The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 594

Sun Jiaojiao's father, Sun Hong, also chimed in.

Then one by one, officials stepped forward to sing praises to Jiajing. Even the Six Ministries, known for their outspokenness, could not find fault with Jiajing at this time.

While it's true that Emperor Jiajing embarked on massive construction projects, the Ming Dynasty's treasury was currently well-stocked. Although the construction of railways was extremely costly, it didn't cripple the treasury; in fact, it only accounted for a small portion of it.

Everyone has seen the benefits brought by the construction of the railways. In particular, in the past year, the people living near these three railways have become prosperous and the economy has flourished, forming a virtuous cycle. Everyone knows that even after the railways are completed, the economic circulation in these areas will only get better and better.

Moreover, once the train begins operation, the stations along the railway will become resource-rich areas, and many industries will develop around them, making the local economy more prosperous.

"Your Majesty, the train was built two months ago. Now that the railway is completed, Hai Rui and Sheng Zhai want to test the train. If there are no problems, then we can start building more trains."

After the officials in the court had finished their flattery, Zhou Chu stepped forward and spoke.

Upon hearing this, Jiajing perked up immediately. He naturally knew about the train project, and now that the railway was completed, it could be put into trial use.

"In that case, we can try it out in three days. All civil and military officials must be present. This is of great importance to the Ming Dynasty."

Jiajing said.

Upon hearing this, the officials launched into another round of flattery.

Getting the locomotive onto the tracks was a significant problem.

However, this did not stump Hai Rui and Yang Shengzhai. They had the craftsmen of the Southern Garrison build an enormous flatbed cart with countless wide wheels on both sides.

"Sir, what's the use of having so many wheels?"

The craftsmen of the Southern Garrison couldn't understand what Hai Rui and the others were doing, and could only keep loading wheels onto the cart.

"The more roads there are, the larger the contact area with the ground, and the lower the pressure on the ground."

Hai Rui explained in a very formal and methodical manner.

They won't understand what you're saying.

Yang Shengzhai looked at Hai Rui's bookish appearance and said speechlessly.

"If there are too few wheels, the train will be too heavy, and the wheels will get stuck in the road, and it won't be able to move."

Yang Shengzhai explained to the craftsman who was assembling the wheels.

Upon hearing Yang Shengzhai's words, the craftsmen suddenly understood.

"I know that. The wheels of those carriages that transport heavy loads are much wider than the wheels of ordinary carriages."

One of the craftsmen said.

The flatbed trailer was very large, but it was very close to the ground. The wheels were all about ten inches in diameter, but the contact area between the wheels and the ground was very wide.

The flatbed cart is rectangular, since it's meant to carry a train, and it has two rows of wheels.

When it came to loading the train onto the flatbed, the craftsmen were quite adept at it. They had done similar work before, and Hai Rui and Yang Shengzhai had made many pulley systems for them. With the help of these pulley systems, loading the locomotive onto the flatbed was not so difficult.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the train had been placed at the initial station on the railway in the capital by Hai Rui, Yang Shengzhai, and others.

This railway leads to Jiangnan. At this moment, near the platform, civil and military officials all looked at the steel behemoth in front of them. Even those officials who could not see it from behind stood on tiptoe, wanting to catch a glimpse of the legendary train.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to sit on the train and try it out for the Ming Dynasty."

Zhou Chu bowed to Jiajing, who was in the front row.

"Isn't this too dangerous? After all, it's a trial run; what if something goes wrong...?"

Looking at Zhou Chu's confident expression, Jiajing hesitated before speaking.

"Your Majesty need not worry. The train's wheels are already stuck on the tracks. Even if there is a problem with its operation, there will be no great danger. Moreover, I have practiced martial arts since childhood, and I can handle any unexpected situation."

Zhou Chu said it with absolute certainty.

Seeing how confident Zhou Chu was, Jiajing knew that this matter was destined to be a historical event. Jiajing even wanted to go up in person, and had proposed it before, but was strongly opposed by the officials, so he gave up.

After all, the emperor's safety was of paramount importance.

"Then you must be careful. Let Shen Lian and Zhang Dazhu go up with you to protect your safety."

Jiajing was still somewhat uneasy.

Upon hearing this, Shen Lian and Da Zhu, who were standing nearby, hurriedly accepted the order.

In fact, it wasn't just Zhou Chu and his two companions who boarded the train; Hai Rui, Yang Shengzhai, and others also joined. Having finally managed to build the train, they naturally wouldn't miss its trial run.

The thought that they would be recorded in history because of this made Hai Rui and others extremely excited.

There wasn't even a worker to tend the boiler on the entire locomotive; Hai Rui and his colleagues insisted on tending the boiler themselves.

As shovelfuls of coal were thrown into the boiler, the temperature inside grew increasingly hot. With a deafening whistle, plumes of steam shot out from above the train.

Upon hearing the loud noise, even though he was somewhat prepared, Jiajing was still startled, let alone the civil and military officials who were completely unprepared. Some of the more timid ones were so frightened that they fell to the ground.

Soon, the transmission devices started operating, and the train wheels continued to move slowly forward.

"This speed is far too slow."

An official from the Ministry of Works couldn't help but say.

Because of Zhou Chu, the Ministry of Works didn't really profit much from this massive railway construction project; on the contrary, they did the most work. As a result, the current officials of the Ministry of Works have a lot of complaints about Zhou Chu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"What's the rush? This is just the beginning."

Upon hearing this, Yang Yiqing glared at the man.

The train project was something his grandson was involved in, and Yang Yiqing couldn't stand any negative comments about it.

Upon hearing Yang Yiqing's words, the man immediately shrank back, realizing that the Grand Secretary was not someone he could afford to offend.