Daming: After self-explosive time travel, Lao Zhu's mentality collapsed

"Your Highness, look over there!" A confidant pointed to the distance and said happily, "That is the new Hanzhong to Chengdu trunk line we opened! There are mountains and peaks along the line, and it twists and turns. The project is extremely difficult."

Chu Ze looked over and saw a straight steel road winding away in the distance, passing through an endless stretch of mountains.

There are towering mountains and ridges in front and behind the road. Occasionally, there is a flat area, but after a few miles, the mountains are steep again, one layer upon another.

"Tsk tsk, this is indeed a rare and arduous project!" Chu Ze also praised sincerely, "To build a smooth and wrinkle-free railway in such a beautiful place with clear water and mountains, it really tests the surveying and construction level of our engineering team."

"But their work is amazing." Chu Ze pointed to the main road where arch bridges were often seen, winding and patchwork. "The environment in this area is complex and changeable, but they can adapt to the road with ease. It's really unexpected."

I saw that this railway indeed passed through the winding and rugged mountains, but the line did not appear narrow or blocked at all.

On the contrary, from building bridge piers to digging tunnels, from setting curves to surveying slopes, everything is done with the beauty of curves and scientific principles.

In some places, there are even gentle slopes that stretch for miles without any trouble of turning or twisting.

"This is exactly the result of our application of new engineering theories!" Chu Ze said proudly, "From line design to construction standards, we have learned from the advanced experience of our Western counterparts. What's more interesting is that this set of technology has been mastered by the Han people, and we are not just learning from foreigners."

Sure enough, upon closer inspection, there was no trace of Western engineers at the construction site.

Whether it is the workers operating mechanical drilling operations on the roadbed, or the technicians working hard in the dusty shed in the back, they are all familiar Chinese faces.

"Look over there!" A young man in a new military uniform shouted, pointing to a bend in the road. "To ensure transportation safety, we have specially reinforced a section here to make the bend wide and flat, avoiding the risk of derailment!"

"Well, well done!" Chu Ze saw it and nodded repeatedly.

This young man created a temporary shed out of thin air and explained the construction standards and principles to everyone.

"The radius of the curve cannot be too small, otherwise the transport capacity will be greatly affected; if it is too straight, it will increase the resistance loss. We have carefully calculated here, and each arc is just right to achieve the best balance between transport capacity and resistance."

He talked incessantly, occasionally mixing in technical terms such as curve geometry and friction mechanics, which made it a little confusing.

However, this rigorous and pragmatic attitude made several engineers around him nod their heads frequently, and it seemed that they were all "sirs" who were well versed in this.

"Kill first and kill later!" Just as the technician was talking, a deafening burst of artillery fire was suddenly heard, and a billowing smoke was seen rising from the mountains not far away.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Chu Ze and everyone else were startled by the sudden noise and couldn't help but shout loudly.

"Reporting to the prince, we are digging a tunnel in that mountain!" Then a worker ran over breathlessly and led everyone to check it out.

I saw that on the mountain peak that was over a hundred feet high, a large black hole had been dug out of the originally majestic mountain. The sound of cannons and thick smoke were undoubtedly coming from there.

Looking inside the open space, I saw a group of dark-skinned workers crowded at the cave entrance, some were busy beside the explosives pile, and more were wandering in the cave.
Leading everyone into the huge cave entrance, what came into view was a scene of bustling construction. Teams of engineers lined up beside the temporary shed, sweating profusely side by side. Some held pickaxes and chiseled deep holes in the cave wall; others held wooden barrels filled with explosives and stuffed them into the cave one by one.

"All engineers, retreat to a safe area!" At this moment, a loud command resounded throughout the tunnel. A young engineer stepped forward with a flag in his hand and directed everyone to evacuate quickly.

After everyone retreated to an open space far away, the engineer turned around and whistled at the deep pits filled with gunpowder embedded in the rock wall.

"Boom boom" a burst of deafening cannon sounded suddenly, and thick smoke gushed out, swirling in the air. When the smoke gradually dissipated, everyone held their breath and looked towards the cave entrance.

The fire inside the tunnel had dimmed, but the holes all over the rock walls had indeed been shaken to become deeper and more hideous.

"What a great way to drill a hole!" Chu Ze was amazed when he saw this. This blasting project was indeed a new construction technology born under the influence of the West. Using remote blasting to break through hard rock would undoubtedly achieve twice the result with half the effort.

"Nothing special, Your Highness." The young engineer smiled proudly, "We are all disciples of the Firearms Museum. With your personal instruction, Your Highness, we are naturally proficient in controlling the mechanics of explosions. Applying it to excavation today can be considered an invention."

"Okay, okay." Chu Ze nodded repeatedly. He walked to the pit, bent down, picked up a piece of rubble and examined it carefully. He saw that the surface of the stone was covered with cracks, and there were faint scorch marks inside, which were definitely signs of a violent explosion.

"It seems that you have not only mastered the Western gunpowder refining techniques, but also the principles of blasting." Chu Ze looked up and said approvingly to the engineer, "In this case, the tunnel project connecting the peaks will probably be a piece of cake, right?"

"That's right!" The engineer strode to the tunnel entrance and pointed to the dim corridor inside. "Now we have the drilling and blasting methods in our hands. We just need to proceed step by step. By the time we break through, the entire project may not even be halfway done!"

"That's really great." Chu Ze patted the engineer on the shoulder and praised him sincerely, "With the power of the new generation like you, the railway industry of the Ming Dynasty will surely move forward and eventually spread all over China!"

Not far away, the workers were also excited when they heard this conversation. They put down their tools and gathered around.

"Thank you for your appreciation, Your Highness! With your true teachings in hand, we will be invincible even in remote mountains and bad waters!"

"Isn't it? In the past, we were also very limited in digging steep mountains. Now with this blasting magic, hard rocks are no different from soft mud and sand. It's a piece of cake!"

Whether veterans or newcomers in the engineering team, everyone is in high spirits and full of fighting spirit. In just a few years, the previously unknown working class has mastered disruptive new technological knowledge through unremitting learning.

They stepped out of their studies and personally participated in the tide of modernization, becoming the main body and backbone of this revolution.

"Hahaha, Your Majesty, you have to give us more guidance so that we can keep up with the pace of the times!" A foreman with calluses on his cheeks said with a hearty laugh.

"Don't worry, as long as you are willing to learn, I, Your Majesty, will teach you without reservation." Chu Ze looked around with a smile, and said with great enthusiasm, "In the future, whether it is mechanical mechanics, engineering materials, or fluid dynamics and other emerging knowledge, I will definitely teach you all. Let no one in the modernization construction of the Ming Dynasty be a layman!"

Chu Ze's words were undoubtedly the greatest encouragement. The workers all had bright eyes and high morale.

They worked hard and followed the engineers' instructions to continue digging tunnels in the mountains. (End of this chapter)