Daming 1805

On the ship of the King of Prussia, a group of Prussian scholars were discussing the history of China and Western Europe.

As the saying goes, all history is modern history, and the purpose of Prussians discussing history is actually to consider the future of Prussia and Germany.

Amongst a group of scholars there was one eloquent man who was called Hegel:
"Although Mr. Gauss is a scholar of mathematics and natural science, his comparative discussion of the history of Sinnou in Dongyi Kingdom should be correct.

"Europa has never been truly united after the Roman Empire.

"It makes us less powerful overall in Europa, but it also gives us more possibilities.

"Most countries in Europa can only be regarded as small countries compared to the unified China, and the choices we make can only be regarded as trivial matters.

"But we have many countries, so when history needs to make choices, we can make many choices at the same time.

"As long as one country's choice is correct, it will be able to gain a relative lead and be imitated by others.

"In the end we as a whole Europa were able to make the right choice and that's where we have the advantage."

However, not all those who patiently listened to Hegel's explanation were listeners, and there were also opponents among them.

A young man in his thirties named Schopenhauer directly raised a very clear objection and question when Hegel’s speech was paused:
"So you mean, Europa's split is an advantage?
"The current European countries, besides prostrate at the feet of Daming, do they have any other options?
"Is the current choice of the French and the British what you call the correct choice? Should all countries in Thailand and the West follow suit and embrace Ming Dynasty?

"Your argument that as long as one country makes the right choice, it can gain a leading edge is simply wrong.

"If it is correct, we should defeat Da Ming directly, instead of being left farther and farther now.

"Countries that gain a head start will be imitated by other countries, which may seem correct.

"However, the reason for leading may not be correct, and it may be just a short-term increase in strength, but it overdraws the future of 'exhausting the pool and fishing'.

"The point is, as long as one country does this, other countries can only choose to follow, even if they know that that choice is overdrafting the future.

"Otherwise, before other countries overdraft the future, their own country may have been wiped out by the other country.

"In other words, the division and melee among the Thai and Western countries has caused the European countries to only take into account their immediate interests and have no chance to focus on the future.

"On the contrary, it is a completely unified imperial court like the Ming Dynasty that has the opportunity to invest in the future with immediate benefits.

"This is the real reason for the long-term failure of us Europas!
"1000 years ago, under the attack of our ancestors, after the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Europa Continent entered the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period in China.

"The point is, it has been 1000 years, and we have never left the 'Warring States'.

"Because, on our Europa continent, there has never been a Qin country, and there has never been a reunification of the world.

"The division of the European countries is the biggest disadvantage.

"Europa cannot be unified again, and we will always have to follow Daming to catch up.

"Throughout the entire history, we who have inherited the mantle of the Holy Roman Empire, we Prussians and Germans, are the people who most resemble Qin.

"Unifying Germany, rebuilding the Holy Roman Empire, and unifying Europe is our mission in Prussia!
"And a source of sorrow for us Prussians!"

Schopenhauer's point of view is indeed to refute Hegel, and to refute Hegel's Tessian advantage.

However, he is also thinking from the perspective of Prussia and the Germans.

The dispute between the two on specific matters is just an appearance, but it is actually a reflection on the fate and future of Prussia and Germany.

These people may correspond to a certain person in the original history, and may also have the characteristics of the people in the original history.

However, the environment in which they live, the reality and history they know, the education they receive and their life experiences are all very different from the original history.

Therefore, their way of thinking and concepts may have some similarities with them in the original history.

But there are obviously more differences as well.

It was just a coincidence of fate that made Schopenhauer stand opposite Hegel.

Of course, Hegel was not afraid of arguments, and he even hoped to argue with others in more public places, so as to make his thinking more mature.

Whether it is failure or success, as long as the opponent has a sufficient level, they should be able to provide some inspiration for themselves.

After all, if three of us are together, there must be my teacher...

It’s just that Hegel’s approach is not to ask politely, but to aim at relative debates:
"It's really nonsense. Throughout the history of the past 2000 years, China has been repeating a cycle.

"The ruling class is corrupt and collapses, peasant uprisings destroy old dynasties, then give birth to new dynasties, then collapse again 300 years later.

"In fact, I think that the former Ming Dynasty died in peasant riots in the year of Chongzhen.

"The current Daming Empire is completely different from the former Daming Dynasty, except for the ruling family. It is a completely new kind of country.

"The new system established by Emperor Zhu Cihong is completely different from the previous Ming Dynasty.

"Da Ming's current prosperity is only because Da Ming has been making the right choices since Emperor Zhu Cihong 170 years ago.

"However, once Da Ming makes a wrong choice, then Da Ming will decline rapidly or even collapse.

"The treasure ship of Ming Dynasty is too huge, and it needs to pay a huge price to change the tradition.

"No one can stop this process, because there is no external force that can truly threaten the existing Ming court.

"At that time, our Europa will have the opportunity to truly surpass Daming."

Schopenhauer also immediately responded tit for tat:

"What's the use of saying this? Even if your judgment is correct, so what?

"If the countries of Europa cannot be unified, it will be regarded as an unprecedented failure for Ming Dynasty, and we have no chance of surpassing Ming Dynasty.

"Prussia has no chance, Lucia has no chance, France has no chance, England has no chance.

"Only the unified New Rome has this opportunity and qualification.

"The point is, precisely because of the cycle of dynasties you mentioned, even if the Central Dynasty of Shenzhou collapsed and split in the later stage, it will be reunited again.

"The rulers of various forces in China will regard reunification of the world as their highest goal in life.

"We Europeans have never had such a concept!

"More importantly, every dynasty cycle in China will give birth to something new.

"The new dynasty must learn from history and avoid the mistakes of previous dynasties.

"If they make the wrong changes, or create new problems, then they may fail before the 300-year cycle.

"The future nascent dynasties will make corrections again.

"So, the Chinese dynasty has made different choices time and time again in history.

"The unified dynasty and separatist forces in the history of China, as well as every established peasant uprising army, have tried all kinds of management methods that human civilization can use.

"Until now, we Europa people are still learning the management system of Ming Dynasty.

"In this way, you still have the courage to say that when Da Ming is facing collapse, it is the time when Europa surpasses Da Ming again.

"As a German, when the German region has not yet been unified, what qualifications do you have to discuss the issue of surpassing Ming Dynasty?"

Schopenhauer seemed to be very angry, and the atmosphere on the scene suddenly became a little chaotic.

This time, Hegel didn't need to spray back, and other people on the scene directly questioned loudly:
"Do you think Prussia and Germany have no future at all?"

Schopenhauer immediately exclaimed:

"What is Prussia? What is Germany? What kind of future does it need?
"I think you should first think about these three issues before you are qualified to talk about the so-called future here.

"Otherwise your discussion will be meaningless!"

Although the history of Germany and Prussia helped Zhu Jingyuan clarify the relationship between Ming and China, the Prussians themselves are actually a bit confused now.

The key question is actually somewhat similar to that in history, how big should the scope of Germany be?Where should the borders of Germany be?

Is it the current Kingdom of Prussia, the German region including Austria, or the entire Holy Roman Empire.

The dispute and confusion among the scholars here attracted the attention of another group of people in the distance.

King William III of Prussia was talking with Prussian-German scholars who had returned from Dongyi.

Including Goethe and Schiller, who, like Gauss, went to Dongyi country to take part in the imperial examination, and both passed the Dongyi country's student honors.

He worked as a civil servant in Dongyi Kingdom for several years, and later went on to obtain the honor of Juren in Dongyi Kingdom.

Goethe was already in his 50s at that time, and after working for a few years, he retired according to the Ming system.

Goethe is very interested in the culture and history of Ming Dynasty, but for the time being, he doesn't have the opportunity to go to the mainland of Ming Dynasty conveniently.

Dongyi Kingdom was affiliated with Ming Dynasty, and it adopted the bureaucratic system of Ming Dynasty, and was managed by a large number of officials from native Ming Dynasty.

There are also a large number of immigrants and businessmen from Ming Dynasty, who brought the pure native culture of Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, Dongyi Kingdom has become the best place to experience Ming culture.

After Goethe retired, he continued to live in Dongyi Kingdom, and learned about Daming in all aspects through books, newspapers, and immigrants.

As for Schiller, in the original history, he died of tuberculosis in 1805, and the world's antibiotics saved his life.

Then Schiller also went to Dongyi Kingdom and served Daming for more than ten years until he officially retired this year.

Gauss has not yet reached the retirement age, and with Gauss' current special status and ability, he has the opportunity to attend the ceremony as a representative of Dongyi Kingdom.

Both Goethe and Schiller have obtained the citizenship of Dongyi country and have actually settled in Dongyi country.

However, Germany is the hometown of the two after all.

So after Schiller retired, the two returned to their hometown together, wanting to see the situation in their hometown.

As a result, it happened to meet the enthronement ceremony of the new emperor of Ming Dynasty, and invited the royal families of the Thai and Western countries to lead their own missions to attend.

Goethe and Schiller were already well-known in Prussia, and they had served in the Dongyi Kingdom of the Ming Dynasty for a long time, and they also had the fame of the Dongyi Kingdom of the Ming Dynasty.

Both of them received invitations from the royal family to go to Daming together as representatives of the Prussians.

Although Goethe is 71 years old, his current health is still good. According to the original history, he lived to be 83 years old.

Now I have the opportunity to participate in the Enthronement Ceremony of the Ming Emperor, the biggest ceremony in the world, which cannot be ignored or given up no matter what.

So Goethe agreed to accompany him as a matter of course.

On the way from the mainland of Prussia, the main nobles headed by William III often invited Goethe, Schiller and other scholars who had returned from the Dongyi Kingdom to consult and discuss the system and culture of the Ming Dynasty.

Now William III and his son are discussing Ming poetry with Goethe.

When the three of them were chatting vigorously, they were affected by the increasingly serious noise.

So William III and Goethe walked here together, and came directly to ask about the situation of the scholars here:
"What are you talking about?"

The king of Prussia came over, and the noisy atmosphere at the scene immediately became much cleaner.

Without waiting for others to speak, Schopenhauer shouted out loudly:
"Your Majesty, we are discussing what Prussia is, what Germany is, and what our future will be."

William III heard three questions and looked at the young scholar in front of him, feeling a little uncomfortable. This question is really difficult to answer.

William III also understands why there are disputes here. It is not normal for this kind of issue to have no disputes now.

William III did not answer and comment directly, but turned around and asked Goethe next to him:
"How does Mr. Goethe think this kind of question should be answered? How should we Prussians think about this kind of question?"

The scholars at the scene also looked at the 70-year-old Mr. Goethe.

This German can be regarded as highly respected in the German area, and the key lies in the German who has won the fame of the Dongyi Kingdom of the Ming Dynasty.

Goethe gently stroked his beard, smiled and said a topic that he didn't seem to want to close:
"Before the first year of the new calendar of the Ming Dynasty, that is, before the Great Qin unified the mainland of China, 'China' generally referred to all the vassal states of the Central Plains.

"But after Qin Shihuang unified the world, China became Qin, and Qin became China.

"The same is true today, Ming is China, and China is Ming.

"Prussia is still Prussia for the time being, and Germany still includes other parts, not to mention the Holy Roman Empire."

The young man Schopenhauer asked directly:

"What does that mean, Mr. Prussia is the Qin State before the unification of the world? So what about our future?"

Goethe first raised his eyes and looked at another ship in the distance, which was the ship of the Austrian mission.

Then he turned around and looked at the king and princes beside him:

"This is something His Majesty the King and the ministers need to consider..."

Goethe has lived in Dongyi country for more than ten years, has a deep understanding of the traditional culture of Ming Dynasty, and has dealt with officials of Ming Dynasty for more than ten years.

Now I feel a little insensitive to the sensitive and complicated issue of the definition of Germany.

The key issue is that he is now a citizen of Dongyi Kingdom.