General Shi Lang looked at the fort that was gradually taking shape.
Only by building forts along the coast can he be completely assured of the safety of the Bull Run Road.
It was originally a barren land where malaria and other diseases were rampant.
Because it is among the narrowest places in America.
Both Xiang and Cao were interested in this place and wanted to take it for themselves.
General Shi Lang, as an outstanding general of the Imperial Navy, could clearly see that once a canal was dug in this place, it would be an extremely important strategic location.
The eldest prince took advantage of the crisis in Fujian and occupied the Suez Canal in exchange for rescuing Fujian.
The Bull Run is a place as important as the Suez Canal, and its ownership is still unclear.
General Shi Lang directly chose to occupy and control the disputed areas. This was the responsibility of the empire as the suzerain state.
He knew that this place was extremely important. It was impossible for a smart person like King Cao Li Dazhuang to fail to see the importance of this place to Cao State.
If the Benniu Road Canal is not dug, Cao State will forever be divided into two areas, which is not conducive to the stability of the country.
General Shi Lang put himself in his shoes and realized that he was King Cao Li Dazhuang, so he had to seize this place at all costs.
It was precisely because he anticipated the risks that he asked the engineers to hurry up and build forts and other fortifications.
King Cao Li Dazhuang was really irrational, so he used machine guns and cannons to make King Cao Li Dazhuang calm down.
Signal soldier Li Xiaofei ran quickly towards Shi Lang's direction with an excited expression on his face.
When Shi Lang saw Li Xiaofei, a look of joy appeared on his face.
The navy is drifting on the vast sea, and the most difficult thing is how to contact the Metropolitan Governor in the event of an emergency.
In general matters, as the fleet admiral, Shi Lang has the ability to make decisions.
But there are always some special things that put him, the admiral, in a dilemma.
It would be best to ask the Governor-General or even His Majesty the Emperor to make a decision.
Shi Lang can be regarded as a mid-level and high-level general in the navy, but when it comes to things like starting a war, his small body cannot handle it.
Wired telegraphy solved the problem of real-time communication over long distances, which made everyone in the navy envious.
However, Navy ships cannot drag a cable floating on the sea. They can only miss wired telegrams and still use traditional communication ships to report the situation.
Here in America, messages are sent to the Empire and new instructions are brought back from the Empire.
It will take at least more than a year to go back and forth. If there is an emergency, we can only rely on the judgment of the frontline generals.
With wireless telegraphy, the situation was completely different.
As soon as Shi Lang took the Bull Run Road, he was waiting for a communication ship carrying several wireless telegraph machines.
He also received news that through transit in Sandalwood Islands and other places, America could directly communicate with the capital.
He immediately sent the situation here to the capital in time and asked His Majesty the Emperor to make a decision.
After all, this situation is likely to lead to conflict between the empire and the vassal state Cao.
His small body cannot bear the crime of causing a war between the two countries.
Correspondent Li Xiaofei walked quickly to Shi Lang and took out the telegram he had just translated.
"Admiral, His Majesty the Emperor will call you back personally."
When Shi Lang heard this, he first saluted the military salute in the direction of the capital, then took the telegram with both hands and read the contents of the telegram carefully.
From some of the contents of the telegram, he learned that earth-shaking changes had taken place in the capital.
Governor Feng Sanqiu took office, and the new Governor Qi Gangyi came to power.
Shi Lang knew something about Qi Gangyi, and he had always been an advocate of the continental army strategy.
We can only hope that the naval generals in the Metropolitan Governor can withstand the pressure of the Metropolitan Governor so that the development of the navy will not be greatly affected.
The eldest prince Su Shu has officially become the crown prince.
The dust of the empire's crown prince has settled, and officials like them no longer need to worry.
These situations are all telegraphic minutiae.
Emperor Su He approved Shi Lang's approach in a telegram.
When Shi Lang saw this, his worried expression immediately relaxed.
He did the right thing in this matter and was recognized by Emperor Su He. Even if it caused certain consequences, it was an insignificant issue.
He only needs to ask for more instructions and report more in the future, and act according to the orders. This time he will only achieve success without failure.
Shi Lang learned about Governor Qi Gangyi's concerns from the telegram.
The two of them had different positions, but they thought about it together.
Just seeing that King Cao Li Dazhuang was not afraid of the suzerain state and provoked a war with the Xiang state, he was definitely not a law-abiding person.
While Shi Lang was building a fort here, he had already sent out a reconnaissance fleet to observe the movements of Cao's army.
He was bullying Cao's weak navy, while the imperial fleet could travel unimpeded.
Shi Lang immediately asked correspondent Li Xiaofei to send all the current specific situation to the capital.
"Xiao Fei, I need to write a detailed report. This report is relatively long. You need to work harder and wait for me for a while."
Correspondent Li Xiaofei smiled and said: "Admiral, please rest assured that our correspondent will definitely send the complete content.
This time we also received guidance from the capital that the wireless telegraph machine needs to change its frequency and use the military's frequency and new password.
If this new password is not decrypted continuously, it will be a piece of garbled code, and there will be no difference in sending and receiving information. "
When Shi Lang learned the specific situation, he felt completely relieved and wrote a detailed report with peace of mind.
…………………………
In the Qianqing Palace, they were waiting for General Shi Lang's call back.
Many things must be considered based on local conditions.
If you don’t understand the situation in the Americas, you can easily get slapped in the face if you speak casually.
Prince Su Shu saw that the imperial meeting suddenly became silent.
He always believed that his father would support the canal project, but during the discussion at the imperial meeting, his father never expressed his preference and allowed the ministers of civil and military affairs to discuss it.
The imperial meeting was silent for a long time, and Prince Su Shu was not used to it. He knew that Eunuch Zhou Fangzhi approached Qianqing Palace with a stack of telegrams.
"Your Majesty, this is the telegram sent back by Shi Lang. It has more than 1,600 words in total. I have asked you to make several copies."
Emperor Su He laughed and scolded: "Shi Lang really doesn't know how difficult it is to send a long telegram.
It is enough to write one to two hundred words and simply explain the problem. There is no need to write so many words.
Telegrams are sent to everyone. First-hand news from the front line allows everyone to make correct judgments. "
Prince Su Shu took the telegram from Eunuch Zhou Fangzhi, and he began to read the contents of the telegram.
Shi Lang didn't say a word of nonsense, but what he wrote was too many and too complicated.
He wrote in detail about the situation in various countries in the Americas and his own feelings.
After cabinet minister Wu Hongyi read the telegram, he said angrily: "These vassal states are too outrageous.
They regarded the empire as the Zhou royal family and themselves as the princes of various places.
Regardless of the empire's feelings, they began to fight for supremacy as soon as they stood firm.
Once a huge force appears that dominates the Americas, how will the empire deal with it? "
Wu Hongyi had close relations with businessmen, especially several major chambers of commerce in Southeast Asia.
When he considered the problem, he first started from the perspective of trade.
An empire needs raw materials and a huge market.
Wu Hongyi knew that once a regional hegemon emerges in America,
They must develop their own industry, and the empire's industrial products will be blocked.
These places have transformed from places of supply of raw materials and places of consumption of industrial products to direct competitors of the empire.
Prime Minister Qian Mingyi learned about the situation in America, and his attitude changed.
“Your Majesty, I believe that the place where Bull Run goes can be controlled by the empire, but there is no need to rush the construction of the canal.
For the empire, the modern construction of canals required a large sum of money and brought little benefit.
But it will enhance the strength of the major vassal states in America. "
Prince Su Shu was very puzzled. The Prime Minister who had previously supported the construction of the canal directly overturned his original opinion.
He couldn't help but ask: "Prime Minister Qian, for what reason, your attitude has changed dramatically."
Prime Minister Qian Mingyi looked at Prince Su Shu and said: "When I look at a project, I generally start from the perspective of profit.
After paying a certain amount of benefits, will he gain more benefits in the future?
Having learned from the experience of the Suez Canal, I believe that the canal status of Bull Run is similar to that of the Suez Canal.
He would bring huge benefits to the empire, including tolls.
I understand the situation reported by General Shi Lang and find that this canal will not bring more benefits to the canal, at least in the short term. "
After Prince Su Shu listened, he already understood what Prime Minister Qian Mingyi meant.
In the eyes of Prime Minister Qian, everything can be measured by interests.
After calculating the interests of all parties, this project is a loss, and Prime Minister Qian Mingyi will oppose this project.
Governor Qi Gangyi read the contents of the telegram carefully.
He happened to finish listening to Prime Minister Qian Mingyi's speech.
He slapped the table with his hand and said excitedly: "Your Majesty, I think this canal must be repaired.
I am not opposing for the sake of opposing.
Chen had not discovered the greatest role of the canal before.
Indeed, as Mr. Qian said, the benefits brought by this canal to the empire are far less than those of the vassal countries.
In Mr. Qian’s view, a canal must not be built under such circumstances.
However, Chen believed that in such a situation, a canal must be dug.
This canal is the weakness of the vassal country. As long as the Imperial Navy remains strong, this canal is a powerful weapon to control the vassal country. "
After listening to Qi Gangyi's statement, Prince Su Shu had a different view on the new governor.
He and the Grand Governor do have different positions, but they are both for the development of the empire.
Prince Su Shu believed that the time was right, and he said confidently: "Father, my son, the value of this canal is extremely important.
Everyone knows that its strategic value is almost comparable to that of the Suez Canal.
The empire should not measure a thing from a purely profit perspective.
The empire is building a railway to the northwest provinces.
Building a railway in the vast desert will not recoup the cost, let alone decades, even a hundred years.
The same goes for this canal. Even if the cost cannot be recovered within hundreds of years, the empire will dig it out. "
Prince Su Shu has expressed his stance, and many officials have expressed their stance.
Most people do not support the construction of canals. They do not agree with the construction of canals in the Americas.
The empire was unable to make a profit in a short period of time, which made many people oppose the construction of the canal.
Emperor Su He looked at everyone's performance and wondered why he did not state his preference in advance.
Just to see how these officials performed?
As long as your words are meaningful and can persuade him, you will get high marks.
He only follows what others say and has no opinion on everything.
Such people will be gradually eliminated.
Emperor Su He finally made the final decision: "I have decided to dig a canal. This canal running through the American continent will be the lifeline of many vassal countries.
The empire controls this lifeline, it can advance and attack, and retreat and defend.
We don’t just look at the immediate benefits, but also the benefits ten years from now or a hundred years from now. "
Emperor Su He made the final decision. This was only a small matter for the empire.
“My dear friends, we can now communicate with America in real time.
I am waiting for news from America and will discuss the situation in the vassal countries later.
The cabinet and the Metropolitan Government have prepared plans for various problems. "
How the emperor announced the end of the imperial meeting, and he also assigned a task to the cabinet and the governor's office.
The empire will make corresponding response measures based on the situation reported by Shi Langfa.
Governor Qi Gangyi acted very relaxed, and he had full confidence in the empire's army.
As long as the American fleets are more vigilant, they will not be blocked in the port and attacked by the enemy.
With the technological difference between ironclad ships and sailing ships, it would be difficult for the Imperial Navy to lose.
Prime Minister Qian Mingyi lowered his head and thought about the problem.
He was thinking about the impact that vassal countries would have on the empire if they were separated from the empire's control.
Qi Gangyi saw the sad look on Qian Mingyi's face, he laughed and said: "Master Qian, don't worry about the empire.
All the American vassal states wanted to secede from the empire, or even bite back.
With the empire's military strength, it can be easily dealt with.
The empire stopped expanding before because its territory was too large and its control over border areas weakened.
Now with the spread of wireless telegraphy, empires could control even more distant places.
The great territories in the Americas were left to vassal states to occupy, rather than being directly administered by the empire.
As long as your majesty agrees, I can command the imperial army and completely take over America. "
In his heart, Qi Gangyi was still envious of the vassal king who went to America.
They joined the army together and conquered the world together.
Qi Gangyi was only slightly inferior to them and had no chance of obtaining overseas fiefdoms.
Qian Mingyi is very smart, and he can hear a moment of resentment from Qi Gangyi's mouth.
"Master Qi, your idea is not realistic at all.
After all, your majesty and the feudal prince conquered the world together and lived and died together for many years. Among them were your majesty's close relatives.
I believe there will never be any quarrel between your Majesty and the feudal lord.
They will eventually return to the negotiating table and share the canal together according to their respective circumstances.
Before the advent of wireless telegraphy, it was very difficult for people thousands of miles away to communicate with each other.
After the advent of wireless telegraphy, even two people who are far apart can communicate in time. "
Qi Gangyi was really helpless when he heard Prime Minister Qian Mingyi say this.
If you think about it carefully, this is what is most likely to happen.
His Majesty the Emperor just wanted to shock the vassal states and make them understand their status. He definitely did not want to completely clean up the vassal states.
Prince Su Shu was standing not far from the two of them, and he could hear their conversation clearly.
Based on his own experience, Prime Minister Qian Mingyi said it right.
King Su Xiong of Zhao and King Su Hu of Wei had a close relationship with their fathers.
They were not involved in the Bull Run conflict.
These two kingdoms would never risk conflict with the Empire.
Cao Guo could not use its own strength to fight against the empire.
The final outcome will only be a compromise by the vassal state. (End of chapter)
