Chapter 577: Strangle America in the cradle (4400 words chapter first update)
An arms race between the Ming Dynasty and the U.S. Navy began quietly and silently.
Even Zhu Xianhai, as the leader, did not know how long this competition would last and how much resources would be needed, but one thing was certain: the experience from later generations told Zhu Xianhai that the Ming Dynasty could persist in this competition!
And enough to win the final victory.
"On the surface, building warships seems to be a loss-making business, but this is not the case at all. By building warships, we can not only improve shipbuilding technology, but also metallurgy, machinery manufacturing and other aspects."
On the lakeside of the Royal Manor in the southern suburbs, Emperor Zhu was walking with Prime Minister Zuo. As they walked, they talked about the expansion of the navy. They talked a lot. Zuo Zongtang certainly had no doubts about His Majesty's decision, and the current challenge from the United States was also something that the Ming Dynasty had to face.
"Left Prime Minister, do you know why I believe that the United States will be the most important rival of my Ming Empire?"
After talking about the expansion of maritime armaments, Emperor Zhu naturally discussed diplomatic issues with Zuo Zongtang. Although Emperor Zhu, who was standing on the head of a giant, had foresight about the future, his foresight about history was gradually weakening as history became a mess under his promotion.
So in many cases, he would communicate repeatedly with Zuo Zongtang, Wang Youling, Qian Degong and others, listen to their opinions, and then implement them. Of course, sometimes he liked to launch surprise attacks and force the cabinet to accept his opinions.
However, this kind of thing is rare, because long before Zuo Zongtang and others came to Nanhua, a very modern system had been formed here under the operation of Emperor Zhu. In the current Ming Dynasty, neither the imperial examination nor Confucianism has almost no influence, because as early as ten years ago, Emperor Zhu established a modern elementary school and compiled new textbooks.
From Latin pinyin in Chinese to Arabic numerals in mathematics. When Zuo Zongtang and his people came, what could they do even if they were great scholars? They had to learn a lot of things from scratch. As for the saying that "China is the best in morality and literature in the world", no one here would say it at all.
It’s not that no one said it, but even the most stubborn person knows that “moral articles” are useless in this world of tigers and wolves.
In the early days of Nanhua, most immigrants were saved from the swords of the chaotic soldiers. Zhu Xianhai didn't know whether there were any "great scholars of the time" among the survivors, but what was certain was that they cared about surviving. As for other ancestral rules, they didn't exist.
Therefore, over time, by the time Zuo Daru and others came to Nanhua, the situation was already "irreversible". As for Zuo Daru himself, facing the impact of modern civilization, he had forgotten all about morality.
Moral articles are good, but they can only cultivate sentiments. If we want to enrich our country and strengthen the military, we still have to rely on Western knowledge!
Therefore, the Ming Dynasty rebuilt overseas naturally lacked many of the constraints of Chinese "traditions".
However, in terms of diplomacy, Zuo Zongtang also had a very deep understanding of European and American countries at that time. Zhu Da Emperor talked about things he read in history books. However, Zuo Zongtang had conducted in-depth research in Europe for nearly two years. In terms of understanding of foreign countries, he was definitely not worse than Zhu Da Emperor.
"Britain, Your Majesty, I think that compared to the United States, Britain is the biggest threat to our Ming Dynasty!"
Zuo Zongtang still insisted on his point of view that the only powers that could reach the Ming Dynasty were Britain and France. As for Spain and Portugal, they were like old women's mouths - toothless.
France is an ally of the Ming Dynasty and can be excluded for the time being. Moreover, according to your majesty, the Ming Dynasty will eat meat from Britain together with France in the future.
When the flowers fall, all things come into being.
If Britain falls, the world will be well fed. How could Zuo Zongtang not understand this truth?
But no matter how clear it is, reality is still reality. The reality is that for now, the Daying Empire is still the most powerful in the world.
Of course, the threat posed by the Ming Dynasty.
"Left Prime Minister, I'm asking about the opponent, not the threat."
Zhu Xinghai smiled and shook his head. The opponent could be the Ming Dynasty taking the initiative to attack, while the threat was the Ming Dynasty needing to be on the defensive.
"The opponent... the United States!"
Zhu Xianhai said while Zuo Zongtang was pondering.
"The United States is the biggest rival of our Ming Dynasty. We took advantage of their internal strife to split them in two, but even so, we were unable to stop their rise. To be honest, I am also very worried!"
According to some later views, the Civil War was hailed as the war of America's rise, with the weakening of state rights and the increase of federal power. In a word, without the Civil War, there would be no rise of the United States.
But forget it!
Did the federal power influence the industrialization of the United States? Do you think the United States is like the Soviet Union, which needs to formulate a five-year plan? The Civil War was because the North needed cotton from the South. After the unification, did the North not need to buy cotton from the South? Did they just rob it? As for exports, after the Civil War, the export tariffs on cotton in the United States were reduced, not increased.
Moreover, after the end of the American Civil War, the cotton industry around the world entered a period of depression that lasted for more than a decade, and even the cotton planting industry in South China was affected. As for the textile industry, it has never been an important industry in the North. In fact, there is no textile industry in the development path of the United States.
Although in this world the United States is divided into two countries, the North and the South, the rise of the North is still unstoppable after the end of the Civil War, the industrial areas in the Great Lakes region are developing rapidly, the railways are still the leader in promoting the industrial development of the United States, and the international financial market provides sufficient funds for the development of the United States.
The United States is still on the rise! This is why Zhu Xianhai regards the United States as his main rival.
"USA……"
Zuo Zongtang shook his head and spoke in a rather affirmative tone.
"Your Majesty, although the United States has the potential for development and there are conflicts of interest with our country, but in the next 20 years... the United States still cannot be called an opponent. And they have always had conflicts with Britain."
During this era, Britain and the United States were not close allies. In fact, there were great conflicts between the two countries. It was well known that the United States coveted Canada's territory. Moreover, as early as 1823, the United States issued the "Monroe Doctrine" to oppose European powers' interference in American affairs, making it clear that it wanted to oppose the British Empire.
Of course, this kind of opposition is only verbal. The "Monroe Doctrine" has been shouted for half a century, but it is useless. It is just talk. But this is also the difference between the two countries.
"There are many problems between the United States and the United Kingdom, but right now, the biggest threat to both countries is us, so it is possible for them to unite, but... this is not the main point!"
Zhu Xianhai looked towards the lake and said seriously.
"Left Prime Minister, when it comes to a country's strength, we cannot just look at the present and ignore the future. The United States can only barely squeeze into the world stage now, which is similar to our situation. But in terms of future potential, the United States may even surpass our Ming Dynasty!"
"America's potential exceeds ours!"
Zuo Zongtang's face was full of doubt.
Zhu Xianhai did not find his doubts strange. After all, even the British were mistaken. Who could have imagined that in just twenty years, the US economy would develop into the world's number one.
After the rise of economy and industry, the United States rose comprehensively. When Americans exerted their strength, the whole world took notice.
"Although our land area is much larger than that of the United States, and the fertile land that can be used in the South China Plain is no less than that of the United States. Our agricultural potential far exceeds that of the United States, but in terms of resources, we are far behind the United States."
The United States is definitely not the chosen country!
But the United States is definitely the country with the richest natural resources in the world. In this respect, the United States is definitely God's chosen one.
"In terms of industrial development potential, the U.S.'s industrial potential far exceeds ours. In terms of resources, we have neither large iron ore nor large coal mines, but what about the U.S.? They have both."
More than lacking,
The Great Lakes region is blessed with not only large-scale, high-quality coal and iron mines, but also convenient water transportation that provides cheap transportation.
In this era when coal and iron are the national strength, the natural conditions of the United States... the Ming Dynasty really can't compare!
"Besides, they are a white country, and they are close to Europe. They are the first choice for European capital and the first choice for talent outflow. In the past few decades, countless capital and talents have gone to the United States every year, and the U.S. population has also grown rapidly. Now it is close to 40 million. Compared with them, how many people do we have? Just over 6 million! In another 30 years, their population is likely to exceed 100 million. Although the population of China is much larger than that of the United States, if we don't transport them here, those people will not belong to us."
This is the biggest problem of the Ming Dynasty. As a new country, although the new Ming Dynasty does not have the historical constraints of mainland China, the corresponding severe shortage of population has always restricted the development of the Ming Dynasty. Even whether the Ming Dynasty can join the ranks of powerful countries in the future, the most critical factor is population. Without sufficient population, it is impossible to develop a complete industrial system.
"Without a sufficient population, it is impossible to develop a strong industry. After all, industry needs to be supported by the population. In the modern industrial system, a complete industrial chain involves at least millions or even tens of millions of employed people. Even for a small pencil, the graphite used in its production needs to be mined by miners, the wood needs to be cut down, the raw materials need to be further processed and transported, and tens of thousands of people are required to participate in its production."
When talking about population, Zhu Xianhai couldn't help but envy China a little bit, that's hundreds of millions of people! Even if those people are uneducated and uncultured, it's still a demographic dividend!
Without enough population, everything is bullshit.
"To develop a prosperous industry, we need at least 70 to 80 million people. At present, population has been restricting our development. Take our shipbuilding industry for example, including main engine manufacturing and parts and components processing enterprises, with a total employment of up to 200,000 people. This means that we have no extra people to engage in other industries when we engage in mining, metallurgy, shipbuilding, and mechanical processing. Conversely, the population size of a country also determines the upper limit of the industrial system, because if there are not enough people, everything will be in vain."
"People are not the problem, Your Majesty. China's biggest problem is that there are too many people and too little land. People are a burden. China has nothing in short supply, but there are too many people who don't have enough to eat."
Zuo Zongtang said directly.
"We just need to bring as many of them as possible to Ming. Population is a burden to China, but it is a resource to us. The United States can bring in tens of millions of immigrants... We can do the same."
China has a lot of people, and they are all hungry. If there is a chance, they will definitely be willing to come to Ming.
"Yes, this is also the fundamental reason why we can compete with the United States - the United States is the preferred destination for European human resources immigration, and what about Ming? It is the preferred destination for Chinese human resources! In the end, the competition between us and the United States is actually a competition of industry and population!"
Gazing into the distance, Zhu Xianhai nodded.
"Like the United States, we were founded in the New World. Unlike our respective home countries, we have been established for too long and have a lot of historical baggage and complicated relationships. If we don't clear them all, there will be many constraints. But it's not realistic to cut the Gordian knot quickly. So we are all newly emerged, without those complicated relationships, so we can let go and do it."
In fact, to some extent, the current Ming Dynasty and the United States are very similar. It is precisely because of the similarities that Emperor Zhu was extremely wary of the United States.
It is not because of history, but because of reality. There can only be one "chosen country" in this world. If the Ming Dynasty wants to replace the United States, it must step on the corpse of the United States.
When it was still a small bud in the United States, it was strangled in the cradle!
Zuo Zongtang said with deep agreement.
"I heard that when Li Hefei was carrying out foreign affairs, not only was there criticism from the court, but there were also many obstacles in the local area. In comparison, the Ming Dynasty has a stable political situation and people's support. We can just let it go."
In fact, that’s not entirely true. In the Ming Dynasty, there are more than two million European immigrants and their descendants!
These people are not only a hidden danger to the Ming Dynasty, but also... Of course, as the conquered, they have no right to speak.
"Yes, even if there are some hidden dangers, they are just minor ones."
As Emperor Zhu nodded in agreement, his tone was quite emotional.
"The United States has another huge advantage, that is, there are no land powers around it. Unlike us, which borders Brazil, we not only have to fight against the United States, but also Brazil, and the hostility of the Spanish-speaking countries in South America towards us. Therefore, considering various factors, the United States will inevitably become the world's number one industrial power in the future. And the strength of a country in today's world ultimately depends on the power of industry..."
"Your Majesty, the country with the strongest industry in the world right now is Britain, followed by France."
Zuo Zongtang said this with some arrogance.
"But in ten years at most, we will surpass France."
He has personally visited and inspected the United Kingdom and France, and they are so powerful!
As for the Ming Dynasty, its progress over the years is obvious to all.
"Britain and France have small landmasses, limited human and industrial resources, and their potential is far less than that of the United States, or even the North German Federation and Russia. Moreover, the European powers are too close to each other, and there are too many constraints on each other. There are too many contradictions and they are wary of each other. The slightest accident will lead to a European war. Where in the surrounding environment can they develop peacefully like the United States, and even not consider the threat of war?"
There are two towers in the north and south, and two walls in the east and west. Only the current Ming Dynasty can be compared with the United States in terms of such a natural environment. But who is the real chosen country?
What is certain is that the United States will be strangled in the cradle!
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
