The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 934 In the North - An Opportunity Amidst Natural Disasters
The sharp whistle echoed throughout the station, and the white mist spewed from the steam locomotive transformed this small station in Linfen County, southern Shanxi Province, into a scene resembling a fairyland.

But this is not a fairyland; it is a train station without platforms, security checks, or tickets.

Upon hearing the train arrive at the station, tens of thousands of immigrants carrying packages and holding their children began to shout loudly, with many struggling to push forward, fearing they would miss the train.

Adults were shouting, children were crying, and a stampede was imminent.

A series of brass whistles sounded, and a large number of station police officers, dressed in cross-collar uniforms, leggings, and black caps, ran over in an orderly fashion.

A few blows with short sticks covered in rubber brought order back to normal.

The most disruptive person was beaten and dared not speak again, while the others who were pushing and shoving dared not move any further. Under the arrangement of the police, the crowd was quickly divided into twenty groups.

Because this steam train had exactly twenty carriages, five policemen were assigned to each carriage to maintain order.

Strongman Wan Quanzhong, uh, what kind of name is that!

Because he was the fifth child in his family, Wan Quanzhong was generally called Wan Wu by the villagers. He carried his eldest daughter on his shoulders and a son in each hand, walking briskly ahead.

Wan Wu's wife was also a fierce and strong woman. She carried a huge package on her shoulders and walked with a powerful stride, causing the men around her to stumble to both sides.

However, Wan Wu looked rather disheveled at this moment, because he was the one who charged forward the most aggressively, and therefore he was beaten the most severely by the police maintaining order. He even had a cut on his forehead, from which blood was dripping continuously.

But it was precisely because of this bloodshed that the nearby police began to pay attention to Wan Wu.

Having finally boarded the train, Wan Wu didn't even have time to put his daughter off his neck before he started counting his fellow villagers and colleagues, afraid that even one person would be missing.

These people had followed him from Shangzhou in the Guanzhong Plain, traveling hundreds of miles to Linfen. Wan Wu felt responsible for them and took special care of them along the way.

As for why they traveled from Guanzhong to Linfen in the northeast, it was because the steam trains traveling west from the Guanzhong Plain didn't have enough capacity, so they had to go north and take the Yinchuan-Taiyuan line westward.

This railway from Taiyuan to Yinchuan was opened two years ago by the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Works under the leadership of the second son of the emperor, Prince Wei, Mo Zhouyu.

This is a very important railway because historically, the journey from Shanxi to the Lanzhou-Yinchuan region has always been blocked by the high and treacherous Lüliang Mountains.

If you have a lot of things or large items, you can only go through the northern grasslands or pass through Guanzhong in the south.

The Yintai Line benefits from the support of nitroglycerin explosives, railway stone arch bridges, and tunnel technologies that have only recently matured.

Starting from Xuegongling to the west of Linfen, and passing through the previously impassable Lüliang Mountains, a transportation route connecting southern Shanxi to the Lanzhou-Yinchuan region was successfully opened.

The Yintai Railway was 540 kilometers long, mobilizing 70,000 railway soldiers and 610,000 civilian laborers. More than 400 people died in the line of duty. It took five years to complete and cost more than 21 million silver dollars.

The journey from Taiyuan to Yinchuan, which used to take about twenty days, was significantly shortened to about ten hours, making it the most important railway project of the Dayu Dynasty in recent years.

Perhaps it was a blessing from heaven that the Yintai Line played a huge role as soon as it was completed.

Between 1812 and 1815, Dayu experienced a historically rare locust plague in North China, affecting the entire Hebei province, most prefectures and counties in Shanxi province, and parts of Shandong and Henan provinces.

The most severely affected area, Hebei, experienced a 76% reduction in grain production. In the core areas of Shunde Prefecture (Xingtai) and Guangping Prefecture (Handan), there was no greenery for miles around, with trees and weeds almost completely devoured.

This has happened before in history.

In 1813, the worst year in history, Hebei Province experienced a large-scale famine and plague due to the inefficient governance of the Qing government.

South of Beijing, for thousands of miles there was no sound of roosters crowing, and bones lay piled up everywhere. People were forced to flee in all directions and even resorted to cannibalism. In 1813 alone, the death toll reached nearly one million.

This is also the biggest reason why the Heavenly Principle Sect was able to storm the Forbidden City and why Li Wencheng, Niu Liangchen and others launched a large-scale uprising in Huaxian and Caoxian counties—they really couldn't survive.

In the Great Yu Dynasty, not only was the ability and willingness to provide disaster relief stronger than that of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, but there were also more solutions. The best way was to send immigrants westward and northeastward.

So much so that Mo Zibu was both amused and exasperated to see locusts flying everywhere in Beijing, because the number of immigrants surged in the three years from 1813 to 1815, more than in the previous ten years.

It was only through these three years that he discovered the true state of the people under his rule.

Mo Zibu immediately ordered the Ministry of Railways and the prefectural and county governments to lift the railway restrictions, with the royal family and the government each subsidizing four million silver dollars to the Northwest Railway Bureau of Lanzhou-Yinchuan Railway, allowing refugees to travel west by train free of charge.

This allowed the newly built Euntae Line to immediately play a huge role.

Immigrants from the Central Plains quickly moved to Yinchuan via this railway line, and then took the Yinchuan-Shazhou line to reach Dunhuang in later times, achieving a feat of nearly two thousand kilometers without the need for the people to walk.

In Dayu, Shazhou, where Dunhuang is located, was already under the jurisdiction of the Anxi Envoy. After decades of practice, the Anxi Envoy had extremely rich experience in dealing with immigrants.

Once you pass through Xingxingxia from here to Hami, you can continue by train and eventually reach various parts of Anxi.

Therefore, although Wan Wu was beaten bloody, he did not harbor much resentment. He knew that no matter what happened, the emperor still cared about their lives.

This is no easy feat, considering this guy is no pushover.

Historically, Wan Wu was the leader of the box makers in Guanzhong. He was a generous and righteous man who liked to fight injustice. In 1813, he led the Shaanxi box makers' uprising and killed tens of thousands of Green Standard Army soldiers. He was definitely not a man who would swallow his anger.

"Fifth Brother, wipe the blood off. They'll serve food on the train. We'll eat less, but you should eat more to replenish your strength. I heard there's mutton to eat when we get to Yinchuan."

"Yes, from Yinchuan to Shazhouwei, it's all by train, we don't have to walk. From Shazhouwei, we cross the Gobi Desert and we're in Anxi."

Master Wang said that there, cattle and sheep roamed freely, fruits and melons were plentiful, and every family could afford to eat white flour buns.

"I heard that west of Anxi, the land of Bodhisattva is as worthless as it is; any man who goes there can find a wife."

Fifth Brother, could you take care of me? I'm almost thirty and still a bachelor. I'd be letting down our parents and ancestors if I died.

"Yes, Fifth Brother! You're so capable, we'll all follow you and obey your orders."

"By then, whatever noble title you become, we'll be your servant, eating plain noodles, cuddling with wives—that kind of life, wow!"

The pack workers surrounded Wanwu, talking animatedly, while the children nearby bobbed their throats, staring at the adults with wide eyes, trying their best to imagine the mutton stew they had rarely seen.

Although Dayu has developed very rapidly in recent years, its population has also increased rapidly. Due to the lack of industrialization to curb births, the population has exceeded 700 million, with at least 500 million on the mainland of China.

In an era without chemical fertilizers, where agricultural breeding was just beginning and hybridization was still very rudimentary, the mainland had 500 million people, at least 150 million more than at the same time. Just imagine how terrifying that was.

In Dayu, grain from Northeast China and Southeast Asia fed a large surplus population, but at the same time it greatly impacted farmers in the interior, causing abnormal fluctuations in grain prices.

In addition, unscrupulous merchants stirred up trouble, and incidents of them taking a few extra bushels of grain were frequently seen in various places.

Therefore, while the state is already trying to control the world, there are still many people at the bottom of society who rely on corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes and wild vegetables to survive and struggle desperately just to make ends meet.

While it is certainly much better than the hellish scene during the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty, when only turmoil could reduce the population, there are still at least 300 million people wandering on the edge of hell.

Hearing what his fellow villagers and colleagues said, Wan Wu felt somewhat worried.

He put down his eldest daughter from his neck, climbed up a wooden box to a higher point, and craned his neck to look at the carriage, which was covered with straw mats and had no seats.

The strong, sour smell of sweat hit them, and the carriages were unbearably hot in August. The occasional cool breeze blowing in from the metal carriages became a lifeline for the immigrants.

The entire carriage was packed to the brim, with a sea of ​​heads everywhere you looked. Adults were shouting and children were crying, making your scalp tingle.

"Damn it, I thought being a box maker at Zhongnanshan was tough enough, but who knew the locust plague in Hebei and Shanxi would be so severe, causing people to flee their homes. It's possible that people from all over Shanxi and Hebei are coming here."

I wonder how big Anxi is, and whether it can accommodate so many people. What if we go there to find herds of cattle and sheep, but there's nowhere to graze?

When Wan Wu's fellow villagers and colleagues heard his analysis, they were at a loss for words, and deep worry appeared on their faces.

Moreover, Wan Wu's concerns were not entirely unfounded. The disaster relief capabilities and willingness of Dayu were indeed much higher than those of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. However, the number of disaster victims in Dayu this locust plague was far greater than that faced by the Manchu Qing Dynasty in history.

The main reason is that Dayu has two major grain-producing areas, the Northeast and the South Seas. At the same time, in order to promote the large-scale farm system in the North, Mo Zibu deliberately did not use state power to guarantee agricultural production in the North.

Therefore, the locust plague of 1813 during the Qing Dynasty only affected about ten million people. After more than two million died, the rest were given some rice soup and wild vegetable cakes, and the task was basically completed. However, in this locust plague, more than six million people in Hebei Province alone went bankrupt and could not survive in their hometowns. The total number of people in the four provinces of Hebei and Shanxi combined easily exceeded twenty million.

Even if such a large population were to be relocated to Anxi over ten years, it would still exceed Anxi's capacity to handle such a large population during that period.

The people of Anxi, who have always enjoyed a good life in the west, can accept fighting for their country without fear of death, but they can never accept a prolonged decline in their quality of life.

If they let them all pass, Anxi could probably fight a war between the Turks and the Hakkas.

Fortunately, Mo Zibu gritted his teeth and used nearly 100 million silver dollars to win the wars against Russia and France. The lower Volga River, the western Black Sea coast, and the Crimean Peninsula should be able to absorb these Han Chinese immigrants.

Boom!

While Wan Wu and the others were worried, the steam train suddenly slowed down. Wan Wu was caught off guard and fell headfirst from the height.

The carriage was in chaos. Immigrants who had rarely ridden trains before were rolling around everywhere, and there was another round of adults yelling and children crying.

"Damn it, what kind of train is this!" Wan Wu bumped his forehead wound, and the place that had just healed started bleeding again, making him howl in pain.

‘Clang! ’

The metal door of the carriage opened, and a burly man dressed in brocade robes easily leaped onto the train.

He was dressed in a bright red flying fish robe, with an embroidered spring knife at his waist and a finely crafted black gauze turban on his head. One glance from his eyes silenced the immigrants, who dared not cause any more trouble.

"It's noon. We'll put out lunch here. Each of you should choose five leaders to come down and carry the food back."

The immigrants looked at each other, unsure of what would happen next—whether they would actually get food or end up eating noodles and wontons.

Everyone turned their attention to Wan Wu. He was tall and strong, with a booming voice and a square face that exuded loyalty and righteousness. He looked like a chivalrous knight who would go to great lengths for others.

With a flick of his wrist, Wan Wu knocked away his wife's worried hand that was clutching his sleeve. With a triumphant bow, he stepped forward and jumped off the train.

"Fifth Brother, wait a minute!" Seeing Wan Wu jump down, Jiang Daqi, He Zaili, and the other box makers behind him gritted their teeth and followed.

The so-called "ticket workers" were actually lumberjacks. The vast primeval forests of the Zhongnan Mountains in southern Guanzhong were the best material for making railway sleepers.

At the same time, because the Great Yu Dynasty expanded its territory to the west, Xi'an suddenly transformed from a remote corner into a central city, and in many ways even became synonymous with the mainland.

This brought Xi'an a chance for rapid development, and naturally the demand for timber increased a hundredfold.

These box carriers in the Zhongnan Mountains travel through primeval forests year-round, encountering tigers, leopards, wolves, and jackals along the way. Many of the giant logs that can fetch a high price require dozens or even hundreds of people to transport them out.

This led to a style of collective solidarity and cooperation, where even those with some fear would still follow Wan Wu.

When Wanwu followed the arrogant-looking Jinyiwei commander to a makeshift station, he discovered that it really was lunchtime.

Baskets of mixed grain steamed buns and pickled vegetables, along with freshly brewed tea, were placed on the spot.

Wan Wu was overjoyed and quickly sent Jiang Daqi back to fetch more people. The disaster victims were starving, and amidst laughter and cheers, they rushed towards the food like wild horses, grabbing at it with their hands.

Wan Wu suddenly realized something. He looked around and saw that the county and prefectural yamen runners with short sticks had surrounded him again. He quickly stopped his men from trying to be the first to grab the food.

Sure enough, the undisciplined disaster victims who rushed over were beaten again, screaming and howling, while they and some other people who voluntarily came out of the carriages avoided this 'deterrent beating'.

"You will assist the yamen runners in separating the crowd. Each person will receive three steamed buns and a pinch of pickled vegetables. Tea will be unlimited, but you can't drink too much. The next time we stop, we'll be going to Yan'an Prefecture. It's hundreds of miles away, and if you drink too much, there won't be anywhere to relieve yourself."

The arrogant Jinyi commander first registered the origins and family circumstances of Wan Wu and his men, then ordered them to organize the distribution of food, and forbade the state and county governments from providing assistance.

Wan Wu's heart skipped a beat. It seemed that they were going to select some people from among these disaster victims to be in charge. Otherwise, with several thousand people on this train, it would be impossible to manage them all with just seventy or eighty railway police officers.

"Hey, there's even white rice!" A disaster victim who had received food exclaimed incredulously after taking a bite of a cornbread.

The corn at that time was not as sweet as it is in later generations. Overall, it tasted only slightly better than sorghum, and was still very coarse.

Adding a little white rice to dry, hard cornbread or rice cakes to enhance their stickiness is a common choice among people of decent means in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Shaanxi, and western Hubei.

Hearing the cheers and smelling the delicious aroma, Wan Wu's mouth watered so much that he couldn't help but lose himself in thought.

Over the years, most of the large trees in Zhongnan Mountain have been felled, making life increasingly difficult. He hasn't eaten white rice in a long time.

Even so, Wan Wu insisted on finishing the meal distribution before eating himself. He even deliberately raised his head to avoid softening his heart when he saw the longing eyes of his two sons and one daughter at his feet.

"Not bad, impartial, fair and just, and responsible." The brocade-clad centurion, dressed in a flying fish robe, finally smiled and beckoned the old constable beside him over.

"Old Jiang, give some good food to the groups that performed well, write down their names, and keep an eye on them on the way."

"Yes, sir!" The old yamen runner came over with a smile and pulled Wan Wu and his group to the back of the meal area.

This isn't a place where people are squatting on the ground eating cornbread anymore; instead, there are tables laden with meals.

"There's nothing good about it, but you can't eat too much meat and fish on the road. The journey is long, and if you eat too much oily food, your internal organs might not be able to handle it and you'll get diarrhea, which would be troublesome."

So the best foods are these: scrambled eggs with tomatoes, pan-fried tofu with sesame oil, and small fish stewed in lard. They're energizing and safe to eat.

As soon as the constable Jiang gestured for them to eat, Wanwu's children couldn't resist any longer and ran over to start gobbling down the food.

Wan Wu's capable brother, He Zaili, wasn't much better off. After eating a large piece of egg, he groaned with pleasure.

"If I could eat food like this every now and then, I'd die happy."

Despite the immense temptation of the food, Wan Wu first bowed to the constable Jiang.

"We are uncultured and ignorant. The journey from Shanxi to Anxi is long. We would appreciate your guidance, sir, so that we may save our lives on the way."

If we ever reach Anxi safely, we will erect a longevity tablet for you, and offer sacrifices to it daily.

As expected, Wan Wu was a figure who had left his mark on history. He keenly realized that these Imperial Guards and yamen runners, including the railway police, were conducting screening and selection, so he simply took the initiative to test the waters.

"Hahaha, you're a quick learner! I heard you're from Guanzhong?" Jiang, the constable, laughed heartily. He liked people like this who were so sensible.

"I am a native of Guanzhong, from Qishan County, Fengxiang Prefecture."

"Can you read?"

"I went to school and graduated from primary school, but my father broke his leg and the family lost its income, so I couldn't continue my studies."

"That's good. I have a book here. Read it carefully on the train these days. If you find anything useful, when you get to Yinchuan Prefecture, go find a Liao flag after you leave the station. Someone will take you in."

With profuse thanks, Wan Wu accepted the book, feeling somewhat flattered. Upon opening it, he discovered that it appeared to be a popular science book.

For example, it's best to refer to oneself as "so," and to respond as "here." What is a horizontal sword? What is a bright armor? And so on.

Wan Wu turned to the cover with a puzzled look. On the front, he saw the words "Revive the Han Dynasty" written in large characters. When he turned the book over, he saw the words "Restore the Tang Dynasty" written on the back cover as well.

The monk was completely baffled, but he would soon understand.

Select the most promising immigrants, pack them all up and send them to the far west, arming them with Han supremacist ideology.

Let them become the most solid support for the three vassal states of Tai, Xi, Xia, Liao, and Liang in Thousand-Year Fortress (Stalingrad), Pinghai City (Sevastopol), and throughout the Eurasian border region.

This series of actions, including contacting clerks like Jiang, mobilizing officials under the Prince's court to screen people along the way, and even providing security at their own expense, were all proactive choices by the three Western vassal states, which precisely represent their needs and desires.

(End of this chapter)