I want to be emperor

Chapter 685 Superiority Is Important
The enlightenment policy of the Great Chu Empire is a basic national policy. It was implemented strongly in the southwest, Qingkang, etc., and later in the Koryo Peninsula, Monan, Northeast, Mobei, Western Regions, Annan and other places.

Without exception!

If the future empire wants to annex the Fusang area, the Fusang area will not be an exception.

But how to carry out the policy of promoting education and national integration in this way is a question that needs to be discussed.

Anyway, Luo Zhixue was unwilling to accept 2000 million dwarfs as his subjects.

I'm very upset!

Based on these considerations, Luo Zhixue is more cautious about directly annexing Fusang. Of course, not directly annexing Fusang now does not mean that Fusang cannot be controlled.

Under the current circumstances, the empire has the ability, and there is a certain need to control Fusang in a more powerful and direct manner, to avoid any troubles in Fusang, and to plunder more economic benefits, and at the same time prevent them from developing themselves into potential empires. threaten.

Fusang affairs are more complicated and need to be handled more cautiously, so Luo Zhixue still plans to hold several counselor meetings to let the courtiers brainstorm, so as to finalize a plan that is as safe as possible.

As for the Luzon Islands mentioned by the navy to build an absolute coastal defense circle.

It's easy!
The relationship between the Spaniards and the empire is actually not bad, and the business between the two sides is getting bigger and bigger. The two sides have already talked about buying and selling the Luzon Islands before.

Don't think that buying and selling territories is an exaggeration. In fact, it is normal in this era, especially in European countries.

After all, the territory is the private territory of the monarch, and it can be exchanged or bought and sold.

I don’t mention some examples of territorial exchanges and sales in European regions that are too long in the Middle Ages. I only talk about the United States that everyone is familiar with. Most of their territories are purchased.

Louisiana, that is the territory of the French, Napoleon sold this place to the Americans for 500 million US dollars.

Florida, which is the territory of the Spaniards, was won by the Americans for $500 million.

Alaska is the territory of the Russians, and the Americans spent 720 million US dollars.

California and New Mexico, which were originally Mexican territories, were bought by the United States for $500 million.

Within a few years, the Americans bought another 1000 square kilometers of border land from Mexico for $[-] million.

The Virgin Islands, originally a Danish territory, were bought by the United States for $500 million.

Although most of the above-mentioned territorial purchases are accompanied by wars and games between major powers, the party selling the territories is basically reluctant or even forced to do so, but the sale and purchase of these territories is a fact.

The Spaniards were basically in the same situation when they sold the Luzon Islands to the Great Chu Empire. They didn't want to sell, but they had to!

Because the direct purpose of the Spaniards to control Luzon is to do business with the Huaxia region, not to value the Luzon Islands themselves... If they fall out with the Great Chu Empire, who else will they do business with?

The business is gone, so what's the point of the Luzon Islands?

Is it to suppress the indigenous people who rebelled for three days and two days on the Luzon Islands?

The natives of the Luzon Islands have been resisting the rule of the Spanish. Not only are the natives making trouble every day, but the Dutch on the side are also making trouble every day.

In recent years, the Spaniards have spent a lot of money to suppress the indigenous rebellions everywhere, and there have been many deaths and injuries, which has caused the Spaniards to be devastated.

The Spaniards just want to have a foothold in the Western Pacific, and then do business with the empire...but the natives are really noisy.

Under such a big situation, if the empire shows enough sincerity, the Spaniards actually don't mind selling the Luzon Islands to the empire.

We didn't agree on the price before, that's because the two sides didn't agree on the price!

Now that the empire has a demand, the price for purchasing the Luzon Islands is higher, and other conditions are also mentioned. Maybe the Spaniards will agree.

You said the Spaniards did not agree?
The empire directly cut off trade with them, blocked the Strait of Malacca and the surrounding waters, and the trade of the Spaniards in the Pacific region would come to naught.

The trade is gone, what are they keeping the Luzon Islands for?Are you happy playing counter-insurgency games with the local natives?

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Besides, once the empire is really tempted by the Luzon Islands, if the Spaniards dare not agree to the Luzon Islands.

Then what cannot be obtained on the negotiating table can only be obtained with guns.

Under such circumstances, the empire's fleet reached Manila in minutes, and with the strength of the Spaniards in the Luzon Islands, it was impossible to block the attack of the imperial army.

With the power of the empire, it is easy to seize the Luzon Islands by force.

The Spaniards knew this, so they discussed the transfer of the Luzon Islands with the empire.

But whenever the country is changed, for example, the Dutch, the Portuguese and the like want to buy the Luzon Islands from the Spaniards, the Spaniards must let them know why the flowers are so popular!

But the Great Chu Empire... Well, since they are still willing to pay for it, let's sell it!
After all, once the Great Chu Empire really became greedy for the Luzon Islands, they would not be able to keep it. They might have to lose troops and generals, lose a large amount of military expenditure, and the trade between the two sides would also be cut off.

This is a greater loss for the Spaniards, especially the trade between the two sides has made the Spaniards huge profits over the years. Whether it is selling the goods of the Great Chu Empire to the Americas, or directly shipping them back to Europe for sale, the profits can be huge. is very impressive.

In the global treasure ship trade system of the Spaniards, the Great Chu Empire is a very important part, and it is impossible for the Spaniards to give up easily.

Therefore, as long as the Great Chu Empire offers the right price, they will sell the Luzon Islands.

Their main appeal now is to sell the Luzon Islands at a higher price as much as possible while the relationship between the two parties is good and before falling out.

As long as the money is in place, you can talk about anything... If the money is not in place, they will just drag it around!

Anyway, as long as you have a better attitude, don't say the rejection too harshly, and save some face for the empire. The empire will not turn against you casually when the amount of trade between the two parties is not small and the attitude of the other party is also sincere.

I have to say that the plan of the Spaniards really succeeded. Although the empire wanted the Luzon Islands before, it was not too urgent. Naturally, they refused to pay too much money, and at the same time, they did not talk about turning against the Spaniards casually. Degree.

Now, with the navy's three major plans and the emphasis on the Luzon Islands, the empire's price will naturally be more aggressive... After all, when the two sides were negotiating before, the difference in price was only more than 100 million Chu yuan.

The Spaniards wanted 300 million Chu Yuan for the writer... The Great Chu Empire directly discounted the price in half, only willing to pay 150 million.

Under the current situation, with an extra 150 million Chu Yuan, the Luzon Islands can be successfully won, and the Spaniards can also get the full cooperation to win the Luzon Islands, and they can also get the long-term management of the Luzon Islands by the Spaniards. The intelligence information of many aboriginals is also of great benefit for the subsequent empire to continue to suppress and suppress the local aboriginals.

The saved military expenditure alone is more than 150 million Chu Yuan.

Except for the Fusang and Luzon Islands, the expansion of the South Seas and the Americas in the living space planning is easier. Just follow the expansion of the Malacca model step by step. First occupy the land, then expel the indigenous people, and organize official immigrants to cultivate.

The only thing that limits the empire is not military issues, but economic issues. The cost of organizing official immigration is not small. The immigrants spend money on the way, and they also spend money when they go to overseas territories for reclamation.

The money is basically supported by the imperial government. As for the people paying for it themselves... If people have money, they will sign up for official immigration... After all, if you sign up for official immigration, the allocation of places depends on luck.

As for free immigration, the total number is actually not many, and some people tend to settle in the plains in the northeast, or the Malacca peninsula, where the empire has been developed for many years and is considered relatively mature.

Who will go with you to the newly developed place, and fight with the local aborigines and mosquitoes!

The official immigrants organized by the empire are all poor and clinking groups... All immigration expenses are basically borne by the officials.

Only they are willing to settle down in places that ordinary people are unwilling to go.

Therefore, the second plan is mainly limited by economic factors, and there is no good quick-fix solution in this regard. It can only be done slowly, immigrating a little a year, and accumulating slowly.

At the beginning, after the construction of the new territory, it will naturally gradually attract self-financed immigrants, then the overseas territories will be revitalized and enter a stage of stable development without the need for officials to spend a lot of trouble.

So, what the second stage needs is time!
As for the ordinary colonial expansion in the third stage, this actually has a greater role in promoting the empire. After all, this model only needs to consider how to better plunder the local economic interests to satisfy itself, and does not need to consider any messy issues such as annexation and immigration.

As long as the army is strong enough, it can continuously obtain economic benefits from colonies and indigenous countries.

And this is more beneficial to the economic development of the empire and the improvement of the quality of life of the people.

Because this is equivalent to a large number of indigenous people working hard to support the people of the Great Chu Empire!
This is much better than directly annexing them and turning them into imperial subjects!

Luo Zhixue is actually not very interested in simple overseas expansion... The simple expansion of the territory can no longer bring him any sense of psychological accomplishment... In terms of the area of ​​expansion, Siberia is big enough, right? ...But for Luo Zhixue, it is actually the same.

Luo Zhixue himself doesn't attach much importance to Siberia. If it wasn't for the complete solution to the northern border problem, he wouldn't even bother to send troops to fight the Russians...

What a waste of money to fight!

With this money, he might as well improve the domestic industrial economy and improve people's livelihood. Why bother throwing money and food into the big ice sheet of Siberia and fighting the Russians to death!
It doesn't make much sense to simply expand the territory or something.

In his heart, the territory of the Great Chu Empire does not need to spread all over the world... What the Great Chu Empire needs is to allow the people of the empire to live a better life.

Living a good life is the kingly way, everything else is nonsense!

How to live a better life?
People want to eat, how do they get this meal?On the one hand, it is to dig deep into internal resources, and on the other hand, it is to expand external resources.

Not to mention internally, let’s talk about the acquisition of external resources. How to obtain overseas resources at a low price naturally depends on colonization and prying open the market of indigenous countries!

Wouldn't it be nicer for others to farm, mine, and grow cotton, and then the empire would plunder the fruits of their labor with insignificant industrial products, or simply a piece of paper in the future...

This is also what is currently being done in the overseas expansion of the empire!

Otherwise, kill all the natives and snatch all the land. Who will the people of the empire compare with in the future to live a happy life?
Xin Fu needs to be compared.

If others can't eat enough, you can eat enough. This is happiness.

Others eat green vegetables, radishes, dried pickles, delicacies from mountains and seas, big fish and meat, this is happiness.

Others are in the midst of war and precarious, but you are in peace and stability, this is happiness.

The empire wiped out all the natives, who will the people of the empire compare with in the future?Compared with the rich middle and upper class in China? ...If there are too many internal contrasts, it will easily shake the foundation of governance.

Because ordinary people of the empire compared with the upper class in the country, they will find that their lives are particularly miserable...

Therefore, we should not allow them to compare with the upper class in the country, but divert their attention, and let the middle and lower classes of the empire compare with other people, and then gain a sense of superiority and happiness.

These days, what kind of group can make the people at the bottom of the empire, even a pauper, still feel superior after comparing them?

Naturally, those aborigines overseas!
This is not only from the superiority of civilization, but also from the superiority of national strength!

What Luo Zhixue had to do was to let even a homeless and precarious vagabond in the empire still have a sense of superiority when facing the natives.

For example, in the past, he was just a homeless man in the mainland of the Great Chu Empire who didn't have enough food and clothing, and couldn't even look down on sows.

But when he sailed across the sea in a boat to other overseas aboriginal countries, he could immediately transform into a domineering civilized person.

The local aborigines, even the aboriginal dignitaries had to serve him carefully, serving him delicious food and drinks, and even sent his wife and daughter to his bed to warm him up.

After comparison, the people of this empire have a sense of superiority and a sense of happiness, and only then can this country enjoy long-term stability.

In fact, after the industrial economy has developed to a certain level, if you want long-term stability at this time, you must properly divert the public's attention... Otherwise, they will directly toss internally.

The British guy in the original time and space did this very well.

Were all Victorian Britons doing well?How is it possible... In addition to the powerful Royal Navy and noble banquets in the Victorian era, there were also filthy poor kilns, prostitutes, child laborers and female textile workers whose average life expectancy was even lower than that of the feudal era!

But there has been no internal turmoil in the UK for two or three hundred years, and even speaking of its own country, it is particularly proud.

why?
Because the British at that time were the world's largest and the only superpower.

They have a large number of colonies around the world for blood sucking, and they continue to improve the quality of life of the local people.

And there are a lot of barbaric and backward natives from all over the world to let the British show their sense of superiority!

Therefore, when revolutions and the like broke out in other countries one after another, the British guy sat firmly on the Diaoyutai and was safe.

Americans after World War II almost followed the same pattern, maintaining a good life for the domestic people by harvesting global economic interests.

The dire straits of various countries can also make the lower-level Americans proud of the United States... But if you look deeper, there are countless various low-level communities in the United States, and the lives of people in these low-level communities are not that good.

But this does not affect their inner pride and sense of superiority when facing people from other countries.

No matter how bad I am, I am still the number one power in the world, a citizen of a superpower, born to be superior to you!
That's pretty much what it means.

Luo Zhixue has also been thinking about these issues in recent years, so he never thought about simply expanding the territory, or killing all the natives.

At any rate, we have to keep some unsavory natives to let the people of the empire show their sense of superiority... we can't kill them all.

Therefore, in general, colonial expansion with a plundering economy as the main model is also very necessary.

Direct annexation of territories, integration of immigrants, and simultaneous expansion of ordinary colonies are the basic ideas in the three major plans of the Navy.

It also conforms to Luo Zhixue's idea!

Therefore, after carefully studying the three major overseas expansion plans proposed by the navy, Luo Zhixue successively summoned the important ministers of the empire to listen to their views on these three major plans.

Many ministers have no opinion on the overall thinking of the three major plans. They are all expansion anyway, and this kind of overseas expansion actually does not cost much money.

Unlike the expansion in the Western Regions and Siberia, the enemy is either a nomad who is all soldiers, or the combat area is sparsely populated, and the distance is hundreds or thousands of kilometers longer. The most disgusting thing is that it is from the Central Plains to these There is not even a river in this place, so we can only rely on the most primitive horse-drawn carriage for ground transportation.

In terms of overseas expansion, the enemy is generally not strong. Whether it is Fusang, the indigenous countries in Southeast Asia, or even the European colonists, their military strength is actually not good for the Great Chu Empire.

In addition, because the supply can be transported by ship, it seems that the distance is far and troublesome, but compared with the ground supply distance of one or two thousand kilometers in Siberia, the supply trouble that can be solved by ship transportation is not troublesome.

It's nothing more than getting more ships and sending more fleets there. Even if the navy can't handle it by itself, isn't there still a large number of armed merchant ships and even ordinary merchant ships.

The only thing to worry about is large-scale foreign expansion, which may cause European countries such as the Netherlands and Spain to attack.

For example, in India, European countries and the Great Chu Empire are now fighting for the colonies of India. The Western Trading Company of the Great Chu Empire is very busy in India. It just suppressed an Indian indigenous kingdom yesterday. Today It is necessary to fight with the European colonists.

In the Americas, it may arouse the great vigilance and even hostility of the Spaniards, because the main expansion direction of the Great Chu Empire in the Americas is on the west coast of North America, and several coastal colonial strongholds were established in San Francisco, Seattle and other places in later generations.

South of San Francisco is Mexico controlled by the Spaniards, and the Spaniards are also continuing to expand northward.

The continued expansion of the Great Chu Empire in North America will directly confront Spain.

However, the upper echelons of the Great Chu Empire are not very worried about this... Overseas expansion and overseas colonization must be competitive!

At worst, we'll have a fight when the time comes!
As for the navy, the top leaders of the Great Chu Empire still have great confidence in the navy.

In the words of some people: With so much money spent every year, if the navy still can't beat the local barbarians, then what's the use of the navy? It's better to throw it all into the Pacific Ocean to feed sharks!
The navy has also stated many times that once there is a sea battle, their navy is absolutely confident to kill all enemies, whether it is the indigenous sampan boats or the sailing fleet of the European navy, they have sufficient confidence to defeat them .

The reason why the Navy has this confidence...

Nothing else, the Great Chu Empire's navy just has a lot of people and ships.

Because the Great Chu Empire Navy is backed by a powerful industrial empire, as long as a large number of warships are not sunk every day, the soldiers of the Great Chu Empire Navy will consume them to death no matter how poor their tactical ability is.

Not to mention that the Great Chu Empire Navy has served many iron-ribbed wood-hulled ships in batches, and now it has begun to build and serve steam-powered motor sailboats.

In all respects, the Great Chu Empire Navy has actually grown into the world's number one navy, at least in terms of equipment and number of personnel, and what is lacking is only the experience of sea combat.

However, relying on sufficient funds, the Navy of the Great Chu Empire conducts ocean-going training twice in three days, and patrols the forest with live ammunition. As long as they have money, the technical and tactical level of the soldiers can also be quickly improved.

At present, the Great Chu Empire Navy has absolute strategic and tactical advantages in the western Pacific Ocean, the eastern Indian Ocean, that is, the coastal waters of the Southeast Asian Peninsula.

In these sea areas, the Great Chu Empire has enough naval bases to deploy a large number of fleets nearby, and can also provide reinforcements at any time.

Not to mention the local coast, just in the Nanyang and Bay of Bengal areas, the Great Chu Empire has many medium and large ports such as Cam Ranh Bay, Bangkok, Pakka, Singapore, Malacca, Kedah, Wei Island, Dagon, and Chittagong.

Among them, Singapore Port is the core super-large military port of the Great Chu Empire in the Nanyang region.

In addition, there are many ordinary ports that can park warships, provide ordinary supplies and simple maintenance for warships. There are many of these ports, not only limited to the overseas territories directly controlled by the Great Chu Empire, but also some vassal states controlled by the Great Chu Empire. , The port of the puppet country can also be used.

Relying on the numerous ports on the Nanyang Peninsula and various islands, the Great Chu Empire Navy can move unimpeded in this sea area.

(End of this chapter)