The steam train made a roaring sound and slowly drew closer to the station.
After receiving the imperial edict from the emperor to go on tour, King Ning ran over from Chengdu Mansion early and led officials from Yingtian Mansion to greet him at the station.
The train stopped, and the first to get off was a team of uniformed guards.
Yuan Bin looked around and after confirming that there was no danger, he turned around and knocked on the door of the carriage.
The door opened and Zhu Qizhen walked out of the train accompanied by Fan Zhong and others.
It was about two thousand miles from Beijing to Nanjing. In later generations, it only took less than half a day by high-speed rail.
The most primitive steam train had a speed of only about 50 kilometers per hour and ran for two days and two nights.
For Zhu Qizhen, it was simply too slow and too painful.
However, others are quite excited, as if they have discovered a new world.
Because the train does not need to rest, as long as it replenishes coal at stations along the way, it can continue running tirelessly.
Moreover, trains carry people and goods. Just imagine, if a war breaks out, carts of soldiers, horses, weapons and equipment, and food, grass and baggage are transported to the front line without interruption, and the other side surrenders before the fighting begins.
Fighting is not just about numbers and equipment, but more importantly about supplies.
At that time, Emperor Taizong conquered Mongolia in the north and Annan in the south. Each major battle required more than half a year of preparation.
Before the soldiers and horses are moved, food and grass go first. Before the army goes out for the expedition, a vanguard is still needed to go out to explore the road and open a food road.
This grain road will be related to the trend of the entire war. In the battle of Tumubao, the Ming army's grain road was cut off by tiles, resulting in the army being besieged. If Zhu Qizhen hadn't broken the boat and fought a last-ditch battle, the history of Emperor Meng would have happened again.<
/p>
However, with railways and trains, everything changed.
No matter when or where a war breaks out, the imperial court's troops and horses arrive at dawn and dusk, and supplies are endless. How can we fight against the other side?
King Ning stepped forward and said respectfully: "I respectfully welcome the emperor on his tour!"
Zhu Qizhen walked out of the train, took a deep breath, and said, "I've been sitting there for two days and two nights, but I'm exhausted!"
This is not because he is being pretentious, but actually... the trains of this era do not consider comfort at all. Even the most luxurious A-size carriages only have gorgeous furnishings and spacious seats.
The entire carriage is like a huge iron can, not to mention the loud noise. The key is that the air circulation is extremely poor. Moreover, because the carriage is near the front, the soot from the locomotive steam engine keeps pouring into it. After a long time, it makes people feel nauseous.
.
Zhu Qizhen walked out of the station accompanied by everyone. It was the end of spring and the beginning of summer, and there was a sense of "the sunrise and the river's flowers are as red as the fire, and the spring's water is as green as blue".
Prince Ning couldn't help but smile apologetically and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Your Majesty. I have prepared a banquet for Your Majesty to wash away the dust."
"Forget about the banquet, extravagance and waste are not advisable!"
Zhu Qizhen waved his hand and said with a smile: "I understand your wishes. Let's get down to business first. Later, I want to take a walk around Jiangnan and take a look!"
Prince Ning is a man who is good at attacking people's hearts. After hearing this, he immediately felt guilty.
The so-called business is just inspecting the railway. To be honest, the emperor came here mainly for a formality...
He didn't even expect that the emperor actually came in person.
However, it doesn't matter if he comes, the railways and the New Deal are all about people's livelihood. The emperor is here, and he seems to take it seriously.
As a result, the Railway Bureau's stock will rise even more!
Therefore, when he learned about the emperor's patrol, he was so excited that he couldn't sleep for three days and three nights.
Where is the emperor? It is clearly a golden dragon, walking on the railway, with the super power of turning iron into gold!
But... what does it mean to walk around Jiangnan and take a look?
Where to go and what to see?
Then I thought about it again, what could be possible in Jiangnan?
What a beauty!
The emperor is now in his twenties, when he is in his prime. When he came to the south of the Yangtze River, why not go to the banks of the Qinhuai River to see beauties?
Landscape?
However, what if the queens and concubines in the harem find out...
Forget it, I don’t want to think about it anymore, when the time comes, as the emperor’s uncle, I will just shame it and take the blame myself!
"The emperor has been tired all the way. I suggest that you go to the palace to rest first and then go to inspect the railway tomorrow. Then, I will accompany the emperor for a walk. I wonder what the emperor wants?"
Zhu Qizhen looked at the sky and saw that it was already evening, so he said, "That's fine, I'll go to the Qing family to make arrangements. I'll go to the railway bureau tomorrow and ask everyone personally."
Prince Ning quickly nodded: "I obey your order!"
Zhu Qizhen returned to the palace to rest all the way, but King Ning did not dare to neglect. He first ordered to go down, and the railway bureau prepared to welcome the holy driver, and then went to the Qinhuai River.
Although the singers along the Qinhuai River are famous all over the world, this is the emperor after all, and he has to personally select a few beautiful ones to avoid letting those vulgar fans ruin the emperor's elegance.
At this time in the Qinhuai River, thin horses are popular. At a glance, eight of the ten women are extremely thin, and two are sallow and thin... hungry!
Raising thin horses is a synonym for a deformed aesthetic in this era. Rich people would buy back good-looking girls from poor families and train them, teaching them singing, dancing, music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and then selling them as concubines to the rich.
Or they entered the Qin Tower and Chu Pavilion to make profits. Because poor girls are often thin and weak, the name "Skinny Horse" comes from this.
The literary giant Zhao Yi said in "Kai Yu Cong Kao Raising Skinny Horses": "Yangzhou people raise horses and sell them as concubines. It is commonly known as raising skinny horses. The meaning is unknown. Bai Xiangshan's poem says: Don't raise skinny horses.
, don’t teach the little girl, the funeral is in the present, if you don’t believe it, you will remember: the horse is fat and fast, and the prostitute can sing and dance. In three to five years, it has been heard that the owner has changed. Song Mantang quoted it as the theory of raising thin horses.
This is it."
I don’t know why, but those dignitaries like to be thin, and the thinner the better. Therefore, the thinness of thin horses is not only caused by natural frailty, but also by deliberate starvation.
King Ning came to the riverside and directly found the largest painted boat.
This ship was converted from a treasure ship. It is three stories high and decorated with carved beams and painted tiles. It is extremely luxurious.
The person who went out to greet the guests was a middle-aged woman. Seeing Prince Ning's extraordinary bearing, her face was filled with a flattering smile.
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"Uncle, you haven't been here for a long time!"
Prince Ning was stunned for a moment, wondering when did I come here?
Then I realized that this rhetoric was just a pimp's trick to attract customers. He would say this to anyone he met.
He nodded calmly and said: "I heard from others that your place is the face of Qinhuai River. How do you say that?"...
"Hey, sir, please tell me, our boat is a refitted official ship, how can it be compared to those small fishing boats?"
"Who asked you about the ship?"
Prince Ning looked slightly displeased. Did I come to you to take the boat?
The madam hurriedly apologized: "What I'm saying is that the girls here are all very beautiful, especially Miss Lianxiang, who is this year's oiran. Countless famous students come here every day..."
This person was very noisy, and Prince Ning didn't pay much attention to what he said next. He only knew that there was an oiran named Miss Lianxiang.
This name doesn’t sound right to you, it’s so vulgar and unbearable!
"Then call him out and let me...ahem..."
Prince Ning almost spilled the beans and quickly pretended to cough.
Fortunately, the madam kept talking about how good and beautiful their girl Lianxiang was, and how she was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Then the conversation changed: "I don't know, there are so many people who want to see girl Lianxiang every day."
There are too many. If you are interested, you need to make an appointment."
Prince Ning frowned. I didn't even make an appointment to see the emperor. Why do I need to make an appointment when I come to your place?
"I'm just a singer, do I still need to make a reservation?"
"I'm really sorry, the people who made the reservation have already been scheduled ten days later. Look..."
After hearing this, Prince Ning was about to fall out on the spot, but then he thought about it, he was here to have fun for the emperor, if something happened at this juncture, it would be good to say or not to be heard.
Forget it, it’s better not to follow this
Some people have common knowledge.
Snap!
I saw him take out a stack of banknotes from his arms, all in denominations of one hundred taels, ten of them, and threw them directly on the table beside him.
The old bustard's eyes widened and he quickly shut up.
Ning Wang said dullly: "Do I still need to make an appointment?"
"No, no need..."
The madam carefully put away the banknotes. Seeing the other party's disdain, he thought to himself that this time he met the God of Wealth.
"Please come upstairs!"
The old madam personally led the way, and Prince Ning followed her upstairs and came to the door of a room.
"Girl, we have a distinguished guest!"
After Prince Ning entered the door, the old madam left without hesitation. However, after only about a cup of tea, Prince Ning came out.
The madam was a little surprised. In such a short period of time, she didn’t even finish singing a song. Why did she come out?
Miss Lianxiang was born in a beautiful country, could it be that this one... can't do it?
She couldn't hide the strange look in her eyes. She looked at this person again and thought to herself, he looks young, about thirty years old, why not?
Should I take this opportunity to recommend some ancestral secret recipes to him...
"Come here!"
"Ah..."
The madam was thinking wildly when she saw the other party waving to her.
Immediately afterwards, King Ning took out five more silver notes and said: "I guarantee your ship, including the people on it, for three days!"
The madam stared at the bank note with her eyes. This time the denomination was not one hundred taels, but one thousand taels, which is five thousand taels of silver!
"Uncle, are you...going to entertain any distinguished guests?"
"Not bad!"
Prince Ning nodded and said: "From tomorrow onwards, you will no longer be in business. This is half of the reward, and I will give you half in three days!"…
The madam felt like she was dreaming. Five thousand taels of silver was only half of it.
You can earn 10,000 taels in three days. I would never dream of doing this!
She stretched out her slightly trembling hand, took the banknote tremblingly, and then said in an equally trembling voice: "You...just tell me!"
Prince Ning thought for a while and said: "Miss Lianxiang, there is no need to say more. Do you have any other girls here?"
"Yes, yes!"
The madam immediately called out all the girls in the boat, and as for those who were picking up guests, he immediately drove them away...
Just kidding, those poor scholars all claim to be romantic and suave, but they are picky when it comes to collecting money. Even if they sit there for a whole day, they can't come up with a few taels of silver. How can they be compared with this God of Wealth?
King Ning selected four more beautiful singers among these women, including Miss Lianxiang, a total of five, thinking that this should be enough.
However, I am still worried after all. Who knows what the emperor’s aesthetic taste is? If even five of them are dissatisfied, my own railway bureau will not be able to open it?
So, I selected eight more women from other boats as backup, thinking that this time it should be enough.
He walked around the Qinhuai River. The people who usually come and go here are some dignitaries or talented people. If he sends some people, there shouldn't be any problems.
As for the painting boat, he asked his own guards to guard the boat in advance, and replaced all the boatmen serving tea and water with his own people.
Everything is ready, and we will wait for the Holy Spirit to arrive tomorrow before we leave with satisfaction.
Early the next morning, Zhu Qizhen led people to the Railway Bureau and began inspections.
It is said to be an inspection, but in fact it is equivalent to condolences. Anyway, just look here, ask there, and then walk along the railway.
When the craftsmen of the Railway Bureau and the people of Nanjing learned that the emperor was coming in person, they all burst into tears with excitement.
Your Majesty, you are alive!
When the White Lotus Sect rebelled, the emperor personally led the troops to annihilate it. At that time, some people were lucky enough to see Long Yan, but most people only heard about it.
It is said that at that time, the White Lotus Sect summoned heavenly soldiers and generals to descend to the earth, and each one was invulnerable to weapons, water and fire, and invincible
Stoppable.
However, the emperor came to the front of the formation in person and only blew a breath. Those people were immediately defeated and were defeated.
Anyway, among the people, after all kinds of embarrassment and jealousy, the real battle situation has long been forgotten, but the rumor that the emperor blew up the magic weapon has been spread as miraculous.
Zhu Qizhen didn't know that he was so talented.
He just saw a prosperous scene and felt very happy.
As an emperor, what he has to do is to show the way to the world, and someone will naturally do the next thing.
For example, some technical problems encountered by the Railway Bureau no longer need to be addressed by herself. Beilin has already answered them one by one, and has put forward many opinions and suggestions in response to the current situation.
[It has been running stably for many years, it is comparable to the old version of the book chasing artifact, and is used by old bookworms, huanyuan.]
As for Tang Xinggu, the censor of Zuodu, he prepared many questions along the way. After all, he is the censor, so he always has to ask some questions.
If you don’t look for a sense of existence all the time, wouldn’t you become a little transparent?
However, when they arrived at the scene and heard Beilin communicating with the other party, they fell silent.
He couldn't understand the issues being discussed across the lines. After much deliberation, he decided to forget it. This was not his battlefield, so just be transparent!
After a day's trip, Zhu Qizhen was very satisfied. Everything was developing in a good direction. This is the Ming Dynasty he wanted.
According to the itinerary discussed by the Cabinet and the Ministry of Rites, we should have continued to the southwest, all the way to Chengdu Prefecture, and inspected the entire railway line.
However, now that I have left the capital, I will no longer be subject to these restrictions. At least I will play for a few days first.
Jiangnan is great, the scenery is familiar to me!
When you come to Jiangnan, if you don’t take a stroll, wouldn’t you be living up to such beautiful scenery?
Prince Ning came forward, with an imperceptible smile, and whispered: "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I have made arrangements!".