Qingzhou.

With the first snow, winter suddenly arrived, but unlike the countless dark and icy nights in previous years, Qingzhou has now become a city that never sleeps.

There are tall street lamps every twenty meters on the avenue leading to the Imperial City, and the bright light makes the road seem like daylight.

In addition to the main road, street lamps have also been built on other streets, and the light is connected to the light, and the light is endless.

On both sides of the street are commercial shops and houses, and with the spread of electricity in Qingzhou, every household in Qingzhou is now shrouded in the light of incandescent lamps.

In this light, Qingzhou's commercial activities are still hot at night, and the large and small shops are crowded with people, a prosperous scene.

The Imperial Study.

Xiao Ming and the cabinet ministers are there, it is already eight o'clock in the evening, and it stands to reason that they should all be at home now.

But the date was different for them, because immediately after the cable telegraph, another vital means of communication for the Empire was to be officially put into use.

"It's eight o'clock, why hasn't it sounded yet?" Pang Yukun paced back and forth, a little impatient.

Zhan Xingchang's face was full of expectation, "If this call is really so magical, it's worth waiting a little longer." ”

Xiao Ming sat in a chair, and in front of him was a 19th-century telephone, a telephone line that followed the telephone from the imperial study to the outside.

After the popularization of the cable telegraph in the important cities of the empire, the telephone, as an important product of the 19th century, was also born with the efforts of scientific researchers.

With magnets, rubber diaphragms and gaskets, it's not a problem to manufacture the receivers needed for telephones.

In terms of principle, the telephone is similar to the wired telegraph, both using electrical signals, so while laying the wired telegraph, Xiao Ming instructed to bury several wires in order to prepare for today's telephone.

After all, he is from the modern era and stands tall and far-sighted, so when he is working, he will always be prepared for the future, so as not to do unnecessary construction again.

"Jingle Bell ......"

Just when everyone was anxious, suddenly the telephone in front of Xiao Ming rang.

Xiao Ming looked at everyone with a smile, and he said, "Come, let us witness this historical moment together." ”

With that, he picked up the telephone.

"I'm Xiao Ming, now report the situation on the phone." Xiao Ming said.

At the other end of the line was He Dong, who was now the director of the Imperial Telecommunications Department, whether it was cable telegraphy or wireless telegraphy, and now the telephone was under his control.

Hearing this name, he suddenly became excited, "Your Majesty, the lower officials are now reporting to you in Dengzhou, and after testing, the wired phone is now officially connected." ”

"Very good, when you come back, I will personally pick up the wind and wash the dust for you." Xiao Ming had a thick smile on his face.

"Your Majesty." He Dong said excitedly.

The sound of the phone clearly reached the ears of Pang Yukun and the others, which made them look shocked, and Fiji said: "Your Majesty, can you let the old minister say a few words?" “

"Of course." Xiao Ming said with a smile, he is much calmer than others about this kind of thing, after all, these are just pediatrics in contemporary times.

Handing over the phone, Fiji couldn't wait to say: "I'm Fiji, are you Hedong?" ”

"It's me?" On the other end of the phone, He Dong wanted to laugh inexplicably.

Fiji exclaimed, "What a magical thing......"

Before he finished speaking, Pang Yukun and the others rushed up, and they couldn't wait, Fiji had to watch the phone he was holding being snatched by this and that.

Compared with the excitement of everyone, Xiao Ming was happy and a little painful at the same time, whether it was a cable telegraph or a telephone, it consumed a lot of rubber and copper in the empire, which were all real money.

In addition, routes between important cities that often need to be built for hundreds of miles, and relay stations are built to expand the signal in order to extend the communication distance of telephones, which is a large investment.

However, compared with the timeliness of the call, he felt that the investment was worth it, because he no longer had to worry about the war in the north, and he would not receive the news until a month later.

With a telephone, he could get a telegram from the frontier and give instructions in an instant.

In addition, the breakthrough of wired telephone technology made battlefield telephones possible, and in the future foreign wars of the empire, commanders could command troops at all levels through telephones.

"How? Is fresh enough? After waiting for about ten minutes, Xiao Ming asked.

At this time, Pang Yukun and the others were still excited, Pang Yukun said: "I didn't expect this science and technology to have such a magical function, and now the empire is really able to transmit sound for thousands of miles." ”

"Thinking of more than ten years ago, we didn't dare to imagine that there would be such a magical thing, but we didn't expect that under the emperor's governance, these impossibilities were being realized one by one." Fiji said: "The minister thinks that in the future, the investment in scientific research should be greatly increased. “

On one point, other cabinet ministers also hold the same idea, for whom the rejuvenation of the country through science and technology is definitely not an empty phrase.

Xiao Ming wanted this effect, compared to the telegram, the phone is now more deterrent, so he deliberately left them late, in order to let them feel the power of the phone for the first time.

Ge Yiren's expression was a little complicated, and he said: "In this way, if the emperor wants to know what is happening in this people in the future, he only needs to make a phone call to inquire?" ”

"Of course." Xiao Ming smiled with a deep smile on his face, "In the past, I stayed in this palace compound all day long to deal with government affairs, and if I wanted to know the real situation outside, I could only look at your twists and turns, but now it is different, I have countless pairs of eyes outside." ”

"It's... This is really going to congratulate the emperor. Ge Yiren said humbly.

These words are also an invisible deterrent to the ears of other cabinet ministers, and with this call, the emperor's control over the empire will be more direct and effective.

He could even sit in the palace and directly mobilize troops thousands of miles away to enter King Qin, and this only took a moment.

I have to say that with the telephone and telegraph, it will be more difficult for the empire to cause chaos, and even if there is chaos, I am afraid that it will be settled for a while.

"Congratulations to the Emperor! Congratulations to the Emperor! The other eight said in unison.

Xiao Ming nodded slightly, in fact, he was also very proud this time, because he was prepared for a rainy day, the telephone no longer needed to lay lines like a wired telegraph, and after the success of this experiment, the domestic telephone could be put into use quickly.

However, despite the official phone call, there are still many places that need to be installed, and this is what He Dong will do next.

Thinking of this, he said to Pang Yukun: "You immediately give an order to let all provinces cooperate with He Dong to assemble the telephone, and at the same time inform them of the function and usefulness of the telephone." ”

"Yes, Your Majesty." Pang Yukun said excitedly, he was looking forward to the popularity of the phone in the empire.