A few days later, Li Jie arranged everything and then accompanied Zhu Di to board the train again. When they arrived in Taijin, a steam boat had been waiting in the port. Compared to the train that only had one, there were already seven or eight steam boats, mainly to attract people and facilitate transportation between the north and the south.

Zhu Di boarded a steamboat for the first time and was very curious about the things on the boat, so Li Jie acted as a guide and took him to visit the inside and out of the boat, especially the power chamber inside, which was the focus of the visit. Zhu Di even shoveled a few shovels of coal and threw them into the stove with great enthusiasm.

After the steamship started, Zhu Di and Li Jie came to the bow of the boat. The oncoming sea breeze made the two of them rush in their clothes. Zhu Di felt the unparalleled speed of the steamship and couldn't help but feel a little excited.

"Li Jie, if you use this kind of steamboat, would it be much faster from the Ming Dynasty to America?" Zhu Di suddenly asked Li Jie. The steamboat under his feet was very fast, far exceeding that of ordinary sailboats, so he had been considering this issue for a long time.

"That's of course. If the steamboat moves forward at full speed and maintains such a speed all the way, it may only take more than ten days to reach the Americas from the Ming Dynasty. Of course, in reality, the steamboat will definitely not maintain the highest speed all the time, so it is more conservative to estimate that it may take a month to reach the Americas." Li Jie analyzed.

"One month is fast enough. After all, it took a month to get from Beijing to Nanjing, and it took at least three months to go from the Ming Dynasty to the Americas!" Zhu Di couldn't help but shouted in surprise when he heard this.

For Zhu Di, a month has already satisfied him. After all, this time is neither long nor short, and it can completely strengthen the connection between the Americas and the Ming Dynasty, so that he can get support from the Ming Dynasty more timely, which is particularly important.

"Uncle Fourth, don't be too happy too early. Steamboats have another disadvantage, that is, they need supplies from the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, if you use steamboats to cross the Pacific Ocean, you will not be able to take the route from Japan at that time. Instead, you need to choose a new route and establish sufficient supply points along the way so that the steamboat can reach America smoothly." Li Jie said at this time and reminded.

"This is a problem, but it is not impossible to solve it. It is just taking some time and energy to explore a new route. As long as the steamboat can be used, this investment is completely worth it!" Zhu Di said proudly with a wave of his hand.

"I feel relieved if I have this determination, but you must prepare for this matter in advance, otherwise even if you have a steamboat in your hand, the range of use will be limited!" Li Jie smiled again.

"Don't worry, I'll ask someone to prepare immediately when I go back. However, before that, I should also understand the situation of the steamboat, and it's best to bring one back, so that the people under my command will know why they need to prepare." Zhu Di replied immediately.

Li Jie nodded in agreement when he heard this. If Zhu Di wants to explore new routes and establish a supply point on the route, he must understand some characteristics of the steamship, such as the number of supplies required, the maximum range of the ship, etc. If he does not know these, the route will be completely unavailable.

In the next few days, Li Jie and Zhu Di headed south by steamboat and finally arrived at Songjiang Port a few days later. As a new large port in the south, it was also a busy scene. The port was full of various buildings being built everywhere. The prosperous port also attracted a large number of people to come here to make a living. The prototype of a big city has appeared on this land.

"Songjiang Mansion, I remember that I had passed by here. At that time, I only remember that it was a mud flat. I didn't expect that it would become a large port that is not inferior to Taijin after only a decade!" Zhu Di looked at the busy port in front of him, and then couldn't help but sigh.

"Yes, but although it seems that this place is not as good as Taijin now, I believe that its potential is much greater than that of Taijin. In the future, a big city may even appear here that is not inferior to that of the capital." Li Jie pointed to the city behind the port and introduced that in the future, this place is the economic center of the entire China and the top ten metropolis in the world.

"Really, can this place be compared with the capital?" Zhu Di looked at the port city in front of him and showed a look of suspicion. You should know that Songjiang in front of him is worse than Taijin. Although Taijin is developing very fast, it is far from comparable to the capital.

"Of course it's true. In fact, you should be able to understand the fourth uncle. For example, when you were in Goryeo, you were staying in Kaicheng, but why did you go to Jeju City later? It's because it is a port city. With the development of maritime trade, port city will become more and more important!" Li Jie simply took Zhu Di as an example himself.

The era in which Li Jie lived was a critical period when land power shifted to sea power. In the past, big cities, such as Chang'an, Luoyang, etc., were all inland cities, but with the prosperity of sea power and the decline of land power, coastal cities will surely flourish. For example, some big cities in later generations were mostly located in coastal areas, which is why.

Zhu Di nodded in agreement when he heard Li Jie's words. The current Jeju Port has indeed surpassed Kaicheng in some aspects. If the same happens on the Ming Dynasty, it is not impossible for a port city to surpass the capital in the future.

At this time, the steamship finally stopped. As a new type of ship, the steamship has its own special berth, which is different from a sailing ship, because the steamship needs a large amount of fuel and fresh water. In addition, special people need to inspect and check for possible faults every time they dock.

Li Jie and Zhu Di got off the boat together, and someone came to greet him immediately at the dock. Li Jie also knew this person. The other party was named Wang Fu, and he was one of Xie Jin's most proud disciples. He had participated in the development of the steamship with Xie Jin.

"Wang Fu will meet the prince-consort!" The young Wang Fu quickly stepped forward and saluted Li Jie, but he did not know Zhu Di beside Li Jie, nor did he know that the other party was the famous King of Yan.

"No need to be polite. Is it your responsibility for the steam shipyard in Songjiang?" Li Jie asked with a kind smile when he saw Wang Fu. He did not introduce Zhu Di's identity. In fact, Zhu Di did not speak out when he returned to the Ming Dynasty this time. This time he came to Songjiang to hide his identity, so as not to arouse speculation from outsiders.

"That's right, the teacher went to Beijing, and we young people were responsible for Nanjing. I am quite familiar with steamboats, so I came to Songjiang to supervise the construction of the shipyard." Wang Fu replied immediately.
Chapter completed!