Chapter 72 of Part II

  After nearly seven months of war, the actual fighting time was only a little over a month, with the successive extinction of several Cossack tribes and the siege of Prince Alexander. The battle had lost all its significance at this point, and more than a month of fighting had resulted in a massive migration of people that lasted almost half a year. Now, on a small land area of just over 100 million square kilometers, there were more than 900 million people, with the population of each noble's fiefdom mixed together, causing Alexei to be annoyed by these nobles' chatter, and his ears were almost itchy.

  In November, the weather in Moscow was wrapped in white coats both inside and outside the city. There were no people walking on the streets anymore. Various luxurious carriages were hurrying along a black line on the road, leaving behind a series of new black tracks on the snowy road. A head with a fox-fur hat stuck out from the carriage window and said to the servant in front: "Hurry up, His Majesty has summoned us. We can't be late."

  Next to it, a carriage overtook and went ahead, from which the same head stuck out, saying in a mocking tone to the still slowly running carriage: "Duke, my dear little Duke Alexander. I didn't think your father, my old partner, would commit suicide. Alas, what a pity." And then gloated: "I thought so, based on my understanding of your father, my old buddy, he must have died of shame. I'm sure. Oh no, no. I can swear to God!"

  Alexander Omontovsky looked at Prince Peter with a gaze that could kill, and said angrily: "Peter, you coward, I do not allow you to slander my father, I will duel with you."

  "Ah, my dear nephew Alexander, this is not right of you. How can you be so impolite to your elders? Fortunately, I, Peter, am a magnanimous person and will let it pass this time. We'll see each other at the palace later." With that, he instructed the coachman a few words and the carriage drove off.

  Russia, inside the Kremlin.

  "Aleksey's thunderous voice filled the entire hall: 'You fools, you've lost all the prestige of our empire! Look at it, how much of the vast territory of the empire is left. Just this pitiful Europe, and just a tiny bit of it.'"

  The nobles stood silently below. Alexei looked at Peter and said in a low voice, "Peter, our Minister of Defense for the Empire, tell me your opinion. Don't tell me you were just praying in church and didn't know anything."

  Peter stood up, looked at Alexander's unkind face and said: "Oh no, Your Majesty, you know that my Peter family is particularly loyal to the empire, and we are always diligent in dealing with imperial affairs. I think this failure is mainly due to the mistake of old Duke Alexander."

  He glanced at Alexei's eyes and then looked at the nobles beside him. He continued, "Oh, no, everyone can't misunderstand my impartiality, I'm just talking about it. I can swear in the name of the Emperor that I am a good friend with Old Alexander." He made a serious face. And then he said, "You see, Old Alexander actually sold himself to China and helped the Chinese move our imperial citizens to Europe, causing everyone so much trouble. I think His Majesty should have heard the complaints from below as well."

  Having said that, he turned around and glanced at the nobles who deeply agreed with his words, then turned to Alexei and bowed: "Think about it, these plebeians have brought us so much trouble on their own soil. What would it be like in the occupied area of China? That's just a nail stuck in the heart of China, I think even if we don't attack the Chinese, they will withdraw voluntarily. But all this was ruined by our respected Alexander Duke who sacrificed his life for the country. So, I believe that this time is entirely the responsibility of Duke Alexander."

  Young Alexander stood up and said to Alexei: "Your Majesty, I have something to say. I think war is not the responsibility of one person. If we must find someone in the country to take this responsibility, then I can only say that my father, the respected old Duke Alexander, is the most suitable person to bear this responsibility."

  He glared at Peter and said, "Your Majesty, I implore you in the honor of the House of Romanov to let me go on a mission to European countries. I will make sure that the Chinese become the enemies of the world."

  Alexei looked at Peter, then at Alexander's resolute eyes and said: "Alright, Alexander. I agree to your request. I authorize you to be an envoy to various European countries. We will wait for your good news."

  Beijing

  Zhou Lun and Xu Jin stood at the outermost edge of Beijing City, occasionally looking forward.

  Xu Jin turned his head and said to Zhou Lun beside him: "Ah Lun, didn't you say it would arrive a little while ago? Why hasn't it arrived yet?"

  Zhou Lun also glanced at his watch and raised his head: "It should be time, shouldn't it? Maybe these tribal chiefs are lingering because they've seen something novel."

  Several officers with binoculars nearby shouted: "Here they come, here they come, it's General Zhang Zhitao himself who brought them. Their clothes are so strange."

  Under the efforts of Zhang Zhitao and Zeng Yu Shu, the chiefs of thirteen Native American tribes in North America each occupied a piece of land, leaving no room for Europeans to move. At the same time, after nearly a year of study, everyone could speak some Chinese. Finally, under the efforts of Zeng Yu Shu and Saga?Yaluo, these elderly chiefs who had never wanted to leave their own land were persuaded by their sons and daughters to agree to visit friendly China.

  Thirteen chiefs, led by the father of Sagal, Old Sagal, who was also the chief of the largest tribe, performed the highest honor that an Indian tribe could bestow upon their guests, for Chow Lun and Hsu. After a long harangue from Sagal's father, Hsu looked at Chang Chih-tao's expression, and Chang Chih-tao looked at Sagal.

  "Honorable parents of the Chinese Empire, I, Federick Yazzie, on behalf of the thirteen Navajo Nation Council Delegates, extend our heartfelt gratitude for your sincere invitation. I believe that our friendship will last forever."

  Xu Jin listened to Saga's translation and said with a look of sudden realization: "Thank you, we also hope and eagerly await your arrival. Of course, our friendship will last for generations as you wish. Our Emperor is waiting for you and your friends in his palace, just like the chief of your tribe. I'll take you there first."

  The Indian chiefs had the greatest joy in Beijing, many of whom had never seen or seen things before, and they were very happy to play in Beijing. At the same time, the Minister of Imperial Commerce also signed a cooperation agreement with each chief to develop North America. The agreement stipulates that the entire North American region is divided equally between our Chinese Empire and 13 Indian tribes, with all mineral resources on Indian tribal land being uniformly developed and managed by the Chinese Empire in exchange for 300 tons of flour per year. At the same time, the Indian tribe exchanged gold for weapons. Both China and the Indians have an obligation to maintain peace and stability in the region and must respond consistently to external aggression.

  At the same time, the Minister of National Defense also signed a large military contract with Old Asia. The empire helps Indians train troops and provides weapons. It is also responsible for providing the navy and air force throughout North America. Military expenses are borne by the Chinese Empire and Indians together.

  The Minister of Education also signed an educational agreement with them, and the Ministry of Education was responsible for educating Indian tribes to establish schools, hospitals and other facilities. At the same time, teachers were dispatched, and later Indians had to learn Chinese as compensation for their investment in the empire. Meanwhile, the empire, as a return to the Indians, would have the Minister of Education personally recommend thirteen chiefs' eighty children to enter the Imperial Music Academy, Royal Medical College, Royal Political College, Royal Army Military Academy, Royal Naval Officer University, and Royal Army University.

  After all the ministers and Indian tribal leaders signed various agreements and cooperative projects, without waiting for these ministers to rest, came the annual Congressional Report Meeting.

  The parliamentary report meeting is an annual conference that started last year, usually held in November or December. The ministers of each department represent their respective industries to make annual performance reports and assessments, the Prime Minister makes a summary of all imperial affairs including government and military affairs, and His Imperial Majesty sits on one side to listen to the reports and assessments. There are 179 members of the Upper House of Parliament and 358 members of the Lower House of Parliament. Currently, there are 44 provinces in the empire, each with three seats in the Upper House and six seats in the Lower House. The capital has an additional three seats in the Upper House and six seats in the Lower House. Other seats are held by military personnel and religious figures. Due to last year's parliamentary report being disrupted by Song Yingxing, all reports were postponed until this year.

  This year's annual report was held in the newly established Imperial Parliament, which stands about one kilometer outside the Forbidden City. The building covers an area of over 40 mu. The entire architecture is mainly in the ancient oriental style. The building uses modern construction technology, with a steel-reinforced concrete structure that outlines the overall shape. The exterior of the parliament has four pillars with diameters reaching 1.5 meters, on top of which are four gilded flying dragons, symbolizing the protection of the country's territory in all directions. Inside the parliament, there are small conference halls for each province, so that during recesses, members from various provinces can rest. This session was also the first live broadcast since the advent of television, aiming to allow people across the nation to hear the voices of the parliament.

  As the delegates from various provinces arrived one after another, the parliament began. Zhu Xiao, who was also the Emperor and the first President of the Parliament, walked in with a solemn expression on his face. Since Li Min's death, there had been little smile on Zhu Xiao's face. Zhu Xiao stepped onto the podium, tapped the small hammer on the desk, and spoke into the microphone: "Silence! I hereby declare that the second session of the first meeting of the Parliament has officially begun. The first item is to welcome the newly elected delegates from New Guangzhou, New Shanghai, New Luoyang, New Beijing, New Changsha, and Qixingbao Province. The second item is a report by Prime Minister Xu Jin on behalf of the government on last year's and this year's work."

  Xu stepped up to the stage, gesturing for the applause to stop. "Fellow citizens, people of the nation. The years 1663 and 1664 were a time of great harvest for our empire. Under the leadership of officials at all levels, various industries across the country achieved remarkable results. In terms of military affairs, we have continuously increased our military strength to meet the needs of modern warfare. Our military has made significant progress in military technology and tactics, far surpassing other countries around the world. Our army has won nearly 1.5 billion square kilometers of land for our country this year and last year, which is truly worth celebrating."

  As the applause gradually subsided, Xu Jin continued: "In terms of finance, the empire's goods have been sold to various European countries under the wise management of our merchants, earning a large amount of gold for our country and filling up the national treasury. The surplus is quite substantial. According to the imperial financial laws, next year's tax rate will be reduced by one level. In education, there are over 400 million school-age children nationwide, including new provinces, and the demand for schools is relatively high. We hope that each province and city will increase the training of students majoring in teacher education, and at the same time, we hope to see more female teachers emerge to alleviate the shortage of imperial teachers. In sports, our country's athletes have left the world's top athletes far behind, with an absolute leading edge. The emerging sports industry will be the first choice for merchants in the future. The health care sector is also doing well. Nationwide, as of last year and this year, the number of deaths due to illness accounts for less than 5% of the total death toll, a decrease of three percentage points from the same period last year."

  Xu Jin's work report received thunderous applause. The meeting, which lasted for 15 consecutive days under the detailed introduction of various ministers, passed a series of laws including amendments to the Patent Law, Police Supervision Law, Business Tax Rate Law, Sports Industry Law, and Administrative Law. At the same time, the parliament also passed a bill to increase national propaganda and education towards the people across the country. The Ministry of Science and Technology also passed a bill to triple the budget for scientific research and introduce foreign advanced talents to join the Chinese Empire's nationality. Under the efforts of Zhu Xiao and Zhou Lun, the parliament finally passed a decision to increase the defense budget and put new-type naval vessels into military training immediately.

  Zhu Xiao sat in her own seat, facing Zhou Lun and said: "Ah Lun, this meeting is really exhausting me. I heard that Alexander has been active in Europe recently?"

  Zhou Lun nodded and said, "I didn't expect the news to be so timely. Yes, and the European countries have strengthened their alliance, we've had wars and conflicts of interest with several major European powers, now Russia's spark... I think a big war is not far off. We will eventually meet them in North America."

  Zhu nodded and said, "Yes. With their entire Europe plus the Ottoman Empire and Arab countries, we also want to get involved, so now we must be careful at all times. We are not afraid of dealing with Europe, but in dealing with the whole world, our current military strength is still somewhat lacking."

  "Rest assured, it won't be that soon. Let's just prepare for the war with Europe first," said Zhu Xiao, smiling at Zhou Lun.