The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 942 Datong
With the end of the Anglo-Qi War and the signing of new treaties, diplomatic relations between the State of Qi and the European countries began to return to normal.

Compared to the restoration and development of diplomatic relations, the restoration of cross-border trade is becoming increasingly urgent.

The empire urgently needed to exchange goods with European countries and even the world, as hundreds of millions of people needed to consume enormous amounts of grain, beef, and various bean products every day.

Wartime economic policies are clearly no longer suitable for the present. The old system that treated more than 300 million people of Daqi as cheap slaves (of course, the specific terminology would be more palatable) is destined to be rejected by the people.

If the Great Qi could completely isolate itself and sever ties with European countries, controlling 300 or 350 million people would not be entirely impossible.

But now, the fence, or rather the sheepfold, has been opened from the outside.

The sheep in the sheepfold had more on their minds.

It's too late to mend things after the fact.

Most importantly, a transnational trade system that has been established for more than 50 years cannot be completely destroyed by a royal decree or a parliamentary order.

In early August, slogans such as "Empire and Europe coexist," "Death to war," and "Insist on carrying out international trade to the end" were displayed on the streets of Tianxin City.

The people were not afraid of the military power in the hands of Emperor Liu Xuan. At least in front of the British legation, the Imperial Guards did not dare to arrest people at will, and the Central Guards would not use guns and cannons to disperse the people.

Liu Xuan was shocked by the incompetence of the intelligence agencies.

"Useless! The Emperor and the Council spend 50 billion Qi coins on you every year, and you bunch of good-for-nothings can't even stop a few unarmed commoners when it really matters!"

"I should inform the Prime Minister to cut the spending on the Imperial Guards! Until you start working properly!"

Liu Xuan was furious.

However, it can only be impotent rage.

Not to mention that the Straw Raincoat Guards are related to the people of Tianxin City, and would inevitably be hesitant to act, even if they were truly determined to make a large-scale arrest, they would release the people immediately after capturing them.

Because the crowd shouting in the street included veterans from various military units, local gentry, and high-ranking officials—people the Straw Raincoat Guards could not afford to offend.

As for the Central Guard Army, an army known for its honor and loyalty, it is even less likely to directly use force against the civilians.

In his anger, the emperor gradually came to realize the situation.

The era of arbitrary and unchecked imperial power has ended, and will never return.

Allowing parliament to exercise autocratic power under the guise of democracy and justice will inevitably be rejected by the entire nation.

The public has become more enlightened, and the old deceptive tricks can no longer continue.

The emperor felt an unprecedented sense of defeat, a defeat that was even more disheartening than the defeat he had suffered against the British not long ago.

After reprimanding the leader of the Straw Raincoat Guard, Liu Xuan returned to his palace in a huff and summoned Empress Chizuko.

Although Chizuko came from Ezo, she had lived in Qi for over twenty years, was fluent in the language of Qi, and had a good rapport with the emperor.

"I wish to speak with you today."

Chizuko said with delight, "Your Majesty, please speak. I am all ears."

Emperor Liu Xuan strictly forbade the empress and concubines in the palace from referring to themselves as "slave" or "minister." They were only allowed to use "I" when speaking to him. It is said that this was done to maintain the independent status of all women in the palace.

"Back when my father was on the throne, I wanted to build a true utopian world, what those opponents called a utopia. If it were built, the Great Qi would be perfectly equitable, with everyone well-fed and clothed, everyone for me, and me for everyone, with all 350 million people becoming like the legendary sage kings Yao and Shun..."

Chizuko tapped her slender fingers slightly; she had heard the emperor's words more than a hundred times.

Yes, her husband Liu Xuan did want to establish a so-called utopian world, but then what?
In Chizuko's view, if building such a world would require the deaths of millions of people, and if a system requires millions of people to live like slaves to maintain its existence, then let that system go to hell!
Although Chizuko was extremely opposed to utopia, as an Ezo woman, she had a deep-seated tradition of obeying her husband.

Moreover, her husband was the emperor of the largest empire in the Eastern Hemisphere.

So what could she possibly say?

"Please tell me."

Chizuko didn't even want to mention the emperor's name.

However, Liu Xuan clearly didn't care about that.

"I thought it was just to let the people suffer a little first, and this is only temporary. As the saying goes, 'No pain, no gain,' and 'After hardship comes happiness.' Even so, why can't the people understand my predicament?"

The emperor, intending to use the Warring States period idiom "changing one's mind frequently," to mock the people's ignorance, suddenly caught a glimpse of the empress covering her mouth as she yawned. "Tired," Liu Xuan said coldly.

He was indeed exhausted and hadn't been to his palace for a long time.

Before Chizuko could say anything more, the emperor waved his hand.

"Go ahead, I need to be alone."

The Empress felt as if she had been granted a pardon and quickly left this place of trouble.

She has no feelings for the emperor, neither ten years ago nor ten years from now.

Chizuko's parents were both brutally killed by the Qi army back then.

She was brought back to Tianxin City with the army as a spoil of war after the empire conquered the Ezo Kingdom, and eventually rose to the position of empress.

~~~~~~~~
Despite the emperor's reluctance to admit it, long-dormant cross-border trade began to sprout again.

Parliament sent more than a dozen delegations to London, Paris and other places. These people were fluent in European languages ​​and their mission was to negotiate new tariffs and new trade rules with the Empire’s former enemies.

The State of Qi was not in any advantageous position in these negotiations; they were entirely dominated by the Europeans.

Although they knew the outcome might be disappointing, Parliament ultimately decided to send these delegations.

Although studying abroad may not have much effect, it at least shows that the empire is moving towards freedom and justice, or at least nominal freedom and justice.

~~~~~
To meet the demands of overseas trade, more foreign language schools are preparing to open, and more students will learn new languages.

In short, the days of isolation and seclusion are gone forever.

Earlier, Liu Xuan, like his father, firmly believed that the empire could be self-sufficient in resources.

However, as it turns out, the so-called self-sufficiency and insistence on so-called cyclical development have only resulted in self-imposed confinement.

In the end, it will only turn the empire into a giant Easter Island.

Apart from the emperor himself, almost everyone supported the restoration of free trade.

Over the past few years, raw materials, cheap handicrafts, and less-than-precise and reliable military products produced by the various vassal states of the empire have filled warehouses across the country.

The majority of the people of Qi were barely able to feed themselves, so it was clearly unimaginable to expect them to serve as blood donors in the trade war with Europe or to rush to fill the gaps on the battlefield.

Not to mention the textiles and tea, the mountains of carriage tires, and the special fabrics needed to make hot air balloons and airships.

These raw materials all need to be exported as soon as possible to exchange for pounds and francs. With the resumption of air routes between Tianxin City and London, the number of European merchants doing business in Daqi is increasing day by day.

The difficulties in foreign trade have been shifted to the people.

Finally, Tianxin City relaxed its restrictions on public opinion, and the other vassal states followed suit, no longer guarding against foreign merchants and missionaries as if they were spies.

Various issues concerning the distribution of power have been brought back to the forefront.

Will the supreme ruler of the empire, the Emperor of Great Qi, continue to rule until the end of his life?
Where are the boundaries of imperial power?

Should all the powers of the various feudal lords be taken back? Or should the forces of different surnames be completely eradicated?
After the war, will Liu Xuan remain committed to the great cause of pacifying the various feudal lords?

The absence of other vassal states might be a signal, a signal of empire balance.

A consensus like this is forming among people: empire should be the product of compromise, not war and slaughter.

People have experienced the cycle of life on this land.

The wars of independence waged by the southeastern vassal states were quelled by the state. Yes, the emperor granted the vassal states the greatest freedom and power, but this did not include allowing them to become independent.

"Independence will lead to war, war will cause order to spiral out of control, and spiral out of control will mean rivers of blood."

These are things that the emperor and parliament do not want to see.

Therefore, Tianxin City does not allow the various vassal states to become independent, nor does it interfere with them too much.

A balance, a delicate balance.