Fu Shanhe

Chapter 543 The Struggle for the Return of the Capital
The news of the Burmese Kingdom's active preparations for war quickly reached the Annam Protectorate.

Contrary to expectations, Li Mu did not take any action upon receiving the news.

The support that European colonists provided to the Kingdom of Burma was exactly what he wanted to see.

From the moment they set foot on the ocean, it was destined that a fierce clash would inevitably occur between Eastern and Western civilizations.

However, the timing, location, and methods of this battle all require careful consideration.

The gentry of Jiangnan were attacked by a coalition of forces, and the industries they controlled also suffered a huge blow.

These industries did not disappear; rather, they were relocated.

Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi, and Annam Protectorate were all beneficiaries of this round of industrial transfer.

The latter two, in particular, saw their development accelerated due to the invention of the steam engine, which spurred the growth of the textile, mining and metallurgical, and shipbuilding industries.

The most direct impact of rapid industrial development is the rapid growth of import and export trade volume in a short period of time.

In addition to the traditional three-piece set of silk, tea, and porcelain, exports of ships, textiles, and iron products are also increasing rapidly.

Besides the domestic market, the largest buyers were European colonists.

There's no other reason than that the goods from the Annam Protectorate are more cost-effective.

Even the old-fashioned firearms discarded by the Protectorate were resold to all parts of the world by these colonial merchants.

The exorbitantly priced arms that the Kingdom of Myanmar is currently purchasing from Europeans at great expense include a significant portion of those arms that were phased out by the Protectorate General.

According to the collected data, the import and export trade volume between Annam Protectorate and European colonists this year is expected to exceed 20 million taels of silver, accounting for 70% of the Protectorate's total foreign trade.

If the Guangdong and Guangxi regions are included, this number would double.

Based on an average tariff of 25%, these trades alone contributed ten million taels of silver in revenue.

Because it contains a large number of luxury goods, the actual tax rate is usually even higher.

Most importantly, throughout this process, the Annam Protectorate and Guangdong and Guangxi maintained a trade surplus, with an estimated annual trade surplus of up to eight million taels.

On a broader scale, the trade surplus of the entire Great Yu Empire would further expand.

It can be said that nearly a quarter of the wealth plundered by European colonists overseas flowed into the territory of Dayu through trade.

The large influx of gold and silver laid the foundation for the issuance of banknotes.

Sufficient gold and silver reserves ensured the stability of the value of the banknotes.

As things stand now, the trade of bulk commodities from Southeast Asia to the Indochina Peninsula is basically settled using bank drafts.

Because of the fear of being scammed by the paper money, the merchants and gentry in Dayu were relatively conservative.

However, in coastal areas such as Guangdong, Guangxi, and Fujian, people began to use silver notes issued by the Annam Protectorate for the settlement of bulk commodity trade.

However, these merchants dared not hold the shares for long; after each transaction, they would exchange them for cash as quickly as possible.

Li Mu did not interfere with these people's caution.

The fact that people are willing to use banknotes for settlement is a big step forward in promoting paper money.

Once you experience the convenience of using bank drafts for settlement, you'll want to use them a second and a third time. The more you use them, the more you'll get used to it.

Having established a system for settling large-scale commodity transactions and built credibility for banknotes within the commercial system, it became possible to issue smaller denominations, gradually replacing copper coins.

If merchants are willing to accept banknotes and the imperial court can collect taxes in banknotes, the common people will naturally adapt gradually.

After a decade or two, the younger generation grew up and became accustomed to using banknotes in daily transactions, thus the issuance of paper money was a success.

As for the old-fashioned nouveau riche who like to hoard silver, let them hoard it.

With the advent of the industrial age, silver production will experience explosive growth, far exceeding what can be collected.

If needed, the silver standard could be changed to the gold standard, allowing for the harvesting of wealth from the financial markets.

However, all of this is predicated on the government having sufficient gold and silver reserves.

After all, with the continued development of the economy, the demand for currency in the market is also increasing rapidly.

Before paper money is widely accepted, a large amount of gold and silver will still be needed to circulate in the market.

Mining it themselves is one solution, while acquiring it from outside through trade is also an important source of gold and silver.

Against this backdrop, trade with the Western world was undoubtedly indispensable in the short term.

In the industrial era, all sectors of the economic cycle were closely interconnected, and a change in one sector could affect the whole system.

If foreign trade exports are lost due to war, not only will government finances be impacted, but the nascent domestic industrial system will also suffer a major blow.

If the war continues, it could even affect the stability of the value of the silver notes.

Even if they robbed the Iwami Silver Mine, they still couldn't fill this gap.

From the perspective of interests, a formal clash between Eastern and Western civilizations would be best left until after the unification of the empire.

The ability to withstand risks differs greatly between a unified regime and a separatist regime.

Especially in terms of identity, no matter how powerful the Annam Protectorate was, in the eyes of the people it was just an external agency of the Great Yu Empire.

Once they encountered difficulties, those merchants ran away as fast as they could.

The situation is completely different in a unified empire.

Having long held the title of a superior nation, from gentry and nobles to merchants and commoners, they all possessed an innate arrogance.

European colonists were seen as bumpkins by everyone.

This deep-seated contempt can affect people's confidence.

As long as people's hearts are kept at peace, even if there is a long-term confrontation with the Western world, it will only be a short-term orthodoxy.

As long as a unified dynasty does not have internal problems, no matter how great the external pressure, it cannot shake its foundation.

The huge domestic market can absorb most of the impact of the export disruption.

To achieve this goal, the European colonists must first be made aware of their power. The best option is to choose a suitable location and have a fight between the two sides.

Only by hurting them will there be peace.

In fact, the stability that has been maintained in Southeast Asia is also a result of military blackmail.

The European colonists were able to obtain intelligence about the Great Yu not because their intelligence agencies were particularly capable, but because Li Mu deliberately let them know.

Of course, artistic embellishment was still applied to the specific content.

The information they gathered was all about the paper strength of the Great Yu Empire.

Because they couldn't penetrate deep inland, they could only trade in coastal ports, and their main contact was with the army of the Annam Protectorate.

In the minds of these colonists, the fighting power of the Annam Protectorate Army was the same as that of the Da Yu Empire Army.

With this preconceived notion, even when internal strife broke out within the Great Yu territory, they dared not take advantage of the chaos.

Their misconceptions led them to overestimate the military strength of the Great Yu Empire, thus buying the Annam Protectorate valuable time to develop.

When they first entered Southeast Asia, the European colonists did not take action. Even if they wanted to fight later, their strength did not allow it.

Especially in the last two or three years, the Annam Protectorate has been building warships at a rapid pace, with warships being launched and commissioned almost every month.

The South China Sea Fleet alone possessed more warships than the combined naval forces of European colonists in Asia.

Having tasted success, Li Mu prepared to do it again.

By using the Burma war, we can lure the European colonists there and teach them a profound lesson on the battlefield.

Advantages on paper are ultimately just a set of cold numbers, and are far less impactful than the experience of being there in person.

To secure more than a decade of peace after the war, sufficient time must be allowed for European colonists to increase their investment in the Kingdom of Burma.

The more effort invested, the more directly one can perceive the gap in strength between the two sides.

In future business transactions, these bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong will finally obey the rules.

"My lord, news has come from Nanjing."

The governors and viceroys of various regions joined forces to force the emperor to relocate from Nanjing back to the capital.

The Beijing garrison and the northern border troops also got involved.

Judging from the current situation, unless we intervene, Nanjing will most likely be unable to withstand the pressure.

Lan Linjie said excitedly.

The northern lands are now a giant crater.

The situation may seem to have stabilized, but the fundamental issues have not been resolved.

Once the imperial court moves back to Nanjing, it means that the court will have to invest a lot of manpower, material resources, and financial resources to stabilize the situation in the northern frontier.

Of course, the pressure has been reduced considerably compared to previous years.

The Annam Protectorate's immigration policy took away tens of millions of people from the north. Combined with the population decline caused by natural disasters and man-made calamities, the original overpopulation crisis has been resolved.

The number of people in need of government relief has decreased significantly compared to before.

There is a good side and a bad side.

Due to the war, many facilities in the capital were damaged.

As the face of the empire, the imperial court must not be allowed to fall into disrepair; it must pay for repairs.

The northern border defense line is even more troublesome, as many city defense fortifications have been destroyed by grassland tribes due to the southward advance of the border troops.

Once the capital is returned to Beijing, the threat of border troubles will once again be on the agenda.

At that time, both the border troops and the capital garrison will need to be restored to their original formations, and the damaged northern frontier defense line will also require the imperial court to invest money and resources to rebuild it.

Given the fragile finances of the Great Yu Empire, it would be difficult for it to shoulder so many important projects at once, and the imperial court would inevitably have to make choices.

Prioritizing any one step will leave hidden dangers in other areas.

"The border troops and the capital garrison are demanding that the court return the capital, which stems from their own interests, and I can understand that."

The governors and viceroys in various regions made their choices purely out of spite towards the cabinet.

At this rate, it won't be long before it causes a major uproar!

Li Mu couldn't help but sigh.

He couldn't quite understand the series of actions taken by the Nanjing court.

After the new emperor ascended the throne, it was time to deal with many things that had been suppressed in the past.

The best option was to transfer the Beijing garrison to Nanjing to continue protecting the emperor's safety.

Shandong, Beizhili, Shanxi and other regions were directly designated as defense zones for the border troops, who were to choose strategically important locations to defend.

Everyone found a place to go, and the military got its share of the spoils.

As long as the imperial court could distribute the salaries on time, the officials and soldiers below did not care whether the capital was Nanjing or Beijing.

With the support of the military, the cabinet could freely employ political maneuvering to divide and win over governors and viceroys in various regions.

To everyone's surprise, the officials in power in Nanjing were a bunch of cowards who lacked any sense of responsibility at crucial moments.

When it was time to solve the problem, they hesitated to make a decision and failed to address the resettlement issues of the Beijing garrison and the border troops in a timely manner.

They can dawdle, but the soldiers on the front lines can't afford to wait.

Only by clarifying the destinations of each department can money and grain be distributed in a timely manner according to the actual situation.

Unfortunately, the cabinet members were hesitant and worried that the adjustment of defense zones would lead to them being blamed for losing cities and territories.

Everyone is looking for a way to have the best of both worlds, but alas, there's no such thing as a perfect solution.

The remnants of the Liaodong army surrendered to the Northern barbarians, and the Shanhaiguan line fell directly into the hands of the Tatars, which directly led to the opening of the northern border.

The strategic value of the former northern border defense line has been greatly reduced.

The Great Yu needs a new line of defense to block the threat from enemy forces at Shanhaiguan.

No one in the cabinet was willing to take responsibility, and there was constant infighting in the court. They were mainly just going through the motions when dealing with the people below.

Despite repeated urging, no clear answer was given, which gradually exhausted the military's patience.

Seeing that the local governors were stirring up trouble, they also chose to join in the commotion.

Driven by their own interests, these two political forces chose to join forces and put pressure on the Nanjing court.

Returning the capital to Beijing was politically correct.

By focusing on this aspect, they directly struck at the Nanjing court's Achilles' heel.

If we agree to the demands of the local governors, it won't be long before the treasury is ruined.

Refusing these people's demands would be politically unacceptable, so we can only delay it for now.

From the perspective of the Nanjing cabinet, even if the Tatars immediately invaded and seized the capital, it would be better than their current situation.

Without a doubt, this is impossible.

The Tatars weren't stupid; they knew the Nanjing court was in a precarious situation, so naturally they wouldn't step in to help the enemy.

The escalating infighting in the imperial court was due not only to the unequal distribution of benefits, but also to the disappearance of external enemies.

If the Tatar Kingdom chooses to invade Dayu at this time, they will immediately become the common enemy of all political factions in Dayu.

Under the pressure of external threats, even politically conflicted forces can cooperate in the short term.

They didn't manage to loot much, and they even managed to unite the enemy – it was a complete disaster.

"My lord, these are all things that were expected."

His Majesty is young, and power is entirely in the hands of the ministers. Unfortunately, the court lacks someone with absolute authority who can take charge in crucial moments.

When problems arise, everyone shifts the blame and no one is willing to take responsibility. If this continues, problems will inevitably arise sooner or later.

The power struggle between the central government and local authorities has existed since ancient times.

The imperial court has far more options than local governors, and if all else fails, it can adjust personnel.

The situation has escalated to this point entirely because of those incompetent officials in the court, who spend all their time vying for power and doing absolutely nothing of substance.

To prevent Li Mu from suddenly having a change of heart and lending a helping hand to Dayu again, Lan Linjie went to great lengths.

The contradictions that had accumulated over three hundred years were beyond the ability of officials to resolve simply by being willing to take responsibility, especially as the empire was nearing its twilight.

While the Nanjing court officials were unable to solve the problem, they didn't just make things worse!

If it weren't for the unequal distribution of spoils in the early stages, which triggered this political storm, we could have continued to muddle through for many more years.

"Alright, the court will decide on the matter of returning the capital; we shouldn't interfere."

Li Mu waved his hand and said.

The Great Yu Empire had accumulated too many internal contradictions, and the reform movement initiated by the upper echelons could no longer fundamentally solve the problems.

He had already done so much, but he couldn't reverse the decline; it was simply fate.

Emperor Yongning's northern expedition failed, leading the Great Yu dynasty to a desperate situation. If it weren't for the valiant efforts of loyal ministers, the empire would have collapsed.

The Liaodong rebellion that followed marked the empire's second crisis. Li Mu led a loyalist army to suppress the rebellion, but the hearts of the people were already beginning to change.

The ruling group can survive one or two crises by saving itself, but it cannot survive every single one.

(End of this chapter)