Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1561 Father
"So, Victoria, what do you think now?"

"I learned a lot, but it doesn't feel too heavy. Because I'm strong! We're amazing."

“Yes, very true, very good.” Agassiz smiled, a smile he hadn’t shown in a long time. “The finest quality of our Issurian family is our ‘battle rationality.’ We are good at fighting, we are good at war, we are good at winning. It’s because we will not be defeated by pressure. Those who cry and whine have never amounted to anything.”

"Huh? I think I was pretty bad at handling stress before."

"You were previously affected by physical reasons. Under those physical conditions, the fact that you were able to remain rational and grow up healthily into a qualified emperor shows that I think the saints and ancestors must have been watching over you—you should know that not everyone can remain so rational after knowing that their father is the [Emperor of the Transdimensional Roman Empire]. Keep it up, and remember, we are incredibly powerful."

"So, Father, if necessary, could you please call upon the extradimensional legion to help us fight?"

“Hmm,” Agassiz rubbed his forehead, “I would be happier if you were a little smarter—if I could command people, do you think I would have waited until now to make a move?”

"why?"

"First of all, there is no need. Everything is under control now. Cybernia is the right path, and everything is proceeding according to plan. As long as we can advance the plan smoothly, you, my daughter, will rule the greatest and most glorious Roman Empire in all five dimensions of history. Because we will be truly immortal here. This is the path we are going to take."

"So the Roman Empire didn't actually decline?"

"The decline in reality is controllable and within expectations. If we consider the chick as the main body of an egg, then both the yolk and the egg white will be absorbed during the growth process—the Romans are the chick. Empires and territories in the world are nothing more than the egg white and the yolk. Only by absorbing them can the chicken complete its growth and hatch from the egg. As a chicken about to hatch, we have absolutely no need to lament the fading of the egg and the yolk, do we?"

"But aren't we causing trouble for Aurora? Won't they feel that way?"

“Oh, I think from a business perspective, this is part of the merger and acquisition process. When you acquire someone, it's not just about seizing assets, but also taking over debts, right? I think Shangluo is aware of this too; it's part of the deal. And this kind of trouble isn't necessarily a bad thing for them.”

"Not a bad thing?"

"You must understand that governance is established through the process of solving problems. Early human monarchies were all established as arbitrators. When Plato conceived of the *Republic*, he believed that the highest level in an ideal state should be the legislator. The legislator should possess all virtues, using their wisdom and competence to arbitrate the various problems of the state—the legislator's existence is for arbitration. And in the process of arbitration, the rules of rights are shaped, and the channels of rights are opened. That is power—"

He stretched out his hand, grasping at the air: "Power is invisible and intangible. If you don't use it, then power doesn't exist. For example, you are the emperor of the Roman Empire, but you don't rule by yourself; your father rules in your place. When you don't use power, is it still yours?"

"Will they still listen to me?"

"No. In this situation, I am the one in power. Your subordinates obey you because you are my daughter—imagine if the regent were not me, but some other powerful minister. Would your words really have any effect?"

"Ah, I get it, I get it. So, am I a complete failure?"

"No, you are not a failure at all. Remember when I asked you to attend meetings frequently? You don't have to exercise power, but you must maintain your presence. Our system is not as sophisticated as that of Cindan; it is often based on personal relationships. The Cindan emperor can control the empire from behind various procedures, while we must face various challenges alone. Therefore, I need you to be prepared to truly exercise your power. At such times, you can learn a lot as an observer."

"Wow~~ So that's how it is."

"But now it seems you haven't learned anything. So how were you conducting all those meetings? Were you not taking them seriously?"

As he spoke, he looked at Ms. Agatha beside him.

“Your daughter is very conscientious. She listens carefully to opinions and provides guidance, and sometimes her opinions are very pertinent.”

Agassiz covered his forehead: "You really went to the meeting, and I'm telling you, you didn't have to do anything."

"Huh? Was what I did wrong?"

"It's not wrong, it's quite right. I would definitely say that when I inspect, or if I really don't know what to say, I would say that the ship must float, and people must sit on stools, etc. But the place I arrange for you to attend the meeting is for you to sit in and learn. Why would you need to know so much nonsense? I send you to inspect factories, departments, schools, and so on, so that you can understand how these departments in society operate. You don't need to say anything at all, just nod."

"I see. So we're helping Aurora establish power?"

"So you have inherited some of your mother's wisdom. You know I'm talking about something important: yes, this is the key. This matter needs to be done step by step from the beginning. We first let Aurora know what's wrong with the Roman Empire, and then they will form their own power structure in the process of contact, and then they can slowly take over."

"Then aren't we being monitored? I mean, didn't we already have no secrets from Aurora?"

"Being monitored isn't a bad thing. That's the most important part—the existence of mystery. Your mystery level is very high. Our mystery system competes with that of the elves. But if we want to enter the nutshell, our mystery level must be negative. We must be completely open."

Victoria asked, "Why?"

"It couldn't be simpler—water and oil don't mix, but water and alcohol do. We and Aurora are yin and yang, the universe and a nutshell, reality and virtuality, two sides of the same coin. We must rely on Aurora, which is why we must be completely open. What were your standards when you inspected the restaurant?"

"Open kitchen"?

"Yes, no tampering is allowed. The kitchen must be open and transparent. The same applies here. To gain trust, you must reduce your secrecy to a negative level; there can be no secrets whatsoever. Therefore, being monitored isn't necessarily a bad thing. When making alcohol, ensure it's miscible with water; don't separate oil and water. That's why I approve of your going to Shangluo."

"Oh"

“Tell me about Shangluo. What did you see at his house? Is there any connection between you and Shangluo?” Agassocles asked his daughter. It sounded like he was inquiring about her private life.

"Huh? Father, what are you saying?"

"Ugh, what are you saying now?" Agassiz was a little annoyed. He wanted to reach out and knock Victoria's head, but he couldn't. Just then, some Korean stationery arrived nearby. He rolled the paper into a tube and knocked Victoria's head with it.

"Just answer whatever they ask. How have you been lately? Have you had any arguments?"

"Huh? No. We're having a great time, every single day. Their house is so lively—you know Miss Yanqiu, right? She's the one who's going to film 'Wang Lingguan and the Flying Yaksha,' Shangluo brought her home, and we play games every day. And you know what, there's a dragon too! He even brought a dragon home."

“Stop,” Agassiz interrupted her. “What I’m asking is, if—and I’m not asking these things—do you think your father is trying to provoke him with these questions? Listening to these words, I feel like I just want to go to your place and see what you’re doing.”

"What are you thinking, Father?"

"Policy! Policy direction! What's Shangluo doing lately? What's Zhen Dan doing? You're already there, can't you just give me a summary of publicly available information?"

"Is it okay to release the information publicly?"

"Public information is the main source of intelligence work, and it is perfectly reasonable and legal. As I said before, being monitored is not necessarily a bad thing. Someone is watching Aurora's public information, which allows public information to play its role in conveying information. You will see things that Aurora intends to say but does not want to say, as well as things that it does not remember officially saying. Now, think back, what news have you heard recently?"

"Does Aurora's recent 'one country, one product' initiative count?"

"what is that?"

"It was a way of managing the tributary system. Basically, each tributary state was required to provide a tribute item. Quality was more important than quantity, because as long as the quality met the standards, it could enter the Chinese market and be used as a consumer product. This seemed to be mainly to boost the economic vitality of the tributary system, because many tributary states seemed to have nothing to offer besides a few categories."

This is a policy that is currently being implemented, involving all six ministries, and a cross-departmental joint meeting has been organized to advance this initiative.

The Imperial Court is a world government, and world governments have their own ways of governing the world. It's not just about ruling, but also about managing it. The overall development of this world is beneficial to the Ming Dynasty because the more people are involved in production, the more people will be drawn into modern life.

The "one country, one product" policy incentivized each tributary state to contribute a unique product, which was then promoted within the capital region's market. The selected products were primarily agricultural, including crops and semi-finished products, such as dates and jackfruit.

"Does this Korean paper count?"

"No. It seems that North Korea has chosen the Kikyō brand tractor. Because a country can only choose one product. Korean paper has few competitors, but North Korean tractors do. North Korea wants to use this policy to gain some advantages. However, after choosing the product, it still needs the approval of the Ministry of Rites. It seems that the Ministry of Rites is still discussing this matter and has submitted the relevant information to the parliament."

"Hmm, this shows that Aurora's economic system is very healthy. However, you'll remember this for more than just that reason, right?"

"Huh? Father, how did you know?"

"Because you're not very smart. You can only remember things that are extremely obvious and very, very important. You mostly can't remember ordinary news."

"Tsk, it's really hard to refute when your own father is right. Okay, it is true, I'll remember it because it's important."

"So, why?"

"This is Shangluo's idea—Shangluo said that after the imperial court ascended to heaven, the tributary states would be completely unmanageable. The imperial court could no longer closely supervise all the tributary states as before. Therefore, he believed that a similar situation should be referenced, and the tributary system should be directly reverted to the early Western Zhou Dynasty, abolishing the cumbersome rituals and economic system, and directly allowing the tributary states to begin paying tribute with a few fixed categories of goods as tribute."

"The tribute of thatch... so that's how it is," Agassiz murmured.

This is a famous story. He studied the history of China in the early Western Zhou Dynasty and was sent to the southern state of Chu. His tribute mission was to offer Bao Mao, a relatively precious local specialty that was used in wine during sacrifices.

This was not a burden for the State of Chu. However, if the State of Chu began to distance itself from the Son of Heaven, this tribute of bundled thatch would become a barometer of the relationship between the two.

Besides the State of Chu, other vassal states also accepted similar feudal obligations. For example, the State of Ba offered tea, the State of Qingzhou offered hemp cloth, and the State of Yanzhou offered lacquer and silk.

These tribute regions differed from the Dianfu regions like Jizhou, which paid taxes and grain; they were usually far from the royal domain.

In those times, the royal family couldn't possibly investigate every single matter thoroughly. In such cases, ritualistic offerings saved considerable trouble. By simply observing whether the recipient fulfilled their feudal obligations, one could directly determine whether they had submitted to the court. Because if even such superficial gestures weren't performed, it was difficult to believe that the recipient would truly fulfill other, more important feudal obligations.

After the ascension, the imperial court was planning to reinstate this policy. Although it wasn't very efficient, its administrative costs were quite low, and it didn't require much effort to ensure that a large country would submit to the court—after all, it was just trading some specialty products, and the only requirement was to guarantee their quality.

"So it turns out that Zhen Dan is going to restore this system. That makes perfect sense. After all, it's impossible to always send people to inspect the lower realms in the future; most of the time, we can only let things run their course. This practice of offering tributes can properly regulate their behavior. Indeed, keeping things closed off is the most effective—it seems they are really actively preparing for what will happen after their ascension."

"And if a tributary state focuses on a single commodity, it can indeed receive positive market feedback and then adjust and expand its production accordingly. This is a good thing in every sense, Father."

"You think this is a good thing? Hmm, I hope so. After all, Shangluo is very important to us, extremely important."

(End of this chapter)