Chapter 825 Significance
"That's right. The railway from Yancheng to Jinghai is open. The Railway Department is preparing for the first test run. I hope Your Highness will come to visit. Read М" Zou Rong's eyes seemed to be shining, and he rubbed his hands excitedly when he said it.
This Railway Department is currently under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry.
The laying of the railway is also directly responsible for the Ministry of Industry.
Zhao Xu nodded, excited.
This is the first railway in Dasongnai, the East, and it is built entirely with its own technology.
At the same time, it means that not only in terms of steamships, but now in terms of railways, Jiangbei has also achieved catching up with the steam industry in the West.
The upgrade of technology in the future is a unilateral transcendence.
"Such an important matter, the king will naturally go." Zhao Xu smiled, "When will the test run be?"
"Anytime." Zou Rong said.
"Well, then the day after tomorrow, by the way, let the news out, let the people also come to visit the grand occasion." Zhao Xu said.
He was preparing to go to Jinghai to inspect the construction of ships.
During the test run, he could experience the steam locomotive while going directly from Yancheng to Jinghai.
It was only about 180 li from Yancheng to Jinghai, or 90 kilometers.
It used to take more than a day to get there.
If the steam engine ran smoothly, he could reach Jinghai in just one and a half hours.
He could go in the morning and come back in the afternoon.
However, the first test run had to be steady, and since he was riding it himself, the railway department certainly wouldn't dare to run it at a full speed of 60 kilometers per hour.
But even at 30 kilometers per hour, he could reach Jinghai in just three hours.
From more than a day in the past to one and a half hours today, it can be seen that steam locomotives are a huge change in transportation.
People, merchants, officials, and goods no longer need to waste a lot of time on the road, which can improve the efficiency of the entire Jiangbei.
This is like the blood flowing in the human blood vessels. The speed of transporting oxygen can undoubtedly determine the person's athletic ability.
In the future, Jiangbei will enter an era of high efficiency.
"Yes, Your Highness." Zou Rong chuckled twice and bowed and left.
After Zou Rong disappeared, Zhao Xu sent someone to Wuji Palace to invite Zhao Heng to attend the test run of the steam locomotive.
Although the Emperor of Dasong currently had no power, he was at least the mascot of Dasong.
Moreover, he wanted the Emperor to see his ability with his own eyes and make him regret his harsh treatment of the Ninth Prince.
In addition to Zhao Heng, he also told Yang Feng and other old officials in Jinling, as well as royal relatives such as Prince Chun, to come together.
One by one, the servants of the palace took the order and left.
This matter spread quickly, and naturally Yang Susu, Feng'er and Luan'er also knew about it.
Halfway back to his bedroom, Yang Susu came to meet him with Feng'er and Luan'er.
"Your Highness, I want to go too." Yang Susu exchanged glances with Feng'er and Luan'er and begged.
Since seeing the steamship in Jinghai last time, Yang Susu has been interested in more than just knitting women.
Zhao Xu can understand this.
After all, Yang Susu has been studying since childhood, and her knowledge is broader than that of ordinary women in the boudoir.
In addition to the rich scientific atmosphere in Yanzhou and his intentional or unintentional influence, it is normal for her to be curious about things that are completely different from poetry, books, rituals and music.
Of course, the most important point is that sometimes when Zhao Xu chats with Wang Chong and others, she seems to be listening to a book of heaven, which makes her look inferior.
There are also fewer topics to chat with Zhao Xu.
She was born in a family of military generals, and she is a gentle person with a strong character. Because almost all the men in the Yang family died on the battlefield, she is a woman and cannot fight on the battlefield, so she has always had the idea of being as good as men in her heart.
So she secretly competed.
However, if it was just like this, she would not have gone to this.
There is another thing. Under the instruction of Zhao Xu, Mi Zhuang has been spreading new Confucianism with other great Confucian scholars recently.
The core of this new Confucianism is to target the old Confucianism, taking its essence and removing its dross.
On the one hand, it overthrows the traditional old learning of only saints and classics, and on the other hand, it advocates the new learning of the public model.
And encourage all boys and girls to enroll.
So, since the King of Yan has this idea, she, the princess, should follow her husband's lead.
"Go, of course I have to go. The deputy conductor of the steam locomotive this time is a woman." Zhao Xu said with a smile.
The reason why he made the trial run of the railway so grand was not only to show the strong steam industry strength of Jiangbei and enhance the self-confidence of people from the people to officials, but also to take the opportunity to educate the public.
One of the purposes of education is to make people realize that women can do some key jobs by showing the female deputy conductor, so that people will no longer prevent girls from enrolling.
According to the information provided by Liu Fu, since the court opened the office, 90% of the students enrolled are boys.
In this feudal society, girls can only stay in the boudoir to wait for marriage, and the bad habit of women without talent is not acceptable.
After all, the competition among modern countries is the competition of comprehensive national strength and talent.
The more students enrolled, the more talented people can be selected from them.
If there are fewer girls in the public office, it is equivalent to losing half of the students.
Another educational purpose is to let the public realize the importance of technology.
Even the emperor and ministers attended the steam locomotive test run, which can leave a deep impression on the people and change the slanderous statement of strange skills and tricks.
"Really? In this case, I have to go and see it." Yang Susu smiled, revealing two dimples.
Zhao Xu shook his head. Yang Susu was two years younger than him, only eighteen years old. She was a lively and energetic age. There was no need to make her a caged canary.
Then he thought that letting the princess actively learn various scientific knowledge would also be a spur to other women.
It would be even better if an institution was established to let her specialize in the problem of girls' difficulty in entering school.
Thinking of this, he nodded secretly.
Another day passed.
On the third day, Zhao Xu and Yang Susu went to Wuji Palace to invite Zhao Heng and Mi Fei, and then went straight to the station located in the east of Yancheng.
At this time, Liu Fu, Yang Feng, Prince Chun and others had all arrived, and the people who came to watch the excitement were even more crowded. They stood on both sides of the railway, forming a thick human wall.
"Your Highness, please."
As soon as Zhao Xu arrived, Zou Rong immediately came to Zhao Xu and led everyone into the station.
Zhao Xu walked in while observing this old-style station.
There is no luxury like the modern train station. There is only a row of houses with red tiles and red walls on the north side of Yancheng Station. This is the office of the railway employees.
In front of the house is a row of pillars with canopies on top of them.
Opposite is also a row of canopies, and the area between the canopies is paved with gravel, and there are two railroad tracks on the gravel.
A steam locomotive is parked on the starting rails, and six carriages are pulled behind the steam locomotive.