The Three Spirit Stones

At the beginning of February in the third year of Tianxi, the Beijing-Hangzhou Zhenzong Avenue was officially opened to traffic. This cement road, which took two years to build and the efforts of the whole country, was finally officially put into use.

This Zhenzong Avenue would be at best a wider village road in modern times. Modern formal roads require digging the roadbed, laying steel bars, and being able to withstand the passage of dozens of tons of trucks.

As for this road, all you have to do is level the ground, mix cement, sand and gravel and pour it in.

Otherwise, how could this road of thousands of miles be paved in just two years!

This Jinghang Highway stretched all the way from Bianjing to Hangzhou, connecting to countless forked roads along the way, which in turn led to countless villages and towns.

Although the fork road is still a muddy road, it is much better now compared to the muddy road that had to be traveled all the way to Hangzhou or Bianjing in the past.

There are many foot shops along the road. These foot shops need to pay some taxes to the court and local governments every year. After obtaining a license, they can start business.

The foot shops also boosted employment for local people. Some villages and towns even spontaneously opened markets near the main roads. Places that were previously out of reach could now trade with each other through this road, and these markets brought tax revenue to local governments.

Some officials once proposed setting up checkpoints and collecting tolls on the road, but this was rejected by the Yanyi Forum on the grounds that it was not conducive to economic development.

On the day of the opening, the scene was crowded with people. With the sound of booming salutes, Emperor Zhenzong of Song Zhao Heng, Empress Liu E, Crown Prince Zhao Shouyi and a number of court officials boarded the new carriage developed by Cheng's Industry.

This carriage is different from previous two-wheeled carriages. It has four wheels, with smaller front wheels and larger rear wheels. There is a driver's seat in the front and four people can sit in one carriage. It is a fully enclosed carriage with a door on the side and a transparent glass window that can be opened and closed on the other side. After getting on the carriage, there is a soft chair with a backrest in the front and back, which is very comfortable to sit on.

When everyone got on the carriage, the guard closed the door, the driver waved the strong rope, and the horses began to run slowly on the road.

As the horses ran faster and faster, people found that riding in a carriage could be so comfortable.

The carriage swayed gently and rhythmically, and I didn't feel any bumps at all when sitting on the soft seats. With the windows closed, the wind couldn't get in, but I could clearly see the moving scenery outside.

In the leading luxurious carriage built specially for the emperor, Cheng Yu sat inside with Zhao Heng and his son. Zhao Shouyi's face was flushed with excitement.

Zhao Heng said to Cheng Yu, "My dear, this carriage is very good, fast and stable. We need to continue to build these cement roads. The more roads we build, the more people will buy carriages."

"The official is right. The main reason why our ordinary horse-drawn carriages are bumpy is that the road surface is uneven. Only when the road is better will more people be willing to buy this kind of carriage."

"Yes, in the future we should expand the production of this kind of carriage as much as possible to meet people's purchasing needs."

"Yes, official,"

In ancient times, people generally traveled by foot, and even the nobles had to travel very hard.

You can either ride a donkey or a horse, or take a sedan chair or a slider. Ordinary horse and donkey carts are mostly used to transport goods. In order to make it easier to turn around, they only have two wheels. The riding experience of this kind of vehicle is very bad. It is okay when the road conditions are good, but if the road conditions are bad, it will be bumpy to death.

As soon as this new carriage was launched, a large number of royal nobles rushed to buy it. Although it was expensive, the thing that Bianliang City had the most was rich people.

But it can't be bought with money, you also need power.

The production of these carriages is not high at the moment, and royal relatives have to queue up even after paying a deposit. Nowadays, owning such a carriage is a symbol of status.

As one of the major shareholders of this Fei Chi brand carriage, Zhao Heng was so happy that he laughed in his dreams when he learned about the amazing profit from selling a carriage.

This carriage was developed by Cheng's Industry in recent years. The most technical feature of it is the rubber tires.

Soon after returning to Bian Jing, Cheng Yu sent people to go out to sea with the merchants to look for rubber trees. It was not until recent years that rubber tree seeds and a shipload of rubber were found. The seeds were sent to Hainan for planting, and it would take at least seven years to get a harvest.

The rubber that can be used today is made from the shipload of rubber brought back previously. Rubber will melt when exposed to heat and must be vulcanized before it can be made into the rubber tires that can be used today.

There were hundreds of people who went looking for rubber, but only a dozen were left when they came back. The hardships they went through are so unspeakable. They are the heroes of Cheng's industry. For this, Cheng Yu not only gave them and their families generous rewards, but also erected a monument to commemorate those sacrificed heroes.

There is a huge stone tablet at the entrance of Cheng's Industry. On the top is engraved the words "Salute to Industrial Heroes" written by Zhao Heng himself. Below is the list of names and deeds of people who sacrificed their lives for the industrialization process.

It is because of the dual incentives of material and spiritual that the craftsmen of Cheng’s Industry have been able to develop one achievement after another in just a few years.

Nowadays in the Song Dynasty, everyone knows that being a craftsman in Cheng Industry is a very promising career, so much so that many ordinary families hope that their children can learn a craft and then have the opportunity to enter Cheng Industry.

……

The carriages, escorted by the Imperial Guards, ran for an hour before stopping. It was estimated that they had traveled about sixty miles.

Normally, people ride horses at about this speed, but the problem is that even young and strong people will feel tired when riding horses.

It was different when riding in this kind of carriage. Among the dozen or so ministers, some, such as Wang Dan, were already older, but he looked as usual after getting off the carriage. Others, such as Wang Qinruo, Kou Zhun, Li Di and other younger ones were still in high spirits.

Zhao Heng and his companions also got off the carriage, and everyone came forward to greet the emperor.

"My dear ministers, how do you feel about this carriage?"

Zhao Heng asked,

"Your Excellency, this carriage is so good, it's as smooth as walking on flat ground."

"Your Majesty, this carriage is so comfortable. I have been sitting in it for such a long time without feeling any discomfort at all."

"Yes, it's really comfortable."

Everyone raised their thumbs up and praised!

Zhao Heng smiled proudly and continued, "My dear ministers, you have worked hard for state affairs every day. I have seen it all. To show my appreciation, I will give you these carriages as a reward."

As soon as these words came out, all the ministers were ecstatic!

This is not only a great favor, but more importantly, this carriage is really very useful, and you can't buy it even if you have money now.

Just imagine, when the north wind is howling, sitting in a soft carriage, burning a charcoal stove, drinking a little wine, admiring the scenery and hurrying on your way. It would be so comfortable!

The ministers knelt down one after another to express their gratitude to Zhao Heng.

After the favor was done, Zhao Heng arranged a banquet.

The eunuchs who were traveling with us brought hot pots and copper stoves and placed them in each carriage. They also served wine, food and meat. Three or two people sat in each carriage, enjoying the wild fun outside.

It was so interesting to see everyone eating hotpot and reciting poems!

This kind of outdoor camping activity is very popular even in modern times, let alone in the Song Dynasty. Everyone had a great time and returned reluctantly until noon!