Chương 713: This is the true British Empire.

In Guan Ning's view, education meant reciting scriptures and reading the books of sages, turning them all into Confucian scholars, and they would naturally submit.

"Stop, stop, stop!" Liu Ce quickly waved his hand, both amused and exasperated.

"Minister Guan, education is necessary, but it doesn't mean you should go and lecture the natives on the Four Books and Five Classics like an old scholar. They can't even speak Mandarin. If you talk to them in classical Chinese, do you think they'll understand? Let's do something practical. It's ten times faster and easier for them to accept than lecturing on the classics."

Guan Ning was taken aback: "Practical?"

"Yes, practical." Liu Ce counted on his fingers.

"First, establish schools. Don't teach the Analects or Mencius; teach Chinese characters and the Chinese language first, then arithmetic, law, farming, and manual labor."

We'll teach them to speak and write Chinese characters, to understand notices, to do basic accounting, and to learn our skills—that's enough. Those who excel can study at our great Han university, take the imperial examinations, return to their hometowns to become officials, and bring honor to their ancestors.

Think about it, the wealthy and intelligent people in the area are proud to speak Han language and wear Han clothing, and they all dream of becoming officials and living a good life in our great Han Dynasty. Would they even think of rebelling? If they rebelled, their good life would be over, and they would be the first to object.

Guan Ning was stunned... You can win people's hearts without teaching the Four Books and Five Classics, just by teaching language, writing, and practical skills? It seems... to make sense.

People naturally strive for better things; who doesn't want a better life? The Han Dynasty is wealthy and powerful, and it can provide them with a good life, so naturally, they will be drawn to the Han Dynasty.

"Secondly, send doctors and build hospitals," Liu Ce continued.

"It's just for treating headaches, fevers, malaria, and diarrhea. It doesn't need to be anything fancy, but it works. The common people are very honest. If you can cure their illness and save their child's life, they will remember your kindness and think that Dahan is a good person."

Adding a bit of hygiene education, teaching them to drink boiled water, wash their hands frequently, and stay healthy, is more effective than any lecture. Once they can't live without our doctors and medicine, they'll naturally be on our side.

Many people in the hall nodded.

Yes, healing the sick and saving lives is a virtuous deed, and the common people value it most.

"Third, export our best stuff." Liu Ce smiled.

"Tea, porcelain, silk, liquor, sugar, soap—these fine things were continuously transported over, so that once they started using them, they couldn't live without them."

The upper-class nobles took pride in using Han-style furniture, wearing Han-style clothing, drinking Han-style tea, and using Han-style porcelain. They would be embarrassed to entertain guests if they didn't have at least two Han-style items in their homes. Ordinary people took pride in being able to work in Han-style factories and earn money from Han-style people, feeling that their lives had a bright future.

Over time, they themselves came to consider themselves "Han Chinese," taking pride in speaking Han language and using Han goods. Why would we need to bother managing them? They assimilated on their own.

Guan Ning was stunned. After pondering for a long time, he stood up and bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty's strategy is subtle and effective, far superior to mere lectures. I have learned a great deal. It turns out that true education does not necessarily involve preaching; enabling people to live a good life and accept our way of life is true education."

"It's not so much brilliant as it is, it's just convenient and effective," Liu Ce smiled.

"Cannons can subdue people physically, but education can win their hearts. Only by using both force and persuasion can rule last. You can't hold onto what you conquer by force alone; and you can't hold onto what you preach alone. You have to be firm with both."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Finally, Liu Ce walked to the nautical chart, pointed to the two vast lands of 'Australia' and 'America', and his tone became more serious:

"All of the above are about managing other people's land and making money off them. What can truly become our own territory and be passed down from generation to generation depends on immigration."

"Places like Australia and the Americas have few indigenous people, their social organizations are scattered, and they are like primitive tribes. The land is fertile and there are many minerals. It would be a waste to leave them empty."

We will relocate the people there, giving each person 180 mu of land, and exempting them from taxes for five years. The imperial court will advance the seeds and farming tools, and they will be repaid after the harvest.

With so many people and so little land in our inland areas, wouldn't everyone rush to go if they heard there was land to cultivate and tax exemption? In just a few decades, the area will be full of Han people, speaking Han language, following Han laws, and cultivating Han land. Wouldn't that be solid Han territory? Even more secure than land conquered."

Minister of Works Song Yingxing immediately chimed in: "Your Majesty is right! Building cities, repairing roads, and constructing water conservancy projects all require craftsmen. I can transfer manpower from the Ministry of Works and also train local craftsmen, passing on our techniques to them."

"We don't need to rely entirely on the imperial court," Liu Ce shook his head.

"Just provide the policies. Craftsmen who are willing to go will be given senior craftsman status and their wages will be doubled. Merchants who go to open shops or mines will be exempt from taxes for five years."

We don't need to force them; people will naturally flock there. After all, people strive for better things, and water flows downhill. Who wouldn't want to go where there are benefits?

He paused and added, "As for the local indigenous people, those who are obedient will be given a reserved land, taught how to farm, and taught skills to gradually assimilate them. Those who are willing to become citizens will be treated the same as our ordinary people."

Those who disobey, cause trouble, or block our efforts to build cities and farm will be physically eliminated without hesitation.

We can't let a few savages disrupt our lives.

In thirty to fifty years, the area will be inhabited by Han people who speak Chinese and follow Han laws. We will have built the city, cultivated the land, and mined the mines. That area will be the territory of the Great Han, and no one can take it away.

So that our descendants will remember our kindness.

This is both true and cruel.

But no one in the hall objected.

Since ancient times, territorial expansion has always been a process that cannot be conducted in a gentle and refined manner.

For the sake of the descendants of the Han Dynasty, and for more living space, we must be tough when necessary.

Song Yingxing bowed and said, "Your subject obeys the decree! The Ministry of Works will certainly cooperate with the relocation efforts to build the city well and repair the roads, ensuring that the relocated people do not suffer any injustice."

"Mm." Liu Ce nodded.

After explaining these five moves, Liu Ce sat back on the dragon throne and took a sip of tea to moisten his throat.

Some of the ministers below were excited, while others were deep in thought. Shen Wansan was still calculating profits on his abacus, the beads clicking and clattering away.

Guan Ning frowned as he pondered the matter of education, and the more he thought about it, the more sense it made...

Zhang Qian's expression was complicated; he seemed to want to say something but couldn't get the words out...

The military generals thought that in the future, they wouldn't need to destroy countries in wars; they could just subdue them, which would save them a lot of trouble.

Cao Cao stared at the world map on the wall, unable to recover for a long time.

When he was young, his biggest dream was to become a general who conquered the west and pacified the western Liang region, which would have been a great achievement.

After surrendering to Liu Ce, he followed the Western Theater Command in pacifying the Western Regions and felt that he had become a great man of his generation.

But after listening to Liu Ce talk about these five strategies, global colonization, and the British Empire today, he finally understood what a grand vision truly meant.

Compared to His Majesty, my own achievements back then were really nothing.

"I've talked to you all this time, but the core message boils down to one sentence," Liu Ce said, scanning the crowd and enunciating each word clearly.

"Colonialism is not about saving face or making the country look bigger on the map. It's about making real profits and improving the lives of the people of our great Han Dynasty."

In the past, we were trapped in internal strife, with dynasties changing and the cycle repeating endlessly, never able to escape that circle. From now on, we must set our sights on the whole world.

We must earn money from all over the world, acquire resources from all over the world, and establish our people all over the world.

Where the sun rises, there are merchant ships of our great Han Dynasty; where the sun sets, there is territory of our great Han Dynasty.

This is the true empire on which the sun never sets. This is the legacy that our generation must leave to future generations.