sovbooks Chapter 52 Differences in Behavioral Logic and Thinking Style
Chapter 52 Differences in Behavioral Logic and Thinking Style
As an interpreter, Yu Yang was quite familiar with the customs of Europe on the surface, but he was not very familiar with the actual way Europeans did things, let alone their true way of thinking.
When Yu Yang was outside Langley Fort, he persuaded McMillan and others inside the walls to surrender, he used the method of central government officials offering pacification to border chieftains or bandits.
Due to differences in culture and ways of thinking, McMillan and others could not find any modules in their minds that truly resonated with what Yu Yang had said.
At that time, Yu Yang said, "This is the land of the Han Dynasty, because wherever the rivers flow and the sun and moon shine, it is all Han land."
The actual intention behind this exaggerated claim is that the emperor wants to occupy the land currently under discussion.
The terms "rivers," "sun," and "moon" are merely abstract reasons and do not intend to discuss the actual affiliation of other regions.
However, after hearing this, Macmillan and others genuinely believed that the Han emperor was going to claim the territory of the entire world.
This was something that the whole of Europe, including Britain, obviously could not accept.
Therefore, at the time, McMillan and others thought that Yu Yang and even the Emperor of Han were dreaming.
Yu Yang once asked, "Does Britain want to become a vassal state of our Great Han, or does it want to declare war on our Great Han?"
This is actually a rhetorical question, intended to make the other party realize, when being questioned, that the current power gap between us is huge, so they should quickly back down.
But McMillan and others responded, "We have no right to decide these things."
Macmillan instinctively felt that whether Britain should declare war or become a vassal was a matter for the King and the Prime Minister to decide, and had nothing to do with a fur trader like himself.
This exchange was like us warning them "don't be greedy," and their response being that they "have no territorial claims to Gansu and Sichuan."
It wasn't until Yu Yang said, "You'd better accept our jurisdiction for the time being," that McMillan and the others finally found something that made sense.
"So the Han emperor wanted to rule this place and make us obey his orders? Why didn't he say so sooner?"
The subsequent exchanges were also fraught with misunderstandings.
Zhang Zongyu and Yu Yang asked McMillan and others to cooperate, mainly to explain the locations of other trading posts. The whole process made McMillan and his group very conflicted.
The real reason for their dilemma was that they believed Zhang Zongyu and others were not tough enough and appeared too weak as conquerors.
Zhang Zongyu and Yu Yang felt they were being very assertive, and their threats were already quite direct.
However, in the eyes of ordinary people in Europe, as long as they communicate in a reasonable manner, it has nothing to do with being tough.
Since you are a powerful lord and want to control a region...
The most typical approach would be to directly declare, "I will rule this place!" or "I will rule you!"
At the same time, demonstrate your strength and finally state your commitment.
When the power imbalance is very obvious, this can quickly resolve the problem.
The phrases "I allow you to submit" and "I convey my mercy" struck Yu Yang as eerie.
However, this is quite normal for ordinary people in Europe, and the underlying logic is as follows:
"I could have simply killed you all, but I am now willing to rule over you instead of killing you all. I allow you to submit to me to avoid being killed. This is the mercy I bestow upon you."
The underlying perception is that it is normal for lords to slaughter civilians, and that allowing unfamiliar civilians to exchange their submission for their lives is a favor bestowed upon them by the lord, a sign of the lord's benevolence.
The two sides are not on the same level of thinking.
Yu Yang's suggestive threats would make ordinary Europeans feel weak, as if they thought, "Are you afraid to hit me?"
Your request to negotiate with me instead of making a direct announcement is itself a sign of weakness.
The fact that you're willing to reason with me shows that you're too weak, which means you don't think you're strong enough.
The weapons you use may be of poor quality, and although you have many soldiers, they may lack courage altogether.
Then I do need to consider whether I should submit, and whether you are qualified to rule me.
Even today, people in many countries still hold this way of thinking.
Your friendliness towards me indicates your weakness; your apparent strength is likely fake, perhaps due to a lack of real combat ability, etc.
Therefore, McMillan, Yale, and others hesitated greatly when faced with Zhang Zongyu's request.
We can only confirm, through repeated confirmation, that the power Zhang Zongyu wields is indeed extremely strong.
I repeatedly convinced myself that the other party must be extremely powerful, and that I had absolutely no way to resist them.
The disdainful attitude of the ordinary Han militiamen played a significant role in persuading them.
Their disdain for themselves indicates that they look down on themselves and that they are stronger than themselves.
So McMillan ultimately accepted the request.
At the same time, there were two completely different ways of thinking among the "lords" and "commoners" in Europe.
A lord is not necessarily a true feudal lord; he can be a king, an official, a priest, or a military officer.
Commoners can be merchants, workers, farmers, hunters, vagrants, or adventurers.
Identity and mindset are difficult to reverse upwards, but the roles of lord and commoner can be passed down.
When a weak lord faces a powerful lord, he may be forced to accept the status of a "commoner".
When lords deal with each other, they either negotiate on equal footing, or one side uses force to defeat the other until the other is unable to resist, thereby gaining the other's obedience.
Just like the governor of the Philippines, who felt his fortress was impregnable and ignored the Han's persuasion to surrender.
Once he confirmed that the Han army could breach his castle, he immediately decided to surrender.
After he decided to surrender, he began to treat the Han officers with the mindset of a commoner.
They began to regard the Han officers as their lords and passively accepted all their demands.
When dealing with commoners, it is usually sufficient to simply claim to be a lord.
Commoners are born to obey their lords.
Even if they are oppressed to the point of not being able to survive, they have no choice but to unite and resist.
The goal of resistance is usually to get the lord to sign a pledge promising to reduce oppression in the future.
Even if someone goes mad and kills the lord, they'll find a relative of the lord to be the new lord and have him sign a guarantee with even more restrictions.
McMillan, as Zhang Zongyu's representative, could even be considered a representative of the Han Dynasty emperor.
He persuaded the people of Vancouver Castle to temporarily submit, using the same methods European lords used to claim territory.
The Han emperor declared his rule over this land and dispatched an army to conquer it.
In return, everyone here is required to obey the regulations and pay taxes, in which case their lives and property can be protected.
This was a very clear and simple matter in the minds of European businessmen.
In ancient times, a lord could claim ownership of a piece of land without any other lords opposing or fighting against him.
Then this land and its inhabitants would be considered to belong to the first lord.
Now the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty has declared his intention to rule this place and has sent two thousand troops.
Although Britain and the United States also claim control of this area, they currently have no troops to conquer it.
Then this place was effectively ruled by the Han Dynasty.
Local merchants would accept this de facto rule until Britain or the United States sent troops to fight against the Han.
That was a battle between lords.
This is a situation that European merchants have faced frequently for thousands of years.
They generally do not confront lords and armies directly, provided that the lords and armies allow them to operate normally.
They are also accustomed to paying taxes in exchange for security.
Most importantly, McMillan acted very toughly, which was consistent with the sheer size of the Han army outside.
The fact that their abilities match the requirements proves that their strength is real, not fake.
McLaughlin, the manager of Vancouver Castle, complied.
Thus, McMillan, acting as an intermediary, assisted Yu Yang, the representative of the large Han, in communicating with McLaughlin, the manager of Vancouver Castle, and drafted and signed a simple agreement document on the spot.
The content is very similar to the document Yu Yang signed at Langley Fort, which states that Vancouver Fort will be under the jurisdiction of the Great Han, the Great Han will guarantee the life and property safety of the relevant personnel in Vancouver Fort, and allow them to leave freely.
Until the Kingdom of Britain and the Han Dynasty completed their negotiations and signed a formal agreement on the ownership of the land.
After completing these procedures, Yu Yang, holding the signed documents, walked out of the Vancouver Fortress gate, still felt that today's experience was very abnormal.
Upon seeing Zhang Zongyu again, Yu Yang first explained the course of events, and then reminded Zhang Zongyu:
"These people surrendered too readily; I'm worried there might be a trap. Commander Zhang, you must be careful."
Zhang Zongyu also felt that these people were abnormal, so he agreed very seriously:
"Thank you for the reminder, Interpreter Yu. I will be careful."
Zhang Zongyu then made a brief deployment, leaving 500 men to be stationed and guarded one kilometer away from Vancouver Fort.
Arrange half of the warships to approach Fort Vancouver and threaten it with artillery fire.
He led 500 men to approach Vancouver Fort, leaving 300 men temporarily outside the gates and ordering 200 men to rush into the courtyard, first taking control of the residences, watchtowers, and cannons.
Then, as requested by McMillan, he affixed his seal to the provisional agreement.
Next, let the remaining three hundred men enter and take control of all the buildings in the courtyard, especially the weapons and food warehouses.
Then everyone was asked to gather again and re-register their names, ages, and occupations.
McLaughlin took out the ledgers and explained the general business situation of previous years to Zhang Zongyu and Yu Yang.
They discussed with the two men the amount of taxes they would have to pay to the Han Dynasty in the future.
The two sides temporarily agreed on a typical tithe, with one-tenth of the revenue to be paid to the Han garrison.
Finally, McLaughlin voluntarily moved out of the building in the center of the compound and handed it over to Zhang Zongyu as the residence and office of the highest-ranking manager.
After the handover procedures were completed, Zhang Zongyu divided his men and thoroughly searched the inside and outside of Vancouver Fort.
They thoroughly inspected all the houses, floors, warehouses, basements, as well as the surrounding grasslands and riverbanks—everywhere that could hide people and objects.
After spending most of the day searching, Zhang Zongyu finally confirmed that there was nothing unusual inside or outside Vancouver Fort.
The people here were very cooperative, and there was no obvious resistance during this time.
When Zhang Zongyu finally settled in Vancouver Fort, he began to wonder if he was being a little neurotic, as if he had been fighting wits with thin air all day.
However, McLaughlin, McMillan, and others greatly admired and respected Zhang Zongyu's prudence.
A ruler should be like this: vigilant against the deception and attacks of the common people, and always ready to suppress any troublemakers.
Zhang Zongyu's caution and prudence demonstrate his strong governing ability and rich experience, suggesting that he will have no problem ruling this area.