The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 974 A large population and a large territory mean a bright future!

The sandalwood doors of the Prime Minister's Office in Tianjing were gently pushed open, and Adjutant Feng Guozhang led in a young man in a suit and tie. Luo Yaoguo looked up from the mountain of battle reports, his eyes flashing slightly behind his gold-rimmed glasses.

"Kui Yuan is here?" He put down his pen and gestured for the visitor to sit in the armchair opposite him.

Prince Hong Kuiyuan—the American ambassador to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, son of the retired Prince Gan Hong Rengan, and a PhD in Political Economy from Stanford University—gave a standard Western-style bow before sitting down properly. His hair was neatly combed back, his eyes gleamed behind his gold-rimmed glasses, and a First-Class Goodwill Medal awarded by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was pinned to his suit lapel; he looked every bit the professional diplomatic elite.

“Prime Minister,” Hong Kui-won said, taking a handwritten document from his crocodile-skin briefcase, “this is His Majesty’s latest report on the situation in Mexico.”

Luo Yaoguo took the document, but his brows furrowed first: "I heard that the Eastern Federation of the United States has also sent troops to carve up Mexico? Wasn't that old fox Diaz just chatting and laughing with the British at the London Summit?"

“The Prime Minister is wise,” Hong Kuiyuan said, adjusting his glasses with a professional smile. “This precisely proves the colonial nature of the current Mexican regime.”

"Colonialism?" Luo Yaoguo didn't react for a moment. "Who colonized whom?"

Hong Kuiyuan straightened his back, his voice as clear as if it were in an academic lecture hall: "According to the latest census, of the approximately 1000 million people in the Republic of Mexico, Indigenous people account for 38%, people of mixed European and Indigenous descent account for 58%, and native-born whites account for only 4%. And these native-born white upper class almost all hold the citizenship of the United States of America, and are actually loyal to Washington rather than Mexico City."

He opened his notebook and continued, “President Díaz himself is of mixed European and Indigenous descent, yet he pursued a policy of white supremacy. It is under his protection that the native-born white elite has acquired more and more land. Today, 97% of Mexico’s arable land belongs to that 1% of native-born whites.”

“Oh,” Luo Yaoguo nodded, “Tian Gui means that although the Republic of Mexico is nominally independent, it is still a country under the colonial rule of the white elite in reality?”

“Not entirely,” Hong Kuiyuan laughed. “That 1% of native-born white elites are Americans, not Mexicans. And what actually rules Mexico is less than 1% of ‘spiritual whites’!”

"Wait a minute," Luo Yaoguo interrupted, raising his hand, "What do you mean by 'spiritual white person'?"

Hong Kuiyuan answered seriously: "They are not actually white, but they identify with white supremacy in spirit. The ruling class in Mexico is controlled by such a group of people. They worship European culture, discriminate against their own indigenous ancestry, and even include a glorified version of the history of the Spanish colonial period in textbooks."

Luo Yaoguo chuckled to himself. He thought of the bondservants of the Qing Dynasty and those Manchu slaves who couldn't even become bondservants, yet considered themselves nobles of the Eight Banners—how similar they were to the Mexican ruling class he was describing.

"So the current situation is..." Luo Yaoguo stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“It is the American people who are resisting the Mexican colonizers,” Hong Kuiyuan said emphatically. “More than 99% of the population, including Americans, people of mixed European and American descent, and native-born whites, are fighting for liberation. They are either citizens of the American Empire or citizens of the United States of America. Only a small group of ‘spiritual whites’ like Díaz are putting up a stubborn resistance. In the entire Mexican Republic, they are the only true Mexicans. Less than 1% of ‘spiritual white Mexican colonizers’ rule over more than 99% of the various Americans. What is this if not a colonial regime?”

Luo Yaoguo finally understood. It turned out that the Mexicans had been transformed into "colonizers," while the two American citizens had become "oppressed people." This distorted logic left him speechless, unsure how to refute it.

"Is Emperor Hong planning to annex the entire country of Mexico?" Luo Yaoguo asked tentatively.

“It’s not annexation, it’s liberation,” Hong Kuiyuan corrected. “Mexico has always been American land. Now, the American Empire, at the request of the American people of Mexico, is helping them get rid of the shackles of colonialism.”

Is this fucking human language?
Luo Yaoguo frowned, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table, seemingly trying to understand the twisted logic of his grown-up son, Hong Rengan. The ticking of the sandalwood clock was exceptionally clear in the silence.

"Mexico's population is over ten million, right?" He finally gave up and changed the question, "How many people does the United States have now?"

“The empire has about six million Chinese, and if you add Blacks, Americans, Whites, and mixed-race people, it barely exceeds ten million,” Hong Kuiyuan quickly reported the data. “After annexing Mexico, Americans will become the empire’s largest ethnic group.” Luo Yaoguo’s brows furrowed even more. He stood up and walked to the huge world map on the wall, his gaze sweeping over the North American continent. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom spent thirty years, through large-scale immigration and encouraging childbirth, to bring the Chinese to make up 60% of the population of the American Empire—this also included Japanese and Koreans. If ten million Mexicans were suddenly included, this proportion would drop drastically.

“Prime Minister, there’s no need to worry,” Hong Kuiyuan said, as if reading his mind. “In terms of population, who can compare with China? The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom itself has nearly 600 million people, and with vassal states like Korea, Japan, and Annam, the total is about 660 million. The global population is only 1.6 billion, and the Han Chinese make up more than 40% of that.”

He walked to the map, tracing the Pacific Ocean with his finger: "Isn't this world war all about fighting for more living space for the Chinese people? With more territory, we can support more people. With a large population, we will naturally have the final say on what happens on Earth in the future."

Luo Yaoguo nodded slightly. Although Hong Tiangui was unconventional and aspired to be emperor, his overall strategy of expanding living space aligned with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's. He did some mental calculations: if the Han Chinese could maintain 40% of the global population, by the end of the 20th century, based on a global population of 8 billion, there would be 32 billion Han Chinese descendants. Even if the proportion dropped to 30%, there would still be 24 billion. Add to that controlling 35%-40% of the land area excluding Antarctica, approximately 47 to 54 million square kilometers.
"Kuiyuan, do you know how much territory China controls right now?" he suddenly asked.

Hong Kuiyuan listed them off in great detail: "The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had 1316 million people in its homeland, about 60 in Japan and Korea, 457 million in Southeast Asia, 250 million in Central Asia, and 152 million in Alaska, totaling about 2235 million. Adding Australia's 768 million, that brings the total to over 3000 million. The situation in the United States and the Inca Kingdom is still unsettled, so we won't count them for now."

Luo Yaoguo nodded proudly. If they could take over Australia and New Zealand, then expand northward from the Outer Northeast, tear off some pieces from the Russian Empire, and add the territories of the American Empire and the Inca Empire, the goal of 4700 million square kilometers would not be out of reach.

“Kuiyuan,” Luo Yaoguo turned and patted Hong Kuiyuan on the shoulder, “tell Tiangui that we also need to know when to stop. The Eastern Federation of the United States has a population of forty million, and at a mobilization rate of 6%, it can muster 240 million troops. The American Empire can at most maintain an army of one million, while the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, separated by the Pacific Ocean, can only provide support of a few hundred thousand at most.”

He walked back to his desk, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. "Mexico might be worth a try. If those ten million people truly support Tiangui, the North American battlefield can be stabilized."

A glint of joy flashed in Hong Kuiyuan's eyes. Luo Yaoguo's words were tantamount to approving the opening of the Mexican battlefield. He immediately pressed his advantage: "Prime Minister, Mexico produces 40% of the world's silver. Adding the output of the American Empire, we can control 80% of the world's silver. Add to that the share from the Inca Empire in South America, and we'll have 90% of the world's silver under our control, and the future currency issuance rights."

“Let the American Empire have the right to issue silver currency,” Luo Yaoguo suddenly interrupted him, a meaningful smile on his lips. “Since you can control 80% of the production, this power naturally belongs to you. Why not issue bonds denominated in US silver dollars in Shanghai first to purchase military supplies?”

He handed over the right to issue currency to the United States, of course, in order to cultivate the United States (and the Inca Empire, which controlled the silver mines in South America) into a market for Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's industrial products—the right to issue world currency and trade surplus are difficult to coexist, and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's huge population and responsibility to maintain China's world hegemony required it to retain a strong manufacturing industry.

Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven must have certain things to do and certain things not to do!

Hong Kuiyuan was taken aback. He hadn't expected Luo Yaoguo to relinquish his monetary hegemony so readily, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond. A hint of confusion flashed in his eyes behind his glasses, but he quickly regained the composure of a professional diplomat.

“The Prime Minister has a great vision,” he cautiously probed, “the Nicaragua Canal, Hawaii, and the battlefields of Australia.”

Luo Yaoguo walked back to the map and tapped three key points in sequence: "Take Blenca Bay in Nicaragua first, but don't completely drive the Eastern United States out of the Canal Zone. Start with Mexico, then start with the Nicaraguan Canal Zone. Two quagmires will be enough to make them bleed."

His finger moved to Hawaii: "Leave this to the Pacific Navy, and rest assured, Tiangui. Shipping on the northern Pacific route has resumed, and supplies will not be interrupted." Finally, he emphasized Australia's location: "This is the key point! If we take Australia and New Zealand, we will have won more than half the battle."

Hong Kuiyuan nodded thoughtfully. He understood Luo Yaoguo's strategy—to contain and wear down the enemy on secondary battlefields, and then strike decisively on the main offensive. This approach was completely different from Hong Tiangui's aggressive and expansive tactics in North America.

“Prime Minister,” he suddenly lowered his voice, “His Majesty has instructed me to convey that if Mexico can be captured, the United States is willing to cede all of Central America south of Mexico, including the Nicaragua Canal, to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.”

Luo Yaoguo waved his hand, a sly smile appearing on his face: "Tell Tiangui to fight the battle at hand first. As for the future," he glanced meaningfully at the vast North American continent on the map, "with a larger territory, there will naturally be room for two powerful Chinese nations to support each other."

The melodious chimes of bells drifted in from outside the window, and dusk gradually enveloped the Prime Minister's Mansion in Tianjing. Feng Guozhang quietly turned on the bamboo-filament electric lamp. In the warm yellow glow, the shadows of the two men were projected onto the huge map, like two ferocious beasts dividing up the world.

(End of this chapter)