In the late Ming Dynasty, rising from the grassland

Chapter 321 The little princess has grown up
"Rui Lang, is this a rail carriage?"

After entering the station, everyone was still looking left and right, curiously looking at the huge pavilion-like station, but Zhang Xiuying saw the five or six foot long carriage in front of her at a glance, and immediately understood that it was a rail carriage.

The girls also looked over quickly, all equally surprised. Even Zhang Yan and the little princess showed strong curiosity, but they didn't reveal it too much to maintain their appearance.

Hubbell didn't care so much, and exclaimed with wide eyes: "Husband, this carriage is too long, I'm afraid it won't be pulled by more than ten horses, right?"

"Haha, I have to ask Wang Wu about this."

Lin Rui also smiled.

The track carriage had actually been built a long time ago. The wooden track laid at that time was too short and was only used for experiments, so the actual effect could not be seen at all.

As for how many horses are needed to actually run, and how fast it can run, Lin Rui is also looking forward to it.

After all, the width and height of this carriage are not much different from a train carriage in the previous life, but the length is only about half.

The entire carriage is almost entirely made of wood except for the axle and wheels, which are cast directly from copper and wrought iron.

For Huaguo, which can now mass-produce bearings, screws, and springs, it is too simple to build such a carriage.

The width of the track is similar to that of the previous generation, but due to the limited production of screws, the connections between the sleepers and the rail wood are directly reinforced with rivets.

"Your Majesty, ladies and gentlemen, this carriage looks really tall and long, but in fact it only needs four horses to pull it, and its speed is twice as fast as an ordinary carriage." Wang Wu saw the opportunity and introduced it quickly.

The girls were really shocked when they heard that such a large carriage could be pulled by only four horses and was twice as fast as an ordinary carriage. They all looked in disbelief.

"Hey, it's a pity that the track is made of wood. If we use real rails, or lay a layer of iron sheet or iron bars on it, it will be faster and less laborious."

Lin Rui looked at the wooden track and sighed with regret.

Although the wheels are made of wrought iron, the friction between the wheels and the wooden rails, even with bearings, is much greater than the friction between metal and metal.

However, with the current steel output, the cost of directly casting rails is too high, and inlaying iron sheets and iron bars is too troublesome, so it is better to use wood directly, and at worst, replacement will be faster.

Everyone circled around the carriage and eagerly followed Lin Rui into the carriage. The interior of the carriage was very simple, so some temporary seats were made.

Among the craftsmen, only Wang Wu and others got on the carriage, and only three palace maids came up carrying some fruits.

"Everyone, find a seat and sit down!"

"娖儿, come, sit next to me with your aunt!"

Lin Rui asked the girls to sit down. Seeing that Zhang Yan and the little princess couldn't let go, he waved to them.

Both women's faces were slightly red, but they still came to Lin Rui's side, slowly sat down hand in hand, and Zhang Yan also took off her veil.

Although the little princess still didn't know that Zhang Yan was living in Cining Palace again, the two explained to her that they wanted to visit her, so Zhang Yan often came to the palace to accompany her.

But the little princess is not stupid, and has grown up. With her aunt's stunning appearance, especially in the past two months, she has been in the palace almost every day to accompany her. She has already guessed something, but she has never said it out loud. That’s all.

Zhang Yan actually understood that paper could not contain the fire, and also knew that the little princess had guessed it, so she broke the pot and simply went to accompany her every day.

"Wang Wu, you can give the order to start."

Lin Rui saw that everyone was seated, and even the three serving maids had sat down at the back, and then he said to Wang Wuda who was standing beside him.

"It's Your Majesty."

Wang Wu then came to the front, opened a door, came to the driver's seat at the front of the car, ordered the driver to start, and then sat down directly on the side.

The driving position at the front of the car is higher, and there is only a circle of railings around it. The field of view is very wide. Four harnessed horses are located on both sides of the track, one on the left and one on the right, so the foundation is very wide, which is ten meters.

"Drive!" As the driver pulled the brakes, the four horses began to move forward slowly, and the carriage also slowly moved forward, making a crunching sound.

The horses were obviously struggling at the start, but once the carriage really started to move, they seemed to be able to move with ease, and soon the four horses were trotting.

At this time, the movement of the carriage was obviously much smaller than at the beginning.

Hubbell and Lu Waner, who were leaning by the window, couldn't wait to lift the curtains and look outside.

Although the speed of the car at this time was not very fast, only about 15 kilometers per hour, the girls were still surprised.

Especially Zhang Yan and the little princess, what surprised them was not the speed, but how fast they were. Sitting in the carriage, they didn't feel any bumps at all.

Lin Rui and the other girls are now wealthy, so even if the carriage can reach a speed of thirty or forty kilometers per hour, in the end it only stabilizes at about twenty kilometers per hour and does not accelerate.

The Yulin Army followed on horseback to guard the rear. As for both sides of the track, martial law had long been enforced. There was a soldier with a gun standing almost every other distance.

"Rui Lang, I didn't expect that this carriage not only runs faster than ordinary carriages, but also runs so smoothly that it can almost catch up with the boat."

"Yes."

The girls couldn't help but let out a burst of exclamation.

"Haha, the biggest advantage of this rail carriage is that it runs fast, has a lot of cargo, and is very stable. It is not bumpy like other carriages, otherwise I wouldn't take you on the trip together."

Lin Rui chuckled and explained that the carriage was equipped with springs, and the wooden rails themselves were more shock-absorbing than railway rails, so the experience was almost the same as the trains in previous lives.

Of course, if the wooden rails are worn for a long time, they will definitely not be so stable.

"Husband, if a track is built to Horqin in the future, wouldn't it only take three days to get there from Beijing to our Horqin grassland?"

Hai Lanzhu said with burning eyes.

Although we can get there in three days at a fast pace, it is not as comfortable as riding in a car, especially riding this rail carriage, which is simply a kind of enjoyment.

Hubbell's eyes lit up when he heard this. Looking at the scenery outside, it was obvious that he had begun to imagine riding a carriage to the grassland in the future.

Zhang Xiuying, Xiaocui, Lu Waner, and Lin Xiuyun have all seen the scenery of the grassland, and they can't help but show a hint of expectation on their faces.

"My beloved, you underestimate this rail carriage too much. If it takes three days to get to Horqin, how can I spend so much effort and cost on this carriage?"

"If we really build a track to Horqin Grassland, it will only take one day at most. Even if we go to Mobei for one day and one night, it will be enough."

Lin Rui waved his hand.

"Ms. sir, this is too exaggerated."

Hubbell, who grew up on horses and was more sensitive to speed, immediately opened his mouth.

Although the girls didn't say anything, they all had doubts in their eyes. After all, it only takes one day and night to travel from Beijing to Mobei. It's too exaggerated. I'm afraid it can't even be done by expediting eight hundred miles.

"It's not an exaggeration at all. The horse pulling the cart has not really started running yet, otherwise the speed would be twice as fast, and the horse would be changed every 50 miles. It can be estimated that it can run 200 miles in an hour, which is 2400 miles in a day and night. Mobei is not far behind." Lin Rui patiently calculated for them.

"Hiss, if this track is built all over Dahua, doesn't it mean that from Beijing to anywhere in Dahua, it will only take one or two days to reach it?"

This time, even Zhang Yan, who was sitting next to Lin Rui, took a breath and said with a look of shock.

"Haha, you dare to think that it is not easy to build tracks all over Dahua?" Lin Rui rolled his eyes when he saw that what she said was better than what she sang.

He also sighed in his heart. He wanted to build the track all over China, but he didn't know if he could complete it in this life.

(End of this chapter)