“Not bad, this speed is already quite good. It can travel eighty li per hour. Even a good horse can only manage this much, let alone those merchants who transport goods.” Ma Liang said with shining eyes.
"Yes, every time my family transported goods, we could only organize horse teams and private soldiers to transport them slowly by land. Sometimes, the roads were also difficult to travel. The speed was nowhere near as fast as it is now."
“If the Duke of Wu allows us to build this thing this time, I’ll persuade my father to build a railway from Jiangxia to Lujiang County. Then we can collect tolls every day and pay for every trip. Wouldn’t that be a legacy that can be passed down through generations?” Huang Zu said, somewhat excitedly.
For established families, what can be passed down through generations is of utmost importance. In many cases, even if it means losing money, they will still manage to preserve what can be passed down through generations.
Hearing the murmurs of the crowd, Ou Yezi felt quite pleased with himself. Lost in thought, he continued his work.
He started snapping photos of the steam engine, bang bang bang, bang bang bang! Then, the speed increased to another level, reaching forty kilometers per hour.
"This, this is already considered a thoroughbred, right? Moreover, it doesn't need to be fed hay or beans, just a little bit of so-called standard fuel. It's so convenient."
"From this perspective, as long as the steam engine itself and the standard fuel aren't too expensive, we'll definitely have to buy it!"
"Have you considered what it would mean if used for transporting troops? A journey of a thousand miles in a single day and night. This means that if there is another rebellion in the dynasty, even if the place is far away, we can reach it within a month by train!" Pang Tong suddenly reminded him.
Starting from Luoyang, it's no problem to travel over a thousand li in a day and night. From Luoyang to Youzhou, it's only a little over thirty thousand li. The journey to Liangzhou is about the same.
Within a month, the soldiers can be transferred there, which basically eliminates the possibility of a successful rebellion!
Or rather, the chances of a successful rebellion have been greatly reduced. For this reason alone, as long as the costs aren't outrageously high, the imperial court will grit its teeth and build several large-scale railways!
Thinking of this, the scions of many noble families fell silent. It was unclear what they were thinking. Perhaps, some of their budding ambitions had been extinguished.
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Chapter Thirty-One: The Dawn of a New Era
Clang, clang, and after a moment, there was another flurry of activity as the train's speed increased to sixty kilometers per hour.
By this point, it's not slow at all. Most horses, when charging, travel at about this speed.
Gusts of wind blew directly in through the window. The window here, of course, wasn't glass; it was just a wooden one.
Fortunately, the people sitting in the first carriage were all people of extraordinary status and considerable cultivation. At the very least, they were all innate masters, so facing the strong wind was actually a kind of enjoyment for them.
"Won't it be unstable if it's so fast?"
"Won't it stop after a while?"
"Who knows? We'll just have to wait and see."
Listening to the discussions among the noble families, Ou Yezi smiled slightly, and then struck the steam engine again. With a series of slapping sounds, the steam engine emitted another ear-piercing noise.
Anyone who didn't know better would think it was about to explode! Fortunately, Ou Yezi had been working with these steam engines for many years, and the external materials were specially made, so there was no risk of the furnace exploding.
With vigorous hammering, the speed reached approximately eighty kilometers per hour. At this point, the scions of noble families ceased their doubts and remained silent, watching Ou Yezi's work in quiet contemplation.
"Not bad, really not bad! This is definitely a true military weapon, a military weapon indeed! This speed is really not slow!" After a long while, Zhang Lu said with a little excitement.
Zhang Lu felt a little excited when he thought of the scene Lin Yang described, and the scenes of railways all over the country.
The Han Dynasty was so vast, surely they would have to build at least a hundred thousand miles of railway first? A hundred thousand miles, what a huge business that was! Where else could they find so many Taoist priests besides the Celestial Masters sect?
Therefore, Zhang Lu had already made a decision in secret! After returning home, he would expand recruitment! That's right, expand recruitment!
Let's lower the standards a bit. After all, creating Dao patterns, such a basic task, only requires a first-stage cultivation level and the presence of spiritual power.
If one were willing, one could research and develop the corresponding elixir, then consume it directly, and use the power of the elixir to break through the ancestral aperture between the eyebrows. Even if the side effects were significant, I'm sure many people would be eager to do it.
Before he knew it, after spending so much time with Lin Yang, the once promising Daoist disciple was now preoccupied with costs, profits, and money!
“Master, it can actually be faster. Look, these two trains now have a total of two hundred carriages. Imagine how fast they would be if there were only twenty carriages?”
As he spoke, Lin Yang looked up at Ou Yezi, who was operating the steam engine, and said with a smile, "Master Ou Yezi, why don't you try to go faster!"
"Okay, no problem, let me check it first."
"The rails themselves are still very sturdy, and the grooves on them are in good condition. They haven't been damaged to this day and can still hold on."
"The steam engine was only operating at 40% efficiency. From a safety perspective, it could not be run at full capacity; at most, it could only operate at 80% efficiency. However, even so, the steam engine could still exert a little more force."
"The environment inside the car is actually not bad. Although it's a bit cramped, it's still quite stable and can continue to accelerate."
At this point, Ou Yezi looked out the window, stretched out his hand to feel the strong wind blowing in, and picked up a Bagua compass.
"Attention! Attention everyone! The train is about to accelerate! It is about to accelerate! In all carriages with ordinary passengers, immediately close and lock the windows."
"Attention! Attention! Attention everyone! The train is about to accelerate! It is about to accelerate! In all carriages with ordinary passengers, immediately close and lock the windows."
"notify……"
After receiving three notifications and waiting for about five minutes, Ou Yezi picked up the Bagua compass again.
"Acceleration begins. Ordinary people, please pay attention to safety and do not wander around in the vehicle."
Then, accompanied by a series of popping sounds, a barrel of fresh standard fuel, and a piercing noise, the train's speed increased to another level.
100 kilometers per hour
120 kilometers per hour
One hundred and forty...
One hundred and sixty...
In the blink of an eye, the train reached a speed of 180 kilometers per hour. To put that in perspective, that's about 50 meters per second!
In Lin Yang's eyes, this speed was nothing special. In later generations, any Harmony Express train would be much faster than this 180 km/h, not to mention the high-speed trains that were already on it.