In the morning, the small steamer docked at the Fuzhou wharf. The docks were very busy, and the most amazing thing was that a steam engine boom appeared on the docks loading and unloading cargo, and the huge roar seemed to form a symphony. At this scene, Deng Zixuan was very pleased in his heart, and it seemed that the steam engine produced by the Mawei Shipyard began to be popularized.

The carriage stopped at the mansion of the master of the ship, and Shen Baozhen heard the news and led his daughter to greet him in front of the door. "Haha, Brother Hu, Deng Gongzi, I finally looked forward to you, I want to wear it!" "Congratulations on your appointment as Governor of Jiangxi!" "Congratulations on your appointment as Minister of Nanyang!" Hu Xueyan and Deng Zixuan greeted each other. "Two! Inside please! Shen Baozhen's wife and Wan'er are familiar with each other, and they meet very affectionately, Wan'er took the opportunity to introduce Hu Xueyan's wife, and the intimacy of the female relatives made the atmosphere more harmonious.

Entering the living room and taking a seat, the tables and chairs were quickly put on the table, and it was not difficult to see that Shen Baozhen wanted to catch the wind and wash away the friendship of the landlord. During the banquet, Deng Zixuan said: "My lord, last year, you greatly boosted the morale of the Chinese people in Taiwan, and successfully drove away little Japan. "Deng Gongzi, it's a wreck! Tiny Japan now dares to act on our heads, and we cannot afford to ignore it. ”

"What Lord Shen said is that only when we are strong can we not be humiliated by outsiders!" Hu Xueyan agreed. "Deng Gongzi, the young students you recommended are very good, they are all talented, I heard that this group of young students have studied in your academy?" "Yes, my lord, they all studied in my school!" Deng Gongzi, the old man has to thank you, I hope Deng Gongzi will recommend more and contribute to the Qing Navy! "Don't worry, my lord, I will recommend another 30 people to you this year, and I will recommend you every year in the future!" Deng Zixuan was overjoyed when he heard this.

"Deng wants to come in!" "Sir, please give your disciple a bow." A young man came in and bowed. "What do you command?" "Deng Gongzi, the disciple you recommended is very talented, and the old man is grateful. The old man intends to marry the little girl to him, can Deng Gongzi agree? "Deng Xiang, don't thank you yet!" "Thank you for your kindness, and your subordinates are grateful!" “haha！ The old man is so happy, let's get drunk today! ”

After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, Hu Xueyan interjected: "My lord, I have good news for you, Brother Zixuan told me that the steam locomotive purchased from the United States arrived in Fuzhou in a few days. ”“haha！ Deng Gongzi, this is the most haode news I have heard, and I like you the most. Shen Baozhen happily laughed.

"Deng Gongzi, you have made my appetite squirm for two years, I have a detailed understanding of steam locomotives, if we can build a railway, it will be a great cause in the present generation, this time it is all up to you." Shen Baozhen was in high spirits. "My lord's words are very true, although I have never seen a real steam airport, but I have seen it in the pictures of foreigners, and I was shocked at the time. Therefore, I have made up my mind that I must have my own steam locomotive, and I must let our trains run on the railway, and I will support you with all my might, my lord. ”

Hu Xueyan interjected: "My lord, Brother Zixuan's best efforts, I can't lag behind, I need Lord Yinzi to squeak." ”“haha！ Backed by the two gods of wealth, what am I worried about. However, there is one thing that is very tricky, Wu Tang, the governor of Fujian, is Li Hongzhang's man, and the construction of the railway from Mawei Shipyard to Fuzhou City must be approved by him, and this matter may be difficult to do. Deng Zixuan said in a big way: "My lord, Lord Wu, I will dredge it, and keep it to your satisfaction!" ”

"Are you sure?" Shen Baozhen was confused, he knew that Wu Tang often caused trouble in the Mawei Shipyard. "My lord, I'm 70% sure." "Good! In this case, as soon as the steam locomotive arrives on the shore, I will lay the railway from Mawei to Fuzhou City. The next day, Deng Zixuan visited Wu Tang, the governor of Fujian, with a letter from Sheng Huaixuan and a gift. This old guy is in his 60s, and he is a master of the grass that falls with the wind. It is inaccurate to say that he is a core member of Li Hongzhang's group, and now that Li Hongzhang is gradually getting bigger, this guy is taking the initiative to stammer.

Entering the living room, Wu Tang didn't even raise his eyelids and said: "You said that you were sent by Sheng Huaixuan, what evidence can you prove that you were sent by Sheng Huaixuan." "If Deng Zixuan doesn't mention Sheng Huaixuan, Wu Tang may not see him at all." My lord, the grass people are Sheng Huaixuan's cousins, and they came to visit and ask them to show their love. Hearing that my cousin Wu Tang opened his eyes and examined, "My lord, this is a letter written to you by my cousin, please take a look!" Deng Zixuan handed over the letter.

Wu Tang was puzzled and immediately changed his attitude after reading the letter: "Haha! It's all your own people, Deng Gongzi, please take a seat. Now that Sheng Huaixuan is deeply valued by Master Li and is making contributions, what does he need me to do? Deng Zixuan did not answer, but ordered his entourage to bring the gifts up. Deng Zixuan personally opened a box in the gift and said: "My lord, these are two blue and white porcelain vases from the official kiln of the Song Dynasty, please smile." "Deng Gongzi! The old man has no merit and no fault, why give such a valuable gift! Wu Tang had a happy expression on his face.

Deng Zixuan smiled but did not answer, and then opened a few boxes, and matches, fragrant pancreas, mirrors, and glass were revealed. Wu Tang's eyes were almost dumbfounded: "Deng Gongzi, these are rare things, it seems that Deng Gongzi is a rich lord." Soon Wu Tang regained his composure and said: "Deng Gongzi, you and I are not relatives, why did you give me such a valuable gift." If Deng Gongzi asks me, as long as I can do it, I will definitely undertake it. ”

"Lord Wu is refreshing! What do you see this is? After Deng Zixuan finished speaking, he took out another box, opened the box and got busy on the table, and after a while, model trains and railroad tracks appeared on the table. This time, the model made by Deng Zixuan is more vivid, and it also carries a carriage. Deng Zixuan pushed the train with his hands, and the train ran on the tracks. "Could it be that this is a foreigner's train? Deng Gongzi, why are you letting me see this thing? That's a rarity! ”

"My lord, we can't have that rare thing for foreigners? I want to lay a railroad between Mawei and Fuzhou City to have fun. Deng Zixuan pretended to be cynical. Wu Tang sat up straight and said in surprise: "Lay a railway to play?" Deng Gongzi is really wealthy, from Mawei to Fuzhou City, even if I agree here, I'm afraid Shen Baozhen can't agree. "Don't hide it, Lord Shen's side has already been dredged! Later, when the train was opened, he thought it would be convenient to transport goods. ”

"Deng Gongzi is not shallow! It's really unseemly. Could this be what Sheng Huaixuan meant? Deng Zixuan smiled and didn't know if it was okay. Wu Tang gasped, his eyes rolling and wondering: Could it be that Lord Li meant? They can't get ahead, let this kid get out of the way. Laying railways is not child's play, playing is pure nonsense, it must be the meaning of Lord Zhongtang. Thinking of this, Wu Tang sat up straight and said, "Since Deng Gongzi wants to have fun, the old man will open the net." But I'm afraid it's not appropriate for this train to enter the city! ”

"My lord, the grass people built the train station outside the city, and they won't make it difficult for adults." Deng Zixuan saw that the old guy frowned, and then suddenly became enlightened, knowing that the old guy had misunderstood. Misunderstanding is good, Sheng Huaixuan will know it in the future, and he will have to admit it if he knows it, and since the old guy has misunderstood, it is impossible to take the initiative to ask. "Haha, isn't it just to lay a railway, the old man recognized it. In the future, the railway will be repaired, and the old man will be allowed to play. Wu Tang began to tease.

"My lord, I'm going to let my adults play when the railway is built in the future." "Deng Gongzi is really temperamental, so the old man waited patiently. Deng Gongzi rest assured, I will take care of the station address outside the city, and keep it to your satisfaction. "The laying of the railway from Mawei to Fuzhou is only five kilometers long, and it is laid along the river bank, which does not occupy arable land, so it has no impact, and it is within their purview. Wu Tang was hospitable, and he had the meaning of seeing each other late.

When he returned to Shen Baozhen's mansion, it was already dark, and when Shen Baozhen heard that Wu Tang agreed to lay the railway, he couldn't believe it, and only when he saw the letter written by Wu Tang did he confirm it. "Deng Gongzi, I really didn't expect you to do it so beautifully. Everything is ready and all you have to do is the east wind, and now you are waiting for the train you bought to arrive. Shen Baozhen was overjoyed. Hu Xueyan smiled: "Brother Zixuan, how did you convince Wu Tang?" "I have given him so many valuable gifts, and since he has accepted them, he must have accepted them!" Shen Baozhen has no objection to saying this, it is not a strange thing that money can make ghosts grind.

Deng Zixuan seemed to remember something and said: "My lord, the roadbed should be laid now, and it can't be delayed." Hu Xueyan said: "My lord, Brother Zixuan bought the train, and I will pay for the laying of the roadbed, and I will send someone to buy wood now." "My lord, I observed that after the shipyard built the ship, there was a lot of scrap left, which could be used as sleepers." "Good idea, the mountains of waste are just in handy, Deng Gongzi is really discerning. You said that you hired a few foreigner technicians in the United States, and the foreigner part depends on you. "Don't worry, my lord, the foreign technician will arrive with the ship!"

Ten days later, two British freighters docked at the Mawei Shipyard dock. On this day, Deng Zixuan and his wife, Shen Baozhen, Hu Xueyan and his wife watched on the pier. After the handover between Deng Zixuan and the British captain, he began to lay temporary steel rails on the wharf, and five technicians from the United States directed the construction. After the temporary rails were laid, the steam boom began to unload, and everyone stared at it.

Deng Zixuan stared at the steam locomotive, disapproving. From afar, the locomotive is pitifully small, even smaller than the forest train. The locomotive is very rudimentary, with only two driving wheels and only one wheel for the coal water wheel behind it. And the cab is completely bare without a roof, and even then everyone is embarrassed. When the hoisting carriage was loaded, Deng Zixuan was even more disdainful. The five carriages are made entirely of wood, and the three wagons have boxes that are only half a metre high and about 4 metres long. Two passenger cars, about 6 meters in length, have only one door with three windows on each side, and the windows are not glassed. It is not difficult to see that although flat glass has been introduced in Western countries, it has not yet been widely popularized.

There are half a kilometre of railroad tracks, as well as other components. After the inspection that day, Deng Zixuan personally arranged for 5 American technicians to rest. Five Americans, two are engineers, two technicians, and one driver. The next day, Deng Zixuan, Shen Baozhen, Hu Xueyan and others personally inspected the locomotive walking on the temporarily laid steel rails, and Deng Zixuan personally climbed on the locomotive to check. After all, Deng Zixuan is a "professional" person, and the questions he raised have impressed Americans.

"My lord, the production process of this kind of rail is not high, and there should be no problem for shipyards to manufacture this kind of rail." Deng Zixuan said while checking the rails. "The engineer from the United States looked at the equipment in the factory and thought that it was completely capable of producing rails, and I had already sent someone to prepare." Deng Zixuan took the opportunity to say: "My lord, the locomotive is pulling the carriage and walking on the rails like flying, my lord, you have seen it, and it will inevitably cause a sensation in the future." I can guarantee that once the imperial court allows it, the railways will be laid in the territory of the Qing Dynasty. ”

"Deng Gongzi, what do you mean?" Shen Baozhen was confused. "My lord, I signed a two-year contract with an engineer from the United States, why don't we produce our own locomotives. American engineers informed that the shipyard had the capacity to produce steam engines, and there were no problems with the production of locomotives. In addition, a lot of ancillary equipment, Shanghai Machinery Factory can produce. We can't always rely on foreigners, we must have the courage to produce our own steam locomotives. ”

Shen Baozhen shook his head and said: "At present, there is no problem with the iron tools in the shipyard to meet the needs of rail manufacturing, and in the future, we must buy foreigners' steel to make trains, and we are still controlled by others." Although Zhang Zhidong is preparing to build a steel plant in Wuhan, I am afraid that steel will not be able to be smelted within three years, and even if we can build trains now, we can't wait for rice to be cooked! Deng Zixuan glanced at Hu Xueyan. Hu Xueyan said: "My lord, I can't hide it, I have built a small steel mill in Dongguan, Guangzhou, with a monthly output of 2,000 catties of steel. Moreover, the steel is of high quality, which is similar to the steel produced by foreigners. At the moment, the amount of steel used is not large, and there is a large inventory. ”

"Brother Hu can't see that you are waiting for me here, in this case, I agree to prepare for the construction of a steam locomotive factory. But the court won't give a penny, and I need your help. "My lord! I came up with the idea, and I am naturally responsible! "My lord, Xue Yan will definitely help." The next day, Deng Zixuan went to the dock to send Hu Xueyan off, "Brother, just send someone to see it over there in Qinghai, why bother to run it yourself!" "Brother! I'm having trouble sleeping for a while, and if it's really a cornucopia, it's worth it for me to throw my bones there. I'll have to go there myself, and if it's easy to mine, I'll build the caravan. After I left, my family asked my brother to take care of me! ”

A month later, 5 kilometers of roadbed were paved, and there were no rivers but two streams on this stretch, and a stone hole bridge was laid over the stream, so the road construction speed was very fast. A month later, the workshop produced the rails, and at the same time the construction of the station began on both sides. During this period, Deng Zixuan wrote a letter to Sheng Huaixuan, briefly describing the situation of the train, and the letter revealed an important information. Deng Zixuan's purpose is very clear, Li Hongzhang must be involved, otherwise there will be no drama in laying railways in the Qing Dynasty.

Deng Zixuan's plan can be described as watertight, and his target is Li Hongzhang. Shen Baozhen's main business is shipyards and coastal defense, and it is obviously not possible for him to prepare for the construction of the Daqing Railway. If Li Hongzhang goes out and has no problem preparing to build a railway from Fuzhou to Shanghai, the huge benefits can be seen at the moment, and Li Hongzhang will definitely go all out if he is so shrewd. Right now, Zuo Zongtang is in Xinjiang, even if he knows, he will not interfere. And Shen Baozhen will definitely add fuel to the fire, so it will be logical for the Qing Railway to be undertaken by the Beiyang Group.