In the fourth year of Jianwu in the Song Dynasty, in March 1233 AD, Jiangnan West Road, Xingguo Army, Daye Iron Works.
Since the Daye Iron Works was built in the second year of Xingqing, after eight years of continuous construction, it has become the largest iron work and machine production and manufacturing center in the Song Dynasty.
There are six iron smelting furnaces, more than 3,000 craftsmen, and nearly 10,000 workers, with an annual output of more than 30,000 tons of steel. The output is not the same as that of later generations, but the iron smelting and steelmaking technology has long been far ahead of the entire world. Including steam engines and various artillery, most of them are produced here.
In the early morning, the area south of Daye Iron Works and Fotu Town was crowded with people. The platforms on both sides of the railway were crowded with ordinary people, officials and craftsmen from Daye Iron Works. They pointed at the red and colorful trains on the railway, all excited.
In front of them, on both sides of the railway, a large number of officers and soldiers were on guard with guns and knives, one sentry every three steps, and one post every five steps, watching eagerly as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
"Your Majesty is here!"
As the officials' shouts rang out, a crowd of officials and envoys from various countries gathered around. Under the canopy, Emperor Zhao Hong of the Song Dynasty walked over with a smile on his face, waving frequently.
"Long live Long live Long live!"
The officials, citizens and craftsmen on the platform cheered one after another, and some knelt on the ground and kowtowed to pay homage to the holy king in their hearts.
"Everyone, get up!"
Zhao Hong shouted loudly and boarded the train under the escort of the Forbidden Army.
"Is this a train?"
Looking at the black iron bumps in front of them, several carriages with glass windows hanging behind them, and looking at the thick black smoke, the Jade Dragon Chi Ana'er brother and sister looked in shock, shook their heads repeatedly, and followed the others, boarding the Got on the train.
The whistle blew, earth-shattering, and the "knocking" sound continued, and the train started slowly and headed south.
There is a carriage in the middle with carpets and spacious seats. There are forbidden troops guarding both ends of the carriage to prevent outsiders from entering.
Wang Sui, the newly appointed envoy of Jiangnan West Road, is introducing to Zhao Hong.
"Your Majesty, from surveying, land acquisition, construction, to trial operation, it took two years to build this 200-mile railway. A round trip by train takes 5 hours, which is 10 hours."
Jiangnan West Road has developed mining, shipbuilding, and textile industries, especially Daye Iron and Steel and Pingxiang Coal Mine, as well as the shipbuilding industry and other industries it brought, which are the foundation of Jiangxi's industry.
"Daye has iron but no coal. The coal in Ma'anshan is of poor quality. There is coal in Pingxiang. It is 700 miles away from Daye. It can only be transported out from the Neijiang River and upstream through the Yangtze River eastward. If the railway is built, the 700-mile journey will only take less than It can be reached in one day, which means it’s a thousand miles in one day, convenient and fast.”
Wei Liaoweng, Minister of the Ministry of War, looked at the scenery passing by outside the window and was filled with emotion.
The speed of the train is more than 40 miles an hour, and 960 miles 24 hours a day, truly a thousand miles a day.
"Your Majesty, this is our first railway in the Song Dynasty. By the beginning of next year, the Pingxiang Coal Mine and Daye Iron Works will be connected. This road can not only transport materials, but also people! When railways spread throughout the Song Dynasty in the future, from From south to north, from east to west, thousands of miles away, you can reach it in one day, saving you the trouble of traveling and traveling. It will really benefit the country and the people!"
Prime Minister Zhen Dexiu's face was full of excitement and excitement.
railway! It will surely shock the world and benefit the people of the entire Song Dynasty.
"It's just a pity that I, the King of the Song Dynasty, may not be able to use it in the Northern Expedition."
Wei Liaowen was still a little embarrassed.
"There are no railways, and there are steamships that can support the Northern Expedition. Besides, we, the Song Dynasty, have 100,000 cavalry going north, so why should we fear the Tatars?"
Xu Sheng interjected, impassioned.
Zhao Hong smiled slightly. The steam engine opened the door to the era. The benefits brought by trains and steamships are not visible to the naked eye.
"I heard that the Daye Iron Works is mass-producing rifled cannons and transporting them to the front lines of the border fortresses. I also heard that the rifled cannons can shoot for more than five miles. If it is on the battlefield, it can kill the enemy from five miles away. It is so powerful!"
"There are also explosive bombs, which I heard can explode and kill people. On the battlefield, I'm afraid they will also be a weapon to defeat the enemy."
Wei Liaoweng and Zhen Dexiu spoke with emotion.
"What the two Qings said is absolutely true! I will go to the Daye Iron Works later and see the power of rifled cannons and explosive shells. Then I will know that our Northern Expedition by the King of the Song Dynasty is even more powerful."
After Zhao Hong finished speaking, he glanced at Tian Yi, who was sitting in the seats a few rows behind, and looked away.
The pair of sons-in-law, Wei Liaoweng and Tian Yi, have passed away.
What a shame.
The train moved forward rapidly. In another carriage, Yu Gulongchi stuck his head out and looked at the rapidly receding trees and fields. He took his head back after a moment.
He and Li Yuanlao, who was sitting opposite Gao Li, made eye contact, and both of them smiled.
"Where do you come from, brother? Are you an envoy from a country in the Western Regions?"
Li Yuanlao bowed his hands and couldn't help but look at Ana'er a few more times.
Such a beautiful foreign woman is truly a stunner and makes people’s hearts itch.
"My brother and sister are merchants from Kang State in the Western Region. Where is Xiongtai from?"
Anael picked up the conversation and asked.
"Two of you, this is Li Yuanlao, the envoy of the Goryeo Kingdom. Goryeo is called "Little China". It has the same language and species as the Song Dynasty, and it is a vassal state of the Song Dynasty."
Li Yuanlao was so proud that he regarded himself as "Little China" and was willing to be a pawn of China.
Goryeo's envoy Li Kuibao has returned to China, leaving him as deputy envoy to inquire about the details of the Song Dynasty. In fact, he is to see when the Song Dynasty's Northern Expedition will take place.
"A thousand miles a day! This train is so fast! Having this train will really benefit the country and the people!"
Ana'er changed the topic and said to another old man opposite.
If there were trains in Gaochang, it would be much more convenient from Gaochang to the Song Dynasty.
"The Song Dynasty had strong soldiers and strong horses, and its national power was prosperous. Our country, Dali, is a small country, and it is difficult to compare with it."
Wang Xun, the Korean envoy, shook his head and sighed.
After a one-day train trip, he was going to report the details of the Song Dynasty to Dali Kingdom. It was estimated that it was only a matter of time before Dali Kingdom surrendered to the Song Dynasty.
"What you said is absolutely true! Only the Great Song Dynasty is worthy of such a new thing! We are a small country, and the only way to survive in the world is to make good friends with the Great Song Dynasty."
Mr. Li Yuanlao said enviously and expressed his feelings.
Ana'er's heart was shaken, and she and her brother looked at each other without saying a word.
Gaochang is different from Goryeo. Gaochang is a vassal state, but Gaochang is the hometown of China. The Song Dynasty could tolerate the founding of Goryeo, but it would be difficult to allow Gaochang to exist.
The future of Gaochang is worrying.
Daye Iron Works, Armor Workshop, Zhao Hong and others are watching the quality of armor after experiencing the one-day train trip.
"Is this armor strong enough? The Tatar heavy cavalry is difficult to deal with."
Zhao Hong picked up a piece of Zhajia and looked at it carefully.
The armor of the Mongolian heavy cavalry is generally pierced armor, which can withstand the slashing of swords and the punctures of bows and arrows and other thrown weapons. The horse has armor and face armor, making it full of impact.
"Your Majesty, our army's armor is made of high-quality steel and is made of Western Xia's cold forging technology. It is smooth and smooth and cannot break through the armor unless it is a powerful crossbow or a heavy arrow. The same goes for the horse gear, which is tough enough."
Therefore, Yang Fansun, the grandnephew of the Empress Dowager Yang Guizhi of the Song Dynasty and a technician in the foundry workshop of Daye Iron Works, introduced it to Zhao Hong.
"Your Majesty, this kind of helmet is a dome-shaped helmet with shoulder pads. The overall shape connects the leg skirt, front chest and back into one body, and the whole thing can be defended."
Seeing Zhao Hong fascinated, Yang Fansun continued to introduce.
Due to the promotion of converter steelmaking technology, the production of steel has increased, and a large number of armors have been popularized in the military. Every ordinary soldier is equipped with it. The equipment of the Song Army soldiers can be said to be armed to the teeth.
"Yang Fansun, are you happy here?"
Zhao Hong asked sincerely.
He and Yang Yi have parted ways, and he is no longer Yang Fansun's uncle.
"Your Majesty, I am in charge of the production of steam engines and boilers here. I feel very satisfied. Your Majesty can rest assured."
"Your Majesty, Yang Fansun has done a good job at Daye Iron Factory. He has worked hard for six years and has become a senior craftsman in the factory."
Tian Yi's explanation made Zhao Hong nod happily.
"Yang Fansun, you are the future of the Song Dynasty, work hard."
Craftsman talents were widely welcomed in the Song Dynasty, and their salaries were high. The Daye Iron Works itself had a metallurgical technology school to cultivate professional iron smelting talents.
"Your Majesty, go and see the shooting effect of rifled guns and explosive shells."
Tian Yi looked at his father-in-law Wei Liaoweng and asked Zhao Hong for instructions.
He had always missed showing the emperor the power of his new firearms, and this time was not to be missed.
Zhao Hong looked at the people around him and nodded slightly.
The circle of ex-uncle, ex-father-in-law, and the Song Dynasty court was small enough.
In the gun workshop and shooting range, thick white smoke rose up, and the sound of artillery was like muffled thunder. Two short-barreled artillery fired at the same time, and two huge shells rose into the sky and slowly fell around the target.
The explosive bomb suddenly exploded, iron pellets and iron fragments were scattered, and the wooden targets tens of meters around were shattered into pieces.
"good!"
Wei Liaoweng, Zhen Dexiu and others were all smiling and cheering together.
Several more breech-rifling cannons opened fire, and the shells jumped out of the barrel, shot forward rapidly, flew far away, and fell into the target bush. The iron balls bounced and hit, and the wooden stakes broke and staggered.
There was another burst of cheers, and Zhao Hong nodded appreciatively and clapped gently.
"How many short-barreled artillery pieces are produced? How many rifled cannon pieces are produced?"
If more powerful rifled guns and short-barreled guns can be used in large numbers in the army, casualties in the army can be greatly reduced and the success of the Northern Expedition can be ensured.
"Your Majesty, we can build about 100 rifled guns. By autumn, each of the three armies can be equipped with 200 guns. As for the short-bore guns..."
Tian Yi hesitated for a moment and then said:
"Your Majesty, short-barreled artillery is easy to make, and the northwest frontier army can also make it by itself. The difficulty lies in the manufacturing and cost of explosive shells. The Daye Iron Works and the Jiangnan Ordnance Manufacturing Department will supervise the production day and night. By the autumn of the Northern Expedition, at most Twenty thousand shells can be supplied for military use.”
"What the landowner said is true. One blooming bomb is worth 200 guan, and just 20,000 blooming bombs are 4 million guan. Add in hundreds of thousands of tube-type thunderbolts, and the cost has exceeded 10 million guan. More Needless to say, there are hundreds of thousands of iron pellets and iron balls, and the steel required is tens of millions of kilograms. What we are fighting is not a war, what we are fighting is clearly money and steel!"
Wei Liaoweng took up what his former son-in-law said and stroked his beard.
"What Mr. Wei said is absolutely true! In fact, even with the original firearms, we can resist the Tatars. The national treasury consumes tens of thousands, and I really have a headache!"
Zhen Dexiu frowned and shook his head repeatedly.
"What Mr. Zhen said is true. Man can defeat nature. The root of war lies in man. I have a strong martial arts style in the Song Dynasty. Even if I don't rely on firearms, I am not afraid of the Tatars."
Today, the Song Dynasty has become a military country where soldiers are supreme, and it is no longer afraid of any foreign enemies.
