Chapter 30

The sound of puffing and chugging began as the first carriage was pulled by the small locomotive towards the railway bridge. With a screeching sound of metal clashing, the bridge seemed to sway slightly. It appeared that even a single carriage and the locomotive exerted a tremendous pressure on the railway bridge. At a swaying speed, the small locomotive pulled the carriages one by one, only one at a time, at a speed not exceeding 5 kilometers per hour, slower than a brisk walk. It was truly backward.

Yang Yuanzhao smiled bitterly. The industrialization of China was a long and arduous journey. Reality had given him a clear lesson. Even with the opening of the country and the Self-Strengthening Movement, modern China was still poor and backward. To change this, a dual approach was necessary.

After waiting for about an hour, the six carriages in front had all passed, and it was finally their turn. The small locomotive pulled a single carriage, swaying as it approached the Yellow River railway bridge. Standing in the carriage, Yang Yuanzhao's gaze never left the steel beams. The thick steel bars looked good, but inside, they were riddled with rust spots and even some fractures. Who knew how this Yellow River railway bridge managed to stand here.

"Yuanzhao, do you still feel it's slow? Be content. I remember it took almost an hour to cross the river by ferry when I went to Kaifeng three years ago. This took only three or four hours, which is quite fast!"

Seeing Feng Yuxiang's expression of reflection, Yang Yuanzhao felt a sense of resentment. Did he have to tell him that in the future, dozens of railway bridges spanned the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers, and not only high-speed trains but even ordinary trains could cross in just a few minutes? The construction of the Gezhouba and Three Gorges Dams on the Yangtze River had created a world-renowned achievement, a historic moment for the Chinese nation. But now, these great projects no longer existed.

These thoughts could only be kept in his heart. It took about half an hour for a single carriage to pass. On the somewhat unstable railway bridge, the swaying was like sitting in a sedan chair. Yang Yuanzhao watched the river below out of boredom.

The Yellow River, with its yellow hue, was its main characteristic. The somewhat dirty-looking water surged downstream, carrying countless sediments to Shandong, forming many alluvial plains. In the future, when he went to Zhengzhou for competitions, the Yellow River Valley was a place he often visited. The barbecue and snacks there were exceptional. The only discomfort was the yellow water. The Yellow River, with its inherent yellow color, was its feature. Looking at the surging Yellow River below, it was much clearer compared to the future.

Managing the Yellow River had always been one of the most important tasks in Chinese society. After the Song Dynasty, the Yellow River began to wreak havoc. During the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, the Yellow River's floods were a major concern. Despite significant investment over the years, the Yellow River was never fully controlled because the root cause was not identified.

The fundamental cause of the Yellow River's floods was not the water but the sediment. Managing the Yellow River meant managing the sediment. Only by controlling soil erosion on the Loess Plateau could the Yellow River's bed stop rising and prevent it from becoming a terrifying above-ground river. Now, he was in Baotou, where the Yellow River made a turn. If he had the opportunity, he would address the Yellow River's issues at the source to prevent it from causing further harm.

It took three hours for all the carriages to pass. When night finally fell, they finally crossed the Yellow River. This was the last train of the day. The quality of the Yellow River Bridge meant it could not be used at night, so the bridge was closed when night fell. They just managed to make it in time; otherwise, they would have had to stay at a small station by the Yellow River for the night.

After crossing the Yellow River, Zhengzhou was not far, only a few dozen kilometers away. The train's speed increased significantly and arrived in Zhengzhou around 10 PM.

This was Yang Yuanzhao's first visit to Zhengzhou in 1908. This Zhengzhou was not the provincial capital of a populous province in the future or the largest railway marshalling yard in Asia. His first impression of Zhengzhou was that it was small and dilapidated. As a new transportation city developed along the Pinghan Railway, Zhengzhou had only been built for a few years. The late Qing government had no proper urban planning; they only established a few government offices and put up some signs. Even the railway station was built by the railway department. The convenient transportation allowed Zhengzhou to develop rapidly in the two years after the railway was built, but rapid development also led to a large number of shantytowns, with dilapidated houses and citizens with blank expressions and dirty faces, a vivid historical picture of old China.

"Brother Yuanzhao, we need to go on official business. I will come to Shanghai to find you in at most seven days!"

"Alright, I'll wait for you for a week!"

Waving goodbye to Feng Yuxiang and his group, Yang Yuanzhao turned to return to the carriage. Uncle Guang, who had appeared behind him, said, "Young masters, Zhengzhou is a major station, and many people have disembarked. I managed to get two first-class tickets. Would you like to rest?"

"First-class tickets?" After continuous travel, Yang Yuanzhao was somewhat tired. The second-class seats were spacious but not suitable for sleeping. For a journey that could last two or three days, it was not a good choice to endure. Besides, the tickets were already bought. Following Uncle Guang, he went to the sleeper carriage, completed the ticket exchange, and fell asleep.