The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 612 Fortunately, the technology tree is fine
"Your Majesty, is this really okay?"

Dashkova, the Rost envoy who shamelessly mixed in with Concubine Zhuang Ruan Yuxiu's team on her visit to her parents' home and followed Mo Zibu south, looked at the monster in front of her with some worry.

"How about letting the people below take the ride first?" The shameless envoy gave his suggestion weakly.

Mo Zibu was actually a little scared because the train in front of him looked very strange and simple.

What does this look like? It doesn't look like the train that Mo Zibu had in mind. Instead, it looks a bit like the mine cars used in old coal mines in later generations, strung together on rails, except that they are not made of iron but nailed together with wooden boards.

Moreover, Mo Zibu looked down and wondered why the rails were laid directly on the ground. Where were the sleepers? Where was the gravel?

How do you dampen the vibrations on this thing? Didn't you have any accidents during your previous tests?
Mo Zibu asked Wu Wenyao, the second son of Wu Rang, the Marquis of Songcheng, who was in charge of the project. Wu Wenyao reported that the test had been conducted three times and there were indeed no accidents.

Uh, don’t trains of this era use sleepers or gravel under the tracks?

Mo Zibu was also a little uncertain.

Seeing the emperor's slightly suspicious look, Wu Rang stood up. Of course he had to come for such a big matter for his son.

Not to mention anything else, he really needs this vassal governor.

Because for others, a fiefdom of a prefect is an uncertain title that requires the investment of the entire family and will not produce benefits until at least twenty years later.

It is definitely not as good as an earl in the court, and it is not even as good as a non-super-class title such as General Guarding the Country or General Serving the Country.

But for Wu Rang, these are not a problem.

He had plenty of money and people, and each of the hundreds of thousands of subjects under him was a native or a local who had lived in Southeast Asia for many years, so there was no problem of acclimatization.

The most important thing is that the Songcheng Junhou vassal state has three thousand vassal soldiers.

These people were similar to Japanese samurai. Some were responsible for controlling the militia and carrying out armed suppression, some were good at land reclamation, some were good at managing contract workers, and some were good at logistics and paperwork. They were familiar with everything.

With such configuration, it would be extremely easy to obtain a piece of territory and then develop it.

For example, this time, the fief of the steam engine governor was awarded in Jiabei Prefecture, next to the Grand Duchy of Korea after its relocation.

To the south of this territory is the Grand Duchy of Korea, to the east is Brunei, and to the west is the capital of Kaohsiung Province, Kuching, which is controlled by the imperial court.

To the north is Zengmu Shoal, which is only about 80 kilometers away from the southernmost island and reef of the future republic.

There are currently more than 1,000 Chinese and more than 30,000 indigenous people. The indigenous people are relatively docile and have begun to accept the Sinicized Dayaks.

If the second son Wu Wenyao could get such a good place, relying on the power of Songcheng, it would soon become a good property that could be passed down to future generations.

More importantly, the emperor or the imperial court was consciously suppressing him, a big local tyrant in Southeast Asia, from continuing to obtain fiefdoms above the rank of earl, which made this opportunity even more precious.

"Your Majesty, your precious life should not be put at risk. Let me go first and try, just like I did in Luokun. I will lead the way for Your Majesty."

Hearing Wu Rang say this, Mo Zibu also recalled the past when he started out and led Wu Rang to fight and take over the entire Andai Peninsula.

And Wu Rang really knows when to advance and when to retreat.

At that time, he wanted to give Songcheng's bird's nest industry to Mo Zibu, but Mo Zibu refused. Later, after the people on the mainland became rich, Songcheng's bird's nest industry expanded very rapidly.

Profits soared from 200,000 to 300,000 taels of silver dollars per year to more than 3 million taels of silver dollars, a tenfold increase.

Wu Rang did not intend to make money by himself, so he once again took the initiative to ask Fuxing Company to jointly set up a factory to expand production. Mo Zibu refused because he thought this would have a bad influence.

At this point, Wu Rang could actually eat this big cake with peace of mind. Although it would make the emperor feel uneasy, he was already the Marquis of Songcheng, and this little unpleasantness would not particularly affect his status.

But Wu Rang used great perseverance to suppress his desire to have the most for himself. He quickly cooperated with the imperial concubine, Chen's cousin who was the mother of the current Crown Prince Asen, to set up a bird's nest factory.

By distributing half of the annual net profit, the company earned about 1.6 million silver dollars less each year.

Considering that my cousin was born as a fisherman's daughter, her family was extremely poor and they had little ability to do business or colonize, after my cousin gave one million silver dollars to Mo Zibu every year, the rest of the money was almost the only source of income for her as a concubine.

Therefore, if one were to rank the officials in the court who were closest to Imperial Noble Consort Chen and Crown Prince Asen, Wu Rang would be closer than their cousins within the fifth degree of kinship of the Chen family.

So this face had to be given. Although he knew that Wu Rang was eyeing the title of Earl of the vassal state, and also knew that it was not appropriate for a person like Wu Rang to expand his fiefdom, Mo Zibu still nodded and said with a smile:

"Old Wu, then I order you to try it first, but you have to be careful. Your body is no longer as flexible as it was in your youth."

Wu Rang was overjoyed and cupped his hands, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I've always been cautious. There will be no problem."

The trial run of this train covered a total distance of eight kilometers, using both horseshoe-shaped and straight-line paving. Jinyiwei Commander Chen Xu went to check to ensure that the load was indeed forty tons.

"Your Majesty, the two rails are also different. The circular track uses pig iron, and the straight track uses steel. We have previously tested each three times, and no major problems have occurred."

Wu Rang's second son Wu Wenyao explained to Mo Zibu that this job was originally supposed to be done by Bozhi's brother Cen Xuannan.

But this guy was so scared after just watching the scene from afar that he was shaking all over and couldn't speak, so Wu Wenyao got a big advantage.

Mo Zibu nodded and looked at the steam engine in front of him with hope. "Let's get started. I wish you success."

The emperor officially gave the order, and Wu Rang, who had become as fat as a hamster, immediately got on the train with his entourage, while Jinyiwei Commander Chen Xu got on the horseshoe line car.

A loud roar was heard, and the carriage began to tremble rapidly. Wu Rang had a bad feeling, but his son Wu Wenyao sitting opposite him was very calm.

"Don't worry, Dad. We're already thinking about how to reduce the vibration of the steam engine. To pull 40 tons of cargo, this is the only design we can make."

Mo Zibu also observed carefully from outside. Wow, the first fifth of the carriages belonged to steam engines.

It’s not that the steam engine is so huge, but it is necessary to bring enough coal to boil water.

At Mo Zibu's side, Watt, who had arrived in Guangnan a month earlier than him and had already handed over the parallel four-link and centrifugal governor to Wu Wenyao and others, and had also participated in the improvement of the steam engine, said to Mo Zibu:

"Your Majesty, this is a groundbreaking steam engine, more advanced than anything in Europe, at least in terms of horsepower.

Although it seems that the energy consumption is still a bit high at present, resulting in somewhat high transportation costs, this is something that can be easily improved.

I believe that once it is officially put into use, there will be a quick improvement.”

Matthew Bolton also said to Mo Zibu, "Your Majesty, your Renaissance Company is too powerful. It can afford the research and development costs that many large English factory owners and nobles would never bear. The future of the steam engine must be in Seres.

Therefore, I also recommend that you put steam locomotives into use as soon as possible, because the best improvements and inventions are made in production.

Repeated use and the accumulation of people experiencing it will lead to faster and more widespread technological innovation." Mo Zibu nodded. This was indeed very practical and useful advice. "Matthew, you're right. This is a good suggestion, and it coincides with what I'm thinking."

"Also, I have a suggestion." Seeing that Mo Zibu was in a good mood, Matthew Bolton said cautiously:

"I've discovered that Your Majesty seems to be a bit too superstitious about book knowledge. Your R&D personnel are basically professors and students from the Imperial Academy.

But they don't actually have much contact with steam engines and other things on a daily basis. They may understand the big designs better, but the finer details and continuous inventions and improvements are mostly done by frontline personnel. I hope Your Majesty can pay more attention to this aspect."

Mo Zibu actually noticed this problem as well, and he greatly appreciated Matthew Bolton's words.

"This is very good advice, a suggestion that will earn you a reward: twenty rolls of the finest silk."

At this time, silk was still widely used among European nobles. Twenty pieces of the best silk sent to England would definitely be worth more than one hundred pounds, which was almost the annual income of three English engineers.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!" Matthew Bolton couldn't speak anything else, but he was very fluent in this Chinese.

As they were talking, the steam locomotive had already started moving, and Mo Zibu sat on the carriage, moving along with the train.

"Cough, cough, cough!" Inside the carriage, Wu Rang started coughing violently because of the thick smoke wafting from the front of the steam locomotive, which was particularly choking.
Wu Wenyao very experiencedly handed his father a slightly damp towel, and the father and son and the people around them covered their mouths and noses.

"It seems like something unexpected happened. There's too much coal smoke and the chimney can't get it out!" Someone came to report it soon. Wu Wenyao quickly got up to check, and the person came back soon.

"The coal this time is not as good as last time, and there are some problems with the chimney design."

Wu Rang wiped his face, which was almost blackened by smoke, and said with lingering fear: "You are lucky, luckily it was me who got on the car.

If His Majesty were sitting here, and you smoked His Majesty's face, the inner guards would surely beat your buttocks to pieces."

Wu Wenyao's face also showed a look of relief at escaping death. Who knew that just changing the coal would make such a big difference.

However, after a brief scolding, Wu Rang showed an excited expression on his face, because this steam locomotive, which seemed to him to be roaring like a dragon or a giant python, was really moving forward rapidly with its own power.

Although the car body was shaking slightly and one could feel the slight trembling from the rapid steam engine, it was definitely much better than riding in an ox cart or a horse-drawn carriage.

For a moment, Wu Rang actually felt a sense of unreality. Damn, this strange-looking machine could really replace the power of livestock, wind, and water.

Doesn’t this mean that transportation will no longer rely on rivers in the future?
As long as a railway is built, goods can easily reach their destination, without distinction between upstream and downstream, without rapids or dangerous shoals, and without dry seasons.

This... Wu Rang suddenly thought, in addition to transporting goods, couldn't he also transport troops!
Wow, when there are trains like this all over the country, no matter where there is a rebellion, the Guards and the 12th Army of the Xingtangjing Camp will be able to arrive along the railway overnight. This mobilization and deployment capability is too terrifying.

Just as Wu Rang was feeling deeply moved, the nobles, civil and military officials and nearby people who were watching the steam locomotive start cheered even louder than he did.

Many people even rode their horses from a distance, laughing, or simply ran on their own legs, racing with the steam locomotive.

"Long live! Long live! Long live!" Cheers resounded throughout the entire test site. Wu Rang was not the only one who knew the value of the steam locomotive. Many people thought of the huge role of this steam locomotive.

Mo Zibu roughly calculated that the emperor's carriage was only jogging slightly, and the speed was estimated to be around eight to ten kilometers per hour.

The train that was running was a little faster than his car, and it should be able to reach twelve kilometers.

Mo Zibu was extremely satisfied and even wanted to recite a poem. Once this high-pressure steam engine was produced, both trains and ships could be installed on it. The former could play a huge role in key economic zones and could also be used to stabilize the Western Regions and Transoxiana in the future.

The latter can make navigation no longer dependent on trade winds, and can travel freely from the mainland to the South Pacific throughout the year. The economic and political significance it brings is immeasurable.

Uh..., everyone except Mo Zibu was still confused. Could it be that the trains at this time really did not need sleepers and gravel?

"Miss Wang, have you ever tried the maximum speed of this steam locomotive?" Beside Mo Zibu, a woman with lowered eyebrows was kneeling. It was none other than Wang Zhenyi.

Regarding his future daughter-in-law, who might be an extremely important one, Mo Zibu showed a loving expression like an old father and spoke in a very gentle tone.

Wang Zhenyi of course understood the meaning of this look, and her face turned red, but she still remembered the etiquette of meeting the emperor. She did not raise her head immediately, but knelt where she was and answered in a more meek voice:

"Your Majesty, since you proposed the speed metric, I have conducted three tests and have been able to reach approximately 30 miles per hour, but this does not seem to be the upper limit of this steam locomotive."

Mo Zibu understood that this thing was too precious, and Wang Zhenyi and the others were a little afraid to increase the speed.

Well, although the speed of fifteen kilometers per hour was a lot, it seemed a bit slow, so Mo Zibu waved his hand.

"Why don't we let them try it today and see how fast this high-pressure steam engine can run!"

"Yes, sir. I'll have them speed up right away." Wang Zhenyi would certainly not refuse the request of her future father-in-law, who was also the emperor. She also wanted to see how fast they could run.

"Oh my god, this isn't good, this isn't good, this doesn't feel good!" As expected, he was a founding hero of the Dayu Dynasty who had experienced hundreds of battles and had won great victories in life-and-death struggles with the natives. As soon as he sped up, Wu Rang immediately screamed.

When he got in the car, he felt that this thing was just 'floating' on two iron bars. It seemed a little too light, and it shook violently when it started. There must be something wrong.

So at this moment, when the speed increased, his heart immediately became alarmed.

Unfortunately, before Wu Rang could figure out how to respond, he heard a loud bang, and then he felt dizzy, and then the whole train went straight to the right and crashed heavily to the ground.

"Damn, we can't just pave it like this!" Mo Zibu growled as he stood in front of the car. From where he stood, he saw every second of the accident clearly.

There was a sudden flash of fire, and after the speed increased, the Wu Rang train, which was moving straight ahead, suddenly caught fire at the front of the train, and the flames quickly began to spread towards the carriages.

Then almost at the same time, because the rails were built directly on the ground and had no shock-absorbing ability, the carriage tilted slightly and the entire truck could not hold on, and it flipped sideways while moving at high speed.

As for the horseshoe-shaped track train where Chen Xu was, something also happened.

After running at high speed, the cast iron rails were too brittle to withstand the weight of the train and broke directly.

At the same time, after the speed of the train increased, slowing down became a problem. Since the speed could not be reduced quickly, the train went straight off the tracks when turning.

"Your Majesty, I am condemned to death, death!" Seeing this horrific scene, Wang Zhenyi cried out in fear.

Asen's face also turned pale, and he quickly knelt on the ground to apologize with his beloved sister Wang.

"Go and save them immediately. Everything that happened today must be reported to us."

Mo Zibu was not nervous at all. Apart from being a little worried about casualties, he actually breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that the technology tree of later generations is correct. The rails are to be laid on sleepers, and a large amount of gravel is used to reduce shock.

(End of this chapter)