My father Zhu Gaoxu

Chapter 823 Railway under construction

"Boom~Boom~"

In the bottom of the ship, the steam engine roared. The Venetian envoys such as Barca and Ceco looked at the steel monsters that were constantly turning in front of them. They all showed dumbfounded expressions. They could not even dream of it before. Such a shocking scene before my eyes.

Ma Rong, who was standing next to him, saw that these people in Barcelona were all like country bumpkins, with their mouths wide open and unable to speak. He couldn't help but secretly laugh in his heart. It would be better to let these Venetian people see the world, so as not to realize the difference in strength between them and the big men. , then went to the capital to talk nonsense.

After a while, Basa and the others woke up from the shock. Looking at the complex steel monster in front of them, he suddenly felt a little frustrated, because even if such a complex machine was given to them, they probably wouldn't be able to imitate it.

The noise of the machine was so loud that it was impossible to hear what was said in the bottom cabin, so Ma Rong took Barsa and the others around in the bottom cabin before they came to the deck. Everyone felt their ears buzzing for a long time. I just felt a little better.

"Ma Qianhu, do you sell this steam engine?"

Before Barcelona could speak, the deputy envoy Checo asked Ma Rong first.

Checo learned Chinese from Barcelona and is not very proficient yet, and his pronunciation is not standard. He can only barely understand it.

"I heard that it can be sold, but it seems that it is only within the Han Dynasty. If you are interested in steam engines, you can ask His Highness the Crown Prince after entering the capital."

Ma Rong replied with a smile.

In fact, Ma Rong knew very well that the steam engine would definitely not be sold to outsiders, because the Han Dynasty had already stipulated that the steam engine was the most important weapon of the Han Dynasty. Every time a steam engine was produced, strict records would be kept. Even if the machine broke, it would have to be reported. It was left to the court to deal with. The steam engines purchased by private individuals only had the right to use them, and any transactions had to be reviewed by the court.

Therefore, it was basically impossible for these Venetians to buy a steam engine, but it was not convenient for Ma Rong to say this, so he directly asked Checo and the others to go to Zhu Zhanhe.

Barca, who was next to him, curled his lips secretly when he heard Ma Rong's answer. According to the intelligence he had collected before, it was basically impossible for people other than the Han Dynasty to buy a steam engine. Of course, as a mission, plus Helen's Regarding the relationship, Barcelona has not completely given up hope. When they see Zhu Zhanhe in the future, they can ask him, what if the other party agrees?

A few days later, the steamship they took arrived at Beizheng Port. Zhu Zhanhe also sent officials to greet them. After resting at Beizheng Port for a few days, the group set off for Xijing.

Along the way, Checo and others were also looking around. They had all heard Barcelona talk about the situation of the big man, but some places were beyond their imagination, such as the steam engine, so they were still skeptical before coming, but after seeing the magic of the steam engine with their own eyes, Finally, they had given up all doubts, and now they were admiring the scenery of the big man with curiosity.

"Mr. Basa, do those houses with black smoke in the distance also have steam engines inside?"

At this time, Checo suddenly pointed to a building on the right side of the road and asked. There was a large chimney standing in the building, and the black smoke coming out was very similar to the chimney on a steam ship.

"Yes, there should be a textile factory there. It is said that when the steam engine was first developed, it was mainly used in textile factories to replace manpower. Now many textile factories in Han Dynasty use steam engines, and the cotton cloth woven is of high quality, better than Handmade cloth is much stronger.”

Barcelona used to use cloth merchants as a cover, so he was also very familiar with the Han textile industry.

"Then this kind of cotton must be very expensive, right?"

Someone next to me immediately asked curiously.

As a Venetian, almost everyone is engaged in business, and the nobles are no exception. For example, in the mission of more than a dozen people, almost everyone has been a merchant, and the Grand Council of several hundred people in Venice is actually a merchant council. .

"You are wrong. The cloth woven by this kind of machine is very cheap, more than half cheaper than artificial cloth, and the quality is better than artificial cloth, so it has been sold to Egypt and Ottoman. There may also be people selling it in Venice. It’s just that the freight will be more expensive than our local cloth.”

Barca replied again.

When he returned to Venice, he also specifically checked the situation of Han products in Venice. Although the quantity of this kind of machine cloth was not large, it was very popular. However, this kind of cloth was smuggled from the Ottomans, so in Venice is very expensive.

"I remembered, I think you were talking about the kind of big cotton cloth. It feels like silk, is thinner and tougher than artificial cloth, and is more expensive!"

At this time, someone else slapped his hands and said, obviously the big man's cotton cloth had attracted the attention of some Venetian businessmen.

"That's right, I used to be a cloth merchant to hide my identity. I once personally came into contact with the Han's cotton cloth. I was very tempted at that time and wanted to buy some to take back. Unfortunately, there were Ottomans in the way. It was too difficult to transport it back to Venice. It’s difficult.”

Barcelona also showed gritted teeth when he mentioned the Ottomans, and Checo and others next to him also showed hatred.

The war between Venice and the Ottomans has been going on for many years. Although it can still have the upper hand for the time being, there will be many Venetian casualties in every war. For example, one of Ceco's brothers died in the war with the Ottomans, so it is mentioned The Ottomans were hated by almost all of Venice.

"Huh? What's being built over there?"

At this moment, someone suddenly pointed to the front of the road and asked curiously. Basa, Checo and others heard the sound and looked around, and saw a busy construction site on the left side of the road ahead. Groups of natives, under the command of Han officials, were building something with various tools in hand, but But I didn’t see any buildings.

It wasn't until the carriage approached that Basa and the others discovered that these people were actually building a road, but it was not an ordinary road. Instead, they were laying wood on the road, and then laying pieces of steel on the wood.

Moreover, this road has been paved for a long time, and the road behind it stretches far into the distance, and it seems to lead to Xijing.

Barcelona was confused when he saw this. The last time he came here, he didn't see such a strange road, so he asked Ma Rong to find him and ask him what kind of road it was.

"This one……"

Ma Rong was full of questions when he saw this strange road. After all, he had been stationed in Egypt. The last time he came to Xijing was a few years ago, so naturally he didn't know this strange road.

However, in addition to Ma Rong, there were also officials sent by Zhu Zhanhe to greet him. The leader of them was Lin Wenzhong, the head of the Ministry of Rites.

So Ma Rong asked someone to find Mr. Lin, and then he pointed to the strange road next to him and asked, "Mr. Lin, what kind of road is this? Why are wood and steel paved on the road? Isn't this too extravagant?"

Mr. Lin, who was in his thirties, chuckled when he heard Ma Rong's inquiry and said, "Ma Qianhu, you don't know something. This is called a railway. His Royal Highness the Prince personally ordered it to be built by the Ministry of Works. It is said to be specially used for running. A kind of vehicle called a steam locomotive can pull many people and goods at a time."

"Railway? Steam locomotive?"

Ma Rong was also surprised after hearing this, but since it was the prince who gave the order, it must be correct.

"It's about the steam engine again!"

When Basa and Checo heard Director Lin's answer, they couldn't help but look at each other. The two of them had already keenly felt that this kind of steam engine should be extremely important to the big man. It is not only used on ships, but also in textile factories, and now even in cars. Use this machine.

Of course they didn't know that after the steam locomotive was successfully trial-produced, Zhu Zhanhe immediately ordered someone to build a railway from Xijing to Beizhengang.

The relationship between Beizheng Port and Xijing is just like Tianjin and Beijing in the Ming Dynasty. Xijing is an inland city. If you want to go to the sea, you must pass through Beizheng Port. Therefore, this road is the busiest trade road in the Han Dynasty, with people and goods flowing continuously. , and it also takes several days to reach by car, but if there is a railway, you can go back and forth in one day.

"For such a long road, the cost of steel alone is an astronomical figure!"

Barcelona looked at the two smooth rails on the road and couldn't help but praise them.

You must know that in Europe, the price of steel is very expensive. Many ordinary people cannot even afford an iron pot and can only eat grilled food. In comparison, although the steel here in Dahan is cheaper, but like now, The cost of directly making rails and laying them on the road must be staggering.

"Envoy from Barcelona, ​​you are right. When the prince ordered the construction of the railway, many officials in the DPRK opposed it. The main reason was that the cost was too high. Later, the prince settled the accounts for everyone, and this convinced many officials to make this happen. Only then can the road construction begin.”

Director Lin said again with a smile.

"What's the settlement, His Royal Highness?"

Basa asked curiously.

"I don't know the specifics. After all, I am not qualified to go to court, but I heard that His Royal Highness the Prince calculated the revenue that can be brought to the court after the construction of this railway. It is said that it can be recovered in up to twenty years. The cost of the railway is what will convince other officials to agree."

Chief Lin replied that after all, he was a small chief and could only know a rough idea of ​​what was going on in the court.

"Twenty years later, His Highness the Crown Prince really has a long-term vision!"

When Basa heard this, he also showed an expression of admiration and said, most people only care about immediate interests, and Zhu Zhanhe, who directly considers what will happen decades later, is very rare even among rulers.

"Not only that, I also heard someone say that His Royal Highness the Prince once asserted that railways will definitely be popular in the world in the future. Not only will there be many railways in our country, but they will also be built in other countries, and then all countries will be connected. It will be more convenient to transport people and goods..."

Director Lin is also a talkative person, especially he admires Zhu Zhanhe very much, so he opened the conversation and talked a lot about Zhu Zhanhe. Both Barcelona and Ceco also wanted to know more about Zhu Zhanhe, so they both He listened very carefully and asked a few questions from time to time.

(End of this chapter)