Chapter 759: The Ming Dynasty's Hegemony is in Progress (Third update, please subscribe)
Hegemony cannot be challenged!
This is the essence of empire.
Otherwise, it will only give ambitious countries an opportunity to challenge hegemony.
Emperor Zhu suddenly laughed, and his smile seemed a little proud!
Although he had been testing Britain's bottom line from the very beginning, in fact, he knew where the British bottom line was!
Britain never really established their "hegemony" because from the very beginning, the imperial model chosen by Britain was Carthage, not Rome or China.
Central military empires like China and Rome will destroy any challenger at the cost of their empire, because they are well aware of the threat that challengers will pose to the empire.
The empire's hegemony is built on deterrence against other barbarians. Once a barbarian challenges the empire and the Second Empire does not give the most direct response, challenges will continue to appear and eventually the empire will fall into a state of exhaustion.
Amid the continuous barbarian invasions, the empire's authority will be undermined, its financial resources will be overdrawn, and eventually the empire will collapse.
But what is a Carthaginian empire? It has never been about military hegemony. It is about commerce and trade. Their hegemony is for commerce and trade. This means that they will weigh the pros and cons. Compared with order, they care more about interests.
This is also the reason why Britain would give in, because they had little chance of winning against the four countries, so they made a rational decision.
This decision was rational for Britain, but for the Empire... it was fatal!
"When the Empire's deterrence is gone, challengers will flock to it!"
After making this judgment, Emperor Zhu laughed.
"The day when Britain's hegemony ends is the day when we will avenge ourselves."
Is this revenge for Tokyo?
Of course not!
It was for the Opium War, for China, and for...it had nothing to do with Japan!
When Iwakura and others bowed with tears of gratitude, Emperor Zhu did not explain the misunderstanding, nor did he need to explain. In fact, he was also warning them - the imperial hegemony would not tolerate any challenge.
Last time, when Ming faced a challenge, it was able to destroy Toyotomi at the cost of the destruction of the empire. In the future, when Japan betrays, Ming will definitely destroy the entire Japan!
A powerful empire must first have imperial thinking!
The imperial mentality is to never tolerate any challengers!
Of course, under the careful planning of Emperor Zhu, Japan would never betray, because from then on, there would no longer be any Japan!
And Britain... never grew into a true empire. Of course, that can't be said.
While sneering, Emperor Zhu said in an extremely calm tone.
"Now is the time!"
When Britain's imperial hegemony was shaken and disintegrated, it was the time for Ming Dynasty's imperial hegemony and world order to be rebuilt!
However, the Ming Dynasty’s “world order” now is no longer East Asia, but the entire world.
"My dear ministers, the world has now entered an era of great contention. No one can stay out of it, and the same is true for Japan. However, Japan is now independent..."
Without waiting for Emperor Zhu to finish his words, Okubo Toshimichi spoke directly.
"Your Majesty, Japan is already recognized by the world as the territory of the Ming Dynasty, so how can it be independent?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, for Japan, it is an honor to be incorporated into the Ming Dynasty, to stand together with the Ming Dynasty in this era of great strife, and to share the glory of the empire. Japan must not stand on its own!"
After Kido Takayoshi expressed his position, Iwakura Tomomi and Ito Hirobumi also expressed their attitudes. Their attitudes were very clear - they supported the unification of the country.
In fact, the reason why their attitude is so clear is not only for the interests of Japan, but also for their own interests. After suffering the painful lessons of the British and American invasion, they naturally tend to believe that an independent Japan cannot survive in the world. On the other hand, the tragic death of the emperor has led to the fact that Japan no longer has an emperor - of course, if they must establish an emperor, they can still establish an emperor, but the problem is that even if an emperor is established, as "ministers of the lost country", they will not be held accountable in the new government, let alone occupying high positions. It is already a mercy outside the law.
In contrast, if they were incorporated into the Ming Dynasty, they could be employed by the Ming Emperor. They were ministers of the union and had made contributions to the Ming Dynasty. Even their participation in the death of the Emperor was not a crime but a merit!
Union!
This is the most profitable option for them.
Um……
Emperor Zhu nodded slightly, feeling proud. What is the highest achievement of strategy? It is to make others give up their country.
"I am deeply touched by your sincere love for China. However, Japan has been isolated from China for many years. If we rashly unite with China, it will not only cause dissatisfaction among a few people within the country, but will also lead to a backlash from Britain. Therefore, I think we can first set up a governor's office. What do you think?"
In fact, the reason why Emperor Zhu established the Governor's Office was to treat people differently.
Is it possible for Japan to be like the Ming Dynasty?
There is an inherent unequal order within the empire. Nation-states generally treat all people within their borders equally, which means that no matter whether you live in the center or the periphery, you will have the same rights.
But it was different in the empire. The treatment of the central and peripheral regions was different. A typical example was the Roman Empire, where the Italian region was tax-free, while other provinces of the empire not only did not have such treatment, but were also used as resource suppliers.
The Roman Empire seemed to be a unified whole, but in fact, most of the areas outside the city of Rome were Roman colonial industries and targets of economic plunder. The colonies were almost as big as the Roman Empire. The "cities" in the provinces were responsible for transporting agricultural and mineral products, slaves, taxes, etc. to Rome. The establishment of the Roman Empire itself was based on the exploitation of areas outside the Roman Empire.
Not to mention that this is the Roman Empire era, even in the 21st century, the United States still has the shadow of the Roman Empire, at most there is less oppression. Take Guam as an example. It is an overseas dominion of the United States. Residents have American citizenship, but cannot vote in national elections.
Therefore, there will certainly be no equality within the future Ming Empire.
Everyone is equal within the empire?
What kind of big dream are you having?
If you want to become a Ming Dynasty citizen, you must first bleed for the Ming Dynasty!
"Your Majesty is wise and wise. It is a prudent idea to first set up a Governor-General's Office and promote education. I think that from now on, all primary and secondary schools in Japan must teach Chinese. Only after the language is unified can the empire be unified!"
Seeing that Kido Takayoshi, one of the three heroes of the Meiji Restoration, took the initiative to propose the promotion of Chinese language education, Emperor Zhu was extremely proud.
As fate would have it, not only was Japan's reform interrupted, but even these "heroes of the Meiji Restoration" were transformed into Ming ministers, or "Japanese traitors" one by one. The world is changing so fast!
Two of the three heroes of the Meiji Restoration, Kido Takayoshi and Ōkubo Toshimichi, had already become ministers of the Ming Dynasty. The only one left was Saigo Takamori, who was currently plotting a rebellion in Kyushu.
Emperor Zhu said this while repeating the name in his mind with pride.
"Now Japan's external threats have been eliminated, but the internal troubles have not yet been settled. In your opinion, how should Tokugawa and Saigo be dealt with?"
(End of this chapter)
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