277: Chapter 277 So fast? Xu Fu is once again shocked by the steam train.

There is a 1,500-kilometer railway from Cixi to Xianyang.

When the railway was first built, they completed 300 kilometers a month, taking over half a year.

Even if a steam train covers 400 kilometers a day, it still takes four days to travel from Cixi to Xianyang.

It wasn't that Xu Ning hadn't taken a train before, but they were all short trips, so he only needed to sit in a hard seat.

Taking a long-distance trip this time, he felt he had made a bit of a miscalculation.

Riding a train was different from riding a horse or a carriage.

When they rode horses, they would travel during the day and lie down to rest at a courier station at night.

The next day, after eating and drinking their fill, they would continue riding horses or carriages.

Taking a train was different; sitting there twenty-four hours a day, his backside was the first to give out.

His waist soon followed suit.

Whether it was Xu Ning, Xu Fu, or Xu Ning’s guards, none of them could stand sitting in hard seats for long.

Fortunately, the steam train carriages also had hard sleepers; they quickly paid extra to get a place to lie down.

Lying on the hard sleeper, Xu Fu watched the scenery outside the window constantly receding, and he suddenly thought of a very crucial question.

While they were asleep, the train was still moving forward!

When they were at sea, they didn't sail all through the night.

They usually sailed along the coastline, which made it convenient for them to go ashore at any time for supplies.

When night fell, their fleet would choose to drop anchor in suitable waters or at a port.

If one didn't take the train from Cixi to Xianyang but used the official carriages instead, it would take at least fifty days.

Due to poor road conditions and frequent bandits, carriages usually didn't travel very fast.

courier stations were set up every 30 to 50 li; upon reaching a station, the horses needed to be swapped.

The distance traveled in a day was limited, averaging around thirty kilometers.

Therefore, for a distance of 1,500 kilometers, a carriage would take fifty days to arrive.

A steam train consumes about 2 tons of water for every 10 kilometers traveled, requiring a refill every thirty or forty kilometers.

After entering a station, the steam train usually stops for 15 minutes.

On main railway lines in plain regions, stations are set up every 30 to 50 kilometers.

In mountainous or complex terrain, such as crossing mountain ranges or rivers, station spacing is relatively shorter—every 10 to 20 kilometers or even less—due to the difficulty of engineering, high construction costs, and to facilitate the train's climbing, turning, or avoiding dangerous sections.

For a long-distance journey of 1,500 kilometers, the steam locomotive is replaced after traveling a certain number of stations to reduce the risk of malfunctions.

Waiting at stations, refilling water, and changing locomotives all take time; all things considered, a steam train travels an average of 360 kilometers a day.

It takes four to five days for a steam train to travel from Cixi to Xianyang.

Although it couldn't compare to high-speed rail, compared to a carriage, it was ten times faster!

"In five days, we've gone from Cixi to Xianyang?"

"Is it really that fast?"

Xu Fu's face was full of disbelief.

"Yeah, this speed is truly fast!"

Xu Ning was also shocked.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "The steam train invented by His Majesty the Head of State is just too incredible!"

"Are you General Xu Ning?"

Just as Xu Ning and Xu Fu stepped off the train, the people sent by Zhao Fusu were already waiting on the platform.

"I am He Zhi, Commander of the Black Ice Platform."

He Zhi took out his token and said, "His Majesty the Head of State has ordered you to hand Xu Fu over to me."

"Understood!"

Xu Ning replied.

He Zhi raised his hand, and the men from the Black Ice Platform immediately surrounded Xu Fu, glaring at him like tigers.

Xu Fu let out a soft sigh.

His face was pale, and he was panicking inside.

"General Xu Ning."

He Zhi said to Xu Ning, "His Majesty the Head of State is very satisfied with you this time and intends to place you in an important position!"

"Oh!"

A look of joy appeared on Xu Ning's face.

But he quickly suppressed the joy in his heart and said solemnly, "It is this general's honor to serve His Majesty the Head of State!"

"Very good!"

He Zhi nodded at Xu Ning again.

He took Xu Fu to the First Emperor's manor in Xianyang.

Zhao Fusu and the First Emperor were drinking tea in the manor's courtyard, waiting for He Zhi to bring Xu Fu.