Chapter 866

Yang Chengye had been waiting at the Dengzhou railway station since noon.

With him were the officials, large and small, of Dengzhou prefecture. According to the predetermined plan, the train for the first railway trial operation would arrive at three o’clock in the afternoon.

And the Emperor and a group of high-ranking imperial officials would arrive in Dengzhou by train.

The season had already entered winter, and the officials shivered from the cold wind, but even so, all the officials maintained a good appearance.

Yang Chengye was very strict in managing his subordinates. The officials in Dengzhou’s official circles held him in some awe. Especially since Yang Chengye was now at the threshold of entering the Grand Secretariat, officials dared not be careless.

“They’re here! They’re here!”

As everyone eagerly awaited, a white plume of smoke drifted from a distance, accompanied by the sound of a whistle.

Yang Chengye, in the cold wind, smiled, his eyes even a little moist. He had waited for this day for a long time. For him, once the locomotive officially started operating, Dengzhou’s development potential would soar.

Because from now on, inland goods could reach Dengzhou via steam locomotives, and Dengzhou’s goods could also reach areas where railways were laid via locomotives.

“Woo woo woo…”

The locomotive was about to enter the station, its whistle growing louder. Under the watchful eyes of the officials, the steam locomotive slowly entered Dengzhou Station.

“So long! How many people can such a long locomotive pull?” the officials exclaimed in astonishment.

“Fifty carriages! At least two thousand people! It’s too terrifying!”

“…”

Yang Chengye was also somewhat dumbfounded. Although he had seen locomotives before, it was his first time seeing a steam locomotive pulling fifty carriages. However, this confirmed the immense potential of the steam locomotive.

“Chuff, chuff…”

Just as everyone was captivated by the locomotive, it suddenly let out a sigh-like sound, and then the entire locomotive came to a halt.

The staff of Dengzhou Station immediately stepped forward, standing at each carriage door. Then the carriage doors opened, and merchants and common people, traveling from Qingzhou City to Dengzhou, emerged from the locomotive in a continuous stream.

“Dengzhou Station, we’ve arrived!”

A merchant, embracing his daughter, beamed with joy. He was from Dengzhou. This time, taking advantage of the locomotive’s operation, he bought tickets to return home. The result filled him with pleasant surprise: they successfully returned after a six-hour journey.

“So fast! One Golden Dragon for a ticket is truly worth it!” another merchant said with a smile.

“Indeed. Otherwise, it would take three days, and the fatigue of the journey also costs money,” someone else agreed.

Amidst the clamor, a broad smile appeared on Yang Chengye’s face. The praise from merchants and common people proved that the locomotive had a very promising future.

Over two thousand people disembarked from the steam locomotive. For a time, the station was overcrowded. After the crowd dispersed, the door of the first carriage finally opened, and Xiao Ming led everyone out of the locomotive.

“Your humble official Yang Chengye greets Your Majesty.”

Seeing Xiao Ming, Yang Chengye immediately walked a few quick steps and bowed.

Xiao Ming excused Yang Chengye from formalities. He looked at the pure blue sky of Dengzhou. All along the way, he had fully enjoyed the natural beauty of the Great Yu Empire.

“There’s no need for empty formalities. I and the ministers still want to taste seafood. We will stay today and tomorrow, and return to Qingzhou City the day after tomorrow,” Xiao Ming said with a smile.

“So soon?” Yang Chengye was somewhat disappointed. He had hoped for more opportunities to interact with Xiao Ming.

Currently, there were only two Grand Secretaries in the Grand Secretariat’s Nine Pillars. It was said that the other seven Grand Secretaries would be determined by assessment at the end of this year. It was also rumored that the former provincial governors of the six provinces all had hopes of entering the Grand Secretariat, which made him somewhat expectant.

“Traveling for too long only burdens the people and wastes resources. That is not my wish,” Xiao Ming said calmly.

Besides inspecting the functionality of the steam locomotive this time, Xiao Ming also wanted to visit the navy. In recent years, the navy’s shipbuilding work had not stopped. Moreover, since the advent of the triple-expansion steam engine, previous sailing warships were completely phased out in favor of building hybrid-powered warships. Zhang Liang’s memorial stated that he had already built thirty-six such warships, and he was eager to see them with his own eyes.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Yang Chengye nodded. Seafood in Dengzhou was not a rare commodity; ordinary households could afford it.

It could be said that this imperial trip was extremely frugal.

Time had already reached three o’clock. Winter days grew dark early. The group did not linger long at the station and left for the city.

Like Qingzhou, Dengzhou’s railway station was built within the city. Upon leaving the station platform, the group went directly to the center of Dengzhou City.

The ministers looked left and right. Many of them had never been to Dengzhou before. Now, the prosperity of Dengzhou, no less than that of Qingzhou City, surprised them.

Fei Yuer and the others, meanwhile, were in a tourist mindset. They were more interested in the goods sold on the streets of Dengzhou and were quite intrigued by some foreign trinkets.

Yang Chengye did not rush to take the group to the provincial office. Instead, he purposely toured Dengzhou City, continuously introducing its development over the years.

“So, the glass canning factory can already produce canned fish, and the metal canning factory can start production in April next year, correct?” Xiao Ming asked as Yang Chengye introduced.

“Yes, Your Majesty. To produce canned fish, I increased support for the fishing industry. Now, cod production is increasing day by day, and after the steam locomotive starts operating, the materials for metal cans will also not be a problem.”

After a pause, he said, “Besides these, more and more merchants have built factories in Dengzhou over the past two years. Basically, whatever Qingzhou has, Dengzhou now also has.”

Fei Ji chuckled, “Prefectural Governor Yang is indeed a talent. It is said that to attract merchants, Prefectural Governor Yang offered many preferential policies. This is indeed much better than those rigid officials.”

Pang Yukun nodded slightly. “Indeed. Not only in various prefectures and counties, but even officials in the imperial court should learn from Prefectural Governor Yang.”

Yang Chengye was praised by two Grand Secretaries and couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed. He said, “You two Grand Secretaries flatter me too much. This is merely what I should do.”

Xiao Ming smiled. Official circles needed exemplary figures to encourage officials to change. He had observed this Yang Chengye for a long time; he was a talented individual who understood flexibility and was practical. He said, “You deserve it. A small Dengzhou is somewhat demeaning to you. I plan to have you enter the Grand Secretariat to primarily manage the Great Yu Empire’s industrial and commercial construction. What do you think?”

Yang Chengye opened his mouth. He hadn’t expected such a pleasant surprise to come so quickly. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

Pang Yukun chuckled, “Why don’t you thank His Majesty? You were already on the list for Grand Secretary.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Yang Chengye bowed deeply.

Xiao Ming patted Yang Chengye’s shoulder. “With greater power comes greater responsibility. The Grand Secretariat’s Nine Pillars each have their duties. I entrust you with such an important responsibility. I hope you can lead the development of the Great Yu Empire’s urban construction.”

The Grand Secretariat’s significance for Xiao Ming was to share responsibilities in economics, integrity, law, public security, propaganda, agriculture, education, industry, and commerce.

He, meanwhile, was mainly responsible for the Great Yu Empire’s future development strategy, foreign diplomacy, military affairs, and campaigns. This way, with everyone performing their respective duties, the Great Yu Empire could develop in an orderly fashion.

The novel has already been fully translated up to the final chapter. You can access it on my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair

Check another translation project:
Title: Trench, Gun, and Magic. The webnovel blend magic, firearm, war and mecha with the bacground of WW1