Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 512: Ideas about Compulsory Education

Qian Hui then went on to raise other conditions.

However, the following conditions were not proposed by the Tang Dynasty alone, but were jointly proposed by the coalition forces after discussion.

"Second, the coalition forces demanded a war reparation of 500 million Tang Dynasty silver dollars from the Federation."

"Third, the coalition forces demanded that the federal state divide concessions in coastal cities such as New York and Philadelphia and station troops in the concessions."

"Fourth, from the date of signing of the treaty, the tariffs for trade between the Allied Powers and the Federal State must be agreed upon by both parties."

"Fifth, citizens of the coalition countries who come to the Federation must obtain extraterritoriality and consular jurisdiction."

"Sixth, the coalition countries must obtain the mining rights of the Great Lakes Industrial Zone..."

Apart from these conditions that most unification countries want, what remains is that each country in the coalition puts forward its own relevant interests.

The federal government is also arguing its case.

Although the Federal Republic has lost Washington, it still has at least hundreds of thousands of troops at its disposal, and is not a group that can be slaughtered at will.

The coalition forces can take advantage of the federal state if they want, such as the basically undeveloped western region, which can be given away. At most, it will cause some pain, but it won't cause any serious damage.

But it is naturally impossible to cut the flesh of the federation and divide the entire federal state completely at once.

The negotiations between the two sides were very intense, with constant quarrels and falling outs, and then they returned to the negotiating table and continued quarreling.

The two sides argued for nearly a month and finally reached a common agreement.

The first was that the federal state ceded the western territories to establish the Indian Confederacy.

Of course, it was impossible for the Tang Dynasty to have such a large piece of land alone. After demarcating several plots of land, it took over important cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco in California, as well as several densely populated areas and important mineral areas.

The remaining vast wilderness was shared with other participating countries for development.

The excuse used was that all countries should work together to ensure the establishment of the Indian Union and national defense security.

Secondly, there is the issue of war reparations.

The Federal Republic raised the figure for war reparations from 500 million to 100 million.

The Allied Powers were not completely powerless at this time, and it was normal for them to wrestle over war reparations, which involved real money.

The Allied countries did not want to push too hard, so they made concessions on war reparations.

One hundred million Tang Dynasty silver dollars is actually not a small amount, enough to make the Federal Republic feel painful.

The specific distribution ratio was 30% for Tang Dynasty, 20% for France, and the remaining countries, including the Southern Confederacy, divided the remaining half equally.

As the organizer of the coalition forces, it is normal for the Tang Dynasty to be given more points given the Tang army's performance on the battlefield.

As the eldest brother, you always have to eat meat.

The third is the division of concessions and the garrison of troops in the concessions.

After some discussion, the Federal Republic finally gave in.

The fourth is that the Confederate troops withdraw from Washington in exchange for the federal government's recognition of the independence of the Confederacy.

However, Washington was designated as a demilitarized zone and the federal government was not allowed to station troops in Washington.

Allied countries will station troops in Washington to ensure its security.

In order to take back the occupied capital, the federal side finally agreed to it.

Soon, it was June of the ninth year of Kaitai in the Tang Dynasty, 1864.

The parties involved in the North American War came together and signed the Treaty of Paris.

From then on, the American Civil War, which lasted for four years, finally came to an end.

Yes, just a comma!

Although the peace treaty was signed, all parties involved in the war understood that there were still irreconcilable contradictions between the North and the South in the United States.

It is only a matter of time before war breaks out again!
Not long after the signing of the treaty, the Commonwealth signed an alliance with Britain, preparing to win over Britain and fight against the hegemony of Tang, France and other countries.

Just after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, the Second Crimean War entered its final stage.

Although Tsarist Russia used the tactic of liberating serfs, it was able to engage in a tug-of-war with Britain over Crimea.

However, the national strength of both sides is not at the same level.

Britain was able to use its vast overseas colonies as a pressure valve to vent the social conflicts within the country that had erupted due to the war.

But Tsarist Russia couldn’t!

Once the war reaches a stalemate, Britain's strong national strength will become the fuel for the high-power engine of war.

Able to keep the war machine running for a long time!
But Tsarist Russia couldn’t do that!

There is a huge gap between the two sides in terms of economy, finance, food production, population size and industrial scale.

The brief explosion of Tsarist Russia could not change anything.

As time passed, the impact of the war spilled over, problems began to emerge gradually within Tsarist Russia, and even rebellions began to occur at the local level.

This forced Alexander II to take the initiative to seek peace with Britain in Crimea.

Soon, the two sides began negotiations in Vienna.

By mid-July 1864, the Treaty of Vienna was successfully signed and Britain and Russia once again ceased hostilities.

As a price, Tsarist Russia ceded the entire Crimea to Britain.

This meant that Tsarist Russia lost its access to the Black Sea, and the influence that the Slavs had maintained in the Near East for hundreds of years was taken away by Britain.

But Britain's gains were not just in Crimea, but also in the Near East.

More importantly, with the victory in the Crimean War, Britain re-established the prestige of the British Empire and consolidated its world hegemony which had been shaken since the Battle of the Bay of Bengal.

However, during this period, the Tang Dynasty and France expanded their influence in North America and Europe by intervening in the North American War.

France, in particular, even began to try again to challenge British hegemony.

This is not good news for the UK!

In just a few years, the world situation has undergone tremendous changes due to two wars.

……

In July and August every year, the climate in Alaska begins to turn from warm to cold, and the air in the mornings and evenings begins to feel noticeably cold.

On this day, Batu got up early, solemnly put a passbook into the package, and then set off for the port.

He had immigrated to Alaska from the Tang Dynasty several years ago.

Over the past few years, he has been panning for gold, raising cattle, helping people repair houses, and working in factories. Thanks to his hard work, he has accumulated a considerable fortune in just a few years.

Not only did he buy a large brick and tile house in Alaska, but he also saved a lot of money.

With some extra money on his hands, Batu's longing for his family no longer grew like wild weeds in spring.

He could no longer bear living apart from his family.

Therefore, he planned to go back to his hometown and bring his family to Alaska so that they could live a good life in Alaska.

That’s right, Batu is living a very good life in Alaska now.

Although the weather in this place is cold, it is rich in resources. In addition, with the support of the Tang Dynasty government for the development of Alaska, everyone's living standards are actually very good.

Not only can you eat your fill, but you can also eat meat regularly.

This was in stark contrast to his previous days of starvation when he was herding sheep for a noble lord on the grassland.

Just as Batu was packing his things, a woman came up to him, hugged his waist, and spoke in Chinese with a slight accent.

"Boss, you're going back to the Tang Dynasty this time. You won't not come back, right?"

This woman was Batu's new wife in Alaska. She was of Inuit descent and her name was Bison. Batu gave her a Chinese name, the same as his own, called Bafang.

Well, Batu has changed his name to Chinese now, his surname is Ba and his given name is Tu.

The reason for doing so is mainly to make a break with my previous self in order to better integrate into the Tang Dynasty society which is dominated by the Han people.

Although Bafang is not pretty, her skin is rough.

But his advantage is that he is strong and a good worker.

So Batu married her, and they lived together, and their life was quite enjoyable.

Batu turned around, hugged his wife, and spoke to comfort her.

"I, your man, have a home and property here, how could I not come back?"

"If it doesn't work, you can come back to the Tang Dynasty with me. It's considered a visit to relatives..."

When Batu said this, he actually felt a little uneasy.

He already had a wife and children. After immigrating, he couldn't stand the loneliness, so he married another one here.

If I bring the person back home, I'm afraid my wife and I will have a fight.

By then, it would not be appropriate for him to help any one of them.

This is not a good thing!
Upon hearing this, Bafang showed a surprised expression on his face.

"really?"

"Is it really possible?"

Batu was also held back when he saw this, but he still showed his chauvinistic mentality and patted his chest and said.

"Of course!"

"Isn't it just a round-trip ticket for one more person?"

"I can afford it!"

Although the distance from Datang to Alaska is very far, the boat ticket is actually not expensive.

Take the distance from Alaska to the mainland of the Tang Dynasty as an example. The boat ticket for one person only costs three silver dollars.

It is even cheaper to travel from the Tang Dynasty to Alaska, at only 1.5 silver dollars.

On the one hand, with the advancement of technology, the price of marine steam turbines has dropped, shipping efficiency has increased, and the cost of ocean voyages has been reduced.

On the other hand, the Tang government subsidized the ocean shipping industry in order to encourage immigration and facilitate immigrants to return home to visit their relatives.

Subsidies in real money!
"Pack your things quickly!"

Batu said to his wife.

Batu's wife nodded vigorously upon hearing this, and then began to pack up.

Soon, the couple packed their belongings.

Rushed towards the port together.

After arriving at the port, Batu met his old friend Suke.

The two of them originally immigrated to Alaska together from the Tang Dynasty.

Over the years, we have been supporting each other in Alaska and have a very good relationship.

This time when they returned home to visit their relatives, the two agreed to go together.

It’s nice to have a companion on the road!
Soon, a group of people bought tickets at the port and lined up to board the ship.

Batu's wife helped them clean the room in the cabin. Batu came to the deck of the ship and looked at the sea in the distance.

His expression was a little complicated, with a mixture of nostalgia for his hometown and confusion about the future, but more of it was the joy of returning to his family.

Suke took out a pack of cigarettes, took out one and handed it to Batu, then lit it for him with a match.

The two stood together, smoking and reminiscing about the past.

When it was about to get dark, the ship finally set off.

The steam-powered galleon hoisted its sails and slowly sailed out of the port, heading west. …

Tang Dynasty, capital!
Old Summer Palace!
Li Yi is accompanying his children on an autumn outing.

In the royal hunting park outside the capital, there are many small non-aggressive animals such as cats, dogs, pandas, golden monkeys, capybaras, roe deer, and sika deer.

Li Yi's daughter Li Jinyue rode a pony and chased the animals and played wildly, without a trace of the dignity and gentleness of a princess.

But Li Yi watched his daughter having fun with a smile on his face while testing his eldest son Li Zai's homework.

Li Zai, who was born in 1852, is 12 years old this year, or 13 years old in terms of his age.

According to the ancient customs, he should have married and had children in a few years.

Therefore, Li Zai now has a lot of homework, and Li Yi often tests him.

Li Yi is very strict about the training of his successor, fearing that his young sapling might accidentally grow crooked.

"Zai'er, in your opinion, what should be the next development policy of our Tang Dynasty?"

Li Yi seemed to suddenly remember something and asked.

Upon hearing this, Li Zai's expression became noticeably serious, and then he spoke.

"In reply to your Majesty, I think that the Tang Dynasty should increase its investment in education."

"Father is my father, so he cares a lot about my education. He always teaches me that I must be educated to become a talent so that I can lead the Tang Dynasty to a better future."

"But in my opinion, Father is not only my father, but also the father of all the people in the world."

"Just because I receive a better education cannot lead the Tang Dynasty to a better future. All the people in the world must receive a better education, so that they can be loyal to the emperor and love the country, and learn more skills and knowledge."

"Only the Tang Dynasty can move towards a better future!"

Li Yi was slightly surprised when he heard this.

He didn't expect Li Zai to say this!
But soon, the surprise on Li Yi's face was replaced by relief.

"Haha, very good, very good!"

"Father is very pleased that Zai'er has such insight."

Li Yi patted Li Zai's shoulder vigorously with a big smile on his face.

"How do you think the Tang Dynasty should increase its investment in education?"

"Repair schools? Print more textbooks? Train teachers? Increase scholarships? Or something else?"

Li Yi was determined to continue testing Li Zai.

Li Zai heard this and shook his head.

"Father, I think these should be done."

"But more importantly, we should lower the educational threshold so that more people can have the opportunity to receive education..."

Hearing this, Li Yi couldn't help but nodded again.

Li Zai's idea coincided with his.

In fact, Li Yi had long been planning to implement the Compulsory Education Law in the Tang Dynasty.

It's just a pity that the time has never been ripe...

Well, or it can be said that the Tang Dynasty’s finances were not abundant.

You know, compulsory education is not just talk.

If you really want to push things forward, you need to invest real money.

In the past, the Tang Dynasty focused more on promoting the Industrial Revolution. Therefore, although it also invested in education, more investment was made in key higher education institutions.

Instead of increasing investment in the basics!

But it’s different now!

With the Tang Dynasty basically completing initial industrialization in more than ten years, it surpassed Britain in industrial scale and became the world's number one.

The financial revenue of the Tang Dynasty is also increasing year by year!

Now that the financial situation of the Tang Dynasty has gradually become more affluent, Li Yi's idea of ​​compulsory education has naturally been taken seriously again.

However, this matter is of great importance after all, and Li Yi cannot just do it as he says.

He also needs to plan carefully before implementing a policy.

And Li Zai's ideas might bring some new ideas to Li Yi.

Just as the father and son were sitting and chatting, Li Yi's secretary Gu Shen walked in quickly from outside.

"Your Majesty, the latest news from Europe is that the Paris Peace Conference has ended..."

Gu Shen had only recently come to power.

Zhang Zhidong worked as Li Yi's secretary for nearly ten years, but it was impossible for Li Yi to keep him by her side forever, so he sent him away.

He was appointed as the prefect of Shanghai and was in charge of the area.

If Zhang Zhidong did a good job in Shanghai, given his experience as Li Yi's secretary for nearly ten years, he would soon be promoted to the position of governor-general.

Gu Shen was the one who was promoted to fill Zhang Zhidong's position after he was sent out to other places.

Hearing this, Li Yi couldn't help but smile, and then said.

"Haha, bring the report here."

Gu Shen nodded and handed a report to Li Yi.

Li Yi took the report and began to read it. Soon, the smile on his face became more and more obvious.

"Haha, not bad, not bad!"

"The war in North America is finally over, thank you to all the soldiers for their hard work!"

Li Yi is really relieved now.

It was not because of war reparations, nor because the Tang Dynasty was one step closer to becoming the world hegemon.

But it was because through this war he successfully dismembered the United States, the future world hegemon.

Today, the United States has been divided into three parts.

The country was divided into north and south, and the western region was taken over by the Allied Forces.

Given the current situation in North America, even if the United States develops in the future, it will at best be a second-rate country, dominating North America.

As for becoming the world hegemon, don’t even think about it!
As for the burning, killing and looting that the Tang army had committed in North America, as reported by someone before...

Li Yi chose to turn a blind eye.

It’s not that he didn’t care about the Tang army’s military discipline, but the North American war was a cross-sea expedition and the psychological pressure on the soldiers was too great.

In this case, we cannot be too strict.

After all, not every army can reach the level of the Rabbit Family.

While looking through the report, Li Yi started thinking about the development in North America.

If the Tang Dynasty wants to develop North America, it will definitely give priority to the West Coast, and important cities on the West Coast such as Los Angeles and San Francisco will be the top priorities.

Well, although the Tang Dynasty did not eat alone, it gave the entire western region to the allied countries for joint development.

But it also took control of important cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Among them, San Francisco is the top priority!
The reason is simple, it’s still those two words, gold mine!
Gold is something that naturally has a huge attraction to humans. With gold hanging in front of us, there is no need to worry about a lack of immigrants.

Only with immigration can there be development!
As for how much gold reserves are left in the San Francisco gold mines today?

Don't worry about this, there are more gold mines in the western United States than just San Francisco.

There are also many gold mines in Colorado, Nevada and other places.

These gold mines ensured that the United States maintained its position as the world's number one gold producer until the end of the 1898th century in .

These gold productions were enough to support the Tang Dynasty's initial development of the western United States.

In addition to gold mining, Li Yi is now thinking about developing Pacific routes.

Increase supply capabilities along the Pacific coast and important islands in the central region such as Hawaii.

This ensures that the Tang Dynasty can reach the west coast of North America through the Pacific Ocean and exert influence on the North American continent.

Otherwise, if the Tang Dynasty falls out with European countries in the future, it will undoubtedly be very difficult to continue to extend its influence to North America via the Indian Ocean and Atlantic routes.

Although the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and European countries, including the United Kingdom, is still relatively good, the Tang Dynasty has not torn its relations with him.

In addition, the Tang Dynasty had signed trade treaties with various countries, so it was no problem for Tang Dynasty merchant ships to dock in various countries.

But what does the saying go? Plan ahead for a rainy day and be prepared for danger in times of peace. This will definitely not be wrong.

Li Yi was looking through the relevant reports on the Paris Peace Conference, and Gu Shen continued to speak.

"Your Majesty, there is one more thing."

"The Kingdom of Prussia sent people to contact our Tang Dynasty. Prussia wants to form an alliance with our Tang Dynasty..."

Gu Shen talked about Prussia.

Hearing this, Li Yi couldn't help but touch his chin and started thinking.

He was very familiar with Prussia.

After defeating France in the Franco-Prussian War, the German army became the largest in Europe. It then unified the German Confederation and integrated various forces within Germany.

Later, the First and Second World Wars were launched successively, shocking the world...

The development potential of such a country is enormous!

After thinking for a moment, Li Yi spoke.

"Well, you can make contact with each other."

"It's not a bad idea to form an alliance!"

The reason why Li Yi wanted to form an alliance with Prussia was, on the one hand, to support an ally in Europe and increase the influence of the Tang Dynasty on the European situation.

On the other hand, it is also to disrupt Europe!
Only when Europe becomes more chaotic and people's brains become dog brains, can the Tang Dynasty continue to lead the industrial revolution...

Upon hearing this, Gu Shen nodded to show that he understood.

Li Yi stretched and told his daughters to pack up and prepare to return to the palace.

Li Yi was preparing to summon the ministers of the court to discuss with them the development of Pacific routes, the development of North America, the promotion of compulsory education, and other related matters.

In addition, Li Yi is also planning a national tour.

As time goes by, the major north-south and east-west transportation arteries of the Tang Dynasty have now been completed.

The cost of Li Yi's travel inspections has become controllable.

Therefore, Li Yi planned to go to the local area to inspect the development situation in various places.

Since he came to Beijing, he has not left the capital to inspect local areas for almost ten years.

The farthest place we have ever been is Tianjin.

This will not work!
Li Yi didn't want to be too high up and stay away from the crowd.

He must calm down and go to the grassroots level to observe the current development of the Tang Dynasty.

Only by understanding these can he formulate more complete development policies and further promote the social development and progress of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Yi has deeply experienced this over the years. It's not easy to be an emperor!

(End of this chapter)