The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 921 Unexpected Results

The Pravda newspaper reported on the glorious victory achieved in suppressing the rebellion on June 30.

An article titled "Successful Suppression of Rebellion, Peace Talks Begin" was placed in a prominent position.

The article mentions the successive victories achieved by the Qi army in Edo and Nagasaki.

They annihilated 100,000 enemy soldiers, and their might shook the eastern province.

"After three years of suppressing the rebellion and paying a heavy price, the invincible elite troops of the empire have finally wiped out the rebels, achieving a decisive victory in the eastern provinces. The rebel forces have been completely eradicated, and the bandit leader Dong Shaowei was recently killed by the soldiers..."
Order was restored in the East, and the evil forces led by Britain attempted to interfere in the internal affairs of the Empire, but they proved to be nothing more than humiliating themselves.

According to unofficial sources, Old George sent a special envoy to Tianxin City to plead for negotiations with Daqi in order to restore relations between the two countries.

After repeated requests from the British, the Prime Minister reluctantly agreed to their request for peace.

Given the British’s previous hostile attitude toward Daqi, Parliament decided to hold the talks on the eastern island of Gyoko-kanzaki.

Following this article was a short news item about a bumper harvest, which read as follows.

Fang Aozhe, chief agronomist and director of the planning department of Tianxin City Academy of Sciences, said that an increase in summer grain production this year is a foregone conclusion!

The area planted with summer grain has increased steadily.

Fang Aozhe introduced the agricultural and rural economic situation of the various vassal states of the Great Qi Dynasty this spring and summer. Since the beginning of this year, the agricultural and rural areas have made every effort to ensure stable production and supply, cope with the food blockade by countries such as Britain, and achieve steady growth in agricultural product exports.

Total exports reached 2510.3 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 1.1%. This year's summer harvest was another bumper crop, farmers' incomes steadily increased, and rural areas remained stable and peaceful…

~~~~~~~~~
"It's all fabricated! A third-rate newspaper, not a single word of truth! They're fooling the public like this! They deserve to die!"

In a hotel in Tianxin City, Rossden threw a copy of the Pravda newspaper he had just received onto the floor, spat on it, and stomped on it twice.

An unsettling creaking sound came from the solid wood floorboards, followed moments later by foul-mouthed curses from downstairs, the gist of which was insults directed at Rossden's family.

Several hot-blooded young members of the resistance standing next to Rossden were enraged upon hearing this and were about to go downstairs to deal with it when they were stopped by their leader.

"Don't waste your limited energy on such trivial matters, gentlemen. Our goal is the stars and the sea!"

The men nodded silently.

Looking at the wrecked newspapers, Rossden sighed, "Those idiots in Parliament are letting Zhang Ruoting run rampant. The empire will be destroyed by them sooner or later."

One of his subordinates asked in a low voice, "Commander Luo, we can't keep hiding here. We need to go out into the streets and awaken the people..."

Rossden glared at the man, glanced around, and said slowly:

"The truth will eventually come out. Once the news of the failed suppression spreads throughout the country, public sentiment is inflamed, and someone needs to take the blame, the parliament will start fighting amongst themselves."

He took the cigar offered by his subordinate, took a large puff, and exhaled a cloud of smoke, saying:

"It's easier to fish in troubled waters. Don't make any moves yet; we'll add fuel to the fire later."

Several subordinates praised him highly.

"Commander Luo's thinking is indeed more thorough."

"Commander Luo is truly insightful and far-sighted; I admire him greatly!"

·····
"Commander Luo, when do we make our move? I need to go back so the brothers can get ready."

The surroundings quieted down, and the scene became completely silent. Everyone turned to look at the leader who had spoken.

Rossden's expression remained unchanged, showing no displeasure; he simply smiled and said:

"It'll be soon, the centennial celebration. We need to give Prime Minister Zhang a surprise."

~~~~~~~~
The shadow of defeat in the eastern provinces lingered over the people for a long time.

The centenary celebration of the empire is fast approaching.

Failure and glory coexist here, leaving one momentarily at a loss as to how to cope.

Fortunately, Zhang Xiang and his staff were extremely skilled at turning funerals into celebrations, although the pressure this time was unprecedented.

For a long time, the Great Qi has been a community imagined by 400 million subjects.

Whether this community truly existed is unknown, but over the past century, under the rule of Liu Zhaosun and his descendants, the Great Qi Dynasty has gone from one victory to another.

To paraphrase Liu Zhaosun, whoever controls the present controls history.

So the facts aren't important; what matters most is the truth that others want you to see.

The most authoritative newspaper in Tianxin City reported that the rebellion had been quelled and an unprecedented and glorious victory had been achieved, which is most likely true.

If any members of the public still have doubts about this, they may be met with fierce attacks.

Victory instilled in the people a blind trust in the empire.

Military and economic victories, and the trust that arose from them, brought everyone together.

This is the secret to the empire's century-long operation.

Now, the colonial system is beginning to crumble, the eastern provinces have broken away from rule, and tens of thousands of elite troops have perished on the battlefield. This crushing defeat has caused a sharp decline in cohesion.

Can this imagined community continue to exist?
Or perhaps it never existed, existing only in the minds of prime ministers and emperors.

Liu Ye and his think tank are considering negotiating peace with Britain in exchange for a more favorable external environment. Of course, the latest newspaper in Tianxin City still runs the headline on its front page:

"For the sake of 400 million people, we will not yield, we will not compromise, we will fight to the last man!"

Some say that the diplomatic activities of the Great Qi were essentially a performance, a performance for 400 million people...

In fact, it's not just diplomatic activities; the upcoming centennial celebration is also an opportunity, an opportunity to enhance national cohesion.

Both the emperor and Zhang Xiang understood this principle well.

The strategists of the General Staff solemnly advised Zhang Xiang:

"The people must be brought back from the despair of defeat, specifically through grand performances and magnificent narratives, so that they can forget the defeat and the economic devastation."

Zhang Ruoting replied, "But I don't want to have anything to do with the celebration anymore."

~~~~~~~~~
The emperor entrusted Zhang Xiang with the responsibility to the end, and Liu Ye also believed that the celebration could greatly boost the people's confidence.

This is very much in line with the tradition of turning funerals into celebrations in the Great Qi Dynasty.

“Now, there are countless people across the country impeaching me, and the governors-general of all provinces are demanding my resignation. What right do I have to preside over the celebration?”

"No, the royal family needs you, the parliament needs you, and our 400 million compatriots need you even more."

Although Zhang Xiang was impeached several times and his position was in jeopardy, Liu Ye still insisted on entrusting the important task of presiding over the celebration to the old man.

The emotions of defeat were building and spreading, and were overflowing the dam; the empire needed a scapegoat.

"On the day of the celebration, when the public's emotions are at their peak, climb the city wall, and people will forgive you for everything you have done before."

The Prime Minister was filled with trepidation and dared not utter a word. "Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

Liu Ye patted the Prime Minister on the shoulder and comforted him, "Prime Minister Zhang, I trust you to get things done."

~~~~~~~~~~
As July 1st approaches, the residents of Tianxin City are expressing their joy in various ways.

July 1st, more than a hundred years ago, was the day the Great Qi was established, and it was a very grand occasion.

At this time of year, the emperor, in his capacity as the supreme ruler, would announce a general amnesty, and people would clean their courtyards, decorate their homes, and hang the national flag.

On this day, without any prompting from the officials of Tianxin City, the streets were filled with grand performances, including wrestling matches, singing and dancing competitions, float parades, and fireworks displays.

In addition, airship exhibitions, setting off firecrackers and fireworks, and releasing sky lanterns are also essential parts of the program.

In addition to the citizens of Tianxin City, people from all over the country will spontaneously hold celebratory parades, and veterans from various places will rehearse plays to recreate the story of Emperor Taizu Liu Zhaosun's pacification of Liaodong.

Some theater troupes even stage historical scenes depicting the duel between Liu Kan and the Eldest Princess, with giant dragons and black tortoises flying in the sky—all dressed as airships, of course…
Amidst the vibrant and lively programs, and the joyful sounds of singing and laughter, people from all over danced and gave impromptu speeches, while shrewd businessmen from the eastern coast busied themselves selling souvenirs. Local councilors also took the opportunity to explain their policy proposals to the public…

~~~~~~~
A month later, Emperor Liu Ye led a delegation of more than 30 ministers on a ship to Europe.

The plan of this trip is to compromise with the British, hoping that the British will provide the Great Qi with a large interest-free loan to support the empire's upcoming financial crisis.

According to the Emperor's official statement, his trip to Europe was mainly to visit relatives, specifically to see his maternal grandfather, the very old George, in London.

Regardless, two months later, the emperor and his entourage arrived in London smoothly and were immediately warmly welcomed by the citizens of London. The British welcomed the monarch of this great Eastern power with the highest and most solemn ceremony.

After all, this was the first Qi emperor in history to visit the Kingdom of Britain. Although the emperor came to London to borrow money from his maternal grandfather, it was still of great significance.

Over the next three months, Liu Ye traveled to London, Paris, Zurich, Stockholm, and other cities.

These three months have brought about significant changes in Daqi.

Liu Ye led a group of officials on a tour of London, where he witnessed the full spectrum of British life.

Liu Ye's maternal grandfather is very old. His 250-pound body is sunken in a round-backed chair, and his voice sounds like a leaky piano.

The emperor of Qi had no choice but to speak with his prime minister, James.

James disregarded the fact that Liu Ye was George's grandson and went straight to the point, proposing extremely harsh conditions.

"London hopes that your country can grant local officials greater powers, including but not limited to legislative power, military protection power, and law enforcement power."

Liu Ye was stunned for a long time, his expression somewhat displeased. He then said in fluent English, "Do you want the Great Qi to be torn apart? No, to be precise, to be divided into more than a dozen countries of varying sizes."

James replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Yes, Your Majesty, only in this way can we bring about long-term peace."

Before Liu Ye could speak, the British Prime Minister interrupted, asking, "Does your country want peace?"

The price of peace was that the Great Qi was split into more than a dozen unrelated parts.

"If His Majesty the Emperor agrees, our country can stop providing aid to Ezo (Hokkaido) and at the same time reduce tariffs on your country by at least half."

"Da Qi needs money."

“That’s not difficult. I will call on Parliament to pass an aid bill that will provide your country with a low-interest loan of no less than 400 billion Zimbabwean dollars.”

Liu Ye quickly shook his head: "We don't need Qi currency."

The Prime Minister quickly explained to the Emperor, "I know, I know. What I just said was that the aid is equivalent to 400 billion Qi Yuan, which could be in gold or silver."

Liu Ye bit his lip, and asked nervously, "Low-interest loan, how much is the interest?"

James crossed his legs, took a puff of his cigar, and held up three fingers.

"Three cents?"

"No, it's 30%."

~~~~~~~
Despite his extreme reluctance, the emperor ultimately accepted the peace resolution.

The emperor lost faith in maintaining such an empire, yes.

The laws were once so harsh, squeezing the people dry, as if they wanted to collect taxes for seventy years.

All these harsh policies of the empire were justified by the excuse that the people of Qi were not afraid of hardship and that after hardship came happiness.

According to a certain theory, the suffering that the people of Qi are enduring now will be repaid by Europeans ten or a hundred times over in the future.

According to the propaganda of the Great Qi, all the misfortunes of a person living in the Great Qi can be traced back to the Kingdom of Britain or the Kingdom of France, thousands of miles away. In other words, all the bad things are caused by foreign countries.

Perhaps this tightly integrated machine can keep the empire moving forward, but those who operate it eventually grow tired.

When the emperor began to doubt his own actions, he did not know the meaning of his existence.

Is it like a parasite in rotting flesh, gnawing away all day until it suddenly dies?
If you can't understand these things, then the eventual breakdown is to be expected.

~~~~~~~~
Liu Ye returned to Tianxin City.

Everything seemed unchanged.

It seems like things have changed again.

According to the agreement reached between the Great Qi and Britain, local warlords will be granted greater power.

Liu Ye cannot confront the British; he lacks the resources to do so.

In the stillness of the night, he could only convince himself of this:
Perhaps this land is not suitable for unification, just as saline-alkali land cannot grow a variety of crops.

Under heaven, all land belongs to the emperor. Too much concentration of resources is not a good thing; decentralization is a wise move.

However, after falling asleep, he dreamed of his ancestors, who grabbed Liu Ye's ears and warned this unfilial son with almost a roar.

Don't cripple your own martial arts; don't destroy the Great Qi.
Betraying the Great Qi, how will you face your ancestors after your death?

Liu Ye, after exerting tremendous effort, finally managed to break free from his ancestors' clutches and said breathlessly:

"The Great Qi needs to adapt to the new situation. Only by relinquishing power can the empire survive, even if it is only in the spirit of the empire."

The new legislation, based on the negotiations with Britain, was quickly adopted.

Many people opposed this, while even more chose to support the emperor relinquishing power.

The rise of a great power is still a long way off.

The Emperor wrote the following at the beginning of the bill:
"We don't need a stagnant, corrupt, and decadent empire. We need a clean and honest regime. What does the rise of a great power have to do with the dignity of ordinary people? Most of the time, they have nothing to do with it."

Various vassal states declared independence, further fragmenting the empire.

The emperor issued an edict allowing each vassal state to maintain a high degree of autonomy and not to interfere excessively in its affairs.

A new era has arrived.

Old George promised the Emperor that if the new reforms were completed, the Kingdom of Britain and its allies would provide the Empire with more support to help it weather the crisis.