Daming: I can’t kill such a greedy prince-in-law?

As night fell, the construction site became even more lively than usual. The aroma of stewed meat wafted from the kitchen, and the workers gathered around the fire with rare smiles on their faces. Some even sang a little tune:

"The first month of the year is the New Year, and the railway tracks are laid to the other side of the mountain~"

The fire crackled, illuminating the workers' dark faces. Fatty meat was stewed in the big iron pot in the kitchen, and the aroma drifted far away. Several young men gathered around the pot and drooled. The old stonemason Zhao Dachui held up the wine gourd, tilted his head back and took a sip, wiped his mouth and smiled:
"Damn it, if this railway is built, we will give the Ming Dynasty an iron wing! When the time comes, once the train whistles, it will be worth a ton of gold, and all of us will be heroes!"

Liu Ergou, a laborer nearby, was squatting on the ground writing a letter to his family. Hearing this, he looked up and grinned, "Dad, Mom, I won't go back for the New Year this year! The court has given us double salaries, and we can eat meat every meal! When the railway is open, I will take the train back to see you. It's much faster than taking an oxcart!"

His words caused a burst of laughter, and his fellow workers came over and asked him to help write for them:

"Write a letter to my wife too, telling her that I'm doing something important and asking her not to worry about it!"

"Write to my mother, telling her that her son has made great progress and is working for the government to build railways!"

"Write to my daughter and tell her that the railway built by Daddy will allow me to take her to see the capital in the future!"

The clerk was surrounded by people and sweated profusely. His brush was almost worn out from writing, but he couldn't stop smiling. He looked up into the distance. The railroad tracks shone coldly in the moonlight, like a giant dragon, extending to the other side of the mountain.

At this time, the supervisor's gong sounded, and the foreman shouted at the top of his voice: "Brothers! Work harder tonight and lay another fifty meters forward! Before dawn, we must finish nailing this section of rails! We can't let other sections get ahead."

"Okay!" The workers responded in unison, picked up hammers and crowbars, and started working enthusiastically.

No one complained.

The tinkling sounds of hammering, horns and laughter mixed together, making the valley buzz.

In the distance, several officials stood on a high slope and watched this scene. One of them sighed in a low voice: "The people's hearts can be used..."

Another person laughed and said, "Lord Ouyang's move is brilliant. The wages are adequate, the meat is plentiful, and a high bonus is given for each section completed. If a good job is done, it will be directly rewarded with merit and a title. Who would be willing to be lazy? These men are now risking their lives to complete the railway!"

The night wind howled, but it couldn't blow away the heat rising from the construction site.

The rails extended forward inch by inch, and the shouts of the workers as they worked were louder than the fire.

It soon became late at night.

Dozens of bonfires flickered in the cold wind, illuminating the rails with a faint orange glow.

The aroma of stewed meat wafted over from the kitchen, and several young and strong workers were carrying steaming wooden barrels to distribute them everywhere.

"Time for a midnight snack!"

"Come and eat while it's hot! Today we have the best pork belly!" The cook, Old Chen, shouted at the top of his voice, and the iron spoon in his hand made a loud bang on the wooden barrel.

The workers lined up, and the crisp sound of coarse porcelain bowls colliding against each other could be heard one after another.

The old carpenter Zhang Dequan squatted on the sleeper, holding the bowl and suddenly laughed out loud: "Hey! Look at this piece of meat, it's much thicker than the one my wife cuts!" The people around him burst into laughter. Li Shunzi, a young worker who just turned 18, chewed the meat and said vaguely: "Uncle Zhang, when the railway is repaired, I will be the first to invite you to take the train back to your hometown!"

In the tent not far away, the oil lamp in the secretarial office was as bright as day.

Taking advantage of the break from midnight snack, a dozen workers surrounded the literate man again, talking in a flurry about sending messages home.

"Write to my parents and tell them that their son is doing something important and will not be back for the New Year!"

"Tell my wife that the court has given her double wages, so she can buy a piece of flowered cloth to make a new dress!"

"Tell my son to study hard and build railways in the future!"

The young clerk in charge of recording felt sore in his wrist, but his eyes curved into crescents as he smiled. He looked out of the tent and saw workers coming and going in the firelight. The sound of hammers hitting railroad spikes was even more frequent than during the day.

At the other end of the construction site, Mr. Zheng, the supervisor sent by the Ministry of Works, was studying the blueprints with several craftsmen. Suddenly, a boiler operator with a face full of coal dust came running over and excitedly gestured: "Sir! Our newly modified boiler has been tested and it draws 30% more coal than before!" Upon hearing this, Mr. Zheng slapped his thigh and said, "Okay! I'll give the boiler operator extra food tomorrow!"

Farther away, several young and strong workers spontaneously organized a competition. They shouted slogans, competing to see who could lay the sleepers faster. The crowd of onlookers cheered from time to time, and some even banged on iron buckets to cheer. The night wind blew away the sweat on their foreheads, but it could not blow away the smiles on their faces.

Amid the jubilation, no one noticed that the moon had quietly set in the west. It was not until the foreman rang the gong to signal the end of work that everyone realized that the sky in the east had already turned pale. But strangely, no one seemed tired. They walked back in groups of three or four, still discussing the progress of tomorrow's project. I don't know who started humming a little tune first, and soon, the whole construction site was echoing with rough but cheerful songs.

The sunlight shines through the carved window lattices, casting mottled shadows in the meeting hall of the clan government office.

Ouyang Lun was half lying on the armchair, playing with a copper coin in his hand. The coin was flying between his slender fingers, appearing and disappearing from time to time.

Zhao Mingde, the editor-in-chief of the Ming People's Daily, wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced at the Ming emperor's son-in-law, the chief minister of the cabinet, and the general of the military cabinet, who was known for his laziness.

Ouyang Lun was only wearing a moon-white Taoist robe today, with a loose sash tied around his waist and a pair of cloth shoes on his feet, looking like an idle scholar.

"Everyone, please sit down." Ouyang Lun yawned and threw a copper coin on the table. "I called you here to promote the railway." Qian Li, the chief editor of the Jinling New News, straightened his back immediately after hearing this, but saw that Ouyang Lun was already leaning on the chair, squinting his eyes at the swaying shadows of the trees outside the window.

"The railway project is progressing smoothly, but the people are puzzled." Ouyang Lun said slowly, "Your newspapers should open columns to report on this from next month."

Liu, the editor-in-chief of the Northern Express, asked cautiously: "How does the Lord want us to report? Should we focus on the progress of the project or "

"Stories." Ouyang Lun began slowly. "I want you to write stories. Write about how the workers on the construction site work hard, how their wives and children look forward to the opening of the railway, and how the villages along the way look forward to the train passing by." He tapped the table with his fingers. "Especially those touching ones, such as an old mother giving shoes to her son who is building the railway, or a child seeing the railway tracks for the first time."

Zhao Mingde suddenly realized: "Your Excellency means that you want the people to feel the same way?"

Ouyang Lun lazily turned over again, and the beautiful maid beside him immediately brought tea to Ouyang Lun's mouth. After drinking the tea, Ouyang Lun continued: "Smart. The railway is not a cold lump of iron, but the blood of thousands of households." He suddenly laughed, "You can do a series of 'Railway Heroes', reporting on an ordinary worker in each issue, and write more sensational. By the way, the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Households can pay some fees for writing."

Several journalists' eyes lit up immediately. Qian Li rubbed his hands and asked, "What about the technical details of the project itself?"

"That's easy." Ouyang Lun casually pulled out a stack of manuscripts from under the table, "The Ministry of Industry has already prepared the explanatory materials, you can ask the clerk to copy a copy." He suddenly lowered his voice, "But remember, the report should focus on the four words 'Great Ming Dynasty', and link the railway with the country's destiny."

Everyone nodded. Ouyang Lun returned to his lazy look, tapping the handrail with his fingers: "There is one more thing. All newspapers should have a unified voice. The railway is a wise decision made by the emperor, the Ministry of Industry is united, and the people are enthusiastically supporting it. As for those stubborn residents and troublemakers," he paused meaningfully, "there is no need to mention them."

"We understand!" several reporters said in unison.

Ouyang Lun nodded with satisfaction, and suddenly took out a few exquisite snuff bottles from his sleeves, and gave one to each person: "This is something from the West, you can take it and play with it." He yawned, "For the specific matters, please discuss it with Chief Zhou, I need to take a short rest."

Everyone left tactfully. When they reached the courtyard, Zhao Mingde couldn't help but look back. Through the half-open window, he saw Ouyang Lun curled up in the armchair, with an account book covering his face, and he seemed to have really fallen asleep.

Qian Li whispered: "This gentleman is really... different."

Editor-in-Chief Liu seemed to be thinking: "He seems careless, but he is actually very attentive. Didn't you notice? In just half an hour, he has clearly arranged the direction of public opinion, the focus of the report, and even our writing fee."

As they were talking, a clerk hurried over and said, "Please wait! My Lord just forgot to say that the sample newspapers must be sent to the Ministry of Works for review before the fifth day of each month." The clerk lowered his voice and said, "Although my Lord didn't say it, if the report is good, the Ministry of Works will get a share of the newspaper subscription at the end of the year."

The reporters smiled at each other, knowing what was going on.

On the third day after the Jinling New News published the first article in the “Railway Heroes” series, the “Juxianlou” teahouse in the west of Nanjing was bustling with people. Storyteller Lao Zheng slammed the newspaper on the table, spitting:

"Dear readers, today we are not talking about the Three Kingdoms, but about the road builder Zhao Dachui!" He shook the newspaper, "Master Zhao went to his home three times without entering in order to repair the Chuzhou section! His mother was sick, so she asked someone to bring her a pair of new cloth shoes. Master Zhao cried all night in the shed holding the shoes, and the next day he was swinging the hammer as usual!"

The tea drinkers listened attentively. The shopkeeper Wang of Silk Shop wiped his eyes and said, "It's really hard to be both loyal and filial."

"Bah!" The old bricklayer squatting in the corner suddenly spat, "Two years ago, the government recruited workers to repair the river, and they didn't care about your family's life or death. Now, the newspapers are talking about it in a exaggerated way." He counted his black and yellow fingers, "Do you know how much the wages are? Will there be meat every meal?"

The waiter came over to add tea and interrupted, "Master Liu, you don't know this! My cousin is a cook in Xuzhou. He said that the court is very generous this time!" He lowered his voice and said, "Ordinary laborers are paid 80 cents a day, and skilled workers get double the salary. There are also double salaries during festivals! Wasn't it written in the newspaper yesterday?"

Several young merchants at the next table immediately became excited. One of them, wearing a melon-shaped hat, said excitedly: "If you ask me, once the railway is opened, we can save at least half the money when selling tea to the north!" He patted his companion on the shoulder, "If your silk can catch the first train to Beijing, you will definitely make a fortune!"

In the corner of the teahouse, an old scholar in a long gown shook his head and said, "Strange and lewd tricks are against the way of the saints. The Book of Changes says..."

"Come on, Mr. Kong!" Aunt Wang, a widow selling tofu, passed by with a basket. "You should put away that old almanac! Yesterday's newspaper said that the land price in Baoding Prefecture has increased by 30% because of the railway passing through it!" Her eyes sparkled. "If you ask me, this piece of iron is worth a lot of money!"

In front of a fried dough stick stall in the south of the city, the stall owner, Lao Zhou, was wrapping fried dough sticks with newspapers containing railway news. A little boy with a pigtail tied on his head stood on tiptoe to read the illustrations in the newspaper: "Dad, is this the train? It's bigger than our house?"

"Of course not!" Old Zhou pointed at the newspaper with his greasy fingers. "The newspaper said that this iron thing can run 800 miles a day, and its belly can hold the entire Caishikou's goods!" He suddenly lowered his voice, "I heard that the emperor was very pleased and wanted to give a plaque to the craftsmen who built the railway!"

Deep in the alley, several children were making a "train" out of bamboo pieces and hemp ropes, imitating the sound of a whistle. A teacher from a passing new-style school stopped and smiled, took out colored chalk from his bag, and drew a schematic diagram of the railway tracks on the bluestone road.

The most dramatic change occurred in Tianjiazhuang, a suburb of the city. Three months ago, when the survey team drove the first stake into the ground, the village chief Tian Laojue and all the men in the clan raised their hoes to stop them: "Who dares to touch our ancestral land?"

It is the wheat harvest season, but there are several newspapers in front of the Tian Family Ancestral Hall. Tian Yongde, the only literate person in the village, is wearing reading glasses and reading the latest report from the Ming People's Daily to the villagers:
".On the day when the Xuzhou-Fengyang section was completed, the people along the line spontaneously brought food and drink. A 70-year-old woman named Wang said with tears in her eyes: 'I have lived my whole life and finally saw a peaceful road.'"

"Bullshit!" Tian Laojue's stubborn wife suddenly clapped her legs and laughed, "That old woman Wang clearly said 'the iron worms are making my old hens stop laying eggs', how come it has changed its meaning in the newspaper?"

Amid the laughter, Tian Yongde said seriously: "The court wants us to be sensible! Look -" He pointed to another page of the newspaper, "The court promised to double the land price for villages where the railway passes, and those who are willing to help on the construction site will be paid on a daily basis." He looked around at everyone, "If the railway passes through the 30 mu of thin land in the east of our village..."

Tian Laojue was squatting on the doorstep smoking. Hearing this, he stood up suddenly and asked, "What does Second Uncle mean?"

"What I mean is," the old scholar shook the newspaper, "Tomorrow we will all go to the head of the village and put our fingerprints on it. Our Tianjia Village is going to be a 'model railway village'!"

The most obvious change is at the docks along the Qinhuai River. In the past, porters hated to hear the word "railway", but now they gather in groups of three or five to listen to the newspapers when they have a break.

"Wow!" An old porter with wrinkled face widened his eyes after listening to the report in the Commercial Daily. "This train can carry 5,000 dan of grain per trip? Then those of us who carry heavy bags will be left with nothing?"

The younger porter Xiao Shunzi was quick-witted: "Uncle Li, didn't the newspaper say they were hiring loaders at the station?" He blinked, "I've asked around, the railway station uses iron rack trucks to move goods, it's much easier than carrying them on our shoulders, and the wages are 20% more!" (End of this chapter)