Ang Lee could see that these businessmen didn't care about money in order to get a new phone. It seemed that no matter how high the price was, they could accept it.
Rich people were willful. They were too willful, especially this Wang Dabao in front of him. He could accept a premium of a hundred times the price as soon as he opened his mouth, and this was what he said himself. If Li An raised the price to two hundred times, would he not buy it? Obviously not, he would still buy it. Therefore, in the hearts of these rich people, the telephone was very important.
"Wang Dabao, the phone lines of the imperial court haven't been set up yet. Even if you buy a phone, it won't be of much use! Unless you buy two to play in your home, but how big can your home be? It would be a waste! "
Ang Lee said with a smile.
Hearing this, Wang Dabao replied with a smile, "I naturally know this. I just want to buy two to play at home. It doesn't matter if it isn't of much use for the time being. It will definitely be useful in the future. I just want to buy something new to play with."
After saying that, he looked at Ang Lee with a licking face, as if he wanted to buy one immediately.
Seeing this, Ang Lee sighed in his heart. He felt that this Wang Dabao was too cute. He was willing to bear a premium of a hundred times just to play at home. It was as if he was buying a set of toys. Other than rich people, ordinary people really couldn't be so willful.
In fact, Ang Lee could guess that this guy's main purpose of buying a phone was to show off. Under the premise that there weren't many phones in the market, after he got one, he would be able to make others look up to him. He could invite his friends to his home and then talk to them from a distance, letting them experience the sound of the phone. This kind of feeling of being high above others was similar to a certain era where a village only had one TV series. It would give him a feeling of being a leader.
"Okay! You said yourself that you can accept a premium of a hundred times. Don't say that this official is extorting you! "
Ang Lee said with a smile.
Wang Dabao was overjoyed and hurriedly said, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. Only heaven and earth knows about this. Assistant Minister Li, you can rest assured."
In order to get this new product, Wang Dabao was also willing to go all out. He was very happy to accept a premium of a hundred times.
In fact, Li An didn't care about extorting this little bit of money from Wang Dabao. However, since Wang Dabao had said so, it would seem that he wasn't sincere enough if he didn't extort him. Anyway, Wang Dabao wasn't short of money. Letting him buy something more expensive might make him feel better. In short, Li An extorted Wang Dabao with a clear conscience. He didn't have any burden in his heart. After all, whether it was for himself or Wang Dabao, this little bit of money was just a drizzle. It was nothing at all. There wasn't much difference whether he extorted Wang Dabao or not.
... There were many people who came to buy the telephone. However, the number of telephones was too small. They couldn't supply it at all. Therefore, Ang Lee could only helplessly refuse some businessmen whom he had never met before. After all, some of them didn't have any friendship with him. Why would they sell it to you? Even if they wanted to buy it with a lot of money, Ang Lee didn't care. Who asked Ang Lee to not be short of money?
Since the telephone had already been introduced, in addition to large-scale production, it was necessary to immediately organize and plan the lines. Previously, the lines organized in the Daming Palace could only meet the needs of the Daming Palace. The entire capital had such a large area. Many places had the need to use telephones. If the network couldn't be set up as soon as possible, the purpose of inventing the telephone was not great. Therefore, after settling the Daming Palace, Taiji Palace, Imperial City, and Xingqing Palace, Ang Lee contacted several important ministers and prepared to set up the telephone network inside and outside the capital. The telephone network must be connected to all places in the capital. It must ensure that there were no blind spots in the information connection. It must allow people in all places inside and outside the capital to instantly communicate with people in other places. This was the first step to complete, and it was quite urgent.
When Ang Lee proposed this plan, it immediately received the support of all the ministers. These guys were also very optimistic about the telephone network in the capital. They supported it with both hands and feet.
According to the production speed of the telephone assembly line, it would take at least a month for the capital to have a considerable number of telephones. However, it would take a lot of time to plan and build the lines. Therefore, the lines must be planned and built in advance. In this way, when people needed to use the telephone, they could directly connect to the nearest node. It was really convenient.
"Ten thousand telephones can be produced in a month. This speed is really amazing! According to this speed, it will only take a year to meet the needs of the capital. "
A minister said excitedly.
"According to this speed, one year is definitely not enough. There are about three to five million people in the capital. 120,000 telephones are definitely not enough."
Another minister opened his mouth to refute.
"How is it not enough? Could it be that ordinary people can also afford it? There is a monthly rent. Assistant Minister Li said that the telephone line also consumes electricity, so there is a monthly rent. The poor certainly can't afford it. According to one percent of the rich people in the capital who can afford it, there are only a few hundred thousand of them!"
"Not only the top people can afford it. It must be more than a few hundred thousand. In other words, a capable person may not only have one telephone! It is not a problem for the rich and powerful to buy dozens of telephones, but a dozen is definitely not enough. "
"You have said so much, but it is still the production of the first batch. If we can produce twenty or thirty thousand telephones a month, then it will be enough in a year. Haha!"
"Then it will be enough in the capital at most. The Tang dynasty has so many provincial cities and counties. The number of telephones needed is huge!"
"This is a very big market! It will definitely make a lot of money. Just by selling these telephones, the national treasury will be filled by a lot! "
When everyone was talking, their expressions were extremely excited.
Seeing that everyone was excited, Ang Lee hurriedly said, "Everyone, don't be too excited. Calm down, calm down! Haha! Now that the lines in the imperial city have been planned, it will not be long before all the government offices in the imperial city can communicate with each other. You will also be able to contact each other. You will no longer have to send people to inform each other, haha! "
"Oh, is that so? This is really good news! Good news! "
"This is all thanks to Assistant Minister Li!"
Everyone said happily.
Ang Lee continued, "Everyone, the production of telephones is controllable. At present, we can only produce ten thousand telephones a month at most. If there is a higher demand, we will have to mobilize more craftsmen. This is not difficult. However, the R&D Center is researching and producing many projects, and the demand for telephones is not so urgent. Therefore, it is still enough to maintain the production of ten thousand telephones a month. Pick the important ones first, and the rest can be done slowly. What we need to do now is to plan the telephone lines as soon as possible so that all places in the capital can be connected to the phone and set up a special government office."
"Assistant Minister Li, this is too easy. When we were laying out the street lamps, we had already planned the lines. Just follow the lines. It will save us a lot of trouble."
A minister opened his mouth and said.
Ang Lee shook his head and said, "The street lamps are naturally a good line, but the street lamps are underground. Moreover, not all places have street lamps. In places without street lamps, we still need to plan again. Even if there are street lamps, we still need to plan again. Especially in some sections where the ground has hardened, the amount of work to excavate the ground is too large. We can only use the open line, which is the most cost-effective."
Everyone kept nodding when they heard this. They felt that Ang Lee's words were very reasonable. The planning of the lines was actually not difficult. The difficult part was how to take care of various terrains so that the layout of the lines would not affect the aesthetics. In addition, the total mileage of the lines was required to be the shortest so that they could save the most resources.
Among them, it was the most difficult to ask for the shortest and the most materials. This was the data that needed to be calculated carefully. Moreover, saving materials and maintaining aesthetics were contradictory. Sometimes, in order to maintain aesthetics, the lines had to be curved. In this way, it was bound to increase the mileage of the lines, which would increase the cost of the wiring.
Therefore, the choice was very challenging for the person who laid the lines. If they did not have a certain level, it was difficult to lay the lines perfectly. Among all the ministers, no one was more capable than Ang Lee. However, the area of the capital was too large. If Ang Lee could plan the positions every month, it would really tire him to death. Even if Ang Lee was exhausted to death, it would not solve the problem. Only a few major directions were determined by Ang Lee. As for how to lay the lines in each area, it could only be left to the ministers below. They were paid by the imperial court and should do something for the imperial court.
In order to ensure the best result, Ang Lee planned the overall situation and divided the more than 100 squares in Chang 'an into nine areas. A minister was responsible for the specific wiring research in each specific area. Ang Lee was responsible for the wiring of the nine areas. As for the areas outside the city, eight areas were laid out according to the directions, namely east, west, north, south, southeast, northeast, southwest, and west. There was a wiring in each direction. Then, the wiring of each area was left to the ministers below.
Among the nine areas in the capital, the three areas in the north were the most important. Among them, the area in the middle of the north was the Taiji Palace and the imperial city. The area in the northwest was where the aristocrats lived. The area in the northeast was also where the aristocrats lived. Among them, the Xingqing Palace in the south and the Daming Palace in the north were included. Obviously, they were more important.
As for the six areas in the center and the south, the three areas in the center were naturally more important. In the west of the center, there was the Western City, a supermarket. In the east of the center, there was the Eastern City, a big market. In the center of the capital, there were several important squares. After all, the imperial city was in the north. Many officials lived in these squares. In addition, the squares in these areas were relatively small, which showed that they were more important.
As for the three areas in the south, they were naturally the least important. Those who lived in the south were poor families. This area was relatively far from the imperial city, but there were many scenic spots and historical sites in this area. The housing price was relatively cheap. The most important thing was that it was far away from the aristocrats, so there was less pressure to live there. It was a relatively livable area. Of course, it was also a slum for the aristocrats in the north.
Of course, there would be no harm if there was no comparison. The squares in the south of the capital were all slums for the aristocrats living in the north. However, this area was simply a mansion for the people outside the city. After all, even the south of the city was within the city wall and belonged to the city. According to the words of the later generations, the houses in the south of the capital were extremely expensive. Without a certain amount of wealth and identity, it was difficult to own a house in the second ring.
As for the area outside the city, it was much larger than the area inside the city. The population of the city was also higher. There were 108 squares in the city, which could accommodate more than one million people at most. At this time, the population of Chang 'an City had exceeded three million. There were still some that had not been counted. The actual population might be even higher. The extra population naturally lived outside the city, so there were more houses and more people in the periphery of Chang' an City.
Of course, the people who lived outside the city were not necessarily poor. They could only be said to be relatively poor on average. For example, Ang Lee mainly lived in the south of the city. However, he was not poor. He was simply rich. There were many rich people who chose to live outside the city. After all, every inch of land in the city was expensive. It was unrealistic to build a large house for oneself. A small house was not very comfortable to live in. Therefore, some people began to look outside the city and build a larger villa outside the city. It was more comfortable to live in such a house.
Even the Emperor had a villa outside the city. It was just that this villa was a little too far away. Since there were rich people outside the city, it meant that there was a need to connect the phone. The phone network naturally could not be limited to the city. In addition, it would be connected to the surrounding provinces and counties and distant places. For example, the four capitals in the north, south, east, and west must be the first step to connect the phone network.
Although the wires did not seem very expensive, because Chang 'an City was too big, it needed a large number of wires. In addition to the necessary poles and other auxiliary facilities, as well as the supply of electricity, the total investment was definitely not small. However, considering the great practical significance after the network was set up and the monthly income that could be earned from the rent, these investments were very worthwhile. No matter how much they invested, they were not afraid. They could always get back the money.
After the task was given, the yamen at all levels began to work. Because they all knew that they were doing a big thing, a great thing that would benefit the country and the people, they were all very serious and diligent. At the same time, they also gained the support of everyone. The work was carried out smoothly. For example, some wires needed to pass through the door and wall of someone's house, so they needed to be hung on the wall. Knowing that they needed to connect the phone line, whether it was the dignitaries or ordinary people, they all expressed their support. They were not unhappy that there was a hole in the wall of their house.
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