Xu Mingyang couldn't see the carriage that Xiaobei and the others were in. He turned his head and saw many people at the dock busily unloading gifts for the Tang Empire from the Japanese ships.
He shook his head and whispered, "You are even more foolish. The Tang Empire is not the Tang Empire of the past. In the past, you sent a bunch of worthless things, and the Emperor would give you more rewards. Every time you came, you came to make money.
Now, it's useless to send anything. At most, you will be given some coupons, and you can only spend them in the designated places of the Tang Empire. There is no cheap thing in the designated places.
"We are going to deal with you soon, but you still foolishly sent people to ask for peace. If it were me, I would directly call back all the Japanese in the Tang Empire and then fight to the death.
"The Tang Empire can't attack immediately. There is still Duoshi. Then, we will secretly send people to the battlefield where the Tang Empire and Duoshi are fighting to understand the various tactics of the Tang Empire. At the same time, we will recruit good craftsmen in the country and work hard to develop advanced technology.
"Even if we can't make guns and cannons in a short time, we will try to make our weapons better. Also, we will send the children to a distant place under the protection of the military. Even if some of them are swallowed by the waves, we will leave behind some seeds.
"The rest of the Japanese will be able to fight to the death when the Tang Empire is free. The Tang Empire may not be able to kill all the Japanese in three to five years. At that time, surrendering will be better than what we are doing now."
Xu Mingyang felt sad for the Japanese. They lacked courage. Otherwise, how could they be bullied so badly by the Tang Empire and have to use people to take the blame? How sad would the people who were chosen feel?
Xu Mingyang thought very well, but he thought of it now that he knew the layout of the Tang Empire. As he watched the Japanese unload the goods, another person's voice came from behind him.
"Lord Xu, you have a good idea. I admire you, I really admire you."
"Can you people from the Zhang Family and Wang Family not be so scary? Can't you show your face in front of me when you speak?" Xu Mingyang, who was frightened again, looked back and saw that it was a manager of the Chamber of Commerce. He sighed and said helplessly.
"I didn't want to scare Lord Xu. I just happened to be behind you and thought that Lord Xu heard my footsteps, so I said those words. Lord Xu, please don't blame me. It's just that I don't agree with Lord Xu's words and have some other thoughts."
The manager of the Chamber of Commerce apologized with a smile and began to object to Xu Mingyang's words.
Xu Mingyang asked gloomily, "Oh? Do you have a different opinion too? Tell me about it. "
"Yes, I was thinking about it. Although Japan currently has the Emperor, there are also other clans. Some are in favor of war, while others are in favor of peace. The Japanese coming to the Great Tang to cause trouble was definitely arranged by those in favor of war.
If their plan in the Jiangnan Circuit had succeeded, and if their backup plans in other parts of the Great Tang had also succeeded while the Great Tang was in chaos, they would have the right to speak in the country.
But they failed, and they didn't cause any major losses to the Great Tang. Instead, they provoked a backlash from the Great Tang. Thus, someone had to bear the responsibility. Their prestige in Japan would definitely plummet.
At this critical time, they still want to fight to the death with the Great Tang. Before the Great Tang's soldiers can go, their heads will be cut off by the peace faction and sent to the Great Tang to ask for peace.
Of course, I don't think they are afraid of death. What they are afraid of is that once their entire faction is finished, Japan will have no hope and will be wiped out by the Great Tang through various means.
Thus, in order to preserve a little seed, they can only choose to make concessions in the country and endure humiliation in order to make a comeback.
It was precisely because the young master and young lady had considered this that they did not immediately send troops to attack. Instead, they mobilized the army to put pressure on the other side and make them compromise. Otherwise, if they really did go to war, they would immediately be able to unite in the face of this crisis.
In this way, the young master and young lady's early efforts would truly have been for naught, and they would have wasted their time without obtaining any benefits. This truly was not worth it. War was like a business. If the cost was too high, there would be no profit. This was a business that would lose money.
If you want to lose money and make money, you shouldn't put it on the Japanese. Japan has already been suppressed, so there's no need to continue making money. If you don't believe me, Lord Xu, the two of us can make a bet. Before the new year, Japan will completely lose its ability to fight.
I'm willing to bet ten thousand strings of strings of cash. What does Lord Xu think? "
The manager of the conglomerate spoke of his thoughts and proposed a bet with Xu Mingyang.
"Ugh! There's no need. This official doesn't have that much money to bet, and gambling is not good. It's better for people to earn money honestly. After all, gambling is not the right path. "
Xu Mingyang did not dare to accept. As the manager of the conglomerate spoke, he also realized that Japan had probably begun to engage in various struggles for power. There were countless schemes, but they were not aimed at the Great Tang, but at other powers.
Before the Great Tang could even fight, his own country was already in chaos. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were truly capable. It was no wonder that they did not directly go to war. Chaos was good for them.
Moreover, when he thought about the Great Tang's current situation, Xu Mingyang couldn't help but sigh. The Great Tang was much better. At the very least, when the Great Tang said that it was going to fight, no officials in the Imperial Court objected. Even the scholars did not appear to complain that war was wrong.
This was because Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were using the excuse of helping the people of other countries to live better lives and to educate them. This was justifiable in the grand scheme of things.
The simplest example was in the northern part of Hebei Province. Because they could not survive, the people who fled and the locals of the Great Tang formed a new county. Their lives were clearly better, and they were in a very comfortable situation.
This proved that the rulers of Xinluo did not treat their people well. There were still many people in the world who needed the help of the Great Tang. Even if they used war to overthrow the original ruling class, although the process was painful, the results were good.
The most important thing is that the Great Tang is now rich and has advanced weapons. No one in the Imperial Court is against war. If the poor people keep revolting in various places, not to mention war, as long as the national treasury takes out money to do anything, many people will stand up to oppose.
As Xu Mingyang thought about it, he was even more convinced of the fact that war was fought for money.
"You go about your business first. This official will look around and see if I can think of a better idea to help the local people solve some practical problems. It's not easy to be the Provincial Governor of Lu Zhou."
Xu Mingyang waved his hand at the manager of the conglomerate and stood up, intending to take a stroll.
"Lord Xu, are you sure you don't want to gamble? In fact, you can be rich. When the New Year comes, as long as you don't do anything else, you can get a comfortable reward. It's more than the previous one. The previous one didn't come up with a good idea to build railway tracks at the docks. "
The manager continued to ask. At the same time, he reminded Xu Mingyang that the more things he did for the local people, the more rewards he would get when the time came.
Xu Mingyang continued to wave his hand. "There's no need. I never bet with people."
After saying that, he continued to walk to the unloading ship. He wanted to come up with a better idea. Even if it was a little more efficient, he could get more rewards.
He was really tempted by the manager's words. It was not only to get more money, but more importantly, if he took more money, he could give an explanation to the people who supported him behind the scenes.
He wanted to show them that he, Xu Mingyang, was not just a person who came to Lu Zhou to mess around. Compared to the previous ones, he was a capable person. There would definitely be no problem for him to continue to support him in the future.
"Lord Xu, you're here?" Xu Mingyang had just stood beside one of the unloading ships when someone greeted him warmly. He turned to look. Weiwei nodded. However, he did not know the other party.
However, he knew he must have come up with a good idea that had gained some recognition from the locals. Otherwise, he would be like before. No matter where he went, as long as he did not take the initiative to speak, others would treat him as if he was invisible. They would stand beside him, but they would not speak to him. They would not even look at him.
It was depressing.
When Xu Mingyang thought about this, he felt that it was easy to be the Provincial Governor of a province, especially the Provincial Governor of a small province. There were very few counties under the jurisdiction of a province. If he really became a Provincial Governor, he would just have to wander around and see the situation at the bottom.
With what he had learned, it was not too difficult. Even if he could come up with useful ideas for a county every month and improve the lives of hundreds of people, he would still gain a lot in a year.
Moreover, if he did not have any special opportunities, he would not be able to leave after a year as the Provincial Governor of a province. Many times, he would have to stay for three to five years or even die of old age.
Of course, in the current Great Tang, if a Provincial Governor was truly capable, he would not die of old age unless he was already old when he became Provincial Governor.
As long as he was willing to do practical things for the people and improve their lives, even if a province had ten counties, he would be able to help tens of thousands of people in five years if he helped a few hundred people every month.
The people did not have knowledge. Could it be that the officials of the current era who had studied political economy and had the opportunity to report things they did not understand to the officials in the capital? After receiving guidance, would they not be able to solve the problems of the people's lives?
If that was really the case, not to mention dying of old age in the position of Provincial Governor, he would probably be impeached before he could even hold the position for long.
The current Great Tang was still better. Although Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were a little too domineering, their eyes were very bright. They usually collected intelligence on places and found that the officials of a place were really capable. After the officials made achievements, if the people of the imperial court did not care about them, they would immediately promote them through another channel.
This gave the officials hope. They knew that as long as they put their mind on the people's lives, they did not need to spend money to curry favor with the higher-ups to be promoted. They also did not need to worry that they would say something wrong and offend the higher-ups and be suppressed by the higher-ups.
If the officials dared to suppress them after they made achievements, the higher-ups would be the ones to suffer before the officials.
'I guess I can't think of a better way to do things at the docks. Do I have to find other places that are not perfect? Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were too hateful. They had planned Lu Zhou so well that they could not find any new ideas even if they wanted to.
Farming, breeding, tourism, and seafood processing, they had everything. Moreover, the roads were also built. Where should I start? It's difficult. If there's no other way, I'll just take a look at the county below. After all, there's no one waiting for me. I don't have to worry about wasting manpower and money. '
Xu Mingyang wanted to reap more benefits and was prepared to continue working hard. However, he suddenly realized that it was too difficult to do anything outstanding.
However, he did not give up. He did not believe that all the plans were perfect. Even if they were perfect in the past, as the place developed, there would be new areas that could be improved. If he seized the opportunity, he would be able to earn more money.
With that thought in mind, Xu Mingyang left the docks and found a carriage. He instructed a servant beside him to return to the mansion and report that he was going to the county below. Then, he sat in the carriage and waved his hand. With great ambition, he made his way to the county.
*****
Compared to Xu Mingyang's ambition, Takeshita Junichiro was trembling with fear.
He took a few people who had lost in the family struggle as scapegoats and rushed to Lu Zhou as quickly as he could. At first, he was happy because the Emperor of Great Tang, Zhang Xiaobao, and Wang Juan had not left Lu Zhou for the time being. The information he had gathered in Hangzhou had not left him in vain.
Otherwise, if he was late, who knew what Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan would think? Would they think that he was stalling for time and send troops?
However, as soon as he arrived at the docks, before he could ask where the Emperor of Great Tang was, he first learned from the conversations of the local people that Nanzhao had sent people over. Moreover, they had received a certain level of understanding and would send more leaders over soon.
He did not know if they were going to be beheaded or locked up. Perhaps, what he did not want the most was to be forgiven by Great Tang.
If that was the case, Japan was in danger.
When his ship passed by Quanzhou, the information he received there was not very favorable to Japan. The Duo Chi people had moved, and then the Tang army had moved as well.
When he first received the news, he was happy for a moment. However, who knew that before he could finish being happy, he received the following information. Duo Chi first gathered 2,000 people, then continued to gather thousands of people, but they did not send them forward.
What could 2,000 people fight? They were not the Zhang Family's or Wang Family's protection team. If it was a 2000-strong protection team, perhaps they would have a very strong combat power. They would not be at a disadvantage when facing an ordinary 20,000-30,000 army.
But did Duo Chi have that ability?
2,000 people. The cavalry guarding Qinghai Lake would be gone in a circle. They did not even need to use cannons. They just needed to organize the cavalry and attack.
Although Duo Chi was also a cavalry, when the two armies were close to each other, the cavalry of Great Tang had guns. Those called rifles might not be very accurate when they were moving, but how could the troops of the Zhang Xiaobao and Wang families not have guns?
Guns were too disgusting. When the two sides were close to each other, they would be shot down by guns.
Could it be that Duo Chi did not know and ran over to die?
However, the next news he heard was even more uncomfortable. The Great Tang had sent troops, but they were not the local soldiers of the Zhang Xiaobao and Wang families who had actual combat experience. Instead, they were the soldiers from Shannan West and Jiannan West, and they were small batches.
At the same time, the general sent by the Great Tang was not from the Zhang Xiaobao and Wang families, but the commander of the Great Tang Military Academy.
From the intelligence, it was obvious that the Great Tang and Duo Chi were playing.
Now, the news that Lu Zhou received said that the leader of the Six Zhao had come. If they were fine and the Great Tang did not send troops to fight, would the Great Tang's troops just stay there?
Thinking about it, it was impossible. Who would they attack? Fighting Xin Luo? With Xin Luo's current state, why would they need the Great Tang to fight? If the troops in Jili Province went over, they would just directly occupy it. It was that simple.
Since they could not fight Xin Luo, who else could they fight? The only one left was Japan. Could it be that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan wanted to gather their troops to attack Japan?
What should they do?
With these thoughts in mind, Takeshita Junichiro set off for Lu Zhou's mansion. He needed to enter the mansion first before he could apply to see the Emperor of the Great Tang. Even if he applied, it might not be approved.
Along the way, Takeshita Junichiro deliberately slowed down. Occasionally, when he met a citizen of Lu Zhou, he would give them some benefits. Then, he would ask about recent events in Lu Zhou, especially if there were any movements in the southwest. He wanted to gather more information.
This time, Takeshita Junichiro had brought many gifts to Great Tang. The most direct was silver. Three million taels of silver were temporarily in Hangzhou. Along with the ship were corals, large abalones, and dried abalones that had been there for several years.
These were all things that the great families of Japan had taken out from their homes. Otherwise, they would not have been able to gather them.
Takeshita Junichiro found this incredible. The economy of Japan was developing normally, and every time they traded with the Great Tang, they would get a lot of money from the Great Tang, which they could use to buy things back.
At the same time, countless merchants from the Great Tang went to Japan to do business, especially with the development of tourism. In this way, Japan should be very rich. Moreover, they had rented ships from the Great Tang to go overseas. For now, only a few ships were out there.
It was not that they did not want to send more, but the Great Tang had stopped renting ships. The gunships and steam engine ships out there had not received orders from the Great Tang yet. They hoped that they would not return too quickly and would stay out there to plunder more things.
Since they had developed, increased trade, and had money, why couldn't Japan take out money? Where did all the money go?
Takeshita Junichiro could not understand. The more they developed, the poorer they became. Japan's national treasury was empty, and the Japanese people could not fork out more money.
If they were forced to collect money, it would not be difficult to gather 10 million strings of coins. However, no one dared to do so. Moreover, 10 million strings of coins would not be much if they were distributed to everyone.
What was the reason?
The more Takeshita Junichiro thought about it, the more confused he became. He had to analyze the information he heard from the people in Lu Zhou. It did not take long for him to feel a splitting headache.
Yamamoto and Yamamoto were just as uncomfortable as Takeshita Junichiro. They had been temporarily conscripted and had given up on their original tasks to accompany him. It was not that no one from Japan could come, but even if they came, it would be useless.
The Great Tang was developing too quickly. It changed every month. It would take a long time for people from Japan to familiarize themselves with the Great Tang's situation, let alone come and talk to the Great Tang's emperor.
Yamamoto and Yamamoto often traveled between the Great Tang and Japan. At the same time, they collected all kinds of information in the Great Tang and tried their best to learn as much knowledge as the Great Tang could teach them. Even though they knew that the Great Tang would not teach them advanced technology, they still earnestly learned what they could.
It was mainly because of the teacher who was teaching. Even though he had already received instructions, he would still inadvertently say something that he shouldn't have said during the lesson.
They also kept in touch with the students of the Great Tang. From time to time, they would hold banquets or poetry gatherings. They would continue to collect information and learn while having fun and chatting.
Yamamoto and Yamamoto had worked very hard. When they held banquets, they were willing to spend money. No matter how much money they spent, as long as it could make the students of the Great Tang happy, they were willing to spend it.
But usually, the two of them were very thrifty. They cooked their own meals and never went out to eat. If they went out to eat, they would spend more money. They gathered the people sent from Japan and took turns to cook every day. They ate the most ordinary food according to the season. They ate whatever was cheap.
At the same time, when they had free time, they would lead the other Japanese to do small business. Real business was not the kind of business that was swindling. Even if they wanted to, they did not dare to do so.
With their intelligence, they could earn a few hundred strings of coins every month. Then, they would subsidize it into the activity funds provided by the country. They continued to treat the students of the Great Tang to eat, drink, and play, all so that they could obtain useful information from the mouths of others.
Their clothes were usually made of linen. They only wore a few sets of pure cotton and silk clothes. They would only wear them during poetry gatherings to appear more presentable.
They even found a mountainous area outside the Four Seas Academy and reclaimed it. They planted some crops and raised a few chickens. This way, they could save a lot of money.
However, even with such hard work, what would come would come eventually. Seeing that someone in the country had come up with a bad idea and had been seen through, the movement of the Great Tang's troops was unknown, and the Great Tang's attitude was unclear as well. The two of them were anxious like Takeshita Junichiro.
"Reward!" Takeshita Junichiro said to Yamamoto who was sitting in the carriage. He had just asked a citizen of Lu Zhou some questions, so it was time for him to pay.
Yamamoto immediately produced a 50 strings of coins and passed it to Takeshita Junichiro. Then, he turned around and continued to eat the free soup provided by the docks. He held a buckwheat biscuit with salted vegetables in it. He took a bite and chewed twice. It was delicious. At the very least, it was better than going hungry.
More importantly, it was cheap. One copper coin could buy three catties of buckwheat. If they were made into biscuits, they could last for a few days.
They collected information along the way. At the same time, their information was sent to the Ocean Cloud Inn as they moved forward.
Li Longji looked at the information on the paper and sighed. He said to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, "It's a pity. It's a pity for these people from Japan. In order to help their country, they did everything they could. They actually ate buckwheat biscuits and salted vegetables and gave the money they had on them to passersby.
I heard that they worked hard in school. Why can't they give up their identity as Japanese? If they really didn't care about Japan, with their abilities, they would definitely have a good life in Tang. They might even be able to enter the top 100 of the Billionaire List. "
Zhang Xiaobao had also read the information and said, "Yes, they're not bad. Every nation has people like them. Not only Japan, but Tang also has people like them. In fact, it's even better than Japan.
I can respect their national spirit, but it doesn't mean that I'll let them go. There are many people like them. I think their performance is only so-so. Showing them respect is also a form of respect for myself. "
"Yes." Wang Juan chimed in, "They're doing alright. At least I'm quite satisfied with what they're doing. Fortunately, not all Japanese are like them. The bushido spirit hasn't been fully formed yet. I won't give them that chance.
In the front line of espionage, many people have died, and many of them died unjustly. However, there are still people who keep joining, just for a belief. Compared to Japan, Tang is not inferior at all. "
"I know. I know that if you two were in their position, you would definitely think of Tang. However, you two would be better than them and do better. Your family's spies also have to suffer like this outside? Where have they been sent to? "
Li Longji nodded and praised Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. Then, he asked about their intelligence personnel.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan immediately smiled and pursed their lips.
"Well, I won't ask anymore. You have your own intelligence system, and I have mine. However, my intelligence system is good in Tang, but it's hard to say if it's sent outside.
After seeing what happened to the Japanese, I decided that as long as they work hard for Tang outside, whether they come back alive or stay in a foreign country forever, after a period of time, when their identities are exposed, I will specially set aside a piece of land for them and erect a monument for them. What do you think? "
Li Longji thought that there were people like Yamamoto and Yamanji who saved money outside, but then took out more money to give to others. For a moment, he also felt sentimental.
Zhang Xiaobao took a deep breath and said, "As long as the Tang Empire maintains an absolute advantage, this matter can be done. If the Tang Empire is overtaken by others one day, then even if some people die, they won't be able to obtain a title.
In fact, even if they do something beneficial to Tang, because the officials of Tang are too corrupt, not only are they unable to protect them, they even want to capture them and force them to hand over all their money. That is the most lamentable thing.
A country that doesn't even have the courage to admit that someone has done a good deed and instead wants to arrest that person, forcing them to flee. This country is about to be destroyed.
In truth, my request for the Great Tang is very simple. If our spy is exposed one day, he can confidently tell the other side that he is a spy for the Great Tang, but you are not allowed to touch him. Otherwise, the Great Tang will destroy you for me.
Let alone killing me in broad daylight, even if I were to reveal my identity and suddenly disappear from this place, you would still have to bear the wrath of the Great Tang. "
"Ah? Isn't that a little too unreasonable? You went to other people's territory as an intelligence agent, and they found you, and you are telling them not to touch you? "Li Longji said with a smile.
"Yes, that's what I mean. Being reasonable is a matter for weak countries. The strong don't need it, and what the strong say is right. Even if one day my army goes to other people's territory and kills them, but they are surrounded, they can only send the people back to me.
The only thing they can do is to take the guns from our people and study them. They can't do anything to our people and turn a military conflict into a diplomatic incident. I allow them to protest, but I can only express my regret. "
Zhang Xiaobao said as he looked at Wang Juan.
Wang Juan was almost angered by Zhang Xiaobao's words. She glared at him and said, "You are talking about a strong country against a weak country. A strong country can't be strong just because you say so. You don't even have an aircraft carrier, so what can you do? Do you really think you are strong? Didn't you get better in the end? Do you know what it means to endure hardships? "
"I didn't say anything." Zhang Xiaobao looked at Wang Juan blankly. In the end, she rolled her eyes again.
Li Longji was confused. He didn't know what the two of them were talking about. He felt that it was a mess, so he asked, "What is an aircraft carrier?"
"Let me explain." Zhang Xiaobao didn't look at Wang Juan's eyes and quickly said, "An aircraft carrier is a ship that provides a combat supply platform for things that fly in the sky. For example, our hot air balloon can fly in the sky. If we attack other people and they have cannons by the sea, what do we do?
We use a hot air balloon to attack, but it is impossible for a hot air balloon to fly to a place by itself. It is too far away, and the things inside will be burned up, so it can't fly to a place. What do we do? We use a ship to pull it, just like the one we have now.
But for an aircraft carrier, it's not cost-effective to only use it to carry hot air balloons. So, we'll use planes instead. Then, we'll throw down powerful bombs from the planes. With a wave of attacks, the entire coast will be cleared. It would be even better if we could fly further and directly blow up the enemy's military camp. "
Li Longji suddenly understood. Then, he said, "The two of you keep talking about planes, but why haven't I seen one yet? Where are the planes? Can't the Ministry of Works figure it out? Tractors are already available, so why can't we use planes? "
"This …" Zhang Xiaobao was surprised. "In theory, with tractors, we should have planes. But theory is just theory. It is still a little difficult to turn it into reality. The main problem is that we don't have enough fuel. It is not easy to burn it up. Besides, our diesel engine is too heavy and can't fly in the sky.
A speed of 120 miles per hour is too slow. We have to solve the power problem first. Let's try it next year and see how the fuel refinement is. There is also the problem of the diesel engine's weight and volume. We can't let it burn out, right?
If the diesel engine in the tractor burns out, then so be it. At most, we can send a few more people to carry it. If it burns out while flying in the sky, then it will really be a disaster. Of course, the people on top can parachute down.
But at the critical moment, if they jump down, the tactical objective will not be achieved, and it will be over. So, Your Majesty, you have to wait. Don't be anxious, please don't be anxious. "
"How can I not be anxious? Others have it, but I don't. Do you expect me to just take a beating and not fight back? Can a hot air balloon beat a plane? Is that aircraft carrier easy to build? " When Li Longji heard Zhang Xiaobao's words, he became even more anxious. He was still thinking about how awesome a certain country was.
Now that he heard Zhang Xiaobao's words, he immediately guessed. That country already had an aircraft carrier and a plane. He was not thinking about long-distance bombing. Instead, he was thinking about the two countries' ships encountering each other from afar. Then, the country's plane would take off, while his country's hot air balloon would take off.
The other country's plane used diesel engines, while his country still burned firewood. How could the speed be the same? If the wind was not favorable, and the wind was relatively strong, the hot air balloon would definitely not be able to outrun the tractor.
At that time, the other country's plane would throw bundles of grenades at his ship, and his hot air balloon would be knocked down by the other country's plane before it could reach its destination. Not to mention fighting back, they would not even be able to parry the other country's plane.
Zhang Xiaobao felt that he had been fooled too much. He swallowed his saliva and said, "Let's talk about the hot air balloon. Theoretically, the hot air balloon would not be able to defeat the plane, but there are always exceptions. If the range of the weapons is the same, other than the plane being more agile and faster, as long as it does not fly too high, the hot air balloon's machine gun would still be effective against it."
"According to what you said, standing on the ground and shooting at the sky would also be effective." Li Longji said angrily.
"Yes, yes, yes. This is the legendary air defense position." Zhang Xiaobao nodded and admitted embarrassedly. Who was the one who had been fooling around and talking about what would happen in the future? In the end, more than ten years had passed, and the plane still had not appeared.
Who asked him not to specialize in this? Wang Juan was the same. If there was a plane, she could use it, but it would be difficult for her to build it, even if it was a crappy first generation plane.
Unless the person who came with him was a team of talented students who studied seriously, there was no need for a doctorate. Even if it was a bachelor's degree, as long as they studied hard and built a batch of planes, the plane would have appeared long ago.
A profession was a profession, and he had to admit defeat. However, his profession was not this. If you asked a technician to play economics with him, he would not be able to do it, right? That was the logic.
Li Longji was still thinking about how to use the plane in war. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and asked, "What about the ship? It's just a mothership. It's easy to build, right? Let's build it first and talk about the rest later. We can't possibly not have a ship after we have a plane, right? "
"Ah?" Zhang Xiaobao was stunned.
Wang Juan pursed her lips and smiled.
"When I say ship, I mean a ship used to transport the plane. Can you build one? It's easier than a gunship, right? It doesn't have to be equipped with cannons, just a plane."
Li Longji felt that an aircraft carrier was easy to build. Wasn't it just a ship? It did not need to fly in the sky.
Zhang Xiaobao shook his head like a rattle-drum. "No, Your Majesty, it's not like that. You won't understand in such a short time. That thing, it's like this. Planes don't fly like hot air balloons on the ship. In theory, there can be such planes, but let's not think about it for now, okay?
So, the plane has to run on the ground first. It has to run very, very fast before it can fly. Running requires distance. When it's on the ground, we can even build a path of a few hundred kilometers for the plane to run on. What about on the ship?
Then, our aircraft carrier also needs the ability to travel long distances, and it also needs to be equipped with various … "
At this point, Zhang Xiaobao paused for a moment, then looked at Wang Juan excitedly and asked, "Madam, what do you think is the shortest gliding distance for the lightest plane, the simplest plane? We don't need to build an aircraft carrier to be very powerful. We just need to build a plane. Our plane is not some heavy bomber, right? "
"I said no. Does a country that only knows how to protest still need an aircraft carrier?" Wang Juan turned her head and said.
"With an aircraft carrier, won't they have more confidence when they protest? If we first build an anti-gravity warship that can go to outer space at any time, who won't tremble when they protest? What I mean is, our requirements are low now. When the plane comes out, a bigger ship, even with a hard plank, should be enough for the plane to take off, right? "
Zhang Xiaobao quickly followed Wang Juan's words. There was no other way. The concept of men being superior to women did not seem to appear in him and Wang Juan. Of course, the concept of women being superior to men was also impossible, unless Wang Juan had a special hobby, but that was impossible.
Wang Juan's expression eased a little. She frowned and said, "Okay, then what do we need a plane for? You're already in the lead now. If you use a hot air balloon to fly up, other than staring, what can they do to you? Also, a hot air balloon needs much less fuel than a plane. It's fine as long as it can take off. Then, it depends on the direction of the wind.
Do you think that if we give you a large aircraft carrier and a few large bombers, without bombs, what's the difference between them and our current military strength? Of course, this means that with better technology, we can make more tractors. It's definitely not a problem to use them for farming. "
"That's true, Your Majesty. Do you understand? We don't need that lousy ship now. What we need to do now is to make guns and train people to be more accurate. An aircraft carrier is not omnipotent. As long as the ground troops are strong, the final deciding factor of victory will be the ground troops. Only then will it be the occupation. Otherwise, even if it's airdropped, it will only be a ground battle. It's useless, at least for now.
But Your Majesty, don't worry. We will let the Ministry of Works work hard on research. Perhaps in a few hundred years, an aircraft carrier or even a public carrier will be produced. "
Zhang Xiaobao thought about it and felt that Wang Juan's words made sense. Since they did not need the aircraft carrier to have too many functions, what would they need it for? In any case, their military strength was invincible now.
In the end, Li Longji did not completely understand what Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were talking about. He was very depressed. "A few hundred years later, maybe I can just fly to someone else's place and become their emperor. Everyone will submit to me, right?"
"Your Majesty is wise," Zhang Xiaobao said.
"Wise? My life is gone, so what wise am I? Do you really think I can live forever? Why are you trying to scare me? Tell me about your plans. How are you going to deal with Takeshita Junichiro? What are we going to talk about when we meet this time? I still have a plan in mind. I'll have to cooperate with the two of you who can't make airplanes. "
Li Longji also knew that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were more anxious about the development of technology than he was, but they still did not have any good ideas. Therefore, he endured it for the time being and asked about his cooperation. Since they were not going to attack Japan, they had to achieve their goals.
Seeing that Li Longji was no longer forcing him to build an aircraft carrier, Zhang Xiaobao finally heaved a sigh of relief. He was indeed rich in the past, but no matter how rich he was, it had nothing to do with an aircraft carrier. Even if you had the money to buy it, no one would sell it to you. By the time someone was willing to sell it to you, they would probably be able to perform space jumps. What was the point of having an aircraft carrier then? Fishing?
Zhang Xiaobao smiled apologetically at Li Longji and said, "Your Majesty, you don't have to meet Takeshita Junichiro personally. He's not qualified yet. You can continue to play in Lu Zhou. Leave the matter of meeting Takeshita Junichiro to Xiaobei. I'll give her a few instructions, and she'll know what to do.
Don't worry, Xiaobei will definitely have no problem handling this kind of matter. We'll keep the three million taels of silver first. This is a huge sum of wealth. It'd be a waste if we don't take it. When it's time to deal with Japan, we'll have to deal with them.
When the leaders of the Six Zhao arrive, we'll make Japan do what they should do. For now, we just need to give them a little hope. I don't believe they'll dare to use force against Tang immediately. "
Li Longji's expression eased a little. He was still worried that the other country would come and attack them. If they had nothing, they would be bullied to death.
After pondering for a moment, Li Longji said, "There's something I don't understand. Xiao Bao, Cuckoo, since we already have our own paper money, why do we still have to keep gold and silver? Xiao Bao, you've said it before. It's nothing more than a basic currency problem. We have the technology, so why are we afraid that others will make trouble with the currency? "
"Your Majesty, you're talking about this problem. How should I put it? If we say that gold and silver are important, they're really not that important. Indeed, we're keeping them for the time being because we're afraid of problems. However, even if we don't have these two things, the current currency system can't be shaken by others.
However, these two things have another use. First, it's beautiful, especially the gold powder. When you use other things to decorate something, the effect won't be as good. It's really beautiful.
Second, we need electronic components. We're still lacking a little. It's fine if we don't use these two things, but the efficiency is low. In the future, it won't be good if we don't use them. If the resistance is slightly higher, the things won't be able to withstand it. Then, it'll become an electric furnace.
You wouldn't want to use any electrical appliances in the future to suddenly emit smoke when you use them, right? Also … how should I put it … it means that in the future, we definitely can't use gold and silver.
Furthermore, you don't have to care about the value of those things, and I don't care about the value of those things. However, I do care about other things. You can use them to bribe people, right? For example, you can build a big palace with gold. It'll be cool to lie down in it during summer, right? "
As Zhang Xiaobao explained, Wang Juan laughed again.
"When I die, I'll lie in a coffin made of gold. Does that mean that there's still hope for me to come back to life? You're always lying to me, and you haven't even built the plane yet. Do as you see fit. Don't look for me for small things in the future. " Li Longji indeed didn't understand the importance of gold and silver in electronic components. After he finished speaking, he waved his hand and turned to leave.
"He must be doing those shameful things again," Zhang Xiaobao whispered to Wang Juan as he watched Li Longji leave.
"What is it that can't be seen?" Wang Juan asked in surprise.
"Things about the continuation of life and inheritance of a race. It's hard to explain. Let me show you personally. Come, let's go to the back." Zhang Xiaobao pulled Wang Juan's hand.
"If I don't go, you're a hooligan."
"See, you admit it. As expected, it's shameful. Let's find a place where there's no one."
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