In fact, Li Longji could guess that these blank areas were ownerless lands without political power, but he needed Ang Lee's confirmation to further confirm his opinion.
"Your Majesty, the northernmost and southernmost parts of the map are covered with ice and snow. The weather is bone-chilling all year round, so it's hard for anyone to survive here. It can be regarded as a barren land. There are large tracts of land in other places, some of which can be called fertile lands, but there are almost no people in these places, only wild beasts and all kinds of plants and flowers. Only a few places have some barbarians. Because there is no imperial court ruling over these places, I left them blank."
Ang Lee looked at the map and explained.
Li Longji nodded slightly. He did not doubt Ang Lee's words at all. After all, Ang Lee had invented too many machines that shocked the world these days. No one would believe that Ang Lee had not been taught by a sage in White Wolf Mountain. Since a sage could invent machines, he should know how big the world was. Moreover, Ang Lee also said that this map had been drawn by an otherworldly expert. So, how could Li Longji not believe it?
"It turns out that most of the world is ownerless land, and only a small part is ruled by the imperial court. And the sea is so vast that it's several times larger than all the land!"
Li Longji looked at the map in shock. What shocked him was not only the vast ownerless land outside the Tang dynasty, but also the vast sea. The size of the sea was beyond his imagination.
"Your Majesty, although the world is big, among all the imperial courts, only the Tang dynasty owns the most land and is most respected by the barbarians. Our Tang dynasty is the largest and most powerful empire in the world."
Ang Lee's face was full of confidence. He was proud to be a man of the Tang dynasty.
Li Longji abandoned the ownerless land and the vast sea and looked at all the empires marked with colors. Immediately, a smile appeared on his face.
"That's right. My Tang dynasty truly is the Imperial Court that possesses the largest amount of land. Tibet, the Abbasid Caliphate, and the Turkic Khaganate come in second.
Li Longji's mood became much better when he saw that the Tang Empire ranked first in terms of land and was second only to the Tang Empire were also surrounding the Tang Empire and being suppressed by the Tang Empire.
"Your Majesty, I've always had a good memory. I still remember that Ah Weng once said that there were a lot of rare and good things in the ownerless land in the distance. There were sweet potatoes that could yield a thousand catties per mu, corn that could yield five hundred catties per mu, and a lot of edible things. There were many trees that didn't exist in the Tang dynasty. In the future, when the railway is built to Laizhou, we must build steam ships to explore these places and bring back a lot of good things that we need."
Ang Lee looked forward to the future and made a request.
"Sweet potatoes that could yield a thousand catties per mu? Assistant Minister Li, are you sure you didn't hear wrong?"
Li Longji was shocked when he heard that sweet potatoes could yield a thousand catties per mu. This yield was several times higher than the most productive crop in the Tang dynasty. If sweet potatoes were transported to the Tang dynasty and planted in the land, the grain yield of the Tang dynasty would increase exponentially. Famine would never happen in the Tang Empire.
"Your Majesty, how could I have heard wrong? It's true that sweet potatoes can yield a thousand catties per mu. Moreover, it almost doesn't need fertilization and can grow well in very barren land. It can grow in almost the entire territory of the Tang dynasty. It's just that the more fertile the land, the higher the yield per mu. "
Ang Lee explained with a smile.
"A thousand catties per mu? If this crop really exists, the Tang dynasty will no longer have a problem of famine. We must send a fleet to bring the sweet potato seeds back to the Tang dynasty."
Of course, Li Longji would not give up such a high-yielding crop, so he immediately made a decision.
"Your Majesty, the closest distance between the Americas and the Tang dynasty is 20,000 miles. Ordinary seagoing ships are too slow. Once there's a problem with the wind, it's very likely that they won't be able to return. Moreover, the speed of paddling is generally slow, which is not good for avoiding sudden thunderstorms and strong winds on the sea. Steam seagoing ships are more reliable. Moreover, I plan to design a larger seagoing steamship that is more suitable for sailing on the sea."
Li An advised Li Longji not to be too anxious. Rice should be eaten one mouthful at a time and not be too impatient.
"Assistant Minister Li, crops that can yield a thousand catties per mu are extremely important to the Tang dynasty. You must develop a steam seagoing ship as soon as possible and bring it back to the Tang dynasty as soon as possible."
Li Longji seemed quite anxious.
Ang Lee nodded and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. I've already made the preliminary preparations. Various new steam engines and propeller technologies are under development. As for building a seagoing ship, the railway to Laizhou must be built first. Otherwise, many mechanical parts built in the capital can't be transported to Laizhou in a short time, and the shipbuilding will be very difficult, especially for many large mechanical parts. Only by transporting them by train can it be the most reliable."
"Railway? Hasn't the railway from Luoyang to Laizhou been confirmed? Start laying it now and build it within a year. What do you think, Assistant Minister Li? "
Li Longji was still anxious.
"Your Majesty, the railway to Zhongzong City and Yumen Pass is still under construction. The Canal Bridge and Sishui Bridge are also under construction. In addition, there are various mechanical production and research needs. Pig iron is already in short supply. It's difficult for manpower and financial resources to support the construction of this railway in a short time. Moreover, there are dozens of bridges along the way that need to be built. Let's talk about it next year!"
Ang Lee explained seriously and told Li Longji why the railway to Laizhou could not be built immediately. It was because all aspects were not mature. The large steam engines and propellers needed for large seagoing ships were only in the research and development stage. There was no need to rush at all.
"Well, in that case, let's lay it after the spring plowing next year!"
Li Longji didn't insist and listened to Li An's suggestion. However, it could be seen that this old man was very excited, especially when he saw the large piece of unclaimed land, which made him even more excited.
"By the way, Assistant Minister Li, is the world only so big? Is there any unclaimed land outside the oceans on both sides? "
Li Longji looked at the two-dimensional world map and asked curiously.
"Uh, this … Your humble servant is not too sure. Maybe there is!"
Ang Lee did not dare to tell the truth at the moment. In the future, when the advanced steam-powered ships of the Tang dynasty circled the earth, the answer would naturally be revealed. Now was not the time to raise this scientific question.
"Well, this map will be hung in Zichen Palace from now on. You can leave first!"
Li Longji asked Ang Lee to leave and stood alone in front of the map, pondering and imagining. Such a vast ocean and so many unclaimed lands filled this emperor, who was already in his twilight years, with the idea of expanding his territory again. Of course, even if he did not have this map, he would still have this idea. Being fond of grandiose achievements was an objective evaluation of him by later generations.
"Assistant Minister Li, is what you said in front of His Majesty the truth? Is there really a grain that can produce thousands of catties per mu? "
After walking out of Zichen Palace, Chen Xuanli looked at Ang Lee and asked seriously.
"Of course it's true. Do you think I dare to deceive the emperor? In a few years, you will see grains that can produce thousands of catties per mu. Just wait!"
Ang Lee smiled easily and strode forward.
"Thousands of catties per mu? It's actually true. Oh my god! "
Chen Xuanli opened his mouth wide and stood motionless in the same place.
After leaving Daming Palace, Ang Lee did not return to the courtyard but went to the R&D center. Now, there were at least dozens of products being developed and upgraded.
What Ang Lee needed to do was to provide maps and technical guidance to grasp the general direction and prevent these researchers from going astray. The specific work was all done by the craftsmen.
Of these dozens of R&D and improvement projects, half were related to machine tools. After all, only when the steam machine tool industry developed and had more advanced and reliable precision machines could they produce more reliable products. In particular, many precision and advanced mechanical products could only be produced with better machine tools.
In addition, in order to build more advanced steam-powered ships in the future, more advanced and larger steam engines were being developed. There was also the development of propellers to drive the ships.
Adding a propeller to the stern of the ship could greatly increase the propulsion efficiency and allow the ship to reach a faster speed, even faster than a train.
The casting of the breech cannon was also continuing. After a series of experiments, the breech cannon research and development had entered the final stage. It was very likely that the final cannon that was cast would become a qualified final product.
"How is it? How many times has the breech cannon failed?"
Ang Lee looked at the technical personnel in charge of the breech cannon research and asked with concern.
"Replying to Assistant Minister Li, we have already failed three times. We have also figured out the reason for the failure. This time, we will definitely succeed."
These outstanding talents, after such a long period of study and research, already had a certain degree of independent thinking ability. They could even determine the success rate of a product's experiment. This greatly exceeded Ang Lee's expectations.
"Good, very good. The breech cannon is much more advanced than the previous ones. It can fire more shells in a short time. We must develop it as soon as possible."
Ang Lee nodded and took out a blueprint from his bosom. He ordered, "Build the cannon frame according to this blueprint. This cannon frame is very important. We must develop it as soon as possible."
The craftsmen took the blueprint and frowned, "Assistant Minister Li, this cannon frame looks too thin. The distance of the cannon's retreat is relatively large. Is it really feasible?"
"It won't retreat a single step. As long as this cannon frame is developed and the cannon barrel is installed on it, the cannon will not retreat a single step when firing."
Ang Lee sternly said.
This very advanced cannon reset system was the standard for future cannons. It could also be called a recoil device. It would greatly increase the power of the cannon and allow it to be used in more places, such as trains, ships, and even the interior of vehicles.
"Yes, Assistant Minister Li. This thing doesn't seem very difficult to make. It will be done very quickly."
The recoil device was much easier to make than the cannon barrel. After the main body was cast, only a thick spring was needed to complete it. For the craftsmen who developed the cannon barrel, this was naturally not difficult.
Ang Lee was very much looking forward to the development of the advanced breech cannon and the recoil device cannon frame. This way, the combat power of the artillery would be greatly increased.
After continuing to inspect several research projects, Ang Lee left the R&D Center and returned to the courtyard. He and Yan Ruyu's group of three copied the world map. This kind of world-level map naturally had to be made. In the future, when the steam ships went out to explore, they would need to take this map with them. In addition, Ang Lee also named many important islands on the ocean, such as View Island, Prestige Island, Middle Island, and Summer Island. In addition, the shapes and topography of these important islands were all drawn on an extra map. This would allow the steam ships to know where they were when they encountered these islands and use the world map to determine their position. This would prevent them from getting lost.
A few days later, great news came from the R&D Center. The breech cannon had been successfully developed and had been tested three times. The shots were stable and accurate, and the earth walls five hundred paces away were successfully smashed.
Immediately after, the spring recoil device cannon frame was also built. They immediately notified Ang Lee and asked him to come and guide them.
"Assistant Minister Li, the breech cannon has been successfully tested. The cannon frame you mentioned has also been built. Should we try installing it?"
Ang Lee nodded and said, "Install the cannon barrel, the cannon frame, and the running wheel. Pull it out to test the effect."
Dozens of craftsmen worked together to assemble the cannon barrel, the cannon frame, and the running wheel, forming a seemingly perfect cannon.
The R&D Center had a field specially used to test the cannon, and several earth walls were specially built that were up to twenty feet high.
Looking at this advanced cannon that resembled the appearance of the Second World War, Ang Lee was very proud. Although it was only the appearance and the power of the shells was much weaker, it was still not bad. In this era, such a cannon was enough to cause huge losses to potential enemies.
"Immediately aim and prepare to fire."
Ang Lee gave the order to test.
The cannon frame of this new cannon, in addition to the spring recoil device, was also equipped with a handwheel mechanism to adjust the angle of the cannon. By rotating the handwheel, the cannon could be easily adjusted to the desired angle.
Several craftsmen rotated the handwheel and aimed the muzzle at the earth wall five hundred paces away. They then loaded the shell and propellant into the cannon barrel, closed the breech, and locked it.
"Fire."
Ang Lee immediately gave the order.
"Boom …"
The craftsmen pulled hard on the traction rope, allowing the firing pin at the rear of the breech cannon to quickly hit the propellant and ignite the propellant, propelling the shell towards the target in front.
"It hit, it hit."
"Hey, the cannon really didn't move back."
Not only did everyone see that the cannon accurately hit the target, but they also saw that the cannon only moved a little and didn't move back very far.
"Clear the barrel, reload, and continue firing."
Ang Lee continued to give the order to fire the shell.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
