Chapter 3352 Chapter 3354 [Civilization Regression]

The so-called three mutual laws: firstly, one cannot serve as an official in his native place; secondly, he cannot serve as an official in his father-in-law's hometown; thirdly, officials from two places are not allowed to serve as officials in their respective hometowns at the same time.

 As dynasties changed, this system became more stringent.

 By the time of Kangxi, the two places were less than 500 miles apart, so neither was allowed, not even the place of ancestral home. Even if it has been more than ten generations since they migrated and they have no contact with their ancestral home, they are still not allowed.

 In this way, officials will be prevented from colluding with local governments and forming an intricate and complex force.

 The entire area of ​​Europe is only more than 10 million square kilometers, which is actually about the same size as China. Those countries, such as England, France, Germany, etc., sound very powerful, but in fact, their area is only equivalent to a province in China.

Since the entire Qing Dynasty in Xiangnan was governed, governing Europe was naturally not a big problem.

He immediately began to "burn books and entrap Confucians" and "suppress ideas." All books describing democracy, progress, science, and freedom were confiscated and burned. Only the Bible and the calendar were allowed to be kept at home.

 Universities and secondary schools were disbanded, and only church schools were allowed to remain, allowing students to study theology. All progressive people were massacred and exiled, and a large number of scientists were sent to China to continue their research.

 The entire European civilization suffered a sharp decline under such a blow, and even seemed to return to the dark ages of the Middle Ages.

 But this cannot be blamed on Xiang Nan’s cruelty, because this is what many countries are doing.

 Even the modern United States keeps claiming "freedom of speech" and "democracy and equality," but in fact everyone can see the true face.

Not only do they not have "freedom of speech" and "democratic equality", they also use public opinion to suppress people's thoughts, and even use legal, force and other means.

For example, during the McCarthyism after World War II, more than two million books were banned and burned, and countless progressives were monitored, imprisoned, suppressed, and persecuted...

Another example is the rise of "political correctness" in recent years. Even The Little Mermaid and Snow White have to be played by people of color. Anyone who dares to protest is considered racist...

 So it’s not that Xiang Nan is cruel, but that this kind of thing is a common practice.

 While civilization seems strong, it is actually very fragile.

For example, when Mongolia dominated the world, the weapons it used were quite advanced, such as return cannons, muskets, recurve bows, etc., which were very advanced in the world.

 But after the Yuan Dynasty fell and was driven back to the grasslands, they could not even make an iron pot for cooking meat. And it only lasted a few decades.

 It can be seen that it is not difficult to make a civilization regress.

 …

Of course, if Xiang Nan does this, he will definitely attract a lot of opposition.

 After all, it has been four hundred years since the Renaissance in Europe in the fourteenth century. The people of various European countries have generally awakened and begun to pursue individuality, freedom, independence, and democracy. Now if they are asked to tame them again, they will naturally refuse.

 So Xiang Nan divided it and first encouraged the people to liquidate the old landowners, nobles and kings. These people are used to being domineering and domineering. Anyone who has no black spots on his body can be said to have been hated by the people for a long time.

 And liquidating them will be conducive to Xiang Nande's rule. After all, the landowners, officials, nobles, and kings were all vested interests. After he was overthrown, they were also the group of people who most wanted to restore the country. After they were all eliminated, no one would want to restore the country.

 Second, it can also win the favor of the people. After all, what the people hate most are corrupt officials, local tyrants and evil gentry, as well as the nobles and kings who dominate them. The three sciences, technology and civilization are created by those who have money and leisure. For example, Copernicus, who proposed the "heliocentric theory", had a father who was a parliamentarian and an uncle who was an archbishop; Newton's stepfather was a local priest; Kepler's grandfather was the local mayor... After these people were liquidated, European science, technology, and civilization were enlightened. level will be significantly reduced.

Through liquidation, a large number of old landowners, nobles, officials, and kings were guillotined. Their fields, manors, workshops, factories, etc. were looted by the angry people.

 This has caused great damage to production relations. Because the people are blind, they seem to have punished those gentlemen, but they have also destroyed industrial and agricultural production.

Fields, manors, workshops, and factories have all been destroyed, and they may not even be able to eat. After all, they only destroy, not build, they are just a bunch of chaos.

With the destruction of industrial and agricultural production, the prices of daily necessities such as food, vegetables, meat, cloth, and salt began to rise, making it difficult for many people to survive.

 At this time, Xiang Nan again targeted the merchants, saying that they were hoarding goods and raising prices, making the people's livelihood difficult.

 As a result, the merchant class and even small craftsmen were affected. Those who opened shops, workshops, factories, banks...both wealthy businessmen and small shopkeepers were all in bad luck.

 People began to buy goods for zero yuan one after another, and social order was further disrupted.

 But through the struggle, the people not only vented their grievances, but also got free spoils of war. Naturally, they supported Xiang Nan.

 But at this time, there were no fields, manors, workshops, or factories, and most of the industrial and agricultural production had stopped. Without merchants, trade has come to a standstill, making people's lives even more difficult.

 After that, those wealthy households and middle-class families also became the targets of the struggle.

 After all, it is not about scarcity but about inequality. When one's own family has a cold stove and lack of clothes and clothes, but other people have a hot meal and clothes to wear, this is something to be envied.

At the end of the struggle, the people at the bottom will be divided into radicals and conservatives. After one party defeats the other, it will split itself into radicals and more radicals, and conservatives and more conservatives will also dislike each other and will continue to fight.

 …

By the twenty-eighth year of Qianlong's reign, the population of Europe was originally about 130 million. After constant hardships, the remaining population was less than 60 million, and most of them were poor, sick, and suffering from cold and cold.

Not only has science and technology regressed significantly, but also the progress of civilization has greatly regressed. Even the standard of living has dropped a lot, and it is even more miserable than in the Middle Ages.

 At this time, the railway across Europe was officially opened. The reason is very simple. At the end of the struggle, all industries are in ruins. Only by joining the army and building railways can we have a hot meal.

Therefore, according to incomplete statistics, more than four million people participated in the construction of this railway, and because there were so many people who wanted to participate in the construction, the wages have dropped to an incredible level.

 So the cost of this railway is far lower than Xiang Nan’s estimate. Xiang Nan originally believed that at least 200 million taels of silver would be needed to build this railway, but in the end only 100 million taels were used, at a 50% discount.

 The most important thing is that Xiang Nan did not come up with the 100 million taels.

 After all, when various countries liquidated landowners, officials, nobles, kings, businessmen, and wealthy households, they liquidated a lot of assets, totaling more than one billion taels of silver.

 It is more than enough to pay for the railway.

 (End of this chapter)