Iron Dynasty Chapter 1023

The crimson sunset bathed the realms of Qingzhou in a bloody glow, draping all things in a scarlet veil.

After a momentary hush in the Imperial Study, Fei Ji voiced his worry, “If that’s the case, what should Gubat do? Your humble official believes that he will not accept this condition.”

“He doesn’t need to accept this condition in the first place, because I still need him to manage the grassland,” Xiao Ming replied steadily. “This government decree is only aimed at the barbarian captives going to Siberia and Australia, after all, I do not want the land I have painstakingly conquered to become a place for them to multiply. As for Gubat, no matter how much he causes trouble, a broken tribe cannot stir up any storms. The era of cavalry is, after all, over.”

Fei Ji and Pang Yukun suddenly comprehended. They declared together, “Your Majesty is wise.”

A faint smile crossed Xiao Ming’s face as he said, “The calamity on the grassland has been eliminated, but this does not mean that the northern threat has been removed. On the contrary, we will face an even more powerful enemy—Tsarist Russia. The conflict between the Empire and Tsarist Russia will be unavoidable in the future.”

Pang Yukun was now slowly grasping Xiao Ming’s line of thought. He remarked, “So Your Majesty is keeping Gubat to prevent Tsarist Russia from seizing the power vacuum left after the demise of the barbarians.”

“Precisely. The Cossack cavalry that Qi Guangyi annihilated this time is enough to illustrate the problem. But even so, I am afraid that some of the remaining barbarian forces have already been taken over by Tsarist Russia.”

As he spoke, Xiao Ming approached the world map and circled the region between the west of Tian Shan and the Caspian Sea. This territory marked the future Kazakhstan, consistently falling under Russia’s influence in this age, owing to its proximity to Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Be it the old Muscovy or its later successors, they all viewed this as their ancestral domain.

Based on reports from the secret guards, following Dolgor’s surrender, Tsarist Russia assumed control of this area, acting on behalf of the Golden Tent Khanate to govern the nations of the Western Regions there.

“Is Your Majesty preparing to contend with Tsarist Russia for this place?” Fei Ji caught on.

With a subtle nod, Xiao Ming affirmed, “This place is a necessary path for the Silk Road. Now that it is occupied by Tsarist Russia, it means they have cut off our land trade route to Europe. I will not allow my neck to be choked by others.”

Pang Yukun knitted his brows. He stated, “But this place is too far from Qingzhou. Even if we defeat the Tsarist Russian army on this land, it will be difficult for us to control it. And Your Majesty has said that to completely control a piece of land, a large number of immigrants are needed to multiply.”

“Moreover, after the emigration to Guandong, Siberia, and Ryukyu, seven million people have already moved out of the country. According to Your Majesty’s plan, we will also have to immigrate to Australia and North America. In this way, the population within the Empire will only decrease, and the resulting population shortage will seriously affect the development of industry and commerce,” Fei Ji added in agreement.

“Elder Fei’s grasp of the population dividend is sharpening more and more. That’s right. With the expansion of the Empire’s industrial scale and the increase in types of industries, a sufficient population is needed to achieve a complete industrial system, otherwise, the Empire will not be able to break through the all-encompassing bottleneck,” Xiao Ming noted.

In truth, he had long placed great emphasis on the population matter. This explained his issuance of decrees to boost births. Yet, population growth couldn’t surge dramatically overnight. Given the Empire’s current base of eighty to ninety million people, estimates suggested a maximum increase of twenty million over ten years.

But even thus, the Empire’s populace remained the world’s largest at present. Fei Ji’s worry was valid, though somewhat superfluous, since he intended no hasty overreach.

The migration of so many to Guandong aimed to broaden the Empire’s Asian territories and secure firm hold, as Tsarist Russia’s menace loomed close. Failure to claim it would leave it to them. This concerned sovereignty.

Yet, matters in Australia, North America, and Southeast Asia differed. He lacked pressing need to compel citizens’ relocation for settlement there, seeking instead economic gains. The military could subdue local natives while economic incentives drew people to migrate and root.

Thus, over mere decades of breeding, those arriving for fresh starts would build a substantial populace, slowly leveraging numerical superiority to truly claim these lands.

With this in mind, he shared his ideas with the pair.

Fei Ji and Pang Yukun nodded in unison. Pang Yukun commented, “So Your Majesty has had a plan all along. That’s excellent.”

“The most important issue for the Empire now is the development of industry and commerce. I will not destroy my own foundation. Now that the barbarians are gone, the imminent threat is no more. Although Tsarist Russia is eyeing us covetously, they cannot cross the Empire’s defense line. Therefore, I have now created an unprecedentedly stable environment for you. Your cabinet must seize this opportunity and fully build the Empire’s industrial system.”

With those words, Xiao Ming lifted a hefty document from the desk. This outlined the Empire’s development strategy, compiled by Yang Chengye and finalized under his approval.

Within this strategy, he prioritized a lineup of key construction projects. For energy, he greenlit thermal power plants across prefectures, a vast coal enterprise in coal-abundant Chang’an City, and an oil extraction initiative.

For transportation, he sanctioned bridge, railway, and road builds nationwide in every prefecture and county. For industry, resource-laden zones would host heavy industrial areas, while coasts emphasized light manufacturing.

Additionally, for education, he endorsed founding premier academies in Jinling, Chang’an, Jinzhou, Bozhou, Lin’an, Songjiang, Suzhou, and more, stressing the spread of scientific and technological learning.

For shipbuilding, beyond existing Dengzhou and Jinling yards, he approved thirty new major shipyards, such as those in Bisha City, Songjiang, Lin’an, and Guangzhou.

All these were government-operated, equipped to craft warships and merchant vessels alike. Post-grassland threats, the Empire would pivot seaward energies, prompting Xiao Ming’s special focus on the yards this round.

Pang Yukun accepted the development plan. One look revealed the immense workload awaiting him ahead.

State matters discussed, the duo prepared to depart. Then, Qian Dafu entered from the adjacent hall, presenting a battle report to Xiao Ming.

“Your Majesty, Luo Xin, the commander of the Southwest Army, has reported that their hunter cavalry outside Songzhou City discovered a sudden northward movement of Tibetan cavalry,” Qian Dafu announced.

“Tibet?” Xiao Ming’s brow furrowed deeply. The barbarians had only just fallen, yet Tibet now posed a fresh danger. Still, their direct northward push, bypassing Songzhou assault, screamed intent.

He hadn’t foreseen Tibet rushing to pilfer his victory’s spoils before Tsarist Russia even stirred.