My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 279 "A World of Great Contention"

Su Ze discovered that Yang Sizhong, the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, was indeed a superior who knew how to use people.

Zhang Xuan, the chief official of the Nanyang Tongzheng Office, was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) who came from the Hanlin Academy as a translator.

The Hanlin Academy translator, similar to the Imperial Observatory, was a hereditary position specifically responsible for translating foreign documents for the Four Barbarian Institutes.

After the establishment of the Hanlin Academy translation office during the Yongle era, the position was passed down from father to son. Each official was proficient in one or more foreign languages ​​and was responsible for translating foreign documents within the Hanlin Academy and serving as an interpreter for foreign envoys.

Zhang Xuan's family was a family of translators in the Hanlin Academy; his ancestors had been translating foreign books at the Siyiguan (Foreign Institute for the Translators).

Zhang Xuan participated in the imperial examination and passed as a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest level of the imperial examinations). After observing the administration, he stayed in the Office of Transmission.

Therefore, sending Zhang Xuan to Southeast Asia was truly a case of making the best use of his talents.

After arriving in Manila, Zhang Xuan indeed put his linguistic talents to good use.

In Luzon, the local indigenous people mainly speak the Kaluga language.

However, at this time, Tagalog was only spoken language and did not have a written form, so it was not the language used by the upper class.

The upper echelons of Manila primarily use two scripts and languages.

One is the "Luzon Kingdom," which once paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty. In reality, it was Arabic spoken by the Sultanate of Manila. The other is the Minnan language brought by immigrants from the southeast.

And these two languages ​​happen to be languages ​​that Zhang Xuan understands.

In other words, Zhang Xuan could communicate directly with the upper echelons of Manila without using a translator.

Therefore, after the establishment of the Office of Communications, Zhang Xuan constantly contacted the upper echelons of Manila and quickly found out the situation in Luzon.

The Kingdom of Luzon was originally a regional state on the island of Luzon. During Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean, it took the initiative to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty.

However, the country perished due to internal succession wars and the arrival of Spanish colonists.

The old nobles of "Luzon" and the Chinese who went to Southeast Asia controlled Manila and united to resist the encroachment of Spanish power.

Therefore, Manila today does not actually belong to any one country, but is an independent autonomous city-state under the control of multiple forces.

Outside Manila, there are indigenous tribes who speak the language of Targaryen, Spanish-established colonies and plantations, Chinese plantations, and estates of the former nobles of the "Luzon Kingdom".

Within Manila, a system of co-governance existed, with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the former nobles of the "Luzon Kingdom" forming a federation to handle Manila's political affairs.

This political system, which Zhang Xuan had never seen before, would probably have led other Confucian scholars to believe that Manila was a barbaric and sinful place and should be destroyed.

However, Zhang Xuanzu's family had been translating foreign documents for generations, and he understood better than other Confucian scholars that the land outside the Ming Dynasty was vast. The situation in Manila was actually the result of the combined efforts of many parties, and the fact that Manila could become the most famous port in the entire Southeast Asia showed that this system was definitely effective.

Therefore, Zhang Xuan spent a great deal of effort communicating with the upper echelons of Manila and studying the situation in Manila and even the whole of Luzon.

Thus, Zhang Xuan wrote these reports to the Ministry of Justice.

Zhang Xuan did not make any moral criticism of the Manila system, but instead analyzed the situation of the entire Luzon Island from a practical perspective.

Zhang Xuan first explained that Luzon Island is very large.

"A thousand miles of sea, crisscrossed by islands," this is Zhang Xuan's description of the overall situation on Luzon Island.

Therefore, even when the Kingdom of Luzon existed, it did not actually exercise control over the entire island of Luzon.

Now that the Kingdom of Luzon has collapsed, the entire island of Luzon no longer has a large political power, but has instead fragmented into countless city-states and tribes.

Zhang Xuan then deduced that due to the special circumstances of Luzon Island, it was impossible to establish a unified regime.

Luzon is a very large island, and its climate is hot all year round, without spring, summer, autumn, or winter. Locals divide the island into two seasons: the rainy season and the dry season.

During the rainy season, heavy rains can last for months, almost cutting off all roads.

Therefore, Zhang Xuan believes that it was precisely because of this climate and geographical reason that Luzon Island could not produce a dynasty like the Ming Dynasty.

Wars could only be fought during the dry season, so even if some tribes were conquered during the dry season, they would still have to retreat when the rainy season came.

The characteristics of Luzon Island determined that it was a place where various states rose up.

In fact, this was the case with the Kingdom of Luzon. The so-called Kingdom of Luzon was merely the overlord of the various vassal states on the island of Luzon at that time. After problems arose within the Kingdom of Luzon, the princely states on the island of Luzon abandoned the Kingdom of Luzon one after another, which is why the seemingly huge Kingdom of Luzon collapsed overnight.

Zhang Xuan then analyzed another characteristic of Luzon politics.

Each princely state and free city was "two-faced," simultaneously pledging allegiance to multiple powers.

This is also reflected in the current situation on Luzon Island.

The main powers on the island are Manila City, the princely states, the Spanish, and the Portuguese, with each princely state often pledging allegiance to multiple powers.

For example, the princely states outside Manila, while pledging allegiance to the city of Manila, also helped the Portuguese and Spanish cultivate spices.

They would also capture their fellow Hokkien people in Manila to sell to them, though they did not consider the indigenous people of rival tribes as their own.

Zhang Xuan believes this is also determined by the unique geographical conditions of the area. Due to the weather, it is impossible to form a single, most powerful ruler. Weak rulers often pledge allegiance to multiple powerful rulers.

Su Ze was truly impressed.

Zhang Xuan truly understood the politics of Luzon.

Luzon, along with many other Southeast Asian countries, uses this political system, which scholars refer to as the "Mandala system."

The entire system is like a series of datura flowers, with multiple political centers overlapping each other like datura flowers, and the influence of each political center decreases with distance.

Surrounding the datura flower are several weak princely states, each only the size of a village or town, which simultaneously pay tribute to and submit to multiple political centers.

In fact, modern Luzon also follows this system.

Multiple political families each have their own territories, forming a loose alliance of states. These families frequently engage in bloody infighting, and there are even instances of current presidents taking former presidents to the International Court of Justice.

The current situation in Luzon is that, with the arrival of the Spanish and Portuguese, this system is gradually being shaken.

Zhang Xuan wrote:

"The Spanish missionaries spread their religion and colonized the island, inducing the natives to worship evil gods. Many native states on Luzon converted to Christianity, and even some Chinese converted."

“The Hongyi people established diocese schools, taught the Hongyi language and script, and forced the children of noble families from various local states to attend them.”

"If the Red Barbarians' wolfish ambitions toward Luzon are not curbed, a hundred years from now, the entire island of Luzon will speak the Red Barbarian language and believe in a heretical cult!"

Zhang Xuan also shared his thoughts.

The Spanish expansion on Luzon is still in the exploratory stage, so the Ming Dynasty can make full use of its current influence and the power of the Chinese in Southeast Asia to establish several city-states recognized by the Ming Dynasty.

Manila, Cebu, and Cavite are all important city-states on Luzon Island. The Ming Dynasty should support the establishment of these states and incorporate them into the tributary system, granting them trading rights.

Secondly, it competed with the Spanish, sending Confucian scholars to Luzon to educate the people, building schools to teach Chinese language and characters, and even allowing local noble children to study in the Ming Dynasty, just like Korea.

Zhang Xuan also specifically stated that the Ming Dynasty actually had a greater advantage in missionary work in Luzon.

Hokkien was very common in Luzon, and many Spanish missionaries were forced to learn it in order to spread their faith. Moreover, the area was already influenced by Chinese culture, so it should have been easier to "re-civilize" these regions than to proselytize with the Dutch.

Finally, Zhang Xuan also said that all of these things need to be guaranteed by force.

Therefore, he hoped that the Ming Dynasty would send a fleet to Manila and support the Luzon city-state, which was willing to pledge allegiance to the Ming Dynasty, by selling them weapons to resist the Spanish.

Su Ze could only sigh that Zhang Xuan was a born diplomat.

Historically, there are two types of outstanding diplomats.

One type is a charismatic superman, a social expert, who can become a guest of honor in other countries, establish close relationships with high-ranking officials of other countries, and use his personal influence to manipulate diplomatic affairs.

Another type is the geopolitical expert, who has a deep understanding of the situation in the region and is able to formulate foreign policies that are appropriate for the local context.

A top-notch diplomat is one who can achieve even one of these things.

A person who can do both is a diplomatic genius.

The Office of Transmission is truly full of hidden talents!
Unfortunately, Zhang Xuan's reports still failed to attract the attention of the Ming Dynasty's upper echelons and were eventually sealed away in the imperial archives.

Su Ze knew that this period was a crucial time for the Spanish colonization of Luzon.

In the original timeline, the Spanish conquered Manila a few years later and established the Governor General's District of Manila.

Twenty years later, the Spanish orchestrated the Manila Massacre, killing 20,000 Chinese.

Ironically, when this matter was reported to the Ming Dynasty, the emperor actually issued an edict stating, "Among the four classes of people in China, merchants are the lowest. How can we raise an army thousands of miles away for such a lowly people?"

As a result, the Central Plains completely lost control of Southeast Asia, and the tributary system became a mere formality.

Of course, things have changed in this Ming Dynasty, but Su Ze felt it wasn't enough.

As Zhang Xuan said, military conquest is not fatal for a country like Luzon with a mandala system, and the Spanish could not occupy the entire island of Luzon.

What was truly fatal was the Spanish missionary work on Luzon.

Churches and schools were the most crucial elements of the colonial system.

If the Spanish had truly completed their missionary work on Luzon, then the Ming Dynasty would have found it much harder to drive away their influence.

At this point, it would be useless to support a few more pro-Ming regimes.

As Zhang Xuan stated in his report, "If the Ming Dynasty does not occupy Luzon, someone else will."

But how could they persuade the court to send Confucian scholars to Luzon?

Su Ze put Zhang Xuan's report back into the archives of the Ministry of Justice, and then returned to the newspaper office.

Whether it's Manila or Malacca, it all boils down to one issue: the shift in the Ming Dynasty's foreign policy.

The Ming Dynasty was a land-based power. To make a land-based power realize the importance of overseas interests and shift its focus from internal to external affairs is an extremely difficult task.

However, since it concerns the fate of the nation for hundreds of years, it must be done no matter how difficult it is.
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September 6th.

Inside the Imperial Academy.

Today, all the students in the Imperial College are discussing the articles in the "New Yuefu Gazette".

This is the first time in several months that Su Ze has personally written an article.

Zhang Chun, a student at the Imperial Academy, put down his newspaper and couldn't help but marvel at how sharp Su Hanlin's articles were, as always.

First is "On the Great Controversy of the World".

Su Ze first wrote:

"During the Warring States period, the survival of the feudal lords depended on the strength of their states; now, with the rise of various states around the world, and the arrival of Western barbarians across the seas, the Portuguese, Spanish, and Ottomans are vying for dominance in the world, and the situation is even more intense than the struggles between the feudal lords in the past."

Comparing the current world situation to the Warring States period, a time of great contention, naturally drives young scholars wild.

What is an era of great contention?

An era of great contention is one of fierce competition and constant conflict, but it is also an era of abundant opportunities.

The pre-Qin philosophers established their doctrines during a time of great contention, and the pre-Qin period was also an era that produced many heroic figures.

This is all too familiar to scholars who are well-versed in the Spring and Autumn Annals.

However, Su Ze also put forward a new theory: this "contest" is different from the "contest" of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.

What the Ming Dynasty wanted to fight for was no longer the land of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, but the trade routes.

Su Ze further cited the increase in maritime trade tax as an example, and used the example of the Portuguese controlling Malacca and profiting from commercial taxes to support his argument, writing:
“Those who lose maritime power lose commercial profits, and those whose tax revenue shrinks will weaken their national strength.”

However, Su Ze also wrote that this era of great contention also had the same kind of "contention" as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.

"The Red Barbarians built churches, established schools for foreigners, and induced them to change their faith in Luzon, attempting to use education to divide our maritime borders. If our maritime power is not upheld, the people of Southeast Asia will abandon the Chinese language and forget propriety and righteousness. Although our territory will remain, our hearts will be lost."

"The great struggle is a struggle over the orthodoxy and academic lineage, a struggle over the cultural heritage, and even more so a struggle over education."

Su Ze stated in his article:
"If we do not fight, then all around China will be barbarians!"

Finally, Su Ze wrote:
"In the past, during times of great strife, those who divided their land perished, while those who reformed and strengthened themselves became hegemons; today, in the struggle for global dominance, those who lose the seas will find their land borders incomplete, while those who gain the oceans will enjoy a long and prosperous nation!"

"The weight of maritime power is as heavy as the nine tripods; only where the sails point can the Ming Dynasty prevail!"

After reading it, Zhang Chun also felt his blood boiling. Was this the era of great strife?
The notion of a golden age was already very popular in the capital, and scholars generally agreed that it was the "Longqing Era of Prosperity."

Through the continuous exposure to the maritime countries section of the Yuefu Xinbao newspaper over the years, scholars in the capital also gained some understanding of the situation overseas.

If we really look at it from the perspective of the whole world, isn't this the era of great contention that Su Ze was talking about?

Portuguese, foreigners, and Ottomans traversed the vast seas to colonize Southeast Asia.

The increasing trade in maritime trade led to rising market taxes and a booming port, just as Su Ze said, maritime trade had become the lifeblood of the country.

In the capital, which noble family or powerful clan hasn't been involved in maritime trade?

The emperor was the biggest beneficiary of the maritime trade tax collected by the imperial treasury.

It is also said that the son of the Marquis of Wuqing is the president of the Dengzhou-Laizhou Maritime Trade Mutual Aid Association, monopolizes the Dengzhou-Laizhou maritime insurance business, and is also the largest plantation owner in Penghu and the largest sugarcane wine merchant in the capital.

Zhang Chun suddenly realized that the higher-ups had already known that the opportunity lay overseas, but Su Ze was only revealing it now in an article!
The article was being debated throughout the capital and other major cities that published newspapers.

Su Ze submitted another memorial:

"A Memorial Requesting an Inspection of the Frontiers and Southern Oceans"

(End of this chapter)