Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan knew that Old Man Bi had called them over to tell them that the two torpedoes had been developed. At the same time, they had also developed sonar.
To be honest, it was too much of a bully to use this thing to attack other countries' ships.
Other countries and places didn't even have cannons. When fighting on the water, they still needed to use catapults, bows, and spears. Then, they would have to engage in close quarter combat.
When dealing with ships like theirs, it was enough to have cannons. If they used submarines and torpedoes, it would be like using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken.
However, this thing still needed to be researched. There were too many smart people in the world. When one side's cannonballs landed on the enemy's territory and didn't explode, the enemy would definitely pick them up and study them.
When they compared the things inside, they would gradually enter the era of hot weapons. Then, gradually, everyone would have guns and cannons.
This was especially true for the people of Tang. Industrial technology couldn't be kept a secret for long. There were too many people who knew about it. Some people might be motivated by profit to leak it out, and some might accidentally let others know.
Therefore, new things had to be researched. They couldn't wait for the enemy to catch up.
Li Longji was full of pride. He waved his hand and said, "I want to unify the world. I want everyone in the world to be a part of Tang. I want the moon to be round, and the moon will be round. I want the sun to spin faster, and the sun will be …"
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were frightened by Li Longji's words. Could it be that the explosion of the torpedo just now shocked the emperor? According to what he said, it was obvious that he was going to conquer the Milky Way. That was scary.
"Your Majesty, please drink some wine." Zhang Xiaobao poured some hot wine and handed it to Li Longji.
Wang Juan said, "Continue eating. You didn't eat much just now."
Li Longji waved his hand and said, "It's okay, I'm okay. Xiao Bao, Cuckoo, how many of these things do you want to make? There's also that torpedo, which can sink a ship with a single blast. "
The two of them looked at each other. Zhang Xiaobao said, "Your Majesty, we only need to build ten submarines. They're not going to be used to start a full-scale war with the enemy. We're going to use them to train our soldiers. We don't need to build too many torpedoes, just enough for normal training."
"Why?" In Li Longji's mind, there was still a scene of countless submarines suddenly appearing around the enemy fleet, followed by tens of thousands of torpedoes. How could it be gone in the blink of an eye?
Wang Juan followed up and explained, "Your Majesty, the submarines, torpedoes, and sonar are part of the technical reserve. We will train a group of soldiers and use them as a basis for research. However, we will not mass produce them because they are expensive. We need to use the resources we plundered, oh no, I mean, we need to convert the resources we obtained from fair trade into the basis of social and economic development."
"Ah ~ ~ ~" Li Longji exhaled and calmed down. He was too excited when he saw a submarine attack a small ship.
After catching his breath, Li Longji said, "That's right. I almost wanted to use all the money to equip the army, but that won't do. My people need to live better lives, better lives than all the people under the previous emperors."
As he spoke, he picked up a piece of sashimi and chewed it. He continued, "War has always been a means, not the end goal. Currently, there are still many places in the Tang Empire where the people can't eat meat as they please. It's just that I can't see it in the capital."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Zhang Xiaobao continued, "This requires us to put more thought and energy into civilian production. We'll convert the submarines' propellers and other technologies into civilian production and let the rich buy them. We'll then use the money to build the infrastructure."
Li Longji nodded. Then, he held his wine cup and fell into deep thought. He realized that in comparison, he had done a better job than all the previous emperors. Not only could he attack whoever he wanted, but the people no longer ran far away in groups to escape disaster.
Even if there was a drought, there was no need to be afraid. Food from other places would be sent over in time. There was also a well drilling team that would go to the drought area to dig wells.
When there was a flood, everyone would migrate when the dam couldn't be defended. When the flood passed, they would return home and rebuild. It wasn't like in the past where they didn't return. They had to sell their children and even barter for food.
It had changed. Everything had changed.
But it wasn't enough. It was far from enough. They could do better. All the people should have diesel and gasoline engine cars.
All the people could use phones. No matter how far away they were, they could talk to whoever they wanted.
All the people could eat popsicles in the summer.
All the people could fly to distant places when they wanted to go.
All the people could get timely treatment when they were sick.
All the people could be carefully protected by the locals when they went outside.
All the people …
All the people …
Li Longji's thoughts drifted very far away. It was so far away that even he was afraid of it. Because it was too difficult.
Then, two figures appeared in front of him. Those two figures waved their hands and turned everything into reality. With a wave of their hands, they filled the entire sky with light. With a wave of their hands …
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were indeed waving their hands in front of Li Longji. "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
"Ah? Oh, it's nothing. " Li Longji was called back. He said, "I suddenly thought of airplanes. Does that mean we don't need to build more airplanes? Just build enough for training?"
Zhang Xiaobao shook his head. "No, no, no. As long as we have the ability to build airplanes, we can build as many as we can. Then, we can build airports in various places. Apart from training, they can also help transport goods, especially letters. We'll charge the rich a lot to use them, but I believe they'll be happy to use them because they can show their status."
Li Longji laughed. "That's right, that's right. We have to let the rich enjoy themselves and buy and use luxury goods. Otherwise, if they have too much money and can't spend it, they'll snatch the business of the common people."
On this point, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had always insisted on this point to balance out social conflicts.
When Li Longji mentioned this, he thought of something else and said to the two of them, "Recently, some officials in the imperial court have suggested moving the capital to Luoyang. There are also some who have suggested building a high platform, like … the Copper Sparrow Terrace."
Wang Juan blinked and said first, "There's no need to move the capital. There are too many things, and there's no point in going through so much trouble. Besides, there's still our heavy industrial research base next to the capital. If we want to move, we can only move to the north or northeast when we have more money. The environment in the south is better, but we can't possibly let a bunch of people enjoy life there."
"Then … what about the high platform?" Li Longji asked about the second matter. In truth, he also wanted to build one, but he was afraid that the two of them would say that it was a waste of money and manpower.
In the end, Zhang Xiaobao said with certainty, "We'll build it. The Copper Sparrow Terrace isn't tall or big enough. We want to build something taller and bigger, but it can't be around the capital or Luoyang."
"Where should we build it?" What Li Longji was worried about didn't happen. On the contrary, he gained even more support.
"Youzhou, where the Andong Protectorate used to be. We'll build it there. Get someone to build it there and find suitable stones in the surroundings. We'll build a large building several hundred meters tall."
The location that Zhang Xiaobao gave was actually Beijing. The population there was too little. If they built a large building there, many people would have to live there in a year or two, and the population would naturally increase.
Furthermore, that place was indeed not bad. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many dynasties that chose to build their capital there. It would be good if it was slightly to the side, closer to Tianjin Port. In any case, there were still many lands that belonged to them. After all, there was a plain next to it, and that was Hebei.
Li Longji didn't care where the building was, as long as it was built. He believed that Zhang Xiaobao wouldn't lie to him. Thus, he asked the crucial question, "Is the money coming from the treasury, or from my own funds?"
"There's no need for that. Let the rich donate. Tell them that if they donate enough money, they can carve their names on the stones. If they donate less money, their names will be at the bottom. If they donate more, their names will be at the top. Then, they'll have to pay for the maintenance in the future."
Zhang Xiaobao gave a good idea.
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