Chapter 354 Telegram
The carriage drove on the smooth and wide road leading to the first town without any bumps. Through the car window, the members of the Far East Assistance Mission were eye-opened by the level of construction of the East African highway.
Li Ge asked Willix, who was sent by the First Town Municipal Government to pick him up: "Mr. Willix, what are the threads hanging on those wooden poles at intervals along the road? Something?”
Since Willix is Austrian, the communication between the two requires Aryan to translate.
Aryan: "That's the wire for communication, it connects the city of Dar es Salaam to the first town."
Li Ge: "Communication? Just rely on those two lines!"
Aryan: "Yes, this is the charm of science. If I explain it to you, you may not understand it, but as long as you know With these cables, news from Europe can reach East Africa within a day."
Li Ge suspected that Aryan was questioning his IQ. He didn't explain the principle to him. How could he know these two things? The operating mechanism of the line.
Li Ge: "Mr. Aryan, I know that you Westerners have made many creations in craftsmanship. They can build large steam ships, advanced guns and cannons, and industrial products for various purposes. In this regard, they may be better than Our Far East is a little more advanced, but we just didn’t pay attention to scientific and technological research before.”
< br>Aryan: "Of course I know this. Mr. Li Ge, I was also from the Far East, so I know a lot about this. The Far East is indeed quite backward in this regard. Needless to say, ordinary people's understanding of science is that many officials may It’s also incredible that such a thing as a telegraph exists.”
The education level in the Far East is certainly far behind that of the German region. After all, the German region is relatively unique in the world in terms of universal compulsory education.
Aryan then told Aryan about the general operating principle of the telegraph. Li Ge was stunned for a while. This was indeed a bit brain-burning for Li Ge who only read four books and five classics.
Li Ge: "You are saying that you created thunder and lightning and used it to deliver messages?"
Aryan: "That is not thunder and lightning, just ordinary electricity. With the current science and technology , no one can control thunder and lightning, its energy is too powerful and uncontrollable."
Li Ge: "Then you said that you can create thunder and lightning with a generator!"< br>
Aryan: "Electricity already exists in nature, and European scientists have studied electricity itself and converted electricity into energy. This energy is the magnetic field."
"Magnetic field?" Li Geyou heard It's a new term, but it's still hard to understand. In Li Ge's view, thunder and lightning are "the wrath of heaven." These foreign barbarians' attempt to control thunder and lightning is simply treason.
In fact, there have been countless talented people with scientific spirit in the Far East since ancient times. They are not superstitious about the induction of heaven and man like Li Ge.
For example, in the "Huainanzi" of the Han Dynasty, it is believed that "thin yin and yang become thunder, and excitement becomes electricity." Although "Huainanzi" has no basis for understanding thunder and lightning, it illustrates the ancients' dialectical thinking about thunder and lightning, and It is not a superstitious belief in the Confucian theory of interaction between heaven and man.
Written in the Warring States Period, "The Biography of Guliang" recorded earlier: Yin and Yang are thin, and when touched, it becomes thunder, and when stimulated, it becomes thunder. Yin and yang correspond to positive and negative charges. It’s scary to think about it. After all, the ancients could have such a knowledge thousands of years ago when science and technology were so low. Even if it is just a coincidence, it will make people awe-inspiring, but, really Is it just a coincidence!
Aryan: "Mr. Li Ge, actually you don't have to be surprised. Telegraphs are actually available in the Far East now, but you may not know it."
Li Ge: "The Far East "Also?"
Aryan: "Yes, at the beginning of this year, Britain, Norway, Tsarist Russia and Denmark hosted the installation of Hong Kong to Shanghai, The telegraph line from Nagasaki to Shanghai is expected to be completed soon, and the Hechingen Electric Power Company is also planning a telegraph line from Shanghai to Jiaozhou.”
Aryan knew about this because he coordinated it at the time. The person in charge of the matter is himself. It is really not easy to find a German translator in the Far East, so the Hechingen Foundation often borrows people from the East African embassy.
When Aryan and the aid team left the Far East, the submarine cable from Shanghai to Jiaozhou had already been laid. By then, it would be directly connected to the Danish-led "Danish Telegraph Company" telegraph line, so that East Africa would also be able to contact the Far East in the future. This can be done via telegram.
It's just that the news has to be transferred from Europe, which requires an extra procedure, but it doesn't matter. The "Denmark Great Northern Telegraph Company" is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. Although it has a multi-national capital background, it is still a Danish company.
Only the top officials of the Far East government and some local dignitaries know about the laying of telegraph lines in the Far East. Little people like Li Ge really don’t understand it.
In fact, the Far Eastern government is still opposed to foreign companies laying telegraph lines in the Far East, but the situation is stronger than the people, so they turn a blind eye. Among them, the Hechingen Consortium is the most egregious. Yes, they directly persuaded Austrian businessmen to invest in the telegraph network centered on Xuzhou in the Huaihai Economic Zone. However, many European countries and regions have not yet fully popularized telegraph, so this approach is a bit ahead of its time.
If this network is built, it is uncertain whether it will be profitable in the initial stage, because the Huaihai Economic Zone is currently an economically backward area in the Far East, with many poor people. Many of them cannot afford the cost of telegraph, or they do not have the money. This concept of consumption will only wait until the Huaihai Economic Zone develops and new things like telegraphs become known.
Although the Huaihai Economic Zone was proposed by East Africa, East Africa itself did not invest much in the local area. Most of them were Austrian businessmen brought in by East Africa. Many of the factories they invested in and built could drive local development in the future, but no one was able to develop the economy here. I know how many years it will take.
However, the difficulty is not too great. After all, investment eliminates the interference of local governments. As long as there are no foreigners to cause trouble, there will basically be no big problems. Behind the Huaihai Economic Zone, it represents the cooperation between Germany and Austria. The world's major powers, even Britain, France, and Russia, must act within their capabilities.
This is a sure-profit business, but it takes time. Whether it can be profitable in the early stage depends on Xuzhou, a battleground for military strategists, and whether the north-south transportation hub can assume its function as a hub city.
However, judging from the investment enthusiasm of Austrian businessmen, they are relatively optimistic about this project. With the development of the times, things like telegraphy will definitely become popular around the world. Although the average consumption level in the Far East is not high, the volume is It is big enough, and Xuzhou is located in the center of the Central Plains, Zhili, Shandong, Anhui, and Jiangsu. The contact center of these areas is Xuzhou. Therefore, building a telegraph company in Xuzhou should, with a high probability, be profitable!
The Hechingen Consortium is just taking the lead in this matter. The specific decision is left to the German Far East Chamber of Commerce.
The focus of the Hexingen Consortium is on how to strengthen the connection between East Africa and the Far East. The Xuzhou Telegraph Company was initially envisioned to be just an inland information exchange node, and it also focused on profitability issues. The external exchange node of the Huaihai Economic Zone was in Jiaozhou. There is only one excellent port in the entire Huaihai Economic Zone, which is also the background for the laying of the telegraph line from Shanghai to Jiaozhou.
(End of this chapter)