Northern Song Dynasty: Starting from the son of Song Renzong

Chapter 100 Tramway
The infrastructure in the manor cannot be compared with that in Tokyo city.

In addition, every extra day these 5,000 imperial guards stay here is a huge consumption.

therefore……

Zhao Xin stayed here for half a month and then went back.

During this half month, it can be said that what Zhao Xin saw with his own eyes, combined with what Ouyang Xiu and others said, also helped him gain a lot of knowledge.

Zhao Xin also asked Ouyang Xiu: "Since the people would rather flee than farm, what do you think should be done to make the people settle down?"

Ouyang Xiu was simply saying what every official has said for thousands of years.

Ouyang Xiu said, "I think we should encourage agriculture and reduce corvée labor."

Zhao Xin said, "It's too stereotyped. Everyone knows that we should encourage agriculture and reduce corvée labor. From the Qin and Han dynasties, the Wei and Jin dynasties, the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Sui and Tang dynasties, since ancient times, there have been many people who have called for encouraging agriculture and reducing corvée labor. There is no shortage of people like you, Ouyang Xiu."

sometimes……

His Royal Highness Prince Yu spoke as if he were an adult.

You will have a feeling that you are talking to an "adult".

Especially when he stood with his hands behind his back and looked into the distance.

Everyone was surprised and surprised.

Zhao Xin added: "Instead of calling for farmers to be encouraged to farm and labor service to be reduced, you should think of ways to reduce the burden on the people."

Ouyang Xiu didn't dare to underestimate Zhao Xin anymore, but he didn't quite understand what Zhao Xin meant by this.

So he bowed his head, saluted, and asked with a guilty look on his face: "What does His Royal Highness Prince Yu mean?"

Zhao Xin said, "For example, if civilians want to transport military rations, you have to study how to get more horses, or even find a way to make it easier for people or horses to pull them."

Ouyang Xiu obviously didn't quite understand what Zhao Xin meant.

Zhao Xin could also see the confusion on the other person's face.

but……

never mind.

Zhao Xin has already started researching. Speaking of this horse-drawn tram, is there any hope?
It takes too long to research a steam locomotive.

But if it is a horse-drawn carriage, this will be relatively much easier.

After all, a tramcar is more convenient than asking the people to carry the food directly or push a cart to transport the food to the front line.

……

of course!

Generally speaking, horse-drawn trams are only suitable for short distances.

and……

Huge amounts of money are also required in the early stages.

The reason why Zhao Xin had such an idea was mainly because there was a big boom in iron smelting in the Song Dynasty.

The price of iron is quite cheap. In some places, it is only 20 or 30 wen per catty. Especially in Shaanxi Province, the price is around 20 wen, 24 or 25 wen.

That's still a little bit of a hope.

of course!

Zhao Xin did not intend to leave it to the court.

Because anything, once it falls into the hands of the court, will definitely change.

Especially now, the Song Dynasty has been established for so many years, and the organizational structure itself is bloated. If a tramway department is added, I don’t know how many officials who just do nothing will be assigned to this department.

Rather than leaving it to the court.

It’s better to do it yourself and find a way to make a profit yourself.

After wandering outside for half a month, Zhao Xin came back with a group of people.

It was obvious that the imperial guards were all relieved.

Zhao Xin then returned to the palace to see his father.

He simply left Du Yan, Ouyang Xiu and others to fend for themselves.

……

As soon as he returned to Madam Miao's courtyard, he said to her, "Madam Miao! Did you miss me?"

Not only did he think about it, he even almost wanted to write a letter to Zhao Xin. But to be honest, if he used the post horse, the two hundred miles would only take less than a day.

I estimate that if we leave in the morning, Zhao Xin will receive the letter by noon.

Perhaps it was because of this that Madam Miao restrained herself from doing so.

Madam Miao: "You still remember to come back!"

Zhao Xin's face was tanned.

It was obviously different from the color of the neck, which almost made Madam Miao laugh.

Madam Miao: "What's wrong with your face?"

Zhao Xin had been mentioned by Xiaodie and Xiaotao before, and they also said: "This is proof that I can rule the country!"

Madam Miao couldn't help laughing after all. "Based on your proof that you can still govern the country, I think you just ran away to have fun."

As he spoke, he looked up and down at all the parts of Zhao Xin's body to see if any of them were injured or lost.

Then, he complained to Xiaodie and Xiaotao, "How did you two look at him? Look, he's tanned like this!"

Xiaodie and Xiaotao quickly bowed their heads and confessed, "It was our fault that we didn't take good care of her."

Zhao Xin said, "This is none of their business. I wanted to leave on my own. Bring me a mirror and let me see."

Then a servant went to get the mirror, and Zhao Xin picked it up and looked at it.

A bit sunburned indeed.

but……

Even with sunburn, I am still so handsome!
Immediately afterwards...

It's like admiring yourself in front of a mirror.

Look at it from a different angle here, look at it from a different angle there.

This damn dragon and phoenix figure, the appearance of the sun and the sky.

Madam Miao couldn't bear to watch it any longer. "I know you're pretty! Didn't anything happen on the way?"

This is obviously asked to Xiaodie and Xiaotao.

The two of them immediately replied: "Nothing happened."

Madam Miao said to Zhao Xin again, "You've been away for half a month. Didn't you write a letter to your father to assure him that he was safe?"

Zhao Xin was still holding the mirror. After hearing what Madam Miao said, she put the mirror down and said, "If you didn't tell me, how would I know to write a letter to Dad to let him know I'm safe!"

Madam Miao said, "Your Emperor Taizong Wen has written a letter to his son to report his safety. Your father has been talking about it these past two days. Do you think Zui Xinglai will also write a letter to him?" Zhao Xin opened her eyes wide and said to Madam Miao, "Madam Miao, do you think it is too late for me to write now?"

Madam Miao was also a little annoyed: "...It's too late!"

Zhao Xin: "Where's Daddy?"

Madam Miao said, "Your father should not have returned from court yet."

The result... as soon as Cao Cao was mentioned, he appeared.

Zhao Xin could even hear footsteps outside the corridor.

And the sounds of some palace maids bowing.

Zhao Xin saw that he had nothing in his hands, not even a bunch of bananas, and thought it was a bad idea. If he had known earlier, he would have gone and looked around to see if there was anything he could bring back before coming back.

He had no choice but to walk to the door to greet his father.

And Zhao Zhen was naturally also surprised by the look of Zhao Xin.

"Daddy, I'm back!"

After Zhao Xin greeted him, he was stunned for two full seconds before saying, "How did Zui Xinglai become like this?"

Zhao Xin also repeated what he had said before: "This is the proof of my ability to govern the country!"

Zhao Zhen hurriedly checked Zhao Xin's hands and feet, luckily, they were all there. He received a report today saying that an uprising army had appeared again in the Jingxi Road area, spanning more than a dozen states. He was a little worried that Zhao Xin would get hot-headed and attack them, or that he would be attacked by others.

Although at this moment, Zhao Xin should still be at least hundreds of miles away from the rebel army.

But Zhao Xin was alone outside, so Zhao Zhen was still a little worried.

Zhao Zhen also found it funny when he heard Zhao Xin talking about how he governed the country.

"Yes, yes! I know you are in charge of the country! It has become like this!"

Zhao Xin added: "I should have written a letter to your father, but unfortunately... there is nothing there."

Zhao Zhen didn't blame him, but just said: "I'm glad you have this intention!"

Zhao Xin: "Dad, I have a good idea!"

Zhao Zhen asked, "What's the idea?"

Zhao Xin: "Daddy, please prepare some craftsmen, horses, and iron for me first."

After all, is this horse-drawn carriage better than a trackless carriage? If it is better, what are the advantages? We have to do experiments to verify it.

In the past, I only knew that there was such a thing and it was once used by Westerners.

But whether it is useful or not is still unknown.

If it is useful.

At least...

Some can be appropriately deployed in Shaanxi Province.

If the front line is dangerous, we can make arrangements in the rear.

Even if it can only be laid over a hundred miles.

That's a good thing! If we can save a little manpower, we can save a little manpower, if we can reduce the original 100,000 corvée laborers to only 50,000.

This is a very good thing for the local people.

As soon as he came back, Zhao Xin started to become restless again.

But what else can Zhao Zhen do?
Naturally, I can only listen to him.

soon……

So they prepared the craftsmen, horses, and iron according to his requirements.

However, the experiment was not carried out until more than ten days later.

I simply made a track that was two hundred steps long.

Then use two horses to pull it.

Then, add weight little by little.

Next to it, take two horses that look similar for comparison.

Apparently!

Although the speeds of the two are similar, in terms of load capacity, the tramcar can obviously carry twice as much as the trackless one.

only……

Considering that the project is a bit large.

Moreover, the rails might be dug up and sold at night, so it is still unknown whether this deployment should really be implemented.

of course!

This tram would probably be quite useful if it were used for short-distance transportation around the city, sightseeing services, etc.

But let me be frank. The rich people already have horses, so why do they need your tram?

As for ordinary people...

People have always walked on their legs.

and so……

Business within a few kilometers of this city is actually not very easy to conduct.

Zhao Zhen didn't know what Zhao Xin was doing this for.

But it can be seen that Zui Xinglai has a lot of ideas!

Zhao Xin also asked: "If we use this to transport military rations to the northwest, what do you think, Dad?"

Zhao Zhen said, "It will take you at least three to five years, or even ten to eight years, to level the road and lay the tracks."

Zhao Xin thought about it and agreed!

but……

You can eat food bit by bit and walk step by step!

The distance from Chang'an to the four front lines in Shaanxi is approximately four hundred to eight hundred miles.

This little bit of floor covering is pretty good too.

If we can pave 40 miles a year and provide work in exchange for relief, that would be pretty good.

And...if this tram is really going to be built, it certainly can't be just for transporting food, more other economic benefits must be taken into consideration.

For example, if there were horse-drawn trams, it might be a good thing for the people living within a hundred miles of Chang'an City.

In this way, they can become closer in time and space.

Sharing what you have has also become more convenient.

(End of this chapter)