Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 742 Traveler

How strange! The last chapter was banned, and I didn't even write anything. I wonder if it was reported. Logically, my self-indulgent book, with its dismal sales, shouldn't have been seen by Remotely Raised Creatures.

By the way, everyone knows Jack London, right...?

And this is still considered a realist writer in a progressive sense.

What if you can't win a fight? Negotiate.

To reiterate, starting a war is easy, but ending it is not something you can control.

At the time of the armistice, the United States effectively returned to its original state of thirteen colonies. It became a regional power, no longer the sole superpower dominating the Americas.

In Li Yu's words, they should negotiate based on the actual area under their control; otherwise, there's no point in talking.

Country M sought help from European powers, with Britain, France, Prussia, Austria, and Russia mediating. The ministers stationed in London and Paris adopted a tough stance and a unified narrative, leading to European intervention in the Americas.

Britain, France, Prussia, and Austria immediately became obedient, at least outwardly so.

Tsarist Russia, being the most defiant, declared its support for the United States in defending its sovereignty and stated that it could send troops to reinforce the country if necessary.

The conversation took place in the morning, and Jia Shi received the telegram that afternoon, immediately beginning preparations for a new war. However, winter was approaching, so for now it was only preparation, and they should seize the opportunity to transport weapons and ammunition.

For Jia Shi, winter was still too long. After half a year, the supplies that were transported from China finally arrived in Almaty.

These supplies are enough for Jia Shi's 200,000-strong army to fight for a year.

Did Jia Shi have 200,000 men under his command? It can only be said that the imperial court only paid about 100,000 of them within the official military establishment, and even that was only possible because the imperial court exempted the Anxi region from taxes.

Now that the army needs to be expanded to 200,000, domestic support is naturally required.

In reality, the cabinet is not belligerent; many wars were imposed on us by external threats.

Especially with a neighbor like Tsarist Russia, whose pursuit of territory was endless and who tirelessly sought an ice-free port.

The attitude of Tsarist Russia toward the Americas led to strong dissatisfaction from Emperor Li Wan, who stated at a cabinet meeting, "What does the matter of the Americas have to do with Tsarist Russia?"
The distance between Beijing and St. Petersburg was too great, and communication could not be done immediately, so the Anxi Military District was ordered to teach Tsarist Russia a lesson.

Before the Qing Dynasty in modern times, the concept of the central empire's territory was not clearly defined, emphasizing that all land under heaven belonged to the emperor. This meant that the carrying capacity of agrarian civilizations was limited; if resources were abundant, Emperor Wu of Han could have expanded to the ends of the earth. Both the Han and Tang dynasties had long-term involvement in the Western Regions, so Li Wan fundamentally considered Anxi to be part of his own territory. Our current actions are about restoring the old system, not invading.

Besides, that region has never had the concept of a nation. No matter who came, the nomadic tribes continued their lives as before. All that remained was paying tribute, provided they couldn't win the war.

In contrast, the imperial court would not send a single soldier to neighboring countries as long as they came to pay tribute.

In places like Java and Borneo, the situation was a continuation of the previous one, where foreign tribes interrupted the local tributary system and then invaded and stationed troops there.

Legally, it makes sense.

The following spring, after Jia Shi had completed his preparations, he led his troops north. This war was intended as punishment, not as an attempt to seize territory, so he marched north all the way to the Urals.

Caught completely off guard, Tsarist Russia hastily dispatched troops south to deal with the situation. By the time hundreds of thousands of troops arrived, they discovered that the Anxi army had already retreated.

At this point, the admonition from the Emperor of the Central Empire finally arrived, belatedly. Responding through a messenger from the country's envoy to the capital, His Majesty the Emperor warned the Tsar to watch his tongue, lest he bring trouble upon himself. His own domestic affairs were in disarray; why try to meddle in the affairs of the Americas?

This incident caused a strong shock to European countries. Was the emperor of the Central Empire really that temperamental?

This war lasted for three months, and because it was chosen to start in the spring, it dealt a huge blow to the economy of southern Russia.

Large numbers of livestock were abducted, and many official buildings were destroyed.

Following this battle, the Tsar, enraged, announced the severance of diplomatic relations and expelled our envoy. The Central Empire retaliated in kind, simultaneously announcing military aid to Turkey.

The scale of this aid was not large, consisting of only two cruisers. These are the newest in Europe, but are considered old models that are disliked by the navy in China.

The Turkish Pasha readily accepted the offer, which was free. In addition to expressing gratitude, he agreed to allow the Central Empire's telecommunications company to establish a telegraph line within the Ottoman Empire, passing through Anxi to Persia and then to Istanbul. When the Turkish Pasha first communicated with Li Wan via telegram, his expression was filled with awe. The advanced level of the Central Empire once again shocked Europe.

As the Central Empire shifted its course, a large number of European students entered the Central Empire to study. Most chose to stay, while a few returned home, which accelerated the development of science and technology in Europe.

By this time, Britain and France had also figured out the principles of the telegraph, and they began laying telegraph lines. Several years later, a line connected London and Paris, and after connecting to other European countries, it reached Istanbul. In the first half of the 19th century, the world entered the telegraph age. Countries could now communicate via telegraph.

In the Americas, there was a ceasefire, but no borders were demarcated. This time, it wasn't the US's idea, but Li Yu's. In this war, Li Yu's south gained more territory. In contrast, Jia Zhi's north only occupied the area around the Great Lakes and the central upper reaches of the continent. Ultimately, a system of appeasement was adopted, meaning they were allowed autonomy and didn't even have to pay taxes.

This move was quite misleading. It was already a loose federation, and after seeing the treatment of the central states, the lords of the other states couldn't help but think, "I can do that too."

The federal government's finances were in dire straits, with a large number of bonds issued in Europe being forced to be delayed and defaulted on. The federal economy plummeted, the government budget was put on hold, and a shutdown ensued.

The war, painstakingly prepared over many years and meticulously planned to dominate the Americas, ended up with the opposite result.

The war brought considerable benefits to the British, who made a fortune by cultivating cotton extensively in India.

As for the famine in India caused by reduced food production, that's nothing to worry about. The Queen can't see it, the Prime Minister can't see it, and the Governor-General certainly can't see it.

If this happened in any era in China, it would be a disservice to the example set by Chen Sheng and Wu Guang if it didn't spread across several provinces. But in India, everything is fine. So what if a few million people starve to death? Tens of thousands starve to death every day—is that really surprising? It's quite astonishing!
People place their hopes on the afterlife, and then they win. This logic creates a perfect closed loop!
Scary, isn't it? This isn't made up; in reality, tens of millions starved to death in Bangladesh, yet no one rebelled. Hinduism is truly amazing!
When he was in India, he truly lived up to his name as a troublemaker.

As European countries gradually industrialized, Britain and France, as the leaders, devoted themselves to developing colonies in Africa. Belgium also got a share of the pie, while other countries were slower to arrive and could only get a small portion.

The great Queen Victoria was unable to obtain sufficient markets and benefits from the Middle Empire, which diminished her greatness considerably.

From Jia Lian's perspective, the reason the Central Empire's army didn't loot Buckingham Palace was because they were too kind.

Yes, the difference is quite significant, mainly due to population limitations. Although the current Central Empire already has a staggering population.

1841 was a significant year for Jia Lian, but for others it held a different meaning: Jia Lian finally withdrew from the cabinet.

Fei Yun, who was fifteen years younger than Jia Lian, became the Grand Secretary, but he looked older than Jia Lian.

As for Jia Lian, he was seventy years old, but apart from his gray hair, he still looked ruddy-faced.

After retiring, Jia Lian was hired as a professor at Peking University and specially opened a course on international politics.

Jia Lian politely declined this offer, saying that he wanted to start a nationwide tour while he was still able to travel and see the world, so that he wouldn't be unable to travel in the future.

Zhang Zhuzi died a few years before Jia Lian, and his son Zhang Xiaozhu took over his position, becoming Jia Lian's constant attendant.

Despite the fact that several members of this family have become generals, they still insist on occupying Jia Lian's place as his personal attendant.

Wang Xifeng needed someone to help her walk, so she naturally couldn't go along. Daiyu and Baochai were also too old to go out and have fun with Jia Lian.

The three elderly women gathered together and asked Jia Lian to write a letter every time he went to a place, reporting what he had seen and heard, as if Jia Lian was going to see the beautiful landscape on their behalf.

Jia Lian made a plan: starting from the capital, he would first go to Luoyang, and then transfer to Chang'an.

Jia Lian only brought two attendants with him on this trip. They traveled by train, getting off at each station to visit and stay for a couple of days.

When Jia Lian boarded the train, the entire cabinet came to see him off. Fei Yun looked quite energetic, with a relaxed expression, and finally managed to outlast Jia Lian.

In fact, it was Jia Lian who took the initiative to request retirement. Emperor Li Wan kept him, applying for retirement every year and being persuaded to stay every year. This time, Jia Lian insisted on retiring no matter what, and although Li Wan was reluctant, he still agreed.

Speaking of which, Emperor Li Wan was already over fifty years old.

Before parting, Fei Yun expressed his envy of Jia Lian, saying that at his age, he could still travel around and see the world, while others, even if they wanted to, couldn't.

Jia Lian laughed heartily and waved goodbye.

With his departure, the officialdom of the capital felt as if dawn had broken, and everyone felt much more relaxed. It was strange, though; when Jia Lian was in office, everyone was tense. There was always a powerful figure sitting above them, impossible to ignore. Moreover, he was not someone to be trifled with; if you really misbehaved, he would really punish you.

The cabinet felt this most strongly, experiencing a mix of relief and tension. During Jia Lian's tenure, although he was no longer responsible for specific matters, he maintained a firm grasp of the overall direction, leading to rapid national development.

As of last year, including Anxi and other parts of Southeast Asia, the total population of the country exceeded 600 million.

This number is terrifying for the entire world. It's important to understand that population means manpower, the foundation of military mobilization capabilities.

If it were an agricultural country, it wouldn't be so bad, but it happens to be the world's largest industrial power, which is quite alarming.

European countries are now openly discussing the "Yellow Peril" theory, but privately they are doing so. Germany, in particular, which has completed German unification, is a strong advocate of this theory.

Though Britain didn't say it aloud, that was exactly what they were thinking. They didn't dare say it outright because they were afraid of India being attacked, but they were even more afraid of the Middle Kingdom entering Africa.

However, the Central Empire's vision always seemed to be fixed on the other side of the ocean. They knew what was good there, but the cabinet ministers, whenever this topic came up, would always mention Jia Lian's emphasis: If any major power in the world could threaten the Central Empire, it would only be the emergence of a foreign superpower across the ocean, or the northern neighbor.

This argument resonates deeply because European countries are generally too small. Small means few resources, and without resources, even the best industry is a lame duck.

The current Central Empire has supported a vassal state across the ocean that shares the same language and culture, effectively suppressing one of the threats. The remaining threat is the north. Fortunately, the Northern Empire is still quite backward, clinging desperately to the serf system, and its industrial level remains relatively low.

In the first half of the 19th century, the Northern Empire remained largely unchanged, with only limited industrial development. Meanwhile, in Europe, stimulated by the Central Empire, industry experienced rapid growth.

Especially in the military industry, European countries have caught up rapidly. If another war breaks out, they will no longer be able to maintain a generational lead in military equipment.

In the eyes of European nations, the Central Empire was already building ironclad warships—a development speed that was truly disheartening. Fortunately, this country was relatively mild-mannered and didn't plunder the world. However, in terms of industrial goods, Europe had always been suppressed, especially in the traditional three commodities: tea, silk, and porcelain. For other products, Europe simply couldn't enter the Central Empire's market and had to guard against the entry of Central Empire products.

Industrial products from the Middle Empire still entered the European market, especially machinery and equipment. Every time Europeans made a technological breakthrough, the Middle Empire would drastically reduce prices and dump its products.

European countries erected tariff barriers to block products from the central empire and protect their domestic industries. However, they couldn't stop machinery and equipment; buying was always better than making it themselves.

Jia Lian's first stop was Baoding. After getting off the train, he tried some baked flatbread and heard a story about which family's baked flatbread was the most authentic.

When Jia Lian arrived in Luoyang, he had been there before, but never had the chance to see it properly. This time, he spent a few days visiting the Eight Scenic Spots of Luoyang.

On the summit of Mangshan Mountain, Jia Lian looked at the grave and sighed, "How many Luoyang shovels must this have attracted!"
After traveling from Luoyang to Guanzhong, I made a special trip to see Lantian jade. There's really not much left now. I can't imagine how the phrase "Lantian jade emits smoke in the warm sun" came about.

(End of this chapter)