Europe after the Renaissance was a process of recovery from the rational age. The darkness of the Middle Ages slowly faded away. People gradually began to reflect on the shortcomings of the theocracy when Europe was ruled. A wave of religious reform swept across Europe, including the emergence of Protestantism. It was this trend that drove it.
Overthrowing the halo of theocratic rule liberated the power of the king and the nobles. They were the direct beneficiaries of this wave. From that moment on, national resources began to escape the control of theocracy and began to flow according to the wishes of the king and capitalists.
This created a firm foundation for the Age of Discovery and the Industrial Revolution, and was also an important reason for Europe to seize historical opportunities.
Because of the arrival of the Age of Reason and the awakening of people's consciousness, Europe was freed from the control of theocracy, but this wave of rationality did not only impact theocracy.
When divine power completely took a back seat, and when the power of kings and nobles became too great, this storm began to blow towards the powerful.
This is an irreversible trend of the times, because this is the final result of the people's wisdom. From the end of the 19th century to the entire twentieth century, the biggest change in the human world was the wisdom of the people and the awakening of consciousness.
European politicians don't care much about this force yet, but Xiao Letian doesn't dare to neglect it at all. He knows how powerful this public opinion is, so he must prepare in advance.
The Chinese Oriental series of reports is not just about redressing the grievances of the European people, saying how badly we Chinese were bullied by Tsarist Russia, how unreasonable and cruel Tsarist Russia was.
It is of course important to win the sympathy of the European people and then portray one's righteous side, but another very important task is to promote the Chinese beliefs and one's own flag to Europe.
The power of fans is powerful. If Xiao Letian wants to defeat Europe, he must first divide Europe. If he wants to divide Europe first, he must first have the first group of fans, which are fans.
The various systems in the Chinese code are actually not perfect, but it is undeniable that at this stage in 1869, compared with Europe, the Chinese system still had many bright spots.
Because Europe was not a representative of liberal democracy at that time, the kings, nobles, and powerful capitalists had already squeezed the people into misery.
Although the Chinese code retained the aristocratic system of six nobility and eighteen ranks, it greatly weakened the power of the nobility and gave ordinary people a great way to advance.
This is so awesome. It can give people a hope of promotion. Even if it is just a single-plank bridge on a winding mountain path, no matter how rugged and difficult it is, it is better than no hope at all.
It can be said that as soon as the Chinese series of reports appeared, it resonated with many lower-class people and independent intellectuals in Europe.
"Look at the Chinese...become immigrants first. As long as they learn the language and pass the three-year inspection period, they can become civilians..."
"That's right, as a civilian, as long as you abide by the law, bravely join the army, or carry out social charity activities... you can apply for citizenship after reaching the citizenship points!"
"Look, as long as you become a citizen, you are qualified to participate in politics, and you can work in government departments, and you will be eligible to apply for many high-paying and key jobs..."
"The most important thing is military exploits. As long as you have great military exploits or outstanding scientific research results...as long as you are outstanding, you are qualified to be a noble! Oh my god, you can become a noble without blood!"
This refreshing system immediately hit the soft spots in the hearts of many underappreciated intellectuals and the impoverished working class.
They are not afraid of hardship or tiredness. What they fear most is the dark sky pressing down on people's heads like a lid. People who have lost hope are the most terrifying.
Everything in the world is afraid of comparison. When people in European society have very few opportunities for promotion, there is a breeze coming from the East that makes people feel at ease. It is at this moment that so-called fans are formed.
Xiao Letian didn't know how many fans the Chinese series of reports had accumulated, but some strange phenomena in subsequent in-depth media reports were very noticeable.
When Prussia began to cooperate with the Chinese in the media counterattack, with the exception of France and Tsarist Russia, countless tabloids in the United Kingdom alone began to report on something close to the Chinese.
Of course major newspapers such as The Times must listen to the British government, but no matter how powerful Benjamin is, he cannot silence all the small and medium-sized British media. Reports that started to defend the Chinese for various reasons still sprung up like mushrooms after a rain.
A strange moment occurred. Those little-known small newspapers with low sales were suddenly surprised to find that any article that said something good about the Chinese people was published would definitely increase the sales of the newspaper in that issue.
The keen editors discovered this strange phenomenon, and they began to surprisingly increase the number of good words they said, and even added in-depth introductions to Chinese style, such as Xiao Letian's legendary experience and Chinese humanities throughout the ages.
Unexpectedly, the sales volume actually increased a lot after doing this. Now all the editors in chief understood, "People's hearts are here! It turns out that the people's silence does not mean that they have no ideas. Their purchasing behavior has exposed a big problem!"
"Those who see market opportunities and don't move forward bravely, then wait for death! Since readers like to read, then we are open to scolding! Contact the senior officials of the China-Puertz Friendship Foundation, contact those Chinese people..."
"We are going to interview Chinese students..."
"Send reporters to the east, we will conduct deeper reporting!"
"Ryukyu, Nanyang, Shanghai, Hong Kong...Beijing, Fuso, North Korea, the Far East...don't let any of them go!"
The media from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and even Norway and Sweden gradually joined in the chaos. Now Napoleon III, Benjamin and others were completely panicked.
Everything is no longer under their control, and the secret police's reports are more than a foot high every day.
From these reports, the Prime Minister and the Emperor discovered that the public had exploded. In all bars, restaurants, cafes...all social occasions, people were talking about the Far East War and reports about the Chinese.
People talked about the Chinese Code, Xiao Letian, and all the details of the war... There were dozens of quarrels every day because of different positions, and even serious conflicts broke out.
The drunkards who drank too much argued and ended up using fists and bottles to reason. The police on the streets of London and Paris were so busy that they almost broke their legs. The conflict spread almost from block to block.
What a summer! Almost all bars and restaurants have replaced their glass windows, and businessmen who buy glass have seen a sharp increase in their sales.
"Suppression! We must suppress it! Catch all these traitors and shoot them!" The emperor's roar sounded again in the Palace of Versailles.
