Liu Huaiwen's face immediately turned grim.
As for Zhu Jinsong's assertion that George III could be coerced into ceding Sri Lanka to Da Ming, Liu Huaiwen and other prominent figures like Zeng Cheng harbored no doubts. After all, if they could willingly sell off India, then adding Sri Lanka, which was adjacent to India, wouldn't be a significant matter.
Just as Zhu Jinsong stated, conquering Sri Lanka would be easy. The crucial part was to bring Sri Lanka under Da Ming's control, which would essentially mean Da Ming severing ties with England.
Although Da Ming didn't particularly care about England, nor did they fear the so-called "lobster soldiers," England was one of the "Five Benevolent Ones" of the Earth. If Da Ming were to make a move against England, it was highly likely that all of Europe would become vigilant.
Therefore, the problem, after much deliberation, circled back to Da Ming's insufficient population – if Da Ming currently had six hundred million people, even confronting all of Europe wouldn't be an issue. The problem was that Da Ming simply didn't have that many people.
Liu Huaiwen mused that even if he, Liu, were to transform into the Bodhisattva of Child-Giving and instantly bestow a child upon every married couple in Da Ming, it wouldn't immediately increase Da Ming's able-bodied youth by hundreds of thousands. After all, childbirth took ten months, and raising a child took over ten years.
If Da Ming were to confront all of Europe right now, they wouldn't gain any significant advantage.
Without gaining an advantage, wouldn't that be a loss?
Upon considering this, Liu Huaiwen's expression grew even more somber.
Seeing Liu Huaiwen fall silent, Zhu Jinsong continued, "In fact, having King George III and Louis XVI recruit laborers from India to mine the copper is much better than Da Ming recruiting laborers ourselves."
Zeng Cheng, with a look of curiosity, chimed in, "Please enlighten us, Your Majesty?"
Zhu Jinsong felt a surge of comfort – look at that, Elder Grand Secretary Zeng Cheng, having served as a prefect in the Great Qing, his skill in prompting his superior was far superior to that of Liu Huaiwen and the others.
Zhu Jinsong said with a touch of pride, "The laborers were recruited by them, the copper mines were excavated by their laborers, and Da Ming simply purchased some copper ore from them. Then, in the history books a hundred years from now, wouldn't our emperor and his ministers be spared excessive criticism?"
Zeng Cheng and the other prominent figures were still somewhat bewildered.
Regarding Zhu Jinsong's current proposition, Zeng Cheng almost instantly thought of several counterarguments, such as the pot calling the kettle black, the fifty-step laughing at the hundred-step, and self-deception – was Da Ming truly using fewer laborers now?
If you, Emperor Zhu, required historians to record truthfully and without censorship, wouldn't the history books still document your extensive use of laborers? Did you know what informal title the Minister of Works, Song Yucheng, held among the common people?
Song the Laborer!
This referred to the fact that the Ministry of Works had employed countless laborers over the years, and the remains of laborers were found at nearly every major construction site!
However, Zeng Cheng and the other prominent figures ultimately underestimated Zhu Jinsong's audacity.
Seeing the rather interesting expressions on Zeng Cheng and the other prominent figures' faces, Zhu Jinsong continued, "Of course, we ministers and the emperor needn't concern ourselves too much with mere reputation. I believe that as long as we, the emperor and his ministers, are acting for the benefit of the people of Da Ming, the people will ultimately remember our kindness."
"As for that mere infamy… to put it bluntly, are there any perfect figures in history? Every single person who has left their name in history, without exception, has had flowers in one hand and excrement in the other!"
"The First Emperor, who unified the six kingdoms, built the imperial roads, constructed the Great Wall, standardized weights and measures, and unified the script, could be said to have merits that would last for ten thousand generations. Yet, he was still slandered as cruel and inhumane!"
"Emperor Gaozu of Han, when fleeing, kicked his wife and children off the carriage. This has been a subject of ridicule for over two thousand years, hasn't it?"
"Emperor Taizong of Tang is also known as a wise ruler, yet he still had the Xuanwu Gate Incident, and Wei Zheng allegedly suffocated Li Er's bird, and history has not spared him ridicule for this matter."
"As for our Da Ming's Founding Emperor, not to mention him. Just the普及社学 (popularization of community schools) alone almost makes him an benefactor to all scholars in the realm. Yet, there are still plenty of scholars who defame him, such as blasting the Celebration Hall, steaming geese to kill Xu Da, and purging meritorious officials and wrongfully executing Lan Yu for the sake of those useless individuals like Zhu Yunwen."
"And Emperor Taizong Wen, who exterminated Fang Xiaoru's ten familial kin and flayed three thousand palace maids alive, how many of these accusations are true?"
With Zhu Jinsong's words, Zeng Cheng and the other prominent figures were rendered speechless.
While the other emperors were debatable, if one purely looked at the imperial examination system, it originated in the Sui and Tang dynasties, flourished in the Song, and was truly comprehensively implemented, allowing children from humble backgrounds to receive an education and ordinary people to change their destinies through learning, in the Da Ming period. It truly benefited from Emperor Hongwu's tireless promotion of community schools.
Of course, community schools were initially established during the Yuan Dynasty, and this was a merit of the Yuan Dynasty that should be acknowledged.
As for the accusations of Emperor Yongle Wen exterminating Fang Xiaoru's ten familial kin and flaying three thousand palace maids alive, that was even more preposterous.
This matter was akin to Sima Guang drooling as he described Empress Zhangsun as a virtuous empress throughout the ages. The so-called extermination of ten familial kin was also a fabrication by Zhu Zhishan in his "Wild Records of Zhishan."
That's right, Zhu Zhishan, one of the so-called "Four Great Talents," who was uninterested in officialdom, enjoyed seeking novelty and eccentricities, and liked to say astonishing things. His works included numerous absurd and unverifiable historical notes, such as "Wild Records," "Lewd Talks," "Zhuzi's Records of Strange Tales," "Four Volumes of Strange Tales," "Previous Records," "Lewd Talks," "Silkworm Clothes," and "Floating Objects." These were of vulgar taste. The Ming Dynasty scholar Zhu Mengzhen, in his "Chu Tan on the River," commented on Zhu Zhishan's records of strange tales and unofficial histories, stating that "less than one in a hundred is credible."
However!
What was the situation with those individuals?
The First Emperor was defamed for prioritizing ink over Confucianism. You, Your Majesty, did not overtly prioritize ink or neglect Confucianism, but you directly severed the lineage of the Duke Yansheng and repeatedly claimed to be cleaning house for the sage. Henceforth, Confucians would likely slander you even more severely than the First Emperor!
Emperor Gaozu of Han did indeed kick his wife and children off the carriage, but that was during a critical moment of escape. You, Your Majesty, were not in a desperate crisis when you used laborers, were you?
And Emperor Taizong of Tang, what about suffocating Li Er's bird? Did any history book use this to slander Li Er? This is a beautiful anecdote proving Li Er's skill in accepting admonishment! Look at you, with your censors, provincial censors, the Censorate, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Eastern Depot, tsk tsk, watching over the common people, watching over the officials, watching over Da Ming, watching over what is outside Da Ming. Why don't you also establish a Western Depot and an Imperial Guard?
As for our Da Ming's Founding Emperor and Emperor Yongle Wen… they have been slandered for over three hundred years, and most of it is fabricated from thin air or simply forced slander. But what about you, Your Majesty?
You don't even need to fabricate any special documents to slander yourself. As long as you truthfully record everything you have done, you will absolutely be unable to wash yourself clean!
And this saying about "a hand of flowers and a hand of excrement"…
After a prolonged silence, Zeng Cheng decided to forcefully change the subject, lest Emperor Zhu of Da Ming continue to spout things about excrement and urine.
"Currently, Da Ming has implemented two Five-Year Plans. The first Five-Year Plan was relatively smooth, but from the second Five-Year Plan onwards, there have been constant changes. The third Five-Year Plan has just begun its first year, and it requires another major revision."
Zeng Cheng rubbed his forehead, his face etched with worry, and said, "The crucial point is that the third Five-Year Plan requires more substantial changes than all previous revisions, especially concerning the telegraph and copper mines."
"What worries me more now is, if the Royal Academy were to invent the electric light bulb, would Your Majesty then require people to install electric lights throughout all of Da Ming? If electric lights are to be installed, wouldn't generators also need to be prepared…"
Zhu Jinsong asked, "Then what is your suggestion, Lord Zeng?"
Zeng Cheng exchanged glances with Liu Huaiwen, Song Yucheng, and the other prominent figures, then carefully said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, I have discussed with Minister Liu, Minister Song, and other colleagues. For these newly emerging items, wouldn't it be better to separate them from the Five-Year Plan and establish corresponding projects?"
Zhu Jinsong tapped the table a few times with his fingers before saying, "Very well."
Zhu Jinsong was certainly not unaware of the issues Zeng Cheng mentioned.
To speak of nothing else, the telegraph and electric light projects alone might divert a significant portion of manpower and resources from the original Five-Year Plans.
And there were many other miscellaneous problems involved.
For instance, the telegraph would naturally belong to the postal system. However, the nature of the postal system itself was similar to that of the railway. Once it reached a certain peak, it would have to be dismantled in advance, preventing the postal system from having the opportunity to grow into a "postal overlord."
The electric light was similar. With electric lights, issues of power generation, transmission, and usage would arise. If a "Power Bureau" were to be established in the future, would it also be placed under the Ministry of Works?
If it were placed under the Ministry of Works, Da Ming's Six Ministries would essentially make the Ministry of Works the most massive one. Besides the Grand Court of Revision and the Ministry of Revenue, which controlled the treasury, it was likely that no other department would be able to match the Ministry of Works. The power in the hands of the Minister of Works would become quite astonishing.
Or, if Da Ming were to continue to adhere to the original system of Six Ministries, it was likely that a host of messy problems would arise in the future. For founding emperors like Zhu Jinsong, who conquered the empire by force, there would be no problem, but what about after Zhu Jinsong's reign…
Imperial power was destined to be caged.
As the saying goes, one's perspective is determined by one's position. As the Emperor of Da Ming, Zhu Jinsong naturally wished for the Central Plains administration to remain ahead of the entire world. Even if a world war-level conflict were to occur in the future, it would be best if it were contained within the issues among Da Ming's provincial administrations.
As for how long the imperial family of Da Ming could last…
Frankly speaking, Zhu Xisong, who was still a considerable distance from reaching the sage's realm, naturally wished for it to last as long as possible.
And the best way to achieve this goal was not to excessively restrict the power of officials, nor to engage in flattery and division within the imperial court.
Although the twelve wise emperors and sage rulers of the Great Qing were all adept at this game, the hidden dangers of this playstyle were also quite obvious: mutual conflict and a lack of concerted effort.
Take, for example, the recently and excessively whitewashed "patcher" Grand Secretary Li.
At that time, Grand Secretary Li was not without his abilities. The Great Qing's naval strength was not weak in the Far East. Even during the Sino-Japanese War, the entire Japanese nation gambled their national fortune with the mindset of "success or die."
And the failure in this war was precisely due to this point.
The entire Japanese nation shared the same idea, but at that time, the Great Qing did not have the same unity. The officials in the imperial court at that time even wished for Grand Secretary Li to fall into misfortune.
Of course, the reason why some people in later generations frantically whitewashed Grand Secretary Li was not because his failure was unjust, but because bureaucracy and capital needed a spokesperson. xxs1
Who would be more suitable than Grand Secretary Li, who saved the Great Qing one hundred million taels of silver with a single bullet?
Those who wanted to whitewash Grand Secretary Li often focused on the "one bullet, one hundred million taels of silver" argument. However, the opposite was true: the combination of bureaucracy and capital began with Grand Secretary Li. Cross-referencing with information from China, Britain, Russia, and Japan, the basic conclusion was: Li Hongzhang's acceptance of huge bribes from Russia and selling out national interests is true.
As for how long the imperial family of Da Ming could last…
Frankly speaking, Zhu Xisong, who was still a considerable distance from reaching the sage's realm, naturally wished for it to last as long as possible.
And the best way to achieve this goal was not to excessively restrict the power of officials, nor to engage in flattery and division within the imperial court.
Although the twelve wise emperors and sage rulers of the Great Qing were all adept at this game, the hidden dangers of this playstyle were also quite obvious: mutual conflict and a lack of concerted effort.
Take, for example, the recently and excessively whitewashed "patcher" Grand Secretary Li.
At that time, Grand Secretary Li was not without his abilities. The Great Qing's naval strength was not weak in the Far East. Even during the Sino-Japanese War, the entire Japanese nation gambled their national fortune with the mindset of "success or die."
And the failure in this war was precisely due to this point.
The entire Japanese nation shared the same idea, but at that time, the Great Qing did not have the same unity. The officials in the imperial court at that time even wished for Grand Secretary Li to fall into misfortune.
Of course, the reason why some people in later generations frantically whitewashed Grand Secretary Li was not because his failure was unjust, but because bureaucracy and capital needed a spokesperson.
Who would be more suitable than Grand Secretary Li, who saved the Great Qing one hundred million taels of silver with a single bullet?
Those who wanted to whitewash Grand Secretary Li often focused on the "one bullet, one hundred million taels of silver" argument. However, the opposite was true: the combination of bureaucracy and capital began with Grand Secretary Li. Cross-referencing with information from China, Britain, Russia, and Japan, the basic conclusion was: Li Hongzhang's acceptance of huge bribes from Russia and selling out national interests is true.