Chapter 920

In the magnificent Zhengda Guangming Hall, the silence was so profound that even the sound of a falling needle could be heard. The ministers

In the magnificent Zhengda Guangming Hall, the silence was so profound that even the sound of a falling needle could be heard.

The ministers looked grim, each pondering the Emperor’s words.

They admitted that they had grown somewhat arrogant during this period. The mindset of the Great Yu Empire as a Celestial Dynasty was once again spreading throughout the court, leading some ministers to neglect progress and focus on internal power struggles.

Following suit from above, this detrimental influence naturally spread to local provinces and prefectures. The intelligence sent by Niu Ben now undoubtedly made these people’s hearts tremble, realizing that now was not the time for complacency.

Xiao Ming’s gaze swept over the ministers. He had already seen the subtle signs of a problem: the Great Yu Empire needed enemies. Only crisis could maintain the nation’s drive and vitality.

After all, only when facing external enemies could a nation’s ruling class achieve unprecedented unity. This also fostered the growth of national sentiment. Otherwise, from officials to common people, everyone would fall into internal strife and become lazy in government affairs.

This was why contemporary nations constantly undermined each other. Only through mutual threats and competition could nations remain vibrant.

“You have all heard General Niu’s words. The Great Yu Empire still has many enemies. Even if the Great Yu Empire is a fierce tiger, a pack of wolves can still threaten the Great Yu Empire’s survival. I hope all you beloved ministers will bear this in mind and perform your duties well.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

All civil and military officials said in unison.

Turning to Niu Ben, Xiao Ming asked, “What is the Grand Council’s opinion regarding Tibet and the Golden Tent Khanate?”

“I, your humble general, believe that among the two, the Golden Tent Khanate is the more urgent. Dolgor fawns on Tsarist Russia to unite with Tsarist Russia to reclaim Guandong, and even to destroy the Great Yu Empire. And Tsarist Russia also has ambitions to expand eastward. They are truly colluding. If we do not crush the threat of both, the north will never know peace,” Niu Ben said loudly.

Fei Ji frowned. He said, “Tibet also seems like a difficult adversary. If Tibet hadn’t allowed the barbarians to pass through back then, Bashu wouldn’t have suffered the tragedy of hundreds of thousands of casualties. Now Tibet is colluding with the British again, and will surely become even more reckless. After all, Tibet is backed by British India, a country with over a hundred million people. Most importantly, the British have already established their rule there.”

The Grand Secretaries were well aware of the comprehensive strength of various countries in the world, but other officials were not. Upon hearing that India’s population was comparable to the Great Yu Empire’s, they all grew nervous.

With the threat of Tsarist Russia to the north, it seemed the southwest was also not a peaceful place.

“The southwest is a remote region. The Great Yu Empire’s military strength can hardly reach it, and supplies are as difficult as ascending to heaven. Suffering some losses temporarily is inevitable. However, the northern railway has already extended to Guandong, making it extremely easy to transport soldiers and supplies. Comparing the two, it is naturally better to attack the north first. Only when the northern threat is gone can we confidently march south. After all, the north is simply too close to Qingzhou Province; there can be no mistakes,” Luo Quan’s opinion was consistent with Niu Ben’s.

Fei Ji merely grumbled a bit. He had no desire to interfere with military matters, after all, now government and military affairs were separately managed. So he said, “It’s all up to His Majesty to decide.”

Xiao Ming smiled, “Fighting is what the military does best. You two generals are right; the most urgent matter now is the north.”

With that, he signaled Qian Dafu to spread out the world map in the main hall.

This world map was printed, and the spheres of influence on it were marked according to the secret guards’ intelligence. The moment the huge map unfolded before the civil and military officials, everyone’s gaze converged.

Xiao Ming then walked down from the dais. Like stepping on a carpet, he stepped onto the map. He took a bamboo pole from Qian Dafu’s hand and pointed northward.

“Look, although the Golden Tent Khanate has lost its Guandong territory, its land is still vast, extending from Raozhou all the way here.”

At this point, Xiao Ming pointed to an inland sea, “This place is called the Caspian Sea. The Golden Tent Khanate’s territory extends all the way here, and to the north of the Golden Tent Khanate are all Tsarist Russian lands. Below the Golden Tent Khanate are some Central Asian khanates. Among them, the Ottoman Empire, south of the Caspian Sea, is the most powerful, followed by Persia and British Afghanistan.”

Seeing such a clear map of power, the officials were shocked. To show the difference, Xiao Ming marked the map with different colors. The Great Yu Empire was red, the Golden Tent Khanate was gold, and Tsarist Russia was brown. In comparison, the lands of these two powers were more than ten times larger than the current territory of the Great Yu Empire.

After all, the Great Yu Empire’s sphere of influence now did not yet include Tibet and the northern grasslands.

“Tsarist Russia actually encroached on such vast lands in the north. This is truly incredible!” Yang Chengye said in shock. This map was clearly marked. He used to be vague about the location of Europe, but now he could see every continent in the world at a glance.

The colonies and nations on the map were consistent in color. Fei Ji sighed, “This Britain is truly not simple. Why is the entire map filled with British territory?”

“No wonder they want to be enemies with the Great Yu Empire. They are now extending their hands into our vassal states. No wonder these vassal states no longer pay us tribute,” Zhan Xingchang said angrily.

Xiao Ming walked leisurely on the world map. He said, “Now, you should all have some understanding of the current world. I can tell you that the most important resource areas in the world are currently not in our hands.”

As he spoke, Xiao Ming pointed to Australia. “This place has abundant iron ore and coal. This place has something called oil. After electricity is applied, internal combustion engines will probably be put on the agenda. Without this thing called oil, we will be very passive; even our lifelines will be in the hands of others.”

Then he pointed to South America. “Rubber is a product from here. Bicycle tires are made of rubber. I won’t elaborate on its importance. This place is currently controlled by Europeans, and only the Dutch sell it to us at high prices. Once the Dutch change their diplomatic strategy and side with Europe, we will lose our source of rubber, and it will take over ten years for the Great Yu Empire’s rubber trees to grow.”

Every time Xiao Ming pointed to a place, the officials’ expressions grew a little more solemn. Only now did they understand the predicament the Great Yu Empire faced. It turned out that some scarce resources were actually controlled by outsiders. How could this be tolerated?

“Your Majesty, for the future development of the Great Yu Empire, I, your humble servant, believe we should dispatch troops to contend with European powers for these resource-rich regions, to prevent being shackled by others in the future,” Pang Yukun was the first to speak.

“That’s right, Your Majesty! How can our mighty nation let these nation choke us?”

“…”

The ministers in the court were filled with righteous indignation.

At this point, Xiao Ming smiled. It seemed the Great Yu Empire’s colonization plan would not face opposition.

The novel has already been fully translated up to the final chapter. You can access it on my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair