The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 798 is finally complete.

March 11, 1799 AD. The 24th year of the Guangzhong reign of the Great Yu Dynasty in China, which was the 4th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty, the 6th day of the second month of the lunar calendar.

The still nascent Dayu financial industry suffered another blow, causing severe turmoil.

In the Shanghai silver market, influenced by the Marquis of Lafayette leading his fleet to Kitagawa, and the legend that the emperor would confer the title of Prince of Yan upon his fifth son, Prince Moshu Zhen of Edo, to rule the west coast of Kitagawa, the price of silver suddenly rose sharply.

The fact that these two went there indicates that they were definitely planning to take action against the Spanish Kingdom's colony of New Spain in Beihezhou. New Spain was the main supplier of silver to the Great Yu Kingdom overseas, accounting for as much as 40% of the annual increase in silver.

"It's so bitter! So bitter!" An old man dressed in a long robe and wearing a scholar's cap cried out repeatedly as he looked at the silver price written in chalk on the black wooden board of the exchange.

"Damn it, damn it!" A burly man dressed similarly to the small factory owner was shouting wildly with red eyes, looking somewhat insane.

"Wasn't it said that if the imperial court stopped using silver as currency, the price of silver would definitely plummet? How come it's gone up now?"

Well, it's only the last year of the 18th century, and Shanghai has not only started playing the futures market, but short selling and long selling have also begun.

Last month, the burly man spent over four thousand silver dollars to bet on a price drop, hoping to make enough money to last a lifetime by making a huge profit from the fall in silver prices. Instead, he received news that the Great Yu Dynasty was going to seize New Spain.

"Brother, there's no need for that. I think the Kingdom of Spain is out of touch with the times and has mistaken a thief for its father. They won't be able to hold onto the new Spain."

"Once our Great Yu Dynasty acquires this land of silver, will we still worry about the price of silver not falling?"

The old man in the long robe also lost a lot, but he was still holding on and remained optimistic about the future market.

The burly man gave a bitter laugh. “I’m afraid I won’t live to see that day. Most of the four thousand silver dollars were high-interest loans from underground banks. If I can’t pay them back this month, my factory and house will be gone.”

After saying that, the small factory owner staggered out of the house, walked to the Suzhou River not far away, and fell headfirst off the stone bridge.

. . . .

Three hundred kilometers away, at Qingliang Mountain in Yingtianfu, Nanjing, the National Republican Congress was also being held at the Gonghe Palace.

However, as the meeting drew to a close, the atmosphere became heavy.

Mo Zibu sat upright on the only platform in the Parliament Palace, throwing down memorials and reports one after another.

The area in front of the podium was already filled with kneeling people.

Mo Zibu had never understood the financial industry before his transmigration, but that didn't stop him from being quite wary of it.

Leaving aside the damage that inflated financial figures later caused to the real economy, the very fact that Jewish-controlled financial institutions were penetrating European countries at this time was enough to shock and even frighten Mozibu.

The fall of the French Bourbon dynasty was directly related to this, although it was not the main reason, it was still shocking.

It could even be said that many wars in European history were instigated by Jews who borrowed money from both sides and profited from both.

Even though Da Yu was experiencing a shortage of money and a low-intensity money shortage, Mo Zibu still refused to allow European Jewish capital to enter Da Yu, let alone the financial market. The only area he opened up was the plantation in Southeast Asia.

However, it would be wrong to prohibit the development of the financial industry because of this. Finance is the lubricant, or even the lifeblood, of the real economy. Without the financial industry, the development of the real economy would be impossible.

"After Emperor Gaozu of Han established his dynasty, he killed Han Xin, Peng Yue, and Ying Bu, and even his good brother Lu Wan fled to the Xiongnu."

When Emperor Hongwu ascended the throne, he almost slaughtered all his meritorious officials. At that time, both civil and military officials only knew about today and not about tomorrow.

Since I have regained control of the country, I have not wanted the court to be rife with bloodshed. Therefore, I have followed the example of Emperor Taizong of Tang and treated meritorious officials well. So far, not only have people lost their heads, but very few have even had their titles revoked.

But today it seems I misjudged you. I wanted to be Emperor Taizong of Tang, but you wanted to see me as Emperor Guangwu of Han.

"Hmph, ungrateful wretch! Well then, I wouldn't mind being the Hongwu Emperor for once!"

Emperor Guangwu of Han was not among the highest-rated figures in the Great Yu Dynasty, because he founded the Eastern Han Dynasty and did not prohibit powerful clans.

Although the Great Yu Dynasty did not suppress powerful clans, that was outside of the Central Plains. Within the Central Plains, they still had to put on a show of it.

Moreover, bald men are afraid of being called bald, and short men are averse to hearing about being short. Knowing that it had failed to suppress the powerful clans, the Great Yu Dynasty was quite concerned about public opinion that spoke up for the powerful clans.

Therefore, when they heard the emperor say that he would not be Emperor Guangwu of Han, many people knew that today's events were very serious.

When Mo Zibu stood up from the podium in anger, the Republican members of parliament present—figures who held sway in their local communities and industries—all knelt down in a rush.

"Liu Zhisan, Huang Yude, do you still need me to come and invite you?"

Mo Zibu roared, and Huang Yude in the fourth row collapsed to the ground with a thud. He was then dragged to the front by the Imperial Guards like a dead dog.

Liu Zhisan in the second row was much calmer. Although his whole body was trembling, he still insisted on walking to Mo Zibu before kneeling down with a thud.

"Your father worked diligently all his life, and after he passed away, you, his unfilial son, are ruining his reputation."

Mo Zibu looked at Huang Yude with disgust, barely managing to restrain himself from drawing his sword and killing him in the Gonghe Palace.

This man was born in Panqie Prefecture, Rinan Province. His family was a local power. His father, Huang Zhongxin, was one of the first prominent families in the area to come and serve after Mo Zibu entered Jiading.

He later served as a high-ranking official, including Governor of Rinan and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. He also held the hereditary position of magistrate of Delong County, Panqie Prefecture, Rinan Province, making him one of the few remaining native officials in Dayu.

"Huang Yude is utterly immoral, manipulating silver transactions, speculating on court policies, spreading rumors, and overstepping his authority. Let's vote!"

Following Mo Zibu's words, hundreds of people began a collective vote. This Republican congressman was immune from the law, and this immunity had to be broken before he could be convicted.

This is the greatest protection Mozibu can offer to the Republican members of parliament. Only with such protection can this group become the backbone of the empire, or at least the other leg of imperial power.

Unsurprisingly, it passed unanimously.

This is someone the founding emperor wanted to kill. Even if the vote was anonymously written on slips of paper, who can be sure that the emperor couldn't tell who was who from the slips? What if the slips were secretly marked?

Moreover, Huang Yude was indeed too wicked, especially his two offenses of spreading rumors and overstepping his authority, which were particularly egregious.

The emperor did indeed intend to adjust the titles of his sons, elevating all those willing to leave the Central Plains to the rank of Prince.

However, this was still under discussion. Issues such as how to bestow the title and the configuration of the Prince's Mansion were still being discussed. But Huang Yude, in order to manipulate the silver trading market, actually leaked this information directly.

This is extremely egregious, and he is fully worthy of the charges of speculating on the emperor's intentions, spying on the palace, and plotting treason.

Huang Yude had been holding onto a last glimmer of hope, but when he heard that it had passed unanimously, he immediately fainted. A mere majority would strip him of his identity, let alone a unanimous vote.

"Huang Yuanrui, you are the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. What crime should Huang Yude be charged with?" Officials from the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Justice, and the Court of Judicial Review, led by Minister Huang Yuanrui, were present at the scene.

"Your Majesty, the evidence of Huang Yude's crimes is conclusive. According to the law, he should be executed and his illegal gains confiscated. His family property should also be confiscated. The hereditary chieftain of Delong County should also be replaced by an appointed official."

Huang Yuanrui immediately said that what Mo Zibu wanted was the deterrent effect of convicting someone directly in the Republican Palace. Some people treat Republican members of parliament as imperial edicts and can't distinguish between big and small kings, which is not good.

In the Great Yu Dynasty, there was a big difference between confiscating illegal gains and confiscating family property. Confiscating family property meant simply taking possession of the property, but confiscating illegal gains was much more serious.

The confiscated illegal gains refer not only to the criminal's existing assets, but also to the portion he paid for and transferred out.

For example, if Huang Yude illegally obtained 100,000 silver dollars, and before he was convicted, he used 5,000 silver dollars to bribe someone, give gifts, make betrothal gifts, or even trade goods, all of these funds would be recovered.

This was actually the system of collective punishment in the Great Yu Dynasty. The power and scope of confiscating illegal gains rested entirely with the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Basically, whoever the emperor believed had colluded with Huang Yude would not escape punishment.

That's how it is when it comes to rule by men, and this is also an important means for Mo Zibu to control civil and military officials.

Upon hearing this, Huang Yude slowly awoke from his unconsciousness. When he heard that the emperor also wanted to confiscate the illegal gains, he screamed again and was then dragged away.

Mo Zibu then turned around and looked at Liu Zhisan, whose hair was full of gray, with a complicated expression.

Liu Zhisan was born in Hui'an Ming Township. Back then, Luo Aye, the leader of Hui'an Ming Township, took in and protected Mo Zibu, and Liu Zhisan's father strongly supported this.

Afterwards, Mo Zibu fought in the South China Seas, and the Liu family of Hoi An contributed manpower and resources. Liu Zhisan's elder brother, Liu Zhixing, even died in battle during Mo Zibu's campaign against the White Elephant King.

Afterwards, because Liu Zhisan's elder brother died of illness in Hoi An and his second brother died in battle, in order to leave an heir for the Liu family, Mo Zibu specially arranged for Liu Zhisan to retire from the army and enter the political arena.

Liu Zhisan successively served as the prefect of Jiaxi Prefecture (West Kalimantan Island), the garrison commander of Hoi An, the manager of the Southeast Asian branch of the Fuxing Company, the minister in charge of coal and iron affairs in Guangnan, and the vice president of the Fuxing Company.

"Are gold and silver really that important?" Mo Zibu felt disgusted by Huang Yude, but his feelings towards Liu Zhisan were truly complicated.

He hadn't betrayed himself, but he'd been too greedy during his years managing the Shanghai Silver Exchange. Mo Zibu knew he lived a lavish lifestyle, but he also believed he should know his limits, considering he was nearing retirement.

Moreover, when he was in charge of the Guangnan Coal and Iron Base, such a large project cost tens of millions of silver dollars every year, and Liu Zhisan not only did not embezzle, but also handled things quite well.

At most, he introduced some projects to his family and relatives, which is not even a big deal in this era.

"Your Majesty, when people get old, they think about how hard they worked in the first half of their lives, and how they should enjoy the next ten years or so."

He also thought that since he was about to retire, he wanted to leave something for his descendants. After all, once someone leaves, they're forgotten, and there won't be any way to make money later.

Mo Zibu waved his hand, and then the people from the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Justice, and the Court of Judicial Review left. He decided to give Liu Zhisan a final moment of dignity.

"Your property will be confiscated, you will be transferred to Dazhanzhou, and your family members will be exiled to Beihezhou!" Mo Zibu delivered the verdict with great sorrow.

The Liu family of Hoi An has two viscounts who are related to the royal family, both from Hindraw Province (the Malay Peninsula), one in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province and the other in Pattani Province.

The title of Junzi Ling in Bashu Prefecture was posthumously conferred upon Liu Zhixing, the elder brother of Liu Zhisan, after his death in battle. Since the posthumous son of his second elder brother Liu Zhixing was appointed as Junzi, the title would not be transferred.

Therefore, the territory to be transferred was the Beidanian Prefecture, which Liu Zhisan himself was in charge of.

"Send your eldest son to the west coast of Dazhan Continent, and the rest to Beihe Continent. Their fate depends on their abilities."

After saying that, Mo Zibu turned his back and said in a low voice, "If only you had died in Ava City or Guangnan back then."

Liu Zhisan knew that he would be the only one to die, and the huge weight in his heart finally lifted. He kowtowed three times to Mo Zibu, who had his back to him.

"Your Majesty, I kowtow to express my gratitude for Your Majesty's grace. I deeply regret my past actions and would have preferred to die sooner."

After saying that, Liu Zhisan staggered out of the Gonghe Palace. A few minutes later, a gunshot rang out.

Right at the entrance of the Gonghe Palace, Liu Zhisan took a pistol from the Jinyiwei guards escorting him, pressed it against his chin, and ended his life with a single shot.

"No need to collect the body. Let everyone see what happens when you can't control yourself!" Mo Zibu said through gritted teeth, his voice filled with ruthlessness.

"Spread the word that the court is preparing to adopt the gold standard, but silver and copper coins will not be abolished."

Furthermore, news of the Crown Prince's great victory in Afghanistan was leaked ahead of time. No, simply leaking it wasn't enough; three million taels of gold and silver were transferred from the Imperial Treasury and escorted from Nanjing all the way to the Shanghai Silver Exchange, supposedly as part of the gold and silver the Crown Prince had seized from Durrani, so that everyone could see it!

After dealing with more than a dozen major corrupt officials, Mo Zibu immediately summoned important ministers from both the inner and outer courts for an emergency meeting.

The idea of ​​Dayu changing to the gold standard did not mean abolishing silver dollars and issuing gold dollars, but rather using the scarcity of gold to reshape the value of currency.

This would solve the problem of a money shortage in the market. For example, if it is stipulated that one tael of gold can be exchanged for one hundred taels of silver, then silver coins can be issued according to the gold reserves.

Of course, there may be a situation where there is not enough silver, in which case some paper money will be needed to supplement it.

In addition, the scarcity of gold and the fact that mining and smelting are controlled by oneself can stabilize the value of the currency.

It's unlikely that something like what's happening now, where even the slightest disturbance in New Spain causes fluctuations in the price of silver in Dayu, which in turn affects the purchasing power of silver dollars.

In the future, gold and silver dollars will no longer be issued; instead, paper money will be introduced directly.

"Financial reforms must be carried out cautiously and gradually, minimizing their impact on people's livelihoods, especially prices. The Cabinet must take on this responsibility."

At the same time, the Ministry of Justice and the government offices of all provinces, prefectures, and counties must also take action. Anyone who dares to use this opportunity to create panic, raise prices, or even hoard goods will be dealt with severely and exiled.

Mo Zibu gave detailed instructions, but he wasn't sure himself, because before he transmigrated he didn't even know anything about finance; he was a complete novice.

His ministers, or rather, everyone in the world, are still exploring finance and cannot provide any mature answers, so they can only explore step by step.

"Your Majesty's benevolence is a blessing to the people. We will do our utmost to live up to Your Majesty's trust."

Lin Qiaoyin, who had just taken office as prime minister, realized that the emperor intended to reduce the power of the inner court and strengthen the functions of the outer court government, so he naturally cooperated in every way.

Southeast Asia, Philippines, Manila.

The wreckage of warships still drifts on the waters of Manila Bay, while the inner city of Manila is already riddled with holes.

The admiral of the South Seas Fleet, Vice Admiral Cai Qian, set up his main camp a little over two miles east of Manila. Thousands of sailors and artillerymen from the South Seas Fleet unloaded dozens of giant cannons from the tall warships and bombarded Manila.

In addition, the Army's Admiral of the Three Guangs, Lieutenant General Luo Siju, led 8,000 men to wait not far away. As soon as the navy's cannons breached the city walls, his army would rush in and deal with the Spanish.

Inner Manila, also known as the Spanish Inland City, is a huge city within a city, with strong walls, tight defenses, and is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Moreover, only white people from Spain, white people born in the Philippines, and Chinese were allowed to live in the royal city.

Of course, the Chinese began to move out of the Spanish capital two years ago, because everyone could see that Da Yu would take action against the Spanish sooner or later, and if they stayed in the capital, they might become hostages.

"Damn it, these infidels, damn it!" General Ignacio Maria de Arava, who was in charge of the defense of Manila, rushed in cursing.

“Governor, the natives in the city have been completely suppressed by the Seres people. Not a single one of them dares to stand up and fight alongside us.”

Upon hearing his general's words, Rafael Maria de León, the Governor-General of the Philippines in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, remained calm, showing no surprise whatsoever.

His aimless waving and slow, heavy steps betrayed the governor's deep anxiety.

Before besieging the city, Da Yu first annihilated the Philippine detachment of the Spanish Kingdom. The frigates led by San Pedro and Montanes, and the fast cruisers led by Europa, had all been sunk or captured.

The Spanish Navy's shipyard in Cavite, Manila Bay, was also directly occupied, and his painstakingly built navy was completely wiped out.

Now, the only thing the governor of León can rely on is the more than four thousand Spanish colonial soldiers in the city.

“I’m not surprised. In fact, the Seris Empire should have taken over the Philippines two years ago.”

Because at that time, the Seres were more powerful than the natives in Manila, and the Seres Empire was a hundred times stronger than the Kingdom of Blood and Gold.

The governor said slowly, "Before 1796, the governor of León was constantly instigating conflict between the Chinese and the natives."

But the result was that the Chinese volunteer army in Manila alone defeated the indigenous people who had received their secret help.

Three large-scale battles took place in Manila, during which at least 30,000 indigenous men were killed and hundreds of indigenous chieftains appointed by the governor's office had their entire families executed.

From then on, the natives saw the Chinese like mice saw a cat, and dared not resist anymore.

“Yes, those fools in Madrid have deceived His Majesty the King. They have actually allied with the French mob government, giving the Seres Empire ample excuse,” General Alava shouted, turning westward.

“General, there’s no point in continuing. Let’s surrender,” Governor Leon said, taking a more relaxed approach.

However, this man was no coward; on the contrary, he was very brave and had historically trained a good army and navy in the Philippines, repeatedly thwarting the English covetousness of the Philippines.

But at this point, the huge gap prevented him from fully utilizing his abilities.

Let alone him, even if you brought Nelson or Napoleon to the Philippines, they would be powerless in the face of such a disparity.

“Yes, Your Excellency, but I wish to be captured and taken to Seris.” General Alava was a shrewd man.

"The Bourbon family has gotten involved with the kingslayers who executed them, and France and Spain are now going to fight the whole world. It's insane."

We cannot be captured and sent back to Madrid, only to be captured again; that would be too humiliating.

“I agree,” Governor León nodded. “Besides, if we don’t go back to Madrid, our lives won’t be in danger. If we go back to Madrid, we might be put on trial.”

The next day, just as Cai Qian was preparing to continue bombarding Intramuros in Manila, he received news that left him speechless.

There were even people who refused to be released and volunteered to be prisoners of war.

"I agreed to Governor Leon's request, but only the governor and a small number of high-ranking officials could be taken prisoner and granted some exemptions."

All other Spaniards had to pay a ransom commensurate with their social status; those who couldn't afford it might have to travel to the continent of Gaia.

Cai Qian said with a smile, "You may escape the death penalty, but you can't escape punishment. If you don't have money, you can become a serf. Anyway, the Great Yu is currently accepting white slaves."

(End of this chapter)