Chapter 1241: Expansion is not for poverty alleviation (first update, please subscribe)
"It is necessary for the well-being of the empire's billions of subjects and future expansion!"
But how does this expansion take place?
This expansion is of course flexible and diverse.
"When the time is right, military expansion is undoubtedly the fastest and most effective, but..."
Emperor Zhu said this while playing chess with Zuo Zongtang.
"For now, the Empire's expansion policy must be restrained. After all, no matter where we take action now, it is likely to cause a conflict with Britain and the United States, and the Empire is not yet ready for the final decisive battle."
"Your Majesty is right. Since we are not ready yet, we need to wait a little longer."
Although Zuo Zongtang was the honorary president of the "American Club", he also supported the empire's policy of contraction.
"The empire's current contraction is for better expansion in the future. The club agrees with this point. However, many members of the club believe that the empire's expansion should not stop in South America, but should also occupy North and South America... They believe that at least the United States should be occupied."
After making a move, Zuo Zongtang reported to His Majesty truthfully what he had seen and heard in the club.
Except for a very small number of senior officials, no one knows that the real founder of the "America Club" is His Majesty. Why did His Majesty create the "America Club" back then?
It was not just for expansion, but to form a consensus among the empire's elite - an expansion consensus.
The reason why this consensus was formed is because of the constraints of Chinese tradition. After all, there are too many sayings in Chinese tradition such as "A country, no matter how big it is, will perish if it loves war". Even though the empire did not have an imperial examination system, the elite of the empire had received traditional education, and they were naturally bound by traditional concepts.
In order to break the shackles, Emperor Zhu Da specially created this club. Its purpose was to reach a consensus among the elite class through the club, and eventually expansion would become a consensus throughout the empire.
Over the past twenty years, victory after victory has stimulated the expansionist spirit of the entire empire, and Emperor Zhu Da knew very well that if this expansionist sentiment was not consolidated by interests, then it would be built on sand and would have no foundation.
Therefore, the expansion of the empire must benefit everyone - enterprises and individuals, upper-class dignitaries and ordinary people. Only when everyone benefits can the empire continue to expand.
"After occupying the United States, the appetite within the Empire is growing..."
Emperor Zhu stared at the chessboard for a while and made a move. More than 20 years of victory did not make him forget himself. In fact, his mind had become extremely clear in the past few years.
Once upon a time, he was an all-in player. He dared to go all-in because he knew where the enemy's bottom line was. He also understood that as a latecomer, if he did not go all-in, he would never catch up with the strong.
But what about now?
Now that we have our shoes on, going all-in is definitely not the best option. Why can the Anglo-Saxons have the last laugh in the competition with the French, Spanish, Germans and Russians?
The most important point is that when they are not strong enough, they will never go all in!
But this does not prevent them from continuing to bleed the enemy through other means.
"Human greed is like a snake swallowing an elephant!"
Zuo Zongtang laughed.
"The Empire's North American policy has long been decided. The next war will be to further divide the United States and drive it out of the West Coast. As for the United States..."
Emperor Zhu shook his head and said.
"When we conquer America, the biggest enemy we face is not the resistance of 60 million Americans, but the burden brought by 60 million people! For the Empire, 60 million white people are not only a destabilizing factor, but also a heavy burden. They will demand to live the same life as the citizens of the Empire, and they will demand to enjoy the same or even more benefits. The Empire..."
Emperor Zhu paused and said.
"The Empire is not engaged in charity. The image of the 'Liberator' is good, but it is just an image. Expansion costs money. Expansion is not poverty alleviation. Expansion also has to pay attention to costs. Colombia has less than 2 million people, Venezuela has no more than 2 million people, and even if you add China and the United States, there are only more than 5.2 million people. For the Empire, there is no problem at all to integrate these people into the Empire. Improving their lives is certainly no problem. Moreover, the rewards obtained from conquering these areas are far greater than our expenses. This is also the reason for our expansion. The benefits are high. But the United States... there are 60 million people there!"
And 60 million is only now. Due to the emergence of the empire, European immigrants who originally flowed to South America have poured into North America, causing the current population of the United States to exceed the historical level during the same period. If we wait another ten years, their population will only increase.
Or maybe the times don’t allow it!
Otherwise, we can create dozens of Detroit massacres, New York massacres and the like. A large population won’t be a problem... Well, it seems that I have become even more cruel and even want to learn from the Tartars.
However, for any conqueror, tens of millions of people is an extremely heavy burden. So what if there are abundant resources?
If the income from resources cannot balance the expenses after occupation, then it will be a loss, and such a loss will only cause the empire to continue to bleed and eventually fall into decline.
"Splitting the United States into four or five countries is in the long-term interests of the empire. After all, the empire's goods need to be dumped in the market. Compared with military occupation and annexation, the split United States as an economic colony of the empire is the best choice."
"Your Majesty is right. Occupying the United States is indeed a heavy burden for the empire. The ultimate goal of the empire's expansion is to make the people live better. This is also the fundamental purpose of the empire's "kingly hegemony."
When Zuo Zongtang mentioned "kingly hegemony", Emperor Zhu smiled slightly. What is the true kingly way, the true benevolence and righteousness, is that the empire annexed those countries ruled by the Caudillo regime, and then let the people there live better! Even if it damages the reputation of the empire, it can benefit the people.
For example, Chileans, Argentines, Brazilians, Peruvians, and Bolivians now live in the "land of peace" under the rule of the empire.
What is the empire’s “kingly hegemony”?
It is to benefit the people of the world as the starting point, to reconcile the kingly way and the hegemonic way with each other, to promote the hegemonic way to annex other countries, and then to promote the kingly way to benefit the local people and gain liberation. This is the empire's manifest destiny.
As long as it benefits the people of the world, it is okay to do bad things and bear the infamy. The empire used its temporary infamy to exchange for the happy lives of millions of people.
This is true benevolence and righteousness!
However, such benevolence and righteousness cannot be applied everywhere. After all, building a "land of kingly way and happiness" requires money and costs. The expansion of the empire is not a charity, and not everyone is qualified to enjoy the land of kingly way and happiness.
As for the United States... No, it should be said that after the division of the United States, they don’t have the qualifications at all.
However, in the future, the divided United States, as an economic colony of the empire and a source of raw materials, can still be the empire's back garden, just like South America to the United States in another era.
(End of this chapter)
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