When Feng Zhou arrived in Guangzhou, it was the time for the provincial examination.
Provincial examinations are still held every year. Although the proportion of candidates admitted to the list has begun to decrease, Guangdong, as the first place where the new law was tried out, has also expanded the base of scholars a lot.
Rushing for exams is just a part of the bustle in Guangzhou during this season. Because of the existence of Guangdong Shipping Company, Guangzhou's prosperous business is even more dizzying.
The envoys from various Southeast Asian countries received a warm welcome at the port, and the enthusiasm even made many people uncontrollably frightened.
Too many people came.
Weng Wanda couldn't help but look at the current Governor of Guangdong: "Li Dutai, thank you for your trouble."
The person who is now serving as the governor of Guangdong is Ping Bo Li Mo, who established the National Security and Civil Affairs Bureau in the sixth year of Jiajing.
He heard the words and smiled: "This is not arranged by the governor. Good news comes from Nanyang frequently, and the ban on civilian ships has been lifted. These are the people who predicted Hai Nuan."
Weng Wanda was stunned for a moment. After looking carefully, he realized that there were indeed many well-dressed people, but his enthusiastic eyes were just glancing at the faces of the envoys from various countries.
I see.
Good goods from the Ming Dynasty were sold overseas, and the buyers were naturally local nobles.
Now that there was a possibility of communicating about business opportunities by first name, they all gathered together.
"...I'm afraid I won't be able to stay in Guangzhou for a long time. The ministry has ordered us to arrive in Beijing before the Longevity Festival." Weng Wanda is still thinking about this, "It's already August 17th, less than a month..."
"Don't worry, Chief Weng. I have already received the official letter from Zhang State." Li Mo said confidently, "The envoys will arrive in Beijing first to catch up with the ceremony, and the entourage and others will arrive in Beijing later. The envoys from various countries are not human beings.
Everyone needs to go to Beijing. The official ship, transportation, and interpretation bureau have all been arranged before arriving in Wuchang."
After the two exchanged pleasantries for a while, the envoys from various countries came over to pay homage to Li Mo.
Weng Wanda introduced Li Mo's identity, and naturally there were many compliments.
In fact, there is no need to emphasize the identity of Earl Li Mo. The title of the leader of the system is higher than that of the number one scholar. The governor of the first province of the Ming Dynasty, with the rank of first and second grade, can already make these vassal envoys extremely respectful.
On the way here, there was naturally no lack of etiquette officials from the Ministry of Etiquette on board the ships to popularize etiquette on them. The current official system of the Ming Dynasty is also a top priority.
Compared with the past system in which the Chief Secretary, the Chief Secretary and the Supervisor all commanded, and the Governor and Supervising Censor mutually supervised each other and decentralized their powers, the permanent Governor-General of each province now has great authority.
In the eyes of these vassal states, it can only be understood as something similar to a feudal king according to their old thinking.
Although he was a temporary official, during his term of office, for the Ming Dynasty, which was a country as big as theirs or even several countries, the governor was the one who had the final say here.
Corresponding to the central reform, the provinces, prefectures, prefectures, and counties all added yamen. Guangdong Province held a luncheon in the Guangdong Academy of the Governor-General. After the hospitality, they immediately continued their journey.
Officials from various countries have no objection to this.
Each person took only two important followers with him, boarded the ship in the afternoon, and headed for Wuchang along the waterway.
"President Liu, this official ship is different. It was created by Treasure Ship Supervisor?"
Seeing Liu Yu, the CEO of Tongyi Bureau, arrive in person, Weng Wanda's worries about whether he would be able to reach the capital in time were relieved.
Liu Yu smiled when he heard this: "Indeed, it is still being trial-produced. This time, I have no choice but to use it first and record some data. Is Chief Weng interested in observing?"
For many thoughtful officials in the Ming Dynasty, new words were nothing.
The emperor has the deepest understanding of physics. Nowadays, no matter what new thing is created, it is important to have data. Only by having data and evidence can we continue to improve.
"If it's not inconvenient, I'd like to take a look."
"Director Weng, please come this way."
When boarding the ship, Weng Wanda saw wheels on both sides of the ship.
This thing is not new. According to legend, there were cars and boats in the Song Dynasty, and they had wheels.
In the past, Li Gang presided over the construction of this kind of warship, which rolled forward with the pedals of his feet.
But now, the wheels on both sides of the ship are turning constantly. Could it be that in order to rush for time this time, people have to constantly change people to step on them along the way like an express delivery shop?
Weng Wanda felt that the Treasure Ship Supervisor should not only re-create the old ships, but also add some new methods.
Arriving at the lower cabin, Weng Wanda was speechless.
How could he have imagined that they were actually mules and horses?
In the not-so-wide cabin, two mules and horses slowly circled like a mill.
There were people watching and taking care of it, and there were also people holding pens and paper to record something.
However, the iron shaft that pulls the rotation in the middle is topped by an iron gear that is larger than the wheel. As it rotates, it passes through other gears and iron shafts, and then extends out.
You don't need to look carefully to know that it drives the outer wheels.
"...the Treasure Ship Supervisor spent so much effort to only trial-produce such a vehicle and ship?" Weng Wanda asked puzzledly, "How much faster can it be?"
"Sails and propellers can always go faster." Liu Yu pointed to the gears and bearings, "The main thing is to record how much force these objects can withstand. Although only animal power is available now, the bottom compartment is empty.
, we can use other machines in the future. I heard that the capital has been trial-producing a kind of machine. If that kind of machine is built, cars and ships will be able to travel as fast as they can in the future."
Weng Wanda looked at the space here and couldn't help but ask: "What kind of machine has such magical power?"
No matter what, moving a vehicle or ship requires strength. Either animal power, wind power, or human power.
Since Liu Yu said this, Weng Wanda can naturally understand that the machine can work on its own.
But he didn't understand.
Liu Yu shook his head: "This person is going to be the supervisor. I heard that he has been working hard since the seventh year of Jiajing. Zheng Kui, who made the printing press and was awarded the title of rural knight, later improved the iron-making blast furnace according to the order, and then
Promoted to County Lord. Nowadays, not only Zheng Kui has been doing this, but also Huangming University, Baojin Bureau, War Battle Bureau... many great craftsmen are doing this. I heard that it has something to do with burning fires.
Said to boil water."
Weng Wanda was even more confused: "Boil the water?"
"Since Your Majesty has long attached great importance to this matter, you and I don't have to worry about it." Liu Yu led Weng Wanda up again, "There are some ships that the envoys boarded that are different from this one. Although the machine for boiling water still has
No, but there are various types of paddles, but you can try which one works best first."
At this moment, the envoys from various countries who were envoys to the Ming Dynasty were on the following ships.
Some boats have wheels, some don't.
But they can hear and see the sounds of mules and horses in the hold, the sounds of gears meshing and bearings rotating, and the water splashing on the sides or stern of the ship.
This was just part of what made them novel. What made them pay more attention was the rivers that had been dredged and rectified over the years, as well as the fertile fields and people of the Ming Dynasty.
After leaving Guangdong City, they will pass through most of the Ming Dynasty, from south to north.
In the towns along the way, there were business travelers coming and going, and the crops were already growing well and were just waiting to be harvested. To them, they looked like they were living and working in peace and prosperity.
This kind of scene is not just in a small area, but everywhere along the way.
In order to rush for time, they did not go to Guangxi and take a detour into Huguang. Instead, they entered Chenzhou from Guangdong, the base camp of the rebels in the past.
There is a section of the road here where you need to change to a horse-drawn carriage to cross the mountains.
Eight years have passed since the rebellion was put down, and it has become a prosperous trading town. The goods from Huguang to Guangdong were transshipped here, and the night they stayed at the Tongyi Bureau here was the only time they had any contact with the new arrivals in the first half of the journey.
Time spent in contact with multiple people.
But only at night, they could only hear the noise of drinking, having fun, and even playing and singing in other teahouses and restaurants outside in the post house.
After dawn, there is a long convoy of horse-drawn carriages.
Weng Wanda realized something after looking at the mountain road and the strong horses: "After the defeat of the enemy, many horses were captured?"
"They are all looked down upon by the border troops." Liu Yu nodded, "Although the troubles from the north are not over, the Ming Dynasty will not be short of horses in the future. This is probably one of the big gains from this battle."
Weng Wanda was fascinated: "Jingbian Bo is really talented in literature and military strategy, and Zhen'an Bo is even more brave and brave. Now that I'm describing my merits, how can I reward him?"
"I heard that we will wait until the Northern Expedition armies are all ready to report their achievements together. On this Longevity Festival, I'm afraid it will be a grand ceremony to announce it to the world."
Weng Wanda sighed slightly.
He was just an imperial envoy touring Southeast Asia, and his achievements in Jiaozhi and Malacca had nothing to do with him.
If I say credit, it's just hard work. If I go back this time, I'll be promoted to an official position at most.
If he had been bolder and dared to take more responsibility, he might have been able to defeat the Portuguese expeditionary fleet again, but who told him to make a choice?
At the junction of Huguang and Guangdong, Weng Wanda noticed that there were many more horses among the people in the Ming Dynasty. What the Nanyang envoys felt was the development of the connection between water transportation and land transportation in the Ming Dynasty.
And all the water and land stations are managed by the sincere uncle in the team.
I heard that his ancestor was the founding hero of the Ming Dynasty and was an extremely important mastermind among the founding heroes.
After arriving at the waterway again, there was a new batch of official ships.
When they got here, they found more ships.
When the official ship docks at some docks to replace mules and horses, you can always see people carrying bags of grain to other ships on the dock.
People who understand Chinese characters will see that the boats are hung with flags with the word "river transportation" written on them.
Weng Wanda had been away from his hometown for a long time, so he asked.
Liu Yu only said: "The Huguang vassal kings rebelled, and after the kings came to Beijing, they confiscated and cleared out a lot of land. In recent years, there have been many grain reserves in Huguang, and successive governors have had the important task of rectifying water conservancy. After the direct campaign for grain tax,
, Huguang’s grain income has grown the fastest. Now that the Hetao and Xuanning Border Areas need to be managed smoothly, His Majesty has approved the River Transport Bureau to not only transship the goods at Caohe River, but also set up a two-river branch to transport Huguang’s summer grain to Shaanxi and Shanxi.”
Weng Wanda sighed sincerely: "If we hadn't set up various enterprises, I'm afraid that last year we had to fight in three places in Yunnan, Jiubian, and Nanyang, and it would be difficult to meet the food and salary expenses."
"Yang Shangshu has been frowning for more than a year." Liu Yu laughed, "It was also a quick victory in the war in Yunnan, and the owed tributes were recovered. There were maritime trade houses in the Nanyang War, the shipping bureau contributed money, and grain storage numbers were prepared.
With less food and the national debt, we can barely sustain ourselves."
The intensive war last year has finally passed, and now that we have entered the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty, it has become peaceful.
There was nothing to say all the way, and it was already the second day of September when we arrived in Wuchang.
Weng Wanda began to worry again: "President Liu, there are only ten days left, we can't rush to the capital on September 15th, right?"
Liu Yu smiled slightly: "How long does it take to travel from Guangdong to Beijing, except for express delivery? I know best how long it takes to travel from Guangdong to Beijing. Don't worry, Mr. Weng."
So to Weng Wanda's surprise, he did not continue south along the Yangtze River according to the old route, and then went to Beijing through the canal.
After landing in Hankou, it’s time to travel overland.
This time, what was lined up outside the inn was a larger carriage, which looked like a small house. It was pulled by four horses in front and the body also had four wheels.
Weng Wanda was dumbfounded: "Are we just going to rush to the capital like this? If we want to rush there, don't we have to work day and night, or run wildly during the day?"
A small number of people alone, with orders not to be delayed at all, can do this. But they must either ride their own horses and change along the way, or endure the constant bumps in the carriage.
But now that all the envoys from various countries are put together, the team is not small.
With so many people eating, drinking and having diarrhea, it is inevitable that time will be wasted.
Although they are both small countries, they are still guests on an envoy to the Ming Dynasty, and they are broken into pieces along the way?
"The road is much easier to walk, Commander-in-Chief Weng, don't worry about it."
"The straight road has been built to Wuchang?"
"We only reached Weihui, Henan." Liu Yu said bluntly, "However, the roadbed from Wuchang to Weihui has been rebuilt, and the road will be faster and faster. Don't worry, the bureau has already calculated it. It will take ten days.
, we will definitely arrive in Beijing. Although we are a little tired, we will not be extremely tired. Didn’t Chief Weng see that these are some new carriages?"
"...A carriage is still a carriage." Weng Wanda had no choice but to follow his arrangements.
After he got on a carriage, he realized that there was actually a three-sided couch inside, with a small square table nailed to the floor in the middle.
Looking at the soft mat and quilt on top, Weng Wanda was speechless for a long time: "Are you planning to let the envoys sleep in the car?"
"There's no need for that. It's just a matter of traveling more during the day."
The straight road with new specifications has not been built here yet, and the more comfortable horse-drawn carriage team only took the newly compacted dirt road.
After walking for a while, Weng Wanda realized that this carriage was not as bumpy as he thought.
He didn't understand why, so he asked Liu Yu when he was staying at the inn at night.
"Using four horses to pull it is not only because it is larger, but also because it is heavier."
Weng Wanda was puzzled. Wouldn't it be heavier if it was so big?
"General Secretary Weng doesn't know. The wheels of this new carriage are made of some new and good steel plates. Some are straight and some are curved. Several pieces are stacked to support the carriage." Liu Yu laughed, "Isn't that right?
Is it not as bumpy as before? I heard that it was created for buses and carriages. You can see it after you get to Baoding Prefecture. Didn’t I tell you that the closer you are to the capital, the faster you go."
So it took six days to arrive at Weihui. Weng Wanda and the envoys from various countries saw that they had washed the wheels and then lavishly nailed leather to the wheels.
The straight road in front of me was wide and there was no dirt anymore.
It only took three days to get from Weihui to Baoding.
After arriving in Baoding, they finally saw that the road had changed again. There were four more railway tracks in the middle of the road, and other cars, horses, and people could still pass on both sides.
And on the railroad tracks, new carriages are now parked.
This new carriage is slimmer and longer, and can seat more than ten people in one carriage.
Weng Wanda has never seen this, let alone the envoys from the Southeast Asian countries who have traveled such a long way and the capital of the Ming Dynasty is still unknown.
After changing trains again, Liu Yu said with certainty: "We will definitely be able to enter the city before dark today."
Sitting on this "bus and carriage", Weng Wanda was shocked.
When the speed became faster and more stable, he couldn't help but hold the window string tightly and asked Liu Yu in a trembling voice: "How can I stop after running so fast? Is it going to hit the front?"
Liu Yu nodded: "I bumped into it twice during the trial before."
Weng Wanda's face naturally turned pale.
"I naturally became proficient in it later on." Liu Yu laughed, "General Manager Weng, look, isn't there one person driving the horse in front, and the other person is always holding the iron rod? There is a brake."
"Kill... Che?"
"Do not worry."
Weng Wanda was not reassured.
But fortunately, Tongyi Bureau is already very proficient in this section.
The man holding the iron rod in his hand would shout "slow down" every time he saw that the car in front of him was not just a small dot but a little bigger, and then he would count and follow the horse rider to lift the reins and pull the horse.
At the same time, gently pull the rod down a little.
Then the car will be a little slower.
With such fear all the way, the foreign envoys saw the capital of the Ming Dynasty in a novel and exciting way.
The first thing that shocked them was the chimneys standing like giant trees in the direction of the Heavy Industry Park.
And then, the crowds became increasingly dense in the suburbs of Beijing.
The one-month journey to the Ming Dynasty has come to an end. Although the time is not long, they already know how vast the Ming Dynasty is from the speed along the way.
Now, the capital of the empire appeared in front of them.
The great emperor who controls the destiny of this vast land is in this huge city in front of him.
And the entire city, the entire Ming Dynasty, including them, the vassal states and clans outside the territory, were preparing to celebrate his birthday.