"Rebellion?" Zhu Cixiang laughed loudly, "If you can't rebel... the dignitaries of the independent city-states will suppress the people below, while the Ming Empire will protect the kings above. Moreover, the monarchy in the southern continent is very limited, and it is not worth it for that. A little power will be eliminated from the Ming Dynasty.
Therefore, King Ao's kingdom can last forever. Even if the Ming Dynasty changes, King Ao can continue to inherit it! "
It turns out that Zhu Cihong arranged for Zhu Hexi to be a constitutional monarch with limited power and not much oil and water.
The establishment of a virtual monarch seems to be a good thing, and it seems to be the general trend, but not everyone can pull it off. This matter depends on the national conditions, the origin of the country, and what are the underlying assets of a country’s power?
For example, the ruler of tomorrow’s dynasty cannot be vain!
Because there was no one above the Ming Emperor, there was not much tradition of autonomy below him, and it was impossible to delegate power to the lower levels too much.
Of course, limited delegation of power is possible, but not too much... at least not in the era that Zhu Cixiang can imagine!
Because the people of the Ming Dynasty were multi-faceted and the country was vast, the situation in each place was very different, and there were many powerful enemies around it. It all depends on a powerful real king to hold everyone together.
Otherwise, why would the wealthy southeast provide so much money? Why do the bitter cold lands in the north pay so much blood tax?
If the king of Ming Dynasty is really vain, he will definitely cause trouble!
As for maintaining a strong centralized power while maintaining Xujun, it is impossible at the moment. Because the current Xujun cannot be based on the votes of the grassroots people, but can only be based on the support of the central and local dignitaries.
Therefore, it is easy to sweep away one's own troubles, which is very detrimental to the long-term stability of a considerate empire like the Ming Dynasty.
Historically, Britain was able to actively participate in European wars while establishing a virtual monarch (actually, the British virtual monarch also had a process. Until the Victorian era, the queen and her husband still had great power), mainly because Britain was the economic and political center. They are all located on the southern coast close to the European continent. A unified continent is too dangerous for those who control the political and economic lifeblood of Britain!
And London's capitalists also need the mainland market.
Therefore, the troubles in continents such as France and Germany are just like the Japanese pirates who ravaged the southeast during the Ming Dynasty!
As for the situation in the southern continent, it is easier to realize the false king. Anyway, the Ming Dynasty did not have the money to engage in development and immigration, and it could not control things thousands of miles away.
We can only let the various ghosts and monsters do it on their own, and the court will give it a name of autonomy, and at most take control of a few core cities - in this way, the basis of national power is local autonomy from the beginning, and there is no strong centralization at all. It can't be built, and it doesn't need to be.
It is said that there is no need because the southern continent is protected by the "Laozi Kingdom". The place is remote and there is not much oil and water, so there is no need to worry about the invasion of powerful enemies.
In addition, the southern continent covers seven to eight million square kilometers. No matter how arid and barren it is, for hundreds of thousands to millions of people, the resources needed for survival are abundant enough. The contradiction between man and land does not exist at all, so it is not easy for fierce competition to occur.
Therefore, it is easy for the Southern Continent to establish a system of virtual monarch and constitutional system, and it is also easy to maintain it and form a tradition.
And this approach is also the only way to develop the southern continent under the current technology and resource conditions!
"Your Majesty," Zheng Chagu still didn't believe Emperor Zhu, "I don't believe that you will live freely by the city-states in the southern continent... Sooner or later, they will have to have their power taken away!"
Zhu Cixiang didn't want to lose his temper with her. He wanted to send a message to the Zheng family and his son through Zheng Chagu. Of course, he had to explain it clearly, so he waved his hand and said with a smile: "I will sign a contract with them and establish the contract law... This You can’t cheat! Because you can’t cheat for long!”
The development and construction of the Southern Continent is a long-term project, and it will be difficult to see results in 50 or 60 years. Who can cheat for so many years?
The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty paused and then said: "Either it can't be done, or the rules must be established. Tea Girl, you'd better ask the Zheng family to follow you! If you follow, you can leave a way out and prevent Just in case!"
This sounds a bit depressing...but Ming Dynasty Guo Zuo will eventually come to an end! If the Zheng family doesn't want to perish with the country, they will build more nests and run away if something goes wrong.
"What about the rights of the Dutch and British? Can you really trust them?" Zheng Chagu's questioning is not over yet.
"Haha..." Zhu Cixiang just smiled, "I keep my word. I will definitely stick to the contract signed in black and white, but the terms in the contract can still be negotiated! Not only the Dutch and British can negotiate with me, but the old Taishan and your brother can also come and talk to me."
Exploring and developing the southern continent became another business for Zhu Cixiang. Since it is a business, Party A and Party B have to sit down and talk. Before Party A and Party B sat down to talk, it was Zhu Cihong who discussed with the two important ministers of the Ming Dynasty.
On the third day after Zhu Cihong and Zheng Chagu's "bedside conversation", the topic of exploring and developing the southern continent was brought up to the imperial meeting of the two governments.
"You must have read the Southern Continent survey report submitted by the Australia and New Zealand Company. The Southern Continent is real, and it is very big. However, the northern part of the continent near the equator is dry and rainless, and is very desolate." Zhu Ci said calmly. He said slowly, "Moreover, the sea to the north of the southern continent is calm and windless all year round, and the ocean currents are westward. It is very inconvenient and expensive to sail there from Java Island and Timor Island. So we have to organize a larger-scale exploration." , still not using the navy’s expedition team, but leaving it to Chinese and foreign maritime merchants. Because this time it is going to be bigger, so I also want the vassal states that are willing to invest in the exploration of the southern continent to join in. Let’s explore and develop together, Of course the benefits are shared.”
The size of the Ming Dynasty's navy is not small now, but the number of expedition fleets that can be dispatched is not large - the expedition fleets need experienced captains and sailors, and it has only been ten years since the Ming Dynasty's navy really started to go to the ocean, so it cannot save many expedition ships. Team. The limited naval expedition fleet must of course be used on the Pacific coast of the New World Continent where the risks are low, the returns are high, and it is easy to be preempted by others.
Zhu Cixiang went on to say: "Although I allow everyone to jointly develop and share benefits, there is one thing that must be said first... The country established on the southern continent must be a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, and the country must be ruled by me. The son will serve! All parties involved in the development can only be city lords below the king. As for how each city lord manages his own territory, it can be discussed carefully. Whether these city lords can participate in the affairs of the feudal court can also be discussed carefully. . Today, I will discuss with you first and lay down the big rules. In Western terms, we are now establishing a constitution. If you have any ideas, just say it!"
"Your Majesty," Zheng Sen, the Minister of Household Affairs, was the first to speak, "I wonder why the constitution you are talking about is almost the same as doing business?"
"Isn't it just about the same?" Zhu Cixiang said with a smile, "Any business that can be negotiated must be that both parties have their own needs, and there is no way to buy or sell by force, or even to establish a monopoly, otherwise there is nothing good about it. Let’s talk about it. The same is true for the constitution of the Southern Continent! I only have a piece of land, I don’t know how big it is, I don’t know how rich or poor I am, and I don’t have the ability to feed myself... And the land is on par with the Southern Continent, and even more fertile. There are many places for everyone to go, and you don’t have to go to the Southern Continent. Although I am the emperor, I can’t force people to spend money to open up territories thousands of miles away! After all, the risks of developing the Southern Continent are not small, and the benefits are uncertain. And it’s very difficult to govern. Otherwise, I would have already paid for it out of my own pocket, so why should we invest in it together? So my idea is to only set a big framework, and everything else can be negotiated and handled.”
