The documents were circulated in the hands of the editor-in-chief, and the pen rustled on the notebook. They were impressed by the precise figures. The Carnegie family's report was indeed detailed enough and full of credibility, leaving these British gentlemen unable to argue.
The Chinese have produced actual evidence to prove that their strategy is not aggressive and that Chinese immigration to Southeast Asia is not colonial aggression in the traditional sense.
The land was unwanted by the indigenous people and European colonists. It was barren and full of dangers. These Chinese people who left their homes walked into the dense forests, reclaimed farms from the territory of crocodiles and pythons, and built seaports from the most dangerous beaches.
They did not steal anyone's wealth, nor did they affect anyone's interests. Of course, you can say that they robbed the land of the indigenous people, but many indigenous tribes did not even have a basic government structure and did not call it a country.
The ownership of the so-called land is actually very vague. The local kings can say that this place has been our territory since ancient times, and the Western colonists will also say that this place has long been included in our maps.
Everyone will say that the Kentun area belongs to them, but if we look at history carefully, we will find that there has been no construction on the land they own.
Except for some expeditions that occasionally passed by here, they have not built a road, built a house or a bridge here. Since the Age of Discovery and the arrival of European colonists, there has been no construction here for hundreds of years. The change.
Until the Chinese came, these Chinese people who are known for their hard-working construction came here, slash-and-burn farming and fierce beasts, fighting to the death, and using their blood and sweat to exchange for pieces of land reclamation areas.
However, these farms have become a thorn in the eyes of the natives and colonists, a thorn in the flesh...or not just a threat, but also pieces of fat. This is how the local war swept across northern Borneo.
The Chinese Kentun District produces rice, a grain that Europeans completely despise, and it is a small business with the lowest profit. Why do they do this?
It’s not that they don’t understand business, they also know that rubber, spices, and mineral deposits are more profitable, and they also know that building factories for deep processing can increase profits.
But they finally obeyed Xiao Letian's order and began to expand with the most traditional agricultural economy, bit by bit encroaching on the land in Southeast Asia.
Europeans don't know why such a strategy was launched, but Chinese executives know it very well. Xiao Letian has already made it very clear.
First of all, this is the nature of the Chinese people. Chinese people are born with a sense of crisis about hunger. No amount of food is too much. Famine has become a brand in the Chinese genes. Food must be ensured at all times. Safety, this is the bottom line.
The Chinese can give up high profits, but they cannot give up their sense of security. Therefore, the reclamation areas in Nanyang clearly ignore higher-profit businesses, but they still obey the orders of the head of state and choose agriculture.
Secondly, vigorously developing agriculture in Nanyang is also an important means for Xiao Letian to manage the mainland in the future. He knows very well that there will definitely be wars and natural disasters within the Qing Dynasty in the future, and the quality of life of the people will only gradually decline without obvious changes. promote.
Just look at the factional conflicts within the Manchu Qing Dynasty. There is irreconcilable hatred between Zai Chun's ambitions and those conservative forces, and civil war is simply inevitable.
At critical moments, when money is hard to come by, food is the strategic material that stabilizes people's hearts.
Xiao Letian controlled the large granary in Nanyang, and indirectly controlled the hearts and minds of the entire Chinese people. No matter how powerful the power of traditional habits was, it could not defeat food. In the future, food would be a big weapon for the Chinese to compete for population.
It would be better to make less money at the beginning, but also to ensure that the Chinese have huge food reserves. This is the grand strategy for the next few decades, and it is also a necessary condition for the promotion of the Fortress Project.
The last point has been carefully considered by Xiao Letian. At present, the Chinese do not have a powerful navy that can protect the entire Southeast Asia. If they want to have ten years of peaceful development, they must let the British and other maritime countries relax their vigilance and bypass the West in the Kenton District. The colonists' money bags and choosing industries they are unwilling to develop are hidden clumsiness.
The truth was analyzed and cracked layer by layer. Europeans are naturally sensitive to numbers. When the truth was coupled with precise numbers as evidence, the editors present were immediately convinced.
What is unparalleled eloquence? This is true unparalleled eloquence! It’s not about arguing with you aggressively, nor about being so red-faced that you can’t get off the stage.
The best goodness is like water, Xiao Letian's principle is like a gentle stream on the roadside, nourishing it little by little, and finally making you convinced.
At this moment, the editors had no more questions. Xiao Letian gave perfect answers to all of Benjamin's attacks. The so-called Chinese threat theory made the head of state refute it like a big joke.
At noon that day, Xiao Letian hosted a banquet for these editors-in-chief. In the afternoon of that day, major newspapers had already begun to prepare for a new round of public opinion war tomorrow.
Today's summer is destined to be a good opportunity for the European newspaper industry to flourish. In response to the war of words between the heads of state of the East and the West, the overall newspaper sales increased by a full 30%.
At this time in Europe, any newspaper must publish and reprint news about the Eastern Mission, because it involves free money, and who can't live with money.
This is a virtuous cycle. The more Eastern news is reported, the higher the readership will be. The higher the readership, the more enthusiastic newspapers will be in broadcasting Eastern news.
Early the next morning, all newspapers undoubtedly published this exclusive interview on their front pages. The evidence Xiao Letian presented convinced countless citizens.
"Yes! The ownerless wasteland has no one to build it. Wouldn't it be better for it to be deserted than for the Chinese to build it?"
"The Chinese settlements have never paid the governor a penny less in taxes. Since they abide by the law and pay taxes, why should they use it as a threat?"
"Is the Qing Empire so weak at the moment? It can't even provide food and clothing for the people? God, this reminds me of what happened in Ireland a few years ago... It's so tragic, it's so tragic!"
"What the Prime Minister is doing really makes no sense. If the Chinese are just building in the wastelands of Southeast Asia, and their main business is just food planting and animal husbandry, then what threat does it pose to our empire?"
"What does the war between the Chinese and France and Tsarist Russia have to do with us? Why does the Empire on which the Sun Never Sets stand up for them?"
There was an uproar in the market place, and voices questioning Benjamin could be heard all the time.
Downing Street was immediately angry. Benjamin discovered that Xiao Letian was simply a shameless representative. He made it clear that he didn't want to see him anymore. Why are you even bothering? Lai is staying in the UK and won’t leave, right?
"Damn bastard, you want me to see you just because you want to be a rogue? In your dreams, I will never start negotiations with you! Come on, hold a press conference, I have something to say!"
