As soon as he said it, Lin Yang realized something was wrong. Guo Jia naturally didn't know about the Ministry of Railways; it would be abnormal if he did.
"Yes, that's right. The so-called Ministry of Railways is specifically in charge of trains. As you know, our trains have already been successfully researched and developed in major aspects; we're just finalizing the design now."
"With the advent of trains, even ordinary people can easily travel thousands of miles in a few hours, and a day and a night can easily cover thousands of miles."
"Such an important thing is naturally a vital military and national asset, and it needs to be properly managed. Therefore, the Ministry of Railways is the department I plan to use specifically to manage trains."
"However, considering the current situation, we can send an invitation to those aristocratic families to attend the founding ceremony of the Wu Kingdom and my wedding. At the same time, we can demonstrate the usefulness of trains to them."
"I'm sure they'll be able to figure out the profits from the train with their intelligence. Then we'll focus on selling spirit stone steam engines. Once we monopolize the spirit stone steam engines, the money will flow in like water."
"Furthermore, if railways could cover the entire country, transporting people would be much more convenient. At that time, even Youzhou in the north or Liangzhou in the west would only take one or two months to reach," Lin Yang said excitedly, pointing to the map.
Even if this newly invented train only travels at fifty kilometers per hour, it can still cover a thousand kilometers in a day and a night. In a month, that's over thirty thousand kilometers, or sixty to seventy thousand li (approximately 30,000 to 35,000 kilometers). In two months, it would probably be enough time to travel from the easternmost part of the Han Dynasty to the westernmost part.
Upon hearing this, Guo Jia remained silent. After all, trains were something the Wu Kingdom couldn't possibly manage on its own. After all, how could the Han court not see such a crucial military instrument?
Therefore, distributing the supplies in advance to make money using the spirit stone steam engine is only natural. We've already given you the train and the railway; you can't expect to get away with just a steam engine, can you?
"Well, so what are your plans for these newly ascended people, my lord? Should we provide them with some special care?"
"Well, first take them to the library and let them read for half a month. Then, spend three months organizing them to travel around Jiangdong. For some outstanding talents, organize them to conduct observation tours throughout the country. As for the arrangements, we'll talk about them after they return from the trip!"
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Chapter 10: Volume 1, Chapter 1: The heroes of the Peach Garden swear brotherhood, and the hero who slays the Yellow Turbans makes his first great contribution!
In a restaurant somewhere in the west of Luoyang City.
This restaurant has decent basic conditions. After all, it's a restaurant in the capital. Even though it's a bit remote, not in a good location, and its level is just average, it still has many of the basic facilities you'd expect.
In short, this is a mid-range restaurant specializing in northern Chinese cuisine. The number of customers is neither too many nor too few, which is why the three brothers Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei particularly enjoyed it.
So today, we came here again and even ordered a private room on the second floor by the window. We ate the delicious food on the table, chatted about everything under the sun, and watched the scene outside. It was quite a pleasant experience.
The three men each sat on one side, and the empty side faced the window. Zhang Fei glanced at the sun outside, then casually picked up a jar of wine, tapped it lightly, and opened it.
Then, a crisp, clear aroma of wine instantly filled the air. Smelling it, Zhang Fei slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Good wine!"
After saying that, he picked up the jar and started gulping it down. In no time, the jar of fine wine was empty.
"Phew, the wine from my hometown is still the best. This jar of wine must have been brewed in Zhuojun. I can tell just by the smell! And it's at least sixty years old. It's a fine wine."
Seeing this, Liu Bei knew that his third brother was homesick again. Indeed, although his third brother looked dark-skinned, strong, and large, he was actually only sixteen years old.
His robust and tall stature is solely due to his cultivation technique. Moreover, during his last mission, he spent over a hundred years in the Shu Mountain world, so it's normal for him to miss home.
"How about this," Liu Bei said with a smile, "we'll go to Zhuojun later, visit Taoyuan, see our fellow villagers, and then hold a banquet to treat them to a good meal."
When I was little, I loved watching wealthy families get married or hold events.
At that time, I could just take a couplet or some wild game from the mountains as a gift and go there to freeload.
In any case, wealthy families don't care what your gift actually is; the most important thing is the sentiment. Therefore, they would specially prepare some side dishes for such banquets.
Although the meat and wine at these banquets aren't of high quality, at least they're filling!
"This time, we're going to have a grand feast, a huge celebration! I'll hire the best chefs and prepare everything properly. It'll last at least half a month! At least a thousand tables every day, so that all the elders of Zhuojun know that the three of us brothers have returned!" Liu Bei said, drinking fine wine and blushing.
As the saying goes, "Wealth and honor not returned to one's hometown are like wearing brocade at night," even Xiang Yu once proclaimed himself the Hegemon-King of Western Chu. Now that the three brothers are rich and successful, how could they not return to their hometown to show off?
Hearing Liu Bei's words, even Guan Yu, who rarely spoke, became somewhat excited. His face turned bright red, but since he naturally had a red face, it might not be noticeable unless one looked closely.
However, at that moment, accompanied by the sound of storytelling, Guan Yu was stunned, then Liu Bei was stunned, and finally, Zhang Fei was also somewhat confused.
"Today we're going to talk about a new storybook called 'The Story of Da Er's Ambition,' written by Hu Hai Sanren. It's said that the inspiration came from a nightmare! After waking up, he wrote this book based on the dream."
"The mighty Yangtze River flows eastward, its waves washing away the heroes of the past. Right and wrong, success and failure, all vanish in the blink of an eye. The green hills remain, witnessing countless sunsets. White-haired fishermen and woodcutters on the riverbank are accustomed to the autumn moon and spring breeze. A pot of wine brings joy to their reunions. So many events, past and present, are all but a laughing matter."
"Great words!"
"Yes, regardless of the content, the poem itself is quite good. Here's a tip!"
"Indeed, this poem is excellent, its words profound, far beyond what ordinary writing skills could achieve. The person who wrote this poem must be a great talent, a true scholar. Perhaps this is what is meant by the realm where skill advances to art, and art advances to the Way," an old scholar said, shaking his head.
"Volume One, Chapter One: The Heroes of the Peach Garden Swear Brotherhood, and the Hero Who Slayed the Yellow Turbans Makes His First Merit!"
"It is said that the world, after a long period of division, tends to unite; after a long period of unity, tends to divide..."
"In Black County, there lived a pig-butchering landlord who had a son named Black Face, who loved to befriend heroes. One day, Black Face met Red Face and White Face..."
As the storyteller recited the story from memory, he kept cursing in his mind, "What the hell is all this nonsense?"
Look at the level of naming these characters! People are named Black Face, Red Face, and White Face, and the place is called Black County. If this story wasn't so well-written, he really wouldn't want to continue.
Fortunately, although the place names and personal names are very unrealistic, the plot is so good that it makes up for all the flaws!
In the past, those storybooks were all about love and romance, or about someone becoming an official, or someone making money through hard work.
How can there be a story like "The Legend of Li Zhi", where the imperial court collapses, people rebel, and then a hero rises up to save the people?
Therefore, captivated by the compelling plot, these relatively simple-minded people all opened their eyes wide, put down their chopsticks, and listened attentively. After all, having finally found such a fantastical story, how could they not immerse themselves in it and indulge in their fantasies?
"The next day, in the peach orchard, offerings of a black ox and a white horse were prepared. The three men burned incense, bowed twice, and swore an oath: 'White-faced, red-faced, and black-faced, though of different surnames, having become sworn brothers, we will work together to relieve the distressed and help the needy; to serve the country above and bring peace to the people below. We do not seek to be born on the same day, month, and year, but only wish to die on the same day, month, and year. Heaven and Earth bear witness to this heart; may those who betray this oath be condemned by both Heaven and man!' After the oath, they bowed to the white-faced man as the elder brother, the red-faced man as the younger brother, and the black-faced man as the younger brother. After the sacrifice to Heaven and Earth, they slaughtered an ox, prepared wine, and gathered more than three hundred brave men from the village..."
"Excellent! What a fine oath of brotherhood! What three big-faced brothers! For the country and the people, they swore brotherhood and vowed to serve their country. What true heroes!"
"Yes, but only three hundred men? Isn't that a bit too few? What kind of achievements can a mere three hundred men accomplish?"