Xinshun 1730

Chapter 305: The Uselessness of Diplomacy

In the year when the Austrian Succession War was about to start, the French envoys visited China and the chain reaction of Dashun’s war against Russia before Dashun regained the Western Regions, as well as the existence of various East India companies that made steady profits in trade with China, made the capital It has become the focus of this year's diplomacy.

No country is here for the Celestial Dynasty, but for China.

The banner, influence, ideology and Confucian morality of the Celestial Dynasty are far inferior to Ciyao in Jiangxi, weavers in Songjiang, and tea farmers in Fujian.

I just want to come to the emperor and the bureaucrats, but I don't know, and I probably can't tell the difference.Maybe if it was the moment when all the sailboats of Westerners arrived, many people would think that this was the coming of all nations.

At this time, the center of the city, which is about to become the focus of diplomacy, is the Forbidden City.

In the court, there was still a debate about "the theory of the uselessness of diplomacy".

Standing in the row of Xungui, Liu Yu clenched his fist several times and prepared to come out to scold, but finally held back.

Whether it's family members or Qi Guogong, they all persuaded him.

The emperor, perhaps no longer needs a unparalleled champion.

The impassioned Chen Zousheng in the court hall actually made Liu Yu, who had let go of his thoughts, feel a little drowsy.

"The solidity of the country lies in virtue and not in danger..."

"This dynasty compares itself to the Han and Tang Dynasties, but the old disadvantages of the Han and Tang Dynasties must be investigated."

"In the old days, during the Han Dynasty, the scholar-bureaucrats wanted to make a difference, but they had to support soldiers to fight on the frontiers; secondly, they drove thieves to the Central Plains. If they want to have fame, they must go to war."

"So everyone in the world knows that if you want to be promoted, it is best to open the side, and the second is to suppress civil uprisings internally. However, there are very few people who may cause disaster until this happens."

"Thus, the soldiers of the Han Dynasty were strong, and the literati liked it, and the people also competed to practice martial arts. It was a generation of Yuan, Cao, Sun, and Liu."

"In other words, the country perishes with the weak, and the Han alone perishes with the strong. Is this admiration? This is not admiration, but a denunciation of the Han Dynasty's fashion for martial arts, so that military merit is the most important thing. This is the reason for the demise of the Han Dynasty."

"Now this dynasty has established the Western Regions, governed Mongolia, and flowed to the Southwest. It has reached its peak. I sincerely believe that we should stop the military and focus on cultivating virtues inside, and we should not start wars again."

"Diplomats must be involved in the affairs of other countries. The involvement is deep, and disputes are inevitable."

"If there is no diplomacy, countries such as Britain, France and the Netherlands, which are tens of thousands of miles away, can be ignored."

"He Xiu commented on "Spring and Autumn", saying: The king does not rule the barbarians. Those who come will not be rejected, and those who go will not be chased."

"There is nothing more strict than the Spring and Autumn Annals, and the most detailed usage."

"If you don't reject those who come and don't pursue those who go, how can you use diplomacy?"

It's the same old rhetoric about "put your head in your crotch, and the outside world doesn't exist", Liu Yu has already lost the temper to come out and talk.

After the man finished speaking, someone stepped forward and said, "The minister seconded the proposal."

"Diplomats are nothing more than swaying and arrogant people. If they are like Su Qin and Zhang Yi, they are all villains. They do not practice righteousness, do not practice virtue, and speak no truth. They are proud of deceit and reputation of deceit. Instigating Dispute, advocating war, in order to add fame and wealth to oneself."

"This is the so-called person who harms the world but benefits himself."

"During the former Han Dynasty, there were Zhang Qian's generation. If Zhang Qian didn't understand the Western Regions, and didn't visit the Western Regions, how could it be possible for Emperor Wu to conquer Dawan and reduce his household registration by half?"

"In the later Han Dynasty, there was Banchao. The great Confucian king of this dynasty, Fuzhi, once said: 36 people run amok in various countries, take their kings, kill them if you want to kill them, kill them if you want them, or say that there is no one who can do this in ancient and modern times... Attacking mole crickets by opening holes, and catching loach by entering swamps—those who have knowledge have laughed for a long time.”

"Like Ban Chao who bullies the weak and the few, disturbs the people and animals here, and defrauds them of great achievements, Ban Chao no longer has a conscience."

"But people have praised his deeds throughout the ages. Isn't this more inspiring and arrogant people are even more arrogant? People like Ban Chao are simply ridiculed by people of insight."

"According to today's sayings, this is about diplomacy?"

"Based on Ban Chao's deeds, if we set up diplomats to station in Xiyi, we must follow Ban Chao's example and imitate Ban Chao's story to defraud us of extraordinary achievements. Especially since Xiyi is tens of thousands of miles away, diplomats must deceive their superiors and advocate the idea of ​​war." thing."

"It's all for Xue Banchao's self-interest and fame. How can it be for the country?"

"Some people in the court are not ashamed, but proud. Maybe they want to follow the example of Zhang Bowang and Ban Dingyuan."

"As everyone knows, Zhang Qian is the first crime of Han Wu's conquest of Dawan to halve the household registration; Ban Chao is the culprit of helping the later Han to fight against border disputes and destroy them by force!"

After saying this, some people turned their attention to Liu Yu.Everyone knows who is the person who "is not ashamed, but proud, and wants to emulate Zhang Bowang and Ban Dingyuan".

Although Dashun encouraged some Han and Tang speeches, none of the people who might enter the court were young men, so it was impossible to be "bewitched" by these slogans.

If some remarks were so effective, things in the late Ming Dynasty would not have happened.Li Guo may have had great ambitions back then and tried hard to reverse the atmosphere of public opinion, but unfortunately he died too early, and there was no way to fundamentally change too much.

Many things stem from conflicts of interest.

Originally, Dashun created a Wude Palace with a single-plank bridge for the imperial examination, but now it has undergone military reforms, making it impossible to use those things learned in the imperial examination to become a general.

Following the Han and Tang dynasties, with military merit as the leader, I am afraid that the power of civil servants who were born in the imperial examination will become weaker and weaker.

In addition to the power struggle in the court, many civil servants are also considering the future.

The end of the Ming Dynasty left many lessons, the biggest of which no one learned, but the lessons of the side branches are clearly remembered.

The civil servants all know that the root of their ability to collect rent and oppress is the stability of the country.

Not to mention the time of war, military generals killing civil servants are like killing dogs. Even in the Jiangnan slave revolution back then, if the government didn't take care of it, they would all die in the slave revolution.

Anyone can do this government, including the Qing Dynasty, as long as it can suppress the slave revolution and provide stability.

Whether it was for the struggle for power or for the stability of the country, at this time the imperial civil servants who were born as gentry had reached a consensus.

Dashun's expansion ended here.

Can no longer think about starting a war.

If there is no diplomacy, then there is no direction worth fighting in the surrounding area. An Anxin closes the door, becomes a celestial dynasty, and continues the old path.

Once there is diplomacy, the outside world may have an influence on the inside, and Dashun may continue to go to war—especially the fact that Dashun built a navy, which made many people feel uneasy.

They are not all the same people, but they think that if they want to go to war, they have to spend money.

Spend money, get taxed.Tax collection... Then Bai Yunhang in Wendeng, in Wendeng, made changes such as dividing the land into acres and checking the acres of land, which may happen.

Because of this year's big plans and external investigations, this Bai Yunhang has done a great job in Wendeng. After the abolition of the small tax, the tax rate is actually several percent higher than before.

Even if there is no change, it is a waste of the tax collected to go to war, and it is better to use it for people's livelihood.For example, repairing the Yellow River, exempting money and grain, and so on.

The Western Regions have been defeated, but what's the use?Every year, a lot of money is posted in it, and troops have to be garrisoned.

Yes, it has brought benefits to farmers in Gansu, Xijing and other places. It is no longer the front line.

But the people in Gansu and Xijing get the benefits, but the tax has to be collected from the people in Jiangnan. Why?If you have the ability, don't collect a penny of taxes in Jiangnan, and rely on the taxes in Xijing and Gansu to pacify the Western Regions.

When the Raksha people came to Beijing, the emperor said that they would stop at the Western Regions.

Now we want to engage in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs again, isn't this going against our will?
As long as there is no diplomacy, there will be no contact with the outside world, and there will be no possibility of war.

Most people think so. Liu Yu is used to the way of thinking of the scholar-bureaucrats in this era, and he is not surprised when he sees it.

The China of later generations is fundamentally different from the China of this time in terms of three views.

Wang Anshi was still a traitor 90 years ago, but Dashun implemented the deformed Sanshe method, and the Confucian scholars were not good at talking too much, it was a slap in the face of the court; Zhang Qian's evaluation was not all positive; The killing of the Huns' envoys was even more criticized by many people, who believed that it was a manifestation of bullying others without virtue.

In fact, there are more serious thoughts than this.

For example, some people think that the four-sided border is a burden, and it is better to abandon it, which is a waste of money.

The king is dead.Of course, Liaodong is not counted, it is not counted as Siyi anymore, it is all a group of immigrants.

At this moment, the court hall was eerily quiet, and these remarks were equivalent to pointing at Liu Yu's nose and scolding a traitor.Many people know that what happened today is not that simple.

The court battle is almost like a war.There are forwards, main players, defenders, and those who come out to mediate with the mud.

At this juncture when Jiedu envoys enter Beijing to present matters, the striker to test the firepower must definitely send a person who is qualified to speak, but will not suffer too many casualties if he loses his side.

Everyone knows that Liu Yu is just a child in the court, and he can't suffer at all.

Some out-of-town festivals made me think, today there is a lot of fun to watch again.

Even the emperor didn't say anything, waiting for Liu Yu to stand up and scold.

However, Liu Yu, who was accused of not being ashamed but proud, was quiet like a shy girl, smacking her face, throwing the pestle, as if falling asleep.

After waiting for a long time, the emperor saw that the atmosphere was too awkward, so he had to speak first.

"The Western countries are not small countries. Haven't you read the brief examination of the Western countries written by Ying Suobo? The British Guili country has an annual income of 2000 million and a warship of 70 million. The Duke of Qi left France, and the French soldiers also Not weak. In matters of diplomacy, we need to communicate with each other and know ourselves and our enemies.”

"In the Han Dynasty, Rome was praised and called the Great Qin. Western countries are not small countries. Yingsuobi knows Western affairs, so it should be trusted."

Someone came out and said: "Everyone knows that Ying Suobo is not proficient in memorizing the Analects of Confucius and Mencius, and rarely studies the classics. This is a rare thing in Western countries. We can trust his understanding of Westerners. "

After humiliating Liu Yu with a gun and a stick, he said: "The land of Yingguili is only one in Guangxi, and the population is not as large as Shandong. In this way, 2000 million taels of silver are collected and 60 warships are paid. Militarism."

"In my opinion, it will not last long, and the country will surely perish. The land is not as good as Guangxi, the people are not as good as Shandong, and the annual income is 2000 million. Does your majesty think this is a good thing?"

"What's the use of communicating with such a country that must perish?"

"Even if we communicate with each other, we already have the Li government and the Honglu Temple. Now we have the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

"I would like to ask you, what do you think of North Korea and Ryukyu? North Korea is a filial son, within the five obediences; Xiyi is an outsider, and belongs to the barbarians."

"Entering Rakshasa, the standard is higher than that of North Korea. This emphasis on barbarians and Dili over relatives of Wufu, I'm afraid that the vassals will be chilled."

"The Western Yi kingdoms, even though their troops are strong, they can't beat us, and they are far away from each other. Why bother to communicate and chill the hearts of the vassals?"

Regarding the discussion in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Liu Yu kept silent. The Duke of Qi should not speak up to avoid suspicion, but at this time he couldn't help but said: "Masters, have you forgotten the incidents of the British, Dutch, Portuguese and other countries in the Ming Dynasty? Zhoushan, Penghu, and Taiwan incidents , Yin Jian is not far away."

However, the opponents had already thought about it, and said with a smile: "You only know one of the words of Qi Guogong, but you don't know the other."

"Before the Ming Dynasty retreated, Britain and the Netherlands just wanted to open trade. Now that our dynasty has opened up trade, the goods of the Celestial Dynasty are exported to the West, and everyone is looking for them. How dare they go to war and cut off their own money?"

"In addition, Westerners often use rhubarb, tea leaves, and milk of beef and mutton. If there is no tea rhubarb, they will die of abdominal distension. How dare they go to war and seek their own death?"

"As long as the dynasty continues to open and close, there will be no war. Westerners are only looking for trade. Trade matters can be handled by the customs. Why do we need to establish a foreign ministry?"

"There is also the matter of sending people to the country of Sweden. It seems wonderful to make friends from afar, but it is actually a disaster. The Raksha people have already established a border with this dynasty. When they are sent to Sweden, the Raksha people must think that this dynasty will start a war against Raksha. Soldiers, should I increase the number of troops? Increased troops will cost money."

"Or, some people want to learn about the Han and Tang Dynasties, and they are willing to fight because of their military merits. What's the benefit of fighting Rakshasa? In a place of bitter cold, no one is willing to go to the Songhua River, and they will seize the land of Rakshasa." , what's the use?"

"The military reform made it possible for the Han soldiers to fight five against one, and it also encouraged some frontier generals to make meritorious deeds."

"Your minister believes that since there are no foreign enemies, we should practice moral government. We must not learn from the Han and Tang Dynasties and embark on the exhausted road of military arrogance."

"I'm not the kind of person who doesn't know the affairs of the world. I have seen the globes of Westerners. In ancient times, there was a saying of the Great Kyushu. Chixian Shenzhou is one of the Great Kyushu. Since all nations come to court, why use the actions of Su Qin, Zhang Yi, Zhang Qian, and Ban Gu?"

"If you want to make the western barbarians not covet this dynasty, the only way is to educate. The word "education" can only be found in the classics. If you want enlightenment, you should build Fanxue. Recruiting Fanren to teach the classics is a hundred times better than diplomacy."

"That's why diplomacy is useless, instead it brings disaster."

(End of this chapter)