The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 863 Nothing Counts Unless Mazu Agrees
"Old Luo, we've been brothers for decades, you have to tell me, why did His Majesty think of summoning me?"

In front of the majestic Chengtian Gate of the Forbidden City in Nanjing, stands a member of the Nanyang Republic, the famous one-armed baron of Bago Province, Hanchuan Province.

Qin Dingbo, who owns 35,000 mu of fertile land, 17 sugarcane and banana plantations, more than 500 local tenant farmers (both white and black), and a small cement factory, looked at the burly man in front of him with some trepidation and asked.

Admittedly, Qin Da was a prominent figure in Hanchuan Province (lower Myanmar) and even in Southeast Asia, but he was not qualified to be summoned by the emperor.

In Qin Da's words, as long as you are a Han Chinese, with hands, feet, and courage, you can make a living in Southeast Asia. What is his little business compared to that?

After hearing Qin Da's words, Lao Luo in front turned around, his expression showing a hint of sadness and reluctance to speak, as if he couldn't bring himself to say anything.

This terrified Qin Da!
Back then, their team of thirteen followed Liu Dingyou, a powerful figure from Guangxi, to Panan Island to exterminate the natives. In the end, only he, his younger brother Qin San, Hu Quanhuan, Wei Da, and the team leader Huang Renyong and deputy team leader Luo Asheng survived.

After his left arm was severed at the wrist, he stayed in Bago (Bago, Myanmar) in Hanchuan.

His younger brother, Qin San, went to northeastern India and later participated in suppressing the rebellion in Tibet. He is currently the deputy commander-in-chief under the resident minister in Tibet.

Hu Quan has been transferred to Gwangju, Silla (Korea), and is now the Earl of Gwangju.

Wei Da is currently the Viscount of Xin'an under the title of Earl of Jinshi in Jinshi Province, Nanyang (Jinshi, Indonesia).

After participating in the Battle of Fort William in Bangladesh, Captain Huang Renyong returned to China and studied at a military academy for two years.

He then passed the military examination and rose through the ranks to become a lieutenant general in the army, the General Who Pacifies the North, and the commander of the Yaowu Army of the Capital Garrison.

The deputy team leader, who is Lao Luo in front of Qin Da, is the only one of the six people who has connections at the top.

Luo Asheng was a Hakka and had a marriage relationship with Consort Ye's family. In fact, Consort Ye was his maternal aunt.

Therefore, he retired directly after the war and joined the Embroidered Uniform Guard, where he is currently the commander of the Palace Guard Division.

This position was the third-in-command of the Imperial Guard, who was responsible for escorting and protecting the emperor. He became the most successful among the six brothers who had fought side by side.

Seeing his old friend turn pale with fright, and considering his own identity, Luo Asheng had no choice but to tell the truth.

“Ah Da, you have to hold on. News has come from Beihezhou. Your third son, Congde, had an accident while exploring the Yanshan Plateau and died two years ago.”

His Majesty summoned you because Congde was a fine son of our nation, and wished to bestow upon him some titles and honors to comfort his spirit in heaven, and to grant him gold, silver, and land, in recognition of your nurturing of fine sons for the country.”

"Oh my God, my son!" Upon hearing this, Qin Da screamed and collapsed to the ground.

Although he was mentally prepared, since there had been no news of his son for two years, it was highly likely that he was gone.

However, Qin Da had always held onto a sliver of hope that his son might have been kidnapped by some Jurchen tribe in Hezhou or detained by the Spanish. But now, that hope has finally been dashed.

Luo Asheng also shed a string of tears along with his old brother. He didn't try to persuade him much, because they were about to meet the emperor, and he wanted to cry first to avoid being disrespectful during the audience.

Meanwhile, in the palace, Mo Zibu was compiling news from Beihezhou.

When the emperor, who was turning sixty this year, saw Prince Yan, Mo Zhouzhen, berate his brother-in-law, especially in front of a large number of eunuchs and palace servants, a playful smile appeared on his face.

It's impossible that there weren't spies from the Southern Garrison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard among the eunuchs and palace servants around the fifth prince, Yan Wang Mo Zhouzhen. No matter how much Mo Zibu liked Mo Zhouzhen, he couldn't make an exception, because other princes who had been enfeoffed had them, and even the crown prince had them.

Mo Zhouzhen knew that there were Jinyiwei spies around him, and Mo Zibu also knew that Mo Zhouzhen knew. The father and son often used these people to pass on things that they could not say openly to each other.

For example, in this case, the problem with Beihezhou is not that Dayu invested a lot of resources in the west, resulting in too little support for Beihezhou.

The Great Yu is so large, and its naval and maritime strength is stronger than that of all other powers combined. It doesn't need much of its navy for the wars in Central Asia and Eastern Europe.

Therefore, it can only be said that it will slow down the progress of railway construction in Beihezhou, but it will not prevent Da Yu from supporting Beihezhou.

The real problem in Beihezhou right now is that only Prince Yan, Mo Zhouzhen, is fighting for the region, and Mo Zibu cannot possibly grant the entire Beihezhou to Mo Zhouzhen.

It's possible that Mo Zhouzhen's descendants, or even himself, might become powerful figures capable of suppressing rebellions in Yan.

Mo Zibu sighed. He had nineteen sons and thirteen daughters, but at this moment he felt that he had too few sons and not enough suitable ones to send to Beihezhou.

Because despite having many sons, very few of them are actually capable of standing on their own.

Some people are simply not born with the ability to be leaders. Sending them out to establish their own fiefdoms would harm them and the people who went with them to expand the colonies.

After thinking for a long time, Mo Zibu only had three candidates.

The eighth prince, Mo Zhouchang, is twenty-eight years old this year. His mother is the daughter of the Yuan family in Shandong. She was originally a minister of the Manchu Qing Dynasty and later secretly contacted Mo Zibu. She is the grandniece of Yuan Shoutong, who was involved in framing the Manchus.

The thirteenth prince, Mo Zhoujin, is twenty-five years old this year. His mother, Chen, is from the Cantonese-speaking region. His seventh-generation ancestor was Chen Zizhuang, one of the Three Loyal Men of Lingnan. He can be considered a representative of the Cantonese-speaking Cantonese-speaking princes.

The last one is the grandson of Princess Charlotte and the Crown Prince, the Duke of Wen, who was also the Duke of Valois of the Bourbon dynasty in exile in France.

Of the two, the eighth son, Mo Zhouchang, inherited his maternal grandfather's literary style. Now holding the position of Northeast China General Manager of the Fuxing Company, he is actually deeply involved in Northeast China politics, serving as an assistant to the soon-to-retire Chen Guangyao.

Mo Zhoujin, on the other hand, has served in the military, having attended military academies in both the army and navy, and is currently leading a fleet to conquer the Hawaiian Islands.

These two boys can definitely be sent out to colonize and settle down. Moreover, the Eighth Prince can bring people from Shandong across the sea. Although the Thirteenth Prince's Cantonese population is smaller than that of Shandong and many of them have gone overseas, he can still bring out quite a few people with his prestige, and they certainly don't lack money.

The grandson of the emperor, Duke Wen, Mo Guangzhi, is a bit young, only fourteen years old this year, but besides Chinese civil and military officials, he also has a bunch of French exiled nobles serving him.

These people alone number forty to fifty thousand immigrants and three to four thousand soldiers; colonization could definitely be accomplished.

"Your Majesty, Nan Tan Dingbo, the Prince of Xinchuan from Hanchuan, Bago, has arrived and is awaiting an audience."

Upon hearing the report, Mo Zibu, who was deep in thought, immediately stood up and voluntarily left the study.

When Qin Daqin Dingyang saw a tall man with a face very similar to the emperor's, he immediately realized that this was the emperor.

He was about to kneel when Mo Zibu helped him up. "No need to kneel. It seems you already know that today is a gathering of two fathers, not a meeting between ruler and subject."

"You raised a good son who disregarded everything for the country and the nation. When faced with death, his first thought was how to complete his mission. He was a true warrior and a martyr." Mo Zila held Qin Da's hand and had a eunuch bring over a brocade stool for him to sit on.

Qin Da sat down on the brocade stool with great trepidation, but after only a few seconds, he insisted on getting up and kneeling and kowtowing three times to Mo Zibu.

"I was originally a Yao person from the deep mountains of Guangxi. I embellished my own identity by claiming to be a descendant of the maternal grandfather of Emperor Xiaozong of Ming, and thus a Han Chinese."

Life in Guangxi was tough. Before I went there, even wild vegetable porridge wasn't enough. We survived entirely on snails, clams, small fish, and shrimp from the rivers and streams. Many people in their twenties contracted gastrointestinal worms from eating snails and clams and died tragically from the disease.

Qin Da recounted his life in his youth, his eyes filled with gratitude for the emperor.

"Back then, I thought I would either starve or die of illness by the time I was over twenty. Fortunately, Your Majesty showed me a way, which is why I am living the life I have now."

Even though Mo Zibu was thick-skinned, he couldn't take all the credit for himself. He waved his hand and said to Qin Da, "You still have to rely on yourselves. You were not afraid of death or hard work. You fought the natives with your blood and sweat to get to where you are today."

Qin Da shook his head like a rattle drum, "We, the people of Guangxi, have always been resilient and warlike. Countless people have given up their lives for a single word or a promise. Before His Majesty, we would have died in vain."

But with His Majesty guiding us and allowing us to go to Southeast Asia, even if we die, our families will be blessed. If we succeed, we can live a life we ​​never dared to dream of before, a life completely different from what we had before.

Mo Zibu was deeply moved after hearing this, "No wonder Qin Congde has such integrity. You are a good father!"

A few more tears welled up in Qin Da's eyes. He wiped them away with his right sleeve. "When Cong De went to Beihezhou, he said that he would either succeed or die trying. He was doing exploration work and had long since disregarded life and death. It's just a pity that he didn't complete the task the court gave him this time."

"What a fine man!" Mo Zibu exclaimed again, then handed a stack of manuscript paper to Qin Da.

"In fact, Qin Congde completed the task very well. Although he did not find the Grand River, he left behind a lot of detailed geographical data, which will be of great use to the railway crossing the Yanshan Plateau in the future."

This stack of manuscript paper is his last writing. I have already had the Hanlin Academy scholars transcribe it. I will place his last writing in the Temple of Meritorious Officials for worship.

"I hereby entrust this manuscript, transcribed by the newly appointed top scholar and Hanlin Academician Wu Xinzhong, to you as a keepsake."

Qin Da finally couldn't hold back and started sobbing.

After a while, Mo Zibu waited until he had vented enough before speaking, "I heard that Qin Congde has two sons and a daughter. Let the second son and the eldest daughter go to the Royal Primary School. They will have a bright future."

Qin Da quickly expressed his gratitude, because with his title, apart from his eldest son, his other sons and grandsons would not be able to attend the royal primary school.

As long as one doesn't cause trouble in the future and relies on personal connections, one's future won't be too bad. "As for Qin Congde's eldest son, I want to grant him the title of Baron of Zhenfan as compensation. You can decide where he is to be enfeoffed, and I will grant it without hesitation."

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace." Qin Da bowed again. Although there was indeed a risk of failure for those who went out to expand their territory, it was much less for those who were barons.

Moreover, these titles bestowed upon children as young as a few years old are directly managed by the royal family and are officially conferred upon them upon adulthood. In other words, not only will they not backfire and result in losses, but they will also be managed quite well.

"Your Majesty, I have often heard people say that there is a Pearl Island in the ocean, which is extremely important to the court. I request Your Majesty to grant land to Pearl Island."

"From now on, let Congde's son carry on his father's legacy and go to the place where the court needs him most!"

“A truly loyal and righteous man is naturally blessed. Very well, I will bestow upon your grandson the Horse Island of the Pearl Islands.” Mo Zibu laughed. This Qin Da is indeed fortunate.

Because the Pearl Island he mentioned was actually the Hawaiian Islands.

Hawaii was so important to the nation because, during the steam age and the subsequent fully steam-powered era, it was the only supply point between the Chinese mainland and the Hezhou mainland.

The steamship's range was limited by coal. Without Hawaii, direct voyages would be impossible. But with Hawaii, ships departing from China could resupply with coal, food, and fresh water in Hawaii before sailing directly to North Hezhou.

This allows for carrying more cargo on the journey and enables the operation of shipping routes from Shenzhou to Beihezhou anytime, anywhere, regardless of the season or ocean currents.

For the navy, the strategic significance is even greater.

The conquest plan for Hawaii has only just begun. Qin Da heard the news from somewhere and thought it was some kind of wild and unruly land that was difficult to govern. But in reality, the temperature in Hawaii is much better than in Southeast Asia, and the local natives are not difficult to conquer.

Junma Island is the Kauai Island of the Hawaiian Islands in later times. It covers an area of ​​more than 1,000 square kilometers and had a population of 70,000 to 80,000 in later times. At this time, it had a population of about 50,000. Among the vassal barons of the Great Yu Dynasty, it was considered a very good place.

Honolulu, Hawaii Island.

Just as Mo Zibu was posthumously honoring Qin Congde as a Zhenfan Baron to promote his bravery in sacrificing himself for the country, the Dayu Dynasty's conquest of the Hawaiian Kingdom had only just begun.

Since Captain Cook of England arrived here, Hawaii has come into the view of people from both the East and West, but no one has had the time to attack them.

At that time, Hawaii was practically worthless. Although rice and sugarcane could be grown there, it was too far from the mainland to generate much profit, and it wasn't worth the effort to take it over.

Therefore, although there were more than two thousand immigrants in Dayu after that, most of them were Ryukyuans led by the thirty-six surnames of Fujian people, or directly hired by some Fujian explorers.

Yes, at this time, people from Fujian also started sailing all over the world, and they even went to Argentina and the Caribbean.

They roamed the world searching for unclaimed lands to see if there was any possibility of colonization, and several famous adventurers like Captain Cook of England emerged from this group.

But with the further development of the steam engine, Hawaii's value, especially for China, suddenly increased, as it became the best Pacific resupply point.

In Honolulu, several ship horns sounded, and a large number of warships appeared on the sea, slowly approaching in a long, serpentine formation.

The black smoke they emitted made it clear who was coming, even without seeing the navy's blue flag with a gold sun and moon.

In the entire Pacific Ocean, only the Great Yu possessed such a fleet of steam-powered sailing warships.

"Hahaha, the Duke of Zheng's fleet has arrived! Hawaii is ours!"

Upon seeing the fleet arrive, the president of the Hawaii Chinese Chamber of Commerce, a burly man from Shaxian County, Yanping Prefecture, Fujian Province, jumped three feet high with excitement.

"Distribute all the muskets, including the children of Charité. Make sure every Chinese person has one. Take control of the eastern city gate and welcome the imperial army." The chairman immediately issued the battle order.

“Son, go to the palace and tell him that we Chinese are reasonable and are willing to give your father-in-law another chance. If he agrees now, I guarantee he can go to Nanjing and live as a recluse.”

The chairman's second son married the daughter of Kamehameha I, the founder of the Kamehameha Dynasty of Hawaii, making him related to the King of Hawaii by marriage.

This Hawaiian king was quite a formidable figure; he essentially unified the Hawaiian Islands in ten years. Unfortunately, he encountered the Trisolarans.

Compared to the Hawaiians, the Dayu Dynasty and the Chinese were like the Trisolarans.

"Father, if I go, I might lose my life!" The second son looked at his father, the chairman, with a half-smile.

The chairman's father grinned and said, "Your eldest brother is no good, too weak. I'll give him three thousand silver dollars and a shop in Shaxian County so he can go home and become a landlord."

You're just like me, kid. As long as we capture Kamehameha for the court before the fleet arrives, His Majesty will surely reward us with a garrison commander or even a baron. That title is mine while I'm alive, and it's yours when I'm gone."

The second son finally showed a happy smile. In the Great Yu Dynasty, titles could only be passed on to the eldest son, but there was one exception.

That is, when the title was awarded, the eldest son did not have much merit, but one of the sons had great merit.

Then, within three years of receiving the title, one can go to the Imperial Clan Court, where the elders will discuss the matter and finally report to the emperor for approval, thus changing the heir.

Inside the thatched-roof palace, the imposing King Kamehameha I of Hawaii had such a gloomy look in his eyes that they seemed to drip water.

He looked at the son-in-law he hated so much and said through gritted teeth, "Your father promised me that he was here to help me unify Hawaii, and he promised me that he would make me a vassal of the Seris Empire!"

The chairman's family name is Luo. Luo Yinghu, a martial arts scholar who ranked third in the imperial examination during the Qianlong era, was their great-uncle. The family has a long tradition of practicing martial arts, so they are very bold and have a strong sense of banditry.

Young Master Luo glanced sideways at his father-in-law and asked in a sinister tone, "Your Majesty, my father did say that, but did he swear an oath in the name of Mazu when he said it?"

This question even stumped King Kamehameha. Is there a difference between words spoken and promises made, whether or not they are sworn to by Mazu?

"Looks like there isn't any then." Young Master Luo chuckled.

"Wang, let me teach you a lesson. In the future, when discussing important matters with Fujianese, especially those from the coast, if you don't swear an oath in the name of Mazu, it's considered invalid!"

"You piece of shit, you bastard who only deserves to be eaten by sharks, I'm going to kill you!" King Kamehameha roared, and with a wave of his hand, the Hawaiian warriors standing behind him immediately pounced on him.

"Let's see who dares!" Young Master Luo shouted, tearing open his bulging clothes to reveal a circle of explosives wrapped around his body, all tied with thin ropes.

"Fuck you, believe me or not I'll send your shitty palace to the heavens!"

The guards were stunned, none of them daring to step forward, and even King Kamehameha showed a look of fear.

He knew all too well the power of this thing. Over the years, he had conquered and nearly unified Hawaii, and the bombs given to him by the Luo family father and son had played a significant role in that.

'Bang bang bang bang! '

A general of King Kamehameha tried to pounce from behind, but Young Master Luo was prepared. He turned around and fired four shots with his revolver, turning the so-called brave general into a bloody mess.

Then, without hesitation, he took a bomb and casually threw it away. With a loud bang, it immediately killed and injured two or three people.

"No one is allowed to move. If you don't want to die, you'd better behave yourselves. I only want the King to personally go to the seaside to pay his respects to the Thirteenth Prince. I will not do anything to harm you!"

Terrified, the dozens of people inside the room immediately froze when they heard Young Master Luo say that.

Only then did Young Master Luo step forward and slap his father-in-law, King Kamehameha, across the face.

"Fool, I'm saving you! Now come with me to see the Thirteenth Prince, and you might still live!"

After saying that, he pointed the gun at King Kamehameha and walked out of the palace.

Outside the palace, the Ryukyu guards brought by Young Master Luo fired a flurry of shots, taking down more than thirty palace guards.

At the same time, gunfire erupted in the city as more than a thousand Chinese (Ryukyuans are also considered Chinese) armed with guns and machetes drove the Hawaiian troops in the eastern military camp into a panic.

“My dear, you can’t do this. This is my father. Please think of the child.”

Luo Er Gongzi's wife, the eldest daughter of King Kamehameha, the Hawaiian princess, rushed over and pleaded in the Shaxian dialect.

"You bitch!" You thought Young Master Luo would show some mercy? No, he slapped the Hawaiian princess so hard she was dizzy.

"I didn't harm your father, and I'm even going to elevate you to be Chinese, make you a baroness, and grant you an imperial title. This is a blessing you've earned in ten lifetimes."

"What are you yelling about? Come with me and help calm down those people outside."

(End of this chapter)