"Zhang Yang's visit at this hour must be about a crucial matter of the Ministry of Works!"
Liang Xiao immediately left his wife and children and headed out of the palace.
"Your subject, Zhang Yang, pays his respects to His Majesty!"
Zhang Yang was about to bow, but Liang Xiao helped him up.
"We are friends from humble beginnings. I am merely His Majesty, not an Emperor. Fundamentally, we are still colleagues. How can you bow to me? I still prefer it when you call me Liang Xiao."
Zhang Yang replied nervously, "There is a difference between superiors and inferiors..."
Seeing Liang Xiao feign displeasure, Zhang Yang immediately relented, "Alright, alright, Liang Xiao... News has come from the railway: the steam locomotive can move normally!"
Upon hearing this, Liang Xiao nearly jumped up, "Is it true?"
He knew better than anyone how complex a steam locomotive was for this era. It was a relic of the old world, and people of the new century wouldn't specifically study its construction.
Therefore, he could only provide the design sketches.
Zhang Yang had actually managed to build it with the people of the Ministry of Works!
Steam engines, steam locomotives, spinning machines, machine tools...
When Liang Xiao gave the sketches to the Ministry of Works, he had repeatedly emphasized that these were treasures that could significantly boost the national economy. It was no wonder Zhang Yang had come to him so urgently.
The groom-to-be, on the eve of his wedding, had brought people with him to the outskirts to accompany Zhang Yang.
Accompanying them were a group of civil and military officials.
Everyone was quite curious about what treasure could make Zhang Yang so "desperate" to disturb Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing on the day of their unification ceremony.
The final location for the railway was chosen in a sparsely populated area northwest of the capital, far from residential areas, to prevent pollution.
Following Liang Xiao's suggestion, Xiao Qing had ordered the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue to jointly establish a "Railway Bureau" here, responsible for the construction and maintenance of the railway, as well as the operation and running of future steam locomotives.
The group traveled by carriage for a full three miles before reaching the starting point of the railway.
The railway meandered towards the western border, with steep mountains and ridges along the way.
The scale of the tracks was similar to what Liang Xiao remembered from his homeland.
At the starting point of the railway, a "strange vehicle" nearly thirty feet long was parked on the tracks.
"Lord Zhang, what exactly is this?" Nan Ji Yun asked urgently.
Zhang Yang explained, "It is the 'steam locomotive' that His Majesty asked us to design. As long as fuel is continuously fed into it, it can move. It pulls 'carriages' behind it for carrying goods, and can transport them to the western border!"
"It doesn't need oxen to pull the carts?" Lü Chang He exclaimed in surprise.
"No! As long as there is enough fuel!" Zhang Yang said excitedly.
The crowd looked disbelieving and stepped forward to examine it, but could make little sense of it.
Zhang Yang quickly explained the structure and principles of the steam locomotive to everyone.
"The steam locomotive is composed of important components such as a boiler, a steam engine, a chassis, a running gear, and a tender..."
Liang Xiao watched Zhang Yang, who was speaking eloquently, and felt deeply gratified.
He was indeed an inventive genius of the Great Gan Kingdom!
This steam locomotive was small, but its existence here was a monumental achievement, a breakthrough from zero to one!
But first, it had to run...
After Zhang Yang finished his explanation, seeing that everyone was still confused, he quickly called for a Ministry of Works "driver" and asked, "Can you operate it now?"
The driver was still in a state of elation and nodded, "My Lord! I certainly can, and I have colleagues to help me. It's not just me!"
Liang Xiao quickly stopped the excited driver and asked, "What is your name?"
Zhuo Wu Lue hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, this is my cousin, Zhuo Ling. He used to work in Yizhou and specially signed up for the 'driver' training."
Liang Xiao looked at Zhuo Ling with an approving gaze and reminded him, "Be careful. You all know how dangerous this thing is. Drive slowly, it's okay to go slow. Regardless of whether this journey is successful or not, there will be a great reward!"
"Your Majesty, I will definitely 'drive' well! After all, as Your Majesty said, this is a world-changing treasure. If it can be successful..." Zhuo Ling's reverence grew with each word. Then, regaining his composure, he bid farewell to everyone and went to drive.
Liang Xiao watched him go, feeling even more worried.
"Please trust him, Your Majesty. Anyone who understands the significance of a steam locomotive would be excited..." Huang Xing comforted him.
Liang Xiao merely nodded silently, observing Zhuo Ling's actions. Seeing him calmly enter the "driver's cabin" and look ahead, he finally felt a sense of relief.
Through the windows of the tender, everyone watched as Zhuo Ling's two companions – the co-driver and the "stoker" responsible for feeding coal – put coal into the boiler, filled with anticipation.
After a long while, under the puzzled gazes of the crowd, black smoke began to rise from the top of the steam locomotive.
"That's coal smoke, don't be nervous," Wang Cang Hai said with a dry laugh.
As the crowd was about to respond, a "whistling" sound came from afar.
The steam locomotive finally started moving, pulling several small carriages, and headed west.
Under the astonished eyes of everyone, the steam locomotive accelerated, eventually disappearing into the distance until it was out of sight.
"What, what is this speed? It must be as fast as His Majesty's 'White Night Flying Shadow' when it runs normally?" Lü Chang He exclaimed.
The civil and military officials all ran to the west to watch, but found that the steam locomotive had already rounded the mountain, leaving only the continuous sound of its whistle in the distance.
"So this is how railways are used?" The civil and military officials suddenly understood, looking at the railways going back and forth and marveling at Liang Xiao's foresight.
Only Liang Xiao remained worried.
Compared to all the machinery in Great Gan currently, the steam locomotive was incredibly complex. Could an ordinary person truly handle it?
Even he himself had never operated a steam locomotive!
After the locomotive disappeared, the mood of the crowd suddenly turned apprehensive, and even Zhang Yang broke out in a cold sweat.
At such speeds, if the people on board did not possess excellent skill and coordination, accidents were very likely to occur.
"Woo woo—"
After a moment, the steam locomotive returned along another railway, slowly decelerated, and finally stopped, precisely at the platform.
"Your Majesty, your subjects have not failed in their mission!"
After Zhuo Ling, the co-driver, and the stoker alighted, they saluted Liang Xiao. Their faces were trembling with excitement.
Liang Xiao couldn't help but step forward and shake hands with each of them.
"You have done very well, and the people of the Ministry of Works have also done very well! I truly could not have imagined that the steam locomotive could be built so quickly..."
"Because all the subjects wish to repay the great kindness of His Majesty and Your Majesty, how could we dare not give our all!" Zhuo Ling stated resolutely.
Liang Xiao immediately announced rewards: a hundred taels of gold for Zhuo Ling, eighty taels for the co-driver, and seventy taels for the stoker, as a commendation.
"This speed, driver, how far did you run?" Wang Cang Hai asked.
"Reporting to the Prime Minister, we ran a full hundred li, and delivered official documents to the post stations along the way!"
Zhuo Ling's answer left everyone stunned.
One hundred li in less than an hour!
"A warhorse running at full speed might be able to achieve this, but warhorses get tired..."