Ten days later, Li Longji and the others arrived at the entrance of Pengli Lake. Along the way, they saw several fleets returning to Bohai Sea and hot air balloons flying away.
The matter was almost over. People from all over the world couldn't stay in one place forever, especially in Bohai Sea. This time, Japan was involved. If the gunboats didn't go back, people would think that Tang wasn't angry with them, and things would get worse in the future.
Apart from Gao Lishi, Empress Wang, Wu Huifei, Pan 'er, and Wang Ju followed Li Longji. He wasn't an official in Hangzhou. He had skipped work and returned home.
In the past, he had a good relationship with Li Longji. Now that the past was in the past, he naturally had to follow Li Longji. As for his official position, he wasn't in a hurry. He would arrange it when he returned to the capital.
He left the main meeting of the Fishing Association in Hangzhou to someone else. He also brought many fishing enthusiasts with him on the other ships. He said that he would take them to Lu Zhou to see the difference between the sea there and the sea in Jiangnan and whether fishing was the same.
To put it bluntly, he didn't want to give up the power in his hands. Although he was just a fishing enthusiast, those who could join the association were all rich people, except for those who were good at fishing and who were here for money.
If he controlled these people, it would be easier for him to communicate with Tang in the future. According to his grandson, he wanted to develop the Fishing Association into an international organization.
Not only did he want to fish in Tang, but he also wanted to fish in the places where the army would attack in the future under the premise of protection. He wanted to use the Fishing Association as a huge force to manage.
Wang Ju wasn't stupid at all. He immediately understood what his grandson was planning.
It might not be difficult for the army to attack with the support of advanced weapons, but the difficult part was how to occupy the place. It was impossible to let the locals occupy the place. What if they were not close to Tang in the future?
The best way was to move the people in the places where the war was over to Tang and send the people there. If the Zhang Family and the Wang Family and the Imperial Court were to pay for it, it would be too expensive.
If he followed the Angling Association there, he would be able to get more fish that the Great Tang didn't have. He could bring them back and sell them for more money. Then, he would be able to attract the members to find ways to get people to occupy space there.
At the same time, it could promote the construction of roads and increase the speed of travel, so that the colonization period would not be too long. If the Great Tang in the past wanted to become independent, they would not be able to send soldiers over in a short amount of time, and they would have to switch back every few years.
"The future is still too far away. I don't know if I'll be able to see that day." Wang Ju sighed as she thought about the future.
He was sitting with Li Longji on the highest floor of the ship, looking at the scenery. Li Longji heard what he said and asked, "What is it, Longji?"
"Your Majesty, it is this subject who has thought about how, in the future, when the Great Tang occupies more land, it will be easier for soldiers to deploy. However, it will be difficult for the common people to move about in the land that they occupy, and it will be inconvenient for them to manage the land. The regional commanders will also be in danger of not obeying orders. This is truly difficult."
Wang Ju shook his head and continued to sigh.
Li Longji and Weiwei were taken aback. Then, they laughed and said, "You worry too much, Your Majesty. This is not a difficult matter. It's just a matter of building roads. Once the roads are built, you'll understand. The train is very fast. In the future, wherever the roads are built, the Great Tang can no longer send officials to punish them. That's not a punishment, it's a blessing."
Gao Lishi smiled and said, "You're right, Your Majesty. Lu Zhou is the place where the officials are sent. Now, the imperial court has stopped sending people to Lu Zhou. Once they are sent, the officials who are sent to Lu Zhou will take the ship directly to Lu Zhou. Their families are very happy, and they're waiting for the railway to be built. The land route will do as well.
"Yes, Lu Zhou is good. Xiao Bao and the others are capable. A place that no one was willing to go to was turned into a place like this by them. There's also Hangzhou. There used to be many fishing villages, and life wasn't easy. Ever since the water transportation was developed and there were more ships, Hangzhou has become a bustling place.
However, I heard that the steel used to build the railway was gathered by the Great Tang, and many places were damaged. If we don't use the railway and build other roads, the imperial court won't be able to provide enough money. If we don't have other medical and educational facilities, it would be fine. However, I don't think the Great Tang's money is enough now. "
Wang Ju flattered Li Longji before he talked about the difficulties of the imperial court, especially the issue of giving birth to children and helping to raise them. He had never thought about it before, and he did not dare to think about it. However, now that the imperial court had some money, he was worried that it would not be enough.
Li Longji laughed heartily. "Hehe, it seems that you haven't been in contact with Xiaobao for long enough. You don't know Xiaobao's abilities. I've been with him for a long time, and I've come to realize that there's no need to spend the imperial court's money on cultivation. We can just spend the people's money and issue national bonds.
When the roads are built, we can 'buy' things from other places and sell them in Great Tang. That way, we can return the interest from the national bonds. We can also let the merchants invest in the roads. When the roads are built, they will get a share of the benefits. When the goods are transported, they will get a share of the profits.
In the future, when the imperial court is no longer in charge of the business, the roads will be charged. When the fees are collected, it will be over. Manpower is cheap as well. Give some food and some money from Great Tang, and people from other places will be more than willing to do the hard work.
I don't think you'll understand if I tell you now. Let's talk on the road. When we return to the capital, come with me. I'll show you something good. It should be done by then. The officials of the imperial court will have a stake in it, after all. "
"What kind of treasure is it?" Wang Ju truly did not know how amazing the Bureau of Works could be. He only knew that the three most important departments in Great Tang were controlled by Xiao Bao and Cuckoo.
The first was the Agricultural Temple. It was in charge of the research on new plant species in Great Tang, and it was also in charge of agriculture and breeding.
The second was the Great Tang Bank. It was in charge of the wealth of Great Tang, especially the taxes. The money was directly transferred to the bank, and there was no need to transport the copper coins to the capital. The money spent on the road was already a large portion.
If the bank were to suddenly collapse, many people in Great Tang would cry. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it was the lifeline of the country.
The third was the Bureau of Works. The best craftsmen of Great Tang were gathered there, and there were many technologies and theories waiting for the craftsmen to learn.
More importantly, it provided the technologies used by the military. Whoever controlled the Bureau of Works would be in charge of the weapons and future upgrades.
Even the transmission of information was made by the Bureau of Works. It was said that a large proportion of them had been damaged during production, but money had still been invested into them. The importance of information was self-evident. Otherwise, there would be no need for the beacon towers.
These three had always been in the hands of Xiao Bao and Cuckoo, and they wielded great power. To put it bluntly, the two of them could even have the Emperor of Great Tang change his surname. After a war, they were certain to be the final victors.
The things the Emperor was speaking of were probably from the Bureau of Works, because it was said that an official of the Imperial Court had invested money to establish a new 'company' in the Bureau of Works.
"Is it because the steam engine has become smaller? Can it travel on the road like a carriage? "Wang Ju pondered for a moment, and before anyone could answer, she asked.
"Qing is truly extraordinary. Although it's not the truth, it's not far off. It's something that can replace a carriage on the road, but not a smaller steam engine. No matter how small a steam engine is, it still needs to burn things. Where can it get water and combustible materials? Xiao Bao and Cuckoo call it an internal combustion engine.
It also needs water and combustible materials, but not much. When I came out, a finished product was already made, but it still needs some time before it can be used. The finished product is prone to spoilage due to the lack of skill.
There are many technologies that Xiao Bao and Cuckoo have mentioned that we don't have. There are some things that we can only use a file to create bit by bit. "
When Li Longji talked about technology, he was filled with worry. He was still worried that the other party had a country that was skilled in technology.
Wang Ju asked in bewilderment, "File? Can something good be made with a file? "
"That's right." Gao Lishi said, "Don't underestimate this file. Nowadays, when apprentices want to graduate, it's not like before. They learn more systematically. When they graduate, they are given an iron rod and a file.
Apprentices have to make things according to various requirements. The more complicated the things they make, the higher their graduation evaluation, the better they can do in the future, and the higher their salary. The simplest one is to make a small hammer with these two things. Not only does the shape have to be correct, but it also has to be smooth to the touch. "
"Ah?" Wang Ju opened his mouth and said in surprise, "One iron rod and a file. At the very least, they have to make a hammer like that? This is the simplest one, but what about the difficult one? How is that possible? "
"Why is it impossible? I have personally seen them do it. Every other day, they will bring it to me for a look until they are done. In the future, the most important department in Tang will be called Tang Heavy Industries. The people who work there must have a certain level of ability. It will not be like now, where they have to deal with the people first.
Xiao Bao and Cuckoo's requirements are very high. Usually, when the workers are not using pressure tools, they can know the degree of sealing by blowing on it with their mouth. If there is a 0.2 millimeter error in the workpiece, they can tell by touching it with their hands or eyes, and so on.
Regardless of whether there are more advanced tools to measure, the workers have to do it with their own experience and ability. This is the foundation of the Great Tang Heavy Industry. They said that in some places, the same parts can be assembled by different people, and the accuracy will be different even if they are given the same measuring tools. "
When Li Longji spoke, it was as if he was proud that the people in Great Tang's Ministry of Works could do it.
On the other hand, Wang Ju was dumbfounded. How could the things that Xiao Bao and Cuckoo were talking about be possible? As for the places that the emperor was talking about, it naturally referred to the places where the experts behind them came from. So that was the case.
While Wang Ju was still in shock, the silhouettes of a fleet appeared on the lake, and it gradually grew larger.
"Your Majesty, Xiao Bao and the others are here." When Gao Lishi saw the fleet, he took the binoculars from the person beside him and said to Li Longji.
"They're only here now? We thought that they would be waiting for us, but they actually made us wait. When we meet later, let's see how we deal with them. Hmph! "
Li Longji said in dissatisfaction.
After waiting for a little more than fifteen minutes, the two fleets finally met up. A long rope was tossed over, and someone immediately laid down a rolled up wooden planks. Using the rope, the wooden planks were threaded together like a mat.
As soon as the wooden planks were laid down, a small figure ran over from the opposite side and threw herself into Li Longji's arms, saying, "Uncle Emperor, I missed you so much. Did you miss me? Did you? If you didn't, then I'll be unhappy. "
"Aiyo, be gentle. Yes, yes, I missed you. I missed you during the day, at night, and when you were eating. Let me see, did you lose weight? No, you actually became heavier. How did you eat? "
Li Longji hugged the slightly taller Xiao Bei and said happily.
"I'm still young, and I'm still growing. Of course I'm heavier. I'm not fat, not fat at all. I trained my body, and I even caught people in the water. We're amazing. Brother Xiaohai was injured, and Uncle Emperor wants to take revenge for us. But you're not allowed to talk about my brother and sister. "
Xiao Bei waved her fists and said that she caught people in the water.
Li Longji just said that he would deal with them when they came. At this moment, he quickly said, "I won't deal with them. Your brother and sister have done a great service, and you have also done a great service. If you want a reward, tell me, what do you want?"
"What do I want? I … I don't know what I want. I just want to see Uncle Emperor happy. I'll discuss it with them later. We won't ask for it for free. When Lu Zhou arrives, we'll personally go into the sea to get food for Uncle Emperor. We'll let Big Brother cook for us, okay? "
Xiao Bei pretended to be thinking. After thinking for a while, she still could not think of what reward she wanted. Previously, she was only thinking about the reward.
"What about me?" Wang Ju asked when he saw his granddaughter pouncing to the Emperor's side as soon as she arrived.
"Ah? Grandfather, you're good too. Grandfather, let me tell you … "Xiao Bei left Li Longji's side and jumped into Wang Ju's arms again. She did not want to offend anyone.
While they were talking, the other children, including Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, also came over. Pan'er and her brother, who were originally in the cabin, also ran over and shouted happily. The two of them could already remember people and knew that the person in front of them was their father. They looked around for their mother.
"Zhang Xiaobao, Military Governor Zhang Xiaobao, how dare you make me wait for you? Tell me, what punishment do you deserve?" Li Longji glared at Zhang Xiaobao when he saw him.
"Aiyo, this subject asks for Your Majesty's forgiveness. This subject deserves ten thousand deaths. This subject should first put aside the matter of the people of Xunyang and come here to wait for Your Majesty. This subject will go back and tell the people of Xunyang that I won't do what I promised them until Your Majesty calms down. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Zhang Xiaobao bowed and begged for forgiveness.
"Don't use the people to scare me. Let me ask you, how do you want to end this matter?" Li Longji asked about the captured people.
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