Ming Zuo

Chapter 1731 The scenery is unique here
Before the railway was built, military express delivery from Qingdao to Jinan took two and a half days at the fastest.For ordinary transportation and travel, it takes six to seven days.

After the railway is built, whether it is people or goods, it only takes one day and one night.

This improvement is too obvious, and no one can't feel the significance of it.

Therefore, even if the railway is still a new thing and has not yet entered the mature stage, the Jinan-Qingdao Railway is still very busy.

For Vander Vaart and others and Amakusa Tokisada and others who saw this thing for the first time, they have been in shock.

Due to their identities, they naturally took the top-level box, and they didn't need to be crowded with ordinary passengers, and they didn't suffer from the fatigue of the journey.

You can rush on the road quickly without affecting your sleep, and you can also enjoy delicious food leisurely, with everything you need to eat and drink.

"Why isn't there something like this in Europe? God, I love trains so much."

As long as Maria thought of her past trips, she would always feel emotional.

Officials in the Toyo Province agreed with Amakusa Tokisada.

"Duke, you must ask His Majesty to build a railway in Dongyang Province. As long as there is a railway, Dongyang Province will definitely prosper."

"Don't worry, it's my responsibility."

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait. Now that railways are everywhere, the country must concentrate its resources where it's needed."

However, Zuo Menggeng did not agree easily.

The importance of the railway has been realized by everyone, and all the places have written letters asking for construction to start.

But the railway is a project of a big country, and it consumes huge national power and resources.

Although the empire has accumulated huge wealth, it must be cautious when it is spread over such a large territory, especially when many places are still fighting.

Zuo Menggeng had already discussed with the center, the best way is for the state to play a leading role and drive private capital to join in.

It's just that private capital is not a vegetarian, and has been playing games with the country for the control of the railway.

It will take a long time to reach a rule that everyone is satisfied with.

Anyway, Zuo Menggeng drew the bottom line.

In any case, the railway must be in the hands of the state.

Private capital can be allowed to buy shares and invest, and it can be allowed to operate around the railway, but it is absolutely not allowed to hand over the railway to private capital.

As long as the huge value of the railway is there, Zuo Menggeng does not believe that private capital can bear it.

Behind the railway, the more important thing is the steam engine.

Without steam engines, there would be no railways.

Similarly, without the steam engine, there would be no new era of great navigation.

Changchun.

Many people on the pier were looking forward to it, and Xia Yunyi paced back and forth anxiously.

He knows the meaning of today better than anyone.

"How is it? Are you here?"

No one answered.

Just waiting like this, after waiting for more than three hours, the lighthouse on the lighthouse in the middle of the distant channel suddenly lit up.

This was like a signal, and the pier suddenly burst into joy.

Not long after, on the sea behind the lighthouse, a streak of black smoke shot straight into the sky, getting closer and closer.

Immediately, a blurry shadow appeared on the sea level, which could only be seen after Xu Xu approached. It was a boat.

But this ship is completely different from what people think.

No sails.

But the speed of the ship was much faster than that of the sailboat, and it took almost half an hour to enter the port.

By this time, people have been able to see the situation with the naked eye.

The shape of this ship is a bit different from ordinary sailboats. The bow is more slender, like a blade, not as round as a wooden sailboat.

Moreover, the shell is still made of iron, which looks much more stable than a wooden sailboat.

Although the person at the bow is covered with wind and frost, his bright smile has heralded everything.

"Success! We have succeeded!"

Tears welled up in Qin Luo's eyes, and his body was a little weak.

Starting from Temple Street, after seven days and seven nights of sailing, the first steamship in history finally completed its voyage and arrived at its destination.

Those who are not engaged in the study of steamships will not understand how difficult this journey is.

A full seven years!

Qin Luo's team tried thousands of times in Heilongjiang in summer and Pearl River in winter, overcame one difficulty after another, and finally built the world's first steamboat that can sail on the sea.

Although this ship is still extremely crude, and there are still many places that can be improved, but it has demonstrated absolute superiority as soon as it was launched.

The first is speed.

Their team set off from Temple Street. If it was a wooden sailboat, it would take at least half a month to reach Changchun.

But it only took them seven days and seven nights to directly double the efficiency.

The second is capacity.

The largest wooden sailboat built by the empire can only carry more than 600 tons.

The steamship under their feet has a load of more than 800 tons, and there is obvious surplus.

Again it's about safety.

Autumn in the North Pacific is full of dangers, with high winds and rough waves.

A first-class battleship is like a cradle walking in this sea area, and it may capsize at any time.

But the stability of this armored steamship has been significantly improved.

After testing, it can easily resist wind and waves below level seven.

As for what the limit is, more experiments are needed.

Based on these three advantages alone, everyone understands that the replacement of wooden sailboats by steamships must be the general trend.

"Immediately report to the center and prepare the celebration banquet."

Standing on the deck, Xia Yunyi felt the vibration of the steam engine running, and her heart was really surging.

In the past, when civil servants discussed internally, they were all worried about the growing territory of the empire.

With such a vast territory, it takes a year to travel from south to north, and from east to west. How should we manage it?
If one is not careful, it will end in disintegration.

But now, there are trains on land and steam ships on sea, which greatly enhances the control of the center.

In many places, it can be done in the morning and in the evening, and some troubles can be eliminated in the bud.

He seemed to have seen the overwhelming sight of the empire's steam ships and warships above the sea.

Although steam trains and steam ships have appeared, there is obviously still a long way to go before they are fully rolled out.

But the exploration of the imperial people does not wait for the emergence of new things.

Lagos.

The big city on the coast of Nigeria has now become the territory of the empire.

It was not seized by the empire, but gifted by the locals.

Because after the empire came, it effectively prevented the British aggression, so it gained the friendship of the local aborigines.

Today's Lagos has become a well-known prosperous place, and everyone is willing to bring goods here to trade.

The ocean-going fleet is resting here, and the officers and soldiers have nothing to do and go ashore one after another to play.

Shang Kexin walked, the hot weather was really unbearable.

He happened to see a water seller on the side of the road, so he walked over.

When the local traders saw the military uniform on his body, they immediately burst into smiles.

Everyone knows that these imperial soldiers are the richest.

The vendor quickly opened the box and took out a very strange drink.

The drink looked dark and scary, Shang Kexi didn't dare to drink it.

The merchant quickly explained.

"This thing is brewed with kola nuts. Drinking it not only relieves the heat, but also makes people very happy."

Holding the drink in your hand, the cold feeling is really good.

Guessing that the merchant would not dare to murder him, Shang Kexi took a sip of his drink cautiously.

Before he drank it, he had absolutely no idea what this meant.

(End of this chapter)