Chapter 1062: Chapter 1062
Qingzhou.
With the first snowfall, winter arrived suddenly. However, unlike the countless dark and cold nights of previous years, Qingzhou had now become a city that never slept.
On the main road leading to the Imperial City, there were tall streetlights every twenty meters, and the bright light made the road as bright as day.
Outside the main road, other streets were also equipped with streetlights. Light was connected to light, extending endlessly.
On both sides of the streets were commercial shops and residential houses. With the popularization of electricity in Qingzhou, every household in Qingzhou was now enveloped in the light of incandescent lamps.
In this light, Qingzhou’s commercial activities remained bustling at night. The shops, large and small, were filled with people, a scene of prosperity.
Imperial Study.
Xiao Ming and the cabinet ministers were all there. It was already eight o’clock in the evening. By all accounts, they should have been at home by now.
But for them, this day was different, because after the wired telegraph, another crucial means of communication was about to be officially put into use.
“It’s already eight o’clock. Why hasn’t it rung yet?” Pang Yukun paced back and forth, waiting impatiently.
Zhan Xingchang’s face was filled with anticipation. “If this telephone is truly that magical, waiting a little longer is worth it.”
Xiao Ming sat in his chair. In front of him was a nineteenth-century telephone. A telephone line was connected to the telephone and led from the Imperial Study to the outside.
After the wired telegraph was popularized in the Empire’s major cities, the telephone, an important product of the nineteenth century, was also born through the efforts of scientific researchers.
With magnets and rubber diaphragms and gaskets, the receiver needed for the telephone was no longer a problem to manufacture.
In terms of principle, the telephone was similar to the wired telegraph, both using electrical signals. So, while laying the wired telegraph lines, Xiao Ming instructed them to bury several more wires in preparation for the telephone today.
After all, he came from the modern era and had a long-term vision. So when construction was underway, he would always be prepared for the future, to avoid unnecessary construction later.
“Ding-a-ling…”
Just as everyone was getting impatient, the telephone in front of Xiao Ming suddenly rang.
Xiao Ming smiled at everyone. He said, “Come, let’s witness this historical moment together.”
With that, he picked up the telephone.
“I am Xiao Ming. Now, report on the situation with the telephone,” Xiao Ming said.
On the other end of the telephone was He Dong. He was now the head of the Empire’s Telecommunications Department. Whether it was the wired telegraph, wireless telegraph, or now the telephone, they were all under his management.
Upon hearing the name, he immediately became excited. “Your Majesty, I am reporting to you from Dengzhou. After testing, the wired telephone is officially connected.”
“Very good. When you all return, I will personally hold a banquet for you,” a deep smile appeared on Xiao Ming’s face.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” He Dong said excitedly.
The sound of the telephone was clearly transmitted to the ears of Pang Yukun and the others, which left them all shocked. Fei Ji said, “Your Majesty, may I say a few words?”
“Of course.” Xiao Ming said with a smile. He was much calmer about this thing than the others, after all, in modern times, these were just child’s play.
Handing over the telephone, Fei Ji said impatiently, “I am Fei Ji. Are you He Dong?”
“It’s me?” He Dong on the other end of the phone felt a strange urge to laugh.
Fei Ji then said with admiration, “It truly is a magical thing…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Pang Yukun and the others swarmed around him. They were all impatient as well. Fei Ji could only watch helplessly as the telephone in his hand was snatched away by one person and then another.
Compared to everyone’s excitement, Xiao Ming was happy but also felt a little pain in his heart. Both the wired telegraph and the telephone consumed a large amount of the Empire’s rubber and copper, which were all real money.
Moreover, the hundreds of li of lines between important cities needed to be constructed, and to extend the communication distance of the telephone, relay stations had to be built to amplify the signal, all of which required a considerable amount of investment.
However, compared to the timeliness of the telephone, he felt that these investments were worth it, because he no longer had to worry about receiving news of a battle in the north a month later.
With the telephone, he could instantly receive a telegram from the frontier and give instructions.
In addition, the breakthrough in wired telephone technology made battlefield telephones possible. In the future, in the Empire’s foreign wars, commanders could fully command troops at all levels through the telephone.
“How is it? Have you all had enough of the novelty?” After waiting for a little over ten minutes, Xiao Ming asked.
At this time, Pang Yukun and the others were still in a state of excitement. Pang Yukun said, “I never expected that scientific technology would have such a magical use. Now the Empire can truly transmit voices over a thousand li.”
“Thinking back to more than a decade ago, we couldn’t even imagine such a magical thing. I never expected that under Your Majesty’s governance, these impossibilities are being realized one by one.” Fei Ji said, “I believe that the investment in scientific research should be greatly increased in the future.”
On this point, the other cabinet ministers also had the same idea. To them, the revitalization of the country through science and technology was by no means an empty slogan.
This was exactly the effect that Xiao Ming wanted. Compared to the telegraph, the telephone was more intimidating now, so he specifically had them stay late, just to let them feel the power of the telephone firsthand.
Ge Yiren’s expression was a little complex. He said, “In that case, if Your Majesty wants to know what is happening among the common people in the future, you just need to make a telephone call to ask?”
“Of course.” Xiao Ming smiled with a deep meaning. “In the past, I stayed in this palace all day long to deal with state affairs, and I could only learn about the real situation outside from your memorials. But now it’s different. I have countless pairs of eyes outside.”
“This… this is truly something to congratulate Your Majesty on,” Ge Yiren said humbly.
These words also served as an invisible deterrent to the other cabinet ministers. With this telephone, the Emperor’s control over the Empire would be more direct and effective.
He could even sit in the imperial palace and directly mobilize an army thousands of li away to come to his aid, and this would only take an instant.
It had to be said that with the telephone and the telegraph, it would be much harder for the Empire to fall into chaos. Even if there were trouble, it would probably be settled in a short period of time.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty! We congratulate Your Majesty!” The other eight people said in unison.
Xiao Ming nodded slightly. In fact, he was also very proud this time, because of his foresight, there was no need to lay lines for the telephone again like they had for the wired telegraph. After this successful test, telephones could be put into use in the country very quickly.
However, even though the telephone was officially operational, there were still many places where it needed to be installed. This was what He Dong would do next.
Thinking of this, he said to Pang Yukun, “Immediately issue an order for the various provinces to cooperate with He Dong in installing telephones, and at the same time, inform them of the telephone’s functions and uses.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Pang Yukun was excited. He was looking forward to the popularization of the telephone in the Empire.
Published: 2025-08-05T03:04:22.000+00:00
Last Edited: 2025-12-02T17:04:22.000+00:00
URL: https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair/posts/id-c1062-135750352
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