Chapter 163 The roar of the steam train

In the western suburbs of Dongning Prefecture, a large group of craftsmen from the Dongning Manufacturing Administration and officials from the Ming and Zheng Ministries of Industry were working hard.

"Everyone, please work harder and test the locomotive today! If you find any problems, please report them in time. The King will be here soon!"

"Master Lu, don't worry! We will definitely not make any mistakes!"

A young craftsman, wearing the white uniform of the Dongning Manufacturing Administration, said to Lu Fan, the right servant of the Ministry of Industry.

Nowadays, the status of Dongning General Manufacturing Administration has been rising, and the craftsmen's respect for the official is not as high as it used to be.

If it were in the past, how could these craftsmen dare to talk to the official?

Lu Fan didn't care about this either. He was staring nervously at the test site in front of him.

The current location for testing trains will be the first railway station in Dongning Prefecture in the future.

It's just that the train station is still too simple in a strict sense.

The red coal burning in the boiler is constantly boiling the water tank above it. Under the action of water vapor, the train turbine is driven, and the transmission structure throughout the train continues to cooperate.

Zheng Kezang nodded and continued to ask: "My idea now is to build a railway connecting the north and south of Yizhou Island first. Is the steel supply sufficient?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward!"

Ming Zheng will usher in a new side in the future.

He turned to the excited officials from the Ministry of Industry, and the craftsmen said: "The success of the new steam train cannot be achieved without the joint efforts of all of you. I am very gratified. All those involved in this matter will be rewarded."

The train platform has just been built, and there are inevitably some gravel and wood chips everywhere on the ground. It is better to save these cumbersome etiquette.

"Report to the king, it's enough!" Lu Fan was confident about the output of the steelmaking plant.

Under the nervous gaze of everyone on the train platform, the train began to move forward slowly. As time went by, it became faster and faster!

After a while, everyone's eyes moved.

"Success! The train is moving!"

Inside the locomotive, a craftsman used a shovel in his hand to scoop up a shovel of dark coal and poured it into the boiler inside the locomotive.

Lu Fan thought for a moment and then told the truth: "Your Majesty, railways require a large amount of high-quality steel. At present, our steel supply is mainly for weapons production, but building a few railways is not a problem!"

Thinking of this, Zheng Kezang also gave up the idea of ​​driving the train himself.

Everyone wanted to kneel down to thank them for the gift, but Zheng Kezang quickly waved his hands.

And when the train was moving forward with thick black smoke billowing out, everyone present was moved.

But even this temporary train station built with a large number of wooden structures and cement has also invested the efforts of everyone present.

Nodding, Zheng Kezang said excitedly: "Can you go up and take a look?"

But what about those areas with inconvenient transportation?

It turns out that Zheng Kezang saw that the time was right to invent the steam train, so he spent 50 points to purchase the steam train technology!

Most of Ming and Zheng's territories were islands. Why did Zheng Kezang want to build a railway so soon?

Due to the rapid development of steam engines, the ore output in major mining areas on Qiongzhou Island and Luzon Island has increased dramatically. The increase in output is a good thing.

However, after the output increased, problems arose. The most prominent one was the transportation problem. Mining areas close to rivers were fine. Relying on water transportation, the ore could be transferred to Dongning Prefecture in time.

If you want to be rich, build roads first. If you don’t develop trains now, then when will you wait?

There were still many areas that needed to be improved on this first train, so Zheng Kezang left quickly so as not to disturb the craftsmen and continue their work.

For this reason, when he returned, he specially invited Lu Fan and Yang Ying from the Ministry of Revenue to come back together, and followed him back to the palace.

Why build this railway in the first place?

"First of all, there is the issue of scale. Sir Lu, let me first talk about the cost once the railway is to be laid on a large scale."

Zheng Kezang also knew what Lu Fan was in trouble for. Although he had the talent of Hercules, if the train derailed, he would not be able to withstand it with his naked eyes.

"Your Majesty has arrived!" Before Zheng Kezang approached, Old Eunuch Li began to shout again in his signature sharp voice.

He saw the black locomotive at a glance and said, "This is the latest steam train developed!"

"In the future, carriages will no longer need horses!"

The emergence of railways and trains was destined to be a historic moment, and Zheng Kezang was extremely excited when he learned the news.

Woo! Woo! Woo!

With a burst of black smoke pouring out from the front of the locomotive, the first steam locomotive in Ming and Zhengzhou dragged a makeshift train carriage into operation.

"Old slave, go and make arrangements now!" Old eunuch Li saw Zheng Kezang in such a hurry for the first time, so he quickly went to make preparations.

"Hurry! Li Banban, prepare the carriage. I have to go over now to see the first train in Dongning. I can't wait for a moment!"

"I have some ideas about the steam train and want to discuss it with you two."

Farther!

"I thank the king for the reward!"

"No, no, no!" Zheng Kezang didn't care about those complicated etiquettes. At this moment, he just wanted to see the steam train that he longed for earlier.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid." Lu Fan looked confused. After all, trains are a new thing. If there is an accident, he can only apologize with death.

"Wow! We succeeded!"

Zheng Kezang knew that once the Central Plains was regained in the future and trains were successfully promoted, he would not only gain a constantly improving transportation system.

"Tell your Majesty, this thing is exactly a train." Lu Fan quickly stood up and agreed.

The steel for the rails is of very good quality and comes from the Shilu Iron Mine in Qiongzhou Island.

After waving his hand, Zheng Kezang took the first step.

Moreover, through the continuous construction of this complete railway, the government decrees, materials from various places, and even the letters from the inn can be gathered in this transportation network.

All of a sudden, many officials who had been waiting at the platform for a long time came forward to greet him.

Even now, the length of the railway track is still very short, less than ten miles.

After returning from the makeshift train station, Zheng Kezang still couldn't hide his excitement.

Sitting on the carriage.

Because the northern part of Yizhou Island, also called Chicken Coop, has not been developed enough, but there are a lot of mineral resources there, including coal needed for steam engines, sulfur needed for gunpowder, and iron ore needed for steel mills, they are all there!

It’s really a treasure land, and it’s time to vigorously develop it.

So Zheng Kezang nodded and said: "Shilang Lu, I will give you a task now. Mobilize people and horses to inspect the road from Dongning Prefecture to Jilong Port in the north, and make a plan. After planning, start building the railway immediately."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Lu Fan said excitedly. By building the first railway, his name will surely be recorded in history.

"Your Majesty, I have a problem!" Yang Ying, the household official, finally spoke up.
Chapter completed!