A Man of Science and Engineering in Troubled Times Wandering in the Late Qing Dynasty

Chapter 54 Set sail!

Zai Zhen interrupted the conversation of several people and said: "The special envoy will officially leave in three days, you must arrange your own affairs."

No wonder some people suspected that Li Yu had forced his way in, and it turned out that he was leaving so soon.

For Li Yu, it was indeed a sudden incident, and arrangements must be made, but after thinking about it, what can be arranged!

The only thing that needs attention may be the silver and binoculars in the house. In total, there are more than 240 silver dollars and more than 350 taels of silver, which can be regarded as a small sum of money.

Among them, 100 taels were the Henghe Bank bank notes given by Yikuang back then, which are easy to carry and keep, while the rest are more troublesome.As soon as Li Yu gritted his teeth, he decided to find someone to be his housekeeper.

Li Yu found the little boy at Chongshi School, and through him came to the old man's residence outside Andingmen.

Not far from the Anding Gate, I started to smell the stench of feces, and flies were flying all over the place. I really don't know how people can live in this kind of place.

When the old man learned of Li Yu's intentions, he also refused at first: "Grandfather, I have already received such a great favor from you, how can I be your housekeeper again?" He pointed to the rags on his body, "What about you? Look at me like this."

Li Yu said: "It doesn't matter, old man, I think you are perfect."

"But I also..."

"Don't refuse. I'm going to go abroad in two days. The house is unattended. I can't find anyone who can rest assured."

Li Yu approached him because the old man had received his great kindness, and he must be dedicated to his affairs, and he could earn more income, so why not do it.

Seeing Li Yu's insistence, the old man accepted it.

Li Yu gave him 3 hang money a month, which was 1 hang above the market price, and he was in charge of food and housing.In addition, he was given 2 taels of silver to exchange for decent clothes.

The old man had a sore nose and was about to shed tears again. Li Yu couldn't see elders crying the most, so he said quickly, "Old man, go shopping for clothes first, and I'll wait for you in the house. By the way, I forgot to ask, what should I call you?"

The old man said: "Master, you can call me Old Wangtou from now on."

"Then I'll call you Uncle Wang!"

When Uncle Wang entered Li Yu's house, he felt as if he had gone directly from the latrine to the Heavenly Palace, which was completely incomparable.He chose one of the three houses in the outer courtyard, which was originally where the housekeeper and servants lived.

As for the matter, anyway, there is nothing to explain now, just need to be optimistic about the family during this time.

The time soon came to the day of departure. The starting point was Zhengyangmen East Railway Station, which was later renamed Qianmen Railway Station.Anyone who has been to Beijing to see the flag raising will basically see this building. It is just to the east of the Zhengyangmen Archery Tower. It is very retro British style.

But at this time it is just a newly built train station, not fully completed, only a simple platform.

In fact, it was not the earliest railway station in the late Qing Dynasty, but the Majiabao Railway Station, a few kilometers away from Yongding Gate, which was built and put into use by the British in 1897.

Majiapu Railway Station is the originator of Beijing Railway Stations, but it is at least four or five kilometers away from Yongdingmen, the nearest city gate, much further south than the Beijing South Railway Station of today’s high-speed rail, even out of the South Third Ring Road , one can imagine how inconvenient it is.

The reason, of course, is that our Lafayette Cixi and other conservatives cannot accept the "monster" of the train and do not allow the train to enter Beijing.

After the completion of the Majiabao Railway Station, it quickly promoted the continuous development of commerce and transportation in the surrounding areas. Even the German Siemens Company undertook the construction of a 1899-kilometer tram line from Majiabao to Yongdingmen in 7.5. It is the "dangdang car" called by the common people, which makes this area more prosperous.

Back then, passengers who got off the train could directly transfer to the tram to enter Beijing, which was much more convenient.It is the earliest tram in Beijing and the first tram line in China.

But then the Boxer Movement rose, and the slogan of "helping the Qing and destroying the foreigners" was put forward.Because the Majiapu Railway Station was built by the British, the station and the small western-style buildings where the British lived were the first to be burned by the Boxers.

With the destruction of Majiabao Railway Station, the tram line that survived for only a few months has become the shortest tram line in the world.Trams were smashed, utility poles and tracks were dismantled, and the fate of China's first tram line was "end of life" just like the railway station.

After the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded the capital, they stationed troops at the Temple of Heaven. In order to facilitate the transportation of supplies, the railway was directly repaired to the west gate of the Temple of Heaven.Although Cixi opposed the railway entering the city, she was helpless.

After that, Majiabao Railway Station underwent a restoration, and in 1902, it received Empress Dowager Cixi and Guangxu who fled west and returned to Luan.What's interesting is that Cixi fled the capital in a carriage, but when she returned to Luan, she took a train that she had always opposed. How ironic!
However, with the completion of the much more convenient Zhengyangmen East Railway Station, the Majiapu Railway Station will no longer be beautiful.

The see-off teams on both sides of the platform today are quite spectacular, led by the Qing court minister Na Tong, and the British Legation, Japanese Legation, etc. also sent people to see him off.

The locomotive is a steam locomotive, the whole is black, with a golden dragon inlaid on the side, the so-called "dragon locomotive", and it is also a steam locomotive made by the Qing Dynasty itself.

As soon as Li Yu got on the train, he saw Pu Lande, and both of them were surprised: "Why are you here?"

Pu Lande smiled and said, "I'm going back to Shanghai, and I happened to be on the way, where are you?"

"I am now a member of the mission," Li Yu said.

"Great! I got news from the British Headquarters yesterday that the second paper you published has been highly valued by the academic circle. I guess the Royal Society would also like to meet you."

Li Yu was a little embarrassed and said, "I should be the one to visit them."

Pu Lande said: "When I arrive in Shanghai, I will send a telegram to the head office to follow up on your itinerary and report."

Pu Lande and Li Yu sat in the regular carriages, and as for Mr. Bei Zaizhen, he had a special luxury private room. The furnishings and decorations inside were extremely luxurious, definitely surpassing the existence of first-class cabins.

The train ran slower than the current green leather train, at a speed of about [-] per hour, and wobbled toward Tianjin.Li Yu, who is used to taking the high-speed rail, was really uncomfortable at first.

The train stopped at Tanggu Port in Tianjin. Yuan Shikai, Governor of Zhili and Minister of Beiyang, was not in Tianjin at this time. It was Tang Shaoyi from Tianjin Customs Road who personally welcomed the envoys, and then assisted the group to transfer to Anping Steamship of China Merchants Shipping.

Tang Shaoyi originally followed Yuan Shikai's arrangement and wanted to give some red envelopes, but Zai Zhen didn't accept it for some reason, so he had no choice but to give up.

Amidst the cheers of all the people on the shore, the ship whistle blew long and loudly.

set sail!

(End of this chapter)