Chapter 928

Qingzhou City.

Xiao Ming was flipping through historical records in the technology crystal. These records all came from modern times.

Although the history of this world had completely changed and could not be measured by contemporary standards, it was still possible to use this historical knowledge as a reference for certain aspects.

After all, no matter how history developed, its impact on some remote places was still very small, such as the Siberian snowfields.

At the same time, he also reviewed the history of Tsarist Russia’s aggression against the Guandong region, and in it, he found some nauseating records. For example, the Tsarist Russian governor of Yakutsk, Golovin, once sent Poyarkov to lead troops south along the Lena River. Upon reaching the territory of the Daur chief, he plundered everywhere and even inhumanely massacred and cannibalized the Daur people, leading him to be known as a man-eating demon.

And this was enough to show that this era had not yet fully shed its barbarism. It was merely in a transitional zone between barbarism and civilization, where evil and good factions were equally distinct.

“Your Majesty, Zhu Sansi is a strong-willed general. General Niu Ben has always praised him,” Qian Dafu, who understood Xiao Ming’s thoughts very well, said at an opportune moment.

Xiao Ming trusted Qian Dafu very much. Therefore, their conversations were like chatting about everyday life. He said, “Precisely because of this, I approved Zhu Sansi’s mission to Jianzhou.”

For him, he was now very willing to promote young generals. Besides preventing the military hierarchy from becoming rigid, it was also to have generals with modern military thinking lead the army.

While Lu Fei, Luo Xin, Qi Guangyi, and others were certainly outstanding generals of the Great Yu Empire, with the increasing number of Great Yu Empire troops stationed overseas, he needed people who could command independently in the colonies. At that time, these old generals would naturally not be suitable for foreign deployment.

“Niu Ben does have some foresight. I also think highly of Zhu Sansi. He is a pragmatic and capable man of war,” Xiao Ming chuckled.

Qian Dafu, holding his fly whisk, teased, “This Zhu family is interesting. One Zhu Sansi, one Zhu Wuliu. But these two brothers have completely different temperaments: one is straightforward, the other is cunning.”

Xiao Ming smiled. This Zhu Wuliu, who started from scratch and now possessed millions in assets, was now being used by the imperial court for external propaganda, to encourage more people to engage in industry and commerce.

After all, with the expansion of the market, the Great Yu Empire’s industry and commerce also needed fresh blood.

And compared to Zhu Wuliu, the imperial court was also promoting Zhu Sansi, setting him up as a model for the common people.

“Currently, the imperial court needs role models to motivate the common people, only then can the nation remain vibrant. However, the two of them are also very capable; they genuinely possess skill, and are not mere tools for the imperial court to deceive the common people.”

Xiao Ming withdrew his gaze from the map. In fact, he had harbored the idea of cultivating role models from the very beginning. Propaganda was also a political tool.

Qian Dafu nodded, “That’s absolutely true. Now, many people want to emulate the two of them. One joins the military, and the other enters the industrial and commercial sector.”

“That’s right. My efforts have not been in vain after all. The Great Yu Empire still needs the imperial court to guide it. Just like this northern expedition to drive out Tsarist Russia, we must not only treat the symptoms but also cure the root cause.”

Xiao Ming narrowed his eyes.

Qian Dafu, not understanding, listened intently.

Clearing his throat, Xiao Ming said, “Do you know why the Russians were able to reach Siberia from afar and even occupy it?”

“I, your old servant, am foolish. I hope Your Majesty will enlighten me.”

“For furs. In Europe, Russia is a major exporter of furs. It is precisely by relying on the fur trade that they can afford to acquire European technology and weapons. And the Siberian snowfields and the Great Yu Empire’s Guandong are the richest areas for furs. Having tasted the sweetness, they naturally refuse to leave. It is also because of this that the occupation of Siberia, which began as a private endeavor, has now become a state action of Tsarist Russia.”

According to the intelligence provided by the secret guards, he basically understood the driving force behind Tsarist Russia’s eastward expansion. After all, Tsarist Russia had always been involved with other countries in Europe.

“So that’s it!” Qian Dafu suddenly looked enlightened.

Xiao Ming continued, “The Siberian snowfield might be a fur hunting ground for Tsarist Russia, but for the Great Yu Empire, it is a barrier. This is also why I am determined to take Siberia. However, fully relying on the military to control such a vast territory is somewhat difficult. Precisely because of this, I have the idea of letting merchants participate in Siberian affairs. However, this would mean the Great Yu Empire would have to learn from the Europeans and open up firearms to merchants.”

“Your Majesty, that is absolutely impossible! Firearms cannot fall into the hands of merchants! The matter of the merchants’ council has just ended!” Qian Dafu said nervously.

Xiao Ming chuckled upon hearing this. He said, “I understand your worries. So, I now have a plan that serves both purposes: allow the establishment of mercenary companies among the common people. Only mercenary companies vetted by the imperial court can be established. Merchants, if they want armed protection, only need to pay to hire some mercenaries. This way, it can also solve the problem of some retired soldiers who are unwilling to farm.”

“That’s a brilliant idea! This way, the imperial court only needs to supervise the mercenary companies and doesn’t have to worry about the establishment of armed merchant forces. Moreover, having imperial relatives or trusted individuals establish mercenary companies would be even more secure,” Qian Dafu said with relief.

“And it can also solve the problem of obsolete firearms,” Xiao Ming added.

In this era, armed merchant groups were indeed part of a nation’s strength. For example, the infamous East India Company, at its peak, trained mercenaries in India and even possessed some military functions of a state.

Similarly, armed merchant ships at sea were also a part of naval power. Britain obtained a continuous supply of naval soldiers through armed merchant ships.

After all, the crews of these armed merchant ships lived at sea for many years. With a little training, they could pilot warships, becoming an important component of Britain’s maritime supremacy.

In contrast, the Great Yu Empire was somewhat lagging in this aspect. According to the current development momentum of the Great Yu Empire, merchants would naturally seek out profitable ventures, and where merchants’ interests lay, there lay the Great Yu Empire’s interests.

Where the Great Yu Empire’s interests lay, there lay the merchants’ interests.

So, after careful consideration, he decided to relax some of the private arms control, allowing merchants to act as the Great Yu Empire’s tentacles, extending its influence overseas.

“This is another idea that kills several birds with one stone!” Qian Dafu couldn’t help but laugh.

Xiao Ming gently nodded, “What I’m thinking now is to make Siberia our first target. Don’t the Russians like the fur business? We’ll snatch this trade from them and have Great Yu Empire merchants go to Siberia to hunt for furs and sell them to Europe.”

“I’m afraid the Russians will regret provoking our Great Yu Empire now,” Qian Dafu said with a sinister chuckle.