Chapter 594: First Voyage (Part 2)
Mr. Zhang did not draw the lottery for getting on the car, but in the end he got on the car. Because his three apprentices won the lottery, they gave the opportunity to get on the car to Mr. Zhang very filial. Mr. Zhang wanted to refuse, but he couldn't resist the three apprentices' persuasion, and finally accepted the apprentice's kindness.
Getting into the car is to recognize the sign but not the person. All the craftsmen who got on the car gathered together and then got into the car behind.
Because it was the first time to drive, there were not many cars hanging by the train, with only six cars in total. The front one was of course Zhu Yunyu's car, and then the guards who protected him occupied the second car. After all, as the emperor, he had to do enough security matters no matter where he went. What's more, Zhu Yunyu had encountered assassination in Taijin, so he should not be careless.
The third section carriage consists of civil and military officials, and they are all important personnel of the fourth rank or above. They are not qualified to get on the train at all. The officials involved in the construction of the railway occupy the fourth section, and the fifth section is craftsmen. As for the sixth section, they are mainly civil servants, but in order to liven up the atmosphere, Li Jie also deliberately asked a dozen lucky people to draw from the people who came to watch the fun together to get on the train.
Mr. Zhang almost participated in the construction of the railway from beginning to end. He even witnessed the steam locomotive passing by the railway with black smoke several times, but he had never boarded the car. He had always been in awe of this monster-like steam locomotive. After all, it was unimaginable that such a big car could run.
So when Mr. Zhang got on the bus, he was quite nervous, guessing what was going on in the bus. There were even a few craftsmen next to him whispering how many cattle and horses he raised in the bus. After all, it’s impossible to pull this iron guy with just manpower.
Just as the craftsmen were guessing, they finally boarded the steam locomotive. However, when they entered the car, they found that the previous guess was completely unreliable. There were no cows and horses in the carriage, but there were rows of tables and chairs, and thick cloth was wrapped in the tables and chairs. The windows of the carriage were all inlaid with large pieces of glass, and there were curtains next to them, which looked very clean and tidy.
The craftsmen were all rough. Looking at the neat and clean carriage, they were a little afraid to go forward for a while, and no one dared to sit. However, a young man came over and led Mr. Zhang and the others to sit in the seat.
It was not until then that Mr. Zhang discovered that the tables and chairs in the car were fixed on the ground, so that the car would not have to worry about falling when it was bumping, especially when Mr. Zhang and the others sat down, the young man actually pushed the car into the car, poured tea for each of them, and distributed snacks.
In the eyes of Mr. Zhang and the others, this is a pleasure that only nobles should have, so they are all flattered, but on the surface they still have to pretend to be calm, after all, they cannot be looked down upon.
Tea is a good tea, at least it is better than the tea bricks that Mr. Zhang usually drinks, and the snacks are also very sweet. Mr. Zhang originally wanted to leave a few pieces for his three apprentices, but he unknowingly ate them all, which made him a little annoyed why he was so greedy?
But at this moment, the carriage suddenly trembled slightly, which shocked everyone. They immediately sat upright, and all the people who drank tea and snacks stopped, and looked around with their eyes wide open.
Then the car trembled again, and then he heard a loud whistle sound from the front of the car. Then the car paused forward and slowly started moving.
Mr. Zhang had been riding in a ox cart or a donkey cart before, and was even recruited to work once. Because time was too tight, the court arranged a cart for them, which was the only time he took a cart. After all, for them, horses were too expensive.
However, Mr. Zhang now felt that no matter what car he had been in before, it could not be compared with the iron car under his feet. After the car started, it quickly made a "click~click~" sound, and the sound became denser and the speed of the car was getting faster and faster. This can be seen from the view of the rapid retreating backward outside the window.
"Run... I'm running!" At this time, someone finally couldn't help but scream in surprise. Others came to the window and looked at the scenery of the rapid retreat outside, especially the people outside watching, and at this time they also showed envy at them in the carriage.
Old Mr. Zhang also lay in excitement in front of the window, looking at the people who were sending farewell outside. He even saw his three apprentices in the crowd. The youngest apprentices also saw him. They were even more excited to follow the car for a while, and finally were thrown out for a long time before stopping.
"This speed seems to be faster than a carriage!" Old Dad Zhang couldn't help but sigh.
"Absolutely, when this iron guy ran up, I saw a few officials driving next to him to compete with him for speed. No one won at that time!" At this time, a young craftsman next to him interrupted excitedly.
"Yes, yes, yes, I saw it too. The two horses pulled the car against this iron guy, but they didn't beat it!" Another young craftsman next to him interrupted.
"If the carriage doesn't outperform, it means you lose!" At this time, Mr. Zhang smiled and said, "After all, he is older and has richer experience."
"Why?" asked the two young craftsmen in confusion.
"Stupid!" Before Dad Zhang could speak, an old craftsman in the back row stood up and taught a lesson, "You two don't think about it. No matter how fast the horse runs, it's a beast. After running for a long time, you will lose energy, and the speed will definitely slow down."
However, the old craftsman's words aroused the dissatisfaction of the two young craftsmen. One of them shouted unconvincedly: "I know, of course I know, but how do you know that this iron guy is not tired? Maybe he is tired faster than a horse. After all, this thing is full of iron, but it is much heavier than a carriage!"
The discussions between Mr. Zhang and others also attracted more people's attention. At this time, someone stood up and smiled at the young craftsman and said, "You are wrong. As far as I know, this iron guy is really not tired when he runs, and he can even run for days and nights without having to eat and sleep!"
"Brave, even gods may be tired. This iron guy runs so fast and pulls so many people, how can he not feel tired?" Another young craftsman shouted with disbelief. His words also aroused the approval of many people, after all, his words are more reasonable.
The person who stood up said disdainfully at the words of the young craftsman: "I'm not old and not very young. I'll ask you, do you know what this car is running on?"
Chapter completed!