Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 233: Astonishing Profits of Immigrants

In Chu
The Grand Council of the Cabinet presided over daily government affairs and handled all matters. The nine ministries and three agencies each handled a specific area of ​​affairs. Important matters were reported to the Chief Minister of the Cabinet and promulgated and implemented after approval by the King of Chu.

Actually

King Zheng Guohui of Chu firmly controls the Ministry of Military Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior and the General Administration of Punishment, and holds the real power of the Chu State in his hands.

In this way, daily affairs become inevitable.

Look, on the desk of King Zheng Guohui of Chu is a letter of request from the American Consul in Xiamen, Li Xiande, asking the King of Chu to use his influence as a Chinese leader to help resolve the Mudan Society dispute on Taiwan Island.

This was a vicious incident that occurred last year. It originated from the fact that the American captain accidentally entered the territory of the Paiwan indigenous people in "Mudanshe" on Taiwan Island. Captain Hunter Hunt and his wife and thirteen others were killed and their heads were cut off.

The local Paiwan indigenous people are in a relatively primitive tribal state, barbaric and fierce, and have the bad habits of "hunting" and "headhunting".

In order to demonstrate their bravery, local indigenous adult men often attacked hostile tribes and passing merchants, cut off their heads, and placed them on racks at their doorsteps.

The more people there are, the more prestigious it feels.

Unfortunately, the American captain Hunter and his wife and a dozen white sailors became the prey of the local natives. This is roughly the situation.

The only person who escaped was a Chinese sailor. He fled to Kaohsiung and reported to the local court officials, but the officials threw up their hands and said they could do nothing to help.

There is no way to control this kind of thing, and we dare not control it.

It was for this reason that Li Xiande, the consul in Xiamen, was desperately seeking medical treatment and sent a letter for help to the King of Chu.

After taking a look at it, Zheng Guohui simply wrote "read" and threw the letter into the pile of documents on the side.

Depending on the King of Chu's comments, the secretary of the attendant's office would sort them into different categories. Those that were "urgent to be handled" or "required special review" would be forwarded to the various cabinet departments first for supervision and processing.

Those marked as "read" will be sorted and archived. They can be retrieved from the archives at any time when needed in the future, but no processing will be done on them. This is a typical example of "read but not replied".

Zheng Guohui's attitude towards this kind of thing is that he can't do anything about it, just let it go.

If history had not changed

The United States has begun to use force to resolve the problem and is organizing the "Formosa Expedition." At the latest, more than two months later, the United States will send two warships and 181 sailors to invade Taiwan, which is known in history as the "Formosa Expedition."

After the arrival of the US warships, the Marines were organized to land under the guidance of British merchants who were familiar with Taiwan's geography. As a result, they were ambushed by the natives. The US commander Colonel MacKenzie was killed in the battle, and the US military retreated in a hurry.

This made the Americans very embarrassed, and they clamored for greater military retaliation.

Finally, the Taiwanese government saw that the situation had gotten out of hand and stepped in to mediate. However, the Qing army was also blocked by the Paiwan natives and returned without success.

Finally, the American Consul in Xiamen, Li Xiande, led six people who acted as interpreters to the island and negotiated directly with Zhuo Qidu, the chief of the 18 Paiwan tribes in Taiwan. Finally, they got back the heads of the deceased Americans and the looted items, and finally ended the matter hastily.

Twenty years later, the Japanese invaded Taiwan again under some pretext.

Not long after, the French tried to invade Taiwan under another pretext...

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was well aware of these historical facts, but he had no intention of intervening. Firstly, he couldn't, secondly, he didn't dare, and thirdly, he didn't want to bring trouble upon himself.

How about this huge treasure island?

The answer is yes.

Otherwise, how could it attract the greedy eyes of so many powerful countries, from Spain and the Netherlands hundreds of years ago to the United States, Japan, and France today, all of which want to take it for themselves.

As early as after the "Black Ship Incident" in 1854, the American Perry Fleet not only visited the shogunate and opened the door to Fuso with foreign guns and cannons, but also landed on Taiwan Island.

After a detailed inspection of Taiwan's geography, population, climate, and products, Perry delightedly praised Taiwan as a treasure island, comparing it to "Cuba in the Gulf of Mexico."

When returning to the United States to report on his work, Perry suggested that the United States invade or buy Taiwan, which aroused widespread interest in the American government and the public.

But the American Civil War broke out soon after, and there was no time to take care of this matter, so it was delayed.

The American merchant ship "Luo Fa" also had bad intentions. After landing on the island, it surveyed the land and looked for a suitable place to build a fort. As a result, it was beheaded by the local natives.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was well aware of these things, so he naturally wouldn't rush to get involved in this mess.

The "vassal relationship" between the State of Chu and the imperial court has not been clarified yet. In similar incidents, we must be extra careful to avoid unnecessary complications.

Whether recognized or not, in the entire East Asia and even Asia, only the imperial court of the northern continent could grant the Chu State the status of a recognized orthodox kingdom.

at this point

Not only were they recognized by the British and French powers and the European kingdoms, but also by Fusang, Korea, Ryukyu, the Kingdom of Siam, the Kingdom of Burma and the kingdoms of Southeast Asia. It was also recognized by countries outside the city such as the United States and Mexico. This was the majesty of the imperial power on the mainland that had been passed down for thousands of years.

The State of Chu held its own founding and coronation ceremony. Other countries seemed to nod and congratulate it, but in reality, it was not taken seriously behind the scenes.

At least European countries did not send diplomatic envoys to the State of Chu. Most of them negotiated through the colonial governor's office and the consulate in Guangzhou. This is very telling.

Putting aside trivial matters, Zheng Guohui picked up his pen and wrote letters. One was written to Prince Gong Yixin, one was written to his father-in-law Li Hanzhang, who was then the Governor of Hunan, one was written to Li Hongzhang, who was then the Governor-General of Liangjiang, and one was written to his fourth uncle Zheng Shouye who stayed in Nanjing.

The meaning of the letters to the first three is simply "Although I am living overseas, I have received the country's grace for generations and my heart is towards the court. I am a spark that spreads the Chinese etiquette. I am willing to regard the court as my suzerain state and be a vassal state for my nephews and nephews, paying tribute year after year." This is the general meaning.

Although there are slight differences, the overall meaning is the same.

Different people had different opinions. Prince Gong Yixin was surprised, relieved and felt radiant after seeing it. It was also a shot in the arm for the court in the precarious situation.

Even though there were rebellions everywhere and the Central Plains and Northwest China were devastated by war, overseas kingdoms still submitted to it one after another. This was the majesty of the Celestial Empire, this was its great dignity!
It's like when the boss of a society is in dire straits and hears that his younger brother is coming to join him, he immediately becomes encouraged. It's definitely a good thing!

With Prince Gong Yixin's foresight and foresight, he certainly did not think that the Chu State, far away in Southeast Asia, would rebel against the court.

If you wanted to rebel, you should have done so earlier. Wouldn't it be difficult to occupy Nanjing and Jiangsu and Zhejiang?
Why bother running thousands of kilometers away and going through so much trouble to drive out the Portuguese from the land occupied by the white people and then establish the State of Chu on this basis?

Isn’t this unnecessary taking off your pants and farting?

In the eyes of his father-in-law Li Hanzhang, the letter with the same meaning had an additional meaning that King Zheng Guohui of Chu intended to develop in Southeast Asia and asked for more support from the country.

From the perspective of Li Hongzhang, the second uncle of the Yue family, this had an additional meaning of helping to lobby the court. It was a sign of respect and a request, and it also showed the official attitude of the Chu State towards the court, which made him feel very relieved.

It took a long time
After completing these secret letters in one go, Zheng Guohui carefully reviewed them and nodded with satisfaction.

Even if such a letter were leaked, it wouldn't be a big deal.

All the words that cannot be said are on the back of the paper. They can only be understood but not expressed in words, and it is impossible to leave any room for gossip.

The letter was full of admiration and nostalgia for the Celestial Empire, lamenting its vast territory, rich resources, outstanding people, and well-organized etiquette. He vowed to widely promote Confucian culture in Southeast Asia and educate the barbarians. He expressed his willingness to make China a vassal state forever and a country that would be the preserve of his descendants forever, and that there was absolutely nothing to criticize about it.

Receiving such a personal letter was a profound achievement in itself. Even Li Hongzhang, a high-ranking official in the government, felt honored to receive a personal letter from the King of Chu.

This is a good thing that benefits both the imperial court and the State of Chu.

The last secret letter written to my fourth uncle Zheng Shouye contained a lot of useful information.

Since they are willing to treat the Celestial Empire as their suzerain state with the etiquette of a vassal, it is equivalent to lifting the veil that has been kept secret until now. It will inevitably cause a certain impact on Zheng Guohui's related forces and industries in Jiangnan Province.

The military generals stationed in various prefectures in Jiangnan Province will definitely be the first to be transferred, dismissed, or dealt with in other ways, and will not remain in their current important positions.

Zheng Guohui had made arrangements for this early on. After consulting everyone's wishes, he gradually arranged for his direct troops and officers to go to Southeast Asia, including their families.

They will be gradually concentrated in Chongming Island and then transferred to the Nanyang region.

This group of core backbones going to Southeast Asia will further strengthen Zheng Guohui's control over the army and the various prefectures and counties.

The relevant matters were arranged in an orderly manner by my fourth uncle Zheng Shouye, and they gradually withdrew.

As for the soldiers stationed in various prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River, some young and strong men can be temporarily recruited to fill the numbers. This is not a big problem.

The army originally had a total of about 17,000 to 18,000 people, and only 4,000 to 5,000 people were needed. In this era of rampant corruption, it is common for Green Camp soldiers to receive empty salaries.

another thing
The assets controlled by the Western Office of the General's Mansion in Nanjing, including real estate, land, shops and mansions of all sizes, were sold in an orderly manner. The gold and silver obtained were used to purchase various porcelains, tea, silks and satins needed for the Hainan Islands, and then transported back to Manila with the Nanyang fleet.
After the sale of these goods, the assets were transferred to the Royal Nanyang Bank's exclusive account and finally transferred to the Queen's direct agency, becoming the private property of the royal family.

nowadays

The cost of maintaining the fleet on the South China Sea route was mostly supported by the high profits from the private salt business. Excluding various expenses and commissions, the annual net profit was around 220 million taels of silver.

In theory, with the current immigration rate of one million people a year, this amount of money is not enough to spend.

This has a lot to do with the restructuring of the Nanyang immigration route, and mainly depends on two factors.

The first factor

More than a dozen large Fujian ship fleets that were originally used gradually withdrew from ocean routes and turned back to become the main force of Zhengji Grain Store in domestic river transportation, further expanding its business scope to more than 10 provinces in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and its influence became increasingly powerful.

Today, all the South Sea routes use large Western sailing ships. Compared with a thousand-stone Fu ship, a large Western sailing ship has a carrying capacity seven or eight times greater, both in terms of passengers and cargo, while the number of people required is only doubled.

Taking the largest 2,000-stone Fujian ship as an example, it required 36 crew members for ocean voyages, but actually carried more than 120 tons of cargo and more than 200 immigrants.

A thousand-ton Western sailing cargo ship could carry more than 800 tons of cargo while also carrying eight or nine hundred immigrants, requiring only more than 60 crew members.

Western sailing cargo ships have larger carrying capacity, better wind and wave resistance, faster speed, and are more suitable for ocean transportation.

A round trip from Chongming Island to Manila only takes 12 to 15 days, which saves half the time compared to the original Fujian fleet and doubles the efficiency.

The second factor is the human factor.

After the successful Northern Expedition, the Chu State seized hundreds of sailing cargo ships owned by the Spaniards, some of which were over a thousand tons and some were only one or two hundred tons. Almost instantly, it gained a strong ocean-going carrying capacity.

Small sailing ships were used for short sea transport between archipelagos, while large ships were used on immigration routes and trans-Pacific routes, as well as foreign trade routes, including the newly developed Singapore route, Calcutta route, Saigon route and Batavia route.

Of course, the most important thing is that the immigration route capacity on the mainland's Weihai immigration route, Chongming Island immigration route and Guangdong and Guangxi routes has been greatly increased.

With so many sailing cargo ships in operation, the government had to draw a large number of sailors from the Fujian fleet to strengthen the Chinese sailors in the sailing fleet and take on important missions.

The biggest expense is the salary paid to the sailors. Ordinary sailors receive two silver dollars per month, senior sailors receive 2 or 5 silver dollars per month, and the boatswain receives a monthly salary starting from 5 silver dollars.

With several thousand sailors, that would be a huge monthly salary expense.

at the same time
The government sensitively noticed that these sailors traveling between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait were envious of the immigrants who settled in Chu State, and they longed to move their families to Chu State to settle down, which was often revealed in their daily conversations.

The good times for the Chinese immigrants who settled in the Hainan Islands were visible to the naked eye, and the sailors knew it all too well.

In response to this trend, the government has proposed preferential immigration policies specifically for sailors.

As the saying goes; the buyer is never as smart as the seller.

Sailors in the fleet can apply for preferential immigration for no more than three people. Based on the original ticket price of 99 taels of silver per immigrant, the discount is 6% off, that is, each immigrant actually receives 59 taels of silver.

Three people cost 177 silver dollars. For Chinese immigrants who spent money to buy discounted boat tickets, the government gave priority to resettling them in the Manila area, where they enjoyed priority recruitment and resettlement.

Once this policy came out, how could the sailors in the fleet hold back?
This is a huge bargain. Wouldn’t it be stupid not to take advantage of it?
No Chinese sailor was born out of thin air. They all have brothers and sisters, and parents. Who doesn’t want their family to live a good life?

So

Even if it means selling houses and land, we have to raise money to use up all the three discounted boat tickets to Southeast Asia.

If the salary is not enough, you can apply to the fleet for an advance of no more than 6 months' salary. You can also ask the crew to act as guarantors for each other and then take out a loan of no more than 12 months' salary to pay for the ticket.

As a result, the government added a few more Chinese immigrants, causing most of the sailors in the fleet to work for free and also to be in debt.

There is no need to pay any salary every month, just food and accommodation, which undoubtedly saves a lot of money.

Then why don’t sailors take out immigration loans and pay it back slowly over time on credit?

It also says that the refugees who went to Southeast Asia on credit could not decide where to go. They might be resettled on remote islands in the South Pacific, or on Shangri-La Island, which was full of cannibalistic natives, or even on some remote islands.

Where will they be relocated specifically?
No one knew until the fleet arrived, and it all depended on luck.

For example, in the first two months of 1867, the Chu government suddenly launched the "Immigration to Border" plan, which resettled these Chinese immigrants to remote Pacific islands.

To be honest, it is true that when we arrived at the destination, the cries were deafening. All kinds of fear, panic and despair were in the air. Of course, sailors who have been on the sea for many years know this.

Only those immigrants who pay for the boat tickets can decide where to go independently?

This alone is enough to make sailors decide to spend money to buy discounted tickets.

It's just a few more years of hard work. How can you know the desperate feeling of being separated from your loved ones if you have never experienced it?

By effectively utilizing these two factors, the government has greatly reduced the cost of immigration routes. The sailboats and sailors are free, and only basic food and accommodation are provided.

On the basis of the annual profit of 220 million taels of silver from private salt, the minting of copper coins worth one million taels of silver can basically cover the transportation costs of immigrants.

The cost per Chinese immigrant was only eight or nine taels of silver (note: the cost of sailors still needs to be calculated), and the actual revenue per person reached more than 90 taels of silver. This is a great manifestation of the scale effect and also the source of huge profits for immigrants.

(End of this chapter)