Chapter 455: A Massive Demand for Manpower
“Prepare to ignite!”
Despite his youth, Bai Gongzi exuded confidence, his entire being vibrant and spirited.
From a distance, Madam Bai watched him, her heart swelling with pride for her son. Ever since he had dodged her "big smack," she hadn't laid a hand on him in years. Her boy was growing up; a mother could no longer rely on physical discipline. Now, Madam Bai often found herself taking a backseat to her son, feeling he understood more than she did, that he could see the future more clearly. She had transitioned from a “navigator” to a follower.
As Li Daoxuan observed Bai Gongzi from outside the box, he thought of him as representing "Gao Family Village's energetic new generation."
The older generation, limited by their inadequate early education, were inevitably bound by immense "feudal limitations." But the younger generation, perhaps, could break free from those constraints and find new life. The future truly belonged to them.
The steam engine on the train roared to life!
Two coal stokers, stripped to their powerful torsos, shoveled coal into the boiler.
“Whoosh!”
“Whoosh!”
When he was a child, Li Daoxuan's grandmother lived in Huangjueshu old village in Shuangqing City’s Beibei District. An old railway line ran near the village, and coal trains always thundered past their home. Every time he visited his grandmother, he would hear the true sound of a train whistle.
Alas, time spares no one. His grandmother passed away, Huangjueshu old street was demolished, and the old trains were phased out, their tracks abandoned.
As an adult, he rode light rails and high-speed trains. It had been years since he'd heard the sound of a real train whistle. The electric toy trains in scenic parks all had simulated whistles, weak and utterly fake.
Now, hearing the genuine, resonant whistle brought tears to his eyes.
The little train began to move!
“It’s moving! It’s moving!”
“It’s really moving.”
The onlookers shouted excitedly, “Such a massive iron vehicle, weighing hundreds of thousands of pounds, yet it moves just by boiling water!”
Madam Bai screamed ecstatically, “My son succeeded! Hahaha, my son succeeded!... Girls, shout it out!”
The girls she had hired began to scatter colorful confetti, chanting, “General Bai is mighty!”
“General Bai is awe-inspiring!”
“General Bai’s invention is amazing!”
Bai Gongzi gave the girls a look of distaste and couldn’t help but grumble, “What’s all this fuss about? Tossing paper everywhere like this? It’ll be a pain to clean up later.”
The small train began to pick up speed, rumbling forward along the tracks. Its pace was much slower than the electric toy train Li Daoxuan had previously placed, akin to the first historical trains, moving sluggishly at only eight kilometers per hour.
But this was enough. The mere fact that it moved signaled humanity’s entry into a new era.
Li Daoxuan was overjoyed. He picked up a gold bracelet he had prepared beforehand and snapped off a small golden ring.
He extended his hand and placed the golden ring before Bai Gongzi.
Inside the box, everyone gasped, realizing the Heavenly Lord had made his move.
A giant golden hand, holding a golden ring, descended. It didn’t take much thought to realize the ring was made of pure gold. Good heavens, a golden ring half the height of a man – how many ounces of gold must that be?
Gao Yiye declared loudly, “The Heavenly Lord commands: Bai Gongzi has made a significant invention beneficial to all humanity. He is heavily rewarded with a golden ring. Let everyone take Bai Gongzi as an example and make more great inventions in all fields in the future!”
The crowd cheered, “Congratulations, General Bai!”
Gao Yiye then turned to San Shier, “The Heavenly Lord commands: From today onwards, Gao Family Village will enter a mode of vigorous railway construction. Employ a large number of workers and build many railways to connect all our important locations. The Qichuan Ferry, especially, will be a major cargo hub in the future, so rail service must be established between the two places as soon as possible. As for the celestial toy trains bestowed by His Elder Self, they will be gradually recalled and will no longer be provided for mortal use.”
Upon hearing that the celestial toy trains would be recalled, there was a slight sigh of regret among the crowd.
However, this was largely expected, especially by the more educated individuals like San Shier, Bai Yuan, and Liang Shixian. They had long pondered this issue: while items from the celestial realm were wonderful, they were ultimately divine objects, not meant for mortals. Sooner or later, they would return to the heavens. The Heavenly Lord had been benevolent to allow them to be used for several years, and it was now their turn to strive to create replacements for these celestial artifacts.
Soon, Liang Shixian, San Shier, and Feng Jun huddled together.
Liang Shixian said, “The three of us need to discuss thoroughly who will be responsible for which section of the railway.”
Feng Jun wiped a nosebleed, a residual shock from the massive train’s movement, “My department doesn’t have many laborers. I’ll start by laying the thirty-li railway section from Heyang County to Qichuan Ferry.”
San Shier pondered for a moment, then smiled, “Fewer and fewer people in Gao Family Village are willing to do heavy road-laying work these days. I can’t spare too many hands for this, so I will be responsible for laying the railway from Gao Family Village to Heyang County.”
Liang Shixian added, “Then I will take responsibility for the railway from Chengcheng County to Gao Family Village. However, I’m also quite short on manpower.”
Everyone was short on workers now!
This was a very serious problem.
Whether in Gao Family Village itself, Chengcheng County, or Heyang County, large-scale construction was underway. Over the past few years, their endeavors had expanded, with work being done everywhere and people needed everywhere. The issue they faced was no longer a lack of materials, but a severe shortage of labor.
San Shier cast a sidelong glance, “Minister Liang, weren’t you busy ‘stealing’ people from Baishui County and Dali County a while ago? How many workers did you manage to get?”
Liang Shixian scratched his head, a little embarrassed, “Indeed, I brought in quite a number of people, but we discovered a massive iron ore deposit in Yaotou Town. All the people ‘stolen’ from Baishui County have been sent to dig in the iron mine, and the mine needs a tremendous amount of labor.”
Hearing him mention iron mining, no one dared to mock him. Everyone present had just been mentally calculating how much iron would be needed for hundreds of li of railway tracks. If they wanted to stop relying on the Heavenly Lord for iron and become self-sufficient, then the iron mine was of paramount importance.
The leaders couldn’t help but sigh, “Before, we thought there were too many people, impossible to feed. Now, we feel there are too few, not enough to use. This is truly...”
Gao Sanwa’s head popped out from nearby, “Thirty years east, thirty years west!”
Everyone chorused, “Don’t just blurt out proverbs randomly!”
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