Chapter 569 Paying homage to Chongzhen and summoning Chu Sheng
Chapter 569: Paying homage to Chongzhen and Summoning Chu Sheng
Author: Feng Xiaomu
Chapter 569: Paying homage to Chongzhen and Summoning Chu Sheng
March 19, 4341 (1644 AD).
Emperor Su He has just finished reviewing the memorial of Chu Sheng, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites.
This is a talented person whose thoughts have shadows of the theory of sea power.
It is recommended that the empire sends troops to occupy important strategic positions in the world.
If we follow the plan, we can at least ensure the hegemony of the Great China Empire for hundreds of years.
Emperor Su He also learned a lot about the situation in Western countries and African vassal states from Chu Sheng's memorials.
Zhang Yuliang was indeed capable of causing trouble. European countries were so panicked that they could stop the war that had been going on for thirty years.
Once the Suez Canal is built, Emperor Su He knows what this golden waterway means!
The Suez Canal is closely associated with world hegemony.
After Emperor Su He finished reviewing the memorial, he did not read the telegrams from various places screened by the Royal Telegraph Bureau as usual.
Chu Sheng, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, came to the palace and waited for the emperor's summons. He did not summon the ministers in time as usual.
Emperor Su He personally carried a pot of wine, a roast goose, and seventeen small steamed buns to the Meishan Mountain in the Forbidden City.
He walked to the foot of the mountain and looked at the crooked-necked tree on the coal mountain.
He asked the Qilin Guards to look after the surrounding area while he climbed the mountain alone.
Meishan has been blocked with water, and not even a bird can cross the blockade.
Emperor Su He walked to a tree with a crooked neck. This was the place where Emperor Chongzhen, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, hanged himself.
"March 19, today is a very ordinary day.
If I hadn't come to this era, you, Zhu Youjian, could have lived a few more years and hanged on a coal mountain today."
In the year 4341 (1644 AD), March 19th was a normal day.
In the original history, it was March 19, the 17th year of Chongzhen, when Li Zicheng conquered the capital and Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty committed suicide.
Emperor Su He placed the sacrifices next to the memorial tablet under the crooked neck tree.
It was impossible for him to go to the Ming Emperor's Mausoleum, so he could only pay homage to Emperor Chongzhen in the palace.
There is no place more suitable than next to this crooked neck tree.
Emperor Su He picked up the wine bottle and poured it into the soil next to the cup.
He sighed: "The sufferings of history will never happen again.
The iron-clad Chinese nation must stand tall among the nations of the world.
Even if the Great China Empire is destroyed one day, there will still be Zhao, Wei, Cao, Min, Jin and many other countries.
It is okay to subjugate the country, but never to exterminate the species."
Emperor Su He pointed at the crooked neck tree and cursed angrily: "You really shouldn't be disrespectful to the dead, but Zhu Youjian, you are by no means a qualified emperor.
A good emperor is diligent and his reputation will be passed down through history.
A diligent emperor is not a good emperor.
Zhu Youjian, in terms of diligence, you are only a little inferior to the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang.
But in terms of ability as an emperor, they are not as good as those of Jiajing and Wanli who had not been in court for decades. They are not even as good as the famous unreliable emperors of the Ming Dynasty, Zhengde.
Your eldest brother Zhu Youxiao is a bit better than you.
Zhu Youjian, you are better than the emperor Zhu Qizhen.
It’s not your fault, it’s your old Zhu family’s weird strategy of raising pigs for the vassal. As a vassal king, you neither understand the power nor can you check and balance the courtiers.
He was so stupid that he did not distinguish between ourselves and the enemy, and acted on his own will, killing loyal ministers indiscriminately.
He was so stupid that he trusted the Donglin Party and did not distinguish between loyal and traitorous people. He even allowed the imperial censor to enter the factory to supervise and cut off the emperor's eyes and ears."
Emperor Su He sighed and continued to curse: "The Ming Dynasty has become corrupt. It is unable to suppress peasant uprisings internally and resist foreigners externally.
According to the original history, the Ming Dynasty was overthrown by Li Zicheng, and you, Zhu Youjian, hanged yourself on the tree with a crooked neck today.
Li Zicheng's foundation was unstable and he was easily defeated by the Qing invaders, and the land of China quickly fell."
Emperor Su He gritted his teeth and said: "As long as the foreign tribes from the north invade, and they capture the land of China, they will carry out bloody massacres to frighten the Han people and prevent them from resisting.
The Seven Days Massacre in Yangzhou and the Three Massacres in Jiading are just the most typical examples.
In addition to massacre, he also tamed the people by shaving their hair and changing their clothes.
Hundreds of millions of civilians died at the hands of the Qing Dynasty.
The land of China has ushered in a time of law and order.”
Emperor Su He just remembered this memory.
His brows were furrowed, his hands were clenched, and his teeth were clenched. His whole body seemed to be surrounded by burning anger.
He looked at the crooked-neck tree and said with relief: "None of this will happen, and my trip is not in vain.
Huang Taiji, Dorgon and other senior officials of the Qing Dynasty are all dead now.
The Qing Dynasty has been exterminated, and all the men of the upper class have been castrated.
The lower class were beaten into slaves and scattered throughout the country.
They have forgotten their language, culture, and history.
This tribe no longer exists in the world."
Emperor Su He patted the trunk of the crooked neck tree and said in a relaxed tone: "None of this will happen now.
Since I succeeded, the trajectory of the world has changed. Now no one can predict the future situation of China.
But no matter what the situation is, it will not be worse than before.
Because I have led the Great China Empire to carry out the first industrial revolution.
And it ushered in the Age of Discovery, even if future generations will be unfilial and rest on their laurels without thinking about making progress.
With the foundation I have accumulated, the Great China Empire will never be destroyed."
Emperor Su He knew the dangers of the enfeoffment system, even if it meant enfeoffing heroes overseas.
I don’t know how many of these vassal states will be left in a few decades.
But the remaining countries will definitely become powerful countries.
After these countries become stronger, they are very likely to become rivals of the Great China Empire.
But there is no problem at all. A world under one family and one surname cannot last long.
Even if the Great China Empire was overthrown, it would be just a normal dynasty change, and he would die without regrets.
Emperor Su He saw that a bottle of wine in his hand had been poured out.
He looked at the crooked-necked tree and turned around to leave Meishan.
The fate of Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian also alerted Su He at all times.
It is easy to be an emperor, but it is difficult to be a qualified emperor.
The successor of the empire must also think carefully. Choosing a mediocre prince to succeed him would be irresponsible to the hundreds of millions of people in the country.
On his way back to Qianqing Palace, Emperor Su He asked Su Changsheng, the commander of the Xuanwu Guards: "What is the current situation of the old and young people in the Ming Dynasty?"
Su Changsheng recalled the relevant situation in his mind, and he quickly sorted out the relevant content.
"Your Majesty, the Xuanwu Guards sent people to keep a close eye on the famous princes and nobles of the Ming Dynasty, even those who surrendered.
Xuanwu Guards did not let go of anyone with a certain status or low status.
Only some people complained in private, criticizing the Ming Dynasty and the Manchu Dynasty for being useless in civil and military affairs. They missed the old dynasty.
These people show no signs of rebellion. Besides, the country is now peaceful and the people are safe, and one stone of rice only costs one or two silver coins.
Basically every farmer has his own land, and people in the city can easily have enough to eat.
There are no beggars in the capital now. If anyone begs, he will be sent overseas immediately."
Emperor Su He ordered: "Withdraw most of the Xuanwu Guard's manpower to monitor these people!
Now the people live and work in peace and contentment. We Chinese people have always abided by order.
Only at the end of the dynasty, when these orderly people could no longer survive, would they choose to rebel and establish a new order.
These old people and young people were all a bunch of useless snacks during the Ming Dynasty.
What's more, today, they don't have any power.
Zhu Youjian's descendants should still be watched closely, their identities are too sensitive, and careerists will make an issue through them."
Emperor Su He believed that after these years of development, the Great China Empire had passed the unstable moment of its establishment.
The prosperity of the Dahua Empire now really affects the rebellion, and he can't even raise a rebel team.
The Royal Army of Great China is stationed in various places and is not afraid of the emergence of the rebel army.
In the past few years, the old forces and the indigenous people have joined forces to rebel in the Overseas Governor's Mansion, and all of them were suppressed by the local garrison.
The royal family of the Ming Dynasty had millions of people, and together with the princes and nobles of the Ming Dynasty, the population reached tens of millions, most of whom were at the bottom.
Even if there is a real problem with these people, there is no need to massacre them. The problem can be easily solved by simply immigrating them to the vassal country.
For these people, immigration is the most severe punishment of exile.
…………………………
Emperor Su He summoned Chu Sheng, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, in the Qianqing Palace.
This is the first ambassador of the Great China Empire to the UK and the only ambassador of the Great China Empire to conduct normal diplomatic activities.
Li Zhiheng, the Japanese ambassador, is not an official diplomat.
Chu Sheng entered the Qianqing Palace and looked at the figure sitting high on the dragon chair.
He had seen Emperor Su He many times before at major events.
But he has never been so close to Emperor Su He.
Chu Sheng immediately took a step forward, bowed and said: "I am a humble minister, Chu Sheng, I would like to pay my respects to Your Majesty."
Emperor Su He put Chu Sheng's memorial aside and said: "Chu Aiqing, please be free of courtesy.
Come, please give me a seat."
Chu Sheng saw a young eunuch and quickly moved a chair over and placed it in front of him.
Chu Sheng was extremely excited. His Majesty's courtesy to him surprised him.
A soldier dies for his confidant. He must devote himself to his life and die to repay His Majesty's recognition of him.
Chu Sheng was already the third-rank right minister of the Ministry of Rites. When he went to the Ministry of Rites, there were officials of the Ministry of Rites who were lower than him and did not respect him as a superior official.
Many officials in the Ministry of Rites did not recognize the importance of diplomacy. Instead, they said that Chu Sheng rose through the ranks by flattering others.
His Majesty's gesture showed his recognition of Chu Sheng's work.
Emperor Su He saw Chu Sheng sitting down and said: "I have read Chu Aiqing's memorial. The views written in it are very novel and eye-opening to me after reading it.
As an ambassador in England, you must know the situation in Europe very well.
Today I want to learn more about the situation in Europe from Chu Aiqing."
Chu Sheng looked flattered and asked Emperor Su He for some colored pens and a world map.
On the world map, the territories of many countries are drawn.
In this process, Chu Sheng introduced the complex relationships between these European countries in concise language.
Emperor Su He listened carefully and looked at the map of Europe that was gradually taking shape.
There was a huge gap between this and the map of Europe in his impression.
Some countries have not yet appeared, and some countries have long since disappeared.
The most important part of the future world, the German Empire has not yet appeared. There are only a group of German princes there, and Prussia is not the most powerful prince.
Emperor Su He's many misunderstandings about Europe in this era were also corrected by Chu Sheng.
England is falling into civil strife, and the royal party and the parliamentary party are already fighting.
The current purpose of Parliament is only to restrict the monarch's rights, rather than to completely kick the monarch out of the center of power.
England's constitutional monarchy is still at least several decades away.
Emperor Su He previously thought that England established a constitutional monarchy during this period.
At that time, he was afraid of affecting the newly established Great China, so he was already prepared for the impact of the constitutional monarchy on the various arrangements of the Great China Empire, especially the arrangements of the parliament.
If Emperor Su He had been more familiar with European history, he would not have been so impatient.
He also felt some differences in the situation of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, which was somewhat different from his impression.
Emperor Suhe always believed that European countries and the Ottoman Empire were mortal enemies.
The most important cities of European civilization, Athens, Constantinople, and the holy city of Jerusalem, were all in the hands of the Ottoman Turkish Empire.
European countries and the Ottoman Turkish Empire, they were able to put aside their old grudges and jointly deal with Zhang Yuliang, the king of Fujian.
Emperor Su He looked at Chu Sheng and asked: "I have read Aiqing's memorial, and I very much agree with the strategic points discussed in it.
The Suez Canal is extremely important and must not be lost.
But we are too far apart to control the situation.
It’s not suitable to intervene directly, what does Chu Aiqing think we should do?”
Chu Sheng knew that this was His Majesty's test for him. If he answered this question to His Majesty's satisfaction, his status would be very stable in the future.
He took a pen and painted several areas of different colors on the territory of the Ottoman Turkish Empire.
"Your Majesty, Sun Tzu said in the art of war, the first step is to attack the enemy with troops, then the second step is to attack the enemy, and then the second step is to attack the city.
Directly sending troops to intervene in this war is completely a bad idea.
When the situation is not collapsed enough for us to take action, choosing to take action is just one move away.
In this matter, Europe did not send troops abroad. They were supporting the Ottoman Turkish Empire.
We can also do this, starting from Myanmar and heading to Fujian.
The voyage required by the cargo ship is not too far, and the empire can fully bear the cost.
Compared with the gains made by our side at the end of the war, he is not worth mentioning at all.
While we support Fujian, we must also weaken the Ottoman Turkish Empire.
The Ottoman Turkish Empire had a big weakness, they were a multi-ethnic country.
The cohesion of this country is extremely weak, if Greece suddenly breaks away from the Ottoman Empire.
What would the European countries do? What would the Ottoman Turkish Empire think?
Once the Ottoman Empire had a successful example, what would other oppressed ethnic groups do?"
After Emperor Su He heard this, he immediately applauded.
"Chu Aiqing, your plan is really great.
There is no need to send a single soldier to disrupt the Ottoman Turkish Empire. While achieving our goal, we can also alienate the relationship between European countries and the Ottoman Turkish Empire.
I will leave this matter to Chu Aiqing."
Emperor Su He was very happy. He had read Chu Sheng's memorial and saw that the Ottoman Empire, with the support of European countries, was fully attacking the Fujian Kingdom.
At that time, he was still a little worried that Zhang Yuliang wouldn't be able to hold on.
The strategy proposed by Chu Sheng now is a conspiracy. Greece wants to be independent and get rid of the rule of the Ottoman Turkish Empire.
Even if the Chinese Empire supports their uprising, the Greeks will not refuse.
When Chu Sheng saw Emperor Su He's happy expression, he knew that the matter was stable.
He immediately assured: "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I know the European countries very well, and there are people in Europe who are cooperating with the empire's actions.