The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 923 The Fall of the Community
When the country was in trouble, Liu Ye would think of Zhang Xiang, whom he had executed. Every time he thought of this powerful minister, the emperor would feel a complex mix of regret and anger.

Yes, the powerful ministers were overthrown, new policies were implemented, imperial power was decentralized, and regional military governors rose to power. But then what? The Great Qi Dynasty did not enter a golden age as the emperor had predicted.

Instead, it descended into even more complete turmoil and collapse.

The imagined community is gone; no one is willing to contribute to the Great Qi anymore, not even a single brick or tile.

The emperor became a mascot, only making his presence known during various important ceremonies.

Power was concentrated in the hands of the parliament and local warlords, but the parliamentarians and warlords were still not satisfied. They unanimously regarded each other as stumbling blocks on their path to progress and were determined to remove them as soon as possible.

The top-down decentralization did not bring new life to this land; instead, it fueled the ambitions of those with lofty aspirations.

From Liu Zhaosun to Liu Ye, the rulers of the empire constantly experimented, learned by trial and error, and reformed the system.

The empire was changing rapidly, and the titles of its officials were changing again and again.

They went from being trainers like governors to servants like "servants and assistants of the people".

Even the highest administrative official of the empire changed from Grand Secretary to Chancellor, and then to Prime Minister.

The only constant is that the massive bureaucratic group centered around the royal family has always firmly occupied key departments of the empire.

These high-ranking officials and nobles clung to the land like vampires, exploiting the people there, despite their seemingly respectable titles.

It seems as if nothing has changed in the last hundred years.

It's hard to imagine that if Liu Zhaosun were to be resurrected on the spot and emerge from the underground palace now, he might raise the rebel army again and become an enemy of the Great Qi.

However, one thing is certain: Da Qi has betrayed his original intention—if he ever truly had one.

~~~~~~~~
The centennial celebration ended abruptly.

The festive atmosphere has dissipated, and a gloomy atmosphere of decay hangs over Tianxin City.

Three months later, the British announced the easing of sanctions against Qi, followed by France and Sweden, then Spain and Portugal, and finally even the newly independent Ezo Kingdom began to do business with Qi again.

More and more foreign faces are appearing in major ports in Southeast China, the economy is beginning to improve, and there is an abundance of goods in the market.

The lines for croissants on the streets shortened, and as British merchant ships docked one after another, the black market that had existed in Tianxin City for many years disappeared.

A large number of grain merchants who hoarded and speculated on grain went bankrupt.

Even though it's not the peak season for pilgrimage, the number of people queuing on Tianzhu Peak of Taiyue Mountain has increased considerably.

·······
The economic recovery has restored the confidence of officials, or rather, they have never lacked confidence.

Even in the most difficult times, Tianxin City never lacked supplies for its officials.

Of course, the officials' emotional needs were also well taken care of.

The major newspapers in Tianxin City published lengthy reports on the achievements of Qi officials during the Qi-Ying trade war, comparing a large number of officials in the capital to burning candles, silkworms spinning silk, and fallen leaves nourishing red flowers.

The newspaper emphasized to its readers that without the officials' contributions, there would be no Great Qi.

For example, Guan Beishan, a grain transport official suffering from heart disease, tirelessly worked for two months, passing by his home three times without entering, to ensure the timely delivery of grain to Tianxin City. Ultimately, his heart condition relapsed, and he succumbed to his illness, dying on the front lines of the grain loading dock, leaving behind a wife who was half a month pregnant…
This low-ranking official was widely publicized as a model of diligence and conscientiousness among imperial officials.

It is said that the story was serialized on the front page of Pravda for a full two weeks, until readers felt nauseous just hearing the name.

Overall, the war was undoubtedly a defeat for the State of Qi. The State of Ezo gained independence, the Empire suffered heavy losses in the east, and colonial rule came to an end. However, newspapers everywhere touted the victory, the British surrendered to the Empire, and the Britons were defeated once again.

However, over the past year, the domestic unemployment rate has continued to climb, and despite repeated revisions of the data by officials in charge of statistics, the data failure cannot be concealed.

While the British and French didn't say it outright, they had already begun selling off Daqi stocks and bonds, and businessmen were voting with their feet by leaving the land.

Initially, Emperor Liu Ye wanted to create a completely new world, unlike anything before. Like his ancestor Liu Zhaosun, such an empire only existed in his imagination.

From Tianxin City to various regional vassal states, officials were busy making money, sending their relatives and family members to Europe by merchant ships... while they themselves insisted on staying in Daqi.

A significant number of officials had already given up hope for the ship; many only wanted to salvage as many planks as possible before it sank, even if that would only hasten its demise. After I die, the flood will rage on, but what will the flood have to do with me?

Therefore, it was fundamentally impossible to win a war against the Britons.

Unless officials want to cut off their own and their colleagues' escape routes.

As the saying goes, many friends mean many paths.

For a period of time after Zhang Xiang's execution, Tianxin City was peaceful. The attacks on the Kingdom of Britain in the major newspapers disappeared, and instead, people began to recall the past when the two countries joined hands to fight against the Russians.

There are rumors circulating that the Emperor and Parliament intend to strengthen the alliance with the Kingdom of Britain and open up a larger market to it.

Against this backdrop, the empire's foreign policy began to undergo a major transformation.

On May 18th, at a diplomatic banquet hosted by the Empire for the British, the newly appointed Director of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Alex Flint, raised a toast to the British Ambassador, Thomas, and said:
"From this day forward, the two nations of Qi and Ying will meet again and forget their past grievances. On behalf of the Emperor of Qi, I wish King George a long and healthy life. May the friendship between our two nations last forever."

When we meet, a smile will erase all grudges.

In other words, the 30,000 soldiers who died in the suppression of the rebellion in the eastern provinces over the past three years have been overlooked.

According to the Imperial Propaganda Department, their deaths on the Eastern Front were meaningless and worthless, and now they have even become evidence of their crimes against the friendship between Qi and England.

"I want lard, not cannons!"

"May the friendship between the Empire and the Kingdom of Great Britain last forever!"

Some even went so far as to lay flowers at the T-junction in the west of the city where the British ambassador was stationed.

But those wounded veterans cannot so easily let bygones be bygones.

Ordinary people are even more bewildered by Tianxin City's fickle changes.

Fortunately, imperial diplomacy never requires any stance, or to put it more bluntly, it doesn't require any face-saving, so the concept of neglecting one aspect for another doesn't exist here.

Local warlords showed great interest in vying for the position of prime minister, and every day, professional bureaucrats representing the interests of different warlords shuttled around Tianxin City.

"If I can take control of Tianxin City, I will implement policies that benefit you..."

"Could Governor Liu elaborate?"

“To be specific,” Governor Liu cleared his throat, paused for a moment, and said, “I will raise the tariffs on iron ore exported from Europe to our country, so that the mining areas under your control can increase their revenue.”

It's a tempting offer, but it seems fraught with risk.

"Aren't you afraid of British retaliation for raising tariffs on grain?"

"We can promise the British other benefits in exchange."

"That would probably be detrimental to the empire."

What does the extent of the empire's losses have to do with you and me?

As long as you have enough money, you have nothing to fear; if all else fails, you can immigrate to Britain.

Liu Ye is quite dissatisfied with the current situation. He believes that reconciliation with Britain is necessary, but the right to denounce British war crimes should be reserved.

Members of parliament strongly opposed this, reportedly out of fear of British sanctions.

After all, opposing Britain was a job, while going to Britain was a way of life.

Your Majesty, this is a list of three hundred family members of officials from Beijing who have been living in Europe for an extended period. We selected family members of officials who have lived in Europe for more than three years, totaling over one thousand.

Wu Zhongguo, you did a good job. These corrupt officials thought they could do whatever they wanted just because they had restrained the emperor's power. They were overthinking it!

A new trial is about to begin.

It is unknown how many more officials will be exiled.