To speak of truly governing a country, Qian Long the old dog might be inferior to any minor official, but when it came to ruthlessness, amassing wealth for indulgence, destroying books, and suppressing history, Qian Long the old dog was truly unparalleled, perhaps even unrivaled in his time.
For instance, the problem of lacking funds that Louis XVI found most troublesome was, in Qian Long's eyes, not even a problem: "A mere two billion francs, at most ten billion taels of silver."
"You must know that Heshen, a single servant, had amassed a fortune of eighty million taels. This was after I, your emperor, had toured Jiangnan six times and campaigned ten times. If I had not continuously caused such a stir by touring Jiangnan, Heshen's fortune would have been far more than eighty million taels of silver?"
Louis XVI, with a bewildered expression, looked at Zhu Jinsong and asked, "This… this is just one person's fortune, and it amounts to eighty million taels of silver? Sixteen billion francs?"
Zhu Jinsong grunted, "I can attest to this. Heshen, the Grand Secretary, indeed possessed a fortune of around eighty million taels of silver. And as Qian Long said, if he had not squandered a large portion of it, it might well have reached eighteen billion taels of silver."
"Hiss~"
Louis XVI and the others couldn't help but gasp, their gazes toward Qian Long the old dog now filled with envy and admiration.
Eighteen billion taels of silver, and after squandering, eighty million taels still remained. This ability to amass wealth was truly extraordinary!
Qian Long the old dog continued, "Furthermore, I heard that your country is quite unstable, and some merchants with substantial assets wish to meddle in the court?"
After Louis XVI nodded, Qian Long the old dog did not hesitate to criticize, "You are truly foolish. Mere merchants can be ruined by a local registrar, and exterminated by a county magistrate. Yet, you actually give them the opportunity to meddle in the court?"
"Let me tell you, foster some of these merchants while suppressing others. Publicize in the newspapers how diligent and benevolent you are, and attribute the suffering of your French people to those merchants. Wouldn't that solve the problem?"
Hearing Qian Long the old dog's words, Louis XVI and the others felt as if a cloud had lifted, and a path had suddenly become clear.
In fact, the issue of the emerging wealthy class wanting to meddle in the court was not unique to France; England, Russia, and the Eagle of the Silly Country were also facing similar problems.
However, these European barbarians, in their minds, only considered compromise and suppression, never thinking of other solutions.
Qian Long the old dog continued to mock them, "You are all monarchs holding great power, yet you live lives worse than a mere prefect. I don't know whether to praise your frugality or scold you for your foolishness!"
"There are rebellions in your Russia, right? Let me tell you, suppress them directly with your army. After suppression, those who should be massacred must be massacred, and those villages that should be razed must be razed. If a village has people rebelling, raze the entire village. If a city has people rebelling, raze the entire city. Not only raze them, but also build ossuaries as a deterrent."
"After the suppression, find some wealthy corrupt officials in the court and execute them. This will quell public anger, enrich the national treasury, and divert the people's attention. Isn't that killing three birds with one stone?"
Paul I nodded repeatedly, appearing eager to learn.
Qian Long the old dog continued, "Remember this, as soon as you detect any signs of rebellion, do not hesitate, nor harbor the slightest compassion. I am the best negative example. If I had directly dispatched the army to suppress them back then, would I have ended up in this predicament?"
Washington seized the opportunity to ask, "Is it not a good method to scalp them?"
Qian Long the old dog snorted disdainfully and mocked, "I've heard about your situation from others, and I know what you're up to."
"Speaking of which, you are quite similar to our Great Qing before the invasion."
"It's a pity, though, that you are too foolish."
"Let me tell you, learn to accept surrenders, set rules for them, destroy their historical records, language, writing, and customs, and slowly turn them into your slaves. Let those slaves who have surrendered to you become your vanguard, and let them attack their own people. This is the best solution."
"And scalping? I ask you, what use is scalping? If you scalp everyone, regardless of their rank or whether they surrendered, will anyone still surrender to you?"
Washington was greatly humbled. He raised his wine glass to Qian Long the old dog and said, "After listening to you, it's more useful than reading dozens of books. I toast you with this glass of wine!"
Qian Long the old dog glanced disdainfully at Washington, then raised his wine cup and drank it down, pointing at Zhu Jinsong, "Although he has seized my empire and made me a prisoner, ask him, is what I'm saying reasonable?"
Zhu Jinsong snorted coldly inwardly, but nodded and replied, "Although I don't wish to admit it, I must admit that what he says is factual."
"At the time, those Jurchen barbarians betrayed the Great Ming and recruited a large number of Ming soldiers. Then, using these surrendered Ming soldiers as vanguards, they finally unified the empire. Afterward, they consolidated their rule through methods such as forcing queues and changing clothes, destroying books, and prohibiting history."
"Even when I raised my army to rebel against the Qing, I basically used the same methods, though the forms might have differed, the essence was the same."
"In fact, if it weren't for his momentary leniency, and many books and the like not being destroyed, I might not have had the opportunity to raise an army against the Qing."
Before Louis XVI and the others could react, Qian Long the old dog sneered at Zhu Jinsong, "As the saying goes, the victor becomes king, the loser becomes a bandit. I am your prisoner today, you can kill me or flay me as you wish."
"However, I was not defeated by you, but by the methods used by the past kings of my Great Qing. You, surnamed Zhu, should not get carried away, and be careful that you do not suffer the same fate as me one day!"
Looking at the sighing and emotional Qian Long the old dog, Louis XVI, Paul I, and others who had been nodding continuously couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy.
Zhu Jinsong, however, snorted coldly, and after suppressing it for a long time, he managed to restrain his urge to draw his sword and strike.
"Di Lei Lou Mou ah, I'm just playing along with your act, and you, you damn dog, are getting arrogant?"
However, although Qian Long the old dog hadn't done anything decent in his life, apart from the literary and military achievements praised by himself and his retainers, he was essentially a useless waste. Yet, it had to be admitted that Qian Long the old dog's acting skills were truly superb.
If Zhu Jinsong didn't know the truth of the matter himself, he might have believed Qian Long the old dog's nonsense.
Look at Louis XVI, George III, Paul I, and Washington; these four were clearly being led astray by Qian Long the old dog, and their gazes toward him were filled with sympathy, admiration, respect, and all sorts of other complex emotions.
Zhu Jinsong couldn't help but lament, "How incredibly stupid can one be? It's truly a case of one scoundrel daring to teach, and a group of fools daring to learn."
At this moment, Qian Long the old dog snorted coldly again and said, "In short, to achieve peace in the realm, one must first cultivate a group of loyal and reliable slaves. And to cultivate a group of slaves, one must first break their backs."
"What do you use to break them?"
"Are you truly that foolish?"
"I'm not telling you to use sticks or the like. I'm telling you to completely ban and destroy their books and culture, restrict their learning, and completely block off all knowledge that might pose a threat to the court!"
"What skill is there in only knowing how to kill with a knife? Killing with a soft knife, and imprisoning the minds of slaves, that is the true way."
"For example, when my Great Qing invaded, our Saintly Ancestor Emperor once said, 'Do not study any knowledge from the Mongols or Han.' The community schools that were prevalent during the Ming Dynasty should be closed, and those that cannot be closed should be trained into bookworms who only know the eight-legged essay."
"Of course, these measures are not enough to break the spines of certain literati, so you must also combine them with a 'literary bath.'"
"How do you conduct a 'literary bath'?"
"It's such a simple matter. For example, 'The gentle breeze does not know characters, why does it randomly turn pages?' Qing, does not know characters, randomly turns pages. Isn't this slandering my Great Qing as unlearned, as uncivilized barbarians beyond cultivation?"
Qian Long the old dog raised his wine cup, took a sip, and continued, "And this line, 'The Ming Dynasty begins to spread its wings, a single lift to depart the Qing capital.' Ming Dynasty, spread its wings, depart the Qing capital. What is this doing? This is eating the food of my Great Qing, yet wishing to restore the Ming and overthrow the Qing!"
At this point, Qian Long the old dog couldn't help but sigh, and looking at Zhu Jinsong, he said, "Speaking of which, is that scoundrel Liu Yong still alive?"
Zhu Jinsong snorted coldly, "He is still alive, imprisoned with Ji the dog. After I move the capital back to the imperial city, Ji the dog will kneel eternally in the Confucian Temple, and Liu Yong will accompany him."
Qian Long the old dog smacked his lips and said, "What a pity. Whether Ji Xiaolan is any good, we'll leave aside for now. But Liu Yong is a master of conducting literary baths. In my opinion, you might as well lend Liu Yong to Louis XVI and the others."
Zhu Jinsong's face darkened as he stared at Qian Long the old dog, "Are you telling me how to do my job?"
Qian Long the old dog trembled inwardly, then snorted coldly and simply stopped talking, drinking his wine contentedly.
However, Louis XVI and the others admired Qian Long the old dog even more.
After a moment's thought, Louis XVI cast his gaze towards Zhu Jinsong and tentatively asked, "That, the Liu he mentioned..."
Zhu Jinsong snorted coldly, "There are four of you, but Liu Yong is only one. Do you expect me to chop him into four pieces?"
Louis XVI exclaimed, "No! Aren't we allies? Therefore, Liu Yong should be lent to our France first."
Before Zhu Jinsong could reply, Washington became anxious, "Isn't the situation in your France stabilized? If you ask me, Liu Yong should be lent to our Silly Eagle first—you know, those elephants are never good things, and they are preparing to cause trouble for me."
Louis XVI chuckled and was about to retort when Paul I also became anxious, "No, your donkeys and elephants are somewhat manageable. Even if they intend to cause you trouble, it's only an intention. But in our Russia, there has been a real rebellion, and it is precisely when we need talented people like Liu Yong."
As Washington and Paul I began to argue, Zhu Jinsong coughed and began to mediate, "Stop arguing. Although there is only one Liu Yong, he is not the only one who knows how to conduct literary baths. Where can't I find two more for you?"
"How about this: Liu Yong will go to Russia first. I will then find three more suitable individuals. Each of you will get one. How about that?"
Louis XVI and George III exchanged glances, and Louis XVI spoke first, "I think that's acceptable."
Seeing that Louis XVI and George III had agreed to Zhu Jinsong's proposal, Washington could only nod helplessly and say, "I also agree."
Qian Long the old dog, who had been drinking wine nearby, let out a cold laugh and looked at Louis XVI and the others, "I find you all truly foolish."
Louis XVI was furious and was about to curse him, but he heard Qian Long the old dog continue, "Could it be that none of you can read? If you simply have Liu Yong write down the method of the literary bath, you can each get a copy, and then you can cultivate your own personnel."
"Alternatively, simply send people now to learn from Liu Yong. It's just the art of the literary bath, and it can be learned in two or three days."