There is a slight chill in the capital in the early morning. Winter is about to begin and the weather is getting colder.
But this does not stop the old and young men in the capital from getting up early and going to the teahouse to drink morning tea, chat and brag with enthusiasm. Tingyu Pavilion has just opened, and it is quickly filled with tea drinkers.
Many tea guests sat together in twos and threes, chatting with each other, criticizing the current ills, wishing they could scold Fang Qiu, point out the country, and promote words, which would be like the dust of thousands of households.
"Have you taken this train?"
"No, I didn't buy a ticket. I originally planned to take the train to Tianjin to watch the football match, but who knows, I didn't even buy the ticket."
"I happened to buy a train ticket and went to experience this train myself."
"how is it going?"
"Hurry up and tell everyone if this train is as magical as the legend says."
"Ahem, this train is even more magical than the one in the legend."
"In front of it is a locomotive, which is a steam engine, which is mainly driven by steam power. At the back are many long carriages, which can be used to carry people and transport goods."
"This train is very powerful. I can see clearly that the train I took has twenty-two carriages, each carriage has one hundred seats, and two of them were pulled at once.
Thousands of people.”
In the tea house, a tea patron was dancing and bragging about his train ride experience to the people around him.
"Blow me~"
"You can pull two thousand people at once. Do you know how many people there are in two thousand people?"
"That's right. When we stand together, with your size, I guess you can't even see the side."
"Two thousand people is an exaggeration. I think two hundred people is about the same. This most powerful four-wheeled carriage can pull dozens of people at a time, but it requires several good horses."
However, the people next to him didn't buy it. They thought he was bragging and retorted repeatedly.
"Oh, I still need to brag about this. Ask those who have taken the train."
"You need to queue up when taking the train. There is a long queue here for every carriage. There are two thousand people at a time, only a little more. You haven't seen the situation inside the train station. It is a sea of people and there are people everywhere."
"And you can also check out the information about the train distributed at the train station. This train can carry two thousand people at a time or pull 200,000 kilograms of goods at a time. It is very powerful."
Being suspected, the speaker was naturally very angry and spoke again.
"I can testify to this because I have also ridden this train. It can indeed transport 2,000 people at a time."
At this time, someone next to him also spoke.
"Can you really attract two thousand people at once?"
"It's hard to say."
"I still have to lie to you?"
"When it's not so lively in a few days, you can go buy a ticket and take the ride yourself and you'll know."
"Let me tell you, this train ride is very comfortable, especially if there are three or five friends around you, and everyone sits together, chatting, and looking at the scenery outside. It feels absolutely unique.
enjoy."
"Blow me~"
"I have never ridden on a train, but I have ridden on this carriage. Even the smoothest four-wheeled carriage is sometimes very bumpy. Can you still enjoy riding a train?"
When they heard him boasting that taking the train was a kind of enjoyment, the people next to him immediately expressed doubts again.
"That's right, the most difficult thing since ancient times is traveling far away. Although Tianjin is relatively close to the capital, it is still more than two hundred miles away. If the cement road had not been built and the old official road had not been built, it would have been
Extremely hard work.”
"It would be better if you take the train once and come here to boast that riding the train is a kind of enjoyment. I will believe you."
"That's right, that's right, it's not like I've never been to Tianjin. Taking a four-wheel carriage to Tianjin will make my back hurt. How can you still enjoy taking the train?"
"Forget it if you don't believe it~"
"This train is completely different from a carriage. This train is very flat. If you put a glass of water on the train, it won't turn over. You will know how stable the train is."
"And it takes almost a day to reach Tianjin by horse-drawn carriage, but by taking this train, it starts in the morning and arrives in Tianjin at noon, which is very fast."
"If you've never taken a train, you might think I'm bragging. You'd better take a train and give it a try, and you'll know. I'm not bragging at all."
"I don't believe it. There can be such a stable car?"
"And it's so fast. You can reach Tianjin in less than two hours?"
"The faster the speed, the bigger the bumps will be. Will the water not be able to turn over?"
"Yes, yes, it's just like riding a four-wheeled carriage. Once the speed increases, you make a sudden turn or slow down, the people inside may be thrown out."
People around them couldn't believe this at all, because these things about trains were far beyond their cognitive scope.
"He's not bragging. I've also been on this train. It's true~"
"In a few days, when the train is not so busy, you can take the train and take a look. You will know some things by experiencing them yourself."
The people next to me who had also taken the train also spoke up.
"The newspaper is here~ The newspaper is here~"
At this moment, a waiter in the restaurant shouted excitedly. He was carrying a large bag of newspapers on his back, all of which were today's latest newspapers.
"Quick, quick, bring it here~"
Seeing the waiter, everyone immediately became energetic.
The reason why everyone wakes up early to have morning tea is, apart from the atmosphere here, the most important thing is of course to be the first to read today's newspapers and learn about the latest news.
The newspapers in the waiter's second hand were delivered to the tea guests at a very fast speed. The originally bustling tea house suddenly became quiet, and everyone was reading the newspapers. Only when everyone had finished reading the newspapers, the tea house would become lively again.
"The emperor met and commended the steam locomotive research team, and awarded the Luban Prize to Ren Siheng, the director of the Beijing Machinery Research Institute, and awarded Ren Siheng the title of earl, a thousand acres of fertile land on the Golden Continent, and a thousand taels of gold!"
"Oh my god~"
The headlines of the Ming Dynasty Morning Post clearly reported that Emperor Hongzhi met with the steam locomotive research team in the morning yesterday.
The entire steam locomotive research team made great contributions to the research of the train, was received by the emperor, and also won the Luban Prize.
Several people who have made major and outstanding contributions have won the Luban Prize and been awarded knighthoods. Although it is not a hereditary knighthood, it is still a great thing.
Since ancient times, there have been only two ways to obtain a title. One is to expand territory and kill enemies with blood, and the other is to marry your daughter to the emperor and become a relative. Besides, getting a title is more difficult than ascending to heaven.
able.
The status of craftsmen has always been very low, especially under the household registration system in the Ming Dynasty. The status of craftsmen households is probably a little better than that of military households and kitchen households, but their status is still very low.
But now, the Emperor of Heaven not only received these craftsmen in person, but also gave them rewards and titles. This is definitely unprecedented.
It was an unprecedented event, enough to cause a huge earthquake in the entire Ming Dynasty.
By being a craftsman and developing a steam locomotive, one can obtain a knighthood and receive the honor of being received by the emperor. This is enough to excite craftsmen all over the world.
In addition to the great honor, the reward of a thousand acres of fertile land and a thousand taels of gold is also a real reward, not just in appearance, but also has practical benefits.
It can be said that this has never happened before. No one thought that a craftsman could be received by the emperor and receive a title.
"A craftsman can also be received by the emperor, and can he also get a title?"
People were dumbfounded and found it unbelievable when they read the reports in the newspapers.
For a long time, in everyone's impression, it is extremely difficult to obtain a knighthood. Only by opening up new territories can one obtain a knighthood, which requires military merit.
But now, several of these craftsmen who developed steam locomotives have received titles and been received by the emperor. What an honor it is. The ancestors are smoking.
"I have always felt that these things are unreliable, and it is better to study."
"When my child went to a new-style school, I was not willing to do it. Now it seems that there is nothing wrong with going to a new-style school and learning some trades in the future, and he can also be successful."
"Isn't that right~"
"Isn't it mentioned above that starting from this year, the imperial court will award the Luban Prize every year to scientists and engineers who have made outstanding contributions in the field of research."
"That is to say, from now on, this will happen every year."
"What are scientists and engineers?"
"Scientists and engineers actually mean craftsmen, but the newspaper said that craftsmen rely on their craftsmanship to make a living and study various benefits, but scientists and engineers are different. They mainly study the essence of things and many phenomena. In fact, popular
My understanding is that they are more advanced."
"I see, they are all craftsmen after all~"
"They are not craftsmen. They are essentially different from craftsmen. They are mainly engaged in research, and they must study how to improve the power of steam engines, how to increase food production, and research medicine and so on."
"Anyway, it's different from craftsmen. Craftsmen all practice traditional crafts, but they all study new things. The names are different, so naturally they are completely different."
"Oh, so that's it. Let me just say, wouldn't we be able to call them craftsmen from now on?"
"Well, I didn't see it mentioned in the newspaper. The teachers in this high-end school are called professors. Those who do research are called scientists and engineers. They can't be called craftsmen. No matter how good the craftsman is, he can do it.
Get off the train?"
"Yes, it seems that the things taught in this new school are really useful and have a bright future."