Chapter 826 - 58: A Time of Change, Pioneering for Kyushu

This city symbolizes the fusion of grassland and agrarian civilizations, and it has also become a frontline for the empire’s strategy in further northern territories.

In the West River Corridor—

Supported by the Western Capital Henan Province, Anxi New City guards the crucial entrance.

It has rebuilt and expanded the relay station system of the ancient Silk Road, equipped with more complete warehousing, depots, and protective forces.

Thanks to the Great Song’s strong national power and partial diversion of sea transport, land trade here has not declined; rather, it has thrived due to orderly conduct and reliable security.

Caravans from the Western Regions bring jade, spices, and fine horses, taking away more exquisite and competitively priced Song Kingdom porcelain, silk, and books.

A branch of the Gu Academy is set up here.

It focuses on research related to Western Regions’ language, geography, species, and attempts to further optimize and promote the cultivation techniques of crops like cotton, radiating to surrounding areas.

On the Liaodong Peninsula—

Relying on increasingly prosperous sea transport, New City in Jinzhou is built near a favorable port.

Not only is this place a vital base for Great Song’s navy to control the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea, but it’s also one of the core ports for Liaodong’s maritime transport.

Silver, fine materials, and ginseng from Japan land here, and handicrafts, books from Kyushu, and even academic thoughts from Gu Academy spread outward from here.

Meanwhile, Liaodong’s abundant local resources like timber and minerals start being systematically mined and supplied via maritime transport to southern coastal workshops.

On the southwestern borders—

With the court steadily promoting the policy of integrating local lands, Zhen Nan New City has now become the center for education and governance in the southwest.

Officials appointed by the court and students from Gu Academy work together on water conservancy projects, promote advanced farming techniques from the Central Plains, establish medical halls, and disseminate culture.

The formerly independent and often conflicting tribal chieftainships have begun accelerating integration into the imperial system under increasingly close economic and cultural ties and the court’s energetic policy of gentle persuasion.

The rise of these new cities is not an isolated phenomenon.

Through an increasingly perfected official road and post system, busy inland river transport, and ever-expanding maritime routes, they are tightly linked with the Four Capitals and the empire’s hinterland, forming an unprecedentedly large and orderly economic and cultural network.

This is indeed an exhibition of the Four Capitals system’s effect.

When a country’s economy is truly flourishing, and there are no rivals from all directions.

The areas affected by each system become key.

And this is exactly the current Great Song.

If it weren’t for these Four Capitals, no matter how strong Great Song is, it couldn’t possibly develop to its current state; after all, the transmission speed of information plays a crucial role here.

Only in this way can this era become so extraordinary.

...

Hebei, Julu.

——Unlike the atmosphere throughout the world.

Although the entire world is continuously advancing, Julu remains so peaceful.

Of course, this does not mean Julu is stagnant and shows no progress.

On the contrary.

Being the cultural core of all Kyushu, the changes in Julu are the most significant in Kyushu; whether it’s various inventions or the application of new technologies, they almost all flow out from Julu to the world.

This peace only exists because of the hearts of the people.

This is Julu.

In times of turmoil, Julu remains peaceful;

In times of governance, everything is as it was.

With records from the Gu Clan spanning a millennium, the spirit of this land has transcended the ordinary in many respects, and both the common folks and officials have their beliefs and convictions.

To put it another way—

This is not the Gu Clan’s Julu, but the Julu belonging to all of its people.

At this moment, in a workshop deep within the Observing Things Institute of Gu Academy.

The air is sweltering, filled with the unique smell of burning coal and the scorching scent of metal.

Gu Qi and a dozen carefully selected disciples stand silently, their eyes fixed intently on the "Fire Steam Engine" in the center, which has gone through countless modifications and now looks quite different from its original form.

This machine still uses a copper boiler as its core, but its structure is much more complex.

The critical improvement lies in their partial solution to the persistent issue of steam leakage.

They did not find any miraculous material, but after numerous failures, a disciple inspired by woodworking joints proposed a method of "multi-layer dislocation sealing"—layering materials with different hardness and heat resistance, applying uniform pressure with large external bolts, to forcibly suppress leakage to unprecedented low levels.

More importantly, it also includes a clever "slide valve" concept.

Gu Qi and the disciples spent months painstakingly crafting copper slide valves and valve seats, which though still susceptible to wear, can now achieve preliminary precise control over the steam entering and exiting the cylinder.

"Ignite," Gu Qi’s voice is calm, yet carries a subtle hint of tension.

The furnace ignites, and the bellows begin to work rhythmically.

As time slowly passes during the wait, a familiar low hum starts from within the copper boiler, and everyone’s gaze is fixed on the heavy beam connecting the piston in the cylinder.

"The pressure is sufficient!" The disciple in charge of monitoring the mercury column calls out quietly.

Gu Qi takes a deep breath and personally moves the lever controlling the slide valve slowly.

"Hiss—Clack—"

A sound unlike any previous, sharper and crisper, echoes as steam erupts.

Immediately, that heavy beam no longer moves hesitantly and jerkily as before, but begins to move with an unprecedentedly steady and stable rhythm!