The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 631: The Bells Echo and the Abandoned Son Returns

Fu Kang'an is still very powerful because he has taken all the factors into consideration and seen through Chen Guangyao's fishing operation in Xinwan Town.

Even the idea that Chen Guangyao would transfer troops from Temple Street by steamship was calculated.

If there was something that Fukang'an had not taken into account, it was that the income of Xinwan Town was enough to cover the personnel expenses and even had a surplus.

Because the musketeers in Xinwan Town were not at all the brave soldiers of the Beijing Camp who were directly under the jurisdiction of Chen Guangyao's Northeast Envoy, or the model soldiers of the Prime Minister such as the Jibei Iron Cavalry and the Aihui Arrow Tube Soldiers.

Nor are they the garrison troops of the local governors.

Instead, they were the soldiers of the Matsumae domain, the only Toyo garrison domain under the Tohoku envoyship.

Didn’t Mo Zibu separate Hokkaido, that is, Ezo Island, from Japan and assign it to Jilin Province together with Sakhalin Island? Therefore, the only Matsumae domain on Ezo Island also came under the jurisdiction of the Northeast Mission.

The Matsumae domain of the Matsumae clan had a land area of only 10,000 koku. Before China conquered Japan, they were already so poor that even a mouse would cry at the sight of them.

So when the Japanese were finally pacified, Mo Zibu simply waved his hand and directly forgave the debt of 3,600 silver dollars owed by the Matsumae clan.

This saved the lives of the Matsumae clan, so everyone in the Matsumae clan was very grateful to the emperor for his kindness.

At the same time, because he was trapped on Ezo Island and had no development, he wanted to ask for permission to move his fiefdom to Vladivostok to develop the Northeast for the court.

The calculations were in full swing. As the name suggests, Vladivostok is extremely rich in seafood, and there are plains around it where cold-resistant crops such as barley, rye, and oats can be grown. It is much better than Ezo Island.

But Mo Zibu did not allow it, because it was impossible to leave no people on Ezo Island. If the Matsumae clan ran away, who would guard Ezo Island?

Later, Chen Guangyao saw that the Matsumae clan was indeed determined to do something, so he gave Xinwan Town such an indicator.

Of course, vassal vassals are generally not allowed on the Northeast Continent, and even if there are, they are Mongolians, so the Matsumae clan got the official position of Xinwan Town Inspector.

They are similar to vassal officials and can be inherited. Except for the power of life and death, they have all the other powers. The official system is managed in the same way as the chieftains.

Since he was a local official like the Inspector General, it was naturally impossible for him to ask the court to pay for everything.

Therefore, the initial garrison expenses in Xinwan Town were borne by the inner court at 20%, the Ministry of War at 20%, and the Northeastern Mission at 20%.

For the remaining 40%, the Matsumae clan borrowed 40,000 silver dollars from the Fuxing Development Bank for a ten-year interest-free loan, and thus set up the stage.

These ronin recruited from Japan by the Matsumae domain were very cheap. If real Chinese samurai or warriors went there, no one would pay attention to them unless they were paid fifty silver dollars a year.

However, these ronin who had not yet obtained the status of a member of the nobility were very happy to receive the promise of free food and lodging, a piece of land, and three silver dollars a year. The cost was more than ten times lower, so it was impossible for them to lose money.

Temple Street, a city that brings sadness to later generations of Chinese people, was quite prosperous at that time.

Because it is located at the mouth of the Heilongjiang River, ships can go directly upstream to Blagoveshchensk, Fuyuan, Jiamusi, Yichun, Heihe, Harbin, and even if more canals are built, Hegang, Mudanjiang and other places will be navigable.

In extreme cases, it is not impossible to connect Changchun and Jilin.

Moreover, although the Heilongjiang River and its tributaries, such as the Songhua River and the Nen River, have a freezing period, they have abundant water, wide river channels, and not very turbulent currents. They are easy to navigate even without steam engines. With steam engines, it is unimpeded.

All the good things from the old forests of Northeast China, including timber, can be shipped out to sea through Temple Street and then transported to various places by sea ships.

Once the national strength and productivity are increased, and the Songhua River, Tumen River and Yalu River are opened to navigation, the entire Northeast will come alive.

It is rich in resources, has countless minerals, is covered with black soil and large forests, and has convenient water transportation. It is simply a treasure trove!
"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

When Gao Leisi arrived, it was noon. At the mouth of the sea in the north of Temple Street, the big bronze bell of the temple on the north mountain of Terin rang melodiously.

This ancient Guanyin Zen Temple, named Yongning Temple, was built by the famous eunuch Yishiha in the early Ming Dynasty when he was stationed in Miao Street as an imperial envoy. The name of Miao Street came from this.

The bells rang loudly, and all the pedestrians on the street, whether they were Solon, Barhu, Xibai or Han people, stopped and put their hands together to pray.

In places like this, the power of religion is still very strong.

On this street full of people with similar looks and wearing Chinese clothes, Gao Leisi burst into tears as the bell rang.

After spending eight years in Europe and being forced to wander the Xianbei Icefields, when he heard the bell, it was as if his mother, who gave birth to him and raised him, was calling him.

The few bannermen who came with him also knelt on the ground and cried loudly towards the direction of Yongning Temple.

The musketeer of the Temple Street Pacifier had wanted to make fun of them, but now he couldn't bear it anymore.

Gao Leisi looked at the large banner of the Prime Minister of the Northeast Mission standing in front of the yamen in the distance and knew that he had come to the right place.

Not only was the governor-general and general in charge of important military and political affairs in Jilin Province here, but the emperor's cousin, Chen Guangyao, the Duke of Jiading and Prime Minister of the Northeast Envoy, was also there.

"Please inform the Lord Zhongtang that the abandoned people of the Celestial Empire, Fu Kang'an, Gao Leisi, and Le Bao, have realized their mistakes and would rather be a dog of China than a guest of the Rakshasa. Please be magnanimous and show mercy to them, Lord Zhongtang!"

While crying, Gao Leisi knelt on the ground and raised the letter written by Fu Kang'an above his head.

"The abandoned people have also brought extremely important military secrets. Please, sir, be kind enough to help present them as well."

It was not that Gao Leisi was lucky, but after the implementation of the fishing plan, every time the most dangerous month came, Chen Guangyao would bring standard-bearers such as the Jibei Iron Cavalry and Aihui Arrow Soldiers from the Mission Yamen to patrol Temple Street.

At this time of year every year, the garrison troops of Temple Street Pacifier would be mobilized to cooperate with the Prime Minister's standard-bearing troops in conducting drills to reinforce Xinwan Town.

So from the end of March to the end of April, Chen Guangyao will definitely be in Temple Street.

Hearing that Fu Kang'an had sent someone, Chen Guangyao smiled at Mingde beside him and said, "General Fu, it seems you can walk less."

In the Dayu Dynasty, hair, clothing and names were not strictly regulated, but the remaining bannermen still took the initiative to move closer to the Han people.

The Fucha clan, to which Fu Heng belonged, was also directly changed to the Fu clan, and Chen Guangyao was called General Mingde Fu. It was not that Mingde had a military position, but that he had the lowest rank of nobility, General Fengguo.

Mingde is a very smooth person in dealing with people. He gives everyone some face and leaves a way out. He is a typical Manchu who always speaks auspicious words.

Back when he was the Governor of Yunnan and Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, the Emperor of Hexian King ordered him to block the border and catch smugglers in exchange for an annual profit of 30,000 taels of silver.

When he was asked to send officials across the border to destroy the jade mines of other chieftains, he went up and attacked without saying a word.

If you want to buy some saltpeter, there is no ambiguity. Although it is impossible to give you the full amount, at least more than 50% will be given.

Later, he killed Zhu Gui and surrendered voluntarily.

Therefore, after Mingde surrendered, not only was his property not confiscated, but he was also awarded the title of General Fengguo. He also had some friendship with Chen Guangyao, the Prime Minister of the Northeast. He was considered to be one of the best among the bannermen.

Hearing Chen Guangyao say this, Mingde bent his waist slightly and chuckled, "Master Zhongtang, please don't underestimate my brother. If his arrogant and domineering temperament can be worn away, he will be a real tiger general, at least a general under your command!"

As they were talking, Gao Leisi had been brought in. Chen Guangyao smiled faintly, took the letter from Fu Kang'an handed to him by his staff, and said to Mingde:
"Seeing is believing. Whether your brother deserves Your Majesty's forgiveness depends on what he says in this letter."

Three minutes later, the look of ridicule in Chen Guangyao's eyes disappeared. He touched his chin and said to Mingde:

"Fukang'an is indeed quite capable. He possesses the overall perspective, insight, and calculation ability that Your Majesty often talks about as a commander. He also guessed that I was using a steam-powered fleet to transport troops quickly. Not bad."

"Can Fukang'an really mobilize a thousand elite soldiers to block the Luosha people's retreat?" After saying this, Chen Guangyao looked at Gao Leisi, who was kneeling on the ground and asked. Gao Leisi was a spy by profession, specially trained by the Sticking Rod Department. He had memorized the public information of the nobles and ministers of the Dayu Dynasty countless times.

Therefore, he did not look down on Chen Guangyao just because he was a county duke and was sent to such a cold and harsh place as the Northeast Mission.

Gao Leisi knew that there were only two ministers in the Dayu Dynasty who were truly trusted by the emperor.

One is the emperor's brother-in-law, Li Xianwen, the Prince of Ningxia, Prime Minister of the Northwest Mission, and the son-in-law of the Princess of Yue.

The other one is Chen Guangyao, the Duke of Jiading, Prime Minister of the Northeastern Mission, and Left General.

Even Li Xianwen only held a high position and power because he was an original shareholder. Chen Guangyao earned the title of cousin by saving the emperor's life several times, guarding the emperor since childhood, and going through life and death together.

So, how much did the emperor trust this cousin?
Two years ago, because Chen Guangyao did not make many outstanding contributions in defending the Northeast, he was unable to be promoted to a noble title at the Chengde Conference.

The emperor then specifically asked the retired emperor to issue an edict, asking the emperor to confer the title of Gushi Grand Princess on Chen Guangyao's mother, Chen, and to receive the title together with Mo Zibu's aunt.

This is the only princess in the Dayu Dynasty whose surname is not Mo, which shows that in the emperor's heart, he regards Chen Guangyao as his own brother.

So even though the Northeast is desolate, Chen Guangyao's status is not low. The emperor trusts him very much and gives him all the power, making him no different from the King of the Northeast.

Faced with such a figure, Gao Leisi naturally had to consider carefully before giving a prudent answer, "Yes, the tribes in northern Lingbei have suffered from the Rakshasas for a long time, and they dream of driving them away.

This Rakshasa looks like an evil ghost, while the tribes in northern Lingnan look similar to our Han people. You can tell how close they are just by looking at their appearance.

Moreover, the tribes in northern Lingnan even accepted Fu Kang'an, who was at the end of his rope, as their leader, which showed that they were in a very difficult situation and were eager for the court to save them from the dire straits.

Therefore, with the support of the imperial court, Fu Kang'an could easily gather a thousand warriors at the command of a single command."

Chen Guangyao couldn't help but nod when he heard Gao Leisi's loud and clear voice.

The lives of Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces in the Northeastern Mission were too hard, as there were hardly any Han people. Gao Leisi could only be a minor official or even a clerk in the Central Plains, but in the Northeastern provinces of Heilongjiang and Jilin, he was considered a man of talent and learning!
"You also said that you could intercept Luomei Company. What good would that do?" Chen Guangyao pointed at Gao Leisi's report and asked:

"Ewen Fort is already a land of ice and snow in the far north. The so-called Kamchatka of the Russians is said to be frozen year-round, with the permafrost on land lasting for thousands of years. It can only be reached by sea.

The land discovered by the Luomei Company is even further north than this. What's the significance of this?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Leisi began to grope inside his robe. After a while, he actually found a map. It looked like he had drawn it himself, with many smudges on it.

As expected, he is a professional spy and is indeed very professional.

Chen Guangyao took a look over and saw that it was similar to the world map he had seen at Mo Zibu's place. He waved his hand again, and two staff officers from the envoy's office also came over with maps to confirm.

"Master Zhongtang, please take a look. The area discovered by the Russians is not small. There is a large chain of islands in the middle, which the Russians call the Aleutian Islands.

If our Chinese steamships can quickly reach the Wude River from Temple Street, then it will not be difficult to reach North America through these islands.

In this way, as long as the corresponding supplies are slowly stockpiled on each island, it will only take one or two years of preliminary preparation to transport supplies to the coast of the North American continent.

In this way, we can solve the current problem that we cannot reach the west coast of North America, because we will not take the Kuroshio Current, but will jump over from the islands step by step from the north.

As for taking over this vast northern territory, although it is of little use at present, does Lord Zhongtang still think that the territory is too little? Even if it is left as a fishing ground for future generations, it would be a good thing. "

On Chen Guangyao's map, the Aleutian Islands, the Bering Strait, Alaska and other places are not complete. These places were actually roughly mapped out by the Russians.

Although Mo Zibu is a time traveler, he is not a geography major after all. He knows what this place looks like, but he cannot accurately mark it on the map with longitude and latitude.

Even Mozibu couldn't remember clearly which of the Kuril Islands and the Aleutian Islands was in the north, so he couldn't draw it on an accurate map. He just drew a rough outline privately and showed it to those close to him.

At the same time, what is blocking China from going to North America at this time is not anything else but the inability to gain a foothold on the west coast of North America.

Because after passing through the Kuroshio Current, also known as the warm current from Japan, and reaching the west coast of North America, the places along the coast where supply stations could be built and where it was easier to dock were basically occupied by the Spaniards.

It is said that now in North America, the warships of the Spanish colonists are patrolling at all times. They even stopped the Manila galleon to prevent the Dayu Dynasty from sending people along the Kuroshio Current to settle on the west coast of North America.

If China really wants to gain a foothold on the west coast of North America, it will have to send at least eight to ten warships to cover dozens of transport ships and force a landing on the west coast of North America.

Then they established strongholds against the Spanish and the still powerful millions of West Coast Indians.

However, it is impossible to do so under the current circumstances. If we wait any longer, America will begin its westward movement, and when they reach out, it will be more difficult to establish a stronghold.

"In other words, we can continuously store supplies in this series of islands and gradually infiltrate North America via steamships?"

Chen Guangyao put on a little smile. This was not a big deal, but it was indeed a trick that could be used at the moment.

And what Gao Leisi said was right. Who would complain about having too many places to hide? And although it was covered with ice and snow, it only required a little manpower and material resources to occupy it.

"The Rakshasas have already reached here and discovered the deep-water harbor.

There are large plains on both sides of the port that can be cultivated, the climate is also warm, and forts and fortresses can be built on the islands at the mouth of the sea. It is very suitable for establishing a colonial outpost, which the Spaniards could never have imagined.

Wait until we have enough supplies, then we can move south step by step. Even if the Spanish discover us by then, it will be too late to stop us."

The place Gao Leisi referred to was Vancouver in Canada and Seattle in the United States in later generations. It was indeed very suitable for establishing colonial outposts.

And this is what the Russians did in history. After they occupied Alaska by planting flags, they moved down the coast and established quite a number of strongholds on the west coast.

The Americans and Spanish were so frightened that they joined forces to block the Russians, and only by relying on the blockade did they starve the Russians back.

Later, because of the fear that the Russians would come again, the United States held its nose and bought Alaska, which the Russians claimed to have occupied by just putting up a few flags, for a sky-high price of 7.2 million US dollars.

"Yes, it is indeed feasible. Please write a detailed proposal and I will submit it to the court on your behalf. If it succeeds, it will be considered a contribution for you."

Gao Leisi was overjoyed because in fact he was not from Yakutsk at all, but had left the Russian-American Company established by the Russian expedition team.

This veteran spy became a translator for the Russian-American Company because he had learned the old Manchu language at the Sticking Rod Office and could communicate simply with the various ethnic groups in East and West Siberia.

When he returned to Okhotsk after completing his exploration in North America, he saw that China was rising, so he immediately ran away from the Russian-American Company and sold the plan to Chen Guangyao.

Now, I finally have the chance to become a stepping stone for advancement, how can I not be happy?

As for Chen Guangyao, he spoke calmly, but he was very happy in his heart.

Because he knew that Mo Zibu was worried about this, and this plan could help His Majesty relieve his worries in the most convenient and labor-saving way.

It's just some coal and food. Gao Leisi can directly recruit the tribes in northern Lingnan to carry out preliminary exploration. The cost is shockingly low.

"Brother Mingde, why don't you go with Gao Leisi to meet Fu Kang'an and tell him about our plan.

I think if Fukangan really had the ability, he would know how to act."

(End of this chapter)