Chapter 230: The True Strength of the Empire
Recommended Reading: ? In 1884, there was a great good thing for the Chinese Imperial Army, that is, during the National People's Congress, the National People's Congress officially adopted the military white paper "On Enhancing the National Defense Strength" proposed by the Army, and the National People's Congress was the highest authority in the empire (of course, Lin Hong's prestige was greater now), and during the National People's Congress, the Imperial Assembly as a permanent body of the National People's Congress had little power (the Imperial Assembly was equivalent to the current Standing Committee of the National People's Congress). Such a system is actually very strange, the deputies come from all the grassroots level of the empire, and the imperial parliament is basically the representative of the interests of the capitalists, but the National People's Congress only meets once every two years, and the normal resolutions of the imperial parliament will not interfere too much.
Having said that, China has basically had no foreign military operations in recent years, so its military development is more or less inclined to the navy, and the army is of course unhappy! The military white paper adopted this time formalized the position of the Standing Army of the Imperial Army in the next five years, that is, by 1890, to complete the military expansion of the five army groups, bringing the total number of land forces in the country from 1.36 million to more than 2 million.
Many people may ask, is it feasible to have such a large number of standing armies? After all, this is one after another A division, is it okay to spend military money and equipment? In fact, the reason why the army decided to expand is not blind, the northwest and west of the empire are facing the Russian Empire, and the Russian Empire is currently deployed there with more than 600,000 troops, which China currently has only 3 group armies about 350,000 or so The pressure is not small, this is a direct reason, and another fundamental reason is that the empire is too big, 1.3 million was enough in the past, and with the in-depth development and immigration, some places are indeed a little stretched, As for the issue of military spending, it is not big, China is a big country after all, with its current productive forces, it can basically achieve the consumption of 20 national output and one soldier, and even 2 million is only 1/300 of the current empire's population of nearly 600 million. In fact, with the development of the People's Republic of China for 40 years, the military retirement system has been implemented for more than 30 years, not counting the data of the colonies, if the empire launches a full-scale war and enters the wartime system, more than 3 million militias and reserves can be transferred to the standing army within a month, about 7 million retired army soldiers can be restored within three months, and more than 10 million conscripted army soldiers can be sent to the battlefield again after a year. In other words, with the current population and industrial strength of the empire, the total strength of the army will reach an unprecedented 25 million in a year of war, which is enough to crush the world.
In terms of industry, according to the data released at the end of 1883, the steel output of the United States reached 8.87 million tons, the growth rate of Britain also reached 4.4 million tons, France was 3.33 million tons, Germany soared to 5.93 million tons by virtue of its own mineral resources, ranking third in the world, and China released 9.19 million tons of data ranking first in the world, but of course this is not the case.
After the establishment of Soviet Russia, it only took five to ten years to complete the transformation of the planned economy, but it took a hundred years for the capitalist countries with only a market economy, and the Chinese Empire has been following the economic development model of later generations, and the planned economy and the market economy have developed together, and eight five-year plans have been completed from the founding of the People's Republic of China to today. Could the empire's huge population base really be inferior to that of the United States? In fact, the 9.19 million tons of steel mills declared by the Imperial Ministry of Industry were actually the data of the Reich in the first half of 1883. The empire's annual steel output in 1883 was 18.37 million tons, which was ten times that of ten years ago, of course, in later generations, this value was just a month's output value of Anshan Iron and Steel, but in 1883 this was a direct reflection of national strength, and the special alloy steel was not detailed. Another most important point is that since 1880, with the sluggish construction of American railroads, a large number of small and medium-sized steel mills in Pittsburgh have gone bankrupt and closed, and the United States still has such a large production supported by imports from China, the United States and the Empire, and the infrastructure of the empire itself is a huge bottomless pit, and the empire usually buys American steel at the price of scrap steel (steel tariffs in various countries make it difficult for American steel to open external markets and itself is saturated, which is why American steel production can increase after 1880). Not to mention China and the United States, it only guarantees an annual output of about 800,000 yuan, and the rest is basically bought from the United States.
Steel is just the data is really useful is the result of its use, by 1883 the imperial railway mileage has reached 170,000 kilometers, these railways are standard 2500 mm wide rails, which is also China's own standard system, and the current countries led by the British are basically British rails are 1250 mm wide, the British with the width of the butt of two horses set the standard in the eyes of the imperial engineers is simply rubbish, the railway not only carries several times the capacity, The latter is also not comparable in terms of the stability of railway operation. Of course, more steel is consumed, but the practicality of broad-gauge railways can compensate for this consumption.
Corresponding to iron and steel as an indicator of industrial development is the development of agriculture in the empire, specifically referring to the development of grain, the empire's agriculture is currently unable to produce advanced hybrid rice, but the improvement of chemical fertilizers and seeds is at least barely enough, by 1880 the Chinese empire itself basically achieved three to five catties of rice per person per day, which is only rice, and other such as dairy products, meat, and fruits are also very sufficient, and there are some snacks and non-staple foods. The Ministry of Agriculture of the Imperial Government has designated the Huguang region, the Khmer Annam region, the southern Tibet region and the Lan Fang Kingdom as the four major grain production bases of the empire, and Siam may also become a major grain production base in the empire after Lin Fei's visit.
Since 1870, soybeans in Northeast China have occupied 90% of the global market and basically monopolized the world's soybean output. The Empire's fresh cocoons and raw silk account for 99% of global output; Tea accounts for eighty percent of the global market; In addition, China's fishing industry is particularly developed, with a six-month moratorium on North Sea fisheries and a distant-water fleet of fishing grounds in Peru and Newfoundland to ensure that the people can meet their meat needs. Not to mention that the empire has two major animal husbandry farms in Mongolia and Central Asia, and even if the common people can't eat high-end meat, pork is still relatively sufficient.
Food is a more powerful weapon than oil, any development of people is based on being full, what can you do if you can't eat enough, the four major grain companies in later generations monopolized the global grain price, if it were not for Yuan Longping's hybrid rice, the United States in later generations would be even more lawless.
In terms of maritime trade, according to the statistics of the Statistics Bureau of the Imperial Ministry of Commerce, by 1880, the total tonnage of the Imperial merchant ships had reached 6.888 million tons, surpassing the British 10,000 tons, ranking first in the world. Before 1880, China's maritime merchants were mainly interested in the relative safety and proximity of Asia, but in 1880, with the establishment of the "Rim of the Pacific-Asian Trade Organization" low-tariff economic alliance led by the empire, maritime trade became popular.
Education has always been the empire's largest financial investment, by 1880 the population literacy rate of the Chinese Empire has reached 78.8%, the country's illiterate is basically the elderly, and the literacy rate in the army has reached 100%, the squadron is basically the highest cultural quality in the world, this period of Germany is 96.4%, Britain 34.9%, France 41.6%, the United States 28%, Russia 10.7% (the history of Russia is even lower).
In addition to educating the Chinese Empire, the most enviable thing for Europeans now is China's health care system. The strengthening of traditional Chinese medicine and the promotion of Western medicine have reduced the suffering of the people to the greatest extent, and although the medical security system has increased the government's financial expenditure, the relatively healthy life of the people can be better produced. China's medical and health care is also the object of imitation by the great powers, many European aristocrats or wealthy people have chosen to come to Chinese hospitals for childbirth, as mentioned earlier, Wilhelm II of Germany was cured under the conditioning of traditional Chinese medicine.
It can be said that China will stand on the front line of industrialization in the future, but the transformation is a difficult and painful thing, not every factory owner is willing to pay to update the machine, even if there is a national policy subsidy.
The most important part of the economy is finance, which can be said to be China's weakness, the traditional banking industry and the operation of modern banks are completely different, China's local bankers can be said to have been constantly learning and exploring from the beginning, but Lin Hongzao's biochemical people can be said to support the imperial bank's finance. In 1868, the Rothschild family, known as the Seventh European Empire, had mobilized a large amount of capital to enter the financial market in Shanghai to prepare for a hand, and the Imperial Securities and Futures Commission discovered this situation for the first time, and then the Jews knew for the first time the power of the original government intervention in the economy, and the Chinese stock market was a big cake, but except for small shareholders and some good capital, the Jews were basically turned away, and China was definitely more thorough than Europe and the United States in the position of guarding against Jews, and in China the Jews did not even own houses, they could only rent, Of course, there were still concessions for Jewish scientists and industrial merchants who served the empire. Were Jews miserable in World War II? Of course, it was tragic, but who among ordinary people saw the harm done to ordinary people in Europe by those Jewish speculators before the Holocaust in World War II. In fact, the world's most important powers are development first, and anti-Semitism is second. At that time, Russia was pressed to the ground by China and rubbed its face back and forth, robbing Russia of Siberia, Russia did not accept the capital support of the Jews, and the tsar would rather exploit his own people than bow to the Jews, which shows the resistance of Europe to the Jews.
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Of course, in Lin Hong's view, these are not the most important, what is really terrible about China and even China is that he has accumulated thousands of years of culture, and everything in front can be said to be the foundation, then Chinese culture is the real sharp knife, as long as the foundation is well laid, the effect of soft power is terrible. is like the Hollywood blockbusters of later generations, which look very cool but have no connotation, but American blockbusters can always make a big profit in the Chinese market. Today, too, the Ministry of Culture of China is actively promoting the concept of "Chinese culture to the world".
In fact, the upper echelons of Europe are no strangers to Chinese culture, and the European intellectual circles in the 17th and 18th centuries were in urgent need of a future after the Renaissance and the Reformation, and they frantically studied Oriental culture and studied Oriental culture. For example, the French intellectual giant, philosopher and sociologist Voltaire, the first thing he did when he got up every day was to pay homage to the portrait of Confucius after bathing. In the past decade or so, European intellectual circles have once again set off a trend of thought to learn from the East. Every year, at least more than 500 students or exchange students from European countries land in the East, and then they are deeply immersed in Chinese culture under the emperor's subtle brainwashing, intentionally or unintentionally.
Of course, the most popular in Europe and the United States is China's Kanyu Feng Shui, which is playing in Europe and the United States with traditional Chinese numerology, and the royal families of various countries have invited Chinese Feng Shui masters to show them the yin and yang houses.
The most important thing in culture is religion, Taoism as a traditional Chinese religion, according to its core is really difficult to promote as widely as Buddhism, Christianity and Islam, so the empire, including Lan Fang Huamei, has carried out very vague restrictions on other sects, especially Islam, the core extreme religion, mosques can basically be regarded as tourist attractions in China, and the Hui people have basically completed de-Islamization after 40 years of education. The work of going to Islam in Lanfang is even more exaggerated, and the local green believers have basically entered the labor camp, and there are basically no green believers who can be said or come out.
The empire has decided to popularize the five-year primary school system and the three-year secondary school system in the African colonies from next year in order to achieve the maximum degree of sinicization, and the previous lack of investment in this area has led to various forms of confrontation in the colonies. Different from the theory of the descent of European and American colonizers, China's colonization has always been centered on the theory of culture, as the saying goes: "If you enter China, you will be Chinese, and if you enter Diyi, you will be Diyi." "Cultural identity is the foundation of Chinese culture. [Say an interesting fact: At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty, and none of the Manchu ministers and Han scribes stood up against Wang Mang, but the Xiongnu royal court in Mobei criticized Wang Mang for being disloyal and unfilial. This shows the influence of Chinese culture. Of course, in the colonies, of course, a culture of enslavement and education should be promoted.
It is believed that these colonies will become independent or autonomous in the future, and they will basically be Chinese-speaking countries, and their cultural identity will definitely be much higher than that of the current British Commonwealth, and China's economic colonization of them will not be a problem at that time.
However, compared to Feng Shui, which is popular among the upper classes in Europe and the United States, Chinese Kung Fu is a term that even the British people are familiar with.
In 1880, the Chinese National Wushu Team, the Chinese Warriors Association and the Chinese Sanda Federation organized a group to go to Europe and the United States to gain prestige. This incident caused a sensation around the world at that time, and the result was of course obvious, the big bosses of European and American countries were rubbed back and forth by the Chinese who pressed their faces to the ground. Taekwondo was not invented until 1955, but the current Chinese martial arts also include the Japanese martial arts of later generations, Xingyi boxing, Bajiquan, Taijiquan, Xinyiquan, judo, aikido, and the military body boxing and Krav Maga developed by the army.
As a result, it turned out that it seemed that the prestige had been brushed too much, and European and American countries began to study Chinese martial arts, and it was a wave of mighty Chinese style, which made China's various martial arts halls earn a lot of money, and the Chinese Warriors Association only took three years to open martial arts halls in Britain, France, Germany and other places.
If Feng Shui is popular in the upper class of Europe and the United States, and Kung Fu is popular in the lower class of Europe and the United States, then Chinese cuisine is a direct captive of so many foreigners. The Chinese fast food "Come to Fill" and "Pizza Hut" that have been opened all over Europe and the United States are mainly aimed at the middle class in Europe and the United States, just like the situation of Chinese families who occasionally went to KFC in later generations; The Western-style fast food "KFC" and "McDonald's" under the Royal Catering Group directly occupy the lower-class market in Europe and the United States, and cheap and fast have become their labels; Finally, this is a batch of Chinese-style high-end restaurants, such as "Quanjude", "South Beauty", "Grandma's House", etc., which are all one, second and three-star restaurants certified by the China Catering Alliance; There are more high-end hotels, and the typical one is the Imperial Hotel, which is currently open all over the world, with the theme of luxury.
By the end of 1880, the major consortia of the Chinese Empire had invested a total of 5.72 billion Chinese dollars in the world, and they had their projects in South America, supermarkets in the United States, and more or less in various countries, especially in the purchase of land, and the ranches and mines in Australia and South America were the main targets of Chinese capital. For example, the Nanyang Consortium bought 4 million acres of land in Australia in one go, which may be unfamiliar to you, specifically the land area that the Nanyang Consortium bought in one go is almost the size of Hungary (as mentioned earlier, China stopped immigration to Western Australia, which corresponds to the British allowing Chinese capital to invest in Australia). Of course, the reason why these consortia buy land abroad is that China has not opened the real estate market, although there are many bricks in China who say that opening up real estate can quadruple the national economy, but as long as Lin Hong does not speak, the government will never let go, after all, the whole world is not the king's land, and the shore of the land is not the king's minister. In the future, the situation of real estate is that ordinary people will spray two sentences. China can't speculate, foreign countries can't speculate, anyway, Lin Hong's Royal Land Company has launched relevant cooperation with several major consortia and is ready to go to the United States to get a vote.
In Europe and the United States, the most intuitive Chinese style is the clothing with Chinese elements, European high-end salons in the aristocracy all wear Han clothing to show their fashion, the Imperial Shanghai Spring Fashion Week, Hong Kong Summer Fashion Week, Tokyo Winter Fashion Week and Beijing Autumn Fashion Week have been the vane of the world trend. In these years, there is no Coco Chanel, and European and American women's clothing is still wide and fluffy dresses, and the works from China's four major fashion weeks have brought women's simple beauty and line beauty to Europe, and men's jackets, short sleeves, casual wear, and casual shirts are even more colorful. Italy and France have followed China in launching Milan Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week, and invited Chinese designers to exhibit. Now Europe and the United States are popular a T sleeve, this T sleeve through the new printing technology successfully printed Lin Hong's portrait on it, once on the market was immediately coaxed out, this is mainly due to Lin Hong's personal charm, in addition to his identity as the Emperor of the East, but also because of his "borrowing" and works in Europe and the United States are very popular, what "The Old Man and the Sea"! , the Harry Potter series! Even in order to improve his scientific status, Lin Hong did not hesitate to take out the results of many European scientists' current research in advance, which attracted the worship of many European bulls, such as Fermat's conjecture, element period, etc., so Lin Hong has several more titles: mathematician, chemist, physicist.
Of course, he is shameless and really well-known to all circles in Europe and the United States in the immortal masterpiece "Materialist Earth" published in 1879, which is regarded as a philosophical classic, and "Capital", a must-read economic masterpiece for all businessmen published earlier. The former caused an earthquake in the ideological circles of Europe and the United States, while the latter was listed by Marx as the ideological guide of the workers' movement. Sometimes the cult of personality doesn't need any reason, ordinary people in Europe and the United States, especially in Europe, basically know Lin Hong and his series of achievements (reports in European and American newspapers, there is no news control in Europe and the United States at present), and idols are slowly erected in this way.
Of course, the opera of traditional Chinese culture! Acrobatics! Even traditional festivals are popular in Europe and the United States.
You can't see a country's soft power under normal circumstances, but when you actually look at it, you will find that wow!
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