The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 818 Spreading Seeds Across the World, Initiated!
Yiwu Province, Dihua City.

Crown Prince Sen has returned to Anxi to take charge of the overall situation, but this time he is not returning alone.

Accompanying him were his seventh brother, Mo Zhouzhan; tenth brother, Mo Zhouzhao; eleventh brother, Mo Zhoufeng; twelfth brother, Mo Zhouyun; and his own eldest son, Mo Guangqi.

Among them, the mother of the seventh son, Mo Zhouzhan, is Consort Rong, Zheng Susu, the younger sister of Empress Zheng Shishi. Mo Zhouzhan is already slated to be enfeoffed as the Prince of Song and stationed in Luzon, since the majority of Chinese on Luzon Island are Hokkien and Teochew people.

The mother of the tenth prince, Mo Zhouqian, and the eleventh prince, Mo Zhoufeng, was Consort Qian.

Among them, the tenth prince, Mo Zhouzhao, was to marry Maria, the eldest daughter of Emperor Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire, and then go to the Caucasus region to take up his fiefdom, becoming the closest assistant to Prince Mo Gongze of Lu. He was expected to be enfeoffed as the Prince of Liao.

The eleventh son, Mo Zhoufeng, will take over the Ceylon (Sri Lanka and Maldives), which was originally given to his half-brother Mo Zhouzhan, as a bastion of China in the Indian Ocean.

This throne is extremely important, and for this reason, the Da Yu Kingdom has been continuously sending immigrants to Ceylon for fifteen years, increasing the proportion of Chinese people in Ceylon to about 35 percent.

The mother of the twelfth prince, Mo Zhouyun, was Consort Dong from Huai River. The Huai River cavalry was one of the most important sources of cavalry in the Great Yu Dynasty. Therefore, although Consort Dong was not even a concubine and had a relatively fiery temper, her status in the harem was not low.

Mo Zhouyun is going to be stationed in the Tokharistan Basin in the future. Yang Kaifeng, a man from Feidong who has made great contributions to the attack on Afghanistan and is now the number one supplier of Bodhisattva Barbarian goods in China, has finally achieved his wish and married his daughter to Mo Zhouyun, thus securing this major source of wealth.

The four princes are all around the same age. The seventh prince is 21 years old, the tenth prince is 20 years old, and the eleventh and twelfth princes are 19 years old. They will all soon be enfeoffed.

In particular, the tenth son of the Mo family, if it weren't for the chaos of war in Europe, would have already held his wedding and gone to the Caucasus region to take up his fiefdom.

Therefore, in order to ensure that they could smoothly take control of the situation after taking up their fiefs, and at least not ruin the country due to lack of experience, Mo Zibu arranged for them to learn from their elder brother, Sen.

In fact, these princes had already received a lot of education in Dayu. In terms of handling state affairs, they were taught administration by Mo Zibu in pairs, with each pair studying for a year.

However, the way the Central Plains were governed was completely different from that of the vassal states outside, so Mo Zibu simply let them learn from his eldest son, Asen.

As for Mo Guangqi, it was simply that the kid himself wanted to come and visit his father.

Back then, Ah Sen met Wang Zhenyi when he was fourteen, slept with her before he was sixteen, and had his eldest son Mo Guangqi before he was seventeen.

Therefore, although Ah Sen is only thirty years old now, his eldest son Mo Guangqi is already fourteen years old and has reached the age where he can go out and see the world.

Of course, this was also because when Asen returned this time, Wang Zhenyi, who had been having some difficulties with childbirth for more than ten years, finally became pregnant again. Therefore, Wang Zhenyi was willing to let Mo Guangqi go to Anxi.

"Brother, I think our Anxi Four Provinces are very different from the Central Plains. Along the way, there are White Lotus Sect temples everywhere. Aren't the local fortress lords who we treated with utmost respect when we passed by a bit too powerful?"

Old Twelfth Mo Zhou was somewhat uneasy because in the vast land of China, the use of religion and its influence on people's lives were basically negligible, especially in economically developed areas.

However, in these four provinces of Anxi, the influence of religion is evident everywhere, becoming more and more important the further west you go. This makes the princes, who are used to the weak religious atmosphere of the Central Plains, quite uneasy.

The wariness towards religion is ingrained in the Chinese psyche.

"Yes, brother, I think those fortress lords are both local minor vassals and clan leaders. Now that we've given them religious authority, it could cause a big problem if they start causing trouble."

Even if they are grateful to the imperial court now, will their descendants be so grateful for the court's kindness?

The eleventh prince, Mo Zhoufeng, agreed, saying that the religious issues in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, where he was to be enfeoffed, were not much worse than those in the four provinces of Anxi.

The eldest son, Sen, understood the biggest reason why his father had sent his younger brothers over: these brothers did not have a deep understanding of religion and still regarded it as a dispensable embellishment in China.

Moreover, these younger brothers did not have a real understanding of the hardships and difficulties of colonization. They carried the pride of royal children and wanted to control the colonized people as if they were people from the mainland.

After beckoning his younger brothers and sons to sit down beside him, the eldest brother poured them tea while smiling and asking them questions.

"Then let me ask you, these settlers bid farewell to their parents, left their hometowns, and traveled thousands of miles to this wild land, risking their lives to fight against all kinds of barbarians. Some of them didn't even make it to the settlement before they perished in the vast desert. What were they doing all this for?"

Before his four younger brothers and son could answer, the eldest brother continued, "I once saw a family of six who set off from Xuchang, Henan, and by the time they reached Yili, only the father, who was over forty years old, was left."

I've also seen a dozen or so cousins ​​travel together to Anxi, only to contract an epidemic and suffer from vomiting and diarrhea as soon as they reached Hami, barely managing to reach their destination.

Let me ask you, why do they risk their lives to come all this way from their hometowns? Is it because they can't find a single thing to eat back home?

Or were their feelings for their father and the court more important than their own lives?

After hearing this, the four princes and one grandson immediately fell silent. No matter how proud they were of their bloodline, they did not believe that everyone was someone who would risk their life for the emperor and the court.

Seeing their collective silence, Boss Sen smiled with relief, "Fortunately, my brother and my son are not fools. They know that the people under their rule are flesh-and-blood people with desires, not just machines."

After pouring them tea, Boss Sen pushed open the door to the hall. This was the highest point in Dihua City, and from here, one could see the dense crowds on the street in the distance, which looked like ants.

Da Laosen pointed at these people and said to them, "Look at these good people. Just because of a policy of the court and a word from the emperor, they can leave their homeland and settle down in this desolate place."

From now on, you must treat them well, because they are not just commoners, but meritorious officials who worked tirelessly to expand the territory for our nation and for our Mo clan's Great Yu Dynasty.

"They are all meritorious officials, so we should reward them generously and let them live better on the frontier than in their hometown. Only in this way can we be worthy of them and ensure that people will come to us in an endless stream."

It's unreasonable that we wouldn't give them anything in return for all the effort they've put in.

Moreover, in the four provinces of Anxi, religion has always been of paramount importance. Even for us Han people, who are far from their homeland and hometown, they need a spiritual sustenance and a tool to strengthen their sense of identity.

If we don't promote the White Lotus Sect, other heretical sects will take over this position, and then it will be too late to regret it.

This is a very practical truth. If you don't give them benefits or status, but still expect to treat the people like commoners in the land of China, who will help you expand your territory?

Moreover, these fortress lords, who were also clan chiefs, vassals, and in charge of sacrifices, were not simply there to occupy territory.

They also absorbed local resources, gradually encroached on the territories of barbarians, and even extended the reach of the Seris Empire to promote Chinese culture and implement education to barbarian tribes outside the region.

However, the reason given by Boss Sen is only one aspect; there is another aspect he hasn't mentioned yet.

Soon, the seventh brother, Mo Zhouzhan, noticed the inconsistency. He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and said very solemnly:
“Brother, I greatly admire your adherence to Father’s ideals of diligence in governing and loving the people, spreading benevolence throughout the land. Delegating power to the people who have settled down in the lower realms has indeed helped stabilize the country’s borders. However, there are many ways to bestow favors. There is no need to concentrate all power in one person. We must guard against the disastrous consequences of the rise of powerful warlords in the Later Han Dynasty and the proliferation of regional warlords in the late Tang Dynasty!”

"Seventh Brother's concerns are reasonable." Big Brother Sen suddenly took a deep breath, "but they are also a bit too much, even needless worry."

During the Later Han Dynasty, powerful warlords rose up, but in reality, the imperial court still maintained strong control over the local areas until the reigns of Emperors Heng and Ling.

The calamity of the Party Prohibitions resulted in the deaths of many powerful figures and their representatives, but it did not lead to the collapse of the country. Even if some rebelled, there were very few.

The decline of the Later Han Dynasty was actually caused by Emperors Huan and Ling's overconfidence and disregard for the people when they consolidated their power.

The rise of regional military governors during the late Tang Dynasty was not primarily due to the limited power of local authorities, but rather to the Tang court's concentration of the nation's wealth in Guanzhong, which resulted in an overemphasis on the central government and a neglect of the surrounding regions.

Glory, wealth, and money all went to the Guanzhong aristocracy, but the cost was shared by the whole country, leading to resentment from all sides. Otherwise, how could a barbarian like An Lushan have the ability to win over the hearts of the people of Hebei?

Having perused historical records, I have found that in the administrative systems of all dynasties in China, there has never been a case where a rebellion by a powerful clan alone could succeed. It was always the case that the people's hearts were first lost, the country descended into chaos, and only then could nobles and powerful figures profit from the chaos.

Asen set the tone before continuing, "We Chinese have always followed the rule that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it."

As long as the people benefit and their upward mobility is not cut off, and even as long as they can survive, the people can support them; otherwise, the world will be turned upside down.

You must remember that when you go out to settle down in your fiefdoms, you must never regard the people who followed you out to work hard to expand the land as petty people who can be taken from you at will.

They are different from those on the mainland. You must treat them as shareholders, think what they think, and be anxious about what they are anxious about.

But after saying that, Asen waved his hand at the tenth prince, Mo Zhouzhan, and said, "Tenth prince, you don't have to listen to this. Because those people in the Caucasus, or rather those Europeans, rule by bloodline and religion. If the Han people in your jurisdiction don't make up half of the population, you don't need to worry about this."

Upon hearing this, the tenth brother could only offer his elder brother a wry smile.

"Your Majesty, I understand." The seventh brother, who had just asked the question, bowed with his hands clasped along with Asen, but there was still some doubt on his face. "However, even so, I still feel that we shouldn't delegate so much power."

Asen laughed and said, "This is power, but it is also a constraint. Civil affairs, military, religion—if you take away one power, you will be subject to the control of that power."

If you are merely a fortress lord, then only the Imperial Clan Court and the provincial and county governments can govern you. If you are a garrison commander or the head of a sentry post, then the Privy Council, the Ministry of War, the Governor-General, the Admiral, the Commander-in-Chief, and so on can govern you.

If you also serve as the abbot or temple keeper of the local White Lotus Sect, then the Six Great Buddhas and the Ministry of Rites can take care of you.

"Seventh Brother, do you think Father Emperor wanted to keep the six great Buddhas under his control and went to such great lengths to send the Compassionate Buddha to the Qiangtang Plateau? Wasn't it all for this moment?"

Mo Zhouzhan had a sudden flash of inspiration and realized why the abbot and temple keeper of the White Lotus Sect could be hereditary: it was actually a kind of title conferment, a religious title conferment.

The purpose is to seize religious power and then quantify religion, which was originally an abstract and intangible concept.

After that, as long as the imperial court can control the six great Buddhas, and as long as the doctrines of the White Lotus School and the Tantric School remain, the six great Buddhas can still manage the smaller Buddhas, gurus, abbots, temple keepers, etc., and these people should not expect to use religion to resist those above them.

Furthermore, this could even serve as a means for the imperial court to deal with local issues. When administrative punishments were insufficient and military punishments could not be implemented in a short time, religious punishments could be used instead.

For example, if a certain Buddha announces that a certain abbot disrespects the imperial court and blasphemes against the Buddha of the Descent of the World, removing him from his abbotship, it can severely damage his prestige among the people.

"But what if there really was such a powerful and ruthless ruler who could control all the people under his rule and make them listen only to him and not to the Buddha?"

Fourteen-year-old Mo Guangqi raised this seemingly silly question, but in fact, several of his uncles wanted to ask it as well.

“My son, that’s wonderful. This proves that they are no longer Han Chinese, but have fallen into demonic ways and are no different from Westerners, treating clay Buddha statues as barbarians who rule over everything.”

At this point, a large army should be deployed to suppress them, and they should all be enslaved.

"Just think about it, how much is a serf who can speak Chinese and is very skilled in farming and craftsmanship worth!" Boss Sen replied with a hearty laugh.

“What if there are too many rebels, and their power is too great to suppress?” Mo Guangqi seemed to be going against his father.

Big Boss Sen wasn't angry at all. "Aqi, with the size of China, if this massive amount of steel and population can't suppress this little rebellion, then the Great Yu Dynasty is doomed."

The brothers and Mo Guangqi were finally convinced. Although they vaguely felt that there was something they hadn't figured out or that there was a problem, they still knew that this strategy was probably feasible.

There are problems, of course there are problems.

This system was not designed to maintain the Great Yu Dynasty for thousands of generations, but rather to allow the Han people to expand their territory as much as possible.

The starting point for everything was how to quickly and efficiently cleanse the barbarian bloodline.

And how to attract Han Chinese to go out and colonize, so that they can use the oldest and most effective method of reproduction to dye the whole world.

Following this approach, the world now has a total population of 1.2 billion (originally close to 1 billion, but the Great Yu has increased by 200 million). The Great Yu is now more than halfway there, with a population exceeding 600 million.

Furthermore, the largest population is in the South Asian subcontinent, with approximately 200 million people. If the English were to divide and rule over them, their population would be unable to spread.

So, the only rival of the Dayu people, or rather, the people of the East represented by the Han people, was the nearly 200 million people in Europe.

If this pace continues, once the Great Yu has washed away the genes of the Caspian Sea and even the Black Sea coast, Europeans will eventually be unable to escape it.

If one-third of Europe's population has Han Chinese ancestry, then from genetics to culture, they will be unable to completely sever ties with the Han Chinese.

Mo Zibu and his son Mo Zhousen were both supporters of this plan. When they discussed it privately, they both felt that by then, it wouldn't matter whether Da Yu was still around or not.

Because this world has become the property of the Han people and the Seris Empire. Although the Dayu Dynasty has declined, the great names of the father and son will be forever remembered in history and commemorated by all future generations. Their historical achievements are even greater than those of the First Emperor!

Moreover, how could the Great Yu Dynasty leave nothing behind? The world is so big, it's possible that it left behind a dozen, twenty, or even dozens of small Mo clan kingdoms.

Only a fool wouldn't accomplish something so unprecedented and leave behind a bunch of descendants who will be kings.

(End of this chapter)