Ang Lee was not in a hurry to agree to the Stone Kingdom's request. After all, the generators were urgently needed by the Tang dynasty, and his goal was to satisfy himself first. When he had surplus, he would sell them to other smaller countries in bulk.
Furthermore, from what the Stone Kingdom's ambassador said, the king of the Stone Kingdom had quite a big appetite, wanting to light up the entire palace and city as bright as day. As such, he would need dozens of sets of equipment. Ang Lee could not afford so much equipment, as he would need the approval of the imperial court.
While all the equipment was invented by him, these industries all belonged to the imperial court, and had to obey the orders of the imperial court. Ang Lee had no authority over them.
Of course, if it was a small number of products, there would not be such a problem. As a minister of the imperial court, Ang Lee still had some privileges.
"What is your name?"
Ang Lee looked at the Stone Kingdom's ambassador and asked.
The Stone Kingdom's ambassador was stunned for a moment before replying, "Assistant Minister Li, I am Corban, an ambassador of the Stone Kingdom."
"Corban, a nice name. Let's be friends! As a show of sincerity, I'll sell you a thousand light bulbs. "
Ang Lee said with a smile.
"A thousand light bulbs? Can't you sell me a generator? "
The Stone Kingdom's ambassador requested.
Ang Lee hesitated for a moment before putting on a troubled expression and said, "The generator is an important asset of the imperial court, and the imperial court controls it very strictly. I'm sure you know about that. However, since we're friends, I'll agree to help you. However, I can only sell you one set of equipment at most, and I'll increase the number of light bulbs to two thousand. How does that sound?"
"That's great. Assistant Minister Li is a true friend. When you come to the Stone Kingdom in the future, I'll be sure to treat you well."
The Stone Kingdom's ambassador was very excited. With these things, it would be easier for him to explain himself when he returned. At least he would not be empty-handed.
"Corban, how big is the Stone Kingdom? How many cities do you have? "
Ang Lee looked at Corban and asked since he had nothing else to do.
"Assistant Minister Li, our Stone Kingdom is very small and can't be compared to the Tang dynasty at all. We only have a dozen cities and the capital is in Taluos. It has about 100,000 people and is the largest city in our Stone Kingdom."
Corban answered truthfully.
"Taros City? What a familiar name. "
Ang Lee was puzzled at first, but then he remembered that Talos City was the battlefield where General Gao Xianzhi of the Tang Dynasty led his army to fight against the Dashi Empire. In the battle of Talos City, the Tang Dynasty suffered a crushing defeat and lost most of their troops. It could be regarded as a harbinger of the decline of the Tang Empire.
Besides the fact that the enemy had far more soldiers than the Tang Dynasty, there was another important reason for this defeat. The Tang Dynasty's ally, Ge Luolu, had been bribed by the Arabs and launched a sneak attack on the Tang Army from behind. This caused the Tang Dynasty's army to fall into disarray and ultimately suffer a crushing defeat. Their main forces were wiped out, and Talos City and the Stone Kingdom fell into the Dashi Empire's sphere of influence. The Tang Empire's influence in the west was greatly weakened.
Talos City was located on the main trade route from the Tang Empire to the west. Controlling Talos City or having the Stone Kingdom subordinate to the Tang Dynasty was extremely important to the Tang Empire. This involved the Belt and Road Strategy of the Tang Empire, and the safety of the trade routes could not be ignored.
"Talos City is the capital of our Stone Kingdom, and everyone in our Stone Kingdom doesn't know of it. But our Stone Kingdom is still a small country, and for Assistant Minister Li to have heard of Talos City is already our Stone Kingdom's honor."
As the envoy of the Stone Kingdom, Corban naturally respected the capital of his homeland. And because the Stone Kingdom was just a small country, it was very normal for the important officials of the Tang Dynasty not to know what the capital of the Stone Kingdom was. After all, there were so many small countries in the world, and who could remember all of them?
Ang Lee smiled and said, "Talos City is a good place. In the future, our Tang Dynasty's railway will definitely pass through Talos City, and in this way, your Talos City will become richer and richer, and the lives of the people of the Stone Kingdom will become better and better."
"Haha! Assistant Minister Li is absolutely right. Our Stone Kingdom relies on trade to support itself, and without trade, there would be no Stone Kingdom. But our Stone Kingdom also has its difficulties! "
Corban said, and sighed.
"What difficulties does your Stone Kingdom have? Tell me."
Ang Lee curiously asked.
Corban hesitated for a few moments before saying, "I won't hide it from Assistant Minister Li. Our Stone Kingdom is just a small country and doesn't have the ability to protect ourselves. Although our Stone Kingdom is very rich, we have to offer tributes to both the Tang Dynasty and Arabia. Our Stone Kingdom can't afford to offend either of them!"
"Offering tributes to both countries? What, your King of Stone Kingdom is pledging allegiance to both the Tang Dynasty and Arabia? This is disloyalty to the Tang Dynasty! If His Majesty were to find out, how would your King explain this? "
Ang Lee loudly rebuked.
In truth, this was no secret. Many small countries in the west had pledged allegiance to several powerful countries in order to gain their understanding and prevent them from being attacked.
The main reason for this was naturally because the Stone Kingdom's location was too important. Neither the Tang Dynasty nor Arabia would relinquish control of the Stone Kingdom. In addition, the Stone Kingdom was located on the border between these two countries. Neither of them had the ability to protect the Stone Kingdom, nor could they guarantee its safety. Thus, the Stone Kingdom was forced to pay protection fees to the two neighboring countries.
"Assistant Minister Li, you can't blame our Stone Kingdom for this. The Tang Dynasty's military strength in the west is relatively weak and can't effectively protect the Stone Kingdom. For the sake of the people's safety, the King has to give some benefits to Arabia. This can't be helped. It's not that our Stone Kingdom is disloyal to the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty is much more benevolent than Arabia, so our Stone Kingdom naturally favors the Tang Dynasty."
The Stone Kingdom's envoy hurriedly explained.
"In other words, it's our Tang Dynasty's army that has failed to protect your Stone Kingdom and caused you to suffer."
Ang Lee softly said.
"Assistant Minister Li should know that the westernmost military base of the Tang Dynasty is Suiye. It only has a few thousand soldiers, and our Stone Kingdom is several hundred li west of Suiye. If we launch a surprise attack on Talos, the Tang Dynasty's army several hundred li away won't be able to send reinforcements in time. Moreover, the Tang Dynasty's army in Suiye only has a few thousand soldiers, so it's relatively weak."
Corban softly said.
"So what if it only has a few thousand soldiers? Our Tang Dynasty's soldiers are all elites. Even if it's just a few thousand soldiers, it's enough to defeat an enemy army of tens of thousands."
Guo Qiang, who was strolling in the distance, suddenly spoke.
"Colonel Guo, please calm your anger. The Tang Dynasty's army in Suiye isn't very well-equipped. If these several thousand Tang Dynasty Army soldiers were equipped with Colonel Guo's armored artillery vehicles, they would naturally be able to defeat the Arab soldiers at will."
Corban recognized Guo Qiang, and he knew that Guo Qiang had a very good relationship with Ang Lee. Thus, he dared to speak carelessly.
"Colonel Guo, Corban's words are reasonable. Several thousand ordinary Tang Dynasty Army soldiers traveling several hundred li to reinforce Talos truly isn't very realistic. If we want to protect a small country like the Stone Kingdom, we must increase the military strength of the Tang Dynasty in the west, and the prerequisite for this increase is that the railroad must be unimpeded. Only when the railroad is unimpeded can the various resources and pay be transported to the west at a lower price, thereby reducing the burden on the Imperial Court. If the railroad is unimpeded, then raising a single soldier in the west is equivalent to raising ten soldiers in Chang 'an.
The price is simply too high, "Ang Lee said.
The ancient Tang Dynasty had only maintained twenty-four thousand soldiers in the vast land of Anxi because it was very difficult for the Imperial Court's resources to be transported to Anxi. Similar resources would cost ten times the price in Anxi. The cost of raising twenty-four thousand soldiers in Anxi was equivalent to raising two hundred and forty thousand soldiers in the capital, so the pressure was enormous.
But once the railroad was completed, the situation was completely different. The resources of the Tang Dynasty could be transported to Anxi at an extremely convenient and low price, and the price would increase by fifty percent at most. This way, it would be enough to raise even more soldiers in Anxi.
The railroad from the capital to Jade Gate Pass had been open for a long time, and more than half of the railroad from Jade Gate Pass to Shu-lik Town had been completed. As long as the railroad from Jade Gate Pass to Shu-lik Town was unimpeded, the Tang Dynasty would be able to maintain more soldiers and deploy more advanced weapons in Anxi.
Moreover, Li An had a plan for the next step, which was to continue building railways to the western countries. The first line would start at Bihuan City, pass through Botaling, and reach the westernmost military base of the Great Tang, Suiye City. Then, it would continue westward, passing through Julan City, Talos City, and finally reach the countries further west. It might even extend all the way to Europe.
The second route would go south from Shu-lik Town, pass through Telemanchuan, and enter the Tocharian region. Then through Tocharia, it would reach the Abbasid Caliphate in the west and Sindhu in the south, expanding the influence of the Tang Dynasty to these regions and promoting the economic development of the Tang Empire.
"Don't worry, Corban. Stone Kingdom won't have to pay tribute to two countries at the same time in a few years. As long as the railroad of the Tang Dynasty reaches Talos, your Stone Kingdom will be safe. If anyone dares to provoke you, the elite armored artillery under Colonel Guo's command will arrive at Talos within ten days and annihilate the invaders."
Ang Lee said domineeringly.
The reason why he dared to say so was because the Tang Empire had the power to do so. As long as the railroad was smooth, it could ensure that the violent machines of the Tang Empire could enter Talos and ensure the absolute safety of Talos. Moreover, it was not just Talos. Any distant city that was connected to the railroad of the Tang Dynasty would be under the protection of the Tang Empire.
"Assistant Minister Li is right. This one is looking forward to that day. After the railroad is connected to Talos, not only will Talos be protected by the Tang Dynasty, the merchants of our Stone Kingdom will also be able to do better business, and our Stone Kingdom will become richer and richer."
Corban said with longing.
"Corban, that day will come soon. This official will also go to Talos and see the local customs of the west. It will be very interesting."
Ang Lee comforted Corban and also looked forward to it.
After discussing the basic situation of the western countries, Corban left and returned to the Ezhou Railway Station. Ang Lee and Guo Yuxin continued to enjoy the night view of the Ezhou Yangtze River Bridge.
Standing on the bridge and enjoying the breeze was a very comfortable feeling.
"Assistant Minister Li, this Corban is quite interesting. He dares to say anything, and he even came to ask for power generation equipment."
Guo Yuxin said, and then suddenly asked, "Assistant Minister Li, you seemed to have promised him just now. Where are you going to get a set of power generation equipment for Corban?"
"It's just a set of power generation equipment. This official still has the authority to do so. If it really doesn't work, I can give him one of the two sets of equipment in my residence."
Ang Lee said very casually.
As an important official of the imperial court and the technical director of the research and development center, it was not difficult for Ang Lee to get a set of power generation equipment. No one dared to say anything about it, so this was not a difficult problem at all. As long as Ang Lee was willing to help, he could get a set of power generation equipment. As for the light bulbs, it was much easier. After all, light bulbs were just small gadgets and were produced in large quantities.
By the time he returned to the Ezhou Railway Station, it was already very late, and Ang Lee fell asleep immediately.
In the next few days, Emperor Li Longji and the other officials toured both sides of the Ezhou Yangtze River Bridge. They had seen almost every corner of the bridge, and even the number of light bulbs on the bridge was very clear.
A few days later, the emperor returned to the capital and announced that he would visit Ezhou again in the future to show the importance he attached to the Ezhou Yangtze River Bridge.
After returning to the capital, Ang Lee spent a third of his time in the research and development center, working hard to guide the technical talents and develop various advanced machinery.
As for the rest of the time, most of it was spent in his own courtyard, accompanying his wife and children. Life was very beautiful and comfortable.
"Congratulations, Assistant Minister Li. Fourth Madam is pregnant."
A doctor who had just taken the pulse of Fourth Madam Li Hanlu came to congratulate Ang Lee with a happy face.
"Mister has worked hard. Reward."
Ang Lee was very happy. Last month, Yan Ruyu was pregnant, and a few days ago, Man Man was also pregnant. Today, Li Hanlu was also pregnant. This was naturally a joyous occasion.
However, behind this joyous occasion was a big problem, and that was that all the wives had become pandas. There was no one to accompany Ang Lee through the long nights. For a young and energetic man like Ang Lee, this was definitely a great suffering.
"Husband's mood has been better recently, and it's not very good! Is it because we are all pregnant and have no one to accompany Husband? "
In the bedroom of the main residence, Yan Ruyu looked at Man Man and Li Hanlu and said in a low voice.
"Big Sister, don't say anymore. Husband is like a wolf or a tiger."
Man Man covered her mouth and laughed. Whenever she thought of the matter with Ang Lee last night, she couldn't help but reveal a shy expression.
"Like a wolf or a tiger, this seems to be used to describe women! Husband is a man, how can he be like a wolf or a tiger? He should be called a beast, hehe! "
Ever since Li Hanlu entered Ang Lee's courtyard, she had learned to smile, and it was a very natural smile.
"Beast, do you need to be so exaggerated? If Husband hears this, he will be angry. "
Man Man chuckled again.
"Beast, is our husband not like that?"
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.
