Chapter 71

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The night was already very deep, and the entire Viterbo Castle was tranquil. Only Zhu Jishi, who had just moved into the castle's guest room, was still lying awake on a Western-style large bed, his eyes wide open. His hands were propped behind his head, and he stared fixedly at the ceiling. He never would have thought that the one to颠覆 his long-held views on the country and the nation would be a 19th-century French bed politician!

Maria Clementina could be said to have been born into a political family, where she had grown up hearing and seeing politics. However, she was not a particularly astute politician, but she did have a certain understanding of many fundamental political issues.

Or perhaps it was because Zhu Jishi, from the 21st century, was too naive about political issues.

He didn't even know the basic concept of national identity! Of course, this was the national identity under the rule of the bourgeoisie.

In the eyes of the bourgeoisie, national identity is composed of multiple factors, with bloodline being just one of them and not the most important one—this might be why many European nation-states were ruled by foreign monarchs.

Additionally, religion, language, culture, and a shared country are all important factors in forming national identity! In other words, people who speak the same language or script, share the same religion, have a common culture, and belong to the same country can be considered part of the same nation!

Of course, being considered part of the same nation does not necessarily mean they are! However, in Europe, those who hold the view of the nation-state are always making every effort to expand the recognition of their own nation. For example, the current pan-Italian extreme nationalists believe that those living in the eight Italian states, who believe in Catholicism and speak Italian, are part of the Italian nation!

In fact, if we trace back to the roots, the so-called Italian nation does not exist, but rather consists of Romans, Etruscans, Greeks, Germans, Arabs, and others. If Italians had various different national identities, could they still form a unified, multi-ethnic Italian nation?

This is a difficult question to answer.

However, Zhu Jishi was not worried about Mazzini at the moment, as a unified Italian nation-state would eventually be established. What he was considering was whether there would be a unified Chinese nation-state in the future. If we follow the standards of Europe, people who speak Chinese, believe in the indigenous Taoism or Sinicized Buddhism, and identify with Confucian culture, and share a common country, can also be considered part of the same nation...

However, a unified Chinese nation did not emerge until 170 years later! The great Qing Dynasty, which ruled China, would also be overthrown by an anti-Manchu revolution in 60 years. The reason for this situation is due to a "privilege" that has been at play. The same situation also exists in the current sick man of the Near East, the Ottoman Empire—a once powerful empire that almost destroyed the Christian world, but is now a prime example of all the mistakes a country can make. All politically savvy Europeans use the Ottoman Empire's mistakes as examples.

The ethnic issues in the Ottoman Empire are similar. In theory, Islam is a religion with a strong sense of identity, and all believers are considered brothers and sisters. With Islam as a foundation, forming a unified Ottoman nation should not be difficult. In modern Islamic countries, one often hears of sectarian conflicts but rarely of ethnic conflicts.

However, in the current Ottoman Empire, Muslims who follow the Sunni branch of Islam and recognize the Ottoman Sultan as the Caliph do not have a shared national identity! In the Ottoman Empire, the Turks, like the Manchus, are the ruling ethnic group, enjoying various privileges. They not only oppress the Christians they have conquered but also oppress other Muslim ethnic groups, especially the Arabs.

Of course, Muslims in the Ottoman Empire also have privileges over Christians, and there are also hierarchies among Christians. For example, Greek Christians, who were once part of the Ottoman Empire, are considered higher than other Christians.

This system is somewhat similar to the Qing Dynasty, where among the Manchu bannermen, there were the Eight Banners of the Manchus, the Eight Banners of the Mongols, and the Eight Banners of the Han. The Eight Banners of the Manchus were above the Eight Banners of the Mongols, and the Eight Banners of the Han were the lowest. The Mongol bannermen were further divided into the Khorchin Mongols, the Khalkha Mongols, and so on. In short, various privileged classes were preventing the formation of a unified Chinese nation, and even preventing the "bannermen" as rulers from forming a unified ethnic group.

According to the analysis of European politicians, the reason why the Ottoman Empire's reforms have never been very successful is not because the Sultan is too stupid or the elites are ostriches, but because various privileged classes are actively obstructing the reforms. This includes the Janissaries, religious leaders, Turks, other Muslims, and Greek Christians, all of whom have been opponents of reform. Under their obstruction, the Ottoman Empire has been mired in a quagmire, with reforms failing for over 200 years. It was only the reforms in Egypt, led by the Egyptian governor Ali Pasha, which quickly eliminated the Mamluk privileged class, that allowed various reform measures to be rapidly implemented. In just 20 years, Egypt, which was once considered backward within the Ottoman Empire, became a military power. In the wars of 1832 and 1839, Egypt defeated the Ottoman Empire, and if not for the intervention of Britain, Russia, Austria, and Prussia, the Ottoman Empire would have been destroyed by Ali Pasha long ago!

It seems that for China's reforms to succeed, it must also follow Ali Pasha's example and perform major surgery on the existing privileged classes.

But how should this major surgery be carried out?

At this moment, Maria Clementina, who was lying beside him, had already woken up. She noticed that her pillow companion was still deep in thought and gently placed her delicate hand on him, asking softly, "Jason, why aren't you sleeping? The journey was so tiring, and you have to give Louis Napoleon a consultation tomorrow. How can you have the energy if you don't sleep?"

Zhu Jishi turned his head and smiled at the beauty whose upper body was exposed outside the blanket, replying, "I can't sleep... I've read Louis Napoleon's medical report several times... Although I can't confirm it as stomach cancer, it is at least a severe gastric ulcer, which is very dangerous. It could lead to a stomach bleed, which can be fatal. Considering Louis Napoleon's age, this illness is really hard to treat."

At this point, Zhu Jishi's expression had become extremely serious. This morning, he had performed a "trial" gastric surgery at Viterbo Castle—on a very healthy black man! A slave "purchased" by the Bonaparte family from Africa! With the assistance of two Italian doctors, he performed a gastric resection and suturing surgery. In the coming days, more black slaves would undergo this inhumane human experiment!

However, even after practicing on these black slaves, Zhu Jishi was not entirely confident, as these slaves were all strong young men who could withstand a bit of rough handling. But Louis Napoleon was already over 50, which, while still considered middle-aged in the 21st century, was considered old in 1840s Europe. Whether he could withstand Zhu Jishi's poor surgical skills was uncertain.

Additionally, there was the issue of cancer spreading. This was what Zhu Jishi was most worried about. If the cancer had already spread throughout the abdomen and affected surrounding organs, the surgery would be very difficult, and the old man might die on the operating table!

In that case, would Napoleon III hate him? It seems that treating important figures is not easy at all.