When receiving the report, Li Xuan looked up at the global map on the wall, and then set his sights on the American continent.
America, whether it is North America or South America, is an extremely fertile continent. This place has a large amount of various minerals, and the fertile land is extremely suitable for agriculture. If a large number of immigrants can be controlled and carried out, it can at least feed billions of people.
The Chinese nation will not have to worry about survival for hundreds of years!
Therefore, Li Xuan knew better than anyone else that colonizing America was necessary. For this reason, Li Xuan had already had this idea and even a rough plan.
But colonizing America is not now!
Limited by the current shipbuilding technology and navigation level, as well as the pressure he faces at home and abroad, Li Xuan actually does not plan to start large-scale immigration to America now.
Because the journey is too long, the cost of immigration is too high, and the current Tang Empire cannot afford it.
Therefore, Li Xuan's plan is actually much more conservative.
His plan is to first solve the threat of the Tatars in the north, and after initially stabilizing the situation in the north, he will take complete control of the entire Southeast Asia region, conduct extensive immigration to many islands in the Southeast Asia, and then gradually begin to immigrate to the relatively nearby Australia.
To be more precise, it is to immigrate to the southeastern region of Australia, because in the whole of Australia, only the southwest region of Australia is more suitable for immigration.
By relying on step-by-step outward expansion in this way, the cost of immigration will be much lower.
By that time, it is estimated that the shipbuilding technology and navigation level of the Tang Empire will be much improved than now, and then it will be the time for large-scale migration across the Pacific and immigration to the Americas.
As for now, it's too early!
However, the navy has been stimulated by the army in the past two years. Even if Li Xuan does not support it, they have launched this American operation on their own. Li Xuan cannot dampen their enthusiasm. After all, it is not easy to expand overseas.
Cultivated, he did not want to directly destroy the navy and the domestic people's confidence in expansion.
So Li Xuan acquiesced and let them go!
Although the cost of immigrating to the Americas is now too high to support large-scale immigration, it is still feasible if it is only a small-scale immigration. At least there is a large amount of gold and silver in the Americas, and the large returns are enough to support domestic efforts.
Small-scale immigration to the Americas was carried out at high cost.
However, I don’t know how many of the soldiers and immigrants who went to America this time will survive.
First of all, the journey is very dangerous. From the empire's mainland to the Americas, even if it is just the western coast of North America, it will take several months to go smoothly. At the same time, there are not many islands for supply along the way.
Not to mention the ready-made ports.
Pacific, these words are not named because the Pacific is very safe and peaceful, but because it is too big, vast and has no islands, and there are too many windless zones. This kind of deep sea environment, if it is for steam ships, etc.
It is naturally a good thing for a ship to have its own power, and it will be able to arrive safely.
But for ships in the sailing era, it is not so friendly.
Especially the windless zone is even more deadly.
Over the years, the Tang Empire actually sent many expedition ships to the Americas. However, although many ships were sent out, there were only a few ships that could successfully reach the Americas and then return safely.
A considerable number of ships were either forced to return due to insufficient supplies during the voyage, or simply fell into a calm zone, or were swept away by strong winds and waves.
Therefore, even if you already know that you can reach America by going all the way east, the actual risk is very high.
The previous exploration fleet finally found several islands in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, including Midway Island and Sandalwood Island. Midway Island was very small and served as a simple supply port at most, but Sandalwood Island
That's a lot.
Sandalwood Island is actually an archipelago, which is later known as the Hawaiian Islands. The previous expedition fleet found this place and found that there was a large amount of indigenous life here and it also produced sandalwood, so it was called Sandalwood Island by the expedition fleet.
This island is also the main immigration destination of this fleet. The Navy and Immigration Department and the American Trading Company all hope to establish a stable colonial stronghold here and even completely control this archipelago to serve as an important transit point for the Americas.
This time, more than 20 immigrant trade fleets are heading to America, and they will go to Midway Island and Sandalwood Islands. After establishing a preliminary colony on Sandalwood Island, they will set off further, and then head to the North American continent.
After this trip, it may take more than a year to return to the homeland. In the end, no one knows how many soldiers and immigrants will survive.
Putting aside his matters in America, Li Xuan walked out of the office.
When several secretaries outside saw Li Xuan opening the door and walking out by land, they immediately stood up. The first-class secretary headed by him immediately stepped forward, but he didn't ask any questions.
If Your Majesty doesn't ask anything, it is naturally impossible for these ministers to take the initiative to ask anything.
Li Xuan said: "Take your worries and leave the palace for a walk!"
The Holy Emperor said this, so as the secretary, he naturally replied: "Yes, I will prepare now!"
Li Xuan wanted to leave the palace, even if it was just a temporary decision and he was just planning to go out for a stroll, he still had to make all the necessary preparations.
Soon, the Guards Office got the news. Soon, dozens of guards from the Guards Office all changed into casual clothes and prepared to accompany Li Xuan. Several secretaries from the Secretariat also changed into casual clothes and accompanied them.
Of course, this is just a guard on the surface. Troops like the Guards guarding the palace courtyard are also prepared for defense one step ahead.
Li Xuan immediately left the palace with dozens of people, and several ministers on duty in the royal study and traveling ministers also hurriedly came to accompany them.
This trip of a large group of people was naturally not a private visit, but it was not a big fanfare either. After leaving the palace, Li Xuan did not plan to wander around the city, but planned to go to the old palace across the wall to see it.
Look at the construction status.
Jinling City has been the capital of the Tang Dynasty for many years. The rebuilding of the palace has been talked about for so many years, but it has never been finalized. Finally, considering that the palace left over from the previous Ming Dynasty is already dilapidated, the cost of rebuilding it as it is is too huge.
, and Li Xuan doesn’t like the layout of the building either.
Compared to the layout of the traditional palace, Li Xuan preferred a modern architectural layout, so two years ago, after years of debate, Li Xuan finally decided not to rebuild it as it was, but to rebuild it selectively.
The first is the front hall. Since it is already seriously damaged, we will simply build a new main hall.
In addition to the main hall in front that needs to maintain the Chinese tradition, the part of the harem is rebuilt directly according to the pattern of Jiangnan gardens and is connected to the royal courtyard.
In fact, except for the several main halls with strong political significance in the front, the rest of the reconstructed palace was built according to Jiangnan gardens.
At the same time, in order to ensure the safety of the palace, in addition to the tall palace walls, a full kilometer of area around the palace was cleared and built into squares and large lawns without repairing anything.
This is not for aesthetic reasons, but for defensive needs!
In a wide area of one kilometer, if there are rebels who want to attack, there will be no obstruction and they will be used as a target by the defenders.
At the same time, a number of cement bunkers were built on these squares and lawns, in which artillery could be placed, and the palace walls were also built into polygons according to the walls of the bastions.
In fact, the entire outer area of the palace was designed and built based on the bastion!
Even many building materials are made of cement boulders, which have very strong protective capabilities.
The rebuilt palace is, to a certain extent, a war fortress. Ordinary light infantry cannot break in, even with heavy artillery.
Li Xuan did this because he was naturally afraid of death. Although he took many measures, he still guarded against rebellion or something, so he also wanted to build the palace where he lived into a fortress with amazing defense capabilities.
On the surface, nothing much can be seen in the entire outer area of the palace, but only a few high-ranking Guards generals knew that more than fifty artillery pieces were deployed inside and outside the palace, including many fourteen-pound heavy artillery.
The ammunition and grain warehouses in the underground fortifications store enough ammunition and grain for an army of 10,000 to hold on for five years.
These are all defensive measures. In fact, there are still escape channels. There are two open breakthrough channels, and there are also two secret tunnels. These channels are full of carriages, horses, and ships waiting all year round, which is enough for Li
Xuan escaped from the palace in one breath, then ran directly to the Yangtze River or other places outside the city, and then headed to the surrounding military camps according to the situation.
Although the reconstructed imperial palace is not a large building, it occupies an area that is too large. Coupled with the surrounding office buildings and military barracks of major government offices, it occupies a large amount of area in the old city.
Therefore, in the old city today, there are either official buildings or ordinary residences, and there are relatively few commercial streets. It is a typical administrative district.
As for factories, residential areas and even office areas for ordinary people, they are all scattered in Dongcheng District, Xicheng District and Nancheng District.
Since the Tang Dynasty established its capital here, Dongcheng District, Xicheng District and Nancheng District were successively developed in order to develop industry and commerce and to accommodate the many people in the old city because the area of the old city was too small.
Years of continuous development have allowed the major urban areas of Jinling City to begin to take shape.