Chapter 278 "Tiangong" Project
Chapter 278 "Tiangong" Project (Part 1)
In the winter of the Dayu Dynasty, the wind was cold and the vast Central Plains was covered with a layer of silver frost and snow. However, the distant Old Port was still as warm as spring, and the sun sprinkled softly on this land, bringing a bit of laziness and comfort.
Princess Dongming, with her big belly, personally made a cup of ginseng tea for Xu Qing.
In her past years, others had always revolved around her. Now that she could take the initiative to do these menial tasks, she had really put in a lot of effort.
Because of this child, she had hope in her heart. Even though she was not completely devoted to the child's biological father, Xu Qing, out of maternal instinct, she would make careful plans for the little life in her belly.
What's more, in her opinion, there is no other man in the world who is more suitable for her than Xu Qing.
Xu Qing was good in every way, the only regret was that he couldn't marry her as his principal wife.
But for Princess Dongming, this is not the most important thing.
Even though Xu Qing had forced her to swear that she would never set foot in Middle-earth and would not covet Xu's property, she had her own plans in mind.
People change, and who can be sure what will happen in the future?
Moreover, after conquering Nanyang, Xu Qing would certainly make use of the Dongming Gang. After all, she was pregnant with Xu Qing's child, which was her unique and indelible advantage.
Recalling the last poetry contest with her "eldest sister" Feng Wu, Princess Dongming knew very well that she was not her match yet and could not compete with her for the time being.
On the other hand, in Fusang, the legendary stories of the heroes of the Three Kingdoms are enduring.
Therefore, Princess Dongming was influenced by her surroundings and became familiar with the Three Kingdoms stories in China since she was a child. She could be said to be an expert on China. Although she had no famous teacher to guide her, she was able to learn many ways of struggle and intrigue.
She knew very well that she had to avoid the sharp edge when it was time to do so, and that forbearance was what she had to do at the moment.
In her heart, the real "great hero" is King Sima Xuan, who can endure humiliation that ordinary people cannot endure, and can act decisively at the most critical moment.
As for the Luoshui Oath, in her opinion, it was nothing more than ordinary people's groundless criticism of the strong.
There is no doubt that King Sima Xuan was the most successful figure among the Three Kingdoms. This is an ironclad fact.
She thought to herself, "A real man is one who can bend and stretch."
Now, as Princess Dongming, she was serving her elder sister Feng Wu as a slave, which really meant nothing.
While she was carefully serving Xu Qing, she caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye that Xu Qing was concentrating on hand-drawing an exquisite mechanical blueprint. The structure on the blueprint was complex and wonderful, something she had never seen before.
She couldn't help but feel curious, and asked softly, "Xu Lang, is this the latest mechanical blueprint that Master Gu has been researching?"
There was shock in his words.
Although she knew that Master Gu had received a lot of resources in the Dayu Dynasty and had created amazing things like the steam engine, the ingenious mechanism before her was still far beyond her imagination.
The invention of the steam engine opened up a completely new path, while this mechanism has raised an insurmountable peak on the old path of mechanisms. The difficulty demonstrated by the two and the profound understanding of the mechanisms are completely incomparable.
Xu Qing did not hide anything and said frankly: "This is something that Master Tianling and I worked on together."
When Princess Dongming heard this, her eyes widened in shock and she almost thought she had heard it wrong.
There were many incredible things about Xu Qing, but this incident still had a great impact on her. It was even more unimaginable than a man raping his enemy's daughter and making the other party fall in love with him.
She couldn't help but wonder secretly, does Xu Lang have the ability to control people's minds?
Thinking of this, she felt her scalp tingling.
There are some things that you can't help but think about. The more you think about them, the more terrifying they seem.
Xu Qing looked at her expression and understood what was going on, but he was too lazy to explain.
The human heart is too dark, complex and fickle to be understood. Therefore, it is better to judge by deeds rather than by heart.
Even the Black Mountain Old Demon, who is the creator and the best master in the world, cannot control what ordinary people in the Dayu Dynasty think of him.
In Xu Qing's mind, he would sometimes imagine pressing the old demon to the ground and rubbing it a hundred times! Could it be that in a dream, he could still be bullied by the old demon?
Afterwards, Xu Qing went on to explain the purpose of this mechanism in detail.
Princess Dongming was a little confused after hearing this, and said in confusion: "With the force controlled by your husband, you can just flatten the Western pirates and those rebellious natives. Why go to such great lengths to compete with them in machinery and firearms?"
"We have an old saying in China, 'Born in hardship, die in comfort.' If we have no enemies in Southeast Asia, then we will have many enemies within. Moreover, this is a contest between Eastern mechanical arts and Western firearms magic, a collision of Eastern and Western wisdom. This kind of exchange can bring more progress." Xu Qing explained patiently.
He knew very well that war was the most powerful driving force for technological development.
Many of the world-shaking technologies in the past were closely related to war. With the Nanyang test field, Xu Qing believed that the technology of the Dayu Dynasty would develop faster.
There was an important plan in his mind that was gradually taking shape, and that was the "Tiangong Project."
This is an important step in the transformation of the Dayu Dynasty into the prototype of the Immortal Dynasty.
On the other hand, asking the Martial Saint for help would cost a lot in terms of favors.
And the more Fu Xuan attacks, the closer he is to sitting and passing away.
At that time, Xu Qing would lose both Fu Xuan and King Kong Demon King, which would be very disadvantageous for him.
On the other hand, he hasn't found the opportunity to transform into Ji Changxi.
Alas, this step is really difficult.
Because the old fairy Ji Changxi may have lived too long, met too many amazing people, or perhaps had an unforgettable first love in her heart, anyway, she did not have any particularly deep impression of Xu Qing, and Xu Qing could not even enter her dream. Of course, Xu Qing could not force Ji Changxi. In addition to the other party's noble status, she was also his lifesaver, and Xu Qing had always been very bottom line in life.
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After Xu Qing got the mechanism blueprint, he immediately took action.
Xu Qing also sent people to "resettle" the families of the people who had surrendered to the Fangxian Dao.
Those who surrendered and had family members were more likely to be reused. This was the unspoken rule of this world and also the secret for the upper class to control the lower class.
Only if you have a family and a home can you be called a good family child.
Those who have no home or family are considered an extremely unstable force in the eyes of the government.
While comforting, he was also very defensive.
On the other hand, the morale of the soldiers from good families is more reliable and they are more likely to obey discipline.
If a person has no ties, even if he is just an ordinary person, it will take up a lot of energy for the government to control him, and they will not be able to extract much value from him, which will make him an unstable factor.
For this type of people, Shangjunshu and Han Feizi have their own evaluations and countermeasures.
And Xu Qing has always made the best use of everything.
No matter whether they were the navy chosen to stay in Dayu, or the lower-class members of the local Nanyang forces who were conquered, as long as they were single or had no family here, Xu Qing would take the initiative to help them solve the problem of starting a family.
Expenditure in this area must not be saved.
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Under Xu Qing's careful arrangement, the machine manufacturing work was in full swing.
Those craftsmen who were controlled by the overseas people sent by Fang Xiandao worked day and night under the incentive of heavy rewards.
Moreover, the Asura Demon King transformed himself into the appearance of the Great Master Tianling and wandered among the surrendered people.
His realistic aura gradually calmed the uneasy hearts of the surrendered people, and the speed of their integration was greatly accelerated.
The surrendered people whose families were "placed" knew that their fate was closely linked to Xu Qing, and they worked even harder. They understood that only by serving well under Xu Qing could their families live a stable life.
The navy and the lower-class natives of Nanyang who had received help from Xu Qing in solving their family problems were extremely grateful to him and their morale was high.
However, just when everything seemed to be going well, new problems arose.
One day, the officer in charge of logistics came in a hurry and reported to Xu Qing anxiously: "Sir, there is a problem with the supply of materials. The originally agreed-upon South China Sea Mermaid Tears was attacked by a mysterious sea monster on the way, and suffered heavy losses. Now there are only a few Mermaid Tears left, and I am afraid that it cannot meet the needs of machine manufacturing."
Xu Qing frowned when he heard this, he knew that the tears of the South China Sea mermaids were the key material for the operation of the mechanism.
Without it, the entire plan could come to a standstill.
He pondered for a moment and gave a decisive order: "Immediately send someone to investigate the origins of those sea monsters and make sure to escort the remaining mermaid tears back safely. At the same time, mobilize all forces to search for a replacement for mermaid tears in all parts of the South Seas."
Princess Dongming could no longer sit still after learning about this. She dragged her heavy body to find Xu Qing and said firmly, "Xu Lang, the Dongming Gang has been operating in Nanyang for many years and has some connections. I will ask the brothers to help find mermaid tears or a usable substitute, maybe it can solve the urgent problem."
Xu Qing looked at her and nodded gently: "Thank you for your hard work."
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In the court of Yingtian Prefecture, there was some controversy over Xu Qing's reluctance to return to the court and accept formal rewards.
Some people spread rumors that this was a sign that Xu Qing was preparing to become independent.
And some newspapers reported the incident extensively in order to attract attention.
In the court, some upright officials launched a new round of impeachment against Xu Qing, accusing him of acting recklessly in Southeast Asia, wasting a lot of manpower and resources, and now having ulterior motives, being reluctant to return to the court, and plotting something illegal.
Of course, the bigwigs in the court were not surprised by such things.
Since ancient times, commanders who control large armies and go on expeditions have always been attacked by rumors.
The key lies in the king’s attitude.
Emperor Wanshou was lying on a jade bed, while the abbot of Chaotian Temple was holding the script carefully prepared by Xu Qing and telling the old emperor the story of Journey to the West.
Especially the description of the heavenly palace is quite fascinating.
After finishing a chapter of the story, Emperor Wanshou was still not satisfied and immersed in the beautiful blueprint outlined by Xu Qing.
After a long while, he slowly asked, "Master, can you tell me more about the 'Heavenly Palace Project' that Xu Qing is planning?"
(End of this chapter)