Daming: I help my wife be the empress

Chapter 578 The train is so slow?
Shuntian Mansion, the capital.

Du Yinxi, Zhang Kuang and other important officials in Northern Zhili were waiting outside the telecommunications room of the governor's office (this is the official administrative name and office of the governor's and governor's telegraph team).

They also all knew the importance of the railway and the great significance of the completion of the first railway.

Therefore, after hearing the news and checking the quality of the railway project twice, Du Yinxi immediately called Nanjing to report the matter to Aunt Zhu.

One of the purposes is to ask whether Zhu Yuxi, who is waiting, intends to move to the capital to observe the opening of the Beijing-Tianjin Railway.

If Aimee Zhu has this intention, the opening of the Beijing-Tianjin Railway will be delayed for at least another month.

Considering that the emperor moved thousands of miles away, even though it was the capital, there were still many matters involved, which would definitely cause disputes among the courtiers.Therefore, senior officials such as Du Yinxi and Zhang Kuang actually did not want Zhu Yu to come to observe.

It's a pity that the decision-making power is not in their hands-with Zhu Wei's current strength, it is not at all the minister's ability to influence her choice on this kind of matter that can be both.

It was scorching June, Du Yinxi and others were extremely hot, but they still patiently waited outside the telecommunications room.

Finally, the person in the telecommunication room came out with a message, handed it to Du Yinxi, and said with a smile: "Master Du, Your Majesty has an order. After the completion of the Beijing-Tianjin Railway, we should choose a good day and auspicious day to open it as soon as possible, so as to benefit the army and the people! "

"Okay!" Zhang Kuang next to him couldn't help clapping his hands and laughing.

Du Yinxi glanced at the telegram quickly, and smiled happily.

Why didn't he want to see the first railway in Ming Dynasty in operation as soon as possible?
So he immediately ordered, "Let Yousi re-check all aspects of the opening of the Beijing-Tianjin Railway. If it meets the standards, choose an auspicious day and open it as soon as possible!"

"understand!"

Fu Zuolin, the Counselor of the Confidential Section of the Governor's Mansion next to him, responded with a smile, and then left in a hurry.

Unlike the governor's yamen, the institutions under the governor's yamen should be streamlined.

The first sequence includes the general office, the telecommunications office, the supervising town and other affiliated institutions.

And there are five departments under the general office, which are: confidential department, degree branch department, military affairs department, government affairs department, and communication department.

Fu Zuolin was originally a Juren in Changde, and he followed Du Yinxi as an aide very early on.In fact, he also participated in the February examination, but unfortunately he lost his name, so he continued to serve as a counselor in the confidential department.

Another difference from the ten divisions under the governor's office is that within the five divisions under the governor's office, there are directors on top of the clerks, secretaries, assistants, and counselors.

Now these staff positions are all publicized, and the position of the same name in the governor's office is one level higher than that of the governor's office.

For example, Fu Zuolin's counselor is the seventh rank, so the director is from the sixth rank, which has already directly caught up with the rank of the chief and assistant official of the state capital.

···
Three days later, the Beijing-Tianjin Railway officially opened.

Du Yinxi, Governor of Shanbei (Shanxi and Northern Zhili), represented the imperial court, accompanied by officials from Beizhili and Yingtianfu, and participated in the opening ceremony.

This ceremony is not the ribbon-cutting ceremony of later generations, but the ceremony after the completion of bridge construction and road paving in ancient times: setting off firecrackers, offering tribute, and offering sacrifices to heaven and earth.

The current northern end of the Beijing-Tianjin Railway is four or five miles southwest of the Outer City of the Beijing Normal University. It is under the jurisdiction of Wanping County, but it is called Beijing Railway Station according to the meaning that Auntie Zhu had decided long ago.

As for its southernmost point, it is naturally at Beitang Port in Sanwei, Tianjin, which is called Tianjin Station.

This time, even though the county magistrate did not invite, many gentry and landlords came to watch, and the common people were no exception.

Even Daxing and other counties in Yingtianfu also had many people rushing over, just to see what the railways and trains that have been hotly discussed in the past six months look like.

"Is that a train? Oh, what a big, long guy!"

Wanping gentry Zhang Rui will naturally not be absent this time, he is also in the crowd of onlookers, and together with his friend Geng Xin.

Hearing Zhang Rui's admiration, Geng Xin couldn't help but look at the train on the railway in amazement.

As locals, they have seen the railway for a long time in the past six months. It is to use two rails and some horizontal wooden rails to lay the roadbed.

This move is similar to the rumored small mine car tracks in some large mines, except that the mine car tracks are all made of wood, and most of them are very short.

As for the train, it is really beyond the understanding of Zhang Rui and other Ming gentry and scholars.

I saw that this train was divided into twelve sections, six sections were like carriage carriages, and the other six sections were like carriages, but they were much larger.

What surprised Zhang Rui and others was that there was a chimney erected at each end.And most of the parts of the train are made of iron, even refined iron (steel), and only a few parts such as the carriages are made of wood.

After looking at it for a while, Zhang Rui said suspiciously: "I heard that the train is like the steam ship, and must be driven by the steam engine. I once went to Tianjin to see the steam ship from a distance, and it seems that there are chimneys.

It's just that there are chimneys at both ends of this train, are they all equipped with steam engines?

It's like driving a cart with horses, but the horses are harnessed to the front and back of the carriage. If the two horses run in opposite directions, how can the cart go? "

The gentry and scholars of Ming Dynasty did not reject new knowledge and new things so much, not to mention that the railway was vigorously promoted by the imperial court. Zhang Rui and others naturally learned about it from many sources in the past six months.

Even so, their knowledge of trains and railways is still quite limited, which is why Zhang Rui has this doubt.

Geng Xin observed carefully for a while, then said hesitantly: "Brother Zhang, it seems that the train must fit on the rails to move, which means it is difficult to turn around.

Since it is equipped with two steam engines, is it possible to use only one steam engine when it is started?If you are traveling south, you will use the one on the south side; if you are traveling north, you will use the one on the north side. "

Zhang Rui's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he praised: "Brother Geng is so smart, it must be so!"

Geng Xin was embarrassed by the praise, "I'm just guessing. I'll have to wait until it starts to know what it is."

"The ceremony has been completed and will be known soon."

Others are also discussing, saying everything.

"This is the train? It's so long, what kind of horses and oxen can pull it?"

"Does it need to be said, it must be a heavenly horse or a dragon horse invited by the emperor from the sky."

"The imperial court spent so much time and effort building railway trains, wouldn't they run faster than horse-drawn carriages?"

"I'll find out in a while. There are people riding horses and carriages over there. I heard that they are waiting to compete with the court's train later."

"···"

A hundred paces away from the railway station, amidst the crowds of onlookers, following Du Yinxi's order, the first official railway in Daming finally opened.

Woo-!
Thinking of the sharp and long siren sound, many people were startled and retreated subconsciously.

Fortunately, the government had taken preventive measures long ago, so that a certain number of people gathered in one place, there was basic order, and the venue was spacious enough, thus avoiding the stampede.

"It's moving! It's moving!" A little boy sitting on his father's shoulders shouted excitedly, "The big iron train is moving!"

Everyone looked, and sure enough, they saw that the iron wheels of the train started to move as thick smoke spewed out from the chimney at the south end of the train.

Immediately, many people were disappointed, while others laughed.

"Why is it moving so slowly?"

"At this speed, it's not as good as a bullock cart."

"Hahaha, my donkey cart is faster than it!"

"Hey, the imperial court spent a lot of time and money, driving tens of thousands of strong laborers to work for half a year, and paving the road with iron. I don't know how much money was spent, but this thing was built in the end?"

"···"

Not only the surrounding gentry and ordinary people were talking about it, but even some officials in the railway station who didn't know much about trains showed disappointment and bewilderment.

Many people are thinking: I heard that this train is an imitation of the fairy world. Could it be that it failed because of the lack of fairy energy in the mortal world?

Just when people were disappointed, puzzled and even laughed, the wheels on the rails were turning faster and faster, and the speed of the train going away was getting faster and faster...

　Second more.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)