The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 613: It’s OK to Have a Sun Shiwan
People knelt on the ground in a rush. Many low-level researchers had pale faces and were trembling all over, as if they were about to be dragged out and beheaded by the Jinyiwei ordered by the emperor.

But in fact, although Mo Zibu looked serious, he was quite happy in his heart.

Because what was exposed this time was not a core problem at all, but some problems that need to be improved in some small aspects.

For example, it is very easy for accidents to occur if the rails are laid directly on the ground, so we can raise them with gravel as was done in later generations.

This can also reduce shock, cushion, disperse weight, and limit the deformation of the rails due to thermal expansion and contraction.

As for the braking problem, it only requires designing another deceleration device, which is easy to solve.

When Mo Zibu came up with the method of using gravel as a paving stone and sleepers, he quickly gained the admiration of the people around him.

Those who could kneel before Mo Zibu were all outstanding in their respective fields. With a little explanation, they understood how economical and practical this seemingly simple thing was.

Even people like Wang Zhenyi and Watt looked at the dragon pattern on the emperor's brocade sleeves with some suspicion.

Things like gravel paving and sleepers must have been invented through continuous trial and error and improvement over thousands of uses. How could they be so perfect when they first came out?
However, after having a little doubt, Wang Zhenyi looked at the emperor with admiration.

She felt more and more that the emperor was like the legendary King Wen of Zhou, a true emperor who appeared once every five hundred years and was born with knowledge.

Watt recalled a legend circulating in Catholic circles, mainly in French Catholic circles.

It is said that the great Emperor Seres received divine revelation when he rose from humble beginnings.

Therefore, under the guidance of God, they were able to miraculously rescue the French mercenaries captured by the Burmese, and then rely on these mercenaries to defeat the terrifying White Elephant King.

Could it be that His Majesty the Great Emperor is the mysterious Elder John of the East, and that is why he knows everything?

Watt couldn't help but let his imagination run wild, and his thoughts turned to Elder John, who was created by the Europeans in a dreamlike way.

Mo Zibu also noticed Wang Zhenyi's gaze, which was filled with the kind of admiration and worship that a child has for his father, and a mortal has for a god.

This made Mo Zibu secretly proud. After all, there were few scientists at that time, and they were female scientists at that.

As for Watt, he didn't even dare to look up at the emperor.

"Let's do this for now. Start laying the sleepers and gravel right away. Since pig iron won't make rails, we'll just go straight to steel.

I hope to see the steam locomotive put into actual use within five months, and the remaining details can be improved while it is running."

As a founding emperor with almost unlimited power, Mo Zibu simply took charge because the steam locomotive could no longer tow.

"Lu Guanheng, you must immediately create a detailed reward plan for the improvement of steam locomotives. Based on the size of the problem solved, different rewards will be given. Whether it's a title or gold and silver, I'm willing to give it."

Lu Guanheng, a Guangdong ocean merchant who was as famous as Wu Bingjian in history, did not cheat and do business in this time and space, but was directly absorbed into the Fuxing Company and thrived there.

"Old Wu, are you okay with your injury?" After some people had left, Mo Zibu asked Wu Rang beside him.

Our Lord Wu had a large piece of his hair burned, and he probably needs to shave it off and wait for it to grow back. He also has a slight fracture in his left arm, which was caused by being crushed when the car overturned.

In addition to Wu Rang, more than 20 people were injured, the two most seriously injured. Although their lives are not in danger, they are likely to be disabled.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. This little injury can't do anything to me." Wu Rang gritted his teeth. He was so angry that he almost trembled. The meat that was about to reach his mouth was lost at the last moment. He was unwilling to accept this.

"Are you really okay?

If you're really alright, then don't go back to Songcheng and eat and drink to your heart's content just to gain weight. This is my mission for you." Mo Zibu cast a look of disdain, glancing at Wu Rang's large belly.

Wu Rang chuckled. He probably knew what Mo Zibu wanted him to do. Without any hesitation, he immediately knelt down and prepared to receive the order.

"You wish! Get up! I'm not going to give you a promotion. It's useless for you to kneel down." Mo Zibu raised his hand, and then said sincerely:
"I believe you can see the future of steam engines. I plan to build three railways, one from Halong Port to the steel mill cluster in Halong County.

Another line will be built from Foshan to Guangzhou City to first solve the logistics problems between Guangzhou and Foshan.

The last one was built from Beijing City to the Xishan Coal Mine in Wanping to solve the coal supply problem in Shuntian Prefecture, Beijing.

The problem now is that pig iron cannot be used to make railroad tracks, and the new blast furnaces built using the side-blowing method have only just been constructed, and most of them have not yet been put into production. Steel production has not yet begun to increase significantly, so one piece of fine steel currently costs one silver dollar.

I'm worried that when the tracks are laid, not only will there be corruption within the Fuxing Company, but the people living nearby will also be tempted to do the same."

This may be the most unfavorable factor. Historically, railway technology would not mature until nearly 80 years later. Although steel was still very valuable at that time, it was completely incomparable to steel, which is still a precious metal today.

So when it comes to laying the road now, the high cost is one thing, but preventing corruption and theft is the top priority.

After Mo Zibu said this, Wu Rang suddenly realized, would anyone come to steal the railroad tracks? Of course there would be people, and definitely quite a few of them.

After all, for many people at that time, the emperor laying such precious steel on the ground was purely a welfare benefit for them.

"I know you, Old Wu, are not short of money, and you won't be blinded by it, so I hope you can stay in the mainland to oversee the construction of the Guangzhou-Foshan Line and the Halong Bay Coal and Iron Mine Line."

Wu Rang is indeed a particularly suitable candidate because he is rich and doesn't care at all whether he can embezzle or accept bribes through these two channels.

At the same time, his title and qualifications were enough to keep the evildoers in this area under control. Even Mo Zibu's fellow villagers from western Guangdong who had moved to the Beihe Plain did not dare to act presumptuously in front of Wu Rang.

"I obey your command and am willing to share your Majesty's worries." You are asking Wu Rang to stay here to supervise the railway and offend people. He will definitely not be willing to do that.

But since this concerns his son's future, Wu Rang agreed.

After finally completing the most critical step of the steam engine, Mo Zibu prepared to return north. He wanted to personally supervise the special line from Beijing to Wanping Xishan Coal Mine.

"This is a letter from your third uncle. Arsen, you should take a look at it too." Mo Zirong's urgent secret letter, sent over eight hundred miles, had only arrived three days ago. Mo Zibu had only read it himself and had not yet called anyone to discuss it.

Of course, Mo Zibu had nothing to hide from his son, who was also his future successor.

Mo Zibu directly let Asen understand the true situation, and also let him see why the king is also very important in bed and what bed politics is.

"Hiss!" As expected, Arsen was hit by another mental attack. He kept hissing and an expression of incomprehension appeared on his face.

"Third Uncle, why is Third Uncle like this? He is the prince of the Eastern Empire and the Grand Duke of the Western Roman Empire. He is the ruler of a real country!"

Mo Zirong's title of Grand Duke of Transylvania in the Holy Roman Empire was of course a real title, and his title of King of Lu in the Dayu Dynasty was also actually a real title.

The fiefdom roughly overlapped with the later Malaysian state of Pahang, located between Pattani, Johor and Singapore, and was not a small area.

In the Prince of Lu's Palace, one of the left and right Sima and one of the left and right Changshi were appointed by Mo Zirong himself, and the annual income was also sent to Europe by merchant ships.

"It would be fine if he was hooking up with an ordinary noblewoman, but Mariana Victoria is the only princess of the Kingdom of Portugal and the daughter-in-law of the King of Spain.

This is such a big mess, it seems okay, not too serious."

Asen originally wanted to say that he had taken too big a risk, but when he thought about it carefully, he realized that Spain had long lost its former glory, and the Dayu Dynasty had always coveted its property in North America and Luzon.

As for Portugal, not only is its national strength declining, but its lifeline is still in the hands of China. It has no right to let China use the word "threat".

Even Mo Zirong was not scared by Maria I's anger. What he was afraid of was Spain.

"You see, your uncle is not a fool or a daredevil. If he were, he would have climbed into the bed of Queen Antoinette of France and made his sister-in-law pregnant."

Mo Zibu said with a rather evil taste that it was said that Louis XVI was not very concerned about matters between men and women, but was instead obsessed with being a skilled locksmith.

Queen Antoinette was not one to settle down, having already had several bed partners. It seems that this is the European custom, but in fact, there are also rules to follow.

For a noble lady of the level of Queen Antoinette of France, having a few handsome lovers was no big deal.

However, if you do not have the ability and status of Catherine II, it is better not to give birth to children who are not the king's biological children.

Secondly, the concubine can be a handsome man from a poor noble family, or even a nobleman, but it is best not to be a monarch of a big country like Mo Zirong, especially if the two parties are relatives.

That's why Mo Zibu said that if Mo Zirong was really foolish and bold, he wouldn't have been scared by the scandal with Antoinette and fled back to Vienna from Paris.

Wang Zhenyi, who had never left, also whispered an explanation to Asen. She had lived in Europe for two years and had her own understanding of this.

"So what father is worried about is that Third Uncle gave up the original plan so easily, right?" Asen somewhat understood why his father sighed. It was because of Third Uncle's character.

"Yeah!" Mo Zibu sighed.

In recent years, the third brother Mo Zirong has made rapid progress. Not only has he been able to gain a foothold in Europe, but he has also been able to sit firmly on the throne of the Grand Duke of Transylvania. He even has the tendency to become the leader and spokesperson of the Hungarians in the Vienna court.

His achievements are due to two aspects. On the one hand, he himself is indeed making progress. On the other hand, and perhaps the most important aspect, is the continuous rise of China, which has given Mo Zirong great confidence and reliance.

Mo Zibu was once also confused by Mo Zirong's achievements, but now it seems that the third brother is still the same.

The underlying character is still that of the third son of Hexian, who is somewhat lustful, proficient in culture and art, good at politics, but always unable to control his body.

"The Lower Netherlands has no future. Its geographical location is even worse than that of the United Provinces. If anything changes in either Britain or France, the Lower Netherlands will be the first to bear the brunt. And now he has offended Spain as well."

In Mozibu's opinion, Transylvania is actually far better than the Lower Netherlands. Although the problems are tricky, once you persevere, the rewards will be huge.

You have to know that during the French Revolution in history, the Holy Roman Empire was almost dismembered. Mo Zibu concluded that Vienna was likely to be lost.

This is indeed true in history. Vienna was captured by the French army twice, and the Habsburg family lost face.

In this situation, if Mo Zirong could rely on the remnants of the Hungarians and Austrians to hold on in the Apuseni Mountains in Transylvania.

Not to mention that he could seize the Habsburg family in the future, at least with the support of China and the restored Austrian Empire, he would have no problem seizing Romanian territories such as the Duchy of Wallachia and serving as the King of Romania.

Then, in one or two generations, the Roman Empire would resist the Russians in the north and swallow the Turks in the south. It might even be possible to take back Constantinople and rebuild the Eastern Roman Empire.

This will be of great benefit to Mo Zirong personally, his children, and the Chinese Empire, and is far more important than the Lower Netherlands.

It’s a pity that what kind of person was Mo San Ge actually? He was a monarch between Song Huizong and Ming Xuanzong.

In terms of artistic talent, he cannot catch up with Song Huizong.

When it comes to governing the country, he is not as good as Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty, but Mo Zirong may be better than Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty.

At least his ability to control his desires is better than that of Song Huizong, and he does not have the frivolous temperament of Zhao Ji.

As for literature and art, he was much better than Ming Xuanzong, who was best at painting cats. Therefore, Mo Zibu said that he was a monarch between Song Huizong and Ming Xuanzong.

But to accomplish what Mo Zibu envisioned, it would be best if someone of the caliber of Qin Shi Huang and Han Wudi were to do it.

Of course, if this requirement is too high, then people of Cao Mengde, Liu Xuande and Mo Zibu's level can also do it.

At least, at least, we need someone of Sun Zhongmou's level.

But Mo Zirong is still a long way from Sun Shiwan.

"Father, there's no need to be so disappointed. The Lower Netherlands may not be useless to us. At least we can use maritime trade to strengthen our ties with Uncle Three.

Spain will also be dealt with sooner or later, it’s just a matter of time.

At the same time, this opportunity can also be used to test Portugal. If Maria I backs down, the child in Mariana Victoria's belly will be of great use in the future.

The most important thing is that the Third Uncle is to serve as both Prince or King of the Lower Netherlands, not to choose between the two crowns of Grand Duke of Transylvania and King of the Lower Netherlands."

Arsen is growing very fast and can already talk freely, especially about Spain and Portugal, which he has a very accurate understanding of.

The only flaw is that it still has some childish naivety.

“Your third uncle was able to secure his position as Grand Duke of Transylvania because he stayed in Vienna and Sibiu all year round.

He had become the spokesperson for the Hungarian nobility within the Habsburg family and a banner of opposition to Joseph II's reforms.

But if he left Vienna and went to the Lower Netherlands, taking up residence in the Duchy of Brabant's castle in Brussels, he would quickly lose his direct influence over the Hungarians and his ability to control Transylvania."

"Then we won't support Third Uncle? Should we write a letter to persuade him?" Asen also felt that what his father said made sense. In that case, since Third Uncle has offended a lot of people, he should rely on China's support to prevent him from going to the Netherlands.

But Mo Zibu thought about it and shook his head decisively, "That's not right. Look at this letter. Your third uncle and aunt are already very moved. At the same time, they wrote to ask for help. We are using this as a threat. It is very inappropriate."

The reason why Mo Zibu was so decisive was that he knew that although the French Revolution was actually successful in the whole of Europe, Napoleon's empire was a failure.

This means that even if the Netherlands, that is, Belgium and Luxembourg, could not be retained for the time being, the throne was still very useful after the French Revolution.

At the same time, Mo Zirong is not someone who can accomplish big things, so don't force him to do things he can't do, as this may backfire.

However, the situation in Transylvania is quite good, and it would be a pity to lose it.

So Mo Zibu thought about it and realized that some Hungarians among the Changshui Huqi wanted to go back and return home in glory, so he sent them back to help Mo Zirong.

As for the leader of these people, Mo Zibu has already made up his mind.

Let Wang Wubing go. He has been to Europe, is familiar with the place and has no problem with the language.

The next twenty years will be a critical time when Europe is in turmoil. China will also advance into Central Asia. Let Wang Wubing take charge of the overall situation. Maybe these Hungarians can really be used at critical moments in the future.

Even Mo Zibu had chosen an adjutant for Wang Wubing. They were the brothers Liu Rongqing and Liu Guoqing, the top martial arts champions in Jiangnan who had just retired from Li Xianwen's Northwest Army.

These two men were too upright in character and refused to follow Deng Chenchang and others in solving the Northwest greening problem with swords and spears. As a result, they were often marginalized and had no choice but to retire.

This kind of character is very kind and may seem a little saintly, but it is very useful if used in the right place.

It would be better if their personalities were to come in handy now, when they have to go to Eastern Europe to demonstrate their great power and unite all available forces.

"Have the Five Military Commandery issue an order to summon Colonel Liu Rongqing and Lieutenant Colonel Liu Guoqing of the Northwest Army to Nanjing Yingtian Prefecture to await an audience.

Ordered the East China Sea Fleet and the South China Sea Fleet to strengthen interactions along the coast of Luzon.

Have the Jinyiwei Southern Pacification Division come forward and tell the Spanish Governor in Manila that we suspect someone in Manila has smuggled Fujian tea trees there, and we will send officials into Manila to search."

Well, Mo Zibu’s way of helping Mo Zirong was simple, which was to threaten Manila, the Spanish colony in Southeast Asia.

You know, this is the only territory of European countries in Southeast Asia.

As soon as the Chinese Empire showed any sign of controlling the attack on Manila, King Carlos III of Spain knew that he could not use force to overwhelm Mo Zirong.

As for Portugal, there is no need to threaten it. Maria I does not have the courage to deal with Mo Zirong. At most, she can only complain and grumble a few words.

(End of this chapter)