[Volume 2 New World] Chapter 243 Small Shopkeeper and Artist
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Chapter 243 Small Shopkeepers and Artists
According to Shan Daoqian's standards, Lingao's trains can only be regarded as urban rail transit systems. It was expanded on the factory railcar lines originally used to transport goods. Used to transport products, raw materials and workers. This line network has developed to the present, from a gas locomotive to a meteor-type steam locomotive, and the route has expanded from the small railway running in the factory area to the entire county: the operating line extends from Wenlanqiao Station outside the county seat along the Wenlan River Go to Bopu, and then extend from Bopu to Ma Niao. It connects the entire main industrial area and port area of Lingao.
Fan? Delantron and Trini sat in the first-class car - because of the soot and water vapor, the first-class car was at the end. The first-class car is a bit more advanced than the car in front, which is a flat-top convertible that can be used for both passengers and cargo. When used for passenger cars, a fence will be installed on all sides. Passengers sat on the floor, and when they couldn't sit down, they simply stood in the crowd. Because it is completely open-air, there is no ventilation problem.
Only in occasional circumstances, such as when some major ceremony or ceremony is held, a few rows of wooden benches will be temporarily installed on the flatbed truck.
Of course, there is no shed on the flatbed car. When it rains or the temperature is too high, a temporary canvas shed will be installed. When the train is running, soot and water vapor fill the air, enough to suffocate the passengers on the first two carriages. The rails are of standard rail dimensions, but are made of lightweight wrought iron forged rails, and the sleepers are also made simple. The equipment of the entire rail transit system is simply outrageous.
But such crude motor transportation is also a revolution for Lingao's industry: small trains allow a large number of laborers to move quickly from one place to another, and workers can commute to get off work in the least amount of time - the scale of Lingao's factory area is getting bigger and bigger. As a result, residential areas for workers had to be built further away from the factories.
The first-class car the two Europeans were in was reserved for senators and indigenous and naturalized people who were willing to pay high prices. Although the chassis of the car was the same as that of a flat car, it had a body added, and not only had glass-inlaid windows, but also There are blinds, which provide ventilation and avoid the suffering of the sun in the hot sun. There are also seats in the carriage.
Fan? Delantron looked around the empty carriage with interest - there were only two of them in the first-class carriage this time.
"This is the so-called first class?" Fan? Delantron saw that the furnishings and decorations in the carriage were very simple, although they were very practical. Even in his view, as a Dutchman, the Australian's "first class" is too unworthy of its name.
Trini said: "Yes, Australians are simple in nature. Secondly, their so-called first class is compared with the carriage in front."
"Oh?" Fan? Delantron stuck his head out of the car window with interest and took a look. Each carriage in front was packed with passengers and cargo. Some of the passengers who couldn't squeeze in were hung on the fence, and some climbed onto the pile of cargo on the flatbed truck and stood high on it.
"It's a rare and spectacular scene." Fan? Delantron smiled, "But I'm very doubtful - with so many people and goods loaded, what do you think the train can rely on to pull it? Can it also run as fast as a horse? You said in the report that it is A machine with fire and water power. Can it really be so wonderful?"
"That's right." Trini said, "In my humble opinion, the Australians have mastered many secrets of God that we still don't know..."
Fan? Delantron was a Protestant who scorned the Catholic faith. He snorted: "I think it is the devil's secret - just like your learned compatriot Leonardo da Vinci."
Trini said nothing. He felt that there was nothing to discuss on this issue with the small shopkeepers in the Netherlands. Protestants do not believe in science any more than Catholics do, and sometimes the opposite is true. It was in Switzerland that the "Father of Blood Circulation" was burned to death by the Calvinists. Trini knew that it was best for him to speak less on scientific matters - although the Netherlands was one of the most tolerant places in Europe on religious issues, the East India Company in Batavia was anything but intolerant.
Originally he wanted to ask Fan about his observations? Delantron talked about his views on the "train", but seeing that this person was obviously uneducated, he gave up the idea. At this time, the carriage shook violently, the steel creaked, and the carriage slowly rolled on the track.
Twenty minutes later, the Dutch and Italians got off the bus at the "Business Hall" stop. A two-wheeled Dongfeng carriage was waiting in front of the station - this was a bus sent by the Ministry of Colonization and Trade.
The "Commercial Hall" is a project jointly declared by the Ministry of Colonial Trade and the General Office. During this year's typhoon, Lingaojing was also hit. Although no one was displaced, a lot of land was flooded. Many of them belong to the fields that the Agricultural Committee plans to use for reclamation: "Business Hall" is one of the flooded fields, but it has not been cultivated at all.
The reason why it is flooded is because this area is a depression behind the sand embankment of the beach. The land on the edge of the land will slide towards the sea year after year. The tide will bring the sand back and accumulate into the beach. The wind will blow the sand to the land, forming a There is a natural sand bank several meters high and dozens of meters wide, and behind the sand bank is sunken land. After the Agricultural Committee did some leveling work in vain, they found that the salinity and alkali treatment here far exceeded the current productivity. Then it was soaked by heavy rain again, and the investment in this land was considered to be the tuition fee. In the end, the Agricultural Committee decided to abandon farmland development work on this site. The forestry department will be responsible for the transformation.
The Forestry Department decided to transform the entire coastal depression into a mangrove area to stabilize sand and resist wind, reduce the erosion of the coastline by waves, and plant coconut tree plantations slightly further inland.
To the east of this depression is a low hill, and beyond that is Ma Xiao. With the opening of the railway from Bopu to Ma Xiao, the General Office of the Executive Committee and the Colonial Department decided to convert this land into a future state guesthouse and embassy area. The first step is to invite the East India Company to settle in, and use the money paid by the East India Company to block a nearby mountain stream into a small reservoir to provide water for the area. If generators can be mass-produced in the future, some small hydropower can also be built.
The carriage carried them along the road and soon arrived at the business district. The place is still deserted, with only a few isolated wooden houses besides the flat land, some of which are still under construction.
The Dutch East India Company's trading house was being built, or rather the foundations were being dug. Trini designed a two-story masonry hall of considerable strength and beauty. However, Lingao Construction Company stated that the construction period will take two years. So the current business building is two simple and beautiful wooden houses, which are prefabricated houses designed by Zhang Xingpei. It took a week to assemble and decorate everything, leaving Trini stunned.
There are two wooden houses, one for office and one for living. The princely and company flags flew from the roof. Trini welcomed him into the living room. The living room has been decorated with furniture and handicrafts purchased from Batavia and Canton. Oil portraits of the Prince of Orange and the company's directors hang on the walls, which look quite grand.
Even though there was an Italian living in the house, the house still maintained the Dutch penchant for cleanliness: clean and tidy. A Dutch servant from Trini washed the whole house every day. Trini guessed that this servant was most likely sent by the company to spy on him.
The two parties sat down, the servant brought a local refreshing drink, and the two sat down on the Lingaoyi's rattan sofa. Fan? Delantron held back his questions, and when he arrived on his own territory, he immediately started asking questions. Trini was obviously prepared for this.
"Mr. Trini, please tell me clearly, what is the military strength of the Australians?"
"It's huge," Trini said clearly. "The potential is immeasurable - terrifying."
"Oh? What gives you such a feeling?"
"You've just been on their train."
"Yes, Australian trains are very special."
"You can certainly see the military use of trains."
"The train is very powerful, but it is just a means of transportation. No matter how good a carriage is, it cannot fight a war."
"You seem to have forgotten what our master relies on to dominate the sea - the ship."
"This is different. The train cannot enter the sea. Besides, this kind of train must run on the track. I don't see how much military value it has."
"The train you just took can now run 5 miles an hour. I have also seen it run 10 miles. Now the Australians have used tracks to cover their core area of control, Lingao-Bairen. -Bopu-Ma Xiao are connected into one..."
"It's just used to transport goods and artisan farmers."
"They had trains that could transport troops from one place to another in a matter of hours. And they had trains that were specially used for fighting, equipped with artillery and this evil weapon they called typewriters, which were a thousand soldiers It is impossible for Swedish infantry to stand in front of an armored train for a quarter of an hour. In fact, a hundred Australian soldiers plus a few cannons can tear a thousand of Europe's best infantry into pieces."
"You are exaggerating."
"I swear to God, my words are true."
"Okay." Fan? Delantron nodded, "I will write your original words into the report." He did not want to continue to dwell on this issue now, "Now, the company wants to know, are the Australians preparing for any activity against the company? "
"As far as I know: no." Trini hesitated, and this expression made Fan? Delantron quickly caught it.
"Tell the truth, Mr. Trini," Van? Delantron lowered his voice and said, "You know, a few months ago, an Australian ship arrived in Formosa..."
"Have you been to Taiyuan Port?"
"No, they did not enter the port, but continued south along the coast to a wild coast. They landed there. According to various information we got from the natives, they must be Australians."
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