His Majesty the Emperor arrived in Central Plains Province (formerly Nicaragua) by royal train, stopping and inspecting all the way, and it took more than two months to arrive here.

The distance from Chang'an, the imperial capital on the west coast, to Lake Nicaragua in Central America is more than 5,000 kilometers in a straight line, and the railway mileage is as long as 6,763 kilometers. It was not until the first half of last year that the entire line was fully connected.

The railroad is called the Pacific Intercontinental Railway, which is the longest railway line in the world.

After passing through the Central Plains Province, the Pacific Intercontinental Railway continued south through Costa Rica to reach the terminal of Panama City, running through most of the territory of the Tang Empire from south to north along the Pacific provinces.

At the other end, from the imperial capital of Chang'an, all the way north through Portland to Seattle, the northernmost terminus is Vancouver, which is now a moderately prosperous city with a population of more than 300,000.

With a total length of 8,988 kilometers, the entire Pacific Intercontinental Railway is the longest railway line in human history, reflecting the glorious achievements of the Tang Empire's economic construction from one side.

During this trip, Emperor Richard inspected several provinces in the central and southern parts of the empire, and arrived at the construction site of the Nicaragua Canal in the Central Plains Province for more than two months.

What seems to be a routine inspection of the emperor actually contains deep meaning.

Lakebay City

Located on the shores of Lake Nicaragua, just 23.6 kilometres from the two-line three-tier locks, the city was originally a place of temples and monuments full of Asteric style, but with the construction of the canal, it has prospered and developed into a thriving new city.

Just a few kilometres from the canal, the city is located on the shores of Lake Nicaragua, with views of the lake's largest island, Ometpe.

Two tall volcanic cones stand majestically on the island, one reaching 1,610 meters high, like the mythical Optimus Pillars, and the scenery is breathtaking.

The royal palace is located on the gentle hills of more than 170 meters high on the shore of the lake, and is a newly built Aztec temple-style building, which is very ancient and vicissitudes of life, solemn and atmospheric.

Under the eaves of the tall temple porch

Emperor Richard, who had changed into a refreshing moon-white robe, walked over, and there were already two old men with white hair waiting here, and when they saw His Majesty coming, they immediately got up and saluted, and said respectfully; "The old minister greets Your Majesty, Your Majesty is safe."

"No excuses, sit down and talk."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

These two old men, one of whom was the 1st and 2nd Prime Minister of the Empire, the first-class Anguo Gong Gu Yan, the word "Qing'an", and the current Speaker of the House of Nobles.

Another old man is the 3rd and 4th prime ministers of the empire, Liu Xianjun, a first-class Pingguo Gong, the word "Daogong", the current vice president of the House of Nobles, the chairman of the Tang Empire Government Development Fund, and the head of the financial group of the House of Nobles, all of whom are elders in the imperial political arena.

According to the rules set by His Majesty the Emperor, the Prime Minister may be re-elected for two consecutive terms of five years each, for a total of 10 years.

It is also possible to run separately and serve as prime minister for two consecutive terms for a total of 10 years, and cannot be re-elected for a third term.

This rule is different from the United Kingdom, where there is no restriction on the number of sectors in which the prime minister can be elected, and the party leader who wins the election can serve three or four terms as prime minister of the government, but the short-lived prime minister will only be in office for a few dozen days or months.

It is similar to the United States of America, but the president of the United States of America has a four-year term, which is the biggest difference.

Today's Imperial House of Lords plays more of a role as a senate that participates in politics, and also plays a role in checking and balancing the power of the House of Commons, which is the cornerstone of balance in imperial politics.

After Emperor Richard sat down, Gu Yan and Liu Xianjun, the two elders, sat down across the round table. They all sit on the bench with half of their buttocks, their upper bodies are straight and respectful, and they don't dare to be sloppy in terms of etiquette.

After the palace attendants served refreshments, they quietly retreated.

Zheng Yuan, director of the Royal Secretariat, and Yao Guangyi, minister of the colonial department, stood on the side, and such a high-end forum did not have two positions for them, so they could only stand on the side and serve.

Emperor Richard took the jade cup and drank two sips of tea first, looked at the beautiful lakes and mountains in the distance, and then said leisurely; "Seeing that the canal project is going well today, my heart can be relieved. It is not easy to carry out this hugely expensive project of the century, which is almost the limit of the empire! ”

"Your Majesty, Qing An believed that this project would benefit for a hundred years, especially to connect the major cities and provinces of the western coast of the empire with great economic development and Europe through the canal. This is of great significance, and if this bet is right, it will greatly enhance the economic development of the empire. Gu Yan said first, he looked at Liu Xianjun, who was sitting beside him, and said excitedly;

"Daogong, the preliminary preparation and official start of this project are all things that are within your tenure, and if you want to know more than you know, you must not show your cowardice in front of Your Majesty?"

"Since the Duke of Qing'an has ordered me, the Duke of Dao has no shirk responsibility." Liu Xianjun smiled heartily and said;

"The current Cabinet has indeed repeatedly discussed the project of the century, especially the choice of two locations, Nicaragua and Panama, each with its own advantages and disadvantages, and Daogong is well aware of this.

The advantage of the Isthmus of Panama is that the amount of work is small, the narrowest place is only more than 60 kilometers, and the terrain is flat and easy to construct.

The disadvantage is that the runoff of the river to maintain the water level of the river is small, the channel is shallow and narrow, and almost all of it has to be excavated.

Moreover, the geology of setting up double-line three-level sluices is poor, and there is a greater engineering risk.

The advantage is that the investment is small and the results are fast.

In contrast, in the Nicaragua Canal scenario, the two-line three-stage locks can be built on a solid granite foundation, and although the amount of blasting work is a little larger, it can be guaranteed for hundreds of years.

Once completed, the project will have several times the capacity of the Panamanian plan, and it will be able to pass hundreds of thousands of tons of giant ships, and it will not lag behind for 100 years or more.

The Nicaragua Canal's proximity to the core of the empire proper, which greatly shortened the distance between the east and west coasts, was more advantageous in the long run.

When the canal is completed, it will shorten the distance of the east and west banks of the empire by at least one kilometer, and the distance from Asia to Europe by 7,800 kilometers.

This will play an irreplaceable important role in connecting the bulk logistics and transportation of the east and west coasts of the empire, opening up a smooth passage to Europe for the west coast cities, and prospering the empire's economy.

Of course, there are also disadvantages, that is, the investment is large, and the burden on the imperial treasury can be quite heavy!

Without the participation of the royal fund, it would be very difficult to promote the implementation of such a huge project. ”

Emperor Richard nodded approvingly and said;

"As long as it is a project that is conducive to the empire's century-old plan, it must be carried out through gritted teeth, and it cannot only focus on immediate interests.

With regard to this project of the century, it is necessary to continue to strengthen supervision, ensure the supply of funds and materials for the project, and strive to complete the project on schedule and with high quality, so as to lay a solid foundation for the empire's economic take-off and the military strategy of the two oceans.

This Nicaraguan lake, which could be built as the base camp of the Royal Navy, connects the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean, and connects the empire mainland to the north and south to the Andean Viceroyalty in South America.

Just like a person's navel eye, the location advantage is extremely superior.

In the same way, I have asked the Imperial Royal Army to move its strategic center of gravity southward, establishing large military bases with the Central Plains Province and Panama Province as the core, so as to prepare for the Imperial power to radiate southward.

As you can see this year, the economic situation is much worse than before.

European countries have erected high tariff barriers, and imperial exporters have suffered serious setbacks, dragging down the overall domestic economy, many factories have closed their doors, and workers have been drastically reduced.

Among them, there are factors that France bucked the trend, and there are also hidden dangers buried by the high economic growth in the past few years, all of which broke out all at once.

Looking forward to the second half of the second quarter, the situation is not optimistic! ”

His Majesty mentioned this rather heavy question, Gu Yan and Liu Xianjun looked at each other and were silent for a while.

Liu Xianjun hurriedly stood up first, hugged his fists and saluted; "Your Majesty is benevolent, and the ministers can only sincerely admire, thank the emperor for his grace, and care about the suffering of all the people.

Wechen stood

The moon is cloudy and sunny, the tide rises and falls, and the country's economic development is the same, which is the common thing in the world.

I pray that Your Majesty will not overwork and hinder the Holy Bow, then it will be difficult for us and other ministers to atone for their sins. ”

"The old minister seconded the proposal, please take care of the dragon body of Your Majesty." Gu Yan also got up and clenched his fists and said.

Richard smiled with relief and beckoned; "Don't stand up and salute at every turn, sit down and talk.

The so-called husband and wife are birds of the same forest, and they fly separately when the disaster comes.

What about state-to-state relations?

In the period of international economic recession, European countries that had originally had harmonious relations changed their faces one after another, scrambling to raise tariffs and erect high trade barriers.

This is the case

Even if my Tang Empire has three heads and six arms, it can only be in vain?

Now it seems that it is better to rely on others than on yourself.

The empire's foothold in the Americas, and the management of the Americas as an impermeable backyard, will be the main policy goal in the next decade or two.

Only in this way can we create a stable Tang and Yuan trade circle.

Coupled with the empire's sphere of influence in East Asia and the west coast of the Pacific Ocean, it will have a strong ability to resist risks.

With a large market of 50 million people in South America, the empire is bound to win, and no South American country will be allowed to wander outside the Andean Customs Union. ”

In the end, the words were already sonorous and powerful, and the heavy killing intent was revealed spontaneously, and the cold light in the emperor's eyes flickered, which made the two old ministers in front of him immediately understand something.

Your Majesty is going to do something to the countries of South America?

But...... Which one is the unlucky one?

Hesitated

Gu Yan still asked stubbornly, and said;

"Your Majesty;

Please forgive the old minister for being incompetent and unable to appreciate the holy will, and please forgive your majesty.

Shengshang has always advocated the development of the domestic economy, the enhancement of the imperial heritage, the exchange of time for space, the digestion of the fruits of early colonization, and the transformation into a tangible imperial power.

The War Department has sent several submissions back, the most recent of which was in September last year, just over half a year ago.

Don't......

Your Majesty is not referring to Cuba, but to another country?

The old minister is stupid, please ask Your Majesty to make it clear! ”

Liu Xianjun, who was standing next to him, was also a little confused, and he didn't reveal any words in advance, could it be a temporary idea of the saint?