The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 877 Peace Dividend
Empress Tianshou received Kang Guangxu's delegation returning from Crimea at the Qianqing Palace.

The Prime Minister's trip west was a great success.

Not only did he bring back Defoe's newly published adventure novel Robinson Crusoe, but he also brought back the Yalta Agreement signed with representatives of four European countries.

Needless to say, the publication and distribution of "Robinson Crusoe" in China will become a model for cultural exchange between China and Britain.

The Yalta Agreement established a new Eurasian order after the split of Zemlya.

Simply put, Da Qi and the European countries redivided Luosha, each taking what they needed.

Global free trade will be guaranteed, and the war clouds hanging over Jakarta, Malacca and other places will dissipate.

Qi's foreign debt of tens of millions of taels of silver will also be forgiven.

More importantly, thanks to the efforts of Kang Guangxu and others, Da Qi was finally able to re-enter North America and get involved in the thirteen colonies established by the British Kingdom in North America.

Although the British were reluctant, King George and the British Parliament had to make concessions under the "Open Door" policy.

In addition, the Yalta Agreement allowed people from Qi to travel to European countries to freely engage in business, study, and preach (Buddhism and Taoism).

All countries must protect the personal and property safety of local Qi people.

In other words, as long as you have a Qi citizenship certificate, you can travel around the world freely today (the 1720s).

·····
From any perspective, the signing of the Yalta Agreement is a major benefit to Da Qi.

It should be noted that since Emperor Guangde ascended the throne, Da Qi has not expanded its borders for decades.

In the past twenty years, while European countries were frantically plundering colonies and expanding their territories, the territory of Da Qi not only did not grow, but instead continued to shrink.

The territory of the original 49 provinces, covering more than 15 million square kilometers, has shrunk to the current 33 provinces, covering less than 10 million square kilometers...

The Western Expedition Army's expansion west of the North Sea opened up thousands of miles of territory, greatly expanding the territory of Qi.

As a result, the land area of Da Qi once again ranked first in the world.

The whole country rejoiced.

With the disclosure of the contents of the Yalta Agreement, Kang Guangxu, the "Prime Minister of Peace" who returned from the Crimean Peninsula, suddenly became a figure like Wei Qing and Huo Qubing.

Even the usually quiet and inactive Queen of Da Qi was amazed at the Prime Minister's achievements in Yalta.

On the morning of May 8, the tenth year of Tianshou, the emperor held the text of the Yalta Agreement in his hands and loudly announced in front of all the ministers that this was "the first fair agreement signed between the Great Qi and the great powers since its founding."

Empress Tianshou then announced that she would reward the soldiers on the Western Expedition according to their merits, and at the same time conferred the title of Duke of Anxi on Prime Minister Kang Guangxu and awarded him 10,000 taels of silver.

Kang Guangxu thanked the emperor for his grace, but he was deeply terrified in his heart and there was no joy on his face.

The Prime Minister was originally a representative of the peace faction, but this time in Yalta he actually fulfilled the wishes of the war faction and showed an attitude of wanting to go to war with Europe.

Kang Guangxu was only forced by the situation, but the tough attitude he demonstrated in Crimea this time encouraged the warmongers in the country.

The future development of North America and the competition with the great powers will rely on the use of force.

Kang Guangxu was not worried about whether the Great Qi had sufficient martial virtue. What he was worried about was that the pro-war forces in the country would rise rapidly and occupy an important position in the court.

When the Great Qi was at its peak, Emperor Taizu Liu Zhaosun launched conquests everywhere, engaged in excessive military spending, killed many people, and caused great suffering to the people. As a result of karma, several generations of princes and grandchildren suffered a miserable end.

During the Wuding period, Kang Guangxu's grandfather, Kang Yingqian's entire family was almost wiped out.

The price of warmongering is indeed painful.

The fear and hatred of war have penetrated deep into Kang Guangxu's bones.

It was not until today that Kang Guangxu truly understood the family motto left by his grandfather:

Any descendant of our Kang family who instigates the king to expand borders recklessly will be killed, and after death he will not be allowed to enter the Kang family ancestral hall!
Amid the celebrations in the court, Kang Guangxu forced a smile.

Queen Tianshou still insisted on ruling by doing nothing.

Where will the future of Da Qi go?

War is like Pandora's box, once opened it is difficult to close.

~~~~~~~
The benefits that the war brought to Da Qi were far more than just expanding territory and colonizing North America.

In early July of the tenth year of Tianshou, the first batch of Rakshasa prisoners of war were escorted to the North Sea.

There were about three thousand Rakshasa prisoners, most of whom were strong laborers (the weaker ones had died on the way).

After arriving in the North Sea, the Rakshasa people were incorporated into the local reclamation group. After a short rest, they moved into the black swamp north of the North Sea and began to work hard.

The prisoners of war had to drain the swamps and reclaim land suitable for farming on them, on which they would plant crops such as potatoes, oats, rye, buckwheat, and corn.

Beihai has a cold temperate continental climate with long and cold winters. When there is heavy snow, it becomes a vast expanse just a few steps away.

Standing outside in the wilderness in the dead of winter, let alone working, even speaking one more word can freeze your lungs...
However, the Rakshasas were not naturally afraid of the cold—at least that's what the overseers said—and they had to dig for ten hours a day, with one day off a month. They ate black bread mixed with mud and slept in drafty thatched huts. Only on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the Holy Festival (Taizu's birthday), could they eat a little venison and fish.

Fortunately, most Rakshasas could not hold on until that time.

The cold wind brought drizzle, which hit the brim of Fan Huanghe's military hat, and soon wet the maple leaf wreath on the brim.

The climate in the North Sea is as strange as the face of an old evil monk. Just now there was a rustling autumn wind, but in a moment it was covered with dark clouds.

The guard pointed to the dark blue clouds rolling in from the north and said cautiously:

"Master Fan, a snowstorm is coming. Let's take shelter quickly. We can write the news back at camp."

Fan Huanghe nodded, waved his deerskin gloves, and flicked off the water on the brim of his hat.

"What about them? How long will it take?"

Fan Huanghe pointed to the Rakshasa captives who were working in the distance.

These people were unkempt and ragged, with chains on their hands and feet. Some of them were not even wearing shoes, struggling like donkeys in the swamp that was up to their ankles.

The land was wet everywhere.

The ground was so muddy that it seemed to be flooding the wasteland.

No matter how hard the Rakshasas tried to build dams and scoop water, the dripping water still seeped in from all directions.

Bad weather, muddy land, dark clouds, circling crows, skinny Rakshasas, harsh soldiers...
All of this made the reporters who came from Tianxin City very uncomfortable.

If it weren't for the desire to show the pacifists in Tianxin City the "goodwill" of the Beihai Protectorate towards the Rakshasa captives, and if it weren't for the desire to shut up those saints, Fan Huanghe wouldn't have endured this hardship and traveled thousands of miles to this barren land.

If he could choose, Fan Huanghe would rather follow Jiang Bailing's pioneering group to North America, to New York, to have afternoon tea with those British gentlemen and experience the blond and blue-eyed European style...
The guard in front of him, who was from Liaodong, was rude and brutal, and would whip the Rakshasa people at any time.

He ignored the hard-working Rakshasas in front of him and said with disdain: "Sir, the water in this land has not been drained, so they cannot rest."

"What should we do if someone freezes to death?"

"Rakshasa ghosts are not afraid of the cold. The Protectorate has a death quota of 10,000 people every year..."

The Liaodong guard realized that he had made a mistake and whispered:

"Sir, you can't write this down, or I'll lose my bonus this year."

Fan Huanghe was deeply shocked and said "oh" to himself.

Seeing that his commander seemed to be reluctant, the guards knew that he was sympathizing with the Rakshasa ghosts, so they accused the Rakshasa ghosts of various atrocities they had committed in Liaodong in the past.

"Don't look at them as pitiful now, they are all worthless. The bastards even eat human flesh! Back in Kuyi Island, they raped all the elderly, weak, women and children in several villages!"

"The imperial court is so kind as to give these idiots a chance to live. They're not even talking about labor reform, and you're even interviewing them... If I were to ask you, I'd rather just skin them and feed them to the bears!"

Fan Huanghe was too lazy to listen to the guard's chatter.

"Let's go."

"Yes, sir!"

The guards brought two horses.

"Master Fan, follow closely. There are swamps everywhere. If you are not careful, you and your horse will be in trouble."

Fan Huanghe jumped on his horse, lowered the brim of his hat, put away his compassion, and followed the guards.

The two men rode for a mile when the blizzard arrived as expected.

The wind howled and the earth and sky shook.

The heavy snow fell like broken scales and armor, which was a spectacular sight.

Fan Huanghe looked back and saw that the few Rakshasas who had been working hard in the swamp had disappeared, submerged in the wind and snow.

The reporter from Tianxin City felt a slight tremor in his heart and consoled himself:
This may be the peace dividend.

He waved his whip and galloped towards the warm and bright camp in the distance.

~~~~~~~
In mid-December of the tenth year of Tianshou, Jiang Bailing led the North American development group from Nagasaki Port in Japan, crossed the Pacific Ocean, and headed for North America.

According to the agreement reached between Da Qi and the four countries of Britain, France, the Netherlands and Switzerland, the area east of the Ural Mountains became part of Da Qi's territory.

Of the 13 colonies in North America, stretching from the Atlantic coast in the east to the Appalachian Mountains in the west, two colonies will belong to Da Qi.

Specifically:
Massachusetts, New Hampshire.

(End of this chapter)