I asked for a commuter pass

On the shore of the lake behind the Old Summer Palace, Emperor Zhu and Prime Minister Zuo are strolling by the water.

"Zuo Xiang, do you think, after Russia, who is the next opponent of my Ming Empire?"

Emperor Zhu took Zuo Zongtang out for a walk just to discuss diplomatic issues with him. As long as the matter did not involve the interests of Confucian scholars, Emperor Zhu would generally communicate with Zuo Zongtang, Luo Zenan and others repeatedly, listen to their opinions, and then implement them. When it came to the interests of the gentry, he liked to carry out surprise attacks and force the cabinet to accept his advice. This is true for example, in the three imperial examination reforms.

Because Zhu Jishi's most fearful thing is to talk to Confucianism about Confucianism, his little knowledge of Chinese culture is not enough to see, and he will be dizzy in the last hour. Moreover, Zuo Zongtang and Luo Zenan are the great Confucians in the world, why can't they be allowed to bear the responsibility of "anti-Confucianism", otherwise they will not be scolded by Qingliuwu? This wicked person can only be done by Emperor Zhu himself.

So he simply had a showdown directly in the court, and if the cabinet was resolutely opposed, it would have to be replaced. Anyway, Liu Peng's royalist association has already pulled up a team and can take over Zuo Zongtang's class at any time. However, Zuo Zongtang is also an old fox, and he will never fight Zhu Jishi to the end.

But Zuo Zongtang and Luo Zenan don't know much about diplomatic matters, and they all look at things in newspapers and books. After all, they have never stayed in Europe, let alone slept in the same bed with European "female politicians", how can they say that Emperor Zhu?

"Britain, the emperor, the minister thinks. After the defeat of Russia. Britain will be the greatest threat to my Ming Dynasty! ”

Zuo Zongtang still insisted on his own point of view. The great powers that can reach the Ming Dynasty now are the two powers, Russia, Britain, France, as for Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands, they are no longer able to do it now. France has the best relationship with the Ming Dynasty, and the navy is inferior to Britain, so it naturally ranks lower on the "blacklist".

"Zuo Xiang, I am asking about the opponent, not the threat."

Zhu Jishi smiled and shook his head. The opponent can also be Da Ming to take the initiative, and the threat is to put Da Ming in a defensive position.

"Opponent...... Could it be France? ”

"It's America!"

Zhu Jishi also didn't sell his crown anymore: "The United States is my biggest opponent, if you can't take advantage of the civil strife that is about to break out in their country to divide it in two, you will regret it in the future." ”

"American ......" Zuo Zongtang shook his head, not quite understanding, "Your Majesty, the United States and we are quite friendly." And...... The United States and Britain have always been at odds. ”

Britain and the United States were not hardcore allies at this time, and in fact there were great contradictions between the two countries. The United States had always coveted Canadian territory, and there were those in Britain who wanted to reintegrate the United States into the empire. In addition, the United States has always taken a pro-French position in the Napoleonic Wars. In 1823, he even threw out a "Monroe Declaration" to oppose the intervention of European powers in the affairs of the Americas. It was clear that the chariots and horses were going against the British Empire.

Due to the Opium War, the anti-British sentiment in the Ming Dynasty is still relatively strong at present, and Zuo Zongtang regards Britain as the biggest threat after Russia, so he naturally has a good impression of the anti-British United States.

"It is precisely because the United States and Britain are not small that we have been given the opportunity to unite with Britain and France to split the United States!"

Zhu Jishi looked at Zuo Zongtang seriously: "Zuo Xiang, for the strength and weakness of a country, we can't just look at the present and ignore the future. The current United States can only barely reach the great powers, which is similar to our situation. But when it comes to the potential of the future, it is to surpass ours in China! ”

"The potential of the United States is to surpass that of our Ming?" Zuo Zongtang frowned, looking incomprehensible.

"Although our land area is much larger than that of the United States, the available rich land is far less than that of the United States. The plains of the United States have more land than we do, and there is the ocean on both sides, so the transportation is very convenient. The Mississippi River, which passes through the middle of the United States, can irrigate large areas of plain land, making the potential of American agriculture far greater than ours.

And the industrial strength of the United States is now stronger than ours! They are countries within white circles, close to Europe, and are the top destinations for European capital and brain drain. In the past few decades, whenever there has been turmoil in Europe, countless capital and talents have gone to the United States, and the population of the United States has grown rapidly, and now it has exceeded 30 million, almost as much as Russia! In another fifty years, it is very likely to exceed 100 million. Although our population is much larger than that of the United States, but the population is so large that our country is actually a burden, our agriculture is mainly for the food of the people, and American agriculture is for the industrial development of the accumulation of capital ......"

"It's a burden to have a lot of people and a lot of land, but the matter of eating is very important." Zuo Zongtang nodded, he was a broken household before he entered the big landlord's house, and he naturally knew what a land contradiction was. Moreover, from his standpoint, the root cause of the land contradiction is not "feudal private ownership of land", but overpopulation.

"Our burden isn't just overpopulation...... We are an ancient country, the years are too long, all kinds of historical burdens are naturally heavy, all kinds of relationships are intertwined, if we do not vigorously sweep away, then many elbows, want to cut through the chaos quickly, the lesson of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is in front of you. Therefore, I can only be cautious and slowly adjust the relationship interests in all aspects, unlike the United States, which is newly emerging and does not have so many complicated things, so I can let it go. ”

Zuo Zongtang was a little silent, he knew that Zhu Jishi's words alluded to Confucianism and the gentry of the world.

Zhu Jishi's tone was quite emotional: "In addition, the United States also has a huge advantage, and there is no land power around it. Unlike us, which borders Russia, we always have to devote a lot of manpower and material resources to the struggle against Russia. Therefore, considering various factors, it is very likely that the United States will grow into the world's number one industrial power in the future. In the final analysis, the strength of the national strength of the world in the world lies in the strength of industry......"

"Your Majesty, the strongest industry in the world is now Britain, followed by France." Zuo Zongtang muttered in a low voice.

"Britain and France are small in their homeland, with limited industrial resources, and their potential is far inferior to that of the United States, and even inferior to the Ming Dynasty and Russia, so I do not regard Britain and France as our main rivals. Moreover, the European powers are too close to each other to guard against each other, and if they are not careful, it will be a great war in Europe. Where can the United States develop with peace of mind? ”

Emperor Zhu still has this bit of historical knowledge. Britain is now the world's leading industrial power, but only a few decades later, the United States and Germany overtook it, and France's heavy industry was slowed down after the Franco-Prussian War because of the loss of Lorraine and Alsace.

And in sixty years, there will be a world war on the European continent on an unprecedented scale! If China can rise in its own hands, the era of European domination of the world will probably end at that time, right?

Zhu Jishi stood at the water's edge, looked at the vast lake, and said lightly: "Zuo Xiang, do you understand my hard work now?" I don't look at the present, I look at the future...... The era of great empires such as Britain and France, which had small lands and vast colonies, would eventually pass. In the future, the world will inevitably be a triumvirate between the Ming Dynasty, Russia, and the United States. Therefore, in my lifetime, we must curb the development potential of Russia and the United States. Only in this way will the future world be the master of our Ming Empire! Even if I can't see this day! ”

Is this to dominate the world? Zuo Zongtang was taken aback, he never thought that the king he served had such great ambitions and planned so long-term. This scheming is really deep enough, but no matter how you look at it, it looks a little wishful, why is the United States so good that it is about civil strife? The United States is not overpopulated and has little land, so the people will not have enough to eat, right? The common people are full of food and drink, can they still mess up?

And even if the United States is in chaos, Britain and France are willing to go out with Daming to split people? And what kind of splitting method? Is it possible to divide the United States into two parts, with the Ming Dynasty, Britain, and France each occupying a piece? This is unreliable, and it will definitely fight again in the future, and if Britain unifies the United States, won't it be even more troublesome? (To be continued......)