Towering chimneys pointed into the sky, spitting black smoke.

This is the largest arsenal in the Ming Dynasty, although the Qinghe Arsenal is nominally called the Royal Arsenal, but people will still call it by another name, after all, it was the earliest name of the factory, and even now it is located in Yangzhou, which does not prevent others from calling it that. At that time, because the Yellow River would freeze every winter, the arsenal would move Yangzhou as a whole.

Once upon a time, on the riverside of Yangzhou, tall waterwheels provided power for the arsenal. By this time, the wheels had been dismantled, leaving only the base of the wheel, and more than a dozen steam engines provided ample power for the factory.

Recently, the production of the Qinghe Arsenal has not been very smooth, because of the many problems caused by the comprehensive transformation of rifled guns, which directly affected the production of the arsenal, but this is only limited to the branch factories that manufacture infantry guns, and the production of other factories has not been affected in any way. Especially in the workshop where the steam engine is produced, orders have been accumulated for eight years.

After all, the advantages of the steam engine are impossible to ignore in the world, and those merchants with a keen sense of smell saw the wealth almost immediately, and when they transformed their factories into steam factories, the steam engine was naturally in short supply.

As the earliest factory to produce steam engines in the Ming Dynasty, the products of Qinghe Arsenal are among the famous brands. Naturally popular with merchants.

"It's not that we don't want to produce, but we now have a backlog of 367 steam engines of various powers, so many machines, even if it is to April of the eighth year of Xingqian, it may not be completed, even if we increase equipment and increase production, at least this year, it is impossible to schedule your machine, and besides, your machine, it seems that some improvements need to be made, I'm sorry, at least not this year, if you are willing to wait, you can wait until next year......"

Wait until next year?

Of course, Qiao Andong is not willing and cannot wait until next year, and according to the agreement reached with Taichang, he must build a prototype car within a year.

In fact, the bank gave him very favorable conditions, as long as the production problem was solved, within two months, he would be able to manufacture a prototype car. But the question is, who will make it?

The production order, which had already been scheduled for two years, was rejected by the Qinghe Arsenal.

So who else can produce?

"To Guangzhou? Or go to the Northeast? ”

As far as Qiao Anton knows, there are only a few arsenals that can make steam engines, because they are the only ones who have the equipment needed to produce steam engines. For example, the horizontal chamber of the rifled cylinder, only the arsenal has such equipment, and only they have the ability to process large metal parts.

"You can try it in Haizhou, where there is a navy arsenal."

When he was worried, Nie Yuanpeng's suggestion made Qiao Andong come to Haizhou, compared to the army's arsenal, the navy's arsenal is not famous, which is no wonder, after all, most of their products are used at sea. But when Qiao Andong came to the military factory in Haizhou, he learned that compared with the Qinghe Arsenal, the naval arsenal is best at manufacturing artillery, and naturally it is also better at manufacturing cylinders and other components needed for steam engines.

"No problems at all!"

As soon as Qiao Andong made his intentions clear, he was directly invited to the office of the General Office of the Navy Arsenal, and Wang Yashan was extremely enthusiastic in the face of this young man.

"One month, as long as there are no problems with your drawings, within a month, I guarantee that we can build a prototype, but we still need to review the drawings."

Joe Anton didn't know that he had come at the right time, because the Navy Arsenal was also jealous of the profits made by the Army Arsenal from manufacturing steam engines, after all, the profits from weapons were limited. And the profit of the steam engine can even be doubled. For Wang Yashan, who is interested in entering the steam engine market, he naturally welcomes customers who take the initiative to come to the door.

For the next month, Jo Anton lived and ate in the Navy Arsenal, perfecting the steam cars with the technicians of the arsenal, and it was even under their reminder that he discovered some of the problems he had overlooked. Because of this, the manufacture of steam cars was postponed, and it was not until the end of the first month of the seventh year of Xingqian that the factory began to produce steam cars.

Although the steam engine was borrowed from the Qinghe Arsenal to make a 12-horsepower steam engine, he succeeded in increasing the power to 15 horsepower thanks to the efforts of the employees of the Navy Arsenal. The frame is made of oak wood and iron beams, and the wheels and axles are produced by the Arsenal itself.

On February 19 of the seventh year of Xingqian, when the world's first steam locomotive was built in the workshop of the Navy Arsenal, everyone in the workshop looked at it, their expressions were different, and they were excited with a hint of pride.

"It's beautiful!"

In fact, the appearance of the steam locomotive is not beautiful at all, but the unique beauty of the machinery stored in it cannot be ignored by anyone.

"It'...... Can you really walk on the railroad? ”

Even as the general manager of the factory, Wang Yashan was still a little skeptical, although before that, he had seen how the model was driven on the track, although the model needed to be turned by human hands, but this was a steam engine, it ...... It's too heavy.

"Mr. Wang, whether you believe it or not, I believe that it will definitely be able to open, and it will even change everything!"

What exactly will it change?

No one knows, at least on February 19, the seventh year of Xingqian, no one knows, the only thing that is certain is that because there is no railway in Haizhou, the steam locomotive cannot be tested in Haizhou, and the so-called test run is only the body is suspended, and the wheels do not touch the idling of the track.

If the steam locomotive wanted to be tested on the road, it had to be transported to Zhongdu, where there was only a railway. By the time the steam locomotive was loaded onto the ship and ready to be transported to Zhongdu, Qiao Andong had already returned to Qinghe, and at this time he had already missed this year's entrance exam, but for him, he had not thought about these issues at all recently, and he was immersed in the steam locomotive test.

Compared with the twists and turns of building a steam locomotive, it was more difficult to get the steam engine on the road, and almost when he first arrived at the railway company to express his intentions, he was directly rejected by the other party, and he did not have the opportunity to meet the manager at all.

"Excuse me, can you spread the word, this invention of mine is really important!"

Again, when Qiao Anton came to the railway company, when he asked to see the company manager, he was rejected by the other party without hesitation.

"I said, you're such a real person, the manager doesn't have time to see you, and he won't see you!"

When Joe Anton tried to convince the other party to give him a chance, he was even blasted out of the door in the end.

"Why is this happening?"

Looking at the three-story building of the railway company, Qiao Anton's eyes were full of puzzlement, he didn't know why the other party rejected him so decisively, and even didn't listen to his explanation at all.

Instead, the steam locomotive has now been transported to the docks and parked in the warehouse, where rent needs to be paid every day. Seeing that the road test became far away because it was not approved, Qiao Anton became more and more anxious, and he didn't know what was going on at all.

Even during this period, he went to contact the other party through the bank, but he was also politely refused.

What the hell is going on?

In early March, although the ice on the Huai River had melted, the weather was still a little cold, but Qiao Anton was still waiting outside the door of the railway company, he was waiting for the railway company to get off work, and waited until six o'clock in the afternoon, when the railway company's building began to have employees come out one after another, most of them were wearing thick coats, the reason why they like to wear coats is because there is heating in the room, wearing hats and holding leather bags, and the color of the coats is mostly black, gray or blue-gray.

After seeing the "acquaintance" in the crowd, Qiao Anton quietly followed, at first he did not walk over recklessly, but kept following until he followed the person a few blocks away, and after he and his colleagues said goodbye, he took the initiative to follow.

"Section Chief Wang."

Looking at the young man who appeared beside him, Wang Mingzhi was stunned at first, but after recognizing him, his brows furrowed slightly. Then he said.

"It's you, didn't I tell you? The manager has been very busy lately and it is impossible to have time to see you. ”

Wang Mingzhi is no stranger to this young man, but he is not familiar with it, because it is the relationship introduced by his classmates, so he has also recommended him once, but his introduction has no effect, the manager is not willing to see him at all, and even he was reprimanded for this.

"I know, but, Section Chief Wang, what I want to know is that the manager doesn't have time to see me because he's busy, or because he doesn't want to see me at all?"

The same is not seen, but there are two completely different reasons, which is what Qiao Anton wants to know, although he is only nineteen years old, he can also guess that there must be a reason for the cold attitude of the railway company to him.

Staring at the young man in front of him, Wang Mingzhi looked at him, and then said after a while.

"What if I say it's because I don't want to see you?"

I don't know why Wang Mingzhi didn't hide what he meant, but directly told him that the manager was unwilling to see him.

"There's always a reason for that!"

Although he had guessed this answer a long time ago, Qiao Anton was still a little incredulous.

"How so? I have not offended him, so why does he not want to see me? ”

"Are you sure, do you want to know why?"

It seems that there must be a reason, although Wang Mingzhi has not said the reason, but Qiao Anton can vaguely guess that this reason must be the key to the steam locomotive not being on the road.

"Do you know what a railroad company is?"

Wang Mingzhi did not directly explain the reason, but directly asked another question.

"It's an official company of the imperial court, so many things can't be speculated with common sense, but in fact, the most fundamental reason for your incident is ......"