Please give me a monthly pass...

On the bank of the back lake of Yuanmingyuan, Emperor Zhu was walking along the waterside with Prime Minister Zuo.

"Prime Minister Zuo, who do you think is our next opponent of the Ming Empire after Russia?"

Emperor Zhu took Zuo Zongtang out for a walk just to discuss diplomatic issues with him. As long as the matter did not involve the interests of Confucian scholars and officials, Emperor Zhu would usually communicate repeatedly with Zuo Zongtang, Luo Zenan and others, listen to their opinions, and then implement them

.When it comes to the interests of the gentry, he likes to launch surprise attacks and force the cabinet to accept his opinions. This was the case for the three imperial examination reforms.

Because what Zhu Jishi is most afraid of is talking about Confucian principles with Confucian scholars. His little knowledge of Chinese studies is not enough. He will definitely be stunned in the last hour. Moreover, Zuo Zongtang and Luo Zenan are the great Confucian scholars in the world. Why?

They cannot be allowed to bear the responsibility of "anti-Confucianism", otherwise they will not be scolded by the Qingliuwu Council? This evil person can only be punished by Emperor Zhu himself.

So he simply showed his cards directly in the court. If the cabinet firmly opposed it, he would have to replace him. Anyway, Liu Peng's Royalist Association had already assembled a team that could take over from Zuo Zongtang at any time. But Zuo Zongtang was also

An old fox, he would never fight Zhu Jishi to the end.

But Zuo Zongtang and Luo Zenan don't know much about diplomatic matters. They only read what they read in newspapers and books. After all, they have never stayed in Europe, let alone "female politicians" in Europe.

"We" sleep on the same bed, how can we compare to Emperor Zhu?

"Britain, Your Majesty, I believe that after defeating Russia, Britain will be the biggest threat to our Ming Dynasty!"

Zuo Zongtang still insisted on his point of view. The three major powers that can now reach the Ming Dynasty are Russia, Britain, and France. As for Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands, they are no longer able to do so. France has the best relationship with the Ming Dynasty, and its navy

It is not as good as the UK, so its ranking on the "blacklist" is naturally lower.

"Prime Minister Zuo, I'm asking about the opponent, not the threat."

Zhu Jishi smiled and shook his head. The opponent could also be Daming taking the initiative, while the threat would be to put Daming in a defensive position.

"The opponent...is it France?"

"It's America!"

Zhu Jishi didn't want to sell his crown any more: "The United States is our biggest rival of the Ming Dynasty. If we cannot take advantage of the civil strife that is about to break out in their country to split it into two, we will regret it in the future."

"The United States..." Zuo Zongtang shook his head, not quite understanding, "Your Majesty, the United States and we are quite friendly. And... the United States and the United Kingdom have always had conflicts."

At this time, Britain and the United States were not yet staunch allies. In fact, the contradiction between the two countries was great. The United States had always coveted Canadian territory, and there were also people in the United Kingdom who wanted to reintegrate the United States into the empire. In addition, the United States had always been pro-French during the Napoleonic Wars.

position. It even issued a "Monroe Declaration" in 1823, opposing European powers' interference in American affairs. It made it clear that they wanted to go against the British Empire.

Due to the Opium War, the anti-British sentiment in the Ming Dynasty is still relatively strong. Zuo Zongtang even regarded Britain as the biggest threat after Russia, so he naturally had a favorable impression of the anti-British United States.

"It is precisely because the gap between the United States and Britain is not small that we are given the opportunity to join forces with Britain and France to split the United States!"

Zhu Jishi looked at Zuo Zongtang seriously: "Prime Minister Zuo, when it comes to the strength of a country, we cannot just look at the present and ignore the future. The United States now can barely compete with the great powers, which is similar to our situation. But when it comes to

The future potential is greater than that of China!"

"The potential of the United States exceeds that of our Ming Dynasty?" Zuo Zongtang frowned, looking like he didn't quite understand.

"Although our land area is much larger than that of the United States, the available fertile land is far less than that of the United States. The United States has more plain land than we do, and it is surrounded by oceans on both sides, so transportation is very convenient. The Mississippi River also flows from

Through the central part of the United States, large areas of plain land can be irrigated, making the potential of American agriculture far greater than ours.

The industrial strength of the United States is now stronger than ours! They are a country within the white circle and are close to Europe. They are the first choice destination for European capital and brain drain. In the past few decades, whenever there is turmoil in Europe, there have been countless

Capital and talent have flown to the United States, and the population of the United States has grown rapidly as a result, now exceeding 30 million.

Almost as many as Russia! In another fifty years, it is very likely that it will exceed 100 million. Although our population is much larger than that of the United States, having a population as large as ours is actually a burden. Our

Agriculture mainly serves to feed the people, while American agriculture serves to accumulate capital for industrial development..."

"More people and less land is indeed a burden. Food is more important than anything else." Zuo Zongtang nodded. He had lived in a poor household before marrying into a big landlord's family. Naturally, he knew what land conflicts were. And he stood in his position.

On the other hand, the root cause of land conflicts is not "feudal private ownership of land" but overpopulation.

"Our burden is not just overpopulation... We are an ancient country. It has been too long, and all kinds of historical baggage are naturally heavy. All kinds of relationships are intertwined. If we don't vigorously crack down, there will be many constraints. If you want to make a quick cut,

Cutting the knot, the lessons of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom are right in front of us. So I can only be careful and slowly adjust the interests of all aspects of the relationship. Unlike the United States, which is a newly rising country, there are not so many complicated things, so I can let it go."

Zuo Zongtang was a little silent. He knew that Zhu Jishi's words alluded to Confucianism and the world's gentry.

Zhu Jishi's tone was quite emotional: "In addition, the United States has a huge advantage. There are no land powers around it. Unlike us, which borders Russia, we always have to spend a lot of manpower and material resources on fighting with Russia.

Struggle. Therefore, considering various factors, the United States is likely to grow into the world's number one industrial power in the future. But the strength of the world's national power today ultimately depends on the power of industry..."

"Your Majesty, the strongest industry in the world right now is Britain, followed by France." Zuo Zongtang muttered in a low voice.

"Britain and France are small in size and have limited industrial resources. Their potential is far inferior to that of the United States, or even compared to the Ming Dynasty and Russia. Therefore, I do not regard Britain and France as the main opponents. Moreover, the distance between the European powers is too close and they must guard against each other.

If you are not careful, it will lead to a European war. Where can the United States develop with peace of mind?"

Emperor Zhu still had this bit of historical knowledge. Although Britain is now the world's number one industrial power, the United States and Germany would surpass it just a few decades later, and France's heavy industry after the Franco-Prussian War was even more affected by Lorraine and Al

The loss of SARS led to the dilemma of slow development.

And sixty years later, a world war of unprecedented scale will break out on the European continent! If China can rise in its own hands, the era of European world dominance will probably end then, right?

Zhu Jishi stood at the water's edge, looking at the vast lake, and said calmly: "Prime Minister Zuo, do you understand my painstaking efforts now? What I look at is not the present, but the future... Britain and France have small territories and colonial colonies.

The era of vast empires will eventually pass. The world to come will

The world must be dominated by the three powers of Ming Dynasty, Russia and the United States. Therefore, in my lifetime, the development potential of Russia and the United States must be curbed. Only in this way, the future world will be decided by our Ming Empire! Even if I

Can’t see this day!”

Is he going to dominate the world? Zuo Zongtang was surprised. He never thought that the king he served had such great ambitions and had such long-term plans. This scheming was really deep.

But no matter how you look at it, it seems a bit wishful thinking. Why is there civil strife in the United States? It’s not that the United States has more people and less land, so the people shouldn’t have enough to eat, right? If the people have enough to eat and drink, how can there be chaos?

Moreover, even if the United States is in chaos, Britain and France are willing to join forces with the Ming Dynasty to divide the country? What kind of secession method? Should the United States be divided into three, with the Ming Dynasty, Britain, and France each getting a piece? This is not reliable in any way, and it will definitely happen in the future.
Chapter completed!