The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 924 The Liberators of South America

The long, drawn-out sound of the ship's horn echoed through the Honolulu harbor of the Pearl Islands (Hawaii).

Upon seeing the approaching ship flying the red flag with black tiles and dragon motifs from the Fuxing Company, the dockworkers immediately cheered.

Because of the rapid development of steamships, a wide variety of ocean shipping companies emerged, and Fuxing Company had long since withdrawn from most of the routes, retaining only a few that were not very profitable but were essential.

The Pearl Islands are mainly the route from South America to the Chinese mainland. People who run this route are either rich or noble and spend lavishly.

“Mr. Jose, we’re almost in Honolulu. This is practically the Empire’s homeland now. We can finally get some rest.”

On the ocean liner Jindouyun, Xu Jiyu, a twenty-year-old head of the colonization department, dressed in a black casual suit similar to a Zhongshan suit, smiled and spoke to a black-haired, black-eyed European next to him.

"The steam engine is truly one of the greatest inventions in the world. It allowed us to easily travel from one end of the world to the other."

Mr. José was clearly even more amazed than Xu Jiyu, because he had never imagined that he could travel to the Seris Empire's homeland in this way.

It's important to know that the straight-line distance from Nanhe Continent to the Divine Continent is over 16,000 kilometers, making it impossible for a large sailing ship to reach directly there, as it lacks power.

Even with the advent of steamships, though a direct route was still impossible, it was possible to travel 1,550 kilometers from the Venezuelan coast using the Peru Current.

Then, using a steam engine, they traveled approximately 3,500 kilometers to reach the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia.

After loading enough coal and fresh water here, we sailed northwest for about 3,500 kilometers to reach the Pearl Islands (Hawaii).

Finally, after replenishing coal and other supplies, they sailed approximately 6,500 kilometers using the North Equatorial Current to reach the Eastern Islands.

"The Pearl Islands are the Empire's most important base in the Pacific. There are already 600,000 people here. The islands' seafood paella and rum are top-notch. We can have a good rest now."

Xu Jiyu, with a hint of pride, thought that no one in the world, except the Great Yu Dynasty and the Chinese Empire, could open up a shipping route from Nanhe Continent to the Divine Continent.

As the large ship slowly approached the shore, dockworkers, mainly local natives and mixed-race individuals, immediately gathered around.

They quickly quoted their prices, and the passengers almost all agreed without haggling.

Those who are willing to spend hundreds of silver dollars to travel back and forth from Nanhezhou at this time are people who have big business to do there and are not short of money at all.

Furthermore, because such an extremely arduous sea journey gives passengers a feeling of surviving a catastrophe after disembarking, they are even more willing to spend money.

Therefore, the dockworkers love these guests from Nanga Island the most. Soon, they will arrange for them to help alleviate their seasickness with a sedan chair, fine gold rum, and beautiful local girls.

However, just as these items were about to enter the disembarkation area, several gongs sounded, and a large banner with the character "Luo" appeared first, followed by two banners, each bearing the following inscription:

'Imperial Decree Conferring the Pearl Islands Sandalwood Mountain'

The inscription reads: "By imperial decree, the Prefect of Pearl County was appointed to handle affairs between the Han and non-Han peoples."

Xu Jiyu stroked his chin, lost in thought. "I passed through Honolulu before I came here, and Lord Luo was already bedridden with illness, seemingly with little time left. Could it be that there are things in this world where a salted fish can come back to life or a withered tree can spring back to life?"

"Perhaps it's Second Master Luo coming to greet us with the old Duke's banner and ceremonial guard. He seems very anxious, as if he needs something from you, sir!" A minor official from the Ministry of Rites looked at Xu Jiyu with a fawning smile.

This Xu, a man from Shanxi, is truly fortunate. Although his ranking in the imperial examinations was not high, the emperor said as soon as he heard his name that he would surely have an extraordinary future.

He then rose rapidly through the ranks, becoming a sixth-rank official in charge of a central department at the age of twenty.

He also held a concurrent post in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and was bestowed with a flying fish robe by the emperor, with an embroidered spring knife at his waist. He was granted the privilege of being ranked one rank higher than officials below the fifth rank by the emperor. He traveled around the six continents in a majestic manner, and was specifically responsible for recording mountains, rivers, geography, local customs, minerals, agriculture and animal husbandry.

Xu Jiyu achieved early success, and although he told himself to guard against arrogance and impetuosity, he couldn't help himself. He chuckled twice, suppressing the upturn of his lips, and said in Spanish:

“Mr. Jose, Mr. Simon, let’s disembark. With the Viscount of Honolulu’s hospitality, we can save a lot of money.”

The clerk from the Ministry of Rites was right; it wasn't the dying Viscount of Honolulu, Luo Chaofu, who came, but his second son, known as Second Master Luo, Luo Qidong.

“Since my brother Jiannan went west, I have been thinking of him day and night. Finally, I have been looking forward to his safe return. I am very grateful for Mazu’s blessing. I will definitely go to fulfill my vow in the future.”

Luo Qidong, the second son of the Luo family, was not at all arrogant like a nobleman's son or the actual person in charge of Pearl Island. On the contrary, he was extremely approachable.

Not only did they arrange everything perfectly, but they also only mentioned the matter of going to the Mazu Temple to pray for Xu Jiyu in a very subtle way.

Having drunk the finest rum, eaten hometown dishes he hadn't had in over a year, and been accompanied by a charming and graceful woman with a distinctly local flair, Xu Jiyu knew he had to help the Second Young Master Luo.

The Viscount of Honolulu and Young Master Luo were none other than the father and son, presidents of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, who had helped the Great Yu Navy defeat King Kamehameha I of Hawaii eight years ago.

After the navy took control of the Pearl Islands (Hawaii), given the Pearl Islands' significant role in direct navigation between the two continents during the steam age, the islands were not granted to a prince, but rather a 'separation of powers' was established.

Mo Zibu established three institutions here: the Pearl County Government Office directly under the central government, the Admiral's Office of the Pearl Island Sub-Fleet of the Pacific Fleet of the Navy, and the Viscount's Garrison Office of Honolulu.

The Pearl Islands are 6,500 kilometers from the Eastern Islands and 8,300 kilometers from the Chinese mainland. This is the straight-line distance; the sea route would be even longer.

No matter who you put at this distance, they will become the ones who hold the power of life and death. So Mo Zibu simply put three people in, letting them check and balance each other.

The governor of Pearl County was responsible for administration and people's livelihood, the admiral of the Pearl Island Fleet was responsible for military affairs, and the Viscount of Honolulu was responsible for the taxation of large trading companies and the security of the islands.

Moreover, being so far from the central government, Mo Zibu actually trusted meritorious officials more than civil officials.

Because sending civil officials to the Pearl Islands is basically like exile, except for a few who want to advance, most of them only want to do one thing: to do a little bit of work, and put most of their energy into making money.

Otherwise, having traveled nearly 20,000 miles from home, vomiting terribly on the ship to get here, surely I'm not here to make a contribution?

But for meritorious officials, the Viscount of Honolulu is the biggest asset of the Luo family. Without this viscount, they are just middle-class merchants, not the nobles at the top.

With this concern, the meritorious officials in charge of the garrison would be extremely restrained in their pursuit of wealth, fearing that the emperor would find a pretext to dismiss them. In addition, since they had a share in the region, they would also do their best in its development.

Therefore, the current patriarch of the Luo family, Luo Chaofu, is not only the governor of Honolulu, but also the prefect of Pearl County.

"Alas!" After chatting with Xu Jiyu for a few minutes, Young Master Luo sighed deeply.

"My father is old and his old illness has relapsed. He is now being treated by a famous doctor from Edo and kept alive with ginseng. He may pass away any day now."

My older brother, under the influence of relatives in our hometown of Shaxian, insisted on coming to Honolulu to fulfill his filial duties, clearly intending to make things difficult for me.

Admittedly, preventing his elder brother from coming is against filial piety and is despicable, but Luo had no other choice.

It's truly remarkable that the Pearl Islands have developed to their current state. If my elder brother were to mess things up, it would be extremely detrimental to both the country and the family.

Therefore, I, Luo, am currently in a difficult situation and have done some unsavory things. I hope my brother Jiannan won't look down on me!

Xu Jiyu narrowed his eyes upon hearing this; this Second Young Master Luo was no pushover.

He must have gone to great lengths to prevent his elder brother from coming to Honolulu. It seems he has another way out, but he won't use it unless absolutely necessary.

As for the problem of the second son of the Luo family, Xu Jiyu was aware of it. Back then, the capture of the Pearl Islands with the help of the navy was actually the result of the combined efforts of Lord Luo and the second son of the Luo family.

Especially as the son-in-law of King Kamehameha I of Hawaii, it's perfectly reasonable for Luo Er Gongzi to strap himself with explosives and personally abduct Kamehameha I from the palace, claiming that he made a great contribution.

Therefore, eight years ago, Lord Luo himself admitted that he wanted to pass the viscountcy to the second son of the Luo family, rather than the cowardly and lecherous eldest son of the Luo family in their hometown.

However, the problem is that the succession law for meritorious officials in the Great Yu Dynasty was very strict. It could only be passed on to the eldest son of the legitimate wife, and if there was no eldest son, it would be passed on to the eldest grandson of the legitimate wife.

Only if the eldest son of the legitimate wife dies out can the lineage be passed down to the second son of the legitimate wife through the order of seniority among the brothers.

Otherwise, with so many nobles and nobility, without strict regulations, who knows how many tragic human incidents would have occurred.

However, there are two exceptions.

One method was to report the eldest son of the legitimate wife to the Imperial Clan Court before he turned three, stripping him of his inheritance rights. After he turned three, the court would disown him, because they feared that someone might artificially create a mentally challenged person later in life.

Secondly, this title was won by the father and son together, and had nothing to do with the eldest son, as is the case with the Luo family.

In such a situation, if the emperor's approval is obtained, the eldest son can naturally inherit the title.

Therefore, Luo Qidong, the second son of Luo, is now extremely anxious. His father has been paralyzed for more than half a year due to a stroke, and even with proper care, he has at most three years to live.

Considering the distance between the Pearl Islands and the capital, this timeframe is already extremely tight, and it's a maximum of three years. If luck isn't on their side, they could be gone in the next second.

Once Lord Luo passes away, the title will automatically fall to the eldest brother of the second young master Luo.

“Ever since we acquired this title, our family has continued our family genealogy with the Luo family in Dongguan, so we are considered family.” The second young master of Luo was very clear-headed; the worst thing you can do when asking someone for a favor is to ask two people to do the same thing.

This would not only make both of them feel uncomfortable, but they would also become less attentive because they would pass the buck to each other. So he directly told Xu Jiyu the truth.

The Luo family in Dongguan were none other than the family of Luo Xingmu, the former chief of the Chinese community in Hoi An.

Back then, the emperor not only received protection from Grandpa Luo when he was starting out, but later, in order to pave the way for the emperor, Grandpa Luo and his eldest son risked their lives to wipe out the Nguyen family of Guangnan.

Such kindness naturally led to the Luo family being granted a duke and a marquis title after the emperor's victory. Luo Agong's eldest grandson even married a princess, making the family one of the most prestigious noble families in the Great Yu Dynasty.

“However, precisely because we are family, there is no difference between my elder brother inheriting the title and me inheriting the title in Dongguan.” Young Master Luo spoke with complete sincerity.

"Of course, my elder brother is not going to amount to anything. The Duke of Xin'an still hopes that I can inherit the title and serve His Majesty and the Empire well."

Xu Jiyu understood that the Luo family of Dongguan would help the second young master of Luo keep his elder brother from running to the Pearl Islands before the old lord of Luo passed away, but they would not fight for him on the issue of inheritance.

“Brother Luo, I am just a minor official in the Ministry of Rites. Even if I wear the flying fish robe and carry the embroidered spring knife, I am just a figurehead in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I am not like those imposing commanders or deputy commanders.”

As Xu Jiyu spoke, he took another big gulp of wine. Although his family was a scholarly family, they were extremely poor. He had limited access to new knowledge when he was young, which resulted in him having very little understanding of Lingnan, Southeast Asia, and overseas.

He doesn't need the Second Young Master Luo's money, but he does need the Second Young Master Luo's ideas, knowledge of foreign affairs, and network of connections, so that he can better understand how this behemoth of a dynasty operates and make progress more quickly.

“Brother Jiannan, you underestimate yourself. The people His Majesty favors are no ordinary people. You are always by the emperor's side, and one word from you is worth ten thousand words from others.”

Young Master Luo wasn't stupid; he wouldn't have gone to such lengths if he hadn't figured out whether Xu Jiyu was capable of doing this.

Xu Jiyu stopped beating around the bush with Luo Qidong at this point. He glanced at the sippers of wine at the banquet, and then, speaking softly to the two white men beside him, whose maids sat upright and whose eyes were fixed straight ahead:
"These two are heroes from Nanhe Continent. His Majesty wishes to employ them in the region. They are to accompany me to the capital to meet the Emperor."

Looking back, apart from the Duke of Wellington, who is currently making great strides in Europe, His Majesty has never shown such importance to any European in over a decade.

Young Master Luo blinked, somewhat confused. "Brother Jiannan, what can I do for His Majesty?"

"If Your Majesty wishes to manage Nanhe Continent, the Pearl Islands alone are not enough; the Star Sand Islands are the key."

The current supply points on the island are too rudimentary and risky. If the Second Young Master can solve this problem for His Majesty and the court, what difficulty would there be in inheriting the title?

Xu Jiyu misunderstood Mo Zibu's meaning, thinking that Mo Zibu wanted to manage Nanhezhou.

However, this is not his fault, because he had no idea how famous these two people were in the history of Nanhe Continent.

That Mr. José's name was José Francisco de San Martín Matóras, none other than the historically famous San Martín.

Mr. Simon, also known as Simón José Antonio Bolívar y Palacios, was the founding father of Gran Colombia and one of the two heroes of South American liberation, Bolívar.

The Xingsha Islands are what later became French Polynesia. In the past, this area was a forgotten region of the world, but now, with the steam engine's range insufficient, it was a good transit and resupply station for those traveling from Dayu to South America.

However, because it was so remote and desolate, even the navy was unwilling to manage it. The officers and soldiers stationed there were just loafing around. They could provide for the army's needs, but for other aspects, it was barely enough.

The exchanges between Dayu and Nanhezhou will soon increase, so there is indeed a need for someone who can manage the Xingsha Islands well.

“I understand, Brother Jiannan. I will immediately write to His Majesty in my father’s name, requesting that the Xingsha Islands be incorporated into Pearl County, and that my Luo family send people to colonize the area.”

During the banquet, Bolívar and San Martín were also quietly observing everything.

Bolívar rose to power earlier than San Martín; he had already established the Second Republic of Venezuela and fought against the Spanish colonial government for several years.

This time, having nowhere to go after their defeat, they traveled to the Divine Continent to meet Mo Zibu, introduced by the Cuckoo Prince Mo Zhouyao.

San Martín arrived a little later; he even served as a dragoon commander under Qin San for several years before returning to his homeland of Argentina in 1813, a little over a year earlier, to participate in military resistance against the Spanish colonial government.

"I wonder what kind of monarch the Eastern Emperor is. Looking at the current situation of the Pearl Islands, if he wants to enslave us, he will definitely be more difficult to deal with than the colonial government on the peninsula."

"I can't even see where we have a chance of winning," Bolivar said, sounding somewhat worried.

The Pearl Islands example is too frightening. There used to be 400,000 natives there, but now, apart from coolies and bar hostesses, there are hardly any people left.

Of course, the situation was not as terrible as Bolivar had imagined, because before Da Yu arrived, the island's natives were too uncivilized to understand the horrors of syphilis and other viruses, and out of 400,000 people, less than 300,000 could actually be considered human.

After so many years of Da Yu's presence, they drove all 70,000 to 80,000 people suffering from syphilis to a place called the Island of Incurable Diseases to fend for themselves, while the rest were moved to Da Zhan Zhou.

So, although there weren't many natives, they weren't killed; this is called ethnic integration.

"No matter how powerful the enemy is, I will never be afraid and will go forward without hesitation for the independence of my country and people." San Martín first expressed his attitude, and then softened his tone.

“I have heard that the Great Emperor of the East is a benevolent, enlightened and extremely wise ruler. If he wanted to enslave us like the Spanish government, he wouldn’t need to send someone to extend such a warm invitation.”

Bolivar felt a little less pressure. He took a big gulp of wine and nodded.

"If I am faced with enslavement, then I will have no choice but to resist and dedicate my life to my country."

If the Great Emperor of the East can treat us all equally and give us a peaceful and joyful future, I wouldn't mind being an Easterner or a Westerner.

(End of this chapter)