The night was already dark, and a crescent moon hung high in the dark night sky. The dim moonlight filled Lin'an Palace.
In the imperial dining room, the light was still there. The Emperor of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Hong, was lying on the imperial desk, holding a pencil in his hand, frowning at the paper on the table, thinking, and stopping to draw.
“The Strait of Malacca is the chokepoint connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and an important maritime channel for communication between coastal countries in Asia, Africa, Australia, and Europe. It is busy with shipping and has a special geographical location. It is known as the “Marine Crossroads.”
Zhao Hong recalled it carefully and marked it on the map.
"This is the Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. It is the nearest route from Europe to the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific. It is also the junction between Asia and Africa, and the main channel for travel between Asia, Africa, and Europe..."
After passing the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula, and returning to Egypt and Africa, Zhao Hong marked it carefully.
In the future, the Suez Canal must be dug and controlled to open up access to Europe.
"Constantinople, later known as Istanbul, the capital of Turkey, is located at the eastern end of the Balkan Peninsula, straddling the entrance to the Black Sea, and is a strategic hub for Eurasian transportation. It has an extremely important strategic position. Controlling Constantinople will have a bridgehead for conquering Europe... …”
In the 13th century Britain, the monarchy was weakened, and the nobles and kings were fighting for power. It seemed that they could take the opportunity to conquer the British Isles. Then the Americas were colonized, and there was no more Stars and Stripes and a Beautiful Country.
What are you thinking about?
Zhao Hong smiled wryly at himself. No matter what he wants to do, he can't avoid the huge Mongol Empire in front of him. It was only a few years before the Mongol Empire went south to attack the Song Dynasty. He had to put dealing with the Mongolian cavalry first.
Zhao Hong was deep in thought, "Dangdang", there was a gentle knock on the door.
"Your Majesty, the empress is here."
Dong Songchen's voice came.
"Let me come in."
When Zhou Xiuniang came in with the food box, Zhao Hong raised his head and asked with concern:
"Xiu Niang, why do you have to do these things yourself? Just ask someone to bring them over."
No need to ask, Zhou Xiuliang made steamed buns again and brought them to him.
"Officer, take a rest first and eat something."
Zhou Xiuliang took out the steamed buns and hot porridge from the food box and placed them on the table.
"Why bother yourself? What you eat is not what you eat."
Zhao Hong shook his head helplessly and started eating slowly.
"Anyway, Quan'er has someone to take care of him, so he has nothing to do when he's idle. Don't work too hard, officials, as things will never be finished."
After giving birth to a child, Zhou Xiuniang looked plump, plump, and very attractive.
"The most difficult thing in the world is to be the emperor's woman. Thank you for your hard work!"
Zhao Hong shook his head and said with emotion.
Marrying the emperor is equivalent to marrying the entire country.
"Officer, what is this? A map?"
Zhou Xiuniang looked at the two maps on the table and immediately became interested.
"Madam, this will be called a map from now on. This one is a map of China, with top, north, bottom, south, left, west and right east. It is also called a map of mountains and rivers. This is a map of the world, a map of the earth we live in. It’s not finished yet.”
Zhao Hong gave a general introduction to the map.
In fact, he is asking the craftsmen to make a wooden ball. He is going to make a rotating globe to spread to the people of the world.
"It turns out that our Song Dynasty is north of the Huaihe River. This is the city of Tokyo. No wonder it is called Henan. It turns out that it is located south of the Yellow River. Shaanxi, Hebei, Xixia, and the Western Regions... It is a pity that they are not the world of our Song Dynasty."
The map was clearly drawn, and Zhou Xiuniang also looked at it carefully. Although she was still a little confused, she felt natural to express emotion.
"One day, not only all the places on the map of China will be our Song Dynasty's world, but also many places on the world map will become our Song Dynasty's territory. As long as the sun rises, there will be our Song Dynasty territory, this is called the empire on which the sun never sets."
Zhao Hong said with his face glowing red and his chest filled with pride.
Without colonies and without expanding its territory on the five continents and four oceans, it still has the nerve to be called an empire.
"Guanren, you are truly omnipotent and the smartest person in the world!"
Zhou Xiuniang said sincerely.
The sun never sets on Empire, what a domineering name!
"Of course, otherwise why would you be willing to follow me? Don't tell me, your skill in making buns is getting better and better, it is simply the best in the world. If you want to do business, you will definitely be a rich woman!"
"Look how beautiful you are!"
Zhou Xiuniang said coquettishly. She picked up another few pages of paper, read them a few times, and asked confusedly:
"Officer, what are these?"
"These are all equipment for physical exercise. This is the horizontal bar, this is the parallel bar, this is the balance beam, and this is the obstacle wall. This is a wooden horse, as tall as a war horse, used for training cavalry. There are a few more, I am thinking about them today. Draw it and let the craftsmen of the Arms Department do it tomorrow."
Zhao Hong said and smiled proudly.
This is the first batch of military training equipment in the world.
"Officer, you have to take care of all these things? You are so tired! It's a pity that I can't help you much."
Zhou Xiuniang shook her head. She felt like an idiot in front of her omnipotent husband.
"Don't blame yourself, you've done enough!"
Zhao Hong comforted his wife. He felt a little overwhelmed at first, but he still ate the last bun.
"Go back and have a good rest. It will be fine after I finish my work for a while."
"I'm busy every day, when is the end?"
Zhou Xiuniang shook her head and finished packing her things, but did not leave. She sat down next to him and watched Zhao Hong work.
The two spent a lot of time together, and Zhao Hong didn't think anything of it, so he continued to meditate, write, and draw.
"China map, world map... navy... warships... artillery..."
As if he remembered something, Zhao Hong started drawing on another piece of white paper.
"Large caliber, short barrel, flat fire, range 200~300 meters, shell weight 60 kilograms..."
This is a 64-pounder gun. If it is equipped on a warship and smashed into it, the opponent's deck will be wiped out with blood and flesh flying everywhere.
Once the 32-pound (about 30 kilograms) short-barreled artillery test is successful, the Ordnance Department can cast and trial-produce this 64-pound short-bore large-caliber cannon.
"Smokeless gunpowder, TNT, the ingredients of these gunpowder should be..."
Zhao Hong shook his head, laughed self-deprecatingly, and put down his pencil.
Just leave these things to the craftsmen. No matter how small it is, I am too obsessed with it.
Steam engine!
Zhao Hong's eyes shone brightly, and he started thinking and drawing on another piece of paper.
The principle of the steam engine is too simple: a reciprocating power machine that converts the energy of steam into mechanical work. The emergence of the steam engine caused the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century. Until the beginning of the 20th century, it remained the most important prime mover in the world, and later gradually gave way to internal combustion engines and steam turbines.
If the Song Dynasty could flourish its industry and promote the use of steam engines, mankind's first industrial revolution might come five or six hundred years earlier.
"A steam engine, a boiler that needs to generate steam, can use wood or coal as a heat source. The expansion of the steam pushes the piston to do work. "By the way, what is the shape of the piston and the crank..."
Zhao Hong was busy with business, and Zhou Xiuniang couldn't help but screamed softly.
"Your Majesty! Officer!"
"What's wrong?"
Zhao Hong raised his head in confusion and was startled when he saw his shy wife.
"Officer, you haven't... gone to my... room for several days!"
Zhou Xiuniang twisted, and Zhao Hong suddenly realized, dropped the pencil in his hand, and laughed.
As the king of a country, it is always difficult to take care of family affairs, state affairs, and world affairs.
"No more painting! I'm going to do my homework tonight and make sure my wife is satisfied!"
Zhou Xiuniang was secretly rejoicing, but Zhao Hong had already washed his hands and came over to hug his wife.
"Officer, don't be anxious!"
"How can you not be in a hurry when doing homework?"
Zhao Hong said without shame and impatience, and picked up his wife.
"Hand in homework!"
Zhao Hong laughed strangely and walked behind the screen.
Early in the morning, several ruling ministers came in and reported the funeral of the late emperor. Zhao Hong, who had dark circles under his eyes, stayed behind.
"Your Majesty, don't exercise too much and be careful with your body!"
Xue Ji observed carefully and quickly persuaded.
"It's okay, I just didn't sleep well."
Zhao Hong smiled awkwardly and waved his hand. Dong Songchen took the papers off the table and handed one to each person.
Several ruling ministers looked at the emperor with guilt in their hearts.
The emperor was preoccupied with all kinds of things and neglected to sleep and eat. These ministers felt ashamed and ashamed of themselves.
"Guys, don't look at me, look at the map!"
Zhao Hong pointed to the map in everyone's hands, feeling slightly proud.
"This is the map of China I drew. Take a look."
Drawing a simple map of China is really easy for him, a history teacher and geography teacher.
"Your Majesty, I didn't expect you to be a master of calligraphy and painting."
Zhen Dexiu took the picture and looked at it. While admiring it, he couldn't help but be startled.
"Your Majesty, did you draw this picture backwards?"
Several others looked at the map of China in their hands carefully, and also looked at Zhao Hong in confusion.
The emperor is a master of all things, including poems, lyrics, songs, and eccentric techniques. I didn’t expect him to be so knowledgeable about geography.
"My dear friends, what I drew is correct. Up, north, down, south, left, west, right, east. The directions are correct. Do you know why I drew like this?"
Zhao Hong put away his smile and spoke in a low tone.
"Because I, Lin'an Palace, sit south to north, and to the north, I am also the hometown of the mountains and rivers where the Song Dynasty fell for nearly a hundred years. The survivors shed tears in the dust, looking south to the king's division for another year. Looking north to the mountains and rivers, I have a deep love for my motherland. I mean , can you understand?"
He pointed at a point on the picture without giving anyone a chance to react.
"Everyone, look here, this is Tokyo City, everyone must be familiar with it."
When he was the prince, he went to the Kingdom of Jin as an envoy and visited Tokyo City. The dilapidated scene of Tokyo City that day is still vivid in his mind.
"I am extremely ashamed that I cannot share the country's worries!"
The four of them, Xue Ji, stood up together and bowed respectfully.
The country and the family hate each other. This new king has just ascended to great power and is very ambitious. Is he going to plan the Northern Expedition?
This is too hasty!
"Your Majesty, you showed me this map of mountains and rivers and pointed out the city of Tokyo. I'm afraid you have a deeper meaning, right?"
Zhen Dexiu looked serious and asked softly.
What a map of the country, including the south and north of the desert, as well as the western region and Liaodong, all included.
Needless to say, the paintings are really exquisite. The rivers, mountains, roads and cities are all clearly visible and bright at the eyes.
"Does Your Majesty want to go to the Northern Expedition? Now our country, the Song Dynasty, is lacking in national strength and its borders are weak. The Kingdom of Jin is still strong, and the Tatars are powerful. Moreover, your lips are dying and your teeth are cold. Your Majesty still needs to be more cautious."
Xue Ji coughed twice, as if there was something in his words.
"Your Majesty, there are too many clubs, the treasury is empty, the border troops are slack, and the cavalry is scarce. To restore the Central Plains, I am afraid we will need 150,000 to 200,000 elite officers and soldiers, as well as corresponding supplies of food and grass. Your Majesty, please think twice!"
As the Minister of War, Xuan Zhen obviously had more considerations.
He also wanted to restore the Central Plains and become famous in history. However, given the current strength of the Song Dynasty, if they want to use troops against the Jin Kingdom, they will probably end up in a farce of "Yuan Jia hastily and hurriedly visits the north".
"Your Majesty, even if our army goes north and can recapture Tongguan and the south of the Yellow River, we will need at least 150,000 elite troops to defend the Yellow River full-time in order to hold the Yellow River defense line. How many of your Majesty's generals are worthy of your authority? Those who are brave enough to fight. How many people? How many are wise and good at planning? How many tens of thousands of His Majesty's troops are capable of fighting? How many tens of thousands are there who separate and go straight to Tokyo and Luoyang? How many tens of thousands are there who stay in the garrison and guard Huaihe and Xiangyang?"
Zhen Dexiu followed suit and agreed with Xuan Zhen's words.
These two people have straight tempers and were originally incompatible with each other. But now that they have been together for a long time, they have become one with each other.
