Chapter 56: The Train Like a Holy Relic

Inside the grand hall of the Taiji Palace.

Li Shimin had decided to let Li Chengqian demonstrate his creation so that all the ministers would be utterly convinced.

This was a presentation specially arranged by Li Shimin for Li Chengqian, intended to let the Crown Prince shine brilliantly.

Of course, Li Shimin harbored another vision as well: through this endeavor, he hoped the Great Tang Empire would undergo a complete and thorough transformation, marching into the future with a completely new face.

Li Shimin knew that Li Chengqian had been preparing for this day for a very long time.

After finishing his opening remarks, Li Chengqian glanced beside him and exchanged a meaningful look with Yang Jiguang.

Yang Jiguang understood instantly. With a swift wave of his hand, two imperial guards stepped forward carrying a large wooden crate.

"Open the crate," Li Chengqian said slowly, gazing at the box beside the guards.

"Yes, Your Royal Highness," the guards acknowledged, quickly setting to work on the latch.

Once opened, the guards swiftly began assembling the contents. Before long, they pieced together the shape of a small vehicle along with a strange path that none of the assembled officials had ever seen before.

This was no ordinary path; it consisted of two parallel iron rails. Naturally, the ministers had no concept of railroad tracks; to them, it simply looked like two iron bars laid out flat upon the ground.

The officials stared in utter bewilderment, completely failing to comprehend what they were looking at, let alone what Li Chengqian was trying to accomplish.

They were entirely clueless. Without even understanding the basics, making any sense of it was utterly out of the question.

Under Li Chengqian's direction, the guards finished assembling the miniature train and securing the tracks in no time at all.

"Load the fuel, check the vehicle's condition, and prepare for startup," Li Chengqian nodded, looking quite satisfied with the guards' efficiency.

"Yes, Your Royal Highness!" Following his orders, the men sprang into action.

For them, this was second nature. Having practiced it countless times down below, the process was already deeply ingrained in their minds.

How could they not be familiar with something they had done so often?

Moments later, the train began to churn to life.

*Screeech...*

As the fuel ignited, the little train rapidly sprang into motion along the tracks.

Its starting speed was modest, but as it accelerated, it moved faster and faster.

The courtiers hurried forward one by one to observe closely, yet their eyes spun in dazzled confusion. They simply could not fathom how a carriage operated by neither human hands nor draft horses could move entirely on its own.

The sheer shock of it left them utterly astonished and bewildered, a spectacle beyond their wildest imaginations.

"Your Majesty, is this carriage thing actually a vehicle?" Cheng Yaojin lumbered over, sticking out his potbelly.

"What do you think? Of course it is," Li Shimin chuckled.

"But how can this carriage run by itself without any horses to pull it? It's simply unimaginable, utterly miraculous!" Cheng Yaojin found the whole thing mind-boggling, completely unable to grasp how a carriage could move under its own power just like a living horse.

"A warhorse can pull carriages and carry people because it feeds on fodder," Li Chengqian said, smiling warmly at the endearing simplicity of Cheng Yaojin as he pointed toward the burning charcoal. "My carriage moves because it feeds on fuel. Do you see that charcoal burning underneath?"

In truth, all of this was well within Li Chengqian's expectations. For this miniature train to run was entirely normal, completely without flaw.

Compared to a full-sized locomotive, this little train was remarkably simple.

In principle, both big and small trains operated on the exact same logic. The only difference was that a full-scale locomotive involved much more complex procedures, required far more fuel, demanded finer engineering steps, and needed superior fuel quality to maintain continuous propulsion.

"This is fascinating! Your Royal Highness, this old minister has truly opened his eyes today. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine a carriage could drive itself without being pulled by horses," Cheng Yaojin muttered, still wearing an expression of pure disbelief.

He genuinely had never anticipated such a trick; the display had utterly floored him.

What surprised him even more was the vehicle's speed—it was so fast that describing it as flying would hardly be an exaggeration.

To Cheng Yaojin, who had seen plenty of the world, this was entirely alien. In all his long years of living, he had never laid eyes on such a contraption. Today was truly a world-first.

Old Cheng’s potbelly puffed out even further as a grin stretched wide across his face, leaving him utterly unable to close his mouth in delight.

"Sage, this is impossible! How on earth can it run by itself?" Li Jing stepped forward as well, his face etched with a tapestry of questions.

Not just him, but Changsun Wuji and the others as well experienced a sharp constriction of their pupils, utterly incapable of believing the sight before their eyes.

It was too incredible, completely baffling, and logically impossible.

Even if driven by charging warhorses, such a pace was unattainable.

At that moment, every single minister's brain had effectively short-circuited.

Only the Heavenly Khagan, Li Shimin, maintained his composure.

This was simply because Li Shimin had witnessed the train beforehand; otherwise, his expression would have mirrored theirs—completely clueless, deeming the feat impossible, yet watching Li Chengqian pull it off nonetheless.

Such capability possessed by Li Chengqian was something none of the ministers could ever hope to replicate, even if they all pooled their efforts together.

This was the absolute, crushing power of science.

"Chengqian, bring the vehicle to a halt and introduce it to everyone," Li Shimin said with an amused smile as he watched the wide-eyed stares of his courtiers.

"Yes, Father Emperor, your son obeys," Li Chengqian replied, casting a subtle glance at the guards.

The guards acknowledged instantly, reached out to manipulate a component on the train, and within moments, the vehicle behaved like a docile lamb, coming to a complete stop.

This sight stunned the onlookers even further. They found it harder than ever to believe—not even a trained warhorse could halt its momentum so abruptly.

Clueless as to how Li Chengqian had achieved this, they stared with unblinking eyes, fixing their gazes intently upon the Crown Prince and his miniature train without daring to look away for even a second.

"Honorable ministers, feast your eyes. This contraption is called a train. Its speed is phenomenal; once the technology matures, it can travel roughly one hundred kilometers per hour," Li Chengqian explained, gesturing toward the miniature locomotive.

"What? One hundred kilometers in a single hour? If it runs for six or seven hours a day, wouldn't it cover six to seven hundred kilometers?" Cheng Yaojin’s eyes widened to the size of saucers, completely incredulous.

"Precisely, and I am being conservative," Li Chengqian continued. "Of course, this little toy has no practical utility; it is merely for demonstration. I intend to manufacture real trains—massive ones capable of carrying vast amounts of cargo, easily accommodating over two thousand soldiers, or up to three thousand if packed tightly."

Cheng Yaojin and the others crowded closer, hanging onto every single word for fear of missing even the most minor detail.

"Your Royal Highness, is the train you speak of anything like this one?" Li Jing asked eagerly.

The mention of transporting thousands of soldiers had instantly seized the undivided attention of Li Jing and the military commanders.

Their primary focus had always been the logistics of moving troops and provisions.

Historically, military campaigns were plagued by the immense difficulty of troop and supply transport—it was exhausting, labor-intensive, and frequently left their men battered and drained.

Especially now that Goguryeo remained defiant, armed with this invention, Li Jing and his generals could swiftly deploy an army right onto their doorstep for a surprise raid, beating Goguryeo so badly their own mother wouldn't recognize them.

At this juncture, every single person stared wide-eyed, resembling attentive students in a lecture hall; not a single mind wandered.

Seeing their eager expressions, Li Chengqian felt a deep sense of gratification. If one were to act as a teacher, this moment certainly brought a profound sense of accomplishment.

"Once this train is successfully developed and manufactured, it will not only transport soldiers but also grain, forage, and daily supplies. Bringing goods from distant regions to the capital will become swift, carrying massive quantities in a single trip," Li Chengqian slowly raised his head to elaborate further.

"Your Royal Highness, this subject must ask: exactly how much can it carry?" Changsun Wuji’s interest was instantly piqued.

Matters concerning the people's livelihood were naturally of greater concern to civil officials like Changsun Wuji.

"A single trip can carry one hundred tons—that is two hundred thousand catties of goods," Li Chengqian replied calmly, speaking with absolute ease.

"What? Your Royal Highness, a single haul can pull two hundred thousand catties while maintaining a speed of one hundred kilometers per hour?" Although Changsun Wuji had heard whispers of this from Li Shimin beforehand, he was still struck with fresh astonishment.

"Indeed. Once actual mass production and refinement take place, the speed and load capacity may very well increase further," Li Chengqian said dismissively, as if discussing nothing more than the weather.

"Your Royal Highness, surely this is impossible? If we relied on horses to haul such a weight, not only would the pace be sluggish, but it would require countless warhorses, wasting time and effort while forcing frequent rests along the journey," Changsun Wuji muttered, counting on his fingers as he mentally calculated the logistics.

"Naturally. The speed of horses and trains cannot be mentioned in the same breath, and the disparity in load capacity is even greater."

"Your Royal Highness, please elaborate further. What other capabilities does this train possess? This old minister finds himself increasingly fascinated; this train is simply too formidable!" Unable to contain his inner agitation, Changsun Wuji pressed on with more questions.

"This is a blueprint I drew. It details a section of the train—a very large, very long machine that requires a specialized fuel to operate. Moreover, these are merely plans; bringing them into actual execution will likely encounter a few hurdles," Li Chengqian said, retrieving a roll of paper from his robe and extending it forward.

Changsun Wuji eagerly scurried forward, receiving the blueprint with both hands before bowing his head to study it with intense concentration.

The diagrams on the paper were remarkably clear, with all crucial components labeled and annotated.

After examining it for a moment, Changsun Wuji turned pale with shock. He raised his head, looking at Li Chengqian in fervent excitement. "Your Royal Highness, this train is utterly astounding! However, this subject still has a few doubts."

With that, Changsun Wuji pointed urgently at a specific section of the blueprint, holding it up for Li Chengqian to see.

Li Chengqian took a single glance, understood immediately, and burst into hearty laughter.

The assembled ministers were left completely baffled, standing around in total confusion, not knowing what to make of it all...