1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 972 The Daily Life of Qi Kingdom (Continued Part [-])

Chang'an City is the capital of Qi State, therefore, it is a city of power, and it is also a city full of nobility. There are members of the royal family, cabinet ministers, various ministers, and a large number of middle and low-level officials. Of course, here There are also many senior generals of the army.As for those businessmen who are stalking others, there are not a few of them.

On the spacious and flat street, from time to time, you will encounter all kinds of luxurious carriages, and the passengers inside are either high-ranking officials or dignitaries, or wealthy businessmen.On both sides of the street, patrolling policemen with knives and batons stared sharply at pedestrians, warning all potential troublemakers not to challenge his majesty and act recklessly at the feet of the Son of Heaven.

Dozens of passengers are already waiting for the public carriage platform at the entrance of Chang'an University Hall, most of them are students who want to go to the city for fun.There are three stop signs on the edge of the platform, which indicate the corresponding bus routes, which can accurately guide you to the destination you are going to.

Public carriages have appeared in Qi State for more than 30 years, and they are mainly divided into two types: cross-city long-distance transportation and urban short-distance transportation.Later, with the rise of trains and the gradual reduction of fares, long-distance public carriages declined day by day, and the passenger flow has dropped to a very low level.At present, only those prefectures and towns that have not opened railways have a certain market share.

However, the city's short-distance public carriages are increasingly prosperous with the gradual expansion of the city's scale and population.In the earliest days, the passengers of urban public carriages were mainly government officials and the "middle class" group with a little wealth.Ordinary people would not be willing to spend any big money to take a carriage.Human beings are born with two legs, so we should make good use of them, right?

Therefore, for a long time, whether in the country or in the city, walking to work has become a practice.In many cities, long working hours force most families to live as close to the workplace as possible—because not every factory owner can afford to build workers' dormitories for their employees, even if the living conditions are crowded and squalid. It is also much better than walking home for 10 minutes or even more than an hour after going to work for more than ten hours.

However, some people have to walk a long way every day because they can't find a residence near their workplace, and spend a lot of time on the way back and forth, especially after a tiring day, they have to go through a long distance For them, walking will be a very painful torture, and there is a strong demand for public transportation in their hearts.

In addition, with the rapid development of Qi's economy, local governments have more or less financial resources on hand, and they have also begun to increase the construction of public transportation in the city, and follow the guiding principles of the Ministry of Communications to make small profits or no profits. The purpose is to establish an urban public carriage system.

The experience of public carriages in this period is not comfortable.Seats are small, and there are no breaks throughout the journey—other than at the terminal, making for a miserable ride.

A stagecoach is essentially an ornate four-wheeled cart, or slow-moving stagecoach.Most public carriages are nearly 4 meters long and 1.8 meters wide, with a row of benches on each side; above is an open roof, with two rows of seats placed back to back in the middle of the roof; low guardrails are installed around them , to prevent passengers from falling.

To access the roof, passengers need to use a ladder at the rear of the carriage.Most stagecoaches are set to carry 20 passengers, 12 on the roof and 8 inside.

After Bai Guangyong waited for the carriage to stop, he followed the crowd in front and boarded the carriage.Compared with the dull carriage, everyone likes to sit on the top floor, not only the air is fresh, but also the scenery along the street can be seen along the way.Of course, on a rainy day, the passenger's choice will be the opposite.

According to the convention, the passenger who gets on the bus first should sit at the back.Of course, as a person who has the opportunity to choose a seat, it is best not to choose the side of the "driver" of the carriage, or the innermost one.Because, in the former case, your feet will be stepped on countless times by passengers coming in and out, and in the latter case, it is difficult for you to let the carriage "driver" understand where you want to get off.

The conductor stands on a small running board at the back of the stagecoach, and is responsible for helping passengers get on and off the bus, collecting and checking tickets, and notifying the name of the station.

Bai Guangyong's destination was Chang'an Railway Station, which was also the terminus of this public carriage line. Therefore, after paying four cents, he chose the innermost seat on the car, and immediately grasped the handrails on both sides .

I still remember that not long after he arrived in Qi State, he was still sitting still when he was riding in a carriage. It was said that the horse was in estrus and suddenly started running, which caught him off guard and turned over several times in the carriage. Somersaulted, so that his nose was bruised and his face was swollen.

Horses pulling a carriage are likely to run loose or behave in a variety of unpredictable ways, so the wisest thing to do when riding a stagecoach is to hold on to the handrails at all times.Of course, if you are worried about falling from the roof, you can also choose to squeeze in the compartment.However, if the distance is too far, it must be very painful, because the space of the stagecoach is very small, and the seat of each passenger is only about half of that of the long-distance stagecoach, and they have to endure all kinds of dirty spaces with mixed smells.

Although the public carriages in Qi State have many shortcomings, Bai Guangyong still likes this kind of public transportation provided for the general public very much.Unlike in Daqin, except for princes, nobles, government officials, or wealthy businessmen who own such extremely convenient carriages, countless people only have the cheapest two legs.Running from the easternmost point of Nanjing City to the westernmost point, and walking for half a day, or even a day, is nothing unusual.

What makes Bai Guangyong even more commendable is that Qi State's public carriages also set up women's exclusive vehicles to avoid the embarrassing (sexy) scene of men and women crowded together when women ride in the carriage.

When the carriage passed through Suzaku District, half of the wide street was artificially closed. Many workers and craftsmen were doing construction there. Listening to the chatter among the passengers on the carriage, Bai Guangyong learned that the carriage track was being built in Chang'an City.It is said that the horse-drawn carriage will be safer than the trackless horse-drawn carriage, and the speed of operation and the number of passengers carried are more than twice that of ordinary horse-drawn carriages.In addition, the horse-drawn carriage will be smoother in operation and more mechanical in nature.

As early as a few years ago, Jianye, the largest city in the Qi State, had already laid horse-drawn carriages on the main streets. This move has attracted high praise from the majority of passengers.

Regarding this, Bai Guangyong could only sigh secretly again.The wealth of the Qi State is indeed amazing. They can lay precious steel on the ground just like this, in order to better meet the travel needs of the urban people.

The public carriage passed several platforms along the way, stopped and stopped along the way, and even on the way, because a serious breakdown of a carriage caused congestion for about 10 minutes.When I arrived at the train station, more than half an hour had passed, and several companions who were waiting here couldn't help complaining.

"If you don't come again, the teacher will assign us to look for you in Chang'an University Hall!" Yue Shaohua clenched his right fist and lightly thumped Bai Guangyong's chest.

"Where is the teacher?" Bai Guangyong looked around and found that their teacher was not on the train platform.

"The teacher is narrating with several officials in the VIP waiting room." Yuan Deheng nodded slightly, and said: "The teacher told us that when you arrive, you can go straight to the car and sit down without waiting for him....Why, you just bought it." How many buns?"

"This steamed stuffed bun is big enough to fill you up, and it's cheap!" Bai Guangyong replied with a smile: "On the way, when passing by a stop, buy a few more fruits from the hawker, and you will almost arrive in Daxing. ... However, I I believe these two must have brought a lot of delicious food, just to share with us."

"I took a few cans." Yue Shaohua chuckled, "Xiao Pan brought a few big bags of braised beef and whale jerky from home, oh, and a few jugs of wine."

While chatting and laughing, several people listened attentively to the station manager's loud announcement of the direction and destination of the train that had already entered the station, so that passengers could enter the platform in an orderly manner and board the train according to the information on the ticket.

Platforms located in the capital, such as Chang'an Railway Station, naturally have relatively complete facilities. Not only are there waiting rooms sheltered from wind and rain, but there are also several lighting facilities and various signs to facilitate passengers waiting for trains and entering and exiting the platform.

And those small town platforms are more "simple" and "pure", not to mention lighting and signage, not even awnings.Whenever the train arrives at the station, the conductor or platform staff can only shout out the destination of the train at the top of their voices.Even some small platforms are not even marked with the name of the station, so that the train crew has to shout out the name of the current station when the train stops.However, these shouts are likely to be drowned out by the loud roar of steam engines and the banging of doors, so that passengers miss the opportunity to get out of the car.

The platform of Chang’an Railway Station is about 500 meters long, which is far longer than the length of a ten-carriage train. Even if the train has started, passengers who fail to get on the train may still jump on the train after running for a certain distance.Because the speed of the train is not fast, about 40-50 kilometers per hour, especially when it is just started, it will take a long time to increase the speed.

Train cars at this time were notoriously messy, with soot and soot drifting in through poorly fitting windows.The entire train is divided into VIP boxes and ordinary carriages, and the ordinary carriages are divided into first-class seats and second-class seats.The first-class seats have upholstery and other decorations to make the ride a little more comfortable.Of course, if you buy a second-class seat, you can also bring your own cushion and place it on a hard seat to "upgrade" yourself to a first-class seat for free.

The current train carriages in Qi State still have a short wheelbase, and there are no buffers at the connecting parts, which means that the carriages often bounce or shake violently, making people feel that the carriages are about to derail at any moment.

The Changxing Line is the earliest public-private partnership railway line. The daily passenger and freight volume is huge, and its profitability is also extremely high. It has become the second busiest railway line after the northern Jiansong Line (Jianye-Songcheng). It has brought rich returns to all the original investors.

In order to increase operating profits, in addition to selling VIP boxes and first- and second-class seat tickets, the station also sells station tickets at the price of second-class tickets to those who are eager to travel, so that the entire carriage is full of people.

Bai Guangyong and others, as university students, enjoy a half-price discount on train rides, so they all bought first-class tickets.In addition, according to the principle of priority, they will board the carriage ahead of the second-class seat and standing ticket passengers, avoiding the crowded boarding scene.

Anyone who rides trains often knows that the most comfortable seat is the corner with the back against the steam engine.Because there is less dust and smoke there, it can protect the face well, and it can also avoid the pain of bumps and shaking.

Bai Guangyong looked at the ticket in his hand, it happened to be a seat with the back facing the direction of the steam engine.However, he didn't go directly to take that seat, but gave it to Pan Zhiping and took the outermost seat.

"Is there any news in the newspaper?" Bai Guangyong asked expectantly after seeing Yue Shaohua and Pan Zhiping holding a newspaper and reading after helping several people put their luggage.

In Qi State, Bai Guangyong is most pleased that the information here is extremely developed. Almost every prefecture has established a local newspaper to report in detail on various major international, domestic and local events.This has enabled every person in the Qi State to know the world's major events without leaving home, and has a wide range of knowledge and knowledge, far surpassing the people of the Qin State.

"You Qin State is in trouble." Yue Shaohua handed a copy of "Chang'an Chronicle" to Bai Guangyong, "The Junggar Khanate located in the northwest of the mainland conquered the Yarkand Khanate and occupied the entire Western Region. The front reached the Hexi Corridor, Qinghai, and Wusizang of your Qin State, and several small-scale conflicts broke out with your Qin State's frontier army in Handongwei (now Guazhou County, Gansu Province). , the security situation in the entire northern region of Qin State is extremely worrying!"

Bai Guangyong was stunned for a moment, and quickly took the newspaper from Yue Shaohua's hand and began to browse.

""His Majesty the Emperor issued an edict to lower the agricultural tax again""

""The United Imperial Navy of the American Territories of the Empire Severely Destroys Xiyi in the Gyeongju Area""

""Princess Yongjia is about to marry the prince of Dashun Kingdom""

""The Great Qi Empire and the Mughal Empire Officially Signed a Peace Treaty in Delhi""

""The Rise of the Junggar Khanate, Qin State Ushers in Severe Challenges""

"..."

Bai Guangyong skipped several headlines and directly found the news summary about Daqin.

"In the tenth year of Han Xing (1680), in April, the Junggar Khanate dispatched more than [-] elites, and its Khan Galdan was the commander-in-chief, sending troops to Yarkand. Under the support of Dayetila, he defeated Wushi and Aksu, and approached Kashgar in less than two months. The two sides attacked each other in twelve formations. The battle lasted for three days. The governor of Kashgar, Babari Sulitan, was killed. The army collapsed and disappeared on the battlefield."

"After Galdan occupied Kashgar, he led his cavalry straight to the Khan's court-Yarqiang (now Shache County, Xinjiang) without stopping. The defenders in the city fought to the death, but under the guidance of Nei Ying, the Junggar army finally broke through. Court, captured Ismail Khan and all members and officials of the Khan, the Yarkant Khanate perished, and the entire Western Regions were brought under the rule of the Junggar Khanate.”

"In September, hundreds of Junggar cavalry rushed to the vicinity of Handongwei at the western end of the Hexi Corridor. The more than [-] Qin border troops guarding here immediately sent people to warn the quasi-army, ordered them to withdraw from Qin's territory, and armed them to drive out the Tartars. Ride, failed. Armed conflict broke out between the two sides, dozens of people were killed or injured by the Qin army, and the Junggar army did not bring food and grass, lacked the necessary supplies, and slowly retreated."

"After hearing the news, the Qin State Yumenguan General Brigade immediately drove [-] troops to Handongwei to form an armed confrontation with the Junggar cavalry."

"In late October, when the weather turned cold, the Junggar cavalry retreated to the Western Regions one after another, stationed in Hami, threatening the Hexi Corridor."

"According to various sources, the Junggar Khanate is another revival of Mongolian forces. The territory of the Khanate stretches from Hami in the east to the grasslands of Talas (in today's Kazakhstan) in the west, passes through the Altai Mountains in the north, and reaches the The Pamir Plateau covers thousands of miles, and its territory includes many Otoks in Junggar and many Angjis in the Oirat tribes, each of which has its own land, living and nomadic respectively."

"The Junggar Khanate still has a strong army, most of which are mainly cavalry, with a scale of about 10. The military staff believes that if necessary, the Khanate can expand its army to nearly [-]. What is worrying is that the army of the Khanate is not the traditional Mongolian cavalry, in addition to being equipped with a large number of cold weapons such as bows and arrows, sabers, spears, etc., it also has a large number of artillery and old-fashioned matchlock guns, and its combat power cannot be underestimated."

"The strong rise of the Junggar Khanate is bound to pose a great threat to the fragile northwest frontier of the Qin State. As we all know, Qin State has brought Qinghai and Uzang under its rule for less than two years, and its ruling foundation is extremely weak. And the narrow and long The Hexi Corridor is too far away from Shaanxi and Sichuan, which are rich in supplies, and it is bound to become extremely difficult to replenish logistics, which will pose an extremely severe challenge to the defense of the Qin army."

"..."

After reading it, Bai Guangyong sighed softly, tightly clutching the newspaper in his hand.

At this time, the passengers on the platform began to board the train one after another, and the whole carriage immediately became extremely noisy.The steam locomotive in front had already started roaring, making a loud noise, puffs of soot drifted into the compartment from time to time, the companion by the window muttered, stretched out his hands and pressed the window vigorously, trying to block the soot out the window.

If I, Daqin, can also build such a railway, that would be great!

As long as the railway is directly connected to the Hexi Corridor, with the abundant population size of our Han people and the abundant supply of materials, why worry about the mere Tartars?
(End of this chapter)