Yongle Emperor's grandson: Zhu Yuanzhang with cheats, Zhu Di went crazy

Chapter 202 Fear Comes from the Unknown

Walking out of a series of factories using steam engines, the people present were still in shock.

Steam spinning, steam smithing, steam weapons workshop, steam cutting workshop, and a series of other workshops using steam machinery dazzled them.

It also left everyone confused.

They dare not imagine what the future will be like?
According to Zhu Zhanjun's explanation, the steam engine completely got rid of human and animal power, and production efficiency increased by dozens or even hundreds of times.

The work that ten men could do in ten days can now be done by one man using a steam engine.

What kind of efficiency is this?
What kind of speed is this?

They didn't know what the future of the Ming Dynasty would be like, and the arrival of the steam engine actually gave them a hint of fear.

Zhu Zhanjun, who was walking in front, looked back at everyone who was in shock, and a smile appeared on his lips.

Where is this?
It would take these people at least half a month to recover from the wait to see experimental locomotives, trains and ships, and light bulbs that can illuminate without burning any substances.

He led everyone to the testing site next door.

Before the door opened, Zhu Zhanjun said to the people behind him: "Steam power is not only used in various factories, we have also made improvements in transportation. What you are going to see next is a change in the way the Ming Dynasty travels in the future."

After saying that, he asked the guard to open the door, and everyone saw a strange thing.

One was very similar to the steam engine they had seen, and there was a large circle made of ladders on the ground, which was estimated to be about one mile long.

"What is this? Is it the machine that changes the way of movement that you mentioned?"

The old man walked up quickly and looked at the steam engine placed outside in front of him.

The chimney of the machine was emitting smoke, and behind it hung a string of boxes slightly larger than the bucket of a tricycle, with a long row of benches nailed inside.

Zhu Zhanjun did not answer, but waved to the side, and a middle-aged man with a mustache walked over quickly.

"Zhan You, I pay my respects to His Majesty. May Your Majesty be well and at peace!"

"it is good."

The old man understood that the person in front of him might be the person in charge. He smiled and nodded, pointing to the steam lane: "You are the person in charge, right? Tell everyone how to use this thing of yours."

Zhan You stood up and extended his hand to invite, "Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Highness the Crown Grandson, and all the lords, this thing may not be clear to you just by explaining it, so please come forward and experience it."

High-tech stuff cannot be understood simply by talking about it. Only by experiencing it can one understand its magic.

The old man has been impatient for a long time. Ever since bicycles and tricycles came out, he has been very interested in these things.

After hearing what Zhan You said, the first one to climb onto the motorcycle.

When Zhu Zhanjun saw that the old man had actually climbed to the driver's seat, he quickly reached out and grabbed the old man.

"Grandpa, this is where the driver sits. Why are you getting in if you can't do that? Go to the back."

The old man realized that he had made a mistake, but he was not embarrassed at all. Instead, he explained, "I was just looking to see who wants to sit here."

After saying that, he jumped down from the top and walked to the separate seat reserved for him at the back.

Zhu Zhanjun shook his head speechlessly and arranged seats for everyone together with Zhan You.

Soon everyone was seated and touching the things around them curiously.

Although they are just ordinary iron benches, ever since I saw the benefits of steam engines, I couldn't suppress my curiosity.

Even some officials who were ready to take the opportunity to find fault have forgotten the purpose of their finding fault.

Sitting on a bench, he whispered with the officials around him about the wonders of the steam engine.

"Woooooooo..."

The air whistle sounded melodiously, startling everyone.

"Everyone sit down and hold on to the things next to you."

Zhu Zhanjun, who was acting as a train conductor, raised a tin horn and shouted.

Everyone quickly sat down obediently. A few timid ones held on tightly, causing some colleagues around them to laugh.

"How do you move this? Don't you need cattle and horses to pull it?"

Zhu Pangpang sat behind the old man, holding the armrest next to him.

I don’t know if it was because of the heat or the nervousness, but a thin layer of sweat appeared on my forehead.

"Steam, steam, it must be steam that moves."

The old man said this with disdain, but his hand tightly gripping the handle next to him betrayed his inner thoughts.

The people outside were waiting excitedly, and the people in the space also gathered together, sitting in rows on small benches, watching the projected images in front of them.

"This is called a steam engine. It can really travel a thousand miles a day and can carry countless goods and people."

Old Zhu sat in the front row and whispered to Xu Da, Zeng Guofan and others beside him.

Xu Da and others certainly didn't know about this and could only look at Zeng Guofan who was closest to the back.

Zeng Guofan nodded and explained to everyone: "Steam locomotives are the lifeblood of future transportation. As you have just seen in industry, in terms of transportation, if the corresponding railways are laid, the speed of transporting materials and personnel every day will be beyond imagination."

"If we follow His Royal Highness's idea and build railways in all the important places of the Ming Dynasty, then the Ming Dynasty's troops and supplies can be deployed to various battlefields within 3 to 4 days, not to mention the day they are sent out."

"Good stuff, really good stuff."

Old Zhu listened with admiration and looked at his fourth son who was sitting in the front row with envy.

He is so filled with hatred in his heart now. If he had a grandson or a son with such ability, how happy he would have been.

After discussions in the space and outside, the specially trained drivers slowly let go of the constraints of the steam engine.

The steam locomotive started to move with a clanking sound amid the exclamations of the crowd.

"Oh my god, it's moving, it's really moving."

"Hurry up and see if there's any horse pulling it, or if there's someone pushing it from behind."

"Be quiet, everyone. As an official appointed by the imperial court, it is disgraceful for you to make such a fuss over such a small situation."

Seeing the officials arguing, Zhao Xian stood up stiffly, took the tin horn from Zhu Zhanjun, and yelled to the people behind him.

Following Zhao Xian's roar, the frightened officials shut their mouths in embarrassment.

However, some people noticed that Zhao Xian's calves were shaking slightly while he was shouting. It was obvious that this guy was just being stubborn but guilty.

Zhu Zhanjun, on the other hand, looked indifferent. Instead, he walked back and forth in the carriage, observing the operating speeds of both sides.

This small train was brought by Zhan You and is a scaled-down version.

If this thing were put into later generations, it would only kill children playing in the park.

However, the first appearance in the Ming Dynasty brought a different kind of shock to the officials who first encountered this new means of transportation. The unknown made them feel fear, and once people have fear in their hearts, they will lack a sense of security.

It was for this reason that a small locomotive made these officials, who had seen countless big scenes, feel a little stage fright and nervous.

However, after adapting for a while, many people recovered.

Some courageous officials even followed Zhu Zhanjun's example and stood beside the carriage, looking down and to the sides, and judging the speed of the locomotive based on reference objects.

"It's similar to how a horse runs. There's nothing new about it."

After those fault-finding officials recovered, they started finding fault again.

"Yes, it still follows the ladder below. It is not as fast as a horse and has restrictions. It is really useless."

"You guys don't know shit."

Song Li shouted, he had just talked with Zhan You for a while and had learned a lot about some of them.

Hearing the officials' disdain, he immediately started scolding them.

As the Minister of Works, and a Minister of Works who wanted to take over Tiangongfang, he would not allow anyone to destroy the relationship between the court and Tiangongfang.

"Although this creature moves at about the same speed as a horse, it can maintain this speed and travel non-stop day and night."

"And this is just a scaled-down version. If it were built as it actually is, it could pull hundreds of thousands of tons and tens of thousands of people."

"How powerful are you to use horses to pull so much cargo and people, running day and night?"

"You really don't know how to play the piano."

Those officials walked aside in embarrassment after being scolded by Song Li, but they had already prepared their own impeachment memorials in their minds.

The old man actually liked this very much. He took the train and went around for several circles. Only after being urged by Zhu Zhanjun several times did he get off the train reluctantly.

"According to your railway plan, how long will it take for this thing to be put into use?"

"I plan to build a railway from Nanjing to Beijing. If I give it to you, how long will it take you to complete it?"

As soon as he got off the car, the old man asked Zhu Zhanjun and Zhan You, and expressed his thoughts.

Zhu Zhanjun looked at Zhan You. He was an expert in this area and had experience in this area. He believed that he was already familiar with the data.

Zhan You didn't even look at the book in his hand, and answered directly: "It can be built. If the funds and manpower can be fully invested, it will take about 5 to 10 years."

"so long."

The old man frowned, obviously dissatisfied with the time.

Zhu Zhanjun explained: "The selection of railway areas is not just about any place. We need to make a judgment on the local conditions and foundations, as well as the impact of future climate."

"And the construction of railroad tracks requires more than just ordinary iron. The manufacture of locomotives and the like also requires a very high level of iron."

"According to the current production situation of the Ming Dynasty, the time given by Zhan You is already very short."

"Ok."

The old man felt a little helpless after hearing this, but he still said, "Try to do it as soon as possible. I don't want the first thing the train does is to transport my coffin."

After watching the train in operation, Zhu Zhanjun led everyone to the next room.

There, Xu Shou was already waiting with his men.

"You said you wanted to see the steamer, right? Where's the steamer?"

The old man looked around the specially modified house in front of him and didn't see the so-called ship, so he asked in confusion.

"The boat is waiting by the river. We can just go over and check it out later. Next we need to check the electricity and other issues."

"electricity?"

Thunder and lightning have always been a sacred symbol, and the ancients were very reverent about thunder and lightning.

In daily conversations, you can find that Chinese people are in awe of thunder and lightning.

For example, when you swear, you may be struck by lightning.

For example, if someone is unfilial, he will be struck by lightning and die when he goes out.

This shows the Chinese people's awe of this aspect.

Now, when they heard that Tiangongfang was actually planning to develop thunder and lightning, many people's faces changed slightly.

"Your Majesty, thunder and lightning are gifts from heaven. How can mortals control them? If you tamper with this divine gift without permission, I'm afraid that heaven will be dissatisfied and punish you."

An old minister stepped forward and advised the old man with a worried look on his face.

His words were agreed by many people, who nodded in agreement.

"Your Excellency is wrong." Xu Shou stood up with a smile and said, "Thunder and lightning are sacred things, but our Ming Dynasty is also an upright dynasty. Holding thunder and lightning in hand to intimidate the scoundrels can prove that heaven and earth recognize our Ming Dynasty."

Xu Shou's words made the old man smile.

"That's right. The righteousness of my Great Ming is witnessed by heaven and earth. Why can't I master the thunder of righteousness?"

After saying that, he waved his hand, stopped those ministers who wanted to persuade him, and said to Xu Shou: "Begin, let me see how you control the thunder."

"I accept the decree."

Xu Shou responded and waved to the people around him.

"Close the door and the window."

Following Xu Shou's order, the already dim room suddenly became pitch black.

Although everyone was prepared, they were still a little nervous.

"start!"

Xu Shou did not ask anyone to light the lamp, but just said "start".

As Xu Shou and others gave orders, bursts of friction sounds were heard, accompanied by Xu Shou's explanations.

"There is infinite energy between heaven and earth. Fire can make food mature, wind can provide shade, and water can quench hunger. But electricity has never been explored."

"So someone suddenly had an idea: could the lightning in the sky be used to benefit the people?"

"After the efforts of countless predecessors and countless people, we finally figured out some of the rules and used the power of heaven and earth."

"Next, I will make you understand that no object in the world is useless."

"Crack!"

As soon as Xu Shou finished speaking, there was a click, and a red-yellow light illuminated the dark room.

(End of this chapter)