The "they" in Ovitsky's mouth naturally refers to people like Li Di.
Although they are all second-class citizens of the Ming Dynasty, because their degree of Chineseization is not high and they are not as susceptible to the care of the Han people of the Ming Dynasty as Li Di and others, Ovitsky and other Western barbarians are naturally a relatively vulnerable group.
Being beaten by these people is no exception.
Zhu Youxiao, the superior Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, only learned of this situation through the relevant private investigations reported by Dongchang.
However, he was not surprised by this.
In his opinion, this is considered a normal manifestation of human nature.
Just because of him, the chain of contempt is evolving in a direction that is beneficial to the Han people.
“Only when politicians put the interests of their own nation above all else can the people of other countries be more noble than the people of other countries and have their own independence, without having to cling to the strong to satisfy their self-esteem.”
Zhu Youxiao walked under the palace wall where pomegranate flowers were blooming with his hands behind his back, and said to Zhang Yan, whose hair was all white.
Zhang Yan held his arm, smiled faintly on her wrinkled face, and said, "What are you talking about to your majesty and concubine?"
"I had this feeling after seeing what Dongchang reported at the Institute of Foreign Education this morning, and thinking about the changes in the past few decades, and I just mentioned it casually. Can't you listen?"
"Do you really think this is only a matter for the emperor and ministers? You guys, you can't stop your ancestors from saying that the harem is not allowed to interfere in politics, but you really feel that your family and country have nothing to do with you! Whether the nation prospers or declines, everyone cannot escape the influence."
Zhu Youxiao replied.
Zhang Yan smiled and said: "Your Majesty is right! The kings of the past dynasties only had the world in their eyes, but they only ruled one country! You only have one clan in your eyes, but you ruled the whole world! You really wish that the Han people would regard you as The king of this country is responsible for the rise and fall of his clan!"
Zhu Youxiao glanced at Zhang Yan and suddenly said: "You have stayed with me until now! Only you know what I am thinking."
Zhang Yan's lips curled up slightly.
As a result, Zhu Youxiao saw Zhang Yan's hair full of silver hair, and couldn't help but think that he was already old again.
He knows that there is a saying that "you are a thief if you don't die when you are old".
It is indeed not a good thing for many people that the emperor has not died.
But Zhu Youxiao also didn't expect that because of his good health regimen, he would change the historical destiny of the Ming Dynasty, which was bound to perish during this period, and his own destiny would also change, reaching the point where his life span was comparable to that of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty.
However, Zhu Youxiao is fortunate now because Ming Dynasty is still in the period of external expansion.
People from all walks of life throughout the empire basically still focused on competing for external interests and did not pay much attention to the internal struggle for power.
Therefore, most people do not find it intolerable that Zhu Youxiao has always been the emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
Even because of the need for external expansion, everyone in the Ming Dynasty still needs the brand of Zhu Youxiao to represent their justice in competing for external interests, so they continue to praise Zhu Youxiao, even to the point of worshiping him. situation.
Many families, many of whom were wealthy, respected Zhu Youxiao so much that they actually worshiped him like a Bodhisattva.
But Zhu Youxiao has never been a person who cares about other people's evaluation of him.
Tyrant as well.
No matter how benevolent you are.
He killed people to save people and never cared about what future generations would think.
He even asked the Hanlin Academy historians not to keep taboo historical records on him, but to record everything objectively, so that the history books could truly become documentaries of this era, without adding or subtracting anything.
But what Zhu Youxiao has to admit is that up to now, he has gained a great reputation, and it is a good reputation that many benevolent monarchs cannot get even if they have been wronged by civil servants throughout their lives.
However, he was not happy about this. What he hoped was that the people of Ming Dynasty would not really think that he had saved them, but should understand that only they could save themselves.
Rely on the emperor, rely on upright officials, rely on parents, rely on friends. In the end, you can only rely on yourself.
Otherwise, no matter how well the people in the world are protected by great people, in the end they will just be like giant babies, so that when things don't concern them, they will just shrink aside, and when things don't concern them, they will just cry and fuss. I don't know the way.
"I can guarantee that the Ming Dynasty will be strong for a while, but I cannot guarantee that the Ming Dynasty will be strong forever. I can only bring peace to the Han people in the world for a lifetime, but I cannot bring eternal peace! And to keep the peace of the Ming Dynasty and the people forever, we have to rely on those who come after us!"
"In addition, you can't expect that I alone can really wipe out thousands of years of accumulated abuses in just a few decades, and make people in the world who only care about the snow in front of their own homes completely bid farewell to selfishness. This is what is needed after all. The latecomers continue to work hard.”
After Zhu Youxiao's day, Yu Zhengshitang said some words to his assistant ministers and the emperor's heirs who were in charge of politics, telling them not to expect too much that they could solve everything on their own.
Looking at this, Wen Tiren felt more and more admiration for His Majesty the Ming Emperor, who said some humble words when his prestige was so high that even the wild lands of the Western Regions thousands of miles away were worshiping him as the sage of the world. He said with a smile:
"I remember that when Your Majesty came to the throne, I was just a small minister in the Imperial Academy. At that time, the reforms and eradication of disadvantages could be said to be caused by Your Majesty's lonesome courage! He was so decisive in killing and killing that no one else in the world could be more prosperous than me. Angry! Nowadays, the country is so powerful and the people are wise, but they are responsible for the rise and fall of the country. However, your majesty does not think that the world will be peaceful from now on, and the kings of future generations will only have to sit back and enjoy peace. It can be seen that your majesty’s wisdom is not comparable to that of all emperors since ancient times. !”
"It's not that I'm being pretentious, but I'm afraid that they will think that if the world is truly unified in the future, they will have nothing to do!"
Zhu Youxiao pointed at the emperor's heirs as he spoke.
"Despite this, my sons and ministers still hope that my father can live long and continue to live long, so that we, the younger generations, can clear up some of the accumulated shortcomings of the Han family."
The fifth prince Zhu Cizhuo, who returned to Beijing with Zhou Yuji to report on his duties, said something at this time.
After hearing this, Zhu Youxiao said: "If I continue to live forever and continue to live, many people will hate me even deeper! After the world is unified, I will have to find an opportunity to abdicate. It will take a few years. Years of leisure.”
Zhu Youxiao's words were a stabilizer.
After he said this, many people who still cared more about internal struggle for power temporarily suppressed their thoughts of internal struggle for power and still focused mainly on external expansion.
"That being the case, Seventh Brother, you still have to continue to make more achievements and compare with Lao Wu! Today in Europe and the Americas in the future, the civil servants and military generals cannot only know him as Lao Wu but not you."
Zhu Cican, who has been imprisoned in the mansion, seems to have been forgotten by Zhu Youxiao. Even before he got the fiefdom, the mansion has become deserted. Now, only Zhu Cican will come to see him, and by the way, Zhu Cican will also give him a favor. Come up with ideas.
Zhu Cikai nodded, then looked at Zhu Cican and said: "It's a pity for you, second brother. It would be great if my father allowed you to make great contributions. Now, from the crown prince to the common people, everyone can quickly make great achievements, and one person can destroy several countries." have!"
Zhu Cican smiled and said: "What you say is nothing in front of me, but remember, in front of my father, don't use words that range from the crown prince to the common people. Just say that anyone who is Han can accomplish great achievements quickly, lest my father The emperor feels that your emotions towards your compatriots are still divided between officials and civilians!"
Ever since Zhu Youxiao was deprived of the chance to become his heir because he said something wrong last time, Zhu Cican has become even more cautious than before, so much so that he now catches the mistakes in Zhu Cican's casual words. .
Zhu Cikai stood up, put the tea in his hand back, and asked: "Is it necessary to be so careful? I don't mean to deny my father's brotherhood. I just said that everyone, regardless of status, can Just make great achievements quickly!"
"But my father may not necessarily think so! In front of my father, you have to be careful! Remember! Don't be like me! What my father dislikes most now is someone who just wants to be a superior person without any sense of nationality. people!"
Zhu Cizhuo said.
Zhu Cikai replied: "Okay, I will remember it! Don't worry, second brother, he is not the only one who can open up new territories!"
…
The fifth prince, Zhu Cizhuo, defeated Sobieski in the first battle in Kiev and later assisted Zhou Yuji to collapse the European Union through several mobile battles. He officially succeeded Zhou Yuji and became the general of Dingxi, taking charge of the military and political affairs of westward expansion.
Zhou Yuji, because of his old age and the fact that he would not be able to lead heavy troops for a long time, retreated bravely and returned to the capital to serve as the Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth Army Governor's Office.
This official position seems to have a high official position, but it has no real power. Apart from the function of consultant, it can only be regarded as leisure. He is just waiting for the unification of America in the future and then he will go to America to serve as the head of the principality.
It was Zhou Yuji who applied to Zhu Youxiao to become the head of the country in America in the future.
Because he knew that he had participated in the Western Expedition for many years and had many old subordinates in Europe. If he chose a fiefdom in Europe as the head of the country, it was almost possible to become the emperor of Europe. Therefore, he asked the emperor to send him to America in the future. , if he is still alive after the reunification of America in the future.
Of course, this is not how Zhou Yuji explained it to the outside world. The reason he gave to the outside world was that he did not want to leave China, nor did he want to leave the side of His Majesty the Emperor. Even if he died of old age, he would have to die in China, so he said with a shy face that after the reunification of the Americas, Then ask the emperor to banish him as a prince.
Zhu Cizhuo took over Zhou Yuji's position as General of Dingxi, which meant that the children of the royal family began to further become the main figures in the expansion of the Ming Empire, and were infinitely close to the decision-making level.
Of course, this also made the competition within the entire royal family more intense. After all, the position of General Dingxi is different from ordinary positions.
Zhu Cizhuo also didn't expect that his father would put it on the fire.
But he also seemed to understand that his father did this because he was the most suitable prince, who had shown that he had no intention of becoming emperor and was familiar with the situation in Europe.
Königsberg.
Zhu Cizhuo sent Dong Hanchen, deputy chief instructor of the Guards and governor of Poland, here to demand the surrender of the Principality of Prussia here.
At present, with the Austrian Habsburg monarch Leopold VI voluntarily surrendering to the Ming Dynasty and giving up all of Austria, the entire European Grand Alliance organization has completely collapsed, and now, what the Ming Dynasty has to do is to let these Countries on the European continent that could only protect themselves came under the rule of the Ming Dynasty, and it was best to surrender to the Ming Dynasty on their own initiative without using weapons.
Therefore, Zhu Cizhuo took the initiative to send Dong Hanchen to contact the Principality of Prussia, which would be the first to be annexed because it was close to the newly established Poland and Rakshasa Provinces in the Ming Dynasty.
It is worth mentioning that although according to the assumptions of the Ming Central Court, the area east of the Ural Mountains will be enfeoffed into vassal towns in the future due to the long geographical distance and other factors.
But now, because the Ming Dynasty is still at war, and the people who will become the vassal have not yet been selected, these places are still temporarily set up as provinces directly under the direct jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty central court.
There are still governors in each province, but they are mostly led by military officers to carry out wartime military control, which is convenient for quelling sporadic rebellions caused by local nobles who are unwilling to lose.
"We can submit to the rule of your Ming Dynasty, but we hope that we can be autonomous, and you cannot send troops or impose so-called defense taxes and fees!"
However, after Dong Hanchen came to convey Zhu Cizhuo's intention, Karl Kesten, an army colonel of the Principality of Prussia, put forward a request for autonomy.
Snapped!
"How can that work! Although it is very likely that these places will become the vassal towns of my Ming Dynasty in the future, but that will only be carried out after the civilized transformation of these places. It's a joke. I, the son of the Han family, worked hard to go to a foreign land. Why should I be the protector of his autonomous country for nothing?"
After Zhu Cizhuo learned from Dong Hanchen what the nobles of the Principality of Prussia thought, he dismounted on the spot and swung his riding whip into the air.
"Please tell your Fifth Highness! We know that there is no free food in this world. We are willing to pay personal taxes to Your Fifth Highness every year, and it is half of the defense tax you proposed! Your country is so rich, we In the eyes of His Majesty the Emperor of the other country, the defense expenses of a small country are not very important. Even if they are not available, they will not have much impact. However, if His Highness can have half of the defense expenses entered into his private treasury every year, he can use it in the officialdom and the military. I can win over more people here, and maybe I can become the most powerful prince in the future, so why not?"
Karl Kesten had obviously conducted a careful investigation into the internal affairs of the Ming Dynasty. Now that he saw that Zhu Cizhuo was unwilling to achieve the goal of destroying a country as soon as possible and insisted on completing the substantive unification of the Principality of Prussia, he was ready to go underground. The second move was to try to win over Zhu Cizhuo privately with wealth, so that he would be willing to let his Principality of Prussia belong to the Ming Dynasty in name, but he could continue to rule the Principality of Prussia independently by nobles who were born in the Teutonic Knights.
Zhu Cizhuo had to admit that this bait was very fragrant.
No one wants to have more sources of wealth.
Dong Hanchen, who regarded himself as a supporter of Zhu Cizhuo, also took the initiative to persuade Zhu Cizhuo: "From the perspective of the lower officials, this is actually a way. Anyway, the mountains are high and the emperor is far away. At worst, they will not end their autonomy until the officials from the imperial court are sent! And this It usually takes a few years, and in these few years, basically the local officials, Your Highness, the general, are temporarily serving as officers. In this case, why not take advantage of this to save some money and prepare for building momentum for yourself in the future. "
