The Baoketu trade fair was booming, and the family members of the Mongolian leader were invited to the Li family's manor, and as soon as they got off the car, a large group of children rushed over, and the children who were sent to Fengzhou to study had not seen each other for a few years and could not recognize it - the boys had grown taller, the braids on their heads had become short hair, the wide cotton robes had been replaced with high-necked straight open short clothes, which made them more spiritual, and the girls looked more pretty, wearing silk brocade Hanfu, and then applying rouge gouache, they all became beauties, and the children's accents also became Jinbei dialects, and their mouths were full of unintelligible neologisms, Is this still my own child?

Several bonfires were lit on the lawn by Haizi, the roast sheep emitted bursts of fragrance, a row of tables was full of wine, bread and spices, and Li Yu's four wives - Wulan, Wulangha, Yilan, and Sutai came forward to greet the guests at the same time. The girls also pointed to a group of young people in the distance and whispered to their mothers, who wore crisp red and blue trousers, wore military rank marks on their chests, sabers at their waists, and brand-new riding boots, all of them handsome and upright, and full of energy, and were obviously their idols.

Under the shade of the tree, Shukul was depressed, buried his head and ate hard, a group of young officers were whispering comfort, and Hadari patted him on the shoulder: "It's going to be a big expansion, it's a pity to leave at this time, let's say, what are your plans?" Need our help? ”

"The president has given me some gold and weapons, and I plan to go to the Turghut tribe in the Western Regions to recruit some warriors first, and then set off for the Volga River, if you want to help, you can go west as soon as possible," Shukul took a sip of wine, casually stabbed Ao Bai who was standing next to him and whispered, "You guys are so annoying!" ”

"Actually, I want to help you too, Shukuer," Ao Bai had nothing to do after his injury, he followed Li Yu every day, and almost became a supernumerary member of the Flying Tiger Battalion, and he was already familiar with everyone, scratching his head and saying, "The emperor said that my brother Prince Jin, I heard that the Qing mission is also on the way, maybe the two of us can negotiate and join forces to suppress the chaos in the east, and then we can go west, I will definitely go with you." ”

Hadari waved his hand and said: "It's not that simple, if Lao Zhushen has the final say, maybe we would have become a family, but you listen to the nonsense of the Han people, saying that the emperor dreams of founding a country and ruling the world, we can only accompany him to the end, Ao Bai, and Kubilong decided to stay, you can stay too!" ”

Ao Bai lowered his head and was silent, the Qing army who came to Fengzhou to recuperate from his wounds liked it here, most of them wanted to stay, and Curb Bilong was even more determined not to leave, this guy could write and calculate and had the strength, pestering Li Jin to learn to burn glass, threatening to learn a unique craft to make a fortune, but Ao Bai couldn't make up his mind.

"Shukur, the president has been making preparations, this time I was transferred to receive hundreds of Rakshasa prisoners from the Western Regions and Khalkha, just to find out their details, and you will send someone to report the situation every year in the future." Cha Gui has a lot of ideas in his brain, and he has just been transferred to the Titang Division as the director, and he explained in a low voice, Shukuer nodded and continued to eat.

Everyone was eating and chatting, at this time, several cavalrymen escorted a four-wheeled carriage into the manor, and after the stop, the governor of the Foreign Affairs Department Chang Shu and the governor of the Silver Banknote Bureau, Shen Shoulian, accompanied a blonde Europa to get out of the car, and walked towards a small building in the depths of the manor without looking back.

"Shen Taro," Hadari shouted in a low voice, and a stout officer who was left behind glanced over and immediately ran over, and Hadari opened his mouth and asked, "What kind of distinguished guest is here?" I actually asked two governors to accompany me. ”

"I don't know, it seems to be a Dutchman," Shen Taro has been very proud recently, he has just been transferred back to Datong from Wuchang to improve the guerrilla level, and it is said that he will be sent to Shandong for reuse, this guy said seriously, "Don't call me Shen Taro, Boss Shen gave me to the president as a housekeeper, I am also a member of the Li family, and I will be called Li Taro in the future." ”

Everyone burst into laughter, and Li Taro said unhappily: "Is the surname Li bad, this is the emperor's surname, forget it, I have to go to the guard quickly." ”

In an elegant tearoom, Chang Shu talked eloquently, and an interpreter whispered to the Europa: Datong and the Netherlands are close to each other, Datong survives in the gap between the Ming and Qing empires, and the Netherlands is also resisting the oppression of the Holy Roman Empire, the two countries have the same faith, both are full of love for God, and both countries are free, equal, and benevolent federal republics, and the flags used are all tricolors for the resolution of state affairs by parliament, and the same pursuit of commercial interests, there is so much in common, there is no reason not to be best friends.

"Mr. Cuarón, you have met our president in Bauktu, and he said that we have a basis for sincere cooperation, that all issues are easy to discuss, that you can trust us, that Datong and the East India Company are fully able to reach an agreement." Chang Shu finally said.

Caron, the senior commercial attaché of the Dutch East India Company, was holding a glass teacup, which was crystal clear and dark red in color, not reaching the level of transparent glass, but it should not be far from success - Father Deng Ruoshui, also from the Netherlands, told him that the factories, workshops and skills of Datong and Bauktu were definitely not weak, and in some respects even surpassed those of the Europa countries, and the Netherlands might regret it for a hundred years if it missed the opportunity to cooperate with this emerging country. The East India Company realized this early on and actively contacted each other, and the East India Company's silver, grain, and sugar, and Datong's raw silk, tea, and porcelain were all goods that were urgently needed by each other, and the scale of trade between the two countries expanded year by year. Datong also opened the ports of Rizhao and Haizhou to the East India Company, and the East India Company also sent people to Rizhao to guide shipbuilding and train sailors, and the two countries even jointly sent troops to fight against the Zheng family forces in Fujian, and everything developed in a good way. But recently something went wrong, after the Japanese shogunate drove out Portuguese and English merchants, the Netherlands monopolized Japan's maritime trade, and exported a large number of deer skins to Japan every year, and Datong's skins were complete and cheap and high-quality, so they naturally snatched this part of the business, and the East India Company Council felt challenged and sent Caron to negotiate, hoping to reach a trade agreement with Datong.

"My country is dominated by seven autonomous provinces in the northern Netherlands, and should be called the Dutch Republic, and the Commonwealth of Pax has made a good impression on me, and the president of your country has a great reputation in Europa, and is known as an angel who turns barbarism into civilization, and it is said that the Holy See intends to confer on him the honor of Friend of the Holy Church, and we should indeed be best friends, and the only difference may be that we believe in Protestantism." Caron replied.

"We are also Protestant, we have always been tired of the complicated liturgy of the Holy See, and we are pure in our faith, simple in our life, never ashamed of making money in business, and we pray sincerely whenever we encounter pain, longing for God's favor, but the Holy See has extended a helping hand, but has never produced the complete Bible, as God's chosen people, what a terrible thing!" Chang Shu replied emotionally, Shen Shoulian couldn't help but kick him secretly, don't worry about it.

"I am convinced that Protestantism will become our common faith," Caron said with a smile, and he had already seen that this money-addicted country was the same as the Netherlands, and sooner or later it would be obsessed with Protestantism, but it could not be let go, these people were too powerful, relying on the supply of goods and ports on the mainland, and attracting pirates from China, Japan, Korea, and the Ryukyus to join in, and it would be a terrible competitor to develop, "Then let's talk about business, Japan is the traditional market of the East India Company, but since you went to the sea, Japan's raw silk is gone, How do you explain the fact that our skins to Japan were also seriously unsalable, and that your country was making silver by dumping tea, raw silk and porcelain on a large scale, causing a growing trade deficit between the two sides, and the East India Company suffering losses as a result? ”

"Datong has a source of raw silk and leather goods, which is a natural advantage, no wonder we, the trade deficit has widened because your country has a serious shortage of goods in addition to silver, such as we are in urgent need of grain and sugar, but the East India Company can't get enough supplies, I guess it must be that the output is not enough, as the best friend, I want to ask, do you need help?" Shen Shoulian replied lightly.

Caron smiled bitterly and did not answer, it was indeed his own problem, Taiwan and other islands were seriously short of labor, the local natives could not do a good job, and the East India Company's sugar and rice production was always low.

Chang Shu continued: "We cherish our friendship with your country, and the President has instructed that we can sign a long-term trade agreement with the East India Company, and that both sides will give full play to their respective advantages and learn from each other's strengths. ”

"The East India Company has the right to do business in the Far East granted by the government of the Republic, and the capital is absolutely abundant, and I am afraid that the parliament may not agree to the export of your labor, and we will consider exporting sea ships and weapons to make up for the deficit." Caron quickly shook his head.

"You doubt our friendship, this is very bad, in terms of sea ships and weapons, of course we should communicate, but this can't make up for much of the deficit, the most fundamental thing is the labor problem, for example, Taiwan, you can only control the south, the central and northern parts are completely blank, and a large number of immigrants are needed." Chang Shu said with a flat face.

"Mr. Caron, there is a situation that must be told to you, the envoys of the English crossed the Snow Mountains to contact the Tibetan Commandery, and we learned that the English also had an East India Company, and they also believed in Protestantism, and were very willing to cooperate with us, the only trouble was that it would take too much and too long to cooperate by land, but we were still ready to build a road into Tibet, which would be good for the future." Shen Shoulian added with a smile.

The rivals of the English also came over, and it is not a good thing for Datong to cooperate with them, Caron had a little headache, shook his head slightly, and said: "Formosa does need labor, but it can only be introduced gradually, otherwise it will cause public security problems, and His Excellency the Governor will not trust you." ”

Chang Shu stared into Cuaron's eyes and said, "But you should trust us, if you are the governor of Formosa, then we will immigrate to grow rice, sugar cane, and help you maintain law and order, okay?" ”

"It can't be!" Cuarón almost jumped.

"Nothing is impossible, God's people are starving, and you have a large area of land that is wasted, God will be angry about it, Datong thinks that it is in the interests of both parties to immigrate to Formosa, you earn money, and the poor get food, Mr. Caron, you will be paid for it, and the central and northern parts of Formosa will be built into farms, and we will give you a share." Chang Shu continued.

"I'm going to hell!" Caron exclaimed excitedly.

Chang Shu also shouted: "I will accompany you to hell and give you another 30,000 taels of silver to persuade the council." ”

Shen Shoulian continued to increase: "Give 50,000 taels, but the governor of Formosa must be you, I believe you can do it." ”

"I'll admit it's a bit tempting, but I need to think about it." Cuarón hesitated for a moment, then sat down weakly to cover his face.

Chang Shu and Shen Shoulian quietly walked out of the tea room, Shen Shoulian closed the door and asked, "Liao'an, when did you become a Protestant?" ”

"Last night." Chang Shu waved his hand and left.

In the depths of Daqing Mountain, in the camp of Li Yu's private hunting ground, the presidential palace is also convening a meeting of the leaders of Mongolian, Tibetan and Hui tribes, the Great Commander of the Western Regions Batur, Prime Minister Namur, the Great Commander of Tibetan Area Tulu Baihu, Prime Minister Nomin, Khalkha Three Khans Shuolei, Gunbu, Subadi, Prime Minister Itak, the Fifth ** Living Buddha of Tibetan Area, the Living Buddha of Xihai Dongke, and the Grand Imam of Muslim Mahad were impressively present - the little living Buddha representing the Mongolian area was too naughty, and Lama Ondun attended the meeting on his behalf.

After Zhang Zhiyao, secretary of the Presidential Office, explained the current situation, Li Yu stood up and made a painful review - the expedition of the Datong Army caused two troubles: first, it inexplicably contributed to the Wuchang Revolution, which may swell the Han forces within the Datong Federation and directly affect the situation of mutual checks and balances among various ethnic groups; Second, he was not optimistic about the Chahar people, Konggol Ezhe ventured into the Qing Dynasty, unfortunately he was defeated and died, the bloodline of the Mongolian Great Khan has been broken, and how to inherit the president of the naturalized alliance has become a big problem.

Everyone was silent when they heard this, and the tribal leader felt that Li Yu was making a bit of a fuss, and it was a good thing to win the battle and grab the territory, what was there to worry about, did the Han people in Guannai dare to rebel? It doesn't matter if Kongor is dead, what if he becomes president and goes to restoration? The greatest threat to the tribes was precisely the Mongol Great Khan.

Several great lamas were worried, Emperor Shizu of the Great Yuan and Ba Si Pa formed a relationship of mentor and friend, and tied Mongolia and Tibet, the power of the Khan and the power of the religion tightly together, both sides of the glory and loss, but the Great Yuan withdrew from the Great Wall for almost 300 years, except for Dayan Khan, the authority of the Mongolian Great Khan was almost lost, and even Lamaism was fragmented. Fortunately, a hero who has the ability to reinvigorate the authority of the Great Khan finally emerged on the grassland, in order to support Li Yu, the lamas were willing to give up the right to tax exemption and exemption from servitude to give financial support, and they also racked their brains to make up the theory of reincarnation, and Li Yu also repaid the peach, attacked the Qing Dynasty, exterminated the Red Sect, supported the development and growth of Lamaism, and repaid more charity, and the interests of both sides were closely linked, but the reincarnation theory confused secular power and religious power, and how to pass on Li Yu's authority became a problem.

"I answer, you call it Khan, we all support you." Batur said and glanced at Tulubaihu and the Khalkha Three Khans, and everyone nodded in agreement - the ambitions of the people on the grassland are limited after all, and they get much more than they want, but they are tormented by practical problems, and can only rely on Li Yu to mobilize the power of the Datong Federation for blood transfusion support, and the more stable the Li family's position, the more beneficial it is for them.

"If I become the Great Khan, the Han people will force me to be the emperor, do you agree?" Li Yu asked with a wry smile.

The Mongols and Tibetans were unwilling to accept the emperor, and the people of Guannei were also unwilling to accept the Great Khan, this knot was difficult to untie, everyone closed their mouths again, and after a while, Lama Aung Tun shook his head and said: "Since we have entered the customs, we must not retreat, and we cannot prevent the people of Guannei from joining the federation, so relax the restrictions and allow Tibet, the Western Regions, and Khalkha to join the federation, and also check and balance each other and govern the republic as before." ”

"I agree that when the "Naturalization Oath" was formulated, it was impossible to think of such a big situation today, some of the provisions are too unrealistic, such as no nobility, no slavery, freedom, equality, and benevolence, I found in Khalkha and the Western Regions, the situation is very different from place to place, some places are extremely poor, there are cattle, sheep, pastures and nobles are still living hard, and the people who have nothing can not survive, only by clinging to the nobles and hugging them tightly can they survive, and slavery has become the way of survival." Namur held the "Naturalization Oath" in his hand and said loudly.

The Fifth ** Living Buddha nodded and said: "This is also the case in Tibet, the conditions in many places are bad, the nobles control the population to graze and farm, no matter how bitter there is food, if you give freedom to slaves and tribes, the bitter cold land will immediately be no man's land, and the land with abundant water and grass and fertile land is overcrowded, and at that time the blood will flow like a river for the competition for grassland and land." ”

Namur waved his fist and continued: "Therefore, the conditions for joining the federation should be relaxed for the border areas, the premise of no nobility and no slavery is to solve the problem of survival, freedom is not arbitrary, but the right to choose not to do anything without oppression, equality is not to equal the rich and poor, but to give all people a fair opportunity for survival and development, benevolence is not to give favors, but 'do not do to others what you would not do to yourself'." ”

Everyone whispered, and after a while, the assistant political affairs officer of the presidential office, He Chilie, asked: "But, Na Mu'er, you still haven't made it clear how the president's authority will be inherited, the Han population is too large, and they will definitely be in power in time, can you guarantee that they will not restore the Han system?" ”

Na Mu'er thought about it, but still shook his head and sat down, Li Yu glanced at everyone with a wry smile, and found that Chen Qiyu and Han Lin were a little cramped and uneasy, as if they wanted to speak, but they were a little hesitant, and said with a kind face, "Mr. Chen, Mr. Han, you are not outsiders, if you have something to say, it doesn't matter if you are wrong." ”

Chen Qiyu bowed his hand to everyone and said: "Everyone, the Great Khan and the Emperor are just titles, don't care, I think that the president's power is given by God, as long as it conforms to the will of heaven, it can be inherited, what is the will of heaven?" Heaven listens to its own people, and the people see it as its own people, and if the people have a wish, they will descend to the Constitution, and if they gather the people's opinions, they can know the Constitution of Heaven, and turn the Constitution of Heaven into a law or permissible. ”

"We considered the Celestial Constitution when we drew up the Naturalization Oath, but then ignored it, and we also proposed a federal constitution." Han Lin nodded in agreement.