Constitutional amendments, Privy Council meetings, government ministers, and then the Entente Conference of the Southeast Bloc Countries, at the end of the year and the beginning of the year, is the busiest time for the empire and Ye Zhao.

Ye Katerina has returned to China, and when she left, Ye Zhao put on a pure gold watch, in fact, on the night when she went to Lan Guiren's residence with Rong'er, Ye Zhao also put one on Lan Guiren.

Thinking about it carefully, Ye Zhao couldn't help but feel a little ashamed, as if he was a liar of feelings, of course, the word "feelings" has gradually become a luxury for Ye Zhao now, except for the wives who have gradually become relatives at home, his feelings have long since gradually dried up, and it is difficult to give feelings to others.

This year's meeting of the Southeastern Group of Nations adopted the "1+5+3" model, with the first being China, the suzerain, the five being the members of the Southeast Group, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand, and the third being the vassal states that have not signed the Southeast Security Treaty, that is, Ben, Burma, and Nepal.

Although the Bukhara Khanate and the Khiva Khanate in the Western Regions were both vassals to the Empire, they did not actually obtain the status of a legal vassal state of the Empire, and as for the Kingdom of Afghanistan, which intended to use China to contain the invasion of the British, after careful consideration, the Government Council gave up the idea of granting it the status of "observer" to attend the meeting.

Eight vassal states, six countries are attended by the king or the queen of the regent, and it is said that the original is a general system, which is also the head of state, and only Nepal is the prime minister? Bahadur? Rana went to the meeting because the Nepalese royal family is now a puppet, and Prime Minister Rana is the real ruler of Nepal.

A few days before the start of the meeting, the emperor officially held a banquet in the Yonghe Hall of Changchun Garden to entertain the lords of various countries.

In the splendid hall, there are light songs and dances, melodious music, delicious wine, and delicacies.

Ye Zhao sat high on the throne, and the heads of state sat in two columns in turn, the first one on the left sat the first one was the Korean regent Concubine Kim, and the first one on the right was called Hosokawa Shaobang, the first of the right heads.

The following are King Nguyen Phuc Hong Ren of Vietnam, King Win Kham of Laos, King Rama V Chulalongkorn of Thailand, King Min Dong of Myanmar, King Norodom of Cambodia? Quiet? Angkor, Prime Minister Rana of Nepal.

Ranking ranking, in addition to considering the strength of the country, the degree of intimacy with the suzerainty is also an important consideration, otherwise Laos would not be ranked fourth in any case, although the Laotians are fierce and warlike, and they are the source of a certain mountain brigade of the empire, but the whole country is located inland, and the poverty is incomparable. Its geographical environment of rainforests, mountains and raging rivers dooms this land to have no railways, and even the construction of roads is extremely difficult, this kind of poverty is almost innate, beyond human remedy, perhaps hundreds of years later, with the high progress of human science and technology civilization to get rid of poverty.

Therefore, it is not difficult to explain why the Laotians regard the annual imperial conscription as the most important festival, and the young and strong people regard serving as the only way out of poverty.

Every year, the mountain brigade trial camp invites a large number of elite veterans to tryout, but the final selection quota is about 500 people, and those who can pass the trial are the elite of the elite.

Entering the Imperial Mountain Brigade not only represents getting rid of poverty and having the rights of citizens of the Central Plains from now on, but also an honor, because only the strongest warriors can become the elite guards of the Great Emperor of the Central Plains.

Not to mention, the annual allowance of fifty silver dollars is an astronomical amount for the Laotians, and if they perform well, their parents and relatives can also obtain imperial household registration and migrate to the civilized world of the Central Plains.

It has to be said that among the subject countries, Laos is even more like a province in the Central Plains, and from the psychological state of the people, the closeness and yearning for the Celestial Empire are even greater than those of the Koreans.

The royal family of the Lao king Win Khan was originally only the lord of the divided Luang Prabang Kingdom of Laos, and his father, with the help of the Chinese, defeated Vientiane, Champasak, and Chuankhou, and unified the entire territory of Laos, and King Win Khan studied and lived in Guangzhou for seven years, compared to the living conditions and customs of most of his tribesmen like primitive people, King Win Khan was more like a Central Plains person in addition to his dark face, from speech to customs.

Compared with the country that was poor and desperate and could not see a future for change because of geographical factors, King Wenkan preferred to live in China, he lived in Guangzhou and Shanghai for almost half of the year, and even his three princesses were Chinese, and he also thought about merging his country with the empire like Ryukyu, but he knew that the emperor and ministers did not have the slightest interest in his country, and the poor mountains and bad waters, in the eyes of the Chinese, would only become an economic burden.

Compared with King Wenkan, the head of state who has the least sense of king, Hosokawa Shaobang, who is the most sensitive, not a king, but the most king-minded.

Ranked second after North Korea, Hosokawa Shaobang was slightly dissatisfied, after all, psychologically, he still looked down on the Koreans, but he knew the closeness of the empire and North Korea, and for a while, it was difficult to make the important surname of the Sino-Korean relationship surpass the Sino-Korean relationship, and even he could feel that the huge empire didn't know why, and there was always some precaution against his country, perhaps because since ancient times, he had never really surrendered to the Central Plains Dynasty.

What Hosokawa Shaobang has to do now is not to make the national economy of the country fall behind the DPRK, and now it seems that this sign has appeared, if it can trade with the United States, so that the ports of the DPRK can become the transit points of trade between China and the countries of the Americas, and become a country with which Westerners can deal with each other, there is still a lot to be done in terms of the position of the country, at the very least, it is not possible to make the DPRK dominate in the Whale Sea area.

But Hosokawa Shaobang knew that the emergence of this idea was to challenge the bottom line of the Central Plains Empire, regional economic integration, the Chinese have their own considerations for the entire Asian economy, and it is extremely dangerous to interact with the Europa people alone, once excluded from the southeast economic system, the loss is far greater than the gain.

Hosokawa Shaobang can only be cautious, under the rules of the Chinese to fight for the greatest interests of his country, sometimes, he can't help but think of Prince Muren and the royal family, there has been no news of them for a long time, how are they living now? What kind of judgment will history make on itself?

When he saw the singing and dancing in the hall, several of them dancing in the slightly sad dance music, the corners of Hosokawa Shaobang's mouth couldn't help but float a wry smile.

Vietnam, Myanmar, and Thailand are the three great powers of the Indochina Peninsula, and the three countries often fight with each other, and the grievances are continuous.

A hundred years ago, the Burmese also conquered the capital of Thailand, which also led to the end of the Ayutthaya dynasty and the beginning of the Bangkok dynasty.

Today, King Rama V Chulalongkorn of Thailand, his father Rama IV is keen on Western learning, and Chulalongkorn's tutor is a British female teacher, called Anna? Leonovins was perhaps the most enlightened monarch of the three great powers of Indochina, and now he is considering how to abolish slavery in the country.

The main reason why Burma and Thailand are close to the Central Plains Empire is because of the British threat, even now, from the geographical point of view and national psychology, the influence of the Central Plains Empire on them is obviously far less than that of Korea, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

Vietnamese lord Nguyen Phuc Hong Ren is an old friend of Ye Chao, Ye Chao met him in Vietnam when he was General Binh Yuan, he is also the most [***] king among the monarchs of all countries, because of the support of the Chinese, he did not taste too much suffering from the Europeans, completely hostile to institutional change, used to massacre Catholics, and now began to kill Protestant missionaries and parishioners, often becoming the target of negotiations between the empire and Protestant and Catholic countries, in fact, it is also the political bargaining chip of the empire.

If Ye Zhao wants to completely restrain his behavior, it is not an impossible task, but having such a dispute as a bargaining chip in discussions with Western countries is beneficial to the empire from a political point of view.

It's just that Ye Zhao sometimes thinks of those human lives, and he can't help but feel dirty, but he can only sigh, protecting the interests of his country and the rights and interests of citizens is what he should do, and whether the justice of the side is dirty or not, he can only take a back seat.

After the performances of the best-selling red singers of Imperial Records, a musical performed by a row of beautiful Western dancers was the last show.

From the song and dance, the lords of the countries can deeply appreciate the military power of the Central Plains Empire, as if they can see the countries of Europa, and fear the scene of the torrent of armored soldiers who are overshadowing the sky and the black pressure of the empire.

After hearing about the Petersko, Britain, Germany, and Austria secretly met in Berlin, perhaps to coordinate their positions.

The war between China and Russia, the interests usurped by China are so great that it cannot but worry several of the strongest countries in the world.

Ye Zhao is also aware of this.

However, the unique geographical advantage makes it difficult for Europeans to make any substantive containment measures, if China is on the European continent, I am afraid that the "anti-China alliance" has already been secretly formed, and now, no matter what Europeans think in their hearts, they still have to pinch their noses to deal with the Chinese, and even Spain and the Netherlands, which have interests in the East but are unable to protect, have become a member of China's interest system.

What Ye Zhao hopes now is to dispel the doubts and fears in the hearts of many European politicians, and not to really sell the "yellow peril theory" to Europe.

"I hope that the nations will prosper!" Ye Zhao raised his wine glass high, and also drew an end to this banquet.

The king of Burma, Min Dong, stared at Ye Zhao tightly, his heart was indescribably anxious, he was the most looking forward to this meeting, among the countries, Myanmar was also the most urgent country to be invaded by the Europa, it can be said that it is a place in Southeast Asia, the front line of the confrontation between Eastern and Western civilizations.

Min Dong originally took advantage of the British invasion to launch a coup d'état, and together with his younger brother Prince Ganang, he overthrew his elder brother King Bagan and established himself as king, and the foundation and legal principles of his rule were extremely weak.

Seven years ago, Prince Ganang, who had advocated reform, was killed by the conservative aristocracy, and Min Dong had to buy arms with the British to fight against the conservative aristocracy, so he had to compromise with the British and sign a treaty to recognize Kayin State.

Now, because of the secret treaty between China and Britain, the British position on Burma has gradually changed, but the behavior of British merchants has not been restrained, and at home, Prince Ka Nang was originally made the crown prince, Prince Ka Nang was killed, and Min Dong's delay in announcing Prince Ka Nang's son as the crown prince made the officers loyal to King Ka Nang extremely dissatisfied, and some of them carried weapons into the countryside to carry out [***] activities. Prince Min Gong, who staged the coup d'état and was sent to India by the British after the failed coup d'état, also had a group of supporters and sympathizers inside and outside the Burmese court.

Min Dong is now in such a situation that his close allies have become opponents, his sons, he has become opponents, and the old aristocracy is also his opponents.

Internal and external troubles made Mindong desperate for the support of his new ally, China, and at the same time hoped to buy Chinese weapons to confront the armed forces of all sides.

The inner court guards came to Mindong's side and said that the emperor had agreed to meet him in the lounge, and Mindong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Before coming to the Central Plains, Mindong had only heard of the legend of the Central Plains, and in the domestic records of Myanmar, the Central Plains Dynasty was also a very rich and powerful holy land.

Walking in the winding corridor of Changchun Garden, the Qiya landscape garden and the golden and solemn palace of the heavenly palace are so harmonious, compared with their own palace, it is really like a chicken nest, and here, I heard that it is only one of the many imperial gardens, walking in the meantime, Mindong really has a sense of pilgrimage.

The lounge "Chengxin Hall" is the original "Harmonious Fun", which is the earliest Western-style building in Changchun Garden, with two floors, the roof of the palace, purple round glazed tiles, and the roof ridge is made of blue glazed grass. There are three rooms on the upper floor and seven rooms on the lower floor, and the building is equipped with Western-style furniture and couches, and a wooden parquet waxed floor. The pillars of the building are deeply carved with white marble and the pattern of Western crocus and grass, and the windows have exquisite brick and stone carvings.

Min Dong was slightly stunned when he entered the lounge under the guidance of the guards, in addition to the Emperor of the Central Plains, there were still two beautiful women laughing on the sofa of the concubine, one of whom he was deeply impressed, and he had just met, was the Korean regent Concubine Kim.

Another woman is gorgeous and compelling, wearing a rose red skirt in the style of the Central Plains, this kind of skirt is very delicate, which can show the beautiful curve of the female surname very well, and it makes Min Dong, who is used to seeing cysts and swollen Burmese women's outfits, feel a little strange in his heart, and dare not look more, but the snow-white stockings calves and modern lace-up shoes with a sense of surname at the hem of the skirt still come into view.

Needless to say, this beauty is naturally Concubine Yi Jinfeng, who is the same sister as Concubine Jin.

Seeing that Min Dong wanted to kneel down on one knee and bow, Ye Zhao smiled and beckoned, and said, "Min Dong, come and sit." "I just learned a word of Burmese, and it's smooth.

Mindong still bowed down on one knee, touched his chest with his hand and said: "Mindong, the king of Burma in Xiabang, greets the most honorable Chinese emperor, to the masters of Manila, Luzon, Boni, Aceh, the Turkic lands and the islands of the South Seas, the emperor has a long life!" ”

The Burmese translation was translated, and Ye Zhaoxin said, unconsciously, he had more titles.

Now the Governor of Nanyang has been abolished, and three Governors have been set up in Nanyang: the Governor of Luzon, and the Governor's Office is in Manila; Governor of Bo Ni, the Governor's Palace in Pontianak; Governor of Jinzhou, the Governor's Mansion in Greater Aceh. The three governors were each in charge of trade in the South Seas colonies.

In the Turkic region, the scope is even wider.

Ye Zhao pondered the meaning of these names in his heart, and said to Min Dong with a smile: "Sit down, it's just a family story." ”

At this time, Concubine Jin and Jin Fengbian both got up to salute Min Dong, to say that Min Dong's outfit is really no different from that of a peasant in southern Xinjiang, with a white cloth belt wrapped around his head, and the hemp rope decoration on his body looks like a fishing net.

After Min Dong sat down, he gradually understood that the queen of Joseon obviously had a close relationship with the royal family of the Central Plains, and among all the countries, I heard that Korea was the strongest, and the empire had sold Korean decommissioned warships, so it is conceivable that Korea's position in the first place among vassal states did not come out of nowhere.

Under Ye Zhao's inquiry, Min Dong briefly talked about the customs of Myanmar, his first newspaper in China, "Cornucopia", and of course, he also mentioned the Fifth Buddhist Sutra Conference held in Mandalay, and the title of "Dharma Protector of Buddhist Sutra Collection" that he was awarded.

Compared with Ye Zhao's many religious identities, Min Dong is really trivial.

"Your Majesty, the plight of the little king has been mentioned in the letter to Your Majesty......" Speaking of this, Min Dong paused, after all, I don't know if the Emperor of the Central Plains has read his own letters, or whether someone else will do it for him.

Ye Zhao nodded: "I believe it, Min Dong, I understand the difficulties of you and the people, I don't know if you can read the constitution that my country has just passed?" ”

The part of the Imperial Constitution concerning vassal states was supposed to be explained to the lords of the countries by the consuls stationed in various countries, but when the constitution was adopted, most of the lords of the countries were on their way to China, and it was not until yesterday that the officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained to the lords of the countries attending the meeting.

Listening to Ye Zhao's words, Min Dong hurriedly said: "Xiao Wang knows a little bit about it, and I heard that the lord of the state promised that the lords of various countries can ask the heavenly soldiers of the state to quell the civil strife. ”

Ye Zhao bowed slightly, and said: "However, there is a premise in this, that is, the countries that are asking for assistance must know that they must innovate and eliminate evils, and they must be supported by the majority of the people in the country, otherwise, wouldn't the Celestial Empire become an aider to evil?" The same is true of the premise of arms sales. ”

Min Dong said: "Xiao Wang knows that the Great Emperor knows that the law implemented by Xiao Wang is the method of reform and strengthening. "He's a reformer, he's full of self-confidence.

Ye Zhao said: "If the change is strong, it may not be supported by everyone. ”

Concubine Jin interjected: "Everyone can shout the slogan of change and strength, and now it has become fashionable, but ......" Seeing Ye Zhao's eyes widening, sticking out his tongue, he stopped talking, and the interpreter didn't translate her words.

Min Dong sighed deeply, although he didn't know what the queen of Joseon said, but obviously the Central Plains system was difficult for him to integrate, he now slightly regretted it, it would have been good to learn the Central Plains dialect a few years ago, and now he has just studied for more than half a year, and he really can't understand the original intention of the Central Plains Emperor.

Ye Zhao looked at Mindong, Thailand, Burma, has never been under the influence of the Central Plains civilization in history, looking at the king's outfit, he knows that compared with North Korea and even Vietnam and Yueben, the Burmese civilization and the Central Plains are completely two systems.

Ye Zhao then changed the topic, and Min Dong was a little stupid when he said goodbye, a little bit of a feeling of coming back from a bad mood.

Looking at Min Dong's back, Jin Feng said with a smile: "These fans, I really think that Long Live Lord is a living bodhisattva who responds to requests, and the beauty of thinking is dead!" ”

Ye Zhao smiled slightly: "It's not bad to think like this." He turned his head and asked Wen Shi, "Who's down there?" ”

The secretary said: "There is still the prime minister of Laos Rana and the general ruler of Hosokawa Shaobang in his country, please face the saint alone." ”

Ye Zhao nodded, thought for a while, and said, "Pass Lana." ”

Zhongge? Bahadur? Lana, a legendary adventurer, was summoned by Queen Victoria to visit England twenty years ago, and was an out-and-out pro-British faction, but with the rise of China, the various forces he suppressed, including the puppet royal family, were ready to move, which made him have to start leaning towards China, trying to maintain friendly relations with China, lest the opposing forces get Chinese support and make him lose power, and carefully deal with China and Britain to find a balance. Prime Minister Rana is doing a decent job.

This can also be clearly reflected in Bahadur's attire, the dark brown uniform, the golden epaulettes and ribbons all have the shadow of the tuxedo of the Europa court.

And Bahadur, who is over the age of six, is still eagle-eyed and majestic, after all, he is a powerful man who joined the army in his teens, staged a bloody coup d'état, and ruled a country for thirty years.

Bahadur also knelt down on one knee, put his hand on his chest, and said aloud: "Prime Minister of Nepal Chungga? Bahadur? Rana swore allegiance to the most honorable emperor of China, and he was sincere and fearful. ”

Ye Zhao had already ordered Jin Feng and Concubine Jin to go to the back hall, and naturally he was quite considerate about who to use and what strategy to meet, and at this time he bowed his head slightly and motioned for Bahadur to sit down.

"The Gurkha infantry is my arm, Bahadur, and I also want to thank you for your loyalty." Ye Zhao looked at Bahadur with a smile.

The Gurkha infantry battalion took part in the last sporadic battles of the Sino-Russian War, and indeed showed bravery, which can be described as numbing killing machines, and their loyalty as professional soldiers is unquestionable, which seems to be the national surname of the Gurkhas.

Bahadur bowed and said: "It is the honor of the Gurkha people to serve the Great Emperor. In fact, Bahadur is very old, and his health is not as good as before, but he still climbed mountains and waded to the Central Plains, and he wanted to see Ye Zhao.

The country is weak and the people are poor, and they have to submit to external forces, Bahadur worships Western civilization, but he is never willing to accept the country he rules to be annexed by the British, but the struggle with the Anglo-Indian governors is so difficult, and the emperor of the Central Plains has made the whole of Europe feel the great pressure and feel the huge haze from the eastern sky. Along the way in the Central Plains, Bahadur saw a world that was distinct from Western civilization, but it was equally civilized and prosperous.

The emperor of the Central Plains is completely different from what Bahadur thought, a very gentle young man, sitting calmly on his throne, and there is no trace of dragon and tiger anger on his body, as if? How can I say it, Bodhisattva, yes, it is a Bodhisattva, gentle that makes you want to bow and worship.

A bodhisattva who caused a gradual panic in the European world.

This is the real emperor, right? Bahadur thought heartily.

(To be continued)