Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

As for the transfer station that Wen Huanzhang mentioned, it can also be called a relay station, and its main equipment is a relay.

"Can these two methods you mentioned really work?" Zhao Yuan asked.

Wen Huanzhang said, "We can give it a try."

Zhao Yuan said, "Then let's give it a try."

If the emperor and the former prime minister wanted to do something, they could mobilize all resources to do it.

A few days later, a group of soldiers and craftsmen rushed into Tennoji Temple in a great hurry.

Come again?

The monks were terrified, thinking they had committed some serious crime again.

Zen Master Zonggao personally came out to greet him: "This humble monk greets Your Highness the King of Min. May I ask what brings Your Highness here?"

Chapter 3960 Powerful Brick Flies

Zhao Wenzhu returned the greeting with his palms together: "Master, there is no need to be alarmed. This matter has nothing to do with your temple."

"If the experiment goes well, the imperial court will send people to be stationed at Tianwang Temple to guard and maintain the Buddha Tooth Pagoda."

Upon hearing that they were not there to arrest anyone, Zen Master Zonggao stopped asking questions.

He noticed that Zhao Wenzhu wasn't in the mood for conversation, so he dismissed the monks and stayed behind to accompany her throughout.

The Tianwang Temple in Luoyang is under construction, and the Xiangguo Temple in Kaifeng will be completed soon.

Zhang Congdao, who had already exchanged birth dates with the eldest princess (Wen Huanzhang's third daughter), was leading a group of craftsmen toward Kaifeng.

Twenty days later, the large antennas in Luoyang, Kaifeng, and Xingze were completed one after another, and a relay station was also built in Xingze, which was sandwiched in the middle.

Luoyang Imperial Palace.

As Zhao Yuan watched the telegraph machine punching holes in the paper tape, he couldn't help but ask, "Why doesn't this thing make a 'beep beep beep' sound?"

"It's different from what I remember."

Wen Huanzhang explained, "I haven't figured out how to produce sound using electricity yet."

"This isn't just a basic version, it's an unfinished product!"

Zhao Yuan joked,

"There are no indicator lights and no sound. Does that mean it's on 24/7?"

“It’s fine to have someone watch over it all the time, but this is a hand-cranked generator, so you’ll have to keep cranking it after a while.”

"They've turned telegraph operators into manual laborers. Why don't they use batteries?"

Wen Huanzhang said, "The batteries we invented before had such low voltage that they were not even as good as hand-cranked generators."

"Not to mention wireless telegraphy, even wired telegraphy cannot meet the power requirements."

"Let's build a hydroelectric generator. Is that difficult?" Zhao Yuan asked.

Wen Huanzhang said, "The principle is similar to that of hand-cranked power generation, but it still requires continuous experimentation and improvement."

"With so many relay stations across the country, we can't possibly build hydroelectric power at every single one."

"I plan to have telegraph operators in various places agree on a fixed time each day, in the morning, noon and evening, to stay there and send and receive telegrams."

Zhao Yuan thought about it carefully: "How about this, let's build a hydroelectric generator in the provincial capital of the whole country."

"If the provincial capital is not next to a river, then build it in the nearest city."

“Each prefecture-level city should have a telegraph machine installed.”

“That’s fine,” Wen Huanzhang said. “Those hydroelectric generators don’t need to be too big; just enough to meet the needs of the telegraph machine.”

"There's no need to build a dam. We can build a water tower, use animal power to lift water up, and then use the water tower to generate electricity intermittently."

"Actually, further improvements to the hand-cranked generator should be able to meet the needs, after all, during the Anti-Japanese War... you know."

Zhao Yuan nodded and said, "We can do it this way initially, and then gradually develop it further."

The telegraph operator, a student of Wen Huanzhang, suddenly turned to him and said, "Your Majesty, please write down any sentence."

Zhao Yuan picked up his pen and wrote: "The Ming Dynasty will prosper."

The telegraph operator sent out the six words, then immediately bowed and took his leave. Another telegraph operator, whose identity was unknown, was brought in from outside.

Then things quieted down; presumably, the signal was received in Kaifeng and they were frantically translating it into Chinese characters.

The telegraph operator in the palace, fearing a power shortage, was frantically cranking the generator by hand.

After a while, the telegraph machine began punching holes in the paper tape.

The telegraph operator, flipping through the codes for common characters and translating them into Chinese, rose and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Retired Emperor, the message from Kaifeng reads 'The Great Ming Dynasty prospers,' received."

Chapter 3961 The First Telegram in History

Wen Huanzhang smiled and said, "It's a success."

Zhao Yuan was somewhat dazed.

Was wireless telegraph transmission between Luoyang and Kaifeng thus accomplished?

It's only been a little over six months since Wen Huanzhang started developing the telegraph machine.

As luck would have it, half a month later, an urgent document arrived from Liaoyang.

Claiming a coup by Goryeo warriors, Liaoning planned to send troops and requested the emperor's approval.

Zhao Yuan did not rush to reply, but instead sent out all of Wen Huanzhang's students.

They were instructed to bring various materials and build repeaters on the ship, deploying them all the way from Kaifeng to Shandong.

Then, repeaters were also deployed in Lushun to extend the telegraph system to Liaoyang and Pyongyang.

Destroying Goryeo is too easy; we can send troops anytime.

Zhao Yuan wanted to experience high technology, so he issued military orders to the front lines from Luoyang!

Fearing poor signal across the sea, Zhao Yuan also had his students, along with craftsmen, set up large antennas in Dengzhou and Lushun—the antennas were mounted on the lighthouses, eliminating the need for any additional structures.

There are also several large cities along the route, where large antennas have been erected.

……

The current Left Provincial Administration Commissioner of Liaoning is Fang Tingshi.

He and Zhao Yuan were quite destined to meet, as they both passed the imperial examination in the same year.

When Zhao Yuan was exiled to Guizhou, Fang Tingshi was serving as the magistrate of Lingui County.

He also arranged accommodation for Zhao Yuan, and often went to listen to Zhao Yuan's lectures and traveled with Zhao Yuan to enjoy the scenery of Guilin.

Whether it was Zhang Tang, Li Bao, and others who followed Zhao Yuan at that time, or Chen Dong, Wei Liangchen, and other students from the Imperial Academy who came from afar, they all received Fang Tingshi's care in Guizhou.

She's incredibly popular!

When Wen Huanzhang declared himself emperor in Kaifeng and established his own dynasty, Fang Tingshi was still serving as an official in Guangxi, continuing to serve the small southeastern court of Emperor Huizong of Song.

Li Bao launched a surprise attack on Jiangnan, and then occupied Fujian and Guangdong. Fang Tingshi took the opportunity to respond in Guangxi.

He colluded with civil and military officials in Guangxi, spreading the word that he was a good friend of Zhao Yuan. He managed to persuade half of Guangxi to submit to the Ming Dynasty, despite being only a minor prefectural judge.

Then, he rose through the ranks in the new Ming Dynasty.

Right Provincial Governor Lü Fang paced back and forth in the main hall. Fang Tingshi reassured him, "Brother Yingcai, today is a meeting to discuss matters. Why are you pacing back and forth? Don't be in such a hurry."

Before Lü Fang could speak, Zhe Yanzhi, the General of Liaoning, said, "We requested instructions from the court in the summer, why haven't we received a reply by autumn? If this continues, it will be winter soon!"

Sun Lan, the commander of Liaoning Province, said, "Perhaps His Majesty has other intentions."

The civil officials were not bothered, but the military officers were extremely worried, fearing that the court would send another general.

If a great general were to be sent to command the troops, the merits of the Liaoning generals in conquering the country would be diluted.

"Report! An urgent message from the imperial court! There's another package!"

"finally come."

All the civil and military officials wore smiles.

When Fang Tingshi opened the official document, he looked puzzled. After reading it, he said, "The court did not mention sending troops. They only asked us to make copper and iron objects and said that they had sent several samples. They told the craftsmen to do their best to make them."

The group opened the package, which contained basic parts for making antennas.

Furthermore, it requires being lengthened by several dimensions so that it can be connected during installation.

Fang Tingshi did not understand his meaning and had no choice but to send someone to do as he was told.

A few days later, the prospective son-in-law Zhang Congdao arrived in Liaoyang. After revealing his identity, he immediately began building an antenna, which he erected directly on a Buddhist pagoda left behind by the Liao Kingdom.

After a busy day, Zhang Congdao invited the civil and military officials from Liaoning the next day.

Chapter 3962 The Role of Telegraphs

They watched as Zhang Congdao took out a strange machine, and then his entourage frantically shook it with their hands, with a booklet placed beside it.

"May I ask, Mr. Zhang... what are all these?" Fang Tingshi asked.

Zhang Congdao said, "It's almost Chenshi (7-9 AM), which is the time for the first telegram to be sent out each day."

"I can't explain it clearly right now, gentlemen, please wait."

But then Zhang Congdao kept pressing something with his right hand, and suddenly the machine's needles began to pierce the paper tape.

Zhang Congdao hurriedly recorded the numbers, leaving everyone completely bewildered.

Then, Zhang Congdao tapped the phone again and replied to Luoyang, "Received."

Then I opened the code booklet and translated it into Chinese, though I wasn't very proficient at it.

After a good ten minutes of fussing, Zhang Congdao handed Fang Tingshi a piece of paper.

Fang Tingshi read aloud:

"Shen Jia."

"Permission to send troops to Goryeo is granted."

“Zhe Yanzhi will command the troops, Fang Tingshi will handle logistics, and Li Yi will accompany the army for negotiations. All matters in this battle will be handled at the discretion of the three of them.”

"A joint telegram from the Cabinet, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Rites."

Zhang Congdao explained: "The twelve earthly branches represent months, and the characters are taken from the Da Ming Zheng Yun to represent dates. Shen Jia means the ninth day of the ninth month (lunar calendar), which is today."

Zhe Yanzhi asked in confusion, "Is this an official document from the imperial court? It's not even stamped."

Zhang Congdao produced a genuine official document: "This is an imperial edict, instructing you all to obey the orders in this telegram. In the future, if there are any urgent matters, you may also contact the court by telegram."

Lü Fang asked, "What is a telegram?"

Zhang Congdao explained simply: "Your Majesty is learned in both cosmology and science, and has mastered the mysteries of electricity, enabling you to transmit messages from thousands of miles away using electricity."

"At this very moment, it is actually His Majesty who is sending the telegram, while the senior ministers of the cabinet and other ministries are observing from the side."

Upon hearing this, everyone was even more confused.

What does it mean that His Majesty controls the mysteries of electricity?

Could it be that His Majesty is truly a deity descended to earth, or perhaps he learned immortal arts overseas, or maybe he learned the Divine Lightning Control Technique from Lin Lingsu?

Zhe Yanzhi glanced at the imperial edict, then at the telegram: "Should this order be carried out?"

"Probably," Fang Tingshi said, unsure.

……

In the newly established telegraph office in the imperial city of Luoyang, a group of high-ranking officials from various departments and councils displayed a variety of expressions.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, was that 'received' message really sent from Liaoyang?"

Li Bao was the first to come to his senses, his tone a mixture of shock and excitement.

Zhao Yuan nodded and said, "It was sent back from Liaoyang."

Li Bao quickly asked again, "If I were the commander-in-chief, could I provide all the generals with this pile of stuff?"