Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 798 Xia Lin is no pushover

Just as Xia Lin's southwest strategy was unfolding, the public unveiling of the train also officially began. Although most people in Fuliang had already seen this thing, after all, it had been tested for several months and various data had been fine-tuned hundreds of times, running on the road every day, the official announcement and public appearance of the train was still a first for the young woman.

Although everyone had seen the train's majestic appearance more or less that day, the departure point was already packed with people before dawn, and even those who were a little lazy had to stand in the corners.

The academy even took a day off specifically for this occasion so that the children could witness this scene. In short, the entire venue was so crowded that there wasn't even a place to stand.

Around seven o'clock in the morning, although it was late autumn and the air was bitterly cold, the moment the sun rose, the red cloth on the train was torn down, and a whistle shattered the tranquility of dawn. The behemoth, pulling hundreds of tons of cargo, slowly began to move.

Several hundred tons, or more accurately, four hundred and twenty tons of cargo, which Xia Lin considered to be the cargo capacity of a small karaomis, but to people of this era it looked like pulling mountains forward. After all, to show that a lot of cargo was being carried, most of the cargo was grain, timber, and some light items such as cloth, soft furs, porcelain bottles, and boxes, so it looked like it was packed full.

Even so, the train was far superior to any horse. Its massive body slowly began to accelerate amidst the gasps of the crowd. Countless people chased after it, running and running until they were exhausted. Then some people followed on horseback, but even after riding for a while, they could not run anymore and could only watch the unstoppable train disappear little by little in front of them.

The railway tracks were laid to Hongdu Prefecture, marking the first railway line from Fuliang to Hongdu. In the end, it was the young prince's tantrums and tantrums that worked. It is said that the young prince exhausted all his means for this railway. This usually refined, reserved, and gentle prince even got into a fight with the Minister of Works. The fight between the two middle-aged men in their forties alarmed the three provinces and six ministries. In the end, it was only after the old prince intervened to mediate that the matter was settled.

In the end, the three provinces also made concessions. The first railway could be built to Hongdu, but no matter what, the second railway had to reach Nanjing. So now, as the train is opening, the workers are laying the foundation for the railway to Nanjing. If you listen carefully, you can even hear the rumbling explosions in the distance, which is the sound of gunpowder breaking through the mountains.

The slogan on the world's first train station clearly read "Open up mountains when you encounter mountains, build bridges when you encounter rivers" to demonstrate its determination.

From Fuliang to Hongdu, a single rider on horseback could reach the destination in just one day via the 800-li express courier service. By water, it would take at least three days to reach the port and another one to two days to reach Hongdu Prefecture. However, for large caravans traveling by land, the entire journey would take approximately twelve days, assuming the roads were well-maintained.

However, the train could travel from morning till night while carrying a caravan fully loaded with goods, so as soon as it set off, the young prince made preparations to welcome it.

The prosperity of Hongdu Prefecture was no less than that of Fuliang. In terms of population, Hongdu Prefecture, as the capital of the central and southern regions, was originally a land of plenty with plenty of fish and rice. Even in the past, it was a large region with a small population. After the development in recent years, its total population has become almost the same as that of Jinling. After the upheaval in Jinling, Hongdu Prefecture achieved its first population reversal. At this year's grand court meeting, the entire Jiangnan Circuit reported a population of 24 million, and Hongdu Prefecture alone accounted for nearly 2 million people, becoming the number one prefecture in the world, surpassing Chang'an and Jinling.

In a megacity with two million inhabitants, the speed at which news spreads is naturally terrifying, and the public's enthusiasm for watching the train is unprecedented. Basically, after crossing Poyang Lake, people started to line up along the way, and the crowds grew larger as they approached Hongdu Prefecture.

When they entered Hongdu Prefecture, the young prince even had to deploy troops to maintain order, otherwise these guys would have loved to lie on the railway tracks to reserve their spots.

Time slowly passed into the afternoon, nearing evening. The sky was beginning to glow with a rosy hue. The young prince, with his wife and children, arrived at the platform of Hongdu Prefecture Station. Officials of various ranks lined both sides of the platform, while the rest of the crowd consisted of ordinary people.

"Your Highness, will something go wrong?"

The young princess asked with concern. She knew that her prince had suffered a lot because of today's events. Fighting with the Minister in the capital was nothing compared to the fact that the cost of connecting the railway here had almost emptied 30% of the tax revenue. With such a grand scene today, if anything went wrong, the loss would be more than just a matter of reputation.

"Don't worry, Daosheng won't do anything unless he's absolutely certain."

Sure enough, just as they were chatting, a loud and long whistle came from afar, and the once noisy platform fell silent. Everyone, including the young prince, craned their necks to look in the direction from which the whistle came.

About fifteen minutes later, the chimney, billowing flames and topped with a large lamp as bright as the sun, came along, sparking and flashing all the way.

As the train entered the city, so too did the tsunami-like cheers of the people. They ran alongside the slowing train, their movements brimming with a kind of innocent, yet vibrant energy, a beauty born from a lack of worldly experience.

The young prince also stood up from his seat. Even someone of his high rank and power couldn't help but feel a little nervous seeing this big guy slowly approaching.

"Hua'er, where are the fireworks!" The young prince tugged at his eldest son beside him. "Fireworks! Oh dear, you're such a hindrance."

The young prince slapped his forehead and ran out like a madman. Before long, the fireworks that had been prepared rose up in sync with the train stopping at the station.

Three whistles sounded, thick steam billowed, and the train completed its maiden voyage. Then, the unloaded goods piled up like mountains. This was far more efficient than a caravan, and many merchants present immediately brightened up. Although they already knew that the railway would always belong to the state and would never be handed over to any individual for operation, seeing this speed and this amount of cargo, they began to calculate how to minimize transportation costs as much as possible.

The people of Hongdu Prefecture began to sing and dance in celebration with the fireworks, as if the arrival of the train had become a festival. Only the young prince was sitting in the driver's cab and chatting with the driver next to him.

As the nominal head of Jiangnan Province, the young prince is theoretically the second most powerful figure in the Great Wei Dynasty. After all, apart from Jingji Province, only Jiangnan Province has its own independent military and administrative power. Yet, even such a person is still captivated by the train.

The beauty of machinery is truly a killer for men in any era. Its power, its impact, its imposing stature and its complex structure are irresistible to everyone from the very young to the very old.

"What a treasure."

The young prince stroked the complex mechanisms on it, his eyes filled with longing and anticipation, then turned and asked, "Could this be used to transport people during wartime?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, we have done the calculations and it is estimated that we can transport about four thousand people and the corresponding amount of grain."

"Great...that's really great." The young prince nodded: "Then if there are railways in the future, and a disaster occurs, will it be possible to travel from morning to evening?"

"The speed is not fast enough right now, and it may not be possible to go to more remote areas. However, if the route is planned well, it will only take two to three days to go from Hongdu to the northern frontier."

Upon hearing this, the young prince felt dizzy. He had once been called the Flying General for traversing the northern frontier in three months, but now he could arrive in just two or three days...

Although he lacked military talent, he was well aware that things were about to change.

While the people of Hongdu were celebrating, Xia Lin was sitting in the technical department having a meeting to discuss the next steps in development. Because of the successful experience with the train, other things based on it could be launched quickly, and it might even take only a few months to complete a round of explosive development.

This highlights the importance of technological reserves. Accumulating expertise over a decade and then unleashing it in a powerful way is truly a fantastical story.

"Next, I'm thinking of starting an internal combustion engine project. What do you guys think? Is it a good idea?"

"That's a bit difficult, Headmaster. The precision of machining is not up to standard now. Internal combustion engines can't be as rough as steam engines, so I'm a little worried."

"Give it a try. As they say, everything is difficult at the beginning. The pass is as solid as iron, but we'll start afresh. Every hurdle is difficult, but we'll overcome it. I believe you can do it." Xia Lin pursed his lips. "Keep going and overcome difficulties. Don't let small victories blind you. I want to see more in my lifetime."

"Sir, the fuel problem of internal combustion engines... I remember you said that it requires petrochemicals, but we have no petroleum base at all."

"If there isn't one, we'll build one!" Xia Lin waved his hand. "You don't need to worry about this. I'm never stingy when it comes to advancing technology. After we come out of seclusion this time, we'll teach the whole world a good lesson."

This shot of adrenaline ignited everyone present. They didn't have much desire for fame and fortune, only the expectation of "teaching the world a lesson." After all, for these young people, money and power were just fleeting clouds, but showing off and slapping people in the face was really too satisfying.

"Hehe, I'm thinking, if we really manage to develop an internal combustion engine, we'll hold a competition and have them compete against our iron horse with real horses." A student excitedly said, "That would really open their eyes."

The words drew laughter from the crowd, but their morale had already been boosted to its peak. Xia Lin wanted to take advantage of their enthusiasm after building the locomotive and add fuel to the fire, to see what other tricks these kids could come up with.

"I won't restrict your ideas. You can try anything you want to do. There's plenty of funding, so go ahead and build!" Xia Lin said, standing up. "You guys divide up the tasks yourselves. And there's one more thing: electricity. How about developing all three at once?"

"Don't worry, Commander. Internal combustion engines are complex, but electricity is so simple. We've been working with it for a while now, and we already have ideas. We're just waiting for your order." "Holy crap? Okay, bring me the plan tomorrow so I can take a look."

After a discussion, everyone was in high spirits after the meeting, but Xia Lin was somewhat exhausted. He dragged his heavy steps home, and didn't even have the energy to take a shower. He sat on the bed for a while and then fell asleep.

The next morning, as sunlight streamed in through the window, he could vaguely hear Li Zhi tutoring Xiao Wu and his sister Jia Ye.

"Narcissus." Xia Lin sat up, looked at her clothes that had been changed, and then called out, "Spring Peach?"

A moment later, Narcissus rushed in: "Master is awake?"

"Go and pass on a message for me. Have someone from the Flying Tiger Battalion deliver a message to Liu Heita, asking him to come over sometime these days."

"Okay, is there anything else?"

"Go to my aunt's and get me a bowl of rice noodles. I really miss Aunt Yu's fried rice noodles," Xia Lin chuckled, then lay back down again. "I can rest for a few days now..."

Not long after Shui Xian left, Chun Tao came in. She placed today's newspaper in front of Xia Lin and then brought a washbasin for him to wash up.

Xia Lin stood by the basin, looking at herself in the mirror, and suddenly smacked her lips: "Sister Chun Tao, don't you think it's really inconvenient not having running water?"

Chun Tao was taken aback for a moment: "Huh? Tap water?"

“Yes, running water.” Xia Lin hung up a towel, put his hands on his hips, and walked around the room. “How can we get running water… No, I have to go to the academy later.”

"You haven't had a rest for quite some time, are you really not going to take a break today?"

Xia Lin waved his hand: "No more rest. Let's hurry up and get the infrastructure in order. Tap water is a great thing, but I just can't figure out which path to take to make it happen."

Chun Tao looked at Xia Lin with some worry in her eyes. At this moment, the courtyard became lively. Xia Lin looked through the window and found that Ting Yun had brought Ling Yue over.

Although the two women were no longer teenage girls, the courtesan was still the courtesan of yesterday. When Tuoba Shang first saw them, he was almost speechless with astonishment.

"What brings you two here?" Xia Lin asked with a smile. "Weren't you quite busy?"

Tingyun is still much the same as she was back then, but she's become more composed. Feng Lingyue, on the other hand, is different. The older she gets, the stronger her obsessive tendencies become. When she sees Xia Lin, she can't wait to have sex with him right there in front of everyone.

"Stop for a second." Xia Lin held back Feng Lingyue, who was about to pounce on him. "The two of you coming together can't be anything good. So, what did you call me here for this time?"

"Actually, there's nothing to trouble Lord Xia with, it's just..." Miss Tingyun pursed her lips and looked at her sister, whom she had known for nearly twenty years, "Go ahead and say it."

"There's nothing much to say, I just came here specifically to tell you that Sister Tingyun is pregnant!"

Xia Lin was taken aback: "You too..."

Tingyun nodded gently, even with a hint of shyness: "I discovered it by accident."

"That's good." Xia Lin chuckled, but quickly scratched his head and said, "I don't have much to give you. Let me see how much secret money I have..."

“Who wants your little bit of money? Sister Yun is a very wealthy woman.” Feng Lingyue chuckled. “She came here to ask about your child’s identity. She didn’t sleep well all night after finding out yesterday. She doesn’t even have a proper status. We don’t care, we’re not from a good place to begin with, but it’s a bit unreasonable if the child doesn’t have a proper status.”

Xia Lin scratched his head after hearing this: "This..."

Seeing his expression, the two girls' faces didn't look too good. They knew that they came from a poor background and that they were only where they were today because Xia Lin had taken a liking to them. Compared to most girls from places like that, they were incredibly lucky. But now it really involved the issue of children. It would be fine if they could distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate children, but if Xia Lin didn't acknowledge them, it would really be heartbreaking.

"Please allow me to think it over." Xia Lin scratched his chin. "Actually, it's a bit troublesome. I'm somewhat constrained by my status right now. If I announce it to the world, people will try to smear me."

At this moment, Xia Lin understood Feng Lingyue's gaze, which meant, "You clearly know why you still provoke her. You can't control your lower body, yet you make your child suffer for you."

It's fortunate that it was Xia Lin. If it were a normal head of a wealthy family, Feng Lingyue definitely wouldn't have survived today. She would have been beaten to death on the spot, and Tingyun would have been thrown into the dry well along with her.

"Hey! I have an idea!" Xia Lin slapped his thigh. "Sister Chun Tao, go and bring me good fortune!"

Da Yun was still breastfeeding her baby. She strolled over with her second daughter in her arms, and had a little argument with her eldest daughter. When she saw Xia Lin, she didn't give her a friendly look either: "You called me over, so it must be for no good reason."

"Yun'er..." Xia Lin smiled and took her youngest daughter from her arms: "This is what happened..."

Of course, he was definitely subjected to a barrage of criticism from Dayun, after all, Dayun is known for his sharp tongue.

"You can't even control what's down below your navel, and you expect me to cover for you? I didn't even have a son, and now I've married three. What? Do you think I'm that easy to bully?"

The 1.54-meter-tall Da Yun looked up at Xia Lin. Xia Lin was initially a little guilty, but when she saw Da Yun's cockfighting expression, she couldn't help but laugh.

"you die!"

"Hey, hey, let's talk this out. Please help me out, Brother Yun~"

Da Yun was amused by him. He sat down, looked at the aggrieved Ting Yun, and then looked Ling Yue up and down, who looked completely bewildered. He shook his head helplessly and said, "It's alright. These are all the bad things you did when you were young. There's nothing else besides these few, right?"

Xia Lin coughed and held up one finger: "There's... one more."

"besides!?"

Bean Sprout screamed until her voice cracked, and the house erupted in chaos. Even her sleeping daughter was so frightened that she started crying loudly...

"You call yourself a model citizen? I'm going to expose you! You're dead!" Da Yun pointed at Xia Lin, his finger trembling. "Who? Dong Niang?"

“No… just a woman from the martial world.” Xia Lin had a terrible headache: “She… Dongniang, I dare not.”

"You son of a bitch..." Dayun's face flushed red with anger. She clutched her chest and grimaced, "It's over, you've made my milk ducts blocked."

(End of this chapter)