India's arable land ranks second in the world, second only to the United States, reaching 2.35 billion acres! Instead of going on expeditions to fight the nomads and the hilly countries of the Middle East, the benefits of occupying the Indian Peninsula are simply out of this world. In the future, it would be much better to conquer the Middle East and the Mediterranean coast from there than starting from the Western Regions. At least food and grass can be supplied by the Indian Peninsula.
Everyone nodded slightly, but Yu He was a little worried: "Your Majesty, the southern Kunlun Peninsula is tens of thousands of miles away from the Qin Dynasty. It is blocked by the Kunlun Mountains and cannot be reached by land. The army has to go on an expedition and is already unaccustomed to the climate and climate in Lingnan alone. Going further. When I go south, I'm afraid that the soldiers will be even more dissatisfied with the local customs and have different intentions."
After hearing what he said, Zhang Han continued: "What the imperial censor said is reasonable. Even if our army can capture the southern Kunlun Peninsula, how can we occupy it for a long time? It takes a long time to transport grain, equipment, and reinforcements by sea. I'm afraid it won't be possible." To continue.”
"This does need careful consideration." I agreed.
Their worries are not my worries. We must learn from the historical lessons of Alexander’s Eastern Expedition. Compared with the Guanzhong expedition in the past, the distance from the Mediterranean expedition to the Indian Peninsula is not as great, but the obstacles are even worse. There is no way to do it with current technical means. Once the road is built, the deep mountains and dense forests cannot be conquered by just a bunch of people.
I glanced at Zhao Tuo: "Let's not talk about other things for now. Let's just talk about conquest. What does General Zhao think?"
Zhao Tuo has been in Lingnan for a long time and has the clearest understanding of whether the Qin army there can adapt to the local climate. And I hope he can tell me the answer I want. Conquering the Indian Peninsula is not my purpose this time.
Zhao Tuo thought about it carefully and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, Lingnan and the Kunlun South Peninsula are basically on the same line. The soldiers in Lingnan have adapted to the climate there. I originally thought that the Lingnan army could conquer the Kunlun South Peninsula, but..."
With a smile on my face, I said slowly: "But it doesn't matter."
Zhao Tuo saw that there was no strange color on my face, and continued: "It's just that the emperor ordered 500,000 troops and 300,000 civilians to fight against Baiyue, and then transferred the army to farming, and married local women, in the hope of assimilating Baiyue Barbarians. Now more than twenty years have passed, the army has been inextricably linked with the local barbarians, and there are many descendants. If the army is mobilized again to expedition to the southern Kunlun Peninsula, I am afraid that the emperor's eternal plan will suddenly collapse. Please Your Majesty is aware of this!"
I narrowed my eyes slightly. What Zhao Tuo said made sense. The 800,000 people who stayed in Baiyue and assimilated the local barbarians was one of Ying Zheng’s great achievements. Without this courage, Baiyue didn’t know when it would be included. Chinese territory.
I waved my hand: "Everyone, please sit down."
Everyone sat down and I said to Zhao Tuo: "General Zhao, what you said makes sense. However, the twelve warships, even if each warship can accommodate a hundred people, are only more than a thousand people. There are more than 70,000 dedicated war troops in Lingnan. , 30,000 people can be mobilized to train water warfare, muskets, and bronze cannons, 30,000 musketeers, and with the help of warships and bronze cannons, it is more than enough to conquer a mere Kunlun Peninsula."
Zhao Tuo was stunned and asked in confusion: "Your Majesty, there are more than 2,000 officers and soldiers who are familiar with water warfare, but what are these muskets and bronze cannons?"
I waved my hand, how could I explain this kind of thing to him in detail? Now I know what these two things look like and how to use them. Except for the Musketeer Camp and San Gong, everyone else is locked up in Rewufang. I just said: "You don't have to do this. Ask, I have my own opinion. It is no longer necessary for Lingnan to advance south, so we mobilized 30,000 people and led Nan Shi to Panyu for training. When you return, I will order the right guard army to go with you to read out the edict. .”
Zhao Tuo saw that I had made a decision, but there was no expression on his face. He said respectfully: "I obey your Majesty's order!"
He also ordered: "The flagship is named Qinnan, and the fleet is called Qinnan Fleet. We will build a port and a lighthouse in Panyu. I will order the general to make plans for the style of the lighthouse. In the future, Qinnan Peninsula, Langya Shipyard, Kunlun South Peninsula Lighthouses must be built near shipping routes.”
Li Si asked in confusion: "Your Majesty, what is a lighthouse?"
I smiled and explained: "You have all seen the arrow tower. A lighthouse is a fire placed on the arrow tower to guide ships on the sea and tell them where the port is. Perhaps a beacon tower is a more appropriate metaphor. The sea is boundless. , unlike inland rivers, it is difficult to find a port without a lighthouse.”
Everyone understood and praised in unison: "Your Majesty is wise!"
"Now that we're done, you can go and do other things. There's a court meeting the day after tomorrow, so you'll need to do some hard work."
After everyone retreated, I breathed a sigh of relief. The Qin Army in the North and the Qin Army in the South of Lingnan were all arranged. Next, we will see if we can advance smoothly.
"Qi Wan, call Yu Jin and Baichong."
Not long after, the two of them came hand in hand. After sitting down, I handed them the drawing I had just drawn: "This thing is called a lighthouse. It is a building that is to be built near ports and routes to guide ships on the sea. Take a look."
The drawing was very simple, mainly because it was almost exactly the same as the beacon tower, so the two of them understood it quickly.
Yu Jin cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, this thing is twenty feet high and it is located on a stormy seaside. It must be made of masonry?"
I nodded: "That's natural. Twenty feet is not too low. The key lies in site selection. If the surrounding area is empty, there is no need to deliberately choose a place. But there are many cliffs and mountains on the seaside, so the lighthouse must be built high, otherwise the ships will You can’t notice the lighthouse at sea because the earth is round, and you may not be able to see the lighthouse when you enter the deep sea in the future.”
They and Taiyue have already been exposed to basic astronomical and geographical knowledge, and now they can gradually accept the concept that the earth is a ball, and can understand what I mean when I say that lighthouses cannot be seen in the deep sea.
Baichong asked in confusion: "Your Majesty, can you understand this observation tower, watch room, and weather vane minister? What does this condensing mirror mean? And what is the line connecting from the top of the tower?"
I looked at Yujin with a smile and asked, "Yujin, can you understand the mystery?"
Yu Jin built a telescope, so he naturally knew the uses of convex lenses and concave lenses, but he didn't understand how this concave lens can condense light. Looking at the drawing, the fire only shines on one side, but the glass can transmit light to both sides. He said awkwardly for a long time: "Your Majesty, forgive me for being stupid. I don't see what they are used for."
I explained to them: "The production of this condensing mirror is a bit troublesome. Take one or several pieces of glass and splice them into the concave shape in the drawing. Apply a layer of tin on the back of the bow, and then apply mercury to form a thin layer. The front side of the cover becomes a mirror like a bronze mirror, which can condense light, making the firelight more concentrated and brighter."
"Of course, glass mirrors are not that easy to make, but building a lighthouse is not a short period of time. You still have time to study it slowly. As for the line connecting from the top of the tower, it is made of steel and is called a lightning rod. Once struck by lightning, In a lighthouse, lightning will be transmitted to the ground through the iron wire and will not damage the lighthouse."
The two of them looked serious and nodded seriously. Gongshu Jin cupped his hands and said, "I understand. When I get back, I will make a rough model first and present it to Your Majesty. If it is correct, then we can start the construction."
The two of them have had the most contact with me, and have also learned the most about the knowledge of later generations. They have become numb to all kinds of strange and weird things, and now they are used to hearing my orders.
