I, Altria, only want to rule China.

According to the productivity of that era, the difficulties in these places could not be solved at all. It was not that Zhuge Liang did not want to take these territories, but that taking them would only be a waste of money and manpower.

Of course, the population here is similar to that of Qinghai. According to the thinking of the ancient rulers, it would be better not to take these places.

Not only do you have to teach them, but you also have to keep spending money and effort, and in the end you may end up getting no thanks for your efforts and gaining nothing, so it's better not to do it.

However, Leah comes from the modern era and is different from people of this era.

You have to know that Nepal and India are located below Tibet. These places have large populations. After taking Tibet, Leah can continue to conquer Nepal, and then snatch some people from India to supplement the population in Tibet and Qinghai.

India is a country with a large population. It would be a good idea to let them go to Tibet and Qinghai to mine and develop the resources after they have been robbed.

India is a particularly strange place. Their racial system directly divides people in the country into four levels.

The highest level was the monks, followed by the emperor and ministers, then the ordinary people, and finally the slaves. These racial systems would not change throughout a person's life after he was born.

Because of this system, the soldiers and civilians of this country are as docile as cattle and sheep, and have been bullied countless times.

Once they encounter an attacker and suffer a slight setback, they will surrender and eventually become slaves.

These are all secondary. The most important thing is that no matter how bullied the people at the bottom are, they will not think of resisting or rebelling.

Because of the influence of the racial system, according to that system, you are the lowest class of people because you did too many bad things in your previous life, while those higher class people did more good things in their previous lives.

Therefore, once the idea exists that as long as you serve the superior people well and endure all the hardships, you will be a superior person in the next life, those people of lower races will work hard without complaint.

This situation continues to this day

In addition to this, due to its geographical environment, India can even grow rice three times a year.

If we can conquer this place and use it as China's future granary, then the food problem will be completely solved.

The last one is Xinjiang, which is also one of the countries in the Western Regions. The population here is quite large. The population of a small country in the Western Regions is between 1 and 2.

There are a total of 50 countries in the Western Regions, some of which have large populations, with a population of more than 60. According to Liya's speculation, if all of the Western Regions were conquered, there would probably be a population of to !

As long as she can conquer these places, the population under her rule will reach one million.

In Liya's opinion, since Tubo in ancient times was able to make the combined population of Qinghai, Tibet, and Xinjiang reach 1000 million, and finally defeated the Tang Dynasty, it shows that these places can still be used.

In short, let's take it down first. According to the existing knowledge she has, as long as she is given a few decades, there will be absolutely no problem in allowing China to enter the period before the national reform and opening up.

Of course, she has no way to deal with firearms, but her quality of life is definitely okay.

The reason why population growth is restricted is still the problem of land distribution, which prevents land from reaching those who really need it.

Once the people can solve the problem of food and clothing, they will think about having children. With children, they will reclaim more land. If this is repeated, within decades, Leah will be able to develop a population of tens of millions just relying on these few areas.

Of course, it is impossible for Liya to develop in this area for decades. Once the technology reaches the standard, it will be time for her to counterattack the land of China!

Seeing that everyone did not understand the importance of these places, Leah could only give them some relevant information about the area and why she had to take over these places.

After hearing what Liya said, everyone was stunned. They didn't expect there were so many twists and turns here. Since the lord said so, these places must be taken!

"But my lord, according to what you said, these places are vast and sparsely populated. It will be difficult for us to find those people if we go in, right?" Hua Mulan thought for a while and asked

"Well, going deep into an unknown area and facing all kinds of miasma, insects, ants and beasts in the deep mountains and old forests is indeed dangerous for the soldiers. But I have a good idea to ensure that the soldiers will not get lost even if they enter those forests."

Leah raised the corners of her mouth slightly.

Hearing Leah's confident words, everyone looked at her curiously, wanting to know what made her so confident.

Chapter 49 Telescope

"Let me show you something." Leah clapped her hands lightly.

After Leah clapped her hands, a servant came up with a box. At Leah's signal, the servant placed the box on the table, then bent over and stepped aside.

Liya opened the box and took out a long stick made of bamboo.

Everyone was greatly disappointed when they saw this, as they had thought it would be some rare treasure.

However, Hua Mulan has an inexplicable confidence in Leah. Her lord's actions during this period have completely convinced her.

Looking at the expressions of the crowd, Liya could only sigh secretly, these country bumpkins who have never seen the world, the thing in her hand is a famous telescope in modern times!

"Do you know what this thing is?" Leah took the telescope in her hand, then put it on one eye and looked outside the door.

"My lord, what is this?" Mulan looked at Liya who was looking into the distance through the telescope. She thought Liya was cute and had the urge to hug her, but she only dared to think about it.

"This thing is called a telescope. It can see very far away. You will know when you take a look." Liya handed the telescope to Mulan and asked her to try it herself.

Only after you have tried it, you will know how amazing this thing is. Of course, Leah really wanted to name it after herself, but after thinking about it, she decided not to. The name "telescope" is quite suitable, and there is no need to put her own name on it.

The mirror of this telescope was naturally made of glass after Leah returned from Dunhuang. This telescope was one of the results of Leah asking workers to polish the glass.

Of course, the magnification is not very high now, only 50 times, but as the glass manufacturing process gets better and better, the function of the telescope will be infinitely magnified!

Hua Mulan curiously took the telescope and looked out the door like Liya. In just a short time, she was surprised and said "Wow". Obviously, the telescope gave her a great shock!

"It's amazing! This thing called a telescope can actually see so far. Things thousands of meters away seem to be right in front of you. It's really amazing! This must be a magical artifact from the immortals!" Mulan couldn't help but say after putting down the telescope.

"General Hua, is this really that magical?" After hearing Hua Mulan's words, the others also became anxious. Is this thing really that powerful?

"General Li, you'll know when you come and take a look!" Hua Mulan glanced at Li Lin, who was also eager to know the answer, and put the telescope in his hand.

Li Lin imitated Hua Mulan, put the telescope in his right eye, looked into the distance, and soon put it down, muttering: "This is a military artifact."

The others also looked at it one by one and were so shocked that they were speechless.

You are already shocked by such a small thing. If I say I can use this thing with a hot air balloon, won't you be scared to death?

Leah's idea is not impossible. With current technology, it is entirely possible to make a hot air balloon.

However, a safe test flight would take a lot of time.

After everyone was shocked, Liya asked everyone to return to their seats and sit down, then she said, "My dear ministers, you should all know about Kongming lanterns, right?"

"I have met you." Although no one knew what Leah meant by this, everyone nodded.

"Have you ever wondered why Kongming lanterns can fly into the sky?" Leah continued to ask.

"It is said that the heat generated by the burning candles is all gathered on the lampshades. Because the lampshades are very light, the heat from the burning candles carries the Kongming lanterns into the air." A clerk spoke up at this time.

Liya glanced at him. This civil official was a former aide to King Leping, named He Qinggao. Liya saw that he had some knowledge and learning, so she asked him to work for her.

"What Mr. He said is correct, but have you ever thought about this question? Since Kongming lanterns can carry candles to the sky, does that mean they can also carry other things to the sky? For example, chickens, ducks, sheep, etc.?" Liya said

Many people would fly Kongming lanterns during festivals, so everyone present was very familiar with it. But when they heard what Leah said, they were all stunned.

What was the mind of my master? How could he think of using Kongming lanterns to carry people to the sky? Candles can fly only because they are light. How can people, who are so heavy, be carried to the sky?

"My lord, the Kongming lantern is so small and people are so big, this should be impossible." He Qinggao thought for a while and replied.

"So at this time, you have to open your mind. Do you think Kongming lanterns can't carry people because they are too small?" Liya asked

"Yes, my lord, that's what you mean!" He Qinggao was stunned at first, but he reacted quickly.

"That's right. Since a Kongming lantern that is too small can't do this, then how about using a Kongming lantern that is taller than a person? Make the Kongming lantern so big that it can take a person to the sky, and use a telescope to observe the ground. Don't you think that at this time, nothing can escape detection?!" Leah said slowly.

When everyone heard about the combination of Kongming lantern and telescope, their jaws almost dropped to the ground. They never thought they could play like this!

But if you think about it carefully, it's not just that. If you can really make the Kongming lantern fly up to the sky, it can also fly over other people's cities and drop bombs without any problem???

As Leah spoke, everyone's minds seemed to be opened up, and they kept talking about using Kongming lanterns to formulate various battle plans.

Listening to everyone's words, Leah suddenly laughed. That's it. Her subordinates should not let their thoughts be bound by this world. They should open up their horizons.

"My lord. Even so, the Kongming lantern you mentioned must really be realized, otherwise these plans will be out of the question." Li Lin was still calm and realized that all these required that what Liya said about the Kongming lantern must be the same as what she said.

"Gongsun Qing, what do you think?" Liya looked at Gongsun Zhi on the side.

"My Lord, I think we can give it a try. But I still have a question. Even if the Kongming lantern can carry people flying, the Kongming lantern relies on heat to burn. So what if there is nothing to burn? The Kongming lantern will fall down, right? Wouldn't the person on the Kongming lantern fall to his death?"

Gongsun Zhi expressed his concerns.

Chapter 50 We are at the forefront of the times!

"This is easy. You just need to make something similar to a valve to control the heat of the Kongming lantern, so that it can fly when you want and fall when you want. Then the paper of the Kongming lantern should also be replaced with a fabric with better sealing properties, so that it can be safe."

Leah explained the modern method of controlling a hot air balloon.

People in this era have their limitations. They dare not explore the unknown future too much. They know that Kongming lanterns can carry candles to the sky, but they have never thought of learning from it.

They invented gunpowder, but didn't know how to improve it. I can only say that Confucianism is harmful to people!

"I will test it carefully." Gongsun Zhi nodded, feeling a little excited. He couldn't wait to try it.

First make a person-sized Kongming lantern, then a house-sized Kongming lantern, and then increase the size in sequence. In the end, you will definitely be able to make a Kongming lantern that can carry a person to fly!

Seeing the excited look of the group of people, Liya also smiled slightly. She didn't know what these people would think when she took out the glass cups, cement soap and other things later.

Next, Leah did not talk about these things anymore, but talked about the next battle plan with the generals and civil officials. After the plan was fully formulated, Leah announced the end of this battle plan.

"My dear ministers, what do you think of these chairs? Are they comfortable to sit on?" Just as Leah announced the end and everyone stood up to leave, Leah suddenly said.

"My lord, these chairs are very well made. I no longer feel numbness in my legs." A general said with a smile.

"Indeed."

“It’s much better than a cool mat.

"It's just that my butt is a little sore from sitting for so long, but the sea is still much more comfortable than a mat."

The others nodded, acknowledging the functionality of the chairs.

"That's good. I have already given the production method of these chairs to the Li family in Liangzhou. If you need them, you can ask the Li family to make them custom-made. By the way, you can also recommend them to your relatives and friends. That's it. May my dear ministers have a safe journey." Leah nodded with satisfaction.

This chair was the compensation that Liya received from those more sensible families for making friends with her. She directly gave the production method of the chair to the Li family. Of course, after deducting the production cost of the chair and the cost of publicity, the money she earned was divided equally between the Li family.

In order to ensure the financial security of the Li family, she would also give the other party a certificate similar to the official one in later generations to guarantee the brand of the Li family's chairs.

As for other families who wanted to make chairs, they would need to report to the government and pay money, and they could not use the same brand as the official ones.

If ordinary people just use it, Leah won't say anything. Even if they sell small commodities, there is no problem. Of course, they cannot be labeled with official labels.

However, this is under Leah's rule, and she cannot control other places for the time being. If she could control them, this would naturally be necessary.

It can be said that Leah plans to do this for everything in the future.

The chairs are just the beginning. Once the glass can be completely made into finished products, Liya will definitely clean up Wei and Song!

First, they pretended to be rare glass beads and treasures to defraud money.

Finally, they have almost cheated all the rich people, and then promoted glass to the whole people. When the wealthy families find out that the so-called rare treasures are everywhere on the streets, they will be so angry that they will vomit blood!

When she thought of this, Leah couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. At this moment, the army from Wei State had arrived at the border of Xiliang and would reach Tianshui in less than half a day.

Liya was not unfamiliar with Tianshui. After all, a famous person, Jiang Wei, was born here.

Leah led the army to station in Tianshui County, waiting for the arrival of the other side.

On the city wall of Tianshui County, a large flag with a red dragon character on a white background fluttered in the wind. Thousands of soldiers in green uniforms were walking back and forth in Tianshui City with swords in hand. Now was a time of war, and perhaps some noble families would be dissatisfied with Leah's rule and want to cause trouble.

Liya sat on a chair in the county government office with her eyes closed, while Hua Mulan stood beside Liya as her personal guard. Li Lin and other generals stood on both sides of the lobby.

Seeing that the sun had once again set in the west, and there was still no sign of the Northern Wei soldiers, Liya opened her eyes and sighed helplessly: "These Wei soldiers are too slow, just like turtles walking."

Leah had arrived in Tianshui County a few days ago. If nothing unexpected happened, according to the marching distance of Wei State, she should have arrived in Tianshui County by now. However, she has not arrived yet, so much so that Leah is tired of waiting.

Li Lin thought for a moment and said, "Although it is an army of 50,000, they should have carried a lot of food and fodder, which affected their marching speed. Or maybe they were delayed by something on the way."

"Report! My lord, our army has discovered the enemy's marching troops five miles outside the city, estimated to be 10,000 people!" At this moment, a messenger came running here with military intelligence.

"Oh, they're finally here. I've been waiting for so long." Upon hearing this, Leah's face no longer showed any worry about the approaching army. Instead, she looked very happy, as if she was not the one being attacked.

"Ten thousand? My lord, this unit must be the vanguard of the enemy army." Li Lin thought for a while and said to Liya.

Liya hummed, but turned her gaze to Hua Mulan and asked, "Mulan, have you brought people to bury the explosives?"

Hua Mulan nodded and said, "Don't worry, my lord. I have already checked it again and again. I guarantee that it is buried properly and will not be noticed by the Wei soldiers at all."

Of course, even if they noticed it, the Wei soldiers might not know what these things called explosives were.

Liya nodded and said, "That's good."

In order to welcome the arrival of the 50,000 elite soldiers of the Wei Kingdom, Liya not only brought the grenades she had made during this period, but also specially asked Hua Mulan to bury explosives on the ground. As long as the fight breaks out, the enemy will definitely be in trouble!

It can be said that Leah attached great importance to this battle. Only if she scared the Wei State in the first place, would she have time to develop. Otherwise, the other side would bring a large army to attack her every time, and she would be dragged to death by the other side sooner or later.

Xiliang is such a large province, but it has a population of only over 50. It is very unwise to want to fight a war of attrition with the Northern Wei Dynasty, which has a population of over 1000 million.

Even though she has firearms now, before the appearance of cannons and muskets, she still mainly relies on cold weapons.