The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 275 Transformation of Strength

December 1731, 12, Chang'an, Taiyi Palace.

Looking back at the magnificent and beautiful Eastern Palace behind him, Prince Friedrich still felt a sense of awe and humility. Until he got into the carriage, the inexplicable pressure in his heart did not completely dissipate.

It was the highest power center of the Da Qi Empire. Any edict issued by the emperor living in the palace would affect the lives and work of tens of millions of people in the empire. Any diplomatic decision he made would also affect the world. the future destiny of countless countries and nations.

Although Prince Friedrich has never been to France, England, or even Austria, and does not know the true strength of these three major European powers, through more than a year's experience in Hanzhou After traveling and inspecting, he did not believe that these three countries had the strength to challenge Qi, and deep down he already recognized Qi as the most powerful country in the world.

Qi has a population of more than 1730 million ( census data), which is more populous than any other country in Europe.

The terrifying industrial production capabilities they possess cannot match them even if the industries of all European countries are added together.

They have the most powerful naval fleet in the world and can defeat any challenge from the sea.

Although the size of Qi's army is small, comparable to that of the Kingdom of Prussia, their war potential and mobilization capabilities can definitely surpass the Kingdom of Prussia by several blocks.

Because Qi is a country with a universal compulsory military service system, it can easily mobilize more than one million troops when facing a large-scale war.

Can you imagine that in many of their universities, students who have just entered the school will undergo a four-week military training to stimulate their patriotism and hone their willpower, enhance their organizational discipline, and cultivate collective Awareness and teamwork.

Also, the Kingdom of Prussia is surrounded by powerful neighbors, and the geopolitical situation is extremely dangerous. In addition, it is located in the Central European Plains, the site of the Fourth War. If you are not careful, you will be involved in regional conflicts. Under such circumstances, let alone opening our eyes to see the world and being a part of the turbulent global trend.

Although our Kingdom of Prussia is not considered a big country in Europe, it is definitely a very influential country in the German region and even the Baltic Sea.

"..."

"The Kingdom of Prussia has no vassal relationship with the Habsburg dynasty of Austria. We are an independent state with our own king, our own legal system, and our own army. We also adhere to the principle of independence in diplomacy. "

"Where is Prussia?"

Their overseas colonial territories are spread all over the world, from the distant and vast American continent to the vast Pacific islands like stars, from the rich and prosperous Indian Ocean to the primitive and mysterious African continent, and even in the Mediterranean region, there are proud Qi people. figure.

"Is Prussia a dependent state of the Holy Roman Empire?"

"No, the Kingdom of Prussia was an independent kingdom located on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea."

What's even more frightening is that this country also has a strong martial spirit.

As a member of the German states, Prussia is still struggling for its own survival and development. From the king to the ordinary people of the kingdom, everyone's eyes are limited to Germany and Europe, which is a complex place with various powers.

"Is Prussia part of the Netherlands or France?"

During the journey, most of the Qi people he met knew about Europe only about a few influential countries such as the Netherlands, England, France, and Spain. When they heard the name of the Kingdom of Prussia, many people They all looked confused.

When Prince Friedrich introduced himself and the Kingdom of Prussia again and again, he had to repeatedly emphasize and explain that Prussia, like France, the Netherlands, Spain and other European countries, is a kingdom with absolute autonomy.

Moreover, they also have many vassal states and countless colonial territories, where the army and population can serve the empire.

"..."

The world is extremely vast and colorful, and the people of Qi are trying to reshape and plan a new global political and economic order as the leaders of this world.

This is also one of the important factors that enabled Qi to rise rapidly and establish a huge empire in just a few decades.

During his travels on the Han continent, Prince Friedrich visited many places and inspected many factories, schools, and villages. While witnessing the prosperity and power of Qi, I also fully experienced the insignificance and... embarrassment of a "small country with few people".

In comparison, Prussia is obviously somewhat unknown.

By the way, many Qi people also know about the more remote and backward Russia, because a few years ago, Qi's army fought a battle with the Russians in the Caucasus.

"Oh okay, I know."

After listening to his explanation, those Qi people suddenly understood, and then they were very curious to ask him about the geography and customs of Prussia.

Although the people of Qi were more enthusiastic, the sensitive Prince Friedrich could still feel a hint of contempt and perfunctory in their attitude. This severely hurt his strong self-esteem, and he was even more unwilling to accept the weakness of the Prussian Kingdom.

"In the future, I must make the reputation of the Kingdom of Prussia resound throughout Europe, and I also want all people in Qi to know Friedrich's name." Prince Friedrich looked away from the noisy and lively street scene outside the window. Come back, lean back gently on the chair, clasping your hands tightly together.
-
"Your Majesty, do you think highly of that Prussian prince?"

Han Qingshan, the Prime Minister of the Imperial Cabinet, picked up the tea cup on the table, took a few sips, and then placed it on the table next to him. He watched Emperor Yonglong on the throne carefully flipping through the documents submitted by the cabinet one by one, and couldn't help but feel pleased. He nodded.

"Oh, he came to Taiyi Palace today to say goodbye to me." Emperor Yonglong heard the Prime Minister's inquiry, raised his head, and responded with a smile: "This Prussian prince is preparing to return to Europe. I would like to express my gratitude to my Daqi royal family for their presence." I came here to express my gratitude for the warm hospitality he received during his stay in Hanzhou. After all, the Kingdom of Prussia is an important supporter of the empire in its management of the Baltic region. It can be regarded as a small political investment to win over this prince. "

"The Kingdom of Prussia is located in the complicated Central Europe region, with many powerful countries surrounding it. If you want to achieve something, I'm afraid it will take a lot of time and energy." Han Qingshan said: "In comparison, the Kingdom of Sweden is a good strategy Partners, the just-concluded Swedish-Russian War retook the Karelia region and Courland, and the troops reached St. Petersburg, forcing the Russians to move their capital back to Moscow. As a result, the Kingdom of Sweden was established. The strategic situation has been greatly improved, creating extremely favorable conditions for balancing the situation across the European continent.”

"I remember that during the reign of Emperor Taizu, he once said that the Kingdom of Prussia is a country with great potential. If it encounters a storm, it will inevitably rise strongly and become an important force that controls the situation on the European continent." Emperor Yonglong said: "I heard It is said that the Kingdom of Prussia followed the model of our country 5 years ago and implemented compulsory education throughout the kingdom, stipulating that children between the ages of 13 and must receive education. It should be noted that the Kingdom of Prussia is not a country with strong financial resources, but it is. They are able to spend a very considerable amount of financial funds to strengthen domestic basic education. Such long-term considerations for the country are not something that a mediocre small country can do. "

"Having said that, the geographical situation of the Kingdom of Prussia is really too dangerous." Han Qingshan smiled, "Moreover, their population is too small, their territory is too scattered, and their military strength does not form a threat to the German states. It is absolutely crushing. If you want to make any move to expand your power, you will inevitably be suppressed and attacked by neighboring countries. "

"During the Pre-Qin Warring States Period, the Wei State was located in the Central Plains, a place where the Four Wars were fought, and its geographical situation was more dangerous than Prussia. However, the Wei State was able to quickly integrate the three Jin states in a very short period of time, and then attack eastward... Qi State, Suppressing the Chu State in the south and conquering the Qin State in the west, it achieved a hundred years of hegemony and almost unified the six countries. If the Kingdom of Prussia was given a chance or received strong support, is it possible that it would not become a European Wei State? "

"Your Majesty, although the Wei State can dominate the world, it is located in a land of four wars and cannot last long. After being besieged by other countries, it was ultimately unable to defeat the enemy, and then rapidly declined and became unsustainable."

"..." Emperor Yonglong was speechless when he heard this. He didn't know how to argue after being retorted by this old gentleman, "But looking at the German region, only the Kingdom of Prussia has achieved a certain degree of centralization. , the king and his ministers can work together as one, and they also have a large-scale kingdom army that is good at fighting... I think this Kingdom of Prussia has a foundation for its rise and should not be underestimated. "

"Haha..., what your Majesty said is true." Han Qingshan cupped his hands towards Emperor Yonglong and said, "But I would like to remind your Majesty that important matters of the country require caution, patience, and steady and long-term progress, and do not involve any individuals. Emotional factors, let alone speculation and arbitrary decisions, must be understood that your Majesty’s words, deeds, thoughts and decisions are all related to the great interests of the empire.”

"..." After hearing this, Emperor Yonglong couldn't help but frown slightly. He was very unhappy with Han Qingshan's lecturing tone. But out of respect for the Prime Minister, who was in his sixties, he did not show any boredom. Instead, he took a deep breath, nodded and said, "Thank you, sir, for reminding me. I'll note it down."

"Your Majesty is as open-minded and sincere as ever. He is truly a great blessing to the empire!" Han Qingshan said.

Oh, a young prince from a foreign country is knowledgeable, close in age, and can learn Chinese in a very short time. This may have given the young His Majesty a curious mind, so he became close to him.

The deeper reason is that his majesty wanted to imitate the Han Dynasty's martial arts and get a "golden sunbeam" to accompany him to show his imperial power.

But it would be a bit rash to try to support the Kingdom of Prussia with a friendly attitude.

Fortunately, this young Majesty is not a stubborn person, and he can still listen to the advice of cabinet ministers on many political matters. In the two years since he took the throne, he has always followed the rules and made no hasty or aggressive moves.

The year before last, His Majesty proposed a large-scale and majestic enthronement ceremony. After careful consideration, the cabinet readily agreed to the "young man's" showoff, and then spared no effort to organize it so that he could officially "dazzle" in front of the world. Come on stage."

In addition to not wanting to disgrace the new emperor, the cabinet also considered taking this opportunity to demonstrate the empire's power to countries around the world, thereby further expanding the empire's global influence.

Well, the ceremony was very successful. Most of the slightly influential countries in the world sent important representatives, and even many kings who were close to the country came to participate in the celebration in person. It really gave Qi a lot of face.

After the celebration, His Majesty the Emperor did not interfere too much in cabinet affairs. Instead, he was very open-minded to learn and understand the operational processes of various government affairs and the background and basis for various decisions.

As the prime minister of the cabinet who was personally supported by Emperor Taiping before his death, Han Qingshan has the obligation to do a good job in assisting the administration and helping his majesty to understand and control how this huge empire operates as soon as possible.

Therefore, he would spend two days every week to come to Taiyi Palace to help His Majesty answer questions and review the processing of various government decrees and important government affairs recently issued by the empire.

"Sir, don't you need to make any changes to the special financial aid package for Osman?"

After a while, Emperor Yonglong took out a cabinet proposal, pondered for a long time, and then suddenly asked.

"Oh, your Majesty is referring to the financial support plan for the Ottoman royal family next year?" Han Qingshan thought for a while and said: "This financial plan has been implemented for decades, from the earliest tens of thousands of yuan to the current Five hundred thousand yuan is mainly paid to the Ottoman Sultan to maintain the traditional friendship between the two royal families. Well, it is money to buy a good impression so that no matter which sultan comes to power in the Ottoman Empire, he can treat us. The State of Qi expresses closeness and friendship.”

"However, I recently heard feedback from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Navy that the Ottomans rejected our country's request to build a naval base on Crete. This is not an attitude that a traditionally friendly country should have."

"Hmm?" Han Qingshan narrowed his eyes and looked at the serious Emperor Yonglong. "Your Majesty, do you mean to use this as an excuse to stop the special royal aid funds that have been in place for decades?"

"Sir, don't you think that the Ottomans are becoming increasingly unhappy with our growing influence in the Mediterranean?"

"Well, the Ottomans are mainly wary of our control of Egypt and our involvement in the Levant." Han Qingshan shook his head and said: "In addition, they are gradually becoming more and more concerned about our Qi State's support of Persian expansion in the Caucasus. They felt uneasy and believed that it had violated their core interests in the Anatolia region. As for Crete, the Ottomans had fought with the Venetians for hundreds of years and finally occupied it more than fifty years ago. Therefore, when we proposed to establish a naval base on this island, it was no surprise that they rejected it. They were worried that we would build a naval base on the island. Following the old Egyptian rules, it was slowly brought within the sphere of influence of our Qi State and was no longer owned by the Ottomans.”

"The core interests of the Ottomans are in Europe, Anatolia, and the Black Sea." Emperor Yonglong said: "As for the Mediterranean and North Africa, with their national strength and naval scale, I am afraid they cannot completely control it. If we, Qi State, If we don’t help them, sooner or later they will become prey to be chased and devoured by other countries.”

"Your Majesty, you want to take advantage of the Ottomans?" Han Qingshan asked thoughtfully.

"We should let the Ottomans adjust their position." Emperor Yonglong said with a smile: "In the future relationship between Qi and Austria, there must be a master-slave position, and it must be measured by their respective strengths."

(End of this chapter)