Following the sound, Yinzhen looked at the person who spoke. Yinzhen knew that the person was not a bad person, but was just a little too cautious. It was understandable that he was concerned about Yinzhen's safety and was a little cautious.
"I appreciate your kind intentions, my dear minister. I have already sent people to test this steam carriage, and I have also ridden in it myself. There is no need to worry about its safety."
Since Emperor Yinzhen had said so, naturally no one objected.
Then Yinzhen got into the carriage.
As the steam-powered vehicle traveled along the cement road, Liang Jiugong, having received instructions from Yinzhen, deliberately showed off his driving skills. This was something Liang Jiugong had practiced specifically to demonstrate the "power" of the steam-powered vehicle to everyone, so that no one would underestimate it.
With a series of actions, right before everyone's eyes, the steam engine, although still needing technological innovation, was worlds apart from the horse-drawn carriage; they couldn't be compared at all.
Liang Jiugong reversed the car, turned, and with a "whoosh," the steam engine was gone.
The crowd stared in disbelief, unable to believe their eyes. The guards, though outwardly composed, were secretly overjoyed. Most of them were skilled in martial arts but not so much in academics, often being called brutes. Seeing the scholars so "out of control" made them very happy.
They've all forgotten what the steam engine looked like when they first saw it; they don't look much better than those ministers from earlier.
Although the steam carriage was fast, Liang Jiugong didn't constantly demonstrate his speed, since even the guards' legs couldn't keep up.
It can't be said that it was the guards' legs; nowadays, the imperial guards travel by bicycle.
After noon, we finally arrived at our destination.
At this time, Fucha Mingsi had already made preparations to receive the emperor.
When the group arrived, they didn't see the so-called steam train, but they did see railway tracks on the ground. They didn't say anything and had a rather unremarkable lunch arranged by Fucha Mingsi. In the afternoon, Yinzhen stood in front of the group and instructed Fucha Mingsi, "Bring the steam train over."
Fucha Mingsi naturally knew what the Emperor was going to do. After hearing the instructions, he said something to the envoy next to him, and soon after, a "clanging" sound was heard.
After a while, everyone saw a long strip approaching from afar. When it got closer, they realized that the long strip was made of iron boxes linked together.
After a short while, the iron box stopped, coming to a stop not far from the group.
"My beloved subjects, please follow me onto the train."
If Yinzhen wanted to take the lead, no one dared to say "no." Even those who were afraid still gritted their teeth and went ahead anyway.
The group followed Yinzhen onto the train.
Some remained calm, knowing full well that the Emperor would never put himself in danger, and that the train was certainly safe.
Some were quite uneasy, stemming from a fear of the unknown, but they figured it would get better later.
Once everyone went up, they discovered that the interior was surprisingly spacious. The carriage that Yinzhen had led them to was specially modified. If it were officially in use, it wouldn't be like this. This carriage was specifically for entertaining people, just like a regular reception room, only a smaller version.
Once everyone had boarded, Yinzhen had them sit down and then ordered the train to start.
The train windows were made of glass, so everyone could see the scenery rushing past them. They were surprised to find that the scenery was rushing past so fast, so fast that it was hard for them to believe.
Yinzhen saw their shock. Zhu Tao was also shocked, but he wasn't particularly surprised, after all, the emperor had actually invented a steam engine.
The railway track was only about five kilometers long, and it took some time to finish. Then Yinzhen ordered them to return. The round trip didn't seem to take long, but there were servants keeping track of the time!
Upon returning, Yinzhen led the way off the train and then asked, "What do you think of the train, my dear ministers? Is this railway feasible?"
This time, naturally no one objected. At this speed, if the project is completed in the future, people will be able to travel long distances to wherever they go.
They tried it themselves and found that sitting inside a train was much safer than sitting in a horse-drawn carriage.
"Your Majesty, trains are a convenient tool for the people. With trains, who will dare to invade the Qing Dynasty in the future?"
That statement doesn't seem wrong, since trains can speed up marches to some extent, and speed is what matters on the battlefield.
What followed was a barrage of flattery, leaving Zhu Tao dumbfounded. Only then did he realize that these people who usually said, "Your Majesty, this servant feels...that is inappropriate..." could actually speak so...so respectably when they wanted to say nice things.
This compliment sounds much more pleasant than the ones I've seen before. It's subtle yet full of emotion, and it sounds impressive and powerful.
Regardless of what he was thinking, Yinzhen outwardly appeared very happy.
In fact, Yinzhen was indeed happy. It is said that if you want to get rich, you must first build roads. If transportation is not convenient, the economy will not be convenient, and if the speed is not fast, the economy will not be fast.
Yinzhen always believed that if the Qing Dynasty wanted to avoid being bullied, the most important thing was military strength, and the second most important thing was governance and economic strength.
Only a strong military can prevent being bullied by outsiders, and if necessary, it can bully others. After all, the history of China in the past was one of hardship. Only with a clear and just political system can good decisions be made and implemented effectively. Only with economic prosperity can the people live a better life.
Another point is that, based on the good development of military, political and economic aspects, culture also needs to develop. Of course, it is necessary to reform it when necessary, as the things passed down from our ancestors have both good and bad aspects.
Seeing that things were almost settled, and since they had all agreed, the matter was officially decided, and Fucha Mingsi would be in charge of the railway construction.
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