The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 70 Urban Traffic

As a huge city with a population of more than 60, Jianye’s urban transportation scale is naturally a very complex and diverse system.In addition to dozens of bus and horse-drawn carriage lines, there is also a special means of transportation in the city - the steam bus.This kind of vehicle has a steam engine installed at the back and can carry 22 passengers at an average speed of 25 to [-] kilometers per hour.

However, when a public steam bus is running, it is equipped with a bulky boiler and a large amount of coal, and the entire weight exceeds three tons. The iron axle often damages the road surface, which is criticized.In addition, this kind of public transportation will emit thick black smoke and make rumbling noise on the streets. It not only pollutes the streets, but also causes frequent accidents. It is really a headache to use and is almost abandoned.

For a city with a population of several hundred thousand people, the most important means of transportation is of course the railway.There is no urban place in the world like Jianye where steam locomotives pass between the urban area and the suburbs.The city currently also has a 10-kilometer circular railway running around the city, as well as larger and more centralized peripheral lines, as well as multiple subsidiary lines and connecting lines, which together form the railway network within Jianye City and to communicate with the outside world.

With the increasing urban population, urban transportation is also facing many problems. There are too many horse-drawn carriages, mixed traffic of people and vehicles, congestion on the streets, and unpicked horse manure everywhere, which has had a serious impact on the health and image of the city.Under this circumstance, Jianye's transportation construction department began to plan to build a citizen commuter railway in the urban area.

"What is the difference between this kind of urban commuter railway and that steam bus? In addition to carrying more people, it does not produce the same amount of smoke, noise, soot and other problems." Sitting in the luxurious private carriage of Prince Lu's Mansion, Li Yanliang While rubbing his temples vigorously to relieve the splitting headache after a hangover, he kept talking to the coachman.

"Captain Li, you don't know something right now." Zheng Sanxi, who was driving the car, said with a smile: "If we lay rail tracks directly on city streets and then use steam locomotives, it would naturally not work. Not to mention the smoke and dust it generates. The noise and noise are unbearable. Even if there are so many people on the city streets, if they all jump onto the railway tracks, how can this steam locomotive run? So, the railway tracks must be laid underground."

"Huh?... Laying rails underground? How does this work?"

"Hehe..." Zheng Sanxi smiled proudly, shook the reins with his right hand, guided the carriage to the road leading to the train station on the right, and then pretended to be mysterious and said: "Li Xiaowei should have seen the city sewer channel, right? ? That's right, just follow that operation, first dig a big hole in the ground, lay the track and tunnel in the hole. After the tunnel is built, fill the hole and repair the road surface. In this way, on the urban ground There will be no steam locomotives visible. In this way, no matter how the train moves in the tunnel, it will not affect the pedestrians and vehicles on the ground. Moreover, the closed tunnel can absolutely avoid the intrusion of pedestrians and harm the train. The operation is also extremely safe. However, until now, all this is just an idea, and the government has not made up its mind yet. After all, the current transportation can still meet the travel requirements of residents. I wonder when one day Jianye will If the population exceeds 100 million, or a lot, maybe this idea will be put into practice.”

"Oh..." Li Yanliang responded in vain, indicating that he understood.

With Qi's engineering construction technology, it is not difficult to dig a tunnel for trains underground.The person who can come up with this method is really a talented designer with a big enough imagination. In this way, the underground railway will make future urban transportation both fast and space-saving.

There are more than 100 hotels of various sizes scattered near Jianye Railway Station. There are splendid high-end hotels for dignitaries, as well as extremely simple and cheap hotels that are the first choice for most ordinary people. Basically, they can meet all different needs. class of people move in.

These hotels are located right next to train stations, making them a very practical commercial layout.If you have a short stay in this big city, or have to leave very late or very early, there is nothing more convenient and comfortable than these station hotels: after passengers and luggage get off the bus, they can easily walk almost tens of meters Enter the room and have a good sleep.

Even the residents of Jianye City are willing to spend a small amount of money to stay in such a station hotel so that they can start their journey early the next morning without having to get up early or walk far, or have to take a carriage to the station in the early morning.

As early as 30 years ago, Jianye Railway Station completely separated the passenger station and freight station to avoid the mixing of people, goods and vehicles, reduce the occurrence of accidents, and also improve the operational efficiency of the station.

There are dozens of trains coming in and out of Jianye Railway Station every day, and countless people and materials intersect here, which makes the railway station extremely crowded and noisy.Li Yanliang held two luggage bags tightly with both hands and walked to the station waiting room with the bustling crowd.

In the minds of the people of Qi State, of all the inventions made over the years, they all agreed that the most important one was the railway. This supreme creation of Qi State brought a new and higher sense of purpose to the entire empire.Both the emperor and the ministers of the empire were well aware of the great significance of this invention.

The emergence of the railway will eventually promote the government's effective control and governance of the entire Hanzhou continent, and will also stimulate the reshaping of the entire social order and civilization.Politically, in addition to roads, ports and ships as connection methods, Hanzhou's mainland and overseas territories will also add railways as a fast and efficient tool to connect the territories quickly and effectively, making the country and its ethnic groups more connected. Economically, the railway will make it easier for the inland to connect to ports, which will promote the accelerated flow of goods and people; militarily, the railway will make it easier for the army to quickly deploy from one place to another, from One front rushes to another, effectively improving the army's reaction speed.

There are many magnificent buildings in Qi State, and the railway station is one of the most representative buildings.In recent years, some larger cities in the empire have successively built or expanded huge and spectacular train terminals. They seem to be the external expression of the country's inner beliefs. Some are like traditional oriental palaces, and some are like Like military fortresses, some will also absorb European Gothic style.They are usually more imposing than government offices, decorated with various steel or copper decorations, symbolic coats of arms and polished teak wood.

With the evolution of the industrialization process, Qi has essentially become a steam empire. For the Qi Empire, the continuously extending railway tracks are the same as the Chidao built by Qin Shihuang a thousand years ago, and even far exceed it. practical significance.

Railway cuttings, steel bridges, endless stretches of rails, and stations have formed a distinctive public building complex in Qi.Some scholars once proudly declared that “Compared with the Qi Railway, the pyramids of Egypt, the aqueducts of ancient Rome, the temples all over India, and even the Great Wall on the mainland have all eclipsed and become an ancient and decadent system. breath".

"Tsk, tsk, this station is bigger and more beautiful than the governor's office in Fujian!" Tu Shuanggui carried a roll of luggage on his shoulders, looked up at the tall dome of the waiting room in front, and kept marveling, "Hey, look, Are those golden decorations on the top made of gold?... Hey, that wall is actually covered with transparent colored glaze! Qi is so extravagant. If you accidentally break the colored glaze, how much will you have to pay? ?”

"Come on, come on!... Even if I sell you, I can't afford to pay for that small piece of glass!" A companion said mockingly.

"When I get rich in the future, when I build a big house, I will inlay all four walls with this kind of transparent glass. Hey, this will make the house bright all the time!"

"Tu San, if you inlay all four walls of the house with transparent glass, then everything you do in the house can be seen clearly from the outside!" Another companion said obscenely: "What if? , if you do something private at home, it will be wonderful to watch!"

"Hahaha..." After hearing this, the people around burst into laughter.

"Oh! How could you be like this?...You are a swindler!"

Tu Shuanggui was laughed at by everyone, but he didn't feel embarrassed at all. He lifted the luggage on his shoulder with his right hand, but he didn't want to accidentally touch the upper body of a woman walking beside him, causing the other party to scream.

"What a dirty thing!...Are you looking for death?"

When Tu Shuanggui heard the scream of the woman next to him, he hurriedly stepped aside and turned around to apologize to the woman.Unexpectedly, a big foot suddenly came from behind and kicked him to the ground.

Upon seeing this, several companions immediately stepped forward, helped Tu Shuanggui up, and then glared at the assailant.

"Are they all from Qin?" The one who kicked Tu Shuanggui down was a young man in luxurious clothes. After comforting the frightened woman next to him, he looked at Tu Shuanggui and others with disdain and said, "Why, are you waiting? Dare to fight back? Believe it or not, with just a few clicks of my finger, I can send you all to the mines to do hard labor, and make you all miserable and spend the rest of your lives in misery! Huh, now that you have arrived in our country of Qi, everyone must abide by the rules. , don’t act in such a flamboyant way.”

Tu Shuanggui and others looked at each other with bitter expressions on their faces. We are new to Qi State, how dare we act in a flamboyant manner?Looking at the posture, he might have offended the nobles of Qi State.For a moment, Junonuo didn't dare to say anything and subconsciously took a few steps back. "What are you hiding from?" Seeing that the other party was afraid, the young man couldn't help but feel proud, and his attitude became more arrogant. He pointed at them and said loudly: "Come here! You hit my wife, and you want to leave. ?Why don’t you kneel down and apologize to me!”

As soon as this statement came out, the tourists looking around suddenly became uproar.

Our country of Qi has long abolished the ritual of kneeling. Apart from offering sacrifices to ancestors and paying homage to various gods and Buddhas, where else is there any occasion for people to kneel down?

This young man of considerable status may have gone too far!
Although those people seemed to be immigrants from the Qin country who had just entered the country, they could not insult them so wantonly.By the way, if you are so domineering, what is your identity?

"My father is the big boss of the Royal Trading Company!" The young man saw the unkind looks cast by everyone and immediately said loudly: "So, I represent the imperial royal family. The offense these Qin people have against me is an insult to our Qi royal family. Offended!"

Royal Trading Company!

Upon hearing this, the surrounding passengers looked at the young man with a look of awe and envy.In our country of Qi, the Royal Trading Company is not just a simple trading company, but a large-scale comprehensive economy with many industries, including investment, finance, scientific research, production, trade, construction, circulation, mining and many other industries. There are more than a hundred entities in the country, and it also owns a considerable share of shares in several large overseas monopoly trading companies.

Some people say that the huge royal trading company is the invisible household department of Qi State. Its huge annual income not only supports the royal family, but also supports the Royal Academy of Sciences, major research institutes, institutions of higher learning, low-rent housing, and various domestic welfare institutions- -The main donor of funds to Freemasonry, almshouses and disabled welfare societies.

It can be said that the Royal Trading Company has a huge influence on the entire Qi State, which not only reflects its far-reaching economic penetration, but also represents the wishes of the royal family.

Tu Shuanggui and others were frightened when they heard the word "royal".

Oh my God, we actually messed with someone from the royal family!That must not be a serious crime, and it is a serious crime that will punish the Nine Clans!
After a few "thumps", Tu Shuanggui and the others immediately knelt down and kowtowed several times on the hard cement floor.

"Now you know you are afraid?" The young man squatted on the ground with a smile, looking at the few earth-colored Qin people, he couldn't help but feel proud, "Humph, you offended our Qi royal family, I don't know how to write the word "death"! "

"You are the son of a big boss of the Royal Trading Company. What qualifications do you have to represent the royal family?" Suddenly, a cold word came over.

"Huh?..." Upon hearing this, the young man immediately stood up and looked sideways.

He saw an army lieutenant with a tall figure and a resolute face looking at him calmly, with a look of dissatisfaction on his face.

"Everyone, get up!" Li Yanliang put the luggage bag in his hand on the ground and said to Tu Shuanggui and others: "I, the Emperor of the Qi Empire, are here in person, and there is no need for you to kneel down and kowtow. Since you have arrived in our country of Qi, you should enjoy the We have equal status, and there is no need to bow down to such bullies!"

"They desecrated our Daqi royal family..." the young man shouted.

"Haha, who among the people present heard them say blasphemous words against the royal family?" Li Yanliang pulled up Tu Shuanggui and others who were kneeling on the ground, turned around and stared at the young man, and said coldly: "From the beginning to the end, it's all You are using the name of the royal family to intimidate others with your words. What you are doing is probably the greatest blasphemy to our Daqi royal family!"

"Yes, even if the princes and princesses of the royal family come, they will not let anyone kneel down and kowtow casually! How dare he, a son of the treasurer of the royal trading company, be so domineering? ... Such behavior is really a bit bullying!"

"Hey, maybe this guy is pretending to be the Royal Trading Company."

"Even if he is a son of the Royal Trading Company, he can't be so arrogant! Even the officials and public servants of Futai County will not let people kneel down and kowtow easily. What does this mean to him?!"

"Bullying the new Qin people..."

"You and other vulgar people are unreasonable..." Seeing many passengers present criticizing his behavior, the young man felt that he was wronged, so he waved his hand bitterly, turned around and walked towards the waiting room inside the station, accompanied by his family He lowered his head and followed quickly.

"Thank you so much for your help!" Tu Shuanggui cupped his hands towards Li Yanliang and said gratefully: "Today, if it hadn't been for your help, we and the newcomers would have been humiliated. In the future, we will be rich and successful. Repay each other!"

"It's just a matter of effort." Li Yanliang waved his hand and said: "From now on, you only need to abide by the laws and behave well in our Qi State. You don't need to be afraid of those who bully others. Compared with your Qin State, our Qi State's laws and regulations are Order is still guaranteed for you first-time immigrants."

"Thank you for the advice!" Tu Shuanggui looked at the Qi State captain and said sincerely: "We come to Qi State to make a living. In addition to making more money so that we can one day bring our relatives back home to reunite and enjoy happiness, we also have to hear about Qi State. A country where all people are equal and have opportunities can give us all an idea worth fighting for."

"Very good. In our country of Qi, as long as you work harder and endure more hardships, you will definitely be able to accomplish something." Li Yanliang bent down, picked up his two luggage bags, and turned to leave. go.

"My benefactor, can you please leave your name?"

"I told you, it's just a matter of effort. Well, we have a long way to go. I'll see you later. Let's all be well. ... Heh, what kind of benefactor am I! These people of Qin!"

(End of this chapter)