Chapter 717: Matrimony

"Woo-woo..."

The steam locomotive ran another thirteen laps on the circular railway before finally slowing to a stop.

Wang Chong and Zhao Xu jumped down from the front of the locomotive and smiled at each other.

The success of the steam locomotive represented an overall improvement in Yanzhou's industrial level.

This was because assembling this steam locomotive required various types of parts and components.

The core components among them were manufactured in the Steam Engine Workshop.

Many other parts and components were manufactured by supporting workshops established during this period.

For example, screws had a specialized screw workshop.

Gears had a specialized gear workshop.

Connecting rods and crankshafts also had their corresponding workshops.

Professional workshops were only responsible for manufacturing the most core parts.

For instance, the Steam Engine Workshop focused more energy on the cutting of cylinders and the manufacturing of pistons.

After all, the most important thing for a steam engine was airtightness.

The reason he did this was also to establish a standardized production system.

If a workshop did everything, it meant it was not proficient in anything.

Since the Clock Workshop needed gears, weaving machines and spinning machines also needed gears.

Rather than building a separate gear production line when manufacturing pocket watches, pendulum clocks, weaving machines, and spinning machines,

it was better to concentrate them together and make it more professional.

The craftsmen at the Clock Workshop would research and build clocks and watches, but they would not devote energy to specifically researching gears.

But in order to make money, the gear workshop had to improve the quality of its gears.

In this way, various types of workshops could develop healthily.

At the same time, this was also to perfect Yanzhou's industrial system.

When he needed a certain machine, he could find the corresponding supporting workshop and give them the dimensions.

He would then be able to obtain qualified parts and assemble a machine.

"Your Highness, where do you intend to lay the first railway?" Wang Chong asked at this moment.

A smile played on the corners of Zhao Xu's mouth.

Currently, he was looking forward to two things: the steam locomotive and the steamship.

These two belonged to a revolution in transportation.

Regardless of whether it was for industry, commerce, or the military, they were of great significance.

At present, he had achieved the first, and it would not be long before he achieved the second.

As for the laying of the railway, he had long had a plan in his heart.

The first line would naturally extend eastward, passing through Ping County and arriving at Jinghai.

Ping County currently held Yanzhou's largest iron mine and was also the terminus of the Canal, while Jinghai was vital for maritime trade.

Once this railway was built, it would not only be able to transport goods to the pier and port as quickly as possible, but it could also continuously transport Iron Ore to Yanzhou.

The second railway would naturally pass through Shanggu Commandery and arrive at Jinzhou.

He needed the coal from Jinzhou.

The third line would go west from Ping County,

and extend in two directions to the north.

Going west, it would reach Liaojun, and going north, it would reach Ningjin Dusi.

The fourth line would go west from Yanzhou, reaching Yuzhou, Sizhou, then heading toward Qinzhou and Yongzhou, arriving at Xiao Pass.

The fifth line would go south from Yanzhou, pass through Qizhou, and then split; one branch would pass through Bozhou, and the other through Ningzhou.

Of course, these were all his plans.

Building all these railways was a massive project that required a vast amount of money and labor.

At present, the ones that needed to be built immediately were still the first and second lines.

Thinking of this, he shared his vision with Wang Chong while returning to Wang Chong's office in the Steam Engine Workshop.

The two chatted for a while over tea, when Wang Chong suddenly thought of something and said, "Your Highness, the steam locomotive test run was a success. Next, we only need to establish a steam locomotive workshop to specialize in manufacturing and improvements. I believe we should proceed with the research and development of generators next."

He did not want to be idle at all right now.

Yan Wang had taught them so many things; he only feared that a lifetime would be too short to realize them all.

Therefore, he only wanted to turn the things in the books into reality as quickly as possible.

This was his only joy at the moment.

Zhao Xu nodded; the steam engine only represented the First Industrial Revolution.

Currently, the Western Lands were basically at the end of the First Industrial Revolution.

In another twenty or thirty years, they would be able to naturally break through into the Second Industrial Revolution.

In the contemporary era, it was precisely the Second Industrial Revolution that allowed the Western powers to reach their peak.

According to his memory, in the contemporary year of 1820, the Frenchman Ampère discovered Ampère's Law.

In 1832, another Frenchman invented the hand-cranked generator.

But electricity was only put into large-scale use after the appearance of the DC generator in the 1860s.

At present, Yanzhou had caught the tail end of the First Industrial Revolution.

To surpass them, he could only enter the Second Industrial Revolution in advance and popularize Electricity.

Therefore, the Yanzhou industry he was currently building was not the ultimate goal; it was only to serve the Second Industrial Revolution.

Let the industry of Yanzhou be able to manufacture things that break through to the Second Industrial Revolution.

"Just follow the path I have given you and experiment boldly." Zhao Xu gave Wang Chong an encouraging look.

From the very beginning, he had followed him step by step.

Now, Wang Chong gradually had his own independent thoughts and actions.

He was able to research and build step by step according to the technology he had mastered.

Qu Sheng was the same.

During this period, although he had been quiet, he was researching a revolutionary chemical substance.

After chatting with Wang Chong for a while longer, Zhao Xu headed toward the Prince's Mansion.

Halfway there, he thought of Yang Zhen and suddenly turned his horse's head, heading toward the Yi Guogong Fu.

This Yang Feng had a very fiery temper; if he saw Yang Zhen and learned he hadn't died but had been hiding on a desolate island for over ten years, who knew what he would do.

Thinking along the way, he arrived at Cuiyu Ward.

Most of the Imperial Merchants and officials who had fled from Jinling had bought residences in this place.

This resulted in Cuiyu Ward now becoming a place where every inch of land was worth an inch of gold.

Arriving at the Yi Guogong Fu, Zhao Xu prepared to watch a joke.

At this moment, however, he was dumbfounded, seeing the father and son, Yang Feng and Yang Zhen, both wearing sly grins.

They were in the middle of seeing Imperial Concubine Mi out.

"Mother." Zhao Xu was stunned for a moment and immediately dismounted, "Why are you at the Yi Guogong Fu?"

Yang Feng and Yang Zhen did not speak, both grinning from ear to ear.

Seeing Zhao Xu, Imperial Concubine Mi grabbed his hand and said, "Mother happened to run into General Yang Zhen on the road, and thinking of a good thing, I came over."

As she spoke, Imperial Concubine Mi looked at Zhao Xu with a smile, her eyes filled with ambiguity.

Meanwhile, Yang Susu, who was behind Yang Zhen and Yang Feng, turned her face to the side, her entire face flushed with a rosy glow.

Zhao Xu instantly understood Imperial Concubine Mi's meaning and could not help but feel a wave of awkwardness.

"You were sixteen when you first came to Yan Commandery, and now you are twenty; if you don't marry soon, people will be poking at your mother's spine," Imperial Concubine Mi coaxed patiently, "Your Imperial Father also said that looking across Yancheng, only the granddaughter of the Duke of Yi is a match for you in both status and appearance."

Pausing for a moment, she continued, "Furthermore, you have built such a vast foundation, and there must be someone to inherit it; your Imperial Father and the ministers have mentioned this more than once."

Zhao Xu glanced at Yang Susu and saw that her appearance was beautiful; in her shyness, she was even more stunningly beautiful.

Moreover, during the time Yang Feng was suffering, Yang Susu had been able to humble herself to make tofu for a living, which showed that she was also a virtuous person capable of managing a household.

So he said, "I leave it entirely to Mother to decide."

Yang Feng and Yang Zhen had originally been a bit nervous, but upon hearing this, their faces were nothing but mouths.