At this moment, Xiao Letian has understood all the thoughts of Marshal Zeng. He is a dying old man who knows that time is running out. He is asking Xiao Letian for help in his own way!
Yes, he was asking Xiao Letian for help. On the surface, he was asking for the evaluation of future generations and the judgment of history books. In fact, there was only one meaning behind the words, which was to plead with Xiao Letian, this hidden dragon who is still alive, to protect him and not let him go. Later generations splashed sewage too hard!
Long Xingtianxia naturally has his domineering spirit, but no matter how powerful he is, he cannot violate the laws of nature. Death will wipe out all his power!
No one dares to touch the Marshal while he is alive. After his death, many people will restrain themselves for a period of time because his subordinate Hu Ben is still alive. But what about the future?
When there is no one to protect them anymore, will someone modify the history books to discredit themselves, or even kill their children and grandchildren, or simply dig up graves?
We cannot ignore these things. We are all people who have read history books. In the bloody history of thousands of years, there have been too many such things!
With the change of dynasty, even the emperor's mausoleum was hollowed out, not to mention that he was just a powerful minister, half a hidden dragon?
Xiao Letian looked at Marshal Zeng and knew that the usual official politeness was unacceptable. If he wanted to truly reassure the Marshal, he had to tell the truth and speak from his heart!
"Commander! Don't say you have such worries. I don't think so. Do you know why I don't want to take another step forward? With my current power, becoming the emperor of the Chinese is only one step away... …No, no, half a step is enough!”
"But what's the benefit of actually going up there? If I become the emperor, I will be on the same level as the emperor of the Qing Dynasty. That will completely end the illusions of Zai Chun and other reformers!"
"What does it mean that the **** emperor appears in East Asia? This is destined to be two independent countries in the international legal system. This is what I try my best to avoid!"
"Although the Chinese have been recognized by Western powers as an independent country, according to the rules of today's international order, the Chinese are still part of China's vassal system!"
"This is a country formed from the ancient Ryukyu Kingdom, including Brunei, Japan, Luzon, Annan... and a series of vassal systems that were once Chinese civilization!"
"The highest honor for the Chinese people is nothing more than the Prime Minister. Of course, I am special and they gave me a unique title, which belongs to the Prime Minister of the first and last, or the Head of State for short!"
"And the highest title is the king's title, King Shangtai, King of the Far East, etc. In the future, the Ruan family in Annan will also give him the title of king!"
"I have already figured out my own affairs. The prime minister will step down after a few years of service, and then the noble council will give me a rich prince and that will be the end!"
"Compared with the Qing Dynasty, this kind of political system is definitely one level lower! Zaichun is the emperor, and we are the kings. This is different. Europe also recognizes feudalism, and they recognize this hierarchical difference!"
"Because I left such a back door, everyone had a place where they could sneak in and seek revenge! On the one hand, I paralyzed the Qing Dynasty and gave them an illusion. What illusion is it?"
"It is to allow the Manchu and Qing dynasties to imagine that one day, if the Manchu and Qing dynasties still become stronger, they will use various methods to reintegrate the Chinese into the Manchu and Qing vassal system!"
"Yes! Zai Chun's ideal is to incorporate the Chinese into the Chinese vassal system. He is the lord and we are the vassal! It doesn't matter whether we pay tribute or not, the reputation is good anyway!"
"This is the only cornerstone for my current cooperation with the Manchus. It is not a personal relationship with Zaichun. The relationship between master and disciple is all nonsense. What is the relationship between master and disciple in the face of state power?"
"I left a backdoor for the Manchus and the Qing Dynasty, and also left a stepping stone for the European powers!"
"I didn't claim to be emperor, I didn't sit on an equal footing with Zai Chun, I still kept a low profile, so... I left a legal rationality for the Chinese to settle in the Central Plains and swallow up the Manchus in the future!"
"Yes! In this world, the strong are indeed respected! But the strong also need to be restrained by rules. Even if the Chinese can defeat the Manchus, they cannot defeat the whole world!"
"Completely relying on military annexation is not enough. I must have a legal basis to silence the Western powers! This is the rightful name!"
"The Manchu and Qing Dynasties are unwilling to let go of our Chinese nation's status as a vassal state, so let him continue to fantasize! If the Manchu and Qing dynasties can annex the vassal state, won't the vassal state be able to annex the Manchu state in the future?"
"Once that day comes, I will announce to the world that all Chinese military actions against the Manchus are completely China's internal affairs and outsiders have no right to interfere!"
"Look, if you put out a slogan like this, you will have room for maneuver in the future!"
Zeng Guofan nodded thoughtfully, "So, does the suggestion His Majesty gave you the embassy a few days ago have such a subtext?"
"It turns out that both Zai Chun and you have their own little plans! One wants to use the majesty of the empire to annex the Chinese people, and the other wants to use the legitimacy of the vassal state to create a banner that civil war cannot be interfered with!"
"You want to eat him, and he wants to eat you...and then you both have to put on a protective shell of legal principles to avoid Western interference as much as possible?"
"How brilliant! I have to admit that I am old! I am old... I am no longer as good as you when it comes to how to deal with Western powers!"
Xiao Letian said patiently, "Commander! I have told you my trump card, what else are you worried about? With my great arrangements, who dares to touch you?"
"Your descendants, your ancestral hall and tomb, naturally I will protect you... Even if the situation changes drastically, there is no need to be afraid! I have opened up a special area in the mausoleum behind the Ryukyu War Temple called the Friends Shrine!"
"This is a cemetery for those heroes who have good relations with the Chinese and are willing to be buried in the Chinese in the future. It has beautiful scenery and high building standards. I invite you to rest there. In the end, I will be buried together, even if you die. A companion!"
"Hahaha... No, it's not like that! As long as there is a glimmer of hope, I still hope to be buried with my ancestors! This is home! But I really accept your intention! I also believe you can do it ..." The commander patted Xiao Letian's hand with an extremely relaxed expression.
"You have such a plan. It seems that the Chinese will not suffer in the future! This fortress plan is a chain you put on China. The Central Plains will never be split apart!"
"First control the place economically and militarily, and then infiltrate the culture bit by bit... As long as you believe in time, sooner or later the hearts of this country will be yours!"
"Brilliant! This is the right way! This is the right way that can change the world with the least amount of bloodshed! What Changmao and the others did won't work! It really won't work..."
"Ahem, cough..." Zeng Guofan coughed for a while, drank two more sips of ginseng soup to calm down a little, and said with a red face, "With your Chen Nuo, I feel at ease. At least I won't be afraid of being dug up after I die." Grave!"
"But... I still have some worries! My reputation in future generations..."
