Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Li Gang was deeply moved when he recalled the military bearing and posture of all the soldiers in the Ximentang military camp.

Ironblood Legion!

The state of the army displayed by Simon's troops far surpassed any army he had ever seen before.

It should be noted that he has knowledge of the militaries of various countries overseas.

The industrial reforms of the British Empire in Europe created an iron army primarily equipped with firearms.

Therefore,
Over the years, the British Empire swept across the globe, becoming the 'empire on which the sun never sets,' and was known as the Iron Legion.

But even the British Empire's army was utterly defeated by Simon's iron-blooded legion.

This demonstrates that, whether it is the army or the navy, Simon has already acquired the combat capability to conquer the world.

The army under Li Gang's command was quite formidable in combat.

If his goal is the same as that of Li Mu, the Prince of Ning in the Northwest Army, he could definitely fight his way from south to north and eventually attack the capital.

but,

From the moment I saw Ximentang's army.

Li Gang knew very well that his army would be defeated if it encountered Ximen Tang.

It seems that Simon Tang defeated the Western Allied Army with only a few thousand men, and then, with the weak, completely defeated the Waldersee Allied Army.

None of this is unfounded.

Most importantly, from its rise to its eventual establishment in the capital, Ximentang...

It did not rely on the imperial court and was practically starting from scratch.

Judging from Chen Jie's actions of sweeping through eastern Zhejiang and Nanjing, and trampling the Green Gang and Taipinghao underfoot, he didn't care about the rules of the underworld at all.

This domineering and ruthless demeanor suited the taste of Li Gang, the King of Min.

To put it simply, Li Gang himself is an arrogant person.

In order to break free from the control of the Great Qian Dynasty, he did not hesitate to establish his own base overseas, creating many escape routes for himself.

but,

When they saw the enormous navy of Simondon.

Li Gang knew that the base he had built in Southeast Asia was useless.

Because in the coming period, the Ximentang fleet will inevitably expand overseas.

Once the Eastern Empire is conquered, the next step will be Southeast Asia.

The base they painstakingly built will eventually fall into the hands of Simon.

Therefore,
Submitting to the Great Qian Dynasty and cooperating with Ximen Hall would be the wisest choice.

Having made up his mind, Li Gang nodded and smiled, saying, "Prince Qian, from now on, if Ximen Tang has any orders, our Li family of Fujian will follow him with all our might and to the death."

Chen Jie smiled and said:

“The King of Min was a man who had seen the world and should know that there were many powerful nations around the world, and that the Great Qian Dynasty was not the only one.”

"Leaving aside distant places, let's talk about nearby ones. The barren island of the Eastern Empire reformed itself through the Meiji Restoration, vigorously developed its industry, and became one of the great powers on par with the West."

"Furthermore, Southeast Asia, with the Strait of Malacca controlling the maritime hub, has become the throat of the South Seas."

"To the west of the Great Qian lies India, Ceylon, and the Middle East, including the Gulf region."

"These places are not only vast in area, but also incredibly rich in resources, with various silver mines, iron mines, coal mines, oil and so on, far surpassing our Great Qian Dynasty."

"A man's ambition lies in all directions; my gaze has never been on the Great Qian Dynasty."

"This world is big enough to accommodate the development of the various vassal kings of the Great Qian Dynasty. Why fight to the death on the land of the Great Qian Dynasty?"

"I have always believed that intelligent people should have a long-term vision, and instead of fighting among ourselves, the descendants of Yan and Huang, we should unite and work together to move outwards."

"The British Empire in Europe controlled many colonies around the world, with Australia to the south and the vast lands of North America to the west."

"Our Great Qian Dynasty has lasted for thousands of years, but it was because of the endless internal strife that it was invaded by foreign enemies and almost torn apart."

"The lessons of history have brought us too much suffering, and we must never repeat the same mistakes."

"To be honest, after I, Ximen Tang, unify the Great Qian Dynasty, the next step will be to send troops to Southeast Asia."

hiss--!
Li Gang was taken aback after hearing Chen Jie's words.

This shock was more profound than any before.

Send troops to Southeast Asia and dominate the world!
What an ambition!
Of course, what surprised Li Gang even more was that Chen Jie's understanding of overseas affairs seemed to be no less than his own.

They even know more about South America, North America, Europe, and Australia than anyone else.

What shocked him even more was that Chen Jie seemed to have never thought of becoming the emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Given his current status and position, it would have been easy for him to replace the Crown Prince Li Heng.

However, judging from his actions, he had no interest in matters of the imperial court.

Li Gang had dealt with other vassal kings, and even many officials from the previous Daqian Dynasty.

No one has ever had such limited perspective as Chen Jie.

The more he knew about the vastness of the overseas world, the less interested he became in the internal strife of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Li Gang originally thought he already had enough ambition.

but,

When he realized that compared to Qian Wang Chen Jie, he was like a firefly.

He certainly had great ambitions when he was young.

However, his idea at the time was simply to occupy the Penghu Islands, with the goal of conquering the entire Southeast Asia.

However, after the warships of the Western powers arrived in the Daqian Dynasty.

King Li Gang of Min realized that he was like a frog at the bottom of a well after the Daqian Dynasty suffered several defeats.

He lost his will to fight and only thought about how the Min King family could be better preserved and developed.

Therefore,
He went from being ambitious to only wanting to protect himself, and his whole being seemed unambitious and complacent.

Now, with Chen Jie's words of guidance, Li Gang suddenly found that he had regained his former ambition.

He never imagined that at nearly fifty years old, he would be so full of ambition, thinking about how he could achieve even greater things for his family.

Do not know why,

He felt surprisingly young again, his blood boiling with excitement.

in fact,

What he didn't know was that, just as Chen Jie was speaking...

hum!
The first stage of biblical spiritual practice—Spirit Shaping!
With his immense mental power, Chen Jie subtly left a mark deep within his soul.

Therefore,
Li Gang's state of mind has completely changed, and he has begun to synchronize with Chen Jie's state of mind.

That is,

Chen Jie's mental state and thoughts deeply influenced Li Gang, the King of Min.

therefore,

At that moment, King Li Gang of Min felt that Chen Jie's words resonated with him.

It resonated deeply with me.

“Well said! I never expected Prince Qian to have such ambition. I, Li Gang, will definitely follow Prince Qian and create a glorious future together.”

"I only hope that when Prince Qian is conquering the world, he can take me with him!"

“You’re right. The men of our Great Qian Dynasty have ambitions to roam the world. Why should we fight and struggle on our own land and get caught up in endless internal strife?”

“Your Highness, rest assured, from now on, I know what I should do.”

“Our Li family in southern Fujian disarmed ourselves and incorporated all our troops into the Ximen Hall.”

"From now on, we will only be responsible for overseas trade and contribute to the prosperity of the Great Qian Dynasty."

in fact,

He knew very well that if he wanted to surrender to Ximentang, he had to disarm.

Chen Jie smiled calmly.

King Li Gang of Min commanded an army of 100,000 and a fleet.

If all of these are incorporated into the armed forces of Ximentang, then the new army of the Daqian Dynasty will directly expand by more than 100,000.

in fact,

Li Gang's abilities are beyond doubt; his talent is sufficient to make him the head of the Foreign Trade and Commerce Department of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Moreover, with the assistance of the Li family of Fujian, the overseas trade of the Daqian Dynasty will expand dramatically.

and,

With the powerful naval force of Simon's, a two-pronged approach will enable unlimited expansion overseas.

In reality, simply relying on military expansion and waging overseas wars cannot maximize profits. Chen Jie absolutely did not want to become a bandit, relying on military plunder to obtain resources.

The reason is simple: military plunder cannot last.

If military and trade are carried out in parallel, and an era of 'prosperity sphere' is created overseas, the benefits that the Great Qian Dynasty will gain will be endless.

The power of economic expansion actually far exceeds that of military expansion.

of course,

Military and economic expansion are the two legs of growth, and neither can be dispensed with.

Without strong military backing, economic expansion will only benefit others.

Li Gang spent a lot of money to build a fleet and has his own armed forces. He needs to spend a lot of money to support the army every year.

In fact, disbanding the army and cooperating with Ximentang was the wisest choice for the Li family in southern Fujian.

With Li Gang's abilities, he can definitely lead the economic engine of the Great Qian Dynasty overseas.

In fact, every feudal lord has his own selfish motives.

The mentality of Prince Ning, Li Mu; Prince Min, Li Gang; Prince Shu, Li Chuang; and even Guan Yu, among others, was quite similar.

Once people lose the ability to see things from a higher perspective, they will fall into endless infighting.

When the various powerful families and vassal kings of the Great Qian Dynasty were embroiled in internal strife, it could easily lead to a situation of isolation and seclusion.

Chen Jie hoped that his advice would help King Li Gang of Min to recognize reality and take a longer-term view.

Judging from Li Gang's reaction at this moment, the goal has been achieved.

not to mention,
Even if Li Gang doesn't agree, it won't have a significant impact on Chen Jie.

His "Bible Spiritual Practice" has reached a level of perfection, and he has many ways to subdue Li Gang.

This is just the simplest form of [Spirit Shaping], leaving a mark in the heart of King Li Gang of Min, which will not harm his mind or mental strength.

King Li Gang of Min was a clever man; he knew what to do that would be more beneficial to the Li family in southern Fujian.

After all,

All that Li Gang has done is for the preservation and continuation of the Li family tradition in southern Fujian.

Otherwise, even if Chen Jie used [Spirit Shaping], it would be difficult to truly influence his thoughts based on just a few words from him.

Next,
Chen Jie had already made preparations to help Li Gang understand the benefits of overseas trade.

He clapped his hands, and a group of people walked in from outside.

These people were all carrying various items covered with red cloth, making it impossible to tell what they were.

Since it's overseas trade, the natural thing is to sell the least valuable items abroad to generate high profits.

Therefore,
The generational differences between products must be shown.

Seeing the item covered by the red cloth, Li Gang, unsure of Chen Jie's intentions, asked in surprise:

"Prince Qian, what is this—?"

Chen Jie nodded and smiled calmly.

Wow——!
Immediately afterwards, someone tore off the red cloth.

Li Gang looked surprised when he saw the items presented in front of him.

He couldn't help but take a few steps closer to observe it carefully.

Cross-carved pendant!
There are twelve cross pendants in total, all exquisitely beautiful, like the finest works of art.

Aluminum products!
That's right, this is a cross pendant made using aluminum manufacturing techniques.

The designs differ slightly, representing the branches of Christianity: Catholicism, Protestantism, and Eastern Orthodoxy.

The Jesus figure on the cross is exquisite and delicate, and from the surface, it appears to be made of aluminum alloy, making it lightweight and giving off an aluminum metallic luster.

Aluminum craft products have begun to be produced and become popular in the West.

However, it is still a high-end product and has not yet been mass-produced or refined.

Therefore,
Those who wanted to engage in overseas trade could take advantage of this time difference to send aluminum product technology to the West and plunder its wealth.

Ximentang's aluminum product manufacturing process, as well as its aluminum refining process, is already mature.

Most importantly, aluminum products are currently very valuable, costing more than a hundred times more than silver products.

After learning about the situation, Chen Jie naturally didn't want to miss this opportunity.

He said with a smile, "King of Min, what do you think of these items? There are also glass products, including some colored glass items."

Next,
The red cloth covering another item is then removed.

This is a glass ornament, and it has been dyed, making it decades more advanced than current European glassmaking techniques. The dyed piece is flawless.

Crystal-clear glass has been crafted into various handicrafts and jewelry, and even gemstones on glass mirrors.

The cost of each type of glass jewelry was extremely cheap for Simon's company, but once it was sent to the West, the price would be thousands of times higher.

The economies of Europe and America became highly developed through plunder.

These specially treated glass ornaments can sell for several thousand silver dollars.

In fact, these items were all produced in factories in Shandong and were originally intended to be dumped in Europe and North America through overseas trade.

However, during this period, the situation in the Great Qian Dynasty was unstable, and Chen Jie did not have the energy to deal with it.

hiss--!
Li Gang was a worldly man, and upon seeing these items, he couldn't help but take a deep breath.

He didn't understand why Chen Jie would show him these precious items.

therefore,

He exclaimed in surprise, “Your Highness, these items are very precious. Our overseas trade mainly consists of tea, porcelain, and the like. It’s unlikely that we will make a profit selling these items.”

Chen Jie smiled calmly and said:

"These are all products from the Simon Hall factory. They are inexpensive; the cost of ten cross pendants is only one silver dollar."

“These stained glass jewelry pieces are several times cheaper; a whole box of jewelry costs less than a silver dollar.”

“The King of Min sells these products overseas, and I believe the profits will be good.”

"Moreover, the quantity is sufficient to supply."

“We will not only dump large quantities of industrial products into Europe and other places in the coming period, but also destroy their basic industries.”

"You should be prepared to acquire their factory at any time."

Although Li Gang has seen the world and knows a great deal about the Western world.

but,

When they heard that the items Chen Jie was showing were so inexpensive, they couldn't help but be surprised.

He suppressed his pounding heart, took a deep breath, and asked:

"Prince Qian, are you saying—these items were all produced in the Ximentang factory?"

"The cost of production is less than one silver dollar? Good heavens—how is that possible?"

Chen Jie smiled and nodded, then waved his hand, signaling the others to remove the cloth covering the person.

Glassware, aluminumware, plasticware, resin items, and many other kinds of exquisitely designed items.

There were also various clocks and watches, which dazzled Li Gang and filled him with astonishment.

These items were originally intended for sale in Europe to all parts of the world, constantly plundering global wealth.

He calmed himself down, observed carefully, and determined that the manufacturing process of these items was more advanced and refined than that of the West.

He then concluded that Simon had mastered a more advanced manufacturing process.

If these products are indeed as Chen Jie claims, with costs almost one-tenth of those in Europe, and even less than one percent of the cost of finished aluminum products.

If these products were dumped into Europe, they could quickly destroy Europe's basic industries.

have to say,

Seeing these industrial products had a similar impact on Li Gang's mind as seeing the Ximentang fleet before.

He knew very well that these industrial products from Simonton were currently in high demand in Europe and around the world.

No woman can resist these exquisite and beautiful pieces of jewelry, so there's no need to worry about sales.

Once trade is established overseas, it can have a fatal impact on overseas production and manufacturing.

in addition,

Simon's fleet possesses sufficient strength to ensure the safety of overseas trade from any invasion.

this moment,
Li Gang's spirits lifted once again.

By dumping these industrial products overseas, profits can be increased hundreds or thousands of times over in foreign trade, which is faster and more sustainable than robbery.

Even if Ximen Tang only gave the Li family of Fujian one percent of the profits, it would be enough for them to become one of the most prestigious and powerful families in the Great Qian Dynasty. (End of Chapter)