The Empire will continue to win

Looking at the devout Weng Tonghe, Shen Moqing silently came to a conclusion: the Confucian scholars of the United Empire's admiration for Chief Minister Jiang was genuine, not just lip service.

That brings us to this point.

The Imperial Tutor even bowed deeply to the fifth portrait.

"Brother Moqing, you are young and not well-educated, so you don't know much. The reason why our Chief Minister Jiang can be called a sage is not because of his descendants, but because he truly deserves the title."

In the past, when the Ming dynasty lost its mandate, the whole world vied for it. The Jianzhou Jurchens, originally a small tribe on the Liaodong frontier, possessed a strong and well-equipped army. United as one, the entire tribe gambled everything, and unexpectedly won. However, this tribe's occupation of the capital lasted only a little over a decade before being traced back to its origins by Prime Minister Chiang Kai-shek.

The title of Imperial Tutor can represent the official stance.

Upon hearing this, Shen Moqing formed another judgment in his mind. From the slightly belittling tone of this Imperial Tutor, it was clear that the current dynasty did not have a high opinion of the former Qing dynasty.

.........

"Tracing back to the source?"

"Well, it's a long story, and not easy to explain. Although the dynasty hasn't seen a single literary inquisition in the past century, we, as subjects, should still be cautious in our words and actions. Take some time to browse my family library; the answer you're looking for might be hidden in a book. In short, Premier Chiang is a truly extraordinary person; he spent the first half of his life doing only one thing—fighting!"

"struggle?"

"Yes, if he was only good at court intrigues, he could not be called a saint. But after he helped restore the Han Dynasty and the land, Chief Minister Jiang was ambitious and enterprising, which later generations summarized as three great achievements."

What are the three major achievements?

"To reform the bureaucracy and revitalize Confucianism, I made 20 trips to the south of the Yangtze River, with the revitalization of Confucianism being the top priority. As Chiang Kai-shek once said: 'It is better to share happiness than to enjoy it alone. How can we keep such a good thing as Confucianism to ourselves? We must share it with the whole world.'"

Weng Tonghe spoke with a straight face, but Shen Moqing almost burst out laughing.

Lao Jiang's damn sense of humor is so powerful; it can still touch people's hearts even after a hundred years.

The problem is, you can't criticize it!

"But how did Jiang Zi share it with the whole world?"

"The global imperial examinations are held in Guangzhou every three years, open to people from all over the world, regardless of nationality, background, or age. When the news spread, people all over the world were overjoyed, as if it were New Year's Day. Ordinary people could never obtain those noble titles in Europe in their entire lives. So, they still have to believe in Confucianism and venerate the Six Sages in order to make progress."

Shen Moqing nodded. "That's right, that's correct."

Weng Tonghe's voice rose slightly:

"Studying Confucianism well guarantees an official position; this is unique to this school of thought, unparalleled elsewhere. Wherever there is well water, there are people studying Confucius and Mencius. Tell me, what a magnificent achievement this Jiang Zi has made! In my opinion, it is ten times, a hundred times, greater than sealing the wolf's lair or drinking from the Danube. Mo Qing, do you know why?"

Shen Moqing took a deep breath and carefully chose his words: "Spiritual assimilation! Cultural hegemony! Ideological export!"

"Excellent!! You have managed to comprehend this level on your own, you are by no means a spoiled brat. Your Majesty is wise and has not misjudged you." Weng Tonghe's eyes shone brightly, as if he had seen a promising talent.

We must recruit them.

.........

"Niu, Niu Zi?" Shen Moqing stared at the sixth portrait, feeling slightly ashamed of this honorific title.

"Yes. Newton was mediocre, not very capable, and not very smart, but at least he knew his place and followed the established rules. Overall, there's not much to say about him." Weng Tonghe's tone was very disdainful.

"But he's also one of the Six Saints?"

"Sigh, isn't this all for foreigners to see? To demonstrate the inclusive spirit of Confucianism in the Celestial Empire, we must set up the most dazzling example. Mo Qing, remember this: Jiang Zi is the true banner, and Niu Zi is the false one. However, you can't say these things outside the Wuying Hall; it's a capital offense. The Six Sages are revered and cannot be offended in the slightest."

"I see."

This spacetime is amazing!!

Shen Moqing lowered his head in thought, feeling that there were still some things that didn't make sense.

Do you have any further questions? Please feel free to ask, and I will answer them to the best of my knowledge.

"I do have a question. The westward spread of Confucianism is a good thing for us, but not for those European monarchs and nobles. Won't they try to obstruct it?"

"Yes, the resistance was quite fierce. At its worst, London even burned books and buried scholars alive."

"What?"

"This matter dates back several decades. At that time, King George IV of Great Britain declared Confucianism illegal and brazenly dispatched Scotland Yard officers to arrest foreign Confucian scholars and burn Confucian classics."

"And then?"

"We deployed an unprecedented fleet and called on Confucian scholars around the world to stand up and defend the orthodox tradition by force, forcing George IV to kneel and beg for mercy."

"Destroy...destroy the country?"

"Originally, we were going to destroy it, but the Kingdom of Britain is, after all, the motherland of Newton, the Prime Minister. We'll give him face and let George IV admit his mistake in the newspaper and pay some compensation, and that'll be the end of it."

"So, the Empire's military strength is far ahead?"

this problem.

Weng Tonghe's expression became quite interesting, roughly three parts contempt, four parts profundity, and four parts superiority. Although he didn't answer the question directly, it was certainly a very complex one.

"Mo Qing, in principle, someone of your level shouldn't be in contact with these things."

"I have misspoke."

.........

"However, there is something I can tell you. Besides the fleet and the Confucian scholars, there was another crucial factor that enabled us to win back then."

"What?"

"pope."

"pope??"

Shen Moqing's mind was a little slow to catch up, mainly because the original owner knew too little about court politics. Who would have thought the new era would be so dazzling?

"Back then, Chiang Kai-shek, with his foresight and determination, overruled all objections and handed over 9% of the tea export trade rights within the empire to the Papacy."

Tell me, how big is this gold mine? The more you spend, the more you get; the more you use, the richer you become.

Even God descended to earth, and he couldn't refuse such generous terms. With such a connection, how could the Vatican not be grateful to us?

Shen Moqing nodded vigorously: "Money can move mountains. No matter who becomes the Pope, they must take the alliance seriously."

"That's right. Seventy years ago, Pope Judian revised Genesis and added a section that emphasized that God may have had a son who was exiled to the East."

After his successor, Pope Pius VII, ascended the throne, he announced to believers worldwide that the Vatican recognized Chiang Kai-shek as the third son of God.

The professor was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

That's outrageous, insane, and hilarious!

"Judian?"

"Judy Ann has a very noble lineage. She is a descendant of Zhu Youlang, the Yongli Emperor of the Southern Ming Dynasty who was exiled in Rome, and the Duchess of Normandy of the Second Frankish Empire, but she was born out of wedlock."

"..."

"At its peak, the United Empire's colonies spanned the globe, with naval bases stretching from Sakhalin Island in the north to Batavia in the south and Honolulu in the east. Washington, the founding president of the United States, repeatedly praised the United Empire as the only beacon of light in the world and called on the citizens of the United States to adopt Chinese as their second language."

In just over ten minutes~

Shen Moqing felt as if he had witnessed a magnificent era firsthand, and his heart was filled with excitement. In a daze, he even saw his own portrait hanging behind the Six Saints.

He lived in the Forbidden City in his lifetime, and his name was displayed in the Wuying Hall after his death.

What man could resist such temptation?

.........

However, it seems that the United Empire's national strength has declined significantly.

So~

He asked cautiously, "And then?"

"Later? Oh, you mean now? Things are fine now, except the Ministry of Revenue is short of money, there's a dispute about splitting up the family in the south, and the Dongsang people are causing trouble on the border. But none of that matters. For such a vast empire, these are just minor ailments, not worth mentioning."

"You're right. The empire needs confidence. As long as we are confident enough, then no problem is insurmountable," Shen Moqing blurted out.

Unexpectedly, Weng Tonghe suddenly turned his head and stared intently at him.

.........

[What kind of kind person would be like Youyu Xiaoxiaosheng, who reads each chapter through again after finishing it, and then spends at least twenty minutes deliberating and refining it, just so that readers can enjoy reading it more!]