The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

Comrades, the greatest loss of population occurs when two forces fight each other. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Hunan Army, and the Chu Army lost 100 million people in China. The Tongzhi Hui Rebellion also caused the loss of tens of millions of people in northwest China. How horrible is that?

Based on historical facts, we can foresee that when the Qing Dynasty fell, due to the obstruction of mountains and rivers, a situation of local separatism would inevitably emerge. As for the size and strength of these separatist forces, it will depend on the specific circumstances in the future. However, one thing is certain: we must not give these local forces the opportunity to grow stronger or to engage in fierce battles with us, otherwise it will inevitably lead to a significant loss of China's vitality.

Here's another question: After the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the Qin Dynasty unified China, but it perished in its second generation. The Jin Dynasty's unification lasted only eleven years before it fell apart again. The Sui Dynasty, after unifying the country, also perished in its second generation. After the Yuan Dynasty unified the country, its fortunes were replaced by the Ming Dynasty within a century. So, after the Qing Dynasty's demise, would a short-lived unified regime also emerge? And could that regime be us? This is a question everyone should ponder.

The reason why Zhang Ying and Zhang Hao said this was that in their previous life, a short-lived dynasty really appeared after the demise of the Qing Dynasty. History was so strikingly similar, so Zhang Yinghao naturally had to give his comrades a heads-up early on.

"So, comrades, after the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty, war will undoubtedly break out. This is an inevitable fact. This war will inevitably affect every corner of China, and no one will be spared. What should we do? Naturally, we should take the initiative to unify the country as soon as possible, so that the people can suffer less. All of this depends on the work performance of the comrades."

"Comrades, if you perform well in your work, we will have more soldiers and generals, more grain warehouses, and ammunition, and we will be able to unify the country sooner. If you do not perform well in your work, then the pace of our unification will be slowed down. Soldiers will have to sacrifice more, the people will suffer more, and countless variables will be added, which may even lead to the intervention of the great powers. What do you think we should do?"

"Chairman, we must unify the world as soon as possible."

"Yes. We must unify the world as soon as possible."

Zhang Yinghao smiled and said, "I'm very happy that everyone is confident. They say that raising issues without solving them is useless. So what should we do? Who will speak up?"

"Chairman, please don't keep us in suspense. We can't wait to hear so many people have died."

"Yes, Mr. Chairman, how could we have avoided so much killing? It's really tragic."

"Okay, I'll get straight to the point. First, there's the issue of industry. Everyone knows about the British bombardment of Wanxian last time. The way to deal with cannons is to produce bigger, better, and more cannons than the enemy. The best way to deal with industrial countries is to develop industry and become an industrial country yourself. Industry can create material wealth in a short period of time that was unimaginable in the agricultural era. We must rely on our industrial advantages and use the products of industry to defeat the Qing Dynasty and the subsequent local forces, unify China as soon as possible, and then unite the whole country to resist the interference of the great powers."

"The second is ideological preparation. All Party members and cadres must adhere to Party discipline and the four obediences. Every Party member must learn to use our three magic weapons: we must implement the system of democratic centralism, we must uphold the land revolution through nationalization of land, we must adhere to the socialist path, we must uphold the people's democratic dictatorship, we must uphold Marxism, and we must study the articles I have written."

"The third is the organizational aspect. Let's see, the Qin Dynasty was destroyed because it went against the times and did not continue to develop productivity. Then in the Han Dynasty, the greatest contribution of the Han Dynasty was not the salt and iron monopoly system, but the creation of the "Han" ethnic group. As long as there are people who consider themselves to be Han people, then there are so many crises in history, and several times they almost destroyed the country and the race, and in the end they still survived tenaciously. In many cases, it was because of the words "Han nationality" and "Han people". If the Qin Dynasty had not been destroyed, concepts such as "Qin people" and "Qin tribe" would definitely appear in history, and "Tang people" actually mean the same thing.

Let's talk about the ruling class and social classes during the Qin and Han dynasties. During the Qin and Han dynasties, the ruling class did not take the people seriously. There is a saying that goes: The emperor shepherds the people and tours the four directions, or shepherds the people on behalf of the emperor. This means that the people are like livestock and need the emperor's management. This is why Qin Shihuang built the Great Wall, the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang, and the Afang Palace, and he often conscripted hundreds of thousands of people. They did not regard the people as human beings at all. Therefore, the ruling class during the Qin and Han dynasties was the landlords and the wealthy, that is, the big forces. As for the people below, who cares about their life and death?

During the Sui Dynasty, after centuries of war and chaos, the influence of the wealthy families remained, but Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, resolutely abolished the Nine-Rank System and began selecting officials through subject-based examinations. Therefore, before the Sui Dynasty, the saying, "Are there any nobles, generals, or ministers of different races?" was largely a tragic cry. But after the Sui Dynasty, the idea that "there is no such thing as a noble family, and a man's destiny is to rise to the throne" was no longer a luxury or a matter of luck, but a reality. It's no wonder that Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty declared, "The heroes of the world are within my grasp."

So, while the founding of Li Shimin, or the Tang Dynasty, began with the Li family, Li Shimin recognized the power of the people and proposed the concept that "water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it." Therefore, his anti-feudalism campaign never ceased. Interested readers can check out my book "Li Shimin's Anti-Feudalism," as well as the section on Wu Zetian, which I won't discuss here. It was the invention of the imperial examination system that radically transformed China's political system. While productivity remained largely unleashed and developed, it adjusted production relations, bringing all scholars across China under the imperial court's jurisdiction. If you were a good student, you could pass the imperial examination and become an official.

This is also why overseas Chinese are called Tang people, because the Tang Dynasty's strength was truly obvious to all. The imperial examination system greatly expanded the breadth and depth of the ruling class, a truly remarkable invention. It enabled ordinary people to join the ranks of the ruling class.

However, due to the limitations of productivity, even the best political systems were short-lived. By the time of Song and Ming Neo-Confucianism, thought was constrained, and productivity hadn't developed much. It was only because of the existence of the imperial examination system that everyone managed to get by.

By the Qing Dynasty, foreign races were able to rule China for more than two hundred years, and great changes had taken place here. So why were they able to exist for so long without developing their productivity? This shows that there had been earth-shaking changes in their system.

While it's true that the Qing dynasty was ruled by the Manchu royal family and the ruling class comprised the landlord gentry, this is true. However, the Qing dynasty, from its beginning, was a dynasty that oppressed other ethnic groups. Other ethnic groups were treated as mere slaves of the Qing. If anything, it resembled a different kind of colonialism. Just as uprisings were constant in the colonies of Western powers, so too were popular uprisings during the Qing dynasty.

But the Qing rulers were no fools. They held the imperial examination system, giving countless people the opportunity to advance. While officials were still slaves, they were already considered part of the ruling class, just below the Qing imperial family. This was true for all ethnic groups across the country.

This presented a problem: regardless of who was in power, taxes had to be paid. Now that people of all ethnic groups had the opportunity to become part of the ruling class, they were certainly unwilling to rebel. They would desperately suppress those who rebelled, demonstrating their loyalty to their masters, the Manchu royal family. This placed the Manchu royal family in a privileged position, becoming the ruling class within the ruling class. If Han people rebelled, the Han ruling class would suppress them. If Hui people rebelled, the Hui ruling class would suppress them. If the Hui were unable to do so, Han or Mongolian people would be sent in. They mastered the strategy of using Han people to control Han people, Hui people to control Hui people, Tibetan people to control Tibetan people, and Mongolian people to control Mongolian people. As for the idea of ​​learning from the barbarians to control them, it was merely an extension of these ideas, left over from their ancestors' past.

While the rulers faced by the common people remained largely unchanged, the Manchu royal family was added to the fold. The Qing dynasty also gathered talent through the imperial examination system, allowing officials to serve in various locations, certainly unwilling to see chaos in their respective areas of responsibility. Furthermore, the Qing dynasty deliberately instigated interprovincial and ethnic conflicts, causing neighboring provinces to compete with each other and fostering distrust among ethnic groups. This led to a lack of unity and a failure to achieve a joint force.

To summarize, the Manchus were essentially a diverse group of people from various regions, each ethnically intertwined. They added a superpower, the Manchu royal family, to the traditional feudal system, acting as referee. Rebellion against this superpower would be met with opposition from the ruling class of their own ethnic group, and even sporadic rebellions could be quickly extinguished. For the ruling class below the Manchu royal family, since no one knew whether they could maintain their position after a rebellion, they accepted the fact that they were already part of the ruling class, and having another Manchu royal master above them was acceptable.

So if we think of the Qing Dynasty's organizational system as a pyramid, many people will understand why. The Qing imperial family was at the top, the absolute position, while the lower classes of various ethnic groups remained the same as before, and the ruling class in the middle was entangled with each other, and no one could move.

Actually, using a pyramid isn't the most appropriate metaphor. Rather, we should place something on top of it to represent the Manchu royal family. In other words, the Manchu royal family is separate from the entire Chinese pyramid, as they never considered China their homeland; they were merely parasites. We can consider the Manchu royal family an independent political party or referee, and that makes perfect sense. The uprisings in various regions were primarily against the ruling classes of various ethnic groups, not the Qing. The Manchu royal family simply watched from a high position. When the rulers of the various ethnic groups were unable to suppress them, the Manchu royal family would take action.

The feudal system of the Qing Dynasty was already the highest form of feudal rule. Once the feudal system reached this level, there would be no further progress. Unless the Qing Dynasty could carry out a revolution and industrialize itself, this freak would almost be beyond change.

There are two paths before us now. If we take a step forward on the basis of the Qing Dynasty, then everything will be fine. If we take a step back, we will be the sinner of the nation.

How can we take this a step further? We can unify the entire nation under the concept of the Chinese nation, transforming the current intertwined ethnic groups into a unified whole where they merge and merge into one whole. Then, all ethnic groups will become members of the Chinese nation, and those with outstanding talents will become leaders. This will complete a process that has been in place for thousands of years in Chinese history, bringing nearly all people under one umbrella and maximizing the size of the ruling class. This is currently China's most advanced system of mingzhu. The Han Dynasty prospered because of the Han ethnic group, and the Tang Dynasty flourished because of the expansion of the ruling class. We have combined the strengths of both Han and Tang dynasties to create the most optimal system.

If this can be achieved, then this system will almost reach the point where there is no room for improvement. Unless the national identities of the peoples of all ethnic groups in the world begin to disappear and the countries disappear and merge with each other, this system will be the most advanced system in China.

However, if the Qing dynasty were to retreat, ethnic groups would separate and the bloodshed would resume, with wars fought along regional, ethnic, religious, and ideological lines. Foreign powers would exploit this vulnerability, or some would invite in foes. This was like the case with Shi Jinglian, the puppet emperor during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. This resulted in the Song Dynasty being reduced to the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, a region with only half its territory and no strategic defenses. The entire Central Plains region was ruled by foreigners for centuries.

Which regions are most likely to secede? "Xz, that's impossible now. We've just entered and we don't plan to leave. Xinjiang, Mongolia, the three northeastern provinces—these places—are in danger of independence if the Central Plains falls into chaos. Why? Because these places have the support and intervention of foreign powers. So our strategic considerations should be the same: control these places first. Then, South China and the Central Plains are like the meat in the pot, rotting in the pot, and no one dares to take a share."

"So now, comrades, this is the situation with all the nationalities intertwined. Are we going to take a step forward or a step back?"

"We want to go further."

"Can't retreat."

"Yes, we need to go further."

"Well, since everyone wants to go further, then we should prepare and do what needs to be done. Develop industry, arm our minds, develop organizations, publicize the concept of the Chinese nation, and selectively absorb outstanding individuals from all ethnic groups.

Join the Party and expand the depth and breadth of our ruling class and leadership. Let more people become members of our ruling class. A step forward will open up a vast expanse of horizons; a step back will lead to countless disasters and an irreversible catastrophe. So, comrades, let us unite and work together."

Zhang Yinghao held this training session to save more comrades. There was a serious problem with the "officials" in the liberated areas. Zhang Yinghao had experienced the situation Taizu faced.

Many of these comrades, who came from poor backgrounds, had no idea what power was, nor did they know how to govern. They didn't understand how to be "officials," and many of them became officials simply for the sake of being one. Once they had power, they acted arbitrarily, exploiting it for personal gain and causing numerous incidents.

This forced Zhang Yinghao to kill corrupt officials to establish his authority, carry out the "Three Antis" campaign, and conduct investigations, all in an effort to purge a group of corrupt officials and force Party members and cadres to undergo a metabolism, forcing those unfit to hold office to step down and be replaced.

As for the current training, we hope to save more comrades and enable more comrades to make progress. Even if they do not make progress, we hope to stop them from doing wrong things. We hope to let them know what to do instead of doing things recklessly.

Chapter 325:

"...Comrades, we must break the cyclical laws of Chinese history. We cannot allow secret societies and popular uprisings to evolve into a dynastic change. The only way to do this is to carry out a thorough people's revolution in China. We firmly believe that the people can be educated. Don't they know whether they can survive or not, and whether their lives are suffering? Therefore, we must intensify our efforts to awaken the people..."

Zhang Yinghao absolutely agrees with the view that the people of the late Qing Dynasty were not well-informed. After all, the late Qing Dynasty was information-blocked, people had limited knowledge, and were exposed to limited things. As a person, you are influenced by historical limitations and the things you come into contact with.

However, many people say that the people of the late Qing Dynasty were numb and ignorant. This statement is absolutely wrong. Those who say this are wise after the event and have second thoughts. Between 1902 and 1911, there were more than 1300 civil uprisings across the country. If this is considered numbness and ignorance, Zhang Yinghao has nothing to say.

In Chengdu, batch after batch of comrades arrived for training. Zhang Yinghao, unfazed by what was happening outside, continued his training at a leisurely pace. Zhang Yinghao continued to train his comrades in Sichuan. He was unaware that many comrades in the three northeastern provinces had already achieved brilliant results, nor was he aware that comrades dispatched to various locations had begun establishing liberated areas, initiating a new model for their development. The comrades who arrived in other areas discovered that without the liberated areas, life was incredibly inconvenient; everything was impossible.

"Comrades, the world today is a different kind of Spring and Autumn and Warring States period, a world devoid of morality. The British say there are no eternal friends or eternal enemies between nations, only eternal interests. Foreigners use the phrase 'survival of the fittest' to describe the current world. What does 'survival of the fittest' mean? It means that if you are weak, you are like a fish on the chopping block, at the mercy of others. And wasn't the situation during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period similar to today's?"

"During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the struggle was for a larger territory and for unification. Now, these Western powers are seeking greater profits and are dividing up China. If we compare the Qing Dynasty to the Qin State, then the current situation is that other countries have united to attack the Qin State. As everyone knows, when the Qin State saw the arrival of the coalition forces, it even opened the gate of Hangu Pass to allow others to enter and exit freely. Unfortunately, in the end, it dragged down the coalition forces and caused them to collapse on their own.

What's the current state of the Qing Dynasty like? Having the sea is no problem. Is it like the Qin Dynasty? Of course, the Qin deliberately left Hangu Pass open, while the Qing Dynasty was forced open by foreign warships and cannons. The Qin Dynasty constantly signed treaties to acquire territory, while the Qing Dynasty constantly signed treaties that humiliated the nation. So the current Qing Dynasty is essentially the same as the Song Dynasty.

So what's the fundamental difference between the current situation and that of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods? It's simply expanded from Eastern countries to the entire world. The scope is larger, and the conflicts are more acute. Therefore, our current foreign policy can basically follow the two principles of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods: make friends with distant countries and attack those nearby, and form alliances and make allies.

What countries are far from us? Countries like the United States, Germany, and Italy. We can connect with these countries, do business with them, and become friends with them. What countries are close to us? Countries like Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France. They either border us or lie across the sea from us.

These countries have gained huge benefits in China through unequal treaties. Therefore, if we want to protect our country's interests, we will inevitably come into direct conflict with these countries, or even go to war. This is something that cannot be changed by human will.

Of course, almost every country in the world has special interests in China. This doesn't mean we won't have conflicts with the United States or Germany, as Germany currently occupies Qingdao. Rather, these countries have relatively few special interests in China, so even if a war breaks out, it will be small and generally within a manageable range, making the conflicts less acute.

So, should all these neighboring countries or those across the sea oppose it? This is the diversity of contradictions. This is what's meant by "uniting vertically and horizontally," just like the Qing Dynasty's policy of using barbarians to control barbarians. By exploiting the irreconcilable interests and contradictions between these countries, we can buy time and gain benefits through alliances and coalitions.

As everyone knows, the Qing dynasty was a willing and willing opponent. They relied on the fact that the great powers couldn't monopolize their territory, sacrificing their own interests to sow discord. Just like the current situation in the three northeastern provinces, the Russo-Japanese War was inevitably influenced by this Qing dynasty policy. However, the Qing dynasty was blind to the facts, lacking in strength, and so drove away the tiger to devour the wolf. Once the wolf was driven away, an even more ferocious tiger arrived. In the end, the wolf and the tiger conspired, colluding with each other, and the Chinese people had to bear the bitter consequences.

"Chairman, do you mean that the Russo-Japanese War will eventually be settled?"

"Everyone should understand one thing, that is, the great powers are united in their actions against China. The great powers will not allow the Russo-Japanese War to lead to the collapse of Japan and Russia. At the last moment, they will definitely mediate. Moreover, does the little Japanese have the money to fight the war? He borrowed money to fight the war. Will those who lent him the money allow the little Japanese to lose the war?

Therefore, as long as the Japanese won a certain victory, the great powers would immediately start mediation. No great power wanted one country to monopolize the Northeast. In fact, the Russo-Japanese War in the Northeast was like a casino opened by several great powers. Japan and Russia went to war to compete for the fat piece of meat in the Northeast. Everyone participated in it and divided the benefits.

"Chairman, the way you say that makes it seem like all foreigners are bad people."

"Haha, this is why weak countries have no diplomacy. In today's world, everything is based on interests. For us, the Progressive Party, whether we fight or cooperate with the great powers, we must first safeguard the interests of the country and the people. This is our starting point and destination. Everyone should remember that Western countries have a principle of great power consensus towards China, just like when Japan wanted to acquire land in Chongqing and open a concession. This treaty was initiated by the British. As long as one great power can do it, other countries can follow suit. That's how it works. Therefore, our enemy is definitely not a single great power, but the entire Western world."

"Speaking of this, let me explain a little more. Why is the Song Dynasty called "half of the country"? It's because the puppet emperor Shi Jingtang sold out the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, which led to the Song Dynasty's inherent weakness and the loss of its northern defenses, which it ultimately failed to recapture. As a result, there was no strategic location to defend in the north. That's why it's called "half of the country."

After saying that, Zhang Yinghao drew a map of China at that time on the blackboard, and also made a simple drawing of a part of the ocean.

"Look at the current map. Did the Qing Dynasty really have a complete territory? Is that right? The north had strategic locations to defend. But comrades, times are progressing. Why do I compare the Qing Dynasty to the Song Dynasty? It's actually very simple. The Qing Dynasty actually only had half of the country."

After hearing what Zhang Yinghao said, many comrades started discussing it, not understanding why Zhang Yinghao said that. Some comrades immediately pricked up their ears and listened attentively.

Zhang Yinghao continued: "Why do I say that the times are progressing? Why do I say that the Qing Dynasty also only controlled half of the country? It is because the concept of territory will also change. In fact, it has been apparent since the Ming Dynasty. Where is the other half of the country? Some comrades have already seen it. Yes, since the Ming Dynasty, the importance of the ocean has gradually become prominent. Everyone knows Qi Jiguang, the hero who fought against the Japanese pirates. That is to say, since the Ming Dynasty, this half of China has been constantly invaded. It was from this time on that the ocean had to be included in the country's rule and become part of the territory.

Why didn't Japanese pirates attack from the sea during the Ming and Qing dynasties? It wasn't because heroes like Qi Jiguang killed off the pirates and frightened them away. Rather, it was because the Tokugawa shogunate, like the Qing dynasty, chose to isolate itself from the outside world, which led to the disappearance of the Japanese pirates along the coast. Therefore, the Ming dynasty didn't win the war against the Japanese pirates; on the contrary, it was merely a beneficiary of the Tokugawa shogunate's policy of isolation.

After the Ming dynasty's fall, the Qing dynasty inherited its legacy and continued to expand its territory. In terms of land, its territorial reach nearly reached its highest point in the feudal era, providing ample strategic maneuvering space. This was due to its sheer size, which no imperialist power could swallow up, forcing it to nibble away at its territory. This is why the Qing dynasty has persisted to this day.

But from our perspective today, when the Qing Dynasty introduced the concept of maritime territory,

Later, the Qing Dynasty could only be regarded as half of the country. Why do we say that the ocean is under the control of the rules? Since the ocean has become increasingly important with the changes of the times,

It has become an important part of China's territory. In modern times, most of the invasions suffered by foreign powers came from the sea. So the Qing Dynasty should have also guarded the sea. But the current reality is that the sea is in a state of no defense.

Japanese pirates harassed coastal areas, and several invasions by Western powers came from the sea. The ocean, as an integral part of our nation, lacks naval power. We can never expect peace. Instead, we face the constant risk of invasion from the powerful. Only when we possess the naval and land power to confront the powerful can we truly be considered a complete nation.

Comrades, if we introduce the concept that the ocean is also territory, then would the Qing Dynasty be the same dynasty as the Song Dynasty? Same half of the country, same lack of strategic locations, same weakness and incompetence, same defeat and sue for peace, same cession of territory and payment of indemnities, same loss of sovereignty and humiliation of the country.

I once read a book that claimed the navy is a purely offensive branch. It seems reasonable. If we have no overseas territories, what's the point of developing a navy? This is nonsense, comrades. This is traitorous talk, born of a mindset that hasn't kept pace with current developments. This is the kind of talk that only those who consider land as national territory and the oceans as insignificant would utter. Those who believe developing a navy is for the purpose of invading others, for flexing their muscles, must understand that these people are traitors, speaking in an effort to weaken our national defense. All members of the Progressive Party, the military, cadres, and the people must be fully aware of these traitorous statements and remain vigilant.

But, comrades, reality is cruel. Even if we overthrow the Qing Dynasty immediately, we will face the same problem it once faced: invasion from the sea. We cannot ignore this issue now. Without a navy, we can only be attacked by others, not by ourselves. Then we will be in the same predicament as the Qing Dynasty did during the Ming Dynasty's resistance against the Japanese invaders. Our country now has nearly 20,000 kilometers of coastline. The enemy can appear anywhere along the coast, and we will be exhausted. Our coastal cities are under constant threat from enemy warships and artillery, and the lives and property of the people are under constant threat. After we liberate these places, can we truly protect the safety of the people and the country?

Hearing Zhang Yinghao's question, all the comrades' expressions grew serious. Indeed, if the enemy came from the sea, what would the Forward Party and the People's Liberation Army do? The Wanxian Massacre was a prime example. Coastal and riverside cities faced constant enemy threats and could be reduced to ruins by the bombardment of foreign powers at any moment.

Zhang Yinghao couldn't help but think of his past life. In his past life, the Nationalist government promulgated the "3-nautical-mile territorial sea system" (1 nautical mile = 1.852 kilometers) in accordance with the international practice at the time. The maritime territory was only a pitiful 70 square kilometers! Without sufficient national strength to carry out coastal defense construction, even a territorial sea with a width of only 3 nautical miles was useless. Imperialist warships still ran rampant, and the maritime rights and interests of old China were not protected at all.

When the People's Republic of China was founded, there was also a sea but no defense. Emperor Taizu asked the famous international maritime law expert and jurist Ni Zhengyu: "If the width of the territorial sea is determined to be 12 nautical miles, will there still be high seas in the Bohai Sea?"

Mr. Ni Zhengyu replied: "The widest waterway in the Bohai Sea, the Laotieshan waterway, is less than 24 nautical miles. If the territorial sea baseline is set at 12 nautical miles, the Bohai Sea will become a completely Chinese inland sea, and my country will enjoy full sovereignty."

There was also a minor incident at the conference. Experts Liu Zerong and Zhou Ensheng, who were also present, argued that based on the Hague Agreement and the Republican-era territorial sea width of three nautical miles, if my country rashly declared a 12-nautical-mile territorial sea width, it would likely cause international disputes, particularly from the United States and Britain, who would undoubtedly oppose it, potentially leading to war.

After a moment's contemplation, Taizu immediately stated: "The Hague Agreement is not an imperial decree, and the United States and Britain are not overlords. It is better to expand our territorial waters. Judging from all aspects, war is not going to break out for a while. We don't want to fight, but do the imperialists really want to fight? I don't think so. If a war really comes, we are not afraid. We have already fought in Korea, and it was no more than this."

China immediately issued a statement, clearly stipulating in its first article: "The width of our territorial waters is 12 nautical miles... All foreign aircraft and military vessels are prohibited from entering our territorial waters and airspace without the permission of the Chinese government!"

As Taizu expected, once this statement was released, although the United States, Britain, Japan and other countries opposed and protested, they were intimidated by the reputation that New China had earned in the Korean War and were always cautious in actual operations. They did not dare to enter within 12 nautical miles of Chinese territorial waters!

Thanks to Taizu's far-sightedness and decisiveness, he incorporated the Bohai Bay, Qiongzhou Strait, and numerous islands into China's inland seas, increasing the land area of ​​the country to over three million square kilometers. He also reaffirmed the ownership and sovereignty of the islands in the South China Sea.

Established this half of China's ocean territory.

Zhang Yinghao came back to his senses, looked at his comrades in deep thought and continued: "Comrades, we don't have even half a warship now. What should we do if the enemy invades from the sea? This is the cruel reality we must face. At present, we have only one way, that is, we must constantly strengthen our army. To what extent? Strengthen it to the extent that any powerful country dares to invade us, we will be able to overthrow it. In other words, our army must be strengthened to the extent that even if all the powerful countries in the world unite to invade us, we will still be able to defeat them. That is, on Chinese territory, our army must have the ability to challenge the whole world alone, that is, no matter whether it is the Eight-Nation Alliance invading China or the Eighty-Nation Alliance invading China, we must be able to guarantee to defeat them. Only in this way can we eliminate the impact of the loss of half of the ocean on us. Otherwise, we can only become another Song Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty, and we will have to face the same problems they encountered.

Of course, we should start considering the navy now. However, the specific direction our country should take in the future depends entirely on the efforts of our comrades and the results of their work. Do you have any questions?

Why is the Korean War considered the founding war of the People's Republic of China? This is the reason. China faced the United Nations forces, comprised of 17 nations, and after two years and nine months of fierce fighting, emerged victorious, thus proving itself. If China had not demonstrated its ability to defend its homeland, not only would the security of its coastal areas be compromised, but even the Soviet Union would have looked down upon China, its younger brother, and China would not have received such extensive, paid aid from the Soviet Union. In the words of Emperor Taizu: We must participate in the war; not participating would be extremely damaging.

Countless actions and policies of China in the future were based on the victory won in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea. Without this victory, China would have faced countless times more difficulties.

"Chairman, how can the army be strengthened to that extent?"

Hearing this question, Zhang Yinghao smiled and asked in return: "Let me ask you a question. From the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period to the present, over 2,500 years, which period in history had the most powerful army?"

"Qin Dynasty."

"Tang Dynasty." "Han Dynasty." "Yuan Dynasty."

Zhang Yinghao nodded and said, "The Qin army was certainly formidable. In 'On the Qin Dynasty,' it says that Meng Tian built the Great Wall in the north to defend the frontier, pushing the Xiongnu back over 700 miles. The Hu people dared not move south to graze their horses. You can imagine how powerful the Qin army was. The Han Dynasty's unification of the world was largely due to the descendants of the Three Qins. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, they ultimately defeated the nomadic peoples in the north..."

Zhang Yinghao briefly talked about the armies of all dynasties and said, "We have a saying that practice makes perfect. It is easiest to make mistakes the first time you do something, but after doing it a few times and mastering the rules, you will naturally not make mistakes easily. The same is true for war. If an army fights less, it will naturally make mistakes. If an army keeps fighting, it will learn about war from war. After getting used to it and fighting more, the army will naturally become stronger.

Therefore, if we want to strengthen our army, one of the only ways is to have them fight more and practice more. When our army knows how to fight, it will naturally become invincible.

"Chairman, you said that one of the only three ways is to learn war through war and make the army stronger. What are the other two ways?"

"The second method is naturally to strengthen our national strength. The reason why the armies of the Qin, Tang, and Han dynasties were so powerful was because their national strength was strong enough to attrition the enemy. Even if they couldn't defeat the enemy through military force, they could eventually wear down the enemy through attrition. Another method is naturally to connect the army with our people. The army knows why they fight, and the people support the army. Then our army will automatically evolve. In the end, even if our weapons are inferior to others, our army will still be an invincible and powerful army."

Chapter 326:

"Teacher, can you tell me about the anti-feudalism of the Tang Dynasty?"

"Let me briefly explain what feudalism is. Feudalism means that the emperor divides land among members of the royal family and meritorious officials for management, which is the meaning of enfeoffment and statehood. The most important point of feudalism is self-isolation and the practice of dividing the land into prisons. The same is true of what we call power division. That is, the emperor cannot manage such a large country alone, so he divides some of his power among his ministers to help manage it, or divides a piece of land among certain individuals for management.

The two most important points were the division of land and power. Li Shimin opposed feudalism. As we all know, the imperial examination system was first introduced during the Sui Dynasty, one of its purposes being to break the aristocratic family's monopoly on power. As mentioned in previous training, officials before the Sui Dynasty were almost always promoted, and the wealthy and powerful families virtually monopolized these positions.

After the Tang Dynasty seized power, during the reign of Emperor Li Shimin, the system of recommending officials remained intact. His family was the Li clan, a powerful clan. There were many other powerful clans at the time, the most prominent being the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Clans. During the war between Emperor Li Shimin and Dou Jiande, these clans were able to sell grain to Dou Jiande. Li Shimin was unable to do anything about them. Later, when Li Shimin became emperor, natural disasters and earthquakes struck, and these clans forced him to issue an edict of self-criticism.

Emperor Li Shimin was powerless against the powerful families, so you can imagine how powerful these families were. Li Shimin went to great lengths to weaken their power. He expanded the scale of the National Academy and added more examination subjects, never ceasing his centralization and anti-feudalist stance. Of course, due to the limitations of the times, he didn't dare to truly mobilize the masses, and he couldn't escape the cage of feudalism.

We must mention Wu Zetian here, China's only current female emperor. Comrades, think about it: as a woman, Wu Zetian was able to ascend to the throne during the feudal era, a remarkable feat. But could she have freely employed the old Tang officials? As the saying goes, a new emperor chooses new ministers, so naturally, restrictions were placed on the old Tang officials. However, Wu Zetian also needed sufficient talent to help her govern the country. Therefore, she significantly increased the number of candidates admitted through the imperial examinations and pioneered the military and palace examinations, enabling a large number of people from the lower classes to advance into the ruling class and further weakening the powerful aristocracy. Therefore, Wu Zetian made an indelible contribution to the improvement of the imperial examination system, and later emperors could only tinker with her practices.

The Tang Dynasty was indeed the most open-minded dynasty. Many Hu people served as officials in the court, and official positions were reserved for people from the Western Regions. Minorities such as the Mongols were able to wield military power. Of course, this also laid the groundwork for the later separatist regimes. All this proves that the Tang Dynasty had greatly expanded its ruling class, and its rulers came from a wider range of backgrounds, demonstrating the Tang Dynasty's strength.

"Any questions?"

"Chairman, I read one of your articles and it seems to give a very high evaluation of Dong Zhuo in the late Han Dynasty. I would like to ask the specific reason. Because when I read history, I found that Dong Zhuo killed a lot of people?"

"Haha, a lot of killing! If we judge historical figures by the amount of killing they committed, then every change of dynasty in Chinese history would result in the loss of tens of millions of people, so this is only a relative statement. We may have killed no fewer landlords and gentry than Dong Zhuo, but why do the working people still think we're good at killing? The Tao Te Ching says that Heaven and Earth are unkind and treat all things as straw dogs, and sages are unkind and treat the people as straw dogs. So the excessive killing isn't the problem; it doesn't prove anything. The problem is whose interests he represented.

Local tyrants held considerable power during the Han Dynasty. Most of the powerful individuals who assisted Emperor Liu Xiu in his conquest of the Eastern Han Dynasty were powerful individuals, and their influence was consolidated and strengthened after his conquest. As the founding emperor, Liu Xiu attempted to survey the entire nation, but was stopped by opposition from local tyrants, demonstrating the strength of local power.

To get back to the point, during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Emperor Ling of Han ordered provincial governors and prefects to recruit soldiers on their own to defend the country. After the Yellow Turban Rebellion was put down, people like Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, and Sun Jian all had their own troops, which led to the Han Dynasty becoming too powerful to be controlled.

What was the situation when Dong Zhuo entered the capital? The foreign relatives and the eunuchs were fighting for power. The foreign relative He Jin wanted to ask Dong Zhuo to lead his troops into the capital to kill the Ten Attendants. I won’t go into the details of the process, you can see for yourself that before Dong Zhuo arrived in Luoyang, a riot had already broken out in Luoyang. He Jin was killed by the eunuchs, and the eunuchs were eliminated by local forces represented by Yuan Shao.

By this point, the Han Dynasty's imperial power had been practically wiped out, and the Eastern Han government had practically perished. Ultimately, Dong Zhuo usurped the throne of Liu Xie, the Prince of Chenliu, and brought him to the imperial palace, deposing the young emperor Liu Bian. He then used the emperor to control the vassal states and began interfering with the entire Eastern Han government.

Then came the drama of the Eighteen Warlords rebelling against Dong Zhuo. Let's analyze this drama from the perspective of the rulers. Dong Zhuo, a military general, suddenly rose to power and became the de facto supreme ruler of the central government. The first people to be challenged were the former officials, none of whom were willing to share the spoils with Dong Zhuo. So Dong Zhuo resorted to armed criticism to combat these forces. Of course, this was a common practice among military men: if they couldn't resolve a conflict, they would target the one who created it. Consequently, these former Eastern Han officials immediately colluded with local forces, and all of them came together to oppose Dong Zhuo. History was written by these opponents of Dong Zhuo, and they could write whatever they wanted. It was simply the Spring and Autumn Annals style.

Everyone knows that if you want a harmonious government, then the people below you must be your own people. Dong Zhuo led his troops from his old nest to the capital. Did he have his own base? To put it bluntly, he couldn't even collect taxes. The old bureaucrats didn't cooperate with him. Apart from letting his troops plunder, he probably really had no other way. At that time, the warlords in various places had become too powerful to be eliminated, just like now. The orders of the Qing Dynasty could not be conveyed to us, and we could not command the Qing Dynasty. What could Dong Zhuo do when he controlled the central government? Naturally, he would reduce the power of the vassal states. Could those self-respecting mercenaries below agree to reduce the power of the vassal states? Of course not. Then Dong Zhuo went to war with local forces. The local forces took the opportunity to grow bigger, trying to completely get rid of the influence of the Han Dynasty or even replace it. You can see it from history.

Therefore, from beginning to end, Dong Zhuo was a man dependent on the Han Dynasty system, a vine entangled in the Han Dynasty. Without Dong Zhuo, the Han Dynasty might have collapsed long ago, and warlords would have already begun to fight each other across the country. However, Dong Zhuo still maintained the nominal rule of the Han Dynasty, maintaining the political stability of the time, and maintaining the shaky regime of the Eastern Han Dynasty. In fact, Cao Cao, who later held the emperor hostage to control the princes, faced the same problem. As long as the Han Dynasty fell, Dong Zhuo's power base would be immediately destroyed. However, the opposite was true for local forces. The stronger the central government, the weaker the local governments became in the era of power and land enfeoffment. The loss of central power often led to local threats to the central government, and the beginning of chaos.

So, no matter what, Dong Zhuo, as the central government leader, would not have wanted the Han Dynasty to perish, and he wanted to strengthen the centralization of power. However, the princes, on the contrary, wanted to divide up the flesh and blood of the Han Dynasty. With the Han Dynasty central government unable to control the situation, the interests of the ruling class representatives in various regions became seriously divided, and they all re-selected their allegiances.