Fu Shanhe

Chapter 436 The Flourishing Protectorate
The Kingdom of Siam.

"Your Majesty, the Yu army's offensive is extremely fierce; it's clear they're heading straight for the capital."

"While there's still time, let's evacuate to the northern mountains immediately!"

"I urge you on in a panic!" said Charles, the commander of the Imperial Guard.

They had already experienced firsthand how formidable Yu Jun was.

The previous battles all ended in major defeats for the Kingdom of Siam.

The elite army that had been painstakingly trained was wiped out.

The remaining remnants trembled at the mere mention of "Yu's army," let alone fighting them.

"Bastard!"

"The Buddha will protect us. I will not go anywhere. I will stay in the capital and wait for the Buddha to punish these heretics!"

The King of Siam's words infuriated everyone.

Religion was their means of enslaving the common people, but they never expected that by telling so many lies, their own king would also be implicated.

If Buddha were to truly punish someone, he would first cleanse his own sect.

"Rumble..."

The sound of cannon fire rang out as the city was attacked, and the entire capital trembled.

"Take His Majesty away immediately!"

Charlene stamped her foot and gave the order.

When disaster strikes, we all fly away.

Upon hearing the news of Yu's army's approach, the powerful and wealthy in the capital fled for their lives.

Judging from the number of officials gathered around the King of Siam, most of the kingdom's nobles had already fled.

It's clear to anyone with eyes to see that the Kingdom of Siam is in danger this time, facing the behemoth that is Dayu.

The most frustrating thing is that they had no idea from beginning to end what they had done to offend the Great Yu and bring about the destruction of the country.

After their previous defeats, they chose to submit and sent three waves of envoys to the Great Yu to sue for peace.

According to past practice, once this gesture is made, even the greatest resentment should subside.

This situation was unusual. The official letter had just been delivered, and the delegation had not yet reached the capital of the Great Yu, when the Yu army launched a deadly attack on them.

They couldn't win in a fight, so they had no choice but to abandon the plains and head to the mountains to temporarily avoid the enemy's advance.

……

Yong'an Prefecture.

Upon receiving the battle report from the front, Li Mu decisively delineated the scope of the war.

Seize the plains; forget about venturing into the mountains.

The miasma in the Indochina Peninsula is mainly concentrated in the mountainous areas.

If they were to pursue the enemy further, their greatest enemy would not be the desperate remnants of the Kingdom of Siam, but rather the harsh natural conditions.

Greed is a cardinal sin in warfare; knowing when to stop is the mark of a wise person.

Having captured the capital of Siam, none of the surrounding small towns had the confidence to resist the royal army.

Having conquered vast territories with ease, the real challenge now lies in governing them.

Because of its weak resistance, the population of the Kingdom of Siam remained relatively intact, avoiding the tragedy of Annam where more than half of its population was lost.

According to the official household registers seized, the registered population of the Kingdom of Siam is approximately 1.5 million.

Considering the number of people hiding, the actual population should be between two and three million.

The most challenging issue is the sheer number of monks, reaching 80,000, which accounts for 5% of the registered population.

The disadvantages are obvious, but the advantages are also prominent: religious manipulation of the people is conducive to rule.

The main reason why the Kingdom of Siam was so weak in its resistance was that it was corrupt internally.

"My lord, given the special circumstances in Siam, it is not advisable to take any major actions for the time being."

However, the spread of religion must be restricted.

The domestic system of ordination certificates for monks and Taoist priests is a good countermeasure.

There are no restrictions on monks who have already become monks, but strict management is required for anyone who subsequently takes vows of monastic vows.

For the sake of religious checks and balances, we introduced Buddhism and Taoism from China.

For future expansion, these monks can be sent out to spread their faith, gradually reducing their influence in the local areas.

If necessary, local residents can also be relocated.

Wang Jingchuan stepped forward to admonish him.

Its long history is its greatest advantage.

No matter what bizarre things happen, similar prototypes can be found in history, and we can learn from the successful experiences of our ancestors.

"Ok!"

"In addition, all officials of the Protectorate, whether civil or military, are prohibited from practicing religion; those who violate this rule will be dismissed and investigated."

The construction and maintenance of Buddhist temples and Taoist monasteries must be reported to the government office; unauthorized construction or alteration is prohibited.

Especially in the Siam region, temples occupy a large amount of social wealth, and a major investigation is necessary.

At the same time, the ideologies promoted by temples in various places must be examined, and some cult organizations with extreme ideologies must be eradicated with swift and decisive measures.

Once the local area is stabilized, immigrants will be gradually settled in various places to dilute the local population structure.

To appease the people, temples such as the Temple of Confucius, the Temple of Guan Yu, the Temple of Mazu, the Temple of the God of Wealth, and the Temple of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors could be built in the area...

Some fallen soldiers who distinguished themselves in battle can also have temples built in their honor.

Li Mu thought for a moment and then said.

Banning religious beliefs is unrealistic, but we can play the game of division.

There are so many historical figures and deities in China; we can bring them all over.

It's not just about spreading religion, it's about exporting culture.

Aside from these subtle methods, changing the distribution of social wealth is the real killer move.

Everything else is meaningless; only the land you actually possess is real.

The key to Yu Jun's rapid stabilization of the region as he marched south was his ability to win over the common people.

Not only were all previous debts cleared, but they also acquired their own houses and land.

Having a better life and becoming beneficiaries, they naturally don't want to go back to the past and live a miserable life.

Although it appeared to be a military invasion, the Yu army was seen as liberators by the local people.

"My lord, this is the latest map of the territory."

Based on the actual situation, we have consolidated and divided the territory of the Protectorate into thirty prefectures, which in turn govern one hundred and eighty counties.

Apart from the initial ten prefectures, which had relatively complete staffing, all twenty newly added prefectures were short of personnel.

Not only are there a shortage of officials responsible for people's livelihood, but there is also a severe shortage of troops stationed there.

Lan Linjie said with a troubled expression.

The peace and stability of Annam Protectorate was inseparable from the efforts of the troops stationed in various places.

The management system of "one thousand households per county, one hundred households per town, and one shi per village" is indeed very effective, but it also places a large demand on the military.

The area controlled by the previous Protectorate was small, and the troops needed to be stationed in the ten prefectures were no more than the troops of five towns.

Now the area under our control has greatly increased, and it is all newly occupied land, so the need for troops has suddenly increased to fifteen towns.

There are troops in the fifteen garrisons, but most of them are affiliated with the Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. The provincial protectorate's finances alone cannot support so many soldiers.

Currently, the army of the Protectorate General is mainly composed of garrison troops.

There was no other reason; it was simply to save money.

If a piece of land is allocated to them, the garrison can become self-sufficient, and the government only needs to supplement a small amount of funding.

Once the troops were stationed in the local area, it meant that these troops became the directly controlled troops of the Protectorate General.

Subsequent military expenditures could no longer be directly funded through the finances of Guangdong and Guangxi.

In theory, it is permissible to "provide subsidies," but this requires approval from the imperial court.

Without a doubt, Li Mu would not follow the proper procedures.

For no other reason than that the Annam Protectorate was mainly supported by Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, and its fiscal self-sufficiency rate was only 40%.

All military expenses for foreign wars were reimbursed by the Governor-General's Office of Guangdong and Guangxi, and a sum of money was also advanced for immigration expenses.

During his tenure as Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, not a single penny of the province's revenue was turned over to the imperial court; it all went into the pockets of the Protectorate General.

In order to balance the books, Li Mu not only reduced the revenue from various taxes, but also registered the army under the name of Guangdong and Guangxi.

On paper, after deducting all expenses, the surplus of the finances of Guangdong and Guangxi was only a few hundred thousand taels. Because the amount was not large, the imperial court allowed the surplus of Guangdong and Guangxi to be used to support the Annam Protectorate.

Once the troops were transferred there, many hidden secrets were exposed.

If the imperial court knew that the Annam Protectorate took nine million taels of revenue from Guangdong and Guangxi every year, the court would surely be in an uproar.

The reason for bestowing the title of hereditary governor of Annam was to save money.

If the imperial court could allocate nine million taels of silver annually to Annam, it could directly establish a province there.

The shortage of officials responsible for people's livelihood is even more troublesome.

Currently, the main officials in the territory are retired military officers and soldiers, as well as those introduced from Dayu.

The former's abilities varied, but they excelled in execution, and they were able to carry out the tasks assigned by their superiors.

The latter is more flexible, and while many have achieved success, even more have made mistakes.

Influenced by the prevailing social atmosphere, corruption has become an even more persistent problem.

Not only are they greedy themselves, but these guys also like to drag others down with them.

As a result, Li Mu preferred to leave many important military and political positions vacant rather than employ these guys.

“The vacancy of officials is not a problem. The newly added county government has few people’s livelihood affairs, so let the military take over for now.”

After the number of immigrants increases, the construction of the livelihood system will be gradually improved.

Regarding the issue of troop deployment, I will have the military coordinate it.

The immigration process needs to be accelerated.

In the original ten prefectures, the Yu people barely made up more than half, but these new counties are almost entirely inhabited by foreign ethnic groups.

In principle, 100,000 people should be relocated to each county in order to ensure basic control over the local area.

Ideally, we should immigrate 200,000 people to surpass the population of other ethnic groups.

To achieve this goal, we would need to immigrate another five million people to digest our current gains.

Li Mu thought for a moment and then said.

The practice of drawing salaries without working is rampant throughout the country, so one more person doesn't make a difference.

The deployment of troops must be implemented, but the quotas for troops affiliated with Guangdong and Guangxi should not be abandoned.

The fact that he was able to keep the truth hidden for so long was not only because he was good at falsifying accounts, but also because the gentry and officials of Guangdong and Guangxi had become beneficiaries.

While it's true that the retained tax revenue was used for the Protectorate General, the money was also spent on the vast lands of Guangdong and Guangxi.

They handed it over to the imperial court, but they couldn't get a single hair on it.

It was allocated to the Protectorate General's office and could also be used to purchase local goods.

The soaring fiscal revenues of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces were also a result of the war dividends from their external expansion.

The main problem is that we're too poor.

If the Annam Protectorate can develop, Li Mu would not mind filling the army's ranks, and there would be no need to use the army's ranks in Guangdong and Guangxi to support troops.

In essence, relocating the garrison troops there was a disguised form of immigration.

The originally designated land parcels will also be adjusted accordingly.

If you want someone to move, you definitely have to give them something in return.

All of these problems need to be solved.

"My lord, five million immigrants, that goal is probably a bit difficult."

Aside from military immigrants and exiled prisoners, the total number of immigrants we received from the civilian population was only a little over 1.5 million.

This was only completed after the Yellow River breached its banks, causing a large number of people to be displaced.

At the normal pace, it is extremely difficult to immigrate hundreds of thousands of people each year.

Chinese people have a strong sense of local identity and will not leave their hometowns unless absolutely necessary.

Lan Linjie offered his advice in a tactful manner.

If prisoners are included, the immigration task is very easy to complete.

On the battlefield in the Central Plains, government troops are fighting against rebel forces.

The number of prisoners of war captured every day is countless. If the government investigates strictly, it can implicate a large number of people.

However, the hidden dangers here are too great. If the subsequent management is not handled carefully, the Protectorate could be blown up.

The large number of White Lotus Sect prisoners of war tied down a significant amount of troops.

In order to alleviate internal conflicts, Li Mu constantly created opportunities for the exiled prisoners of war to be pardoned.

Aside from the earlier wars, completing the land reclamation goals now will also grant a pardon.

They managed to stabilize this group by making empty promises and sowing discord.

Although the Protectorate continued to receive prisoners exiled by the imperial court, it had lost its initial enthusiasm.

For no other reason than that any unstable group that makes up too large a proportion will cause trouble for the government.

"Don't worry, Da Yu lacks everything except people."

Have you seen a decrease in the number of disaster victims arriving from Southern Zhili each month?
I observed the celestial phenomena last night and discovered that in the next few years, the northern lands will be plagued by continuous natural disasters and man-made calamities.

You all just need to prepare for the immigration; more people will migrate here later.

Li Mu immediately tried to deceive him.

Judging the course of the world by observing the stars at night is certainly a bit mystical, but there are still many people who believe in it these days.

Given his status and position, no one would find it strange that he claimed to have the ability to observe celestial phenomena at night.

A shortfall of five million may seem like a huge amount, but the Great Yu Dynasty had a large population.

If you invest over a million each year, you can accumulate enough in just a few years.

At that time, the Annam Protectorate would be a behemoth with a population of over ten million.

If the immigration policy is maintained for a few more years, it will only be a matter of time before the population under its jurisdiction exceeds 20 million.

With current productivity, once the territory under the Annam Protectorate is developed, it will be more than capable of supporting a population of forty to fifty million.

Moreover, beyond the peninsula lies the vast expanse of Southeast Asia.

As for the mountains in the north-central part of the peninsula, Li Mu has no intention of tackling that problem for the time being, given that there is no shortage of land.

……

Kaifeng Mansion.

"Your Highness, the government troops are advancing with overwhelming force; we can no longer remain in Kaifeng."

Liu Nian'an said with a heavy heart.

They thought that after occupying Kaifeng, their prince would be able to establish a powerful empire based in the Central Plains.

The reality was quite the opposite. Occupying Kaifeng marked the peak of the Weiwu King's group, attracting various rebel armies to join them and establishing the Dawei regime.

The glory didn't last long, as government troops arrived.

Under the siege of the government troops, the Dawei Dynasty suffered repeated defeats on the battlefield, and it seemed that the government troops were about to reach the gates of Kaifeng.

"Ok!"

"The government troops are powerful, so we should indeed avoid their sharp edge for the time being."

"Minister Liu, have you decided where the army will go next?"

The mighty king asked, feigning composure.

He didn't enjoy his wealth for long before being forced to flee, leaving him devastated.

However, there was no other way. While recruiting soldiers in Henan was indeed easy, establishing a long-term foothold was extremely difficult.

The consequences of digging up the Yellow River ultimately backfired on them.

Besides plundering the gentry, taxes from the people were reduced to zero.

"Your Highness, the imperial court has elite troops stationed in Huguang and Southern Zhili, so we cannot contend with them."

The army's route lies in Shanxi, Shandong, and Guanzhong; however, neither Shandong nor Shanxi is a suitable base for a kingdom's hegemony, so Guanzhong is the best choice.

Liu Nian'an explained with a smile.

The idea that this is the foundation of a king's and noble's empire is utter nonsense.

Looking at the world, the Dawei regime is a joke.

Aside from shouting slogans among the peasant army, neither the Great Yu court nor the gentry of the land took them seriously.

We are still a long way from conquering the world.

The main reason for choosing to return to Guanzhong was that most of the generals present were from Guanzhong.

If I suggest returning to Guanzhong, no one will object.

(End of this chapter)