The world of film and television begins with the God of Medicine.

Chapter 1672 Return
The Strait of Malacca is a vital passage between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, a crucial hub for global shipping routes, and is known as the Crossroads of the East. For Western warships seeking passage, the closest, safest, and most resupply-rich route was through this strait.

Even though world trade is still in its early stages, many ships travel back and forth here. Within a mere 37 kilometers of each other on the sea, one can clearly see the spectacular sight of thousands of sails racing across the water.

Although such scenes are commonplace for the local people on both sides of the strait, one can imagine the immense emotional turmoil that must have stirred in the hearts of the older generation as they watched the massive cargo ships and ironclad warships grow day by day until they reached their current state. This is something most people simply cannot comprehend.

However, many people in China understand this, even more so than these so-called 'natives'. After all, the fact that 20,000 men forced the Qing Dynasty to sign a treaty, and the tragic stories of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Boxers, the helplessness of using one's own body to block bullets, and the feeling of one's own people being harvested like leeks—nothing could be more intense.

Although the 'natives' had also experienced these things, and had been beaten into submission and killed in fear, they lacked a deep accumulation of history and culture. When their bones were broken, they naturally knelt down without hesitation.

Culture leads to different definitions of humiliation, and naturally, even greater differences in the hatred of humiliation.

At the same time, much of the grain sold by foreigners to the new dynasty was transported from Southeast Asia, which lowered their costs and allowed them to make larger profits...

Now, Wang Yan has sent Pang Qingyun to the peninsula, blocking the Strait of Malacca. He is collecting grain from Southeast Asia and controlling key shipping lanes, which is like cutting off the fuel supply at the bottom of a cauldron.

Admittedly, the Strait of Malacca appears narrow on a map, but in reality, it's impenetrable. Therefore, Wang Yan's artillery fire cannot cover the entire strait; they can simply pass through from the other side.

After all, the waters around Malacca are 20 to over 100 meters deep, which is just the amount of water that modern boats can easily reach.

Moreover, even if the shells could be fired 30 or 40 kilometers away, there were no observation methods to detect them that far, nor were there any guidance methods to ensure accuracy. So, although the foreigners were worried, they were not panicking for the time being.

Therefore, the foreigners could easily bypass it from outside the range of the cannons...

However, their concern lies in the fact that Wang Yan has been making no secret of his efforts to mobilize resources to build warships. If he were to acquire reliable warships in the future, and if the number were sufficient—not many, just five, seven, or eight—it would be enough to blockade Malacca.

By that time, this place had completely become Wang Yan's private garden, and no one could stop him...

They were testing Wang Yan's bottom line step by step, thinking they could continue to cause trouble by taking advantage of the warship, but they didn't expect Wang Yan to directly test their ability to withstand the slap.

But it must be said that this slap did indeed enrage them.

How could they possibly be willing to watch Wang Yan grow stronger and one day break through the ocean's blockade? They never doubted Wang Yan's determination to attack them if he had the ability.

After all, their ability to plunder resources and treasures in China is proof enough. Since they can come to China to steal, Wang Yan can certainly go to the West to steal as well; it's only fair to reciprocate.

When faced with a foreseeable bleak future, the foreigners naturally began to resist relentlessly. They could not tolerate Wang Yan seizing interests in Southeast Asia and potentially blocking the Strait of Malacca. This would severely damage their interests.

But at the same time, they couldn't truly break ties with the Empire, otherwise they would lose everything, because there were simply too many people and too vast a land in China. Even without selling opium or people, they could still make a fortune in China...

Thus, while China was cooperating with many countries, these foreigners began to support many local forces in Southeast Asia, providing them with guns and cannons, professional military training, strategic guidance and support, and directly formulating combat plans to enable these local forces to jointly attack China's army.

Wang Yan was very willing to fight with them, after all, there was a military industry behind them. At the same time, they also had an advantage, and could carry out mining, logging, farming and other operations in Southeast Asia, which would also be a subsidy for the construction of China.

Even though transportation is still inconvenient and shipping to the north increases costs, it can still help develop the southern region. The mountainous areas here certainly need to be developed; changing customs and traditions relies on development, which means everyone's lives will get better and better.

Ignorance is prevalent in both sufficiently poor and sufficiently rich situations; poverty stems from a lack of understanding, while wealth stems from greed...

In general, although the situation in Southeast Asia was quite turbulent, with fierce and protracted fighting, China still held the advantage and gained the most benefits.

Wang Yan did not invest too much effort to create an overwhelming force, but maintained this small profit margin, otherwise it would have been a pure loss.

Most importantly, the casualties were not among the people of Shenzhou, but among the proxy forces they had supported; it was a proxy war. The troops brought by Pang Qingyun and others were mainly to maintain the gains already made, suppress any unruly proxies, occasionally participate in battles that influenced the course of the war, maintain the intensity of the conflict, and control the battlefield.

A successful war is one where there are no losses, and the war itself fuels further growth.

The foreigners certainly discovered Wang Yan's intentions, but they also made money through the war, while simultaneously disrupting Wang Yan's plans in Southeast Asia and delaying his development there.

However, they had no choice. After all, the distance made fighting more costly and manpower deployment more difficult. They might occasionally win a few brilliant battles, but they could never change the overall situation.

They overestimated their capabilities. Even though they had done their best within acceptable limits, they were unable to drive Pang Qingyun away from the strait or disrupt that secure supply line.

Ultimately, they've somewhat forgotten their own inadequacy. If they could have hindered China's expansion in Southeast Asia, they wouldn't have been so utterly defeated and routed back in China; the country might still be a chaotic mess, ununified...

Fighting is agonizing for soldiers on the front lines, but it's not so bad for others, especially since China is thriving and has a huge population. Apart from their families, students, and businessmen, almost no one pays attention to the war outside.

It seems that more than a hundred years after the advent of the internet, news about the Russia-Ukraine war has become relatively quiet, yet it has already been going on for four years...

Two and a half years have passed in the blink of an eye.

A large convoy drove out of the capital, proceeding unhurriedly along the road. People dispersed to chat with local residents, investigate the conditions along the way, check the progress of various projects, and verify the quality of completed projects.

This is destined to be a road of endless deaths—no, endless deaths represent a huge waste of resources. It's just that corruption doesn't warrant killing to establish authority. But if killing is necessary to establish authority, it's not as simple as beheading; it has to start with extreme punishment, the only question being how long the torture will last.

Relatively speaking, Wang Yan still prefers to send these people to where they are needed. The Daredevil Engineering Team is a construction team with strong will and high efficiency that he has built up with perseverance and persistence.

Looking at the dilapidated road ahead, the run-down houses along the roadside, the ragged and listless people, Wang Yan flipped through the documents in his hand again. "Magistrate Liu, your report last year said that the land and population survey of the entire county had been completed, and that house renovations and the construction of major paved roads had also been finished. So tell me, what's going on with them?"

Faced with Wang Yan's smiling words, the county magistrate surnamed Liu trembled, and the ground beneath him began to soak. He didn't answer, but only kept kowtowing and begging for his life.

"You used to be an official of the Qing Dynasty, and the new dynasty has been established for several years now. How come you can't change this bad habit? Now you're talking about sparing your life. I've been sending you the official gazette all along. It clearly states the fate of those who were arrested, but you still did it, didn't you?"

Wang Yan waved his hand, "You need to explain clearly how you colluded with the powerful families here, and how you colluded with your superiors. If you explain clearly and implicate many people, then you can work locally. If you don't explain clearly and resist interrogation, then you'll have to go to the southwest. The mountains there are high and the roads are long, the people there have a hard life, and the road construction is difficult; no matter how many people you have, it won't be enough."

"Since you've enjoyed it, then contribute to the people of our land. I have faith in you. Take him away and interrogate him thoroughly. No matter who's involved, get them all dealt with."

The county magistrate surnamed Liu was taken away. He tried to scream, but was interrupted by two slaps and a punch aimed straight at his heart. He was dragged away, his heart filled with despair.

He knew very well that going to the construction team would mean certain death anyway. It was just that compared to the excruciating death penalty, being hungry, cold, and sick on the construction team, where he could only endure the pain, was much easier. It was a contrast between prolonged suffering and intense pain over a short period of time…

History tells us that strict rules cannot eradicate corrupt officials, but without rules, nothing works either. Therefore, we can only continuously improve and perfect the system to prevent the harm caused by those in power becoming corrupt, ensure the purity of the majority, and constantly conduct reviews and appoint new people to solve various man-made problems.

Relying solely on people won't work, and relying solely on the system will also be futile. The unity of opposites can only lead to a spiraling ascent through contradictions.

This is just a small problem along the way; there are many others that are not immediately apparent. We can always trust people's ability to find loopholes in existing rules; that's how the law has progressed.

The process of heading south was a process of checking and implementing the plan. Wang Yan had not left Zhili for the past few years, and he still relied on various spies to understand the situation outside.

The main reason is that the best approach at this time is to strengthen the central government and weaken local powers. By developing Zhili (the central administrative region), introducing advanced practices to the region and ensuring their implementation, and then gradually adjusting and transferring industries, the government can accelerate the development of other areas. This is the only way to survive and thrive.

After all, resources scattered cannot produce results, while too much concentration leads to internal divisions; this is a unity of opposites.

The journey was filled with discovering and dealing with problems, and even involving several detours that deviated from the original fixed route, resulting in surprise inspections of other areas. It was a truly chaotic affair.

Even though the vast majority of these people were from construction teams, their life expectancy was greatly reduced due to differences in prison terms and treatment. The fastest could die within a year, while the least fortunate could work for two or three years.

In short, they were all people who died prematurely, and their fates were quite tragic; it was a veritable massacre of heads.

Carrying the stench of blood all the way, we wandered around for quite a while before finally arriving at our destination.

Songjiang Mansion!
Here, Wang Yan planned a large shipyard, the Jiangnan Shipyard, to research both merchant ships and ironclad warships.

Last year, steam-powered ironclad merchant ships were built here. They are larger, have a greater cargo capacity, and are faster. They have already replaced north-south freight in coastal waters and have been tested. The construction scale is being increased.

Wang Yan's visit this time was after years of research, construction, and successful testing of the first ironclad warship, along with gunboats and supply ships, which were finally officially launched and commissioned.

Songjiang Prefecture was already quite lively at this time, as the foreigners had all arrived to wait for Wang Yan's arrival.

Despite numerous internal problems, the empire is indeed thriving and growing stronger. Its industrial capacity is rapidly increasing, and its creativity is being unleashed, resulting in a surge of innovative products in recent years that are sufficient to replace foreign goods.

Therefore, the Chinese market has now entered a new phase, evolving from a period of high-price monopoly to one of price wars. Some have even opened factories in China specifically to further reduce costs and generate profits locally…

The war in Southeast Asia has been dragging on without a resolution, while Wang Yan's side is gradually expanding its advantage and seizing more resources.

These past few years haven't been easy for foreigners. Now they've received an invitation to witness the launch of a warship—it's like stabbing them in the back. Because from today onwards, the situation is about to change…

The foreigners gathered together, listening to the translator's introduction, looking at the huge warships that were ready, and buzzing with discussion.

Wang Yan has repeatedly spoken of the humiliation of being bullied by foreigners because he lacked warships, and now he has occupied the Strait of Malacca. He previously lacked the capability, but now he can truly blockade the strait. In a few years, with more warships and stronger projection capabilities, he will truly be able to strike their homeland. This is terrifying.

Amidst the pointing and whispering, with Wang Yan's command, the wooden barrier was smashed open, and amidst a series of loud and unpleasant noises, the three ships crashed into the sea one after another.

The main warship, over 100 meters long, lay across the sea, its thick, large cannons gleaming. It was undoubtedly the number one warship, giving people a strong sense of awe.

Wang Yan stood with his hands behind his back on the shore, watching three ships of different lengths slowly moor at the shore, their names displayed before everyone's eyes.

Battleship, Dingyuan.

Gunboat, Zhenyuan.

Supply ship, Zhiyuan.

Wang Yan looked at the foreigners with a bright smile.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please follow me aboard the ship for a tour..."

　I want to express my sincere gratitude to all the kind readers who have given me generous support through tips, monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and those who have been reading quietly!

　　(End of this chapter)