I was the emperor in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1008 The Node of History

When he came out of the arsenal, it was only around noon. After Li Tian simply ate something, he went straight to the Tongzhou shipyard.

Tongzhou is only more than 20 kilometers away from Beijing, which is only forty or fifty miles away.

You can get there in about an hour by bike.

But in this era, there is no smooth road connecting two places as in later generations.

Some are just a dilapidated official road that has been built for an unknown number of years.

In order to save time, Li Tian did not choose to take a carriage, but rode a fast horse and galloped all the way after passing through Qiaozhuang with the guards.

When the ancients described the quality of a horse, they liked to describe it as traveling thousands of miles a day and eight hundred miles at night.

This is actually not an exaggeration.

A thousand miles is 60 kilometers. If calculated according to the eight hours of the day, the average calculation is only more than [-] kilometers in an hour.

Not very fast either.

But there is one thing, that is, a horse is an animal, not a machine, and it will get tired.

No matter how powerful a horse is, it is almost impossible to run for several hours without rest.

Therefore, traveling thousands of miles a day should not describe speed, but endurance.

It went a little too far.

Fifty miles away, if you travel on a fast horse, an hour is enough.

Since Li Tian suddenly decided to come here, the shipyard did not receive any notice.

When Li Tian appeared at the shipyard, Zheng He and Sophia, who were discussing things, were taken aback.

The presence of Zheng He and Sophia here is easy to explain.

One of them was responsible for the construction of the battleship, and the other was one of the participants in the design of the new steam ship.

Originally, the two of them didn't have to run all the way here.

Because the construction of the hull has carefully polished drawings and many skilled craftsmen, there will be no problems.

But today is a special day.

It was the day when steam engines were fitted to the hulls of ships.

So, both Zheng He and Sophia came over.

"Your Majesty, why are you here!"

Li Tian smiled slightly,
"On such an important day, as one of the witnesses of this great moment, I naturally want to be there in person!"

Although Sophia was surprised, she didn't show panic like Zheng He.

Instead, he stepped forward excitedly and said to Li Tian,

"Your Majesty, shortly before your arrival, we have completed the installation of the machine, and after the commissioning is completed, the ship can be launched for sea trials.

Your Majesty, you have come at the right time, and you will be able to witness this great moment after waiting for a while. "

Compared with the maiden voyage of the steam ship, Zheng He was more worried about Li Tian's safety.

He saw that he was only accompanied by a few guards, not even Jiang Bao and Wang Fu who were inseparable from him on weekdays.

Zheng He said very seriously,
"Your Majesty, why didn't Wang Fu and the others come here with you, His Majesty's leaving the palace is such an important matter, it's really unreasonable for them not to follow!"

Li Tian quickly explained to him,
"It's not that they don't want to follow me, but that I have other things for them to do. Don't worry, Uncle Bao. I don't care as much about my safety as you think."

It is understandable that Zheng He is so serious.

When the emperor is out of the palace, safety is the absolute priority. Jiang Bao and his two seats, the chief stewards of the inner palace, should be on the sidelines anytime and anywhere. This is a tradition and one of the necessary guarantees.

If they were in the capital, it wouldn't be a problem if they were absent for a short time, but where is it? Tongzhou is already outside the boundaries of the capital. In case of any situation, this responsibility cannot be taken by just anyone.

He felt helpless for Li Tian's waywardness, and he was also annoyed by Jiang Bao's absence.

Li Tian also knew that Zheng He was so serious because he was worried about him and for his own good, but everyone else came, so he couldn't let him see nothing, so let's go back home.

The kind words comforted Zheng He, which finally made Zheng He's mood better.

"Forget it this time. Your Majesty must not be so reckless next time. If something happens to you, how can our family explain it to the emperor!"

Li Tian was also very moved by such palpable concern.

Not only because of his responsibilities, but because he is really like an uncle who cares about himself from the bottom of his heart. This is why Li Tian respects Zheng He so much, and even wants to give Zheng He a title in the future reason.

He really cared about himself as a relative, not simply as an emperor.

"Uncle Bao, don't worry, if today is a special day, I would never be so careless."

A few people were talking, and someone from outside came to report that the adjustment has been completed there, and it can be launched for sea trials at any time.

Upon hearing the news, the three of them could not restrain their excitement.

This ship can be described as ill-fated, and it can be born smoothly, and all three of them have very important credits.

Once the ship is proved to be qualified, the three of them will join hands to create a new era of sailing.

How could they not be excited at such an important moment, how could they not be excited.

"Uncle Bao, let's go. I have been waiting for this day for a long time, and today is finally the end."

Zheng He was also annoyed by the good news, so he forced a smile,

"Okay, let's go over here."

Tongzhou is the starting point of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and one of the places where many small tributaries converge.

The water flow is abundant, and even though it is still winter, it is still not frozen.

As the north end of the Grand Canal and one of the busiest places where people and goods flow from north to south, Tongzhou has become a very lively small city since the day it was built.

I don't know who leaked the news. In front of a dock on the pier, a large group of people who planned to watch the fun had already gathered.

Regardless of the severe cold of the cold weather, everyone happily waited for the moment when the gate of the dock opened.

Because it was the maiden voyage test, when there was no way to guarantee absolute safety, Zheng He would not allow anything, and Li Tian boarded the ship to experience it himself.

Not only him, but even Suovia tried his best to stop her.

It wasn't that he wanted to dampen their enthusiasm.

But out of the loyalty and prudence of a courtier, he had to do this.

After all, whether it is Li Tian or Sophia, at present, they are all indispensable to Daming.

If the ship is gone, another one can be built, but if something happens to someone, it is really over.

Li Tian also knew that he couldn't argue with Zheng He, so he had no choice but to resist and stay, and waited quietly outside the dock with him, the moment when the ship destined to be remembered by history revealed its true colors.

(End of this chapter)