In Yueyang, the new capital of the Yue Kingdom, people who had completed the construction of the new city worshiped their ancestors in their new home with great enthusiasm.
Yueyang City was filled with laughter and laughter, and there was no sense of tension about the impending war.
In the Denggao Restaurant by the Yueshui River, college students from Yueguo National University were looking at the rolling waves of the Yueshui River and giving advice.
A slightly affluent young man raised his hand and said: "I'm Xu Qingzhou of the Dingxin Society of the National University. I would like to share my humble opinion. Please bear with me.
I don’t know if you subscribe to a magazine called "Geographical Interests".
This magazine is oriented towards geopolitical interests and explains in detail the severity of the ongoing arms race between countries."
Before Xu Qingzhou could continue speaking, his words were immediately interrupted by an angry voice.
"Xu Qingzhou, you restless people, I thought you had bad intentions before, but now I finally found solid evidence.
Who sponsored the magazine "Geographical Interests"? It was Mi Youde, a famous traitor of the Yue Kingdom.
How can you believe what the traitor says?
Xu Qingzhou, you openly spread the thoughts of the judge, which is treason."
Xu Qingzhou saw the person who was speaking. He was Zhai Yun, the son of Zhai Songyuan, the Minister of Household Affairs.
This person and their enemies of Dingxin Society cannot be dealt with in the university.
Xu Qingzhou knew that he could not let Zhai Yun slander him. They all wanted to pursue an official career. Once their reputation was damaged, it would be difficult for them to do so.
He immediately retorted loudly: "Mi Youde's character is indeed not good, but his knowledge is obvious to all.
Since the magazine "Geographical Interests" went on sale, more than 200,000 copies have been sold in Europe.
This is enough to show that Mi Youde's geographical theory does have merit.
We cannot completely ban a theory that may be beneficial to Yue just because we personally dislike it.
Simply because of this theory, the relationship between our country and Chu State has eased.
This theory cannot be labeled as a fallacy."
The onlookers in the restaurant, when they heard what Xu Qingzhou said, they all supported Xu Qingzhou.
Most of the people present are students from national universities.
As energetic young people, few of them have pedantic thoughts.
"Classmate Xu said it very well. The geopolitical theory was not created by Mi Youde.
Mi Youde can use geopolitical theory to explain the international situation, and we can also use geopolitical theory.
Mi has virtues, Mi has virtues, geopolitical theory is geopolitical theory, and they cannot be confused."
"The imperial court did not ban the magazine Geographical Interests, so why are some people more anxious than the imperial court?
The magazine "Geographical Interests" is not the work of Mi Youde alone, it was written by many great talents from Chu State."
“Since our country of Yue moved its capital, the pressure it has to bear is not that great, and the space for development has become larger.
If there is any shortcoming, it is that Africa is too remote.
Fortunately, we still have a territory in Europe, where we can easily learn about European information.
Otherwise, it will be easy for Yelang to become arrogant.
"Geographical Interests" magazine is an excellent magazine. It is the first magazine published publicly to introduce to everyone the situation of arms races in various countries.
No matter how powerful the enemy we face, we cannot be like ostriches.
I would rather try my best and lose in the end than be a fool."
Zhai Yun saw that there were many people supporting Xu Qingzhou, and his face was livid with anger.
He thought that among the many students present, there were only three from Dingxin Academy.
The college students in Yue country are also a group with a strong sense of national honor. He pointed out Xu Qingzhou's fault, which will definitely ruin Xu Qingzhou's reputation.
The current development of the situation is contrary to what he expected.
Zhai Yun could only run out in despair. If he continued to stay, it would easily arouse public anger.
Because his father opposed moving the capital, his current position was not stable.
Zhai Yun can't cause trouble to his father.
When Xu Qingzhou saw Zhai Yun escaping in embarrassment, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. It was great to see his old rival like this.
He saw many classmates showing longing eyes.
Xu Qingzhou knew that most of his classmates did not have the ability to obtain information about the outside world.
Many foreign newspapers are banned from sale in Vietnam.
Local newspapers in Vietnam are not interested in the situation in other places at all and focus on reporting on the domestic situation.
These students heard that they could get the latest information about Europe, especially the information about the European arms race, and they all wanted to know a thing or two.
Zhai Yun has a father who is a high-ranking official. His family is wealthy and he has no idea about the daily situation of ordinary students.
Only then did Zhai Yun stop him recklessly, which ultimately aroused public outrage.
Xu Qingzhou took out a thin magazine. When this magazine came to Yue State, due to its extreme scarcity, the price was as high as three taels of silver coins.
This is the living expenses for many students for one or two months.
Even if they understand the content of the magazine and are interested in it, they do not have the ability to purchase the magazine.
Many college students listened carefully to what Xu Qingzhou read.
Some students who were particularly interested in this took out pen and paper and started taking shorthand.
"The author collected public information from European countries and found that European countries are engaged in an extremely serious arms race.
Arms race is a common way for countries to display force externally after their geopolitical conflicts become irreconcilable.
To use a less elegant expression, this is when a dog is dissatisfied with another dog intruding into its territory and starts baring its teeth at him.
Once the arms race fails to intimidate its opponents, it will inevitably increase the level of competition, and the resources of various countries will be further invested in the arms race.
The purpose of an arms race is to intimidate the opponent. When the arms race is no longer able to intimidate the opponent, and you want to add more layers of pressure, but there is nothing more you can do.
The arms race has entered its final stage.
Countries have invested so many resources in the arms race, and it is impossible for the money to go to waste, otherwise domestic unrest will inevitably occur.
In order to divert domestic conflicts, war is inevitable."
After Xu Qingzhou finished reading, his speaking speed was relatively fast at first. When he found someone taking notes, his speaking speed immediately became slower to take care of these classmates who were taking notes.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! After reading this paragraph, he expressed his thoughts.
"Mi Youde and other Chu scholars believe that if the arms race among various countries reaches an extremely serious level.
Countries relying on their own strength will find it difficult to reverse this trend, and war will inevitably break out."
As soon as Xu Qingzhou finished speaking, a classmate immediately said: "There is no need to judge at all. No matter which angle you look at Europe, war is inevitable.
The top leaders of various countries want to fight a war. If they win the war, they can prove that they are stronger than many people.
The kings of the vassal states in Europe were all people who wanted to be strong throughout their lives, and they did not want to experience the feeling of being dependent on others.
The middle class of each country supports the war, and they can make a fortune from the war.
Because of their low status, no matter whether the country wins or fails, it will not have an excessive impact on them.
The lowest levels of the country are most affected by the war, but they have no right to speak and can only go with the flow.
The middle and upper classes of each country are all supporting the war, and the bottom class cannot put on the brakes. The ultimate development direction of each country will definitely lead to war."
When a student heard this analysis, he frowned and then relaxed.
“The King of Yue was really far-sighted and took most of the population of Yue to Africa in advance.
There are no powerful countries on both sides of the Yueshui River. Because our country, Yue, occupies Africa, it borders the Fujian Kingdom, which has a hatred.
However, the areas bordering the two countries are either deserts or jungles, and there is no possibility of large-scale battles.
It is precisely because we are far away from right and wrong that we can now observe the changes in European countries with a more optimistic attitude."
"I'm off topic, everyone is off topic.
Let me first introduce the situation of arms races in various countries to classmate Xu.
Let us know how big the gap in strength between our country and other European countries is."
When Xu Qingzhou saw that many students were quiet, he said: "The data gap is indeed a bit big, but don't be too frustrated.
All the resources of our country during this time were invested in the relocation of the country.
The establishment of Yueyang City required a large amount of resources.
During this period, European countries are going all out to develop their armaments, and the gap in strength is somewhat large, which is understandable."
Xu Qingzhou first said it in advance so that the students could mentally build up their expectations.
When he saw this data, he was very shocked.
He was afraid that some arrogant classmates would not be able to accept this result.
Xu Qingzhou saw many classmates, and after listening to his story, his expression became serious.
He was relieved and continued reading what was written in the magazine "Geographical Interests".
"The author has limited abilities and cannot investigate the detailed arms race situation in various countries.
For example, regarding the advanced weapons of various countries, if a weapon more terrifying than a machine gun appears on the battlefield, it will definitely dominate the direction of this war.
But based on my understanding of current military technology, there may be weapons that affect the outcome of local wars.
But weapons like machine guns, which have completely changed the structure and tactics of the army, are not even a concept now.
This is the rare good news that the author obtained after investigation.
You must know that every innovation in weapons will bring huge casualties.
From broadswords and spears to crossbows, from crossbows to muskets, and from muskets to machine guns.
The author now mainly introduces the situation of arms races in European countries.
As long as you simply calculate how much military expenditure accounts for a country's fiscal revenue, you can judge whether a war can be stopped in time if a war does break out.
The author is in Chu State, so let me introduce the situation in Chu State.
Chu State is building an army of 200,000 people and equipping it with more than 4,000 artillery pieces.
The Chu Navy also has six Emperor-class battleships and a navy of more than 20 ships to ensure Chu's maritime security.
The Song Dynasty mainly developed its navy. The standing army only had 20,000 people, but their navy had a full eighteen Imperial battleships.
Switzerland is establishing an army of 160,000 and a fleet of 44 consisting of four battleships and four cruisers.
The Shu Kingdom is building an army of 60,000 people. They mainly adopt a homeland defense policy and build a large number of bunkers on the border.
The four-nation alliance led by Gui Gui planned to establish an army of 400,000 people and a navy of nine battleships.
In order to cope with the four-nation alliance, Wu State mobilized the whole country to build an army of 300,000 people. Because Wu State had limited resources, it basically gave up the development of its navy.
Vietnam has an army of 30,000 men and a navy composed of one old battleship."
Xu Qingzhou did not read out the detailed information in the magazine.
The detailed information on these masks would make people like them sleepy even if they were read out.
Xu Qingzhou just read out the results, but it was this result that shocked those who heard the data.
The scene fell into silence, followed by bursts of noise.
“With the exception of Qi, a small island country with little data, no other country can beat our Yue country with its current military strength.
Those who are weak will be bullied. This is an eternal truth.
Our country, Yue, is so weak now. If we don't catch up, the gap in strength will become wider and wider.
Even if Vietnam is located in a remote area, once the European region determines the outcome, our end will not be good."
"These are extraordinary times. How can the big guys in the imperial court think about the problem? They don't have the strength to develop the country.
The new city is so well-established, but without a strong military to protect it, once other countries focus on our country, the consequences will be very bad."
“I really can’t believe how we, before Vietnam, were a big European country, and now we have become a small European country.”
"The Four-Nation Alliance established an army of 400,000 people, with each country having 100,000 soldiers.
European countries vary in size. There are countries with a population of one million, and there are countries with a population of tens of millions.
For the Four-Nation Alliance, it is very possible to form an army of 400,000 people.
As a country of Chu, he was prepared to build a huge army of 200,000 people.
This result really shocked me.”
Xu Qingzhou saw that some students could accept the news, while others could not.
But whether they accept it or not, the facts of this matter have been very clear, and they will not make adjustments based on their preferences.
Xu Qingzhou has read the entire magazine and he can answer some questions.
"Take the Chu State as an example. The 200,000 troops formed by the Chu State are not the 200,000 elite soldiers we think of.
Instead, it included an army of 100,000 indigenous and New Han people.
The discipline of this army is poor, and its combat level is not as good as that of elite soldiers.
But in the era of thermal weapons, we don’t need too many elite soldiers, only a sufficient number of cannon fodder.
After these cannon fodders are trained several times on the battlefield, they will become elite soldiers.
I believe that the princes in the imperial court have already considered these issues.
But they also encountered problems.
I believe the court will give an explanation and will not let everyone down."
Xu Qingzhou could only provide simple comfort.
Some students who see the problem thoroughly will not need him to come to comfort them, but will comfort others.
The situation was quickly brought under control.
Xu Qingzhou raised his arms and shouted: "As young people of Yue State, we must make contributions to Yue State.
The situation is now very dangerous, and Europe is in a strange balance.
Once a country takes the lead in breaking the balance, war will inevitably occur.
This war is our generation’s war, don’t leave it to the next generation.”
After Xu Qingzhou said these words, he left the restaurant in a hurry.
He didn't want this matter to cause too much trouble and end up delaying everyone.
But Xu Qingzhou did not expect that there was no need to deliberately spread this matter, they naturally had the attribute of spreading it.
