unclear

Chapter 1092 Arguing with the Philosopher 4
"There is no good way, but there is a stupid way. Just like with regional agents, as long as unified rules are established, wars can be reduced in frequency and size, although they cannot be completely avoided."

Looking at and listening to the obviously teasing expressions and tones, Hong Tao did not get angry, but answered the questions very seriously.

"...Can I understand it this way? Your Majesty wants to establish a set of rules for the whole world?"

Descartes did not continue to challenge the emperor's patience. He reached out and smoothed his long hair, carefully pondering the meaning of the words. After thinking about it for a long time, he could not find another layer, so he had to ask tentatively.

“Basically correct!”

"Excuse me for being frank, Your Majesty, it is a bit too arrogant to want to be the emperor of all mankind!" Looking at the emperor's serious face, Descartes laughed, he was so angry that he laughed.

There are such shameless people in the world who brazenly say they want to be the president of the earth, but refuse to admit their passion for power and instead use world peace as a pretext.

"This is not a joke, nor is it nonsense. I have been working towards this goal since I ascended the throne, and have made some progress over the past thirty years.

Most of Asia has now basically achieved peace. There has been no large-scale war in the past decade, and small-scale conflicts are limited to two or three regions, and will become less and less frequent over time.

What force made all the ambitious people in various countries quit their careers? To be frank, it was me!
After I took control of the Ming Empire, I extended the empire's rules to the surrounding areas through various means including economic, military and diplomatic means. After more than 20 years of continuous persistence, the effect has been remarkable.

If nothing unexpected happens, in another decade, all of Asia, including parts of Africa, will be included in the same rules system. In addition to avoiding war, products, technologies, knowledge and culture will no longer be artificially isolated and can communicate and complement each other more smoothly. "

If it were ten years ago, the word "arrogant" would have been very appropriate, and even if Hong Tao was shameless, he could not deny it.

But things are different now. With the Burmese Kingdom of Toungoo being exhausted by the constant harassment of Ayutthaya and retreating to the northern mountains to survive, and the Sulu Kingdom collapsing under the joint attacks of the Imperial Navy and the Brunei Army by land and sea, there are indeed no war-torn areas in most of Asia, and it is unlikely that large-scale conflicts will occur again.

Because no matter whether it is a country, a force or an ethnic group, no matter whether it is close to the sea or hidden in the mountains, on major issues the opinions of the envoys and garrisons of the Ming Empire must be sought before making a decision.

If anyone does not do this, the Ming Empire may not send troops to attack, but your neighbors will immediately be able to pick up all kinds of weapons and equipment in the jungle or desert, dig out food from the mud and sand, and then attack you without hesitation.

"This is hegemony. Even as an emperor, he has no right to deprive the people of their due rights!" The explanatory result did not convince Descartes, but instead attracted even more intense accusations.

"The word hegemony sounds very derogatory, but the role it plays is not necessarily bad. The specific situation needs to be analyzed specifically. Just like a musket, it itself has no good or evil attributes. Whether it kills or saves people depends on the choice of the user.

Of course, being ruled by a hegemon will certainly lead to the loss of some things, such as cultural traditions, beliefs and some autonomy. But if you go to a war-torn area and ask the local people whether they would rather have the above-mentioned powers or a peaceful and stable life, it is estimated that many people will choose the latter. "Hong Tao does not deny that his rule is hegemony. Centralization itself is hegemony and should not be denied. But he disagrees with the explanation of hegemony, just like capitalist, which is originally a neutral word, but it is given the meaning of evil because of ideology.

"...Then Your Majesty, how can you guarantee that you will not do evil?" Descartes really couldn't continue to accuse him, but he was not convinced either. He lowered his head and thought about it, then asked another question.

"Yes, that's the crux of the matter. To be honest, I have been exploring for several...decades and have tried many methods, including the monarchy and republican systems in Europe. Unfortunately, I have still found nothing.

Each political system is born under specific conditions. It has its positive side, but also inherent defects. It cannot be applied to other goals at will and still play the same role.

Mr. Galileo has told me many times that you are a very insightful philosopher. If you are willing, you can discuss this difficult problem with me in depth. It is not just you alone. I also want to find more philosophers to join in and see if we can find an answer that satisfies everyone.

But before I find the answer, I can only rely on my own insights to continue the hegemony and gradually expand the scope. The American continent I just mentioned is one of the plans.

The Spanish rule in the New World was too rough, and countless lives died and a lot of wealth was wasted. They didn't have to die, or they could have contributed more value before they died. This was a huge waste.

Just imagine, if these wealth and human and material resources are coordinated and used more effectively, whether it is researching unknown things or transforming production technology, more benefits will be generated.

So I will correct their mistakes and establish rules at the same time. Just like in the imperial rule area, let most people earn a relatively stable life through labor, and use the wealth used for war in other places, such as building more universities and laboratories, and cultivating more young people who are interested in exploring the unknown.

But if you want to stop a war, you must first use it to stop the war. There will definitely be many people who don't believe me and think that I am hypocritical and I am just making excuses to gain more power. Apart from what I have done in the past few decades, I really can't prove myself, so I can only take it one step at a time. "

This time it was Hong Tao's turn to be stumped. No one in the world can guarantee consistency. Anyone who guarantees it is a liar. But he still tried his best to clear his name. It was not for power. Different people have different opinions.

“……” Descartes was silent. Although he had never been to the New World, what happened there was no secret. Some of them were told orally by the sailors, and some were simply published in newspapers.

The emperor was right. The Spanish did not do a good job in the New World. The colonial people used various uprisings to prove their mistake. If the Ming Empire could be put in charge, it would be much better. This is not a guess. You only need to look at the empire's overseas colonies to draw the same conclusion.

But the emperor's remarks were surprising. Unlike traditional monarchs, he did not speak from the perspective of a ruler about loving the people like one's own children, delegating power, and being fair and just. Instead, he explained from another perspective how to correct previous wrong practices.

(End of this chapter)