Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 1000 Small Shopkeeper and Artist

According to Shan Daoqian's standards, Lingao's train can only be regarded as an urban rail transit system.It was expanded on the original factory rail car line used to transport goods.Used to transport products, raw materials and workers.This line network has developed to the present, from a gas locomotive to a meteor-shaped steam locomotive, and the route has expanded from the small railway running in the factory area to the whole county: the operating line extends from the Wenlan Bridge Station outside the county seat along the Wenlan River. Go to Bopu, and then extend from Bopu to Ma Niao.It connects the main industrial area and port area of ​​the entire Lingao.

Van der Laantelon and Trini sat in the first class car - because of the relationship between soot and moisture, the first class car hung up last.The first-class car is a little more advanced than the car in front, which is a flat-top convertible car, which is used for passenger and cargo.When the passenger car is used, a circle of fences will be installed on all sides.Passengers sat on the ground, and when they couldn't sit down, they simply stood crowded.Because it is completely open-air, there is no problem of ventilation.

Only in occasional situations—for example, when some important ceremony or ceremony is held, a few rows of wooden benches will be temporarily installed on the flatbed truck.

Of course, there is no shed on the flatbed car. When it rains or the temperature is too high, a temporary canvas shed will be installed. When the train is running, soot and water vapor will fill the air, enough to suffocate the passengers on the first two wagons.The rails are standard rail size, but they are light wrought iron forged rails, and the sleepers are also crude and simple.The simplicity of the equipment of the entire rail transit system is simply outrageous.

But such crude motor transportation is also a revolution for Lingao's industry: small trains allow a large number of laborers to move quickly from one place to another, and workers can commute to and from get off work in the least amount of time—the factory area in Lingao is getting bigger and bigger. Larger and larger, workers' housing estates had to be built further away from the factories.

The first-class car in which the two Europeans were in was exclusively for veterans and natives and naturalized people who were willing to pay high prices. Although the chassis of the car was the same as that of a flat car, a car body was added. Not only did it have glass-mounted windows, but also installed There are shutters, which provide ventilation and protection from the sun in the hot sun.There are also seats in the car.

Van der Laantelon looked around the empty carriage with great interest-there were only the two of them in the first-class carriage this time.

"Is this the so-called first class?" Van der Laantelon saw that the furnishings and decorations in the carriage were very simple, although they were very practical.Even for him, a Dutchman, Australians' "first class" was too much of a misnomer.

Trini said: "Yes, Australians are simple in nature. Secondly, their so-called first class is compared with the wagons in front."

"Oh?" Van der Lanteron poked his head out of the car window with interest, and took a look.Every wagon in front was packed with passengers and goods, some of the passengers who couldn't squeeze in were hanging on the fence, and some climbed onto the pile of goods on the flatbed car and perched on it.

"It's really a rare and spectacular scene." Van der Laantelon laughed, "But I doubt it—with so many people and goods loaded on it, how can the train be pulled? Can it run like a horse? Fast? You said in your report that it was a machine powered by fire and water. Can it really be so marvelous?"

"That's right," Trini said. "In my humble opinion. Australians have a lot of secrets about God that we don't know about..."

Van der Laantelon was a Protestant who scoffed at the Catholic faith.He snorted: "I think it's the devil's secret—just like your learned compatriot Leonardo da Vinci."

Trini said nothing.He felt that there was nothing to discuss with the small shopkeeper in the Netherlands on this subject.Protestants are no more scientific than Catholics, sometimes the opposite. The "Father of Circulation" was burned by Calvinists in Switzerland.Trini knew that it was best for him to speak less about scientific issues-although the Netherlands is the most tolerant place in Europe for religious issues, the East India Company in Batavia is not tolerant at all.

Originally, he wanted to talk to van der Laantelon about his views on "trains" based on his observations, but seeing that this person was obviously ignorant, he dismissed the idea.At this time, the carriage vibrated violently, the steel creaked, and the carriage slowly rolled on the track.

Twenty minutes later, the Dutch and the Italians alighted at the "Shangguan" stop.A two-wheeled Dongfeng carriage was waiting in front of the station - this was a bus sent by the Ministry of Colonial and Trade.

The "Commercial Hall" is a project jointly declared by the Ministry of Colonial Trade and the General Office. During this year's typhoon, Lingaojing was also affected. Although no one was displaced, a lot of land was flooded.Many of them belong to the fields that the Council of Agriculture intends to reclaim: "Shangguan" is one of the flooded lands, but it has not been reclaimed at all.

The reason why it will be flooded is that this area is a depression behind the sand embankment of the beach. The land on the edge of the land will slide to the sea year after year, and the tide will send the sand back to accumulate on the beach, and the wind will blow the sand to the land, forming a beach. A natural sand embankment several meters high and tens of meters wide, behind which is sunken land.After doing some leveling in vain, the Council of Agriculture found that the salinity and alkalinity treatment here far exceeded the current productivity, and then it was soaked by heavy rain again, and the investment in this land was considered as tuition fee.In the end, the Council of Agriculture decided to abandon the farmland development work in this area.Instead, the forestry department is responsible for the transformation.

The Ministry of Forestry decided to transform the entire coastal depression into mangrove land to fix sand and resist wind, reduce the erosion of the coastline by waves, and plant coconut palm plantations in places slightly inland.

To the east of this depression is a low hill, and beyond that is the horse owl.With the opening of the railway from Bopu to Maxiao, the General Office of the Executive Committee and the Colonial Department decided to turn this land into the future state guesthouse and embassy area.The first is to invite the East India Company to settle in, and use the money paid by the East India Company to block the nearby mountain stream into a small reservoir to supply water for the vicinity-if generators can be mass-produced in the future, some small hydropower can also be built.

The carriage carried them along the road and soon arrived at the commercial hall area.It is still a barren place, except for the leveled land, there are only a few isolated wooden houses, and some houses are still under construction.

The Dutch East India Company's shop is being built, or rather, the foundation is being dug.Trini designed a rather strong and handsome double-story masonry hall.However, Lingao Construction Company stated that the construction period will take two years.So the current commercial building is two simple and beautiful wooden houses, which are prefabricated houses designed by Zhang Xingpei.It took a week to complete the assembly and decoration, leaving Trini dumbfounded.

There are two wooden houses, one for office and the other for living.The Princely and Company flags fly from the roof.Trini ushered him into the living room.The living room has been newly decorated with furniture and handicrafts bought from Batavia and Canton, and the oil portraits of the Prince of Orange and the company's directors are hung on the walls, which looks quite dignified.

Despite an Italian inhabiting it, the house still maintains the Dutch penchant for cleanliness: neat and tidy.A Dutch servant in Trini washed the whole house every day.Trini guessed that nine times out of ten the servant was sent by the company to spy on him.

The two parties sat down, and the servants brought local refreshing drinks, and the two sat down on the high-quality rattan sofa.Van der Laantelon held back his stomach for questions, went to his own territory, and immediately started asking questions.Trini is clearly prepared for this too.

"Mr. Trini, please tell me clearly, what is the military strength of the Australians?"

"Extremely large," Trini said clearly. "The potential is immeasurable—terrifying."

"Oh? What gives this feeling?"

"You have just taken their train."

"Yes, Australian trains, very special."

"You must see the military use of trains."

"A train is mighty, but it's only a means of transportation. The best horse-drawn carriages can't fight wars."

"You seem to have forgotten what our master relies on to dominate the sea - the ship."

"It's different. Trains don't go into the sea. Besides, they have to run on tracks. I don't see much military value in that."

"The train you took just now can run 5 miles an hour, and I have seen it run 10 miles. Now the Australians have used the tracks to cover their core ruling area, Lingao-Bairen - Bopu - Ma Xiao are integrated into one..."

"Just for transporting goods and artisan farmers."

"They used trains to send armies from one place to another in a few hours. And they had trains specially made for battle, with cannons and a wicked weapon they called typewriters, a thousand strictly Even the Swedish infantry could not stand in front of an iron-clad train for a quarter of an hour; in fact, a hundred Australian soldiers plus a few cannons could tear a thousand of the best European infantry to pieces."

"You are exaggerating."

"I swear to God, my words are true."

"Okay." Van der Laantelon nodded, "I will put your exact words into the report." He doesn't want to dwell on this issue now, "Now, the company would like to know if the Australians are preparing a certain Company activities?"

"As far as I know: no." Trini hesitated for a moment, and this expression was quickly captured by Van der Laantron.

"To tell you the truth, Mr. Trini," said van der Laantelon in a low voice, "you know that an Australian ship arrived in Formosa a few months ago..."

"Did you go to Dayuan Port?"

"No, they didn't enter the port, but continued south along the coastline to a wild coast. They landed there. According to all the news we got from the natives, they must be Australians."

(End of this chapter)