Many engineers from the United States have experience in laying cables in the Atlantic, and at first they thought that they had to find out the hydrological situation in advance, but they did not expect that the prime minister's preparations would be so thorough, and he had already explored a safe laying area in advance, which was too convenient.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, with your hydrographic chart, we are confident that the submarine cable from Ryukyu to Kagoshima will be laid within three months......

"If the rear production can be supplied, the two submarine cables from Ryukyu to Shanghai and Tanggu will also be successfully laid in the autumn and winter of this year, please rest assured......"

Xiao Letian couldn't close his smile at this time, he held the engineer's hand and said, "Very good, very good! As long as these three lines are successfully laid, then I will continue to invest, and one day you will lay the submarine cable across the entire Pacific Ocean, which is the real big project!"

Nobel looked at the excited Xiao Letian and said with great emotion: "I am proud of my decision, you are really an Asian leader who respects science, and I believe that Nobel's investment in East Asia will be a great success!"

Xiao Letian smiled and took his hand and said, "If you succeed, you will know in the future, business in Asia will become the wisest investment for you, I even have an idea......"

"What if we all worked together to form a foundation? Every year, the world's best people are selected, such as the Peace Prize, the Physics Prize, the Chemistry Prize...... Wait, what do you think of rewarding talents who have made outstanding contributions to human society this year?"

Xiao Letian's mention made Mr. Nobil's eyes light up immediately, especially the idea of the Peace Prize made his heart ecstatic.

"Oh, dear Shaw, you surprised me so much, I never expected you to make such a wise decision, so how about I think this fund is clearly the Shaw Nobel Fund?"

"Ahem, cough, cough......" Xiao Lotian almost choked on his saliva, he really didn't expect that his surname would be put before Mr. Nobel's name, which was completely unexpected.

However, looking at Mr. Nobel's resolute gaze, Xiao Letian knew that he was serious, "Oh, Mr. Nobel, the matter of this foundation can be discussed in detail after our cooperation enters the orbit, and now the first task is to help us establish a perfect chemical system......

"Needless to say, if the Ryukyus can produce your latest smokeless gunpowder, then our cooperation will be a complete success, and then a steady stream of profits will flow to the Foundation, and the abundant prize money will make the world's elites crazy!"

Nobel held Xiao Letian's hand tightly, "As you wish, I will give all my ......"

......

Just as Xiao Lotian and Nobel were looking forward to the future, the group of benevolents in the boot camp were also talking in a low voice.

The spacious dormitory was lined with neat wooden bunk beds, and the recruits had already laid down after a hard day's work, and many of them had fallen asleep with low snoring, but there was still a group of people chatting in the corner of the room.

"What kind of background do you think that kid named Tongfu is? He was only eleven years old and was able to participate in recruit training, and he brought so many subordinates with him?"

"yes, and he hasn't cut his braids yet, so how can there be a soldier with braids in our boot camp......?

"Moreover, you see that among the few people who have served for a long time, there are four people with very strange temperaments, and I even suspect that they are not men!"

This sentence made many people interested, and these few people who secretly chatted were Qiu Wei, Liu Anchen, Jiang Yuheng, and Yan Xing...... Those who are about to study in Europe.

They had already looked at Tongfu a little weirdly, and everyone had a common guess in their hearts, but no one dared to say it.

Liu Anchen lay flat on the bed and whispered, "Why do you look more and more like the eunuchs in Sijiu City?"

The little brothers stopped talking, and Qiu Wei said cautiously for a long time, "My family lives in Beijing, and when I boarded a sea ship to Ryukyu, a fellow villager once secretly told me a secret ......."

"I heard that Emperor Tongzhi recognized the prime minister as a teacher, and there were rumors that the emperor was going to study with the prime minister...... You say that this is a blessing, will it ......?"

"Silence! Can't sleep yet?Is this something you should be discussing?" At that moment, a deep voice sounded in their ears, and when they looked up, they saw that it was Instructor Shimazu Dairo.

The Japanese instructor's face turned white, and he didn't know when he came out and blew his beard at a few of them.

Several benefactors didn't say a word, covered their heads with quilts and hurried to sleep, and no one dared to speak. And Shimazu Dairo walked out of the dormitory, looked up at the stars in the night sky, and beat the drum in his heart.

The prime minister did not reveal the true identity of Tongfu to the Ryukyu military and civilians, but he could not stop the spread of rumors, and the news that the little emperor of Tongzhi followed the prime minister to study had secretly spread, and the top of the real new army already knew this secret.

The emperor of the mainland civilization still has a higher status in the hearts of the Japanese than the emperor, although they do not admit it in their mouths, but this concept has not changed subconsciously.

As soon as Shimazu Daro thought that he had called and drank to the Central Plains Emperor, and even punished him, his heart beat wildly, his knees were weak, and he even wanted to kneel on the ground to ask Emperor Tongzhi for his guilt.

"No, no, no...... The prime minister didn't announce it at all, so I just acted as if nothing happened, I was an officer of the new army, and in my eyes, the military order was as big as the sky, as for the emperor's, I didn't care...... yes, I just don't care!"

Shimazu Dairo was cheering himself up, but his eyes were still staring at the single dormitory where Tongfu lived with a little fear, and the more he thought about it, the more unpleasant it became.

At the same time, in the single room where Emperor Tongzhi lived, a huge wooden barrel was emitting heat, and two eunuchs, Ermao and Xiaosixi, were sprinkling herbs into the hot water, which were all precious herbs that helped the emperor strengthen his muscles and bones.

In the outhouse where the little emperor was bathing, a respectful middle-aged man was kneeling on the ground motionless waiting for the emperor's reception, he had been kneeling for a long time, his knees were now numb, but he didn't dare to move at all, his face was all respectful.

"So, are you Hu Xueyan's man? Zuo Zongtang's military expenses were also raised by you?"

The man hurriedly buckled his head, "Your Majesty, we and Lord Hu will always be the emperor's people, and our loyalty to the Qing Dynasty can be seen every day......"

"Okay, okay, there's no need to show loyalty, what's so great about the emperor? There are still different factions below, and there are many factions? God knows ......if you are loyal to me or that faction."

There was a sound of water, and the little emperor stood up from the bathtub, dried himself with a towel without the eunuch, and then got into the thick quilt.

"Come in!" At the sound of the order, the man in the outer room quickly got up and walked into the inner room, knelt on the ground and kowtowed to the emperor.

"Slave, Zhang Xiaowen, the second shopkeeper in charge of the Ryukyu business under the red-capped merchant Hu Xueyan, please give your majesty!"

"Okay, okay, I didn't call you to kowtow, but to have serious things for you to do, whether you are loyal or not, let's see the matter!"

Jaechun sat cross-legged on the bed, wrapped in a thick quilt, and summoned the courtiers in this way, if the Confucian courtiers saw it, he might not know how to give advice.

In fact, Zaichun's appearance is very inconsistent with the norms of royal etiquette, and neither the Manchu nor the Han will allow the emperor to be so casual. But for Zhang Xiaowen, who was kneeling on the ground, such a face made him inexplicably excited in his heart.

The emperor is so informal, which shows that he regards me as a person around him, and he can't be treated like this if he is not the most trusted minion.

The excited second shopkeeper straightened his waist and knelt down to listen to the emperor's teachings.

"Hmm...... According to the law of the country, your descendants cannot participate in the imperial examination, and they cannot even wear silk clothes, and there are many restrictions on building houses, and almost all officials can get stuck with you when you go out ...... business."

"Hehe, of course, you also have your own methods, if you have money, donate to the official, and have an official body to protect you, and those harsh national laws will not work, but ......"

"However, what is fake is fake, in the eyes of the court and officials, you businessmen who donate officials, in the final analysis, are just businessmen who are not in the stream, no one will look down on you, and even your property will be the object of coveting by the court and officials, am I right......"

Zhang Xiaowen's eyes suddenly became hot, and two hot tears rolled down, the little emperor really said that he had "the emperor's ......" in his heart

Zaichun waved his hand, "That's why your big shopkeeper Hu Xueyan wants to take refuge in the Hunan army, hehe...... To be honest, the Hunan army doesn't look down on you very much, Hu Xueyan is just Zuo Zongtang's person after all, and he still has several layers of relationship with Zeng Dashuai......"

"As far as I know, Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang have always been at odds, what do you say about the gods fighting in the future?

Zhang Xiaowen's eyes were bigger than the copper bell, and his heart was full of incredulity, what did the emperor mean by this?

Zai Chun sneered, "I have civil servants and military generals, Manchu nobles, and Han Confucians, but there are only a few loyal businessmen missing, I don't know if Hu Xueyan is my loyal minister?"

With a bang, Zhang Xiaowen's head slammed on the floor, and a bag the size of an egg bulged, "......Majesty! Qingyutang is a loyal minister of the emperor from top to bottom! All of them are loyal ministers of the Qing Dynasty......" Zhang Xiaowen was about to cry urgently.

At this time, the two eldest and youngest Sixi beside the emperor suddenly rushed up, grabbed Zhang Xiaowen and dragged him up from the ground, and put his head to His Majesty's side with both hands.

The little emperor said to him in a cold tone that was completely inconsistent with his age: "What I want is absolute loyalty to me, not this Qing Dynasty, not this court, not some prince's court...... You remember it for me, for me...... Aisin Jueluo Zaichun, the loyal ...... of the Tongzhi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty"

"I asked if you can do it, and if Hu Xueyan can do it, I will give you half a month to let Hu Xueyan leave and come to Ryukyu to see me, of course, on the premise that he is absolutely loyal to me!"