The world is a closely connected whole, and the major changes in the Chu-Rui War are like huge rocks thrown into the lake, causing ripples and profoundly affecting the decisions of various countries.
Its impact is fermenting, and the most intense impact has been in Europe, which has caused many countries to make strategic changes.
In the suburbs of Xinghai, the capital of the Song Dynasty, in the summer castle of the Song royal family.
Prime Minister Jin Kuohai put aside cabinet affairs and hurriedly came to meet Song Wang Zhantie.
He spoke solemnly to King Zhan Tie of the Song Dynasty: "Your Majesty, now the Chu-Rui War has a definite result. As we expected, this war triggered a sudden change in the situation in Europe.
Compared with Europe before the Churui War and Europe after the Churui War, earth-shaking changes have taken place.
We can no longer analyze the previous situation with the same old eyes.
Especially the defeat of Chu State caused internal problems in Chu State.
Even if a big country like Chu loses, the weakening of its national power will be very limited.
Once the internal problems explode, it is likely to detonate all the problems in Chu State.
In the beginning, Chu State was just a small businessman resisting taxes. If Chu State can solve the problem in time, they are likely to reverse the crisis.
But the Chu court was too arrogant and ignored these people's appeals.
We outsiders will definitely not miss this opportunity.
With our encouragement, the situation in Chu State has deteriorated across the board.
Now it is not just the lower class Han people whose interests have been harmed.
The indigenous people who were treated even worse also took advantage of this chaos to cause trouble.
This is no ordinary riot, it has developed into a rebellion."
King Zhan Tie of the Song Dynasty had a relatively clear understanding of what happened in Chu State. He wanted to hear how the ministers viewed this matter.
When he heard about the aboriginal rebellion in Chu State and the intervention of Song State, he immediately frowned.
This matter is definitely hovering near the bottom line of the empire and may be sanctioned by the empire at any time.
He didn't understand this matter at all. Could it be that these ministers were so ambitious?
"Prime Minister Jin, has our country also intervened in the rebellion of the aboriginal people of Chu State?"
Prime Minister Jin Kuohai heard Song Wang Zhantie ask this question.
He immediately explained: "Your Majesty, the most we can do is support the Han people whose interests have been harmed and cause riots.
This made Chu unable to integrate internally and lose its ability to expand externally.
Supporting Aboriginal rebellion is a minefield that cannot be touched.
I will never gamble with the future of the Song Dynasty."
Prime Minister Jin Kuohai immediately explained the relevant issues. He did not want Song Wang Zhantie to think that he was no longer useful because of this incident.
Song Wang Zhantie nodded: "It's good to know what a minefield is. There are some things that must not be touched.
Risks and benefits are not consistent at all, and it is not something a wise person would do."
After King Zhantie of Song Dynasty said this, he motioned to Prime Minister Jin Kuohai to continue what he had not finished just now.
Prime Minister Jin Kuohai spoke solemnly: "The Chu State has been severely weakened by the turmoil caused by the civil war.
It has lost its former threat.
With the current strength of the Chu State, there is simply no way for it to expand externally.
What's more, the Rui State has joined forces with the Cao State, and will not stop at the border between the two countries.
The five southern prefectures of Rui were previously occupied by the Chu State. A large number of local factories were destroyed, and the machines and workers were dragged into the country by the Chu State.
With such a big hatred, Rui Guo has the upper hand and will never fail to retaliate.
However, Rui State must first repair the five southern mansions so that the army has a stable rear base, and then Rui State will consider conquering Chu State.
When Chu knows that Rui is ready, it will attack them.
The war between Chu and Rui was started by the Chu State, but it was not up to the Chu State to decide when it would end.
During this period of time, Chu State will seize the time to prepare for war while integrating internal affairs, and will definitely not open a second battlefield.
We should seize this opportunity to re-examine our country's strategic layout."
Song Wang Zhantie was lying on a wicker chair, frowning slightly, thinking about the words of Prime Minister Jin Kuohai.
He knew very well that the Chu State had always been the old enemy of the Song State.
Song's path to hegemony was cut off by Chu.
Even if Chu King Lu Chenyang forgets this kind of deep hatred, he will never forget it.
But today's situation has indeed undergone a fundamental change.
Jin Kuohai continued: "Your Majesty, the internal turmoil in the Chu State makes it too busy for other matters.
We can completely abandon our homeland defense plan and invest our limited domestic resources in expanding our colonies and enhancing our national strength.
There are too few resources invested in the colonies now, and the local servant army recruited by the Liao Kingdom can cause us some trouble.
It would be a shame if we could not crush the indigenous troops and fight.
Nowadays, all countries have given up maintaining overseas colonies in order to protect themselves.
Especially the colonies of Chu State have a large amount of gold and iron ore, which are minerals that our country urgently needs.
When we competed with Chu for colonies, our country never competed with Chu. Now we can add insult to injury.
Even if the colony cannot be defended later, the ore that has been mined will never be lost.
Although our Song country does not have enough ability to participate in the struggle for hegemony on the mainland.
But we must seize this blank period of colonial power, march overseas, and seize colonies.
I calculate that if our African colonies were to expand three times, even if it were completely barren land, the resources we could obtain would already be equivalent to those of Switzerland.
Colonies are our country’s opportunities, and we must not miss them, as they will never come back.”
A trace of doubt flashed in Song Wang Zhan Tie's eyes: "Overseas colonies, are there any risks in doing this?
The situation in Europe is changing too rapidly now, and domestic emptiness will give some countries an opportunity to take advantage of it."
Jin Kuohai cupped his hands and replied: "Your Majesty, there are risks, but this is when the opportunities outweigh the risks.
Other powerful countries pay relatively little attention to overseas affairs, either due to internal affairs or because they are focused on immediate disputes.
The colonies in central and southern Africa were completely divided between my country and the Liao Kingdom.
In Europe, our country cannot compete with these regional powers for hegemony.
But facing the threat from the Liao Kingdom, he was not afraid at all.
Since the founding of the Liao Kingdom, it has not experienced a single major war, and its army is truly a young army.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! It is okay for them to bully the indigenous people, but from the perspective of strength, they cannot defeat our country at all.
As for the king's concerns, I thought about it for a long time and thought it was not a problem.
Our country is an island country, surrounded by sea and not connected to land at all.
Our country's navy is at least among the top three in Europe, and can even be said to be second to none.
Only the empire's Mediterranean fleet has warships stronger than ours.
Any force that wants to attack our country is just wishful thinking as long as it cannot break through the warships."
Song Wang Zhantie listened to what Prime Minister Jin Kuohai said.
He stood up, paced back and forth, and after thinking for a moment, he said: "What Jin Aiqing said is not unreasonable, but we also need to act with caution.
Although Chu State is in trouble, it should not be underestimated.
There are other countries that may pose threats to our country.
We need to fully assess the possible consequences of this move."
The Song Dynasty began to send out personnel to comprehensively collect data from various countries.
They wanted to determine whether these countries posed a threat to the Song Dynasty and what the threat index was.
The Song State quickly collected the intelligence. Based on the collected intelligence, Song Wang Zhantie made a decision that was in the interests of the Song State after careful discussion with the Song State's ministers.
They redeployed some of the troops originally used to defend against the threat of Chu and devoted them to the development of colonies.
A large amount of resources and manpower were gathered and sent to central and southern Africa to develop the colonies of the Song Dynasty.
In order to seize the opportunity, the Song Dynasty not only limited its country and army to develop colonies.
They also announced policies to encourage the people of the Song Dynasty to actively participate in the development of overseas colonies.
In a tavern in the Song Dynasty, several businessmen were discussing the new policies of the Song Dynasty animatedly.
Businessman Zhao Xing was the first to say: "I think this policy of colonization is very good! It can bring foreseeable income.
You must never touch something like war bonds.
There are many businessmen in Chu State who are richer than us, but they directly went bankrupt after taking advantage of war bonds."
Businessman Sun Ming nodded in agreement: "What Brother Zhao said is absolutely true. It is indeed much wiser for us, the Song Dynasty, to invest our energy in developing colonies than to blindly participate in the struggle for hegemony.
With the strength of our Song Army's army, if we were to fight for hegemony, we would probably lose all our money.
There is no army in the entire Europe that is weaker than ours.
I really didn't expect that the army cultivated in the industrial era could not defeat the peasant army of Shu.
This is really outrageous. If this thing could happen on the battlefield, it would be enough to make people feel horrified.
Because of this incident, I have been laughed at by people from other European countries."
Businessman Li Hua continued: "Yes, overseas colonies have endless resources and business opportunities. As long as they are managed properly, we, the Song Dynasty, will surely gain huge benefits from them.
Moreover, when Song Dynasty expands overseas, it can avoid direct conflicts with neighboring powers, and the risk is much smaller.
What's more, this time, the imperial court allowed ordinary people like us to participate in the development of colonies.
This is a good opportunity to make a fortune."
Zhao Xingshen shared the same sentiment: "It is precisely this principle that instead of fighting to the death in the struggle for hegemony, it is better to open up new horizons overseas."
Sun Ming's eyes shone: "If the country can successfully develop colonies, I will directly open a store in the colonies."
Li Hua raised his wine glass: "Come, let's wish the Song Dynasty a smooth sailing in its expansion of the colony, and we will also benefit from it and get rich!"
The three of them clinked glasses, full of expectations for the future of Song's colonial expansion.
…
The former King of Wu Qi Gangyi sat in a closed room. He picked up the phone and the call was quickly connected.
King Bai Yuangui of Yue, King Li Fengming of Jin, and King Su Ming of Qi answered the phone almost at the same time.
They discussed the current complicated situation in serious tones.
The former King of Wu, Qi Gangyi, frowned and was the first to break the silence: "Everyone, this situation is becoming more and more confusing now.
Cao Guo has already joined the war, making the war situation even more chaotic.
But no one can predict which country will be unable to restrain itself and join the flames of war in the future.
The current situation is that this war is no longer a matter for the European countries themselves, external forces have been involved."
Qi Gangyi's judgment was actually not very accurate.
Their ally Jin is an external force, but Jin is in conflict with Min, and Min is a European country.
Only then did no one regard Jin as an external force.
Cao Guo's intervention in the European situation marked the beginning of foreign powers' intervention in the European situation.
Jin Wang Li Fengming nodded slightly and agreed: "What King Wu said is absolutely true.
This war continues to this day, with all parties involved in a stalemate and a stalemate. If this continues, it will be of no benefit to our alliance."
The King of Yue, Bai Yuangui, looked deeply and said slowly: "In my opinion, we must make a quick decision, otherwise the longer we delay, the more variables will arise."
King Su Ming of Qi agreed: "Now it's just the end of Cao State. Who knows when the most powerful country in America, Zhao State, will end."
After he said this, his eyes lit up and he said: "Can we invite Zhao to join the alliance?
Once Zhao joins, the alliance will definitely win."
King Bai Yuangui of Yue said in a serious tone: "Such a thing is absolutely impossible.
Our alliance cannot afford to invite Zhao.
The State of Zhao has no interest in the alliance countries, nor does it have any conflict of interest with the Four Nations Alliance.
Both we and the Four Nations Alliance can invite Zhao to join.
Once Zhao Guo has the idea of intervening in the situation in Europe, he can definitely win over Zhao Guo at that time."
The King of Yue, Bai Yuangui, had yet to say a word.
If Zhao really joins, which country will control the alliance? Will the four other countries be Zhao's little brothers?
The big brother before the alliance was Wu. As Wu's national power declined, Yue's contribution gradually increased.
The State of Yue is now showing signs of replacing the State of Wu and becoming the new big brother.
Once the State of Zhao is invited to join the game, everything the State of Yue has done before is to make a wedding dress for the State of Zhao.
Wu Wangqi nodded resolutely and continued: "What the King of Yue said is good, but in the current situation, it is not easy to break the deadlock quickly by relying on our own strength alone."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! At this time, Jin Wang Li Fengming's eyes lit up and he proposed a bold idea: "Everyone, I have an idea.
If we can bring Su Meng, King of Liang, into our alliance, we will definitely be able to bring about a turn for the better in this war.
The strength of Liang State is neither strong nor weak, and the geographical location of Liang State is also relatively good.
Once the Liang Kingdom takes action, it can attack the National Day National Day, the most important logistics of the Four Nations Alliance.
Liang State is also rich in oil, and we can buy oil at a relatively cheap price."
After Jin Wang Li Fengming said this, no one on the phone said anything, waiting for Qi Wang Su Ming's answer.
He was the only one among the princes and kings present who would object to Liang King Su Meng joining.
King Su Ming of Qi thought for a while and said: "King Su Meng of Liang is powerful, but his thoughts are elusive. It is not easy to win over him.
This king still welcomes the joining of Liang Kingdom."
He himself had no conflict with Su Meng, King of Liang.
Because of his young age, he did not form a competitive relationship with King Su Meng of Liang.
There was also no conflict between his mother and the concubine of King Su Meng of Liang.
The most critical point is that Liang State is too far away from Qi State, and there is no conflict of interest now.
However, Yue King Bai Yuangui seemed confident: "It is true that Liang King Su Meng's thoughts are unpredictable.
But we can send capable ministers to the Liang Kingdom to lobby, state our interests to him, and promise generous benefits, which may not fail to impress him.
In today's situation, it would be a wise move for him to choose to form an alliance with us.
The Liang Kingdom is in the midst of four wars, how can it possibly remain stable?"
King Wu Qi resolutely crossed his arms and thought for a moment before saying, "This plan of the King of Yue is worth a try.
But we need to carefully select ministers to send envoys, and we need to prepare thoughtful rhetoric and generous conditions for them."
Jin Wang Li Fengming went on to say: "Yes, those who are sent as envoys must be eloquent and thoughtful to ensure that there are no mistakes in the lobbying process.
Once a mistake is made, it may arouse the resentment of King Su Meng of Liang and even turn to the Four Kingdoms Alliance. Then we will fall into an even more unfavorable situation.
We cannot send too many people to prevent the news from leaking and the Four Nations Alliance to rob us."
Bai Yuangui, King of Yue, said: "After we return, we will each select suitable ministers in the court, and then we will discuss specific lobbying strategies together."
All the princes and kings said in unison: "This is very good."
The situation in Europe has changed dramatically, causing the current atmosphere to remain heavy.
But this decision gave the princes and kings hope of resolving the war with the Four Nations Alliance.