I, Zhu Youjian: the first prodigal son of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 126 Steam Train Trial Opening
Daming's first railway is finally about to open to traffic.

Whether it is the great scientists Xu Guangqi and Song Yingxing, the civil servant leader Qian Qianyi, or the 'chairman' of the Daming Engineering Bureau Yang He, they were all emotional and teary-eyed.

It's not easy.

For this railway of less than 10,000 miles, three [-]+ refugees were gathered and worked hard day and night, creating a miracle in the world during the period from the seventh year of Tianqi to the second year of Chongzhen.

Yes, this is a miracle on earth.

Especially in the eyes of the people along the way, those who built the railway, ranging from officials and supervisors to refugees and coolies, were able to quickly build a legendary "railway" when they couldn't eat enough. Thousands.

Ragged, like a beggar.

This is what a railroad man looks like.

They stood on both sides of the railway, one by one emotionally excited, looking eagerly at the two railway tracks leading to the distance, like two rows of beautiful and tall poplar trees.

They were the founders of the first railway in Ming Dynasty.

Today, they are divided into two lines and become the guardians of this railway.

Standing in the control room of the steam turbine train, the gray-haired Xu Guangqi looked dignified, with moist corners of his eyes, looked into the distance with slightly cloudy eyes, and took a deep breath.

Then, Shen Sheng said: "Start!"

woo-

With a loud, long and exhilarating siren sound, the steam engine was started and roared.

When, when, when!
Boom!Boom!Boom!

woo-

Daming's first steam engine train officially started!
In the control room of the locomotive, Xu Guangqi, Song Yingxing, Qian Qianyi, and Yang He had serious expressions on their faces, and the excitement on their faces could not be concealed.

In addition, behind the locomotive, there is a long string of carriages.

The carriage was crowded with people.

Some were members of the Daming Engineering Bureau, responsible for locomotive maintenance; some were civilians who participated in the construction of the railway, and were invited by Yang He to board the carriage at the behest of the idiot emperor Zhu Youjian.

Witness together, this historic feat.

Everyone's face is filled with excitement, pride and pride.

Once upon a time, these people were still struggling and wailing on the hunger line. For a morsel of food, they would rather follow Gao Yingxiang, Monk Wang and others to rebel.

Hang a large head on the waistband of your trousers, and you may be beheaded and beheaded by the officers and soldiers at any time.

Now, they are actually able to stand in the carriage and stand side by side with those high-ranking court officials, how can it not make people feel a lot of emotion.

The Ming Dynasty is on the right track.

With some complicated manipulations, the train gradually accelerated.

Ten miles, twenty miles.

Thirty miles, 35 miles.

Forty-five miles, fifty miles, fifty-five miles.

Eighty miles, ninety miles!
On the vast land of Ming Dynasty, on two steel rails leading to the future.

Daming's first steam-wheeled train finally set sail.

Like a prehistoric monster, galloping across the earth.

The guardrails, barbed wire, and railway guard stations on both sides of the railway flashed past.

Mountains, rivers, and villages pass by in a flash.

One hour, 180 miles away!

The carrying capacity of this steam turbine train, as well as its astonishing speed, simply exceeded everyone's imagination. Even its designer, Song Yingxing, was in a state of shock and couldn't control himself.

He wept.

The people in the control room of the locomotive and the people on the carriage, whether they were officials or civilian husbands, many of them burst into tears, choked up and could not speak.

It was too difficult to build this railway...

……

Of course, there are also people who just watch the excitement. In the capital city and in some prefectures and counties along the way, there are always some people who, when they mention the so-called steam engine train, will naturally associate it with the "Idiot Emperor" of the Ming Dynasty.

Just one sentence: "The idiot emperor has become a blacksmith." '

The elder brother is a carpenter and the younger brother is a blacksmith.

The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is really wonderful.

It is not surprising that there are such strange talks.

Because, almost all civil and military ministers understand in their hearts that the current Ming Dynasty, internally and externally troubled, with an empty treasury, consumes unimaginable money, food, and labor, and always feels a bit at a loss...

……

From the land of the capital to the Shuoping open-pit coal mine in Datong Prefecture, it is about [-] miles, and it took nearly seven hours to arrive.

During the period, they also stopped at three stations, added coal and water, and asked specialized maintenance personnel to conduct a comprehensive inspection and maintenance of the train to prevent any failures.

After all, this is still the first trial voyage, and there are many issues to consider.

Depart early in the morning and arrive in the evening.

Traveling thousands of miles a day is not a dream.

When the train stopped at the coal mine station, Xu Guangqi and Song Yingxing got off the train first and stepped on the platform.

Afterwards, Yang He, Qian Qianyi and others got off the train.

Everyone turned their heads one after another, glanced at the tall and slightly clumsy train, couldn't help but looked at each other and smiled, showing a look of relief.

Empty car trial operation, a complete success!
On the platform of the coal mine, Xu Guangqi and others boarded the return train without taking a break.

After the return steam locomotive, twelve freight cars full of coal and three passenger cars have already been attached.

"How many catties of coal can this carriage hold?"

Before getting into the car, Xu Guangqi turned his head to ask Song Yingxing.

"It's about [-] catties. According to the original calculation, it can hang fifteen freight cars. However, our railway foundation and rails are not tough enough, so it's better to be conservative."

Song Yingxing said with a smile: "Recently, we discovered a special ore that can greatly increase the rigidity and toughness of steel when smelting it.

Strive to use new steel rails when the next railway is built. "

This kind of matter related to smelting technology was originally the top secret of Ming Dynasty, and only a few people knew about it.

However, Song Yingxing trusted Master Xu Guangqi very much, so naturally he did not hide it.

"One day and one night, you can transport millions of catties of coal to the capital [-] miles away. Song Yingxing, you are our Ming Dynasty's national treasure."

Xu Guangqi patted Song Yingxing's shoulder with a smile, and said, "I'll introduce you to some foreign missionaries later on. They all have some fantastic ideas about alchemy, astronomy and calendar, bridge construction, etc."

Song Yingxing smiled and said, "Okay."

The two chatted and laughed, stepped into the locomotive control room, and then sat down and drank a bowl of hot tea.

Yang He, Qian Qianyi and others boarded those passenger carriages.

Half an hour later, with a loud and long whistle, the steam turbine locomotive carrying millions of catties of coal and three passenger carriages started.

Compared with the departure from the capital, the train starts slowly due to the load.

However, after a dozen or so breaths, it returned to normal and began to gradually accelerate.

After a cup of tea, it reaches a speed of 150 miles per hour.

bang bang bang bang!

bang bang bang bang bang...

Under the deep and distant night, among the high mountains, a steam turbine train full of coal roared all the way, rushing towards the capital.

Along the way, every seven or eight miles, there is a road guard camp, which can be regarded as brightly lit.

From time to time, teams of light cavalry can be seen patrolling along the railway to prevent sabotage...

"Master Xu, sit down and drink a bowl of tea and eat something."

In the locomotive control room, Song Yingxing said with a smile: "You are so old, you have been standing for more than ten hours."

"It's okay, I couldn't help it for the first time to test traffic, and I made President Song laugh at me." Xu Guangqi stood straight in front of the console, looking forward like a steel gun.

In his heart, he was planning how to use this railway in the next step, so he looked a little serious.

"By the way, how is the construction of the railway leading to Shanhaiguan?" Song Yingxing asked.

"The foundation, stone materials, and steel rails are basically in order. The only problem is that some bridges cannot be built."

"The terrain over there is different from that of Datong Mansion, and the technical difficulty is not small..."

Suddenly, the locomotive driver stood up abruptly, grabbed the brake lever, and pulled it back heavily.

A sharp siren sounded at the same time.

The running train made a screeching sound of brakes, and clusters of flying sparks burst out between the huge iron wheels and the steel rails.

"Emergency situations!"

"Three miles ahead, hundreds of people rushed onto the railway!"

The locomotive driver is a student of Song Yingxing, and he learned that something happened ahead through the light signal of the road guard team ahead.

Xu Guangqi and Song Yingxing's expressions changed slightly, and they both looked forward.

(End of this chapter)