Opening game, American Tycoon

What made all this happen?
On this night, when Friedrich closed the manuscript of his friend's posthumous work, he fell into silence. As in the past, he walked to the window and stared at the neighborhood outside the window.

Although he is very rich, Friedrich did not live in a single-family or townhouse complex. Compared with villas, he prefers communities.

There are rich businessmen like him living in the community, there are managers of enterprises, middle-level employees of enterprises, military officers, civil servants, doctors, teachers, and of course, ordinary employees and ordinary workers, all of them They have different identities, but in fact their identities are surprisingly the same - imperial nationals.

It is precisely because of this that they can live in similar houses. Regardless of their status in the empire, as long as they have a formal job and a provident fund, they can participate in the "Empire Public Housing Plan"-as early as 1870, the Empire promulgated the "National Housing Plan" Law, and proposed to "provide each imperial family with a generous residence with good living conditions".

According to this plan, every employee who has a housing provident fund can apply for a house through the "Empire Public Housing Plan". Rents ranging from 50 yuan to rent a house in the form of a ten-year long-term lease, and the property rights will belong to the individual after ten years.

It is with the help of the "Empire Public Housing Program" that tens of millions of immigrants with no advantages can get a house with good conditions in this New World, although this four-story house is not as good as a single-family house or a townhouse. , but for ordinary people, there are not only living rooms and bedrooms, but also independent kitchens using piped gas, bathrooms with flush toilets and bathtubs, storage rooms, electric lights, and solar hot water tanks.

Such a living environment, even many rich people in the UK may not be able to have it, but here it is just a normal living environment for ordinary people.

"Those people from Europe found that their lifestyle and hobbies were completely different after entering the Ming Empire. They regarded daily bathing, white toilet paper, flush toilets and electric lights as the necessities of life. This is what people in Germany and France , not even experienced in England."

Friedrich, who was standing by the window, thought again of the conversation he had with Karl in the living room last year during the "One Day War".

"...British journalists complained in the newspapers that the troops of the Ming Empire could not only drink hot tea on the front lines, but even have toilet paper in the trenches."

Carl, who was holding a coffee cup, had a kind smile in his tone when he spoke.

"Did those people say that when they interviewed the captured Peruvian soldiers in the newspapers?"

"I saw that when the prisoners ate canned luncheon meat and bread, they were puzzled by why the Ming Empire invaded."

Holding a pipe in his hand, Karl looked at his friend and asked back.

"You said, why did the Ming Empire invade? Is it for plunder? Just like the British did in India."

"Didn't you already see it? Compared with before the empire invaded, the living standards of the people in Brazil have improved visibly, and their living environment has also been greatly improved. Many Brazilians who have received long-term employment contracts have also They are all living in such a community like Chinese, which seems to be completely opposite to your previous discussion of "aggression."

Friedrich said with a smile.

"It always seems to subvert some of your perceptions here."

Resignedly shrugging his shoulders, Karl took a puff of his cigarette, thought for a moment, and then said.

"The invasion of the aggressor is inherently plundering. Just like Britain's invasion of India, although he took a constructive approach, Britain caused India to lose its own civilization and economic way of life, and the people's material and spiritual changes. The British who conquered him plundered a lot of wealth, which directly led to the poverty and backwardness of India."

"And here?"

Pointing out the window with his pipe-holding finger, Friedrich asked back.

"What about their conquest here?"

"Honestly, I don't know..."

After uttering these words, Carl took two puffs from his pipe, and then said.

"What I see is an invader that is completely different from any previous invaders in history. In the past, all invaders, no matter what kind of tactics they used, were for the purpose of aggression and plundering of wealth. It is for the purpose of oppressing the people in the conquered areas, which directly leads to the poverty and backwardness of the local people, but here..."

After a short silence, Karl shook his head helplessly and said.

"What they have done is completely beyond our imagination. We can see that they suppressed the resisters like other invaders. On the other hand, we can see that they generously gave more than three million black slaves. freedom, and return them to Africa, to their ancestral lands as free people. On the other hand, the lives of millions of ordinary Brazilians are improving day by day, and they are here All that was done was constructive, they..."

After thinking about it, Carl said.

"They seem to be building a new world here!"

"Indeed!"

Friedrich nodded.

"Well, the British destroyed the traditional Indian old world in India, but they didn't build a new world, and at the same time everything they built was for plunder, and the Ming Empire destroyed the old system of slavery in Brazil here, and then tried their best Trying to build a more egalitarian country..."

When speaking of the word "equality", Friedrich emphasized his tone.Then he shook his head helplessly and sighed, as if he was sighing for what he said.

"This may be the most unbelievable thing. We used to think that every pore of imperialist wars was permeated with evil, but in the war and expansion of the Ming Empire, I couldn't accurately make such a conclusion. judge."

Yes!

Who can make an accurate judgment?
Whether other countries colonize or expand overseas, you can clearly see how the invaders squeezed the locals. For example, the British in India, and even the Great Ming in Africa may not be glorious.

But in Brazil, in Peru-Bolivia, everything became a bit blurred, the old system was destroyed by the empire, and the empire built a new world there...

"Until now, we still haven't found the answer!"

Staring out the window, Friedrich said to himself rather sentimentally.

Now, the friend has passed away, and no one will discuss these topics with him again, the empire... until the end, the mystery of the empire was not solved.

Could it be that, as my friend said--the empire is building a new world!
At this moment, Friedrich looked at the neighborhood outside the window, listening to the joyful sounds of children playing and the voices of women in the neighborhood.His heart was suddenly filled with some kind of anticipation.

What kind of expectations?
It's the expectation of a new world. He doesn't know what the new world brought by this empire looks like?But for the time being, at least it's a new world that people long for...