Accompanied by the sound of whistles, Emperor Hongzhi and his ministers began to wait for the bus.
The special train for Emperor Hongzhi and others was naturally the most luxurious train. The layout of the carriage was different from that of ordinary carriages, similar to the carriages specially used for heads of state in later generations.
There are not only spacious and comfortable seats inside, but also bedrooms, offices, small conference rooms, etc. It is extremely well prepared and the layout is also very particular.
“This arrangement is really good!”
Emperor Hongzhi looked carefully inside the carriage he was riding in, smiled and said.
"Your Majesty, this is a royal train, so it is naturally different from ordinary carriages."
"If it's an ordinary carriage, the locations are very tightly packed, and it's not very convenient to stretch your legs."
Liu Jin smiled and said.
Emperor Hongzhi and the ministers wanted to experience the train, so it was impossible for Liu Jin to really let Emperor Hongzhi sit on the public seats.
The emperor's trip was of huge scale, and the first thing he needed to consider was safety. Secondly, he had to consider all other aspects carefully, and there could be no mistakes.
Emperor Hongzhi occupied several carriages here. Not only did he need one carriage, but there were also a large number of palace guards and factory guards in the two adjacent carriages.
Except for the cabinet elders and the ministers of the six ministers, other officials can only ride in other carriages. Of course, the carriages these officials ride in are also similar to the first-class carriages of later generations. The seats are very wide and the layout is very comfortable. They are different from ordinary seats.
are different.
"Woo~"
As the officials boarded the train one after another, soon, the train whistle sounded, and at the same time, billowing white gas continued to pour out.
Emperor Hongzhi, Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, Xie Qian, Zhang Mao and others all took the train for the first time. They all seemed a little nervous. When they learned that it was about to start, they all sat on the seats and held their hands next to them.
armrests, chairs, windows, etc.
"Your Majesty, gentlemen~"
"Don't be nervous, the train runs very smoothly. Even if you put a glass of water on the table, it won't spill out."
Seeing their looks, Liu Jin immediately smiled and said.
"Haha, look at how nervous you are."
Zhu Houzhao also laughed, took out a glass, poured a glass of water, put it on the table and said very confidently: "I'll show you what technology is~"
"The water won't even come out?"
Li Dongyang said with slight disbelief: "Even a four-wheeled carriage is bumpy sometimes, let alone this train. I saw it before getting on the train. The railway is paved with gravel. This is not the case."
How can walking on gravel be so stable?"
"That's right, the gravels are quite big."
Xie Qian also nodded and said, "Even on a concrete road, it's impossible to say that even water can't come out."
"Hmph~ You'll find out later."
When Zhu Houzhao heard this, he immediately snorted angrily.
"Woo~"
"Keng wipe~Keng wipe~"
Soon, with the sound of whistles, and at the same time, white air gushes out from the front of the train, the train starts to start slowly, and it makes a unique sound when running on the rails.
"Start~"
Zhang Mao looked outside, feeling the train start, and immediately reminded him.
When everyone heard this, they suddenly became nervous again. Xiao Jing, Xiao Huangmen, the palace guards, etc. who were around Emperor Hongzhi were even more nervous, for fear that something would happen and Emperor Hongzhi would be injured or something.
Fortunately, the train ran very smoothly, and no one even felt the slightest bump.
"Keng wipe~Keng wipe~"
"Woo~"
The train continued to advance on the railway track, and the speed became faster and faster. Gradually, the scenery outside the window was slowly moving backwards. In no time, the train left the train station and headed towards Tianjin.
“It’s really stable!”
Li Dongyang did not look outside, but kept looking at the glass water cup on the table. He was amazed when he saw that the water inside was only slightly undulating.
"Haha, of course~"
"This train actually runs on rails. This rail is very particular. It needs to lay a very wide and stable foundation first, and then lay sleepers and rails on top. The gravel you see, it is actually
It is to increase the pressure-bearing area and reduce the pressure on the railway."
"This is mainly because the train's carrying capacity is very large, which puts huge pressure on the road surface. Paving gravel can increase the pressure area and reduce the pressure."
Zhu Houzhao laughed happily, and then he also popularized the knowledge of what pressure is. After hearing that Emperor Hongzhi and others were confused, they still couldn't figure out what the relationship between this gravel and pressure and bearing pressure were.
Everyone was embarrassed to ask in detail for fear of losing face.
Everyone looked at the water glasses on the table, and then looked at the receding scenery outside, and couldn't help but nod slightly. After carefully feeling it, it was really stable and much more comfortable than riding in a four-wheeled carriage.
"Don't mention it, it seems like it would be a great enjoyment to find a few friends and chat while riding the train while enjoying the scenery outside."
Liu Jian looked at the scenery outside the window. The South District New Town in the capital is currently the fastest growing and most prosperous area in the capital. There are many high-rise buildings. Sitting on the train and looking at it is a unique experience.
"It's really like that~"
Xie Qian looked outside, smiled and nodded.
It is indeed a kind of enjoyment to sit next to the window, drink tea, chat and look at different scenery.
"It's quite fast. It seems to be pretty good compared to riding a horse."
Zhang Mao looked at the scenery outside, calculated silently and said.
"Of course~"
"The speed of the train can reach 160 miles per hour (one hour is equal to 2 hours, 160 miles is equivalent to 80 kilometers, which is 40 kilometers per hour), and if you walk on a specially closed railway track, it can run even at night
of."
Zhu Houzhao nodded proudly again and told the speed of the train.
"160 miles per hour, doesn't that mean it can travel thousands of miles in a day?"
After hearing Zhu Houzhao's words, everyone was slightly surprised again.
Traveling thousands of miles a day is something that only the best BMWs can achieve, but a horse can only carry one person and can carry only about a hundred kilograms.
But as for the train in front of us, it would be incredible if it could travel thousands of miles a day and carry two thousand people or two hundred thousand kilograms of cargo at a time.
"Walking a thousand miles is very easy. If you walk six hours in a twelve-hour day, you can walk a thousand miles. If you walk a full twelve hours, you can walk two thousand miles a day."
Zhu Houzhao said very proudly.
"This... carries two thousand people or two hundred thousand kilograms of cargo at a time, traveling thousands of miles a day. This is unbelievable!"
After Li Dongyang heard this, he couldn't help but sigh and shook his head. It was really hard to believe that there was such a powerful and convenient means of transportation.
You know, in this day and age, going out is extremely difficult.
They were all scholars. In ancient times, when they were rushing to take exams, they, the scholars, had the most profound experience of the hardships of the journey.
The vast majority of scholars walk on two legs when they are rushing for exams. It is better if they are closer, but if they are far away, they have to rush for exams several months in advance. Their legs will be broken and they will have to wear many pairs of shoes.
Just enough to wear.
Well now, if there is this train, it will be very convenient to go out in the future.
Just sit on the train, drink tea, read a book, chat, and enjoy the scenery outside the window when you are bored. Walking thousands of miles in a day, no matter how far the journey is, will become extremely relaxed.
This is something I never dared to think about before.
In the past, when we were tired from walking, we tried to encourage ourselves by enduring hardships to become the best, suffering our minds, starving our bodies, and depleting our bodies. However, we never thought about it.
However, traveling can be so easy, convenient and fast.
“It’s unimaginable!”
Xie Qian also nodded solemnly, and then said in a recalling tone: "I still remember when I went to Beijing to take the exam. It took more than a month to walk from Zhejiang to the capital before arriving in the capital."
"When I arrived in the capital, I was exhausted. The journey was really miserable. If there had been a train like this that could travel thousands of miles a day, I would have been able to read a book on the train and enjoy the scenery while traveling.
If so, I won’t be so tired.”
"Yes, when I went to Beijing to take the exam, I was very tired from traveling and traveling. I was young at the time. If I were asked to walk back to Henan now, I would probably die of exhaustion on the road."
Liu Jian was also filled with emotions.
Times have really changed, too fast.
He could imagine that with this train, travel between various regions in the Ming Dynasty would become more convenient, faster, traveling thousands of miles a day, and so smooth and comfortable. This is not like traveling far away. This is simply
Just enjoy.
Moreover, the transportation of goods between various regions will also become more convenient and faster. With such a powerful carrying capacity, as long as the trains and railways extend, everything will undergo earth-shaking changes.
Compared with the cement roads currently being built on a large scale, the emergence of trains will truly break the barriers between the Ming Dynasty regions and closely connect the vast territory of the Ming Dynasty.
"A magical weapon that benefits the country and the people!"
Zhang Mao also nodded solemnly, and then his eyes began to shine.
The railway has such a powerful carrying capacity and is so important. The business of building the railway is naturally possible, and you must participate in it.
"In the past, I always felt that craftsmen and the like were just fancy skills and trivial skills. Now it seems that we are still too ignorant and ignorant. The power of craftsmen can be so powerful and incredible!"
