Ang Lee's ultimate goal was to connect the core regions of the Tang dynasty and the important border regions with railways. This would make it easier for the imperial court to control the whole country and facilitate the flow of goods. This would promote the prosperity of commerce and trade and stimulate the growth of wealth step by step.
To achieve this goal, he had to build enough railways. The railway to Shu-lik town was eight thousand li away. With this railway, it would make it easier for the Tang dynasty to control the Anxi region. The railway to Laizhou would also allow the Tang dynasty to better control the core region of Shandong. In addition, the northeast, Jiangnan, and Central Sichuan were all very important, so they had to be connected by railways.
Ang Lee's plan to build railways was very large. First, he would build two railways from Luoyang to Yingzhou in the northeast and Hangzhou in the southeast along the direction of the Grand Canal. This would greatly reduce the traffic pressure of the Grand Canal and make it easier to transport the less safe fruits and vegetables. This would allow the northerners to eat the fruits and vegetables of the south, and similarly, the southerners could eat the fruits and vegetables of the north, thus improving the living standards of the people of the two places.
In addition, Luoyang could also build a railway to the south, passing through Mianzhou, Guizhou, and other places to reach Jiaozhou. This would allow him to control the entire southern region and let the barbarians in the south have a good rest.
Three railways from Chang 'an had already been built in the east, west, and north. The next step would naturally be to go south and enter Hanzhong and Central Sichuan through the Qinling Mountains. This would allow this bountiful land to have a better connection with the capital and promote the flow of goods between the two sides. This would make it easier for the army to enter Central Sichuan.
Moreover, the railway could continue south from Central Sichuan to Dongnu Province, Nanzhao, Pyu, and all the way to the Indian Ocean. A port could also be built in the Indian Ocean. Of course, the railway to Jiaozhou could also go south along the coast to the Strait of Malacca. This would allow the Tang dynasty to control the entire Indochina Peninsula.
The railway to Shu-lik town could continue west and include a large number of small countries along the river. It could also continue west to Arabia and even Europe.
The railway from the surrendered city could also continue north, and from the north to the west, leading to a wider area.
Of course, although this plan was very large, it was relatively difficult to operate. In many areas with complex topography, some needed to build bridges, and some needed to dig tunnels. Especially in the large water systems such as the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, it was not easy to build bridges over them. Moreover, building so many railways could not be completed in a short time. It required the continuous efforts of generations of the Tang dynasty to gradually complete this important railway laying plan.
Ang Lee drew all of his plans for laying railways on a map of the world and showed them to Li Longji. This made the Emperor, who was fond of grandiose achievements, very happy. He had the impulse to pave all of these railways in one breath.
Due to the current national strength of the Tang Empire, Ang Lee could only persuade Li Longji not to make the same mistake as Emperor Yang of Sui. It was true that building as many railways as possible was good, but once the limit of national strength was exceeded and the people were exhausted, the consequences would be very serious. The chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty was the best proof of this.
Of course, Ang Lee would not directly use Emperor Yang of Sui as an example. Instead, he used indirect means to persuade Li Longji, so as not to anger this arrogant Emperor.
The construction speed of the new cannons was very fast. In just a few months, a hundred new breech cannons had been built. They were then equipped with the 1st and 2nd Artillery Brigades, greatly increasing the combat effectiveness of the two Artillery Brigades.
More new breech cannons were being built, and it would not be long before they could be replaced with more troops, further increasing the fighting power of the Tang dynasty's artillery troops.
The construction of the other 50 armored artillery vehicles had also entered the final assembly stage, and they could be equipped with the troops soon. During these days, Ang Lee transferred elite artillery soldiers from each artillery brigade and let them try to operate the experimental armored artillery vehicle. This way, after a large number of armored artillery vehicles were equipped with the army, they could quickly form a fighting power.
Of course, in order to increase the output of agricultural products, Ang Lee had never forgotten the American continent. If he wanted to go to the American continent and bring back enough seeds and trees, he had to build a large steam ship.
Therefore, when the railway to Lai Zhou had just begun to be built, Ang Lee had already sent some talents from the Luoyang Shipyard to the bay of Lai Zhou to build a large shipyard. According to the drawings provided by Ang Lee, they began to build the main body of the large steam ship. As for the steam power, large propellers, cannons, and other important parts, they would have to wait for some time. In any case, the number of large steam ships needed to go to the American continent was still very large. Building a large number of hulls first could greatly save time and facilitate the formation of the steam fleet.
On the train from the surrendered city to the capital, Shuofang Jiedushi Wang Zhongsi and his subordinate Guo Ziyi were sitting in the soft sleeper carriage and chatting happily.
In the past, when they went to the capital, they had to ride horses. On the road, there was a lot of wind and sand, which could be said to be unbearable. Now, the railway was being built from the capital to the surrendered city. They no longer needed to ride horses to the capital. As long as they lay in the carriage, they would be able to reach the capital in just over a day. This was simply too convenient.
The purpose of their trip to the capital this time was, first, to report the situation in the north, and second, to ask for artillery troops to strengthen the fighting strength of the border troops.
In the autumn and winter of last year, the Turks once again had internal strife. Wang Zhongsi found the right time to immediately go north and cooperate with the Huihe, Karluolu, and other tribes on the grassland to completely destroy the Turk Empire.
However, with the demise of the Turks, another powerful tribe, the Huihe, quickly grew stronger and occupied all the land that originally belonged to the Turks.
Although the new Huihe regime was relatively friendly to the Tang Empire and did not have any intention of being hostile to the Tang Dynasty, it was not necessarily a good thing to have a powerful regime around.
Previously, when Guo Ziyi went to the capital for business, Ang Lee had predicted that the Turk Empire would be destroyed and replaced by the Huihe Empire. Guo Ziyi attached great importance to this matter. After returning to Shuofang, he told Wang Zhongsi about it.
At that time, Wang Zhongsi did not take it seriously. After all, there were so many tribes on the grassland. Why would the Huihe replace the Turks after their demise? Was there no possibility of it being other tribes?
But the development of things was magical. According to the route set by Ang Lee, the Turks really died out, and the Huihe succeeded in replacing them. Moreover, their strength was not weaker than the Turks. Once they became enemies with the Tang Empire, it was bound to bring great pressure to the Tang Empire.
Ang Lee's superb strategic vision surprised Wang Zhongsi. In addition, he also heard a lot of things that happened in the capital when he was at the border. A large number of magical machines, railway tracks, trains, solar stoves, telescopes, and other items were all invented by Ang Lee.
How could a puny Li An have such great ability? Not only was he strong in martial arts, but he was also good at fighting. Moreover, he had a superhuman strategic vision and could invent many amazing machines. Where did he learn this ability?
Wang Zhongsi was very curious about Ang Lee. Based on his understanding of Li Wu, this ordinary man should not have such an excellent son. But in terms of appearance, Ang Lee did look very similar to Li Wu. There was no doubt that they were father and son.
"How can this child Wuyang have such great ability? It's too strange. "
Wang Zhongsi looked at the golden desert outside the window and frowned.
"Marshal, I'm also shocked. Assistant Minister Li is so young, but he has so many abilities. Even the ancient sages don't have so many abilities! However, this can be considered a blessing for the Tang dynasty. No matter what, it's a good thing. "
Guo Ziyi could only explain it in this way. He also felt that Ang Lee was very strange. He could actually have so many extraordinary skills that he could kill all the ancient sages in an instant. So many complicated machines were a headache to look at, but Ang Lee could design and manufacture them. No one could compare with this ability.
"When I return to the capital, I'll have to ask him where he learned these skills from and which master taught him."
Wang Zhongsi turned his gaze back to the car and said leisurely.
Guo Ziyi shook his head and said, "Marshal, you'd better not ask! Many officials in the capital have also asked about it. In the end, Assistant Minister Li only said one sentence and dismissed all of them. "
"Only one sentence? What was it?"
Wang Zhongsi looked at Guo Ziyi curiously.
"Assistant Minister Li said that these things can only be told to His Majesty and no one else."
Guo Ziyi said seriously.
"Only His Majesty can know? This Wuyang is quite smart. In this way, no one will dare to continue to ask. Otherwise, they will be trying to be on the same level as His Majesty. "
Wang Zhongsi grinned and expressed his appreciation for Ang Lee's wisdom.
"Marshal, this is your first time taking a train, and it's also my first time. I have to say that sitting in this spacious train is much more comfortable and faster than riding a horse. In the future, it will be much more convenient to return to the capital. Moreover, with this train, it will be much more convenient to transport troops and provisions. It can greatly enhance the strength of the Tang dynasty. I heard that new tracks have been laid in Luoyang City and Yumen Pass respectively, and the destinations are Lai Province and Shu-lik Town respectively."
Guo Ziyi suddenly changed the topic.
"The distance from Laizhou to Shu-lik is more than ten thousand li. I didn't think that the entire area could be paved with rails. This way, the Great Tang's control over the east and west will be even more firm. These ten thousand li of rails are all paved with iron, which requires far too much iron. For my Great Tang to have the strength to do so truly makes this commander happy. This commander remembers that five years ago, I requested iron from the Imperial Court to repair the damaged weapons of the army, but the Imperial Court was unable to produce that much iron, only half of it. Now, we can take out so much iron to pave the rails. The increase in our national strength is not small!"
Now, I can't help but think of the past many years. In just a few years, the Tang dynasty was not only no longer short of iron, but also rich enough to pave tracks. Wang Zhongsi was extremely shocked by the growth of the country's strength.
"Marshal, this is also thanks to Assistant Minister Li. He invented the black medicine and improved the blast furnace. As a result, the speed of iron mining has greatly increased, and the cost has been reduced a lot. Now, the output of pig iron in the Tang dynasty has increased by more than 100 times. That's why we have so much iron to pave tracks."
Guo Ziyi said with a smile.
"Yes! Wuyang has indeed made a great contribution. However, it's not all his credit that the output of pig iron has increased so much. If the imperial court hadn't mobilized a large number of manpower to mine ownerless iron, how could so many nobles and local tyrants follow suit? However, there's no doubt that his contribution is the greatest, haha! "
Wang Zhongsi said as he looked out of the window again. This time, he saw a different scenery. There was a green grassland outside, and in the distance, there were rolling mountains, which made him feel very good.
"In the blink of an eye, the train has left the desert. Good, it's really good!"
Wang Zhongsi laughed.
"Marshal, it's lunch."
A guard came in with a dining car.
"Oh! This train is so good. Everything is prepared. Even if I sit on it for a year, it won't be a problem! Come, General Guo, let's eat together. "
Wang Zhongsi was in a good mood and invited Guo Ziyi to eat together.
"Since you said so, I won't stand on ceremony. How can this little wine and food be enough? Ask the dining car to add more wine and food. "
Guo Ziyi never regarded himself as an outsider and directly ordered Wang Zhongsi's guard.
While eating and drinking, they discussed in detail how to ask the Emperor for an artillery unit to increase the strength of the border army. After all, the strength of the artillery was extremely powerful. As long as the border army was equipped with it, it would definitely greatly increase the combat strength of the border army.
They were confident that they could successfully obtain a troop of artillery. After all, they already knew that the imperial court had set up eight artillery brigades in the capital and held a large-scale artillery firing exercise in front of the envoys of various countries. It was completely feasible to choose one of the eight artillery brigades to send to the north.
Wang Zhongsi and Guo Ziyi's train was approaching Chang 'an City step by step. In Chang' an City, Ang Lee began to think about how to deal with the obsolete artillery.
Now, both the 1st and 2nd Artillery Brigades were equipped with advanced breech-loading cannons and anti-recoil devices, so their performance had improved a lot. However, the eliminated 100 breech-loading cannons had not been used for a long time, so it was obviously not advisable to abandon them. At least, they had to be used for a while.
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