Bringing the Railway to Daming

In the warm spring of March, several seemingly ordinary four-wheeled carriages drove out of the capital and headed north across the highway spanning the river.

The carriages were escorted by more than a thousand elite Ming soldiers, and three or four miles before and after this convoy, there were two more elite Ming cavalry units of two thousand men each.

Because the army had just passed through, there were few pedestrians on the road, but some merchants and passersby were watching from the roadside.

As one of the carriages passed by, passersby could hear a girl's clear, melodious singing voice coming from inside.

"In March, all plants bloom, filling the sleeves with fragrance and all things revive. The chirping of insects blends with laughter, and the heart is at ease."

"As March arrives and the warm sun returns, let's go for a spring outing. Flowers bloom along the paths, their fragrance filling the earth..."

"As spring arrives in March, life breaks through the dust, bringing hope and good fortune."

Inside the comfortable carriage, Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his silver-gray beard and chuckled, "Ruoyue's singing of this song is truly beautiful. What's it called?"

A seven or eight-year-old girl sitting opposite him, who looked like a little fairy, smiled and said, "Grandpa, this song is called 'Spring in March'."

"Spring in March? Not bad, not bad. May I sing it again for Grandpa?"

"Good."

Hearing Ruoyue sing again, Zhu Yuanzhang felt even more certain that bringing Chang'an and Ruoyue on this trip was the right decision—the two children were not only adorable, but also incredibly intelligent, polite, and well-behaved, which put him in a good mood.

It was now early March. After being persuaded by Zhu Biao in the capital, he finally received a suitable set of photographic equipment from the Imperial Workshop, and then he couldn't wait to leave the capital.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang did not travel with his empresses and concubines.

His consorts and the princes and princesses under the age of five all traveled by train, carrying their luggage and other belongings, directly to Fengyang. He, however, would travel by carriage, slowly "walking" along the official road.

It wasn't that he was afraid to take the train—in fact, he had already taken a train once.

He chose to travel by horse-drawn carriage because he wanted to observe the local conditions along the way.

Previously, as the supreme ruler, his safety was crucial to the stability of the nation, so he dared not submit to the emperor's authority. Now that he has become the retired emperor, he has fewer such concerns.

Moreover, wherever he goes, he will be accompanied by the most elite Imperial Guard of the Ming Dynasty (not just by his side, but by him, to ensure a swift rescue). Even if he encounters someone with the audacity to harm him, his accompanying guards only need to hold out for a while, and the army will arrive to rescue him. He will basically not be in any danger.

After listening to Liu Ruoyue sing for a while, Zhu Yuanzhang picked up a pair of binoculars and looked out the car window at the fields and villages.

Looking around, one can see winter wheat sprouting in the dry fields, farmers transplanting rice seedlings in the paddy fields, and farmers sowing sweet potatoes and corn on the hillsides—a scene of busy farming.

Half a day later, as they approached Chuzhou City, there were noticeably more villages along the roadside, and Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly felt the urge to go out and visit them.

"Li Gui, have the convoy stop. We need to visit some nearby villages and have lunch at a local farmhouse."

"Yes," Li Gui replied immediately.

Li Gui had served Zhu Yuanzhang as a palace attendant since he was a teenager, and after more than twenty years, he had long understood Zhu Yuanzhang's temperament. Moreover, Zhu Yuanzhang had already considered when and how to act on this trip, and Li Gui only needed to follow orders.

For example, if Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to visit nearby villages, dozens of guards would accompany him to each location.

The guards who rushed to the front and rear of the two armies were all dressed in their uniforms and were responsible for notifying the two armies to stop.

The other guards were dressed as ordinary people, and even the horses they rode did not resemble military horses. They went into the surrounding villages in advance to conduct necessary reconnaissance. They only conducted reconnaissance and did not concern themselves with anything that could directly threaten Zhu Yuanzhang's safety.

This was Zhu Yuanzhang's request.

After the caravan stopped, Zhu Yuanzhang saw that the dirt road leading to the village next to the official road (cement road) was barely passable for a four-wheeled carriage, so he ordered the driver to turn the "ordinary" carriage he was riding in down the dirt road.

Even though the car has good shock absorption, it still started to bounce noticeably after that.

Liu Chang'an and Liu Ruoyue quickly grabbed the safety handles inside the car. Although Zhu Yuanzhang was also jolted and frowned slightly, he remained firmly seated.

"Chang'an, Ruoyue, have you never traveled such a bumpy road before?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked with a smile, like a kind old grandfather in an ordinary family.

Eight-year-old Liu Chang'an, acting like a little adult, said, "Grandpa, sometimes when my parents take us on outings to the suburbs, we walk on dirt roads like this, but not often."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "The roads near the capital are much easier to travel on now than before. Even the dirt roads are relatively flat. Unlike when we were young, the official roads were dirt roads, and they were even more bumpy than this road."

"When the weather is clear, carriages can travel, but when it rains or snows, carriages cannot travel and only horses and people can travel, and they have to wade through the snow and water, making it easy to fall flat on their faces."

Because Liu Kuan, Zhu Huilan, and Su Caiwei were stricter with their sons and more lenient with their daughters, most of Liu Kuan's daughters were relatively lively, and Liu Ruoyue was no exception.

She chuckled a few times upon hearing this and asked, "Did Grandpa also fall flat on his face?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said nonchalantly, "I have indeed fallen before, quite a few times. However, precisely because I have fallen before, I rarely fall when walking on such roads in the future."

Liu Chang'an listened thoughtfully.

Before long, the carriage arrived at the entrance of a village.

Zhu Yuanzhang got out of the carriage with his two children and looked around, estimating that the village had about forty or fifty households.

Most of the houses were brick and tile houses, with fewer than ten houses having mud walls and thatched roofs. Among those brick and tile houses, there were even a few large courtyards with two or three sections, clearly belonging to local wealthy families or landlords.

Having learned from the plainclothes guards that there were no security problems in the village, Zhu Yuanzhang entered the village with Li Gui, a guard officer, and two children.

It was noon, and smoke was rising from many houses, while some were filled with the aroma of food.

Zhu Yuanzhang neither sought out the wealthy families with multiple courtyards nor specifically visited the households with mud-brick houses. Instead, he arrived at a seemingly ordinary brick and tile house.

This house only had three main brick and tile rooms; the two side rooms on the left and the courtyard wall were still made of adobe. It was clear that the house had been built within the last two years. The simple wooden plank gate was open, and Zhu Yuanzhang, upon reaching the door, called out in Huainan dialect, "Fellow villager, could you do me a favor?"

After calling out twice, an old man with gray hair and beard came out of the house. He might be in his fifties or not.

The old man glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang and his entourage, noticing that there was only one strong man among them, and the rest were either elderly or children. He lowered his guard somewhat, then asked with a slightly reserved tone, "What brings you here, sir?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Our surname is Huang. We're visiting relatives in the north, and we just happened to arrive here around noon. The children aren't used to eating dry rations and would like to have a hot meal. Could we trouble you for a bit?"

As he spoke, Zhu Yuanzhang took out a string of banknotes and handed it over, saying, "We'll pay for the meal; we won't eat for free."

The old man hesitated when he heard that they were coming for a meal, but when he saw Zhu Yuanzhang take out the banknotes, he immediately stopped hesitating and said with a smile, "No problem, we just made lunch, so we can make more for a few more people."

"As for the cost of the meal, a few dozen coins from this gentleman will suffice, or you can have a whole string of cash."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "Our grandson and granddaughter are picky eaters, so please make them something delicious and accept the money."

"Alright, then let's not stand on ceremony, please come in."

The old man accepted the money and, with a smile, invited Zhu Yuanzhang and his party of five into the courtyard.

"Wife, we have guests. Prepare more noodles—Master Huang is used to eating noodles, isn't he?"

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "I grew up eating noodles. Even if we move to Jiangnan, we'll still eat more noodles."

The old man said, "Then we'll have flatbread and white noodles with some other home-style dishes for lunch today."

As they spoke, he led Zhu Yuanzhang and the others into the main room and brewed them several bowls of coarse tea. After giving a few instructions to his three- or four-year-old granddaughter, he went to the kitchen to busy himself.

Zhu Yuanzhang asked Li Gui to go and help, and the old man did not refuse—it would be difficult to prepare food for so many people, and more people would be more helpful.

After the old man left, Liu Ruoyue said, "Grandpa, my third brother and I are not picky eaters."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Chang'an interrupted him, saying, "You're not picky about food? Besides Fourth Brother, you're the pickiest eater."

"Third Brother!" Liu Ruoyue blushed, embarrassed and annoyed.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "Alright, we know Ruoyue isn't picky about food. It's just that Grandpa wants to eat well, okay?"

Eight-year-old Liu Ruoyue could tell that these were words to coax a child, but she didn't know how to argue with them, so she simply changed her target and ran to the little girl with a runny nose, asking, "What's your name, little sister?"

"Niu Niu," the little girl said, sniffling.

Liu Ruoyue: "Don't you have a full name?"

The little girl shook her head, it was unclear whether she didn't understand or didn't know her name.

Zhu Yuanzhang noticed two certificates of merit posted on the wall of the main hall (which Liu Kuan had arranged while assisting the Ministry of Rites in promoting school education). One of them read, "Student Li Zheng won fifth place in his class in the first semester final exam of the second year. This certificate of merit is hereby issued to encourage him!"

Below that was written the school's name and the date the certificate was issued, which was at the end of last year.

Clearly, this family also has a little boy who is in the second grade of elementary school.

Sure enough, a little boy entered the yard not long after. Seeing that there were strangers in the house, he went straight into the kitchen and then came into the main room a moment later.

The little boy was almost a head shorter than Liu Chang'an and Liu Ruoyue, but he greeted them with a slightly nervous, adult-like manner, saying, "I am Li Zheng, greetings to Master Huang, greetings to this uncle, greetings to this brother and young lady."

Liu Chang'an and Liu Ruoyue returned the greeting.

Then Liu Chang'an said, "My name is Liu Chang'an, and I am eight years old. How old are you, Brother Li? You're already in the second grade of elementary school?"

Li Zheng felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this, and stammered, "I am... also eight years old."

Upon hearing this, Liu Chang'an and Liu Ruoyue were both slightly surprised, not expecting that Li Zheng, who was so short, was already eight years old.

However, Liu Chang'an didn't foolishly ask "Why are you so short?" - they attended "aristocratic schools" in the capital, where children ate well and most of their peers didn't have much difference in height.

Then, Liu Ruoyue asked curiously, "Is Brother Li's school very close? You came back alone at noon without your parents picking you up?"

Li Zheng had never seen such a beautiful little girl as Liu Ruoyue before. He blushed and lowered his head after just one glance—luckily, he was quite tanned, so his blush wasn't too obvious.

But he stammered even more as he spoke, “No...not far, only five...five li away.”

Liu Chang'an and Liu Ruoyue were stunned when they heard this.

Five li away?
Not far yet?
Zhu Yuanzhang watched the three children chatting and found it very amusing; he could hardly contain his smile.

At the same time, he was thinking: Liu Kuan's children attend a noble school in the capital, unaware of the hardships of ordinary people. The royal children study at the Imperial Academy, and although they also undergo various trials, they are nothing compared to the real hardships of ordinary people.

Like this Li Zheng, who walked five miles to school. Which royal child had such an experience?
'Looks like I'll have to talk to Biao'er and Xiong Ying later and give those brats from the Great Hall a good beating.'

On the other side, Old Man Li first killed a chicken, then bought fish from a fisherman in the same village, and bought a preserved rabbit from a hunter. With the help of Li Gui, he and his wife worked for an hour before finally preparing a rather sumptuous meal.

During the meal, only Old Man Li sat at the same table as Zhu Yuanzhang.

Old Man Li even opened a treasured jar of old wine and ate, drank, and chatted with Zhu Yuanzhang.

"How old are you, Brother Li? How many children do you have?"

"I'm fifty-two this year. When I was young, my family was so poor that we couldn't even afford to eat. I got married relatively late and only had one son and two daughters." (End of Chapter)