On the ship of the King of Prussia, a group of Prussian scholars were discussing the history of China and the history of the West.
As the saying goes, all history is modern history. The purpose of Prussians discussing history is actually to consider the future of Prussia and Germany.
Among a group of scholars there was a eloquent speaker known as Hegel:
"Although Mr. Gauss is a scholar in mathematics and natural sciences, his comparative discussion of the history of China and Europe in the Dongyi Kingdom should be correct.
"European continent has never been truly unified after the Roman Empire.
"This reduces our overall power across Europa, but it also gives us more possibilities.
"Most of the countries in Europa can only be considered small countries compared to the unified China, and the choices we make can only be considered trivial.
“But we have many countries, so when history needs to make choices, we can make many choices at the same time.
“As long as one country makes the right choice, it will be able to gain a relative lead and be imitated by others.
"In the end we as a whole Europa make the right choices and that's our strength."
However, not all of those who patiently listened to Hegel's explanation were listeners; there were also opponents.
A young man in his thirties named Schopenhauer directly raised a very clear objection and question when Hegel's speech paused:
“So you’re saying that the fragmentation of Europa is actually an advantage?
“Now that the countries in Europe have no other choice but to crawl together at the feet of the Ming Dynasty, do they have any other choice?
"Is the current choice of the French and British what you call the right choice? Should the countries in Europe and the West follow suit collectively and embrace the Ming Dynasty?
“Your argument that as long as one country makes the right choice, it can gain a leading advantage is simply wrong.
“If it’s correct, we should directly defeat Ming Dynasty instead of being pushed further and further away now.
“Countries that gain a lead will be imitated by other countries, which may seem right.
"But the reason for leading may not be correct, and it may only increase strength in a short period of time, but it will overdraw the future of 'fishing from the lake'.
"The key is that as long as one country does this, other countries will have no choice but to follow, even if they know that that choice is overdrafting the future.
“Otherwise, our own country may have been wiped out by the other country before the consequences of overdrafting in the future are revealed.
“In other words, the divisions and melee between the European and European countries have resulted in countries in Europe and Asia only being able to take into account their immediate interests and have no chance to focus on the future.
“On the contrary, only a completely unified court like the Ming Dynasty can have the opportunity to temporarily use immediate interests to invest in the future.
“This is the real reason for our long-term failure as Europeans!
"A thousand years ago, after the collapse of the Roman Empire under the attack of our ancestors, the continent of Europe entered the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods of China.
"The key is that it's been a thousand years and we still haven't gotten out of the Warring States period.
"Because, on our continent of Europe, there has never been a Qin State, and it has never unified the world again.
“The division of the European countries is the biggest disadvantage.
“If Europa cannot be reunited again, we will always have to chase after Ming Dynasty.
“Throughout the entire history, we, the Prussians and Germans, who have inherited the mantle of the Holy Roman Empire, are the people who are most like Qin.
"Unifying Germany, rebuilding the Holy Roman Empire, and unifying Europe are our Prussian missions!
"It is also the source of sorrow for us Prussians!"
Schopenhauer's point of view is indeed a refutation of Hegel, and a refutation of what Hegel said about the superiority of the West.
But he was also thinking from the perspective of Prussia and the Germans.
The dispute between the two people on specific matters is only superficial. In fact, they are thinking about the fate and future of Prussia and Germany.
These people may correspond to someone in the original history, and they may also have the characteristics of the people in the original history.
However, the environment in which they live, the reality and history they understand, the education and life experiences they receive are all very different from the original history.
Therefore, their way of thinking and concepts may have something in common with them in the original history.
But there will obviously be more differences.
It was just a coincidence of fate that placed Schopenhauer in the opposite position to Hegel.
Of course, Hegel was not afraid of arguments, and he even hoped to argue with others in public to make his thinking more mature.
Regardless of failure or success, as long as the opponent is of sufficient level, it should be able to provide you with some inspiration.
After all, when three of us are traveling together, I must be my teacher...
It's just that Hegel's approach was not to ask polite questions, but to address relative arguments:
“It’s really nonsense. Throughout the past two thousand years of history, China has been repeating a cycle.
“The ruling class collapsed due to corruption, peasant riots destroyed the old dynasty, and then gave birth to a new dynasty, which collapsed again two or three hundred years later.
“In fact, I think the Ming Dynasty had already died due to peasant uprisings in the Chongzhen year.
"The current Ming Empire is a completely different kind of country from the original Ming Dynasty, except for the ruling family.
“The new system established by Emperor Zhu Cihong was completely different from the previous Ming Dynasty.
“The Ming Dynasty is now strong only because the Ming Dynasty has been making the right choices since Emperor Zhu Cihong 170 years ago.
“However, once Ming Dynasty makes a wrong choice, Ming Dynasty will quickly decline or even collapse.
“The treasure ship of the Ming Dynasty is too huge, and it takes a huge price to change the tradition.
“No one can stop this process, because no external force can truly threaten the existing Ming court.
"That will be our opportunity for Europa to truly surpass the Ming Dynasty."
Schopenhauer immediately responded tit for tat and said:
"What's the use of saying this? So what if your judgment is correct?
"If the countries of Europe cannot unify, then even if the Ming Dynasty suffers an unprecedented failure, we will have no chance to surpass the Ming Dynasty.
“Prussia had no chance, Lucia had no chance, France had no chance, England had no chance.
“Only the unified New Rome has this opportunity and qualification.
"The key is that precisely because of the dynasty cycle you mentioned, even if the central dynasty of China collapsed and split in the later period, it would be reunited again.
“The rulers of various forces in China will regard reunification of the world as their highest goal in life.
“We Europeans have never had this idea!
“What’s more important is that with every dynasty cycle in China, something new will be born.
“The new dynasty must learn from history and avoid the mistakes of previous dynasties.
“If the modifications they make are wrong or create new problems, they may collapse before the three-hundred-year cycle.
“The new dynasties in the future will make corrections again.
“So, China’s dynasties have made various choices time and time again in history.
"The unified dynasties and separatist forces in China's history, as well as the peasant rebel armies established each time, have tried all kinds of management methods that human civilization can use.
“Until now, we Europeans are still learning from the Ming Dynasty’s management system.
“That’s it, you still have the courage to say that when Ming Dynasty is facing collapse, that’s when Europa will surpass Ming Dynasty again.
"As a German, who has the right to discuss issues beyond the Ming Dynasty when the German region has not yet been unified?"
Schopenhauer seemed to be very angry, and the atmosphere at the scene suddenly became a little chaotic.
This time there was no need for Hegel to retaliate. Someone else at the scene directly asked loudly:
"In your opinion, there is no future for Prussia and Germany at all?"
Schopenhauer immediately said loudly:
“What is Prussia? What is Germany? What kind of future does it need?
“I think you should think clearly about these three issues first before you are qualified to talk about the so-called future here.
"Otherwise none of your discussions will make any sense!"
Although the history of Germany and Prussia helped Zhu Jingyuan clarify the relationship between the Ming Dynasty and China, the current Prussians themselves are actually a bit confused.
The key question is actually slightly similar to that in history. How big should the scope of Germany be? Where should Germany's borders be?
Is it the current Kingdom of Prussia, the German region including Austria, or the entire Holy Roman Empire.
The disputes and confusion among the scholars here attracted the attention of another group of people in the distance.
King William III of Prussia was talking with Prussian-German scholars who had returned from the Dongyi Kingdom.
Including Goethe and Schiller, like Gauss, once went to Dongyi Kingdom to participate in the imperial examination, and both passed the exams and obtained the title of student member of Dongyi Kingdom.
He worked as a civil servant in Dongyi Kingdom for several years, and later went on to obtain the title of Juren in Dongyi Kingdom.
Goethe was already in his fifties at that time. After working for a few years, he retired according to the Ming Dynasty system.
Goethe was very interested in the culture and history of the Ming Dynasty, but he did not have the opportunity to travel to the mainland of the Ming Dynasty conveniently.
The Dongyi Kingdom was subordinate to the Ming Dynasty and used the Ming Dynasty's bureaucracy and was managed by a large number of officials from the Ming Dynasty.
There were also a large number of Ming Dynasty immigrants and businessmen, who brought pure Ming Dynasty local culture.
Therefore, Dongyi Kingdom has become the best place to experience Ming Dynasty culture.
After Goethe retired, he continued to live in Dongyi Kingdom and learned all about the Ming Dynasty through books, newspapers and immigration.
As for Schiller, in the original history, he died of tuberculosis in 1805. The antibiotics in this world saved his life.
Then Schiller also went to the Dongyi Kingdom and served the Ming Dynasty for more than ten years until his official retirement this year.
Gauss has not yet reached the age of retirement, and with his current special status and abilities, he has been given the opportunity to attend the ceremony as a representative of the Dongyi Kingdom.
Both Goethe and Schiller have obtained citizenship of Dongyi Kingdom and have actually settled in Dongyi Kingdom.
However, Germany is their hometown after all.
So after Schiller retired, the two returned to their hometown together to see what was going on in their hometown.
As a result, it happened to be the enthronement ceremony of the new emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and the royal families of the Thai and Western countries were invited to lead their own delegations to attend.
Goethe and Schiller were already well-known in Prussia. They also served in the Dongyi Kingdom of the Ming Dynasty for a long time, and they also had the title of Dongyi Kingdom of the Ming Dynasty.
Both of them received invitations from the royal family and went to the Ming Dynasty together as representatives of the Prussians.
Although Goethe is seventy-one years old, his current health is still good. According to original history, he lived to be eighty-three years old.
Now I have the opportunity to participate in the Ming Emperor's enthronement ceremony. This is the largest ceremony in the world, which cannot be ignored or given up in any case.
So Goethe naturally agreed to accompany him.
On the way from Prussia, the main nobles headed by William III often invited Goethe, Schiller and other scholars who had returned from the Dongyi Kingdom to consult and discuss the system and culture of the Ming Dynasty.
Now William III and his son are discussing Ming poetry with Goethe.
When the three of them were chatting enthusiastically, they were affected by the increasingly serious noise.
So William III and Goethe walked here together and came directly to ask about the situation of the scholars here:
"What are you talking about?"
The King of Prussia came over, and the noisy atmosphere immediately became much clearer.
Schopenhauer didn't wait for others to speak, and shouted directly:
"Your Majesty, we are discussing what Prussia is, what Germany is, and what our future will be."
When William III heard the three questions, he looked at the young scholar in front of him and felt a little uncomfortable. This question was really difficult to answer.
William III also understood why there was a dispute here. It was abnormal that there was no dispute about this kind of issue now.
William III did not directly answer or comment, but turned to Goethe next to him:
"How does Mr. Goethe think this kind of question should be answered? How should we Prussians think about this kind of problem?"
The scholars present also looked at Goethe, a seventy-year-old man.
This German can be regarded as highly respected in the German region, and the key is that he was a German who had won the title of Minister of Education in the Dongyi Kingdom of the Ming Dynasty.
Goethe gently stroked his beard, smiled and talked about a topic that he seemed not to want to talk about:
"Before the first year of the Ming Dynasty, that is, before the Qin Dynasty unified the mainland of China, 'China' generally referred to all the vassal states in the Central Plains.
“But after Qin Shihuang unified the world, China became Qin, and Qin became China.
“The same is true today, the Ming Dynasty is China, and China is the Ming Dynasty.
"Prussia is still Prussia for the time being, and Germany still includes other parts, not to mention the Holy Roman Empire."
Schopenhauer, a young man, asked directly:
"Then what you mean, sir, is that Prussia was the Qin State before it unified the world? So what is our future?"
Goethe first raised his eyes and looked at another ship in the distance, which was the ship of the Austrian mission.
Then he turned back and looked at the king and princes around him:
"This is what His Majesty the King and the ministers need to consider..."
Goethe lived in the Dongyi Kingdom for more than ten years, had an in-depth understanding of the traditional culture of the Ming Dynasty, and had dealings with the officials of the Ming Dynasty for more than ten years.
Nowadays, there is a sense of insensitivity to such a sensitive and complex issue as the definition of Germany.
The key issue is that he is now a citizen of Dongyi Kingdom.
