Starting in Saarhu, it is a bit difficult to make a comeback.

After conquering the Holy Roman Empire, almost half of Europe had been annexed by the Chinese Empire.

But at this time Li Shizu had to stop his expansion.

Because China itself has not sent new troops and supplies to Europe for half a year.

With the strong financial support of the East Ryukyu Company, the materials are not bad. Now their arsenal in Moscow is able to manufacture rifles, bullets, and artillery shells on their own.

Of course, the latest machine guns and some heavy artillery still cannot be built.

Compared with the shortage of materials, the lack of officials is more fatal.

The large tracts of occupied land can only be handed over to local people for management. Over time, there will definitely be trouble.

This is also the reason why Li Shizu gave up occupying France.

Originally, he had a chance during the civil unrest in France.

But France is different from the loose Holy Roman Empire, and their resistance will definitely be fierce.

Britain, Spain and other countries will not sit back and watch France be annexed, and are likely to fall into a protracted war with the European coalition.

This would not be possible without local support from China.

If a large number of employees of the East Ryukyu Company had not been converted into administrative staff to help Li Shizu implement management, I am afraid that it would be difficult to maintain the territories in his hands now.

All this shows that changes have occurred in China.

But if something unexpected happened in China, the queen mother should inform her immediately.

At this time, Zheng Sen pointed to the sand table and said: "Your Highness, the second prince, the territory you control now includes India, Persia, Kazakhstan and large areas of Europe. These places together almost exceed the mainland of China."

"With hundreds of thousands of troops, and the financial support of the East Ryukyu Company, it actually has the strength to compete with the Chinese mainland."

"I'm afraid that the 'princelings' in the DPRK are afraid of us and have taken restrictive actions."

After listening to Zheng Sen's words, Li Shizu looked at the sand table thoughtfully.

He said: "Even if the 'princeling' wants to take action against us, it is absolutely impossible to bypass the emperor unless there is something wrong with the emperor."

"But my father is in his prime, and there is absolutely no chance of any health problems. I must be worrying too much!"

"It seems like I need to go back to China!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Sen's expression changed drastically and he shouted: "Your Highness, you must not do this!"

"The situation in China is unclear now. If His Highness returns to the capital at this time, something unexpected may happen."

"They can put you in jail just for the crime of 'returning to the capital without an edict'. If you must go, let me let you go on behalf of the second prince!"

Li Shizu said: "The Suez Canal will be dug in three months. This is an epoch-making event."

"My father said at the beginning that he would rush to Egypt in person on the day the Suez Canal is opened. You should go to the capital as my king's special envoy to find out the situation."

Zheng Sen clasped his fists and said, "Wei Chen takes orders!"

"Our East Ryukyu Company has spread its eyes and ears everywhere. If something really happened to His Majesty, news should have been sent back long ago!"

"There is no special news coming from China now, which means nothing happened to His Majesty. Please rest assured, Your Majesty."

Looking at Zheng Sen's retreating figure, Li Shizu felt uneasy and hoped that nothing would happen to his father.

Zheng Zhilong was the current Ryukyu uncle and controlled the East India Company. With his influence, they would not dare to touch Zheng Sen easily even if something happened to the capital.

He is indeed the most suitable candidate to return to the capital.

In any case, the top priority now is the opening of the Suez Canal.

This canal runs from Port Said in the north to the city of Suez in the south, and tunnels into the Mediterranean Sea in the north of Port Said to the south of Suez.

It is a small canal dug from the Nile Delta along the Toomela River and a southern branch line, the Helvo Suez Canal. The two canals together were originally called the "Sweet Water Canal" leading to Suez, and a northern section of the Abasiya Canal to Seychelles. Get Hong Kong.

The canal was originally planned to take ten years to build.

However, with the large amount of capital from China and the influx of a large number of workers from France, Poland, Tsarist Russia, and India, the excavation of the canal was progressed much ahead of schedule.

In addition, marl was discovered in the nearby Nile Delta, allowing cement processing plants to be built nearby, which also reduced the cost of canal construction.

With 3 million Chinese silver dollars and the unremitting efforts of nearly one million workers, the canal was built in only three and a half years.

Not only the canal, but also nearby supporting facilities and the two ports of Suez and Port Said have been expanded, and the two port cities have been expanded.

In addition, a large number of fortresses were built outside the port, obviously to prevent the Ottoman Empire from going back on its word!

In addition, 3 Chinese troops were stationed near the entire Suez Canal, stationed at multiple fortresses around the canal.

The completion of the Suez Canal turned the African peninsula into the African continent. Egypt straddled Asia and Africa, and trade in Southwest Asia, Northeast Africa, and Southern Europe became busier.

Direct access to the Mediterranean from the Red Sea region saves the time of going around the African continent to Europe.

The time spent traveling from India to Europe is saved by more than 2/3.

This is also the reason why China has not aggressively seized African ports. Even the value of the Cape of Good Hope has been greatly reduced.

The news of the completion of the Suez Canal shocked the whole of Europe.

The value of the African continent, which Europeans have worked so hard to manage, has been greatly reduced.

And this also means that China's sail battleships can enter the Mediterranean directly from the Arabian Peninsula.

The Mediterranean coast, especially the eastern Mediterranean, has become the biggest beneficiary area.

Ottoman Sultan Murad IV even smiled from ear to ear.

Although the Suez region was leased to China, it was the Ottoman Empire that benefited the most.

The empire's eastern Mediterranean coast suddenly became important, and Istanbul, which was originally a very remote navigation location, became a shipping center.

Port cities such as Alexandria, Damascus, and Athens suddenly prospered.

He also took the opportunity to speak loudly and raised the rent in the Suez area from 200 million Chinese silver dollars per year to 1000 million.

However, China is sitting on the "money tree" of the Suez Canal, and the tariffs collected during passage through the Suez Canal are as high as 20%.

Despite this, I am afraid that there are still too many ships waiting in line to pass through the port every day.

For businessmen, time is money. This route saves 2/3 of the time to India, and half the time to China.

Although the 20% tariff is heavy, it is still worth it.

Of course, in order to thank the Ottoman Empire for its support, a 15% tariff was imposed on Ottoman merchant ships.

On October 1, the ninth year of Qianxi's reign, the Suez Canal will hold its maiden voyage in Port Said, Egypt.

There are thousands of sails outside the harbor, and there are also heads of people on the harbor.

The second prince of China, Li Shizu, personally cut the ribbon at the maiden voyage ceremony. Dignitaries from various European countries were also present. Representatives of Ottoman Sultan Murad IV, Duke Henry of France, Emperor Philip IV of Spain, Charles I of England, and even the Pope also sent envoys to attend.

However, looking at the guests, Li Shizu still had some emotions. His father had promised that he would attend the maiden voyage of the canal. In his memory, his father had never broken his promise to him, which made him deeply regretful. Worry!

Among the crowd watching the canal's maiden voyage, a man was chatting and laughing with several women.

Haziya said: "Your Majesty, if we leave the palace privately like this, aren't you afraid that the two princes will have discord and cause China to fall apart?"

Li Xianzhong said: "I told you not to call me Your Majesty outside again."

"When our sons grow up, you and I will have to let go sooner or later. I believe they will handle their relationship well."

"My lifelong wish is to enjoy the scenery all over the world, read all the spring scenery in the world, with beautiful women by my side, and join hands to see the picturesque mountains and rivers thousands of miles away."

"It's a rare opportunity to take you out for a walk and see how big the world is. Stop worrying about these annoying things."

Hazia had not seen her second son for 5 years. She was very excited to see the high-spirited Li Shizu, but it was a pity that his Majesty did not allow his whereabouts to be exposed.

In fact, Li Xianzhong has already arranged the future of his five sons. The eldest is the crown prince, has been supervising the country for many years, and is very familiar with government affairs, so he will naturally inherit the position of Emperor of China.

Since ancient times, emperors in the Central Plains rarely had the opportunity to go on expeditions, so the second son was responsible for opening up territories for the Chinese Empire.

If his own son had not been in charge of the army, he would never have left the important task of conquering Europe to outsiders.

Doing this is a recipe for disaster, and may very well harm these old brothers who have followed him for many years.

With a large amount of land and hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers in hand, who doesn’t have any other ideas?
Even the second eldest son in the family, the crown prince, is probably not at ease.

Although the boss himself has never proposed to guard against the second child, the "princelings" under him have long been unable to sit still and have been doing everything possible to restrict the second child.

The sudden disappearance of Hazia and the others this time was the ultimate test for his two sons.

Let's see if the two brothers would be incompatible with each other if they were no longer at war with each other.

What are the thoughts of these ministers and feudal officials who are seemingly respectful to him? Are there any "careerists" who will take the opportunity to cause chaos and instigate brothers to fight each other?

If the two brothers withstand this ultimate test, then they can abdicate with peace of mind and live the life they want.

Li Xianzhong is not Zhu Yuanzhang, and it is impossible to kill all those who may be a threat just to pave the way for his son.

This is not only a test for the two sons, but also a test for these court officials.

If someone dares to cause trouble, he will never show mercy.

Rather than causing chaos after his death, it is better to eliminate hidden dangers while he is still able to control the situation.

Of course, the risk of doing this is not small. After all, the famous King Zhao Wuling in history only ended up starving to death in the Dune Palace after his two sons took over the throne after he voluntarily abdicated.

However, for the future of the Chinese Empire, Li Xianzhong decided to take a risk.

The navigation of the Suez Canal went smoothly, and Li Shizu took this opportunity to show China's powerful national power to other countries.

China's sailing battleships made European countries, including the Ottomans, afraid to covet this canal.

It seems that the second child's methods are now very sophisticated.

After visiting the Suez Canal, Li Xianzhong went to Egypt to look for the pyramids under the protection of a group of hidden guards.

At this time, the capital and cabinet were in chaos.

Emperor Li Xianzhong, along with his queen Hazia and several concubines, left only four words "incognito patrol" before disappearing completely.

They have been missing for almost half a year now.

In order to ensure Li Xianzhong's safety, Li Shengzu did not dare to search in a big way.

Although the Intelligence Department sent countless spies, there was never an accurate whereabouts of the father.

According to their speculation, His Majesty is probably no longer in China, because someone has discovered suspects in Singapore and Calcutta, India, and it is likely that they are His Majesty and his party.

Li Xianzhong also fought abroad for a long time, so his disappearance would not have any impact on the operation of the Chinese court.

This is completely different from the concept that Emperor Wanli gave up his job.

However, although Li Xianzhong did not care much about trivial government affairs in the past, he would always plan the big direction for Li Shengzu.

Now that his father is gone, he really can't make up his mind about some things.

For example, regarding the Chinese expedition to Europe, it was actually the father who directly contacted his second brother and several governors.

The second brother has indeed done well in the past few years and has conquered a large territory for China.

However, the cabinet was divided over whether to continue sending troops to Europe.

Li Sanshun, Minister of War and Second Assistant to the Cabinet, insisted on continuing to deliver large amounts of supplies to Europe in accordance with the established policy and sending troops to replace the troops stationed there.

In order to alleviate the homesickness of the European troops, the imperial court promised that as long as they served in the western region for two years, they would be given an opportunity to return home for a rotation.

Even if the imperial court no longer sends more troops to Europe, it should send rotating soldiers to take over.

This is a national policy that ensures the combat effectiveness of the expeditionary force and prevents the expedition general from being in control of the army for a long time.

However, a group of civil servants headed by the chief minister of the cabinet, Yan Mingtai, and academicians Feng Quan and Qian Qianyi, believed that the territory controlled by the second prince was too big now.

The lands of India, Central Asia and Europe combined have surpassed the mainland of China.

The number of Chinese troops stationed in these areas alone reached 22, including the requisitioned Mongolian cavalry, Cossack cavalry, North German allied forces, Polish hussars and the Mughal Empire's troops.

Its total strength even exceeded 70.

And most of them are elite divisions with rich practical experience.

Although the total force that China can mobilize is no less than a million.

However, most of the main forces are scattered in remote places such as Japan, the Western Regions, Annan, and Myanmar.

If the two sides really start fighting, China's local army may not have the advantage.

The only thing that can control the Central Asian and European theaters is logistical supplies.

But the third prince made a lot of money from Europeans in the Netherlands, and they were not short of money at all.

Yan Mingtai knelt on the ground and shouted loudly: "Now that the second prince wants soldiers and money, His Royal Highness must be on guard!"

Li Sanshun, the second assistant, angrily said: "The soldiers and horses in the hands of the second prince are also the soldiers and horses of China. Conquering Europe is your majesty's plan. Does Yan Shoufu want to overturn the national policy formulated by your majesty?"

Li Sanshun has the support of the Crown Prince Mao Yuanyi, the Minister of Industry Song Yingxing and others!
The two sides were at loggerheads!
Li Shengzu, who had always acted calmly and decisively, hesitated for the first time.

One side is his biological brother, and the other side is the crown prince, how should he choose?
So he had no choice but to suspend the court debate on the grounds of physical discomfort.

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