"Where is the core of China's economy? Of course it is along the coast and in the Yangtze and Pearl River basins. As long as Xiao Letian's tactics are perfected, the entire most prosperous economic belt in China will be under the threat of his artillery. …”
Bismarck rubbed his temples, "No, no, no, maybe the word threat is inappropriate. You can also say protection! Xiao Letian has protected more than 70% of China's wealth, so how much protection money can he get?"
The old-fashioned old Mao Qi frowned and said, "Why do you have to use a vulgar word like protection fee to describe taxation? That's taxation. Is taxation good?"
Bismarck shrugged and made a gesture as you wish. "Well, there is no protection in the world. These economic zones will definitely provide explicit or implicit taxes to Xiao Letian. This may be his most important goal in the future." Financial resources, a major channel to obtain private wealth without overthrowing the Qing government..."
Karl said worriedly, "Can't the Qing Dynasty see this? Will they allow Xiao Letian to execute their power so unscrupulously? You must know that this is competing with the empire's finances? It is too dangerous..."
"It's not that serious..." The Prime Minister shook his head. "Your Highness, you should have a consciousness from now on! A country has never been a place where one person lives and a few people live. This is true regardless of the East or the West!"
"The Qing Empire is now increasingly declining. Continuous wars have overwhelmed them. The British and French are attacking from the sea, and Russia is outflanking from the northern continent. There are still continuous civil wars within them. The final result is the power of local warlords. Extraordinarily powerful..."
"The emperor is not omnipotent. The emperor of such a large empire must rely on a huge bureaucracy to rule. Execution ability is the only indicator to test the foundation of the empire's rule!"
"Will the orders issued from the Forbidden City be implemented by the government at the end of the entire empire? Will there be shirk-passing and duplicity? Will even those local officials with heavy troops directly refuse to implement it? As the future of Germany, will you Master, you must study this issue carefully..."
Karl's waist straightened up immediately. This was a rare opportunity for the Prime Minister to teach him the experience of governing the country. "Yes, you are right, execution is very critical!"
Bismarck opened the window and let the cool night breeze from Berlin blow in late at night, sweeping away the smoke in the room. "It will be difficult for the Qing Dynasty to rise again. Its decline is a high probability. The Great Revolution will happen sooner or later... although I didn't The intelligence supports my point of view, but I can guess that there have been serious problems with the Qing Dynasty’s tax system!”
"In this huge empire, the customs is actually controlled by the Englishman Hurd, and the local governor has the power to conduct military procurement. Coupled with the constant wars, especially the rebellion in Xinjiang... I don't think Beijing can collect much tax anymore. Right? The local arrears must be very serious. Those local officials have various excuses to withhold tax revenue..."
"I'm afraid the financial officers in the Forbidden City can only manage a large amount of book wealth!"
Old Maoqi said worriedly, "Yes, if this happens in only one or two areas, then the Qing Empire can definitely kill one to serve as a warning and use punishment to make those officials understand what the rules are! But now there is a situation where the law does not punish the public. The emperor can’t kill the entire bureaucracy, right?”
"What's even more frightening is that the military power that the emperor can control is no longer the most powerful in that country. Therefore, the Qing Dynasty simply does not have the courage to fall out with the local warlords. The situation of local expansion will become more and more serious..."
"Businessmen and the people will only show awe to the military group closest to them. As long as Xiao Letian fights a few beautiful victories along the coast and shows the powerful firepower of cannons to the wealthy merchants in the entire coastal area, including the Yangtze River Basin... I think , those people shouldn’t mind paying another tax!”
At this point, the three Prussians had gone through a bloody battle in Dakar and backed out of Xiao Letian's future military strategy, and even made certain judgments about Xiao Letian's future strategic layout.
The collision of three smart heads is the spark of wisdom, not to mention that these three people are not only smart but also have very rich experience in running a country and an army. It is not surprising that they can deduce Xiao Letian's strategy.
But Karl still had very deep doubts in his heart: "What did Xiao Letian think? If he follows his strategy, even if he can control the entire coastal areas of China and the Yangtze River Basin, compared to the huge territory of the Qing Empire, Say, it’s only two or three tenths!”
"Does he really have no intention of replacing him? Don't the Chinese like to say, 'The emperor will take turns to come to my house next year'? Don't they everyone have a dream of being emperor?"
Bismarck took a volume of maps of East Asia from the top of the bookcase and spread it out gently, "Your question is very critical. If Xiao Letian really implements such a strategy, then we can only be sure that Xiao Letian really did not proclaim himself emperor." thought……"
"Without a strong army, that means he cannot form a thick strategic depth. Relying on the Yangtze River, Pearl River and long coastline, Xiao Letian can only occupy strip areas. This is a taboo in the art of war. The enemy can attack from countless directions. , then his navy will be exhausted..."
"This is a knot that is difficult to untie, unless..." Bismarck finally said what he had guessed for a long time.
"Unless Xiao Letian abandons the defense of the strip area and concentrates his forces, just like the special zone he first built, allowing elite forces to concentrate in dozens of points..."
"Let's take a look, Tanggu, Liaodong Peninsula, Shandong Peninsula, the Yangtze River estuary... here are Wuhan, Nanjing and even Fujian, Taiwan, Guangzhou..."
"If Xiao Letian can establish more than ten states within states in these areas! Shrink your power and build militarized bases to protect the business circle..."
Bismarck suddenly became excited, "Yes, this is what Xiao Letian wants. He does not pursue false fame, he wants real stuff! Don't forget, compared to the attack of Xiao Letian's army, , what they are better at is defense!”
"The bloody battle of Shiqiao, the naval battle of Liufa, and several military operations of the Qing Empire against Tanggu. Xiao Letian's army always defeated more with less, and their defenses were never breached..."
Old Maoqi's eyes also lit up, "That's right! In addition, Xiao Letian will have one or two powerful armored fleets in the future, which can quickly transfer between special zones! Powerful artillery and elite marines That’s enough protection!”
Carl drank a glass of wine and said, "Oh my God! Just one Tanggu Special Zone has already controlled the commercial operations of the entire North China Plain. If there are more than ten such special zones, then Xiao Letian will become the most powerful person in China!"
"Don't seek fame, only real benefits! If the emperor of the Qing Dynasty is a dragon, then what Xiao Letian wants to do is the hidden dragon hidden behind the dark clouds and lightning!"
The three of them were silent for a moment. The window that had just been opened suddenly made a loud noise. The damp and rustic wind suddenly blew in, and Berlin ushered in a storm.
