Yes, Madam Prime Minister

Page 462

Hunan has been completely transformed; now it's Sichuan's turn.

There was no interest in Guizhou, Yunnan, or Luonan. Reforming in those places would be far too costly. In areas rich in copper, iron, and coal, using magicians to clear roads would be the limit; other reforms could wait a few centuries. In fact, even reforms in Guangxi were only superficial, involving the introduction of some crops, the establishment of farmers' associations in a few relatively easy-to-farm areas, and the setting up of some factories and labor unions in areas with convenient transportation.

Under the rule of the Gongjin Society, only a portion of ordinary people in Guangdong and Hunan lived a good life, with enough to eat and wear and some spare money. If they had talent and were willing to fight, they had a chance to become extraordinary. However, most people could only say that in the past, a disaster would have starved them to death, but now, a disaster would not necessarily cause them to starve to death.

1624 was an extraordinary year.

That year, the navies of the Kingdom of Fas, the Kingdom of Bilia, and the Kingdom of Weland jointly mobilized to coerce the Gongjin Association into signing a multi-party trade agreement with Jiangnan. Their aim was to ensure that Jiangnan could reliably purchase weapons provided by foreigners and grains obtained by foreigners in Southeast Asia.

To the north, the Kingdom of Rus' was also preparing to provide support to the northwest through the Western Regions, even if this support consisted of only some mixed barbarian cannon fodder armed with outdated weapons.

Everything was done to disrupt the unification of Seris.

1625.

The Nanyang naval battle broke out, with no winners. The Gongjin Association suffered heavy losses and would be unable to threaten the rear of Jiangnan for a long time to come. After years of dormancy, Fujianese maritime merchants, who had close ties with Jiangnan, re-emerged.

Although the Western side failed to force the Progressive Society to sign the treaty and suffered heavy losses as well, it ultimately enabled goods from Jiangnan to be sold again, successfully preventing the Progressive Society from gaining momentum.

In 1626, the West was not at peace.

The young sultan, who had once trembled before Ronan and Falek, had worked diligently for many years. With the technology left by Falek, he built a new slave guard and suppressed a number of pashas. Like the previous sultans, he launched another war in the Balkans.

Because the Empire of Will was defeated by the Kingdom of Fass many years ago, the empire is now more fragmented than before, and Vienna is in grave danger.

The Kingdom of Fas had no choice but to organize a coalition to fight the heretics and rescue their fellow believers. Rescue was a minor matter; seizing the opportunity to become the leader of the Western Continent was the real priority.

In 1627, the battle for the throne of Seres resumed.

The Jiangnan Army withdrew from Hubei and focused its efforts on breaking through the eastern front, preparing to advance into Shandong in one fell swoop. Meanwhile, the Gongjin Society advanced into Hubei, intending to occupy this key location that would allow them to advance into the Central Plains and threaten the downstream areas.

Chapter 1071 Forming Alliances and Fighting to the Death, Even the Backyard is on Fire

In 1628, after annexing Hubei, the Progressive Society halted its advance.

Hubei has many mountains, forests and lakes, and even today many marshes remain undeveloped, but it has a considerable amount of arable land, making it a place with a decent agricultural output.

Compared to the Central Plains of Seris, including Henan, Hebei, and Shandong, as well as the Jiangnan region where grain cultivation has not yet been abandoned, it is still somewhat inferior.

Furthermore, due to its geographical location, connecting the north, south, east, and west, coupled with its well-developed water transport, it was also a prosperous commercial area.

The economy was originally quite good, but years of three-way tug-of-war have severely damaged agricultural production and commercial activities, and caused numerous deaths and injuries, making the current economic situation here very bad.

The Progressive Association began rebuilding the area, striving to quickly revive the local economy.

Of course, the Gongjinhui was not there to do charity. They also had to engage in "militarism." This was not about the army, as they had enough personnel. The main issue was the navy on the river. Several years ago, the Hubei navy had already been destroyed, but the Gongjinhui had to rebuild it for the upcoming military operations.

Meanwhile, the imperial court's Huaibei defense line finally fell.

This is a necessary ritual. Although the people of Jiangnan are not particularly martial, there are many mid-level extraordinary individuals here. This is because there are many towns and commerce here, which can provide better luxury. In the past, when the country was in trouble, they neither contributed money nor effort, but now they are also shareholders. If they don't contribute, their shares will become worthless.

Hefei, which had long been like a candle flickering in the wind, was quickly destroyed after the imperial court transferred some of its extraordinary individuals away. Following that, Xuzhou was besieged and captured by the Jiangnan army on a large scale. From then on, the Jiangnan army was able to smoothly advance into Henan and Shandong, and penetrate into the heart of the Central Plains.

In 1629, another unexpected event occurred.

The Northwest Army, which had been locked in fierce fighting with the imperial army in Shanxi, causing chaos throughout northwestern Shanxi, suddenly decided to surrender and join the imperial court in punishing the rebels.

Ronan felt this was absolutely the fault of the people from Jiangnan; their ways were simply not popular with the people of Seris.

There is no problem with capitalism that does not allow peasants to organize, prohibits workers from forming associations, and exploits workers and peasants.

However, capitalism with rules set by people from the Jiangnan region has serious problems.

To put it bluntly, the people in power in the north are now playing by rules that others have already mastered. Aren't they just becoming easy targets for exploitation?

Moreover, even becoming a major victim of exploitation might not be within one's reach.

Furthermore, the Jiangnan model will undoubtedly exacerbate economic imbalances between different regions.

The people in the north are all their fellow countrymen.

However, not only did you Jiangnan not charge extra, you even acted like you wanted to charge an appearance fee.

These two points combined are the reasons why many people in the North reject the Jiangnan model and call it a "land where monsters roam."

In comparison, the Gongjinhui model is slightly more pleasing to the eye, but only slightly.

Because of the Gongjinhui's iron triangle of farmers' associations, banks, and labor unions, after so many years, everyone has come to understand that it is actually the same as Jiangnan. The only difference is that local powerful families and weak mid-level superhumans can also participate. Powerful families can enter farmers' associations, and individual superhumans can go to labor unions, and there is no entry fee. However, whether or not they will "pay tuition" is something they will most likely have to pay.

Because I have to get a loan from the bank.

Want to become a big shot by owing money? Have you even asked the bank's investigation team? Running away with the money? Do you even know what it means to kill your whole family?

In 1630, the war situation became one-on-one between two sides.

The Gongjinhui and the Northwest Army Corps engaged in battle in Nanyang.

The Gongjinhui's firepower was undoubtedly stronger, but the Northwest Army was more flexible. They had cavalry infantry and mule infantry, and had a strong ability to maneuver, which gave them a strong advantage over the Gongjinhui's tactics in Hunan.

What were the tactics of the Gongjinhui in Hunan in the past? If they couldn't take down your defensive fortresses in a short time, they would go to various villages and arrest people. If you didn't come out, you would be killed. If you did come out, they would mobilize you and force you to fight in the field.

However, mounted infantry and mule infantry were able to promptly pursue and attack the raiding party of the Progressive Society after receiving the news.

Left with no other choice, the Gongjin Society could only gather its forces and begin a tedious war of attrition.

Let's see whose logistics and reserve forces can't hold out first.

Meanwhile, the imperial court and Jiangnan were engaged in battle around Yanzhou Prefecture, which is the area surrounding Zaozhuang City in the original timeline of Luo Nan.

The battles were exceptionally fierce because both sides were engaged in a direct offensive, aiming to annihilate the enemy's army rather than focusing on a single city or territory. Furthermore, both sides could maintain their logistics and reinforcements via canals and sea routes, allowing them to fight continuously.

Despite the fierce fighting, neither side's morale dropped.

For northerners, whether the dynasty would rise or fall was none of their business. But if the people of the south were defeated, they could at least get a share of the spoils. This was because the lower-ranking officers of the Northern Imperial Army and the New Army had very close relationships with the soldiers under their command. Lower-ranking officers from villages and communities often had many of their childhood playmates from the same village and community under their command, while those from manors had men who had been manor owners like themselves in the past.

If the harvest is bad this year, everyone is counting on slaughtering this "pig" from Jiangnan to make the New Year a good one.

For people from Jiangnan, it all boils down to two words: land division.

Given the current agricultural productivity, places like Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Jiangsu are already overcrowded. The small-scale farming model is not only the subjective desire of those in power here, but also a result of objective reality. Jiangnan is said to be a good place for farming, but it does not have a large plain like Henan or Hebei. There are also many people, and each person can only have so much land. Factories cannot accommodate so many people. If we do not develop small-scale farming and instead develop village communes, there will be only one consequence: a large number of idle people.

The obsession with dividing territory is what keeps morale high.

In 1631, all sides temporarily ceased hostilities.

Because fires broke out simultaneously behind each other.

The turmoil in the Western Regions forced the Northwest Army to deal with it. Meanwhile, the Gongjin Society was making moves again, threatening Guangxi. On the imperial side, the Northeast seemed poised to become a separatist regime, and in Jiangnan, some internal rebellions broke out. In addition, the Japanese rebelled.

Seris truly deserves the description of "outwardly Tang and inwardly Ming." Internally, there were numerous conflicts and mutual hatred between different regions, but externally, he was also full of martial virtue. Even when the civil war had raged so much, he could still turn around and crush the barbarians.

All the barbarians thought that the civil war in Seris was over, but they didn't expect that after nearly twenty years of fighting, their fighting strength had improved by leaps and bounds.

They used to be able to go back and forth, but now they're getting completely crushed.

Thus began a brief two-year period of peace for Seris.

In 1633, war broke out again. A year later, in 1634, the Progressive Society defeated the Northwest Army and successfully captured Nanyang.

The people of Guanzhong, who were once invincible a thousand years ago, are still brave and fierce. Unfortunately, Guanzhong is no longer the Guanzhong of the past, a place rich in culture and resources.

Humans may be able to conquer nature, but ultimately they cannot defy it.

The Gongjin Society had no intention of further threatening the imperial court. Instead, it planned to advance into Guanzhong. If it did not conquer Guanzhong, it would launch a northern expedition, and it was always possible to be betrayed.

Chapter 1072 Conquering Guanzhong: Failing to be a "Filial Son," a Ridiculous Final Battle

Also in 1634, the imperial court and the Jiangnan region continued their fierce battle.

Seeing that the Gongjin Association had already taken the lead, Jiangnan couldn't help but intensify his efforts.

What made Jiangnan want to curse was that the imperial court not only did not send troops to Nanyang to crack down on the Gongjin Society, but also continued to increase its efforts in the eastern Henan and southwestern Shandong battlefields, determined to fight them to the death.

What serious illness is this?

However, the powerful ministers in the court, the people around them, the leaders of the army, and even the middle and lower-ranking officers of the army all had similar mindsets.

Even if the Gongjinhui gains control of the country, they will still retain some things.

But if the people from Jiangnan win, they might be completely wiped out.

Firstly, it was due to the economic policies of the people of Jiangnan. Secondly, the people of Jiangnan had long since established a separate court with a complete staff, leaving no room for them. Moreover, the banner they raised was the restoration of the Great Wei and the suppression of disobedience.

At that time, shouldn't we confiscate their property and exterminate their entire clan?

On the contrary, the Gongjin Society can absorb some of the old guard, which is what they have always done. Even if they are marginalized, they can still retain some wealth and status, which is still better than the people from Jiangnan being in power.

In 1635, the Gongjinhui's campaign to conquer Guanzhongguan was exceptionally successful.

The people of Guanzhong fought wars year after year, yet they never gained any benefit.

Moreover, from the very beginning, they did not harbor any ambition to seize power. They simply felt that the court had wronged them and wanted to take advantage of this chaotic era to reclaim the rights they had lost and to fight for some new rights.

Now that things have come to this, with no hope in sight and no clear path forward, they are beginning to feel weary.

The Progressive Society, on the other hand, has seen countless people become wealthy through the war. Whether they were fighting desperately on the front lines, running small businesses in the rear, or simply serving the war as farmers or workers, their lives have improved. What is there to say? Keep fighting. If this opportunity passes, given their background, they will only be able to live a miserable life. But now, they are risking their lives, and they may be able to change everything.

Diplomacy continued even as the war raged.

Luo Nan meant that Guanzhong would eventually return to the rule of the dynasty, but some areas further west and north could have military governors, elected by the military corps through public elections, not by the central government, and some local autonomy would be allowed. However, ethnic distinctions would no longer be allowed, and autonomous regions would have freedom of religion, but regardless of whether they were officials or civilians, they would all have to pay a "blood tax," and every household would have to send young people to the southern frontier to serve as soldiers.

The election of the military governor, which was conducted through public recommendation, immediately shook the entire Northwest Army.

The Hu people of the Western Regions and the northern grasslands certainly didn't like any "blood tax," but nowadays, they had no say in anything. And thinking about it, at least they were allowed autonomy, so they wouldn't be able to declare themselves an illegal tribe or bandits and criminals at any time like before, right?

Things went exceptionally well at the Gongjin Association, but conversely, things were still going very badly in Jiangnan.

In 1636, the foreigners, who had been silent for ten years, returned.

Over the past decade, the French-led Allied forces have finally helped their "good brother" reclaim lost territory and drive the infidels back.

Because of this incident, Ronan's son, Lucien the Younger, finally gained prestige comparable to that of his mother, Ambrina, more than twenty years after his accession to the throne.

Lucien plans to organize a fleet as the leader of the alliance, focusing on commerce and supplementing it with military force, to once again provide financial support to the Jiangnan region of Seris, while suppressing the Progressive Society, to which his father Ronan belongs, and to forcefully curb the Society's momentum in unifying Seris.

However, immediately afterwards, in 1637...

The anti-French alliance was re-established, and this time it was far more intense than when Ambrina was in power and Ronan was in charge. Almost all the countries in the Western Continent were involved.

The Kingdom of Fass was besieged on all sides. France, which had just paid a heavy price in the war, was unable to cope for a while and was defeated one after another, and had to switch to a full-scale defense.

Fights broke out in the colonies of the New World and in Southeast Asia as well.

Before the "filial son" could even begin his performance, he was overwhelmed by the war.

That year, Jiangnan finally made progress, finally occupying southern Shandong and annihilating many of the imperial army's troops.

In 1638, Guanzhong was brought under the jurisdiction of the Gongjin Society.

At this time, the Gongjinhui already controlled Guangdong, Guangxi, southern Jiangxi, half of Fujian, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hunan, Hubei, the entire Shaanxi, western Henan, and the entire western and southern parts of Seres.

It can be said that the trend has already been established.

In the Jiangnan region, this includes central and northern Jiangxi, the entirety of Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangsu, and southern Shandong.

Although it is not at a disadvantage in terms of population or financial resources, its overall strategic situation is at an absolute disadvantage compared to the Gongjinhui.

After their attempt to form an alliance with the imperial court failed, a group of people in Jiangnan had no choice but to fight to the death.

On the Shandong front, troops stationed in Henan also marched towards Nanyang, blocking the return route of the main force of the Gongjinhui still in Shaanxi.

Meanwhile, all remaining troops will be deployed to Hunan, aiming to divide the Gongjinhui's territory in two as quickly as possible. If all goes well, they can even march directly from Hunan to the Gongjinhui's stronghold in Guangdong, and a complete reversal of the situation is not impossible.

It must be admitted that Jiangnan's move was ingenious. He seized the opportunity when the main force of the Gongjin Society was not in the heartland, and he also took advantage of the fact that Hunan's military strength was relatively weak. He launched the attack decisively without any hesitation.

Rather than a slow death, isn't it better to fight to the death?

To be honest, neither the military leaders of the Progressive Party nor the political leaders represented by Ronan expected the other side to be so decisive.

However, Jiang Nan overlooked one point: the majority of the troops he was able to penetrate into Hunan were second-line troops, and many of them were even new recruits. Or rather, it wasn't that he overlooked it, but that he knew it, yet he had no other choice.

Hunan was indeed empty, but twenty years of development have brought together many farmers' associations and numerous labor unions.

Collective labor can cultivate a person's obedience and cooperation skills, which results in the ability to quickly build a well-organized team.

Hunan doesn't have many regular troops, so they can only temporarily organize local militias to resist, but they have enough guns, and Guangdong can quickly send supplies here.

Springtime in 1638.

In another time and space, the peasant uprising army of the Ming Dynasty fell into a low ebb.

The emperor who hanged himself can once again shout, "I am invincible under heaven!"

In this world, the battle to determine the allegiance of Seris has begun. Ironically, neither side is an elite force; one side consists of local militia from Hunan, and the other is a second-line force from Jiangnan.

The main forces of both sides are engaged in a chaotic battle in Henan.

There's a saying that goes, "When the market is bullish, retail investors don't care about a little loss and will even add to their positions. But when the market is bearish, they'll all run away at the slightest sign of trouble."