My father Zhu Gaoxu

Chapter 764: Looking for Big Brother when in doubt

It was late at night. In the palace of the Lord of Qidong Port City, Zhu Zhanqi, Zhang Chang, and Chen Ning sat across from each other around the table. All three of them were deep in thought, and no one spoke.

After a while, Zhang Chang finally lost his temper and couldn't help but ask: "You guys should tell me, what should we do with those Japanese people? Should we hand them over to King Zhao or should we keep them ourselves?"

"If you want to go to America, you have to pass through Japan, so there is no use in leaving those Japanese behind."

Chen Ning shook his head and said.

He prefers to hand over the Japanese. Firstly, there is no use in keeping the Japanese. Secondly, the land of Losos Island alone is enough for them to struggle for a lifetime, and they have no energy to plot the Americas.

"But with such huge interests in the Americas, wouldn't it be a pity if we just gave up?"

Zhu Zhanqi had a different view than Chen Ning. He was influenced by Zhu Zhanhe and had a deeper understanding of America. Moreover, when they came to Shima Yoshikawa, they fell into his own hands. This made Zhu Zhanqi also think that this was a gift from God. If you give up your own opportunity, it will be a waste of money.

"It's indeed a pity. How about we take these Japanese as hostages and blackmail King Zhao severely?"

Zhang Chang suddenly thought of a compromise.

"Forget it. My third uncle is so petty. If you dare to blackmail him, he will definitely try his best to retaliate against us. With the strength we have, we'd better not provoke such a powerful enemy for a little profit!"

Zhu Zhanqi immediately shook his head after hearing this.

"I think what Zhan Qi said is reasonable. After all, King Zhao is also Zhan Qi's third uncle. If people know that we blackmailed him, how will Zhan Qi behave in the future?"

Chen Ning also objected at this time.

"Then what should I do? If I keep them but I don't have them, if I let them go I can't bear to let them go. We can't keep those Japanese locked up like this, right?"

Zhang Chang spread his hands and asked again.

"I have an idea!"

Zhu Zhanqi hesitated for a moment and finally spoke.

"what idea?"

Zhang Chang immediately asked, and Chen Ning also looked at Zhu Zhanqi.

"Look for my big brother, he will definitely have a solution!"

Zhu Zhanqi answered very calmly that when he encountered a problem that he could not solve, the first thing he thought of was Zhu Zhanhe. In fact, he was able to gain a foothold in Luososizhou thanks to Zhu Zhanhe's help. .

"It makes sense. Our power is not as powerful as King Zhao, and we are afraid that the other party will take advantage of others. But if we bring in the big man, we don't have to worry about this problem. With Zhan Qi's status, we will definitely not suffer!"

Zhang Chang and Chen Ning both nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

"Okay, then it's settled. I'll take the steamship tomorrow and bring all the American stuff with me, and I'll let my eldest brother take care of it then!" Zhu Zhanqi saw that neither of his friends objected, so he immediately said solemnly He nodded.

Early the next morning, Zhu Zhanqi left Qidong Port again. In the past, he would definitely not have gone to Dahan in person, but now that there is a steamship, with its speed, the journey can be shortened several times.

In addition, Zhu Zhanqi had not seen Zhu Zhanhe for a long time, and matters in the Americas were also of great concern. He had to talk to Zhu Zhanhe in person, so he decided to take a steamboat trip.

Since the Ming Dynasty opened the sea, Nanyang has become the first destination for Ming merchants. Now every island and dock in Nanyang is full of traces of Ming merchants. Some merchants have directly settled in Nanyang and even directly controlled some islands and ports.

In the past few years, the influence of the Han Dynasty also penetrated into Nanyang. In the territory of Nanyang, although the Ming Dynasty and the Han Dynasty had disputes, they mostly cooperated. Therefore, with the support of the two powerful countries, the earth countries in Nanyang have changed one after another. Now Although there are many forces in Nanyang, behind these forces are either the Ming Dynasty or the Han Dynasty.

A steamship needs to be replenished with fuel and fresh water from time to time, which also makes it highly dependent on ports. In places like Nanyang, there is no shortage of ports, otherwise Zhu Zhanhe would not have been able to deliver the steamship directly to Zhu Zhanqi before. .

It's very convenient to go back now. As long as you don't deviate from the route, just follow the original route and drive from port to port.

It is farther from Qidong Port to Dahan than from Tianjin Port to Dahan. In the past, if you took a sailboat, it would probably take at least several months to reach it.

However, the emergence of steamships shortened this time to twenty days. This is because the conversion rate of steam engine energy by paddle steamers is not high. If propellers are used in the future, this time will be further shortened.

When Zhu Zhanqi arrived at Beizheng Port on a steamship, he couldn't even believe it. It only took him twenty days to get from Qidong Port to Beizheng Port. In the past, he would have been so fast at this speed. Wouldn't even dream of it.

Zhu Zhanqi did not delay at Beizheng Port. After unloading the things on the ship and loading them into the truck, he immediately escorted them personally and rushed to Xijing as quickly as possible.

At the same time, Zhu Zhanhe had been spending time in the Ministry of Industry, studying the design of steam locomotives with Tao Qiong.

"Your Highness really has a solution. The steam engine is so heavy. If it is mounted on a car, the ordinary road surface cannot bear its weight. Only by placing it on the rails can it not crush the road surface!"

Tao Qiong looked at Zhu Zhanhe's sketch of a steam locomotive and couldn't help but sigh sincerely.

"The rails below are not only used to support steam locomotives, they are also very smooth. When steam locomotives run on the rails, they will not only be more stable, but also faster, so this rail is extremely important!"

Zhu Zhanhe pointed to the rails under the steam locomotive and explained again.

When he first made a steam engine, the first thing Zhu Zhanhe made was a toy steam locomotive. Later, the steam engine was developed first, and the steam locomotive also did not give up.

However, compared to steamships, steam locomotives are more complex and have more restrictions on land. Therefore, Tao Qiong and the others have been studying for so many days, but they have not made much progress. In desperation, Zhu Zhanhe had to go into battle himself. Help them solve some difficulties.

In fact, these difficulties are nothing at all in the eyes of later generations. For example, the role of railway tracks can be understood by discerning people at a glance. However, if no one reminds them, it is difficult for the ancients to imagine that they would put a car on two railway tracks.

"Your Highness, is this railway track good? Wouldn't it be too extravagant to use such a long piece of iron to pave the road?"

Tao Qiong suddenly hesitated and asked.

As an official of the Ministry of Industry, he also presided over the development of steam engines. No one knows the price of steel better than him. For example, the reason why steam engines are so expensive is the raw material price of steel. If people know that they lay steel on the road, , he will definitely be called a prodigal by countless people.

(End of this chapter)