The Ming Dynasty did not revolutionize

Chapter 380 The Journey of the Persian King

Zhu Jianxuan did not ask for the opinions of his subordinates. He just drew the approximate boundaries on the map by simply pointing and gesturing.

Then write down the division criteria and hand it over to the Zhifang Division to refine the map.

The Zhifangsi made accurate border maps, as well as corresponding new maps of the Daming Dynasty and the Kunyu map, and then gave them to him for review.

At the same time, let the Cabinet and the Ministry of Personnel complete the establishment of government agencies, let the Honglu Temple make arrangements with the corresponding vassal states, and let the Ministry of Honors and Conferrals make arrangements with the new meritorious officials who are about to be honored.

Let the Ministry of Rites organize the celebrations and enthronement ceremony.

These processes take time and the key is that they require confirmation from the countries and individuals involved.

Zhu Jianxuan didn’t think that the corresponding country had the ability to refuse. Even if they really refused, they would be beaten directly into accepting it.

As for the remaining countries, the Ming Dynasty does not need to wait for a few years before taking action.

While the Russian and Ottoman military might has been destroyed, the problem can be solved by dispatching a few troops over there.

After Zhu Jianxuan's arrangements were sent back through the Honglu Temple, the kings, nobles, and officials of the countries concerned all fell into anxiety and entanglement.

But after a few days of anxiety and struggle, I finally chose to obey.

The Ming Dynasty did not directly ask for much, at least it was not fatal, and there was no large-scale cession of territory.

All they were asked to do was to formally break up the already isolated areas.

After receiving the notice, the Ming Dynasty's meritorious officials and vassal states naturally did not dare to object and respectfully accepted the order to go to Beijing.

In the autumn and winter of the 24th year of Tiangong, these meritorious officials, vassal states, newly allied vassal states, the parties involved or the arranged representatives all began to rush to Shuntian Prefecture.

The first to set off was the King of Persia, who traveled directly with Ma Weiguo, the Right Prime Minister of the Honglu Temple, and took a boat to Shuntian Prefecture.

Persia today is indeed a remote and barbaric small country.

There are basically no modern industrial industries, and naturally no roads or railways.

The Ming Dynasty's envoys built a small airport, but it was not used unless there was an emergency.

Because the fuel also needs to be airlifted in.

Now the Persian King Fateh wants to go to Ming Dynasty, although he can choose to go out by plane.

However, for safety reasons, the Honglu Temple still allowed Ma Weiguo's convoy to take him with them and travel to the coastal area of ​​the Persian Gulf to take a boat.

Fatah had seen the Ming Dynasty's airplanes and motor vehicles, and these two inventions had a great impact and deterrent effect on him.

Fatah could imagine how great a role machines that flew freely in the air and vehicles that did not need to be pulled by horses could play in war.

The display and use of these two inventions was also one of the factors why Fatah did not dare to show toughness against the Ming Dynasty.

Now that Fatah himself was sitting in the motorized off-road vehicle, his mood had undergone some special changes, and he would express his feelings from time to time.

Fatah had always been very polite to Ma Weiguo, and Ma Weiguo had a good personal relationship with Fatah.

In the future, Fatah will also be a vassal monarch of the Ming Dynasty. After Ma Weiguo becomes an official of the Honglu Temple of the Ming Dynasty, he will not deliberately be hostile to and despise Fatah.

Now he was accompanying Fateh directly, and the two of them were heading to the dock in a car.

But soon after the convoy set off and left the city for a short time, Fatah slowly noticed that Ma Weiguo was not very happy and seemed to be enduring something.

Fatah subconsciously looked at himself. He had just taken a shower and changed clothes before going out, so the smell should not have come out yet.

And it wasn't like he looked uncomfortable.

When Fatah was confused, Ma Weiguo seemed to be making small talk and took the initiative to talk about something that made him uncomfortable:
"The dirt road outside the city is too difficult to walk on. Going back and forth twice is simply torture..."

Fateh immediately felt that he understood. Ma Weiguo had been an official in the Ming Dynasty for a long time and was not used to running around outside, so he casually replied:
"Mr. Ma, you've suffered a lot. The roads in the wild here are all like this. There's no way to pave them all with smooth stone slabs..."

Ma Weiguo nodded and agreed:
“Indeed, it was too expensive to pave the roads outside the city with stone slabs, so the cities of Ming Dynasty all used concrete and asphalt.

"From Shuntian Prefecture to Yingtian Prefecture and then to Guangzhou Prefecture, the thousands of kilometers are all smooth asphalt roads, and you won't feel any bumps while driving.

“I’m used to walking on asphalt roads in Daming, and it feels very uncomfortable to walk on dirt roads when I come out.

“In the future…when Persia becomes a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, it should at least build a railway and a highway from Central Asia through Tehran and extend southward to the Persian Gulf.

"It will be easier to get in and out of the mainland then, and the ride won't be as bumpy as it is now?"

Fatah was stunned after hearing this:
"What did you say, sir? What are concrete and asphalt?
"But no matter what material is used, it will cost a lot of money to build thousands of kilometers of flat ground.

"You mean we need to repair it in Persia?
"From Central Asia to the Persian Gulf... How much does that cost? Persia doesn't have that much money..."

Ma Weiguo smiled and said:
“It does require a lot of money, but Ming is rich now, so it is highly likely that Persia will not have to pay, at least not all of it.

"As for what concrete and asphalt are, we'll know once we leave the Persian Plateau and reach the coastal areas."

Although Ma Weiguo said that they would know when they reached the coast, he also felt that the journey was too boring. Besides, Fatah was also really curious.

So throughout the journey, Ma Weiguo continued to chat with Fatah and told him what asphalt and concrete are.

Fateh understood the composition of concrete and knew that asphalt was a kerosene precipitate.

But I still think that the cost of building thousands of kilometers of road using this kind of handmade material would definitely be unaffordable for any country.

The Ming Dynasty was really too rich to have built thousands of kilometers of such roads on its own soil.

The current Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is so restless and wasteful. I don't know how resentful the people in the Ming Dynasty are, nor how long this situation can last.

If the situation in the Ming Dynasty collapsed, would Russia, Shun, the Ottoman Empire, and even Persia simply return to their original situation?

Of course, these thoughts could only be kept in his mind, and Fatah dared not speak them out.

Fatah hinted:
“To build so many concrete asphalt pavements would definitely require a huge amount of money and manpower.

"The Ming Dynasty is indeed the Celestial Empire. It can come up with so much money, mobilize so many laborers, and even build roads for Persia.

"Will the people of the Ming Dynasty... be unable to bear it? Will there be any chaos?

"But the Ming army is invincible. Even if there is a civil uprising, it should be easily suppressed."

When Ma Weiguo heard this, it was as if he had heard the most bizarre news:

“Building roads does cost money, but the Ming court and the people are now richer than they were decades ago.

"You may not be able to imagine that the Ming Dynasty is now in a prosperous era, an unprecedented prosperity in the history of Shenzhou and even the world.

"The people of the Ming Dynasty are also happy to see the court building roads, and it is worth spending this money.

“Because the government built the roads, they can use bicycles or drive motor vehicles more comfortably.

"If there weren't so many smooth roads in the Ming Dynasty, who would buy this kind of car to go out on a bumpy ride?
"As for the car we are riding in now, many people in the Ming Dynasty have similar ones, but they are not the heavy and solid military vehicles we ride in." Instead, they are more comfortable and lightweight civilian cars, which usually drive on the flat roads in the city and surrounding areas, and will not go off-road.

"As for the rebellion, it is nonsense. Now the people of the Ming Dynasty live and work in peace and contentment, and are loyal to His Majesty and the court.

"Now if someone in the Ming Dynasty wants to rebel, the surrounding people can arrest him and send him to the government without the help of the imperial officials and heavenly soldiers."

Fatah was skeptical, but did not dare to question too much.

If what the other person said is true, it would be very embarrassing to see the truth later.

If the other party is extremely loyal to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and these words are just to cover up for the Emperor, then continuing to question him might anger him.

So Fatah just laughed and skipped the topic.

Continue to ask about some customs and habits of the people in the Ming Dynasty, as well as things to pay attention to after going to the Ming Dynasty.

Ma Weiguo also spoke his mind without hesitation.

The two chatted all the way, staggering along the dirt road on the plateau, slowly and agonizingly walking out of the Persian Plateau and entering the marginal area of ​​the Mesopotamian Basin.

This is the traditional agricultural area of ​​the Tianfang region and also a place where the population is relatively densely populated.

When the war started, the Ming Dynasty occupied these places as soon as possible, transported supplies through the Tigris River, and quickly built a temporary road.

The road extends along the Tigris River to the sea, then crosses the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and turns to the port of Kuwait.

Ma Weiguo and Fatah's convoy also first came to this new road and continued to Kuwait.

After arriving at this area, Fatah discovered without Ma Weiguo's reminder that the road here was already flat.

A flat black ground stretched from the front to the distance.

The vehicle no longer shakes when driving on this road, which is much more comfortable than driving on dirt roads.

Ma Weiguo also obviously relaxed a lot:
"This is a concrete asphalt road surface. All the main roads in the Ming Dynasty will be of this type. We will also build one in the interior of Persia..."

Fatah had only one thought in his mind at this moment, that is, the Ming Dynasty was really rich.

They actually built this kind of road in such an occupied area. The materials on the ground were all hand-made by craftsmen. It was like laying money directly on the ground.

But Fatah's surprises were just beginning.

As the convoy approached Kuwait City along the highway, when the city appeared at the end of the road, Fatah subconsciously thought he saw a mirage.

But as the distance gets closer, the mirage becomes clearer and clearer.

Fateh then realized that it was not a mirage at all, but a huge city.

There are tall towers and chimneys, large buildings of unknown area, and busy construction sites that seem to have no end.

There really is a huge city by the sea.

When Fatah realized where he was going, he subconsciously asked:

“Is this Kuwait?”

Ma Weiguo smiled and said:
"This is Kuwait. Now it is Ming Dynasty's Kuwait."

From now on, Fatah, the monarch from Persia, will face the most direct impact of industrialization.

Because right at the doorstep of his home as the Persian king was one of the world's busiest mining areas and one of the world's busiest waterways.

The oil reserves around the Persian Gulf are extremely abundant, and the oil wells are basically located along the coast or near the coast, so both mining and transportation are very convenient.

The Ming Dynasty now controls the entire Persian Gulf, and Zhu Jianxuan doesn't even want to take a look at the oil fields in inland Siberia.

Wang Lai proposed turning Western Siberia into a lake reservoir to supply water to the desert and arid areas of Central Asia through glaciers and rivers, which would actually flood the location of Russia's largest Tyumen oil field.

Zhu Jianxuan knew this at the time, but he didn't take it to heart at all.

Places like Siberia are not suitable for human survival, and the cost and efficiency of industrial construction are much higher than those in warmer regions.

Heat is the most basic type of energy. People in cold areas need extra energy for living, working and production compared to people in warm areas.

Although Siberia is rich in resources, it does not have much practical significance for the world empire and maritime power empire.

Various mineral resources such as oil, coal, bauxite, gold, silver, copper, uranium, etc. have better production areas all over the world.

Global empires and sea power empires certainly prioritize the exploitation of minerals around warm coastlines.

Unless, like Russia in history, was blocked within the continent by external forces, it would be forced to exploit its own internal resources and become self-reliant.

In terms of oil production alone, Linzhou (South America) is more attractive than Siberia.

The best is still the Persian Gulf.

After years of construction by the Ming Dynasty, the Persian Gulf has now become the most important oil producing area in the world.

The combined output of oil fields elsewhere is less than a fraction of that around the Persian Gulf.

The Persian Gulf naturally became the busiest waterway in the Arab region.

The related industries of the Second Industrial Revolution, including the internal combustion engine and electrical appliance industries, were fully developed, providing terrifying demand for the oil industry.

This has stimulated the continuous expansion of oil field exploitation in the Persian Gulf, and the crude oil production in the Persian Gulf is reaching new highs every year.

The oil industry has also gathered a large industrial population in the Persian Gulf, and the number of local Ming people has far exceeded the very scarce local indigenous people.

The extraction and preliminary refining of oil, the storage and transportation of supporting oil products, and the transportation of materials and daily necessities needed by the oil industry and personnel have also made the waterways near the Persian Gulf increasingly busy.

In order to firmly control the Mesopotamian River Basin, Zhu Jianxuan immediately began to build and develop oil fields here after the army captured the area.

The oil industry is a high-tech industry today. It is highly profitable and requires a large amount of manpower and resources, which can directly drive industrial immigration and industrial construction.

In the past year or so, Kuwait's oil fields have been completed and put into production.

A large number of factories and residential areas have been built in the new and modern city of Kuwait, and there are even larger construction sites around the city.

There are people and machines everywhere.

This matter seemed very normal to Zhu Jianxuan.

The Persian Gulf is certainly a busy place, especially one with almost no wars and conflicts. The future will surely be even busier than in the past.

But in the impression of Fatah, a Persian, the area around the Persian Gulf was originally a deserted place.

It's really surreal how busy it is now.

(End of this chapter)