"My hometown is Nanyang, Henan. When I was a child in Nanyang, I saw the track that Your Majesty is talking about with my own eyes."

"I was young at the time and didn't know why, but after listening to your Majesty's account, I recalled that the track was used for carriages."

Tie Xuan replied loudly.

Given the distance between him and Zhu Yuanzhang, if the voice was lowered, he might not be able to hear clearly.

Therefore, all court officials must have a loud voice.

Zhu Yuanzhang was a little surprised.

He thought that the idea of ​​the track was given by his eldest grandson, but he didn't expect that it had already appeared in the previous dynasty.

However, when Zhu Yuanzhang thought carefully, the history books he had read in his mind did not contain anything related to orbits.

The benefits of railroads are easy to imagine. If the cost were not too high, Zhu Yuanzhang would certainly have built them on a large scale.

After thinking for a while, Zhu Yuanzhang thought that he might not have read the relevant books, so he looked towards the Hanlin Academy and said:

"My dear ministers, please review this. Since Dingshi said that there is a track, it must have really existed. I am not well-educated, so please help me think about which dynasty built the track."

Although he asked all civil and military officials, Zhu Yuanzhang actually wanted to hear the opinions of the Hanlin Academy.

Regarding the dynasties before the Ming Dynasty, the relevant historical documents are all handled by the scholars of the Hanlin Academy. When it comes to understanding the previous dynasties, the Hanlin Academy is naturally the first to bear the brunt.

After hearing His Majesty's question, the officials in the Hanlin Academy also began to discuss the matter among themselves.

"I have never heard of such a railway carriage. I wonder if you have heard of it."

"I have never heard of it. Logically, if you have seen it, you will definitely remember it, but I don't have any impression of it."

"Me too."

"Me too."

After a discussion among many scholars in the Hanlin Academy, they found that none of them had ever heard of such a track, and some even began to doubt whether Tie Xuan was talking nonsense.

However, these remarks were quickly refuted. Tie Xuan still had a very high reputation among the court officials, and if he was talking nonsense, it would be tantamount to deceiving the emperor.

Since he said he had seen it when he was a child, it must still exist now. There was no need for Tie Xuan to lie.

"Since Tieduan's story is true, it must have existed. Perhaps there are very few records about it, so we haven't read them."

It was proposed by a scholar from the Hanlin Academy.

Most of the scholars in the Hanlin Academy looked at each other and felt that it was impossible.

Although there are many books in the Hanlin Academy, all the bachelors and grand secretaries present here, combined, may not have memorized all the books in the Hanlin Academy, but they have definitely read all of them.

Thinking about it this way, there is only one possibility, that is, there is no record about the orbit in the Hanlin Academy.

"Perhaps it was a dynasty before the Yuan Dynasty, but it could not be the Yuan Dynasty, and certainly not the Song Dynasty."

A scholar began to analyze.

If there is no documentation, then we can analyze it based on the situations in previous dynasties.

Being able to stand in the Fengtian Hall, one can be called a historian and is well versed in the customs of previous dynasties.

Just like that, the discussion began in front of all the civil and military officials and Zhu Yuanzhang.

Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang was not in a hurry and waited quietly for the Hanlin scholars.

This kind of situation happened more than once or twice during the morning court session.

The current scholars in the Hanlin Academy are led by Liu Sanwu.

Liu Sanwu formulated a strategy, starting from the Yuan Dynasty and working his way up step by step, analyzing the most likely architectural trajectory of the previous dynasty.

Even if it was the Yuan Dynasty, it could not be let off, as it could be that some king did it himself.

First, the location.

Since it happened in Nanyang, Henan, it must be the orthodox Wang Chao.

Henan has been the Central Plains region since ancient times, and Nanyang is close to the ancient capitals of Xuchang, Luoyang, and Kaifeng.

Any country that has never unified the Central Plains can be completely ruled out.

When this opinion came out, the scope became much smaller.

Then we began to target dynasties that might need to build tracks.

Liu Sanwu proposed: "The function of the track is to transport a large amount of supplies. The fact that it was built in Nanyang was obviously because it was needed in Nanyang at the time. And since it was built in the Central Plains, it must have been built in more than one place in Nanyang."

"It seems that the track that Tieduanshi mentioned must be from a very long time ago. From what I have seen, it should be from the Eastern Han Dynasty or the Western Han Dynasty."

Liu Sanwu's words opened up the minds of the Hanlin scholars.

Liu Sanwu can be considered the most knowledgeable person in the current Ming Dynasty.

You should know that Liu Sanwu entered the court in the 18th year of Hongwu, recommended by the current Minister of War Ru Yan, and was "recruited to the court as a literary talent."

Moreover, Liu Sanwu was already 73 years old at that time, and was already famous in the Hanlin Academy when he entered the court.

After entering the Hanlin Academy, one becomes the uncrowned head of the Hanlin Academy.

The seventy-three-year-old Liu Sanwu not only showed no signs of being confused, but was also highly valued by Zhu Yuanzhang because of his extensive reading, good memory, and quick response. He was often consulted and always pleased Zhu Yuanzhang, who often asked him for advice on how to govern the country.

However, in the 23rd year of Hongwu, when he was teaching the Crown Prince Jin Wangjing, the Ministry of Personnel impeached him for "dereliction of duty" and he was demoted from Hanlin scholar to assistant teacher in the Imperial College. However, due to his reputation, he was soon reinstated.

Liu Sanwu is now eighty years old, but he can still be said to be quick-witted.

This can be seen from the events of this dynasty in the analysis track.

"It's impossible for the Western Han Dynasty. The Western Han Dynasty lacked horses. A rail carriage would naturally require a large number of horses to pull it. Mule carts and ox carts would definitely not work. The only possibility is the Eastern Han Dynasty."

A scholar who was well versed in the history of the Western Han Dynasty immediately proposed it.

Many Hanlin scholars also nodded. It seemed that the only possible option was the Eastern Han Dynasty.

After some discussion, the possibility of the Eastern Han Dynasty was constantly ruled out. Although some people put forward hypotheses, their reasons were untenable.

By this point in the discussion, two incense sticks of time had passed, and both the other officials and Zhu Yuanzhang were becoming a little impatient.

Seeing that the discussion had taken so long, Zhu Yuanzhang decided to put the matter aside for the time being and let the Hanlin scholars discuss it again after the court session and give him a result in the end.

At this time, Liu Sanwu half-closed his eyes and said, "Have you ever thought, my colleagues, whether this Nanyang track was cast in the pre-Qin period?"

As soon as these words were spoken, many Hanlin scholars immediately quieted down.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who was about to speak, stopped when he saw this.

Zhu Yuanzhang signaled with his eyes, and immediately a eunuch came quickly and reported to Zhu Yuanzhang what Liu Sanwu and other Hanlin scholars had just said.

During court meetings in the Fengtian Hall, eunuchs stood every few meters.

The duties of these eunuchs in the Fengtian Hall are to monitor whether officials have transgressed any rules. Without the permission of His Majesty, many things that are not in accordance with etiquette will be recorded by these eunuchs.

The same applies to conversations. Important conversations would be memorized and then conveyed to Zhu Yuanzhang at any time.

After listening to this, Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly.

According to the analysis of the Hanlin scholars, the Qin Dynasty is obviously the most likely.

The Qin Dynasty also took other similar measures in this regard.

For example, "Qinzhidao" and "Qinchidao".

Now it seems that the emergence of another "Qin Track" is completely understandable and very consistent with the style of the Qin Dynasty.

The Qin Dynasty was the most active in road construction, expending a large amount of manpower and material resources to build roads across the country.

It can be said that the main transportation routes of all dynasties after the Qin Dynasty were almost all based on the roads of the Qin Dynasty.

Even in the present Ming Dynasty, nearly two thousand years later, many roads between major cities were opened up by the Qin Dynasty and continue to this day.

"After the Qin Five-foot Road, the Great Wall, the Afang Palace, the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, the Lingqu Canal, the Straight Road, and the Chidao, the Qin Track will be the eighth building of the pre-Qin period."

Zhu Yuanzhang made the final decision and said with emotion.

Whether in documents or by successive emperors, officials, or literati all over the world, Qin Shihuang was highly respected and worshipped.

Not only because he unified the world and was the first emperor.

It has also made many contributions to the construction of many countries.

Zhu Yuanzhang also had an idol, and Qin Shihuang was the idol he admired.

It can be said that in the 1,600 years since the Qin Dynasty, so many dynasties and countries have been born.

Except for firearms, in most aspects, there is not much comparison between different dynasties and countries compared to the Qin Dynasty.

The Qin Dynasty was the first feudal dynasty and also the peak of the feudal dynasty.

Zhu Ying once said to Zhu Yuanzhang that if the current Ming Dynasty were to face the peak of the Qin Dynasty.

In the chaos of time and space, it's a fifty-fifty chance.

In fact, this is a bit too much. If a war really breaks out, the current Ming Dynasty will never be a match for the Qin army under the rule of Qin Shihuang.

The Ming Dynasty now has a standing army of 1.2 million. After the Qin Dynasty unified the country, the standing army was about 800,000 to 900,000.

However, most of the Ming Dynasty's standing army were soldiers stationed in farming areas.

The Qin Dynasty's standing army were all professional soldiers.

The difference between professional soldiers and garrison soldiers is not a little bit. With the same number of troops, the garrison soldiers will only be crushed.

This is also why Zhu Ying insisted on creating the concept of professional soldiers.

In Zhu Ying's vision, the soldiers stationed in the farming fields would only serve as a reserve force, and future wars would gradually be dominated by professional soldiers.

"Keystone."

"I am here."

"You should go back to Nanyang and investigate the track you saw before. Bring some back so that we can take a good look at it."

"I obey your order."

…

Zhu Zhan, the sixteenth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, was born in the first month of the eleventh year of Hongwu. Last year, he was named Prince of Qing and his fiefdom was Ningxia.

Even if he was crowned a king, he could not escape the fate of being trained, just like Zhu Quan.

According to historical records, Zhu Zan was the first Prince Qing of the Prince Qing Palace. He lived through six dynasties, namely Hongwu, Jianwen, Yongle, Hongxi, Xuande and Zhengtong, and lived in Ningxia for forty-five years.

Because he and Zhu Yunhuan were born in the same year, although one was born at the beginning of the year and the other at the end of the year, and they were uncle and nephew, this did not affect their relationship.

Zhu Zan's personality is similar to Zhu Yunhuan, and he is not very noticeable among the many princes, so the two of them can be said to have similar interests.

The two of them were in a nearby team, and while they were resting, they chatted with each other.

During the rest period, leaving the formation to chat is a privilege only enjoyed by the princes and grandchildren of the emperor. Obviously, many soldiers have no objection to such a privilege.

In a dynasty where imperial power was paramount, it was a great honor for the princes and grandchildren to train with them. This alone was worth bragging about for the soldiers for the rest of their lives.

"I once trained with a certain prince and a certain grandson of the emperor. He was standing next to me at that time."

"You mean the prince so-and-so, the duke, they were training with me in the palace at that time."

Many soldiers, even now, have already prepared their plans for bragging in the future.

Zhu Zan said to Zhu Yunhuan, "Nephew, I went to my elder brother's Renzhi Hall last night. The one in the hall was definitely my elder brother. So it seems that the one who is training our commander may have a close relationship with my elder brother."

"I have good eyesight. Our commander looks no more than 20 years old. Nephew, tell me, is this your father's illegitimate son?"

In the palace, there is nothing else to do except studying and practicing martial arts. Teenagers are the most curious.

When Zhu Yunxun heard this, his face, which was already red from the training, immediately turned red, and he immediately retorted, "Uncle Seventeen, you are talking nonsense, my elder brother..."

Speaking of his eldest brother, Zhu Yunhuan suddenly reacted and stopped talking.

The emperor has not yet revealed the identity of his eldest brother. Apart from himself and his sister, the only other people who know about it are his second brother Yunwen and his seventeenth uncle Zhu Quan.

My elder sister and second brother naturally have a closer relationship with my eldest brother, and my seventeenth uncle was also appointed by the Emperor.

Apart from that, few people know about it.

I can't reveal my eldest brother's identity, as it might be disadvantageous to him.

Although Zhu Yunhuan was young, as a child who grew up in the palace, he had some political wisdom and vaguely understood his elder brother's current status.

Zhu Zan had sharp ears. When he heard this, he immediately knew that the emperor's nephew Yunhuan must be aware of the commander's situation, and the words "my elder brother" were even more meaningful.

With a roll of his eyes, Zhu Zan pretended to be angry and said, "Nephew, this is your fault. We have such a close relationship. We are uncle and nephew, but in fact we were born in the same year. I have always regarded you as my best friend."

"You can't tell others about this, but you have to hide it from me."

"Besides, I am also a prince. Last year, my father named me the Prince of Qing. We are all family. Family members should keep things to themselves. What could possibly be something that I don't know?"

"Or do you no longer consider me a close friend?"

When he spoke the last part, Zhu Zan looked dejected, as if he had been betrayed.

When Zhu Yunhuan saw this, he looked a little reluctant.

His relationship with his seventeenth uncle Zhu Zan was indeed very good, and their status were similar. Zhu Zan was a vassal king, but he, Zhu Yunhuan, was also the legitimate grandson, and would certainly be a vassal king in the future.

When Zhu Zan was crowned King of Qing last year, the two boys said together that as vassal kings in the future, they should help each other.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yunhuan gritted his teeth, looked around, and whispered, "Uncle Seventeen, I have never told anyone about this, so don't tell anyone else."

"Don't worry, we have known each other for such a long time, you still don't know what kind of person I am." Zhu Zan said immediately.

Zhu Yunhuan nodded slightly, then leaned over and whispered, "The commander is not a bastard, he is my eldest brother, the real eldest grandson."