Confucius once said: It is better to do than to talk.
A rough translation would be: if you can act, do it less.
Zhu Jinsong agreed with the Master.
To thoroughly implement the guiding principle of action, Zhu Jinsong had been relentlessly plundering the Eagle, the Swan Goose, and various European nations. Any strategy proven effective by the Five Benevolent Ones had essentially been tried by Zhu Jinsong.
The fact proved that the strategies proven by the Five Benevolent Ones were indeed effective, so effective that the whole of Europe had not calmed down since.
Now Zhu Jinsong was breaking down these tactics and teaching them to Zhu Erdan and Zhu Sanshun. To con the Eagle was as easy as Zhang Fei eating beans, a piece of cake.
However, while Zhu Jinsong taught with gusto, his students, Zhu Erdan and Zhu Sanshun, learned with great pain.
If the scene were to be depicted in a comic, it would look like this: Zhu Jinsong's mouth spewed out various symbols like a Gatling gun, while Zhu Erdan, Zhu Sanshun, and a group of elder figures like Zeng Cheng constantly had dizzying circles spinning in their eyes, with little stars swirling above their heads.
In short, they were dumbfounded.
After all, Zhu Jinsong had witnessed the methods of the Five Benevolent Ones, while Zhu Erdan and Zhu Sanshun had only witnessed a part of them, and due to factors like information transmission methods and speed, they hadn't seen the complete picture.
What made Zhu Erdan and Zhu Sanshun even more bewildered was that after summarizing a host of dark strategies, Zhu Jinsong suddenly changed his tone and said, "Remember, although these methods to坑蛮子 (trick barbarians) are good, our ancestors also said that to forge iron, one must be strong oneself. In the future, when you reach your fiefdoms, you must prioritize the welfare of the people in all matters, govern your respective fiefdoms well, and never indulge in pleasure, plunging the populace into dire straits."
Zhu Jinsong intended to caution Zhu Erdan and Zhu Sanshun. After all, these two were princes of the Ming Dynasty, and their respective藩国 (feudal states) were much larger than many European countries, with more subjects than many European nations. If these two only focused on tricking others and failed to govern their fiefdoms well, it would be truly distressing.
Zhu Erdan and Zhu Sanshun naturally understood their elder brother's intentions. They immediately bowed and agreed. Zhu Erdan even patted his chest and guaranteed, "Imperial Brother, rest assured. After my third brother and I go to sea, we will prioritize the people in all matters. In our spare time, we will then proceed to坑蛮子 (trick barbarians). We will never let the people of our Great Ming suffer injustice."
Zhu Jinsong then nodded with satisfaction, praised Zhu Erdan, and then looked at Zeng Cheng and the other elder figures, saying, "Are the matters of Prince Qin and Prince Jin going to sea and taking up their fiefdoms all prepared?"
Zeng Cheng bowed and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, all matters have been prepared. Louis XVI and the other four Benevolent Ones will also attend the enfeoffment ceremonies of Prince Qin and Prince Jin."
Zhu Jinsong nodded and then turned his gaze to Liu Heming, who had just taken over as the leader of the Five Military Commissions: "Bring out some of your military's good stuff. During the military review, let those barbarians have a good look."
Upon hearing Zhu Jinsong's words, Liu Heming, Zeng Cheng, and the other elder figures immediately showed strange smiles.
Liu Heming and Zeng Cheng clearly remembered that when Pierre, Thomson, Howard, and a few others went to Jinan, Zhu Jinsong had played this very trick, using flintlock guns and cannons, which were only in limited use by the Ming Dynasty at the time, to greatly intimidate Pierre and the others.
The effect of the deterrence was obvious. Not only did Pierre and the others readily agree to provide warships to the Ming Dynasty, but Louis XVI also decided to abandon the old fool Qianlong and become pen pals with Zhu Jinsong.
It was precisely because of Louis XVI's decision that the Ming Dynasty was able to intervene in European affairs, saving countless hours and resources.
Now that the Emperor Zhu was about to repeat this move, Liu Heming and Zeng Cheng, who were the executors at the time, were naturally well-practiced and eager to prepare.
...
After attending the military review before Prince Qin and Prince Jin set sail, Thomas Jefferson, the third-generation leader of the Eagle, was completely despairing.
What made Jefferson despair was not the artillery formations, cavalry formations, and infantry formations passing through Chengtians Gate, nor the thick, long, black, and hard cannons displayed by the Ming Dynasty, nor the orderly formations, but the citizens of the Ming Dynasty watching the military review outside Chengtians Gate.
The heartfelt cheers, the joy radiating from their faces, and the unity of their will were far more terrifying than those firearms and cannons!
After falling into complete despair, Jefferson bizarrely felt a desire to give up. Louis XVI was eager to pave the way for the Ming Dynasty, and Louis XVI was doing very well in Europe. If their Eagle country also actively paved the way for the Ming Dynasty...
Having made up his mind, Jefferson once again submitted a request to see Zhu Jinsong. As soon as he met Zhu Jinsong, he quickly took off his hat and bowed respectfully, making all the right gestures.
Zhu Jinsong couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Why were you arrogant before and courteous now?"
Jefferson's expression did not change. Instead, he smiled and said, "Previously, I did not know of the Great Ming Emperor's heavenly might, hence the arrogance. Today, knowing the Great Ming's magnificence, I am naturally courteous."
Upon hearing Jefferson's words, Zhu Jinsong became wary.
As the Emperor of the Great Ming, and meeting the third-generation leader of the Eagle, Zhu Jinsong would not have asked why he was arrogant before and courteous now without reason. The main purpose was to test Jefferson.
Jefferson's ability to not flip the table and get angry when facing Zhu Jinsong's teasing, and instead directly stating that he was being honest because he knew the Great Ming's power, was enough to prove that Jefferson was not someone to be trifled with.
At the very least, this guy had strong forbearance, perhaps comparable to Liu Bei, who would quickly grasp the meaning of a thunderclap.
With a silent sense of caution, Zhu Jinsong's gaze towards Jefferson softened, and his tone became more relaxed: "You have come to see me this time, but what is the matter?"
After they were seated, Jefferson cupped his hands towards Zhu Jinsong and said with a smile, "I have come to resign from my position as the Great Ming Emperor. After all, the Ming Dynasty's Prince Qin is about to go to Louisiana to take up his fiefdom, and it happens to be on the way."
"Secondly, I wish to ask for a favor from the Great Ming Emperor, hoping that the Great Ming Emperor can allow our Eagle country to open a trading port with the Ming Dynasty's Prince Qin in Louisiana, so that we can exchange goods."
"Thirdly, for the sake of our Eagle country, I wish to ask the Great Ming Emperor for a few sets of textbooks used by Ming students, so that our Eagle children will have books to read."
Hearing this, Zhu Jinsong couldn't help but be moved.
The first request made by Jefferson was almost nonsense, as his legs were his own. When he wanted to return to the Eagle country was his own decision, and Zhu Jinsong had no intention of holding him captive in the Great Ming.
The second request, while not nonsense, was also somewhat frivolous. After all, Zhu Erdan's fiefdom was adjacent to their Eagle country, and if he wanted to secretly harm their Eagle country, trade with the Eagle country would be indispensable.
Only the third request was Jefferson's true objective, and also what Zhu Jinsong cared about most.
The textbooks of the Great Ming were naturally written in Chinese characters, and all the illustrations were also in the Ming style.
If the Eagle country directly imported the Ming textbooks, it would subtly influence generations of young eagles.
By the time these young eagles grew up, they would naturally feel a sense of closeness to the Great Ming from the bottom of their hearts.
Of course, this was still a conventional strategy, similar to the effect of Louis XVI introducing Ming school textbooks.
If Zhu Jinsong were a bit more ruthless and had Zhu Erdan secretly bribe a few people in charge of textbooks in the Eagle country, and then made some modifications...
Thinking of this, Zhu Jinsong shook his head and said, "Since your Eagle country has its own textbooks, why do you need to import Ming textbooks like Louis XVI? You know, Louis XVI plans to promote Chinese throughout France. Do you plan to do the same in your Eagle country?"
Zhu Jinsong calculated that Jefferson would definitely not agree to the full promotion of Chinese, because Chinese and the English currently used by the Eagle country belonged to completely different language families, and Chinese characters were many times more complex than English letters. It was not an easy task to change the language and script.
Therefore, Zhu Jinsong thought that Jefferson would most likely change his mind and ask to refer to the Ming textbooks to formulate their own textbook content.
However, to Zhu Jinsong's surprise, Jefferson did not follow the script Zhu Jinsong had planned. Instead, he directly stated, "Yes, I plan to emulate Louis XVI and promote Chinese characters and Chinese throughout our Eagle country."
"In addition, if possible, I hope you can allow me to recruit some teachers from the Ming country to teach our students in the Eagle country."
Upon hearing this from Jefferson, Zhu Jinsong was stunned. Why wasn't he playing by the rules?
After thinking for a long time and not understanding what was going on, Zhu Jinsong simply chuckled and said, "Then it shall be as you wish. I agree to both the matter of textbooks and the recruitment of teachers."
Jefferson was overjoyed, feeling that he had taken the first step in a long march. In Jefferson's eyes, since the Ming Emperor had agreed to the matters of textbooks and teachers, it essentially meant that the Ming Emperor had acknowledged the Eagle country, and the Eagle country's status in the world would likely be similar to that of France.
Thinking that the Eagle country had gained recognition from the Ming Emperor and would soon become famous on the small globe, Jefferson couldn't help but become excited.
Being recognized by the Ming Emperor and not being recognized by the Ming Emperor were two completely different concepts.
Although the Eagle country was one of the Five Benevolent Ones on the small globe without the recognition of the Ming Emperor, the Eagle country's strength was evident. It could not stand on its own as a mountain stronghold, and it was occasionally suppressed by England. Other countries on the small globe did not take the Eagle country seriously.
However, after gaining recognition from the Ming Emperor, at least England would not dare to suppress the Eagle country, just as England dared not suppress France now. Other countries on the small globe would also look up to the Eagle country.
Suppressing his excitement, Jefferson continued to say to Zhu Jinsong, "In addition to these three matters, I actually have one more thing that I would like your permission for?"
Zhu Jinsong smiled and nodded, saying, "What is it? Just tell me. As long as I can agree, I will agree directly."
Jefferson naturally understood the meaning behind Zhu Jinsong's words: matters that were beneficial to the Great Ming, I can agree to directly; if they were not beneficial to the Great Ming, it would be useless no matter how much you talked!
However, Jefferson did not intend to propose anything detrimental to the Great Ming.
On the contrary, Jefferson was prepared to offer a great benefit to the Great Ming.
After careful consideration, Jefferson cupped his hands again and said, "I wish to represent the Eagle country and purchase a batch of firearms and cannons from the Great Ming. In addition, I intend to invite the Ming navy to establish a naval base on the east coast of the Eagle country."
This time, Zhu Jinsong was not stunned, but completely dumbfounded by Jefferson's words!
If Jefferson represented the Eagle country in purchasing firearms and cannons, it could be understood. After all, the current firearms and cannons technology of the Eagle country was somewhat backward, with a gap of nearly several decades between it and the firearms and cannons equipped by the Great Ming. It was normal for Jefferson to covet the Ming Dynasty's firearms.
However, inviting the Ming navy to establish a naval base in the Eagle country was a completely different concept. The Ming navy indeed had a large number of overseas naval bases, but most of those naval bases were in Europe and Southeast Asia. They did not have any in the homes of the Swan Goose, England, France, and the Eagle country, the four Benevolent Ones.
This involved the issue of face for the Five Benevolent Ones of the small globe.
But Zhu Jinsong never expected that Jefferson would directly invite the Great Ming to establish a naval base in the Eagle country!
Although the Great Ming had no intention of attacking the Eagle country for the time being, and was more prepared to let Zhu Erdan do some harm behind the scenes, once a naval base was established, it would be too convenient for the Great Ming to attack the Eagle country!
If Jefferson was not deliberately testing, but truly had this intention, then he was not playing by the rules, but had four twos and two kings, a big bomb!
After thinking for a moment, Zhu Jinsong directly asked, "I haven't heard of any enemies in the Eagle country that your Eagle country cannot deal with. Why do you suddenly want to invite the Great Ming to establish a naval base in the Eagle country?"
Jefferson raised a finger and said confidently, "A token of allegiance! This is the token of allegiance from our Eagle country, just like France!"