Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 635 Old Zhu Tours the Ming Dynasty, Ruler of All Nations! (The Finale)

Old Zhu turned around, stared at the magistrate of Jiayuguan for a long time, and finally squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "Take us to see!"

He pushed aside the eunuchs who came to help him, and with a powerful stride, walked straight toward the steel behemoth that was still panting heavily.

The closer you get, the more overwhelming the shock becomes.

This "train" is so tall that it's almost as tall as a city wall.

Its length is so great that it stretches endlessly.

The wheels and tracks were made of black iron, gleaming with a cold, eerie light.

This is something that cannot be driven by human power, let alone animal power.

Old Zhu walked closer, and like a curious child, stretched out the hand that had conquered the entire Ming Dynasty, and knocked heavily on the outer wall of the carriage.

"Cang! Cang!"

A dull, metallic echo reverberated, making his palms go numb.

"Good heavens... this, this train, is it made entirely of steel?" He gasped.

"Your Majesty, this is made of specially refined steel and powered by a large steam engine," the county magistrate replied respectfully from the side.
Then, they led Lao Zhu to the "special car" that had been prepared in advance.

This carriage is incredibly luxurious, in no way inferior to the inner palace of an imperial palace.

Thick wool carpets covered the floor, with large, soft sofas and chairs on both sides, and a long, gleaming rosewood table in the middle, on which a complete tea set was already laid out.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty specifically instructed that this carriage be equipped with the latest 'shock absorption' technology, so that even at high speeds, it will remain as stable as a mountain," the accompanying eunuch said softly.

"Oh?" Old Zhu was still somewhat skeptical. He pointed to the teacup on the table and said in a deep voice, "Pour the tea! Fill it up!"

The eunuch dared not be negligent, picked up the kettle, and poured a cup of hot tea until it was almost overflowing.

The magistrate of Jiayuguan County knelt and kowtowed outside the carriage, saying, "Respectfully seeing off the Emperor Emeritus! Long live the Emperor!"

"Woo!"

Another deafening roar echoed, and Old Zhu's body tensed instinctively.

Immediately afterwards, he felt the carriage shake slightly, and then the clanging sound began to become dense and rhythmic.

The steel behemoth is moving!

Old Zhu's gaze, however, was fixed on that cup of tea, like a nail.

The scene he had imagined—a chaotic mess with water splashing everywhere—did not happen.

The tea in the cup only rippled slightly at the initial stirring, before settling down as smooth as a mirror, with only the slightest ripples on the surface.

The train was accelerating, and the scenery outside the window began to rush past.

"This...this really doesn't splash?" Old Zhu's Adam's apple bobbed.

He recalled the most luxurious carriage he had ever ridden in. Not to mention speeding along the official road, even when traveling slowly on the stone-paved streets of the palace, there was no way he wouldn't spill his tea.

He suddenly stood up. He thought he would lose his balance, but to his surprise, he only swayed slightly and then stood firmly.

Old Zhu walked up to the large, bright glass window and was completely stunned.

The mountains, rivers, trees, and forests outside are passing by rapidly.

This is hardly the speed of a horse-drawn carriage.

This is practically flying right below the ground!
"Lightning speed! This is true lightning speed!" he murmured to himself.

Back then, even riding the fastest warhorse, one could only travel a few hundred miles in a day and a night.

And this thing...

“Your Majesty,” a railway official serving on the train bowed and said, “this train can reach a speed of 120 li per hour.”

"If we travel day and night, we can cover nearly three thousand li in a single day and night!"

"However, it will still take some time to replenish water and coal along the way."

"In addition, the time spent getting on and off the platform is also reduced, and it can still travel more than 2,000 li in a day and night."

Upon hearing this, Old Zhu's body stiffened, and he turned around abruptly: "How much did you say?!"

"Traveling...three thousand li a day."

Old Zhu fell silent.

He sat down again, his gaze complex as he looked out the window at the land rushing past.

Seven years.

The Ming Dynasty in Old Zhu's memory is completely different from the present one.

Through the car window, Lao Zhu saw rows upon rows of neatly planned new-style villages and towns, with smoke billowing from the chimneys of every household; he also saw countless towering, enormous factories belching thick smoke.

He even saw that between those factories and towns, countless familiar telegraph lines were densely strung on wooden poles, connecting to the distance like a spider web.

Although he knew about the telegram, he never imagined that the cables had covered every inch of land he could see!
As darkness approached, the train slowly came to a stop at a major station.

The eunuch reported: "Your Majesty, this is Lanzhou Prefecture. The train needs to refuel and refill its water supply here and will need to rest for one hour."

Old Zhu nodded, and then he saw that several high-ranking officials and a group of officials were already standing respectfully with their hands at their sides on the platform.

As soon as the car door opened, the two leading officials immediately stepped forward and knelt down on the ground through the car door: "Your Majesty, we are Zhang Zhenyue, Governor of Shaanxi, and Li Jiean, Inspector General, who pay our respects to Your Majesty!"

Although the name Gansu existed in the Ming Dynasty, there was no Gansu Province.

The government offices of Zhang Zhenyue and Li Jiean were not in Lanzhou; they only came to welcome the Emperor after hearing the news of his return.

Old Zhu got off the car and looked at the equally well-dressed and respectful people in the distance on the platform. He pointed at them and asked the provincial governor in a deep voice, "You, like the magistrate of Jiayuguan County, have also found some people to put on a show?"

Zhang Zhenyue and Li Jiean were taken aback upon hearing this, then kowtowed in fear: "Your Majesty, please understand! We would never dare to do such a thing!"

"These are all ordinary people from Lanzhou Prefecture!"

"Now that His Majesty is wise, the cotton cloth produced by the new textile machines is of good quality and low price. Even a laborer can easily buy three or five new clothes a year."

"The people are grateful for Your Majesty's grace. Upon hearing that Your Majesty's carriage is passing by, they have all come to greet you with their own utmost respect!"

Hearing these words, the last trace of doubt in Old Zhu's heart was finally extinguished.

Instead, a complex emotion that is difficult to describe was evoked.

He said no more, only waved his hand: "That's enough, all of you may leave."

Shortly after, the train set off again.

As Old Zhu traveled, he observed and became increasingly silent.

The further south you go, the more developed the economy becomes, and the greater the changes.

From the train, you can see that many cities have expanded several times in size.

Wide cement roads have been built in many places.

Many people built new houses.

Four days later.

As the train traveled smoothly across a wide expanse of river, Old Zhu closed his eyes to rest.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Look! We've crossed! We've crossed the Yangtze River!" The accompanying eunuch exclaimed in near-hysteria.

Old Zhu suddenly opened his eyes and said sternly, "Nonsense! The Yangtze River is an insurmountable barrier, how could it be..."

His words stopped abruptly.

Because through the car window, Old Zhu had witnessed the most unbelievable scene of his life.

Beneath our feet lies the mighty and boundless Yangtze River!

And they are suspended above this chasm, traveling on a "bridge" constructed from countless giant steel arms!

"Bridge...bridge?" Old Zhu's fingers gripped the window frame tightly, filled with excitement.

"They built a bridge over the Yangtze River?!"

"Your Majesty!" the official hurriedly reported, "This is the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge! His Majesty has conquered this formidable barrier!"

Old Zhu looked up at the steel dragon-like bridge, gleaming golden in the setting sun, stretching straight to the familiar and majestic capital city on the other side.

Suddenly, tears streamed down his face.

"Our grandson...our grandson..."

He could no longer utter a single word.

Before long, the train slowly pulled into the magnificent Jinling Railway Station. On the platform, officials stood solemnly, utterly silent.

As Lao Zhu stepped off the car and onto the solid platform, he still felt a sense of disorientation, as if he were in a dream.

He glanced back at the steel behemoth, then looked at the bustling capital city before him.

I recall the road I took back.

It took him two whole years to travel from Europe to Jiayuguan.

"From Jiayuguan to Jinling," he asked the eunuch beside him in a hoarse voice, "how many days did it take?"

The eunuch bowed and replied with perfect clarity, "Your Majesty, the journey from Jiayu Pass to Jinling City is over 7,000 li. Including the time spent stopping and resting along the way, it takes a total of three days and three nights, plus one day."

That's four days.

Two years... to four days.

We stopped to rest several times along the way, partly to refill water and coal, and partly at Lao Zhu's request, as he wanted to see the cities along the route.

Even so, it only took four days to return to Jinling from Jiayuguan.

The speed was so fast that it could only be described as unbelievable.

Old Zhu stood there, frozen in place.

After a long while, he let out only a very long sigh.

He raised his head and looked forward.

At the end of the red carpet, before the officials, stood a young figure dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe.

It was the current emperor, Zhu Yunwen.

Seeing that Old Zhu was looking over, Zhu Yunwen quickly stepped forward and went straight to Old Zhu.

Immediately perform the ceremony:

"Your grandson, Zhu Yunwen, respectfully welcomes His Majesty the Emperor back to the capital! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Looking at the emperor who had created so many "myths" before him, Zhu Yunwen, his own grandson, stepped forward and placed his calloused hands—hands that had once held begging sticks and the emperor's sword—on Zhu Yunwen's shoulders.

"Foolish child, get up!" Old Zhu laughed, "Let us... take a good look at you."

Zhu Yunwen smiled, looked up, and called out, "Grandpa Emperor!"

The grandfather and grandson hugged each other tightly.

"Greetings, Great-Grandfather!"

Beside them, two adorable little children also came over to pay their respects.

Old Zhu was taken aback, and Zhu Yunwen smiled and said, "These are my two sons."

It turns out that after Wang Shoulian staged a military coup and Gu Panjun pretended to be pregnant to stabilize the court, Zhu Yunwen also realized the importance of having offspring as the emperor.

Upon returning to the capital, he announced that the Empress had suffered a miscarriage and that the fetus could not be saved, in order to cover up the incident.

On the one hand, they also accelerated their plans to have more children.

Soon after, Gu Panjun and Xu Miaojin both became pregnant and gave birth to princes.

In addition, several other concubines also gave birth to princes and princesses.

However, the other princes and princesses were too young to walk, so they were not brought along.

Upon hearing that he had become a great-grandfather, Old Zhu was overjoyed and immediately hugged both babies to his arms.

That evening, Zhu Yunwen hosted a banquet in the palace to welcome the late Zhu.

After the banquet, he took Lao Zhu to the top of the tallest building in Nanjing.

"Electricity is already widely used in Nanjing, and tungsten filament lamps that can provide continuous lighting for more than a thousand hours have long been manufactured."

"In addition, there are telephones that can make direct calls. However, the current call distance is still limited, but the technology is being innovated. Before long, even between Nanjing and Beiping, it will be possible to make direct calls."

"You don't need to take the stairs to go upstairs; you can take the elevator directly."

As Zhu Yunwen gave his introduction, he led Old Zhu onto the automatic elevator.

Old Zhu felt as if he were dreaming.

I entered a car downstairs, but how did I end up on the roof in the blink of an eye?
Isn't this amazing?
Faced with Old Zhu's question, Zhu Yunwen could only explain to him in detail how the elevator was pulled up to the top by traction.

Then, he led Lao Zhu to the window.

From here, the entire night view of Nanjing can be seen.

Old Zhu was stunned.

As far as the eye can see, there are countless dazzling lights.

It is more than a thousand times brighter than the starlight in the sky.

"The city of Jinling is now ten times larger than it was before."

Zhu Yunwen smiled and said, "Nanjing is the center of the Ming Dynasty, the capital of the empire, and the most prosperous place in the Ming Dynasty."

Old Zhu asked curiously, "Such a big city, with so many people, just getting them to eat, drink, and relieve themselves every day must be difficult. How many carts would it take to transport them all by horse-drawn carriage?"

Zhu Yunwen shook his head and said, "Of course, relying solely on carriages won't work."

“Nanjing has dozens of railways connecting various parts of the Ming Dynasty, which can transport a large amount of goods.”

"This item can also transport a large amount of goods through the Yangtze River waterway."

"In addition, the new transportation vehicle developed by the Daming Academy of Sciences, the automobile, has officially rolled off the production line and will soon be in mass production."

"A car?" Old Zhu asked curiously.

He didn't understand what this was.

“This is a vehicle similar to a horse-drawn carriage, but without the need for horses,” Zhu Yuntong explained. “Nowadays, trains and ships mainly rely on burning coal to boil water, which drives steam turbines to propel trains and ships.”

"But the fuel used in cars is a completely new fuel called 'gasoline' or 'diesel,' which is derived from petroleum."

Zhu Yunwen explained, "Using this to drive the internal combustion engine will give the vehicle far more power than a horse-drawn carriage, as well as a faster speed, allowing it to carry more people and haul more goods."

Old Zhu only half understood what he was hearing, but the one thing he did understand was that cars were amazing!
Then, Zhu Yunwen told Old Zhu about many new things and novelties in the Ming Dynasty.

The grandfather and grandson chatted while enjoying the night view of Nanjing, talking until very late.

"Grandpa Emperor, all the nations of Blue Star now have monarchs or have sent important ministers to Jinling. The first World Congress of Blue Star is about to open."

"They also traveled to Nanjing, as well as Shanghai, Suzhou and many other cities, and witnessed the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty, its strong military, and the wealth of its people."

"They all said that the Ming Dynasty is the beacon of their future development and the guide of the world."

"My grandson has already drafted a Blue Star Alliance Treaty, and the relevant drafts have been handed over to the delegations of various countries."

"Among them, the most important ones are that all countries on Earth live in equality and jointly respect the Great Ming as the sovereign of all nations and the emperor of the Great Ming as the sovereign of Earth."

"All monarchs and consuls of various countries who ascend to the throne or otherwise assume power must first obtain the approval of the Emperor of the Great Ming and have the Emperor of the Great Ming sign the letter of appointment."

"Anyone who takes office without being appointed by the Emperor of the Great Ming is illegal and shall be condemned by the whole world."

"All countries in the world will unite closely under the banner of the Great Ming Empire and jointly create a new future."

"In addition, agreements were made on many other matters, including banking, public opinion and education, mining and development of mineral resources, and military training and stationing."

"All countries on the entire planet Blue Star unanimously agree to recognize the Great Ming Treasure Note as the unified currency of Blue Star in order to promote the economic development of Blue Star, and all other currencies shall be abolished."

"All nations unanimously agreed that the Ming Dynasty would station troops to protect the planet and maintain lasting peace."

"All nations agree that they will strive to learn from the education and culture of the Ming Dynasty and the ways of the sages."

"All nations unanimously agreed to honor the Emperor of the Great Ming as their eternal ruler."

"All countries have no objection to the above provisions!"

"Tomorrow will be the day the Blue Star Alliance is officially established."

"The banners of the Ming Dynasty have finally been planted all over the blue planet, making it a true empire on which the sun never sets."

"The Ming Dynasty will lead Blue Star to a new and more glorious tomorrow!"

……

"The Complete Book"

(End of this chapter)