If only I hadn't killed off all those brats of Qian Long the old dog, the rest would have been much easier—though Qian Long's sons did uphold the glorious tradition of the Aisin Gioro clan's incompetence, when it came to falconry, dog racing, feasting, and revelry, the entire Great Ming probably couldn't find anyone more impressive than them.
Meng Fanzhi had every reason to believe that if Qian Long's sons had merely taken Alexander around for a few days, Alexander would have transformed directly into a new generation of Banner men, possibly even bringing the glorious tradition of the Banner men back to Russia.
Alas, Qian Long was gone, and his sons had all followed him to the grave, making it necessary to find another way to ensnare Alexander.
The thought of such a perfect scheme being unusable made Meng Fanzhi sigh and shake his head.
However, to Meng Fanzhi's surprise, Zhu Jinsong chuckled and said, "What need is there for Qian Long's sons? To corrupt Alexander with them?"
Before Meng Fanzhi could nod, Zhu Jinsong continued, "This kind of approach is rather base."
Hearing this, Meng Fanzhi immediately retorted, "Does Your Majesty have an even better method?"
Zhu Jinsong chuckled, "Of course."
"Having Qian Long's sons corrupt Alexander would ultimately be an artificial corruption. As long as there is someone with a clear mind to advise him, Alexander might very well come to his senses, and this kind of scheme would no longer be effective," he explained.
"Furthermore..."
Zhu Jinsong said meaningfully, "Can Alexander, who can navigate between Catherine II and Paul I, truly be corrupted by Qian Long's useless sons?"
Upon hearing Zhu Jinsong's words, Meng Fanzhi suddenly came to his senses.
Indeed, according to the intelligence provided by the Imperial Guards, Paul I of Russia had a very poor relationship with the previous ruler, Catherine II, before ascending to the throne. Yet, Alexander was able to maneuver between the two, suggesting that his resolve was not easily influenced by ordinary people.
What surprised Meng Fanzhi and the other senior officials even more was that Ke Zhiming, who usually disliked speaking proactively, added a point after Zhu Jinsong finished. "According to information obtained by the Imperial Guards, Alexander may have been involved in a coup in Russia several years ago."
Upon hearing this, Zeng Cheng frowned and asked, "What coup? Are you referring to the assassination of Paul I?"
Ke Zhiming nodded. "After Paul I visited our Great Ming several times, he implemented some reform policies similar to the abolition of serfdom. He aimed to improve the living standards of commoners and serfs through reforms."
"Unfortunately, when Paul I pushed for the abolition of serfdom, he also wanted to force the Russian nobles to accept a knightly system, leading to a coalition between the nobles and the manor lords."
"Moreover, the serfs in Russia seemed unwilling to regain their freedom, preferring to remain tied to their manor lords. At the very least, as serfs, they could still eat. Once they regained their freedom, they might not even have enough to eat and would have to pay various high taxes."
"It was precisely because of this that Paul I met with that assassination attempt."
"If he hadn't recruited a guard force beforehand and trained them strictly according to the model of our Great Ming army, that assassination attempt might have killed Paul I completely."
Zeng Cheng suddenly interrupted Ke Zhiming, "That's not right. If Alexander organized that assassination attempt, then Paul I's guards would have been moved aside. Those assassins wouldn't have failed."
"Furthermore, if Paul I were killed, the only one who could ascend to the throne would be Alexander. If he organized such an assassination, wouldn't he be exposing himself?"
Ke Zhiming shook his head. "If Paul I were killed, Alexander wouldn't just *possibly* ascend to the throne; he would be the *only* one eligible to be crowned the new Tsar."
"The reason why he wasn't suspected by Paul I was that when the leader of the coup plotters, Paren, led his men to storm Paul I's imperial chambers, Alexander happened to be in his own chambers, not far from Paul I's."
"In fact, the Imperial Guards do not have sufficient evidence to prove that Alexander was the mastermind of that coup. It is merely an inference made from the clues gathered over the years. That is why I said he might have been involved in that coup in Russia."
At this point, Ke Zhiming's expression turned somewhat strange. "In addition, an Imperial Guard who infiltrated the Russian palace obtained some letters written by Alexander to his sister. That's right, although Alexander and his sister both lived in the Russian palace, they still wrote letters to each other daily."
"In the letters Alexander wrote to his sister Catherine, phrases like 'You are one of the most perfect beauties in the world,' 'How I wish to relax sweetly in your arms,' and 'I love you like a madman!' frequently appeared."
"Even more so, he commented on the kings and generals of Europe, describing George III of England as 'a madman who will ruin England,' Louis XVI of France as 'an excellent locksmith,' and the emerging Napoleon as 'a cannibal from Corsica.'"
"Based on all this evidence, the Imperial Guards concluded that Alexander, in addition to being an excellent leader, was also a madman and a lunatic who disregarded propriety and law."
Zeng Cheng grunted and asked, "So, which path does Alexander lean towards? Does he favor the traditional Russian nobility, or the reformist path of abolishing serfdom that Paul I wanted to implement?"
Ke Zhiming replied, "".
Zeng Cheng shook his head helplessly. "A madman like him, even without Qian Long's sons to corrupt him, is bad enough on his own—with him around, Europe will never know peace."
Zhu Jinsong chuckled. "What if he could become even worse?"
This time, not only Meng Fanzhi couldn't believe it, but even Zeng Cheng, who considered himself cunning, found it hard to accept.
Zeng Cheng bowed and said, "This subject is foolish; I truly cannot fathom how Alexander himself can become worse."
Zhu Jinsong said, "It's similar to the strategy we devised against the Habsburg family—overpraise!"
"If one person praises Alexander for being smart, he might not believe it. If a thousand people praise him, Alexander might think he's truly smart. But what if several countries praise him?"
"All policies and measures enacted by Alexander will be praised by our Great Ming newspapers, as well as newspapers from France, England, and the United States. We will twist right into wrong, find merits in his mistakes. Over time, what do you think will happen to Alexander?"
Zeng Cheng's mind immediately conjured several words: obstinate, arrogant, self-righteous, and tyrannical...
If the plan Zhu Jinsong proposed were truly implemented, even with Alexander's firm resolve, he would eventually become a foolish ruler who favored sycophants and shunned wise ministers!
Speaking of which, Zhu Jinsong suddenly tapped the table with his finger and mused, "Besides Alexander and the Habsburg family, we can use the same approach to deal with England and the United States."
Upon hearing Zhu Jinsong's words, Zeng Cheng and the other senior officials all chuckled.
As the saying goes, one man's hero is another man's enemy. Zeng Cheng and the other senior officials could not wish for the rulers of all other countries on this small planet to be good-for-nothings.
Just as Zeng Cheng was pondering whether to apply this strategy to other countries on this small planet, Zhu Jinsong changed the topic. "By the way, let's find a way to have Alexander come to our Great Ming to study military matters for a few days, so he doesn't get taught a lesson by the art students of the Habsburg family."
Liu Hemming, the chief of the Five Military Commissions, chuckled. "Speaking of which, that art student sent by the Habsburg family is quite good. He's now learning military matters with some semblance of proficiency, particularly excelling in rapid cavalry assaults and surprise attacks."
"If Alexander of Russia also comes to our Great Ming to study military knowledge, we should teach him how to defend and counterattack, lest he be no match for that art student from the Habsburg family."
Zhu Jinsong smiled and shook his head. "That art student from the Habsburg family took the wrong path from the beginning—while the territory bordering Russia and Europe is indeed suitable for rapid assault and surprise tactics, these tactics are not as effective in mainland Russia."
"More importantly, Russia is located in the far north, where winter arrives early and leaves late, making the climate arguably harsh. Much of the land is barren, which makes it difficult for cavalry assault and surprise tactics to obtain supplies. Relying on logistics is hindered by the weather."
"Therefore, if that art student from the Habsburg family can choose a good time to attack and quickly conclude the battle, it would be somewhat better. However, if the conflict drags into winter or if he chooses to attack during winter, he will likely suffer a great loss."
Zeng Cheng suddenly laughed and said, "If that art student from the Habsburg family can resolve Austria's numerous issues and continue to clash with Russia to the end, and if Alexander also comes to study at our Great Ming's military academies, wouldn't it become a confrontation between our Great Ming's two military academies?"
Zhu Jinsong thought to himself, isn't this very normal? Back when the North and South Sultans were fighting each other, it was akin to a clash between Shijiazhuang Military Academy and the National Defense University.
And later, when the Japanese and Koreans couldn't stand each other, and both happened to be disciples of the United States, wouldn't a clash be equivalent to a clash between armies of the American system and another army of the American system?
For the Five Benevolent Ones, such operations were standard procedures; no need for double-taps or even shouts of "666."
Shaking his head with a smile, Zhu Jinsong continued, "Oh, right. Regarding the matter of establishing a noble international student academy that Minister Zeng and Minister Meng were discussing earlier, I think it's a good idea to proceed."
Liu Huaiwen's eyes immediately lit up.
Since it was a noble international student academy, the tuition must be exceptionally high to match the term "noble"—after all, those European nobles weren't short of money, and every bit they could extort was a gain!
It could also help alleviate the emptiness of the Great Ming's national treasury, couldn't it?
Meng Fanzhi, the chief of the Ministry of Rites, also became energized. "I will arrange for people to prepare the curriculum. We will definitely ensure that noble international students from various countries achieve great success!"
Liu Huaiwen chimed in, "Remember to prepare a textbook on how to spend money and enjoy themselves, and also bring out all those etiquette materials that your Ministry of Rites has stored away gathering dust. Let these barbarians have a good look at what etiquette is."
Zhu Jinsong smiled and shook his head. "That art student from the Habsburg family took the wrong path from the beginning—while the territory bordering Russia and Europe is indeed suitable for rapid assault and surprise tactics, these tactics are not as effective in mainland Russia."
"More importantly, Russia is located in the far north, where winter arrives early and leaves late, making the climate arguably harsh. Much of the land is barren, which makes it difficult for cavalry assault and surprise tactics to obtain supplies. Relying on logistics is hindered by the weather."
"Therefore, if that art student from the Habsburg family can choose a good time to attack and quickly conclude the battle, it would be somewhat better. However, if the conflict drags into winter or if he chooses to attack during winter, he will likely suffer a great loss."
Zeng Cheng suddenly laughed and said, "If that art student from the Habsburg family can resolve Austria's numerous issues and continue to clash with Russia to the end, and if Alexander also comes to study at our Great Ming's military academies, wouldn't it become a confrontation between our Great Ming's two military academies?"
Zhu Jinsong thought to himself, isn't this very normal? Back when the North and South Sultans were fighting each other, it was akin to a clash between Shijiazhuang Military Academy and the National Defense University.
And later, when the Japanese and Koreans couldn't stand each other, and both happened to be disciples of the United States, wouldn't a clash be equivalent to a clash between armies of the American system and another army of the American system?
For the Five Benevolent Ones, such operations were standard procedures; no need for double-taps or even shouts of "666."
Shaking his head with a smile, Zhu Jinsong continued, "Oh, right. Regarding the matter of establishing a noble international student academy that Minister Zeng and Minister Meng were discussing earlier, I think it's a good idea to proceed."
Liu Huaiwen's eyes immediately lit up.
Since it was a noble international student academy, the tuition must be exceptionally high to match the term "noble"—after all, those European nobles weren't short of money, and every bit they could extort was a gain!
It could also help alleviate the emptiness of the Great Ming's national treasury, couldn't it?
Meng Fanzhi, the chief of the Ministry of Rites, also became energized. "I will arrange for people to prepare the curriculum. We will definitely ensure that noble international students from various countries achieve great success!"