Seven Seas Beacon Fire

"Do you think this Cao Cao could really defeat Victoria and Colombia? If he could, he might really become the Napoleon of the East, and then our Prince..."

"Let's see if we can actually win. I think it's pretty risky. If it were that easy to win, how could the Ming Dynasty have been wiped out?"

"The Ming Dynasty wasn't destroyed by Victoria and Columbia. If the late emperor hadn't messed things up..." At this point, the man seemed unsure how to continue, so he changed the subject: "Besides, Cao Cao, regardless of anything else, was a first-rate military strategist. His youth army and garrison troops were elite, far superior to the imperial guards under the late emperor. The Federation doesn't have any famous generals, so surely they shouldn't be unable to win?"

"Hey, the Federation may not have any famous generals, but that Federation man Pershing is no mediocre talent either. Besides, everyone knows that the Youth Army and the Garrison Army have long been anomalies among anomalies. You saw it in Yingtian Prefecture before. Have you ever seen an army sleeping on the streets?"

"That's just a show! A pretentious act for the citizens of Yingtian Prefecture."

“I know it’s all a show, but put your hand on your chest and tell me, Lao Liu, in the army you served before, even if it was a show, could they have gone to this extent? The higher-ups made the soldiers sleep on the streets, everyone sleeping on the streets?”

These words left the people around speechless. Indeed, as the bearded man said, even if it was a political show, the discipline and quality of the army under the Prince of Jin were unmatched by any other Ming army.

"If that's the case, why do you still say that the Prince of Jin has little chance of winning?" The man seemed to think he had found a loophole in the other's words, and he didn't even subconsciously notice that he had changed his address for Li Zongdi from "Living Cao Cao" to "Prince of Jin".

"Yes, according to this logic, if the general is exceptionally capable and the soldiers under his command are a highly disciplined and disciplined army that commands respect, why wouldn't it be easy for them to win? Is it simply because of the navy?"

“It’s not just because of the navy.” The man sighed slowly. “If all the armies of our Great Ming were 40% as good as the army under Prince Jin, even if the navy lost and the Federation troops landed, we would still be able to drive them away. But the problem is that we all know what kind of people the majority of the Ming Dynasty’s army is. Since Prince Jin’s army is an exception, there’s no way to deal with the numbers. How many people are there in the Youth Army and the Garrison Army combined?”

These words made the others nod and sigh. Their feelings toward Li Zongdi were also quite complicated. As staunch royalists, they naturally had to distance themselves from Li Zongdi, a "treasonous" minister. However, they also knew that Li Zongdi was the only one who could save the country at the moment.

Therefore, after understanding Li Zongdi's biggest weakness, they naturally couldn't help but sigh.

troops.

This is an obstacle that Li Zongdi cannot get around no matter what.

The unique frontier garrison system of the Ming Dynasty, and the garrison troops built upon it, developed over several decades and, through various fortuitous circumstances, became the most advanced, organized, and progressive part of the Ming Dynasty.

This is actually quite normal. In many countries, the military is a more advanced and progressive component compared to the decadent and corrupt bourgeoisie. Even as the beacon of the 21st century, compared to the rubbish-smelling political arena within the Federation, the Federation's military, even with its tens of thousands of dollars worth of coffee machines and exorbitantly priced screws used to make money, is still the most advanced and progressive part of the entire Federation society. This is even officially recognized.

The United States Army is the cornerstone of the relationship between the Union and the East.

However, the garrison troops were limited by the fact that their long-term hypothetical combat areas were either in the western regions or the northern border of the empire. Combat in these areas was constrained by limited logistical support capabilities. Neither the Ming Dynasty, the Ursus Empire, nor Britain could deploy too many troops in places like the western regions and Central Asia.

Therefore, the garrison troops embarked on a path of elite force management, but this also limited the size of the garrison troops.

Although the size of the garrison army was expanded to some extent after the outbreak of war, and a more elite, cultured, and combat-effective youth army was established by absorbing many ambitious young people to join the army, in the end, the youth army plus the garrison army together was only a reinforced army group. This size of army was enough to influence the situation in any key war, but if we look at the whole war, the size was still too small.

The massive army of the Ming Dynasty... To put it bluntly, even the top-tier troops, which were only slightly better equipped than the Bald-Headed Adjustment Division, were reasonably competent at defensive positions, and sometimes even surprised you.

However, if you expect to use these troops to launch large-scale offensives or to use these high-quality troops to carry out complex operational maneuvers, then you are simply overthinking things.

As the initial naiveté of the Federation forces was gradually worn away, especially those Federation forces that had been tempered in the European theater, their combat quality was much higher than that of other regular field troops of the Ming Dynasty.

No matter how capable the King of Jin and his troops are, this is like a pro player leading a bunch of bronze players in a ranked match. Whether they can perform well and win depends not only on their own performance but also on the performance of the enemy.

"Hey, let me say something unpleasant. If Cao Cao had taken power ten years earlier, we might have easily defeated the Allied Powers in this war. Moreover, Cao Cao was not only capable himself, but his three sons were also outstanding. Others are like tiger fathers with dog sons, but his three sons were tigers too."

"It's not just his three sons; his grandson is no better. He's in Songjiang Prefecture right now, apparently busy with the navy. Come to think of it, isn't our Highness the cousin of Cao Cao's wise grandson?"

"Pretty much. Didn't Cao Cao marry the late emperor's aunt back then? She was also a prince consort... Your Highness, when did you come out?"

The man was only halfway through his sentence when he realized with a start that his lord had somehow appeared behind them and had apparently been eavesdropping for quite some time. His men, engrossed in their conversation, hadn't even noticed! This was truly a disaster; much of their conversation, upon closer examination, could be considered highly disrespectful.

Chapter Thirty-Four: I Desire to Revive the Great Ming Dynasty from Darkness.

Zhu Miaoyun didn't feel offended. She didn't have much awareness of being a princess. Rather, it was through the guards' words that Zhu Miaoyun was able to get to know the "living Cao Cao" who had usurped her Zhu family's 600-year foundation from Wang Ma's perspective.

The information Zhu Miaoyun gleaned from these guards did not disappoint her. After all, most people in the world are not stereotypical figures. The "Jin traitor" that Wang Ma constantly cursed might indeed be ambitious like Cao Cao, but he sounded like someone with integrity and ability.

Zhu Miaoyun hasn't fully embraced the identity of a former dynasty princess yet. She doesn't feel much about national and personal vendettas, let alone the fact that her nominal father died directly at Li Zongdi's hands. Zhu Miaoyun's view of Li Zongdi is more like the simple opinion of most netizens on the 21st-century internet regarding a politician—you can be a bad person, but you must have basic bottom lines and principles; you can be ambitious, but you can't be truly incompetent.

This last point is the most important.

Food is the original sin.

Zhu Miaoyun indicated that she didn't care and was prepared to ask the guards for other information that interested her, but just as she stepped forward to start a conversation with them, a knock came from the courtyard gate.

The sudden knocking immediately silenced everyone in the courtyard. Zhu Miaoyun saw that the guards were all pulling out guns from their clothes. Most of their weapons were pistols, which looked like Browning military pistols. Only the man in the lead, who seemed to be the captain of the guard, was carrying a smaller pocket pistol.

Two guards, armed with guns, approached the door. The others quickly found cover in the yard and pulled Zhu Miaoyun inside to hide. After doing all this in just a few seconds, one of the guards at the door cautiously asked, "Who's outside?"

"I'm a doctor from the clinic next door. I'm here today to give the young master a follow-up check-up."

The guard was slightly taken aback, then asked, "Did you bring the things I asked you to bring?"

"Of course we prepared cinnabar and alum."

After the code was verified, the guards put their guns aside and carefully opened the door. The door opened only a crack, just wide enough for one person to pass through sideways. A rather thin and tall old man squeezed through the crack. The old man was wearing a silk garment, clearly made by a high-end tailor shop, much like a Western bespoke suit, which was quite expensive. Upon seeing the old man, the guards immediately lowered their guard, as they were obviously very familiar with him.

"Lord Qin, why did you come all this way in person?"

"Since the imperial family is passing through this place, how could I, Old Fu, not make a special trip to pay my respects?" Lord Qin cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards the sky. "It's just a pity that things happened so suddenly, and I can only arrange such a limited place for you all to stay."

Could this be the legendary royalist who brought his own provisions? Zhu Miaoyun looked at the old man through the window with some curiosity. She hadn't expected that the old man had also found her lodging here. He seemed to be a "loyal and virtuous person of the country." In the current situation, there weren't many people willing to help a former princess like herself. This Qin Zhaoming, who had served as the Minister of Revenue during the Ming Dynasty, was the most proactive and generous among them.

Seeing that the "crisis was over," Zhu Miaoyun took the initiative to come out of the house. However, before she could say a word to Lord Qin, the old man actually bowed down with tears in his eyes when he saw Zhu Miaoyun. This action startled Zhu Miaoyun.

After initially being taken aback, thinking that she was "exuding an aura of dominance that made passersby bow down," Zhu Miaoyun quickly realized that the old man's action was less about kneeling to her and more about the old man kneeling to the Ming Dynasty.

However, Zhu Miaoyun certainly couldn't let the old man kneel like that.

"Lord Qin, please rise!"

On the one hand, it's because this old man is now the de facto "top dog." Judging from the guard's expression, it seems that the old man has provided for all his expenses along the way, or at least he is one of the main providers.

There's no reason to make sponsors kneel down.

On the other hand, Zhu Miaoyun is not actually a princess of the previous dynasty. Compared to those empty aristocratic airs, Zhu Miaoyun cares about things that are more practical. A certain pig once taught her how to properly use her status. Sometimes your actions are not for the other person to see, but for others to see.

Zhu Miaoyun was actually putting on a show for the guards. Her safety along the way depended entirely on these guards. Her friendly attitude during their previous conversations had already won them over. The title of "Princess of the Ming Dynasty" might have been just a lofty "idol" to these guards before, but now Zhu Miaoyun was constantly adding elements to this empty "idol."

After helping Lord Qin up, Zhu Miaoyun led him into the main room to sit down and rest for a while. Since Wang Ma was not there and there were no other servants in the courtyard, the two guards clumsily served him tea.

"Your Highness has been wronged." The old man Qin once again expressed that the place where Zhu Miaoyun was staying was neglecting her: "Please bear with me for a few more days, Your Highness. I will find a way to send Your Highness to Champa as soon as possible. When you arrive there, there will be people waiting for Your Highness. They will find a way to send Your Highness to the King of Song."

Should it be sent to the King of Song?

These words gave Zhu Miaoyun a slight jolt. Having been in this world for several days, she had done her homework and figured out some basic things. Who was the Prince of Song? He was a descendant of the Prince of Zheng Song, one of the three great non-royal princes of the Southern Ming Dynasty. (Note: Historically, Zheng Chenggong was enfeoffed as the Prince of Chao, but I didn't think that sounded particularly good. Therefore, in this historical account, Zheng Chenggong was enfeoffed as the Prince of Song. However, some earlier details seem to have not been completely corrected. It's important to clarify here that the Prince of Song is Zheng Chenggong.)

So where is the Song King now? Naturally, he is in Yanping, which is Kalimantan Island. This land was formerly known as Borneo. After the Song King's lineage obtained overseas fiefdoms, this place was granted to the Zheng family as their fiefdom. Later, they used "Yanping," the title of Zheng Chenggong's former "Prince of Yanping," as the name of their fiefdom.

If the Prince of Jin's Mansion is the most influential non-royal prince on the mainland, then the Prince of Song's Mansion is the most influential non-royal prince at sea.

Moreover, Zhu Miaoyun seemed to have heard some rumors before. Even after the Yingtianfu Incident, when her adoptive father and the Prince of Lu, who was then serving as the Left Censor-in-Chief, died together, the Ming Dynasty was left with a mess that no one was willing to take responsibility for, resulting in no one becoming emperor and the eventual establishment of a provisional government. However, the Prince of Song overseas always maintained an attitude of "not recognizing any provisional government".

There can't be two suns in the sky; the Song Prince's Mansion only recognizes the Ming Dynasty as its sun.jpg!!

Bringing herself to the Song King's territory? Zhu Miaoyun wasn't some politically naive princess who had grown up in the deep palace. As an anomaly among girls, and as a beautiful young woman who, before her transmigration, could happily chat with everyone in a military otaku group where 99% of the members were male, Zhu Miaoyun knew all too well how power came about.

This isn't about having power because you're the emperor; it's about having the corresponding power before you become the emperor. This is the most fundamental difference in thinking and understanding between many male-oriented and female-oriented novels.

In female-oriented novels, hundreds of thousands of troops on the border obey only the general. However, if the emperor issues an edict to execute the general, the general has no choice but to obey. In male-oriented novels, the general would probably think, "Isn't it a bit too hasty to be granted the Nine Bestowments so soon after entering the capital?"

Similarly, regarding loyalty in relation to power, Zhu Miaoyun did not disbelieve that some people would offer their loyalty out of gratitude, ideals, or other emotions, just like Prime Minister Yu Zhaolie. She also believed that such emotions could be passed down and entrusted to a certain extent, just like Jiang Wei, who never met Liu Bei in his entire life, but was able to fight to the end for Liu Bei's former ideals.

But how many generations have passed since Zheng Chenggong's time at the Song Prince's Mansion? Is the "favor of the Ming Dynasty" as inexhaustible as the general's? While the Mu Prince's Mansion in another timeline has proven its loyalty through its actions, even after nearly 300 years, there has only ever been one Mu Prince's Mansion in the world.

Even more crucially, there's a war going on in Yanping right now! The Federation has already landed in Yanping, attempting to seize this large island brimming with spices and resources.

Although the Federation's offensive on the island seems to have slowed down since the landing, that place is undoubtedly a war zone. Federation warships have blockaded the waters in that area. How are we supposed to get there?

"Lord Qin, I have a question that I hope you can answer: Is it the King of Song who wants me to go to Yanping?"

"King Song is unaware of this matter." Qin Zhaoming replied frankly, bowing with his hands clasped. "This was all orchestrated by your humble servant. However, once Your Highness arrives in Yanping, everything will be alright. All my schemes are for the restoration of the Ming Dynasty from its slumber!"

"The darkness returns to light?" Zhu Miaoyun hesitated. She never expected that this old man seemed to want to take over Jiang Wei's role? And the King of Song didn't know? So you've been doing all this all by yourself?

But how do you plan to restore the Ming Dynasty from obscurity? Do you also plan to kill three virtuous men? At least Jiang Wei could still place his hopes on Liu Shan, but his own brother died in the Yingtianfu Incident just like his father, and Emperor Yongning did not leave behind a single living male descendant.

If you want to revive the Ming Dynasty, shouldn't you at least find someone from another member of the imperial family? Why are you looking for a princess like me? Do you want me to become empress?

Zhu Miaoyun even suddenly felt that her future had become somewhat bleak.

Wait a moment.........

Zhu Miaoyun suddenly realized that, compared to the male members of the royal family, she, as a princess, might be easier to control.

If I were to be placed on the throne of empress, wouldn't an empress also need a prince?

In fact, many of the political affairs of Queen Victoria in Victoria's history were handled by Prince Albert. So, when the Ming Dynasty was restored, would it also need such a prince?

So, this is your plan?

Seemingly noticing the doubt in Zhu Miaoyun's eyes, Qin Zhaoming smiled slightly and then took the initiative to explain to her: "Your Highness, we are now using the Song King as a tool to lay eggs for the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty has been in existence for over 500 years, experiencing many ups and downs. The reason it has been able to continue to this day is not because the Ming Dynasty is invincible, but because our Ming Dynasty is tough and resilient, and cannot be killed!"

Zhu Miaoyun thought to herself, "Your description of the Ming Dynasty as a 'stubborn scoundrel' is quite novel. However, if my cheap old man had heard you describe the Ming Dynasty like that a few years ago, you would probably be in big trouble."

"Your Highness, in fact, looking at the history books of ancient and modern times, there are very few powerful countries that are invincible. If you look at their history of rise to power, you will find that they all have a lot of defeats, and many of them have even suffered serious humiliation."

But the reason why power is power is because it can't be killed no matter how you fight it. You can defeat it, humiliate it, but it's still strong. It just won't die. Once it recovers, it can turn around and strike you down in a move that will leave you utterly defeated.

Zhu Miaoyun nodded slightly at Qin Zhaoming's words. No great power in the world has ever been without its defeats—the Han and Tang dynasties, Rome, Gaul, Persia, the Ottomans, and Britain—all have suffered numerous defeats and humiliations.

"What Lord Qin says is true. The Han Dynasty suffered the Siege of Baideng, engaged in marriage alliances, and repeatedly failed in its battles against the Xiongnu. The Tang Dynasty was even worse, with Chang'an falling six times and the emperor being moved nine times. In the West, Rome was conquered by the Gauls during the Republic period. Hannibal and Cimbri slaughtered the Romans, leaving them in mourning. The Gauls had almost as many defeats as victories, perhaps even more defeats. Under the Victorians, if it weren't for Joan of Arc, the Gallic kings wouldn't even have a place to succeed to the throne."

"Yes, Your Highness. Even in present-day Britain, from the Zulus to the Sikhs, from Afghanistan to North America, every opponent Britain has defeated has defeated Britain. But none of these powers can be easily defeated in a few blows. Even the Yuan Dynasty, after being driven out of the Central Plains by the Hongwu Emperor, still managed to survive on the northern grasslands, didn't it?"

Chapter Thirty-Five: Let the Ming Dynasty be buried with its final glory.

Although Zhu Miaoyun admitted that what the old man said made sense, she had some bad feelings for some reason.

“I admit you have a point, but most ordinary people are not interested in the history of the Tang Dynasty after the An Lushan Rebellion, nor are they interested in the history of the Northern Yuan, which abandoned Shuntian Prefecture and fled to the grasslands.”

Zhu Miaoyun's answer clearly surprised Qin Zhaoming, because he originally thought that when he spoke to the princess, she would understand the meaning behind his words.

When writing first came into existence, the preciousness of its mediums—whether parchment or bamboo slips—made it unaffordable for ordinary people. Therefore, both ancient Western writing and classical Chinese writing in the East were as concise as possible. However, overly concise writing can sometimes be somewhat abstract to read.

This led to a situation where, even after paper became widely available, both Eastern and Western nobles tended to speak in roundabout ways, as if only in this way could they distinguish themselves from commoners.

Moreover, nobles, especially royalty, are particularly concerned about their reputation, so they speak more tactfully, using metaphors and allusions whenever possible, rather than speaking bluntly.

Just like in history, before Emperor Yuan Shundi abandoned Shuntian Prefecture, some of his ministers suggested that he could learn from Yelü Dashi.

People who haven't studied history wouldn't know who Yelü Dashi was, let alone why they should study him. But this kind of tactful advice is actually just saying—if we can't beat them, we should just run away; it's not shameful.

Although Qin Zhaoming's words sounded passionate and inspiring, his message was actually quite clear: existence is everything, everything is for the sake of existence, and as long as they can find a way to hold onto power, they might be able to turn things around eventually.

That makes sense, but how can we keep the Ming dynasty's regime afloat right now?

Zhu Miaoyun didn't think she could rebuild an empire like Emperor Guangwu of Han or Emperor Longwu of Ming. She didn't have the ability or the idea. It was a joke. In her previous life, she joined the Party when she was in college. How could she possibly fight for the restoration of a feudal dynasty for the rest of her life?

Especially given the current situation, if we consider the restoration of the Ming Dynasty as a goal and work backwards to determine the necessary conditions for achieving it, then there are essentially a few options—

Alternatively, Li Zongdi might mess everything up during the war of resistance. The Prince of Jin's mansion, which now bears the expectations of so many people, will then have to bear the scorn of just as many. In that case, the banner of the Ming Dynasty might be able to be raised again.

Alternatively, one could become a puppet ruler, whether it was the puppet Qi dynasty during the Song dynasty or the puppet Manchukuo dynasty in another timeline. As long as one was shameless, the enemy would never mind supporting a puppet emperor.

But even a fool would know that the premise for either of these two routes to succeed is the same: the Prince of Jin's Mansion must lose the ongoing war of resistance.

This kind of behavior has a specific term in Chinese to describe it—traitor.

Zhu Miaoyun looked at the old man in front of her, who could be described as having the air of an immortal if he were in a fantasy film. He must have been a handsome man when he was young, and even now that he is old, he still looks handsome. Moreover, he is loyal to her and to the Ming Dynasty royal family. In traditional Chinese culture, there are indeed some people who would put such loyalty above the interests of the country and the nation.

Emotionally, Zhu Miaoyun told herself that this was part of feudal dregs, but in reality, when she was the target of such treatment, this thing that could not be called a sugar-coated bullet hit her, and she really couldn't completely hate this guy, especially since it seemed that her current food, clothing, housing and transportation were all supported and arranged by this old man.

So Zhu Miaoyun also learned from the old man's analogy and tried to express her meaning in a more tactful way.

However, it's quite obvious that the old man never expected that, as a princess of the former dynasty, she would oppose the other party's offer to help her restore her kingdom. Therefore, he might interpret this as Zhu Miaoyun only wanting to live a peaceful life and avoiding these political turmoil—which is understandable, since Zhu Yunwen disguised himself and fled, hiding his identity for the rest of his life, and there's no record of him going somewhere to raise a banner again to continue fighting his fourth uncle for the throne.

Qin Zhaoming felt that he had seen through Zhu Miaoyun's worries, and immediately added, "This old minister will not allow Your Highness to be in danger."

"Now that customs can't even send me to neutral countries in Southeast Asia, does Lord Qin have a way to send me to the King of Song?"

"Of course there is a way. After I retired, I achieved some success in business. The largest pharmaceutical factory in Songjiang Prefecture is owned by me. Since the Jin traitor launched the Yingtianfu Incident, we have now restored some of the sea transport to Yanping and Luzon. If the princess cannot go through customs, I can find a way to arrange for her to go with these gauze and medicines."

"Doesn't the Federal Navy control the seas?" Zhu Miaoyun was somewhat surprised to hear this. Moreover, she was very curious about how this old man could talk about the practical things that the Prince of Jin's Mansion had done since taking power without batting an eye, and at the same time call them thieves. It just sounded very dangerous. It felt like if 10 ships were sent out, it would be good if 3 of them arrived at the port.

"Ordinary civilian transport ships certainly can't handle such transport tasks, but fortunately, the main items being transported now are medical supplies, so we're using fast destroyers and stealthy submarines for transport." Qin Zhaoming didn't notice that Zhu Miaoyun's ability to blurt out "sea control," a rather professional term in this era, was actually a point of suspicion; he probably assumed Zhu Miaoyun had read it in the newspaper.

Zhu Miaoyun then asked several more questions. Qin Zhaoming was literally well-prepared, answering all her questions appropriately. This made Zhu Miaoyun feel increasingly uneasy. Many of the preparations involved could not have been completed overnight. In fact, it could be said that her every move and all her arrangements over the past period seemed to be part of the schemes of the political force led by this old man.

"Your Highness only needs to arrive in Yanping. This old minister has his own way of persuading the King of Song. Your Highness need not worry about anything else."

Zhu Miaoyun inexplicably thought of a guy surnamed Zhang from another time and space.

"King Song is currently at war with the Federation." Zhu Miaoyun gritted her teeth. Although she hadn't been in this world for long, she was quite clear about the current situation.

"When Your Highness and this old minister arrive in Yanping, it will naturally be the time for both sides to cease hostilities. This old minister is confident that we can turn hostility into friendship between the King of Song and the Federation." Qin Zhaoming appeared confident, which made him unaware that Zhu Miaoyun's expression was becoming increasingly grim.

"Why is Lord Qin so confident?" Zhu Miaoyun recalled the information she had read in the newspaper. If she remembered correctly, although Yanping was a fiefdom granted to the Prince of Song by the Ming Dynasty, it had been the country and region with the highest degree of constitutionalism in the entire East for decades.

The Song king's position in the country was similar to that of the British royal family in Britain. You can't say he had no influence, but many political and military matters were simply beyond the Song king's ability to decide alone.