To the south of Beijing, a horizontal straight road runs from Liangxiang Heavy Industry Park to Tongzhou via Jingshi Station, and then to Tianjin.

Today, Daming has only one real operational train trial line, which is usually used for freight.

It's been less than four months since it really started.

At this time, the line was temporarily closed - it was the lunar month, and it was supposed to be the time when many people would return to their hometowns for the New Year.

On this Beijing-Tianjin freight line, there is now a specially customized train, with a total of three carriages in front and back, and the middle carriage also has bright yellow wooden cornices.

On both sides, there were cavalry guards.

This is Zhu Houxi's new "Imperial Rim", and now he is sitting on the carriage, and asked Liu Tianhe helplessly: "Isn't this nonsense?" Who urged it? ”

Liu Tianhe was a little embarrassed: "The good news from North Korea came back, and the Marquis of Jinghai was really unbearable, and the Marquis of Yangwu also handed the letter back from Incheon......"

"Then don't shout about what went into the water!" Zhu Houxi frowned, "I thought that the water conditions on the dock were different, and now there is thin ice in the shallow sea area, so in order to get into the water, I will send people to dig by boat every day, and I am also ready to boil hot water and dump it from time to time so that the area around the water does not freeze, isn't this nonsense?" ”

He said two nonsense in a row, Liu Tianhe could only be silent for a while, and then said: "It was originally planned to be launched in September and October, but now for the sake of safety, it has been inspected for more than a month, and the treasure ship supervisor is also afraid that the imperial court plan will be missed, and he wants to complete this matter before the year." ”

"It's right to be safe, I'd rather Shen Qi continue to be safe and wait until next spring before going into the water."

After Zhu Houxi said this, he thought about it again and reacted: "Is it for the silver of the newly issued treasury bonds, in a hurry to vacate the dock and build an improved one?" ”

“…… His Majesty is aware of everything, and the Military Council has this idea. Liu Tianhe is no longer hiding now, "After Korea and Ryukyu are divided into two queens, the naval division will not be limited to coastal suppression in the future." The idea of the General Armament Department of the Military Affairs Council is that each of the three major naval divisions must have at least one flagship. ”

“…… It's not insufficient. ”

Zhu Houxi muttered, and didn't delve into it further.

Although the current wooden battleships are indeed sufficient, Shen Qi is a specialist, and continuing to improve the new type of steam ironclad battleship is also in line with Zhu Houxi's long-term needs.

Speaking of the launching of the Bohai Bay warship in winter, it was nothing more than a quarrel between the border army, the Beijing camp, and the naval division to share the cake in this round of national bonds.

At present, there are two new docks that can be used to build such large warships.

If one is freed, then the money for the construction of the third ship can be set first, so that it will not be used elsewhere.

Guo Xun is already quite old, and the most he can see if he has digested North Korea and Dongying when he is in office, so he will naturally support Haishi more.

Shen Qi is now in charge of the treasure ship superintendent, whether it is out of his own personal enthusiasm or for the sake of the people below, he would rather risk this point now being complained about by the emperor and go into the water with some kind of wax moon.

"Well, let's inspect this railway, the Dagu Heavy Industry Park and the Xuanlong ship, and mobilize the Beiyang Naval Division to recruit Japanese troops."

Zhu Houxi was no longer entangled, and looked at King Rui, Zheng Kui and the others.

The car is still smooth, and the speed is naturally slow. Zhu Houxi estimated that he would be able to go out for more than ten or twenty miles in an hour.

But it's better to last.

The road on the car is also equivalent to an annual summary meeting of steam engine application research.

The improvement of the steam engine is mainly presided over by Zheng Kui, and Rui Wang is more willing to work with Tao Zhongwen to establish a systematic chemical foundation system, and then study microorganisms and medicine, but this guy is young and more active in thinking after all, and he is not completely out of this project.

Now the new achievements of more than a year are the steam locomotives installed on the Beijing-Tianjin freight line and the marine version of the Xuanlong ship, plus the drainage in the mine.

“…… The minister is ashamed, and if he wants to be small, I am afraid it will not be a few years of hard work, and there are still many difficulties to overcome. Nowadays, it can only be used in large parks, as a supplement when the water power is insufficient, to ensure that some machinery in each plant is enough. ”

"It's fine." Zhu Houxi disagreed, "Next year, we will focus on textiles and papermaking." ”

He had a vague impression that there are now people who specialize in the study of the application of the steam engine.

The textile industry has long been mechanical, relying on water power or labor. All kinds of cloth are important materials, and Daming silk is also a bulk export commodity, and the application power should be full.

And the paper industry, the future demand is even greater.

The application of trains and steam ships was achieved from zero to one, followed by a long process of improvement.

At present, the application of coal mines and iron mines is mainly needed for military and major projects, and it will be really considered for civilian use later.

"The College of Agriculture should go to places with a lot of dry land to choose more places to cultivate cotton seeds......

The chimney of the locomotive smokes through the plains on the outskirts of Beijing.

Zhu Houxi arranged it on this special train, and the arrangement of the royal driver had naturally arrived in Dagu, Tianjin.

If he hadn't started the arrangement in advance, how could Zhu Houxi get a report from the person who arranged the past from Lu Bing to say that he would cut ice and boil water to prevent freezing?

Dagu did not build a water conservancy project on a trial basis like Liangxiang to prevent floods and provide water power.

The heavy industry park here is a serious attempt to rely on the steam engine to provide power, and it is almost the 2.0 version of the industrial park that the Huangming Assets Bureau has planned, invested and operated alone.

If the emperor wants to come to inspect, he will have to go full throttle. At this time, the efficiency of various blast furnaces and steam engines was only so high, but in fact, there was a lot of hot water.

Now Shen Qi arranged for someone to use a batch of thick pipes to take it over, and put it outside the dock mouth in a steady stream, but it melted a hole in the sea surface that had been spread out for several miles, and the water vapor was steaming.

It seems that the scene is indeed exaggerated.

They are all expensive refined copper pipes, which are used to build condensation systems on ironclad ships.

If it's enough, it's enough, and you can't make it like this, right?

Not far from Dagu Station, on a hill on the northeast side of the Heavy Industry Park and next to Dagu Port, the Post Office built the post house here.

This is the result of taking into account the noise, smoke and view of the port in the Heavy Industry Park.

Today, of course, there is no one else here, and the Praetorian Guards have long surrounded it.

From the post house to Dagu Station, guards were distributed along the way.

These guards are not all from the capital, but also the reserve generals of the Beiyang Naval Division who have been mobilized here.

They were assembled here for the purpose of conquest, and what Xue Han had brought to Korea before was only forty percent of the Beiyang Naval Division's troops, totaling 8,000. To quell the civil strife in Korea, the Jiliao border army was the mainstay, and the Beiyang Naval Division was only an auxiliary.

Now that the emperor is coming to Dagu in person, he wants to review and mobilize them, so he naturally has to stand energetically in the cold wind, and first escort His Majesty to Dagu Station and then stop at the post house.

There are no palaces here.

Outside Dagu Station, Shen Qi had already come to greet him in person.

His expression was calm, and he was not worried about the worry of Tianjin Zhizhou just now.

After the re-demarcation of the borders of the provinces, most of the Shuntianfu was encircled around Beijing, which later became Beijing Zhao. Tianjin, on the other hand, is designated as a separate prefecture, higher than Shuntianfu, Miyun, Liangxiang and other counties.

In terms of grade, the north and south of Beijing are more special, Zhaoyin is the third grade, the county under the jurisdiction is from the fifth grade, and the Tianjin Zhizhou is from the fourth grade.

Tianjin Zhizhou's worry is that the treasure ship supervisor will spend people's and financial resources in order to launch the Xuanlong ship within the year. Although it is the treasure ship supervisor, Tianjin Prefecture has not helped?

The emperor always emphasizes his love for the people, and doing this in the cold winter will really not anger the Son of Heaven?

Tianjin Zhizhou is only from the fourth grade, but the official quality of the president of the treasure ship supervisor is higher than him.

According to today's rules, those who serve as the helmsmen of such enterprises outside the rank of lord are extremely prominent in terms of official character.

Of course, their salaries are paid by the companies themselves, and there is no pressure on the treatment and expenditure of officials under the civil affairs system. Although the official quality is high, Tianjin Zhizhou Yuan does not need to buy more of their accounts.

Helplessly, the treasure ship supervisor is different, and the Xuanlong ship is a great power weapon in His Majesty's heart.

Dagu Heavy Industry Park, Dagu Port and the whole of Tianjin are also different, and now they are an important logistics support base for the shipping direction of the Ming Dynasty's Eastern Expedition.

Tianjin Zhizhou buried his head and stood there very well-behaved.

They are all tall, if the Son of Heaven is angry, there will be others to stand up.

He only sang praises and truthfully described the people's praise after Tianjin's prosperity in the past two years.

This is true, in recent years, how much silver has been spent in Tianjin, and how many people and goods have been gathered here.

The old Tianjin Wei locals, who has not enjoyed the dividends?

The flags fluttered outside Dagu Station, and there were many Daming Sanchen flags.

Jinyiwei, Beiyang Maritime Division, Shuntianfu, Baochuan Supervisor, Baojin Bureau, War Bureau, Dagu Port Finance and Taxation Bureau, Tianjin Prefecture Public Security Bureau, representatives of commercial banks, gentry and villagers, and ordinary people......

Although the city of Beijing is not far away, the emperor is visiting Tianjin for the first time, and now the welcome lineup can be described as neat.

At nightfall, the fast horse finally arrived: "More than five miles! ”

And then after a while, he came back to report: "Four miles! ”

Finally, I heard the roar of the locomotive when it slowed down and released the excess heat, and the emperor's "imperial chariot" was near.

Between the cold wind and light snow, Zhu Houxi stepped out of the carriage, and it was much colder outside.

After all, he was only in his thirties, and he had built a good foundation since he was a child, and Liu Tian and they suddenly shuddered.

The warm sedan chair was prepared on the platform again, and Zhu Houxi looked around first.

"Freight is the mainstay, Dagu Station is simple, Your Majesty forgive me, ......" Waiting here is the helmsman of the Railway Bureau, Zhengde's nine-year Jinshi Gu Kejiu.

He also belongs to the people who were selected later, and he is quite upright and practical. Although the time of Zhongjinshi was very early, it was recommended by Huang Zuo that he entered the enterprise system.

Zhu Houxi didn't know that Gu Kejiu had some history with Hai Rui. Hai Rui Township was promoted in the middle of the examination, which was a matter of Gu Kejiu's tenure in Guangdong, and Hai Rui has always regarded him as a teacher, and built an ancestral hall for him after Gu Kejiu's death.

Now it is naturally different, Hai Rui has another opportunity, and Gu Kejiu is also entrusted with important tasks.

Zhu Houxi said with a smile: "The journey has been quite smooth, which shows that this really running railway is well built and maintained." I'm afraid Yuxin is too busy to write, right? ”

"Back to Your Majesty, still write, you can meditate."

In the original history, Gu Kejiu was a person who was beaten by the emperors of the Zhengde and Jiajing dynasties. But now Zhu Houxi's style is different, Gu Kejiu is also a degraded official of the Zhengde Dynasty who was reactivated after Zhu Houyi succeeded to the throne, and he has been a foreigner in the household department from the beginning, and he has implemented the new policy arranged by Zhu Houxi, so his perception of Zhu Houyu is naturally different.

And one of Zhu Houxi's understanding of him is that Gu Kejiu writes well.

I came outside with a smile and a smile, only to see a huge welcome formation.

"Haven't you waited a long time?"

Zhu Houxi can't help it, who called him the emperor?

This situation is inevitable, but he has just arrived, so he naturally wants to express his condolences and encouragement, and always make so many people feel that it is worth coming all the way to meet him.

Come and go, and it will be dark.

"Resentment! When I arrived in Tongzhou, I temporarily took the initiative to see the Tongzhou wharf, but it was delayed for two or three hours. ”

Zhu Houxi looked at this situation, it is not safe to go to the post house at this time, and so many people here have to be hungry all the time.

"Yuxin, are you familiar with this area, do you have any arrangements?"

"The minister has discussed with Commander Lu before, the night road is difficult and dangerous, if Your Majesty thinks it is okay, General Mei's house is not far from here."

"Plum ginseng will ......"

Zhu Houxi was still thinking about it, and Lu Bing said on the side: "The former hereditary commander of the right guard of Tianjin, loyal and good for generations, Mei Dingjia was previously transferred to the general of the Fifth Military Battalion, and now he has died of old illness. Plum ginseng will ......"

As soon as Lu Bing shouted, one of the old men stepped forward and said excitedly: "The Chen's family is favored by the emperor, and the ancestor is the great-grandson of the princess of Ningguo, and the hereditary commander of Tianjin's right guard is here to be the sixth generation. If Your Majesty does not give up, the humble house will be full of brilliance, and the minister has sent someone back to order someone to sprinkle and sweep to welcome him. ”

Zhu Houxi finally got on the number, thought about it and nodded: "That's okay, I'll bother you tonight." ”

He mentioned Princess Ningguo, and Zhu Houxi understood.

If you really want to talk about it, it's still the royal family.

Princess Ningguo is the second daughter of Zhu Yuanzhang, and her concubine is called Mei Yin.

This Mei Yin is the nephew of the founder of the Ming Dynasty, Marquis Mei Sizu.

Mei Dingjia didn't point out all these words, because the Marquis of Runan had followed Zhang Shicheng and belonged to the general. And after his death, he was posthumously sat in the Hu Weiyong case, and his whole family was killed.

Of course, Mei Yin was his nephew, and he was a colt at the time, and this one survived.

But during the Battle of Jingjing, Mei Yin assisted Jianwen. Zhu Di wrote a letter to him to persuade him to surrender, Mei Yin cut off the ear and nose of the envoy, and said something "leave your mouth, so that you can tell King Yan what is the righteousness of the monarch and the minister", which made Zhu Di angry.

In the end, Mei Yin was squeezed into the water and drowned by the commander of Jinyiwei and others when Yongle was in the court in the third year.

There are so many complicated stories between the ancestors and the Zhu family, no wonder Mei Dingjia is vague.

Now that the emperor is willing to stay at their house, Mei Dingjia is only happy in his heart.

Zhu Houxi only thought about these old things, but he didn't have any more impressions.

It wasn't until he finally arrived at Mei's house that he confirmed what he learned from Lu Bing's mouth: Mei's family is now a big family in Tianjin.

What Zhu Houxi didn't know was that the Tianjin Mei family had been multiplied until later, and the donated Caochang Nunnery was not only important during the revolutionary period, but also had a Tsinghua principal Mei Yiqi.

Of course, it is not surprising, after all, before the Jiajing Dynasty, their family had been the hereditary commander of the right guard of Tianjin for many years.

When the Son of Heaven comes, the Mei family is honored, not to mention that there are so many officials accompanying him?

The officials of Tianjin, who had been waiting for a few more hours at Dagu Station, had their eyes, so they had already prepared everything and immediately sat down for a banquet.

During the banquet, when talking to Shen Qi, Zhu Houxi made a joke: "I have to delay here for a while, and tomorrow I can only go to the naval division barracks first, and the dock side will have to boil hot water for an extra day?" ”

Tianjin Zhizhou's heart trembled when he heard this, but Shen Qi replied unhurriedly: "The minister is not in a hurry to present a New Year's gift for His Majesty, such an arrangement is to do more experiments." ”

"Oh?" Zhu Houxi was a little surprised, "Why?" ”

"Two main reasons." Shen Qi bent over, "One, Dongying is further north, and I am afraid that the battle will also survive the winter, and the minister will have to test whether there is any missing in this Xuanlong ship in winter." Second, we have to consider what if the supply is not smooth during the voyage. The minister delayed some time to launch the water, and also found that the steam engine was afraid that it could not directly use seawater. ”

“…… I see. Zhu Houxi nodded, "Why don't you make it clear before and let the new marquis come over to solve it together?" ”

Zheng Kui was stunned when he heard this, and Zhu Houxi had already suddenly realized.

How can the corrosiveness of seawater be compared to freshwater?

And although Zhu Houxi knows this, he usually doesn't pay attention to this kind of detail in so many things. It's useless to pay attention to it, it's up to them to figure it out.

"I'm afraid that the entire machine that has been loaded on the ship will have to be rebuilt, and the delay will be even longer. The minister pondered day and night, and also thought of a way, so he tried it first, so he could explain it more clearly. ”

"So, you've found a solution?" Zhu Houxi looked at Shen Qi differently and asked expectantly.

Since he was invited to come over to participate in the launching ceremony, of course, Shen Qi was already sure.

And the careful thinking about hiding this matter...... It was nothing more than raising his own importance.

After all, it was because of his talent in shipbuilding that he was favored by the emperor, and if he could still have more achievements in technology, wouldn't it be better?

Zhu Houxi only cares about the result, but doesn't care who has more credit in the process.

Shen Qi said with a smile: "The minister changed the pipeline on the ship, and a machine was responsible for boiling salt, and after the water vapor cooled, it became fresh water. In addition, the water tank on the ship was filled with 100,000 catties of fresh water when sailing, and if the supply was not smooth on the way, it could barely be self-sufficient for several months. The hot water is not boiling over there to melt ice. From the copper pipe, it cooled into water in the winter and flowed out of the dock, although it was not hot, but it immediately melted ice, and it was indeed fresh water under the daily inspection. ”

“…… Wonderful! Zhu Houxi was overjoyed when he heard this, "Xinshihou, tomorrow you will go to the treasure ship supervisor to discuss one or two." Shen Qing has merit, and he will not forget to study in the future! ”

I have to say that he really threw himself into this boat, observed, and thought of more problems.

As long as there is such a person who can help Zhu Houxi continue to solve all kinds of small problems, he welcomes them.

But when he entered the main room cleaned up by the Mei family after the banquet, he was not welcome, looked at Lu Bing and asked, "What does this mean?" ”

“…… This place is not as well arranged as the post house, and the Mei family is also worried that His Majesty is freezing. ”

“…… Is it the Mei family? ”

"Handmaid, handmaid ......," Lu Bing explained.

Zhu Houxi looked speechlessly at the bed-warming girl who got up from the "dragon couch" and stood aside, trembling, thinking that Mei Dingjia was also bold.

Aren't you afraid that the emperor thinks that the Mei family is too capable, and they still have such a pair of good-looking twin maidservants?

Of course, a piece of heart itself is just to warm the bed first, and if the emperor has a heart, it is called ......

Anyway, it is clear that Zhu Houxi will be tested, loyal and considerate.

Zhu Houxi frowned, it seems that after the prosperity of Tianjin, there are more stories hidden under the prosperity.

Bought? Or is it the pillar of the "Quyi Troupe" that is becoming popular at the moment?

Zhu Houxi looked at Lu Bing, Lu Bing finally showed a hint of embarrassment, and finally added: "It was sent back from North Korea by the Marquis of Yangwu, and the Mei family has a lot of business dealings with the Shipping Bureau." ”

"......" Zhu Houxi shook his head, "You guys, let me say something?" ”

God knows if he has been preparing since the news that the emperor will come to the Xuanlong ship to launch in person, I am afraid that when he arrives at the post house tonight, this pair of Korean twins will also appear in the post house.

Mei Dingjia was afraid that he would come out like this, and it was naturally Lu Bing and Xue Han who took the initiative to arrange it.

It's all so familiar, don't you like it? It's not a big deal.

There is no way, Zhu Houxi did find that there was no need to pretend to be reserved.

Is this a side benefit of expanding territory?

Forgot the timing......

(End of chapter)