Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 538: Korean Kaihua Sect’s Local Observations
"Mr. Wuyuan, you have been outside for more than an hour. It is almost noon and the weather is getting hot. Why don't you go to the inn and have lunch with Lord Li and Lord Park, and rest for a while. When the weather is a little cooler in the afternoon, you can go outside to paint."

A man wearing local-style clothes but with a Korean hairstyle and speaking fluent Korean walked up to the middle-aged man and persuaded him in a soft voice.

"Wait a little longer, it will be finished in a little while."

The middle-aged man's eyes were still focused on the bustling crowd on the street and the canvas, and the brush in his hand never stopped.

"Tick, tick, tick", the steam train entered the station, sounding a shrill whistle. When the door opened, groups of soldiers wearing different uniforms such as gray-green, black-gray, gray-blue, white, and indigo got off the train. Among them, many people were wrapped in bandages and were supported by the soldiers around them as they got off the train.

The military uniforms of the Han Dynasty are divided into three styles: spring and autumn, winter, and summer. According to different types of military services, they are further divided into field uniforms, training uniforms, formal uniforms, as well as military uniforms of different services such as the army, navy, garrison, militia reserve, etc., with many styles.

Putting aside the minor differences, the Han Dynasty military uniforms can be divided into three main categories based on their appearance. One is the field uniforms, officer uniforms, and military uniforms with gray-green tones as the main color. They are equipped with the Imperial Army's field troops. Depending on the nature of the combat and climate, the material and size of the uniforms also vary.

The second category is the navy uniform, which is mainly blue with gray and white tones. The uniforms of the Imperial Navy and Coast Guard are all designed based on this tone.

The third type is the gray military uniform, with the main color of the top being gray.

The lapel is blue and the trousers are iron grey, and they are matched with black rubber shoes or short boots. They are mainly equipped with garrison troops and militia reserves.

There were not many troops getting off the train, totaling more than a thousand people, of which more than half were wounded officers and soldiers with bandages wrapped around their bodies.

Even though their wounds had not yet fully healed and they needed the support of their comrades to walk, every soldier and officer wore a brand new, neat military uniform and a wide-brimmed hat in gray-green, gray-blue, and indigo. The center of the brim was decorated with a hand-embroidered imperial emblem.

They wore military uniforms with gray and blue as the main colors on their upper bodies, black and gray straight trousers on their lower bodies, a black belt around their waists with a bullet box or a revolver hanging on the belt, and black short boots, mid-length boots, and rubber shoes on their feet. They had firm and tenacious faces, and even though they were injured, they were still neat and orderly when marching in formation, giving people a strong sense of impact and shock.

The appearance of the army was like throwing a stone into a calm river, causing waves. A group of people spontaneously emerged from the commercial street and near the railway station, surrounded the military ranks, shouted loudly, laughed happily, waved flags vigorously, and greeted the soldiers. Many local people who rushed to the commercial street to sell agricultural and sideline products, held various fruits, processed foods, brewed fruit wine, steamed cakes and other food in their hands, and stuffed them into the hands of the soldiers passing by.

"Aunt, Grandma, the Imperial Army has regulations that prohibit taking the civilians' belongings without permission. We appreciate your kindness, but please take the things back. Otherwise, if the superior officers find out, you will be punished."

A soldier about eighteen or nineteen years old with a shoulder injury took out the food stuffed in his pocket and returned it to the two middle-aged women with a simple smile on his face and a little shyness.

"The rice yeast we fermented at home is not worth much. You are fighting on the front line, bleeding and wounded. Without you, there would be no fields for us to cultivate. Child, listen to grandma and accept it. If you don't accept it, grandma will feel sad."

"Sir."

The soldier looked at the captain who was leading the team.

"Take it. It's a token of my love. It doesn't count as a violation of your rules."

A young officer wearing a wide-brimmed hat and several medals on his front said, "Grandma, the soldiers of the empire serve in the army and fight in order to make all of our citizens live a good life. We just have different divisions of labor. We fight on the front lines, and you plow the land and harvest crops in the rear, all contributing to the development of the empire. Here are two dimes, please accept it. Take good care of yourself. The empire is developing rapidly, and there will be many good days in the future. You should see more and enjoy more."

"No, no, sir."

"Grandma, please don't refuse. Take it. The troops will go to Chang'an to assemble and rest, and will be inspected by His Majesty the day after tomorrow. I won't talk to you any more." The young officer stuffed the money into the woman's hand and left quickly without waiting for her to respond.

The commercial street was only four or five hundred meters long, but because so many people spontaneously flocked to the street, it took a troop of more than a thousand people more than half an hour to walk through it. When the last soldier left the commercial street, every soldier passing through the street was stuffed with all kinds of food and specialties. The company and platoon officers and professional non-commissioned officers who led the team took out some change from their pockets and stuffed it into the hands of the people to express their gratitude for their spontaneous support.

"Mr. Zhichang,"

"Mr. Li and Mr. Park are well-informed and have visited Japan, the United States, Britain, and Germany.
Do the armies of Western countries treat their own citizens in the same way as the Han army?"

The middle-aged painter stopped painting, shocked by what he had just seen, and asked.

"It has never been like this. Although the policies of Western powers such as England, France, and Germany are enlightened and the status of their people is higher than that of Korea, the relationship between the army and the people is far less close than that of the Han Kingdom."

"The Celestial Empire, the teacher of kings! The Han Kingdom of South America is the real Celestial Empire! The kingdom should learn from the Han Kingdom, reform and open up, enrich the country and strengthen the army, strictly abide by the distinction between Chinese and barbarians, and revitalize the three thousand miles of rivers and mountains in the East China Sea!"

The middle-aged painter threw away his paintbrush and said excitedly.

"The domestic situation is turbulent. Countries like Japan and Russia have sinister intentions. Especially Japan, which has repeatedly planned coups and sent troops in an attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of the kingdom.

The princess was worried about state affairs. Whenever she mentioned the decline of state affairs and the suffering of the people, she would burst into tears.

Moreover, in the past two years, because the people were poor and could not survive, they agreed to the suggestion of the Han envoys to move their daughters of marriageable age to South America to live in exchange for food and supplies. This caused dissatisfaction among some ministers, who wanted to instigate His Majesty the King to ban the people from going to sea. The princess was worried that this move would cause dissatisfaction in the Han country, so she specially sent us to the Han country as merchants to explore and understand the national conditions of the Han country.
If the Han Kingdom is as powerful as Consul Zhou said, and is willing to assist the kingdom in carrying out civilization and reform, then on the one hand it can achieve the goal of enriching the country and strengthening the military, and on the other hand it can introduce a new force to curb the infiltration and threats to the kingdom from Japan and Russia.

The Jurchens have been occupying the Central Plains and are not the orthodox Chinese. We are a great country in the East China Sea and have been taught by saints for generations. We are forced to seek the protection of the Jurchens due to the situation, but we must not forget the difference between Chinese and barbarians. If our country becomes prosperous, we will definitely break away from the control of the Jurchens and restore our status as a great Chinese country in the East China Sea. "

Within North Korea, there have always been two concepts: the debate between Chinese and barbarians and great-power chauvinism. In the field of cultural identity, it emphasizes its identity as a small China, believing that after the demise of the Ming Dynasty, Korea is the orthodox successor of Chinese culture. It even had the idea of ​​attacking the Qing court. In the end, due to the huge gap in strength and the lessons learned from several attacks and defeats by the Jurchens, it did not dare to act rashly.

Great powerism is a realistic approach taken after recognizing the gap in power between oneself and the Central Plains. That is, in politics and military, one seeks the protection of the Qing court, but in cultural identity, one still regards oneself as the legitimate successor of China in order to alleviate the humiliation caused by submission to the Qing court.

"I never thought that I would miss the opportunity to fight the foreigners. If I had set out two months earlier, I might have caught up with the decisive battle between the Han navy and the Brazilian navy, and went to the capital of Brazil to see the battle between the Han army and the Brazilian foreigners with my own eyes. What a pity, what a pity."

"Destroyed dozens of giant steel ships in one battle! I heard that the Brazilian navy is not inferior to the Japanese navy. If the Brazilian navy has such strength, how powerful must the South American Han navy be to be able to destroy such a powerful enemy in one battle! I really want to see the appearance of the Han navy in person!"

The young Korean who came to speak sighed, "We have been in the mainland of South American Han for more than a month. The customs and accents of the people along the way are no different from those in the Far East, but the differences in industry, commerce, military, government, and national mental outlook are like the difference between heaven and earth. The changes in Dongying are shocking enough, but compared with Han, the changes and achievements in Dongying are far inferior to those in South American Han.

In one battle, 10 enemies were killed and million square kilometers of territory were expanded. After the war, the new territory gained was as large as seven and a half kingdoms. The strength of the Han Kingdom is beyond doubt. If the Kingdom can get help from the Han Kingdom, the civilization reform and national situation in the Kingdom should be fundamentally improved. "

After analyzing the situation, the North Korean youth wiped the sweat from his head with his hand and thought of the purpose of coming out.

"Mr. Wuyuan, it's too hot outside. This is not the place to talk. I'll collect the canvas for you. Let's go to the inn and discuss future plans with the adults while we eat."

"It's time to eat, so I'll trouble you, Mr. Zhichang."
(End of this chapter)