First Stop

The next day.

Early in the morning, Qin Ning, Zhu Yuanzhang, and Qin Shi Huang followed Li Shimin to the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty.

In the base on the outskirts of Chang'an.

Li Shimin was still having an early court session with his ministers, while Qin Ning took Zhu Yuanzhang and Qin Shi Huang here first.

"Sir, is this the train?"

The three of them stood beside a steam train. Qin Shi Huang sized up the train from front to back and continued, "I didn't expect it to be such a huge thing. The train body is like a giant dragon."

Although they had seen videos in later generations, only when they truly stood beside a train at this moment did they really feel its immensity.

Qin Ning nodded. "Because Old Li was eager to experience it, this train is actually not in its complete form. It currently has only twenty carriages. When necessary, it can have fifty or sixty carriages, or even a hundred."

"Generally speaking, a train with a hundred carriages is used to transport goods. Due to the large number of carriages, the pulling force will be weakened, so the speed is relatively slower."

"However, even if the speed is slower, it is still much faster than horses in this era. With a hundred carriages, if soldiers sit on the floor, assuming an average of a hundred people per carriage, it can carry ten thousand people at a time."

"If there are several more trains, it can carry tens of thousands of people, and they can travel to and from the border within a day."

Listening to Qin Ning's words, Zhu Yuanzhang and Qin Shi Huang nodded repeatedly.

For them, the train would be an absolute weapon if used to transport soldiers and battlefield supplies.

The main thing is that this thing not only runs fast but also never gets tired and can keep running.

Especially when it comes to transporting grain, it can save a huge amount of manpower and material resources.

In ancient times, as the saying goes, "Before the troops and horses move, the food and fodder go first." Food and fodder have always been the biggest problem. A large number of civilian laborers need to be conscripted to help transport them, and a lot of the transported food is actually eaten on the way. Only a part of it can reach the front line.

Now, the appearance of the train has completely solved this problem.

"According to the plan, in the early stage, the Tang Dynasty will build twenty trains, with an average of fifty carriages per train. The railway lines will be laid in a star-shaped pattern, that is, there will be a total of four main lines. On each line, an average of twelve trains can be put into use, which is more than enough."

"When the scale expands in the future, these trains will not only be used for military transportation but also for civilian travel. In case of disasters, they can be used to transport goods and food, enabling the effective and rapid circulation of supplies."

Qin Shi Huang nodded, his eyes a bit fiery. "According to what the sir said, the uses of this train are much greater than I imagined. I wonder when my Great Qin will be able to have a real train service."

"Don't worry, Brother Zheng. It won't be long. Now the situation in the Tang Dynasty is almost settled. Then we can transfer people from here to help our Great Ming and your Great Qin develop rapidly." Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile.

While the three of them were talking, not far away, Li Shimin, Empress Zhangsun, and a group of ministers walked over.

"Brother Zheng," Li Shimin greeted.

Empress Zhangsun also saluted and said, "Greetings to the First Emperor and the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

"Haha, it's still the Younger Sister-in-law who is more polite and knows to greet us. Old Li just said 'Brother Zheng' and that's it," Zhu Yuanzhang said.

"What Younger Sister-in-law, you should call her Elder Sister-in-law," Li Shimin corrected.

Zhu Yuanzhang was too lazy to argue with him and simply agreed, "Okay, okay, Elder Sister-in-law, all right?"

"Greetings to the First Emperor. I didn't expect that I, Old Cheng, would be able to see the living First Emperor in my lifetime. It's really worth coming to this world," Cheng Yaojin said.

"We greet the First Emperor," a group of ministers including Zhangsun Wuji also saluted.

"All right, it's getting late. Everyone, get on the train," Li Shimin said.

Soon, everyone queued up and got on the train in an orderly manner.

This train has a total of twenty carriages, including a dining area, a rest area, and even a special screening hall. It has everything.

Besides Qin Ning, Zhu Yuanzhang, Qin Shi Huang, Li Shimin, and Empress Zhangsun, those who were going to experience the train this time also included Cheng Yaojin, Zhangsun Wuji, Wei Zheng, Fang Xuanling, Yuchi Gong, and Qin Qiong, a total of eleven people.

Of course, there were also some Jinyu Guards responsible for safety and some maids on each carriage, with a total of several hundred people.

"Your Majesty, can this big thing really move?"

On the train, Cheng Yaojin sat by the window, looking at the scenery outside, and couldn't help but ask.

This question was not only in his mind but also in the minds of Zhangsun Wuji and others.

Before getting on the train, they had seen this huge thing with their own eyes. With their knowledge, it was really hard to imagine how such a long and large thing could move.

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

At this time, Fang Xuanling suddenly shouted.

Everyone quickly looked out of the window and found that the train was really moving.

"Why is the speed so slow?" Zhangsun Wuji couldn't help but say.

Qin Ning explained, "It starts slowly. It will speed up later."

"It seems to be getting faster and faster," Cheng Yaojin kept staring at the things outside the window and found that the train speed was indeed increasing.

Soon, the train accelerated from its initial snail's pace to a speed of 100 kilometers per hour.

Such a speed made everyone's faces show expressions of amazement.

"Our first stop on this trip should be Modu, right?" Qin Ning asked.

Li Shimin nodded. "It's Modu."

Hearing this, Cheng Yaojin and the others looked puzzled. "Your Majesty, what is Modu? Is it a place where devils live?"

Li Shimin was speechless and then explained, "That's the name in later generations. In our time, it is now within the jurisdiction of Wu Commandery, that is, Wuxian County, Suzhou, Jiangnan Circuit."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, everyone became even more curious. Zhangsun Wuji asked, "Your Majesty, if I remember correctly, there are mostly fishing villages there, and there has been no independent administrative establishment before. I wonder why our first stop is there. Is there any special reason?"

Qin Ning explained, "In our later generations, it is one of the few big cities in the world and is highly prosperous. Mainly because it is the estuary of the Yangtze River, the water and land transportation is very convenient. It is naturally suitable to be a port and a trading center, and its vast hinterland allows it to radiate the entire Yangtze River Basin."

Hearing this, everyone's faces showed surprise. "A small fishing village will be so rich in later generations?"

Qin Ning smiled. "There are other such fishing villages in later generations, in another river basin. It also didn't have an independent establishment during the Zhenguan era, but it will also be highly developed in the future."

Fang Xuanling nodded. "It has always been the case that the cost of water transportation is the lowest. It makes sense that these two fishing villages will be so rich in later generations."