Chapter 1199: Overture of Steel and Coal
After a long period of preheating, the modified 89-horsepower steam engine atop the locomotive finally began to emit wisps of white smoke.
The onlookers were no strangers to this sight—who living in Nancy hadn't seen a steam engine before?
However, when that steel behemoth trembled for the first time, the vibration sending the small insects clinging to the weeds beside the tracks into flight, the crowd immediately let out a chorus of gasps and instinctively scrambled backward.
The locomotive, emblazoned with the name "Future," shuddered again and released a piercing shriek. Then, pulling eight carriages behind it, it began to move slowly forward.
That massive iron frame radiated a terrifying power that seemed to strike directly at the souls of everyone present.
"Almighty God!" Father Veyna murmured, staring at the sparks flying from the train's funnel while his hands tightly gripped the silver cross on his chest. "Is this... could this be the fiery red horse from the Book of Revelation?"
A young man working at the ironworks nearby smiled and waved his hand. "No, no, Father. This is actually a type of vehicle powered by a steam engine..."
A nearby french fry vendor chimed in loudly, "I have a relative in Paris who says this is a monster with a copper stomach! He's even seen the blueprints!"
The ironworks lad rolled his eyes. "This is an industrial creation, not alchemy. It runs on coal. They say it can travel 800 kilometers in a single day."
"Good heavens, even the best horse carriage isn't that fast!"
"You're just bragging, kid. Look how slow it's going. It's slower than my family's cow..."
The woman speaking suddenly fell silent because the Future was steadily accelerating. Just a minute later, it was already matching the speed of a galloping horse.
Two children peeked out from under her skirt, their eyes filled with a mix of fear and curiosity as they watched the departing steel monster.
A man wearing a long black coat approached the young ironworker and asked, "Can this thing really travel 800 kilometers a day? I see it has carriages behind it. Do you know how much cargo it can haul?"
The young man shook his head; he was just an ordinary worker and didn't have much access to insider information.
"Probably thirty or forty tons, I'd wager," he guessed.
The man in the black coat immediately showed a look of wild joy, rubbing his hands together as he muttered to himself, 'Wonderful! This is truly a blessing from the Lord!'
He was a wine merchant. In the past, transporting wine from Bordeaux to Nancy cost almost two and a half times the price of the wine itself. But if they used this steel monster, they could transport 200 barrels to Nancy in just one day. And those were standard large tuns!
This meant the price of wine would inevitably plummet.
The number of people who could afford good wine would increase several times over. This was a massive business opportunity!
He was about to send his servant to inquire about the train's owner when his gaze fell upon the nearby iron rails. He frowned slightly and asked the young ironworker, "Do you know if they've built tracks in Bordeaux yet?"
The worker laughed. "Of course not, Monsieur. I heard it's only being built as far as Paris for now.
"I heard from the manager that building these things is incredibly expensive—over a hundred thousand francs per kilometer."
The wine merchant felt a flicker of disappointment. Paris to Nancy was only a third of the total distance he needed, which might only save him about a quarter of the costs per barrel.
Wait, his merchant instincts quickly sparked another thought. Since this machine's transport capacity was so high, many people would surely need it to move their goods in the future.
That meant the business of leasing trains would be incredibly lucrative, and the trains relied entirely on the rails.
Wouldn't investing in the construction of the railway itself yield massive profits?
He narrowed his eyes and beckoned his servant over, whispering instructions. "Vacherot, go at once and find out which gentleman is in charge of the railway construction."
More than an hour later, the Future came roaring back, emitting a piercing screech of brakes as it came to a steady halt in the middle of the weed-covered clearing.
Having been exposed to steam engines for years, the citizens of Nancy accepted this iron giant quite quickly. They began to cheer and move forward to surround it.
Just then, the locomotive let out a loud "hiss," venting a massive cloud of white steam from all sides, which sent the crowd screaming back in fright once again.
Joseph was extremely satisfied with the trial run. Although the Future was unloaded and had only reached a top speed of 28 kilometers per hour—this was merely a prototype, and the mechanical components still required significant adjustment—it was already far superior to the Rocket, the first truly practical train in history.
He exhaled deeply, his heart racing with excitement.
'From this moment on, France's Industrial Revolution has officially entered the fast lane. In the future, we will use the mighty power of steel and coal to leave all our competitors far behind!'
Trevithick and his assistant jumped down from the driver's cab. Before they could even wipe the coal dust from their faces, they were surrounded by dozens of reporters. "Monsieur Trevithick, how did you come up with the design for this machine?"
"Monsieur Designer, I am a reporter for the Nancy Morning Post. Please tell us about the features of this train..."
"Monsieur Designer, this was a truly successful demonstration. Do you have anything you'd like to say right now?"
Trevithick didn't hesitate to gesture toward the Crown Prince's entourage in the distance. "I merely unearthed a stone; it was His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, who carved it into a work of art."
Joseph had come to participate in the trial run specifically to increase the train's influence.
Seeing the swarm of reporters rushing over, he took the opportunity to bring along the manager of the Steam Locomotive Manufacturing Company, as well as Murdoch, Trevithick, and others, to hold a "press conference" and begin detailing the various characteristics of the train.
A high-investment piece of equipment like a train had to rely on a vast civilian market to quickly recoup capital and continuously expand new railway lines.
When the railway network spanned every corner of France, that would be the moment France ascended to the pinnacle of Europe!
It wasn't until five in the afternoon that Joseph finally boarded his carriage, passing through a path cleared with great effort by his guards through the dense crowd.
Three days later, just as he returned to the Palace of Versailles, he was met by the French Minister of Transportation, Pierre-Jérôme Trésaguet, who approached him with a look of pure joy. The minister gave a quick bow and said excitedly, "Your Highness, in the past two days, we have received a massive number of applications from people wishing to invest in railway construction. The total amount is nearing two million francs!"
Indeed, there were many investors just as shrewd as that wine merchant in Nancy. They were practically frantic, clutching bank drafts as they sought out the Steam Locomotive Manufacturing Company, demanding to invest in the railway.
The locomotive company had then forwarded these applications to the Ministry of Transport.
Joseph was somewhat surprised; he had originally thought it would take a month or two for the news to ferment.
He suddenly realized that the policies and regulations regarding the railway were severely lagging behind. This was a vital pillar of the nation; it couldn't simply be left to the Ministry of Transport to handle haphazardly.
He pondered for a moment before speaking. "First, the Ministry of Transport needs to establish a 'French National Railway Company'."
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