Jingming

Chapter 443: The new prince, the number one in the capital, is very lively
Luis, the Portuguese ambassador, heard and witnessed this "grand event" of the emperor forming a party in the capital.

I can only say it was an eye-opener.

The turmoil was by no means limited to the officialdom. There was a big discussion in Ming Pao.

"How do you cultivate yourself, manage your family and govern the country after you become an official? How can we ordinary people understand this? But isn't Your Majesty just asking the officials how to be a good official?"

A word is worth ten thousand words, and it is true that a thousand words are worth a thousand words.

The huge empire in the East has had a professional bureaucracy system for nearly 2000 years. It is not an advisory staff established by the monarch according to circumstances and dismissed according to the times. Now they are still exploring how to make this system better.

Louis was allowed to enter the library. The National Library in Beijing has both a library and a place for tea and meals.

This is also where Louis loved to go, because here you can hear the discussions of many of the best literate people in the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty also had slaves, but they were not exactly like European slaves.

There are obviously more free people in the Ming Dynasty, and they even always say that "the people are the most precious and the king is the least"...

Their emperor clearly has the highest authority, but ordinary civilians dare to say these words so rebelliously.

[Precise and ingenious balance, my dear brother...]

At night, in the house arranged by the Ministry of Civil Affairs as the Portuguese Embassy, ​​Luis wrote letters to his brother.

The more I understand it, the more incredible it becomes.

[That is an idea that existed more than 2000 years ago, which is different from doctrine.They had a great emperor say nearly a thousand years ago that farmers are like water, which can allow the emperor to float on it like a gorgeous ship, or it can form huge waves to submerge it.In fact, it's very scary. There are really too many such things in their history books.And we, dear brother, you know, most of Europe are serfs, they do not understand and are not capable of forming such a huge wave. 】

[The scary thing is that they actually took this idea as the dogma of the empire, taught it to the peasants, and required officials to love the civilians like their own children, and to be fair and compassionate officials for them, and even to For this reason he opposed the emperor's opinion at certain moments.An emperor who can accept some objections is a good emperor, but their emperor has more and more power. I am really confused...]

To make so many people literate, the knowledge that young children learn includes these. Almost everyone who is literate knows what the world is like.

Those statements are not saying that you have original sin while emphasizing that I love you.

What's guilty?
In the beginning, human beings are inherently good... We are all good people by nature. If we ordinary people can't live a good life, it must be the emperor's fault.

Louis couldn't figure it out.

If the people under the emperor's rule are so rebellious, why can the emperor's authority still be so great?

It's not because of the emperor who is currently reigning. From what Louis has learned, the emperors of recent dynasties in the East have wielded greater power than previous dynasties.

[They even dared to accuse God of his faults and destroy the temple!My God... God is going to work for them here too.I cannot be fooled by their ordinary piety. I cannot imagine how they dare to curse so angrily that God is blind, God is unfair, God was raped by a dog...]

[Oh, by the way, they usually refer to all gods vaguely as heaven.The emperor is called the son of heaven.And they even dare to say that man can definitely defeat the sky. 】

[The blasphemy against God and power is unimaginable to me, but His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty still firmly holds great power and is able to possess and mobilize great wealth and manpower. 】

[Shouldn’t their blasphemy be purified by being tied to the stake? 】

[Let’s talk about business.This is a very special moment. Immediately, the main officials from all provinces of the empire will gather in the capital.Each of these provinces is no smaller than a European kingdom, with a population of millions or even tens of millions.Many of them will hold other official positions after this year. I don’t understand why they can give up the familiar power equivalent to the territory of a kingdom...]

Louis knew that the Eastern Empire managed the entire vast empire through floating officials, but in his understanding, every transfer must be accompanied by huge exchanges of interests and compromises.

But after coming to Beijing again and hearing a lot, he realized that this was nothing at all.

It's a matter of the emperor's decree.

But when you go to a new place, all relationships have to be restarted, right?
How to gain benefits without familiar and trustworthy people?

Louis really couldn't figure it out. The emperor still asked them not to pay attention to the interests of themselves and their family, so why were they willing to work for the emperor?Why not oppose him?
He described the incident simply as suggesting to his brother that, as officials were always in flux, Portugal might be able to secure stable interests only through the emperor himself.In the Ming Dynasty, there were really no important ministers or big families who could bring stable and continuous benefits to Portugal.

What advanced weapons, tactics, and lower-priced Eastern goods suppliers Portugal needed could only be obtained by relying on the emperor.

As for the method of gathering the power of the kingdom...

[My dear brother, I sadly feel that we cannot do it.You know, that's not going to happen unless we overthrow the church first.As long as people have the Pope and God besides you in their hearts, you cannot be like the Emperor of the East.But……】

The Portuguese Luis was deeply shocked in Ming Dynasty. Every day in Beijing, the reflection coupons were not enough.

He witnessed the prosperity of Ming Dynasty with his own eyes.As the Longevity Festival is approaching, birthday gifts to the emperor from various places are also gradually arriving in the capital.

The decree from the palace came out. The emperor himself will accept the gift first, but then most of the precious items will be auctioned, and the proceeds will be donated to several things.

The Huanghuai floods and the afforestation in the northwest related to the Huanghuai floods, a new round of subsidies for the purchase and replacement of iron farm tools, and the expansion of the projects of almshouses and medical nursing homes.

Relatives and big businessmen, who are worried about the inspection of industry and commerce, are planning to "generate charity".

Praise for His Majesty the Emperor naturally spread throughout the capital.

The emperor himself is now at the Heavy Industry Park.

"Did it really get made?" Zhu Houcong was pleasantly surprised.

"Congratulations to Your Majesty!" Zheng Kui took the lead in bowing. "For several months, I have not dared to delay, and I have been looking forward to giving you this congratulatory gift. With that condenser, now I finally don't have to vent [-]% of the heat. "

When Weng Wanda returned to the Ming Dynasty from Jiaozhi, he took a new ship that had room for a steam engine in the future.

The Beijing-Guangzhou Expressway has laid rail tracks in the flat areas of Hebei and Henan. Isn’t this what we are waiting for?
The reason why the new straight track has not yet been decided is simply that the emperor himself felt that the steam engine had not yet come out and the railway track did not know what standard it should be.

Now, Zhu Houcong saw a special steam locomotive.

It was still crude, but it was mounted on a frame with iron wheels.

It took so long, but the steam engine did not come out as quickly as Zhu Houcong expected.

But in such a long time, because of the clear application direction pointed out by Zhu Houcong, there is a lot of work that can be done ahead.

From the initial threads, gears, and crankshafts to the power source and coal, a fuel that China has used for many years, now many years of waiting have given Zhu Houcong a truly precious gift.

"Has the experiment been carried out?"

"Back to Your Majesty, I have already tried it on the railway tracks in the Heavy Industry Park. If it does not succeed, I will not be able to report it to Your Majesty."

"Okay!" Zhu Houcong was inexplicably happy, "Pass it on, I will take this carriage pulled by the steam train back to the city today! I will reward you for your contribution! Zheng Kui, you have been working hard on your skills for more than ten years. I understand. Only by studying Chinese characters, physics, arithmetic, and casting can you achieve this skill! The importance of this steam engine can be said to usher in a new era. In the past, I bought a horse bone with a thousand gold coins and made you a country noble. Today, you serve as my vehicle and use the new technology to create a new era. As a prince, you will accompany me back to the city!"

"Xinshi...hou?" Zheng Kui was startled, "How virtuous and capable I am, His Highness King Rui, Zhenren Tao, and all the doctors and masters..."

"Everyone will be rewarded!" Zhu Houcong took his hand, "This is not the end! I am the earl and the marquis, just to tell the people of the world that the path of physics has great potential! From today on, I hope that the people of the world will talk about you. At that time, everyone knew that a craftsman could achieve eternal achievements and be granted the title of marquis and worship the duke! Zheng Kui, a hundred years from now, you must accompany me in the Ancestral Temple!"

Zheng Kui burst into tears immediately.

Everyone knows that the emperor does not seem to dislike craftsmen as untouchables, but being granted a county title is already beyond everyone's imagination.

The earl promised that everyone would only think that this matter was extremely difficult, and that it was probably the real end.

But now the emperor not only wanted to make him a marquis, but also promised to allow him to enter the temple.

In the Ancestral Temple of the Zhu family of the Ming Dynasty, were there any craftsmen who received incense?

Being held by the emperor's hand, Zheng Kui was shaking all over and could not speak at all.

Here, there are accompanying civil officials, including the prince and Zhang Juzheng, as well as other craftsmen and doctors from the Polytechnic Institute.

Now they looked at Zheng Kui, who was crying with joy, with undisguised disbelief and crazy envy in their eyes. The emperor held his hand and walked around the steam train that had just been named by the emperor, asking questions. Answered with laughter and tears.

The emperor still had a lot to do if he wanted to return to the city in the carriage pulled by the steam train.

First, the straight road must be notified to clear the road, the horse-drawn carriages must be temporarily stopped, and pedestrians on both sides of the road must be controlled.

Secondly, the steam train must be transported there and the new "driver" must be prepared.

And finally, and more importantly, the big guy is worried.

When this thing starts moving, it makes a lot of noise.

The key question is, is it safe?In full view of everyone, if it stopped halfway or even exploded, it would be over.

Outside the south city, Lu Bing soon led the imperial guards and personal guards out of the city and went to guard along the straight road.

It doesn’t count as clearing the place, because the emperor has given extra instructions, so it’s better to make the noise louder so that everyone can see the excitement.Therefore, we only put up cordons and human walls, and the people were allowed to stand behind the soldiers and watch.

Although everyone still doesn’t know what to watch.

"Made of a steam engine, the driver has to take a steam train back to the city that does not require horses and only burns coal!"

There was no concealment at all. Lu Bing was ordered to spread the news, and he was extremely worried.

"No horses to pull? Steam train?"

The people in the capital have all seen the world, but they have never seen this kind of world.

"How can the car move if it only burns coal?"

"That coal is black, could it be a divine object?"

"Have you heard? The county magistrate of Zhengkui who was transformed into a blast furnace was granted the title of New Marquis!"

"what?!"

"A craftsman becomes a marquis?"

Breaking news came one after another from outside the city, and then came a clearer order: all the officials in Beijing were put on duty early today and left the city to greet him.

The emperor just went to the Heavy Industry Park to take a look as usual, but the battle array arranged now was even bigger than when he returned to Beijing in triumph from the Northern Expedition.

Officials in uniform were about to go out of the city to greet the battle, which naturally attracted more people to come out of the city to watch.

Among the officials, there were also envoys from foreign vassals who had arrived in Beijing to wish the Great Tomorrow a long life.

Louis walked out of the city with others in a daze, waiting in the field outside the Jingshi Station, the last stop on the Jingguang Straight Road, outside the new South City Gate.

Yang Shen was stunned when he saw that Jin Yiwei was cutting down trees and tearing down the fence that blocked pedestrians outside the platform of Jingshi Station.

"What kind of machine has to cut down these trees and tear down the fence just to let people see clearly? It's so wasteful!"

He felt that the emperor was not up to business.

If you cut it down now, you will have to plant it later; if you demolish it now, you will have to repair it later.

It’s all money from the treasury!

"...Tongyi Bureau can still afford this amount of money." Yan Song reminded him, although Yan Song also felt it was a bit outrageous.

Zhang Bi was still in a daze: "His Majesty has really issued an oral decree to designate Zheng Kui as a new prince?"

"We are already drafting the edict, how can we still fake it?" Liu Long sighed, "The whole world is in an uproar..."

"The word "New Age" is even more extraordinary..." Liu Tianhe knew about the steam engine project. He was also a person who was able to rub instruments for measuring the sediment content of the Yellow River, so he was even more confused. "The power of this steam engine can be said to usher in a new era. ?"

The people who were watching from a distance were now looking at Jin Yiwei cutting down trees and demolishing fences so that they could clearly see the excitement.

I have to say, unheard of.

At this moment, because the Pujin Bridge incident only affected the Zhang family and not the Wang family, Wang Chonggu had already arrived in the capital.

He was in the circle of newly made scholars, and listening to their doubts about the mere craftsmen and feudal princes and their confusion about the emperor causing such a big battle, he felt a huge wave in his heart.

He was born into a merchant family, had extraordinary talents and knowledge, and thought more.

Nowadays, many looms and other machinery are powered by water.From ancient times to the present, long journeys have relied on animal power or water power, such as riding horses, cars, or boats, which can make it a little slower.

What does it mean to move a car that only burns coal instead of being pulled by horses?
The fact that the emperor was able to stage such a huge battle only meant that the steam engine was much more powerful than animal power or water power.

It burns coal... coal from Shanxi... coal from Mobei...

The emperor must definitely put an end to the Northern Troubles, but I'm afraid it's not just for the sake of extirpating the Northern Troubles.

And how can we completely eradicate the plague in the north?After all, the tribes in Mobei suffer from Mobei and envy the fertile soil of the Central Plains and Jiangnan.In addition to herding, if you can carry coal and sell it to the Ming Dynasty like you do now, you can earn more and afford food, cloth, ironware, salt...

If you can survive and live better, why do you have to follow the captive chief to the south to work for your life?

So many people gathered outside Nancheng, Sun Yuan's head almost hurt.

Although he has not yet officially taken over as the director-general of the Public Security Department, he is already in the process of handing over the work.

Now the Jin Yiwei and the Guards are only responsible for the safety of the emperor and the officials, but the common people can't be seen at a glance. If there are thieves wandering around, or if you push me and cause chaos later, what should I do?

"Go to Liangxiang and line up! Let the people take a few more steps and don't crowd in here!"

He complained incessantly, why did Your Majesty get so excited and get so excited?

More and more people gathered, and Louis watched blankly as perhaps over [-] residents of the capital came out of Beijing and came to the south gate to watch the excitement of Tianzi No. [-].

If these people were an army, they would be enough to conquer Lisbon.

Hu Zongxian asked Zhu Wan in the official team: "Chief, please note, today's events are difficult to remember."

"...Remember it truthfully." Zhu Wan sighed, "His Majesty has always been calm, and he rarely behaves like this when he is overjoyed, suddenly made up of ideas, and forgets the situation. This shows that the steam engine is really important."

The current mistress of the imperial study is Shen Lian. The 24-year-old was shocked: "Your Majesty, the divine king, came to this world. Could it be that he has reached the sky and knows where this steam engine can be used? Hou said that in the new world, I really can't figure out how useful this steam engine is. ?"

"... Let His Majesty perform an autopsy."

Most people can't figure it out.

Even if it can replace horsepower and water power, it is difficult to imagine how much change it will bring.

People were surprised that Zheng Kui became a marquis with one achievement, and they were surprised by the emperor's unusual act of forgetfulness.

What responded to their doubts was the roar that finally sounded from the distance and the rising black smoke.

It emits a high-pitched chirping sound as the excess heat is released.

"I'm coming!"

The crowd craned their necks to look.

They were far away, and they could only see a long iron monster, smoking and pulling the carriage behind it forward.

I didn’t see how fast he ran.

On the steam train, there were people holding shovels, as if adding coal to it.

At the back, I saw a roofless carriage with the emperor's guard of honor on it.

The officials were patient. The thing was still far away from them. Even if they wanted to look around, they couldn't just mess up their formation.

Lu Bing was extremely nervous. Is this car easy to brake?
The steam locomotive came from a distance. Looking at it gradually slowing down, but still approaching with great force, Louis only felt an unparalleled sense of oppression.

He had walked on that straight road before, and although it was strange for him to see horses pulling carriages running in the middle of the tracks, he could understand it.

Now that he saw this steel behemoth roaring with black smoke, an idea suddenly came to his mind.

The wise and powerful Emperor of the East built this railway in advance just for this steel giant.

Louis, who already knew a lot about the Ming Dynasty, knew very well that preparations for the construction of this road had begun more than ten years ago.

Recently, in the capital of the Ming Dynasty, I also heard about the case in Shanxi. The iron ship supporting a magnificent bridge had a hole, which almost caused a disaster.

iron ship.

There was a lot of iron in the Ming Dynasty, so much that it was unsalable.

This giant steel beast can pull a car, but can't it drive an iron ship?

Thinking of the Karak battleship that Portugal was proud of, remembering that Europe was still full of wooden ships, and looking at the steel behemoth that was moving unswervingly, Louis felt numb all over.

Brother, what did I see?
(End of this chapter)