Established a millennium family since King Wu defeated Zhou

Chapter 1000 Alliance
In the first year of the Yonghe reign, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty issued an order to start the Yonghe Reform, which broke the shackles of the land nobles on the Tang Dynasty and released the Tang Dynasty's tremendous strength.

Wherever the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty issued his decrees, there were certainly many opponents, but there were also many supporters. Especially the political reforms caused a great uproar in many border provinces. In these provinces where the land aristocracy was already weak, the new aristocracy launched the final settlement of the old aristocracy.

Of course, although it was called a liquidation, the Tang Dynasty was still an empire after all, and the old aristocracy still had room for maneuver. It was not like some countries outside the Tang Dynasty, where even the king was pushed to the guillotine.

Many things happened in this process. Some old nobles transformed in time. As long as they were willing to cooperate with the empire's reforms, there would be no problem in surviving and even maintaining a certain level of wealth.

Some of those who resisted stubbornly suffered the iron fist of the central government of the Tang Empire. Many of them had their families destroyed and many people took advantage of their misfortunes. Some nobles were only given empty titles, and their families fell into poverty in an instant.

The trend of family division also appeared at this time. The Tang Dynasty laws no longer had content like the extermination of three tribes. In the new era, with the process of urbanization, the soil for the existence of the patriarchal system was gradually disappearing, and even Luo Changqing did not need to promote it.

There is another piece of data that Luo Changqing is very concerned about. According to the data, in the provinces with large industrial areas, the fertility rate has declined extremely significantly. The decline is completely precipitous and is only a fraction of that in rural areas. This is a very noteworthy issue.

In the third year of Yonghe, the fighting on the battlefields of Asia and Europe was very fierce. Basically all the countries that could participate participated. The Tang Dynasty was still in the deep waters of reform and had to crack down on the power of the old aristocracy in the most stubborn and conservative areas.

This war between Asia and Europe can be said to have had an extremely huge impact. The monarchical state side called it a sacred war, while the new school side called it a civil rights war. The two sides, which were almost incompatible, fought on tens of millions of square kilometers of land, with hundreds of millions of people participating in it. At the beginning, it was just a traditional mode, but the war soon changed.

By the fifth year of the war, the situation had changed completely. Weapons of great destructive power had been invented, and the use of electricity and internal combustion engines had developed greatly.

The casualties on the battlefield seemed to increase in an instant. After the appearance of continuous machine guns, millions of people died on the battlefield. When the war reached this stage, the monarchy could not hold on any longer. When carloads of soldiers were sent to the battlefield by roaring trains, the mobilization capabilities of the industrial nation-state were fully demonstrated to everyone.

Ships were launched one after another, weapons rolled off the assembly line one by one, trains ran across the country and across the border, and countless supplies were transferred from all over the country and even from other countries.

The war became more and more fierce, and the new school regimes became more and more stable, while the monarchies became weaker and weaker. If they could not surrender, the princes and nobles would have wanted to surrender. If the war continued like this, regardless of the outcome of the war, the domestic pressure would explode directly, and the surging crowds would overwhelm them.

At this time, they could only turn their attention to the suzerain state of Tang Dynasty, hoping to seek help from Tang Dynasty, but what was even more desperate was that Tang Dynasty was at a critical moment.

Faced with this kind of war that requires mobilizing the entire country and placing it under military control, it is impossible to fight the war with just a small army. The Tang Dynasty must at least launch a general mobilization of the entire nation, but that is impossible.

Moreover.

Luo Changqing knows that he is walking on a tightrope. His reforms have offended and put the most conservative people to death, but this does not mean that those who are looking forward to reform will like him. Those people will only think that Luo Changqing's reforms are too conservative.

Conservatives think Luo Changqing is radical, and radicals think Luo Changqing is conservative. This is the reality he faces now.

After defeating the conservatives, Luo Changqing also has to prepare to defeat the radicals, and the radicals are much more difficult to deal with than the conservatives. Fundamentally speaking, although the conservatives are powerful, they are just a group of people who cling to the old ways.

These radicals are mainly industrial owners, a group of people who control advanced productive forces. We can only proceed slowly and tempt them with benefits, rather than force them into a desperate situation. As long as the benefits are appropriate, these people are inherently weak and will not really have the courage to confront the court.

As for using one's own life to pave the way for others, only those who truly have lofty ideals will do it, but these businessmen do not have such courage and vision. Luo Changqing is wary of these people and despises them.

As early as the sixth year of Yonghe, when fierce fighting was in full swing on the western battlefield, Luo Changqing had been always concerned about the news there. He was mainly concerned about how long the monarchy could last.

In the vast west of the Tang Dynasty, the victory of the war gradually tilted towards the coalition forces. After all, as the elite troops of Wang's army were almost completely lost, it felt like an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves. Wang's army, lacking the will to fight, was scattered at the first blow.

By the tenth year of Yonghe, the country on Wang's side had basically collapsed and was waiting to surrender. The Persian king even fled to the Tang Dynasty with his family. His country was in turmoil, and the new army blocked his way and wanted to send him to the guillotine. Seeing that the situation was not good, he had no choice but to escape.

In the vast area west of the Tang Dynasty, the allied countries won a decisive victory after paying a huge price through this protracted war. In the entire area west of the Tang Dynasty, including part of Central Asia, West Asia, Europe, and Yanzhou, the power of the New Party was greatly enhanced, and some of them had already seized power or were in the process of seizing power.

It can be said that the wars between large countries have basically ended, and what follows are wars within countries. It is called a civil war, but from the very beginning of the founding of Rome, it was assisted by a group of opposition parties in other countries. Later, some countries were established with the help of Rome. Naturally, this is also the case now. The new parties naturally borrow troops from foreign countries and hire soldiers to achieve their military goals.

After all, no one has forgotten that in the far east, that vast empire is undergoing a reform. Although there is a war going on, they are paying more attention to this reform of the Tang Dynasty than anyone else. The iron-blooded prime minister of the Tang Dynasty who made the harsh words is still alive. He is over eighty years old, but his spirit is still so vigorous.

As long as he lives, the words he said will always remind people of the threat of war.

……

On July 13, the tenth year of Yonghe, a light drizzle fell in Luoyang, dripping on the streets of Luoyang. If it were hundreds of years ago, it might have stirred up patches of mud, but now in Luoyang, under the power of machinery, even an alley has been paved with marble and bluestone slabs, as well as cement invented in previous years and asphalt invented in recent years.

After ten years of restructuring, the Tang Dynasty was much more prosperous than before. The more relaxed environment released a lot of vitality. This can be seen from the annual report of Luo's Money House. In the past ten years, the speed at which the industrial output value of the Tang Dynasty increased was quite amazing, especially the civilian light industry. The textile industry grew more than tenfold. This was because of the war and the only markets in the provinces within the Tang Dynasty.

The growth of the textile industry naturally led to the development of animal husbandry in Lingbei Province, and a large amount of land was converted back to planting cash crops such as cotton.

As the war in the Far West gradually came to an end, Luo Changqing knew that he could not wait any longer. If he waited any longer, the Far West would have to complete its post-war reconstruction. Never doubt an industrial country's post-war reconstruction capabilities. As long as the industrial population did not suffer major losses, a new country could be rebuilt from the ruins in a dozen years at most.

The Tianshou Palace was crowded with people.

Since the Yonghe Reform, every year the Emperor and the Prince of Luo would tell the world about the achievements of the previous year here. In the process of economic and political reform, countless people disappeared from here forever.

Many of the people standing here have become prominent in recent years because of their cooperation with the new policies. At this moment, they all bowed their heads and obeyed the two people at the top.

In the first few years of the reform, the situation was relatively difficult, but starting from the sixth year, the situation became better and better, the annual income of the Tang Dynasty treasury also became better and better, and with the Luo Bank, the de facto central bank, serving as the overall summary of the Tang Dynasty, the emperor gradually calmed down from his initial hesitation.

My Great Tang is now thriving. Those treacherous officials and rebels cannot threaten my status and that of the Great Tang.

After the president of Luo's Money Bank reported this year's annual report, the year-end summary of the officials in the palace came to an end.

The president of Luo's Money Bank is now an official of the third rank, but this official is not appointed by the court. Instead, he was recommended by Prince Luo and then appointed by the emperor. In fact, it is still a private bank of the royal family and the Luo family, but now because the responsibilities are too heavy and it has assumed the responsibilities of a central bank, it must be brought to the court.

In recent years, all businesses of Luo's Money House have grown significantly. Although the emperor does not understand the complicated finance, he at least knows that this represents the growing prosperity of the Tang Dynasty and the increase in treasury revenue. He is not blind.

After hearing this, the emperor said to everyone with emotion: "This is all the credit of Prince Luo. He has worked so hard. I really don't know what reward I should give him to be worthy of Prince Luo."

Luo Changqing bowed and said, "Your Majesty, there is no need to reward me with anything. This achievement is the credit of Your Majesty and your colleagues, and I dare not take credit for it.

Besides, the world is in turmoil right now, and it is not the time for our Tang Dynasty to sit back and enjoy the rewards. I have something to report to Your Majesty."

The emperor leaned forward and asked, "I don't know what it is, please tell me, Prince Luo."

When His Majesty and his ministers saw this scene, they thought to themselves that the emperor's acting today was a bit exaggerated, and he took them for fools. Everyone knew that the emperor and Prince Luo had basically discussed the matter in private, and at most called a few ministers and officials over to discuss it, but they would never discuss it at the grand court meeting.

Luo Changqing didn't care what the ministers thought. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the war in the Far West is about to stop. Most of our allies have been defeated, and most of the victors are unruly. If we don't eliminate them soon, all the vassal states will rebel. By that time, our Tang Dynasty will be gone."

When Luo Changqing mentioned the war in the Far West, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became a little stagnant. The countries in the Far West were very powerful. Although they were all small countries, as the saying goes, "many ants can kill an elephant", even small countries could not be ignored. Moreover, the Tang Dynasty had not achieved any success in its previous expedition against Rome.

However, thinking back on the changes over the past ten years, I can't help but feel more confident.

I am standing in front of you, you can see that I am a bit like before.

Countries of the five continents, your Tang Empire is back.

After hearing what Luo Changqing said, the emperor immediately asked in a deep voice: "Does King Luo think that now is the time? Please help me and the ministers to clear up the confusion."

Luo Changqing turned around and said to the ministers: "The Tang Dynasty reformed for ten years, and the countries fought for ten years. At the beginning, there were only seven or eight countries involved, and then more than twenty. Later, no country was spared. The worst was the eighth year of Yonghe. The merchant ships from Europe to Atlantis and other places were completely cut off. They used thousands of ships to fight at sea, and millions of land forces to fight on the ground. Tens of millions of square kilometers of land were turned into ruins.

This was when they were at their weakest. At this time, the Tang Dynasty's ships appeared along their coastline, and the Tang Dynasty's army arrived at their territory by train. The resistance they encountered was the least. If they delayed any further, they might have to face the recovered countries.

So the opportunity is now, and now is the time to deal with them. Most of the preparations have been made this year. In the past few years, the weapons manufacturing of our Tang Dynasty has also increased its power. Everything is ready. I think now is the time. And.

According to the Persian king, a large amount of oil has been excavated in the desert south of Persia. I believe you all know how important oil is after the invention of the internal combustion engine. Now such important oil has fallen into the hands of the enemy. If we cannot take it back, it will definitely fall into the hands of Rome. Then we will have to face a Rome with massive resources.

I believe that is not what you want to see."

During the past ten years, the light industry of the Tang Dynasty has developed extremely rapidly, and its heavy industry has also developed rapidly. During these ten years, the Tang Dynasty's Royal Fleet, South China Sea Fleet, Ocean-going Fleet, Sacred Fleet, and other reorganized fleets have launched many new ships. Each of those steel behemoths is more terrifying than the other. As for the number of other artillery pieces, it is calculated in tens of thousands. There are also countless ammunition that fill the gunpowder depots. These things are produced for the purpose of fighting.

In the era of steam engines, people had already tried to manufacture cars, but steam power was still not suitable for use in small machinery. But after the emergence of the internal combustion engine, people were no strangers to this more efficient and powerful power source. In the eyes of most people, it was a superior substitute for the steam engine.

The internal combustion engine could solve problems that the steam engine could not solve in the past. Therefore, once the internal combustion engine appeared, its application was so widespread and rapid that it surpassed the steam engine in a short period of time. Especially at this time, the Tang Dynasty was fully committed to industrializing those traditional agricultural areas. During industrialization, it naturally skipped the steam engine and directly used internal combustion engines and electricity.

Many of the formerly backward regions of the Tang Dynasty relied on this to leapfrog the traditional industrial areas and carry out a second round of industrialization.

The same is true in many European countries. In some aspects, the late-developing regions have made direct leaps forward because they have no old historical baggage.

After the emergence of the internal combustion engine, the importance of oil became completely highlighted. In fact, before the invention of the internal combustion engine, oil was already a strategic resource, just like rubber. But at that time, the demand for oil was not that great. It was mainly used to decompose and smelt some substances.

Now, new means of transportation and weapons all require the use of oil. For example, the new fleet of the Tang Dynasty, that piece of land with abundant oil, naturally cannot be abandoned.

Of course, there is one thing that is very fortunate, that is, the land is on the sea and there is a very good port there. Hundreds of ships of the Tang Dynasty can cross the ocean to occupy there.

"The Tang army will descend on that ancient land. Persia Province will be its new name. Your Majesty, please give the order. The men of the Tang have been waiting for too long."

The emperor stood up from his throne, looked around at everyone in the hall, and said slowly and loudly: "Send out the troops!"

With his loud shout, a new war began.

……

In the far west, the victorious nations had not had time to celebrate their victory or feel joy before they had received news via wireless telegram that the Tang Dynasty was planning to send troops.

The leaders of the countries that had gained power gathered again in the Senate in Rome to discuss the future.

"According to the information we have received from insiders over the years, the Tang Dynasty has already expanded its army by more than five million, and with the population of the Tang Dynasty, even if five million people die in battle, they can still mobilize another ten million.

The number of ships in the Tang Dynasty's fleet is said to have exceeded one thousand!
What a terrible army this is! Our land is now in ruins and our country has not recovered yet. We can't possibly be a match for the Tang Dynasty. We should find a way to make peace with the Tang Dynasty. If a war really breaks out, even if we unite, I'm afraid failure will be the only outcome."

The talks had just begun when someone poured cold water on the heads of the participants, and what they said was not nonsense but the truth.

The power of the two sides is completely unequal now. If they are given a few more years, relying on their industrial capabilities, they may be able to gather strength to fight against the Tang Dynasty.

As weapons become more powerful, the role that humans can play on the battlefield becomes smaller and smaller. Now the strategy of the Tang Dynasty is to directly use several times more firepower to kill the enemy directly on the front battlefield.

In fact, this was not just his idea. There were many people in the Senate who held this idea of ​​seeking peace. The weakness of the New Party was fully demonstrated at this time.

But since there are people who think this way, there are naturally people who have other ideas. Many people are unwilling to surrender. The reason is also very simple. "The chancellor of the empire is full of dissatisfaction and hostility towards the new learning. He is full of disdain for countries like us. How could he agree to our request for peace?
Moreover, our rise is the power to seize the royal power. How could the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty agree to the existence of us who are different from him?
Now we are talking about asking for peace, but what is the difference between this and surrender?

If the Emperor of Tang asks us to restore our king's ruling status, do we really want to do so? At that time, all of us will be hanged.

In this world, there has never been a good ending after surrendering. You must think carefully. If you must surrender, you must surrender in a dignified way. Now, you are simply handing over your life. "

What he said at the beginning was quite firm and passionate, but he felt a little short of breath towards the end, as his fear of the Tang Dynasty grew. Deep down, it was not that he was unwilling to surrender, but he wanted to fight for better conditions.

Some radical people were anxious when they saw this scene. "How can he be so spineless? Even if he is the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, he is still a king. We have already stood up. How can we kowtow to a secular king again?"

After hearing these words, many people in the Senate blushed and felt unwilling in their hearts. Yes, they finally stood up, is it so difficult to kneel down again now?
People are like this. Some things, such as equality, are so comfortable that once you get them, you never want to lose them. If someone deprives you of them, even if you have to obey out of fear, the unwillingness and resentment in your heart will make you extremely painful and want to overthrow its existence.

"But if we don't surrender, we won't be able to keep our current achievements. Does General Li have a way to defeat the Tang army?"

The tone of this sentence was quite deep, expressing the thoughts of many people, that they had to do this because they had no other choice. If there was a way to have a fair fight with the Tang Dynasty, they would not be so cowardly as they are now.

"An ancient sage once said that only by seeking peace through struggle can we achieve true peace. If we seek peace through compromise, there will be no true peace."

A figure with black hair and black eyes stood up. He was about 40 years old, thin as iron, with a firm gaze. He said in a deep voice: "We must fight with the Tang Dynasty. Even if we cannot win, we must let the Tang Dynasty see our determination to perish together with us. Only in this way can we obtain favorable conditions in possible future peace talks."

Someone heard this and asked in doubt: "But King Luo will not give in so easily."

"You all still don't know enough about the Tang Dynasty. First of all, the final decision maker of the Tang Dynasty is not just Prince Luo Changqing. Although the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty doesn't talk much, he is the real master of the empire. His words still carry a lot of weight. If he thinks that a ceasefire is possible, the war must also be stopped. He does not have the iron will of Prince Luo Changqing.

Secondly, in history, successful peace negotiations depended only on whether the bottom line of both parties could be reached. What was the bottom line of the Tang Dynasty? Now it seems that it was to conquer the Tang Dynasty’s homeland.

The banner raised by the Tang Dynasty's army this time is to suppress the rebellion. In other words, in the eyes of the Tang Dynasty court, we are rebelling and disobeying the orders of the Tang Empire. Since ancient times, wherever there has been rebellion, there has been appeasement.

If we are willing to submit to the Tang Dynasty again, even in the form of a vassal state, we will be able to take a certain initiative in the negotiations with the Tang Dynasty, and the rest will be discussed when the time comes.

But the premise of everything is that we must withstand the attack of the Tang Empire on the battlefield and must not be defeated at the first contact, otherwise the Tang Empire will no longer listen to any of our words. "

What can the losers say? Just accept the sanctions. Don’t even think about getting at the negotiating table what you can’t get in war. This is the truth of the world.

There was a lot of discussion in the Senate. Even the most radical people were extremely pessimistic about the war with the Tang Dynasty. Seeing that the situation was too pessimistic, someone finally said with emotion: "Although the Tang Dynasty is strong, it has come from afar. We are not without the ability to fight. We may not be able to go out on the sea for the time being, but the army will not necessarily lose. After all, this is our territory.

As long as our propaganda is in place, we can portray the Tang Dynasty as an old aristocracy attempting a restoration. At that time, the people will naturally be on our side. With the support of the people, the Tang Dynasty will pay a bloody price.

The Tang Dynasty underwent a reform, which certainly greatly enhanced its strength, but the reduction in the power of the old nobles meant that the power to protect the royal family weakened. If the Tang Dynasty really suffered serious losses here, there might be big problems in the country.

We may be able to unite and completely smash the Tang Dynasty, the largest monarchy in the world!"

The last five words brought complete silence to the Senate. They shattered the Tang Dynasty. It was too crazy and too terrifying.

Even the Roman consul did not think that this goal could be achieved. All he wanted was to avoid being influenced by the Tang Dynasty and allow Rome to develop quietly in the far west, and then move forward step by step.

When everyone looked closely, they found that it was indeed a new party from within the Tang Dynasty. Only people from the Tang Dynasty could have such ambitions.

The speaker seemed to not see the gazes of others, and spoke again loudly and passionately: "Nothing is impossible in this world. He who seeks the best will achieve the best. Let us unite and form a new party alliance to smash the last monarchy of the Tang Dynasty and completely wipe out the bloodline inheritance from this world. In this world, no one is born noble."

It is such a lofty ambition to wipe out the bloodline inheritance, a product with a long history, from the world. This is also the unremitting pursuit of many party members.

----

In the autumn of the tenth year of Yonghe, an unprecedentedly large military group was established in the western part of the world under the military pressure of the Tang Dynasty. Almost all the countries that participated in the opposition to the monarchy joined it. They united for only one purpose, which was to resist the upcoming army of the Tang Empire. This event, known in history as the "Anti-Tang Alliance" and the "First Anti-Tang War", broke out between this military alliance and the Tang Dynasty. ——"The Rise and Fall of the Tang Empire"

(End of this chapter)