Chapter 1103

“Eighty kilometers an hour, that’s almost as fast as a steam locomotive. Truly remarkable.”

Qian Dafu, who had just arrived, said with a smile.

Xiao Ming’s mood had been low for a while during the period of internal unrest in the Empire, but now he was gradually recovering, which also brought him a sense of relief.

Xiao Ming patted the car’s black metal body heavily, and then raised his hand to look at the watch on his wrist. After the pocket watch, this kind of watch, which was more suitable to be worn, quickly became popular in the Empire.

Many people with status were proud to wear a watch.

“It’s already past ten. Didn’t Song Changping say he was going to give me a revolver?” Xiao Ming asked, glancing at the time.

After executing the remnants of the Merchant Parliament and a group of traitors like Ge Yiren, the Empire became unprecedentedly peaceful as a result of this deterrence.

Whether they were former officials from Chang’an or new officials, they all became much more well-behaved.

This was because they had seen an Emperor who would resort to iron-fisted methods at any time. No one could be sure if the next bullet would be fired from behind their heads.

And the newspaper’s critique that lasted for more than half a year also lowered the Empire’s tolerance for rebellion to zero. At the same time, under the watchful eyes of the common people, those with malicious intentions would find it difficult to escape judgment.

“Song Changping is always punctual. He won’t be late. But this old servant has something else to report to Your Majesty. I just received a telegram in the side hall. A delegation from Europe has arrived in Guangzhou. They are expected to arrive in Qingzhou in three days.”

“Oh? They have arrived?” A smile appeared on Xiao Ming’s face. It had been a year since the Battle of India.

The Europeans’ speed was so slow that he had grown a little bored waiting for them. Now, this group of European envoys had finally arrived at a leisurely pace.

“In that case, go and notify the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to prepare to receive them. There will probably be many things to discuss this time.” Xiao Ming said.

Qian Dafu responded. After occupying Britain’s colony in India, the Empire’s military operations stopped.

After all, the Empire’s occupied territory was now too vast, and it would take time to consolidate it. At the same time, the soldiers had been fighting for years and were feeling a little weary of war. To give the army a chance to rest and recuperate, it was also necessary to suspend military operations.

Most importantly, the major military regions were in the process of replacing their equipment and undergoing acclimatization training.

In the past, only a portion of the soldiers were equipped with Han-style rifles, and most of the soldiers were still using Falcon rifles. The distribution of machine guns and mortars was also not very rational.

To comprehensively enhance the Empire’s overall combat effectiveness, it was also necessary to take advantage of this time to upgrade their equipment.

However, while the army was resting, the navy was not idle. The Empire’s navy had now controlled the shipping lanes between Southeast Asia and the Cape of Good Hope.

Any warship that intruded into this shipping lane without permission would be driven away or even sunk. Maritime hegemony was gradually shifting to the East.

Just as Qian Dafu turned to leave, Song Changping arrived on time.

Xiao Ming felt helpless about this. For people like Song Changping, time was very important, and they did not want to waste even a single second.

“Your Majesty, this is the revolver.” Song Changping held a silver revolver in his hand.

After the metal bullet was successfully developed, this close-quarters firearm was to be developed according to the plan. This kind of firearm would give soldiers and officers an effective killing capability at close range.

Xiao Ming took the revolver and examined it. This revolver was equipped with a cylinder with six chambers.

“Your Majesty, these are the bullets.” Song Changping offered the bullets at the appropriate time.

After the metal bullet appeared, Xiao Ming had always yearned for a revolver for self-defense, after all, the former short-barreled firearm was a little unsightly.

With this revolver, he would have the power to defend himself against an assassin. His only regret was that the Empire’s industrial level could only produce revolvers at this time.

However, the revolver, which was developed in the nineteenth century, was still in use until World War II. Even some countries in modern times were still using it.

This was because the revolver had a huge advantage in dealing with misfires.

After loading the bullets into the chambers, Xiao Ming rotated the cylinder, and the bullet was aligned with the barrel.

Raising the revolver, Xiao Ming ordered the imperial guards to move a wooden board twenty meters away. He then pulled the trigger.

With a gunshot, a bullet hole appeared in the wooden board. Xiao Ming then pulled the hammer back, and another chamber was aligned with the barrel.

He pulled the trigger again, and another bullet hole appeared in the wooden board.

Song Changping said, “If one can skillfully pull the hammer back, this revolver can achieve an effect similar to continuous firing.”

Xiao Ming nodded slightly. He was very satisfied with the effect of this revolver.

He said to Song Changping, “Good. However, the research and development of automatic weapons must also be expedited. The Battle of India is enough to show the advantage of advanced weapons from a war perspective.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” When automatic weapons were mentioned, Song Changping immediately became excited, and his expression became more animated.

After sending Song Changping back, Xiao Ming returned to the Imperial Study alone with the revolver in his hand.

He then moved his chair in front of the world map and sat in the chair, quietly looking at the Empire’s territory on the map.

Three months ago, he received news that Zhu Sansi had established a foothold in Alaska, and the city he named Snow City had been constructed with the soldiers’ efforts.

This meant that the Empire had its own stronghold in Alaska. In the next step, Zhu Sansi would use Snow City as a base to expand into North America, occupying the land outside the thirteen North American colonies.

And in Siberia, Luo Xin, after his exchange with Ye Qingyun, was also actively preparing to seize the region east of the Ural Mountains.

As for Ye Qingyun, after taking office in the Southwest Military Region, he took over Luo Xin’s former mission, preparing to march south to seize French Indochina after the equipment upgrade.

His gaze swept over the marked locations one by one, and Xiao Ming felt a sense of relief. Although this was another time and space, under his rule, the Empire he was in had achieved things that no one before him had ever achieved.

The Empire’s territory now spanned from the far north to the far south, which could be said to be very vast.

But while he was excited, he also felt a sense of worry. In human history, powerful empires had all crumbled in the long river of history.

From ancient Rome to the British Empire, where the sun never set, and from the vast Han dynasty to the Soviet Union that spanned across Asia, the former great powers all eventually disappeared into nothingness, leaving behind only scattered fragments.

How long could the vast territory he had conquered last after he was gone?

Thinking of this, Xiao Ming’s mind became a little chaotic. He did not want everything he had fought for to ultimately be for someone else.

It was with this hidden worry that he secretly had Huang Tingzhi establish a mysterious laboratory and invested a large amount of funds into researching genetic technology, hoping that he could make a breakthrough in the cell repair and regeneration technology in the technology crystals in his lifetime, so that he could extend his own life.

Sometimes he would laugh at himself for having such a desire, just like the emperors of all dynasties who sought eternal life. But after thinking about it, he was also human and had his own desires, so why bother dwelling on it?

Moreover, he was unwilling to hand over the technology crystals to others, because once these technologies fell into the hands of people with ill intentions, their destructive power would be no less than a global nuclear explosion. It was more appropriate for him to be the one to control them.