Chapter 934

“Embassy? Really?”

Schroeder smiled. He had thought this Emperor of the Great Yu Empire would not care how they stayed in Qingzhou, but unexpectedly, he proposed such a perfect suggestion.

“That’s right. With an embassy, your envoys dispatched to the Great Yu Empire can handle affairs between the two countries here, promoting commercial, cultural, and other exchanges between the two nations.”

Facing Schroeder, Xiao Ming roughly outlined the specific functions of an embassy. In fact, in contemporary Europe, consulates, which were similar to embassies, had already appeared.

Tracing the history of consulates, it dates back to the Middle Ages, when Western capitalism had already risen. Merchants traded in various European countries and even settled in commercial cities.

These people and the host country often had trade disputes. To resolve these disputes, they acted as arbitrators or mediators for each other. Thus, the merchant arbitration consul emerged.

And by now, Western civilization was basically in the mid-to-late 18th century. Overall, this was a period of flourishing international trade. Western countries increasingly valued the role of consulates, and even established laws for foreign consulates.

However, compared to the West, the Great Yu Empire’s diplomatic system was relatively backward. After all, ten years ago, the Great Yu Empire basically did not establish relations with countries outside its tributary system.

Countries within the tributary system merely paid annual tribute, with not many affairs to speak of.

But now, first there were the Dutch, and now the Prussians. He believed that as the Great Yu Empire gradually revealed its prowess on the international stage, more and more countries would come to the Great Yu Empire to establish embassies.

At the same time, in his opinion, with the rise of the Great Yu Empire, the light of civilization he brought from the technology crystal would also spread from the Great Yu Empire to the world. Whether it was Asia, Europe, or America, all would be influenced.

After all, people in this world were constantly on the move. The expansion of the Great Yu Empire’s commercial activities would inevitably be accompanied by the expansion of the Great Yu Empire’s culture, economy, and technology. This was like the West bringing their technology and culture to the colonies while colonizing.

“This is precisely what we hoped for.” A weight lifted from Schroeder’s heart. From the Great Yu Empire Emperor’s attitude, it was clear they were very willing to cooperate with Prussia.

Moreover, in his opinion, Prussia was currently the only country that could truly cooperate with the Great Yu Empire. Firstly, Tsarist Russia’s interests in the Far East destined that the two could not cooperate. The Netherlands had too small a territory, limited population, and a weak army, making it impossible to wage full-scale war against major European powers. And Austria and Hungary were not a monolithic block either. While the Austrian Emperor also served as the Hungarian King, the Hungarian nobles were seeking more rights.

As for Poland, this country was being encroached upon by European powers. France and Britain, needless to say. Portugal and Britain had signed the “Anglo-Portuguese Alliance Treaty” centuries ago, which lasted until now, making Portugal a staunch ally of Britain and thus unusable by the Great Yu Empire. And Spain, with numerous overseas colonies, would naturally also be a long-term ally.

Thinking of this, Schroeder seemed to see through the Great Yu Empire’s current limitations in dealing with European countries. So he boldly said, “Esteemed Your Majesty, I have one last request. We hope to send noble children to study abroad in the Great Yu Empire. We hope Your Majesty will grant our request.”

“Study abroad?”

Xiao Ming’s eyes darted around. He had pondered this question before Schroeder’s arrival, and now he had an answer.

After a moment of contemplation, he said, “I grant your request.”

Schroeder was overjoyed upon hearing this. He didn’t expect these noble children studying abroad to learn the Great Yu Empire’s most advanced technologies. He only hoped that what they learned would prevent Prussia from being left behind by Britain and France. They couldn’t, like Britain and France, exploit the Great Yu Empire’s internal conflicts to seize its talents.

Having granted Schroeder’s last request, Xiao Ming then discussed some detailed aspects of cooperation with Schroeder. Finally, he had Pang Yukun receive Schroeder.

Watching the group depart, Fei Ji then said, “Is this Prussia truly so important? Your Majesty even agreed to their request for study abroad.”

“Very important.” Xiao Ming said, “Now that Britain and France have received help from traitors, they will surely surpass current European countries in technology and firearms. This will make the Great Yu Empire’s process of seizing colonies difficult, and Europe will also be unbalanced as a result. A unified Europe is not what I want to see. Therefore, we must help Prussia as much as possible. The rise of a European great power will inevitably cause chaos in Europe.”

After a pause, he continued, “In addition, studying abroad is not without benefits. Through the influence of Great Yu Empire culture, we can at least cultivate a group of pro-Great Yu Empire nobles among these foreign students. When these nobles return to their home countries, they will influence the decision-making of the Prussian high-level, which is extremely beneficial to the Great Yu Empire. Otherwise, even with current cooperation, it would be difficult for us to control Prussia’s diplomatic direction.”

“I, your old servant, am still somewhat worried about the leakage of technology. After all, this is the Great Yu Empire’s crucial weapon for defeating other countries,” Fei Ji now attached increasing importance to technology.

Hearing this, Xiao Ming chuckled. “Elder Fei worries unnecessarily. The Great Yu Empire’s overall technological level is not something that can be surpassed by a few foreign students. I will also demand strict secrecy for cutting-edge technologies. What they learn are merely the backward technologies we have discarded.”

He still had something he didn’t say: as long as he was there, the Great Yu Empire’s technology would always remain at the forefront.

“If that’s the case, I, your old servant, am relieved. In fact, the Grand Secretariat has also been discussing this issue recently. Now, with the advent of electricity, some steam engine technologies have become obsolete. There’s no need to invest money in their research anymore. The Grand Secretariat has also stopped investing in some outdated steam technologies. However, it would be a great pity to simply let these steam engine industries disappear. After all, the imperial court spent a lot of silver to establish them. So, rather than letting them gather dust, why not use these outdated technologies and products to earn money and improve the lives of the common people of the Great Yu Empire? After all, these technologies are not backward for other countries. What does Your Majesty think?” Fei Ji said cautiously.

Xiao Ming looked at Fei Ji with satisfaction. After ten years of tempering, this former great Confucian scholar had now caught up with the pace of the Great Yu Empire’s development and was able to ponder some unique issues.

“You’re thinking well. Rather than letting these technologies and industrial products rot, it’s better to exchange them for tangible benefits. I have always thought of having enough money to make education and healthcare completely free in the Great Yu Empire, and to establish our own national welfare system, just like the Dutch.”

In a conversation with Branden previously, he learned that the Netherlands had established a social welfare system decades ago, funded by the generous donations of many entrepreneurs.

They used these funds to vigorously support scientific research and inventive innovation, and to raise the income levels of residents.

All of these became the soft power of economic development, attracting Europe’s scientific elites and merchants like a magnet.

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