"Speak human language."

“We don’t want to work overtime.”

"That..."

"There are still many wealthy people in Qinghe. As long as the government has it, there will still be people who want it. After all, the electric light looks a bit too shocking. If you sell it directly, you will probably be regarded as a swindler. But if the government has it, there will be many people who want it."

"You want to sell it?"

"Yes."

Ling Yang took out a thick report from his arms and placed it on Lin Hai's desk.

"You can see that the sales of our flagship products, especially crystal, have continued to decline. The royal families of Xia and Liang have issued decrees to reduce crystal imports and impose high tariffs. Relying solely on the Chen Dynasty's market, it is difficult for us to maintain the current balance of income and expenditure.

Simply put, we need new products, and the more complex these products are, the higher the price they can command.”

Ling Yang almost had the word "poor" written on his face, and Lin Hai immediately understood what was going on.

It is obvious that Wei Mingyuan and Xia Junao, who know what crystal is, are gradually controlling its import. Not banning it directly is already a face-saving measure for "Mr. Lin".

After all, the long-term crystal trade has brought extraordinary pressure to the two countries.

As for the Chen Dynasty, since the two sides were already in a state of war, overt economic exchanges had completely stopped, and the profits from smuggling alone could not support the expenses of the scientific research department, so Ling Yang urgently needed a product that could make money quickly.

Anyway, within the jurisdiction of Qinghe, silver, copper, zinc, pyrite and other minerals are very abundant. The cost of large-scale production of silver-zinc batteries is not high. Moreover, once exported, they will need to be equipped with electric lights, wires, generators, etc. This can be regarded as a precedent for the export of complete sets of industrial products in the world, and profits should be guaranteed.

"What about confidentiality?"

"The machines for export are currently under design. Basically, we've placed explosives between the machine and the battery. Anyone who dares to dismantle them will face certain death or wealth."

Ling Yang said with a wicked smile:

"We'll include instructions, telling them to store them in a cool, dry place, away from fire... We'll provide ample advance notice. Even if something goes wrong, we can't be blamed. And we're confident no one will actually come to Qinghe to claim compensation from us."

"There's no need to pack explosives for the parts sold domestically. After all, they're our own. But we need to convey the message that they can't be disassembled. If anyone leaks the secrets of electricity, they'll be ready to go mining until they die."

"Yes, sir."

Lin Hai never imagined that this simple conversation would cause such a stir in the world. This was the first time in history that humans in this world had conquered darkness through industrial means. Torches and candles were no longer the first choice for dispelling darkness...

Of course, with the reliable lighting means, the night shift system was first started, which was something no one had expected. As the biggest exploiter, Lin Hai just sighed with mixed feelings after hearing about it, turned off the lights and went to bed.

As for the newly emerging profession of electrician, it was entirely due to the expansion of employment brought about by technological development. Unfortunately, these electricians were not the same electricians as before. Not only could they not write science fiction, they also had no knowledge of electricity at all. They simply cranked the handle frantically to charge the battery as instructed by the owner...

Seeing the national treasury becoming increasingly full, Lin Hai finally made up his mind and ordered an investment of 100,000 taels of silver to build the first phase of the wired telegraph from Qinghe County to Xijing.

As the telegraph machine beeped, Lin Hai checked the code in a dictionary-adapted code book. Finally, at the January grand court meeting, he read out the contents of the first telegram in history: "Your Majesty, the telegram has been sent, and everything is fine."

At the court that day, the military and political giants of Qinghe reached a rare consensus that no matter how much it cost, they must build a telegraph office and a telegraph network covering the entire territory. The technological revolution led by the time travelers that Lin Hai had been looking forward to finally entered the second stage.

It is known in history as the Electric Power Revolution.