Chapter 964 (First update, please subscribe)
In the first month of 1881, the earth-shaking changes that took place in China had little impact on most people in the Ming Dynasty. However, for another part of the Ming Dynasty who were ordinary but had the world in their hearts, the drastic changes in China and the demise of the Qing Dynasty were undoubtedly encouraging.
In fact, as early as a few years ago, many Ming Dynasty patriots who were committed to China joined the "Xing Han Society". Even last year, Li Xuzhou's rebellion against the Qing Dynasty was "facilitated" by the young officers of the "Xing Han Society". Those Ming Dynasty patriots and overseas students joined hands to contribute to the anti-Qing cause.
When the news of the fall of the Qing Dynasty reached the Ming Dynasty and caused intense reactions throughout the country, the official response of the Ming Dynasty seemed very calm, as if everything was normal. This was very normal, because the imperial high-level officials had long been prepared for this day. Even during the "Xuzhou Military Remonstrance", the imperial consul had warned other countries not to interfere.
In a word, the top leaders of the empire had not only been well prepared for this day, but had also been looking forward to it for a long time.
"According to Li Xuzhou's request, we plan to provide him with a loan of 70 million yuan to be used for various expenses before and after the establishment of the new government, of which 10 million yuan will be used to provide relief to refugees..."
When Zuo Zongtang was reporting, Emperor Zhu simply nodded slightly. These loans and aids had been decided as early as the end of last year. After all, supporting China was the Ming Dynasty's unshirkable obligation.
"There is no need to repeat these. I already know them. In addition, I think we should increase funding for education. In my opinion, compared to guns and cannons, China needs the largest number of schools and the largest amount of education. Let the Chinese Education Fund negotiate with them to fund a school in each county, send teachers, and provide teaching materials. If education prospers, China will prosper. If we want to strengthen the country, we must strengthen education!"
The Hua Xia Education Foundation was founded eight years ago at the behest of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. It aims to provide educational assistance to the Chinese homeland and Southeast Asia. In the past eight years, the foundation has established more than 2,000 primary and secondary schools in various places. What has always limited the scale of assistance has never been funding, but the suppression of the Qing authorities.
Now that the Qing Dynasty is gone, we naturally have to increase our aid. After all, in Emperor Zhu's plan, China will also be a participant in that world war in the future.
"I understand."
Zuo Zongtang nodded and said.
"Your Majesty, the telegram sent back by the consul in Xuzhou said that after the Xinghan Army conquered the capital, Li Shaoquan of the capital has decided to make Xuzhou the capital!"
"Oh! Make Xuzhou the capital!"
This news surprised Emperor Zhu for a moment, and then he said.
"This Li Xuzhou is indeed worthy of being called Li Xuzhou. He actually chose Xuzhou as his capital... He really lives up to the name of Xuzhou!"
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid that we have no choice but to make Xuzhou the capital. Although the capital is good, it has more than 1.6 million people and more than 1.2 million bannermen. The Li family has a grudge against those bannermen for taking over the world. With those people around, how can the Li family sleep peacefully? Nanjing is now the capital of the Kingdom of Heaven. Xi'an is located in a remote area, and Shaanxi has become increasingly poor since the end of the Tang Dynasty. In comparison, Xuzhou is the most suitable place for them to build their capital. First, the Li family has been operating in the area for more than ten years. Second, the local industry and commerce are prosperous. Third, it is close to the port and is only 400 miles away from Haizhou. It is reasonable to make Xuzhou the capital."
Although Zuo Zongtang's analysis seemed to make sense, after nodding in agreement, Emperor Zhu said again.
"In my opinion, things may not be as simple as they seem."
As soon as His Majesty finished speaking, Wang Youling followed up.
"Yes, the left prime minister only saw that Xuzhou was suitable for the capital, but he didn't see the tiger-wolf heart of Li Shaoquan. Xuzhou is only a hundred miles away from Huai'an, and to the south is the territory of the Kingdom of Heaven. How can we allow others to snore beside our bed?"
Turning his gaze to His Majesty, Wang Youling said.
"Your Majesty, I think Li Shaoquan's goal is to force the Ming Dynasty to agree to his march south to unify the Central Plains."
This is probably Li Shaoquan’s real intention!
"Unify the Central Plains!"
After pondering for a moment, Emperor Zhu nodded slightly.
"If he has the ability, it's not impossible!"
"Your Majesty, ours was not originally..."
When the words came to his lips, Zuo Zongtang spoke as if he suddenly realized something.
"It seems that His Majesty has made up his mind!"
"This is not the same as that time. From now on, the level of governance of the Heavenly Kingdom is still far behind that of the Li family. If China wants to gain a foothold in the world, it cannot rely on our help. God helps those who are self-reliant. Whether it is the Heavenly Kingdom or the Li family, there will always be a strong one among them..."
The "Gu" that had been raised in China for so many years finally achieved some success. Emperor Zhu was naturally happy to see the unification of the Central Plains.
"Only in this way can the Central Plains have a chance to participate in world competition in the future. After all, the world is so big that we alone cannot eat it all. If we Chinese eat more, outsiders will eat less!"
From this point of view, Emperor Zhu was so broad-minded that no monarch in history could compare with him. After all, how could one allow others to snore beside his bed... This is the common sense from ancient times to the present.
"Your Majesty, that is true, but we cannot ignore the other side of the story."
Zuo Zongtang looked at His Majesty and directly expressed his concerns.
"Immigration, Your Majesty, as the country becomes more stable and developed, and the people live and work in peace and contentment, the number of immigrants moving to the Ming Dynasty will inevitably decrease. This will seriously affect the immigration of the Ming Dynasty. Without a steady stream of immigrants, how can the Ming Dynasty enrich its vast colonies?"
Although the immigration of four to five million people ended with the end of the four-year Dingwu Famine in 1879, more than one million immigrants still poured into the Ming Dynasty every year.
What did these immigrants bring to the Ming Dynasty?
Of course, it was the steady supply of labor - from 1875 to 1880, more than 20 million new immigrants not only provided sufficient population for the rapidly expanding territory of the Ming Dynasty, but also provided sufficient labor for the rapidly developing industry of the Ming Dynasty.
Both the former and the latter are crucial to the Ming Dynasty. However, unlike in the past, the purpose of attracting immigrants is to enrich the colonies. In the past few years, the number of immigrants in the Ming Dynasty's African colonies has exceeded 10 million. However, even so, the population is still too small compared to the vast colonies.
"Your Majesty, if there are no immigrants from the mainland, how can we enrich our five million square kilometers of colonies in Africa? Although it is a colony, the local resources are related to the lifeblood of our Ming Dynasty!"
(End of this chapter)
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