Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 722 Different Underlying Logic
After his victory, Jia Quan did not return to Crimea, but instead ordered a direct trip to Istanbul. He didn't even bother with the Russians on the sea.

The Chinese ambassador to Istanbul urgently requested a meeting with Ottoman Pasha to formally inform him of the encounter between the Chinese navy and Ottoman Pasha's naval fleet in the Black Sea.

Throughout this process, Osman Pasha's attitude was ambiguous, never taking a clear stance, only stating that he would investigate carefully.

Upon returning, the minister immediately relayed the latest developments to the military advisory group.

In other words, although our fleet of three warships was ambushed by twenty-four enemy ships in the Black Sea and achieved a brilliant victory, it exposed a problem: Where did the Russians get their intelligence?

The logic is simple: while victory is certainly regrettable, a betrayal from a potential ally is chilling.

After an emergency consultation, the head of the advisory group and the minister decided to use the powers granted to them by the cabinet to decide to withdraw all personnel in Turkey if the situation became unfavorable.

If this matter had not involved Jia Quan, the eldest son of the current Duke of Rongguo and the Grand Secretary, it would not have been so serious.

The causes behind this incident are complex, including infighting between different factions within the Ottoman Empire and the attempt to drag the central empire into the conflict by taking advantage of Jia Quan's misfortune.

In short, those who orchestrated this event probably believed that the Ottoman Empire would never suffer a loss.

At this critical juncture, pro-China representative Ibrahim has fallen seriously ill and is unable to take control of the situation even before he is dead.

With their joint decision, the advisors in various Turkish military units were recalled and, accompanied by the visiting fleet, returned to Turkey, thus ending this military cooperation.

This is the second time!

Except for the envoy, all military personnel in Turkey shall be withdrawn.

It can be said that this decision was made very decisively, leaving no room for Tu Fang to maneuver.

Throughout the entire process, the pro-China faction, represented by Ibrahim, did not intervene at all.

The bizarre nature of this incident far exceeded the imagination of our personnel.

Later historians have conducted numerous analyses of this event, focusing not on the glorious victory of the Black Sea ambush, but on studying the behavioral logic of the Ottoman state.

The conclusion drawn is illogical. If one had to find a reason, it would probably be the Ottomans' damned pride. This shows how unreliable historians are, especially those scholars who insist that numerous firsts originated in the West. Even though mainstream Western historians don't accept this view, some domestic historians stubbornly insist on it.

After returning to China, Jia Quan humbly asked Jia Lian what had caused the Ottomans to act in such an incomprehensible manner.

Didn't they consider the consequences?

Jia Lian earnestly told Jia Quan that the causes were very complex. There were conflicts between nomadic and land-based cultures, conflicts between faiths, concerns from the Ottoman leadership about changes in the army, and even fears that the Ottomans might use the army for their own purposes because of these changes.

In short, the collective subconscious of the Ottoman leadership believed that the potential risks in the future were too great, making them willing to pay a heavy price rather than continue the current mode of cooperation.

Its core driving force stems from the need to maintain a balance among various domestic factions. Ibrahim, a powerful figure, has likely reached a compromise with other powers, abandoning his goal of further strengthening himself through military cooperation.

The withdrawal of the Central Empire's military advisory group was met with jubilation from high-ranking officials across Europe, who considered it a great diplomatic victory.

The Western world achieved its goal of forcing the central imperial forces off the Eurasian land bridge without firing a single shot.

What we consider important is not the same in the logic of Westerners.

Religious people are often more selfish because they believe that anything is acceptable as long as they can gain God's forgiveness. Even if they have sinned, they can simply buy indulgences.

The fact that the minister stayed in the area left some room for maneuver, but it seems unlikely that the two countries will cooperate again in the future.

From Jia Lian's perspective, there was really nothing to regret. The Ottoman Empire was too difficult to deal with; helping them strengthen their military would be enough to tie down Tsarist Russia to the greatest extent possible.

There is another inconspicuous group of people who are equally delighted by this event: the people of Southern Europe.

These countries finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel, a chance to break free from Ottoman rule.

This incident was so strange; everyone was happy and thought it was a good thing.

This kind of thing could probably only happen to the Ottoman Empire.

The Ottomans paid a heavy price, including a severe shortage of ammunition for their new cruisers, which dwindled with each shot fired, and the navy dared not conduct firing drills anymore.

The British Mediterranean Fleet regained its invincible confidence.

However, the British high command was filled with anxiety. How could Britain, a nation built on its navy, not know the significance of this naval battle?

That was 3 against 24. After this battle, all British naval warships, before being equipped with new cannons, posed no threat to the Chinese navy.

This time, the newly crowned Queen donated £100,000 of her personal savings to Armstrong Armory, demanding that they build cannons comparable to those of the Chinese Navy for the glory of Great Britain.

Of course, this was just a thought, and Armstrong's arsenal was completely clueless for the time being. From propellants to the explosive charges of high-explosive shells, they had no clue what to do.

Not to mention, the credit for such a brilliant victory in this naval battle was not due to the so-called high-explosive shells, but to a type of shell with a picric acid-filled warhead, which was an experimental shell.

Its flammability played a significant role in naval warfare, directly resulting in wooden warships being extremely difficult to extinguish once hit by a single shot.

European countries, except for Britain and France, have turned their attention to the East. If previous study abroad activities were mostly driven by the government, now it is a spontaneous wave of study abroad enthusiasm.

Countless ambitious young people came to the embassies in Paris and London to apply for student visas.

That year, more than 5,000 students went to study in the East.

However, the strategy of the Central Empire was also changing. Universities in the capital and other cities no longer directly accepted international students. Instead, each university established preparatory classes in Guangzhou.

All international students must pass the preparatory course before they can go to the mainland to continue their studies.

This screening method aims to prevent unqualified international students from entering the country. Interestingly, the vast majority of European students who come to the East, regardless of whether they pass the preparatory course exams, choose to remain in Guangzhou.

This selection system, surprisingly, didn't cause much of a backlash from European students; in fact, it was quite popular. This is because those with truly outstanding academic records can receive a scholarship.

This scholarship covers all living expenses for the next four years of study and is paid out regularly.

Students with excellent grades but average family backgrounds would applaud this system. But what they don't know is that there are others who can directly enroll.

These students, who were admitted without examination, all came from families with powerful backgrounds and held prominent positions. However, they did not attend prestigious universities like those in the capital, but rather a school specifically for foreigners.

At this university in the outer region, students did not have a heavy workload in mathematics, physics, and chemistry; instead, they focused more on studying Confucianism.

True academic elites, those with outstanding exam scores, attend top universities like Peking University and Peking University of Science and Technology.

Today, the Central Empire is facing a huge talent shortage due to rapid industrialization. Not only has a university been established in the capital, but universities have also been established in the coastal provinces to cultivate talent.

As for many inland provinces, due to financial constraints, they only have vocational colleges built with government funding, and the teaching content is all courses offered by the government according to demand.

These types of specialized colleges mostly focus on agricultural studies.

The imperial examination system has changed over time. Even if one becomes a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination), one can still enter university. After graduating from university, one must take another examination, and only those who excel in the examination can obtain the qualification of Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination).

In the fifteenth year of Jia Lian's reign, he officially abolished the qualification for Juren (successful candidates in the provincial examinations) to directly become officials. Juren wishing to become officials now had to take an examination, and only those with outstanding results could become ninth-rank officials. At the same time, the qualification for Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) to directly become seventh-rank officials was also abolished; instead, they had to start from the eighth rank. This measure surprisingly did not encounter much backlash, demonstrating the significant change in public sentiment.

In the same year, the emperor announced the permanent end of the system of purchasing official positions. Previously purchased official positions would no longer be officially granted. Hereditary officials would no longer be granted substantive posts.

This policy did cause quite a backlash, shaking both the government and the public. However, the cabinet remained prudent and issued a strict order throughout the country that no official should comment on the matter, otherwise it would be considered dereliction of duty.

Which official family doesn't have one or two illegitimate descendants? Now that this path has been blocked by the emperor, how can they not be anxious?

However, the cabinet led by Jia Lian resolutely forbade any unrest and dealt with more than thirty officials in one fell swoop, dismissing or demoting them. Only in this way was the backlash from the officialdom suppressed.

In reality, the main group making a fuss was the powerful and wealthy; other people not only did not oppose it, but cheered it on.

The system of hereditary officials lasted for two thousand years, and the consequences of this system had to be borne by every dynasty.

In the twentieth year of the Qianzheng reign (1822), the emperor fell seriously ill. Crown Prince Li Wan assumed regency.

In the twenty-first year, the emperor died, and the crown prince ascended the throne, establishing the Taiyu dynasty.

After Li Wan ascended the throne, the Grand Secretary requested to resign, but the Emperor refused. Li Wan then claimed illness and did not leave the palace, submitting his resignation three times.

The emperor, disguised, entered the Jia mansion at night. Lian was terrified and obeyed the imperial decree to leave.

After Li Wan ascended the throne, some changes occurred in the cabinet. Jia Lian remained the chief minister, but he was no longer very involved in affairs. All other cabinet members were replaced.

If it were a normal change of personnel, it wouldn't be a big deal, but this time, all the cabinet ministers are over fifty and under sixty years old.

Although Li Wan did not issue any decree, this adjustment created an unspoken rule: those who did not enter the cabinet by the age of sixty would never have the opportunity to do so again.

Another unspoken rule is that those under fifty years old are not allowed to join the cabinet.

Li Wan's real, explicit reforms finally arrived, striking at the very heart of the imperial examination system. Those who failed to pass the examination by the age of thirty-five were disqualified from continuing their studies.

In other words, if a person cannot graduate from a university in their province and pass the imperial examination by the age of thirty-five, their starting point in their official career will be a ninth-rank official.

The actual impact wasn't that significant. Most young people continued their studies normally, progressing through the ranks. After graduating from university, they could take the imperial examinations. Those who passed before the age of thirty-five could become eighth-rank officials, or they could return to university for further studies, obtaining a master's degree before taking the imperial examinations again. Those who passed could become seventh-rank officials. Even the top scholar in the imperial examinations could only start as a seventh-rank official.

While internal turmoil was unfolding within the Central Empire, tensions rose again in Europe. Spies hired by a foreign enemy infiltrated a Turkish naval base and set fire to nine newly acquired cruisers. Only one survived.

The truth about this arson incident was only revealed years later when archives from various countries were declassified. The people involved were not only Russian spies, but also spies from Britain, France, Austria, and other countries, who unexpectedly joined forces to cause this outcome.

With British assistance, Tsarist Russia quickly restored its naval strength and launched the Ninth Russo-Turkish War.

The Ottoman and Russian navies engaged in fierce battles in the Mediterranean, with each side deploying more than fifty warships to bombard each other on the sea.

The last new cruiser of the Ottoman Empire went into battle, but was burned by Tsarist Russia with small boats that quickly approached and set it on fire. From then on, the Ottoman Turkish Navy had no more new warships.

The Russian navy won a great victory, regained control of the Black Sea, and then launched an offensive from land.

However, in this Russo-Turkish War, the Russian army suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Ottoman fortresses. Equipped with large quantities of breech-loading single-shot rifles using black powder, the Ottoman army initially adopted a defensive strategy, inflicting heavy losses on the Russian forces before launching a fierce counterattack with its elite troops. Faced with this counterattack, Tsarist Russia, with its numerical superiority, held the Ottomans firmly. Local civilians also secretly organized resistance forces, sabotaging the Ottoman army's supply lines. The Ottoman counterattack, initially fierce, lacked follow-through and made limited progress, resulting in a stalemate.

The war lasted for two years. In 1825, both sides were exhausted and, with the mediation of Britain and France, the two countries signed a ceasefire treaty.

During the war, Ottoman envoys urgently requested aid from the Central Empire and a diversionary operation from Central Asia. This request was immediately rejected by the Central Empire, which stated that it would not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.

Privately, Li Wan invited Jia Lian to the palace to ask him for advice on how to deal with the situation.

The young emperor still relied heavily on Jia Lian. Although Jia Lian no longer handled official duties, his words still carried considerable weight on important issues.

Jia Lian replied to Li Wan that he respected other countries' choices and focused on developing his own country. He also emphasized that the historical reasons for the actions of other countries should never be viewed from our perspective.

What seems normal to us is actually abnormal to people in other countries.

The underlying social logic of the East Asian Confucian cultural sphere is not the same as that of other countries. Our behavioral logic, from the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties to the present, has undergone countless changes and revisions. In terms of domestic politics, we are at the top level. Other countries, due to their shorter history, especially those represented by the West, have long been suppressed by religion, resulting in numerous small, fragmented states. They lack the concept of a unified empire and have no experience in governing a unified nation.

Therefore, we don't see eye to eye with them. Since we don't see eye to eye, we should only focus on our own national interests and avoid excessive involvement with countries outside the region.

We learned this the hard way from the Ottoman Empire.

(End of this chapter)