Chapter 378: Journey to Tie Mu Er

The nineteenth year of Hongwu, May 28.

Yingtian Prefecture, Imperial City.

Zhu Biao stood on the steps before Fengtian Hall, a urgent dispatch freshly transferred from the Western Regions clenched in his hand, and he read it for the third time.

The letter was written by Zhu Yong; the handwriting was sloppy, yet every stroke exuded vigor.

The letter said Constantinople had been taken, the Ottomans scattered, the Balkan Peninsula pacified.

At the end of the letter were a few lines: "Brother, from Yingtian to here, tens of thousands of miles, fought battle by battle, when the railway is completed, you'll take a train, and I'll take you to see the Adriatic Sea. The sea there is different from ours, its blue shines."

Zhu Biao folded the letter neatly and slipped it into his bosom.

Footsteps sounded behind him. He turned and saw Chang Wan walking up, a bowl of soup in her hand.

"Prince, you've been looking at it for a long time, have a sip of soup to warm yourself." Chang Wan handed the bowl over.

Zhu Biao took it, drank a mouthful—it was chicken soup, very fresh.

He glanced at his wife, a woman in her thirties, yet his eyebrows and eyes still reflected the shadows of his younger days.

All these years she had labored alongside him, never enjoying many days of happiness.

A few years ago several younger brothers were enfeoffed elsewhere; she helped pack their gear, staying busy for days on end.

Later the second brother went to Tie Mu Er's residence; she kept thinking of the climate and food there, and had people send several carts of supplies.

Later, when the railway construction began, she had a shed erected beside the site, specifically for workers to brew mung bean soup for cooling.

"Wanmei, the second brother's campaign is finished." Zhu Biao passed the bowl back.

Chang Wan was startled for a moment, then smiled, "Finished is good; once finished he can return."

"If he doesn't return, that newly taken land needs someone to watch over it." Zhu Biao turned, gazing at the western sky.

The setting sun dyed the entire Imperial City golden, and the distant Fengtian Hall's roof glimmered in the afterglow.

Chang Wan was silent for a moment, then softly said, "Then you should go see him."

Zhu Biao turned his head back.

"All these years you've kept saying you want to visit Tie Mu Er's residence; now the road is built, won't you go take a look?" Chang Wan looked at her husband, her gaze calm.

Zhu Biao said nothing.

He knew which road she meant—the railway from Yingtian to Lanzhou, which was fully linked at the end of last year.

By train from Yingtian to Lanzhou takes only twelve days.

From Lanzhou to the Western Regions, from the Western Regions to Samarkhan, then from Samarkhan to Constantinople, that is a dirt road, requiring more than two months of travel.

But a dirt road is still a road.

"Prince, if you want to go, then go!"

Chang Wan handed the bowl to the palace maid behind her and said again, "The court's affairs are overseen by the Cabinet; I'll speak to Imperial Father for you, and those brothers can also lend a hand. Moreover…"

She paused, then added, "Xiong Ying also wants to see Uncle Two; the kid talks about it every day, saying his second uncle captured Constantinople, yet he's never even been to Samarkhan."

Zhu Biao's mouth twitched slightly upward.

That boy is fifteen this year, already taller than him, but his temperament is still that of a child.

Every time he receives a letter from his second uncle, he flips it over and over, reading it many times.

The letter described how high Constantinople's walls were, how blue the Adriatic Sea was; he would lie on the table and draw, then show it to him and ask, "Father, is the sea Uncle Two described like this?"

"Alright, go see." Zhu Biao turned, striding quickly toward Qianqing Palace.

Inside Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang sat behind the imperial desk, reviewing documents.

Empress Ma sat beside him, needlework in her hand, occasionally looking up at her husband.

"Father, Mother." Zhu Biao entered, bowing properly.

Zhu Yuanzhang set down his brush, glanced at him and asked, "What is it?"

"A letter arrived from the second brother; Constantinople has been taken, the Balkans also pacified." Zhu Biao handed the letter over.

Zhu Yuanzhang took it, read it, and said nothing.

He placed the letter on the table, his fingers lightly tapping the surface for a while before speaking, "Biao, do you want to go see?"

Zhu Biao was startled, then laughed, "Father saw it?"

"You've been like this since childhood; when you face us, whatever's in your heart shows on your face."

Zhu Yuanzhang rose, walked to the window and said, "Go! Go see the lands your second brother captured, see how the common folk there live, see how the officials govern."

Empress Ma set down her needlework, speaking softly, "Zhong Ba, the journey will take more than two months."

"More than two months is more than two months; back then we marched from Fengyang to Yingtian Prefecture, it took three years."

Zhu Yuanzhang turned his head, looked at his wife and said, "Girl, let the children travel, see the world their second uncle has taken."

Empress Ma was silent for a moment, then nodded, "Go! Be careful on the road."

Zhu Biao answered, turned to leave, but Zhu Yuanzhang called him back.

"Biao, take Xiong Ying with you, let him also see how his second uncle built a kingdom for him."

"Yes…"

Leaving Qianqing Palace, Zhu Biao let out a long sigh.

He stood on the palace corridor, looking at the western sky.

The sunset was about to set, leaving only a final streak of dark red on the horizon.

In the distance a faint whistle of a steam freight train could be heard, a cargo train coming from the direction of Lanzhou, unloading at the freight station outside Yingtian Prefecture.

Early the next morning, Zhu Biao summoned several younger brothers to Wenhua Hall.

Zhu Gang had just returned from the Eastern Seas to report his duties; not yet departed, he wore a half-worn common robe and sat casually in his chair.

Zhu Zhen and Zhu Fu also arrived, one from Goryeo, the other from the South Sea; both were sun‑tanned, yet in high spirits.

"Brother, what summons us here?" Zhu Gang crossed his legs, a handful of melon seeds crackling rapidly in his hand.

Zhu Biao handed Zhu Yong's letter over and said, "Your Second Prince has written."

Zhu Gang took the letter, read it, and his eyes brightened: "Second Prince has reached Constantinople, the Balkans have also been taken! Goodness, Second Prince is going to plant Great Ming's flag up to the heavens!"

Zhu Zhen and Zhu Fu came over to see the letter, and after reading it they both became excited.

"Elder brother, when will Second Prince return?" Zhu Zhen asked.

Zhu Biao shook his head and said, "He won't come back; that place was just captured, someone has to keep an eye on it, but…"

He paused, then continued, "I want to go see him."

A moment of silence fell in Wenhua Hall.

Zhu Gang was the first to react, hurriedly saying, "Elder brother is going to Tie Mu Er's residence, I'm going too!"

Zhu Zhen and Zhu Fu also quickly stood up and said, "I'll go too!"

Zhu Biao waved his hand and said, "All of you may go, all of you may go, but not now; the court's matters cannot be left unattended. Those of you who should return to your fiefs, return to your fiefs; those who have duties, handle your duties."

"Wait until I have arranged things here, then we'll set out."

Zhu Gang pursed his lips, but said nothing more.

He knew elder brother was speaking correctly.

On the third day of the sixth month, Zhu Biao arranged the matters properly.

The inner cabinet was left to a few senior ministers to watch, and Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, saying, "Go, the family has us."

Chang Wan packed three large carts of luggage: clothes and tea leaves for Zhu Yong, a Western Regions map for Zhu Di, and books, brushes and ink for Zhu Qiong Jiong and Zhu Gao Chi.

Zhu Xiongying had long been impatient, running to the city gate every day, watching for the train's arrival.

On the fifth day of the sixth month, before dawn, Yingtian Prefecture train station was already brightly lit.

The station was built last year, with blue bricks and gray tiles, similar in style to the Imperial City, but much larger.

On the platform, crowds swarmed—those seeing off, those greeting, and the loaders—making a clamor.

A steam locomotive sat on the rails, white smoke billowing from its chimney, and a copper plaque hung at the front, engraved with "Yingtian–Lanzhou".

Zhu Biao, dressed in plain clothes, stood on the platform.

Chang Wan stood beside him, adjusting his collar, and said, "Be careful on the road, and write a letter when you arrive."

"Mm." Zhu Biao nodded.

Zhu Xiongying stuck his head out from behind, "Mother, I'm going too!"

Chang Wan looked at him and smiled, "Go, listen to your father's words."

Zhu Xiongying nodded vigorously.

Zhu Gang, Zhu Zhen, and Zhu Fu also came to see him off.

The three stood on the platform, watching the long train, envy on their faces.

"Elder brother, you'll take the train to Lanzhou, then change to a carriage, travel through the Western Regions, cross Samarkhan, to Constantinople… how long will that take?" Zhu Gang asked.

"More than two months," Zhu Biao said.

Zhu Gang smacked his lips, "More than two months, enough for me to run two round trips from Yingtian to Japan."

Zhu Biao gave no reply.

He turned around, looking at the train on the platform.

The locomotive was still smoking, car after car stretched on, with no end in sight.

This was what his second brother had brought, starting from a blueprint, over a decade, becoming a rail line leading west.