Chapter 1085 The Ming Dynasty is the beacon of mankind (Second update, please subscribe)
Even the shadow of war could not stop the Ming Dynasty's appeal to the world.
What does Ming Dynasty mean?
It means a decent job, a good income and a modern lifestyle.
To a certain extent, through more than a decade of continuous propaganda by Life magazine and the propaganda of pro-Ming newspapers controlled by the empire, the Ming Dynasty has already formed a fixed impression around the world.
What is the first thing people think of when they mention the Ming Dynasty?
Of course, it is a modern and comfortable lifestyle, with well-lit rooms, clean kitchens, apartments with showers and toilets, and so on. Even the air in Ming Dynasty is fragrant - in the cities of Ming Dynasty, you will never see the horse manure and dirty garbage that are everywhere in European cities.
Cars had long replaced horse-drawn carriages in the Ming Dynasty, and everyone here had a car... This was of course impossible. In fact, for the vast majority of people in the Ming Dynasty, a car was still a luxury that required two years' income to buy.
The life shown in "Life" magazine is far from just the best side of life.
To put it in a popular word of the 20th century - propaganda. Of course, this propaganda is definitely not based on the kind of "protecting the country" and sacrificing the lives of the vast majority of ordinary people, but on appropriately beautifying the lives of ordinary people.
For example, when introducing the life of workers in Daming, it would never be said that the subject is a skilled worker, not an ordinary worker. When introducing his beautiful and tidy house, it would certainly not be mentioned that the apartment is a long-term rental.
However, this did not prevent the Ming Dynasty from showing its best side to the world, and all the things in the wonderful life displayed were what the people of the Ming Dynasty wanted to have in their lives. They were all modern living appliances and entertainment facilities, which indirectly reflected the superiority of the Ming Dynasty.
The power of propaganda is sometimes really amazing. It was through such propaganda that the Ming Dynasty successfully equated this ancient country's name with modern prosperity, civilization and science.
And those who came here from afar would also prove all this in their letters and biographies. After all, the life they enjoyed was very similar to that described in the picture magazines.
Why is this so?
Because those immigrants from Europe were introduced into the Ming Dynasty as talents. Their knowledge would have allowed them to live such a life. It's just that it might take a little time or more competition in Europe and the United States. The Ming Dynasty simply brought this time forward a little or gave them more opportunities.
"beep……"
The cruise ship's whistle sounded at the mouth of the Hudson River. Mr. and Mrs. Brown, who were on the upper-class deck of the cruise ship, looked at Manhattan in the distance without any nostalgia.
Although the United States is beautiful, there is nothing worth lingering about. For the Browns, they immigrated to the New World for a better life and better choices, so they naturally chose the better one.
In fact, there were not only engineers like Brown on the ship, but also many scholars, all of whom had various reasons for leaving this land.
But what is certain is that they left here because there were better options on the other side of the world, just as they or their ancestors left the European continent and came to America.
What they pursue is just a better life. In fact, people's demands are not high in many cases. They don't have to get promoted or get rich. They don't have to be successful. What they desire is just a decent job, a good income, a house to live in, and of course fair opportunities.
When they couldn't get these in the United States, the Ming Dynasty became their choice. After all, in this era, the Ming Empire was a beacon of human civilization in a sense.
The people there are rich and peaceful. They enjoy a life that people in Europe and America can't even imagine. They live like they are in heaven.
The Ming Dynasty presented to the world through Life Pictorial was, to a certain extent, a ray of sunshine that illuminated this dark century for the people of this world, allowing people to see a glimmer of hope and light in the darkness.
How could such a lighthouse not attract people and make them fascinated?
Well, this is the most intuitive impression that the Ming Dynasty has brought to the people of this era.
This Ming Dynasty is not only a beacon, but also a very bright and dazzling one.
There are no sweatshops there, nor are there factory owners who exploit workers to the utmost. There, everyone can live a very decent and affluent life. Sometimes happiness is so simple. Although European and American countries claim to be civilized countries, the ugliest side of human beings is reflected in their so-called civilized countries.
When the people on the boat were talking about that distant country, talking about the happy life in the future and full of expectations for the future, someone suddenly shouted.
"Look, it's the newly commissioned USS Iowa..."
The sudden shout made everyone on the mail ship look in another direction, where they saw a mighty battleship, escorted by two cruisers, spewing smoke and sailing off the mouth of the Hudson River.
Everyone knows without asking that the destination of this most advanced battleship of the US Navy is Cuba!
They are going to reinforce the Cuban Fleet!
…
A few days later, when this small fleet consisting of three warships headed by the battleship "Iowa" arrived in Havana, the United States fleet that had arrived earlier was suddenly excited. Those American sailors all stood on the side of the ship excitedly, waving their hats at the battleship.
“We’re finally here!”
Stephen Luce, the admiral who advocated fleet modernization and reform, was filled with pride when he saw the battleship "Iowa". Although the battleship was not built under his impetus, the "Iowa" was indeed the most powerful battleship of the United States of America.
Of course, it is also a reflection of the level of American manufacturing. After years of military competition and confrontation, the United States now has a shipbuilding industry that is no less than that of Britain, and its shipbuilding scale is almost second only to the Ming Empire and Britain.
"Admiral, the Iowa has arrived in Havana. Even if the Ming Empire's Youzhou arrives, our overall strength is no worse than theirs."
Without waiting for Lieutenant General Hallims to finish his words, Mahan spoke up.
"But we only have one ship, the Iowa, and the Ming Empire also has the Qingzhou, which is the sister ship of the Youzhou, Admiral."
Gazing at the slowly approaching "Iowa", Mahan's eyes showed a hint of worry.
"The Ming Empire Navy has eight Nanhua-class battleships, five Youzhou-class battleships, three Rio de Janeiro-class second-class battleships, eight Linhai-class armored cruisers, and..."
Compared with the Ming Empire, the strength of the US Navy is still a little bit lacking. In fact, in recent years, the US Navy has been trying its best to catch up with the Ming Empire Navy.
Although the current US Navy is large enough compared to another world, it is still too weak compared to its opponents, which is why Mahan lacks confidence.
Pointing to a torpedo boat sailing on the sea parallel to the "Iowa", Mahan shook his head helplessly and said.
"Their torpedo boats may not look big, but they are fast and small, making them hard to hit in naval battles. They are also equipped with powerful torpedoes. In a test by the Roman Empire, they sank an ironclad ship with only two torpedoes. The power of torpedoes far exceeds that of naval guns. Because of this, I think the threat posed by torpedo boats may even exceed that of battleships!"
As a naval commander, Mahan's Sea Power Theory had not yet been published, but his thoughts had matured. As a naval theory expert, he was keenly aware of the threat posed to the fleet by torpedo boats with a displacement of about 1,000 tons.
During the past period of confrontation, the torpedo ships of the Imperial Navy were the undisputed stars in this sea area. These torpedo ships, with a speed of up to 24 knots, made the world believe one thing through repeated maneuvering simulated attacks - for the large fleets, these maneuverable torpedo ships equipped with torpedoes would be the protagonists of future naval battles.
Why is this so? Because... the threat of torpedoes is indeed very strong. Hundreds of kilograms of explosives explode below the waterline. Even the most powerful battleship will sink with one hit!
Such a warship is simply the most terrible assassin in naval warfare, and what is annoying is that the US Navy does not have similar warships at all, because the torpedo was invented by the Ming Dynasty, and all the torpedoes in the world were imported from the Ming Dynasty. And here I am very happy that the United States has never imported torpedoes from the Ming Dynasty.
"The torpedo boats are indeed a threat, but as we all know, the sea belongs to the battleships!"
Admiral Stephen Luce said confidently, looking at the battleship "Iowa" in the distance.
"Five years. Once our plan is approved, in five years at most, the United States Navy will have the most powerful naval fleet in the Americas!"
The reason why he is so confident is that the U.S. Naval Policy Committee has formulated an ambitious naval construction plan, which aims to build 33 battleships and 167 other ships. Once this plan is approved by Congress, the United States will have a naval force far exceeding that of the Ming Dynasty. Of course, this will definitely take time, and Congress has not yet approved it, but there is no problem. After all, the situation has changed now.
"When we were developing this plan, we were worried that Congress would not approve it, but now..."
Pointing to the Ming fleet at sea, Admiral Stephen Luce said.
“They will help us realize this wish!”
(End of this chapter)
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