Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 341 Wired Telegraph: Zhao Shuo's First Piece of Apocalypse!
Of course, Kublai Khan couldn't just set off immediately after choosing the location to land in the Americas.

These days, ocean voyages are seasonal; sailboats without their own power need the cooperation of sea breezes and ocean currents.

It wasn't until late January of the second year of the Zhiyuan era that Kublai Khan and his entourage boarded a warship of the Plain Blue Flag Navy, departed from Quanzhou Port, passed through Guangzhou Port, seized the tail end of the strong and stable northwest monsoon, crossed the Taiwan Strait, passed Eluanbi at the southernmost tip of Taiwan Island, and sailed into the main channel of the Kuroshio Current.

With the thrust of the Kuroshio Current, the ocean-going fleet quickly passed through the eastern waters of the Ryukyu Islands and entered the Pacific Ocean. After leaving the main influence area of ​​the Kuroshio Current, it reached the northwest coast of North America with the help of the North Pacific Current.

The ship then immediately turned south and sailed along the coastline, arriving at the landing site, Zhang Honglue Bay (San Francisco Bay).

The entire voyage lasted 197 days.

It must be said that the so-called one year round trip is just an approximation. If everything goes smoothly, it will take about one year and one month. If there are delays or unforeseen maritime events, it could take a year and a half or even two years.

When Kublai Khan's fleet sailed into that vast bay, his anxiety finally subsided.

It wasn't easy, but we've finally arrived!
For this voyage of 3,000 people and 3,000 horses, "Heavenly Khan" Zhao Shuo charged 50 taels of silver per person and 100 taels of silver per horse.

Including the transportation equipment and grain, Zhao Shuo received 500,000 taels of silver in transportation fees.

This is already a fair price. A regular boat ticket from Quanzhou to Australia would cost fifteen taels of silver in the private market.

After all, goods transported by sea can be stacked, but people and warhorses cannot be stacked, and a certain amount of space for movement must be guaranteed.

Plus, after more than half a year of feeding and caring for people, is it really that much money?

However, transporting three thousand men and three thousand horses would cost five hundred thousand taels of silver, a sum that even the wealthy Tolui clan found somewhat stingy. It's no wonder that Möngke Khan was unwilling to provide Kublai Khan with more support, only giving him this many troops.

On the coast, a rudimentary wooden and stone camp had been erected, with the Great Yuan battle flag flying high atop the gate tower. Patrolling soldiers were clearly visible atop the walls, their armor and bows gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Before the fleet had fully anchored, several small boats had already sailed from the shore.

The first person to board the ship was Zhang Honglue, the commander of the fourth thousandth household of the Zhenglan Banner of the Navy, who had discovered this new sea route three years ago.

Zhang Honglue, Zhang Rou's sixth son, is twenty-seven years old this year. Three years ago, he discovered this habitable land on the American continent. For this achievement, he was awarded the title of the fourth thousandth household commander of the Navy's Plain Blue Banner. This huge bay was also named after him.

"This humble general is here to await the arrival of the Fourth Prince on His Majesty's orders." Zhang Honglue's voice was clear and bright. He clasped his hands in front of his chest, bowed slightly, and gave a military salute, his gaze calmly meeting Kublai Khan's eyes.

He was an official under Zhao Shuo, not Kublai Khan, so he only needed to maintain basic respect for Kublai Khan.

Furthermore, Zhao Shuo's dispatch of Kublai Khan to the Americas was not an abandonment of his duties. Zhang Honglue's 500 men had been stationed there for the past three years. With Kublai Khan's expansionist ambitions, Zhang Honglue had both the responsibility of assisting and overseeing the campaign, and therefore no longer needed to be subservient to Kublai Khan.

It must be noted that Zhang Honglue was far less famous in history than his brother Zhang Hongfan.

However, historical records indicate that he assisted Zhang Rou in building the Yuan capital, Dadu, and served as the chief administrator of the palace. He was later appointed as the Pacification Commissioner of Jiangxi to suppress the Raozhou uprising. Ultimately, he rose to the position of Vice Minister of the Henan Provincial Government, demonstrating both literary and military prowess, making him no ordinary figure.

Kublai Khan calmly observed Zhang Honglue, then waved his hand with a smile: "Commander Zhang, you've worked hard. My ability to expand the territory of the Great Mongol Empire from thousands of miles away is entirely due to your achievement in opening up new sea routes."

"You flatter me, Your Majesty."

Zhang Honglue stepped aside to make way for disembarking, his tone neither humble nor arrogant, and said, "This humble general was able to discover this place entirely thanks to Your Majesty's great fortune. That this bay could be named after me is already a testament to Your Majesty's boundless grace."

The two walked side by side toward the camp on the shore. Kublai Khan took the opportunity to ask, "I heard that Commander Zhang has been stationed here for three years. Tell me about the situation here."

"This is only natural."

Zhang Honglue said, "I only have five hundred men under my command. In the past three years, I have only conducted a brief investigation of the situation within a thousand miles."

As he spoke, he pointed ahead and said, “This place is surrounded by mountains on three sides and faces the sea on one side, covering an area of ​​no less than a thousand miles. There is no ice or snow in winter, and the sea breeze is refreshing in summer. Look at this bay, the water is deep and the harbor is wide, enough to anchor a thousand warships. Look at this plain, it can be described as a fertile land for thousands of miles. It’s just that the natives do not engage in farming and live by gathering, which is really a waste of nature.”

Liu Bingzhong couldn't help but interject, "Haven't we heard that the Americas are plagued by storms and extreme cold?"

Zhang Honglue said, "Indeed, many places on the American continent suffer from storms and extreme cold, but not here. Of course, the climate here is very different from that of the Central Plains."

"One is that the summers are extremely dry, with long periods without rain, so you need to prepare early. Of course, you can still do nomadic herding without any problems. The second is that when the rainy season comes, the torrential rains here can last for several days in a row, so you also need to prepare early. In short, the climate here is worse than that of the Central Plains, but much better than that of the grasslands. You can both raise livestock and engage in farming."

Kublai Khan asked, "What is the situation of the local natives?"

"There is no unified country here, only individual tribes, with a total population between 300,000 and 1 million. Not to mention the differences between us and them, even the natives themselves don't speak the same language. So it's really hard to know the exact population number."

"Their largest tribe has only a few thousand people. They are skilled at using obsidian as weapons, but are unaware of the advantages of iron. In the three years I have been here, I have already brought seven or eight surrounding tribes under my control. Although they have gold, silver and copper, they do not use them for trade, but instead use two special disc-shaped seashells as currency."

Kublai Khan's eyes flickered slightly: "When you subjugated these tribes, did you encounter any obstacles?"

"It's just a small skirmish." Zhang Honglue's lips curled slightly. "These natives are brave, but their weapons and equipment are far inferior to ours. In addition, they don't know any military strategy, so they are no match for us at all. Two years ago, a tribe refused to submit to the king's rule. I led my army to attack their village, and a round of thunderous bombs made them kneel down and beg for mercy."

Then, he suddenly changed the subject, "Of course, this is all thanks to His Majesty's great fortune."

Kublai Khan was somewhat displeased by Zhang Honglu's repeated use of the title "Your Majesty," but he still said, "I have received the decree from Zhao Shuo's uncle. From now on, you will be the inspector sent here by the Heavenly Khan. I hope you will take good care of me in the future."

"Easy to say, easy to say."

Zhang Honglue said, "From now on, just follow His Majesty's rules. His Majesty will take 30% of the spoils from war. His Majesty will take 10% of the taxes collected in peacetime. Oh, and mining tax is an exception. His Majesty will take 50% of the tax on abandoned land."

"What? They want a 50% mining tax too?"

Kublai Khan frowned slightly and said, "This clause is not in the three-chapter agreement between Zhao Shuo's uncle and the four Mongol factions."

Zhang Hong smiled slightly and said calmly, "When the three rules were agreed upon, it wasn't clearly stated that the Heavenly Khan wanted the navy to continue to provide support to you! When the Four Great Kings no longer need His Majesty's naval support, the mining tax can naturally be reduced to 10%."

Just kidding, this is San Francisco!

The land has been given away; the world is too big for Zhao Shuo to conquer entirely.

But would Zhao Shuo really give Kublai Khan such a huge gold mine for free?
By the time Kublai Khan's fleet was able to sail across the ocean, those easily accessible gold mines would probably have been almost completely depleted. Forced by circumstances, Kublai Khan could only try his best to maintain a calm expression, saying, "I see, Kublai Khan understands."

By this time, three thousand men had landed and set up camp outside the fortress erected by the Yuan army.

The Mongol army had been tossed about on ships for more than half a year, and both men and horses needed a long period of rest before they could officially expand their territory.

That night, in Kublai Khan's central command tent.

"Fourth King, Commander Zhang is rather arrogant and unruly; we must be wary of him!" Liu Bingzhong sighed.

Kublai Khan said calmly, "He is Zhao Shuo's uncle's informant, so it's only right. Our key now is to quickly expand our strength on the American continent, achieve certain results, and gain the full support of Tolui's faction. Before that, naturally we must maintain good relations with Zhao Shuo's uncle and this Commander Zhang."

Liu Bingzhong bowed slightly and said, "Your subject understands."

Kublai Khan asked, "By the way, what do you think of this place?"

"The Chosen Land! The Chosen Land where the Four Great Kings rise to power!"

Liu Bingzhong's eyes gleamed. "This place is easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is rich in resources and has hundreds of thousands of natives that we can employ. If the Four Kings can establish a foothold here and continue to expand their territory in the Americas, given time, what is there to worry about in achieving great things? The only problem is that with this Commander Zhang around, no matter how we develop, we will not be able to hide it from the eyes of the Heavenly Khan."

"It's man-made."

Kublai Khan was originally unwilling to expand the territory with Zhao Yun because he felt that every move he made would fall under Zhao Shuo's control.

Of course, even when expanding territory with Zhao Yun, Zhao Shuo would still send over inspectors.

Like I said before, if you're not convinced, go across the ocean yourself!

Zhao Shuo did not send any supervisory officials to the four Mongol factions on the mainland.

"Everyone has weaknesses, but there's always a way to overcome them."

Kublai Khan stood with his hands behind his back, and after a long while, he slowly said, "Given time, we'll see how much convenience this Commander Zhang is willing to provide for us."

However, while Kublai Khan was in the Americas, contemplating how to expand his territory and win over and corrupt Zhang Honglue, another great achievement was born in China.

Three months later, in the Imperial Palace of Zhongdu City, in the Yuzao Hall.

"What? The wired telegraph has finally been successfully developed?" Zhao Shuo looked at Guo Xun with a face full of surprise. "Your son, Guo Shoujing, has accomplished such a great feat at the young age of twenty. According to the law, he should be ennobled as a marquis."

Guo Xun quickly stood up, bowed slightly, and shook his head, saying, "Neither I nor my son dare to take credit; this is mainly thanks to Your Majesty's divine book."

Although Zhao Shuo imparted all his knowledge of electromagnetism to Guo Xun, he did not teach him any chemistry.

After all, how did Zhao Shuo acquire so much knowledge that was unheard of in the world? Zhao Shuo simply couldn't explain it.

But this time, thanks to the "Apocalypse," Zhao Shuo no longer needed to hide anything and directly handed over the contents of a top-secret chemical book to the Guo family father and son.

Guo Shoujing was truly a talented individual. He quickly improved the battery based on this chemical knowledge, extending the signal transmission distance of the wired telegraph to a distance of two miles.

Then, things stalled for another six months.

More than half a year later, Guo Shoujing finally had a flash of inspiration and invented the relay. A relay is an electromagnetic switch driven by line current. When it detects a weak signal current, it closes the circuit of a local battery, thereby sending the amplified fresh current to the next segment of the line. In this way, the signal can be transmitted station by station to a distant place.

Zhao Shuo asked, "How far do you estimate the telegraph will be able to travel after this relay is used?"

Guo Xun said, "We have only built one ten-mile-long wired circuit so far. According to our calculations, with the use of relays, it should be able to cover a distance of one hundred miles at a time."

"A hundred miles is enough."

Zhao Shuo said happily, "We can set up another telegraph station a hundred miles away. We can then send another telegram by manpower to that location. That way, even if the telegram travels thousands of miles, it won't be a problem. By the way, what's the cost of wired telegraphs?"

Guo Xun looked troubled and said cautiously, "Roughly estimated, a wired telegraph for a hundred miles would cost four hundred thousand taels of silver."

"So expensive?" Zhao Shuo frowned slightly. "Even building a hundred-mile railway would only cost a little over two million taels of silver."

Guo Xun said, "Besides regular expenses, the main problem is the high price of insulated wires. We used Eucommia ulmoides adhesive to insulate the wires, but the cost just couldn't be reduced."

Zhao Shuo didn't have a good solution to this problem either.

He did know that there was a type of gum called Guta gum in Southeast Asia, which should be cheaper than Eucommia gum. However, the two were quite similar, and Zhao Shuo estimated that reducing the cost by half would be quite good.

Even so, building a nationwide wired telegraph network would still be an astronomical expense, far beyond the financial means of the Yuan Dynasty.

We still need rubber!
The problem is that rubber seeds are still far away in South America, and Zhao Shuo's influence has not reached there at all.

Zhao Shuo said, "Even if it's expensive, we have to build it and accumulate some experience. How about this, you try building an experimental telegraph line between Zhongdu and Jinling first. Then, continue to study ways to reduce the cost of wired telegraphs."

"According to the order!"

Seeing the shame on Guo Xun's face, Zhao Shuo stood up, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Don't be afraid. What does a higher price matter? We'll solve the problem of whether we have it or not first, then we'll find ways to reduce costs. One day, wired telegraph will cover every corner of the country. Guo Xun, are you confident?"

"Have!"

Guo Xun loudly agreed.

This confidence wasn't actually for himself or his son Guo Shoujing, but for Zhao Shuo!

Your Majesty is a man who has received divine revelation!
The "Chemistry Bible" that was passed on to him is clear evidence, as is the wired telegraph that was already in its initial stages of practical use!
Zhao Shuo said that he could make telegrams reach every corner of the country, so how could he be wrong?
As the wired telegraph spread throughout the world, Guo and his son would be remembered in history, and their wives and children would be granted titles and honors!

(End of this chapter)