Chapter 117: The Political Situation

The "Dingge Faction" is an entrenched interest group, encompassing the chiefs and bosses of most departments under the curtain.

The current political landscape is this: the "Dingge Faction," with Xia Xianze as its party leader, has openly declared itself the Royalist Party and stands for constitutional monarchy.

So it's very simple: if everyone else accepts the status quo and agrees with their political platform, then Xia Xianze's crew will have effectively locked in the front three rows of seats in the future state — whatever form that state takes — and will transition smoothly into power, leaving nothing for anyone else...

So this is intolerable; they must resist. The Tang Han group knows perfectly well that this is the last chance to grab positions. Once this window closes and the system is established, there will be no more muddying the waters. At that point, trying to force Xia Xianze off the stage will fall squarely into the realm of parliamentary struggle — everything will be governed by rules, and it will be far harder. The easy pickings will be gone forever.

Since things have already come to this, why not give it a shot? Trying won't get you pregnant — it might just work. And if it fails? Tch, if we lose, we still sit in the back three rows. Is Old Bastard Xia going to demote everyone to native status? Revoke our Transmigrator titles? Strip us of our harem rights for life?

The truth is, Old Xia can't actually do anything. Even if the opposition fails, they'll still curse him just the same. Not just on the forums — in the future, there will definitely be a new, legally sanctioned cursing institution, something like a Noble Council / Senate / Upper Parliament, and by then the cursing will be even fiercer!

Rather than a band of lofty souls with grand transmigrator ideals, devoted to the cause of internal democracy among the Transmigrators, the Tang Han group is more accurately a gang of mid-level cadres and junior politicians bent on seizing power.

The Tang Han group's biggest weakness is this: they know full well that a "presidential system" is ill-suited to the times, yet they still have to grit their teeth and push it forward to compete with the Dingge Faction. A president is far weaker and lacks the supreme, inviolable authority of a monarch — even if that authority is only nominal.

The political platform of "Internal Equality" is, tactically speaking, an all-in rush strategy — the perfect slogan to hoodwink the ordinary transmigrator masses, a sharp blade for the weak to overcome the strong, an unorthodox stroke of genius.

So, even if Bai Hongda, leader of the Imperial Han Faction, has a full gigabyte of abdication petitions from every dynasty in history on his computer, and even if Wei Hu, head of the Tang Cavalry Society, has ten gigabytes of 3D dragon robe designs on his, they still have to shout slogans like "This year for the holiday, don't build a house — if you build, build a presidential palace!" and then, in the dead of night, sneak off to Chief Executive Dong to confess their true hardships... See? This is politics.

As time passed, as the Dingge Faction figures solidified their footing and countered every move, and as the contradictions grew sharper through debate after debate, the Tang Han group increasingly showed a lack of staying power. An all-in rush tactic — once the opponent withstands the fiercest first wave — is a game over.

The broad masses gradually came to understand a fundamental truth: Yes, everyone has the right to establish a presidential system. But what rights does Cao Chuan, who can't even function as a figurehead, have?... He has the right not to come.

If Cao Chuan stays away from the New World for half a year, the Transmigrators' stockpiled medicines will be completely depleted, and unnatural deaths will begin. If he stays away for a year, then whoever holds power among the Dayuan will have to immediately submit a memorial of internal annexation to the Great Ming. Ammunition will be exhausted in various external conflicts, the internal factions will have long since splintered into N groups, and they will have begun slaughtering each other with black-powder firearms.

The Crossing Faction faces an unprecedented dualistic structure, never seen before in history: Cao Chuan alone constitutes one tier, controlling the means of production and livelihood; everyone else combined constitutes the other tier.

At this moment, the optimal political solution and the solution most aligned with the Transmigrators' interests are one and the same: constitutional monarchy. This is the system that best fits the current internal relations among the Transmigrators, and in this 17th century, the heyday of imperial authority, it is the system of least resistance — a rational framework that allows for a backdoor listing.

Moreover, in the future, when the trinity of heaven-defying Transmigrators die natural deaths, constitutional monarchy will legally secure the political inheritance rights of the foolish sons born from the union of Transmigrators and natives. Through the mechanism of a Noble Parliament, as society develops, it can gradually devolve into a House of Lords. After a century or two, those foolish sons can at least end up with the title of "ancient nobility" and avoid being strangled to death on a utility pole.

Therefore, even without considering how absurd a presidential system would be to implement in the 17th century, in essence, a presidential system would mean revolution against the Transmigrators themselves... Without the omnipotent first-generation Transmigrators, if no legal buffer is established for their descendants, the elites who rise to power through one-man-one-vote elections will, before long, play those foolish sons to death. Without legal standing, vast lands and property are nothing but death warrants. Otherwise, what do you think all that trouble of canvassing for votes is for?

So, once most people figured out the situation, the focus of the current struggle had in fact already shifted. Since the Tang Han group failed to fish in troubled waters, they stopped obsessing over the form of government and changed their tactics. They began attacking from angles like the future dynastic name, imperial title, and guiding principles, attempting to beat the old master to death with chaotic punches and stage a peaceful evolution.

For example, the Tang Han group has already presented options for the future dynastic name: the Great Tang-Han Empire, the Tang-Han Second Empire, the Second Tang-Han Empire. Just these few — no other options accepted. Furthermore, the Tang Han group, referencing maps from later eras, traced a circle on the borders with their fingers and declared: Everyone outside this is not human. Our future path is to steamroll straight through. We request that the people of these regions all relocate to the Americas. How will they get there? Swimming.

As for Slaughter England, Destroy Spain, and the like — those go without saying; they're routine, absolutely necessary. Japan and Korea can have a portion of their populations spared based on facial aesthetics, but anyone who's had plastic surgery is rejected.

Regarding the Great Ming, it will absolutely be overthrown and replaced. The gentry will all be strung up on lampposts. No cowardice — just do it!

After the Tang Han group rolled out their new brand of armchair-general national policy, facing this aggressive, roundabout offensive, the Dingge Faction found itself in a bind. Why? Because their greatest reliance — Chairman Cao — was now useless!

Since the Tang Han group had now tacitly accepted constitutional monarchy, in theory, Cao Chuan could no longer be used as a bargaining chip in political strife. In fact, Cao Chuan himself would not permit it. After all, to him, being the canal head of the Galactic Empire or the supreme boss of the Interstellar Federation made no difference. Call yourselves whatever you want — he's just a figurehead either way.

So, to counter this wave of peaceful evolution tactics from the Tang Han group, Xia Xianze has been convening his "key ministers" for discussions night after night. Today, he even held a secret meeting with Dai Yun, who had been lying low among the masses all along. The goal was to unify thinking internally, adjust countermeasures, and plan a counterattack.

After finishing his meeting with Dai Yun that night, Xia Xianze also held voice chats with some other mysterious figures. As for the content — no one knows...

Fortunately, the Kiln District now has electricity. Every day, a batch of batteries is rotated to Dayuan by ship. Back in the old days, Old Xia wouldn't have been able to handle this kind of power-hungry operation.

Starting the next day, a different kind of noise began bubbling up on the forum. A soy-sauce figure from the Tang Cavalry Society pointed out: extreme leftists like Imperial Han should not be associated with the moderate Tang Cavalry Society. Therefore, the future dynastic name should be the Second Strong Tang Empire.

Similarly, double-dealers lurking within Imperial Han also jumped out and shouted: That Li Shimin and his Guanlong nobility all have foreign blood. They might very well have body odor and cannot represent us Han people. They should be banned. From now on, everyone should only revere the orthodox line.

... The first wave of the right wing's counterattack had arrived.