The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 793 Huai Shang Brand Bodhisattva Barbarian
"Hurry up!"

"Everyone come and push the cannon! At this point, don't count on these laborers. Let's take the north city quickly, and we'll all make a fortune!"

Tianma Junbo Yang Kaifeng shouted loudly, ordering his troops to quickly push the cannons forward. His Feidong accent was extremely loud on the hillside, its penetration even stronger than the rumble of cannons.

Yang Kaifeng was the cousin of Yang Kaijia, a general under Chen Guangyao. These fellow townsmen of Zhu Hongwu remained an important part of the Han Chinese cavalry of the court during the Dayu Dynasty.

Of the twelve Imperial Guards and the sixteen armies of the Beijing Garrison, cavalrymen from the Huai River region and the Youyun cavalry from the Baotou-Datong-Zhangjiakou-Chengde area accounted for more than 60% of the Han Chinese cavalry.

Compared to the somewhat reserved Youyun cavalry of the North, whose cultural customs differed from those of the other cavalry, the Huai River cavalry were of one mind and shared a common spirit, making them the most vocal.

Ever since the Song Dynasty turned the prosperous Huai River region into a flood-prone area, the lives of the people in the Huai River region have become more and more difficult. In order to protect themselves and make a living, they, like the Hakka people in southern Jiangxi and northern Guangdong, began to focus their talents on military strength.

The only difference is that the Hakka people have chosen the infantry talent, and to their south there are other equally capable Cantonese and Minnan people. Even if they chose the martial arts talent, they would only be struggling to survive.

But the situation on the Huai River was different. Not only did they have the cavalry talent that allowed them to move like the wind, but they were also invincible in the surrounding area.

They are thieves when they go out and civilians when they come in. They farm by day and rob by night. They not only rob outsiders, but also rob the people of Huaihe River. It is a complete law of the jungle.

This harsh living environment has caused a huge change in the pronunciation of the people of Huaihe River. When they speak, their voices are loud and explosive, and they also have to make a fierce appearance with angry eyes.

Because if you don't do this, you can't even project a show of ferocity, and you'll be judged as weak.

If a person from the Huai River region at this time gives those around them a weak impression, then what awaits them is predictable.

Fortunately, after the Great Yu army returned, the people of Huai River, who were a major problem for the Manchus and officials during the Qing Dynasty, immediately became the best source of soldiers.

From Northeast China to Anxi, whether it was quelling rebellions or fighting against the Rus' and various Oghuz and Circus peoples in Central Asia, the traces of the Huai River people were always present.

So much so that when the Great Yu Kingdom was founded, the Huai River region had more than 14 million people. Twenty-three years later, the national population had almost doubled, but the registered population of the Huai River region was still only 14 to 15 million.

With Yang Kaijia's Feidong accent embellishing the scene, dozens of men from the Huai River region exerted all their strength, pushing the cannon, weighing several thousand kilograms, into the air.

Yang Kaifeng's Tianma Junbo territory was located in the Tokharistan Basin, which later became Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.

This is a wonderful place. Not only is it rich in resources and easy to defend, but it also has a special product that everyone in the Great Yu Dynasty loves and dreams of obtaining: people.

To be precise, it's a woman.

The area around Tianma City (Dushanbe) is inhabited by a large number of Tojiks, also known as plain Tajiks, whose ancestors largely originated from the Yuezhi people who once lived in Hexi.

The Yuezhi were a branch of the Indo-European people, and they were also classified as one of the earliest Indo-European-Tocharians to migrate eastward.

At that time, the Tajiks of the plains had not yet been influenced by the Soviet Union's brainwashing ethnic policies and had not yet interbred with the Saka to a certain extent. Therefore, there were not many Tajiks of the plains who looked similar to Balangzi in later generations.

Many of them still have very typical, authentic Indo-European features, also known as the most authentic Aryan appearance.

Compared to them, the English, French, Germanic, and Celtic peoples of Europe are all considered to have gone astray.

This is absolutely terrible!
This appearance perfectly matches the aesthetic standards of the Han people.

Who wouldn't want a Western Region beauty with big eyes, a high nose, fair skin, cherry-red lips, a small mouth, and a slender figure?

From the Han to the Tang dynasties, the Han people were extremely fascinated by this kind of appearance that was so deeply ingrained in their hearts that during the Tang dynasty, women with the appearance of the Saka and Sogdian people were called Hu Ji, and their status was no different from that of the maidens of the gods in Okubo Park.

Only women who resemble Tocharians, or Yuezhi people, have a beautiful name: Bodhisattva Man.

Yang Kaifeng was not only a brave warrior, but also a connoisseur of goods. As soon as he captured Tianma City, he knew he was going to make a fortune.

Two years ago, he sent a group of fifty bodhisattvas who could communicate with Han people in broken Chinese to test the waters in China.

Good heavens, the scene wasn't about supply falling short of demand, nor was it about prices being inflated to exorbitant levels; it was simply that the goods never even made it onto the market.

When talented people arrived in Xi'an, the nobles and wealthy merchants of the two capitals sent people over. Ordinary people had no idea that these Bodhisattva Barbarian ...

But after testing him this time, Yang Kaifeng immediately disappeared. It wasn't that he didn't like money, but that he knew he couldn't hold onto such wealth.

. . . .

Kabul is divided into north and south cities by the Kabul River. Yesterday, the Lu and An armies actually captured the north city and an important part of the south city, the Bala Sisar Fortress.

Today, the 4,000 troops, mainly composed of the Yiwu Garrison Army, the Beibeiting Garrison Army, and some local garrison troops, are attacking the real southern city.

"Be precise! Once we breach the city wall in front of the south city, we can position our cannons on higher ground and bombard the city directly. That way, the great achievement of capturing the south city of Kabul will be ours."

Yang Kaifeng shouted loudly in Feidong dialect, looking solemnly at the fellow villagers who had followed him all the way from Luzhou (Hefei), Shouzhou, Sizhou to Anxi Province.

"Now it is the Great Yu, not the Great Ming. The emperor is not from our hometown of Huaixi, but comes from Guangdong. He has his own Jiaoji Lang, and we can't squeeze in. I can only be a princely count. That's the best I can do."

As she spoke, Yang Kaifeng sighed, "The women of Huai River region are also a bit temperamental, and Consort Dong has never been favored by His Majesty."

Therefore, to secure Tianma City and preserve this wealth for generations, we must achieve great merit. Only then can I persuade my brother to plead with Consort Dong.

"Commander, don't worry, we will fight you to the death and make sure that Madam marries Twelfth Master."

"No one can take away our credit for being the first to enter Kabul. There's nothing we, the two lads of Huai River, can't handle!"

The officers below were all from Yang Kaifeng's hometown, and they immediately began shouting loudly, their fighting spirit quite high.

These officers were well aware that the Tianma City River Valley, a treasure trove 400 li long and 80 li wide, was not a place that Yang Kaifeng, a mere Junbo (a low-ranking official), or Yang Kaijia, a mere commander of the Beijing Garrison, could control.

It's important to know that over 400,000 people live in this valley. If things are handled well, selling two to three thousand Bodhisattva Barbarians to the rest of China every year wouldn't be a problem.

At the current price of at least 600 silver dollars each, that's a huge business worth about 1.8 million silver dollars a year.

Moreover, it's a business that doesn't require much effort and can be sustained for eighty to one hundred years.

Yang Kaifeng knew very well that he was able to obtain the title of Marquis of Tianma because his elder brother, Yang Kaijia, had pleaded with Chen Guangyao on his behalf.

Secondly, or rather, most importantly, even he himself hadn't expected that Tianma City, a relatively remote place in the four provinces of Anxi, could possess such a large fortune before he came here.

Therefore, after Yang Kaifeng tested the market and found that sales were indeed good, he immediately dared not sell anymore, fearing that some powerful nobleman might take notice and complain to the emperor, resulting in an imperial decree changing his fiefdom, which would be terrible.

The best solution that these people from Huai River region came up with was to marry Yang Kaifeng's eldest daughter to Mo Zhouyun, the twelfth son of the emperor, born to Consort Dong Chenfei of the Dong family in Huai River region.

If all else fails, it's a good match to marry a woman three years older than her husband, as he is the son of Consort Dong and is only eleven years old this year.

Then, this Lord Tianma would work for his son-in-law. If his son-in-law could be granted a princely title, he would be rich, and his descendants would be vassals under this vassal king. And only with a prince serving as the vassal king could their business of selling Bodhisattva Barbarians continue indefinitely.

But this is about sending your daughter to the high position of princess; you can't do that without some serious skills.

Therefore, Yang Kaifeng and his group need to make great contributions, extremely great contributions, and then send the Bodhisattva Barbarian path forward in order to have a chance to cooperate with Dong Chenfei, who is also from Huai River.

“We Han people of Dayu will not be slaves. Since Korea has taken over, there is nowhere to buy Silla maids. Our Bodhisattva Barbarians are an exclusive business. For such benefits, it is worth risking our lives.”

"Third Uncle, I'll be the vanguard. I'll definitely make sure this credit goes to the people of Huai River." Yang Kaifeng's nephew, Yang Zaidao, said, panting heavily.

Just then, a cavalryman from the Huai River came running over, stumbling and scrambling. He was anxious, angry, and somewhat panicked, pointing into the distance and saying, "My lord, damn it, those barbarians want to surrender!"

What the hell!

Startled, Tianma Junbo Yang Kaifeng jumped up and ran to the front.

At the place later known as the Kabul Great Wall, several people were lowered down from the wall. They were wearing white robes and carrying white flags symbolizing peace, as was customary for the Han people. They were walking towards this side while shouting.

We can't let them surrender!
Yang Kaifeng's eyes were bloodshot with rage; this was his only thought at that moment, and he couldn't care about anything else. "Fifth Brother, kill him!"

Yang Kaifeng roared, and his nephew Yang Zaidao, carrying a rifled gun, leaped off the front line. After running more than a hundred meters, he raised the gun and fired a burst of shots.

The men who had been lowered down from the city wall swayed for a moment, and then collapsed to the ground.

"Fire! Fire! Fire the cannons right now!" Yang Kaifeng's palms were sweating with anxiety. He dared not wait any longer and immediately ordered the general offensive to begin.

. . . .

Kabul has a history of over three thousand years by this time. In Sindhi, Kabul means "trade center," which shows that the city was famous for its advantageous geographical location very early on.

The Durrani dynasty, which ruled this region, was fortunate, as they fulfilled a dream of many Afghans: to descend from the mountains and conquer India, plundering India's wealth to enjoy in the Afghan highlands where the climate was far better than India's.

But they were also unfortunate, because the plunder was too successful.

In 1756, they breached Delhi, looted the royal city, and forced all Delhi residents to pay all their money as ransom, or else they would massacre the city.

Finally, they successfully looted over 120 million silver rupees worth of gold and silver coins and artifacts from Delhi and the surrounding area.

Even by today's standards, this sum of money is considerable, equivalent to nearly 60 million silver dollars, which is more than a quarter of the Great Yu's annual revenue.

Moreover, these are not fixed assets or goods, but real gold and silver that can be used to issue currency. When placed in the Central Bank of China, the Bank for the Reconstruction, and combined with a series of bill systems such as promissory notes, they can be used for at least two to three hundred million silver dollars.

The reason it's considered unfortunate is because the amount of money is too large and too tempting to behold.

Since the death of their founding emperor, Ahmed Durrani Shah, the father of the Afghan people, this money has become a death knell for the Durrani dynasty and the Afghan people.

Whether it's outsiders coveting the money or internal struggles, a large part of the reason is to seize control of it.

Even in 1838, when the British army invaded Afghanistan, part of the reason was to prevent Afghanistan from turning to Tsarist Russia, and another important reason was to get their hands on the rest of this treasure.

"Your Majesty, Lord Yang Kaifeng of Tianma has come to apologize to you. He had someone shoot and kill the Kabul nobleman who came to surrender."

Under the protection of layers of guards, Boss Sen strolled leisurely into the southern part of Kabul. He could only hear sporadic sounds of fighting, mostly soldiers taking control of the city and the noise of looting the residents' property.

Asen didn't say anything, but nodded slightly. He found a place with fewer corpses, sat down by a section of earthen wall, and waited for Yang Kaifeng to arrive.

This Yang Kaifeng has always shown a strong desire for military merit in capturing Kabul City. I wonder what he's thinking. This is something that Boss Sen has always wanted to know, which is why he specifically sent him as the vanguard.

Yang Kaifeng felt as if his legs weighed a ton as he did at this moment. Even though the Crown Prince was just sitting there casually, smiling at him, Yang Kaifeng still felt a chill run down his spine.

Those bright eyes seemed to see right through him.

This Crown Prince is respected by everyone in the four provinces of Anxi. In three years, he has managed these four provinces smoothly. Whether it is attracting immigrants or building water conservancy projects and developing land reclamation, they are several times more prosperous than before he arrived.

Even now, because the Crown Prince is stationed in the four provinces of Anxi, the number of immigrants from the Central Plains has increased by 30% to 40%, all attracted by the Crown Prince's prestige.

"There's really no need for you to apologize for this matter," Asen said casually, his experience evident, but he only left it half-said, leaving Yang Kaifeng with endless room for imagination.

Yang Kaifeng knelt on the ground, feeling immense pressure. He desperately wanted to deceive the emperor, but he feared that the Crown Prince knew the truth and was waiting for his confession.

After hesitating for more than ten seconds, Yang Kaifeng dared not gamble and blurted out everything like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

“My twelfth brother is blessed. I’ll help you explain this matter.” Ah Sen suddenly realized what it was about, but his face still showed an expression that said, “I already knew this.”

"However, selling female slaves is not a respectable business. You must take all the blame upon yourself before I can speak up and cover for you."

"Your subject kowtows to thank Your Highness the Crown Prince for your protection." Yang Kaijia was extremely grateful for the Crown Prince's immediate agreement.

Asen would certainly agree. Although Consort Dong was not very favored in the palace, she was not disliked, had given birth to two sons, and was very influential among the cavalry.

He acts as a go-between for them, and both sides will feel indebted to him. It's a simple matter, so why not do it?

"Your Highness, we've found a treasure trove! Silver coins are as numerous as the stars, and gold and silver artifacts are piled up like mountains!" a guard reported.

Asen smiled and said to the dozen or so merchant leaders he had invited, “Come with me and take a look. The Durani family has taken tens of millions of silver dollars from India, but they can’t spend it at all.”

Because China did not supply them with goods, they could only eat some beef and mutton and drink some sugar water, which was all they could manage.

But things are different now. The four provinces of Anxi are in dire need of development. You can invest with confidence. We have plenty of money to pay the bills and plenty of people willing to spend.

I have also prepared a batch of official positions below the sixth rank. Any family willing to come here and work with me to build Anxi will all become officials.”

The merchants' eyes lit up. Although the status of merchants in the Great Yu Dynasty was not low, they had to come from families of military meritorious officials, civil officials, and military generals.

Those who could only take the Northwest route were still no big deal in the eyes of the officials.

The Northwest, in particular, tends to be conservative, unlike the Southeast and Lingnan regions, which makes this even more pronounced.

Therefore, these nominal official positions in the Crown Prince's residence were very valuable to them. Moreover, seeing that Anxi was indeed a promising place, they were overjoyed and expressed their willingness to follow His Highness the Crown Prince and help build Anxi.

Asen breathed a slight sigh of relief. He couldn't stay in Anxi for too long; he had to bring Anxi into the national economic cycle as soon as possible so that the future would be stable.

(End of this chapter)