Colonial Era: From Remnants to European Dominator

"What is a nation, and what is an ethnic group?"

"On the continent of Europe, we often consider a certain ethnic group or city-state in the same region as a country and nation. For example, a country like France is almost entirely composed of Gauls."

"Of course, there are also many countries composed of complex ethnic groups, such as the Holy Roman Empire. It was so complex that it was neither quite Roman nor very Roman."

"And you in the East—"

Olof looked at Lee Won-hyung across from him, paused, and then spoke:

"Everything in the East is different from the West, especially the Seres civilization. It's like the oldest artifact in the world, as if it started from the moment God was born."

"We existed before your so-called God was born, and all the gods and Buddhas in the heavens are my successors."

Slowly, Li Yuanheng translated the sentence into English that the other party could understand, and then picked up the porcelain he had given to the other party from the table:

"This vase is older than Rome, yet you want to discuss God and man with me. Well then, I ask you, where is God? I don't see Him!"

Gazing at the roses on the vase, Olof didn't delve into questions of God; instead, he seized upon the business opportunity presented by the porcelain vase:

"The demand for porcelain in Europe remains strong. I believe you can replace the Tatars in dominating the European porcelain market. Trust me, you will make a lot of money."

"Although some people in Europe have also produced porcelain, they are still lagging behind in terms of production techniques and artistic aesthetics. And that is the opportunity, that is the money."

"Although God says money is sinful, everyone needs it, right?"

Orlov's eyes were fixed on the rose-colored porcelain vase. He was already imagining how much the vase would cost, how many Europe would buy each year, and how the gold coins it would be worth could fill the house and even the yard.

[At this time, Europe was already capable of producing porcelain, but limited by technology and the ability to control the soil and even temperature, it still mainly imported high-end porcelain from the Qing Dynasty. Domestically produced porcelain mainly circulated in the downstream market, and imported Qing Dynasty porcelain was even required to be decorated with family crests to demonstrate wealth and status.]

"The matter of porcelain is difficult."

"Old Ao, you've studied geography. Do you really think I'm capable of selling porcelain to Europe right now? Besides, Jinshan's technology can't compare to that of Jingdezhen, the porcelain capital. We can't do porcelain business for now."

Li Yuanheng looked troubled. After all, Jinshan was too remote. If he wanted to sell porcelain to Europe as quickly as possible, he needed a sea outlet. Looking around, apart from the Qing Dynasty, the only other sea outlet was North India. But with his current strength, it was difficult to even pass through Junggar, let alone go to India. So how could he sell porcelain?

"Russia, Russia can be your help. Among the European countries, Tsarist Russia is the most backward. Places like Germany, France, and Milan all have their own porcelain factories. Only the stupid Slavic serfs are still importing from Europe at high prices."

Whenever Tsarist Russia was mentioned, Orlov would get angry, his words filled with sarcasm. After all, his time in Siberia was the most shameful period of his life, which is why he changed his travelogue of Siberia into the prologue to civilization.

"But we are too far from Moscow, I'm afraid—"

"The nobles in Moscow have the purchasing power, and the nobles in Siberia can too, it's just a matter of how much. The important thing is that you should take the lead in replacing the porcelain trade of the Kazakh Khanate, or even the Dzungar Khanate, instead of the way you did before, where merchants would come and trade, and the lion's share of the profits would be earned by others. That was a very foolish thing to do."

"In Europe, no businessman would do this unless there is absolutely no other way, unless you control the futures market and your country also has a monopoly on a certain category of it."

Olof's disdain was clearly visible. He had come to Golden Mountain City and gained his approval for many things, including order; he even wrote in his book:

"The constables in Jinshan Prefecture are more humane and more like real people than the police in Paris."

However, other aspects are less impressive. For example, the supply of goods is not as abundant as in Paris or London, some technologies are not as advanced as in Europe, and there is no stock market or seafaring nations. In Europe, such a country would generally only have one title:

"Russia!!"

The city's governance is better than Moscow's, and its commodity supply is similar to Moscow's, though there are some differences, but not many. The same is true for the culture, with a very small number of nomadic artists from the grasslands and storytellers in teahouses supporting the leisure time of nearly 20,000 people in Jinshan Prefecture.

"Go out—"

Li Yuanheng carefully enunciated each word. When he first transmigrated, he had considered establishing a nation based on commerce, but this path was far too difficult for inland regions. There were so many tribes, mountains, and deserts along the way, making the cost of trade extremely high.

If maritime trade is a point-to-point, port-to-port business between exporting and importing countries, then doing business in the Asian interior is purely a contest of force.

The reason why the Han and Tang dynasties were able to open the Silk Road was because they drove away the Xiongnu and Turks, the biggest obstacles on the Silk Road. But now, the Dzungar Khanate, which has submitted to them, is itself the biggest obstacle. How could they possibly let them pass? Not to mention the tribes along the way. Even if the Dzungar Khanate allowed them to pass, would they behave themselves?

"Olov, do you know why in this world, true civilization only exists in the West and the East, and there's no such thing as a South or a North, let alone some ridiculous Middle?"

Li Yuanheng's words seemed to unlock Orlov's imagination, leading him to a conclusion after a moment's thought:

"It's the ocean, it's the climate, and it's history."

"That's right. Because of the ocean, these two places have been in contact since the Roman era. And because of the climate, these two regions have been able to maintain agricultural production with the four seasons. Although European agricultural technology may have been poor in the Middle Ages, it was still better than that of sub-Saharan Africa, and better than most other parts of the world. This provided a basis for a sufficient population."

"And this vase is history. Whether it's Europe's current understanding of geometry and mathematics, or the porcelain, compass, and gunpowder of the East, they are all the foundation of everything. Without these, I think we would be no different from apes now. The only difference might be that we have less hair and use fire and stone tools."

Although the West has only reached the standard of civilization in terms of technology and is still disgusting in some aspects of cannibalism, history is the history of the victors. Today, the West has embarked on the Age of Exploration, which can naturally be considered a form of civilization.

Orlov fell silent, and after a long silence, he raised his head, revealing his sharp eyes:

"European merchants can sell crosses to natives under the arrows for profit, but you, my dear Li, should have your own caravan, a caravan that can sell porcelain all over the world, instead of waiting here. That is the choice of cowards, not the habit of the strong."

"Caravan—" Li Yuanheng frowned slightly, repeatedly weighing the risks behind the words in his mind, while Olof opposite him kept expressing his opinions:

"A true caravan, an adventurous caravan, is like the British, Spanish, and Dutch sailing ships on the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The only difference is that one rides horses and the other rows a boat, but the money and goods are real. Believe me, nothing is greater than commerce, and nothing can make people more willing to do things than money."

Li Yuanheng stood with his hands behind his back, his fingers interlaced, as if deep in thought or making a decision, until the Western clock he had bought from the caravan chimed:

"You will be in charge of building this team, but you can't lead it. You'll only be responsible for passing on the language and experience. After all, your job, Old Ao, is to train more artillerymen and musketeers for me, not to make money."

"Of course, it's my honor."

Orlov bowed slightly, his heart filled with pride. He wasn't particularly concerned with money; what truly mattered to him was his value in the world. This was true of writing books and helping the civilized Gold Mountain organize caravans.

Humans cannot exist without value; without value, there is no meaning to living.

"Ding-dong!!"

The third chime sounded, and although several tens of seconds had passed, the arrow on the clock still pointed to three o'clock in the afternoon.