Chapter 1079: Secretly Crossing Chencang (Second update, please subscribe)

Not ready for war!

This is the most important thing!

What is the most critical preparation?

Not industry, but population!

Industry can be promoted and stimulated through large infrastructure. In fact, the industrial expansion of the Ming Dynasty was driven by infrastructure. Keynesian economics is still unknown these days!

But Emperor Zhu knew. What did the Ming Dynasty rely on for its industrial development in recent years? One was the five-year plan that was effective in the heavy industry era, and the other was the infrastructure stimulus of Keynesian economics.

If it were not for the limitations of the times that prevented the expansion of industrial scale, the scale of Ming Dynasty's industrial economy would have at least doubled under the current positive stimulation.

But the population is not.

What was the population of the Ming Empire?

The Chinese population in African colonies is 16 million, of which 3.3 million are of Japanese descent and 4.1 million are of mixed Eastern and Black descent. As for the indigenous blacks... they are not included in the count.

There are 3.7 million Chinese in the Northern Territory, 780,000 in the Chenggong Islands and Pacific Territories.

The Protectorate of Dongying had a population of 27 million.

The empire has a population of 47.5 million, of which nearly 39 million are Chinese, including 6 million Japanese and Southeast Asian brides, 7.6 million are European and mixed-race people, and 1.8 million are Indians.

This is the current population composition of the empire.

Adding them together, it was a lot, almost close to 100 million people, but in the empire's population statistics, they were always divided into two groups - Chinese and non-Chinese. After all, the Chinese were the foundation, and this was the fundamental principle that the empire had adhered to for many years, with Chinese priority.

No one knows better than Emperor Zhu what it means that those who are not of my race must have different hearts. After all, during the long simulation in the early days of Nanhua’s establishment, the betrayal of European immigrants almost destroyed Nanhua and almost caused the kingdom of Nanhua to perish.

Because of this, Emperor Zhu even in this country. How should we strengthen the trunk and weaken the branches, and what principles should we adhere to!

Therefore, this population is often discounted in the statistics of the Ming Empire. Except for the Chinese, everyone else is a fence-sitter.

However, compared to other ethnic groups, the Chinese population is growing rapidly, with millions of Chinese immigrants pouring into the empire every year, and more than 5.5 million new births.

What is behind this seemingly promising number?

The proportion of minors of Chinese descent in the empire exceeds 60%. This is inevitable due to the empire's special population structure, which is mainly composed of middle-aged immigrants and leads to a very high fertility rate.

How can we fight a world war when more than one in every two people is a minor?

Fighting a world war requires people! What is needed is the kind of passionate young people who are willing to die for the empire without any worries.

"Your Majesty, one in every four people in the empire is a baby under three years old. This is not only the capital of the empire, but also the fundamental reason why the empire has not been able to complete its war preparations. One in every two people is a minor. In my opinion, we should not start a full-scale war with Britain at least before the 20th year of Shengde. If possible, it should be limited to around the 25th year of Shengde. By then, our population structure will be reasonable, and the empire can mobilize more soldiers, even if the number exceeds 10 million, and it will not affect industrial and agricultural production and child rearing..."

As the prime minister of the empire, Qian Degong has to consider more issues, and of course they are more comprehensive. The large number of underage population is the biggest weakness of the Ming Dynasty at present. What is the biggest problem of this weakness? A large number of middle-aged men are fathers, and they have several children. When fighting, it is inevitable that they have too many concerns! And once they die in battle, the country's burden of raising them is also very heavy. After all, the empire is not the kind of country that will ignore the families of the sacrificed soldiers when the soldiers die in battle. The Ming Dynasty not only asks, but also takes care of their families all the time. And this of course means additional expenses. This burden has to be considered.

His analysis made Emperor Zhu nod in agreement.

"I have also considered these issues, but Prime Minister Qian has neglected them a little."

Looking at Qian Degong, Emperor Zhu said.

"Don't forget, I still have an imperial samurai sword in my hand!"

The Imperial Katana!

Who is it?

Of course it’s the Japanese.

"Japan is the poorest region in the Empire. There are millions of young and middle-aged people who want to serve the Empire in exchange for the opportunity to become naturalized citizens. For the Empire, it is a pity to keep this sharp samurai sword unused."

In fact, Emperor Zhu had no prejudice against the Japanese. In fact, in his heart, he had long regarded the Japanese as part of China.

They share the same culture and ancestry. The reason they are not allowed to naturalize now is that the barbarian spirit in them has not been eliminated. Of course, if they can be loyal to the country, they can definitely be naturalized. Although there are slight differences between naturalized citizens and imperial subjects, their next generation will be true imperial subjects.

Sometimes Emperor Zhu felt that he was too kind, treating them so kindly and providing them with so much room for advancement.

"However, right now, it is indeed not the time for an all-out war. We are not ready, and the British... are not ready either."

Emperor Zhu smiled coldly.

"Since no one is ready, let's use Peru to test Britain's bottom line. The Empire might as well adopt the strategy of repairing the plank road in the open while marching through Chencang in secret in this incident."

It is precisely because no one is ready that there is an opportunity to steal the chicken. If everyone is ready, there will be no such opportunity. It can be said that the opportunity is rare now.

"Repairing the plank road in the open and marching through Chencang in secret?"

"Yes, it's a covert attack on Chencang!"

Emperor Zhu nodded, then he walked to the globe beside him, turned to Cuba and said.

"What is Cuba to the United States? It is a place that must be saved. Although our northern territory borders the United States, it is only the vast west. Where is the most prosperous area in the United States? It is the east! If we seize Cuba, we can directly threaten its eastern coastal areas. The fleet deployed in Cuba can directly threaten New York. In this case, we will form a comprehensive and overwhelming offensive posture against the United States!"

What is Cuba to the United States?

In the words of He Da Corn Cob, it is a testicle that hurts when you press it.

"So under this circumstance, the United States will definitely not allow us to occupy Cuba! In this way..."

Qian Degong seemed to have thought of something. He turned the globe and said.

"The United States will not be able to take care of Hawaii, and we can annex Hawaii smoothly."

"So Hawaii is Chencang?"

Fang Zhanbo frowned.

"It's not a good deal to trade Cuba for Hawaii. Although the United States is quite fierce about our exclusive control of Hawaii, the British reaction is not strong. I think that in the end, Hawaii can still be resolved through negotiations."

"Yes, using Hawaii as a base is a disadvantage, but what if this base is the Peru-Bolivia Federation?"

Emperor Zhu turned the globe to Peru. He had long coveted the saltpeter mines in Peru. Moreover, in his plan, the Peru-Bolivian Federation was a country that must be destroyed.

"Peru-Bolivia Federation?"

Qian Degong frowned. Why did he come back again?

"My plan is to use the Cuban Crisis to draw everyone's attention to Cuba. At this time, the United States and Britain will certainly do their best to prevent us from occupying Cuba. When the whole world is paying attention to Cuba, we will make a quick decision and conquer Peru! Use the fait accompli to force Britain to make concessions on the Peru issue! In the end, should we protect Cuba or Peru?"

In fact, it is just throwing the multiple-choice questions to the British and Americans.

"It must be Cuba. Peru is too far away for the United States. Compared with Peru, Cuba occupied by us poses a greater threat! So the United States will acquiesce to the fact that we occupy Peru in exchange for our withdrawal of troops from Cuba. Without the support of the United States, even if Britain is willing, it will be powerless! In the end, we can only face reality!"

Fang Zhanbo's eyes lit up, and then he said.

"In this way, we can break the restriction imposed by the UK."

Only when your neck is stuck will you know how uncomfortable it is. It is really uncomfortable to be unable to expand!

It would certainly be a good thing to break this deadlock.

Cheng Dingkang said on the side.

"Your Majesty, the only prerequisite for them to accept reality is that we must fight quickly and capture Peru before other countries can react! This is about conquering a country! How can it be fast?"

In response to Cheng Dingkang's question, Emperor Zhu just smiled slightly, then stared at the globe in front of him without saying anything.

There is no way to be fast...

This chapter is more or less a summary of the population data of the Ming Dynasty for 21 years, with some figures revised. After that, the population of the Ming Dynasty was over 100 million, including more than 30 million people living there.

I have set up a book club: 335260551. Everyone is welcome to join and discuss and deduce the plot together.

(End of this chapter)