Chapter 1154: Steel Torrent

Changsun Qingrong continued, "Your Majesty has always prioritized the people, with the state coming second..."

"Yet, today, the Nanyang natives we had never discovered, the Java people, have already begun migrating to Australia. Their people have truly achieved class mobility and life security..."

"And us..."

Xie Qian's expression became increasingly unsightly.

Indeed.

Even though he had exhausted his efforts and governed with diligence, the national strength of the entire Nanyang had still not achieved a rapid leap forward.

Many resources had yet to be developed, and the quality of life for many commoners was still below the subsistence line...

More importantly, Xie Qian felt more and more the gap between Nanyang and Longyan, and the gap between himself and Liu Zheng.

First, in industrial development, Longyan was undoubtedly already at the global forefront. In particular, the development of Weaponry and Equipment and Warship was something to covet.

Second, the increase in comprehensive national strength already made him feel somewhat desperate. One must know that the great war between Longyan and Tsarist Russia was still ongoing... However, on the Tsarist Russia side, various domestic conflicts had already arisen, while looking at Longyan, it seemed this great war had never caused any impact on Longyan at all... The Longyan people ate and drank as usual, harvested as usual, and could even sell grain to Tsarist Russia, making a fortune. This great war had actually received global attention, and the fact was just like this... The Tsarist Russia Army now seemed trapped in a quagmire, unable to advance even an inch in the Kuye Island and Northwest war zones...

A gap.

What Xie Qian had pursued his whole life was to one day restore his imperial house.

Yet now, what he saw was a chasm that filled him with despair...

Then the topic returned to more traditional aspects.

Xie Qian himself had over a dozen sons, but it was difficult for him to find another among them with the potential of a great ruler.

Where should the entire Nanyang go?

"Your Majesty..."

Changsun Qingrong wanted to say something more.

Xie Qian had already stood up: "I understand..."

Changsun Qingrong's eyes flickered, and her mouth stammered.

"Inform Li Yun to support the Emperor of Japan and make Japan a dependency of Nanyang!"

Hearing this, Changsun Qingrong finally breathed a sigh of relief and said joyfully, "Your Majesty..."

Xie Qian finally seemed to have set down the stone in his heart, and his tense expression also relaxed.

Yes.

Prioritizing the people...

Wasn't this what he had been pursuing his whole life?

"Young Master!"

"Chief Councilor!"

"Young Master, Young Master!"

Over in Liangzhou.

Liu Zheng finally boarded his "Conqueror". This "Conqueror" was the largest Yinzhou ship produced by Liangzhou to date, with a displacement reaching ten thousand tons! In this era, this was extraordinary, equipped with three hundred Cannon! The soldiers equipped on the Conqueror reached a force of five thousand!

More importantly, this warship was no longer a traditional Galleon. With the development of Liangzhou's metallurgical industry, the hull of the Conqueror was no longer made of wood, but had truly become a steel warship! And it was equipped with Steam Engine propulsion, which was the first of its kind in the world!

Therefore.

When the "Conqueror" left the port, it attracted many onlookers.

The people at the scene were dense, a sea of heads moving.

When they saw this steel beast make its debut, the whole scene instantly boiled over.

The fully armed Dark Night Legion soldiers were imposing. Those eye-catching Cannon were even more murderous.

"This..."

"This is too powerful!"

"How can this steel travel on water!"

"Ah ah ah ah! So exciting!"

The scene exploded.

If it were in the past, who could have imagined

that in their godforsaken land of Yinzhou, such a Grand Canal would be excavated? If it were in the past, who would have believed that Liangzhou would possess the most powerful ship in this world! If it were in the past... they truly wouldn't have dared to even think about it!

This ship was the embodiment of Liangzhou's strength; this ship was the starting point for Longyan's takeoff!

"Young Master, Young Master!"

"Crown Prince, Crown Prince!"

"Chief Councilor!"

The people at the scene all shouted at the top of their lungs. Different forms of address represented their different feelings toward Liu Zheng.

Liu Zheng stood quietly at the bow, looking at this wide Grand Canal.

He could not help but feel stirred in his heart.

Since ancient times, humanity had the ambition to conquer the sea. Although in his past life, with such advanced technology, the ocean remained mysterious and unfathomable to humans. But this still could not stop the yearning for the sea in Liu Zheng's heart.

Conqueror.

He did not continue his low-key style when naming this warship. Instead, he directly used the two characters "Conqueror," which also represented his ambition.

Great Age of Discovery...

Although it had already somewhat passed, and Longyan's great voyages were considered a latecomer, he believed that with his strong naval power, he could still catch up.

Sea, I am coming...

Liu Zheng listened to the shouts of the people around him, and his heart expanded along with them.

"Young Master, it's too strong, too strong, it actually didn't sink!"

Beside him, Jiang Xuan had already jumped up in excitement.

Just a moment ago, he was still worried about whether this warship made of steel would sink straight to the bottom... after all, he didn't understand these Physics principles.

Liu Zheng rolled his eyes at the sound of this, too lazy to pay him any mind.

He scoffed, "Little Xuan, I heard the Ottoman Princess is still waiting for you with bated breath; what are your thoughts on that?"

"Huh?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xuan immediately wore a look of distress.

This matter truly made him feel a bit depressed.

Alisha was actually very beautiful, and back when he was in Ottoman, he had indeed been quite moved by her... but she was an Ottoman Princess, and even if Jiang Xuan followed Liu Zheng and had an open mind, it was impossible to just grandiosely marry a foreign beauty and bring her back... and after returning to Longyan, he had interacted a lot with the Capital's number one talented woman, Gu Jin, and they had developed secret feelings for each other...

Thinking of this, he muttered and scratched his head: "Young Master, can I not go?"

Liu Zheng laughed heartily, neither confirming nor denying.

Jiang Xuan was indeed a bit troublesome when it came to matters of the heart and was a total playboy, but his flaws did not obscure his virtues; he had already grown in terms of leading troops. Liu Zheng had always been too lazy to manage his personal life. However, looking at the situation, it seemed the Ottoman Princess would likely be a case of the goddess having intentions while the king remains heartless.

The steam whistle of the Warship began to blare.

The Conqueror finally sailed out of Kezhou Port for the first time and officially entered the Grand Canal.

At the same time, following behind the Conqueror were five petite Yinzhou ships, each equipped with three thousand soldiers. This time, there was a total force of twenty thousand!

Liu Zheng planned to go to Europe, and the first stop was the Suez Canal; Ling Chen over there had long since received the news, and only when Liu Zheng arrived would the Suez Canal truly be opened.

For a moment.

The eyes of the entire world turned toward one place.

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