After returning to the summer palace, Dong Shuheng went directly back to the study.
In order to make himself look more mature, Dong Shuheng grew a short beard on his lips after getting married.
In fact, he didn't like this at the beginning, but he didn't have the ability to lead the aesthetic concepts of people of this era, so he could only adapt to everyone's aesthetics.
Fortunately, Chinese people don’t like to have big beards like Europeans.
Such a short beard does not take much time to take care of.
As time went by, Dong Shuheng gradually got used to keeping a short beard.
Her short hair was also combed back, revealing her full forehead and hairline.
Now Dong Shuheng has to always pay attention to his image. He even has to dress up every time before going out.
Life secretary Atsuki has always been doing this for him. Only a careful woman can do such a thing well.
Dong Shuheng took off the knee-length blue woolen coat he was wearing. Du Ji took it casually and hung the coat on the hanger in the study room.
The study room in the Summer Palace is very large. It was once the imperial study room of the Manchu emperor.
A set of Chinese-style office desks and chairs are placed in the middle of the study room.
Behind the desk is a large floor-to-ceiling window with bookshelves on both sides.
This glass window was replaced later, and outside the window is a delicate and small garden.
There are not many books on the bookshelf, most of them are documents.
There are also small potted plants placed in some bookshelf frames, which are very carefully taken care of.
The study room has always been kept neat and fresh, making people feel comfortable as soon as they enter.
Dong Shuheng has a slight mysophobia and likes simplicity and elegance like this.
Directly in front of the desk, two maps hang on both sides of the door, a map of China and a map of the world.
These two maps are not so clean and tidy, they are full of dense lines and labels.
Dong Shuheng likes to stand in front of a map and think about problems, and from time to time he will write and draw on the map with a pencil.
One of Duji's special jobs is to help Dong Shuheng erase the outdated content on the map with an eraser.
She wiped it carefully every time, for fear of damaging the map or not wiping it clean.
Even so, Dong Shuheng's map needs to be changed every few months.
The Archives Department of the Attendant's Office will archive these maps together as an important piece of information.
Like many talkative people, Dong Shuheng is a map person, and his favorite thing to do is to fire map cannons.
This allowed him to experience the thrill of a game in governing the country.
"Give me the Indian briefing transferred from the Southwest Military Region." Dong Shuheng said.
Du Ji has been working with Dong Shuheng for more than a year.
Although someone deliberately arranged the match, Dong Shuheng never picked this Oriental flower.
It's not because Dong Shuheng doesn't like her, it's just that he rarely puts his energy into matters between men and women.
He now has more of a family relationship with his wives and concubines.
Now he only regards Du Ji as his assistant at work. He is more helpful to her as his life secretary.
After piercing that layer of window paper, it becomes difficult to put the other party in this position.
This petite woman is extremely attentive, and her knowledge and learning ability are far beyond those of ordinary women.
By following Dong Shuheng's side, she was able to come into contact with more things. Her whole person seemed to be transforming.
Du Ji did bring a lot of help to Dong Shuheng at work. This kind of help was something Wei Yuxiang and others could not do.
Du Ji also likes living next to Dong Shuheng very much now. Before, she did have her own purpose in approaching Dong Shuheng. It was not a malicious purpose, but she had her own selfish motives.
But now she just loves this job.
She liked to stand behind him and watch him write and draw on the map.
She was very proud because almost only she could see these things.
She also knows more things, including several major powers in the world.
We know how exciting the game between big powers is.
Know a lot of unknown things.
There are also the great empires competing for hegemony around the world.
This is much more interesting than the battles between village chiefs during the Warring States Period in Japanese history.
Duji didn't mind Dong Shuheng's complaints about the Japanese country at all. The battle between the village chiefs was what Dong Shuheng complained about when he listened to her talk about the history of the Japanese country.
The reason why she doesn't mind is because she now regards herself as a Chinese.
She now speaks Chinese, writes Chinese characters, wears Chinese clothes, and even looks like a Chinese.
She and her father Qi Bin are both supporters of the Chinese nation.
They hope that one day all the Japanese islands will be fully integrated into the Greater China Circle.
Put an end to thousands of years of chaotic beliefs and disputes in the Japanese islands.
Duji knew that Dong Shuheng's heart was much bigger than theirs.
He wanted to integrate the entire Pacific periphery.
In Dong Shuheng's words, "laxity is the source of turmoil."
The more fragmented the world becomes, the more turbulent it becomes. There must be a nation that is large enough and responsible enough to lead the development of mankind.
Loose development will only lead to disorderly competition, and ultimately the resources on the earth will be wasted in this competition.
However, the resources on the earth are limited. Now perhaps no one except Dong Shuheng cares about the sustainable development of the earth.
Everyone is thinking about how to dominate the earth and how to seize more resources and benefits.
Many times, what Dong Shuheng said would be difficult for Duji to understand, but the more she thought about it afterwards, the more reasonable she felt.
Atsuki found this document from the bookshelf very skillfully. The intelligence documents on the bookshelf were placed in a special area and divided into categories according to time and region.
These things were placed by Atsushi, so no matter how many documents there are, they can be easily obtained.
After Dong Shuheng took the document, he started marking it on the world map again.
Now the Great Empire is truly an empire on which the sun never sets.
Although it is still slightly inferior to what it was at the end of the 19th century.
But his colonies and protectorates spread all over the world.
From the United Kingdom to the Strait of Gibraltar to the island of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea, it radiates throughout North Africa.
The Suez Canal has not yet been opened, and the importance of the Mediterranean has not yet been highlighted.
Britain's control over those strategic places in the Mediterranean mainly focused on Türkiye.
The British fought and supported Türkiye, an old empire.
Those Arabs under Turkish leadership were not so much the Sultan's men.
It is better to say that he is the younger brother of the British.
By controlling the Strait of Gibraltar and strategically located islands in the Mediterranean, Britain is able to continuously draw blood from Turkey's backyard.
The Renaissance Army has always wanted to open up the market in North Africa. Zheng He visited here when he sailed to the West.
But it is difficult to break into the local area. British businessmen can be said to have only one hand covering the sky.
The Ali dynasty of Egypt still belonged to Türkiye in name, but in fact it was completely autonomous.
The reason why this dynasty was able to achieve such an independent status was because of the support of the British.
It is simply impossible for the Renaissance Army to compete with the British here.
This is especially true in black Africa in the south.
Before there was a powerful ocean-going navy, Dong Shuheng did not want to compete with the British in Africa for the time being.
Bypassing Africa is the West Asian region. The southern part of the Arabian Peninsula is mainly under the rule of the Omani Dynasty.
This is also a pro-British country, and the entire royal family has been infiltrated by the British.
Just the year before last, the old Sultan of Oman passed away, and Oman's mainland in the Arabian Peninsula and its territories in North Africa were divided under the rule of the old Sultan's two sons.
Now the two brothers are at odds with each other and both want to compete for the unification of the Omani dynasty.
The British took the opportunity to intervene, and the British were supporting both sides. The split between the two sides was inevitable.
After the Omani dynasty split, its strength was greatly reduced. It became easier for the British to control it.
It can be said that the British are indeed talented at stirring up trouble.
Their merchants, scholars, and explorers everywhere may become spies at any time.
Just like the well-known Lawrence of Arabia.
Any British person overseas may become a spy for the British.
In other words, their subconscious actions allowed these countries to eventually become colonies or protectorates of the British.
In fact, according to the surveys conducted by the Renaissance Army in recent years, there is still a lot of land along the African coast that has not been carved up.
But Dong Shuheng doesn't want to get involved there for the time being.
This will waste a lot of resources and not obtain enough benefits.
The British themselves only occupied some strategic locations, such as the Cape Colony in South Africa.
There are also colonies on the east and west sides of Africa. But they only provide supply stations for their merchant ships.
Looking across the Arabian Peninsula is the Qarat Khanate under British control.
This khanate was actually a princely state under British control.
It has been ruled by the British for almost two hundred years. It is located on the southwestern coast of what would become Pakistan.
To the north is Aiwuhan, the current vassal state of the Fuxing Army.
Dong Shuheng picked up a pencil and drew a cut head from north to south on the north side of the Kalat Khanate.
There are also a large number of Pashtuns living in the Kalat Khanate, which is the main ethnic group in Aiwuhan.
They mainly live in plateau areas, mainly herding, and their folk customs are fierce. This nation is extremely difficult to tame.
It has always been a headache for the British.
Therefore, the king supported by the British in the Kalat Khanate was not a Pashtun but a Punjabi.
Punjabis are of the Aryan race, and they are also white and worship the color white.
Very close to the Great Empire, it was an important helper for the British in ruling the West Indian region.
Aiwuhan is now a vassal state of the Renaissance Army, and they hope to rely on the Renaissance Army to fight against the British invasion.
Therefore, it is very convenient for Chinese people to move around in Aiwuhan.
The Ministry of Intelligence has been operating in the southern mountains of Aiukhan with the tacit approval of the Aiukhan government.
This mountain range located at the junction of Aiukhan and Kalat Khanate is home to many Pashtun tribes who are nominally under the rule of Aiuhan or Kalat Khanate.
Most of them are interested in Aiwuhan, because these Pashtuns have a very low status in the Kalat Khanate and are often treated unfairly.
But now Aiwuhan is more like a tribal alliance of Pashtuns and the country of the Pashtuns themselves.
They unite together to resist the oppression of surrounding forces.
Originally their main enemies were the Persians in the west. Now they are the British in the Indian region in the south.
The British have always wanted to control Aiwuhan and then influence the entire Central Asia through here.
Because the geographical location of Aiwuhan is very important. It is the center of the entire Central Asia region.
If you want to control Central Asia, you cannot bypass the Aiwuhan region.
Fortunately, the Pashtuns living here are brave and good at fighting, and the British have been invading for so many years without success.
After the Renaissance Army entered East Asia, it quickly established a relationship with Aiwuhan.
It should be said that the two bastards fell in love with Mung Bean.
Dong Shuheng hopes to influence this Central Asian region through Aiwuhan.
Ai Wuhan finally found a big backer for himself.
During the reign of the Qing Dynasty, Aiwuhan often sent envoys to the court to pay tribute as a minister.
However, the Qing Dynasty was too Buddhist towards the surrounding vassal states, so it only gave back a large amount of silk and porcelain every time.
Although these things are very good, Aiwuhan hopes to get more military support.
However, the Qing Dynasty's own people in the Western Regions were all old, weak, sick and disabled, let alone support Aiwuhan.
Therefore, Aiwuhan's wish has never been realized.
Fortunately, the Renaissance Army came later. When the Renaissance Army destroyed the Kokand Khanate, Aiwuhan still wanted to go north to make a fortune.
But as soon as their troops were assembled, the Kokand Khanate, once the dominant power in Central Asia, was destroyed by the Renaissance Army.
This allowed Aiwuhan to see a strong backer.
There’s nothing to say! If you want to lick it, you have to have quick eyes and quick hands.
Dost Mohammad Khan, who loves Wuhan, quickly smiled and posted it.
Unexpectedly, the people in the Celestial Dynasty changed their temper this time and finally started to pay attention to me.
Not only did he accept all the generous gifts from Dost, but he actually accepted himself as his younger brother.
Aiwuhan could only be happy about this. The Renaissance Army only needed Aiwuhan to open its trade routes and did not interfere in Aiwuhan's government affairs at all.
As a vassal state, the most fearful thing is the kind of suzerain state that likes to dictate to it.
The Renaissance Army also provided some military assistance to Aiwuhan, sold them many advanced muskets, and helped Aiwuhan train officers.
Economically, there is great complementarity between the FNA and Aiwuhan.
The products of the Baath Army are cheaper than those of the British.
Take iron nails as an example. The price of iron nails brought by Chinese merchants is about 80% of what the British sell them for.
Of course, this is related to the lower cost of transporting Chinese goods.
In addition, a large number of Chinese businessmen continued to sell Chinese specialties to the west through the Aiwuhan trade route.
This has also stimulated the development of the local economy to a certain extent.
Just like in history, the Silk Road contributed to the development of many Central Asian cities.
They provided services for business travelers along the way and received a share of the profits from trade.
Moreover, they also obtained a large amount of cheaper Chinese goods. Businessmen in Aiwuhan could also purchase goods from China and sell them to the south, occupying some small markets that Chinese businessmen were unwilling to do or it was inconvenient to do so.
In short, Aiwuhan is now determined to follow the Renaissance Army.
Now the personnel of the Baath Army are supporting the tribes there to penetrate southward in the south of Aiunhan. This is also the tacit approval of Dost Muhammad Khan.
Naturally, he also hopes that Aiwuhan's territory can expand southward.
Historically, the Kalat Khanate was under the jurisdiction of Aiukhan. It is precisely because of this that there are so many Pashtuns living here.
Dost naturally also wants to take back this coastal land. Now Aiwuhan is a mountainous inland country. If it continues like this, Aiuhan will never become rich.
Now the Chinese are secretly supporting the Pashtun tribes in the south, especially those in the Kalat Khanate.
This is exactly what Dost originally wanted to do, but was incapable of doing.
"He is helping me get the briefings sent back from the Western Regions, the latest one about Aiwuhan." Dong Shuheng gave the order again without looking back.
Du Ji nodded, took small steps, and quickly took it over.
Dong Shuheng took the information, glanced at it, and wrote a series of numbers next to the arrow from north to south.
This is the number of Pashtun armed forces that the Baath Army can use here.
Five thousand Pashtuns were not enough to shake the British rule here. At most, they could rob some small towns in the country.
However, the latest intelligence shows that the Pashtun armed forces seem to be somewhat expanded.
Relying on the weapons in their hands, they began to launch many small-scale plunders against the city-states of the Kalat Khanate in the south.
This is not in the interest of the Renaissance Army, and Dong Shuheng does not want to expose the power here yet.
This reckless behavior of the Pashtuns will soon make the British aware of something unusual here.
Just the equipment in the hands of the Pashtuns can reflect the problems here.
If the British suppressed them in advance, wouldn't the intelligence department's efforts be in vain?
Dong Shuheng was wondering whether he should reprimand the Intelligence Department. Strictly speaking, this was an intelligence officer's dereliction of duty.
Fortunately, Zheng Jian has now gone to Central Asia. Dong Shuheng quickly drafted a telegram and asked Du Ji to send it to the Confidential Section of the Attendant's Office.
The recipient was none other than Zheng Jian, who was training Tsarist Russian secret agents in the Kokand area.
The Pashtun tribal warriors that the Renaissance Army had finally trained were not dragged out by the leaders to rob property.
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