looking at the sky and the abyss outside the car window in astonishment, Qiao Jingxi said with some fear.

"Brother, this car won't have any accidents, right?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a middle-aged man sitting next to him spoke.

"Haha, kid, don't worry, nothing will happen. Although the Devil's Nose is dangerous, its name was left behind when the road was built. The road builders built the road on the Devil's Nose just like they were opening up the mountain. They only used simple blasting and shovels to dig out sections of thrilling hanging railways on the steep cliffs. At least hundreds of road builders died here alone, so this name was left behind..."

"I see. I never thought there would be such a story behind this road!"

Qiao Zhiyong sighed.

"The Ming Dynasty founded this business in a foreign land, which is really not as good as it!"

"So, the national anthem of the empire has the words 'Starting a business is difficult, remembering the martyrs'. This commemoration is not only for the soldiers, but also for the engineers and workers. After this cave, there is the 'Eternal Spring Shrine', which is dedicated to commemorating these pioneers. Every year, His Majesty will send people to pay homage to them... Over the years, His Majesty has never forgotten them."

"Your Majesty is benevolent and righteous!"

When the words fell, the man just smiled slightly and asked Qiao Zhiyong.

"From your accent, you sound like you're from Shanxi. I'm from Shaanxi. Shanxi and Shaanxi have been one family since ancient times. So, we're half fellow villagers."

(End of this chapter)