182: Chapter 92 Initial Formation of the Road Network

He was dressed in a dark gray marshal's uniform, without a hat, and the sea breeze tousled his hair slightly, yet he remained full of spirit.

The platform was newly decorated, and colorful flags fluttered in the morning wind.

Reporters from all over the country, carrying cameras and recording equipment, squeezed behind the cordon; the shutter sounds clicked incessantly, and the flashlights resembled a churning sea of stars.

In the distance, white steam had begun to emerge from the smokestack of the steam locomotive; as the air pressure rose, it emitted a low hiss, like a giant beast being awakened and stretching its limbs.

This was a milestone in the railway construction of the Tang Country's "Five-Year Plan"—the main railway line from Jinling to Jinhai was officially fully operational.

Over eight hundred kilometers long, it crossed the three major river systems of the Yangtze, Huai, and Yellow Rivers, passed through seven provinces and over twenty cities, and took two years and three months to complete.

Along the line, over a hundred bridges of various sizes, more than ten tunnels, and thousands of telegraph poles had been erected, employing hundreds of thousands of workers and consuming hundreds of thousands of tons of steel.

Its opening marked the preliminary formation of the Tang Country's land transportation backbone.

The products of the north and south, once blocked by natural barriers, would now flow incessantly along the rails.

Li Ling stepped into a newly decorated carriage; the carriage was paved with dark red carpets, the seats were upholstered, and the windows were clear, revealing distant wheat fields and rivers through the glass.

He walked to the driver's cab at the front and personally pulled the steam whistle.

With a long blast that shook the surroundings, the wheels turned slowly, and the train steadily drove out of the station along the tracks.

The speed increased, and the scenery outside the window turned from a static painting into a flowing scroll.

The steam locomotive reached a speed of seventy kilometers per hour, which was top-tier for this era—faster than cruise ships, faster than horse-drawn carriages, and several times faster than a galloping steed.

Along the railway line, the common people spontaneously gathered on both sides of the roadbed; some waved flags, some set off firecrackers, and some even knelt on the ground and kowtowed to the train.

Among them were white-haired elders, women holding children, and teenagers who had run barefoot for the entire way.

An old man in a ragged cotton-padded jacket threw his straw hat vigorously at the train.

The straw hat spun a few times in the air before being swept away by the airflow generated by the wheels, yet he grinned with his toothless mouth, as if he had completed a great task.

Everyone's face was filled with excitement and curiosity, as if what they saw was not just a train, but hope leading to the future.

Li Ling stood in front of the train window, waving to the people along the line.

He saw some farmers put down their farm tools and take off their hats in salute to the train; he saw merchants pause their peddling and stretch their necks to look; he saw children chasing after the train, their short legs stumbling on the ridges, falling down and climbing back up to continue chasing, shouting "Iron Dragon, Iron Dragon," their voices swallowed by the steam whistle and sent back again by the wind.

A warm current surged in his heart, but soon, the seeds of alertness also began to sprout.

"System," Li Ling said in his heart, "This railway gives us unprecedented mobility, but at the same time, it has become a target for potential enemies."

"If someone blows up key bridges or tunnels, our north-south traffic will be cut off."

"Especially the Yellow River railway bridge; once blown up, the material transport for the entire North China region will be paralyzed for at least three months."

"We need a specialized railway protection force."

The system's voice sounded in his mind: "Host, the system suggests immediately establishing a 'Railway Corps' responsible for patrolling, maintaining, and defending the railway line."

"It can be equipped with light armored trains and sentry posts along the line, with twenty-four-hour uninterrupted patrols."

"At the same time, the Production Base can produce a specialized railway flatcar to carry anti-aircraft guns and Heavy Machine Gun for air and ground defense."

"In addition, the system suggests setting up concrete bunkers at both ends of bridges, equipped with searchlights and duty telephones to achieve rapid response."

"Armored trains?" Li Ling's eyes lit up, "That's a good idea."

"Let the Production Base design and produce a batch of armored trains as quickly as possible, each equipped with two 75mm field guns and four Heavy Machine Gun, plus bulletproof steel plates and watchtowers."

"In addition, establish permanent sentry posts near key bridges and tunnels, garrisoned by a platoon of troops, equipped with double guards and night searchlights."

"Also, set up a signal station every ten kilometers along the line to ensure that abnormalities can be reported immediately."

That afternoon, the train arrived in Jinhai.

On the pier, gongs and drums were deafening, and the welcoming crowd filled half the port.

Li Ling stepped off the train and shook hands with the welcoming citizens and officials.

He noticed a few foreigners in suits among the crowd, holding cameras and taking pictures, their eyes filled with scrutiny and assessment—their expressions were complex; some were shocked by the construction speed of the Tang Country's infrastructure, while others revealed vigilance and uneasiness.

One of them was wearing a long trench coat with the brim of his hat pressed very low, but his hand holding the camera was very steady, not like an ordinary reporter—Li Ling took another look at him and memorized that face in his heart.

Li Ling ignored them and walked straight to the newly built large cargo terminal at Jinhai Port.

On the dock, several giant ships were loading and unloading cargo, and huge tower cranes were hoisting crates of steel, machinery, and grain up and down.

One of the giant ships caught Li Ling's attention—it was a 30,000-ton ocean-going freighter just delivered by the German Empire, loaded with special steel and precision machine tools from Europe.

The dock workers were as busy as ants, some operating cranes, some directing hoisting, and some pushing handcarts shuttling between the ships and warehouses, with shouts rising one after another.

"Your Majesty," the person in charge of the Jinhai Port Authority came up and reported excitedly, "After the railway opened, the freight time from Jinling to Jinhai was shortened from the original five days to less than one day!"

"The speed of material circulation between North China and East China has doubled, and the port throughput has increased by thirty percent in one month!"

"Last month alone, more than 50,000 tons of goods were transported directly to the port by rail for loading and export, and the trade volume increased by nearly fifty percent!"

Li Ling nodded and cast his gaze toward the fishing boat fleet returning on the distant horizon: "Tell all relevant departments that the opening of the railway is just the first step."

"Next, we must build a branch network to extend the railway to every county and major town."

"At the same time, the port must also be expanded so that 10,000-ton giant ships can dock directly."

"Within three years, the throughput of Jinhai Port must double."

Just then, a staff officer walked over quickly and whispered: "Your Majesty, the intelligence department reports that a group of suspicious persons, disguised as merchants, are operating in the upstream area of the railway."

"Preliminary judgment is that they may be spies from Meijian Country or the UK, preparing to conduct reconnaissance on the railway bridges."

"The Special Forces have locked onto three of the suspects—they had been lingering near the Yellow River railway bridge, observing the bridge pier structure with binoculars, and even drew schematic diagrams."

"Should we arrest them immediately?"

Li Ling's expression did not change in the slightest, but his voice turned cold: "Arrest them."

"Do not alert the enemy; do it quietly, and interrogate them thoroughly before taking action."

"The railway is the artery of the country and cannot be sabotaged by anyone."

"Dig out the mastermind behind them, as well as whether there are other lurking accomplices."

Late that night, in a dilapidated teahouse in the west of Jinhai, Commander Zhao Tieshan personally led a team to quietly take control of the three spies who had been lurking for many days.

They were hooded, stuffed into an unmarked carriage, and driven into the night toward a secret interrogation room outside the city.

One of them tried to resist, but Commander Zhao Tieshan dislocated his wrist joint with a crisp and neat capture technique, and after a muffled groan, he stopped moving.

The interrogation lasted all night.

Through repeated cross-referencing of confessions and clues, the intelligence department confirmed that they were acting under the instructions of the Meijian Country embassy in China, and their target was indeed the Jinhai railway bridge.

They also confessed to five other planned reconnaissance targets, including the Yellow River railway bridge and drawing collection tasks for several key tunnels.

When Li Ling received the report in the Imperial Study, it was not yet dawn.

He put down his teacup, his eyes cold: "Compile the interrogation records and hand them over to the diplomatic department early tomorrow morning."

"The Meijian Country envoy needs to know that the Tang Country's railway is not something they can casually plot against."

He paused, then added, "In addition, have the Railway Corps enter a state of combat readiness in advance and strengthen patrols on those marked targets."

Outside the window, the morning light appeared, and the lighthouse of Jinhai Port flickered in the twilight.

The tracks in the distance extended toward the horizon, like a silver dragon coiled on the earth.

And Li Ling knew that this dragon must be guarded day and night to stand firm in the flames of war.

He stood in front of the window, watching the first ray of sunlight shine on the steel rails, reflecting a dazzling silver line that extended to the end of the field of vision.

There, was the northern border of the Tang Country.

And further away, new undercurrents were quietly surging.