usatvline Chapter 253 World of Famous Works 42
Chapter 253 World of Famous Works 42
The steam train built by Zhuang Damao and Liao Zhuang was not slow; it was comparable to the green trains of the original world.
With an average speed of around 100 kilometers per hour, it only takes two or three hours to travel from Chang'an to Luoyang. In the past, traveling by horse would have taken at least four or five days.
The train arrived smoothly at Luoyang Station. The area around the station was still packed with people. The Tang Emperor, along with his court officials who had come with him, stepped out of the train carriage and stood on the platform, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before him.
Officials from Luoyang were waiting at the station. When they saw the Tang Emperor alight from his carriage, they quickly stepped forward to pay their respects. The Tang Emperor nodded slightly, signaling everyone to stand up. His gaze fell eagerly on the steaming train not far away. He hadn't expected to arrive at his destination so quickly.
Surrounded by his entourage, the Tang Emperor proceeded to Luoyang City. The streets were lined with shops, bustling with activity. As official roads across the country were now paved with cement, goods from other regions were being transported here more quickly, and the variety of products on the shelves was becoming increasingly abundant.
The streets were packed with people, many of whom were shouting, "Long live the Emperor!"
In such a scene, the Tang Emperor could not suppress the urge to smile.
That day, after having a meal with local officials in Luoyang, the Tang emperor boarded a train back to the capital.
Upon arriving in Chang'an, shortly after the curfew was imposed, the Tang emperor could hardly believe that he had traveled between Chang'an and Luoyang in a single day and even had a meal with his ministers in Luoyang. This left him somewhat dazed.
The current Tang emperor certainly knew that all of this was not due to the power of any deity, but rather to technology that mortals could master. He even took the time to learn some knowledge related to steam engines.
The cool moonlight shone on the platform, and only the Imperial Guards were on duty outside Chang'an Station, a stark contrast to the bustling atmosphere of the daytime.
Remembering the suggestion made by a court official to abolish the curfew, the Tang emperor tilted his head slightly, took a deep breath of the unique atmosphere of Chang'an at night, and then hurriedly returned to the palace under the escort of the imperial guards.
The next morning, in the court, just before the court session was about to end, the Tang emperor brought up the old issue again, asking the ministers to discuss whether to abolish the curfew.
Those who make it to the imperial court are all shrewd and calculating. If the leader brings up an old issue again and personally suggests discussing whether to abolish the curfew, it must be because the leader already has an idea in mind.
All you need to do is go along with your leader's wishes and choose to support them.
Therefore, a minister quickly expressed his support: "Your Majesty, the advent of trains and cement has made travel between regions more frequent, and trade activities are flourishing. Goods are flowing in and out of the country like water. Nighttime is the best time for trading, but it is now wasted due to the curfew. I think the curfew should be abolished. This will surely allow the commerce of our Great Tang to reach new heights, enrich the national treasury, and benefit the people."
However, some conservative ministers stepped forward, bowing in opposition: "Your Majesty, the curfew system has a long history and is fundamental to maintaining social order. The ancestral laws cannot be abolished! At night, the light is dim, and if the restrictions are lifted, evildoers will take advantage of the chaos to commit crimes. At that time, the people will suffer, and social order will be unimaginable. Stability is the foundation of the Tang Dynasty. How can we shake the foundation of the country for the sake of temporary commercial interests? I hope Your Majesty will reconsider."
The Tang Emperor waved his hand and said, "The matter of the dim lighting at night in Chang'an is about to be resolved. You ministers will all know about it soon, so there's no need to mention it again."
solved?
How was it resolved? How come they didn't know?
What was the solution?
The courtiers were completely bewildered, but the Tang emperor immediately made the decision to abolish the curfew in Chang'an starting next month.
Ignoring the shouts of the conservative ministers behind him, the Tang emperor left the court with his hands behind his back.
Within two days, government officials were on the streets of Chang'an, beating drums and gongs while shouting to the shops on both sides of the road: "By imperial decree, every household in Chang'an must be electrified. All businesses and households must cooperate with the construction and must not obstruct or touch anything..."
Upon hearing this, the shop owners began to whisper among themselves. One couldn't help but ask, "Sir, what... what is electricity?"
The constable scratched his head. How would he know? He was just following orders. So he said, "You'll find out when the time comes."
Then many people suddenly noticed that the government had erected many thick cement pillars on both sides of the cement road, with finger-thick lines strung on the pillars. These lines were pulled from a large iron frame outside the city and then stretched into various shops and the homes of the surrounding people.
After laying the power lines, that wasn't the end of it. They also installed a metal-shell-like thing on each of the roadside pillars.
I heard from the government officials that this is called an electric light. People can buy it from the Tang Dynasty's power grid in the future. Once electricity is available, this thing will be brighter than an oil lamp.
A well-informed local said, "So this is an electric light! My relative works for the Datang Power Grid, and I heard that they don't use oil lamps there. They use something called an electric light for lighting, which is much, much brighter than an oil lamp."
"Oh! I once passed by the Datang Power Grid at night, and it was brightly lit inside. I thought to myself, wow, it must be so bright, how much lamp oil must it be using? Turns out, it's not using lamp oil."
A commotion arose in the crowd as everyone looked up to examine the object inside the metal casing.
A young man, full of curiosity, couldn't resist climbing up to touch the light bulb, but was quickly pulled down by a constable: "Hey, what are you doing! I'm warning you, don't touch it! This thing isn't powered on now, but it'll be dangerous when it is! I've heard it can kill people!"
The young man was so frightened that he quickly withdrew his hand and gave an embarrassed smile.
Finally, the day arrived when the electricity was restored, which was also the day the curfew was officially lifted.
As night fell, the Tang emperor, accompanied by his ministers, stood on the palace wall, overlooking the entire city of Chang'an.
At a command, the craftsman in charge of connecting the power pulled the huge switch.
In an instant, all the streets were enveloped in bright light, the dazzling brilliance causing people accustomed to dim oil lamps to momentarily lose their sight.
The people were taken aback at first, then erupted in deafening cheers. Amid the cheers, children ran and played excitedly under the lights, their clear and loud laughter echoing through the streets and alleys of Chang'an.
Chang'an continued its daytime bustle, with shop owners tidying up their goods and enthusiastically hawking their wares under the bright streetlights.
But he was thinking to himself that he would go to the Datang Power Grid tomorrow to see if they had any light bulbs for sale; he wanted to buy one. No, he wanted to buy two; he lived in the city, and his home already had electricity.
Looking at the brightly lit streets before him, which seemed even more bustling and prosperous than during the day, the Tang Emperor couldn't help but exclaim, "What a magnificent city that never sleeps in the Tang Dynasty!"
The ministers behind him were also deeply shocked by the scene before them, and from then on, no one raised any objections to the curfew.
Lin Xiaoqian's restaurant was also quite crowded. Lin Xiaoqian sold various sweet drinks and alcoholic beverages, which were very popular among the people of the Tang Dynasty. As a result, the place had become a bar.
When everyone looked up at the light on the ceiling again, they suddenly realized that the restaurant had installed electric lights long ago. No wonder it was so bright; they had thought it had a luminous pearl installed.
But that's not right. Didn't Chang'an City just get electricity recently?
They clearly remembered that the store had been this bright two years ago.
Faced with this question, Lin Xiaoqian replied without batting an eye, "Oh, that's because the shop has a separate generator."
Generators are no stranger to ordinary people now.
Previously, when electrical wires were strung on the streets, the imperial court distributed electricity safety manuals to every household to prevent people from touching them out of curiosity. These manuals detailed the generation and uses of electricity, which helped people understand what so-called independent generators were all about.
So when everyone heard Lin Xiaoqian say that, they thought it made sense. After all, this shop could get all sorts of rare items, and a small independent generator was just a piece of cake for them.