Nanming: I can build wonders

Chapter 163 The Roar of the Steam Train

In the western suburbs of Dongning Prefecture, a large group of craftsmen from the Dongning Manufacturing Bureau and officials from the Ming Zheng Ministry of Industry are working hard.

"Everyone, work harder, we must test the locomotive today! If you find any problems, you should report them in time, and the king will come over later!"

"Master Lu, don't worry! We will definitely not make mistakes!"

A young craftsman, wearing the white uniform of the Dongning Manufacturing Bureau, spoke to Lu Fan, the right servant of the Ministry of Industry.

Now that the status of the Dongning General Manufacturing Bureau has risen, the craftsmen's respect for the official is not as good as before.

If it was the past, how dare these craftsmen talk to the official!

Lu Fan didn't care about it either, he was watching the test site in front of him nervously.

The location where the train is being tested today will be the first railway station in Dongning Prefecture in the future.

It's just that the train station is still too simple in a strict sense.

The steel for the rails is of good quality and comes from the Shilu Iron Mine on Qiongzhou Island.

It's just that the length of the railway track is still very short, less than ten miles away.

But even such a temporary train station built with a large number of wooden structures and cement has also devoted the efforts of everyone present.

Woo!Woo!Woo!
With a puff of black smoke surging out from the head of the train, Mingzheng's first steam locomotive dragged a temporary train carriage and started to run.

Inside the locomotive, a craftsman scooped up a shovel of black coal with a shovel in his hand and poured it into the boiler inside the locomotive.

The red coal burning in the boiler is continuously boiling the water tank above, and under the action of water vapor, the train turbine is driven up, and the transmission structure all over the train is constantly cooperating.

Under the nervous gaze of everyone on the train platform, the train began to move forward slowly, and as time went by, it became faster and faster!
After a while, it followed everyone's gaze.

Farther!

"Wow! We did it!"

"Success! The train is moving!"

"Horses are no longer needed for carriages!"

It turned out that Zheng Kezang saw that the time was right to invent the steam train, so he spent 50 points to buy the steam train technology!
Most of Ming Zheng's sites are islands. Why did Zheng Kezang want to build a railway so soon?
Due to the rapid development of the steam engine, the output of ore in the major mining areas of Qiongzhou Island and Luzon Island has increased sharply, and the increase in output is a good thing.

However, after the increase in production, problems followed. The most prominent problem was the transportation problem. The mining area near the river was fine. Relying on water transportation, the ore could be transferred to Dongning Mansion in time.

But what about those areas with inconvenient transportation?

If you want to get rich, build roads first. If you don’t develop trains now, when will you wait!

And when the train was rolling forward with thick black smoke, everyone present was all moved.

The emergence of railways and trains is destined to be a historic moment, and Zheng Kezang was also very excited when he heard the news.

"Hurry up! Li Banban, prepare the carriage, Gu is going to see the first train in Dongning right now, I can't wait for a moment!"

"I'll make arrangements now, old slave!" It was the first time that old eunuch Li saw Zheng Kezang so anxious, so he hurried to make preparations.

Zheng Kezang knew that once the Central Plains were regained in the future, the successful promotion of trains would not only result in a constantly improving transportation system.

Moreover, through the continuous construction of this railway, the government orders of the imperial court, materials from various places, and even letters from post stations can all be gathered in this transportation network.

In the future, Mingzheng will usher in a brand new side.

"Your Majesty is here!" Before Zheng Kezang approached, Old Eunuch Li began to shout again in his signature sharp voice.

All of a sudden, many officials who had been waiting for a long time at the platform stepped forward to greet him.

"No, no, no!" Zheng Kezang couldn't care less about those cumbersome etiquettes. At this moment, he just wanted to see the steam train he was thinking of earlier.

After waving his hand, Zheng Kezang took a step ahead.

He saw the black locomotive at a glance, and said, "This is the latest steam train!"

"My Majesty, this is the train." Lu Fan quickly stood up and agreed.

Nodding his head, Zheng Kezang said excitedly, "Can I go up and have a look?"

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid." Lu Fan showed embarrassment, after all the train is a new thing, if there is an accident, he can only apologize with death.

Zheng Kezang also knew what Lu Fan was embarrassing. Although he had the talent of Hercules, if the train derailed, his naked eyes would not be able to withstand it.

Thinking of this, Zheng Kezang gave up the idea of ​​driving the train himself.

He turned his mouth to the excited Ministry of Industry officials and craftsmen and said: "The successful manufacture of the new steam train is inseparable from the joint efforts of all of you. I am very pleased. All those who participated in this matter will be rewarded."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward!"

Everyone wanted to kneel down to thank the gift, Zheng Kezang waved his hands quickly.

The train platform has just been built, and there are inevitably some gravel and sawdust everywhere on the ground. Let's save these cumbersome etiquette.

This first train still needs to be perfected, so Zheng Kezang hurriedly left without disturbing the craftsmen to continue their work.

After returning from the temporary train station, Zheng Kezang still couldn't hide his excitement.

For this reason, on the return trip, he specially greeted Lu Fan and Yang Ying from the household department, and followed him back to the palace.

Sitting in a carriage.

"I have a little idea about the steam train, and I want to discuss it with the two of you."

"First of all, there is the issue of scale. First, Lu Shilang, once the railway is to be laid on a large scale, what will the cost be?"

Lu Fan thought for a while, and then told the truth: "Your Majesty, railways need a lot of high-quality steel. At present, our steel is mainly for the production of weapons, but building a few railways will not be a problem!"

Zheng Kezang nodded and continued to ask: "Now my idea is to build a railway connecting the north and south of Yizhou Island first. Is the steel supply enough?"

"Report to the king, enough!" Lu Fan was confident about the output of the steel factory.

Why build this railway in the first place?

Because the northern part of Yizhou Island, also known as chicken coop, is not developed enough, but there are a lot of mineral resources there, coal for steam engines, sulfur for gunpowder, and iron ore for steel mills, all there!
What a treasure, it's time to develop it.

So Zheng Kezang nodded and said, "Mr. Lu, now I have a task for you to mobilize people to inspect the road from Dongning Mansion to Jilong Port in the north, make plans, and start building the railway immediately after planning."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Lu Fan excitedly said, building the first railway, his name will surely be recorded in the annals of history.

"Your Majesty, I have a problem!" Housekeeper Yang Ying finally spoke out.

(End of this chapter)