You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

"Ross's caravan of a thousand men has entered Xiayi and several surrounding cities. I have arranged for professionals to make contact and we are discussing further expansion of trade routes."

It turned out to be the case.

Several colleagues couldn't help but cast grateful glances at their colleague.

After all, it would be a dereliction of duty for the high priest to suddenly mention a person's name and for the person to be completely ignorant of it. The other person not only answered but also gave a detailed explanation, which finally made everyone realize that the person was a great merchant.

The people in the Imperial Study didn't understand, simply because their status as senior clerks was far too different from that of the Imperial Study staff.

Usually, such a small matter wouldn't reach everyone's ears; I blame myself for being ignorant.

“Those guys also brought missionaries.”

Gedentana said in an unfriendly tone, "Fang Shu, find an opportunity to trip them up and give them a heads-up. Doing business is fine, but missionary work is off-limits. Tell them to be more sensible in the future."

Feng Tianyin remained silent.

So, a mere finance minister would naturally nod in agreement, ensuring a smooth and respectable process. It would be good for the merchants to experience the rules of the Great Qian Dynasty, and for the High Priest and the Great Prophet to be involved was truly a blessing earned over many lifetimes.

“We are not interested in their goods. We should let the Daqian caravan dump their goods on the Western Continent as soon as possible,” Zhuang Qing suggested.

"Indeed, we have neglected the development of land trade routes over the years."

Jiang Bai, who had handled most of the temple's affairs, knew very well.

She stated it directly:

"In terms of experience with land trade routes alone, we are far inferior to them because our internal market demand is greater and we lack the motivation to expand. Direct coercion will not work; we must make it easier for traveling merchants. We should make use of railways while reducing transportation costs; this is the true way to encourage them."

As expected of the Prime Minister, he is quite knowledgeable.

In fact, the Great Qian Dynasty voluntarily gave up some of its operational capabilities for land trade routes, but now it is picking them up again.

"You draft an incentive plan, and I will approve it."

Feng Tianyin, having received Xia He's instructions, could not ignore them. Since Heaven had spoken, the trade routes of the Great Qian should be opened up.

Go to the West.

Otherwise, if a railway is built with great difficulty only to transport resources or for relatively empty reasons such as "maintaining dominance," it would be a waste of transport capacity. It would be better to encourage merchants to engage in intercontinental operations.

A resolution that would impact the business world was born in the Imperial Study in just a few words.

It was unanimously approved.

Feng Tianyin, who had just opened the next document, suddenly had her eyes light up; a permission prompt had been given:

Jiang Chaosheng's fleet successfully opened a new shipping route.

【Riding the ocean currents, we speed forward and arrive at a vast plain rich in marine resources, nestled between mountains and water, in Horseshoe Bay. Praise be to Heaven! We proudly inform the High Priest that the ships of Daqian have found a more reliable route.】

The log was updated immediately, much to her surprise.

Everything went smoothly.

The game mechanics provide hints in the form of narration, yet they convey an exciting and uplifting mood between the lines, which is truly remarkable.

Feng Tianyin began to consider plans to increase investment.

She had also felt that constantly sailing from shore was inefficient, so she urged Jiang Chaosheng to open up new routes. Now that the task is complete, it's time to consider building a large fleet to connect the two continents.

There is still half the time left in this round.

Ideally, colonies should be established as soon as possible after the next Heavenly Ritual, allowing the world to enter the Industrial Age.

The sooner the better.

"Your Majesty, a telegram has arrived. It's news of the new shipping route; they've succeeded."

The progress of the times is wonderful. The electromagnetic waves were received only a little later than Feng Tianyin's. It is estimated that Jiang Chaosheng on the other side of the ocean in the east was also eager to report the good news.

She read the telegram and found it to be concise and to the point.

As a first report, it was quite detailed, describing the general process and outlining plans to explore 100 kilometers inland.

The telegrams were circulated one by one, and everyone who saw them showed joy.

good news!

It is indeed encouraging, as maintaining long-term ocean trade has become possible, more feasible than previous shipping routes, and behind it lies a huge business opportunity.

As long as the profits are there, there's no need for encouragement; businessmen will flock to it.

"Report, the second telegram contains new nautical charts..."

It should be a detailed description that has been prepared in advance. Although text is not as intuitive as pictures, the combination of a few key coordinates and precise descriptions can still allow professionals to grasp the basic route.

Lu Zhengshu immediately summoned maritime consultants from the academy to interpret and explain the telegram.

Besides the high priest, everyone needs a professional internal advisor.

Not everyone is as knowledgeable and adept as Feng Tianyin, so the advisors carefully considered the matter before drawing a conclusion in the simplest terms possible: "We can restore the nautical chart so that the subsequent fleet can set sail immediately."

"Anytime is fine."

Although they did not achieve the same level of success as Jiang Chaosheng, they had great confidence in their professional fields.

The officials in the Imperial Study fell into deep thought, wondering whether they should immediately send a fleet to follow, or wait for the fleet on the new route to return.

"Issue the order to immediately have the subsequent fleet verify the route."

Feng Tianyin made a decision that was as good as her word.

The die is cast.

Under Feng Tianyin's will, the empire simultaneously embarked on an expansion that combined land and sea.

The temple issued a series of announcements and decrees, including but not limited to "The second phase of the new shipping fleet sets sail," "The navy will conduct a long-range deployment to ensure the safety of intercontinental shipping routes," "The high priest grants permission to establish the New Continent Company," and "Proposed establishment of overseas affairs positions."

Each one possesses earthquake-like energy.

Such a quick reaction!

In fact, countless powerful figures were watching the temple's actions closely, anticipating the outcome of the opening of new sea routes.

Well done! When they received the official announcement of Jiang Chaosheng's achievements, they were thrilled and eager to get back to work. All companies related to maritime trade were ready, for fortune favors the bold.

I'm not afraid of long routes, I'm afraid of not making money.

In the eyes of ordinary people, wouldn't going to such a remote and impoverished place be a waste of money?

I don't know.

Major corporations and merchant groups had already calculated this: as long as they established assets such as plantations, mines, hunting grounds, and fishing grounds in the New World, how could they not make money?

As a businessman, you need to be quick-witted, bold, and meticulous.

They are waiting for a signal.

Unexpectedly, Feng Tianyin was quite decisive, giving people the impression that "I had prepared these decrees long ago and they have finally been issued." She gave out a series of regulations and subsidies in one go, which was also a guide.

She always possessed cutting-edge thinking and a rigorous academic spirit; anyone involved in business could not ignore the High Priestess.

"Hurry up, cut out the full text of the decree from the newspaper and read it carefully."

"The temple's attitude must be reflected in this."

"New Continent Corporation, that sounds pretty straightforward. Their business scope is franchising and tax breaks?"

"Temple Holdings owns 51%, the rest is entirely up to the market!"

...A barrage of government orders forced them to meticulously analyze each word, paying closer attention than they ever did with contracts. After all, these orders concerned the future of a vast industrial landscape, and ignoring them would leave them behind.

Simultaneously.

The title of commander of the second fleet fell to Lü Wen.

The departure of naval commanders meant that it was, in effect, a military operation, and indeed it was, with a total of 20 warships setting sail together.

Some of them will be stationed on the islands for a long period of time to receive subsequent merchant ships.

Moreover, given Feng Tianyin's style of "doing big things without skimping on money," she lavishly replenished the fleet with the latest warships, bringing the most cutting-edge technological achievements to the young general's command.

"This is a huge responsibility."

Lu Wen looked up at the towering smokestack and sighed.

He never imagined he would command such a large fleet, but times have changed and he now holds a high position.

My daily life used to consist of watching sailboats come and go in my small hometown, but the tide of the times has pushed me to where I am today. Now I am about to travel to a new continent thousands of miles away, and my mission is arduous.

The adjutant chuckled, "You always feel a lot of pressure, but you actually perform exceptionally well."

"Stop flattering me, my stomach hurts."

"Haha, Commander, you can fix it first, I'll go check the equipment."

The high priest's direct order made Lü Wen both nervous and proud, feeling pressured but also grateful, thanking His Majesty for being willing to entrust him with this important task.

We'll give it our all.

No matter what monsters or demons are in the flight path, we must defeat them.

And it wasn't just themselves; in addition, there was an elite force from the spiritual academy trained by the Great Sage, a squad of psychics who would accompany the army. Unlike the priests, who also served a missionary role, they were purely combatants.

Of course, priests would also accompany them, as they were responsible for religious affairs or ideological work.

The only difference is the reduction in the number of personnel in the inner palace, so this fleet places greater emphasis on combat effectiveness.

"Report, everyone is in position."

Lu Wen took a deep breath and ordered, "Let's go."

He went up to the deck and into the command room to look out at the azure sea. Meanwhile, countless people on the shore watched as the steel giants slowly left the port, their eyes filled with hope.

Ordinary people don't care much about things thousands of miles away; they just think the fleet is cool and powerful, and feel a sense of pride.

Another expedition.

Before long they will return in triumph, which will mean the opening of a new world.

The fleet's departure immediately became front-page news.

Now, the Great Qian's print media circulates throughout the continental and maritime world, and news is quickly made public, including the High Priest's decision, the departure of the ocean fleet, and so on...

The New World will be unveiled.

The powerful and wealthy flocked to invest, joining the New Continent Company in droves. Although it was an official monopoly, it was given considerable autonomy; the actual framework was still comprised of representatives from various chambers of commerce who shared the risks.