The Second World in Ancient Times

I was walking with His Majesty in the Imperial Garden, discussing how to further promote overseas trade, when suddenly a guard came hurriedly, looking panicked.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, urgent military information! Several neighboring countries have suddenly united for unknown reasons and are gathering heavy troops on the border, seemingly with ill intentions." The guard knelt down to report.

His Majesty's face darkened. "I have long foreseen that this era of peace and prosperity will not last. The surrounding nations will certainly not be content with our dynasty's prosperity. My beloved concubine, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

I thought calmly for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, there's definitely something fishy going on here. While neighboring nations may have competed before, this large-scale alliance suggests someone else is secretly manipulating it. We must first determine their motives: are they after our territory and wealth, or do they want to curb our development?"

Upon hearing the news, the Foreign Minister rushed over and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I have sent people to investigate. According to preliminary information, it seems that the northern powers are jealous of our dynasty's market share in overseas trade, and have joined forces with other smaller countries in an attempt to pressure our dynasty to make concessions."

I said, "Sir, we must not abandon diplomatic means. We can first send envoys to negotiate and explain our position. We are willing to discuss trade with them on a fair basis. However, if they attempt to threaten us with force, we will not be afraid. This is like modern diplomatic negotiations and crisis public relations, striving for the opportunity for a peaceful resolution."

The Minister of War stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, although our army's combat effectiveness has improved after the New Deal's military reforms, the enemy is coming with great force and has a large number of troops. We must formulate a strategic defense plan as soon as possible."

I looked at the Minister of Military Affairs. "General, we can leverage our dynasty's geographical advantages to construct strong fortifications at strategic locations along the border, much like modern military fortresses. At the same time, we can dispatch elite troops to the border to form the first line of defense. Furthermore, we can organize and train local militias to serve as a reserve force, similar to the modern reserve system."

The military minister nodded. "Your Majesty is quite right. However, building these fortifications will require time and a large amount of supplies."

I said, "As for supplies, we can allocate some from the national treasury and call on local wealthy households for donations. Since time is short, we can have the craftsmen work day and night, and the court will provide generous remuneration and rewards. This would be like the incentive mechanism for the preparation and construction of war supplies in modern times, ensuring that the fortifications are completed on time."

Just as they were discussing military defense, news came from the country that drought had occurred in some places, grain harvests had dropped sharply, and people were living in hardship, while wealthy businessmen were hoarding grain and driving up prices.

I said to the Minister of Revenue, "Your Excellency, the domestic drought and grain price issues require urgent attention. First, we must open the national treasury and granaries, sell grain at a fair price, and stabilize prices. Then, we must organize personnel to transport grain to other unaffected areas to ensure an adequate food supply. We must severely punish wealthy merchants who hoard grain and confiscate their illegal gains to serve as a warning to others. This is similar to modern grain regulation and market supervision, ensuring the basic needs of the people."

The Minister of Revenue said, "Your Majesty, although the national treasury granary has grain, it may not be able to sustain the long-term supply."

I said, "Your Excellency, we can encourage the people to help themselves. For example, we can organize them to build water conservancy projects, dig wells, and find new water sources. At the same time, we can promote the cultivation of drought-resistant crops. This is similar to modern agricultural disaster prevention and water resource development and utilization, which can alleviate the impact of drought."

In the harem, I gathered the concubines and said, "Sisters, the country is currently facing internal and external troubles. Although we cannot fight on the battlefield, we can still contribute to the harem. Everyone can reduce their expenses and donate the savings to buy food to help the people or to fund border defense."

One of the concubines said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to donate my jewelry to help the country."

The other concubines also responded: "Your Majesty, we are also willing to do our best."

I added, "Furthermore, we can organize prayers in the harem, asking God to bless the country through this difficult time. This will also comfort the people and make them feel the court's care. This is like modern psychological comfort and social stability measures, providing spiritual support."

His Majesty addressed his ministers at court, "The Empress and I are determined to lead the nation through this crisis. My dear ministers, please fulfill your respective duties and do not slack off. Whether it's diplomatic mediation, military defense, or resolving domestic issues of livelihood, they all bear on the survival of our nation."

The ministers shouted in unison: "Your Majesty is wise and wise. We will not refuse even if death is the cost!"

As the situation developed, the diplomatic envoy returned with a report: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the northern powers are taking a hard line and refusing to negotiate. They insist on our dynasty ceding some of its overseas trade ports before they will withdraw their troops."

I said, "Your Majesty, it seems that diplomatic means are currently unable to resolve the issue. We can only strengthen our military defenses while simultaneously seeking out their weaknesses and dividing their alliances."

The Minister of War said, "Your Majesty, we have discovered that the enemy alliance is not united. Some small nations are being coerced by the great northern powers and are unwilling to join."

My eyes lit up. "General, we can conduct covert diplomacy against these small nations, promising them certain benefits, such as trade concessions and military protection, to get them to leave the alliance. This is like modern diplomatic divisive tactics and alliance-breaking methods to weaken the enemy's strength."

Regarding domestic drought relief, a local official reported: "Your Majesty, at the imperial court's call, local people have actively developed water conservancy projects, dug wells, and experimented with growing drought-resistant crops. Despite numerous challenges, everyone's concerted efforts have yielded some results."

I replied, "Sir, continue to encourage the people. The court will provide more support if needed."

However, new problems arose in border defense: the enemy sent spies to infiltrate our border areas, gather military intelligence, and incite the local people to cause unrest and chaos.

I said to the minister in charge of intelligence and public security, "Sir, the problem of spies and civilian unrest on the border must be resolved as soon as possible. We must strengthen intelligence gathering and security patrols in border areas. We can establish an intelligence network and recruit reliable local people as spies to promptly detect and arrest spies. For those who are incited, we must investigate the reasons, patiently appease them, and publicize the court's policies so that they understand the country's difficulties and response strategies. This is like modern intelligence work and social stability maintenance, ensuring the security and stability of border areas."

The minister took the order and went to deal with these issues actively.

In the palace, I kept thinking about strategies to deal with internal and external troubles. Whether it was diplomacy, military affairs, or domestic livelihood, I relied on modern thinking, knowledge and experience to try to find solutions, just so that the country could be out of danger again. I will also continue to write my own chapter of tenacity on this stage of history, and work tirelessly for the survival and development of the country.

While dealing with border spies and civilian unrest, I was reminded of the importance of information dissemination in stabilizing public sentiment. I addressed the Minister in charge of propaganda, "Your Excellency, with the current domestic situation in turmoil, information dissemination is crucial. We can use official channels, such as posting notices and dispatching officials to various locations, to promptly inform the public of national policies, the progress of the war, and countermeasures. This is like modern-day news releases and public opinion guidance, ensuring the public understands the truth, preventing rumors from spreading, and ultimately stabilizing public sentiment."

The Minister of Propaganda said, "Your Majesty, the scope and effectiveness of this information dissemination are difficult to guarantee. How can we ensure the accuracy and timeliness of the information?"

I said, "Your Excellency, we can establish information transmission stations in various places and use methods such as swift horses to quickly transmit information. The accuracy of the information will be reviewed by specialized court officials to ensure it is correct before dissemination. This is similar to the modern news review and information dissemination network construction, ensuring the quality and efficiency of information dissemination."

In the harem, I organized the concubines to learn some simple communication techniques so that they could accurately convey state information to their families. I told them, "Sisters, learning these techniques will help your families in the local areas better understand national policies and situations, and help the court stabilize the local areas. This is like modern-day family information dissemination and social stability assistance, influencing the people from the harem to the general public."

The concubines responded one after another: "Your Majesty, we will study hard and contribute to the dissemination of national information."

In the process of the country responding to challenges, I have fully applied modern thinking, knowledge and experience, and actively operated between the court and the imperial court. From diplomatic strategy to military defense, from people's livelihood protection to information dissemination, I have tried my best to introduce modern concepts and methods, hoping to enable the country to find vitality in the crisis and develop in the direction of peace and stability. I will also continue to leave my own unique mark of struggle in this long river of history, and contribute all my strength to the country's revival and development.

While encouraging the spread of information, I also considered the role of technological innovation in both warfare and livelihood security. I spoke to a minister skilled in mechanical engineering and other arts, saying, "Sir, technological innovation can play a significant role at this time. In the military, we can develop new communication tools, such as a simple signal flag encryption system, to facilitate information transmission on the battlefield and prevent it from being deciphered by the enemy. We can also develop lightweight siege engines to enhance our army's siege capabilities. Regarding livelihood security, we can invent simple irrigation tools to improve irrigation efficiency in drought-stricken areas and alleviate the effects of drought. This is like the application of modern technology in both warfare and livelihoods, enhancing the country's response capabilities."

The minister said, "Your Majesty, this kind of technological innovation requires time and resources, and the craftsmen's research and development efficiency may be affected under the pressure of war."

I said, "Sir, time is of the essence. You can prioritize resources for key R&D projects. At the same time, give the craftsmen adequate rest and rewards to motivate them to improve efficiency. This is similar to the modern scientific and technological R&D resource allocation and talent incentive mechanism, which promotes the rapid development of scientific and technological innovation."

In the harem, I also organized discussions with the concubines about technological innovation and creativity. I told them, "Sisters, we can also use our imaginations to contribute ideas for technological innovation. For example, we could design some novel signal flag designs or sketch out the structures of irrigation tools. This is like modern-day creative stimulation and technological assistance, contributing to technological innovation from the harem."

The concubines all expressed their willingness to try: "Your Majesty, although we don't understand much about technology, we will do our best."

In the difficult journey of the country's response to the crisis, I have been constantly exploring and practicing, combining modern thinking, knowledge and experience with ancient national conditions. Whether it is diplomacy and military, people's livelihood technology, or information dissemination, I have strived to seek breakthroughs, hoping to lead the country out of difficulties and achieve national stability and prosperity. I will also continue to leave my own unique mark of struggle in this long river of history, and contribute all my strength to the country's rejuvenation and development.