You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

The new steam freighters ensured the smooth flow of goods.

The oil seeping from the base of their mooring bollards slowly melted in the sunlight, and the steel cables, like metallic fireworks, even sparked as they dragged on the ground. The area was filled with rust, oil stains, and concrete, and the horizon line painted a cold, hard picture.

As the steam from the steam turbine billowed and reached the sky, the scene evoked both a sense of ethereal beauty, reminiscent of a sea breeze, and the bustling figures of workers...

Industrial feel.

Xia He was seeing the port of the steam age for the first time, and it was extraordinary.

She looked down at the port area with admiration; similar scenes were taking place along the southern edge of the entire Daqian River, with cargo being loaded and unloaded continuously.

The port's throughput is incalculable.

If we include the entire intercontinental sea market, it would probably be barely enough to absorb all these goods.

not enough.

Even without specifically looking at the statistics, it's clear that there's overproduction and a need to find new overseas markets. This capital drive will undoubtedly propel the Great Qian Dynasty onto the path of colonial expansion.

Feng Tianyin has already taken measures, as recorded in the log:

The High Priest promulgated a "Welfare Law" that stipulated basic welfare levels, which will be our unwavering commitment.

Minimum wage standard issued

A wise leader has approved an antitrust investigation, which is expected to lead to the breakup of some companies' businesses.

The list of state-owned industrial projects has been published.

The Heavenly Dao Sect's various regional divisions will be responsible for implementing welfare benefits...

Capitalism had long since grown from prosperous economic activities, and with Feng Tianyin's foresight, she was naturally taking precautions. The weakness of the bourgeoisie was fully displayed in the face of the temple's iron fist, and they all obediently cooperated.

They knew very well that only the Great Qian Dynasty could provide such a business environment, so they had no choice but to accept it, especially since this was a country protected by the Heavenly Dao.

This opportunity won't come again.

However, the greed of capital will not disappear, and the above measures are aimed at protecting the consumption power of the domestic market.

Xia He understood that if the public wasn't provided with a safety net of welfare, who would buy the goods they produced? Businesses wouldn't care. Only national-level projects could take care of this, essentially developing the domestic market in depth.

not enough.

Therefore, the Great Qian Dynasty turned its market towards other civilizations in the intercontinental seas.

Some regions have been thoroughly infiltrated by Daqian Capital, which has grown wildly and unstoppably, and its overseas affairs are not subject to such strict control.

They even received help from the Foreign Intelligence Service.

Xia He's investigation revealed that the spies colluded with the businesses, engaging in assassinations, incitement, and rebellion during the competition, leaving the still primitive guilds and merchant groups powerless to resist as they accepted the infusion of Daqian capital.

What a dark start.

The involvement of the Foreign Affairs Intelligence Department actually represents part of the temple's will, turning a blind eye to certain things.

Feng Tianyin's efforts to combat monopolies and improve welfare do not mean that she wants to stifle capital.

Conversely, officials need gloves.

She didn't have the same patience to assimilate and appease other small countries and city-states as she did with Brahma.

If the empire so desired, a single warship could sail over and an entire city-state would submit. This was no joke; the empire's control over them was so meticulous that they could be manipulated at will.

The reason they weren't in a hurry to acquire it was because they didn't have the time.

Moreover, retaining them could serve as export markets anyway, so why not? They simply put aside the acquisition plan for the time being, but kept a close watch on them.

Are they still considered independent?

Xia He had no time to dwell on this issue; instead, she began to think about the overall strategy.

"The situation in the intercontinental seas has stabilized, and given the current historical stage worldwide, it should be time for colonization and expansion. What needs to be done in the next round is very clear; we cannot fall behind."

Imperialism will be born from this era.

The Great Qian Dynasty already had a set of rules for dealing with its neighboring small city-states, but Feng Tianyin was relatively respectable, avoiding arbitrary slaughter and enslavement, and favoring a tributary system. However, she didn't trust them either, so she had been infiltrating their territory.

Despite its reputation for being kind and benevolent, the little robot actually has a very strong desire for control and always has multiple plans for its target.

"The inland seas have been unified."

Although they have different flags and symbols, they are all actually under the control of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Even according to game standards, this map appears as a single color in Xia He's eyes; the game mechanics don't play complex sociological definitions and debates with you.

The sea between the mainland and the surrounding areas have completely fallen under the control of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Chapter 168 Zhuang Qing Witnesses the 110th Annual Heavenly Dao Ceremony (6K)

On the eve of the 110th anniversary of the Enlightenment.

Feng Tianyin, seated atop the temple, reviewed documents while maintaining her celestial eye perspective to survey the seas between the continents.

It was faintly perceptible that the aura that Heaven had seen was far too distant.

His gaze came from an infinitely high and distant place, the difference in rank was too great, and one could feel that it was all due to the special connection between the person who was promoted and the authority. Only I could be sure that He had come.

That's good.

The thought of the creators seeing the results of these years fills her with joy.

With Xia He's experience, he must have realized that the current trend in the world is towards expansion, so he has been funding Jiang Chaosheng's fleet to go on long voyages to collect intelligence.

It just so happens to be during a return flight period.

Feng Tianyin specifically instructed them to return early and present the most detailed nautical chart to date as tribute, partly as a report and partly as a symbolic representation of the Heavenly Dao Sect's ships overseas.

"Your Majesty, the newly drawn nautical charts have arrived."

Let's all take a look.

Upon hearing the high priest's words, everyone quickly gathered around, and there it was—an enormous map.

Like previous versions, it lacks inland exploration, but it's more precise and includes descriptions of other countries. Jiang Chaosheng's shipping routes are clearly visible on the nautical charts: he learns about a country through its ports, offering only a cursory glance.

Then, without stopping, we continued our journey, trying to visit as many places as possible, rather than focusing on a specific region.

this is correct.

He should still be on his way; the nautical chart had already been delivered, and one could feel the urgent atmosphere. Fortunately, they made it in time, and the offering to the Heavenly Dao Festival brought joy to everyone's faces.

What Daqian currently lacks is a macro perspective on the entirety of the Terra world.

It was thanks to Jiang Chaosheng's repeated voyages that the nautical chart was drawn.

Foreign Minister Gao Xingzhou pointed out several areas in the intercontinental sea, saying:

"Your Majesty, their envoys are about to arrive. With our infiltration, nothing in this inland sea can stop the Empire anymore."

Which area do you think should be the focus of expansion?

"New World."

This coincides with Feng Tianyin's answer, because the Western Continent region already has a large number of thriving native civilizations, making it a bustling land with its own traditions, military and political systems, etc., which cannot be easily interfered with.

On the contrary, the New World remained deserted, but most of the inland areas were unknown to the general public.

“This ocean is fraught with danger,” Gergentana warned. “There are many clans here, so it’s best to stick to the coastal route.”

She gave the prophet's prediction.

"Don't worry, I will keep an eye on things from the subspace perspective, and any disturbance will alert the fleet."

Zhuang Qing is becoming more and more adept at this.

"In that case, I will communicate with His Majesty the Heavenly Dao regarding the arrangements during the ceremony, hoping that He will bestow His blessings. I estimate that His Majesty, with His foresight, has also foreseen that the Great Qian Dynasty will soon emerge from this cradle of the inland sea, and we will eventually have to face the storms."

Feng Tianyin made the decision.

The ocean depths are certainly restless. In fact, the current territory of the Great Qian is sufficient for solid development, but she will not allow it to stop.

The act of moving forward is meaningful in itself, inspiring, and leaves behind a magnificent history.

The temple must lead the way and become the central hub of farsightedness.

Let's do it this way.

After making the decision, Feng Tianyin ordered everyone to continue the work for the eve of the festival, while she, through Gao Xingzhou's introduction, met with envoys from all sides, no, even city lords and kings. For example, staunch supporters like Saran and Malay were personally visited by the kings.

They bowed respectfully before the throne.

"Greetings to His Majesty."

"Let's talk about industry support. I have a plan that requires your cooperation."

Feng Tianyin never wasted time. What was the point of wasting words with puppets? Instead, she simply and bluntly announced that they should transform their fragmented agriculture into a plantation economy, which would be a pilot program.

In the future, it will spread throughout the small country in the intercontinental sea.

The empire's agricultural productivity was so severely impacted that their agriculture was reduced to almost nothing, and all of it was abandoned during the enclosure movement. The lost labor force became a powerful fuel for the industrialization of the Great Qian Dynasty.

No, we don't need to anymore.

It's a waste to leave the land unused; let's just convert it entirely to the cultivation of cash crops.

She doesn't want to focus too much land on cash crops, but it's not an option. Giving it to other vassal states to make some money is a good idea. She's pointing out a clear path for you, and you have to accept the arrangement.

Jiang Bai has already handed the plan to the two kings.

Although she was not the ruler of a country, both Saran and the King of Malay had to bow their heads and tremble in fear before her imposing presence.

Ultimately, it comes down to strength.

The leader of the temple's civil service was far more powerful than their mere king; he was a truly powerful figure who could command the winds and rains, and was unapproachable.

In contrast, they themselves were sidelined, and after the pirate war, both countries' capitals lost grassroots control.

To whom was it given?

The power vacuum was naturally filled by the religious personnel of the Heavenly Dao Sect.

The priests were quite adept at local administration, easily dismantling the system at its root. Now, any decrees they issued would first reach Feng Tianyin's desk, and only after her tacit approval would they be implemented. Otherwise, they would be seen as outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, or simply sabotaged.

"We will certainly do as instructed, High Priest. Please rest assured that we will cooperate with the industries of Daqian."