I want to be emperor

The Third Pier in Jiangbei District, Songjiang Prefecture, is a commercial passenger terminal located on the west bank of the Huangpu River. It was only completed and put into use in the 39th year of Chengshun. It is also the largest passenger terminal along the Huangpu River in Songjiang City and can accommodate ships with the largest tonnage.

Many ocean-going travelers to overseas areas would take ships here, including diplomats from many vassal states, to travel between the Great Chu Empire and their motherland.

Daniel, a diplomat from the Kingdom of England, appeared at this pier and boarded a 10,000-ton ocean liner bound for Europe.

Daniel had just finished his five-year term as a diplomat in Chu, and he was preparing to return to England after his term was over.

When he returned home, in addition to his personal belongings and some official documents, he also brought a box of books: books from Chu people.

Of course, these are not some very special banned books... just some very common books that no one even pays attention to in the Chu Empire... Some of the books in this box are middle school textbooks, ranging from Chinese to mathematics. , to physics, chemistry, geography, biology, etc., in addition to some popular science readings.

These books can be bought in any bookstore in the Chu Empire, but Daniel attaches great importance to these books, because these books represent knowledge, modern scientific and cultural knowledge.

As an aristocratic child who had received education since childhood, Daniel was relatively confident before coming to the Dachu Empire, thinking that he could be considered a social elite.

But after actually coming to the Chu Kingdom, Daniel found that he was like an ignorant illiterate... His knowledge level was not even as good as a primary school student in the Chu Empire.

When he first came to Chu State, he was shocked and inferior. Then, while dealing with daily diplomatic affairs, he immersed himself in studying. In just half a year, he improved his poor Chinese level to the point where he could read and write ordinary Chinese books. s level.

Then he found many books and studied on his own.

The more I studied and understood, the more I was shocked by the power of the Chu Empire, and then despaired...

When an ignorant person sees those 10,000-ton giant ships, he might simply sigh in shock, or at most say something like devil.

But after five years of self-study, Daniel felt a sense of despair about the 10,000-ton giant ship... Because after studying and understanding, he knew that building such a 10,000-ton giant ship required huge steam engine power and super large parts. Manufacturing and processing technology, and a series of equipment and technologies that make people’s scalp numb just by looking at them.

The construction of this kind of giant ship of 10,000 tons requires the support of an entire advanced and huge industrial system, which is something that his motherland, the Kingdom of England, cannot produce anyway.

Not to mention the 10,000-ton giant ship, his home country, the Kingdom of England, is still unable to produce steam engines. In the Chu Empire, steam engine technology has been iterated for at least four generations!

From early low-pressure steam engines, to high-pressure steam engines in the 1920s, to three-expansion four-cylinder steam engines, and then to steam turbines that have just appeared in recent years and are used in the field of power generation.

In addition, there are many cars that make Daniel despair... This thing is even more unacceptable to him than those 10,000-ton giant wheels!

Because he deeply knows how difficult it is to use a gasoline engine in a car... It’s okay not to know. In recent years, many newspapers in the Dachu Empire have reported on cars every day, so naturally they will also popularize science about cars and gasoline engines. publicity.

And the more I understand, the more desperate I become...

This thing... I'm afraid their Kingdom of England won't be able to build it even after a hundred years of hard work.

Just a cylinder that can withstand pressure and high temperatures, can be processed with precision so that it does not leak, and can also rub back and forth at high speed... is beyond the scope of his imagination.

Sometimes, an ignorant person is happy because he does not know what is terrible!

As for Daniel, he is a person who has a strong thirst for knowledge and studies hard, so he knows a lot...but in this way, he also feels pressure and even fear that ordinary English people do not have.

The kings and nobles in the country thought that the power of the Chu Empire was only its guns... They didn't know that the guns of the Chu people were not scary. What was really scary was the powerful industrial system of the Chu people.

It's a pity that Daniel is just an ordinary nobleman, and he is just an ordinary diplomat. He can't change anything.

All he can do is learn as much knowledge as possible and then take this knowledge back...

Because diplomats like him in Chu are the only ones who can go to the East Asian hinterland of the Great Chu Empire to see with their own eyes and come into contact with this advanced knowledge.

So far, the Great Chu Empire has not allowed foreigners to go to the territories directly under the Great Chu Empire. They are not allowed to do business or study. The only indigenous people who can go to the hinterland of East Asia in the Great Chu Empire are only one kind of people. That is, the diplomats of each vassal country.

It is impossible for people from various indigenous countries to study abroad in the territories directly under the jurisdiction of the Chu State... The people of the Chu State do not accept foreign students at all.

Not to mention that schools in the directly-controlled territories do not accept foreign students, even Chu schools in the administrative territories do not accept indigenous students.

Until now, there are generally two types of schools in the administrative territories of Chu people. One is a school specifically for Chu people. This kind of school only accepts Chu students and generally implements an education curriculum similar to that of Chu people. , such schools are generally primary and secondary schools, and as for universities, there are none including junior colleges... Even Chu people in the administrative territories have to go to universities in the directly-controlled territories if they want to go to university.

There is also a kind of school in the administrative territory, which is a school run by the indigenous people themselves and for indigenous students... However, this kind of school also needs to be run in strict accordance with the relevant regulations of the Chu State administrative territory. For example, it needs to pay very expensive school fees. You cannot mess around with the subject settings in the system. You must strictly use the unified textbooks provided by the empire. And there is no mathematics, physics, and chemistry in these subject settings!

Some of them are just the Four Books and Five Classics, basic common sense... People in the Chu State don't like the indigenous people under their jurisdiction to receive education in their administrative territories, and even if they do receive education, they will impose various restrictions.

In short, the Chu people basically did not open school channels for the indigenous people to learn advanced science knowledge.

Under such circumstances, if people in indigenous countries want to learn advanced knowledge, they can only rely on themselves.

Many indigenous countries will build their own schools and teach, but this is not easy. They lack teachers and even teaching materials.

Daniel is also an idealistic person. He knows how difficult education is in China, so he brings these books with him when he returns to China...

However, even so, it is of little use!

Over the years, many indigenous countries have actually been able to obtain some Chu textbooks and books through various channels, but in the end no country has been able to establish a truly advanced education system.

And this is not even because of the Chu people's obstruction... but their own problem.

Education is not something that can be done casually. There are many things involved behind it. In fact, in many indigenous countries, their top leaders are not willing to engage in education. Even if they do, they will only engage in some education for the powerful and elite groups. Schools cannot produce a large number of engineers and scientists in this way.

However, even if it is difficult, Daniel still wants to dedicate his efforts to England's education, contribute his own strength to England's rise, and change the current situation of lagging behind and being beaten.

As a diplomat, Daniel took the Chu people's 10,000-ton ocean liner, crossed the ocean, and finally arrived in Cadiz. Then in Cadiz, we transferred to a steam passenger ship of more than 1,000 tons and headed to London. Although the name of this steam passenger ship was full of British characteristics: Victoria.

The name of the shipping company it belongs to is also full of British characteristics: English Shipping Company.

But this company is a shipping company run by serious Chu people.

Almost all modern shipping companies in contemporary Europe, regardless of sea or river shipping, whether they are in Cadiz or London, or even on inland rivers in other European regions, these steamships are all Chu shipping companies or Chu shipping companies. Ships privately owned by Chinese citizens.

Because until now, according to the technical equipment export restrictions, steam engines are still classified as first-level export control equipment and cannot be exported to any foreign institutions or individuals.

Steam engine equipment used in operations in indigenous countries must be purchased by enterprises wholly owned by Chu people and used within the scope of supervision.

Theoretically speaking, although there are countless steamships and trains running in various indigenous vassal countries, an indigenous person still cannot touch or even get close to a steam engine!

After Daniel returned to Dover on the Victoria, he then took the train to London.

Seeing London, which was still the same as it had been many years ago, and thinking of the large port city of the Chu colony not far away from Dover, I couldn't help but sigh in my heart.

The gap between England and Chu... In fact, there is no need to compare England with the homeland of the Chu people. Even if you compare it with the administrative territory of Dover, anyone who is not blind can see the huge gap.

In Dover, there is now a modern and huge wharf, which can accommodate giant ships of 10,000 tons. It is also the starting point of the British Railway.

In the British area, the Chu people started from Dover and built a railway all the way north, passing through London... This means that as long as the Chu people want to, they can march to London via the railway at any time!

Well, in fact, this is a waste of time, because according to relevant agreements, the Chu people actually have military passage and garrison rights in the British area, including the Kingdom of England.

The Chu people have troops stationed in London. Although the number is not large, there are only about 300 Indian soldiers from the Foreign Legion.

Without this railway, the Chu people can also attack London!

In fact, in order to prevent the royal family from being immediately blamed by the Chu Foreign Legion stationed in London after the conflict broke out, the English royal family left London three years ago under the pretext of vacation and lived in a village more than 20 kilometers away from London for a long time. In the palace of the town.

Contemporary England, like all Chu vassal states, is actually under the direct military control of Chu and has little ability or even courage to resist.

Of course... as long as you don't blatantly resist the Chu State, the Chu people will actually ignore you and even allow you to build an army, launch wars, etc.

A war broke out between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Wales a few years ago, and the scale of the fighting was not small. And until now, the two sides have not actually reached a true armistice and signed an armistice agreement. Occasionally, small-scale battles will break out.

But the Chu people still didn’t care!

So to a certain extent, the Chu people's management of these indigenous countries is actually relatively loose.

As long as you don't engage in any anti-Chu activities and don't infringe on the interests of the Chu State... Basically, the indigenous countries can do whatever they want within the internal affairs of the indigenous countries. The Chu people rarely interfere in the internal affairs of these indigenous countries... There is no need for that.

From this perspective, Chu State is actually a pretty good suzerain state.

After returning to London, Daniel first gave a report and told the King of England and other senior officials in detail what he had seen and heard in the past five years.

At the same time, I also took out some photos to show them.

Some of these photos are high-rise buildings, some are huge and amazing bridges, and even cars.

At first, the king and others were surprised when they saw it, but gradually no one was surprised anymore, and instead fell into a dull atmosphere.

After a long time, only one of them was heard saying: "How did they do it? I heard that it was only fifty years since they founded the country. Why were they able to achieve this level in fifty years?"

"We started learning from them ten years ago. Why hasn't anything changed in the past ten years? Why can't we even make a flash cap percussion gun?"

"The flash cap in the flash cap percussion gun is too difficult to make, and we don't have the advanced equipment of the Chu people, so it is impossible to mass-produce it!"

"The same goes for gun barrels. The quality of the barrels we made is too poor. They often explode when fired. Moreover, the cost is too expensive. It is almost the same as the price of imported Chu country muskets."

Daniel did not participate in the discussion of the big shots. He just silently talked about his own experiences... But at this time, no one cared about what he was saying.

After leaving the palace, Daniel did not stay in London for long, but returned to his home dozens of kilometers away from London with his luggage.

He planned to write down what he saw and heard in writing, and at the same time translate the scientific books he brought back. If possible, he hoped to bring a few students to pass on his knowledge.

Even if the Chu people impose export restrictions on technical equipment, from a practical perspective, it is actually impossible to achieve complete restrictions in the true sense. Science and technology will always spread. All the Chu people can do is try their best. It just reduces the diffusion speed.

Daniel is a classic example of this diffusion of scientific knowledge.

Another typical example is that many Chu people who go to indigenous countries will pass on their knowledge for money or other reasons; there are even some unscrupulous businessmen from Chu who will secretly smuggle restricted equipment to indigenous countries for high profits. Country goes.

Some indigenous countries even used these smuggled equipment to establish their own small arsenals in remote mountainous areas far away from the sight of the Chu people to produce guns and cannons. Although these secret arsenals could not produce any advanced weapons and equipment, their output was It's also very limited, and the quality it produces isn't very good...but it's still possible to get an old-fashioned single-shot rifle.

But you have to be very careful about this kind of thing... Once discovered by the Chu people, the consequences will be quite disastrous. It may cause diplomatic problems at least, or lead to military strikes at worst... or even lead to the disaster of national subjugation. .

In the early years, Lithuania relied on smuggling equipment to produce rifled weapons, and then equipped the resistance army to ambush the Chu army. After angering the Chu army, they directly destroyed the country.

Of course...as long as you don't make a big show of it or use these sneaky weapons to attack the Chu people, you will generally not be discovered...After all, the Chu people still have a small number of troops stationed in Europe, and it is impossible to have enough troops. Running around the world conducting various investigations.