From a son-in-law to a favorite of the empress

Chapter 987

This is a profound question.

This cannot be explained in one or two sentences.

Huang Taiji couldn't figure it out, not because he was stupid, but because he was too smart.

Why did the bears in the north go south? What's good here?

The climate is cold, the sunlight is insufficient, and the land is barren. It costs a lot to cross thousands of miles to explore. What kind of benefits can be exchanged?

Invasion, isn't it the comparison between the cost of invasion and the benefits gained?

Zhou Yuan was trapped in this problem for a long time, and finally found some ambiguous answers through the world situation.

The Tsarist Empire is very powerful, with people, land and soldiers, but it is still a very traditional feudal country.

This country is essentially no different from the Great Jin Dynasty. Although there are the sprouts of capitalism, it is suppressed by the system and ultimately failed to develop.

Missed the Age of Discovery, missed the wind of sailing warships, and missed the primitive accumulation of capital. The so-called strength at present is completely burning the foundation.

In time, this strength will soon become false due to the increase in the weight of the ocean, and falling behind will become a matter of sooner or later.

Today's Tsar Peter the Great is a very young but strategic man. He can see far enough, so he looks forward to change.

Where to change? Face the opponents in Western Europe? Or explore eastward?

Is the resistance encountered in going west greater than that in going east?

Given the current fierce competition among Western warships, he will certainly choose to go east to choose a suitable port, use local materials, and use local labor and forest resources to explore his own maritime power and build his own maritime base.

After all, in the East, the power that can threaten their ports is too limited.

Burning national power in exchange for a thirty-year window for maritime development is a major strategy and a decision made after careful consideration.

Is this choice right?

That will take time and facts to prove.

But making a choice is what an emperor should do. After all, the other party made this choice - go east!

Zhou Yuan looked at Shenzhou City and said slowly: "Let them answer you. You can only get the real answer after you really meet their core leaders. Our guesses are meaningless."

"We only need to understand one thing, that is, this war is inevitable. When an emperor makes a decision, there is no turning back."

"Because the emperor will not be wrong, at least before he loses the throne, he is not wrong."

Speaking of this, Zhou Yuan smiled and said: "I would like to know, when did you see through the change of the times? At that time, everyone was busy fighting on land, including your father, who was also determined to enter Shenjing."

Huang Taiji was silent.

He looked ahead, with no expression on his face, only an unspeakable coldness.

It was unknown how long it had been before he slowly said, "Shanhaiguan, your few shots not only killed my father, but also broke my heart."

"We Jurchens are a nation on horseback. We hunt and graze. We were born in a cold land and are born with strong physiques and excellent horsemanship."

"Your people have been studying since childhood, while our people have been fighting since childhood."

"Therefore, we have a unique advantage on the battlefield. This is the law of civilization."

He was silent again, as if he was organizing his words, and seemed to be sighing about the past.

"The old-fashioned artillery of the Jin Dynasty is enough to threaten us, but fortunately this country is rotten to the core. There are those who enrich themselves, embezzle military funds, and are eager to make a fortune from war. The people have different minds and are ignorant. Therefore, although we are few in number, we still have hope of victory."

"But the birth of the Portuguese cannon and the awakening of national blood have made me realize that our Jurchen progress seems to be a little behind and it is difficult to fight."

"When you put dozens of cannons on the grassland, I realized that my understanding of industry was too naive. I don't understand why you have to build so fast, but I decided to go all out."

"I contacted McPherson. I also want cannons. I am even willing to spend several "I offered to buy it at twice the price, but the other party refused without hesitation."

"They only accept employment, never sell weapons."

At this point, he narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "I realized that the times have changed, and we Jurchens have fallen behind a lot."

"I am unwilling to continue to attack Shenjing. What I think is that if we can take Shenjing, there will definitely be a large number of Han soldiers and generals surrendering. After all, you are rotten, and the loyalty of your soldiers in Dajin has long been worn out."

"If there is no such person as you, if you appear a few years later, I will definitely take Shenjing and Dajin."

"At that time, I will sacrifice the interests of the southeast coast and let the Portuguese and the Dutch eat a bite"I want to eat enough food to buy at least twenty years to catch up with the times."

"But you... you fought so beautifully in the previous battles. You made the Great Jin united and made them unwilling to surrender to me. Then I lost all my chances."

"I know that the Jurchens can never rise again, so I give you ten days in Jizhou and give you Daichan."

"Because although I can rely on McPherson to escape, I can't rely on him to survive."

"The Jurchens can only survive by relying on you. Otherwise, even if the bears from the north don't come, we will fall under the cannon."

Zhou Yuan said: "From that time on, you have been planning national integration, right?"

Huang Taiji said: "As an emperor, I have to think further. Even if I am betrayed by my friends and relatives, even if I leave a bad name for the ages, I have to leave a way out for my people."

At this point, he laughed and said slowly: "On the boat back to Shenzhou, McPherson and I talked a lot. ”

“I asked him for a gift, a gift that even you don’t have.”

Zhou Yuan frowned and said, “What?”

Huang Taiji said, “A world map.”

“At that moment, I saw the whole world, and I saw how small our Jurchens were.”

“I saw that the ocean was so vast, and as long as we had maritime power, we could treat the whole world as our hunting ground.”

“Then the future will inevitably be an era of warships and cannons, which means money and hegemony.”

“I realized that the Jurchens had no chance to rise again. The era on horseback was over, and the era on ships was here.”

“Therefore, we must rely on the Great Jin, have a vast territory and profound heritage, in order to rise against the times and eventually catch up.”

“This is the law of civilization. "

He talked eloquently, as if he wanted to say all his thoughts, because no one else could understand him except Zhou Yuan.

He was a tyrant, a tyrant who killed all his brothers and meritorious officials, and he would definitely be despised.

He was ambitious, but extremely lonely.

The only person who could understand him was Zhou Yuan.

So he talked a lot, and he wanted to say a lot of things.

He looked at Zhou Yuan and said slowly: "The success of China lies in integration, and the Jurchens can also become a part of China."

"After many years, what is the difference between the Jurchens and the Miao? What is the difference between the Jurchens and the Yi? They are just one family."

"You are an ambitious person, you can't tolerate me, because my hands are stained with blood and I am guilty."

"But you can tolerate the people of the Jurchens, they are just living on this land, surviving lives, that's all."

"Even if you are angry and obsessed with the hatred you once had. "

"But with my death and Daichan giving birth to your children, you should calm down."

He stood up, opened his arms, and said loudly: "I have not let down my father's trust, and I have not let down the people's trust!"

"Time! I can't catch up! My people can!"