Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 491 Trains and Immigrants

The family’s livelihood could no longer be sustained.

In desperation, Zhao Wu had to bid farewell to his parents, sign up for immigration, and set off to a distant place to make a living.

"My son, how can you live without me?"

Outside the train station, Zhao Wu's old mother cried at the top of her lungs, her voice almost hoarse.

His father was as silent as a mountain, standing there without saying a word, his silence was frightening.

But the look in his eyes as he looked at Zhao Wu's back was filled with deep and unbreakable love and attachment.

On the side, Zhao Wu's brother waved his hands vigorously.

"Second brother, take care on your journey. When you go to Liaodong, you must learn to take good care of yourself."

"If it really doesn't work, come back. After two years, our family will have recovered from this crisis and we won't be short of food for you..."

Thanks to the Tang Dynasty's policy of recuperation, Zhao Wu's family lived a pretty good life in the past few years. Although they could not say they were rich, at least they could have food to eat every year and they did not go hungry, and they could also save some money.

For ordinary people, such a life can be considered a peaceful and prosperous time.

If it weren't for the sudden locust plague, the Zhao family would have lived a good life.

Hearing the calls of his family members behind him, Zhao Wu couldn't help but pause.

After touching the still warm steamed bread and pickles made by his mother in his backpack, Zhao Wu finally took a step and continued walking towards the train station.

In addition to Zhao Wu's family, there were many people gathered outside the train station. These people were also crying and wailing. The entire outside of the train station was filled with crying.

These people are just like Zhao Wu's family. They are also here to see off their family members who are about to embark on the journey of immigration.

Last year, many places in Henan suffered from disasters, which caused many people to lose their livelihoods and had to join the immigration wave, leaving their homes to seek a livelihood in other places.

Arriving at the entrance of the train station, Zhao Wu walked into a queue and lined up.

At the front of the line, there was a table with a banner hanging on it.

There was a line of big words written on the big red banner.

【Zhongmu County Immigration Registration Office】

Soon it was Zhao Wu's turn who was at the end of the line.

The middle-aged scholar sitting behind the desk asked without even looking up.

"Name, age, height, home address, parents' names, please tell me everything!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wu opened his mouth and started reporting.

"My name is Zhao Wu, I'm 22 years old, I'm feet inches tall, I live in Gengwangzhuang Village, Zhongmou County, my father is Zhao Shulin, my mother is Wang Erniu..."

The reason why these issues need to be registered during immigration registration is mainly because we are afraid that immigrants will arrive at a certain place, collect their belongings and then run away.

If you don't register clearly, you won't be able to track down the person if he runs away.

After completing the registration, Zhao Wu was given an ivory tag with information about his appearance, height and weight, and then was arranged to board the train.

This is a carriage specially used to transport immigrants.

The seats are quite compact and uncomfortable to sit on.

However, Zhao Wu, who was riding a train for the first time in his life, did not feel uncomfortable at all. Instead, he looked at the furnishings in the carriage with great interest.

The so-called seats are rows of bamboo and wood chairs.

The walls of the carriage are painted white, the windows are made of glass, and there are iron guardrails outside.

On the top of the carriage is an iron rack for storing luggage and the like.

There is a drinking room at the front of each carriage, where free hot water is available.

Trains these days are all steam-powered and burn coal, so hot water on trains is really not that valuable and can be provided for free.

At the rear of the car is the bathroom...

Of course, it's not the kind of toilet that is pulled directly onto the rails by digging a hole at the bottom of the carriage.

That does save trouble.

But it would be fine if there were fewer people, but if there were more people, the railway tracks would be full of Indian flavor.

Definitely not!

Therefore, Datang’s solution was to install a toilet at the bottom of the carriage to collect feces and then dispose of it after the train arrived at the station.

Soon, all the seats in the carriage were filled with people.

They are all immigrants departing from Zhongmu!
Of course, the money for these immigrants’ train tickets was definitely not paid by themselves, but the trains were chartered by the imperial court.

Well, train tickets are not cheap these days.

Especially for long-distance trains, the ticket price can easily be several silver dollars.

If these immigrants could afford the train tickets, they would not have to leave their homes to make a living elsewhere.

Soon, it was night time.

When it was dinner time, the crew pushed the dining cart and distributed food to the immigrants one by one.

The food was very simple, just a multi-grain steamed bun and a bowl of thick porridge per person, that was all.

Although the imperial court provided food for the immigrants, they were after all riding in carriages rather than working, so naturally they could not eat very well.

As long as I can fill my stomach and not starve to death, that’s enough!
After eating the food, Zhao Wu felt still not full, so he took out a steamed bread made by his mother from his backpack, went to get a cup of hot water, and began to eat it with pickles.

Just as Zhao Wu was eating, the immigrants finally arrived and the fully loaded train started to depart.

With a noticeable vibration, the train's wheels turned, and the steel wheels rubbed against the rails, making a teeth-grinding friction sound.

Finally, the train began to move slowly.

Zhao Wu subconsciously looked out of the car window, only to see that it was pitch black outside. However, in the darkness, he could vaguely see the scenery slowly receding.

The train was speeding up. After Zhao Wu finished his food, he prepared to rest. He leaned back in his seat and soon fell asleep.

When he woke up again, it was already bright outside.

He subconsciously turned his head to look at the window, only to see that the train was still moving.

The scenery outside the car window is rapidly receding!

As Datang's technological capabilities improve, the speed of train operations is also increasing.

Today, the average speed of trains in Datang has reached 30 to 40 kilometers per hour.

In later times, this speed is certainly not considered fast, and can even be considered a snail's pace.

But in this era, it is already amazing enough for people who have never seen a train.

"This train is running so fast!"

Zhao Wu looked at the scenery outside the window and couldn't help muttering.

The train continued along the way, passing Kaifeng, Zhangde, and entering Zhili.

Then we drove along the route of Guangping, Shunde, Zhengding, Baoding, all the way to the capital...

This immigrant train was preparing to pass through the capital and then head to Liaodong.

It is obvious that the immigration direction of Zhao Wu and others was Liaodong.

At that time, Liaodong was the most popular immigration target in the northern part of the Tang Dynasty.

Over the years, as the Tang Dynasty continued to develop Liaodong.

The legend of going to Guandong and becoming rich overnight has been circulating among the people.

When many northern people talk about immigration, their first reaction is to go to Guandong.

After the railway connecting the interior and exterior of the Great Wall was opened last year, the Tang Dynasty could use the railway to transport immigrants and supplies to Liaodong at the lowest cost and fastest speed.

The Tang Dynasty began to increase its investment in Liaodong in order to complete the development of Liaodong as soon as possible.

Zhao Wu and others are just an inconspicuous ripple in the wave of immigration and development.

……

The train ran for two consecutive days.

Zhao Wu had been sitting in the car for such a long time that his original enthusiasm had long since disappeared.

Instead, there was a feeling of exhaustion from the bottom of my heart.

He had been sitting on the hard wooden chair for so long that his buttocks had become numb and his waist was aching and tired.

The whole person was groggy.

Finally, just when Zhao Wu couldn't hold on any longer, the train stopped.

The moment the train stopped, the inside of the carriage suddenly exploded like an ant nest poured with boiling water.

"Reached?"

"Why did the train stop?"

"Oh my god, we've finally arrived..."

"..."

In the car, the immigrants gathered together and talked, and fatigue was visible on their faces.

Just then, the train door opened.

The attendant stood at the door and shouted.

"The train has arrived at Jingcheng Station. The train needs to stop for a rest, coal filling and maintenance."

"People on the train can get off and move around, but please remember not to leave the platform, otherwise you will bear the consequences at your own risk."

"Do you understand everything?"

As the attendant finished speaking, there was a burst of chaotic responses in the carriage.

Afterwards, the train attendant opened the door and Zhao Wu and the others were able to get off. After getting off the train, Zhao Wu stood on the platform, looked up at the sky, took a deep breath of fresh air, stretched his body, and the bones all over his body couldn't help but make a crisp sound.

At this moment, Zhao Wu felt as if he had come alive again.

Zhao Wu stood on the platform, shaking his head left and right and moving his cervical vertebrae. Suddenly, he seemed to see something and his movements paused.

Looking up in the direction he was looking, I saw tall buildings in the distance.

Buildings dozens of meters high pierce the sky, as if they are about to soar into the clouds.

The glass curtain walls on the exterior of these buildings reflect dazzling light under the sunlight.

"What a tall building..."

Zhao Wu couldn't help but exclaim.

Growing up in a village, had he ever seen such a spectacular sight?

Unlike other cities, they like to build high-rise buildings in the city center to highlight the prosperity of the city.

The capital is different after all!

High-rise buildings were not allowed in the inner city of the capital, especially in the Old Summer Palace where the emperor lived, and near the Forbidden City, the imperial palace.

Not to mention skyscrapers that are dozens or hundreds of meters high, even two- or three-story buildings are not allowed.

This is not only due to political considerations, but more for safety reasons.

The reason why high-rise buildings are not allowed to be built is that firearms in this era are already advanced enough, and the Tang Dynasty already has the ability to mass-produce sniper rifles that can accurately hit the target even when firing from a thousand meters away.

If an assassin wants to commit an assassination, it is not difficult to get a high-precision sniper rifle.

Therefore, in order to ensure his own safety, Li Yi would not allow any commanding heights where guns could be set up to appear near where he resides.

In addition to the passenger flow brought by the railway station, after the Beijing Railway Station was completed, supporting facilities such as commercial streets, hospitals, and residential areas began to appear nearby.

Therefore, in order to save space, high-rise buildings began to rise near train stations.

Zhao Wu was not the only one who was shocked. The other immigrants around him could not help but stare with their eyes wide open.

I was amazed by the spectacular scene before my eyes!
A flight attendant nearby saw this scene and said with admiration and pride in his tone.

"Did you see it? This is the capital! The capital of the Tang Dynasty!"

"Work hard, everyone. If you can make a name for yourself outside the Great Wall in the future, you might be able to buy a house in the capital and settle down there."

"If you can settle down in the capital, your life will be worth it..."

In today's Tang Dynasty, train attendant is a real high-paying job.

These are talents who need special training before they can take up their posts.

It is even possible that they will be promoted to drivers soon, and then their salary will only be higher.

With a high salary in hand, the flight attendant naturally would not save it, so he bought a house in Beijing.

Although he had a mortgage that made his once wealthy life tight, he was still very happy.

Because this is the capital city!
Whenever he thought about his future as a Beijinger, he felt proud.

……

The train stopped in the capital for half a day.

After inspection and coaling, they continued their journey towards Shanhaiguan.

Two days later, the train passed Shanhaiguan, passed through the Liaoxi Corridor, and arrived outside the city of Shenyang.

After arriving in Shenyang, Zhao Wu and others got off the train.

Then queue up to exit!

Outside the train station, the Immigration Bureau set up a special canteen and bathhouse for immigrants to bathe and eat.

Of course, these are all free!
The Tang Dynasty really spared no effort to attract immigrants to leave.

Zhao Wu followed the crowd and queued up to take a shower. After taking a shower, he went to get a new set of clothes.

Then run to eat!
Then, Zhao Wu was shocked by today's meal.

There were several large wooden barrels at the place where people lined up to get food, each containing cabbage and pork stewed with vermicelli, braised pork, large white steamed buns as soft as a woman's breast, fatty pork rib soup, and steaming white rice.

Zhao Wu swallowed subconsciously.

He has basically never eaten meat since he was a child.

The last time I ate meat was at the banquet held when the landlord Wang in the village got married when I was a child.

He gritted his teeth and sneaked in to eat two big pieces of fat meat, but was then discovered by Wang's guards and kicked out.

Well, he was beaten several times just to eat two pieces of meat!
Seeing so much meat at once, Zhao Wu couldn't believe what he was seeing.

An immigration officer saw this and shouted at everyone at the top of his voice.

"Stop looking at me, just eat! Eat as much as you can!"

"I'll arrange a place for you guys after you finish eating!"

As soon as the immigration official finished speaking, Zhao Wu and others gathered in front of the food bucket and began to line up to get their meals.

A group of people were fighting for the meat, fearing that there would be no meat to eat when it was their turn.

Although Zhao Wu looks as thin as a stick, he is actually young and strong because he does a lot of farm work.

Soon he squeezed to the front.

After preparing the meal, I sat at the table and started eating in big mouthfuls.

The big piece of fat meat entered his mouth. As his teeth chewed it, the fat exploded on the tip of his tongue. Zhao Wu couldn't help but squint his eyes slightly, his expression full of enjoyment.

Yep!
This is the taste, this is the taste!
The taste is exactly the same as the two pieces of meat he ate when he was a child!
He will never forget this taste in his life!
Soon, the immigrants finished their lunch and were gathered together for a headcount.

Zhao Wu was selected and followed a team from Shenyang, setting off again and heading south.

This time, they had no train to take and could only walk on foot.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed and the group finally arrived at their destination.

What appeared before them was a village.

In the village, thatched houses and brick houses are connected together, and smoke rises above every household.

On the outskirts of the village are patches of fertile black soil.

The fertile fields are connected by paths and are planned very neatly.

Looking further south, there appears a big river with a wide surface which is still frozen.

Many workers were using ice picks and ice cones to remove ice from the river...

Looking at the black soil in front of him, Zhao Wu's heart was filled with emotion.

The land here is so fertile!
How great would it be if the land in my hometown could be so fertile?

The immigration officer in charge of the team stood beside them, looking at the river in the distance and sighed.

“This is Dandong, and the big river in front is the Yalu River.”

"Across the river is North Korea!"

Without waiting for the immigrants to respond, the official continued.

"Come on, follow me into the village."

As they were talking, the group walked towards the village entrance.

When they arrived at the entrance of the village, an old man with a hunched back came out to greet them.

"Hey, isn't this Lord Jin?"

"You sent us someone again?"

"Welcome, welcome, please come in, I will ask the villagers to prepare a banquet for everyone to welcome you!"

Upon hearing this, Jin Dayong just bowed.

"You're too polite, Village Chief Sun."

"These are the latest batch of immigrants who arrived from the interior of the country. They are to be resettled in your Dong'an Village. There are thirty of them in total. This is their roster of thirty people."

"Village chief, please count the number of people first. If there is no problem, please sign the document."

"Then, I can go back and report to my superiors!"

Village Chief Sun said with a smile on his face when he heard this.

"Okay, okay. Spring ploughing is about to start and the village is in need of strong laborers."

"You guys are here just in time!"

As he was speaking, Village Chief Sun stepped forward and took over the work from Jin Dayong.

Then, he led a group of people towards the village.

After entering the village, Village Chief Sun first instructed people to entertain Jin Dayong, and then led a group of immigrants to a row of thatched houses in the south of the village.

Arriving outside the thatched hut, Village Chief Sun explained with a smile.

"These thatched houses are prepared for you."

"Inside were supplies distributed by the imperial court to the immigrants, including clothes, bedding, pots and pans, as well as rations, seeds, and farm tools such as hoes and sickles."

"You just need to settle down first, and when the spring ploughing starts, you can work with the villagers."

"After the spring plowing is completed, the village will organize people to help you open up new fields."

"This newly reclaimed land will be yours."

"Oh, right? The imperial court has granted three exemptions and five reductions to immigrants. For the newly reclaimed land, you don't have to pay taxes for the first three years, and you only have to pay half the tax for the next five years."

"Everyone, just work hard, good days are yet to come!"

(End of this chapter)