I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 348 Zhang Chun's Pie-in-the-Sky
...

Seeing Li Lin, Ye Shiyun, Ma Xiaojiao, and Yuan Qingcheng looking at her like she was an idiot, even Zhang Chun, who had a thick skin, couldn't help but blush.

Zhang Chun knew that Li Lin and the other three were treating her like a clown.

Ok.

Zhang Chun also admitted that she had spoken too boldly.

On the surface, their men only have one continent, while the five women in the harem of feudal society want to divide six continents. It's a bit like a toad yawning, or even a bit presumptuous.

But since she dared to say such a thing, she must have her reasons.

Faced with the four women's mockery, Zhang Chun asked calmly, "What, don't you want a continent?"

Ma Xiaojiao was the first to say, "Don't count me in, I absolutely don't have that ability."

Ye Shiyun then said, "Don't count me in either. Conquering the world is the most troublesome thing. I'll just be a freeloader."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chun looked at Li Lin and Yuan Qingcheng and asked, "What about you two?"

Although Yuan Qingcheng had realized that Zhang Chun probably had ulterior motives, she still said, "I have no such intention."

When it was Li Lin's turn, Li Lin said to Zhang Chun, "Conquering the world and governing the world are not the same thing. Don't be fooled by the things we've done over the years. The Song Dynasty is what it is today mainly because of the Emperor and all the civil and military officials. If you gave us a small country, we might not be able to govern it well, let alone a few continents. So don't be ridiculous."

Ma Xiaojiao and Yuan Qingcheng exchanged a glance. They saw in each other's eyes, "It has to be Sister Lin. Her resolve is sound. Even if the secret of the official family being time travelers is revealed in the future, she'll probably be fine."

Unexpectedly, Zhang Chun ignored Li Lin and instead confirmed with the four women: "So, none of you are interested in ruling a continent?"

Although the four women could tell that Zhang Chun was using tricks on them again, they still nodded, not wanting to control a territory or even an entire continent, and quietly watched Zhang Chun perform.

Having gotten the answer she wanted, Zhang Chun said, "In that case, I want the whole of America."

Before the four women could speak, Zhang Chun continued, "When the Emperor bestows titles, I plan to send all my sons to the Americas, as well as the sons of the concubines who follow me in the harem. As for the rest, I will select some incompetent princes and send them to the Americas. Given time, my sons will surely be able to unify these two continents."

Listen to the sound of speaking, and listen to the sound of gongs and drums.

Zhang Chun had already revealed his true intentions, so how could the four women not understand? Zhang Chun meant to advise them not to send their sons, especially the more capable ones like Zhao Di, Zhao Cun, Zhao Qing, Zhao Xing, and Zhao Sheng, to the Americas, as they would become stumbling blocks to Zhang Chun's son's future unification of the two continents.

The four women all thought to themselves, "Zhang Chunzhen has such great ambitions."

North America has an area of ​​approximately 2422.8 million square kilometers, and South America has an area of ​​approximately 1784 million square kilometers, with a total area of ​​approximately 4206.8 million square kilometers.

The total area of ​​the Song Dynasty today, which is: the original area of ​​the Northern Song Dynasty + the Hehuang region + the entire territory of Western Xia + the Yanyun region + the Pingluanying three prefectures + half of the Liaodong region + Ryukyu (excluding Southeast Asia and China), is about four to five million square kilometers.

Zhang Chun wanted a territory that was roughly ten times the size of the present-day Song Dynasty!
What is this concept?
The Mongol Empire (at its peak in the 13th century, including the four Khanates) controlled an area that stretched from the Danube River basin in Europe (near Hungary and Austria) in the west to the Sea of ​​Japan in the east, from the Arctic Circle in Siberia in the north to the Mekong River basin and the Indus River basin in Southeast Asia in the south. It was one of the largest empires in human history in terms of continuous territory, but it was only 3300-3400 million square kilometers.

The British Empire reached its territorial peak around 1921, at which time its largest controlled area covered approximately 24% of the world's land area, including the British mainland, Canada, Australia, India (including present-day Pakistan and Bangladesh), South Africa, Egypt, Malaysia, and other major regions. Its territory spanned all continents except Antarctica. It was named the "Empire on which the sun never sets" because "the sun always shines on its territory," but it only covered 3400 million to 3550 million square kilometers.

Throughout human history, at least up to the time before Zhao Yu and the five women traveled through time, there had never been a super-large empire with more than 40 million square kilometers.

Zhang Chun actually wanted to create a powerful empire with an area exceeding that of the Great Mongol Empire and the British Empire; his ambition was truly unparalleled.

Seeing the four women staring at her speechlessly, Zhang Chun said unhappily, "Is there something on my face that you're all staring at me like that?"

Li Lin said, "We don't have any flowers, but we want to know what you're really thinking. You don't actually believe that your sons can unify the Americas and turn it into the largest empire in history, do you?"

Zhang Chun countered, "Why not?"

Ye Shiyun said calmly, "Then tell us the possibility, tell us, how can your sons compare to the Guan family, Genghis Khan, or those British guys?"

"Fine, I'll say it."

Zhang Chun said bluntly: "First of all, my son is not comparing himself with the emperor, Genghis Khan, or the British, let alone competing with them. Instead, he is competing with the primitive and backward Native Americans for the Americas. Our Song Dynasty's weapons and equipment are far superior to those Native Americans. As long as my son is not useless, defeating the Native Americans on the American mainland will definitely not be a problem."

The four women were speechless.

From the perspective of objective historical facts and current conditions, Zhang Chun's idea was not entirely divorced from reality. Its core logic was based on the gap between civilizations and the overwhelming advantage of technology, which is supported by clear facts.

First, there is the objective situation of the Native Americans.

Whether it was the Iroquois Confederation and Sioux tribes of North America, or the Aztec and Inca Empires of South America, despite their unique innovations in agriculture and calendar systems, they were generally still in a primitive tribal or early slave-owning stage. Their weapons were primarily stone axes, wooden spears, and bone arrows. While some civilizations possessed bronze smelting technology, they did not widely adopt iron tools, nor did they have a systematic ability to forge metal weapons. Their warfare relied heavily on large-scale tribal gatherings and human wave tactics, lacking unified command and tactical coordination, making them unable to mount effective resistance against organized armed forces. Historically, in the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors destroyed the Aztec and Inca Empires with only a few hundred men, not only by exploiting internal conflicts among the indigenous populations, but more importantly, by the absolute superiority of firearms and steel weapons.

This could be achieved even with the existing weapons of the Song Dynasty.

The Great Song Dynasty's divine crossbow had a range of 300 paces, far exceeding that of the Native American bows and arrows; the bed crossbow could penetrate thick wooden armor, and dealing with the Native American leather armor was as easy as taking candy from a baby; even basic armored infantry formations could crush the Native American charge wielding primitive weapons with their superior protection.

If more cavalry were sent over, they would be able to crush the Native Americans even more.

Moreover, the Song Dynasty has now entered the early stages of the Industrial Revolution and already possesses powerful firearms, capable of destroying the earthen and stone structures of the Native Americans. Furthermore, the Song Dynasty's train technology has reached a preliminary stage of maturity, and automobiles will likely be available within a few years. This makes the efficiency of material supply and troop deployment far exceed that of the Native Americans in the Americas.

This technological gap is not a matter of "strength or weakness," but rather a "difference in the level of civilization"—just as an Iron Age army, facing a Stone Age tribe, possesses an all-around advantage in weapons, logistics, and organizational capabilities, which is enough to offset the difference in numbers.

More importantly, the feasibility of the colonial model is crucial.

If Zhao Yu were to enfeoff his sons to the Americas, the essence of the matter would be to establish a foothold in the Americas and gradually expand it, relying on the technology and resources of the Song Dynasty.

Native American tribes were scattered and lacked unity, making it difficult to form a unified resistance force; while Song Dynasty immigrants could use advanced tools to cultivate land and build fortifications, while using firearms to deter the surrounding areas, gradually expanding their sphere of influence to the entire continent.

Historically, European colonists completed the colonization of the Americas in a few centuries with far fewer manpower than the Song Dynasty could have invested. The Song Dynasty, with its more mature centralized system and earlier industrial base, would have made the process faster and smoother.

Most importantly, at this time, Europe had not yet begun the Age of Exploration, and the Americas were relatively isolated, allowing the Song Dynasty to exclusively enjoy the colonial benefits of this "New World".

Therefore, from the perspectives of technology, strength, and objective environment, Zhang Chun's plan, though extremely ambitious, is not a castle in the air; it is essentially an inevitable result of the generational gap in civilization.

Zhang Chun continued, “There is one thing you have not understood. That is, I am not opposed to the Emperor. My son is also the Emperor’s son. If my son can unify the Americas, then the Emperor will unify the Americas. At least while the Emperor is alive, that will definitely be the case. What reason does the Emperor have not to support my son?”

Zhang Chun didn't hide it from the four women, nor could she. The key was that she needed their help, so she spoke up: "My son's greatest enemy isn't from outside, but from internal competition. The Emperor surely understands this. While he was alive, he could control his sons in the Americas and other regions, preventing them from fighting amongst themselves and annexing each other. But after his death, no one will be able to control them anymore. At that time, they will inevitably annex each other, just like during the Warring States period, eventually becoming several powerful states, or even a unified superpower."

At this point, Zhang Chun paused, then continued slowly, "The world, after a long period of division, tends to unite; after a long period of unity, tends to divide. We Chinese have discovered a new continent, and it will inevitably follow the historical trajectory of China..."

Zhang Chun meant that, from a historical perspective, the Song Dynasty's occupation of the Americas at this time would inevitably follow the pattern of "division and unification" in Chinese history.

The initial stage will inevitably resemble the Spring and Autumn Period.

The princes who were enfeoffed in the Americas, though each ruling their own territory, all regarded the Song Dynasty as their common ruler. They established their bases by relying on the technology and institutions of the Song Dynasty, nominally obeying the Song Dynasty's calendar and paying tribute, but internally maintaining relative independence.

This is similar to the situation during the Spring and Autumn Period when the feudal lords respected the Zhou royal family but ruled independently. On the one hand, the strong power and cultural cohesion of the Song Dynasty were the core of maintaining order, and the feudal lords needed to use the name of the Song Dynasty to consolidate their rule in the Americas. On the other hand, the Americas were thousands of miles away from the Song Dynasty, and the actual control was limited. Each stronghold could only develop on its own, forming the prototype of separatism under the guise of "respecting the king".

As time went on, it inevitably entered the "Warring States" period.

As each stronghold proliferated over generations, its population grew, and its power expanded, the blood ties and emotional identification with the Song Dynasty gradually faded, while resource competition and territorial conflicts became increasingly prominent.

If the Song Dynasty is unable to intervene due to internal problems or distance, various forces will break away from the "respect for the Song" framework and attack and devour each other.

Those forces that occupy fertile lands and possess advanced technologies will gradually rise to power, forming regional hegemons like the Seven Warring States, forming alliances and rivalries, and engaging in a long-term struggle with the goal of unifying the Americas.

In this process, weaker forces will be annexed, eventually leaving only a few large countries of similar strength, which will then be embroiled in continuous wars and checks and balances.

Ultimately, it is highly likely that a scenario similar to "Qin conquering the six states" will occur.

In the course of prolonged warfare, one power may gradually acquire the strength to overwhelm other powers due to its more efficient system (such as a more comprehensive county system or stronger military mobilization capabilities), superior technology (such as being the first to adopt more advanced weapons or transportation methods), or the emergence of a leader with exceptional talent and vision. It will then eliminate its rivals one by one through military conquest and political integration, ultimately unifying the Americas and establishing a new, vast empire.

Although this empire originated from the enfeoffment of the Song Dynasty, it has become completely independent. Just as the Qin Dynasty replaced the Zhou Dynasty after unifying China, it became the new ruling core of the Americas, completing the cycle from "division" to "unity". This is both a continuation of the Chinese historical law of "unity after a long period of division" and an inevitable process of power restructuring after civilization expands to new territories.

Zhang Chun's idea was that since this process was inevitable, they should advise Zhao Yu in the early stages of the enfeoffment to enfeoff several powerful and capable princes, such as her sons, to the Americas, and then enfeoff those princes who were not as strong and capable to the Americas. In this way, if they fought each other in the future, they would not fight each other to the death because they were evenly matched.

Zhang Chun hoped the four women would support her and help her complete this plan.

Finally, Zhang Chun pretended to say to the four women, "Actually, you can also use this method to each occupy a continent. Sister Lin, you like war, so send all your sons to Europe. Qingcheng, you like peace and quiet, so send all your sons to Oceania. Jiaojiao's sons all go to Africa. Shiyun... anyway, you're too lazy to care, so just pick Antarctica to play with."

Zhang Chun knew that the four women didn't share her thoughts, nor were they willing to go through the same trouble as her. She said this only because she didn't want the four women to think that she was scheming against them.

At the same time, Zhang Chun was afraid that she might actually win over the four women.

So, after rambling on for a bit, Zhang Chun continued, "Let's not even talk about our ages in our previous lives. In this life alone, we're all over thirty. Sooner or later, some of us will grow old and lose our beauty. When that happens, will the Emperor still favor us? In my opinion, we should prepare a way out. If one day the Emperor really doesn't want us anymore, I'll take you to America to find a health resort, and we'll all become Empress Dowagers and live out our days in peace..."

……

(End of this chapter)