"That's not the case."

Zhao Jun, blind as he was, had sharper ears. He overheard Zhao Zhen's mumbling and casually remarked, "There's no shortage of developed monarchies in modern society. John Bull and Chicken Foot Basin still have royal families, albeit without real power. But there are also many royal families with real power, like those white-robed states in the Middle East, all of which are incredibly wealthy. This shows that modernization doesn't necessarily require the demise of imperial power."

When Zhao Zhen heard this, he felt like he had grabbed a lifeline and asked, "Then how can we preserve the imperial power while completing the Industrial Revolution and making the country prosperous and strong?"

Zhao Jun smiled faintly and said, "It's very simple. You have to understand one thing, that is, centralized autocracy is different from imperial autocracy. Autocracy is not a bad thing. The rise of Western powers all stems from centralized power. As long as the leader and the political community have foresight, then the country will develop very quickly. Just like Big Brother Mao, under the guidance of a benevolent father, went from a country with only a small industrial base and was almost an agricultural country to the world's leading heavy industrial power in just two five-year plans."

"The worst part about imperial despotism is that the person who comes to power isn't necessarily a political strongman or a wise leader, but simply someone born into a good family."

"If I were the emperor of the Song Dynasty, I have foresight. Even if the waters here are deep, I would be able to control them. First, I would train a group of smart and capable ministers, develop military strength, and defeat the Liao, Jin, Mongolia, and Western Xia. Then, I would open up the oceans, colonize Japan and Indonesia, kill all the beasts there, plunder the local resources and wealth, develop an agricultural production revolution, and then start universal education."

"Once people's wisdom has reached a certain level of maturity, the Industrial Revolution can be promoted in an orderly manner. Even if class antagonism arises, there is no need to worry. During the Song Dynasty, many parts of the world were even uninhabited. They could be sent overseas to colonize the entire world, including Europe."

"If intellectuals can't make it in China, won't they become the superiors when they go abroad? Just like the foreigners in Shanghai during the Republic of China, and those who went to the Americas, Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia as colonists, many of them were broke people in China."

"At worst, there are places like Australia, America, and even Siberia. There are plenty of places."

"Especially Siberia. Even though it's cold there, there's a lot of oil buried underground. If we can develop heavy industry, conquering Mongolia and Siberia, then occupying Australia and America, expanding into Europe, and finally conquering the entire world won't be a dream."

"Of course, the biggest difficulty for the Song Dynasty emperor is the first step."

Although Zhao Zhen didn't understand what was said, he felt it was very powerful, so he ignored Zhao Jun's last words.

He asked hurriedly, "What if a king has a visionary under his command, and the king trusts him completely and lets him do what he wants, can he make the country strong?"

"Are you talking about the emperor of the Song Dynasty?"

Zhao Jun said in disbelief, "Zhao Zhen trusts Fan Zhongyan to that extent. Are you kidding me?"

"Forehead......"

Zhao Zhen couldn't help but look at Fan Zhongyan, and Fan Zhongyan also looked at him expressionlessly.

The two men looked at each other, Zhao Zhen smiled awkwardly and said nothing.

Zhao Jun continued, "As I said, unless the king has the ability like me, or the vision to see the future, he can accomplish such a thing."

"But unfortunately, the group of brainless emperors in the Song Dynasty were definitely not as powerful as me. Moreover, the disadvantage of an absolute monarchy is that even if a great ruler emerges, there is no guarantee that every emperor will be wise and powerful. Especially in an era like the Song Dynasty, where there were many brainless emperors, the emergence of any idiot could ruin the entire prosperous situation."

"I'm also very dissatisfied with the Song Dynasty's system. On the surface, the Song Dynasty co-ruled the country with the literati, but in reality it was still a de facto monarchy. The literati of the Northern Song Dynasty were manipulated by the monarch, even worse than the literati of the Ming Dynasty. At least in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, the literati could manipulate the monarch."

"Like during the founding of the Song Dynasty, the Zhao brothers deceived the scholars and officials by saying, 'We will govern the country together with you,' and then told them that any imperial edicts we issued could not be issued without your approval."

"It sounds good, but what's the reality?"

"The power to appoint senior officials still lies with the emperor, and any official appointment must be approved by the emperor."

"In order to promote Li Ding, who was recommended by Wang Anshi, Emperor Shenzong of Song even replaced three officials who had been obstructing the issuance of the imperial edict, and forced the imperial edict to pass."

"During the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song, there were 23 prime ministers, each of whom served a very short term. Whenever a prime minister was impeached, Zhao Zhen would remove him to avoid the threat posed by the consolidation of prime ministerial power."

"And then there's Qin Hui. He was impeached countless times by the entire court, yet he managed to stay in office for twenty years."

"All of this is enough to prove that the Song Dynasty system was still dominated by imperial power."

"So in reality, the power of the Song emperors was immense, and the imperial authority was never undermined. During the Southern Song Dynasty, the court was often divided between those who advocated war and those who advocated peace. However, in reality, whether they advocated war or peace, the initiative was always in the hands of the emperor."

"Qin Hui was a staunch advocate of war in his early years, but advocates of war had no status in the court. In order to please Zhao Gou, he had to become a peace advocate."

"Zhao Gou was a moron, his mind full of thoughts of kneeling down and begging for peace. He promoted Qin Hui and suppressed Yue Fei. Therefore, although Qin Hui deserved his punishment, it was Wanyan Gou, the dog, who should have been kneeling in front of the Yuewang Temple."

"Also, Cai Jing was a capable and capable minister in his early years. He built water conservancy projects, established the Juyangyuan, Anjifang, and Louzeyuan, and reformed certain systems, earning him the admiration and support of the people. However, Song Huizong disliked good ministers and favored treacherous ones, forcing Cai Jing to become the leader of the Six Thieves."

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!