In March, as Li Dingguo expected, Zhu Youxiao rejected Zhu Ciran's idea of disarming 100,000.

Compared with Zhu Ciran, who has never suffered much since he was a child, Zhu Youxiao is scheming after all.

He changed the retirement age for ordinary non-commissioned officers to 30 years old, and the retirement age for generals to 50 years old.

In order to stabilize the situation, Zhu Youxiao rarely walked out of the Qianqing Palace, and held a noon court at the Huangji Gate Tower on the fifth day of the first month of March, showing his health to the hundred officials.

At the same time, Zhu Youxiao ordered that the Beizhili be exempted from taxes for one year, and let the people fallow for one year to cultivate the land.

Such a move is undoubtedly a declaration that the Ming Dynasty will not start a war this year and next.

Of course, such a move also made many generals in the army very unconvinced.

However, before they could make a move, Zhu Youxiao announced that Zhu Heyin, the emperor's grandson, would lead the Yiluan guard to escort the king of Qi Langya back to Qi.

Although the intention was to escort, everyone knew that Zhu Youxiao was to let Zhu Heyin go to Qi and Zhu Youzhen to move around in order to consolidate his future position.

Although Zhu Youzhen has been in the domain for many years, most of the generals in the army today are students who have graduated from the Military Academy.

Most of their topics in school are to review the four northern expeditions, three western expeditions, and three southern expeditions of King Qi.

Under the influence of his ears and eyes, he couldn't help but be a little afraid of Zhu Youzhen, the king of Qi who had never met.

Therefore, Emperor Zhu Youxiao once again suppressed the military attaches in the name of his younger brother.

At the end of March, Zhu Heyin, the emperor's grandson, led Yi Luan Wei to escort Zhu Cihuang, the king of Langya County, from Tianjin Port, officially opening the prelude to the first official envoy of the Ming Dynasty to Qi State.

It's just that it seems that there is too much good news, and God wants to cast a haze on this year's Daming, so on the fifth day of the fourth month, a piece of bad news came out of Qi State.

At three o'clock on the second day of the fourth month, Xuanhua Hou Mangui passed away, and the official of Qi recorded that "the king cried for mourning, suffered from the wind and cold, and was bedridden ......"

However, in the news to the outside world, Qi Guo did not publicize Zhu Youzhen's illness, but only said that Mangui's eldest son, Manxian, attacked Xuanhuabo.

It's just that it seems that in response to the good news of spring, the bad news of summer seems to be reaching the capital one after another.

On the sixth day of the first month of March, the king of Shu Zhu Zhi Shu died, and the news reached the Ming Dynasty when it was already the first day of the fourth month, and the Ming Dynasty chased his nickname as "King Zhuang", and the son Zhu Pingchun succeeded to the throne.

On the fifth day of the fourth month, Qi Yuanbi, the governor of the southern army, died of illness at home, and was posthumously named Wushun and the king of Dingxi.

Emperor Zhu Youxiao issued an order, and his son Qi Wuxian attacked Dingxi Hou, and Qi Wulong, the Duke of Fengguo, succeeded him as the governor of the Southern Army.

On April 15, the emperor summoned Zhu Cijiong, the king and governor of the Northern Army, to return to Beijing, and took over the governor of the Northern Army with the governor of Yanchuan.

On April 17, the emperor's grandson, Zhu Heyin, arrived by boat in Beidao Province, Yingzhou Province.

On April 22, Chen Zizhuang, the Kunlun Inspector, died of illness, and Geng Zhongming, the chief soldier, tried to secede the rebellion but was noticed by the deputy inspector Zhou Peigong and quickly suppressed.

On the sixth day of the fifth month, Geng Zhongming was defeated and killed himself, and Zhou Peigong reported to the capital......

"Woo-"

On May 16, the 41st year of the Apocalypse, when the Ming Dynasty was busy, with the sound of the whistle, nine steamers sailed into Xijing Bay.

They flew the Ming Sanchen flag and entered one of the most prosperous bay areas in the world.

In the endless bay, many boats enter from the sea in long queues, like a string of seagulls or albatrosses.

Some of them are heading towards Jinmen, and some are heading towards Xijing, although their purposes are different, but their appearance is very consistent, they are all steamships.

"Together, there are probably no less than a thousand of these steamships, right? The shipbuilding industry of Qi has developed like this? ”

When Zhu Heyin's voice sounded, he was standing on the deck of the middle of the nine steamships with Zhu Cihuang at this moment, holding on to the guardrail, looking at the countless Qi steamers in the distance and was stunned.

"You ask me...... I can't say the answer ......."

Zhu Cihuang responded with a wry smile, after all, he was only twelve years old when he was sent to Daming, and he couldn't touch too many things.

"Woo-"

When Zhu Cihuang smiled bitterly, a small boat two or three zhang long appeared next to the nine steamers.

Although it is a small boat, it is very fast, almost twice as fast as a steamer.

At the stern of the boat, two young men in green waistcoats and red armbands on their arms were waving two flags, one white and the other red.

"What's that?"

Zhu Heyin asked curiously, and Zhu Cihuang also glanced at it and replied: "Tow the boat, lead the way." ”

While the two were talking, the helmsmen of the nine steamers were also under the command of the Qi seafarers who had boarded the ship before, and followed the towing ship to the fast course to Xijing Port.

So far, the Qi State and the Ming that Zhu Heyin have seen are no different, except for the towing boat.

However, as time passed, when they sailed into Qishui and arrived at Xijing Port in the afternoon, what Zhu Heyin saw would completely turn him upside down.

"Woo-"

With the sound of a shrill whistle, nine ships sailed for an hour and finally arrived at the port of Xijing.

Led by the tugboat, they entered the ship positions prepared for them one by one.

"Bang bang bang-"

Twelve salutes rang out, and Zhu Heyin, who had experienced this battle for the first time, was startled, but was quickly pacified by Zhu Cihuang next to him.

"Don't worry, it's just a welcome salute, I just don't know who my father sent to pick us up......"

"Uncle Nine! Uncle Nine—"

Suddenly, a child's shouting came from the dock.

Zhu Cihuang and Zhu Heyin looked down and saw a red carpet laid on the dock.

On the red carpet at the disembarkation position, a middle-aged man was holding a seven or eight-year-old child, waiting quietly in the company of more than a dozen officials and hundreds of soldiers on both sides of the red carpet.

"Second brother! 埨 (lǔn) brother! ”

Zhu Cihuang couldn't wait for the boat ladder to be set up, so he stood on the deck and beckoned to Zhu Cixuan and the others below.

"Brother Yin? Is it the uncle's eldest son, Zhu Heyi? ”

Zhu Heyin was just stunned for a moment and reacted, after all, Zhu Cihong has lived in the capital for more than 20 years, and often goes in and out of the inner court, and he has also brought Zhu Heyun into the palace to visit Zhu Youxiao before, so Zhu Heyin has naturally seen him.

So after Zhu Cihuang spoke, he suddenly remembered.

While thinking back to Zhu Heyun, his eyes also looked at the child who was wearing a red round-necked robe and looked like he was only in his early tens.

It just so happened that the ladder had been put in place at this time, and Zhu Cihuang couldn't wait to go down the deck, completely lacking the calmness he had in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Heyin looked at his back thoughtfully, maybe this is what a child who has returned home should look like......

Thinking of this, he also walked along.

When he touched the ground after a long absence, Zhu Cihuang had already hugged Zhu Cixuan, and after letting go of his hand, he immediately hugged Zhu Heyun next to him in his arms and held it high.

He hugged Zhu Heyun around like this, and then put him back on the ground, and at this time, Zhu Cixuan and others, who had just been reunited, also saw Zhu Heyin who walked off the boat.

"Minister Zhu Cixuan, see the ...... of the imperial grandson"

Zhu Cixuan hugged Zhu Heyin a lot when he was a child, but now Zhu Heyin doesn't remember anymore, so he can only politely return the salute: "Second uncle......"

"My father is infected with the wind and cold, and I can't entertain guests these days, so I can only ask the imperial grandson to wait a few more days."

"But please rest assured that today's state banquet will be conducted by my brother on behalf of my father."

Zhu Cixuan explained, but Zhu Heyin's heart tightened when he heard this sudden news, and he couldn't help but worry about the uncle he had never met: "Uncle is okay, right?" ”

"It's an old illness, just recuperate for a while, and the imperial grandson doesn't have to worry too much."

Zhu Cixuan replied with a smile, and Zhu Cihuang also acted as a person to adjust the atmosphere between the two, and said with a smile:

"It's windy at this pier, let's wait until we go back to the palace first!"

"Good ......" Zhu Cixuan and Zhu Heyin responded in unison, and subconsciously looked at each other, and then smiled at each other.

Seeing that everyone was familiar with each other, Zhu Cixuan also took Zhu and Yin on an open-top four-wheeled carriage.

Such a carriage made Zhu Heyin very insecure, he unconsciously looked around, and Zhu Cihuang, who was sitting next to him, comforted him with a smile: "Don't worry, Qi is very safe." ”

While he was talking, Zhu Cixuan and Zhu Heyun also sat down, and the carriage set off towards Xigang Town on the edge of Xijing Port.

During this period, Zhu Heyun kept looking at Zhu Heyin, and Zhu Heyin also kept looking at Zhu Heyin.

Zhu Heyi's long pink carving, cold white complexion, thick eyebrows, big eyes and long eyelashes, he can't help but look like a jade doll.

Zhu Heyin has a good impression of his cousin, although the two have not seen each other for several years, and Zhu Heyun no longer remembers himself, but he still chatted with Zhu Heyun without a word.

As for Zhu Heyin, he also has some unknown good feelings for Zhu Heyin, so when he asked some questions, he also answered positively.

However, such questions and answers disappeared when the carriage entered Xigang Town, and Zhu Heyin's eyes were attracted by the prosperity and humanity of Xigang Town.

The architectural style of Xigang Town is a fusion of Jiangnan ink painting, but compared to the Ming Dynasty's houses, the houses here are very clean.

The blue bricks, green tiles and white walls have become a landscape, and the wide ten-zhang main road is left and right with a green belt full of flowers.

Looking beyond the green belt, in addition to architecture, Zhu Heyin also saw a strong humanistic culture.

The people of Qi were dressed "plainly", although they were wearing cloth clothes like the people of the Ming Dynasty, but the cloth clothes were not so fancy embroidery and decoration.

Even if there is some embroidery, it is basically "dark embroidery" in accordance with the style of white embroidery in white clothes and yellow embroidery in yellow clothes, which is not publicized at all.

Such a simple dressing style made Zhu Heyin, who was accustomed to bells and whistles, feel very fresh, and the spiritual outlook of the people of Qi made him very curious.

The people of Qi seem to be full of vitality, and the street planning of Qi is to build many cement benches on the sidewalks.

Some old people sat on cement benches in the shade of the trees and chatted, and the pedestrians were not in a hurry, not as eager as the people of the Ming Dynasty.

Coming to the streets of Qi Kingdom, Zhu Heyin seemed to feel that even time had slowed down.

However, when the carriage drove out of Xigang Town, Zhu Heyin came back to his senses, only as if this was the humanistic appearance of Xigang Town.

"It's time to the subway station!"

Zhu Cixuan's voice pulled Zhu Heyin back to reality, and he looked up curiously, only to see an existence similar to a train station next to the carriage.

The "railway station" of Qi seems to be wider than the railway station of Daming, with a high floor height, which is not so oppressive.

"Why is the train station called the subway?" Zhu Heyin asked curiously after getting out of the carriage.

"This is not a train station, this is a subway station."

Zhu Heyin explained with a small ghost, but Zhu Heyin was curious: "Is there any difference?" ”

"Of course it's different, the subway goes underground......"

Zhu Heyun explained roughly, but Zhu Cixuan patted him, then looked at Zhu Heyun with a smile, and explained in more detail:

"The subway is a short-distance, high-density, high-capacity urban rail transit that covers urban areas and has exclusive land rights underground and above ground."

"Specifically, let's wait for the imperial grandson to experience it for himself later."

With that, Zhu Cixuan took Zhu Heyin and others into the subway station.

Speaking of which, at present, only Xijing City has a subway in the current Qi Kingdom, and the subway in Xijing City is also a train running with a steam engine.

It is less than 50 miles from Xigang Town to Xijing City, and Zhu Youzhen has designated this place as the future outer ring city of Xijing City in order to take care of the future urban construction of Xijing City.

Therefore, there are not many people who take the subway to Xijing City here.

Although Zhu Cixuan and the others are the kings of the county, they are also honestly queuing up to buy tickets at this moment, which makes Zhu Heyin deeply shocked.

"Got it, let's go."

Zhu Cixuan took the ticket that had just arrived, and then walked to the underground passage next to him with Zhu Heyin, who was still in shock.

Since there is no electricity, the only way to illuminate the underpass and the waiting station is oil lamps.

Looking at the dim underground waiting room, Zhu Heyin was puzzled and asked:

"Isn't it okay to build a railroad directly on the surface and walk a train? Why do you need a subway? ”

"Nature is for the future." Zhu Cixuan smiled and said, "Doesn't the imperial grandson feel that the traffic in Beijing has begun to be a little congested?" ”

Zhu Cixuan's question made Zhu Heyin nod unconsciously: "Indeed...... Now every time the shift is dismissed, the intersection will be congested. ”

"That's right......" Zhu Cixuan explained:

"The architecture of the national dynasty is dominated by courtyards, and the Qi country is no exception."

"Therefore, it is very inconvenient to build viaducts to connect to the railway, and it will affect the daily life of the people."

"However, the subway does not have this effect."

"Moreover, the Academy of Sciences has also begun to study electric light and electricity, and as long as electric light and electricity can be studied, it will be like daylight even underground."

Zhu Heyin, like Zhu Cixuan, is a high-ranking and powerful person, so no one knows better than them what topics the Armaments Academy and the Academy of Sciences study.

The words electric light and electricity are not unfamiliar to them.

Therefore, after Zhu Cixuan's explanation, Zhu Heyin also nodded and said that he knew, but he still felt that this excuse was a bit far-fetched.

"Woo ......"

Suddenly, a whistle sounded underground at this time, and then before Zhu Heyin could react, a train slowly drove out of the dark passage.

Zhu Heyin unconsciously took two steps back, and his nose also smelled a pungent smell, which made him frown.

Fortunately, the car door opened at this time, Zhu Cixuan was good, Zhu Cihuang and they took him to the subway, and the underground ventilation of the subway station was not bad, and it was much more comfortable after getting in the car.

"This subway is cool."

Zhu Heyin felt the coolness of the underground and couldn't help but praise it.

"It's very cool, but there are still more disadvantages than advantages now, but it will gradually get better in the future."

Zhu Cixuan explained with a smile, while Zhu Heyin nodded unconsciously.

A few minutes later, with the sound of a bell, the subway door was closed by the attendant, and the train set off for Xijing City, fifty miles away.

"The subway in Qi was built by excavation, watering underground spaces and passages, and then backfilling."

"At present, the railway has been in operation for two years, and there is only Xijing City in the whole Qi country, and there are four subway lines in Xijing City."

"The four subway lines carried more than 14 million passengers last year alone."

"Since the subway must be pulled by steam locomotives, and the exhaust gases released by the locomotives are harmful to humans, the tunnel should have ventilation grooves that open with the ground at intervals to prevent passengers from being poisoned."

"The speed of the subway is 100 miles per hour, so it is only less than half an hour from here to Xijingcheng."

Zhu Cixuan seems to have been instructed by someone, in short, he was introducing various things to Zhu Heyin along the way that the Ming Dynasty did not have, and Zhu Heyin also listened to it with relish.

It's just that time seems to pass quickly in such a situation, so they haven't finished talking about the topic they want to talk about, and the subway takes them to the terminal.

Zhu Cixuan led everyone off the subway, and then walked from the underground passage to the surface.

The dazzling sunlight made Zhu Heyin squint unconsciously, and the carriage was already waiting for them at the entrance of the subway station.

After getting used to it for a few seconds, Zhu Heyin took a few steps forward and looked around.

It's just that this look, Zhu Heyin can't retract his gaze.

I saw that the subway station was surrounded by a wide, clean, and crowded commercial street.

On both sides of the commercial street are two-storey buildings about three zhang high, and their walls are close to the wall, and the eaves are next to the eaves, like a huge square wall.

On the shopping street, pedestrians are still dressed plainly, many of them carrying backpacks, and some carrying crossbody bags.

They were smiling and unhurried, chatting as they walked.

In the city, instead of concrete piers on the sidewalks, wooden chairs and stone tables with backrests are on the sidewalks.

Some old people sat there and played chess, while others made tea from the tea stoves they had brought.

What made Zhu Heyin unbelievable the most was that some sanitation workers sat on their chairs blatantly, while the officials patrolling on horseback on the horse road turned a blind eye and even greeted the sanitation workers.

"Imperial grandson, you can get in the car."

Zhu Cixuan's voice pulled Zhu Heyin back to reality, and he resisted the curiosity in his heart and got into the car.

With the coachman shaking the reins, the humanistic outlook of Xijing City began to be displayed in front of Zhu Heyin's eyes at a glance.

Is there a difference between Qi and Ming? Yes, but not much......

However, the kind of leisure of the people of Qi is an existence that the people of the Ming Dynasty cannot learn and cannot learn.

In Daming, if you do things too slowly, you are likely to suffer from the risk of dismissal.

But in the country of Qi, although he was only walking around in a carriage, Zhu Heyin saw that many shops had wooden signs hanging up "recruiting clerks".

These wooden signs may be the confidence of the people of Qi to be leisurely......

Zhu Heyin took a deep breath and became more interested in the next trip to Qi Kingdom.

(End of chapter)