The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 852 The Meeting of the Three Kings of Anxi

Loud laughter echoed throughout Bukhara, the city of Transoxiana.

When Mo Zibu bestowed the title of king upon his sons in Beijing, he naturally notified them in advance. As a result, they gathered together in Anxi, bowing to the east to express their gratitude and celebrating.

The tenth prince, Prince Liao, Mo Zhouzhan, was overjoyed. Although his father had been saying he would make him a prince, he had not yet taken any action, which made Mo Zhouzhan uneasy.

If one were to travel thousands of miles away and not receive a royal title, nor be able to claim the title of king or queen, then it would be a great loss.

"Today is my brother's wedding day, and I have brought a gift for my elder brother, the Crown Prince, and all my virtuous brothers."

Prince Mo Gongze, the heir apparent of the Prince of Lu, was also promoted to Prince of Lu this time, and he was very happy. Moreover, he came to Anxi to curry favor with the people, so he brought quite a few gifts.

As the newly appointed Prince Lu clapped his hands, a series of maids dressed in European Rococo court gowns walked in from outside the palace gates.

When Liao King Mo Zhouzhan took a look, he exclaimed, "Wow, this is too high!"

Slightly tipsy, Mo Zhouzhan walked over and stood next to a maid to compare their heights.

"I am five feet four inches tall, and this maid is only a little shorter than me. Where did you find such tall women, Fourth Brother?"

At this moment, his height of five feet four inches was close to 1.79 meters, which was considered very tall. The maid standing next to Mo Zhouzhan was only half a head shorter than him, at least 1.73 meters tall, which was extremely rare among women.

Mo Gongze laughed heartily, pointing at the twenty maids and saying, "These tall and strong women are ones I found in the Upper Netherlands, where there are many tall women, which is quite special."

The average height in the Netherlands is indeed alarming, even though it was only the beginning of the First Industrial Revolution and the improvement of living standards for Europeans had just begun.

However, the Dutch, who had been maritime traders for decades or even centuries, did not suffer from the ruthless exploitation of English capitalists. Their standard of living was among the highest in continental Europe, so if you look around, you can still find many women who are over 1.7 meters tall.

"Fourth Brother, this tall woman is no fun. She's tall and big, her thighs are as thick as mine, and half of her buttocks is bigger than my head. When we get to bed, will I ride her or she ride me?" The twelfth prince, Mo Zhouyun, said in a deliberately vulgar way.

He was assigned to the Tokharistan Basin as a key vassal state to suppress Afghanistan and India, and in the future, a portion of Kashmir may also be handed over to him.

But this time, Mo Zibu bestowed titles upon all the kings, but he was not among them. The young man was feeling a little uncomfortable and was drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

Of course, the Tokharistan Basin under his rule was the main supply area for the Bodhisattva Barbarians of the Great Yu Dynasty. His father-in-law, Yang Kaifeng, was a major human trafficker. Mo Zhouyun thought that Mo Gongze intended to compete for this market, so he was quite wary.

Mo Gongze was actually unaware of these reasons. He simply assumed that Mo Zhouyun was upset about not receiving the title of king, so he didn't hold it against him and instead said with a smile:

"Twelfth brother, you may not know this, but in Western Europe, even a monarch can only have one husband and one wife. However, not every monarch is like Emperor Xiaozong of Ming, so many monarchs have a large number of lovers."

Some monarchs would even specifically seek out healthy women from the common people, bestow upon them minor noble titles, and raise their illegitimate children as an extension of their own power.

These illegitimate children had no right of inheritance; their wealth and status depended entirely on their biological father and half-brothers. Once they grew up, they became the king's most capable assistants.

Now that we brothers reside in the West, why don't we follow the example of Western nobles, take such strong women as concubines, produce offspring of fierce warriors, and raise them well to strengthen our royal family?"

In fact, China also had this practice, but because China is a vast country with abundant resources, a few nobles could still afford to support them.

Unlike North Korea, which involved patrilineal law, or Europe, which required religious coercion to enforce monogamous inheritance by the eldest son, this system was not very reliable in China and was prone to failure, so it was gradually used less.

However, these women are all going to stay in the West for a long time, so they can still be used. Boss Sen could see that Mo Gongze sent these tall, strong women out for two reasons: first, to build a closer relationship, and second, it seemed like he wanted to get them to talk.

So the eldest brother laughed and said, "Fourth brother is right. In the West, we should naturally follow some of the West's rules. We will accept these maids and add some fierce generals to the Mo family in the future."

Furthermore, we are not familiar with the West, and the West now has a very close relationship with China. Since we brothers are gathered here today and have plenty of time, why don't you, Fourth Brother, explain it to us properly?"

Mo Gongze immediately lowered his head, afraid that Boss Sen would see the horror in his eyes.

This Crown Prince cousin is too shrewd. He saw right through Mo Gongze's idea of ​​using Western-style marriage and ethics to start a conversation, ostensibly to educate his brothers about Europe, but actually to create the impression that he, Mo Gongze, was the most knowledgeable about the West among the Mo family members and held the most special position among the princes.

After taking two deep breaths to relieve the heavy pressure in his heart, Mo Gongze spoke more cautiously and slowly, introducing himself to his brothers.

After a long pause, having listened to Mo Gongze's detailed explanation, Crown Prince Da Laosen waved for the dancers and musicians to leave before asking thoughtfully:

"According to my fourth brother, the only European powers that could pose any threat to us are the French Empire and the Tsarist Russian Empire?"

Having just experienced a mental shock, Mo Gongze actually felt a sense of awe towards his elder brother, the Crown Prince.

He deliberately stood up to answer: "There is a Western proverb that says if you split any Rus' man in half, you will find a Tatar inside."

This is an insult to them, but it is not an insult without reason.

The Rus' culture was not actually European, but rather Mongolian steppe-style, because they were ruled by the Mongols for hundreds of years during the most crucial period of their civilization's development.

This Mongolian steppe culture, in turn, incorporated elements of Han Chinese politics, forming the most distinctly Eastern characteristic of Rus' culture: authoritarianism, collectivism, and centralization!

"Centralization, collectivism, and centralization." Boss Sen stroked his chin. "What do you mean?"

"Centralization means that the power of the Russian Tsar is not very great in our view, but that is in comparison to our great centralization."

In fact, at that time in Europe, the only person who could achieve such centralized power as the Tsar was the newly usurper, the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.

At the same time, the divine right of the Rus' Empire was subordinate to the monarchical power, and the Orthodox Church was merely a tool to serve the Tsar and the Empire. This was quite different from other European countries, and it is a typical trace of Chinese centralized power.

All of this can be concluded from the brutal court struggles of the Tsarist Russian Empire. In all of Europe, only the Tsarist Russian Empire could compare with China in this respect. This is something that can only happen when power is highly centralized.

The collectivist spirit is reflected in the fact that the Rus' people, unlike other European countries, advocated individualism, especially after the French Revolution, when the so-called freedom became increasingly prevalent.

In this respect, the Rus' people behaved more like us Easterners, valuing collectivism, being fond of public warfare, dedicating themselves to their sovereign and father, and being loyal to their country, which was regarded as heroic. This concept of collectivism was deeply ingrained in their hearts.

This concentration is reflected in the fact that the Rus' people are very united. They prefer to live together under the leadership of strongmen and are not easily separated. They also have certain ideas of unification and the civilization of barbarians.

This is evidenced by the Tsar's actual title; he was not the Tsar of the Rus', but rather aspired to be the emperor of all Slavs.

Mo Gongze then recounted all his research on European countries and peoples over the years. After taking a sip of his drink, he continued:

"France, the cradle of European civilization, before the French Empire, like other European ethnic groups, did not have a tendency toward authoritarianism, collectivism, or centralization."

But this situation began to change dramatically after Napoleon Bonaparte ascended to the throne.

Today, the French people's adoration for Napoleon is no less than the people of Dayu's adoration for His Majesty the Emperor.

If we do not control it and allow the Napoleonic Empire to continue to grow, it will truly become a great empire like that of China.

Napoleon could very well have unified France, Italy, Spain, and parts of the Holy Roman Empire into a powerful empire.

Upon hearing Mo Gongze's words, Boss Sen's expression also turned serious.

He wouldn't take Mo Gongze's words seriously just because of them, but if they were similar to his own investigation and analysis, then he would really have to give them enough attention.

"Fourth brother, do you know that if what you say is true, the treaty I just concluded with Alexander I in Astrakhan is about to undergo major changes again?" The Treaty of Astrakhan was just reached between China and Rus', and the core issue was that the Rus' Empire would turn westward to seize Poland and the lands around the Baltic Sea.

But now, if France is so powerful, and the Rus' core, like China, harbors a desire for unification, they cannot tolerate a strong man wielding a sharp blade standing beside them.

After the crushing defeat at Austerlitz, the Rus' people would likely compromise with France again, and the two sides would join forces against the Great Yu.

Two weak forces combined can resist one strong force; this was already recorded in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

"Brother, I think it's very possible. Poland is not easy to digest. It's unlikely that we can achieve results by simply assimilating them. We might need to use the sword to kill them."

Therefore, for the Rus' Empire to annex Poland, it would need the consent of the surrounding major powers, especially France.

There is only one condition for France to agree to the Rus' Empire's annexation of Poland: an alliance between them, with both sides focusing their efforts eastward!

Mo Gongze's analysis is quite accurate, because historically no one has been able to swallow Poland, precisely because none of the surrounding major powers would allow the others to do so.

As for nationalism, it's not really a problem. Even a nation like China, which has had a strong sense of national identity for a long time, was still ruled by the Manchus for hundreds of years.

Later, there was France annexing Italian states like Nice, Cavour stitching together northern and southern Italy, which were essentially two separate countries, the liberation of Greece (which the Greeks were not happy with and relied entirely on other Europeans for its own liberation), and Türkiye annexing Western Armenia, among other things.

This proves that as long as the knife is sharp enough and the methods are ruthless enough, a group can be reversed.

Nationalism is like inflating a pufferfish. It can inflate itself by inflating, making it impossible for larger fish to eat it. But what comes next is a crocodile. Even if the pufferfish inflates, it cannot escape the fate of being eaten.

"If I were Napoleon, I would definitely choose to ally with the Rus' Empire and the Ottoman Turks, giving Poland to the Rus' Empire in exchange for its eastward attack on Anxi, and arming the Ottoman Empire so that it could attack the Caucasus and Persia to the east."

Ultimately, France controlled India, isolated England, and forced England to either perish or join the French alliance, thus creating a situation of East-West confrontation and making France the dominant power in the West.

This statement is actually a bit redundant. The analysis is correct, but it shouldn't have been said at this time.

Big Boss Sen narrowed his eyes, pretending to lower his head to drink water, but in reality he was calculating rapidly, because Mo Gongze's prediction later came with a solution.

The solution would certainly involve the imperial court supporting Mo Gongze to take the throne in Constantinople, control Central Europe and the Balkans, and allowing the Liao vassal state to seize Turkish territory in Asia Minor, thus partitioning the Ottoman Empire between Shandong and Liao.

The main force of the imperial court completely defeated the Tsarist Rus' Empire, causing it to lose all determination to move eastward. In the end, they joined forces to attack France, directly cutting off France's upward momentum.

If this strategy is implemented, Mo Gongze will definitely benefit the most.

Therefore, after thinking for a moment, Elder Sen suddenly asked Mo Gongze, "Fourth Brother, it seems that the situation in Lu Fan is quite dangerous."

Whether it's France, Tsarist Rus', or the Ottoman Empire, you're standing right in front of them.

“Yes, brother.” Mo Gongze stood up again and bowed to Da Laosen. “I have come to Anxi to ask for your help. I humbly request your assistance in attacking the Ottoman Empire in the south and stabilizing the territory of Lu Fan.”

Da Lao Sen looked at Mo Gongze and pondered for a moment, "Fourth brother, the biggest problem with Lu Fan is not the tens of thousands of troops, but that you do not have your own ethnic group. Forcibly taking over the Ottoman territory in the Balkans and the western coast of the Black Sea will ultimately benefit others."

Hearing what Boss Sen said, Mo Gongze was overjoyed. This was the attitude of someone who truly wanted to help him. Otherwise, they could have just given him ten or twenty thousand soldiers, which would not have been difficult for a crown prince.

Therefore, Mo Gongze quickly left the table where the food was served separately, and then knelt down on both knees in front of the big boss Sen at the main table.

"Your Highness, I have thought it through and am now awaiting Your Majesty's approval."

Big Brother Sen was genuinely bewildered. He stared at Mo Gongze in astonishment, then stepped down from his seat and helped him up. "What is it that makes Fourth Brother so serious?"

"My lord, I wish to transform the Hungarians into the Chinese."

As Sima Qian once said, the Xiongnu were descendants of the Xia dynasty and could be considered descendants of Yu the Great. The Hungarians, on the other hand, considered themselves descendants of the Xiongnu. By this reckoning, they could also be considered members of the Xia dynasty.

However, the Hungarians look very different from me, and I dare not presume to treat them as Xia people. Therefore, I humbly request my elder brother's permission.”

So that's how it is. Boss Sen understands now. This fourth brother, Mo Gongze, wants to turn Hungarians into half-Chinese, and then use this concept to apply to other ethnic groups, creating a concept of a Greater Hungarian as the base.

Therefore, the name "Zhu Xia" is necessary; only in this way can Mogongze become a member of the Hungarian ethnic group.

"How do we solve the language problem? As members of the same race, we can't all be unable to communicate, can we?"

The modern Hungarian population actually includes Magyars, Slovenes, Croats, Saxons, and others.

Even among the Magyars, there are unique branches such as the Sekai and Cha.

It can be said that there is no unified Hungarian language, which makes it impossible for the concept of a unified Chinese-Hungarian people to take shape, and the question asked by the elder statesman Sen is also meaningful.

You said you wanted to build a nation of Chinese and Huns in Europe, but your language and culture have nothing to do with the Great Yu or the Chinese. What kind of Chinese nation is this?
“Among the languages ​​of Hungary, Magyar is completely different from other languages, and the number of Magyars is not large enough to overwhelm other ethnic groups, so it is impossible to unify them, let alone make these people learn Tang language overnight.”

Fortunately, their language is crude and lacks many elegant and descriptive words. Therefore, I intend to borrow words from our Tang language, using pinyin to write the sophisticated terms into their language.

Your younger brother plans to spend ten years reducing the proportion of Chinese words in their language to two to three tenths, and then, through this linguistic change, to transform their customs and traditions, making the Xiongnu more like the Chinese.”

By this time, a mature pinyin system had emerged, created by Mo Zibu. It was exactly the same as that of later generations, and it was surprisingly useful. After all, the previous pinyin methods such as fanqie for Chinese characters were too outlandish and not conducive to literacy.

After hearing Mo Gongze's arrangement, Boss Sen considered it for a moment and was quite satisfied.

It's too difficult to get Hungarians to learn Chinese, but it's possible to incorporate 20-30% Chinese loanwords into various Hungarian languages ​​to create a different kind of Japanese.

"In addition, I would like to request His Majesty the Emperor to bestow upon a piece of emerald from the northern frontier, carved in the shape of the sun, and a piece of white jade from the western regions, carved in the shape of the moon, to symbolize His Majesty's virtue shining as brightly as the sun and the moon, and to inlay it on the crown of the Hungarian king."

Mo Gongze, fearing his brothers might not understand, further explained: "This crown is regarded as a sacred object by the Hungarians, and many believe it to be the crown of the Xiongnu Chanyu of yesteryear. If we can add the sun and moon emblem of the Great Yu to it, it will be of extraordinary significance."

In addition, a complete set of silk robes is to be provided to match the crown, which can be requested from the Fifth Uncle, the Great Emperor, to change his etiquette and customs.

"I understand," Boss Sen laughed. It turned out that Mo Gongze never intended to bridge the ethnic differences in Hungary or even larger regions in the future.

The only people he could control were the Magyars. As for the others, those who were willing to follow him would become his nation, while those who weren't would just have to drink the soup, not eat the meat.

The foundation for the future rule of the Lu Fan in Europe lies in the Magyars who have become part of the Chinese nation, as well as a large number of high-level talents from other ethnic groups who have learned Chinese.

As for whether he's afraid of his base being unstable, well, that's a bug that Mo Gongze deliberately left out.

Because a Lu vassal state that is completely single-minded and untouchable is stuck at the crossroads of Eurasia, it may not be a good thing for the Great Yu. However, a Lu vassal state that has some foundation but is not very solid is very suitable for the Great Yu.

Mo Gongze's idea was to rely on the support of the motherland to secure his position, which was tantamount to handing over his weakness to the motherland.

The smile on Da Laosen's face finally brightened. He took Mo Gongze's hand and said, "My brother is comparable to Taibo who fled to Wu and Zhuang Qiao who entered Yunnan."

Upon hearing what the elder brother Sen said, Mo Gongze smiled. He knew that his fifth uncle, the emperor, was nearly sixty years old and had already considered abdicating. In the future, the one who would have the final say would be the crown prince. As long as he agreed, the matter would basically be settled.

(End of this chapter)