Chapter 50: Preparations for Covert War Overseas Targets

In fact, Lu Chengxiang and Li Zhi both know the role of controlling public opinion, but they were still a little shocked when they heard Zhang Zhimu nakedly say that he wanted to use this as a means to control the enemy country.

Looking at their expressions, Zhang Zhimu smiled, "You don't have to be surprised! I predict that one day in the future we will probably have a big battle with the whole of the West. However, no matter how big the battle is, there will be a time when it will end, but the dark war will go on forever. This cultural war, public opinion war, and ideological war will go on forever. In fact, you may not have noticed that the Westerners' culture war against us has begun. Aren't they already carrying out religious infiltration in Beijing and the coastal areas? Although their infiltration is not as utilitarian as that of the Western Regions, the momentum cannot be underestimated. ”

"The *** over there in the Western Regions is engaged in the integration of politics and religion, as long as their religion infiltrates the place, they can control it! The laws we have promulgated on the administration of religion prohibit foreign religious forces from controlling believers within our borders to enforce them. They are very secretive, and it is difficult for our people to know the specifics. Li Zhi said.

"We have to think about this kind of thing in the long run, and we can send people to pretend to be believers, pretend to be more radical than anyone else, and slowly approach them. Don't be in a hurry about this, we will start together after we find out the situation at home and abroad, and we will completely eradicate them! Zhang Zhimu said.

Lu Chengxiang sighed and said, "Alas! These religions are really troublesome, and if this person believes in them, he will be enchanted! ”

"We can also use the fact that most religions exhort people to do good deeds to educate people to obey the law." Zhang Zhimu said, "We can spend some money in the Western Regions to restore those temples that have been dilapidated, so that various religions can develop at the same time." We do not interfere in religious matters, but we must not allow any single religion to dominate! ”

Li Zhi said: "When I went back, I set up a department to study religious matters. See how you can use them and control them. Wouldn't it be better if our people were their religious leaders? ”

"Religion is not as simple as you think, and not everyone can be in the position of religious leader. There's a lot more we don't understand. It is no accident that they have existed for thousands of years! Zhang Zhimu said, "Let's control things within the scope of not too much harm!" We also support those who really persuade people to do good! ”

Lu Chengxiang and Li Zhi are both people who hold the core secrets of Yaogang, and they are together, and they are studying major events related to the future. When it comes to talking, there's nothing to hide. Even Li Zhi, who has always been cautious, doesn't have too many concerns. Therefore, the three people who rarely get together are endless!

Talking about Zhenghuan, the box rang.

There were guards outside the door, and Zhang Zhimu knew that someone must be coming, so he shouted: "Come in!" ”

As soon as the box door opened, the prince Quack Quack smiled and stretched his head in, "Quack Quack!" Hey, what are you guys doing here? Wasn't it time for me to come? ”

"Come on! Don't pretend! Come on in! "Zhang Zhimu and Wang Gonggong are not polite.

Li Zhi asked the prince who had just entered the door coldly: "Prince, there is a holy decree, right?" ”

"Hey! Look at it, Director Li is still shrewd! The prince said, "It's all lively in the dining car!" The emperor said that Zhang Dong's family would not be lively in the past, so let me come over and have a look! After saying that, he sighed and said, "Alas! The emperor is now inseparable from Zhang Dongjia! ”

"Huh!" Zhang Zhimu laughed and said, "We just said something, and now it's over." Princess, are we going to have some tea here or go over and drink together? ”

"Oops! The emperor is waiting in the dining car, how dare I drink tea here? Let's go over and talk about it! ”

Zhang Zhimu said to Lu Chengxiang and Li Zhi: "It's nothing, let's go over and be lively together!" ”

Lu Chengxiang said: "Let's go!" ”

Li Zhi said: "Mr. Zhang, go over!" I'll go and have a little more to do! ”

Zhang Zhimu knew that Li Zhi was reluctant to participate in such a lively activity, "That's good! Princess, let's go! ”

When he came to the dining car, the emperor was gesturing and talking about something, and when he saw Zhang Zhimu coming in, he immediately stopped and said, "Hey! It's just right that Zhang Dongjia is here, or please ask Zhang Dongjia to tell me, I just happened to tell you about our navy, do you see if I am right, or are they right? ”

"Huh!" Zhang Zhimu smiled and said, "Who is so bold that they dare to disagree with the emperor's opinion?" ”

"Hey! No, no, I am also talking about democracy now, who is right! Emperor Chongzhen watched Zhang Zhimu and Lu Chengxiang sit down, and continued, "I just said, we will build a few more ships for the navy's big warships in the future, so that we can drive the warships to the doorsteps of those Xiyi people!" Emperor Chongzhen pointed to Chen Yufeng and Ouyang He and said, "But they said that you can't build too many ships like this." It is said that it is too much money. ”

Zhang Zhimu understood what they were talking about, "Your Majesty, you haven't seen this 25,000-ton warship yet!" It's a mountain-like ship, welded with the finest steel plates, and the cables inside are all pulled by trains. It uses more electricity than the average small city we do. The ship itself is like a city. More than a thousand sailors were needed above. Building such a big ship would also be a very heavy burden for us. In order to build this ship, we made a lot of determination. It is not an exaggeration to say that it was heaped with silver. Not only does it cost a lot of silver to build such a boat, but in the future, we will spend the same amount of money as we will build such a boat. The ship had to be equipped with a special dock on the shore, and a group of people needed to ensure the supply of supplies on board. ”

"However, as long as we fight out, we can trade with all countries in the world, and we can earn back the silver?" Emperor Chongzhen insisted on his own point of view.

"The emperor is right!" Zhang Zhimu said, "After the emperor sees this ship, your thoughts may be different!" Our plan is that in the future, we will have one such ship in the Black Sea, one in the Western Ocean (Indian Ocean), one in the South Sea, and one such ship on our Quanzhou side. With such a warship, one can completely bless a piece of sea and territory! ”

Fan Jingwen, a university scholar, said: "If this is the case, this ship will be the Dinghai God Needle!" ”

"Yes, what Master Fan said is right, such a ship is the Dinghai God Needle!" Zhang Zhimu said, "In fact, our 5,000-ton warship is already invincible in the world. The reason why we want to build such a big ship is to show the countries of the world that they will not be able to catch up with us for decades. Suppress our opponents from the momentum. But we have to get the boat out as soon as possible, and we can't always hang around in front of our house. This year, our goal is to completely solve the problem of Nanyang, and next year we will be able to develop outward. Besides, our new big ship has already been welded. Strive to send out an invincible fleet when we go out! ”

"Hmmm! Hearing Zhang Dongjia say this, I feel uplifted! Emperor Chongzhen said, "At the beginning, our Zheng He's fleet to the West was invincible in the world, but they didn't have a kiln gang to do business, and the treasury was exhausted. This is a lesson we need to learn! When our fleet went out, we also took a large number of merchant ships with us. ”

Liu Jiantai, a scholar, said: "Your Majesty, you don't know that now Fujian, Guangdong, and Zhejiang coasts are all crazy about shipbuilding. I don't know how many ships I have to build every year, and if I build a boat, I don't have an accident, and I make a lot of money one by one! This is still the kind of wooden sailing ship, and if it is a steamship of the kiln people, it will be even more terrible! ”

Zhang Zhimu said: "It's a pity that our steamships are too heavy, and there are too few opportunities for trade. After the affairs of Nanyang are settled, we will let go and trade with the whole world. Strive to achieve that as long as there are people, there are our goods. ”

"Good! Good! ”

"Yes, yes!"

“”

Zhang Zhimu's statement, wait until everyone agrees.

Liu Jiantai, a scholar, couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty! I haven't seen you so happy in years since I followed you! ”

"yes!" Emperor Chongzhen said, "It's not just me! For a long time, haven't you adults also followed me with a sad face? ”

Zhang Zhimu saw that after the emperor and these ministers got used to having no rights, they were very happy. Now the ministers who follow Emperor Chongzhen don't do anything, they don't worry about doing anything wrong, and they don't worry about their political enemies finding faults, so they accompany the emperor everywhere, go everywhere to have fun, and they really make it glorious one by one.

It was late in the dining car, and everyone had some supper together before the emperor went back to rest. Everyone went back one by one.

On the clattering train, people have an inexplicable sense of security, and they all seem very relaxed.

Zhang Zhimu saw that Chen Yufeng and Ouyang He didn't mean to move, and knew that they might have something.

Sure enough, everyone was almost gone, and Ouyang He said, "Mr. Zhang, when you were talking to Mr. Lu and Director Li, we received a telegram from Li Jing. Our two new 5,000-ton wooden boats, and five 1,500-ton wooden boats, have reached the mouth of the Ganges. Li Jing prepared and led the First Army of the Mountain and Jungle Army to Manchuka (Malacca) by boat in two parts. Fan Chengkun and Fan Song also set off on a warship over there. According to the plan, they were to seize the old port on the island of Sumatra first, and after occupying it, they could block the Strait of Manchurka (Malacca) in cooperation with Manchurka (Malacca). ”

"Hmmm! The Hongmaofan (Dutch) had garrisons in Sumatra and Java, and we occupied the old port first, and the Dutch were unstable in Java Badawi (Jakarta). Looking back, you can completely clean up the affairs of the South Sea Islands. Zhang Zhimu said, "It's a pity that our ships are still not enough." If it weren't for Mr. Lin Zongwei and their newly built ships, the matter of Nanyang would have been delayed. On Wu Sangui's side, the army was too slow to move from land. The boat over there really won't be drawn back right away. ”

"In any case, Wu Sangui and their army will have to be transported through North America before the freeze this year. They don't have a house for the winter on our side of the land, so it will be very difficult for so many troops to survive the winter! Ouyang He said, "I have already sent a telegram to Wu Sangui, asking them to prepare for the winter near their landing place this year, and organize the sappers to build wooden houses as soon as possible, the kind of wooden houses that can protect against the severe cold." It can reach minus thirty or forty degrees in winter there, so don't lose your staff because of frostbite. ”

"Huh! We thought that when they passed, they would go straight south, and that would be easier for the winter. It seems that we are too optimistic! Chen Yufeng said.

"Fortunately, our heavy equipment has come ashore, and I don't think anything can stop us except for the harsh natural conditions." Zhang Zhimu said, "I have confidence in Wu Sangui and them. However, they had to build roads south and then advance inland to the Great Lakes region. Because of the arid climate in western North America, large-scale agricultural development is difficult. Only the Great Lakes region has the best land. ”

"And yes! Mr. Zhang, our shipbuilding capacity still needs to be improved! Ouyang He said, "In the past, Zheng Zhilong and they could build five big ships every year, should we also work harder!" ”

"Alas! The Lin family father and son have done their best! Zhang Zhimu said, "Mr. Lin told me that now we can build wooden boats several times faster than before. We use all power tools, whether it is planing, sawing, drilling, etc., we can use machines, and I don't know how much higher the efficiency is. But what we need now is not the wooden sailing ship that Zheng Zhilong and theirs used to have, but a steam-powered ship. Now the time spent building a ship is on the installation of power systems such as boilers and electrical systems. These are all bottlenecks that restrict our shipbuilding capabilities. Our students from Lingshui Technical School, as well as students from Zhenjiang Technical School, were booked without anyone else! ”

"I think it all depends on the boiler factory and steam turbine factory in our kiln, and it can't meet the needs! Our power plants around the country need their boiler steam turbines, and they also use them on ships. It is better to build a factory in Hankou to support the ships like this. Once their steel mill is operational, they can use steel nearby. And Hankou is also building a shipyard, can it be alleviated? Ouyang He suggested.

"I have studied this matter with Mr. Lu Bingyi and Li Mao, and we all mean the same thing." Zhang Zhimu said, "The difficulty lies in the fact that these boiler factories and steam turbine factories need a lot of technicians and skilled workers, but we in these factories are not willing to leave the kiln, which is very difficult to do!" We can't force them to go to Hankow, right? ”

"Hey! I have an idea for this," Ouyang He said, "and we can mobilize technicians and skilled workers to support the new factory, for three years, and then rotate it." Those who go have a higher salary. The living conditions in Hankow must be very good. At the same time, those who are willing to stay in Hankou should be allocated good housing, and those who go there slowly get used to the life there and are willing to stay. If you really don't want to stay, then continue to rotate support. ”

"This is a good way, and many of our industries will face such problems in the future, and people are reluctant to leave the kiln." Zhang Zhimu said, "In the future, our factory will be arranged outside the kiln as much as possible. It will build Yaogang into a cultural, educational, scientific research and financial center. ”

Chen Yufeng said: "This year, things in the west will not change much. The affairs of the Mughal Empire also had to be slowly divided by themselves. There is only the matter of Nanyang that needs our attention. ”

"I think we'll have a lot going on next year." Ouyang He said, "I think the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire will definitely meet next year." And we're going to go to Australia. Wu Sangui: Their North American affairs will also make the movement bigger. Our sailors are also going on their first voyage! ”

"I'm not worried about anything else, it's just that our big ship burns heavy oil, and there is nowhere to refuel when it goes out, and the oil used must be brought by ourselves." Chen Yufeng said.

"That's right, the oil we carry on this ship is enough for him for a long time, and the calorific value of heavy oil is much higher than that of coal in the same space. We can also send a cargo ship to pull oil specifically for him. "Also, if we want to keep this ship in the Black Sea, we can send some heavy oil to the Caspian Sea this year." ”

"The canal has not been opened, and the cost of transporting heavy oil by car is not low, right?" Ouyang He said.

"Huh! It depends on how we settle the account. Zhang Zhimu said, "If this ship is parked in the Black Sea, it will play a great role in the defense of our entire western side." Those countries bordering the Black Sea are under the threat of our naval artillery, and his benefits are incomparable to 100,000 troops! ”

When Zhang Zhimu, Chen Yufeng, and Ouyang He studied problems, they rarely sat down and discussed them seriously. No matter how big it is, it's almost always discussed in this kind of seemingly small talk. Of course, no one, including Zhang Zhimu, will take what others say as a deaf ear.

In a sense, sometimes, the issues they talk about will have a great impact on the future of the whole world. Today's conversation is almost doomed to the Black Sea littoral countries to live under the threat of the Yaogang cannon for many years.

When the train arrived in Kaifeng, there was already a passenger ship parked at the pier waiting for them. Emperor Chongzhen and everyone declined King Zhou's invitation to go into the city to rest for a while, and boarded the passenger ship directly, and the passenger boat left the dock and entered the canal from the Yellow River.

The passenger boat entered the canal more smoothly, and everyone looked at the scenery along the coast, and the mood was very good. The children held their cameras and kept taking pictures.

Zhang Zhimu couldn't help but ask Xiaoqing: "Hey! I said, you don't use film for your photos, do you? ”

"Oops! Xiaohu and I took out all the change we had saved! There are also Gao Jinfeng and Gao Guixiang, who also bought a few films. Princess Zhaoyang has more film in her hand! Xiaoqing said.

"Huh! It's as if it's just enough to go back! Zhang Zhimu said with a smile.

"Oops! We finally had such an opportunity to come out and have a look, and we will show it to our classmates when we go back! Xiaoqing said, "Uncle, don't worry, we have all planned, where to use a few films!" ”

Seeing Xiaoqing and Xiaohu having so much fun, Zhang Zhimu's heart was also warm. The two children did not leave a shadow in their hearts because of the sudden changes in their families since they were young and suffered a lot, which is the most gratifying thing for Zhang Zhimu. Zhang Zhimu believes that this is a big reason why the two children have always regarded themselves as their most reliable supporters. Zhang Zhimu also often asks himself if he is too doting on his two children?