Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 374 Trains, railways, the price of development!
The roar of the steam engine and the clanging of the rails and steel wheels rubbing against each other could be heard.

Even from a long distance away, Zhao could feel the ground beneath his feet shaking slightly.

Looking at the spectacular scene in front of him, Zhao couldn't help but gasp, his eyes filled with shock.

"Train, this is a train, right?"

"It's really spectacular!"

Woo! Woo!

Accompanied by a long whistle.

The train running on the track slowly slowed down.

Under the action of the braking device, the wheels rotate slower and slower, and rub against the rails, making a harsh and sharp friction sound.

Sonorous! Sonorous! Sonorous!

The train slowly stopped in front of Zhao and others.

Several staff members came forward, opened the car door, and led the way for Zhao and others.

Zhao looked up at the long steel dragon that stretched before her, and with trepidation, she stepped into the carriage.

After entering the carriage, a look of surprise flashed across Zhao's face.

Because everything before her was somewhat beyond her expectations.

The body of the steel dragon was not filled with flesh and blood as she had imagined, but rather a very exquisitely decorated room.

The carriage is fully equipped with sofas, desks, coffee tables, etc.

There is even a separate bathroom.

The walls of the carriage are decorated with specially painted light gold colors.

And it is also inlaid with electric lights!

It emits bright warm yellow light.

The entire carriage is filled with sophistication and comfort.

The attendant came forward and began to introduce the relevant details of this royal train to Zhao and others one by one.

"Empress Dowager, Queen, and Imperial Concubine, please follow me."

"I will introduce the facilities of these carriages to you."

"This carriage is a lounge where you can rest, drink tea and chat. The next carriage is a conference room where you can hold impromptu meetings."

"There will be a study, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, etc. later..."

"In addition to these living measures, this special train is also equipped with a considerable degree of security measures."

"The carriages of the special train are made of the latest special steel, which can effectively withstand gunfire and artillery attacks, as well as shock waves generated by explosions."

"Each special train is equipped with a battalion of soldiers as escort."

"There are machine guns and small-caliber artillery placed in the front, rear, and middle carriages."

"It can handle small-scale wars and conflicts and ensure the safety of special trains."

"..."

Listening to the flight attendant's introduction, Zhao just nodded continuously.

Soon, Luo Caiyu stepped forward and helped Zhao sit down on the sofa in the carriage.

Then he signaled that the train could start.

As a young person, Luo Caiyu is much more receptive to new things than Zhao.

She had a considerable understanding of new things like trains, ships, steam engines, etc.

Her Luo family even opened a factory specializing in the production of steam engines, and made considerable profits every year.

After Queen Luo Caiyu issued the order, the special train soon departed from Guangzhou Station.

With a loud clanging sound, the special train started to move from a standstill, moving forward along the rails all the way towards Shaozhou.

The rest of the people in the capital moving team also boarded other trains and set off together.

Looking at the scenery outside the window rapidly receding, Zhao said with surprise in her eyes.

"This train is really not slow when it runs."

Fu Shanxiang explained to Zhao on the side.

"Your Majesty, you may not know that the steam engine currently used in this special train is the latest steam engine developed by our Tang Dynasty for the Zhaowu 4th Year steam locomotive."

"It can output more than 4000 horsepower, and can pull thousands of tons of cargo, or hundreds or thousands of soldiers, at a speed of more than kilometers per hour, running smoothly on the rails."

When Zhao heard this, she immediately understood why her son wanted to build the railway.

At 40 kilometers per hour, wouldn't that mean I could run nearly a thousand kilometers a day?

This speed is faster than the 800-mile express train!

If the railway was laid there, the Tang Dynasty would be able to transport troops at a speed faster than the 800-li express train. What a terrible thing that would be!

Even if Zhao was not familiar with military affairs, he could imagine how terrifying it would be if an army could launch a surprise attack on the enemy at a speed of 800 miles per hour.

You know, the distance from Beijing to Guangzhou is only more than 2,000 kilometers.

If a railway could be built connecting Beijing and Guangzhou, wouldn't it mean that the army could reach Guangzhou from Beijing in just two days?

In this case, who in the world would dare to rebel?

Zhao couldn't help but said with some shock.

"These Western things are really scary. They are so magical."

Fu Shanxiang spoke up in agreement.

"That is why Your Majesty wants to follow the example of the Western Barbarians and carry out reforms."

"If the Tang Dynasty does not reform and learn from the advanced aspects of the Western barbarians in industry and commerce, sooner or later the Western barbarians will use railways, ships, and industrial power to attack our doorstep."

“Even the country will be destroyed!”

To be honest, Fu Shanxiang actually admires Li Yi now.

Under the premise that the whole country was immersed in the glory of the Celestial Empire and could not extricate themselves, they looked down on the Western barbarians.

Li Yi was able to withstand the pressure and make prompt decisions to ask the entire Tang Dynasty to follow the example of the Western Barbarians in developing industry and commerce and carrying out reforms.

Such foresight and courage can only be described as worthy of a pioneering monarch.

After Zhao chatted with her two daughters-in-law, the train departed from Guangzhou and arrived in Shaozhou in just half a day.

Zhao got off the train and was supported by someone to look at the distant Shaoguan City. There was still some disbelief in her eyes. "It's so fast!"

“This train is really fast!”

After arriving in Shaozhou, the group took a short rest and then continued their journey north.

They followed the official road towards Chenzhou, Hunan.

The capital relocation team was very large and it took nearly ten days to reach Chenzhou from Shaozhou.

Afterwards, they took the water route from Chenzhou and advanced along the Chen River.

On the surface of the Chenjiang River, ships are sailing northward along the waterway.

Behind these ships, there are obvious white marks.

It is obvious that these ships are not traditional sailing boats, but steamships.

All equipped with steam power!
With the help of steam power, the fleet reached Hengyang in just two days.

After replenishing supplies in Hengyang, the fleet continued northward.

Two days later, the fleet arrived in Changsha.

After completing the replenishment, the fleet continued its journey, heading north.

We soon entered Dongting Lake, then turned to the Yangtze River from Dongting Lake and headed eastward.

It took less than half a month, and in mid-August, the capital relocation team arrived in Nanjing.

Nanjing, a city in ruins!
After a great fire in the Qing Dynasty, the city of Nanjing was reduced to ruins and is still under reconstruction.

Zhao stood on the deck of the ship and looked towards the city of Nanjing, where he saw neatly planned markets.

The streets are straight and level!

Square buildings, five or six stories high, are under construction, and workers are busy going back and forth, pushing construction materials on carts.

During the reconstruction of Nanjing, Li Yi replanned Nanjing's urban structure in accordance with the urban construction plans of later generations.

Next, with the industrial development of the Tang Dynasty, it was inevitable that the population would once again concentrate in cities.

In order to ease the pressure on urban land use, it is inevitable that buildings develop vertically and build houses in a more space-saving way in order to accommodate more urban population within a limited space.

Nanjing, which was burned down by the Qing Dynasty and needed to be rebuilt, became Li Yi's experimental subject.

After the experiment in Nanjing is successful, Li Yi will start to promote it in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Changsha and other places where industrial and commercial development is relatively rapid and where a trend of population urbanization has emerged.

One aspect is to help the urbanization of the population by rebuilding infrastructure and thereby promoting industrial development.

Real estate development is another aspect.

Real estate is really profitable!

Li Yi has never encountered a more efficient means of exploitation than real estate.

Once you have a 30-year mortgage, you'll just have to be your slave.

Well, this is called the price of development!

Li Yi believed that as long as the real estate industry was developed, the Tang Dynasty would never be short of money in the future.

The capital relocation team rested in Nanjing for a few days, and then continued their journey, turning to the canal from Zhenjiang, and began to move north along the canal.

I believe it won’t take long to reach Beijing!
……

Borneo, Batavia!

In the Governor's Palace in Batavia, Alfonso, the Dutch Governor of Batavia, was discussing matters with his subordinates.

"Minister Andre sent an urgent report from Guangzhou. The Vietnamese have exposed our assistance to Vietnam in the war against the Tang Dynasty."

"The Tang State is taking advantage of this to expand their interests in Batavia again."

"Everyone, tell me, how should we deal with this?"

After Alfonso said this, everyone in the conference room fell silent.

Because they now have no way to deal with the powerful Tang Kingdom.

The atmosphere in the air became increasingly stagnant, and Alfonso's expression looked very unpleasant.

"Don't you all have anything to say?"

"The Tang State is aggressive, are we just going to sit there and wait for death?"

Everyone's face looked unhappy.

Finally, a bearded man stood up and spoke.

"Governor, I think we must make a strict response to the Tang Kingdom's aggressiveness."

"If we make further concessions, the Tang people will definitely think we are weak and continue to press forward, seeking more benefits from Batavia."

"This is something we absolutely cannot tolerate!"

This man was named Simon. He was the Dutch military commander in Batavia and a typical hardliner against China.

However, Simon's words triggered a wave of opposition.

A middle-aged man in a tuxedo said with a frown.

"What if the Tang people attack Batavia by force after we refuse?"

"With the current strength of the Netherlands in Batavia, it is absolutely impossible to stop the invasion of the Tang army."

The man who spoke now was named Dave, one of the councillors of the city hall.

Nowadays, he has certain business dealings with the Tang Dynasty.

He knew that if the Tang Dynasty and the Netherlands went to war, his business would be over.

Therefore, for his own benefit, Dave expressed strong opposition to Simon's proposal.

Simon heard this and spoke confidently.

“We in the Netherlands are not a country.”

"We have our own allies. Britain, France and Spain will definitely stand on our side."

……

PS:

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The failed author is begging for monthly tickets, subscriptions, and rewards!
(End of this chapter)