The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

"If you don't practice constitutional government and a two-party system, how can the people obtain sovereignty and freedom? Do the people have to live under your coercive control? Do you even want to control what the people think?"

"Mr. Song, you have to understand this: there is only sovereignty within the class. Wolves and sheep cannot discuss sovereignty on equal terms. Therefore, we in the liberated areas implement the people's dictatorship of sovereignty. We emphasize sovereignty among the people, and we practice dictatorship when dealing with enemies and counter-revolutionaries. As for the freedom you speak of, there has never been absolute freedom, there will never be, and there will never be. Freedom is only freedom within the legal provisions. Freedom beyond the legal provisions will be punished..."

The debate topics varied widely, and Zhang Yinghao once again engaged in a heated debate, remaining undeterred. However, after witnessing the expressions of these "revolutionaries," Zhang Yinghao suddenly lost interest and felt foolish. Words like "freedom" and "inscription" were indeed easy to use, coming out of their mouths without any need for reflection. But a conversation between people of different class positions and perspectives, where there was no right or wrong, was a waste of time. Who cared less about them?

Chapter 586:

After meeting with Huang Xing and his colleagues, Zhang Yinghao was also pondering the Qing Dynasty when he suddenly realized something. There were two periods in Chinese history when foreign races overthrew the Han Chinese and completely ruled them: the Yuan Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty. Of course, invasions by northern ethnic groups had never ceased, and the current Russian invasion of the south was simply following historical inertia. It wasn't a big deal.

The threat from the north was evident with the construction of the Great Wall during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Even after the Han Dynasty, there was the Siege of Bai Ma. From the perspective of the Han people, the history of foreign occupation of the Central Plains dates back to the Western Jin Dynasty, which was destroyed by the Xiongnu. Thereafter, the Xiongnu, Jie, Xianbei, Di, and Qiang occupied the Central Plains. Eventually, the Xianbei were assimilated into the Han Chinese, the Jie were largely exterminated, and some of the Xiongnu, Di, and Qiang were absorbed, while others remained. This is the most famous incident: the Five Barbarians Invasion of China.

Even Li Shimin, during the early Tang Dynasty, was forced to sign a humiliating treaty with the Turks—the Treaty of Weishui. By the time the Later Liang Dynasty fell to the Later Tang, the Turkic Shatuo people occupied the Central Plains. The subsequent Later Jin and Later Han dynasties were also founded by the Shatuo, who eventually assimilated into the Han Chinese. The Northern Song Dynasty fell to the Jurchen Jin, and later, the Jin Dynasty was destroyed by a dual attack from the Mongols and the Southern Song. The Southern Song Dynasty fell to the Mongols, who were eventually driven out by Zhu Yuanzhang. The Ming Dynasty fell to the Manchu Qing, and the Manchus were essentially assimilated into the Han Chinese, nearly completing their assimilation...

So, when focusing solely on military matters, once barbarian forces become powerful, they will always achieve victory after victory. As a later generation, Zhang Yinghao naturally believed that civilization triumphing over barbarism, and advancement over backwardness, was a matter of course. However, when the People's Liberation Army simply liberated Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei, Shanxi, and other areas, Zhang Yinghao suddenly realized that his previous understanding of the facts was wrong.

The PLA was certainly not a barbaric, backward, or backward army. However, the PLA's ability to easily achieve military victories had little to do with its advanced or civilized nature, but rather its vastly superior military capabilities. After the PLA's initial wave of forces swept away the counter-revolutionaries, the remaining opposition forces were virtually unable to organize a sufficient force to resist the PLA, resulting in their easy victory.

The same principle applies to historical instances of barbarism conquering civilizations, and backwardness conquering advancement. The Tsarist Russian army, which swarmed across Europe to suppress revolutions and was hailed as Europe's gendarme, was nonetheless backward. Therefore, barbarians rely on force to gain an advantage over civilizations. As long as the barbarians are not exterminated in the short term, both sides must rely on military force to resolve conflicts, regardless of the civilization of either society.

Throughout history, when civilization confronted barbarism, and advancement confronted backwardness, the vast majority of the time, the civilized and advanced side prevailed. The reason why barbarism and backwardness conquering civilization and advancement is so impressive is that such cases are so rare and so striking.

The Yuan Dynasty's southern invasion and the fall of the exiled Southern Song dynasty took a full 75 years. The Qing Dynasty's unification of China, from its entry into the Central Plains in 1644 to the defeat of the Thirteen Armies of Kuidong in 1664, spanned exactly 20 years. If we count the Qing Dynasty's conquest of the Ming Dynasty from 1583, when Nurhaci, the founding emperor of the Qing Dynasty, launched his rebellion with 13 sets of armor, even though the Ming Dynasty was destroyed by Li Zicheng's peasant army, it still took the Qing Dynasty 61 years from its founding to its conquest of the Central Plains. Therefore, the period should be from 1583 to 1644.

The Yuan Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty were two conquering dynasties that unified China with ethnic minorities, conquered a large number of ethnic groups, and maintained long-term rule. They left a far-reaching impact and deep imprint on Chinese history, which some Chinese people have never been able to let go.

These two foreign dynasties, as the only unified dynasties of ethnic minorities in Chinese history, have striking similarities. Both of them conquered huge ancient empires with a population of hundreds of millions with a minority population of only one million, and both of them invaded the Central Plains when the Central Plains dynasty was in its last days.

The Qing army had a large number of Han surrendered soldiers who fought in the front and captured cities and strongholds for them, while the Eight Banners soldiers stayed in the rear as military supervisors and reaped the fruits of war. At that time, the anti-Qing forces were mostly peasant armies and the remaining Ming Dynasty local armed forces in the south. Their combat effectiveness was not at the same level as the elite troops of Western Xia, Jin Dynasty and Southern Song Dynasty. Therefore, the Qing army was able to pacify the world in just 20 years after entering the Central Plains.

These two attempts by foreign tribes to establish their rule in the Central Plains shared many similarities. For example, the Qing dynasty faced the difficulty of entering the Great Wall, while the Yuan dynasty faced the complex network of rivers in the south. Both dynasties only fought against the south after completely unifying the north.

Zhang Yinghao knew that one of the problems here was that barbarism would defeat civilization, and backwardness would defeat advancement. Civilization and advancement should not be given too much time to prepare, otherwise barbarism and backwardness would be the losers in the end.

For example, the Han Dynasty's Siege of Baima almost solved the Xiongnu problem during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han. The Tang Dynasty's Weishui Alliance avenged this humiliation in a short period of time. There are many such examples.

The Qing Dynasty's unification of China is a prime example. As soon as the peasant army captured Beijing, the Qing Dynasty immediately engaged in a decisive battle with Li Zicheng, then seized the opportunity to enter the Great Wall and unify China. Had Li Zicheng been given more time, history might have played out differently, but Zhang Yinghao believes the Qing Dynasty would still have been able to unify China. While agricultural peoples are more resilient than nomadic ones, and over time, they can forge a stronger force than nomadic ones, the Qing Dynasty possessed both agricultural and nomadic characteristics. This was due to their greater offensive power, their ability to withstand the pressures of the rulers within the Great Wall, and their lack of a purely nomadic character, coupled with their partial agricultural and pastoral practices.

The situation is the same now. After the People's Liberation Army conquered these provinces and eliminated the power of the Qing Dynasty, the landlord class would no longer be able to gather enough strength to fight against the People's Liberation Army.

Therefore, as long as the Central Plains dynasty is not given time, barbarism can temporarily defeat civilization, and backwardness can temporarily defeat advancement. If the Central Plains dynasty happens to be in a period of decline at this time, then invading the Central Plains will not be a difficult task. If it happens to be a period like the late Ming Dynasty or the Southern Song Dynasty, then it is natural for barbarism to unify the world through slaughter.

Zhang Yinghao was now considering whether to immediately destroy the Qing Dynasty. If so, the matter would be over. However, once the Qing Dynasty was destroyed, many of the current conflicts would immediately become the main contradictions. Zhang Yinghao felt that he was not yet prepared, so he did not care about what would happen to the coastal provinces. Zhang Yinghao could not imagine that these coastal provinces could still turn the tide.

Furthermore, Zhang Yinghao foresaw that the PLA's next battleground might be North Manchuria. During the Russo-Japanese War, the Russians were able to mobilize over 1.1 million troops to fight Japan. Zhang Yinghao didn't believe the PLA would necessarily lose if they took up arms against the Russians. At this stage, Russian artillery might be slightly stronger, and their guns might be slightly better, but these advantages wouldn't be considered overwhelming.

But a mere military advantage is one thing, and the advantages of an industrialized society are two completely different things. Russia may be a lowly industrial nation, but an industrial nation is an industrial nation; it cannot be compared to an agricultural nation. At least the Russian elite possess a deeper understanding of modern social systems than their comrades.

Zhang Yinghao certainly has a clear advantage over everyone else in the world, and he's completely confident. But all of this takes time. Furthermore, Zhang Yinghao knows how little he can accomplish alone. How can a person made of iron drive out a few nails? Zhang Yinghao previously spent almost all of his time training and managing his colleagues.

The PLA's middle and high-level officials may not be able to match the imperialists at present, which means that Zhang Yinghao's numerous ideas cannot be implemented in the short term. However, Zhang Yinghao really doesn't want the resources of Northeast China to be unscrupulously exploited by the Russians. You have to know that it is only 1905, and there are still more than ten years before the demise of Tsarist Russia. Zhang Yinghao really can't watch Tsarist Russia continue to occupy North Manchuria for more than ten years.

Knowing what had become of Japan, Tsarist Russia would certainly not build any factories in Northeast China and would instead desperately try to seize resources. Zhang Yinghao now knew that unrest was brewing within Russia, but he had no idea when it would subside. Regardless, he had no intention of allowing the Russians to remain in North Manchuria.

Now that I think about it, Zhang Yinghao always said that Japan loved to gamble on its national destiny, but in reality, Zhang Yinghao himself loved it even more. Relying on his own little bit of foresight, he really pushed his power to the limit. It could be said that every time he did it, he was actually gambling. Even though he knew some of the answers, it was still a gamble.

However, there was one good thing about China during this era: if a war broke out in one place, despite the mountains and rivers, it would not affect another place at all. The same was true in reverse. Due to the lack of transportation, each place fought independently, and it was not easy to support each other.

To fight the Russians, one must prepare for an all-out war. War could break out anywhere, from the three northeastern provinces all the way to Xinjiang, but especially in places like Tannu Uriankhai Banner, which are on the front lines. There's no miscalculation in this war; it's simply a matter of whether to strike early or late.

When Zhang Yinghao returned to his office, a comrade asked, "Chairman, things don't seem peaceful in Hunan. Please take a look at this document."

Zhang Yinghao took the document and read it while saying, "This place is known as the home of the Hunan Army. Several armies that suppressed the Taiping Rebellion came from Hunan. I think we'll have to wait until the fall of the Qing Dynasty for Hunan to completely calm down. There must be some loyal ministers there. It seems like they're still cracking down here right now. If it were during the crackdown, it would be lively."

"Chairman, how long will this crackdown last?"

"It's hard for us to be specific about this. It depends on how well the comrades below do their work. The key to a severe crackdown is to minimize false and wrongful convictions. Do you think the people really care about those sentenced to death?"

"There's always a feeling of grief over the death of a rabbit."

"Haha, you might be describing the sentimentality of ordinary people. But in the old society, there were many people who were despised by everyone, and when we got rid of them, the people actually applauded. But there were some landowners, petty thieves, and the like who never did anything good but only did bad things. If we didn't get rid of these people, the people wouldn't be able to live in peace..."

"Chairman, I've been working for so long, and I always feel like these people are like leeks. When you cut one batch, another batch grows back. Where will the end be?"

"You've hit the nail on the head. That's why we still have to rely on education. When people become more educated, their quality will improve. Crackdowns and campaign-style rectifications should only happen once every eight or ten years. After a few brutal killings, there won't be another opportunity like this again."

The comrades listened and nodded. Zhang Yinghao knew that these comrades had a different understanding from him, and he did not intend to correct them. Zhang Yinghao said that there would be no such opportunity in the future, and the comrades might think that there would be no such people in the future. In fact, this was not what Zhang Yinghao meant at all. How could people today imagine the development of science and technology in the future? With cameras everywhere, how could there be any secrets?

The most important thing is that the death penalty and other punishments are becoming increasingly cautious. How can we continue to carry out such a blatant crackdown like we are now? I'm afraid that if we arrest people on such a large scale, these police officers will immediately be drowned in public spit, and foreigners will immediately jump up and accuse China of trampling on human rights. How can we just say we will crack down like we do now?

"Chairman, there are two telegrams for you." "What do they say?"

"Chairman, this is a telegram from our comrades in Germany. They have made a breakthrough in their work over there."

"Oh, let me see, it is indeed good news."

Zhang Yinghao took the telegrams and read them. The message was simple. The first one stated that members of the Tongmenghui were preparing an armed uprising in Guangdong. The second one stated that the commercial representatives of the Forward Party, through the help of relevant parties, had met with Wilhelm II and gained his support. They also requested an increase in trade volume based on the principle of trade balance between the two sides. They also inquired about the possibility of issuing bonds in Germany to purchase machine tools, machinery, and factories...

Zhang Yinghao let go of the Tongmenghui's plans for an armed uprising. If they wanted to revolt, then let them do it. If the current Forward Party couldn't defeat the Tongmenghui in the future, Zhang Yinghao accepted it and would just find a piece of tofu to kill himself. However, Zhang Yinghao was quite surprised by another incident. The benefits of receiving national support were unimaginable, and he immediately inquired about the specifics.

It turns out that upon arriving in Germany, the PLA's commercial representatives first contacted the Chinese students studying there. This is a common first step in the Party's work. After all, arriving in a new country, one is unfamiliar with the surroundings and needs relevant personnel to guide them, and these students are the best people to do so. Furthermore, these students are their precious treasures, so they must be well protected and contacted now, hoping that they will return to serve China in the future.

Lin Chengdong was the person in charge. He had previously studied abroad in Germany. After visiting his advisor, he immediately began searching for Chinese students within the university. In fact, if a school has Chinese students, you can find them by just asking around. However, when Lin Chengdong arrived at the University of Berlin, he found a student who was studying art.

Chapter 587:

When Lin Chengdong heard he was studying art, he turned and left without a second thought. It was a joke. The country was on the verge of collapse, and yet someone still had the luxury of studying art. Most importantly, he had nothing to study in his own country, but had traveled thousands of miles to Germany to do research. With someone like that, there was basically no common language, so Lin Chengdong naturally wouldn't rush into any contact.

Lin Chengdong then came to the Royal Berlin Technical College. Anyone who can study here must be someone who hopes that the country will embark on the path of industrialization.

At that moment, in a small rented house outside the Berlin Technical University, two young men were talking. They flipped through a book and said, "Old Fu, I heard the revolutionaries back home are about to overthrow the Qing Dynasty. Is the new country almost established? Should we go back and take a look?"

"Xiaoyu, don't worry. We should study hard now. There will be plenty of opportunities to return to China to serve in the future. If you don't learn this knowledge, it won't be of much use when you return."

Old Fu flipped through the thick pages of the book and spoke without raising his head.

"But aren't people saying now that those who emerged from Sichuan weren't revolutionaries, but peasant armies? They're seizing land from landlords and confiscating property everywhere. They're so brutal, how can they be called revolutionary?"

"The guy you're talking about is the one who studied art, right? Why would you believe him? He first went to a military academy, couldn't stand the hardship, and immediately ran away, then went to study art. Humph, it's like the merchant woman, ignorant of the sorrow of her country's demise, still singing 'Hou Ting Hua' across the river. What kind of revolutionary philosophy is that he's talking about? He's just misleading people. Can art save the country?"

"Alas, alas, but the revolutionaries in Sichuan are indeed confiscating land. This can't be wrong."

At this time, Lao Fu was silent, and finally uttered, "As long as it can save the country, confiscation is fine. It is better than the Qing Dynasty signing so many humiliating treaties."

"Recently, these people have invited me to visit Mr. Sun Zhongshan. They are also planning an uprising. I don't know whether I should go or whether it will succeed."

"Don't join them in this nonsense. I've heard a little about the situation in the Far East. The Japanese were beaten badly in Northeast China—they were driven out by the Fifth Field Army, becoming an international joke. I think this Fifth Field Army is probably also a military force led by the Sichuan Revolutionary Party. If that's true, there's hope for China. Sichuan has retained the Qing Dynasty and hasn't overthrown it yet. They must have their own ideas. I've heard of that Sun Zhongshan you mentioned. He's quite a talker, but revolution can't be achieved by just talking. Expecting a revolution to succeed without the support of armed forces is a joke. You should study hard here, otherwise if you join them in this nonsense, it will cost you your life sooner or later."

"I donated all my money to support Sun Zhongshan's revolution. It would be great if Sun Zhongshan and his team succeeded. Then the two parties could jointly overthrow the Qing Dynasty and, like the United States, jointly govern the country, reclaim all the privileges of the great powers, and establish a democratic and free country."

Looking at Xiaoyu's expectant eyes, Lao Fu shook his head and said, "It's not that simple. I've read some books about socialism recently, and I understand the nature of imperialism. Without strong military force as a backing, without heavy industry, especially military industry, as a support, it is impossible to reclaim privileges and drive the foreign powers out of the country..."

"Haha, Mr. Fu is right. What you can't get on the battlefield, you can't get at the negotiation table. The only way to truly save China is to carry out industrialization and arm the people."

Hearing this conversation, Lin Chengdong pushed the door open and walked in. "Let me introduce myself. I'm the Sichuan Revolutionary Party you just mentioned. I also studied in Germany before, so I came to you this time. The country needs your help right now."

Lao Fu and Xiao Yu immediately stood up and asked, "You want us to go back to China?"

Lin Chengdong waved his hand and said with a smile: "No, no, no, the most important thing is that you complete your studies now. Even if we are short of people now, we have to wait until you complete your studies. We don't lack such a little time. We all know in foreign countries that if we want to save the country, we must take the path of industrialization. Only with a developed industry can we have a strong national strength and truly safeguard our national rights and interests. Otherwise, we will never be able to defeat foreign cannons and warships with our swords and spears."

"Yes, China must industrialize, otherwise it will always be bullied by the great powers."

Hearing this, Lin Chengdong nodded and said, "That's right. So if you really want to help, then collect as much public and semi-public information as possible from Germany on physics, chemistry, and other subjects. Science is the universal truth, and translating this information to our own university will be of great use."

Lao Fu laughed when he heard this. Actually, even without Lin Chengdong telling him, Lao Fu had already been doing this. In Germany, he had already collected a large number of newspapers and magazines on chemistry, physics, and other fields, as well as various internal university papers, and some materials that were not publicly available and only accessible to insiders. He had secretly collected all of this. He knew the situation in China. He wouldn't say it was completely blank, but the foundation was weak and there was no high-end technology. These things were public in universities in powerful countries, but not in China. As long as he brought them back to China, they would definitely be the most precious things for China.

But Xiaoyu asked, "Sichuan has also established a university? How is that possible?"

"Haha, nothing is impossible. Where there's a will, there's a way! And we've even established several universities! Of course, our universities may not be as good as those in the other great powers right now, but there are some professors teaching there."

“Science and engineering?”

"That's right. The entire university will be devoted to science. It's called Sichuan University of Technology. Moreover, we will soon establish a science and engineering university in every province. These idioms won't save China."

"Prussia established a national education system and provided compulsory education for all. Is this also the case in Sichuan?"

"Yes, we have built thousands of primary schools. Although the main goal now is still to eliminate illiteracy, in a dozen years or so, we should have at least tens of thousands of undergraduate and associate degree graduates. By then, the talent gap that has constrained China will be filled, and our country will be able to stand proudly among the nations of the world!"

"Tens of thousands of college and undergraduate students? How is that possible? Do you know what that means?"

It's no wonder these people who have studied abroad for years are so surprised and incredulous. After all, when they left, the whole country was full of private schools, and they learned things like the Four Books and Five Classics. Where were the subjects like math, physics, and chemistry? When they arrived in Germany, they had to learn everything all over again. Just thinking about it makes me cry. Learning was so hard. Now suddenly saying that there may be tens of thousands of top students, how can people not be suspicious?

"Our Chairman said that no matter how hard life is, we must not let children suffer, and no matter how poor we are, we must not let education be neglected! He also said he'd never heard of a case where education could lead to the downfall of a nation. Therefore, education is a top priority for our liberated areas. Of course, we're able to build so many schools and have so many teachers because, under the leadership of our Chairman, our liberated areas have almost completed the transition from traditional Chinese characters to simplified Chinese, compiled dictionaries, and fully promoted Han Pinyin. More importantly, we already have a pilot set of textbooks for all courses from elementary school to high school, and have also compiled some university textbooks. Therefore, it should be no problem for tens of thousands of people to successfully advance from elementary school to higher education. Of course, expecting China to comprehensively surpass old industrial powers like Germany in the short term is impossible."

"Yes, your Chairman is right. Look at Germany, where there are railways crisscrossing the country, while in China, there are muddy roads everywhere. Germany has started using machinery to build high-rise buildings, while China still relies entirely on manual labor to build mud brick and tile houses. Germany has implemented compulsory education for many years, but in our country, to build a school, we have to rely on landlords and gentry to pay for it themselves, and even worse, we need the permission of the county magistrate. Do you think this is backward? I heard that your Progressive Party is now capable of overthrowing the Qing Dynasty, so why do you still keep it?"

"This matter is not something I need to worry about right now, but the reason why the Qing Dynasty was not overthrown immediately is still because of the great powers. You are right, the People's Liberation Army is indeed capable of overthrowing the Qing Dynasty now, but what will happen after the overthrow? Our People's Liberation Army does not know magic, cannot fly, and is not indestructible. We are still no match for the enemy's warships and cannons, so we still need you to study hard and serve the country after returning. We have warships and cannons like the great powers, so can't the Qing Dynasty, this broken house, be torn down at will? Before we have built our own solid house, we still need this broken house of the Qing Dynasty to shelter us from wind and rain, and even disasters."

“Is this the reason?”

"That's what I think. As for the real reason, I don't know either. That's something the Party Central Committee is considering. What majors are you studying? Oh, by the way, my last name is Lin Chengdong. You can just call me Comrade Lin."

"Okay, Comrade Lin, Lao Fu studied mechanical manufacturing, you can just call me Xiaoyu, I studied metallurgy."

"They're all excellent majors, and the liberated areas are in great need of people like you! But honestly, if the Qing Dynasty were still in power, Wuhan would be the only place where you could best utilize your abilities. However, the foreign powers are suppressing the development of Chinese industry, so you wouldn't be able to achieve much in Wuhan. If you studied chemistry or other sciences, it would be completely useless, as the Qing Dynasty would never develop a chemical industry."

“You guys are going to develop?”

"This is inevitable. Our Progressive Party is confident in its development. We're in Germany this time to buy machinery and equipment. Haha, when I was studying in Germany, the longer I stayed, the more despair I felt about the Qing Dynasty. Look at European countries, each one is crisscrossed with railways. Small countries like those the size of a booger are not even as big as a Qing Dynasty province, but if fully armed, they can even mobilize tens of millions of troops. The Qing Dynasty, as large as it is, only has a few hundred thousand troops at most. The difference is truly incomparable. During the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, a small Japanese pirate actually bit off a piece of flesh from the Qing Dynasty, ceding territory and paying indemnities. It is heartbreaking.

At that time, I wondered if we Chinese would suffer the same fate as the slaughtered blacks and Indians in Africa and America, or become the undisputed slaves of India and Burma. The thought of this made me feel truly hopeless. So, when I heard about the Sichuan Revolution, I immediately returned to China. Rather than dying here in despair, it would be more satisfying to return and join the revolution and perish alongside the Manchus.

"You went to the battlefield?"

Lin Chengdong shook his head and said with a smile: "No, no, the Chairman said that international students like us are precious treasures. No one would let us go to the battlefield unless it is absolutely necessary. Our true value is not on the battlefield, but in building our country. So, after the training, we were immediately sent to the United States to purchase machinery. Now that our liberated area is large enough, I was arranged to come to Germany. Now I need your help. I wonder if you two can lend a hand?"

Lao Fu and Xiao Yu looked at each other and said with a smile: "Haha, of course, we are happy to do so. We are all Chinese when we go abroad. As long as we can help, we will definitely help."

Lin Chengdong smiled again and said, "What a coincidence! What we're going to do this time is related to your major. But should we talk about it here, or should we go downstairs to a coffee shop?"

Lao Fu looked at the place he rented and found it was indeed not suitable for conversation. It was too messy, with books everywhere and not even an extra seat.

"Let's talk downstairs. It's not convenient here."

"Let's go, I see there are quite a few cafes on the street. Which coffee do you like?"

"It will be all right."

Lin Chengdong followed them down the building and turned a corner into a small alley. It was bustling with people coming and going. Lin Chengdong also saw a number of bookstores. He immediately wrote down the place. When he had time, he would visit the bookstores here and buy any books he needed back home.

After a short walk, they arrived at a small cafe filled with tables, but also featuring a number of plants, creating a unique and elegant atmosphere. Lin Chengdong smiled inwardly when he saw a beautiful waitress, who was also Chinese, working and studying there. After a few introductions, they learned that the waitress's name was Li Shengnan, and she was studying chemistry, which was quite rare. Lin Chengdong secretly praised her, saying, "What a wonderful girl!"

After they sat down, they started talking about the issue of industrialization. Lin Chengdong had received training from Zhang Yinghao, so he naturally had a high level of understanding of industrialization construction. Soon, Lin Chengdong was talking, and the other two were listening. Soon, Li Shengnan also came over to listen together.

"...So what we need to do now is to skip the steam revolution initiated by the British and enter directly into the revolution of electricity and internal combustion engines, so as to significantly increase productivity and surpass the old powers such as Britain, France, Germany, and the United States in one fell swoop. Only then can we achieve parity with the great powers. The United States and Germany are also undergoing the revolution of electricity and internal combustion engines, which is why their production capacity has surpassed that of the United Kingdom. We are now building an industrial system powered by electricity and internal combustion engines. This must be centered on a coal and iron complex, just like Germany's Ruhr region. China has a large territory and abundant resources. We can definitely strive to create several Ruhr areas and completely surpass the European countries..."

The three people present were all international students, and their minds were naturally sharp. Upon hearing Lin Chengdong's words, they understood that while there were many difficulties, this could still be achieved gradually. At least they could work towards this goal. After hearing Lin Chengdong's words, they all became inexplicably excited, as if they had seen a future for China, a vision of endless hope...

“This kind of plan would cost a lot of money, wouldn’t it?”

"Our Chairman said that any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem! Of course, we are now also walking on two legs. We are working hard to make money in light industry to balance trade, while focusing on heavy industry and fully solving the problem of developing heavy industry. This is how Germany developed, but Germany has its shortcomings. We in China do not have this shortcoming, so our future achievements will definitely surpass Germany's."

“What are Germany’s shortcomings?”

"Haha, it's no big deal to tell you. Germany's weakness is, of course, the market. Industrial development requires a market, especially heavy industry. Without a market, investing so much money in heavy industry will yield no returns, and the country will eventually be unable to bear it and even go bankrupt. But China is different. We have a population of over 400 million, which is a huge market. We are a world in ourselves. Therefore, in the short term, we only need internal circulation to complete industrial development and upgrading. So as long as we have Germany's early help and digest and absorb Germany's existing achievements, we will soon be able to surpass them..."

"But if we don't overthrow the Qing Dynasty and establish a republic, it seems we won't be recognized by the great powers, right?"

"Haha, you've been deeply brainwashed. It's the same thing I was taught back then. You still don't understand what imperialism is, or what it means that truth exists only within the range of cannons. Our revolution isn't just about smashing the old world, it's about building a new one. We even have problems with our cannons, so we can't grasp the truth."

Just as you said, we overthrew the Qing Dynasty and immediately established a republic, but if we still cannot maintain the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, then what is the difference between this republic and the Qing Dynasty? If we want to maintain the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of the country, then the area covered by our artillery shells must at least be all places where the country reaches, and we must even keep the enemy out of the country, so that what we say is the truth.

Therefore, our country must take the path of industrialization and transform itself into a powerful industrial nation, a powerful hedgehog, or a war fortress. Only in this way can we arm our people and drive out all imperialist invaders. We will not invade other countries, but other countries will not dare to bully us in the face of our perverted war fortress. This is the natural logic...

Chapter 588:

Listening to Lin Chengdong's words, Lao Fu, Xiaoyu, and Li Shengnan all nodded repeatedly, expressing their strong agreement with what Lin Chengdong said, and even felt their blood boiling. However, there were always people who poured cold water on others and turned people off. Suddenly, someone interrupted and said, "Otherwise, we Chinese should advocate benevolence, convince people with reason, and defeat the enemy without fighting, rather than waging war. As long as we overthrow the Qing Dynasty and establish a republic, then the Western powers will naturally recognize us as a civilized country like them and accept us as a member of the civilized world. Civilized countries will be able to apply international law and resolve issues through diplomatic means. Through negotiations, we can recover all the privileges that the powers have in China, and the powers will give up their privileges in China on their own."

If Lin Chengdong had heard these words when he was studying, he might have agreed, but now, haha, all he can say is that these people have been fooled by Westerners and have no idea what the real world is like.

"This is..."

Lao Fu immediately stood up and introduced: "This is Liu Dehai from Berlin University, studying art..."

"Humph, war is temporary, and art belongs to all mankind. As long as we join the civilized world, all of China's current problems will be solved."

"Haha, Mr. Liu, what is civilization? Our Chinese civilization has been ahead of the world for more than two thousand years, and now it is only a few decades behind. How can it suddenly not be civilization? Then what is the glory created in the past? A dream? Is it all fake? This does not conform to historical facts! Our Chairman said: The country is in ruins, and our generation should strengthen itself. The Qing Dynasty was bullied, and our generation did not work hard. Everyone blamed themselves, and then the next generation would still scold us. So, what does our current civilization have to do with our ancestors? We inherit the civilized predecessors in history. China's history is a continuous process. So, it's not that we're uncivilized now, but rather that there's no absolute connection between civilization and military might. Moral articles are no match for mighty ships and cannons. In an age where truth is only within the range of cannons, truth lies in the hands of the great powers, so what they say is truth. But, haha, you actually say that becoming a republic means joining the civilized world. If you say that about Germany, wouldn't that be a slap in the face? Germany is now an empire, and Wilhelm II is the emperor. So, isn't Germany a civilized country? Isn't Britain a civilized country? So, your question of civilization or lack of civilization has nothing to do with empires?

Liu Dehai hadn't expected Lin Chengdong to be so formidable. With just a few words, he was completely speechless. He opened his mouth, but for a moment, he couldn't utter a word of rebuttal.

Lin Chengdong continued, "In this world, whether a country can be considered civilized depends on whether it can reason with other countries on an equal footing. The basis of equality is force, not any system. If a republic is civilized, then Britain and Germany are not civilized? If the Qing Dynasty could establish a constitution, would it have become advanced? The answer is no. If you want to reason with others on an equal footing, and you want to tell them that you are speaking the truth, then you must tell them that wherever my truth reaches, it is within the range of my artillery. If the Qing Dynasty defeated the foreign powers, or even forced them to pay compensation, perhaps you would have already knelt down and shouted "Long Live the Qing Emperor!"

"Truth will inevitably triumph in the end. What you're saying is weaponism, extremism. You can't save China with such radicalism. You're forcibly seizing the hard-earned land of the landlords, hoping to divide up the property of the propertied class. This is the behavior of bandits and the real source of chaos. Your actions are bound to face the hostility of the propertied class worldwide, and sooner or later they will interfere with the revolution. You will ultimately fail, just as the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and Li Zicheng did, and the Chinese people will suffer..."