After only one night of preparation, Li Hanlu and her companions left Chang 'an City the next morning and went to Guangzhou in the south of the Tang dynasty to welcome Ang Lee back. Although they were not sure when Ang Lee would arrive, it was boring to stay at home. It would be good to go to Guangzhou and wait for a few more days.
"Sister, have you been to Guangzhou? I heard that the weather there is hot all year round and people don't need to wear cotton-padded clothes in winter. The people there have never seen snow. "
On the express train, Li Ya 'er asked curiously.
Li Hanlu shook her head and said, "It's so far south. Of course I haven't been there. But the climate there is true. It's warm and hot all year round. Of course, it won't snow."
Li Ya 'er said with a smile, "The people there are really unlucky. They can't see snow all year round. It's so boring. Without snow, they can't make a snowman. They haven't even made a snowman before. Hahaha!"
As he spoke, he began to laugh.
In Li Ya 'er's opinion, the most interesting activity in winter was to make a snowman. But the people in the south couldn't make a snowman all year round. Therefore, the most interesting activity in winter was missing.
"Humph, you only know how to make a snowman. You'll never grow up. The people in the south can't make a snowman, but there are also things we haven't seen in the south, such as dragon boat races, water-splashing festivals, and many other things we haven't seen."
Li Hanlu said with a smile.
Li Ya 'er suddenly became interested and said, "Sister, since we've come all the way here, shouldn't we see these things? I haven't seen dragon boat races and water-splashing festivals."
"You're being childish again. We're here to wait for our husband. Don't forget our business. These things are nothing compared with waiting for our husband."
Li Hanlu scolded her.
Li Ya 'er was embarrassed and nodded repeatedly. "Sister, you're so thoughtful. I almost forgot that the purpose of our trip is to wait for our husband. I really hope we can wait for our husband to come back soon."
"Don't worry! Our husband will come back safely. "
Li Hanlu said.
There were ten of them, and they were on a high-end express train. Of course, this express train was relative. It meant that the train was of a higher grade, and the facilities in the train were more complete. In addition, the train would only stop at the more important stops along the way. After replenishing their water and food, they would continue on their journey.
In fact, this express train was not as fast as the green train of the future. It was just much faster than the slower trucks and low-class trains. When necessary, some slow trains had to stop along the way to make way for the express train behind.
In addition, although the train was designed and developed by Ang Lee, and the internal structure was also determined by Ang Lee, a series of improvements were made to the express train according to the feedback of the dignitaries during the time when Ang Lee left the Tang Dynasty. For example, the original high-end private rooms were remodeled to make them more functional. Not only could they eat, drink, and go to the toilet separately, but there was also another ordinary outer suite for the servants and guards to live in.
Of course, depending on the grade of the train, some private rooms would take up an entire carriage, while others would only take up half a carriage or less. Of course, there were also private rooms designed by Li An that could accommodate four people per carriage, and even the worst of them could accommodate fifty people per carriage. Therefore, this kind of express train was not meant for half the passengers. Ordinary people would definitely choose the cheaper train.
Naturally, Li An's mansion did not lack money. Therefore, when Li Hanlu went out, she naturally chose a better compartment. However, because there were not too many people, only ten people, they chose a compartment that was half the size of the compartment. This compartment had four beds, tables, and chairs in the inner compartment, and eight beds in the outer compartment. There was also a washroom in both the inner and outer compartments, which was very convenient.
Because it was inconvenient for men and women to live together, Xiao Yin and Xiao Meng naturally accompanied them to live in the inner room, while two male servants and four guards lived in the outer room. In addition, the two empty beds could be put on some luggage, so it was very spacious.
In addition to a sliding door between the inner and outer rooms, there was also a small corridor. At the end of the corridor was a translucent curtain. After the curtain was lifted, one could see the inner room.
There were windows in both the inner and outer rooms, but the windows in the inner room were bigger, and the private room was brighter, while the outer room was slightly darker, and the environment and equipment were not as good as the inner room. In short, the difference was quite obvious, after all, the inner room was for the master to rest, and the outer room was for the servants, so of course, the configuration could not be the same.
In addition, the tickets for the private rooms were all unified. There was no such thing as buying a bed in a private room. If you wanted to buy, you had to buy the entire private room.
Because the facilities of the private rooms were more complete, the price was much more expensive than ordinary seats. For example, a carriage had fifty seats, and some large private rooms occupied an entire carriage. The equipment was even higher, so the price naturally exceeded that of a passenger with fifty ordinary seats, or even more than a hundred times.
In other words, a passenger who booked the most luxurious private room would have to pay a hundred times more than an ordinary passenger, or even more.
Of course, some people would think that if there were two hundred poor people, they would work together to book a large private room, and then all two hundred people would squeeze into this luxurious private room. In this way, they would be able to save a lot of money.
This idea was naturally too naive. Not to mention that the structure of the large private room could not accommodate two hundred people, even if it could, the management staff of the train would not allow it. Otherwise, if this group of poor people dirtied the luxurious private room, how would the dignitaries sit there in the future?
The large private room had more than twenty beds. In theory, it could accommodate more than thirty people. The extra servants had to buy extra tickets to go to the back. This was the rule. It was to protect the equipment of the carriage, and it was also to ensure the comfort of the dignitaries. Under normal circumstances, no one dared to violate this rule.
Because the journey was very long, it would take several days or even more than ten days to reach the destination. Therefore, the train must be provided with sufficient food and water. In other words, there must be a special dining car on the train.
As the express train of the highest level, it was not only equipped with a dining car, but also with two dining cars. The one in front was more expensive, and the one in the back was less expensive. Not only was it responsible for cooking, but half of the space was used to store various ingredients.
Because the food on the train was unique, and both dining cars belonged to the railway department. It was a monopoly operation, so the price was naturally higher. It was even more expensive than many high-end restaurants in Chang 'an City.
However, few people on the journey would eat and drink. It was enough as long as they could fill their stomachs. A person only needed a bowl of rice and a few side dishes for a meal. Even if the price was higher, they could afford it. If they were really afraid of spending money, they could bring their own dry food. No one stipulated that passengers could not bring their own food.
However, passengers who brought their own food could only eat in their own seats. They could not eat in the dining car, so as not to affect the business there.
"Madam, the food is ready."
Xiao Yin and Xiao Meng pushed a dining car into the inner room.
"Wow, so much. It's better than what we eat in the mansion. It must be very expensive!"
Li Ya 'er said excitedly.
Xiao Meng quickly replied, "It's free. These are all for you. If you need anything, they will deliver it immediately. The coach said that their Eunuch Yu has already told them that it's a blessing for the madams to be able to take the train of the railway department. Whoever dares to not serve you with all his heart will not be spared."
Li Hanlu chuckled and said, "Haha! Yu Chaoen is quite good at acting. My husband's care of him is not in vain. "
"Yu Chaoen? Is he that ugly eunuch?"
Li Ya 'er had seen Yu Chaoen in her mansion. Because he was too ugly, she remembered him at a glance.
"Ya 'er, don't talk nonsense. If Yu Chaoen's people hear you, it will be bad."
Li Hanlu hurriedly said.
"He is indeed a little too ugly. I'm telling the truth."
Li Ya 'er pouted like a child.
Li Hanlu smiled faintly. She did not know what to say.
In the sea of Malacca, Ang Lee's fleet had already docked. According to the previous plan, this was the last supply point for the fleet to return to Guangzhou. In other words, the fleet would not pass through other supply points after resupplying in Malacca. They would directly sail to Guangzhou.
The distance from Malacca to Guangzhou was still very far. If they wanted to arrive at Guangzhou in one go, they would need to sail for many days. Therefore, the supplies had to be in place to avoid running out of food and water on the way.
This was the first overseas prefecture that Ang Lee established after he went south. Because it was developed the earliest, the development results were also the highest. This made Ang Lee very satisfied.
"It's only been more than a year. This place has changed so much!"
Ang Lee said excitedly as he looked at the large port that used to be a dilapidated beach.
This was the new port that Ang Lee personally chose. After he left here, he gave the important task of building this port to his subordinates. Unexpectedly, this port was completed in just a year. Moreover, it had been in operation for a long time. Not only did it greatly facilitate the docking of merchant ships, but it also provided sufficient financial income for the Malacca region. It greatly reduced the financial pressure of the imperial court on building overseas prefectures, so that the imperial court could invest more money into strategic projects such as the canal of the Tang dynasty.
"I dare not claim credit. This is all thanks to Assistant Minister Li's design. I just followed the blueprint given by Assistant Minister Li and asked the craftsmen to work accordingly. I really dare not claim credit."
His subordinate said modestly.
The more modest Ang Lee was, the happier he was. He was very satisfied with his subordinate's strict implementation of his design. Ang Lee patted his subordinate's shoulder and said, "You did very well. I will return to the imperial court soon. I will definitely ask for credit for you. Continue to work hard. You can do even better."
"Yes, I will continue to work hard. I will not disappoint Assistant Minister Li's cultivation."
His subordinate expressed his attitude very excitedly.
Ang Lee looked at the large number of merchant ships in the port. He was naturally in a very good mood. After a pause, he asked with concern, "How's the situation with the pirates? It's been a year. Are there any pirates robbing merchant ships nearby? Tell me the truth. "
The subordinate was stunned for a moment and then said, "Assistant Minister Li, most of the pirates have been wiped out by you, and the remaining ones can't cause much trouble. They can only occasionally rob small merchant ships that are alone. Our Tang navy has taken the initiative to attack many times. In more than a year, we have sunk more than 50 pirate boats and captured 126 pirates. The number of pirates who have drowned is estimated to be more than 100. Now, the traces of the pirates have become more and more difficult to find. I'm afraid that we have to travel a thousand miles to the east of Heling Country to find the traces of the pirates."
Ang Lee was naturally very happy when he heard this. He smiled and said, "These pirates are really disappointing! They were eliminated so easily. I originally wanted to practice, but now I don't have to. Hahaha! "
"Yes, yes, yes."
His subordinate echoed.
Because Malacca was the last supply point to return to the mainland of the Tang dynasty, they naturally had to rest for a few more days to replenish all the food and fresh water resources.
During these days in the port, Ang Lee naturally couldn't stay idle. This was the overseas territory of the Tang dynasty that he created himself. Although his subordinates were busy with many construction plans, Ang Lee still had to inspect and show some concern to boost morale. At the same time, he also wanted to see their results.
Along the way, Ang Lee became more and more satisfied. After all, the later the place they arrived, the longer the construction time, and the construction results were naturally the greatest. It was very satisfying.
The existence of the Tang dynasty's navy made the pirates in the Malacca Sea completely lose their courage. Most of the pirates changed professions, and the remaining die-hard pirates ran to the east of the Malacca Strait to try their luck. Although they wouldn't encounter the Tang dynasty's navy there, there was also no profit to be made there. After all, the population in the east of the Haling Strait was small, and the market was not so big. The commercial benefits were too small. The merchants of the Tang dynasty wouldn't risk being robbed by pirates for such small commercial benefits. Only some bold merchants in the Haling Strait dared to try their luck. If they were lucky, they might be able to escape the pirates' robbery and gain some commercial benefits for themselves.
Although there were almost no traces of pirates in the Malacca Sea, the existence of the Tang dynasty's navy here could not be changed. If the Tang dynasty's navy was transferred back to the mainland because there were no pirates in Malacca Sea, the distant pirates were likely to come back again. At that time, it would cause great losses to the Silk Road of the Tang dynasty. Therefore, the navy couldn't be transferred away just because there was no need for it at present. They had to be prepared at all times to prevent the pirates from running rampant again.
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