Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"Let me explain it to you briefly." Governor Li explained, "In other words, military officers are hereditary officials. When Emperor Taizu Gaozu established the country, he dispersed four million troops to various places to check the land, and then established various garrisons in the cracks of various states. The garrisons were once neglected, and then revived during the Yongqing Restoration. However, the garrisons at that time were used to accommodate the four million troops who followed Emperor Taizu to conquer the world, and the same was true afterwards. But now, we are implementing the original intention of Emperor Taizu Gaozu.

"What Emperor Taizu Gao meant was that fighting was too hard. Pulling civilians into the army, causing families to be torn apart, was no different from a chaotic world. Emperor Taizu Gao had a hard time at home, and he couldn't bear to see others suffer. So he pulled the guards to form our army - the soldiers in the guards were all prepared for war, they were psychologically prepared to face war since birth, so there was no need to suddenly pull civilians out of their lives during wartime."

"Huh?" Shang Luo asked in a low voice, "Is this what Emperor Taizu Gao meant?"

"Ahem," Governor Li also answered in a low voice, "I don't know if he meant that. I guess it's as much nonsense as hamburgers. But during the Yongqing Restoration, that's what was said in the reform process. In short, the mission of the guards to train 'combatants' was retained, and the hereditary officers were also retained, because they would continue to use hereditary military officers to reward the soldiers of the new era - but the war is not about military officers, it still has to be under the command of real officers. In fact, the signs of the Yongqing reform can be seen as early as the Jiajing year."

"Ah, are they the ones from the Military Path?"

"Oh, very good, very good, Shang Tianjun, you have not studied in vain. You can already see the course of history from the clues in the textbooks. At that time, we started from the channel of Bingbei Dao and selected a large number of professional officers regardless of their background. From then on, officers did not need background, as long as they could fight. In this way, the management of military registration, merits and rewards were distinguished from the actual combat command."

"So now, don't we have to change it again?"

Governor Li nodded and said, "This is truly a huge change that has not happened in the past five thousand years. I'm afraid that only in the legendary three ancient times did immortals walk among the people like we do now."

"So when will the emperor come back? Commander Li. I can't do this job. I can only manage the affairs of the heavenly court, I really can't do anything about the court. I don't even know who to keep an eye on, I don't even know them."

"Well, I think that the emperor should come back at the critical moment. But Lord Shang Tian, ​​you might as well tell me your opinion."

"Huh? Is that something I can say?"

"The Hanlin Academy members who discuss politics are not much older than you, and the backbenchers are not much older than you either. It is our tradition to let young people have a say."

"Why?" Shang Luo asked in surprise, "Shouldn't we let someone with more qualifications speak?"

"Alas~~" Governor Li waved his hand, "This is called 'the noble speaks late'. Let the young people speak first, so that the old men can summarize. So when we have a meeting, we let the young people speak first and the old men listen first. Then the old men will say if they have something to say, and summarize if they don't. Think about it, how many smart people are there in this world? How many people have real quick wit? But if you give the old men more time to think, and then let the young people give more opinions, then the final speech will often be more secure. You see, in this way the old men have face, and the young people have substance, and in the future, as they get older, they will speak in the back row, and new young people will speak in the front. People grow up step by step like this."

"Ah, this. So you guys are planning to watch me make a fool of myself, right?"

"Making a fool of yourself is a privilege for young people, and everyone loves to watch. If you make a fool of yourself when you are older, then there is no hope - besides, you haven't even spoken yet, how do you know you will make a fool of yourself? Back then, Zhang Taiyue and Zhang Shentong also sat and discussed with the officials of the court at a young age. Shang Tianjun, you should be more confident. The advantage of speaking first is that you can lock on the topic first and advance the agenda first."

"Then what are my thoughts?" Shangluo asked. He hadn't intended to express his opinion directly, but since this "senior" was so encouraging, he was ready to say a few words.

"Hmm," Commander Li said, spreading his hands. "I'd like to hear your thoughts on the consequences of this war. Before it even begins, we still have the opportunity to determine its course. War itself is a performance, and the information we present will ultimately form the basis for everyone's discussions and decisions. Therefore, what we're discussing here is extremely important, and it's something that can only be done before the fighting begins. Once it begins, many things won't be possible."

"Ah, that's why you wanted to see me, Commander Li?"

"Actually, I just wanted to meet with you today to discuss the initial strategy. I didn't expect you to call General Fu to directly wipe out the vanguard of the Japanese army. Now there is no time to hold a meeting. So, I want to ask for your opinion. What kind of information do you want to present to everyone?"

"I think the most important thing is people." Shangluo said, looking up at Governor Li.

"Well, that's right. You are already very good at saying what a noble person would say when he is late to speak, correct and useless nonsense."

[Tsk, no wonder people said this old man has a good temper before, he really does have a good temper]

"But I am indeed complimenting you. Because 'statement' is also very important." Governor Li added, "There are thousands of different people with thousands of emotions. Everyone's way of looking at things is based on their own experience. Opinions cannot be evenly conveyed to everyone. So at this time, you need an 'statement', an 'outline', so that your meaning can be accurately conveyed."

"Commander Li, you are teaching me how to do things!" Shang Luo exclaimed, "This is the first time someone has taught me!"

"You are my schoolmate, so let me tell you about my experience in handling affairs over the years. There are not many people who come from the Imperial College, so it is normal for us to take care of each other. So your outline is saying that 'people are important', right? Then first you have to define 'what is a person'."

"Ah, this is also something to consider, right?"

"No concept in this world is innate. All concepts come from acquired definitions. So you have to first define what a person is - specifically, who in the Royal Division is important and who is not? You have to determine what cannot be done before you can determine what can be done."

"I think the 'countrymen' are the ones we need to focus on. Other countries have their own courts to manage, we just need to take care of our own people."

"Then your scope is very clear. Do you want to protect almost all the royal divisions? Well, everyone will thank you then. This is a good thing, but good things are not easy to do. But if you can do it, you will become a 'good person'. There will definitely be many people who will remember your kindness. If they have the chance in the future, they will repay you. Because there are still many good people in this world, and the world needs good people like Shang Tianjun and General Fu."

Chapter 1121 Governor Li

"By the way, there is something I still want to ask Governor Li."

"Hey." Governor Li Yinchang waved his hand, "There's no need to call me Governor. This isn't work, so there's no need to talk about position. Just call me Senior."

"I call you senior, so I can't call Mr. Qian the principal when I see him later, right?"

"I called him the old monitor. Even though he and I were several years apart and we were not very familiar with each other when we were in the Imperial College, we have met each other in school. Besides, I am not being polite to you. In the future, Shang Tianjun, you will stand higher than me sooner or later. Calling me senior now is you giving me face, not you giving me face."

"But I am not here to show respect to you, Commander Li. I will definitely respect an elderly person who is old and virtuous."

"Then think about it. I am indeed fifty years older than you, four or five times your age, right? But when we ascend, when you are 100 and I am 150, my age will only be 1.5 times yours. After 500 years, our ages will only differ by 10%. Judging from this standard, I will not be considered a true 'old man' in front of you in the future."

[How come all the old men here are masters of philosophy? Why weren't the Romans at this level? ]

"Ah, then I'll just call you, Senior?"

"That's fine. I heard that you call General Fu this. Although my military rank is higher than his, military rank is nothing compared to cultivation. The clouds in the sky turn into white clothes one moment and then into dark dogs the next. Only the way of the golden elixir can last forever. You can call him this, which really gives me a lot of face - so, just ask why you want to. There is nothing that cannot be answered."

"Although I still have many questions related to Beiting, I still want to ask the question that is most relevant to our mission. I want to ask, why is Ryukyu the 'bridge of all nations' among the tributary states?"

"Because Ryukyu is the gatekeeper of the first island chain. This is the most important thing."

"Gatekeeper? Who?"

"North Korea. And others. The existence of Ryukyu can block the communication between the inside and outside of the first island chain, making North Korea, as the largest tributary state, lose any diplomatic autonomy, because any contact between them and the outside world must pass through the control area of ​​Ryukyu geographically. The same is true from the outside to the inside.

"There are some things that the court cannot do. After all, if you are not dumb or deaf, you cannot be a patriarch. The court does have to pretend to be deaf and dumb sometimes, but it is not good to pretend to be deaf and dumb all the time. At this time, Ryukyu can use the status of a 'tributary state' to dissuade other tributary states. This is our earliest warning. Ryukyu's warning is invalid, and the next one to come is the envoy of the Celestial Empire."

"Is that so?! So Ryukyu played such a role in the tribute system?"

"Ryukyu is related to everyone, so it can also connect with everyone. Ryukyu is granted a certain degree of diplomatic autonomy and is not subject to the restriction of 'no diplomacy for all subjects'. Joseon's diplomatic authority is limited to short-term positions such as communication envoys, while Ryukyu can send permanent envoys to other countries on its own - this is the meaning of the bridge of all nations."

He thought for a moment, "It seems this privilege is given to the Dragon Palace. That's not bad. I've always been puzzled as to why the Ryukyu Kingdom can do such a good job, since the King of the Ryukyu Kingdom doesn't seem particularly capable. If the Dragon Palace is doing the work for them, then that makes perfect sense."

"So what should Ryukyu do after we ascend?"

"Well, what do you think we should do? This involves whether you think the Ryukyu people are 'our own people'."

"This is really difficult to deal with. This is what I think. If someone wants to seek immortality, we will not refuse. If he has the fate of immortality, then he can learn it naturally. But on the other hand, we will not actively spread the immortality. Ryukyu has its own way of life, and I respect the Ryukyu people's own choice. Ryukyu people can come to the heaven alone as individuals to find their own fate of immortality."

"Yeah," Li Yinchang nodded, "No wonder the emperor is willing to hand over the court to you. It turns out that you are more cautious than the emperor. You are almost as conservative as the conservatives in the cabinet."

"Is that the kind of conservative who thinks others are too conservative?"

"That's right. Our radicals are also radicals who think that others are not radical enough. We don't have any big conflicts internally, because the world is big enough, and everyone can achieve their own pursuits in their own fields. There is no need to force others to listen to their opinions. And most importantly -

"As scholars who have emerged from the imperial examination system, we believe more in scientific arguments and experiments. Although now, except for a few people like Wen Ge Lao, we no longer focus most of our energy on academic research. But we still believe more in evidence than empty talk. If we can't reach an agreement, we will go and find evidence ourselves."

"Then wouldn't it be the same as if I said nothing?"

"That's right." Li Yinchang nodded, "So I told you to speak without worry. Anyway, the topic selection meeting is to pool ideas, and there is no need to consider research prospects. Did old man Wen tell you? Before you reach the graduate level, you don't need to think too much about "research prospects" when writing your paper. Because the so-called "research prospects" are used to ask for funding, and you don't need to worry about it before the project is established. You don't need to worry about research prospects when writing a paper. This is also a privilege for young people. Even if you say it, there will be no project anyway."

[Wow, I was wondering why he was so generous and let you "speak freely". It turns out that talking is useless. Sitting down for a meeting is also useless. You need to produce convincing evidence.]

"But then again," Li Yinchang added, "if you can produce evidence, everyone in the cabinet will be easy to talk to - in most cases. Because we are used to putting aside our personal preferences and individual experiences when considering issues. Most of the time, rationality is far more important than emotion."

"What about some of the time? When do they become difficult to talk to?"

"If you touch their land, they will naturally be in trouble. I think, Lord Shang Tian, ​​you are going to report this to the cabinet immediately?"

"Yes. Even if I don't attend the cabinet meeting, I must at least explain it to Mr. Wen himself. Although the emperor asked me to 'inquire' about the affairs of the court, there is no need for me to appear so aggressive."

"Eh." Li Yinchang nodded, "They didn't take the initiative to ask you to go, right? That's why I've been dragging my feet and not joining the cabinet. They've called me many times. What I mean is: either you give me the title of commander-in-chief, let me join the cabinet on the front line, and let me use telegrams and telephones to hold meetings. Or don't let me sit in the Fengtian Hall. I don't have the time for that."

Chapter 1122 Cabinet Affairs

"Ah, so you mean that cabinet affairs are a waste of time?"

"I didn't say that. What I meant was that the cabinet can't actually decide anything. Because all things have to be implemented in detail, and the cabinet ministers can't investigate in person, so it's impossible to implement every detail. They can only discuss issues of principle. If it comes to issues of principle, why don't I just send a telegram to attend the meeting? Why do I have to do it in person?"

"Is this why no one from the Imperial College has ever been admitted to the cabinet?"

"Not everyone is as busy as I am. This is mainly an internal issue of the Censorate. It has nothing to do with our actions. I will tell you about it before you go to the cabinet meeting. What you need to pay attention to now is: I do not recommend that you go directly to the cabinet meeting. I suggest that you just contact Mr. Wen."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because you don't go to the meeting, they don't know what you are doing. If they don't know what you are doing, they don't know where you are wrong. They can't define you, so naturally they don't know what's wrong with you. I heard: the people cannot name it, so they call it God."

[Oh my god, Victoria should listen to this. She goes to all kinds of meetings and still can't be satisfied. I think she goes too many times. Alas, it's a pity that he hasn't woken up yet.]

"So, old man, what should I do now?"

"The most important thing is of course to catch Xu Fu. As long as Xu Fu is caught, then no matter what you do, it will be justified - but if you fail to catch Xu Fu, many people may complain about your 'status'."

"Status? But I clearly never took care of anything."

"The cabinet knows, but not everyone knows. The cabinet knows that you didn't care about anything, but other people don't know what you, 'Shang Tianjun', did. So my advice is to do your job well first. As long as you show that you are a capable person, then you can naturally repel all criticisms - this is also the essence of the imperial examination republic. Only by being precise and unique can you achieve perfection. If you are good enough, then you don't need to think so much."

"Ah," Shangluo nodded, "I understand."

"You were a little confused before, right? You were worried that you wouldn't be recognized, and you were worried that what you did would make everyone's life go in a bad direction. I say, you don't have to worry. First, you can't actually make an irreversible impact fundamentally and thoroughly at the moment. You are still young, and you always have time. Second, only if you are good enough, your decision will be the most convincing."

"Then shouldn't I do things here in a more beautiful way, or even give a 'performance'?"

"Ahem," Li Yinchang coughed, "Has anyone told you that the title of an article is very important? The same topic may have different effects with different titles. Do you know how to increase the citation rate of an article? Of course, an eye-catching title is very important."

"Of course I know the title, but how should I add it? Should I express 'shocking'?"

"We usually use the format of 'main title plus subtitle' in articles. The main title is responsible for literary expression, and the latter introduces the content and entry point. For example, if you want to write a book about 'community interaction rituals in the multi-layered mandala of the indigenous social structure of Bali', this sounds very boring. So what should you do? You have to extract a concise and communicable expression as the main title, and then use the subtitle to introduce more specific content. What you should write is-

"Theatre Nation: Celebration and Political Order in Bali." The title 'Theatre Nation' is there to grab the reader's attention, but the latter is what you are introducing."

"I see! So, we really have to put on a 'proper' performance, right?"

"Yeah." Li Yinchang nodded and said, "When stewing chicken soup, although the chicken soup itself is already very fresh, if you add a little salt, the freshness can be further refined - otherwise, why do we have to beat gongs and drums when 100,000 heavenly soldiers fight against Sun Wukong? The show effect is also very important."

[I feel like he taught you something very powerful. He taught you how to persuade others with twice the effort and half the result.]

"I understand. Now I understand completely. What do you think of the strategy for destroying the Japanese navy this time?"

"The noise is still not big enough - I mean, although the scene seems to be big, you didn't film it for everyone to see. And General Fu fought too quickly, didn't he? It was over in no time. There was no foreshadowing, lack of ritual, and it didn't fully convey the imperial power. There was only bloodshed, no explosions. So you should have laid some groundwork, such as using thunder to create an atmosphere before General Fu went out. Our next move is..."

He thought for a moment and said, "It seems that we should go directly to Edo in the next step. Shang Tianjun, what do you think of this 'show effect'?"

"If that's the case, well, don't say it. I have a plan. I can make a big noise. Anyway, there should be some explosions, right?"

"That's right. The louder the noise, the better. The bigger the explosion, the better. It would be best if we could psychologically crush the entire Edo at once. This would not only increase your prestige, but would also be of great benefit to our actions."

"Then my method is very clear - just like in a horror movie, if you want to exert pressure, you should create a terrifying atmosphere from the beginning. Now the changes in Japan are not known to everyone. Due to the limitations of the spread of information, they don't know that the world is changing drastically. So in this case, we have to let them know that the world is changing drastically. Phaethon."

He took out his phone and said, "Come in for a moment, take the Spear of the Apollo, and then activate the lighthouse. Teleport Talos, is that the procedure?"

——At the southernmost tip of Kyushu Island, Kagoshima City of Satsuma Domain. The crowd on the beach looked toward the horizon in amazement:

The giant was walking on the seawater. The seawater could only cover the giant's waist, and the part of the giant that was exposed above the waist was already as tall as the sky. As the giant approached, the part of the giant that was exposed above the water gradually rose, almost reaching above the clouds.

Behind the giant was a dark cloud that covered the sky and the sun. Lightning flashed in the dark cloud, and a dragon shadow was rolling in the thunderstorm. Every time the giant took a step forward, the black thunderstorm spread forward a little.

Standing on Taros's shoulder, Shang Luo looked ahead: "Well, as expected, the giant spirit god only needs to be big enough. The attribute of the giant spirit god is big. With the huge body of the bronze giant Taros and the help of the mirage, the giant spirit god that stands tall and upright is presented."

[The Dragon King asked you to walk faster. Your walking movements did not match the speed of the model, and you started to slip on the ground.]

Chapter 1123: The Fiction of Mirage

The giant statue approached the coast, and the dark clouds had already arrived. The sky above Kagoshima was already covered by dark clouds. Shangluo stood on the shoulders of the giant spirit and looked forward. Although the mirage was inconvenient to synchronize with the main body due to its huge size, the empty space created by the mirage did exist.

"Speaking of which, this mirage is really an interesting thing." Shangluo stepped down with his foot. The bronze giant Talos was now wearing a tailor-made decorative armor that looked like a door god. After being enlarged to a size similar to that of "the law of heaven and earth" by the mirage, the touch of this set of armor did not change.

Interestingly, this proportional enlargement is actually quite smart. It only enlarges the volume, not the "texture". The floral silk used to decorate the armor actually maintains the structure of normal fabric, and the silk thread itself does not enlarge along with the volume, allowing the decorative fabric on the armor to still maintain its original exquisite shape.

Unfortunately, apart from being big, it has no other uses.

If you observe from the bottom of the sea at this time, you will easily find that the footprints left by the "giant spirit" are very shallow. Because although the volume is enlarged, the extra part is just blank volume and does not produce corresponding weight, resulting in the overall density becoming lighter.

Fortunately, the original bronze giant Carlos was quite heavy, which prevented the giant spirit in the "Law of Heaven and Earth" state from floating in the sea.

[Actually, I calculated that only my lower legs are in the water, so I can hold on. If I lie in the water, I will float.]

"Don't make it sound like there's a big gold chain floating in the bathhouse! Why is Otohime's so heavy?"

[The Dragon King said that it was mainly because there were not enough mirage girls, so he could not allocate enough mirage energy for the time being, so he could only simulate the volume first - besides, isn't this what you asked for? As long as it is big enough, it will be fine. The attribute of the giant spirit is 'big'.]

"That's fine. Tell Talos to try to match his movements with the model. I guess the bigger the difference, the more mirage energy will be consumed."

Shangluo looked around - it looked like he was riding on clouds and mist, with five-colored auspicious light and mist. But that was not created by Shangluo on purpose, but the result of the mirage that could not be restrained by the huge body escaping on its own.

“Why do I feel like I’m actually standing on a balloon?”

[Thanks to the good foundation of Roman inventions, otherwise the balloon wouldn't be able to be blown up so big. It's good to have a balloon, at least it's big enough. ]

"This mirage is really a dangerous thing."

Shangluo probably figured it out. Although the various creations of the Dragon Palace were similar to magic tricks, the source of their power, the mirage, had interesting potential.

Everyone in this world can be a makeshift team, and everyone is pretending to be what they want to be. Even the officials in the court have a Zhuge Liang in their hearts. Compared with Zhuge Kongming, everyone seems like a makeshift team.