A warm breeze wafted in through the windows of the imperial study.
Xiao Ming, toying with his pipe, frowned deeply, “Is this Branden truly foolish or merely pretending?”
Bearing the painful historical memories of modern times, Xiao Ming was naturally very wary of opium. Once addicted, this substance was extremely difficult to eradicate.
If Branden had merely sent opium, or what was currently known as “black incense” in the Great Yu Empire, he might have been able to accept it. After all, it was also a medicinal herb, usable for anesthesia and pain relief.
But what was this fellow’s intention in directly sending a long opium pipe? Perhaps Asian countries, due to their lower cultural development, didn’t understand the dangers of smoking opium, but Europeans, who had dealt with opium for over a hundred years, couldn’t possibly be ignorant.
“Indeed, it’s a needle hidden in cotton, a knife concealed in a smile.”
Xiao Ming sneered repeatedly. If he hadn’t been from modern times, he might have fallen into Branden’s trap, and from then on lived a life of lying in bed, puffing away smoke.
However, thinking of the trend of this era, he felt somewhat uncertain. After all, at this time, many royal families in Asia liked this substance, so perhaps Branden was merely catering to his preferences.
Shaking his head, Xiao Ming temporarily ceased thinking about it. Whether Branden was intentional or unintentional, it was all normal. Relations between nations were always smiling on the surface, but stabbing in the back in private.
Moreover, because he understood the dangers of this “black incense,” he would not consume it. But this matter did provide him with a way to control Goryeo.
Perhaps he could use casinos and opium to control officials in the Goryeo court, or even the King of Goryeo himself.
As far as he knew, the current production areas of this “black incense” were mainly in Ryukyu and Southeast Asia. To obtain this substance, one had to acquire it from these places.
And now, he had not only controlled Goryeo’s maritime trade but also cut off Goryeo’s possibility of obtaining “black incense” by land.
As long as Goryeo’s high-ranking officials became addicted, they would have to obtain it from the Great Yu Empire. At that time, certain conditions would be easier to negotiate.
Although this method was somewhat disreputable, politics was often even darker than this. Compared to massacres at every turn, his method was already very mild, and it was only directed at those Goryeo officials who were not good people to begin with.
Thinking of this, Xiao Ming felt it necessary to expand the cultivation of “black incense” in Ryukyu, after all, whether these things would be used as weapons to counter the West in the future or as medicinal herbs.
At the same time, he would issue a ban in the Great Yu Empire, explicitly prohibiting the common people of the Great Yu Empire from getting involved with this substance.
With a plan in mind, Xiao Ming picked up the steel pen by his hand. This was something he had recently ordered the artisans of the machinery department to produce.
Overall, this fountain pen already had the appearance of a modern fountain pen. The only drawback was that this fountain pen had to be used by dipping it in ink.
Because there was no rubber, the artisans of the machinery department could not manufacture a suction tube. But even so, he was very satisfied.
In recent years, as the amount of written material increased, he increasingly felt that the brush could no longer meet his requirements for handling state affairs, and it also affected his ability to turn the knowledge in his mind into books.
Now with the fountain pen, his work efficiency would be much faster. He planned to first promote writing with fountain pens in the government system after using it for a period, ending the history of brush calligraphy dominating the Great Yu Empire. For him, this was also a point of transition for the Great Yu Empire towards pragmatism.
After writing down the ban articles eloquently, Xiao Ming put down his pen and stood up.
Qian Dafu, seeing this, walked in and said, “Your Majesty, the carriage is ready. The officials who have come to Laiwu have also arrived. It’s time to depart.”
Xiao Ming nodded. He called a young eunuch and had him deliver the ban to Pang Yukun, preparing for its implementation throughout the Great Yu Empire. Then he walked out.
After the successful operation of the steam locomotive, the reform was pushed to a climax. The miraculous locomotive made the scholars of the Great Yu Empire realize that a drastic change was taking place.
And for those who had already participated in the reforms, this was even more of an inspiration. Whether it was the glass workshop or the steam engine workshop, the artisans were all highly enthusiastic.
Xiao Ming naturally couldn’t sit still at this time. It was not easy for him to bring the Great Yu Empire, a country technologically far behind the West, to where it was today.
However, the success of the steam locomotive did not satisfy him; instead, it filled him with an even greater sense of urgency.
Although feudal dynasties like the Golden Tent Khanate, Goryeo, and Tibet were threats to the Great Yu Empire, these countries were still stuck in feudal society, making them relatively easier to deal with.
But dealing with the West, which had made a comprehensive leap in thought and technology, was not so easy. It was precisely for this reason that he dared not relax in the slightest.
This trip to Laiwu was precisely for one of the Great Yu Empire’s most important resources: steel.
The construction of the Qingzhou Province railway first extended in two directions. The first was the route towards Chang’an, along which lay large open-pit coal mines.
These coal mines did not require complex mining techniques; the surface coal seams were sufficient to support the First Industrial Revolution.
The second route was southward to Laiwu, for the large iron mine there.
Only after these two routes would the railway extend to other places.
This trip to Laiwu, his primary purpose was to inspect the steel workshop there. When the reform was announced, that place was already required to establish the Laiwu Steel Workshop.
In the future, the Great Yu Empire’s steel would primarily rely on the Laiwu Steel Workshop and the Kaiping Steel Workshop.
Upon reaching the outside, Xiao Ming saw a four-wheeled carriage stopped at the entrance.
Unlike the Great Yu Empire’s two-wheeled carriages, he had specifically ordered the machinery department to produce this type of four-wheeled carriage, and it was also equipped with spring suspension on the wheels.
This carriage was specifically ordered by him. It was also the Great Yu Empire’s first four-wheeled carriage. His purpose was very clear: to familiarize the people of the Great Yu Empire with four-wheeled vehicles.
At the same time, this was also to pave the way for the birth of automobiles. A country that only understood two wheels would not conceive the idea of producing four-wheeled cars.
Boarding the carriage, Xiao Ming headed south under the protection of guards. After four days of travel, he and the officials in charge of mines and workshops arrived in Laiwu.
Unlike Qingzhou Province, on the way to Laiwu, Xiao Ming saw only impoverished common people. At this moment, he suddenly felt that governing such a populous country to be as prosperous as the West would be a very difficult task. For this, he needed to occupy more resources in the world.
As he was thinking, his carriage gradually came to a stop. Xiao Ming then descended from the carriage. What met his eyes was an active iron mine, and beside the iron mine was the Laiwu Steel Workshop.
“Your Majesty, this is the Laiwu Steel Workshop. It is said that it will soon be put into production,” Qian Dafu said with a smile.
Qian Dafu used to be in charge of mines. Now, arriving at the mining site, he suddenly felt a long-lost sense of familiarity, and he spoke more.
Xiao Ming was also in a good mood after seeing the bustling mining site. He walked towards the busy mining site, preparing to see how the steam engines were being used in the mine.