"Daozi, what you said at the political meeting today was good...you should be able to convince most of the political officials to support sending troops!"
"Yes, it was your father who proposed the necessity of sending troops at the political meeting last time. More than ten years have passed..."
In the office of the Secretary in the Admiralty Building of the Ming Dynasty, brothers Zhuge Weiyi and Zhuge Weiyong, who had just returned from the political meeting, were talking to Zhuge Weidao about what they had testified at the political meeting this morning.
Zhuge Weidao seemed a little unsure when he heard the tone of the two men, so he asked further: "Brother Ten, Brother Fifty-one, will the issue of sending troops still cause trouble for the political officials?"
Zhuge Weiyi smiled helplessly: "That's not possible... I haven't really fought in the Ming Dynasty for more than a hundred years!"
Zhuge Wenyong also said: "The last time we sent troops to Europe to attack Napoleon could not be considered a real war, because we were not the main ones at all. We just sent the navy to deliver arms to the Rakshasa Kingdom, and followed the British Royal Navy to fire a few cannons. But this time it was not It’s up to us to go up on our own... Whether it will work or not, we have no idea.”
Zhuge Weiyi stroked his gray beard, frowned and said: "One hundred and eight, you have been busy outside these days. I don't know how much quarrels there are in Beijing over whether to attack Japan or how to attack Japan. Fierce? There are different opinions within several major families. Many people think that it is unnecessary to attack Japan. It is difficult to fight and there is no profit. If it were not for the recent battle of Jueying Island, the matter of fighting the war would be in the political council. It’s even harder to pass!”
Zhuge Weidao was not surprised. The Ming Dynasty has been at peace for more than a hundred years. At best, everyone has enjoyed the dividends of peace and is unwilling to change. At worst, if peace lasts for a long time, people will become cowardly. Moreover, there is no significant benefit from using troops against Japan. The purpose of this war was actually to confirm Ming's absolute leadership position in the circles of East Asia and Southeast Asia. The circles in East Asia and Southeast Asia are much smaller than those of Europeans, and the Ming Dynasty is larger than any European empire.
Therefore, before the Ming Dynasty truly started its struggle for world hegemony, it had to capture Japan and complete the integration of East Asia and Southeast Asia. Brzezinski, the American strategic master in another timeline, also predicted a similar situation, that is, China, Japan and South Korea would form a team to fight the United States... But this combination looks good, but it is very difficult to achieve it. not easy.
Even in this timeline, it is not easy to do. First of all, the martial virtues of small Japan are still quite abundant. The Japanese archipelago is mountainous and difficult to defeat. If the fight turns into a quagmire and lasts for a long time, the losses will be huge.
Secondly, the population ratio between the early New Ming Dynasty and Japan was five to two (now it is ten to one), so it was impossible for the Ming Dynasty to annex Japan, and it was impossible for the Ming Dynasty to arrange a place for Japan in its own vassal system.
Only before Ming Dynasty is really ready to compete with Great Britain for leadership of the world, Japan must be conquered first. But after conquering, Japan must still be given a certain space for development. Otherwise, how can the Japanese cannon fodder help fight when they are hungry? British old?
And if Japan is given some room for development, even if it transfers some textile and toy industries, it will still cause the loss of Ming-related industries...
In addition, once Japan has room for development, the number of young girls imported from Ming Dynasty and Nanyang will decrease. What will happen to those poor men from Ming Dynasty who cannot find wives? Although the Ming Dynasty was relatively wealthy as a whole, there were always poor people. Even if the poor are not taken into consideration, the wealthy businessmen and powerful people of the Ming Dynasty also like to keep one or several well-behaved and obedient Japanese concubines to serve them.
Therefore, it is normal for some political officials to object to accepting Japan as a dog... At this moment, the Military and Diplomatic Committee of the Political Council is having a closed-door meeting. Zhuge Weiyi, Zhuge Weyong, and Zhuge Weidao are not political officials. , we can only wait for news at the Admiralty Department.
While the three of them were talking and waiting for news, a Ouija phone placed on Zhuge Weiyi's desk suddenly rang. The three Zhuges looked at each other, and Zhuge Weiyong immediately picked up the phone receiver: "Hello, I'm Zhuge Weiyong...what? Looking for Zhuge Daozi? Xishan Palace? His wife...knows, knew!"
Then Zhuge Wenyong put down the phone receiver in his hand and said to Zhuge Weidao: "Brother 108, your grand duchess went to Xishan Gong to see the Queen Mother this morning, but it was just after lunch and she still hadn't left Xishan Palace. Just, it’s about to give birth!”
Zhuge Weidao immediately became nervous. The eldest of his twins was about to be born...and he could finally see his second twin who had been born for two months today!
I saw him standing up abruptly and cupping his hands towards Zhuge Weiyi and Zhuge Weiyong: "Brothers, I'm sorry."
Zhuge Wenyong said: "Brother 108, go to Xishan Palace quickly... take my carriage!"
...
When Zhuge Weidao came to Xishan Palace in Zhuge Weidao's carriage that looked very old but ran fast and steady, he found that there were several vehicles with the embassy sign of Rakshasa Kingdom standing outside the gate of Xishan Palace. western style luxury carriage.
Seeing these carriages, Zhuge Weidao was stunned for a moment. The black eunuch Black Whirlwind appeared out of nowhere and rushed to him like a gust of wind. Then he took his wrist and walked inside, talking while walking. While shouting: "Eighteenth Military Advisor, why did you come here? Your wife has already given birth... mother and child are safe!"
Already given birth?
Is mother and son still safe?
Zhuge Weidao quickly asked: "What was born? Is it a boy or a girl?"
"It's two boys!" Black Tornado continued to shout, "Twins... 18th Military Advisor, congratulations!"
"Ha ha ha ha......"
Zhuge was happy for Dao because his twin brother was finally born.
Black Tornado added: "They are still twins...the two children look different. The elder brother looks like the Grand Duchess, and the younger brother looks like you!"
Zhuge Weidao laughed: "Really? Hahaha, there are many twins, and we have several in the Zhuge family!"
The two of them were studying the problem of twins, while the wind was blowing under their feet. In a blink of an eye, they ran outside the Moon Gate of a secluded small courtyard in Xishan Palace. Two black eunuchs were standing outside the Moon Gate. When they saw the black whirlwind pulling Zhuge Weidao, they shouted to the Moon Gate together: "The Queen Mother...Zhuge Weidao is here!"
Zhuge Weidao had just arrived at the door when he heard Zheng Yuhuan's voice coming from inside: "Xuan, hurry up and let him in!"
"Coming, coming..." Zhuge Weidao hadn't seen his "Sister Yuhuan" for a while. When he heard the call, he flew in without waiting for the black eunuch below to announce it. courtyard, and then ran into a bright lobby.
After entering the lobby, he found a large group of people standing in the lobby, including black eunuchs, palace maids, male and female medical officers, and a tall, forty-year-old Vice Admiral of the Rakshasa Kingdom with a mustache. .
Zhuge Weidao knew this Rakshasa man. He was a favorite of Tsar Nicholas I, Alexander Sergeyevich Menshikov... This guy worked from the Army to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then to The navy came to Ming Dynasty as a special envoy of Tsar Nicholas I a month ago.
Zhuge Weidao glanced at Menshikov, and then at the much plumper Empress Dowager Zheng, and then bowed to Empress Dowager Zheng: "I, Zhuge Weidao, respectfully wish the Queen Mother to pay her respects."
Empress Dowager Zheng was sitting on the throne, holding a little baby wrapped in a blanket in her arms. As soon as the baby was put to sleep, when she heard Zhuge Weidao's voice, she let out a dissatisfied "ouch", and Empress Dowager Zheng hurriedly patted the baby. He touched the little baby a few times and put him to sleep again, and then glared at Zhuge Weidao angrily: "Taozi, please keep your voice down...your son just fell asleep!"
"Oh, oh," Zhuge Weidao, who saw his son for the first time, nodded repeatedly and asked excitedly, "Queen Mother, is he older or younger?"
"It's your eldest son!" Then she glanced at Menshikov standing aside, "Special envoy, tell me!"
Menshikov first bowed to Empress Dowager Zheng, and then said to Zhuge Weidao: "Your Excellency, Military Advisor, His Majesty the Tsar has agreed to your and Grand Duchess Natalie Pavlovna's request and recognized your two The marriage is legal...and the Zhuge family you belong to is a noble family in the Ming Empire after the royal family, comparable to the royal family of a small king, so the union between you is not a miscegenation. Therefore, according to the " According to the Decree on the Succession of the Throne of the Whole Rakshasa Empire, the son born between you and the Grand Duchess has the right to inherit the Rakshasa throne, and the order of succession is after all the male descendants of the Tsar and the female descendants who are closer to the Tsar and their children!"
