Chapter 54

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The night was already very deep, and the entire Roman villa was quiet, with only the dim light from Zhu Jishi's bedroom shining through. Madame Duran was already sound asleep, her alluring and beautiful face wearing a satisfied smile. Her naked body was covered only by a thin blanket, most of her ample chest exposed, gently rising and falling, exuding a mature and tempting aura.

Despite having enjoyed her beauty, Zhu Jishi, at the age of twenty-five, though in the prime of his vigor, did not pay attention to such a beauty. He was now carefully writing his letter to Emperor Daoguang. Having been in this era for nine months, he had already gained some fame, wealth, and beauty, and was destined to gain even more in the future. However, Zhu Jishi still considered himself a person with a sense of responsibility to the country and the nation. It was time to do something for the nation and the people.

However, Zhu Jishi had not yet considered overthrowing the Qing Dynasty. It was not because he loved this feudal dynasty; in fact, he had never acknowledged the Qing as his homeland. But rebelling was not as easy as described in web novels. For a doctor from the 21st century, it really felt like there was no way to start. Therefore, Zhu Jishi decided to use his own methods—helping the Chinese understand the world and promoting modern education—to gradually and steadily change the ancient and closed China.

"… The region where the Qing is located is called the Far East by Western powers, meaning a distant East. Indeed, the homelands of the Western powers, England and France, are very far from the Qing, requiring a journey around Africa, through the Indian Ocean, and then into the South China Sea, which is the sea south of Guangdong, a distance of no less than two or three thousand miles. This great distance is the best protection for the Qing's security. Neither England nor France currently has the ability to dispatch an army of more than a few ten thousand to the Far East. Even the powerful Russia, which borders the Qing, does not have the strength to maintain a large army in the Far East. Therefore, the Western powers have no significant ill will towards the Qing in the short term, which is a rare opportunity for the Qing to learn Western military and science. The Westerners also know the strategy of befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones. For the Qing, which they cannot swallow at the moment, they are willing to engage in relatively friendly relations.

In contrast, the situation of the Ottoman Empire and India, which are closer to Europe, is much more dangerous. The Ottoman Empire, established by the westward-migrating Turks and adhering to Islam, once occupied vast territories in southeastern Europe, spanning Europe, Asia, and Africa, posing a serious threat to European Christian civilization. In 1683, it even besieged the capital of the European power Austria, Vienna. However, due to the Western powers' reforms and the Ottoman Empire's adherence to tradition, the empire's power declined, and it suffered repeated defeats by European powers such as Austria and Russia, losing its southeastern European territories. Nevertheless, it remains a major Western power. Starting over a hundred years ago, the Ottoman Empire has also begun reforms aimed at enriching the country and strengthening the military, undergoing three reforms. The current third reform, led by Sultan Mahmud II, is still ongoing. The focus of the reform is to learn European military technology and establish a European-style army. Although the Ottoman Empire's reforms have not been successful, the country still serves as a barrier to the Western powers' large-scale expansion into the East and has no ill will towards the Qing. If the Qing wishes to deepen its relations with the Western powers, it might consider engaging with the Ottoman Empire on equal terms…

The situation in India is even more dangerous than that of the Ottoman Empire. The Mughal Empire, established by the descendants of Tamerlane, is now in name only. In the Battle of Buxar in 1764, the 60,000-strong army of Mughal Emperor Alam Shah was defeated by the 7,000-strong army of the British East India Company (of which only 857 were Europeans). Alam Shah surrendered, and the Mughal Empire became a vassal of the British East India Company. Subsequently, the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India and the Maratha Confederation, which rose in central and northern India after the Mughal Empire, engaged in a decades-long war with the British East India Company. By 1818, both Mysore and the Maratha Confederation had been defeated. Most of India fell under the control of the East India Company, leaving only the Sikh Empire in the northwest independent. It is expected that the Sikh Empire will be the next target of the British East India Company. Before the fall of the Sikh Empire, the Qing's security is still relatively secure, but the Sikh Empire may not last long…"

Zhu Jishi took a sip of the already cold coffee, focusing on the letter that was destined to be recorded in history. He seemed to see the changes that the closed and backward Qing Empire would undergo due to his efforts. Perhaps these changes would be slow and minor, but the great distance between China and the West determined their relationship. As long as China had a certain self-defense capability, the West would not treat China as a second India—although Zhu Jishi was not very familiar with European history, he knew the approximate years of the two Opium Wars, the Sino-French War, the First Sino-Japanese War, and the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China.

In his view, history had left China many opportunities for reform. The two Opium Wars were separated by more than a decade, the second Opium War and the Sino-French War by another decade, and the Sino-French War and the First Sino-Japanese War by nearly two decades. If China could really learn from the West, even by following the path of "Chinese learning as the essence, Western learning for practical use," with China's strength and resources, it could establish a new-style army of tens of thousands by the First Sino-Japanese War, develop heavy industry and military industries capable of supporting such an army, and cultivate a bureaucratic corps with a basic understanding of the West and a solid foundation in Western learning. This was not difficult. Countries like the Ottoman Empire, Japan, and even Egypt had achieved this. How much more so for a great nation like China? Thinking about this, Zhu Jishi felt he had found a new life goal. He steadied himself and continued writing his letter.

"… Therefore, the Qing should seize the favorable position and timing to carry out some necessary reforms, emulating the Ottoman Empire. The goal of the reforms should be to learn European science and military, establish a European-style army, and set up factories capable of producing European military equipment. The specific steps and strategies can be modeled after the reforms of the Ottoman Empire, Egypt, and the Indian principalities. Before these reforms, the most important thing is to truly understand the West and the current world. Therefore, it is particularly necessary to send officials to visit the European powers such as England, France, Russia, and Germany. At the same time, envoys can also be sent to relatively backward countries like India, the Ottoman Empire, and Egypt to study their reform experiences.

After understanding the West, selective diplomacy can be conducted, with permanent envoys stationed in the capitals of the Western powers, students sent to study in the West, and Western military and scientific talents hired. New-style schools can be established in China or Hong Kong to cultivate talents with a good understanding of Western learning.

In short, the world today is already dominated by powerful nations. The strength of countries like England, France, Russia, Germany, Spain, America, and the Ottoman Empire is no less than that of the Qing, and their naval and military power is even greater. Therefore, the Qing should no longer consider itself the supreme empire and view the powers as barbarians… However, the situation of the Qing has not reached a point of no return. The West should neither be ignored nor feared like tigers and wolves. Instead, their strengths should be learned, and peaceful coexistence and trade should be pursued, striving to consolidate the Qing's hegemony in the Far East.

—Zhu Jishi, a member of the Royal Society of England, a member of the French Academy of Sciences, a baronet, and a remnant of the Ming Dynasty, to His Majesty Emperor Aixinjueluo Minning of the Qing."

Zhu Jishi put down his fountain pen, looked at the final signature on the letter, and took a deep breath. Calling himself a remnant of the Ming Dynasty and addressing Daoguang by his name in the letter would probably infuriate Emperor Daoguang. But even if he called Daoguang "Your Majesty" and "Long Live the Emperor," would Daoguang be willing to listen to his advice and carry out reforms? The reform of China could not be driven by a single letter to the emperor, and he did not plan to become a servile official for Daoguang. Running Jishi University and writing more books to help China understand the West would be enough to justify his time travel.

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