Galaxy Domination Guide-Chapter 663 - 649 The Country in Chaos
Because this world was somewhat similar to Earth, Bai Zhongqi had developed some interest in it. The country of Eastern Land also bore a considerable resemblance to his homeland, yet its historical progress over the recent centuries was quite different.
With curiosity, Bai Zhongqi walked on the streets of Li'an Fu. The city had clearly been built for at least a century, not only preserving buildings infused with ancient cultural sentiments but also showcasing some rather old-fashioned facilities like its constructed roads.
Clearly, the city and this country had experienced a wave of modernization a long time ago, but it had failed to reach the pinnacle of global advancement, instead continuing to linger in the second tier.
Bai Zhongqi arrived at a very famous site in the city, Mirror Lake Park. It was surrounded by willows for miles, the lake calm as a mirror, with lotus ponds and freshly bubbling springs complemented by ancient architectural pavilions and towers—a truly remarkable landscape.
This place was not only scenic but also a hub for social activists. Unbeknownst to Bai Zhongqi, Qing State had many higher education institutions and was a hotspot for active thinkers, making Mirror Lake Park in Li'an Fu a popular place for progressive youths to discuss and network.
In a small pavilion by the lake, an extremely frail-looking young man stood on the railing, wearing a dark blue school uniform with a large lapel and sporting a few acne scars on his face, which made him look incredibly naive. In front of him stood only a sparse crowd, but this did not hinder the enthusiasm with which he delivered his speech.
"...Qikun people have already occupied the territories beyond, while Dongfang Xun is busy with internal strife, eliminating dissenters, with no regard for the national agenda to resist foreign aggression. What a Celestial Empire of Eastern Land, nobly established for four hundred years, yet now being bullied to such an extent by the former small states of Rulers. The land beyond is more than four times the size of Qikun's four islands, with fertile fields and rich resources. The Qikun people now possess the coal and iron mines of Liao State and the oil of Jin State. Their heavy industry has advanced by leaps and bounds, and their industrial output is now several times that of our Eastern Land. Now the Qikun people are eyeing us voraciously, repeatedly violating our borders. Can the Great Wall truly withstand the enemy's bombers? Can the Yansheng Pass really stop the enemy's destroyers? No! We citizens of Eastern Land must awaken; it is time to rise up and strengthen ourselves. We should no longer depend on the breath of powerful nations and must work hard to build our national industry and strengthen our country's military!"
He was in the midst of his passionate speech when several police officers in black leather hurried over.
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? You're causing a public disturbance; disperse immediately! Talking nonsense about friendly nations can lead to diplomatic incidents; get lost at once!"
The young man, outraged, stood on the railing and shouted, "I am discussing a matter of national salvation, for the life and well-being of hundreds of millions of compatriots in Eastern Land. Why can't we speak of these matters in our own land? Are you guys the lackeys of the Qikun people?"
The lead police officer, his hat askew, hoisted his trousers and pointed his baton at the young man, shouting, "If only I could be one of the Qikun people, to live the high life and not have to deal with you mud-legged folks."
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Several students, hearing the policeman's words, were greatly agitated, but ultimately they were just a bunch of youngsters and couldn't stand against the menacing police. Before long, the students were chased away by the police.
The young student who had been speaking had also been hit by the police batons several times, his face filled with indignant resentment.
Bai Zhongqi followed up and said to the young student, "Well spoken."
The young student, seeing himself praised by someone who appeared to be in his twenties but had the demeanor of someone in his thirties or forties, was very pleased. He said, "If more people recognize the dangers we currently face, then when one person opens their eyes, millions will open theirs. Once millions have their eyes open, a nation as strong as our Eastern Land will not be easily bullied by anyone."
Bai Zhongqi actually appreciated this young man a bit. Having met numerous people, he could somewhat distinguish between those who were all talk and those who were willing to struggle and sacrifice for their ideals.
Bai Zhongqi asked, "Could you tell me why our Eastern Land has fallen to its current state?"
The young student, whose speech had just been interrupted and was now encouraged by someone wanting to listen, said, "Our Celestial Empire of Eastern Land once led the globe, with our economy accounting for more than half of the world's total. Yet since the modern Industrial Revolution began, the Eastern Land started to decline. Western powers continuously invaded our country, even severing territories like Yeluo and forcing Eastern Land's subordinate states to become their colonies. Our ancestors a century ago first opened their eyes to the world and introduced modern industry, yet they still failed to completely turn things around.
After the World War, global powers were reshuffled. Yige Country replaced Okes as the world's dominant power, but after the Bayer revolution, their development was particularly rapid, creating a situation of two superpowers in opposition. Our Eastern Land survived between these two giants, but domestic turmoil persisted. During the Chunyuan Unrest, since the royal army had already lost its fighting capability, it was forced to support local militia groups. Many warlords rose from this context, even Dongfang Xun, who established the current Prime Minister by endorsing the emperor, was essentially just a major warlord."
Although the country has developed over the last thirty years, circulation of goods among the warlords was inconvenient, and we were heavily exploited by the capital of the powerful nations. In contrast, other countries progressed very quickly. With the support of Yige Country, Qikun has now become very powerful, seeking to invade our territory, take advantage of our human and natural resources, and challenge the duel hegemony of Yige Country and Bayer Country. Now that they've encroached beyond our national borders, Dongfang Xun is preoccupied with his pacification wars, not caring that the enemy is just at our doorstep. The danger of our nation's extinction is right in front of us!"
The more the young student spoke, the angrier he got, his eyes even turning red as he breathed heavily.
Bai Zhongqi asked, "So you're saying that it's the chaos of warlord segmentation that has prevented the mobilization of national strength for industrial development and national progress, leaving us only lagging behind and to be beaten?"
The young student's eyes lit up. He said, "Exactly, sir, you're right. Falling behind leaves one vulnerable. For half a century, the warlord territories have been passed down a generation, even changing hands several times. Yet, they are essentially just the spokespeople for Western powers. Prime Minister Dongfang Xun now relies on Bayer Country; in Qing State, Zhang Shixiong represents Cato Country; in Wu State, Sun Yuweng has Qikun as his backer; in Yue State, Lian Zhenyuan is entangled with Okes; in Ling State, Han Fengju, to court Gaoke, has even married a woman from Gaoke.
Which one of these people is really committed to developing our country? Foreign capital comes in, sets up factories, not caring what our locals need, focusing solely on light industry and low-added-value products. They operate without paying tariffs, leveraging our low labor costs to sell overseas and make huge profits. In the end, we are left without technology, without money, just workers who can barely afford a meal and a homeland scarred and environmentally ravaged!"
This was clearly a heavy topic, although, in the era of Azure Planet, Eastern Land was much more advanced than Country C during World War II. Yet, Eastern Land still faced the same issues as Country C back then, only the mode of imperialism by the powers had changed.
