The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 865 Are you trying to mess with your brother like Gao Huan?

Having received a memorial from his son, Prince Yan Mo Zhouzhen, requesting to return to the capital, the request from the Kingdom of Portugal, through Governor-General of Goa Frederic Giulime, for the Cuckoo Prince to be recognized as a descendant of his ancestors, was also placed on his desk.

Mo Zibu frowned; neither of these matters was easy to resolve.

Especially the latter matter. Third Brother Mo Zirong is over seventy years old and in poor health. He is reluctant to mention this particularly tasteless thing that happened back then. Mo Zibu still has to consider his face to some extent.

But after thinking about it, Mo Zibu decided to call his third brother, Mo Zirong, over to discuss it, mainly because Brazil was just too tempting.

Historically, the Kingdom of Portugal lost Brazil mainly for three reasons.

First, Portugal was unable to supply large quantities of industrial goods to the rapidly developing Brazil, leading to the Brazilian market being dominated by British goods.

This connection led to significant economic interests between English capitalists and the Brazilian bourgeoisie, resulting in their collusion and, at the urging of the English, the idea of ​​breaking free from Portuguese rule.

Secondly, the Kingdom of Portugal was in decline, and in order to maintain a decent life for its native Portuguese, it had to exploit Brazil heavily. For example, Brazil's sugar exports were subject to a tax of 300%.

That's right, it's not the import tariff, but the three times the tax you pay for exporting.

It was a brilliant invention, which immediately aroused strong opposition from the Brazilian large-scale landowners and even the middle and lower-level landowners.

Finally, the foolish Emperor Pedro I of Brazil at the time thought that by following the trend of independence and severing ties with the Kingdom of Portugal, he could transform himself into Brazil's representative and ensure that he and his descendants would rule Brazil forever.

The result was that he vigorously promoted Brazil's independence, calling it the freedom of all Brazilians, and inciting the colonies to rise up in rebellion.

However, after his success, the Brazilian landowners who had colluded with the English turned around and drove him away.

The Kingdom of Portugal could not resolve any of these three points; possessing colonies disproportionate to its strength was itself a sin.

But for Da Yu, these factors that led to Brazil's independence did not exist at all.

Da Yu does not need excessive subsidies from Brazil, nor will it need Brazilian steel for the next hundred years. Da Yu only needs to establish some large Chinese estates and control the domestic situation in Brazil.

Therefore, if the Cuckoo Prince is allowed to return to his ancestral home and be placed on the throne of the Prince of Brazil, it is entirely possible to reach a mutually beneficial political and business system and agreement with various sectors within Brazil during the period of Brazilian independence decades later, thus replacing Portugal as the sovereign power of Brazil.

Even if they fail to achieve their goal, it doesn't matter. The navy of Da Yu is not to be underestimated. It has enough artillery to force Brazilian large-scale farmers to compromise. Brazil also cannot do without Da Yu's industrial products and the huge market that consumes their agricultural products.

Meanwhile, more than a hundred years from now, Brazil will be a perfect source of mines and agricultural products, along with Argentina to the south. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water!

If we can secure this now, it will be commonplace for our descendants to eat beef and mutton that costs ten yuan each in the future. It will truly be a case of our predecessors planting trees so that future generations can enjoy the shade.

"Let's do it!" Mo Zibu clenched his fist, his expression becoming resolute. Compared to such benefits, what did it matter if he hurt his brother's feelings?
September in Nanjing is still quite hot, being one of the four "furnaces" of China. Mo Zirong was already feeling the heat on his way to the palace.

In the sweltering heat, an ominous premonition lingered in Mo San's heart. He couldn't explain why, but he just felt uneasy.

Thinking about whether he should see the imperial physician later, Mo Zirong coughed and walked into the Wuying Hall of the Forbidden City in Nanjing.

Just as he reached the door of the inner study, his younger brother Mo Zibu suddenly grabbed his arms affectionately.

Mo Zirong was suddenly startled, a chill ran from his chrysanthemum straight to his head. In a flash, Mo Sange seemed to return to more than 30 years ago, to that morning when Mo Zibu had tricked him into thinking that Europe was full of beauties and that he only needed to stay for a few years before returning.

At that time, the emperor before me also had the same warm expression, and that look was so sincere, that brotherly affection seemed to have solidified into a tangible form.

"Your Majesty, what are you going to do now? I can't take it anymore, I'm over seventy. Don't treat me like Gao Huan!" Mo Zirong's knees buckled, and he almost knelt down before his younger brother.

puff!

Mo Zibu couldn't help but burst out laughing. What was supposed to be a serious matter almost turned into a laugh when he thought about how Gao Huan was dying but still had to sleep with the country.

In particular, Mo Zirong was just as handsome as Gao Huan. Initially, they were both chosen by the Gao family because of their good looks. When Mo Zirong married the princess of Shenluo, Mo Zibu was just a small king in Southeast Asia. Mo Zirong was definitely considered to have married above his station at that time.

"Third Brother, what are you thinking about, hahaha!" Mo Zibu laughed loudly, then handed him a letter from Frederic, the Governor-General of Goa, Portugal, and told him to read it himself.

"Do you remember Carlos Pedro, the son Princess Mariana of Portugal bore for you?"

Upon hearing this, Mo Zirong didn't even open the letter. His face turned red, and he waved his hands aimlessly while repeatedly repenting.

“I was too impulsive back then. I shouldn’t have done that. I almost killed him and his mother.” With that, Mo Zirong handed the letter back to Mo Zibu.

“Your Majesty, I’d rather not read this letter. I’ve heard that the child has been recognized by the Spanish and Portuguese royal families, has a loving maternal grandmother, and is doing well. That’s settled.”

Mo Zibu suddenly thought of something, so he took the letter back without refusing, and put on a very serious expression.

"Third Brother, let me tell you about the situation. France has invaded Portugal because the Kingdom of Portugal is the only loophole in the continental blockade."

Lisbon has now fallen, and Queen Maria of Portugal wants to seek refuge in Dayu to recuperate from her injuries; the child is coming along too.

"Damn it!" Mo Zirong was so anxious he almost jumped up. He didn't have Mo Zibu's strong heart, nor his thick skin.

Our Emperor Mozibumo never cared about saving face, nor did he mind tricking others. In his view, as long as it was beneficial to the country and the court, he would do it.

But Mo Zirong is different. That incident back then was arguably the most outrageous thing he had ever done in terms of private morality, and he still feels guilty about it to this day.

"Your Majesty, it's too hot. I'd like to go to Shuntian Prefecture in Beijing to cool off. Please grant me permission," Mo Zirong said to Mo Zibu, wiping the sweat from his face with some impatience.

Well, according to Mo Zibu's usual plan, he would return south from Beijing at the end of September in the lunar calendar, spend the winter in Nanjing, and then head north in March of the following year to start working in Beijing and go to places like Chengde to escape the summer heat.

Although I've spent more time in Beijing these past few years as I've shifted my focus to the north, I'm not so eager to go back to Beijing to escape the summer heat as soon as I arrive in Nanjing.

Moreover, I returned from Beijing ahead of schedule to attend the investiture ceremony and wedding of Jin Fan Da Wang Mo Hou Chun, so how could I possibly run away now?

"Third Brother, this is not appropriate. King Jin has come all the way from Southeast Asia, and you are the officiant at the wedding. How can you leave? Back then, Eldest Brother treated us very well. Your Baima Port was even allocated by Eldest Brother from his own territory."

Mo Zibu wouldn't let Mo Zirong escape so easily. He also didn't mention that the Queen of Portugal hadn't even arrived in Goa yet, creating the illusion that she would be arriving in Nanjing soon.

The elder brother Mo Zibu mentioned was not his biological elder brother Mo Zihuang, but Mo Zun, the adopted son of the former King of Cambodia, Mo Tianci, also known as King Oudi II of Cambodia.

Mo Zun (Ni Weng) was supported by Mo Tianci to take the throne. After Mo Zibu succeeded to the throne, he was always respectful. As a typical example of the integration of Southeast Asian natives into China, Mo Zibu specially promoted him after the establishment of Dayu.

He was first granted the title of Prince of Phnom Penh, and Mo Zun was included in the family genealogy as a true member of the royal family. Later, he was further promoted to Prince of Kim and served as the head of the royal clan for more than a year.

However, Mo Zun's line did not last long. Mo Zun died of illness after reigning as King Jin for six years. His eldest son succeeded him, but died two years later without any heirs. Mo Zibu then agreed to let his third son succeed him (his second son had also died).

As a result, the third prince died of illness after only five years on the throne, and was succeeded by Mo Houchun, who had just turned one year old. However, he was not directly made King of Jin, but was instead called the Crown Prince of Jin.

After that, Mo Houchun was kept in the palace, while the affairs of the Jin Kingdom (half the size of Cambodia) were managed by people selected by Mo Zibu.

At the beginning of last year, the seventeen-year-old Mo Houchun went south to assume personal rule and began to try to manage the country. This year, he returned to be officially enfeoffed and to get married.

Mo Zirong thought about it and realized that he really couldn't leave. He was blocked by Mo Zibu and was so anxious that he scratched his head and cheeks.

This kind of person doesn't have any bad intentions, and can get things done if they're put in a position of power. However, they have an excessively strong sense of empathy and moral shame, and are the kind of person who feels embarrassed for others even when watching TV.

Such a person, once he does something that crosses his own moral bottom line, will be restless for the rest of his life, and will wish he could find a hole to crawl into whenever he thinks about it.

"Your Majesty, save me! Your Majesty, save me!" Mo Zirong repeatedly bowed to Mo Zibu. "You must have a way."

Mo Zibu hadn't expected Mo Zirong to react so strongly, so he pressed down on Mo Zirong's clasped hands.

"Third brother, don't worry. I think this child, who is called the Cuckoo Prince by Spain and Portugal, doesn't necessarily want to come back to acknowledge his ancestors. He just wants some help because the Kingdom of Portugal is weak and has been destroyed by France."

It was meant to be comforting, but unexpectedly, Mo Zirong was completely overwhelmed by the somewhat malicious nickname "Cuckoo Prince."

If this kid comes back and his nickname spreads to the Great Yu, how will Mo Zirong ever face anyone again? It's like having someone reminding him every day what he did back then.

He might even be called the King of Cuckoos.

"We're doomed, we're doomed! Now the whole world will know about this scandal. There are already many people in the country who are dissatisfied with the court spending so much money to support Lu Fan every year. Now that this has happened, who knows what kind of stories they'll make up about it!"

Although Mo Zibu personally contributed the majority of the funds to support the Lu Fan, the imperial court still had to invest one to two million silver dollars every year, not including the expenses incurred by the frequent deployment of the army and navy to provide support.

Seeing that his elder brother was almost in tears, Mo Zibu pretended to think about it seriously and said, "How about this, let this child be recognized by me, give him the title of Prince, and tell everyone that he is my adopted son."

That way, most people will think I'm trying to interfere in Brazil, and internally, it will give this child an explanation, allowing him to be included in our family genealogy—after all, he's my elder brother's bloodline.”

As Mo Zibu spoke, he kept a close eye on Mo Zirong's expression. When Mo Zirong heard that Mo Zibu had come forward to acknowledge the child, an expression of extreme gratitude immediately appeared on his face. Although this would still inevitably lead to rumors, having the emperor as a shield could at least deflect 80% or 90% of them.

"Your Majesty, you're truly something." Mo Zirong breathed a sigh of relief, gave a thumbs-up, and expressed his gratitude to Mo Zibu in a particularly江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) manner.

"So benevolent, so incredibly benevolent!"

Mo Zibu accepted his third brother's gratitude without any burden, and even laughed out loud. If he had directly told his third brother about giving his son to him, he would probably have suspected that he was trying to take advantage of him again, and might even have felt a little resentful.

Now it's all good. After a little scare, he not only strongly supports us, but also thanks us.

Not long after sending off the third brother, Mo Zirong, the investigation team sent by Dayu to India returned at the beginning of last year.

Mo Zibu quickly summoned the head of the investigation team, Ruan Yuan, a native of Yangzhou and the son of the famous scholar Ruan Chengxin.

This person served as a minister in various central government departments throughout history, and also held positions such as Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Governor-General of Hubei and Hunan, and Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou. He was a very capable bureaucrat.

Mo Zibu glanced at Ruan Yuan, who seemed quite energetic, and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Has the work team encountered any cases of acclimatization problems, such as vomiting and diarrhea?"

Ruan Yuan didn't understand why the emperor was asking this, but he assumed it was the emperor showing concern for his subjects, so he quickly replied:
"There is one thing, but it's not serious. The worst thing is the muggy heat. It's much hotter than Guangzhou or Xingang. Plus, there's so much moisture, it feels like being in a steamer every day."

It seems that before reaching the level of an industrial society, India was not considered heavily polluted or had many germs. At the same time, the production of various spices and heavy industrial products did not increase, so it was still somewhat difficult to achieve cleanliness and hygiene.

"We have spent nineteen months traveling through all the provinces in northern India, and also visited all the coastal cities in the southern provinces."

As Ruan Yuan presented the memorial to Mo Zibu, he began to report, “As Your Majesty has said, India is actually a geographical concept.”

Based on cultural customs and linguistic proximity, they can be divided into at least a dozen major ethnic groups, such as Hyderabad, Punjabi, Pashtun, Northern Indians, Bengalis, Tamils, and Mysores. These can be further subdivided into at least two hundred different states.

Mozibu nodded. "But the only problem is that if India is divided into two hundred different states, it will lose its value, and its wealth will be completely consumed by the localities."

A India that has lost its value cannot serve as a tool for us to control the Kingdom of England, and the English monarchy also loses its possibility of becoming King of India, which will leave them in a state of non-cooperation.

"Your Majesty's wisdom and insight are profound, and I am fully aware of the situation even thousands of miles away," Ruan Yuan began with a few words of flattery, before continuing:

"Moreover, this state of division among more than two hundred states cannot be maintained for long. They will inevitably annex and merge with each other. Even if we have control, it is impossible to keep each state sitting idly in place."

Such large-scale warfare would not only deplete wealth but also promote the spread of the idea of ​​unification, facilitating further integration. After all, not everyone is a warmonger, and most people do not enjoy perpetual war.

"Insightful!" Mozibu gave a thumbs up. Historically, India's eventual unification was due not only to the English's efforts to consolidate their interests, but also to this factor.

At least the northern states of India, as well as the Maratha Union, do indeed have a need for and signs of unification, and India has a history of numerous regimes that achieved partial unification.

"So, Boyuan, what is your solution?" Mo Zibu addressed Ruan Yuan by his courtesy name, which was his habit. When he admired someone or wanted to promote someone, he would not use their official title or name, but would directly use their courtesy name.

"Together with the officials of the Indian government of the Kingdom of England, I devised a new Chamingdal system for the Indian subcontinent."

This new system modified India's own Chamingdal system and also drew on Japan's original Sankin-kotai system.

We divide India into two hundred districts, which are further divided into states and districts.

The counties were originally the territories of princes, while the counties were the lands under the jurisdiction of the Governor-General of England and India.

The position of county head is inherited through bloodline, but it must be recognized by the Governor's Office of Calcutta in order to be passed down.

The position of county magistrate was obtained through the imperial examination. Those who passed the examination became local tax collectors, and those who rose through the ranks could become township magistrates, and then county magistrates.

The highest one could hope to attain is a position in the Governor-General's Office, but in my opinion, very few people would be willing to do so.

While listening to Ruan Yuan's explanation, Mo Zibu quickly browsed through his memorials. Some policies were so convoluted that Mo Zibu had to read them several times before he could barely understand them.

The core of this policy consists of only two points.

The succession of a state requires the approval of the governor-general's office, so these local princes need to use a large amount of money accumulated by their families over hundreds of years to obtain the governor-general's permission for the bloodline to continue.

Basically, they'll skim off a small amount on ordinary days, but when the father dies and the son succeeds, or the elder brother dies and the younger brother succeeds, they'll be squeezed out of a large sum.

The head of the prefecture was even more ruthless, a hybrid of the Indian Chamingdal system and the Japanese Sankin-kotai system, with the civil service examination system added as a political foundation.

However, this imperial examination did not produce civil officials, but rather local powerful figures.

India, with such a vast territory, has fewer than two hundred counties, so each county must be extremely large. This is because China, excluding Xinjiang and Tibet, is only slightly more than twice the size of India, yet it has over fourteen hundred county-level administrative units in those areas.

Moreover, apart from Xinjiang and Tibet, China also has Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, and parts of Gansu, which are also sparsely populated areas. If these factors are taken into account, the counties established by Ruan Yuan and others in India may have been larger than the prefecture-level cities of later republics.

Moreover, within the prefectures and counties, all power, whether in the judiciary, education, land, agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, fishing, or commerce, is managed by the prefectural head. The power of life and death rests in the hands of one person. Therefore, this is not an official position obtained through examination, but rather a military governor position obtained through examination.

One can imagine how much power these military governors would wield in local areas!
They must undergo performance evaluations every three years, similar to Japan's attendance and work schedule system. Failing the evaluation will immediately result in their fall from grace.
So the only thing they could do was to plunder the people under their rule and use wealth to gain their approval.

At the same time, in order to make it easier for these people to bring local wealth out to spend, the Indian Governor-General's Office will also establish seven or eight large cities such as Calcutta, Dhaka, and Delhi, turning them into money-making hotspots, and encouraging the heads of local states, districts, and counties to buy property there.

"Then how can we obtain a large amount of wealth from this system? It's not a reliable way to have the English pay us the money they plundered in India through fiscal transfers." Mo Zibu asked Ruan Yuan after thinking for a while, his mood very complicated.

Ruan Yuan knew that the emperor was unwilling to control India directly or indirectly, so he had a contingency plan.

"We started from two points. First, in terms of clothing, the Kingdom of England agreed not to sell high-end textiles to India, and we took full responsibility for this part."

We can cultivate a series of top-end clothing brands and sell various silk and wool garments to India at a premium of ten or even dozens of times.

In addition, there is gold jewelry, from which Chinese jewelers will monopolize the sale of gold jewelry in India.

Indian culture highly values ​​gold as jewelry. We could directly buy up Indian gold at cost price and then resell it at a premium of five to ten times, thereby controlling the precious metals market in India and profiting from it.

Luxury goods are a very good idea, and as long as Chinese culture remains at a high level, it can basically guarantee a premium of ten or a hundred times, and it can also be sought after by Indians.

To put it bluntly, this is still about dividing India.

The difference is that the original method of division was to divide them into two hundred states, but this approach could not prevent them from fighting each other fiercely, nor could it help the English to plunder the wealth of the Indian people.

The civil service examination system for selecting military governors was much more moderate and thorough.

Two hundred states and counties still stand under one banner, but they are not subordinate to each other, neither culturally nor in terms of customs and economy. Once they leave the county, they are subject to customs duties.

Most importantly, these military governors had no military power, only police and militia, and the number of police was very small. The county magistrate could not completely control them and also needed to assess their abilities.

For example, in a town with a population of about 300,000, there would be only one town mayor who passed the exam, a dozen or so rural local tycoons who were civil servants, and dozens of police officers who were admitted through regular channels.

The rest were all temporary workers controlled by them, with ties to organized crime.

This system allows top-level officials, selected through examinations, to maximize their acquisition of wealth from all levels of society, while simultaneously leaving them powerless to retaliate against the central government.

Moreover, above the British Indian government was the Seres Empire. If the head of any state or county could defeat the army of the Great Yu, then he should be allowed to become independent.

"If Your Majesty agrees, we will begin to divide the state and county into prefectures and counties."

Moreover, prior to this, the British Governor's Office in India would conduct a large-scale operation to eliminate all troublemakers before implementing this system. Mo Zibu and Ruan Yuan, along with other members of the India working group, discussed for four or five hours and basically finalized the plan.

"In a few months, the Queen of Portugal and her grandson Prince Carlos will come here. I plan to adopt Prince Carlos as my son and let them participate in the discussion. We want to give the Portuguese more territory near Goa. That's all."

After Mo Zibu finished speaking, he waved his hand wearily, signaling Ruan Yuan and the others to leave. Ruan Yuan was also unusually silent and took his leave without saying anything more.

Because it is very obvious that this system is good for the Da Yu and England, and also good for the middle and upper classes in India, but for the lower classes in India, it is hell.

This system will turn India into a playground for hundreds of thousands of the most powerful and a hell for hundreds of millions of the poorest people. Add to that India's unique caste system, and the darkness it will create will far exceed most people's imagination.

However, Mozibu was unaware that this system was actually the same one used by the Indian government in later generations, with only minor differences in details.

This system won't be so dark that humans can't survive, but it will be described in a terrifying order of adjectives.

When describing the degree of danger of something, it is generally divided into mild, moderate, severe, extreme, and so on.

(End of this chapter)