Father, I really don’t want to be the emperor

Soon in June, the watch factory launched another new product. This time it was not a pocket watch or a wrist watch, but a desk clock. The structure of the desk clock was simpler than that of the pocket watch, and it was easier to make, but the desk clock was more popular. , almost every family in Dakang has a purchase demand.

For a time, this time-measuring item simply became the most in-demand item, bringing endless wealth to Dakang.

But this year the weather was good, the rivers were clear and the sea was flowing, and there was another bumper harvest of food.

By August, when Song Chengzhou returned from the southern countries, he had already negotiated an agreement to purchase southern China.

When Song Chengzhou placed more than twenty treaties in front of Ning Fan, Ning Fan was simply dumbfounded.

Because the total of these two dozen treaties covers more than 20 million square kilometers of land.

In other words, Song Chengzhou went out and directly purchased more than three times the land of Dakang.

"Your Majesty, these countries heard that we, Da Kang, wanted deserts. Some countries even gave them to us for free without paying for them. Their demand is just for your Majesty to give their nobles more watches."

What Song Chengzhou said made Ning Fan stunned. He didn't expect that something like a watch could be exchanged for land.

The sudden increase in land area gave Ning Fan an unrealistic feeling. Now looking at the complete territory of Dakang, it almost occupies the vast majority of the southern continent. There are even many small countries vying to become A vassal state of Dakang.

"Nowadays, there are more than a hundred countries that have submitted credentials to Dakang and actively want to become Dakang's vassal states. They are all small countries surrounding the southern continent."

These countries don't need Dakang to give them actual benefits, they just need to use Dakang's name. It's really unrealistic for Ning Fan to bring his own solid food to recognize his father.

In the coldest month of winter, another piece of good news came. Sure enough, oil was found in the newly purchased desert area, and it was a blowout.

A large amount of oil was suddenly produced, but transportation became a problem. Ning Fan's original idea was to transform steam trains into oil tankers, but the transportation capacity of oil tankers was limited after all.

With today's technical means, if you want to refine petroleum into various oils and then transport them, the technical conditions simply cannot be met. On the contrary, it is safer to transport the original heavy oil.

The first solution that Ning Fan thought of was to build an oil pipeline. This is because today's technology cannot achieve this kind of pressurization technology. Oil needs pressure to flow in the pipeline. If there is no pressure, the oil will be completely destroyed. It will not be able to be transported over long distances.

Without advanced technology, we could only start from the basics, and laying railways became the best way Ning Fan could think of.

It is quite difficult to lay a railway in the desert, and even if the railway is laid, if a gust of wind and sand blows, the original railway will be buried by the sand, making it unsafe for trains to drive on it.

But after much thought, he couldn't find a better solution, so Ning Fan could only temporarily build an elevated railway in the desert.

Although the cost is relatively high, only this solution can transport soft gold out of the desert.

"Your Majesty, is this the by-product of petroleum you are talking about? This kind of thing is not made of cotton or linen, but made of that kind of petroleum. I really can't believe it."

In the spring of the next year, several concubines in the harem held a piece of clothing made of chemical fiber in their hands and were amazed. The feel, texture and toughness of these clothes made of chemical fiber far exceeded those made of cotton. .

That's why several concubines in the harem were so surprised. Nowadays, Dakang's technology is advancing rapidly, and new warships are launched from the seaside every day.

Of course, all this is being done in secret. Ning Fan is playing a big game. When the time comes, he will defeat England at sea and completely dominate this blue ocean.

Dakang's current problem is that it has too much money and cannot spend it, because Dakang's watch trade and various chemical trades have made a mountain of money for Dakang, so the money cannot be spent, and Ning Fan is also worried. matter.

Even if you want to use the money to buy food, shipping is completely monopolized by the English. If you want to defeat Yingfan, the emergency man at sea, you must accumulate strength.

Just when everything in Dakang was in full swing, suddenly a plague came quietly.

"Your Majesty, a plague suddenly appeared in the hinterland of the Jiangnan region, and all the people in a village died overnight. The people around are even more panic-stricken. Most people are planning to flee."

In the early morning, before Ning Fan got up, Luo Cheng hurriedly walked into Ning Fan's palace and reported a piece of news that made Ning Fan restless.

In this era, what Ning Fan fears most is not war, but this plague. The plague kills people without blood, and kills people invisible. A prosperous country may turn into a hell on earth in an instant.

With Dakang's current level of industrialization and militarization, there are only a handful of countries that can pose risks to Dakang on land.

Sure enough, what he was most worried about was what was coming. When he heard about the plague, Ning Fan turned pale and it took him a long time to force himself to calm down.

"What are the symptoms of these people? Can you tell me?"

After Ning Fan forced himself to calm down, he looked at Luo Cheng and asked carefully.

"Fever vomits blood, and the onset of illness is very fast, and people often die within a day."

"What's even more frightening is that the infection rate of this disease is extremely high. Anyone who has been in contact with the patient will be infected without exception."

Luo Cheng said sadly.

After carefully asking about the patient's condition, Ning Fan concluded that this was the Black Death, also known as the plague.

There is no cure for this disease in this era. The only way to block the infection is isolation.

But in this era, the income segment that can stop people from flowing due to the blockage of information dissemination is almost negligible.

Especially when faced with death, the common people will not take into account the government's orders, and they will run around aimlessly.

"What should your Majesty do now? We must come up with a plan as soon as possible."

Luo Cheng was so anxious that sweat dropped from his forehead.

"Where exactly are the patients gathering? Immediately seal the city and no one should escape."

Ning Fan made a prompt decision.

"All the cases are concentrated in Shazhou, and Shazhou officials sent a telegram early in the morning to inform them of this news."

Luo Cheng said with a grimace.

Ning Fan immediately thought that the Shazhou Magistrate was an important member of the Fuxing Society. Ning Fan admired the Shazhou Magistrate very much. He was a young man, and Ning Fan specially promoted him in the first place.