"You may not believe it. Yesterday I was cutting firewood on the mountain outside the city. I saw a monster that ran faster than a horse. Its cry was deafening and terrifying!"
The next day, at a tea stall in Xianyang City, young people wrapped in thick clothes spoke mysteriously to the two people at the same table.
"What? Monster? Why didn't we hear about it?"
The two looked at each other in confusion.
If there really was such a monster, it would definitely spread throughout Xianyang City today, but they had already come out early in the morning and didn't get any news!
"If this kind of thing is said out, it will definitely cause panic among the people, so the court did not release the news!"
What that man said was reasonable and well-founded, and seemed to be true.
"Oh? What happened next? Didn't the monster attack you?"
The two of them blinked and listened carefully.
"No! I was on the mountain, and the monster was at the bottom of the mountain. It didn't notice me at all! And when I found it, it was being chased by people from the court. After catching it, it was tied up with a rope and led away by horses!"
The man spoke vividly, and at the same time he did not forget to thank the court.
"Being tied up with a rope by someone from the imperial court and taken away?"
The two frowned slightly, why did they feel that this scene seemed familiar?
"Yes, I saw it really. That big guy was covered in darkness and was pulled away by hundreds of horses!"
"Pfft...hahaha..."
"Huh? Everything I said is true. Why are you laughing?"
The man scratched his head in confusion and had no idea why the two of them were laughing.
"The monster you are talking about is probably a train, right?"
"Train? What train?"
"Don't you even read newspapers?"
"Newspaper? My child has been away for the past two days, and no one has read it to me!"
"Okay, then let me read it for you...!"
After speaking, one of them went to the shopkeeper and asked for a copy of today's newspaper.
The newspaper recorded the entire process of yesterday's train test run, which also included the fact that the train was not in reverse gear and was pulled back by horses.
"What? The big guy I saw yesterday is actually a train? Can it travel thousands of miles in a day?"
The woodcutter, who had just vowed that he had seen the monster, scratched his head in embarrassment.
"Yes, a relative of mine is a craftsman who was involved in making the train. He also told us what happened yesterday. It was consistent with what the newspaper said. What you saw on the mountain yesterday was not a monster, but a train! "
"Ouch! Look at the look in my eyes. I was so scared yesterday that I didn't dare to go down the mountain until I made sure the monster left. And in order to prevent the monster from running back again, I even walked around several hills to get home. This one I’m so tired!”
After understanding everything, the woodcutter regretted to death that he had gone through so many wrongful journeys in vain.
If he had known it was a train, he would have run down and watched it together!
"Tell me quickly, what major events have been mentioned in the newspapers these past two days?"
"Do you know about the establishment of the navy?"
"I don't know!"
"Then you know that we will be distributing cotton seeds to our people tomorrow, right?"
"Well, I heard this from my neighbor!"
"Okay, then let me tell you about the navy that is about to be established...!"
At the tea stall, the common people who had just vividly recounted their sightings of monsters now seemed to have become an audience. They held their chins in their hands and listened carefully to the two men talking about several major events reported in the newspapers.
Apart from here, other restaurants, teahouses and even brothels are all talking about the train and the upcoming navy!
When it comes to these, Ying Feiyu must be indispensable.
"In my opinion, our young master has a bright future!"
"Yes, the young master has courage, ideas, and loves the people like a son. As the people of Great Qin, we will have a good life in the future!"
"No, it's the young master who gave us poor people a chance to become officials! It will be spring in a few days. As long as you stand out among them, you can become an official immediately! This is something we never dared to think about before!"
"It is said that Chunwei is very strict and adopts the sealing system. Even the examiners cannot see the names. They all rely on the scholars' articles!"
"Yes, this is only fair to our people!"
…
After the newspaper was published, the people discussed it heatedly for a long time.
Especially those students from poor families are all looking forward to the arrival of spring.
Time slips away little by little under this expectation.
As winter turned to spring, Ying Feiyu took out the cotton seeds harvested last year and distributed some to every household for free.
The strengthened seeds provided by the system can mature for two seasons every year. When winter comes, it is guaranteed that people all over the world will have warm cotton clothes to wear and thick quilts to cover themselves with!
Before this, Ying Zheng had also worried about whether the popularity of cotton would affect the sales of sweaters!
The answer is definitely no!
What to wear in any season!
Sweaters are only worn in spring and autumn. Last winter, there were just not enough cotton-padded jackets, so people had to make do!
The navy's recruitment is definitely not open to the outside world, but selects some who are familiar with water skills from among the current soldiers. It is useless even if the people are anxious.
With the experience of the last train, this time before the steamer was built, Ying Feiyu began to train the navy, and compiled the training materials into a volume, and asked the printing house to print a thousand copies, and each of the recruited navy personnel One serving!
Since the steamship had not yet been successfully built, he only selected these one thousand people, and then gradually expanded!
The weather is getting warmer, and the water in the Weishui River has melted. The navy, who are familiar with the theory, have begun to practice it!
If you don’t have a large warship, you can practice with the renovated building ship first.
Check the wind, hoist the sail and some emergency procedures!
We even simulated sailing and lived on the boat for more than a month!
The imperial court was also very busy, especially the Ministry of Rites!
Spring is about to begin, and a large number of students are pouring into Xianyang, filling all the inns in Xianyang.
This will make all the inn and restaurant owners extremely happy!
Just in this Spring Festival alone, they can make a lot of money!
"Your Majesty, the test questions for the exam have been prepared and sealed in Anshou Pavilion. The door has been locked and guarded every day!"
Above the main hall, Chun Yuyue, the Minister of Rites, stared at the two big panda eyes and reported to Ying Zheng.
"Haha, Chun Shangshu's look is very unique today!"
Before Ying Zheng could speak, Ying Feiyu suddenly laughed, took out a small mirror from his arms, and placed it in front of Chun Yuyue.
Only then did Chunyu Yue realize that his face was haggard, his eyes were black and blue, and there were seven or eight brushes stuck in his bun, some of which were stained with ink that hadn't dried yet!
Recently, the Ministry of Rites has been busy with Chunwei affairs, and Yingzheng has granted permission for him not to attend the morning court for the time being.
Today, he finally finished all the work. He locked the Anshou Pavilion himself and hurried over without paying attention to his own image!
No wonder the little eunuchs and maids along the way looked sideways.
Thinking about it now, they should be looking at me like a fool, right?
