In the feudal era, people had no human rights. In the strict hierarchical social structure, many people's class would not change in their lifetime.
China is pretty good. It has a way to change one's destiny by studying and taking imperial examinations. Other nations don't even have such a way. They can only rely on war and find some opportunities from war.
The more you look at the history before the industrial revolution, you will find that countries are particularly willing to go to war. What is the reason for this?
Xiao Letian, who sailed on the high seas, gave the answer!
"In the Middle Ages, human society was a pool of stagnant water, binding everyone together like a thick paste!"
"Such a society can easily make people at the bottom despair, and can also make people at the top become arrogant. This gap has accumulated the fundamental power of countless revolutionary turbulences."
"China has an imperial examination system that can raise the hopes of the people! Yes, even with a little hope, not one out of 100,000 people may be able to be elected. In the final analysis, this system is a kind of mental anesthetic for the poor people!"
"But even this kind of anesthetic has been envied by Europeans for hundreds of years, not to mention Fuso Japan and those weak nations in Southeast Asia!"
"Under such a general background, war is sometimes an effective means of mediating internal conflicts. Those at the bottom who have no aspirations and no way to move up can vent their grievances in the war, and some lucky people even do so. Get a class upgrade!"
"So, when the intensity of military wars was not very high, human beings became more war-loving!"
"When we study history books, we always call those emperors, generals and ministers who loved wars militaristic. It is wrong to say that they are all negative... But this argument is inherently one-sided!"
"If you ask me, an emperor who loves war is a smart man. Of course, if such an emperor can freely control the scale of war, then he can be regarded as a holy king!"
"Are there any benefits to fighting? Of course there are benefits. Opening up borders and expanding territory can expand the living space of our nation!"
"The consumption of the war has caused society to burst into more intense productivity. The warehouses have been exhausted and have to be filled with new materials. In this way, the commercial activities of the entire society will become more frequent, and large government procurement orders will boost the market at that time. economic development!"
"Finally, the war can also give those ambitious poor people who are eager to improve their class an outlet to vent, and give them a chance to be promoted in addition to the imperial examination!"
"Needless to say, if there was no war like the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, do you still expect the power of Han governors to rise? Let me tell you the truth, after the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Manchus would not dare to kill Han officials!"
"Those Han officials in the border areas, no matter whether they were corrupt or scolded the court, as long as they were not separated early, the Qing court would never dare to kill them!"
"Who would have dared to think about this before the founding of the People's Republic of China? But now... From another perspective, this war has improved the social status of countless Han officials in disguise, and the Han people's ability to control society is actually improving. of!"
"As soon as this trend appears, it will be impossible to reverse! Even without my intervention, Xiao Letian, if this trend develops for several decades, the Qing Dynasty will probably be over!"
"Look, this is the benefit of war. It stirs up the bucket of paste, allows all classes to flow again, and gives society new vitality!"
"What is the popular sentiment? Haha, I won't talk about it if it's too far away. I'll just say right now...whoever can lead this wave of class mobility will be the real ruler!"
"Whoever studies the subject of class mobility well will be the future master of the world!"
Xiao Letian's impassioned words spread far in the wind and waves of the Indian Ocean, and the officers and soldiers on the Zhiyuan were suddenly excited!
Xiao Letian pointed to the north, "Over there is the Western Region. Across the Himalayas, across the plateaus and deserts, there is the Western Region that the Han people and the Central Asian peoples have fought for for thousands of years!"
"I, Xiao Letian, am here, but I have this ability. I don't need to show up personally, and I don't need my soldiers to personally participate in the war... I can just use my financial power to control class mobility in the entire Western Region!"
"Hahaha... What I want is for the tens of thousands of troops who conquered the Western Regions to change their class and change their destiny because of me!"
"I just want to show the world what a big deal it is to follow my Chinese family!"
"From ancient times to the present, war has been a game for emperors and generals. They take away the sweetest fruits of victory, but what about the big-headed soldiers? They get nothing!"
"Perhaps there are a small number of lucky people who have been promoted from big soldiers to petty officers, and then climbed from the bottom to the top of generals step by step!"
"But how many lucky ones are there? Most soldiers still work for money, die in a muddle, return to their hometowns in a muddle, and drag their disabled bodies until the end of their lives!"
"This is wrong, this is not allowed! I, Xiao Letian, will change this unfair world!"
"The Western Region Investment Bank is going to specialize in real estate and monopolize all economic development in the Western Region! Then what? The profits of this company will become dividends to countless shareholders!"
"Let all the soldiers become shareholders. It doesn't matter if he is a cook or a groom, as long as you have fought hard for this war, contributed your strength, and gained merit..."
"Shares are a reward, and you also have the right to subscribe for shares!"
"The shares are passed down forever. As long as the company is here, they can't be lost! I don't dare to talk about golden rice bowls. I'll give these big-headed soldiers an iron rice bowl at least!"
"Even the Eight Banners of the Manchus have hard-core crops. Are we Han soldiers raised by our stepmothers? Don't we have a bowl of hard-core crops to eat?"
"Even if it's just a small amount of money a month, that's my reward for fighting in the national war!"
"Keep it in your heart. Western Region Investment Bank dare not say that it will last forever, but there is no problem in making profits for a hundred years. This place in Xinjiang looks barren but it is extremely rich!"
"The underground is full of mineral deposits. You can find whatever you want, just waiting for our geological team to investigate!"
"Building a railway is a project that can yield hundreds of years of investment at a time! In addition, this place has abundant sunshine and vast land, which is very suitable for large-scale agricultural production!"
"Especially cotton. Growing cotton on this land will definitely yield a good harvest. Then the spinning mills and weaving factories will be able to start working!"
"A steady stream of profits is a steady stream of dividends for soldiers!"
"Hahaha... let these Xinjiang garrison eat our dividends! As long as they are addicted to it, as long as they become dependent, do you think they will still be loyal to the Manchus?"
"As long as our economy does well, these Xinjiang troops will always be our brothers!"
"If that day comes, we don't have to fight and if we raise our arms, there will probably be mass uprisings in the north and south of Qianshan!"
"What is money? Money is a bastard! If you keep it in your hands, it will be a disaster. Spend it, give it away, and make good friends!"
"I'm an expert in the cultivation of this human world!"
Xiao Letian's move was considered a half-hearted conspiracy. Zuo Zongtang was not a fool. Of course he knew that all the money was with a hook, and it was very likely that all the morale of the Western Expeditionary Army would be taken away.
But what was strange today was that he actually put away his fiery temper. He didn't get angry but just thought quietly!
Xiao Letian's long-term goal is to catch this big fish in the entire Western Region!
The purpose is very clear, but one thing Zuo Zongtang also knows very well is that the kind of slow medicine that Xiao Letian uses will not cause an attack for the time being.
Maybe there won't be any problems in twenty or thirty years, and by then I'm afraid I'll be lying in the graveyard sleeping!
Do you really want to be a slave of the Manchus forever? Do you still want to be loyal to them even after you die? This is a question, and Zuo Zongtang fell into deep thought.
