Chapter 431: A New Departure (Part 2 of the Grand Finale)
Shang Yi made the decision to temporarily suspend military operations and devote the government's main energy to domestic economic and political construction, which also received unanimous support from cabinet members.
Although in the past few years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Chinese army has destroyed the Qing Dynasty at home, restored Inner and Inner Mongolia, surrendered to Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia, driven the Netherlands to the south, and attacked Tsarist Russia in the north, it can be said that it has conquered the south and the north, and has achieved great success. This series of war victories was a great encouragement to the morale of the domestic people. At the same time, it also played a considerable role in stabilizing the domestic situation and deterring those who were dissatisfied with the imperial rule.
But all cabinet officials also know that the current domestic situation is not stable. After all, the new empire has only been established for four years, and the main sphere of influence at the beginning of the empire was only the six provinces in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Shandong, and Taiwan. region, while most of the other regions had just been incorporated into the empire. Especially in the north, many regions had only been occupied by the new empire for two years. In such a short period of time, it was impossible to establish a completely effective rule. , so there are actually many contradictions lurking within the new empire.
First of all, the people's hearts in the areas outside the Pass have not been fully restored. This rebellion in Liaodong is proof of this. In areas ruled by the Ming and Qing Dynasties such as Beijing, Hebei, and Shaanxi, there are also many old people and children from the former Ming and Qing Dynasties. They are waiting for an opportunity, but the Han people's minds are more flexible than the Manchus, and they think more forward and backward, so they dare not take such drastic measures easily. But this does not mean that they will honestly admit the reality. There are still some small tricks and little conspiracies being played behind the scenes, and sometimes they are underhanded, which is more troublesome than a blatant rebellion. At the beginning of this year, when a group of people in the northern region opposed the new imperial examination system, there was even a collective petition to Beijing. There was no instigation from these old and young people. Although this crisis was resolved by Shang Yi, it could not help but attract people's attention.
The second is the nationwide inventory of land and fields. Agricultural production has not been fully restored, especially in the northern region. Due to annual wars, social production has been severely damaged and a large number of people have been lost. Although the local officials of the empire have also tried their best in recent years. It is necessary to recruit the refugees and reclaim the abandoned land, but complete recovery cannot be completed in a short period of time. Moreover, China is still an agricultural country. If agricultural production cannot be restored, the society will not be completely stable, and the people will not be able to live and work in peace and contentment. , and the land and field inventory cannot be carried out, and the country cannot be completely stabilized.
Finally, the political structure of the empire is not perfect. Whether it is at the central or local levels, the political structure has completed the backbone, but in terms of branches, there are still many gaps, especially at the local level and at the grassroots level. The gap is also very large. Although it can be said that the basic operation of the administrative system can be guaranteed, this is only under the condition of social stability. If an unexpected situation occurs, it will be difficult to control it in many places. The scope of the rebellion in Liaodong this time is vast. Although the main reason is that this is a populated area, the lack of control power of the local government is also an important reason.
And in the central government, except for the cabinet, there are basically no big problems. Many other places also need to be improved, because the [Constitution] is being formulated. Without a relatively complete [Constitution], the Ministry of Justice will not be able to operate normally and exercise its authority. own power, and the system of separation of powers in the empire cannot be truly formed. Although the Congress has been running for several years and is running relatively well, the members of the Congress are now mainly from the southern provinces. Next year, the election of the third party will begin. For the second term of Congress, the scope of election of members will definitely be expanded to the north. However, after the members of the northern provinces join the Congress, it is still unknown what impact it will have on the operation of the Congress. However, because the northern region is relatively conservative and traditional, Therefore, if some new policies and new bills are to be passed by Congress, it will definitely increase a lot of difficulties.
Now the new empire can still control the situation on the whole, and many latent conflicts have been deeply suppressed and have not surfaced or intensified. In addition to the empire's military coercion, another important reason is that the new empire implemented
The policy of opening up the sea in an all-round way and encouraging industry and commerce kept the empire's financial situation in a relatively relaxed situation, and
It has also accumulated a large amount of materials to ensure the supply of the army and the supply of materials for these wars. It has not had a big impact on production and people's lives, and it has also kept the empire's agricultural tax revenue at a very low level.
Level, this is something that other dynasties cannot compare with the empire, and it also played a great role in easing various conflicts.
But after all, these contradictions are only suppressed and have not been completely eliminated. Once they are not handled well, they will intensify immediately. Moreover, the consumption of war is also quite huge. If the war continues without stopping, the accumulated materials will one day be consumed.
If everything is exhausted, you won't be able to buy anything even if you have money. At that time, all the accumulated conflicts may intensify.
To solve these problems, we also need a relatively stable domestic and international situation. Now after several years of war, the empire can basically guarantee an overall peaceful situation for a long time to come, allowing the empire to
Comparison of KeEi started to solve domestic problems
There are many problems. Although according to Shang Yi's goals, the empire's territory still has the northwest and southwest that have not been solved, and externally there is the Indochina Peninsula that has not yet been conquered. The Sino-Indian border in the southwest also needs to be opened. These all require military support.
But now it seems that these goals can only be put aside for now.
At the same time, Shang Yi also knows that the rise of a country cannot be completed in a short time. Sometimes it can last for decades or more than a hundred years. It requires the efforts of several generations. It is impossible for him to do everything.
After all, haste makes waste, you can only do it step by step and do within your ability. You can only complete what you can do, and some things can only be left to future generations.
In any case, the national policy has been determined, and the Chinese Empire has entered a period of peaceful construction. Therefore, the cabinet is very supportive of Shang Yi's decision, and they are also relieved. To be honest, many cabinet members are now more
Worried, afraid that Shang Yi would become addicted to fighting and embark on the path of militarism. But now it seems that Shang Yi still knows restraint and is not blindly aggressive and warlike. Of course, this is also the quality that a wise king should have.
Of course, not fighting external wars does not mean that we ignore external affairs. After all, the military deterrence of the Empire is sufficient, and now we can also use our strength in the north and south regions to consolidate the results we have achieved in previous campaigns.
Therefore, Shang Yi also decided to recruit Cossacks in the north to poach Russia, and in the south, establish the Nanyang Alliance, which is actually a hybrid of later generations of NATO and ASEAN, an international organization that integrates politics, economy, and military.
Of course, it is led by China, which legally confirms China's rights and dominant position in the South China Sea.
Nowadays, basically all the countries in Nanyang dare not resist the orders of the empire, and Shang Yi also decided that in addition to the countries in Nanyang, invitations were also sent to countries in Indochina and the Malay Peninsula. Whether they come or not is not important.
But let them know that China now has the final say in this area, and it is up to them to decide what to do in the future.
The impact of these two decisions was far-reaching. Starting from the Second Sino-Russian War, Cossacks appeared in the Chinese army. With the unfolding of the Hundred Years' War between China and Russia, the Cossacks also split into Eastern and Western groups.
The Cossack also became an important role in the previous Sino-Russian wars.
The establishment of the Alliance of Nanyang Nations also established China's dominant position in Asia. Objectively, it also avoided the widespread colonization of Asian countries by European powers in another time and space, and enabled the development of the world, forming the East and West.
A balanced system.
There is also some good news. After the issuance of the Three Immigration Bills, it has indeed received the support of many businessmen. At this time, more than 20 businessmen have claimed land in Nanyang and begun to organize development. In addition, there are more than 300 businessmen.
Families are willing to immigrate overseas and obtain land, so China's new round of overseas immigration has officially begun.
Another good news is that in July, Kaoru Toyotomi successfully gave birth to a boy named Shang Mi. The news spread to Japan and caused celebrations across Japan. In the New Year of that year, major Japanese names also formed a group.
A huge delegation came to China to pay homage to the young master who was not yet one year old. 2
Ten years later, Shang Yi, under the orders of Shang Yi, traveled east to Japan, changed his name to Toyotomi Hideyuki, and succeeded the Toyotomi family as the general who conquered the barbarians. This officially launched the Osaka era, which lasted for more than 200 years in Japanese history. And successive officials
The generals who conquered the barbarians all had two surnames, the Toyotomi clan to Japan and the Shang clan to China.
It was not until 1855, when Japan established a modern national system with the support of China, that the seventeenth general Shang Jinxing (Toyotomi Tomoyuki) resigned, and the Toyotomi family's rule in Japan ended.
However, every year the descendants of the Toyotomi clan come to China to pay homage to the Chinese Emperor and pay homage to their ancestors.
Of course, these are all things for later, and at the end of August, Li Huamei also formally proposed to Shang Yi that she would set sail and explore Australia.
During this period of time, Li Huamei has been preparing for the voyage. At this time, all kinds of materials for the voyage have been prepared. At the same time, a group of various personnel have been recruited, most of whom have sailing experience.
Crew members, fishermen, and a small number of retired sailors and adventurers. Because the folk customs in China's southeastern coastal areas are now very open, the folk adventurous spirit has also developed a lot, and some people are indeed very interested in sailing adventures.
And Li Huamei basically pulled together an adventure team.
There were a total of 173 people and 200 muskets on the voyage this time. The three ships that sailed were a 600-ton warship equipped with 54 artillery pieces and 90 people, including Li Huamei.
flagship; the other two were clipper ships, one of which was 270 tons and was not equipped with artillery, but was equipped with an old-fashioned pipe organ gun at the bow and stern.
The other clipper ship is a newly built large clipper ship. It is fifty-eight meters long, nine meters wide, four and a half meters high, with a draft of about two meters and a total weight of five hundred and eighty meters.
Ten tons. There are two floors below the deck. It is not equipped with artillery, but there are four organ guns on the deck and four revolving guns on the second deck.
China has been building flying shear ships for nearly ten years now. It has built more than 60 flying shear ships. The technology is basically mature, but they are all small ships of less than 300 tons. This is mainly because the flying shear ships are slender in shape.
, the aspect ratio is about seven to one, which is very close to the aspect ratio of later warships, which is nine or ten to one. Therefore, it is made with the current level of craftsmanship.
The length of medium and large flying shear ships can only be about forty meters, otherwise they will not be strong enough. However, China's metallurgical technology has greatly improved and can produce a batch of high-quality steel, so it is added to the ship's ribs.
The iron bars strengthen the strength of the ship's ribs, which can increase the length of the ship to about sixty meters and double the weight.
In addition, on this clipper ship, Shang Yi personally added many designs found on later warships: a propeller is set at the stern, which is of course driven by manpower. There are four pedals under the cabin, each of which can accommodate two people. Use this to ensure that the ship sails without wind or against the wind, or to accelerate the ship in a short period of time. Of course, it also prepares for the installation of steam engines in the future. Wave pressure lines are set on both sides of the ship. A circular wave pressure plate is installed under the bow, and a circular wave pressure plate is also installed at the tail, both to reduce water resistance. At the same time, a fixed stabilizer fin is installed in the middle of the waterline of the hull to ensure the stability of the hull in wind and waves. sex.
After adding these designs, the maximum speed of the sailboat can reach about twenty knots in a short period of time, and the sailing speed is smooth and flexible. This also amazed the shipbuilding craftsmen, because in this era, twenty knots can be considered a speed. Of course, this is also an experiment for China to manufacture large-scale clipper ships. In the future, sailboats used for overseas commercial transportation will be mainly large-scale clipper ships, because in the era of sailboats, clipper ships were the fastest. The sailing ship can greatly save the time from China to Europe.
During the trial voyage, Li Huamei was also full of praise for the performance of this clipper ship and was full of confidence in this voyage.
On August 25, Li Huamei officially set off from Nanjing. This time, Shang Yi did not make any fanfare. He just took his concubines and concubines to see Li Huamei off at the Jinchuanmen dock. And they all changed into casual clothes. Everyone They also said goodbye to Li Huamei one by one and wished her a safe voyage. Because they had lived together for several months, everyone had some feelings for each other, and the children also liked to listen to Li Huamei's adventure stories, so they were reluctant to leave. . Especially Alexandra and Kaoru Toyotomi, because they have the best friendship with Li Huamei. When they said goodbye to Li Huamei, they both cried. Li Huamei also felt a little sad in her heart, and everyone After saying goodbye individually, I hugged and kissed each child.
Finally, Shang Yi said to Li Huamei: "Be careful along the way. I'll be waiting for you to come back in Nanjing."
Li Huamei said: "Don't worry, I will definitely come back." As she said that, she suddenly hugged Shang Yi, kissed him on the face, and said: "I said that when I don't want to sail anymore, I will definitely come back." If you come by your side, you must wait for me."
Shang Yi also hugged her hard and said, "I will wait for you."
Then Li Huamei turned around and boarded the ship, ordered the anchor to be raised, and the voyage began.
As the sails of the three sailboats were raised, they faced the rising sun and slowly sailed towards the east. When the last sailboat left the dock, Li Huamei stood on the ship building, waving her arms towards the shore and shouting loudly Said: "Don't worry, I will come back safely."