Today was an important day. Yun Ye rose very early and saw his long-absent second son Yun Huan in the front hall. Compared to three years ago, this child had become darker and more robust. Seeing the child smilingly pay his respects, Yun Ye stepped forward and patted his son’s sturdy shoulder, filled with emotion.
Building an eight-hundred-li railroad had taken a full three years. Three months ago, they’d just tested running the steam locomotive. This was Great Tang’s first locomotive. It was said its speed reached an astonishing degree, basically achieving the goal of departing Chang’an in the morning and arriving in Luoyang by evening. And today was the first official run of this steam locomotive. This fire-breathing, smoke-belching monster would for the first time make the Guanzhong Plain resound with its roar.
For this railroad, Yun Ye knew exactly how much his son had sacrificed. The family assets from Yuezhou had basically been completely devoured by this railroad. The stubborn Huahua had even sold her dowry to help her husband complete his dream.
Of the twenty-thousand-plus Japanese slave laborers who built the railroad, only less than eight thousand remained. This was almost a road paved with human flesh, a path of blood and tears.
These things didn’t matter. Slave deaths in Great Tang couldn’t stir up any waves. But during the train’s trial runs, the people and livestock killed by collisions were a major problem. Great Tang people had never seen trains before. When they treated the railroad as a ladder-shaped road to walk on, the train came. Facing such a steel monster, they didn’t run but stood there stupidly, waiting for the roaring train to turn them into mangled corpses.
Great Tang officials, who had not yet benefited from the convenience of train transportation, believed this was just Duke Chu’s big toy. For such a big toy, he actually disregarded human life—in their view, this was something only one who oppressed the people could do.
Very unfortunately, Great Tang’s officials had all been scared witless by the Court of Judicial Review. The Eastern and Western Pavilions surprisingly didn’t ask about the train matter at all, until Duke Chu stated that for anyone or any livestock killed by trains, the Yun family would not compensate but would instead pursue responsibility of those killed. Local officials were shocked into fury by this cold-bloodedly outrageous statement. They didn’t hesitate to abandon their posts and personally come to the Yun residence to demand a clear explanation. Quite a few officials were students from Yushan Academy—they couldn’t believe this statement came from the mouth of Duke Chu who had always loved the people like his own children.
Publicity about railroad operations had begun from the very start of railroad construction. They didn’t know that once a train started running, under the force of inertia, wanting to stop it was extremely difficult. Often from when the train engineer discovered something wrong and began stopping to when the train came to a complete halt, the accident had already occurred. There was simply no way to stop in time.
Yun Ye didn’t explain, only brought them to observe a train model, then had Yun Huan take them personally onto the train to observe how the train worked and tested the minimum distance needed to stop.
When those officials demanded that trains stop running in their jurisdictions, Yun Ye threw a pile of data in the faces of those Academy-educated officials, then told them to get lost, finally warning: “Manage your own people well!”
From Chang’an to Luoyang required passing through sixteen counties. Only seven counties possessed certain development capacity. So the train would stop at these seven places. The Academy-educated officials understood the report data in their hands and began restraining the people under their governance, while those stubborn officials still complained and cried injustice to the Emperor.
During this chaotic time, the train finally welcomed its trial run. Yushan Academy had exhausted five years of effort to produce a total of two locomotives. To manufacture the locomotives, metallurgy and metalworking technology had also achieved tremendous development.
The simplest lathe had already appeared. Since this thing appeared, the entire industry could finally develop from crude to refined, entering a track of healthy development.
Thus, standard parts began to flourish. The Academy with its very discerning vision established its own standards at the first opportunity, and these standards also became the industrial standards for the entire world.
Li Tai drooled with anticipation waiting to miniaturize the steam engine. This way he could completely take his airplane into the blue sky. Over these years he’d already accumulated sufficient experience. Whether gliders or paragliders, they could all fly freely now. His sights had finally shifted from human power and animal power to mechanical power.
Li Chengqian wouldn’t allow Yun Ye to open holes in Chang’an’s city walls. There was not half a bit of room for negotiation on this point. In his view, opening holes in the Hangu Pass fortress was already an enormous concession. Without tall, imposing city walls protecting him, he always felt he couldn’t sleep peacefully. Thus, the train station could only be established outside Chang’an.
Yun Ye congratulated his son’s great achievement. Today Li Chengqian would go ride the train, so Yun Ye didn’t plan to go. When the two of them met, they always quarreled—very uninteresting.
Li Er also wasn’t going, but Empress Zhangsun went. Li Er now deeply detested all new things. Driving the steam car Li Tai had given him, he crashed head-on into a tree and nearly lost his life. Since then, he no longer liked new things. Of course, this didn’t include new weapons. Whenever new weapons appeared, he always had to go observe. In these two years, his two legs had completely lost sensation, only then did he stop. So now his favorite activity was fishing. He barely even drank wine anymore, mainly because his whole body ached after drinking.
Xinyue proudly went with the whole family. How could she possibly miss her son’s achievement? This time she was very generous, bringing Na Rimu, Lingdang, and Xiao Miao all along, going to ride the train with people in front and behind. She really wanted to experience the marvelous feeling her husband spoke of—sitting on the ground traveling eight hundred li in a day.
Li Er didn’t go anywhere else to fish, just at East Goat River. The early winter sunlight still carried some warmth. The river water rippled green and blue—not yet time to start freezing. A bright green magnolia grass rain cape emitted a rich fragrance, most refreshing to mind and spirit.
With a white jade pipe stem in his mouth, Li Er looked like an old farmer. Although the rain cape on his body could buy a hundred and eighty old farmers, it still didn’t prevent him from calling himself an old farmer.
Yun Ye threw his fishhook into the river and quietly sat beside Li Er to fish peacefully.
“Endure a bit longer. I’m about to die. Once I’m dead, you won’t have to be tied so firmly to Yushan City anymore. Now it’s preventing you from even attending your own son’s grand occasion. In my view, Chengqian doesn’t have my methods or my boldness, so he won’t attack Yushan City. If you want to go, go—no need to accompany me fishing.”
Yun Ye also put his pipe bowl in his mouth and said expressionlessly: “My existence is to guard against that one-in-ten-thousand chance. The idea of abdication came from me, so I must let you live as you please.”
Li Er chuckled, withdrew his fishhook, rehung bait on it, threw the silk line into the river and said with a smile: “You think too highly of yourself. If I weren’t willing, who could persuade me? Remember, it was I, Li Shimin, who grew tired of being Emperor—not because of your few useless words. Remember to write this sentence into the history books.”
In early winter the water temperature was low. The fish were all lazy and unwilling to move. The two sat fruitlessly for a long time without any catch. Just when interest was waning, a whistle sound came from far away. Yun Ye pushed Li Er in a small cart up the high slope. Looking down at the plain at the mountain’s foot, a black and shining long dragon was rumbling past below Yushan City heading straight for Hangu Pass. The locomotive exhaled black smoke—one pulling in front, one pushing behind, with thirty-some cars in between. Passenger cars in front, freight cars behind. On the side roads along the railroad, fine horses galloped wildly—those people must be Li Chengqian’s guards.
“So this is a train!” Li Er sat in his wheelchair pointing and gesturing, his neck stretched very long.
“Yes, Your Majesty, this is a train. Its birth isn’t just for carrying people and transporting goods—there’s even deeper significance. Your humble subject always thinks about spreading railroads throughout Great Tang, making them both Great Tang’s lifeblood and chains binding Great Tang’s territory. With these chains, Great Tang’s territory will be unified as one body. No one can think of dividing off a single inch.”
Seeing Yun Ye speaking somewhat emotionally, Li Er patted Yun Ye’s hand and said: “We plan, Heaven decides. If we finish and do well what we should do, leaving no regrets, that’s enough. As for what comes after—who can know?”
“You know, the way your relationship with Chengqian has become so strained isn’t good. Could it be that after I die, you really don’t plan to serve in court as an official? Now is actually the best time for you to serve as an official. Whether wisdom, human relations, methods, vision, or experience—all have reached their peak. Wasting it in the wilderness—what a pity!”
“Nothing to regret. From the time your humble subject entered office, I held the intention of muddling along waiting to die. These years, if you hadn’t always been behind me with a whip, I would definitely be Chang’an’s greatest wastrel, living days incomparably carefree.”
Li Er laughed. Seeing the train had already run far away, he had Yun Ye push him down. Coming back to the riverside, oddly enough, with no one there, both fishing rods had caught fish. Two guards were reeling in line. Yun Ye and Li Er shouted excitedly as they came down the slope. By the time they arrived, the fish on the rods had been dragged by the guards until they had no strength left. Yun Ye and Li Er lightly pulled in the rods. The guards took nets and netted two big fish. Their red-bright scales looked very beautiful, glowing crimson in the sunlight.
“Damn it, why carp again?” Li Er grumbled dissatisfied.
“Your Majesty still has taboos?”
“What damn taboos? I’ve already eaten who knows how many. So many good things under heaven are ruined by the mouth. Although there are ancestral instructions, this thing is food—not eating it is a waste. Today there are few people. The Empress, Yang Fei, Yin Fei—they’re all away and can only return tomorrow. Your family probably has only you left too?”
“Wash these two fish, put them in the pot and cook them. Make the flavor rich. These will be our sovereign and subject’s lunch. I haven’t drunk wine in many days. The Empress never lets me touch that stuff. If a true man can’t touch wine, what kind of hero is he? Today the sun is strong, yang energy is vigorous—I should be able to drink a few cups?”