Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 747 Getting stronger with old age
Why are Europe called the great powers? It's because their strengths were roughly equal.

The British Prime Minister proposed that, given the current world order, the Middle Kingdom and Great Britain should join forces to ensure world peace, and suggested signing a bilateral agreement.

In other words, disputes between the two countries should be resolved through dialogue under any circumstances. It's clear that the British genuinely care about India.

Regardless, with such a large population, people are a resource in themselves. The British couldn't understand why the University of Tokyo didn't want that area.

In fact, if you look closely at the map, you'll find that we've occupied all the most fertile land in Asia, which is why we've been able to produce such a large population.

Places like Southeast Asia were not suitable for farming in ancient times; they only became suitable for farming after industrialization.

Putting aside other issues, malaria alone can be fatal. Many African countries are ravaged by malaria, and before quinine was discovered, Europeans dared not go there.

With the discovery of quinine and the availability of antimalarial drugs from Tokyo University, European countries did indeed accelerate their colonization of Africa.

It's not like the British can't go to Asia anymore, they have nothing to do, and they can only struggle against the black guys in Africa.

Otherwise, why would Jia Lian have been able to persuade China to colonize North America? It's because of the abundance of arable land. As for India, the people weren't suitable, and the British had already gone there.

Such arguments are not very convincing; they are simply what Jia Lian said, and others believe them.

Jia Lian agreed to the British suggestion, believing that it was best to avoid war if possible.

The two countries were not actually of equal strength, but Jia Lian was able to represent the emperor and sign the treaty with Britain.

The general idea is to respect the interests of both sides and resolve conflicts peacefully through dialogue. As for bilateral trade, well, that's just how it is – it continues as before.

This treaty is practically meaningless; it's just that all the major powers have signed it, and Britain has to have one too. Let's hope it doesn't turn out like Austria-Hungary, where Jia Lian wasn't even invited to a meeting.

It's not that Jia Lian looks down on Austria-Hungary; among industrialized countries, they could only bully Italy.

Following the issuance of the joint statement, the focus of everyone's attention was on resolving the conflict through dialogue, with various countries expressing their love for peace.

It's not acceptable to say no, because Europeans are currently embroiled in numerous legal disputes and busy with internal struggles.

The most intense conflict involved France and Prussia. Jia Lian signed agreements with both countries, but the details were not made public.

Without seeing the details, who wouldn't worry that the other side has colluded with the University of Tokyo, preparing for war to target them? They are two countries that are inherently at odds with each other.

One side wanted to unify Germany, while the other wanted to destroy it.

Jia Lian was very uncomfortable staying in England, especially in London, that awful place, where the weather was just too much.

After resting for a few days, I plan to return to China.

People from all over the world admire Jia Lian's good health; at eighty years old, he can still travel all over the world, with two beautiful women by his side.

The long journey was indeed arduous, but Jia Lian was in excellent health; no matter how tired he was, he would recover after two days of rest.

It's amazing how cheaters can be so powerful!
Before Jia Lian could even get some rest, a fight broke out between the two sides, and a major battle was inevitable.

Now Jia Lian wasn't in a hurry to leave. Since he was already here, he couldn't miss out on the excitement.

The war between the two countries was no different from the past; as in history, Napoleon III was a military idiot.

From Jia Lian's perspective, this war was fought inexplicably and lost inexplicably, completely outside of logic.

Whenever a conflict is to be launched, the first consideration must be whether it can be won; the French had an inexplicable overconfidence. They seemed to believe that as long as they launched an offensive, everything would be fine and the war would end quickly.

In contrast, Germany's plans were meticulous and its preparations thorough. Even though its equipment was inferior, its military execution far surpassed that of France.

Perhaps because European countries were relatively small, there wasn't much room for maneuver in their wars; they had to engage in direct confrontations. Therefore, European countries were very reliant on decisive battles.

In contrast, the East has a vast territory and deep battlefields, allowing for a greater variety of tactics. Moreover, its long history provides a diverse range of battle examples.

Therefore, when you look at the war history of Europe, it is often described as a certain battle.

This time was no exception; after the French army was surrounded, Napoleon III surrendered. Hundreds of thousands of elite troops were completely annihilated.

The people of the old Paris districts dared not act again, and this time they launched a major operation, establishing the Paris Commune.

To be honest, as an observer, Jia Lian believes that regardless of success or failure, the greatness of the Paris Commune must be acknowledged. Those heroes who died for the Paris Commune deserve respect.

They are the light that illuminates humanity's progress!
Future generations will surely remember them in the darkest of times.

Heaven have mercy, the more than one hundred years of darkness in modern China, the long night, gave birth to a constellation of shining stars. The morning star is the brightest, but the light of the other stars is just as dazzling.

And you know what? In the old districts of Paris, whenever something happened, the people would take to the streets.

However, those later street protests were more of an emotional outburst, an unconscious act without any organized plan.

I'll say it again: Europe has really been spoiled. As an ordinary person, I'm quite envious of the time when they were spoiled. That must have been really great!
We're still struggling for a two-day weekend, while others are already asking for four or even three days a week.

Europe ended up in such a mess because of its system. Politicians would promise anything for votes. What does a nation's economic problems have to do with personal interests?
The people elected later were not politicians, but actors and politicians.

We, who have received a free education, know that politics is a very serious matter, and that officials must have governance capabilities and rich experience.

This is common sense in the minds of Chinese people.

When I finally opened my eyes and looked at the world, I was stunned! What kind of garbage were these people who were elected?!

Can these insects govern the country?
Churchill said that this system was not the best, but it was the least bad.

This statement sounds reasonable, but upon closer inspection, it's utter bullshit. No matter which option is chosen, it doesn't stop capitalists from making money.

The concept of a deep government is already a consensus in Europe and America.

What can a ballot represent? Calling it a sacred ballot? That's a joke!

William I, pleased with himself, sent an invitation to Jalian to attend his coronation ceremony.

Jia Lian naturally couldn't go, as it would offend France too much, so he feigned illness.

After the Franco-Prussian War ended, Jia Lian was about to return to China. Before his departure, a reporter asked him to talk about the Franco-Prussian War.

After a moment of silence, Jia Lian answered the reporter's question: The Germans won, but they also sowed the seeds for the next war.

France, having ceded territory and paid reparations, was not about to give up. They were quietly preparing for the next war to avenge their humiliation.

Speaking of World War I, let's leave aside the nature of the war itself. The mentality of people in various countries at the time was quite bizarre; everyone felt the war would end quickly. Soldiers went to war happily. If this was merely absurd, then something even more outrageous was the so-called White Feather Movement.

Some behaviors that seem immoral in our moral framework are prevalent in Europe and have a long history.

Back then, there were quite a few French women who made a fortune by earning pensions! During the Russo-Ukrainian War, there were even people online teaching how to scam pensions.

Isn't that outrageous? The version even has an evolution. The White Feathers originated in France, and later France produced Simone de Beauvoir, who, because of her affair with Sartre, is still highly regarded in China.

This woman is a traitor; she idolizes Mustache.

During that messy accusation, I was truly shocked that several university social media accounts actually reposted Simone de Beauvoir's remarks.

To reiterate, politics is a very serious matter, and war is a continuation of politics. Don't resort to shouting for war at the drop of a hat; that's just venting emotions and won't solve anything.

Even the war between Russia and Russia only started because Russia was cornered.

Do they really think the Emperor wants to fight? They're just powerless to do anything about it. Do they really think the three Standing Committee members are insignificant?
After Jia Lian's comments were reprinted by major European media outlets, various interpretations emerged.

The most common interpretation is that this stemmed from Jia Lian's goodwill, hoping that there would be no more wars in Europe.

There are also some niche interpretations that suggest Jia Lian was subtly instigating and creating conflict.

Jia Lian stated, "In all honesty, given the situation in Europe, is there any need for instigation?"

Europe is a breeding ground for venomous creatures; they won't stop until they've thoroughly humiliated us.

This is not to say that Europeans enjoyed war, but rather that the contradictions between capitalist countries were irreconcilable. Especially at this stage, fighting was inevitable for the sake of colonies and markets.

Sometimes you have to admire the confidence of Europeans. What makes them think that once a war breaks out, it will end quickly?
A country that becomes accustomed to military adventures and neglects its internal strength will suffer serious consequences.

The most typical example is Japan. Even now, after the end of World War II, they still kneel before their fathers. They can be manipulated at will, arranged however they want. Just tell them what posture you want, and Japan will do it itself.

In the current situation, Dongda University is focusing on improving its internal capabilities and taking care of its own affairs.

From Jia Lian's perspective, the current world order is complex, and the central empire has many problems. However, as long as the court still has the ability to reform the bureaucracy, the country can still be saved.

While in London, I received a series of reports from home that after dealing with the royal family and their relatives, His Highness the Crown Prince was now turning his attention to the cabinet and various ministries.

Two cabinet ministers resigned, the reason being simple: they were implicated by their families. One could only say that the emperor gave the cabinet ministers face by allowing them to resign.

Before the cabinet could fill the vacancies, they then targeted the ministers of various departments.

Upon seeing the report, Jia Lian couldn't help but sigh, "The Crown Prince is a ruthless man."

This is a good thing.

The more prosperous a country is, the longer it has enjoyed peace and stability, the more necessary it is to rectify its internal affairs.

If peace lasts too long, internal problems are bound to arise. Problems aren't the problem; the problem is the inability to solve them.

Like the late Ming Dynasty, Emperor Chongzhen dealt with so many officials but couldn't solve any problems. He was truly miserable.

However, the late Ming Dynasty was an exception. Those decades weren't just a period of decline for the Ming Dynasty; Europe fared even worse. A volcanic eruption caused temperatures to drop several degrees Celsius, leading to widespread crop failures and coinciding with the Little Ice Age. These problems came one after another, and given the Ming Dynasty's system and structure, it was truly impossible to resolve them.

Of course, a very important reason for this outcome was that scoundrel Wanli. To spite his officials, he left official positions vacant for a long time.

There is no such thing as a vacuum when it comes to power; as soon as a loophole appears, forces will intervene.

One viewpoint suggests that the gentry betrayed the imperial court, and this statement is not far-fetched; it has considerable merit.

Geographically speaking, the south, with its less arable land and more fragmented territory, was indeed less militarily capable than the north. However, in the late Ming Dynasty, there was truly little resistance.

The Southern Ming Dynasty did something quite outrageous: it attempted to unite with the Manchus to eliminate Li Zicheng.

Once the country enters a situation like that at the end of the Ming Dynasty, if there are no external enemies, Li Zicheng will rule the country; if there are external enemies, it will be ruled by foreign ethnic groups. It is impossible to expect the gentry to resist.

The gentry even reminisced about the tax farming system of the Yuan Dynasty and hoped that the Qing Dynasty would implement the same system.

As a result, the Qing dynasty declared, "Want to avoid paying taxes? Then the knife will come down."

Sometimes when I read the history of the Southern Ming Dynasty, one sentence really gets stuck in my mind: those people were despicable!

These people were the elite of the era! If they led the way in surrendering, how could we expect the general public to spontaneously organize and resist?
Under any circumstances, a nation must have the ability to resolve its internal problems!

D is facing the problem of being unable to solve internal issues, so he keeps trying to fix external problems, but to no avail.

Internal problems have always existed, and the result of repeated infighting could potentially involve fifty countries!
On the other hand, we have consistently emphasized good governance and have the capability to rectify it. That's the difference.

Therefore, the so-called G2 is something that Americans genuinely believe in, just like Rome did back then because they did.

Our situation is different. Unification is an inevitable trend, and anyone who obstructs it is a traitor to the nation and a sinner against history.

On his way back, Jia Lian did not receive any telegram notification.

After three months at sea, the new warship finally returned to Guangzhou, at which point it received another notification.

The Emperor expressed his approval of Jia Lian's return via telegram, and also informed Jia Lian that His Highness the Crown Prince's efforts to rectify official conduct were still ongoing.

In the past period, four ministers and twenty-two officials of the third rank or above have been disciplined.

The outcome of the cases was relatively acceptable; the officials all resigned voluntarily, and the court saved face. However, the punishments for officials below the third rank were much more severe.

Of course, the investigation is still ongoing. The first batch of final results has been released, with a total of thirty relatives of the emperor and members of the imperial clan being exiled. The charges against them were all corruption and embezzlement of large sums of public funds.

Jia Lian only learned the specific details when he returned to the capital and received a report sent by the emperor.

Last year, the country's tax revenue was 800 million silver dollars. The cases involving the maternal relatives and members of the imperial family totaled 1 billion silver dollars, of which 500 million silver dollars could be recovered, and the remaining half could not be recovered.

No wonder the Crown Prince was so ruthless. If any emperor were in that situation, he would have to be ruthless too if so much money disappeared.

Jia Lian was exempted from going to the palace to report on his duties, as it was a temporary assignment. However, Jia Lian still dragged his tired body into the palace to meet the Emperor.

The emperor looked at Jia Lian and sighed, "You are truly vigorous for your age!"

(End of this chapter)