There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 403 Lanfang and Dai Yan
Emperor Jiaqing and Emperor Chongzhen were so alike; both of them were chosen to ascend the throne by chance.

They also share similar indecisiveness and frequent changes of mind, and they have no good solutions for dealing with the civil service group. Although they seem to have real power, they are actually a sieve inside and outside the court.

Even the situations they faced were quite similar.

During the Chongzhen era, the Ming Dynasty was beset by internal and external troubles, with peasant armies and Qing and Mongol forces from beyond the Great Wall repeatedly causing chaos.

During the reign of Emperor Jiaqing, the White Lotus Rebellion spread to half of China and triggered uprisings among ethnic minorities in the southwest. The Qing army was completely unable to suppress the rebellion and could only rely on the local militias and fortified villages organized by powerful local clans and landlords.

In terms of both the scale and duration of the uprisings, Chongzhen and Jiaqing were almost on par.

The only difference between the two is that the pseudo-Qing dynasty during the Jiaqing era still had some strength left and a way out. Even if it ultimately failed to win, it could retreat to its old homeland outside the Great Wall and prolong its existence.

Emperor Chongzhen was out of options; the Ming Dynasty had already largely collapsed by the time of his reign, leaving him with no choice but to gamble everything.

Historically, Emperor Jiaqing relied on granting power to local gentry and landlords, which ultimately led to the victory over the White Lotus Rebellion, but also severely weakened the Qing Dynasty, causing it to never recover.

Because Emperor Jiaqing relinquished too much power, the Qing dynasty's control over local areas weakened rapidly and irreversibly, and local officials began to lose the ability to collect taxes.

Without fiscal revenue, the Qing dynasty could not recover its national strength, could not continue to suppress landlords, and could not collect taxes, creating an endless vicious cycle.

Now, because of Nie Yu's arrival, the situation Jiaqing faces in this timeline will only be worse than in history.

Emperor Jiaqing's reign was over; he couldn't hold on much longer in any sense.

……

Borneo (Kalimantan Island), Lanfang Kingdom.

The Lanfang Kingdom, officially known as the Lanfang Great Republic, was located west of Borneo, and at its peak, its territory occupied one-third of West Borneo.

The first chief, Luo Fangbo, was from Jiaying, Guangdong. He was initially attracted by the gold mines in Borneo and led a group of his fellow villagers from Guangdong to "go overseas" to pan for gold.

This practice of "going abroad" to make a living was very common from the early to mid-Qing Dynasty, because Fujian and Guangdong were indeed too poor at that time, with too many people and too little land, and there was simply not enough to go around.

In order to make a living, the people of Fujian and Guangdong had no choice but to cross the ocean to seek a living overseas. In addition, many peasant armies and members of the Heaven and Earth Society who rebelled would also go overseas to escape the Qing government's pursuit after their failure.

Over the course of more than a hundred years, more than 700 million Chinese people went to sea in Southeast Asia.

Furthermore, because Cantonese people are fond of doing business and skilled in trade, the Chinese who came to Borneo were generally welcomed by the local indigenous chiefs.

In order to gain a foothold in Borneo, expand trade profits, and unite against European colonists (mainly the Dutch), these Chinese established a series of associations that resembled "companies".

Initially, the most powerful Chinese organization in West Borneo was the "Ju Sheng Company," led by Wu Yuansheng. Wu Yuansheng was no ordinary figure; his true identity was that of a member of the Guangdong Heaven and Earth Society. Due to a failed uprising thirty years prior, he was forced to flee to Borneo by sea and founded the "Ju Sheng Company," which then dominated West Borneo.

Luo Fangbo was previously a subordinate of "Jusheng Company" and a company leader who followed Wu Yuansheng. Later, Luo Fangbo's power grew stronger and surpassed Wu Yuansheng, so he started his own business, "Lanfang Company".

In 1777, twenty-three years ago, Luo Fangbo's "Lanfang Company" had already amassed a vast territory. At the urging of several company leaders and the indigenous chiefs who had taken refuge in various tribes, Luo Fangbo formally established the "Lanfang Grand Republic" in Dongwanlu and served as its first "Grand Tang Minister".

Of course, in the eyes of the Dutch and the local chiefs, the Grand Chief was just a facade.

Luo Fangbo should actually be the king of Lanfang Kingdom.

Luo Fangbo served as Grand Chief of Staff for 17 years before resigning due to illness about five years ago. Before his death, he recommended Jiang Wubo to succeed him as Grand Chief of Staff.

Lanfang City, Dongwanlu.

Que Sibo looked on in disbelief: "Chief of Staff, you said you want to return to your country?"

Jiang Wubo, somewhat helplessly, explained to his fourth son, who was not very educated, "I am not going back to my country, I am going to pay homage. Last year, the British passed through our Xin'gang and brought news that a major change had occurred in the Qing Dynasty. A Han king has basically ruled the area south of the Qing Dynasty."

Old Liu, who was standing nearby, quickly said, "That's right. I also met some Guangdong merchants before. They brought back news that the Qing Dynasty is about to collapse and that the south of the Qing Dynasty is now under the rule of the Han Emperor."

The seventh brother, Song Chabo, nodded slightly: "So, the Grand Chief is preparing to pay homage to the Emperor of the Great Han?" Song Chabo's statement was based on reasonable grounds. Although their Lanfang Kingdom had basically dominated West Borneo, and even after Luo Fangbo's death and Jiang Wubo's succession in the past five years, they had continuously subdued the surrounding indigenous tribes through force.

It can be said that the Lanfang Kingdom had almost no rivals in the entire Borneo. The island's natives were either vassals of the Lanfang Kingdom or were subservient to it.

Even with such power, Lanfang still referred to itself to the Chinese community in Borneo as "Lanfang Headquarters" and "Lanfang Grand Commander," never daring to call itself a nation.

Even now, Lanfang Kingdom still relies on its past practice of posing as foreign merchant ships to trade at the Thirteen Factories in Guangzhou, which led the Dutch, who coveted Lanfang Kingdom, to mistakenly believe that Lanfang was a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty.

It's unclear how the Qing Dynasty was perceived by countries like Britain and France, but the Dutch certainly considered it a formidable force. This is because Koxinga (Koxinga) had defeated the Dutch in Taiwan, and the Ming Dynasty, which Koxinga led against the Qing, was ultimately destroyed by the Qing.

Therefore, the Dutch logic was that the Qing Dynasty was greater than the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty was greater than the Netherlands, and in other words, the Qing Dynasty was greater than the Netherlands.

During his tenure, Luo Fangbo also considered bringing Lanfang to submit to the Qing court, becoming a vassal state of the Qing court, and incorporating Borneo into the Chinese territory.

However, this idea was ultimately rejected by Emperor Qianlong with stern words.

Because in the eyes of the old dog Qianlong, Luo Fangbo not only went to sea to establish a country without permission, but he was also a Han Chinese, a lowly Nikan in Qianlong's eyes.

How could a lowly Han Chinese named Nikan dare to go to sea and establish a country? If this kind of evil trend is allowed to grow, what will become of us?

If Emperor Qianlong hadn't been so wary of overseas affairs, he probably would have sent troops to sea to capture Luo Fangbo, that audacious Nikan commoner, and execute him by a thousand cuts.

The Qing Dynasty is still in existence. You, a Han Chinese, go overseas to establish a country. Where is the dignity of the Qing emperor?

Moreover, Luo Fangbo also called himself the Chief of the Great Tang Dynasty. What was he trying to do?
Do they want to overthrow the Qing and Manchu regimes and restore the Han people's rule?

Luo Fangbo's attempt to join the Qing government failed, and he could only struggle to survive in Borneo with his Lanfang Company. Before his death, he told his sworn brothers that if they had the chance, they should try to return to China and join the Qing government, or at the very least, bring his ashes back to his hometown in Guangdong.

Originally, without the news brought by the British and Guangdong merchants, Jiang Wubo planned to bring his elder brother Luo Fangbo's ashes back to his hometown in Guangdong this year for burial.

However, as news of the Great Han reached Lanfang, Jiang Wubo began to have some different thoughts.

Since the Qing Dynasty is not working, what about the Han Dynasty?

Jiang Wubo had heard that the current Han Dynasty was a regime established by the Han people themselves, and since it was a newly founded state, there were certainly no foreign vassal states paying tribute.

If Lanfang were to go to pay tribute at this time, the chances of successfully submitting to the Chinese tributary system would be quite high.

Jiang Wubo decided to take a gamble and travel to the mainland to meet the Emperor of the Han Dynasty as the envoy of Lanfang.

As long as the Han Dynasty eventually wins the world, Lanfang will be guaranteed to make a profit. Even if the Han Dynasty fails to win the world, Lanfang, located overseas from the Central Plains, will not be significantly affected.

Jiang Wubo briefly explained the purpose of his trip, and everyone finally felt relieved. Jiang Wubo then said to Que Sibo, "Fourth brother, while I am back in the country for an audience, you will temporarily act as the Grand Minister of Lanfang and manage our Lanfang well."

"Don't worry, Third Brother!" Uncle Que patted his chest and said.

Looking at his fourth brother's somewhat unreliable demeanor, Jiang Wubo felt a surge of helplessness. This fourth brother was indeed a bit dull.

But Jiang Wubo had no way to deal with this. After his eldest brother Luo Fangbo died, he became the leader. His second brother Liu Tai'er did not like to be the leader. His fifth brother had been dead for a long time. His sixth and seventh brothers were too inexperienced to be competent.

Jiang Wubo thought for a moment and added, "Remember, don't act impulsively, and listen to the opinions of your brothers." Then, he looked at the composed Liu Tai'er and said, "Second Brother, I'll trouble you to take good care of Fourth Brother."

The usually steady and mature Liu Tai'er nodded: "Chief of Staff, you can go with peace of mind! This is also for the future of the people of Lanfang. This kind of bullying will not last long."

Taking advantage of the last few days of winter, when the sea temperature dropped sharply and the typhoon gradually subsided, Jiang Wubo boarded a ship and left Pontianak New Port, preparing to head to Guangzhou Port on the mainland.

Accompanying Jiang Wubo was an envoy sent by Queen Daiyan.

The Kingdom of Daiyan was located in the southern part of Lanfang Kingdom. It was a small Borneo kingdom established by Wu Yuansheng after he conquered Daiyan Kingdom following his failed anti-Qing uprising. Historically, it lasted for three generations, including his wife's regency.

(End of this chapter)