I, Altria, only want to rule China.

I don't know how Your Majesty came up with those ideas. From ancient times to the present, there has never been a person as imaginative as Your Majesty. But Your Majesty's ideas are not just imaginative, but can actually be implemented.

Whether it is hot air balloons, steam engines, or electricity, they are all epoch-making things. I don’t know what the future of Wuguo will look like.

"You two masters and disciples, take a look at it first." Leah handed a blueprint to Gongsun Zhi.

The two took the blueprint and looked at it curiously, wanting to know what task His Majesty had assigned to them this time.

There were only some things similar to a carriage drawn on the drawing, but this thing looked longer than a carriage and was divided into several sections.

At the bottom of these carriages are a dozen wheels of the same size, and at the head of the carriage you can see something like a chimney emitting white smoke.

"What is this thing?" The two of them took a look and only knew that this thing seemed to be the same as a carriage, but what it was called depended on what His Majesty said.

"You know about the carriage, right?" Leah first asked a question that everyone knew.

Gongsun Zhi nodded. How could they not know about the carriage? They saw it on the street every day. Did His Majesty want to tell them that this was a carriage?

But this carriage is a bit too strange. It is clearly a carriage but there is no horse pulling it in front.

"In that case, tell me what the function of the carriage is." Leah asked directly.

What is a horse-drawn carriage used for?

Liya's question confused Gongsun Zhi. He didn't know what His Majesty wanted to say, but he still replied honestly:

"Horse-drawn carriages are our main means of transportation at this time. So if we don't have them, people won't be able to migrate or travel far. Even when marching to war, we won't be able to provide food and supplies without horse-drawn carriages."

"You are right. Then Gongsun Zhi, Mr. Lushan, have you ever thought about the disadvantages of horse-drawn carriages?" Leah asked again.

Chapter 144 Steam Locomotive

"Disadvantages? What are the disadvantages of horse-drawn carriages?" Gongsun Zhi and his master were stunned for a moment and asked uncertainly.

Horse-drawn carriages have been around for thousands of years, haven't they always been like this? What other drawbacks could there be?

Seeing that the two really couldn't think of a solution, Liya could only remind them, "The disadvantage of a carriage is the horse. We use horses to pull the carriage, but they are flesh and blood after all and need to eat and rest. It is even more inconvenient to encounter severe cold weather and rugged terrain. Moreover, once the carriage is without horses, it can no longer move. Is that right?

"Your Majesty, what you said is indeed correct. The carriage is famous because of the horse, but without the horse, the carriage can only stay where it is." The two nodded without objection.

"So I was thinking, if we can use something else to replace horses, so that we can carry things day and night without interruption, wouldn't it greatly improve the efficiency of travel?"

When Gongsun Zhi heard this, he thought of the chimney on the front of the car in the picture that Liya had just given him. He didn't know what it meant at first, but now he understood it all at once.

His eyes widened immediately, and he looked at Leah and said, "Your Majesty, do you mean... to use steam engines instead of horses?!"

The meaning of Leah coming to remind him was very clear, there was no reason for Gongsun Zhi not to react. Besides, steam engines had already been put into use in various arsenals, working day and night, and had indeed replaced manpower.

"But can the steam engine really replace the horse-drawn carriage?" Gongsun Zhi still couldn't believe it.

"Of course you can. Have you forgotten those gear sets and pulley sets? With these things combined with the steam engine, you can design a car that can be pulled without a horse."

Whether it was Gongsun Zhi or Lu Shan, their thinking was guided by Leah's actions. They had certain fixed thinking and did not know what the steam engine could do or what it could be used for.

After hearing what Liya said, Gongsun Zhi suddenly had an epiphany, and his thoughts were completely opened!

yes!

The axle of a carriage can be equipped with gears, and combined with a gear set, pulley set and steam engine, it is entirely possible to build a carriage that does not need to be pulled by horses!

Horses need to eat and rest, but steam engines don't! All they need to do is boil water, and as long as they keep boiling water, they can provide a constant supply of power!

This way, we can also reduce expenses and increase efficiency!

Gongsun Zhi suddenly became excited. He discovered that steam engines could not only be used in carriages, but also for other purposes. He did not expect that His Majesty was so smart.

But His Majesty is not that smart, and she can't make something like a steam engine. Although the steam engine was made by him, it was His Majesty who provided the design. His Majesty is the real genius!

"This method is feasible!" In addition to Gongsun Zhi, Lu Shan took another look at the train design drawing, touched his white beard and nodded.

"But your majesty, can this carriage still be called a carriage without a horse?" Lu Shan asked.

"It's not appropriate to call it a carriage without a horse. Since it's powered by steam, let's call it a steam locomotive." Leah was too lazy to bother coming up with a new name.

"Okay, let's call it a steam locomotive. This is a good name!" When the two heard it, they immediately nodded. This name undoubtedly explained what this car was about.

Seeing that the two had completely understood, Liya patted Gongsun Zhi's shoulder and said:

"Minister Gongsun, the steam train is just one of the types. You can also try to make some small cars. When there are no problems at all, you can move on to the big ones. Don't worry about the money. I will let the Ministry of Revenue fully cooperate with you. What you have to do is to make this steam train for me. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I will definitely not let Your Majesty down!" Gongsun Zhi said excitedly.

When Gongsun Zhi received a message from Liya asking him to devote all his energy to developing the train, he and his master began to design how to add a steam engine to a horse-drawn carriage.

First, they had to build a carriage frame, but the carriage frame only had two wheels. After removing the horses, it was obviously not feasible with just two wheels.

So they had to refer to the design drawings that Leah gave them. The chassis of the car they built had several wheels, which was roughly the model of future cars.

But the technology required for cars is too complicated, and the steering problem alone is enough to cause them a lot of trouble, so it is more reliable to use a straight-forward and simpler train.

It is not enough to simply rely on Gongsun Zhi and his men. There are some things that Liya needs to help with, such as the design of the railway. The train also needs to be equipped with a transmission device so that it can run along the laid track.

It can be said that designing a train requires not only Gongsun Zhi and his team to put in a lot of thought, but Liya also has to share everything she knows so as to avoid taking many detours.

After all, it often takes a long time from inventing a new thing to putting it into formal use, but she can greatly shorten this time.

In addition, because she was the emperor, as long as she gave an order, the entire country would be mobilized and the product would be completed in a very short time.

Because Liya knew the importance of steam locomotives to the Wu Kingdom, she had been paying attention to the situation of Gongsun Zhi and the others during this period of time. Once any difficulties arose, Liya would personally step forward to help them solve the problem.

In order to get the steam locomotive online quickly, she even didn't attend the court meetings during this period, and left everything to Morgan, letting Morgan and the ministers hold the daily court meetings.

It can be said that she was the one who designed the steam locomotive this time and was also the supervisor. Seeing that their emperor was so concerned about this matter that he even neglected sleep and food, the staff of the Ministry of Works did not dare to neglect it.

After so many years of development, and with Leah publishing a book a few years ago called "Traditional Chinese Methods to Refine All Things," Wu State's handicrafts are now very good, almost catching up with the Republic of China period.

This book was hailed as a classic, and Leah, the author of the book, was praised by people throughout the Wu Kingdom.

So with Wu State's current technology, there is no problem in building a steam locomotive.

If there is no direction, these craftsmen may still be confused, after all, going from 0 to 1 is very difficult.

But after Leah gave various solutions, it was no longer a matter of 0 to 1, but a matter of 1 to 2. If they still couldn't figure it out, Leah would think that all the people in the Ministry of Industry were just eating and drinking for free, and they needed to be replaced.

In addition to the Ministry of Industry working on the steam locomotive, Leah also selected an open space and asked her subordinates to build a section of railway in advance, so that when the steam locomotive comes out, it can be tested in advance.

In this way, after two months, the steam locomotive that Leah had been dreaming of was finally built successfully.

Chapter 145: This Day Can Go Down in History

This newly built train was similar to the steam locomotives of later generations. The front part was the steam engine, and behind the steam engine was a pile of coal used to boil water. Behind the coal were carriages.

Just today, on the evening of December 10, 12 AD, the Wu State manufactured the first steam locomotive, which was officially written into human history.

Looking at this first steam locomotive, Gongsun Zhi smiled. From his perspective, the steam locomotive that His Majesty asked them to build this time could be said to be a real national treasure!

It was important for him to participate in the manufacture of the train and leave his name behind! He even felt that participating in the manufacture of the train was enough to make him famous in history!

You have to know that he was just an ordinary craftsman. If it weren't for the promotion of His Majesty, he would still be farming in the countryside. He wouldn't even dare to think about leaving a name in history!

Now, the opportunity is right in front of him!

As long as His Majesty announces this matter, his name will surely be recorded in the history books!

In fact, many of the things that Leah had given him to make were enough to make him famous in history, but he didn't know it.

When Liya saw Gongsun Zhi coming in person and saying that the steam locomotive was ready, she heaved a sigh of relief. In this way, she could announce this matter at the court meeting tomorrow.

Liya looked at Gongsun Zhi and said seriously, "My dear Gongsun, thank you for your hard work during this period."

Gongsun Zhi was somewhat flattered and said quickly, "It's not hard, it's not hard. Your Majesty is the one who is thinking about the emergence of steam locomotives for a long time. Our achievements are nothing compared to your quick thinking."

Upon hearing this, Liya just smiled and said, "I just came up with these ideas. When it comes to manufacturing, I still have to rely on you..."

She was just standing on the shoulders of giants and could see a little farther than them. Without the help of these people, and relying solely on herself, it would not be that simple even if she knew the principle.

The next day at the court meeting, Leah officially attended the court.

When seeing Leah return to court, all the ministers were a little stunned. After all, Her Majesty the Queen had not attended the morning court for two months and had been running back and forth in the Ministry of Works. It was said that she was working on some new items.

If it was in the past, Liya's behavior would definitely be labeled as a playboy. After all, she didn't even attend the morning court, but played with carpenter's things, and left all the government affairs to the queen. What else could she be but a tyrant?

However, Leah's performance has completely changed the ministers' impression of her. If it is what Your Majesty did, then it must be correct. We just need to believe in her without reservation.

Now that we see Her Majesty the Queen attending the morning court again, it means that this matter has been resolved by Her Majesty the Queen. I just don’t know whether it will be announced today.

Although Liya Liya hadn't attended the morning court for more than two months, Morgan had been handling it, so there was no backlog of memorials that needed her to deal with.

"Today's morning court is about to end. My dear ministers, there is no need to leave in a hurry. I would like to invite you to see an item."

After a simple morning court session, Leah told all the ministers that she wanted to show them something, which was also the reason why she had not attended court for the past two months.

"Your Majesty, could you please tell me why you haven't been to court for the past two months because of what you just said?" a minister asked, bowing.

"Yes, my dear ministers, in order to make this thing, you don't know that I didn't even eat well, and I couldn't sleep well. I kept talking about this thing every day." Leah said as if complaining, but the slightly raised corners of her mouth still showed that she was quite proud of what she had done in the past two months.

Looking at the expression on Leah's face, the ministers became even more curious, and they didn't know what the emperor had come up with.

"I wonder if Your Majesty can tell me?" Seeing the expression on Leah's lips, Morgan stretched out his hand, gently placed it on Leah's hand and squeezed it.

While asking questions, he did not forget to take advantage of Leah.

Although the two of them now have three children, Liya has not been as close to her since the journey in Xinjiang ended.

Basically, Morgan took the initiative to arouse Liya's interest, and the two of them could continue to stick together, but that only happened once or twice a month, which made Morgan very unhappy.

She and Leah should be together every night, but every time she touched Leah, Leah would avoid her unless she was sexually interested, so she had no other options.

"There is no need to hide this matter now. Gongsun Zhi, tell us what you have made in the past two months so that the ministers can have an idea of ​​it first."

Leah didn't tell Morgan about this in advance, she just said she would give her a surprise. So when Morgan knew that Leah was doing something strange, she didn't find out in advance.

After hearing what Liya said, Gongsun Zhi also walked out from the crowd of ministers, bowed to Liya, clasped his fists and said to the ministers around him.

"Your Majesty had previously ordered me to build a workshop in the western suburbs to manufacture the things you mentioned. After it was built, I led my craftsmen to work day and night. Under your Majesty's instructions, we recently built a steam locomotive that can travel 40 kilometers an hour without the use of horses."

After Gongsun Zhi finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent for a moment.

Everyone, including Morgan, thought they had heard it wrong.

train?

What it is?

Can you walk without a horse? And it's 40 kilometers an hour, 400 kilometers in 960 hours, 1000 kilometers a day, so that's kilometers.

This is truly traveling a thousand miles a day, how is this possible?! People really couldn't imagine how the carriage could move without horses.

So a Confucian minister stepped forward and asked, "Minister Gongsun, are you kidding me? A carriage, a carriage, can only run because of horses. Without horses, how can a carriage travel a thousand miles a day? Could it be that the steam locomotive you mentioned can be lifted up by itself without wind if you blow a breath of fairy air?"

"Hahahaha..." Many people in the audience laughed out loud at the minister's words.

What the minister said was exactly what they were thinking. Without horses to pull it, a carriage would just be a pile of broken wood, wouldn't it?

Gongsun Zhi wanted to say something but stopped himself and shook his head helplessly.

If he had not personally participated in this matter, he would probably be like everyone else present and would never believe that a train could run without horses pulling it.

Chapter 146 What is a train?

In fact, the reaction of most people in the hall at this time was normal.

Even though Leah had invented many new things over the years, the Wu Kingdom was still an agricultural country at that time, and the development of industry and handicrafts was almost negligible.

Most of these ministers had never even seen a steam engine that could replace human labor by boiling water. They had no idea of ​​mechanical devices at all, so how could they believe in the existence of steam locomotives?

Even though there are now many more representatives of various schools of thought in the court, in fact, more than half of the people in the court are still Confucianists.

Even though the Mohists did a lot of things that benefited the country and the people, they still looked down on Mohists, who were carpenters and their colleagues, from the bottom of their hearts. It was normal for them to ridicule them from time to time.

If you think about it carefully, you can see the pedantry of these Confucianists during the more than one thousand years of the Qing Dynasty.

When Western trains were first introduced to China, didn't Empress Dowager Cixi and a group of ministers who were tied up in their brains not know what they were?

There was even a series of blunders involving trains being pulled by people, which made Westerners laugh their heads off.

But now, it should be their Wu Kingdom that laughs at other countries.

After the minister's words, he felt that he had taken the high ground in terms of intelligence. He naturally did not want to miss the opportunity to show off in front of the emperor, and continued to speak relentlessly:

"Minister Gongsun, you are in charge of the Ministry of Works and you have many skilled craftsmen under your command. But you must be careful not to be deceived by people with ulterior motives!"

Gongsun Zhi's face suddenly turned cold when he heard this.