527: Chapter 527 The Vastness of the World

"The world is truly vast!"

The First Emperor slowly descended from the carriage.

His posture was upright, and despite the long journey, his innate majesty remained undiminished.

Taking steady steps, he gazed into the distance at the Khyber Pass leading to the Mauryan Empire; the continuous mountain ranges on both sides wound and rolled into the distance, seemingly without end.

Looking at this magnificent scene, the First Emperor could not help but let out a deep and long sigh; his voice echoed in the air like a great bell, filled with his endless reflections on the world.

Usually, when the First Emperor looked at the detailed world map drawn by Zhao Fusu, a surge of grand ambition would rise in his heart, making him wish he could seize every inch of land seen on the map and incorporate it into the territory of Great Qin.

However, when he actually set out on the journey and personally measured this vast world with his own feet, he truly realized the boundless expanse of the world and the limitations of human effort.

It turned out that just seeing a piece of land did not mean it could be easily conquered; the hardships and obstacles faced were far beyond imagination.

Zhao Fusu stood quietly by the First Emperor's side, equally moved by the sight before him, his heart filled with deep emotion.

He couldn't help but recall that nearly two years had passed since they set out from Great Qin and traveled all this way to this place.

During these two years, they had spent almost all their time rushing along the long road, sleeping in the wild and enduring many hardships.

They did not have any so-called efficient means of transportation; they relied on the most primitive "Route 11"—their own two feet.

The speed of land travel was far too slow; every step taken consumed a great deal of time and energy.

Zhao Fusu knew well that such transportation efficiency was extremely detrimental to the development and expansion of Great Qin.

While building a railway was a good strategy for improving transportation, it was easier said than done; it was undoubtedly an incredibly massive and difficult project.

When laying tracks, bridges had to be built over rivers, and mountains had to be bypassed; if one wanted to cut directly through a mountain, it would require an enormous amount of manpower and resources to dig a tunnel.

Even with the immense national strength of Great Qin and the investment of countless resources into railway construction, the current mileage of the railway was still far from developed.

If they wanted to extend the railway to the distant Western Regions, the time required would be even more immeasurable.

Zhao Fusu understood in his heart that the current population size and transportation conditions of Great Qin were like two sets of shackles, mutually restricting Great Qin's development.

To strengthen control over Great Qin's vast territory and allow its development to proceed more rapidly, Great Qin urgently needed more efficient means of transportation.

"What kind of efficient transportation tool can Great Qin manufacture right now?"

Zhao Fusu lowered his head slightly and muttered to himself, his brow furrowed as he fell into deep thought.

His mind constantly considered various possibilities.

If one were to speak of the transportation tool that could best shorten travel time, it would certainly be something that could fly in the sky.

Currently, Great Qin actually possessed the "Heavenly Palace"—the Hot Air Balloon.

These Hot Air Balloons utilized the property that hot air is lighter than cold air to generate buoyancy, achieving the feat of taking to the skies and, to some extent, taking the first step toward aerial travel.

However, the maneuverability of Hot Air Balloons was simply too poor.

It was entirely a matter of flying with the wind; the direction of flight was determined completely by the wind, and it could not fly in any direction at will like the airplanes known to later generations.

This lack of control greatly limited the value of Hot Air Balloons in practical applications.

"Since Hot Air Balloons seem impractical, what kind of flying tool should be used?"

"This tool needs to be relatively easy to manufacture like a Hot Air Balloon, but it also must be capable of active steering. The limitations of the Hot Air Balloon's flight method are just too great; it simply cannot meet Great Qin's demand for efficient transportation."

Zhao Fusu muttered to himself while pacing.

"Ideally, this flying tool should also have a massive cargo capacity. After all, Great Qin's territory is vast, and the transport of goods is a crucial link. But the cargo capacity of Hot Air Balloons is still too poor, far from meeting actual needs!"

Zhao Fusu shook his head helplessly.