Jingming

Chapter 409 Across the Ming Dynasty in one month
When Feng Zhou arrived in Guangzhou, it was the time for the provincial examination.

Provincial examinations are still held every year. Although the proportion of candidates admitted to the list has begun to decrease, Guangdong, as the first place to trial the new law, has also expanded its base of scholars.

Rushing for exams is just a part of the excitement in Guangzhou during this season. Because of the existence of the Guangdong Shipping Department, Guangzhou's prosperous business is even more dizzying.

The envoys from the Southeast Asian countries received a warm welcome at the port, and the enthusiasm even made many people uncontrollably frightened.

Too many people came.

Weng Wanda couldn't help but look at the current Governor of Guangdong: "Li Dutai, thank you for your trouble."

The person who is now serving as the governor of Guangdong is Ping Bo Li Mo, the head of the National Security and Civil Affairs Bureau who established the National Security and Civil Affairs Bureau in the sixth year of Jiajing.

He heard the words and smiled: "This is not arranged by the governor. Good news comes from Nanyang frequently, and the ban on civilian ships has been lifted. These are the people who predicted Hai Nuan."

Weng Wanda was stunned for a moment. After looking carefully, he realized that there were indeed many well-dressed people, but his enthusiastic eyes were just glancing at the faces of the envoys from various countries.

It turned out to be the case.

Good things from the Ming Dynasty were sold overseas, and the buyers were naturally local nobles.

Now that there was a possibility to exchange names and discuss business opportunities, they all gathered together.

"...I'm afraid I won't be able to stay in Guangzhou for a long time. The ministry has ordered us to arrive in Beijing before the Longevity Festival." Weng Wanda is still thinking about this, "It's already August [-]th, less than a month..."

"Don't worry, Chief Weng. I have already received the official letter from Zhang State." Li Mo said confidently, "The envoys will arrive in Beijing first to catch up with the ceremony, and the entourage and others will arrive in Beijing later. The envoys from various countries are not human beings. Everyone needs to enter Beijing. The official ship and transportation before arriving in Wuchang have been arranged by the Interpretation and Interpretation Bureau."

After the two exchanged pleasantries for a while, the envoys from various countries came to see Li Mo.

Weng Wanda introduced Li Mo's identity, and there was naturally a lot of praise in it.

In fact, there is no need to emphasize that Earl Li Mo's identity and the status of the leader of the academic system are higher than the number one scholar. His rank as governor of the first province of the Ming Dynasty and the second rank can already make these vassal envoys extremely respectful.

On the way here, there was naturally no shortage of etiquette officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on board the ship to popularize etiquette on them.The current official system of the Ming Dynasty is also a top priority.

Compared with the past system where the Chief Secretary, the Procurator-General, the Metropolitan Commander, the Governor and the Supervisory Censor supervised each other and decentralized their powers, the permanent governor-general of each province now has great authority.

In the eyes of these vassal states, it can only be understood as something close to a feudal king according to their old thinking.

Although he was a temporary official, during his term of office, for the Ming Dynasty, which was a country as big as theirs or even several countries, the governor was the one who had the final say here.

Corresponding to the central reform, provinces, prefectures, prefectures, and counties all added yamen. Guangdong Province held a luncheon in the Guangdong Branch of the Governor-General. After the hospitality, they immediately continued their journey.

Officials from various countries have no objection to this.

Each person brought only two important followers, boarded the ship in the afternoon, and headed to Wuchang along the waterway.

"President Liu, this official ship is different. Was it newly created by the Treasure Ship Supervisor?"

Seeing Liu Yu, the president of Tongyi Bureau and sincerity uncle, arrive in person, Weng Wanda was relieved of his worries about whether he would be able to reach the capital in time.

Liu Yu smiled when he heard this: "That's true, we are still in trial production. This time I have no choice but to use it first and record some data. Is Chief Weng interested in observing?"

For many thoughtful officials in the Ming Dynasty, new words were nothing.

The emperor has the deepest understanding of physics. Nowadays, any new thing created requires data.Only by having data and data can we continue to improve.

"If there is no inconvenience, I would like to take a look."

"Director Weng, please come this way."

When boarding the ship, Weng Wanda saw wheels on both sides of the ship.

This thing is not new. According to legend, there were cars and boats in the Song Dynasty, and they had wheels.

In the past, Li Gang presided over the construction of this kind of warship, which rolled forward with its pedals.

But now, the wheels on both sides of the ship are turning constantly. Could it be that in order to rush for time this time, people have to be stepped on constantly along the way like an express delivery shop?

Weng Wanda felt that the Treasure Ship Supervisor should not only re-create the old ships, but also add some new methods.

Arriving at the lower cabin, Weng Wanda was speechless.

How could he have imagined that they were actually mules and horses?

In the not-so-wide cabin, two mules and horses slowly circled like a mill.

There were people watching and taking care of me, and there were people holding pens and paper to record something.

However, there is a rotating iron shaft in the middle, and an iron gear larger than a wheel on top.After it rotates, it passes through other gears and iron shafts, and then extends out.

You don't need to look closely to know that it drives the outer wheels.

"...the Treasure Ship Supervisor spent so much effort to only trial-produce such a vehicle and ship?" Weng Wanda asked puzzledly, "How much faster can it be?"

"Sails and propellers can always go faster." Liu Yu pointed to the gears and bearings, "The main thing is to record how much force these objects can withstand. Now, although only animal power is available, the bottom compartment is empty. , we can use other ones in the future. I heard that the capital has been trial-producing a machine. If that kind of machine is built, cars and ships will be able to fly back and forth in the future."

Weng Wanda looked at the space here and couldn't help but ask: "What kind of machine has such magical power?"

No matter what, moving a car or a boat requires strength.Either animal power, wind power, or human power.

Since Liu Yu said this, Weng Wanda can naturally understand that the machine can work on its own.

But he didn't understand.

Liu Yu shook his head: "This person is going to be the supervisor. I heard that he has been working hard since the seventh year of Jiajing. Zheng Kui, who made the printing press and was awarded the title of rural knight, later improved the iron-making blast furnace according to the order, and then Promoted to County Lord. Nowadays, not only Zheng Kui has been doing this, but also Huangming University, Baojin Bureau, Bingzhan Bureau... many great craftsmen are doing this. I heard that it is still related to burning fires. Said to boil water."

Weng Wanda was even more confused: "Boil water?"

"Since Your Majesty has long attached great importance to this matter, you and I don't have to worry about it." Liu Yu led Weng Wanda up again, "There are some ships that the envoys boarded that are different from this one. Although the water-boiling machine still has No, but there are various types of paddles, but you can try which one works best first.”

At this moment, the envoys from various countries who were envoys to the Ming Dynasty were all on the following ships.

Some boats have wheels, some don't.

But they can all hear and see the sounds of mules and horses in the hold, the sounds of gears meshing and bearings turning, and the water splashing on the sides or stern of the ship.

This was just part of what made them novel. What made them pay more attention was the rivers that had been dredged and regulated over the years, as well as the fertile fields and people of the Ming Dynasty.

After leaving Guangdong City, they will pass through most of the Ming Dynasty, from south to north.

The towns along the way, the business travelers coming and going, and the crops that were growing well and just waiting to be harvested, all seemed to them like a wealthy and peaceful place to live and work in peace and contentment.

This kind of scene is not just in a small area, but everywhere along the way.

In order to rush for time, they did not go to Guangxi and take a detour into Huguang. Instead, they entered Chenzhou from Guangdong, the base camp of the rebels in the past.

There is a section of the road here where you need to change to a horse-drawn carriage to cross the mountains.

Eight years have passed since the rebellion was put down, and it has become a prosperous commercial town.The goods from Huguang to Guangdong were transshipped here, and the night they stayed at the Tongyi Bureau here was the only time in the first half of their journey that they could come into contact with more people.

But only at night, they could only hear the noise of drinking, having fun, and even playing and singing in other teahouses and restaurants outside in the post house.

After dawn, there is a long convoy of carriages.

Weng Wanda realized something after looking at the mountain road and the strong horses: "After the defeat of the enemy, many horses were captured?"

"They are all looked down upon by the border troops." Liu Yu nodded, "Although the troubles from the north are not over, the Ming Dynasty will not be short of horses in the future. This is probably one of the great benefits of this battle."

Weng Wanda was fascinated: "Jingbian Bo is really versatile in literature and military strategy, and Zhen'an Bo is even more brave and brave. Now that I'm describing my merits, how can I reward him?"

"I heard that we will wait for the Northern Expedition army to gather their troops, and then we can tell the story of our achievements together. On this Wanshou Festival, I think it will be a grand ceremony to announce to the world."

Weng Wanda sighed slightly.He was just an imperial envoy touring Southeast Asia, and his achievements in Jiaozhi and Malacca had nothing to do with him.

If I say credit, it’s just hard work.If I go back this time, it will be the best I can get promoted to an official position.

If he had been bolder and dared to take more responsibility, he might have been able to defeat the Portuguese expeditionary fleet, but who told him to make a choice?

At the junction of Huguang and Guangdong, Weng Wanda noticed that there were many more horses among the people in the Ming Dynasty. What the Nanyang envoys felt was the development of the connection between water transportation and land transportation in the Ming Dynasty.

And all the water and land stations are managed by the sincere uncle in the team.

It is said that his ancestor was the founding hero of the Ming Dynasty, and he was an extremely important mastermind among the founding heroes.

After arriving at the waterway again, there was a new batch of official ships.

When they arrived, they found more ships.

When official ships dock at some docks to replace mules and horses, you can always see people carrying bags of grain to other ships on the docks.

People who understand Chinese characters will see that the boats are hung with flags with the word "river transportation" written on them.

Weng Wanda had been away from his hometown for a long time, so he asked.

Liu Yu only said: "After the Huguang vassal kings rebelled and the kings came to Beijing again, a lot of land was confiscated and cleared. In recent years, there have been many grain reserves in Huguang, and successive governors have had the important task of rectifying water conservancy. After the direct campaign of grain tax, , Huguang's grain income has grown the fastest. Now that the Hetao and Xuanning Border Areas need to be managed smoothly, His Majesty has approved the River Transport Bureau to not only transship at Caohe River, but also set up a two-river branch to transship Huguang's summer grain to Shaanxi and Shanxi."

Weng Wanda sighed sincerely: "If we hadn't set up various enterprises, I would have been unable to meet the food and salary requirements during the three campaigns in Yunnan, Jiubian and Nanyang last year."

"Yang Shangshu has been frowning for more than a year." Liu Yu laughed, "It was also a quick victory in the war in Yunnan, and the owed tributes were recovered. In the Nanyang War, the maritime trade company and the shipping bureau contributed to the money, and the grain reserve number was even more prepared. There is less food. Coupled with the national debt, we can barely sustain ourselves."

The intensive war last year was over after all, and now that we had entered the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty, it was peaceful.

There was no talking all the way, and it was already the second day of September when we arrived in Wuchang.

Weng Wanda began to worry again: "President Liu, there are only ten days left, we can't rush to the capital on September [-]th, right?"

Liu Yu smiled slightly: "How long does it take to travel from Guangdong to Beijing, except for express delivery? I know the best about the post office. Don't worry, Mr. Weng."

So to Weng Wanda's surprise, he did not continue south along the Yangtze River according to the old path, and then went to Beijing through the canal.

After landing in Hankou, it was overland.

This time, what was lined up outside the post house was a larger carriage, which looked like a small house. It was pulled by four horses in front and the body also had four wheels.

Weng Wanda was dumbfounded: "Are we just going to rush to the capital like this? If we want to rush there, don't we have to work day and night, or run wildly during the day?"

This can be done by a small number of people alone, with orders not to be delayed at all.But either you have to ride the horse yourself and change along the way, or you have to endure the constant bumps on the carriage.

But now the envoys from various countries put together, the team is not small.

With so many people eating, drinking, and eating, it is inevitable that time will be wasted.

Although they are both small countries, they are still guests on an envoy to the Ming Dynasty, and they are broken into pieces along the way?

"The road is much easier to walk, just don't worry, Chief Weng."

"Has the straight road been built to Wuchang?"

"We only reached Weihui, Henan." Liu Yu said bluntly, "However, the roadbed from Wuchang to Weihui has been rebuilt, and the road will be faster and faster. Don't worry, the bureau has already calculated it. It will take ten days , we will definitely arrive in Beijing. Although we are a little tired, we are not extremely tired. Didn’t Chief Weng see that these are some new carriages?"

"...A carriage is still a carriage." Weng Wanda had no choice but to follow his arrangements.

After he got on a carriage, he realized that there was actually a three-sided couch inside, with a small square table nailed to the floor in the middle.

Looking at the soft mat and quilt on top, Weng Wanda was speechless for a long time: "Are you planning to let the envoys sleep in the car?"

"That's not necessary. It's just a matter of traveling more during the day."

The new standard straight road has not been built here yet, and the more comfortable horse-drawn carriage team is only walking on the newly compacted dirt road.

After walking for a while, Weng Wanda felt that this carriage was not as bumpy as he thought.

He didn't understand why, so he asked Liu Yu when he stayed at the inn at night.

"It's pulled by four horses, not just because it's bigger, but also because it's heavier."

Weng Wanda was confused. Wouldn't it be heavier if it was so big?

"General Secretary Weng doesn't know. The wheels of this new carriage are made of some new and good steel plates. Some are straight and some are curved. Several pieces are stacked to support the carriage." Liu Yu laughed, "Isn't that right? Is it not as bumpy as before? I heard that it was created for buses and carriages. You can see it after you arrive at Baoding Prefecture. Didn’t I tell you that the closer you are to the capital, the faster you go. "

So it took six days to arrive at Weihui. Weng Wanda and the envoys from various countries saw that after they washed the wheels, they luxuriously nailed leather to the wheels.

The straight road in front of me was wide and there was no dirt anymore.

From Weihui to Baoding, this time it only took three days.

After arriving in Baoding, they finally saw that the road had changed again.There are four more railway tracks in the middle of the road, and other cars, horses, and people can pass on both sides.

And on the railroad tracks, new carriages are now parked.

This new carriage is slimmer and longer, and can seat more than ten people in one carriage.

Weng Wanda has never seen this, let alone the envoys from the Southeast Asian countries who have traveled such a long way and the capital of the Ming Dynasty is still unknown.

After changing trains again, Liu Yu said with certainty: "We will definitely be able to enter the city before dark today."

Sitting on this "bus", Weng Wanda was shocked.

After he reached a faster and more stable speed, he couldn't help but hold the window string tightly and asked Liu Yu in a trembling voice: "How do you stop when you run so fast? Are you going to hit the front?"

Liu Yu nodded: "I bumped into it twice during the trial before."

Weng Wanda's face naturally turned pale.

"I naturally became proficient in it later on." Liu Yu laughed, "General Manager Weng, look, isn't there one person driving the horse in front, and the other person is always holding the iron rod? There is a brake."

"Kill... Che?"

"Do not worry."

Weng Wanda was not reassured.

But fortunately, Tongyi Bureau is already very skilled in this section.

The man holding the iron rod in his hand would shout "slow down" every time he saw that the car in front of him was not just a small dot, but a little bigger, and then he would count and follow the horse rider to lift the reins and pull the horse. At the same time, gently pull the rod down a little.

Then the car will be a little slower.

With such fear all the way, the foreign envoys saw the capital of the Ming Dynasty in a novel and exciting way.

The first thing that shocked them was the chimneys standing like giant trees in the direction of the Heavy Industry Park.

And then, the crowds became increasingly dense in the suburbs of Beijing.

The one-month journey to the Ming Dynasty has come to an end. Although the time is not long, they already know how vast the Ming Dynasty is from the speed along the way.

Now the capital of the empire appeared before them.

The great emperor who controls the destiny of this vast land is in this huge city in front of him.

The entire city, the entire Ming Dynasty, including them, the vassal states and clans outside the territory, were all preparing to celebrate his birthday.

(End of this chapter)