I, Emperor Chongzhen, have extended the life of the Ming Dynasty by five hundred years.

At dawn, a warship slowly sailed in.

The warship cruised around the nearby waters and found only floating wreckage and corpses.

The crew reported the situation, and the ship then turned around, raised its sails, and headed back to port.

Two days later, the Imperial Guards sent the news back to the capital.

Upon learning of this, Zhu Youjian sighed, "Life is unpredictable. How could this ship have sunk so suddenly?"

Commander Luo Yangxing of the Embroidered Uniform Guard stood with his hands at his sides and respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, the sea is treacherous, and those Western missionaries are not skilled in navigation. Perhaps they mishandled the vessels, or perhaps they struck a reef. Furthermore, there have indeed been storms along the southeast coast these past few days. It is extremely dangerous for those unfamiliar with the sea routes to venture out to sea rashly."

"If this is truly fate, then so be it."

Zhu Youjian sighed deeply, then suddenly asked, "Have the bodies of those missionaries been recovered?"

Luo Yangxing shook his head: "The sea is rough and the waves are high; the corpses have long since drifted away. Even if there are any floating corpses, they've most likely been eaten by fish and are difficult to find."

Zhu Youjian breathed a sigh of relief and waved his hand, saying, "In that case, there's no need to waste manpower searching anymore."

Then, the tone abruptly shifted: "How's things in Shandong? Has this major reshuffle of officials caused any trouble?"

Luo Yangxing hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, after Li Yan took office as the Shandong Provincial Governor, he transferred a group of capable officials from Zhengding, Baoding and other places to fill the vacancies. Now all the government offices in Shandong are operating normally without any problems."

Zhu Youjian nodded, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes: "I trust Li Yan to handle things. Aside from Shandong, have any other cases of embezzlement of pension funds been discovered?"

Luo Yangxing's lips curled into a cold smile: "Since the Shandong case, officials everywhere have been like frightened birds. I have already sent people to investigate secretly, and those garrisons and prefectures that had previously delayed or withheld pensions have now all dutifully made up the difference, not daring to shortchange a single penny."

Zhu Youjian snorted coldly: "If only you had known this would happen, why did you do it in the first place? If it weren't for my swift and decisive actions, would these parasites have ever restrained themselves?"

Luo Yangxing repeatedly agreed, then, as if remembering something, said, "While investigating the pension funds, I discovered something else. I wonder if the Academy of Sciences has reported this to the emperor, and I'm unsure whether I should mention it."

Zhu Youjian raised an eyebrow: "What's wrong with the Academy of Sciences? Surely they haven't picked up another widow?"

"Your Majesty, that is not the case."

Luo Yangxing quickly explained, "The Chinese Academy of Sciences is laying railways in Shandong, but it has encountered some resistance from the public."

Zhu Youjian sat up straight and asked, "What obstacles? Why haven't I heard any reports from the Academy of Sciences?"

Luo Yangxing replied, "The main issue is land compensation. Laying the railway requires land acquisition, and many powerful families either disagree or demand exorbitant prices. A few days ago, when I passed through Jinan Prefecture, I happened to see a family blocking the planned route, insisting that their ancestral graves had been dug up and demanding three thousand taels of silver from the Academy of Sciences."

Zhu Youjian asked with great interest, "What happened next?"

Luo Yangxing continued, "That family was throwing a tantrum, clearly trying to extort money from the students of the Academy of Sciences. I immediately sent them to the county government office and locked them up, but there are just too many cases like this, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard has other official duties to attend to, so they can't handle them all."

Zhu Youjian thought to himself, "This land acquisition and demolition compensation is truly an age-old problem."

Too much compensation would strain the imperial treasury. Too little compensation would cause widespread discontent among the people. In particular, powerful and influential families, who all had some connections in the court, would be difficult to deal with if they tried to raise prices arbitrarily.

After pondering for a long time, Zhu Youjian suddenly asked, "When will the Beijing-Tianjin Railway open to traffic?"

Luo Yangxing was taken aback, then replied, "Your Majesty, it seems to be next month, but I'm not entirely sure."

Zhu Youjian nodded. The Beijing-Tianjin Railway was the first railway laid by the Academy of Sciences, the first railway in the Ming Dynasty, and the first railway in the world. It was 300 li long and took two and a half years to build. It was of great significance. Whether we could enter the industrial age depended on whether this railway could make a good start.

"Go to the Academy of Sciences and urge them to open the line as soon as possible. Also, have Song Yingxing send invitations to all officials of the fourth rank and above in the court, inviting them to experience the steam locomotive."

Luo Yangxing immediately understood and bowed, saying, "Your subject obeys!"

The following morning, Song Yingxing hurriedly entered the palace to pay his respects.

"Your Majesty, preparations for the steam locomotive's inauguration ceremony are complete and scheduled for two weeks from now. Invitations have been sent out as instructed, however... half of the officials have already declined for various reasons, and I fear there will be even more by the time the locomotive opens."

Zhu Youjian said with a half-smile, "Oh? You won't even give me this much face?"

"Some claimed to be sick and asked for leave, some said they were too busy with official duties, and a few didn't even bother to make an excuse and directly refused. Some even said that steam locomotives were strange and ingenious tricks that were an insult to culture."

Zhu Youjian seemed to have anticipated this outcome, saying, "Go back and prepare. I will personally issue the decree to them! They have no choice but to attend the opening ceremony!"

Song Yingxing hesitated, then said, "Your Majesty, I have a question. Most of these officials are completely ignorant of the study of natural phenomena and are extremely resistant to new things. There are over 120 officials of the fourth rank or above in the capital, but each carriage can only accommodate 30 people. If the officials occupy four carriages, there will be nowhere for the technicians, which is extremely detrimental to observing the locomotive's performance."

Zhu Youjian smiled and shook his head: "Minister Song only knows one side of the story, not the other. The most important thing for the first successful operation of the steam locomotive is not the technology, but the publicity. I've heard that the Academy of Sciences has repeatedly encountered difficulties in acquiring land in various places? Once these officials have seen the steam locomotive with their own eyes, your subsequent projects will naturally be much more efficient."

Song Yingxing pondered carefully for a long time, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise; I will immediately make new arrangements!"

Zhu Youjian turned to Wang Chengen and instructed, "You immediately send people to convey my oral decree to everyone: all officials of the fourth rank and above must attend the opening ceremony in half a month!"

Wang Chengen looked troubled and cautiously asked, "Your Majesty, what if... what if those officials insist on not going?"

Are all the people in the Eastern Depot just sitting around doing nothing?

Zhu Youjian said irritably, "If they don't go, you can't do anything about it?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Chengen immediately straightened his back: "This old servant understands! I'll get on it right away! I guarantee not a single one will be missed!"

"etc."

Fearing he might misunderstand, Zhu Youjian explained, "You mustn't resort to violence!"

"This old servant understands!"

Wang Chengen smiled knowingly and said, "If anyone is unwilling to go, this old servant will have someone patiently persuade them, and we will surely get those gentlemen to participate willingly."

"That's right!"

Zhu Youjian thought for a moment, then asked, "How did the sponsorship negotiations go?"

Wang Chengen hurriedly replied, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, everything has been agreed upon, and signs have already been put up at all sixteen stations along the route."

Zhu Youjian pressed on, "Yes, yes, where's the silver?"

Wang Chengen said, "It has all been transferred to the imperial treasury."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian nodded in satisfaction.