The officials and princes of the small countries who were interested in strolling around the capital on the first day no longer had the heart to go out after a day of baptism. They kept thinking about how to apologize when they met the emperor.
The grand court meeting will be held three days later.
An Jingzhi didn't want to warn them by ignoring them for three days. After all, the two of them were not of the same size. It was just because the grand court meeting would be held in three days and he didn't want to work overtime.
The spacious, bright and majestic court, the righteous ministers, and the supreme emperor standing high above.
Several envoys from small countries were so frightened that they fell to the ground after just a quick glance.
He knelt prostrate and said, "The young king of Mannan pays homage to the supreme emperor!"
"The young king of Qin State pays homage to His Majesty the Celestial Empire. On behalf of all the people of Qin State, the young king pays homage to the Emperor!"
"The young prince of Zhuyu Kingdom pays homage to the supreme emperor of the Celestial Empire."
An Jingzhi's deep voice echoed in the hall, "No need to be polite."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Then the eunuchs sang and recited the gifts presented by these people as tribute.
"A pair of blood corals... Burmese jade... temple chimes... servants..."
The eunuch read for three minutes in a very eloquent manner. It sounded like a lot, but in fact, it was all worthless things. At least for an emperor like An Jingzhi who was now rich and powerful, these things were not even worth the price of his little fingernail.
But no matter how small the mosquito meat is, it is still meat, and it is better than nothing.
But it is impossible to cheat him into giving you more rewards!
He picked out some worthless glassware, inferior ceramics, the most commonly used cloth, and some tea, and sent them out under the grateful eyes of these small countries.
Although glassware was common in their own country, it was still a rare treasure in a small country like theirs. Moreover, this was a gift personally bestowed by the Emperor of the Celestial Empire. How could it be otherwise? Each of these glassware gifts was unique! Add to that the ceramics that had long since been lost overseas, as well as cloth and tea. This reward truly touched their hearts!
These countries have poor land and few resources, so An Jingzhi has no interest in annexing them.
He has almost occupied all the land he should occupy, and he will not manage any more land. Otherwise, he would not speak to them so amicably.
After all, these people are just princes of his own country, and he doesn't even take the king seriously. It is inevitable that the other party is arrogant for only sending princes. If he wants, he can find any excuse to send troops.
But he doesn't want to occupy them, instead they want to join them!
Just when An Jingzhi was about to announce his withdrawal from court, the prince of Mannan suddenly stood up.
"Your Majesty! I have long admired the Celestial Empire! I earnestly request Your Majesty to accept my country, Mannan, into the Celestial Empire! I am willing to become a citizen of the Celestial Empire!"
His action confused everyone else, but soon, the princes of other small countries also reacted, quickly knelt on the ground, and pleaded together, all wanting to join the prosperous Celestial Empire in their eyes, where even ordinary people lived better than the nobles in three-story houses.
"I am also willing to be your Majesty's subject!"
Important civil and military officials: "..."
I have never seen anyone eager to give away their country to others.
In their opinion, although their country is poor and small, it is their own country and they can make their own decisions. Although joining a big country has its advantages, they will lose their freedom and their rights will be restricted.
On second thought, these people are just heirs of their country, not kings. How can they not feel sorry for selling their father's land?
But they underestimate the extent of poverty in these countries.
Although An Jingzhi looked down on the gifts they sent, they were actually quite decent. It didn't seem that they were so poor, but in reality, as heirs to the kingdom, they couldn't even afford to eat meat every day! Agriculture and animal husbandry were very underdeveloped! Furthermore, the country was small and had few resources. Although there were some valuable resources like blood coral, he couldn't sell them! They were taking advantage of their small size and small population, so people wouldn't buy and just robbed them!
After these princes spoke, they made up their minds. No matter whether An Jingzhitong agreed or not, they planned to stay and not go back!
The emperor was a kind man. Not only did he give them generous gifts in return, he also didn't blame them for not coming to pay homage in person. Furthermore, this place was so prosperous that the things they brought were quite valuable. The security was good, and no one robbed them. If they settled here, wouldn't that be better than being the heir to a small kingdom?!
An Jingzhi was a little amused and helpless. He was already so powerful and domineering that people had to bow down to him?
"You are only the heir to your country, not the king, right?"
The prince of the Mannan Kingdom quickly replied, "If your Majesty is willing, I can go back and persuade my father!"
The minister from the Mannan Kingdom who was sent with him also said hurriedly: "I guarantee that the king will agree."
Other small countries followed suit.
"In that case, if you can convince the king, I can give you this opportunity. However, once you become my subjects, you will no longer enjoy any special privileges. You must consider this carefully."
It's a free gift anyway, so there's no need to be picky. If he had to spend time attacking, he wouldn't have bothered to take it. Since it's delivered to his door, he might as well accept it reluctantly.
You can't just refuse to eat the meat that's right in front of you, right?
After receiving the guarantee, several small countries happily returned with their troops. As for whether they could convince their father, they could pat their chests and say that they could definitely convince him! If he still couldn't be convinced, then they would use force to convince him!
These ministers who can accompany them as envoys all have some power in their own country. If these ministers work with their princes, it would be easy for them to bring down the king without the king noticing.
…
Half a year later, more than a dozen small countries overseas collectively defected to An Jingzhi.
An Jingzhi's territory expanded again.
In order to better manage these countries, he had to spend more time on the development of ships.
The faster the ship is, the faster the troops can be dispatched, and the greater his control over small countries overseas.
…
Before An Jingzhi's death, the country had entered the industrial age.
The original Institute of Science and Technology has continuously trained countless talented people from all walks of life, contributing to the construction and progress of this country!
During his reign, he vigorously promoted scientific and technological progress and even carried out self-reform, changing the centralized imperial system into a constitutional monarchy.
The supreme imperial power is only suitable for the era of small peasant economy.
Although An Jingzhi changed the power into a constitutional monarchy, no one dared to take his power seriously, not even the people.
As a last resort, he had to abdicate and let his grandson take over. As for his son? His son had already devoted himself to the Academy of Sciences and made great contributions for decades.
Under An Jingzhi's care, the constitutional monarchy operated smoothly for fifteen years.
He left behind the seeds of scientific progress and a political situation of separation of powers and mutual checks and balances, ensuring that this world would continue to move forward after he left, and then he finally closed his eyes.
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