Iron Dynasty Chapter 1106

“Shut up! You have no discipline. What kind of occasion is this? Is this a place for you to act so recklessly? You are grounded for half a month from now on. If you break the rule, you’ll see what I do to you!”

Xiao Ming said sternly to Xiao Tong.

This Xiao Tong was his son with Cui Xue’er. Unlike the gentle and refined Xiao Yi, Xiao Tong had a bold and reckless personality.

And Xiao Qian was the son of Luoluo, and his personality was very similar to his mother’s. He was always timid and indecisive and had beco Xiao Tong’s sidekick.

“Half a month is too long. I beg Imperial Father to be rciful.” Xiao Tong said, a bitter expression on his face.

“One month!”

Xiao Ming’s face was cold. When he was at this age in modern tis, he was a top student, so he couldn’t stand Xiao Tong’s arrogant personality. Therefore, he was also stricter with Xiao Tong.

Xiao Tong imdiately said, “Your son was wrong. Please make it half a month, Imperial Father. Your son will never do it again.”

“Then why are you still standing there? Go back and read your books and reflect on your actions!” Xiao Ming glared at Xiao Tong.

Xiao Tong felt as if he had been granted a great pardon. He and Xiao Qian imdiately ran away.

Xiao Ming shook his head as he watched their backs.

Ti flew by. In the midst of campaigns in the east and west, he had unknowingly been in this world for eighteen or nineteen years.

The passing of ti could be seen just from his children.

But even though ti did not wait for anyone, his life during these years was fulfilling. In almost two decades, a weak country beca a world-class empire in his hands. He was already very content.

Now, his remaining wish was to let the Chinese Empire continue to flourish and to have the people of the Empire migrate to the colonies, making them the most widely distributed people in the world.

Of course, if he could truly achieve eternal life, the technology crystals could help him take the world further on the path of technology, and even allow humanity to escape their aningless struggles on Earth and venture into space.

But all of this was unknown. What the future held, he could only submit to fate’s arrangents.

After thinking to himself for a while, Xiao Ming returned to the Imperial Study to rest. He did not go to the inner palace because Fei Yuer and the others were not there either.

As he instilled more and more knowledge into Fei Yuer, the already intelligent Fei Yuer was no longer content with just handling trivial matters in the inner palace all day long.

In addition to participating in the establishnt of the Empire’s Girls’ Academy, Fei Yuer and Cui Xue’er were now also organizing propaganda to raise the status of won in the Empire, so that more people would let go of the old idea that a woman’s lack of talent was a virtue, and allow more girls to read and go to school.

As a man, Xiao Ming naturally liked won who were virtuous and good homakers, but as an emperor, he was very clear that the status of won in the Empire had to be raised.

It was not that he was being overly compassionate, but that the Empire now needed everyone to participate in the construction of the Empire. The experience of modern society proved that allowing won to engage in scientific research and work was beneficial to national developnt.

Having all won stay at ho and raise children, never leaving the house, was an extrely wasteful act.

One only had to look at the female workers in the Qingzhou textile factory to see the value they were creating.

As for Ziwan and Luoluo, they were also as busy as ever. They were focused on the Empire’s cultural system.

They were making brilliant contributions in areas such as plays, poetry, and music.

He was too lazy to interfere with the four of them’s way of life. After all, their relationship had already changed from an infatuated young couple to an old married couple.

In terms of their relationship, they were husband and wife, and also family. He was very happy to help them more.

Thinking of this, he smiled, and then began to draft the treaties with the various countries. These treaties were the goals he hoped to achieve this ti.

In the afternoon, Pang Yukun, who slled of alcohol, arrived at the Imperial Study.

The luncheon at noon was not without effect. He still managed to get so useful information from the envoys.

“Your Majesty, Europe is very scared of us now and is showing signs of uniting. If Europe no longer has internal conflicts and instead unites, it will be a big problem for us. The total population of Europe is not less than ours,” Pang Yukun said. This was the news he had gotten from the envoys.

Xiao Ming asked, “Is there any other news?”

“Queen Victoria of Britain is preparing to choose the youngest son of the King of Prussia as her husband, and she is also preparing to help Prussia unify the German Confederation. Your Majesty, I am afraid that Prussia’s relationship with us will also beco unstable.”

Xiao Ming stopped writing and laughed. “This Queen Victoria is quite bold. For the sake of Britain, she is willing to use her own marriage as a political tool.”

Pang Yukun sneered, “In this old servant’s opinion, it would be better for her to marry Your Majesty as a concubine than to marry that Prussian prince.”

“What a good idea!” Xiao Ming and Pang Yukun shared a knowing smile.

But the two of them quickly regained their serious expressions. This was, of course, a joke. Even if Victoria were willing, he would not be.

A strong woman like that would be a British version of Empress Wu Zetian if she were to be with him. He did not want to lose his life.

Moreover, Britain would not agree either, because the Queen of England never married an outsider.

“All of this is not good news for the Empire. We must slow down our pace. I believe that this ti, we should draw a line for the spheres of influence and make peace, and find a way to make Europe continue to fall into chaos.” Xiao Ming said.

Although he now had his own ironclad fleet, the Empire’s ability to control the shipping lanes of the oceans was still not enough to launch an attack on Europe.

It took him more than forty thousand soldiers to conquer a single Southeast Asia, and he had to mobilize thousands of ships, in addition to his warships, to transport soldiers, ammunition, weapons, and food.

If he were to attack Europe, it would require at least three hundred thousand troops, and the logistics for such a large-scale army would be terrifying.

Once the Empire got bogged down in a war in Europe, the Empire’s economy would very likely go bankrupt.

And even if he occupied Europe, the Empire would not be able to rule Europe in the sa way it ruled the feudal countries in Southeast Asia.

After all, the Europeans already had a national consciousness. They would not submit to the Empire’s rule, and resistance forces would constantly appear.

The most important thing was that the difference in skin color would not allow the Europeans to have a cultural identity with the Empire, which ant that Europe could not be integrated into the Empire’s managent system. Once a problem arose in the Empire, they would imdiately break free from the Empire’s control.

It was because he had thought all this through that his goal for this negotiation was very clear: to continue accumulating wealth for the Empire and to raise the standard of living of the Empire’s people.

And at the sa ti, he could not allow Europe to unite so easily. So no matter what, he could not use an indiscriminate thod.

His most desired mode was to watch others fight while he sold them weapons.