Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1121 Governor Li

"By the way, there is something I still want to ask Governor Li."

"Hey." Governor Li Yinchang waved his hand, "There's no need to call me Governor. This isn't work, so there's no need to talk about position. Just call me Senior."

"I call you senior, so I can't call Mr. Qian the principal when I see him later, right?"

"I called him the old monitor. Even though he and I were several years apart and we were not very familiar with each other when we were in the Imperial College, we have met each other in school. Besides, I am not being polite to you. In the future, Shang Tianjun, you will stand higher than me sooner or later. Calling me senior now is you giving me face, not you giving me face."

"But I am not here to show respect to you, Commander Li. I will definitely respect an elderly person who is old and virtuous."

"Then think about it. I am indeed fifty years older than you, four or five times your age, right? But when we ascend, when you are 100 and I am 150, my age will only be 1.5 times yours. After 500 years, our ages will only differ by 10%. Judging from this standard, I will not be considered a true 'old man' in front of you in the future."

[How come all the old men here are masters of philosophy? Why weren't the Romans at this level? ]

"Ah, then I'll just call you, Senior?"

"That's fine. I heard that you call General Fu this. Although my military rank is higher than his, military rank is nothing compared to cultivation. The clouds in the sky turn into white clothes one moment and then into dark dogs the next. Only the way of the golden elixir can last forever. You can call him this, which really gives me a lot of face - so, just ask why you want to. There is nothing that cannot be answered."

"Although I still have many questions related to Beiting, I still want to ask the question that is most relevant to our mission. I want to ask, why is Ryukyu the 'bridge of all nations' among the tributary states?"

"Because Ryukyu is the gatekeeper of the first island chain. This is the most important thing."

"Gatekeeper? Who?"

"North Korea. And others. The existence of Ryukyu can block the communication between the inside and outside of the first island chain, making North Korea, as the largest tributary state, lose any diplomatic autonomy, because any contact between them and the outside world must pass through the control area of ​​Ryukyu geographically. The same is true from the outside to the inside.

"There are some things that the court cannot do. After all, if you are not dumb or deaf, you cannot be a patriarch. The court does have to pretend to be deaf and dumb sometimes, but it is not good to pretend to be deaf and dumb all the time. At this time, Ryukyu can use the status of a 'tributary state' to dissuade other tributary states. This is our earliest warning. Ryukyu's warning is invalid, and the next one to come is the envoy of the Celestial Empire."

"Is that so?! So Ryukyu played such a role in the tribute system?"

"Ryukyu is related to everyone, so it can also connect with everyone. Ryukyu is granted a certain degree of diplomatic autonomy and is not subject to the restriction of 'no diplomacy for all subjects'. Joseon's diplomatic authority is limited to short-term positions such as communication envoys, while Ryukyu can send permanent envoys to other countries on its own - this is the meaning of the bridge of all nations."

As he said that, he thought for a moment: "It seems that this privilege seems to be given to the Dragon Palace. That's good, I have always been confused as to why Ryukyu can do such a good job, because the King of Ryukyu does not seem to be that capable. If it is the Dragon Palace that is doing the work for them, then this makes sense." "Then what should Ryukyu do after we ascend?"

"Well, what do you think we should do? This involves whether you think the Ryukyu people are 'our own people'."

"This is really difficult to deal with. This is what I think. If someone wants to seek immortality, we will not refuse. If he has the fate of immortality, then he can learn it naturally. But on the other hand, we will not actively spread the immortality. Ryukyu has its own way of life, and I respect the Ryukyu people's own choice. Ryukyu people can come to the heaven alone as individuals to find their own fate of immortality."

"Yeah," Li Yinchang nodded, "No wonder the emperor is willing to hand over the court to you. It turns out that you are more cautious than the emperor. You are almost as conservative as the conservatives in the cabinet."

"Is that the kind of conservative who thinks others are too conservative?"

"That's right. Our radicals are also radicals who think that others are not radical enough. We don't have any big conflicts internally, because the world is big enough, and everyone can achieve their own pursuits in their own fields. There is no need to force others to listen to their opinions. And most importantly -

"As scholars who have emerged from the imperial examination system, we believe more in scientific arguments and experiments. Although now, except for a few people like Wen Ge Lao, we no longer focus most of our energy on academic research. But we still believe more in evidence than empty talk. If we can't reach an agreement, we will go and find evidence ourselves."

"Then wouldn't it be the same as if I said nothing?"

"That's right." Li Yinchang nodded, "So I told you to speak without worry. Anyway, the topic selection meeting is to pool ideas, and there is no need to consider research prospects. Did old man Wen tell you? Before you reach the graduate level, you don't need to think too much about "research prospects" when writing your paper. Because the so-called "research prospects" are used to ask for funding, and you don't need to worry about it before the project is established. You don't need to worry about research prospects when writing a paper. This is also a privilege for young people. Even if you say it, there will be no project anyway."

[Wow, I was wondering why he was so generous and let you "speak freely". It turns out that talking is useless. Sitting down for a meeting is also useless. You need to produce convincing evidence.]

"But then again," Li Yinchang added, "if you can produce evidence, everyone in the cabinet will be easy to talk to - in most cases. Because we are used to putting aside our personal preferences and individual experiences when considering issues. Most of the time, rationality is far more important than emotion."

"What about some of the time? When do they become difficult to talk to?"

"If you touch their land, they will naturally be in trouble. I think, Lord Shang Tian, ​​you are going to report this to the cabinet immediately?"

"Yes. Even if I don't attend the cabinet meeting, I must at least explain it to Mr. Wen himself. Although the emperor asked me to 'inquire' about the affairs of the court, there is no need for me to appear so aggressive."

"Eh." Li Yinchang nodded, "They didn't take the initiative to ask you to go, right? That's why I've been dragging my feet and not joining the cabinet. They've called me many times. What I mean is: either you give me the title of commander-in-chief, let me join the cabinet on the front line, and let me use telegrams and telephones to hold meetings. Or don't let me sit in the Fengtian Hall. I don't have the time for that."

(End of this chapter)