Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

With the arrival of Li Chengqian.

Afterwards, Li Gang, Yu Shinan, Xiao Rui, Wu Shiyue and other key figures in Taiyuan Prefecture also dared to put aside their own affairs and join in today's excitement.

Ever since that steam engine was researched and manufactured by the School of Mechanical Engineering.

This Crown Prince would often mention the importance of "trains" during court assemblies or other casual conversations with them.

Regarding the investment in industrial infrastructure such as the Jiang Wang Li Yun, the Mechanical Engineering College, and the steel mills of the Tang Dynasty.

These were projects that officials in Taiyuan Prefecture needed to specifically set aside for budget overruns each year.

Now that Chiang Kai-shek and Wang Lijun have finished inspecting the railway, it is obvious that next, it will be their turn to see if this thing called a train truly lives up to its name.

It truly allows people to travel from Taiyuan to Chang'an within a single day.

"Try?"

With the locomotive that Li Chengqian named "Zhenguan".

Amidst billowing smoke and a deep rumble, it followed the railway tracks of the garage and entered the platform.

Even the Crown Prince Li Chengqian nervously rubbed his hands together, raising an eyebrow at his seventh brother, Li Yun, who was standing beside him.

This is a childlike reaction, as if he had seen a beloved toy.

Li Yun not only didn't feel that his elder brother had lost his composure, but also felt a deep sense of affection for him.

"Sure! I'll drive!"

"Wait, wait... Your Highness, why don't you make a drawing to record this first?"

Wang Ming wanted to take a roundabout approach, delaying the process and allowing others to further assess whether the device was truly sturdy.

Therefore, on his way here, he even specially summoned the top painters from the Imperial University's School of Art to this platform.

Li Chengqian waved his hand.

"It's the same whether you paint in Chang'an or not!"

Without giving anyone a chance to dissuade him, he skillfully jogged onto the train.

When they arrived at the next carriage, they even rolled up the window.

He waved to the crowd outside who were looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Anyone who came along, I'll grant you two days off!"

Wang Qingyun took a deep breath and glanced left and right at the train, which had five or six carriages and resembled a giant steel python. As the Sima of Bingzhou, he felt somewhat uneasy.

At this moment, they had no choice but to step onto the bus.

After that.

Li Gang, Yu Shinan, Wang Ming, Wu Shiyue...

Several prospective crown princesses, including Qian Yingying, Wu Shun, and Wang Yuyan, who were engaged to Li Chengqian, arrived quickly and boarded the carriage without hesitation.

Afterwards, several princes, including Li You, Li Zhen, and Li Zhi, arrived one after another.

"Wow, those are genuine leather seats..."

Unlike the crowd who sat up straight and whose eyes darted around aimlessly, this was different.

Li Chengqian, however, looked around the carriage with a curious expression.

A head popped out from the direction of the steam locomotive's front.

Jiang Wang Li Yun shouted.

"Brother! It's time to set off!"

Li Chengqian: "Full speed ahead! I'm going to give Qingque and the Empress Dowager a surprise today!"

With a wave of Li Chengqian's hand, the Zhenguan ship immediately emitted a loud and piercing departure whistle.

"Wow!"

"It's moving! It's moving!"

"Be careful, Your Highness!"

Even seasoned and composed officials like Li Gang couldn't help but gasp in astonishment at the sight of such a groundbreaking invention.

And the voices of "eating without doing anything" are becoming more and more frequent.

The Zhenguan train, which had just departed from Taiyuan Station, was also noticeably increasing in speed.

Wang Qingyun and Qian Lou nervously moved closer to Li Chengqian, wanting him to sit down quietly, but they didn't dare to speak at all.

In the carriage.

Qian Yingying and several other female relatives sat together.

Perhaps because he had spent so much time by the side of Crown Prince Li Chengqian, he reacted differently to such things, showing more tension than surprise than nervousness.

Qian Yingying and the others stared in astonishment at the rapidly receding scenery outside the window.

Along the way, they could see patrolling soldiers every so often.

However, the soldiers, though standing still and saluting, all showed obvious shock and tension, demonstrating the impact of watching the Zhenguan train speeding along the railway from the outside.

The shock was no less than that felt by the women inside the train carriage.

“Brother, there are now sixteen stations of varying sizes along the route from Taiyuan to Chang’an. However, only four stations—Pingtao County, Huoyi County, Jinzhou, and Chencang—are operational. The others have not yet been officially put into operation.”

Jiang, Wang, and Li Yun, who came from the front into the carriage, wiped the sweat from their faces.

His face was still flushed with excitement.

The carriage swaying slightly beneath his feet and the scenery rushing past the window were gifts from his younger brother to his elder brother, the Crown Prince Li Chengqian.

The best answer.

I have not let down my elder brother's trust and support!

Li Chengqian naturally saw the suppressed emotions in his younger brother's heart, and patted him on the shoulder with a serious smile.

“Very good. In the future, my seventh brother Li Yun, the important inventor of trains and railways, will surely be remembered by everyone in the history books for thousands of years to come!”

"Seventh brother, you haven't disgraced our royal family!"

aside.

Upon hearing this, Li You, Li Zhen, and Li Zhi couldn't help but look at Li Yun with envy.

He will not be remembered by history as a prince.

Instead, they are remembered and praised by the world for their achievements.

This alone surpasses the vast majority of princes and princesses recorded in history.

Li Yun's already flushed face turned even redder after being praised like this by his own elder brother.

At this moment, he felt a little embarrassed.

"Well, Your Majesty, I only lent a hand; the main credit goes to the instructors and professors of the Mechanical Engineering Department..."

"Hahaha! Don't worry, in the future, railways will be an indispensable part of a country, and your names will appear on the first page of railway history!"

"Whoosh—!"

The Zhenguan ship made such a big commotion, setting off from Taiyuan Prefecture.

Along the way, the attention it attracted was naturally not limited to the common people and dignitaries of Taiyuan Prefecture.

The railway line passes through sixteen stations of varying sizes.

Not far from the railway protected by guards from all over the country.

Curious children, as well as villagers who happened to have fields nearby, were drawn to the commotion by the loud roar.

Jinzhou.

As the station sign appeared, the engineer and driver in charge of the train immediately manipulated the lever, releasing a large amount of steam from the steam engine.

White smoke billowed up, as if it were billowing out clouds above the Zhenguan ship.

The Zhenguan began to slowly decelerate.

It came to a complete stop at the platform of Jinju Railway Station.

"Haha, this place is built quite well too!"

When Crown Prince Li Chengqian stepped off the train.

The governor and chief clerk of Jinzhou, along with other officials, hurriedly bowed to greet them.

He looked at the tense and excited officials of Jinzhou and nodded with a smile.

"The fact that Jinzhou Station was built and put into operation so quickly is thanks in no small part to the help and assistance of local officials like you, my seventh brother. Not bad..."

One correct answer sent a surge of excitement and joy through the hearts of these officials.

This caused a smile to bloom on the face of the governor of Jinzhou.

"Your Highness is too kind. For the sake of the Tang Dynasty's eternal prosperity and the greater well-being of the people, even if I am tired, my dreams at night will be sweet. This is exactly what I aspired to when I studied diligently back then... Your Highness, please, gentlemen, please. I have already prepared a banquet."

In the past, Li Chengqian wanted to inspect the areas under his jurisdiction.

Take Jinzhou for example, it's not too far from Taiyuan Prefecture.

Even so, traveling by carriage takes one or two days, which is not only tiring but also causes many delays.

At the banquet.

The accompanying officials from Taiyuan Prefecture, having come to their senses, deeply appreciated the first benefit of the train.

With trains, the Tang Dynasty's control over local areas will be elevated to a whole new level!

Take Jinzhou for example.

If the governor of Jinzhou fails in his duties, with the railway in place, Crown Prince Li Chengqian could arrive in Jinzhou before lunchtime, having set off in the morning, and personally order his men to kill him.

After a hearty lunch, and under the personal guidance of the governor of Jinzhou, they visited some of Jinzhou's industries and offered their condolences to some local residents and widows of fallen soldiers.

Amidst the warm yet reluctant farewells of the people and officials of Jinzhou, Li Chengqian and his companions departed.

I boarded the train again.

After spending the morning getting used to the feeling of being on the train...

The accompanying officials, in twos and threes, began to tour the Zhenguan ship.

Qian Yingying and the others looked at the private carriage that Crown Prince Li Chengqian had exclusively used.

The large, soft couch, the bookshelves with books, the desk, and various other items were all there.

But they all stared at the bed with flushed faces.

Zheng Lizhen suddenly shouted, pointing at Wang Yuyan: "Ha! Wang Yuyan, you're definitely not thinking about anything serious. Why are you blushing while staring at His Highness's bed?!"

"Are you thinking about something filthy?!"

Wang Yuyan was startled by the guy's loud voice, but she quickly straightened her expression after regaining her senses.

"Nonsense! Zheng Lizhen, you are from the scholarly Zheng family of Xingyang, yet you spout such vulgarities. Aren't you afraid His Highness will find it offensive!"

"I'm just being blunt. His Highness likes girls like me the most. But you, why have you been trying so hard to seduce His Highness to that botanical garden lately?"

Zheng Lizhen pressed closer, her eyes narrowed as if she were about to transform into a detective.

The two bickered every day, which Qian Yingying and the others had become accustomed to.

Wu Shun, on the other hand, lowered his head, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"This...this couldn't have been arranged by His Highness Prince Jiang?"

"This Prince Jiang seems rather dull and unassuming, but I never expected him to understand these intricate matters..."

"Brother, have you checked your carriage? Are you satisfied with what I prepared for you?"

In another carriage, Jiang, Wang, and Li Yun looked like they were taking credit for something.

Li Chengqian opened his mouth, but when he thought of that bed that was clearly not used by one person, he wanted to remind his seventh brother.

But for some reason, looking into the other person's bright and clear eyes...

Reason, however, told him that it was best not to speak on this matter.

Li You, standing to the side, nudged Li Yun with his elbow, a half-smile on his face.

"Seventh Brother, Seventh Brother, have you really only been studying mechanical engineering stuff lately? You usually seem pretty honest, but you actually know all these intricacies?"

Li Yun looked completely bewildered: "Fifth Brother, what are you talking about?"

Li You grinned mischievously again: "Don't worry, don't worry, your brother has also studied your steam engine, that cylinder and piston thing, the reciprocating motion..."

Li Yun was even more bewildered: "Fifth brother... your expression doesn't seem very academic."

"Hehehe! I understand, I understand, Fifth Brother is truly a hidden talent! Hehe, I've been researching agricultural genetics lately..."

"Ahem! Alright, Fifth Brother, Seventh Brother doesn't have your filthy thoughts. But you... it seems I should keep an eye on you when we get back to Taiyuan!" Li Chengqian coughed twice, interrupting Li You's frivolous behavior.

Li Yun deeply agreed.

"That's right, Fifth Brother, what are you talking about? My purpose in setting up this train is simply to enable you to travel a thousand miles a day. I have no ulterior motives what you're saying!"

Li Chengqian: "......"

Changan.

"boom!"

A stack of evidence of collusion between officials and businessmen was violently slammed onto the face of the official kneeling and begging for mercy in front of him by Li Tai.

An angry voice echoed throughout the Taiji Hall.

"Drag him out! Line him up and shoot him!"