March is a good time for everything to recover and a hundred flowers to bloom.

And Yan Lide and others, who will be the prisoner, gave Li Shimin a big gift at this good time.

On this day, Li Shimin led the ministers of the DPRK and China to the outside of Chang'an City early.

At this time, in the workshop outside the city that produced trains, Yan Lide and others were putting the finishing touches on a brand-new steam locomotive.

It was the first time that everyone, including Mr. Lee, had seen a train.

When they saw the huge train lying on the two tracks, they couldn't help but sigh from their hearts:

It's too big, isn't it?

Li Shimin walked to the train curiously and carefully observed the huge parts.

Occasionally, he would gently stroke it with his hand.

Yan Lide, who was following along, had been whispering to Li Shimin to introduce the names and functions of each component.

When all the inspections were over, everyone retreated to the side, quietly waiting for Li Shimin to give the order to leave.

Li Shimin and others were led by Li Zhi and Yan Lide to the second carriage behind the locomotive.

The crowd was quickly attracted by the layout of the carriage.

There are more than a dozen rows of seats evenly distributed in this carriage.

Each row of seats is split in two by the middle aisle.

One side can accommodate three people, while the other can only accommodate two.

Yan Lide opened his mouth and explained to everyone: "There are a total of one hundred and eighteen seats in this carriage.

All seats are firmly anchored to the floor.

The seats are equipped with a newly developed foam that guarantees the comfort of passengers on long journeys. ”

Li Shimin felt better.

It was found that these sponges seemed to be more resilient than the down used on their dragon chairs.

He walked to the front seat and sat down, feeling no less comfortable than his own dragon chair.

So he nodded with satisfaction and said to everyone: "Everyone, sit down and try it."

I am very happy with these seats. ”

After listening to Li Shimin's words, Fang Xuanling and the others sat down around Li Shimin.

Soon the crowd let out a comfortable sigh.

Li Shimin waited until everyone was seated and said to Yan Lide: "Aiqing can order someone to start."

I can't wait to feel the speed of the train. ”

After listening to Li Shimin's words, Yan Lide immediately walked to the first carriage to convey the order.

Li Zhi took advantage of this waiting time and said to everyone: "Everyone, this steam train can carry at least more than a thousand passengers at a time.

When the seats are full, the speed can be comparable to that of a galloping horse.

As long as there is enough coal and water, the train can run on the tracks non-stop.

Even two places that are thousands of miles apart can be reached in a day or night. ”

"Pheasant slave, is this true?" After Li Zhi's words were finished, Li Shimin immediately asked in surprise.

Li Zhi nodded to Li Shimin and said, "The sons dare not deceive their father.

The appearance of trains can not only promote the development of commerce, but also greatly improve the speed of the mobilization of our Datang army.

If the railroad tracks are used to connect the various border passes of our Datang with the nearest grain and grass base, the grain and grass can be quickly transported to the front line without loss. ”

Li Shimin said in surprise: "Don't you need to lose at all?" ”

Li Zhi nodded and said, "There are only three drivers of the train, and their losses are completely negligible. ”

"I wonder if there are any requirements for the laying of this railroad? Can the court afford the money? ”

Wang Qi asked in a trembling voice on the side.

Li Zhi said: "The construction cost of the railway is naturally more expensive than that of ordinary roads.

However, after completion, the operation efficiency is higher than that of ordinary roads.

This can be done slowly, just like the construction of roads. ”

Wang Qi nodded after listening to Li Zhi's words.

Now he is most concerned about money as the head of the household.

Since the construction of the railway can be carried out as slowly as the construction of a road, he has nothing to worry about.

Fang Xuanling said at this time: "I don't know how much this train costs?"

Can the imperial court make money from the capacity of the trains? ”

Li Zhi smiled: "The train only needs to burn coal and fill with clean water.

Every 100 miles requires about 2,000 catties of coal and 50 catties of water.

Nowadays, the price of 1,000 catties of coal is only 100 yuan, and it is no problem to charge one or two yuan per passenger. ”

Li Zhi's words were good news for everyone present.

As long as there is money to be made from the construction of the railway, then the work can be carried on for a long time.

When the time comes, the money earned from the railways will continue to build new railways, and then there will be no need to add too much even if the country is not enough.

Li Zhi kept smiling and observing everyone's reactions.

He knew the people in front of him very well.

These people's thinking is still too limited, and if you want to persuade them to pay money from the treasury to carry out construction, you must have enough profit to drive.

Only if they feel that they will earn a greater return on the money they spend will they not raise objections.

At the stall where everyone was talking, there was a sudden tremor from the train, followed by a sudden shaking of the carriage.

Then the crowd could see through the windows that the train had begun to move.

Everyone watched as the speed of movement increased little by little, until finally it was running smoothly.

Li Shimin looked at the reversing scenery outside the car window and said, "At this time, the speed is slightly slower than the extreme speed of the horses.

But if it can be maintained for a long time, it will not be slower than the fast horse of 800 miles. ”

Li Zhi opened his mouth and said: "Father, the extreme speed of the galloping horse can be maintained for more than twenty miles.

Trains can stay that fast. ”

Li Shimin nodded and said, "I thought I could build a railway from Chang'an City to Bingzhou first.

Later, it was repaired all the way from Bingzhou to Datongdi. ”

Li Shimin's strategic mind is indeed not covered.

It only took such a short time for him to think of how to use the train to quickly make up for the weakness of Datang's defense in the direction of Xue Yantuo.

Now the biggest threat to the north of the Tang Dynasty comes from Xue Yantuo.

In the past, it often took more than half a month to send additional troops from Chang'an to Bingzhou.

If the two places were to be connected by rail, tens of thousands of soldiers and horses could be transferred to the border in just a few days and nights.

At that time, once there is a change in the direction of Xue Yantuo, the soldiers and horses of the Tang Dynasty can complete the preparation for war in a very short time.

He can strike a devastating blow at Xue Yantuo at any time.

After Li Shimin's words were finished, everyone nodded silently.

Chang'an and Taiyuan are both prosperous places in the Tang Dynasty.

Connecting the two places by rail will not only allow for the threat from Xue Yantuo, but will also boost business.

For such a cost-effective investment, Fang Xuanling and others couldn't find a reason to refuse.