The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 658: The Ruler of the Eurasian Steppe

When the news of the great victory reached Shuntian Prefecture in Beijing, Mo Zibu was also very happy, he was even happier than Chen Guangyao.

Because the capture of Irkutsk on Lake Baikal means that the only threat in the world qualified to compete with Dayu for grassland sovereignty has basically withdrawn from the competition.

It can be said that the Third Rome and Seres are the only two powers in the world that can control the steppes across the Eurasian continent from the center of their own national civilization.

There are only these two families in the world, no other.

Don't think this is outrageous. In history, the Third Rome was following this path. Look at how they tamed the northern desert. It's just that because they were too flattering to Western Europe, a lot of power was dispersed.

However, even so, if our dynasty had risen a little later, Inner Mongolia might have been in danger.

This is also the reason why Mo Zibu is not optimistic about the relationship between rabbit and fur in the future. The benefits are too great, greater than the conflict of interests between the two sides and the bald eagle.

No one can ignore it, and no one can ignore it, from the king to the people. It must be humble before one side can end it.

Now this struggle may end early. After capturing Irkutsk, the area east of the Altai Mountains and Sayan Mountains is basically safe. As long as this bridgehead is controlled, the Russians will not be able to advance eastward.

Thinking of this, Mo Zibu summoned Liu Yong, the second-in-command of the Wenhua Palace, who was in charge of the Ministry of Rites and the Censorate.

It is said that the group of Han ministers that Mo Zibu obtained from Emperor Qianlong were quite capable and were worthy of being selected from among millions of people.

Even Cao Zhenyong, who was known in history for his rubbing hands more than doing anything, did a great job in Europe as the Chinese Empire's ambassador plenipotentiary to Europe.

This courageous and thoughtful man even hinted to his third brother Mo Zirong several times that he wanted Mo Zibu to assign Cao Zhenyong to him as the prime minister of Lu.

This fully proves that most people are greatly influenced by their environment. During the Qing Dynasty, they were needed to serve as role models and representatives, so they could only be clay Buddhas in the temple and watchdogs outside the door.

Now that it is the Han people's own dynasty, Mo Zibu is frightened by their enthusiasm for work.

Liu Luoguo doesn't look like Li Baotian. On the contrary, he is quite good-looking. He is indeed a bit of a hunchback, because this guy is a typical Shandong man and is too tall, probably close to 1.9 meters.

With this height, coupled with a bit of myopia, thick trapezius muscles and a thin body, he looks a bit hunched, like a bear with its head tucked in, and is indeed very hunchbacked.

"Council Minister, do you know any loyal and capable people in Shanxi who can be used by the country?" Mo Zibu said to Liu Yong with a smile:
"The battle between China and the Xianbei was a resounding victory. The Luo Kingdom's Governor Jacob committed suicide, and his son and several hundred others surrendered. The city of Irkutsk is now in the hands of China."

Whenever Liu Yong saw Mo Zibu, he always had the urge to kneel down and pay his respects. In the Qing Dynasty, he had to kneel at any time, and it had almost become a habit. But he could always react at the last moment and control his weak knees.

However, upon hearing about the great victory in the Xianbei Desert, Liu Yong immediately knelt on his knees and shouted loudly:
"Your Majesty, I, Liu Yong, congratulate you. This battle not only recaptured the North Sea where Su Wu grazed his sheep, but also eliminated all threats to the northern border. This expansion of territory is unprecedented and will probably never be surpassed, not even by Emperor Wen of Han and Emperor Tang!"

No matter what kind of land this is, or whether it is a high-altitude ice field, just tell me whether the land is big or not.

While congratulating, Liu Yong's kneeling posture was also very interesting. It was not the kind of kneeling posture where the knees were directly on the ground, but was closer to the ancient kneeling posture, that is, putting the buttocks on the heels and then bowing.

In recent years, with the return of the Han nationality's sense of glory, the emperor has greatly affirmed and rewarded the contributions of the textual research school in preserving the nation's traditional culture, so a retro trend has set off on the land of China.

In official circles and among the people, the kneeling posture that has been strengthened since the Ming and Qing dynasties, which carries a strong sense of hierarchy and is even insulting, is gradually decreasing. Even if it still exists, it is this very retro kneeling posture.

After the congratulations, the clever Liu Yong immediately understood what the emperor meant when he asked him if he had anyone in Shanxi to recommend him.

Many of these Shanxi merchants had been to the area near Baihaier Lake to trade with the Russians. They were more accustomed to the north and knew that it was not a complete hell of wind and snow.

The emperor is looking for someone to garrison in Irkutsk!
"Your Majesty, the bitter cold of the north is only one reason. The biggest reason the common people are unwilling to go is that if they go to the Xianbei wasteland, their entire family and future generations will be bound in this bitter cold."

During the Qing Dynasty, Liu Yong served as an inspector and prefect of Taiyuan in Shanxi. After the establishment of Dayu, he served as governor of Shanxi for three years. Therefore, he was the most familiar with Shanxi among the senior officials in the court.

"A loyal and good man can go to such a place, but it is not a good choice, because it will make people in the world think that loyal and good men are always at a disadvantage." Liu Yong was a little nervous, but still told the truth.

The reason for his uneasiness was that according to his merits and qualifications, he, a second-in-command, was not qualified to be the second assistant of Dayu.

The reason why Liu Yong was able to sit in this position was because during the battle to recover Nanjing, the four great Han ministers around Emperor Qianlong, Liang Guozhi, Yuan Shoutong, Cheng Jingyi, and Dong Gao, teamed up to betray the Qing Dynasty.

Subjectively, they accelerated the process of the Northern Expedition of the Dayu Dynasty and the demise of the Qing Dynasty. Even these four cunning Han ministers were the main "culprits" who angered Emperor Qianlong to the point of having a stroke.

This credit later passed to the main operator, Yuan Shoutong from Shandong. After Dayu was established, the Yuan family became the richest family in the north.

Five years ago, Yuan Shoutong was seriously ill and none of his descendants could take on the responsibility. So he thought of Liu Yong, a fellow Shandong native, and recommended him to the emperor.

Only then was Liu Luoguo able to rise to prominence, and in just five years he was promoted from a governor to the position of deputy prime minister.

Of course, this is also because there are too many southern officials in the court. If more northern officials are not promoted, the court will be completely occupied by people from northern Jiangxi, southern Anhui, and Jiangsu except northern Jiangsu, that is, the original Southern Zhili area.

Liu Yong is now a big banner for northerners in the court, but precisely because of this, he is somewhat nervous, because he knows that his ability only accounts for a small part of his rise to power.

Mo Zibu didn't feel Liu Yong's uneasiness at all. He just felt that what he said made some sense.

Going to Irkutsk is indeed similar to exile. This is a feudal dynasty, and it is impossible to establish a social atmosphere that emphasizes dedication and sacrifice. Therefore, the more loyal people are, the more difficult the place should not be.

"Then tell me, who is the most suitable person to send? If we want to hold Irkutsk firmly, we have to fight against the Russian bandits and even defend the city." Mo Zibu pointed to the brocade stool, which was considered as an invitation to sit.

Liu Yong stood up and sat halfway, "Your Majesty, when we were settling accounts with the traitors, Fan Yongdou's great-grandson Fan Qingji was beheaded immediately, and the rest of the Fan family, more than a hundred members, were exiled to Xinfan Island. Now, more than half of them are dead or injured, and they are barely hanging on in the south.

The Shanxi people represented by the Fan family have been doing business abroad for many years and are very familiar with the north. Many of them are fluent in Mongolian, making them the best candidates.

If Your Majesty is willing to pardon them and allow them to garrison in Irkutsk, these people will certainly be willing."

Mo Zibu remembered that Fan Qingji was a super unlucky guy. Originally, Mo Zibu had no intention of killing anyone, but who would have thought that the Fan family, the leader of the eight traitorous merchants, was actually a hollow shell.

Seeing that the Fan family had even gotten involved in Japan's copper business, Mo Zibu was still waiting for the Fan family to pay a million taels of silver to atone their sins. However, after a year, the Fan family only paid out a few thousand taels of silver.

You are fucking sending away a beggar! Mo Zibu was furious and ordered Fan Qingji to be labeled a traitor who funded the Qing Dynasty. He had his head chopped off and his entire family exiled to New Fan Island (Papua New Guinea).

Afterwards, they were too lazy to make any distinction and exiled all the more than 500 descendants of the eight imperial merchants who could still be found.

Last year, the Embroidered Uniform Guard reported that there seemed to be more than 300 people still alive.

"Are these people willing? Will they feel resentful?" Mo Zibu asked, touching his chin.

"Of course I'm willing. Even though Irkutsk is bitterly cold, it's still much better than the New Fan Island where the sun is scorching, the miasma is thick, and snakes, insects, tigers, wolves, pigs, and dragons are everywhere.

Even if they want to feel resentment, they have to have the right to do so. Their ancestors were traitors, and their descendants have suffered such a fate. How can they have the face to feel resentment? "

"Then do they have the ability to gain a foothold in Irkutsk?" That makes sense. Mo Zibu nodded and asked the second question.

"Yes!" Liu Yong nodded affirmatively. "The cannibals on Xinfan Island are not to be trifled with. If the Fan family and their men didn't have some skills, they would have been eaten by them long ago. But now, it is said that they have not only established a firm foothold, but have also controlled and educated over a hundred cannibals and are currently cultivating farmland."

Mo Zibu recalled that when he sent these people from the Fan family to Xinfan Island, he simply wanted them to die there. Therefore, there was not much support from the official level, and they had to rely on themselves to struggle.

I think that after six years, anyone who can still survive in this primitive jungle must have some real skills.

"Okay, then we will change the name of Baihaier Lake back to its original name, Beihai, and change the name of Irkutsk to Suwu City, and Bratsk to Shoujie City.

He ordered the eight and seventy families of Shanxi merchants exiled to Xinfan Island to move north to Suwu City to defend the border for the country.

My goodness! They have just adapted to Southeast Asia, and now they are being taken away again, and moved from around the equator to the Xianbei wilderness. I wonder how many people will die.

After giving the order, Mo Zibu felt that there were still not enough people, so he said to the Hanlin scholar beside him:
"Write a letter to the Emperor Retired on my behalf, asking him to select fifty households of warriors from the cold northeastern provinces of Fusang, and move them together to Suwu City."

Liu Yong did not leave. After Mo Zibu finished giving the order, he immediately said, "Your Majesty, one hundred and twenty households only have about six hundred people, which is still too few. In the past, there were thousands of Luosha people in Suwu City.

Therefore, I suggest selecting another 200 households of able-bodied civilians from the two prefectures of Datong and Luning in Daibei and the six prefectures of Guisui, granting them military treatment, and stationing them in Suwu City."

At that time, the area south of the Daqing Mountains, that is, Hohhot, was called Guisui Six Halls and was still under the management of Shanxi Province.

This is also the reason why the Shanxi, especially Daibei cavalry, is one of the pillars of the Dayu Dynasty.

Because the people who settled in the Hohhot area were basically Han people, they were not influenced by the Yellow Sect. Also, because Han people were not allowed to leave the border at will and had to deal with the Qing government, they were skilled in archery and horse riding and were very united, making them the best source of cavalry.

"I have actually been wanting to recruit Daibei warriors for a long time, but I don't want to force them. If they are happy and content living in their hometown, it is best not to disturb them."

Liu Yong rolled his eyes in his heart. This Master Guangzhong really acted like an emperor to perfection. No wonder he asked him if he had any loyal and honest people to recommend.

It turns out that he knew that going to Suwu City was almost like exile, but he wanted to distance himself from the matter. In this way, the policy was wrong, and it was he who suggested it this time. He was the one who was cruel this time.

But even though he complained, Liu Yong didn't dare to show it. Instead, he flattered the emperor, "Your Majesty cares about the people, you are truly a benevolent monarch!
However, although Jin Province also experienced equal distribution of land, many of the people were not good at production, and many lost their land.

If Your Majesty could give them the privilege of joining the Zhenjun Army and eating the imperial rations, I'm afraid that not only would no one go, but they would all rush to go."

After saying this, Liu Yong handed over a memorial, "Your Majesty, Jin Province is located at the intersection of Han and Mongolian regions. The land is barren, and there has always been a tradition of porters and merchants.

During the Chongzhen period of the early Ming Dynasty, there were indeed some ruthless people like Fan Yongdou and Wang Dengku, but this does not mean that all Shanxi merchants were bad.

Now that Your Majesty wants to develop the north and prevent the gap between the north and the south from becoming too large, restoring the vitality of Shanxi merchants is the best option.

At the same time, if the court wanted to tie the areas south and north of the desert and the Xianbei wasteland more closely to the imperial court, the role of Shanxi merchants could not be ignored.

I have also read the on-site investigation report sent back by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Shanxi's coal is also of great importance. Therefore, I have written this memorial to support Shanxi merchants and develop Shanxi. I invite Your Majesty to review it."

Mo Zibu nodded, took the letter and read it carefully.

The data is detailed, the insights are unique, and there are many merits. Shanxi merchants do need support so that they can become the banner of northern merchants, and they can also take out the gold and silver stored in the old western cellars to build their hometown.

But at the same time, Mo Zibu also knew that Liu Yong had something in mind, because the position of Governor of Shanxi was vacant and various parties were fighting fiercely for it recently.

Prime Minister Luo Fangbai recommended Zhang Jiaju, a native of Huizhou, Guangdong, who became a Jinshi in the 1772th year of Qianlong's reign ().

Qian Dazhao, the Grand Secretary of Wuying Palace, recommended Dai Liankui, a native of Rugao, Jiangsu, who was a Jinshi in the 1775th year of Qianlong's reign ().

Liu Yong's favorite was Shao Zichang, who ranked first in the second class in the 1778rd year of Qianlong's reign ().

The three of them each held their own opinions, which made them feel a bit embarrassed. Although Mo Zibu did not manage the outer court much, that was in general administration. The decision-making power for the appointment of a provincial governor still lay in the hands of him, the emperor.

"Your Majesty, this Shanxi investigation report was mostly written by Shao Zichang. He is indeed a man of great talent. People slander him as a bannerman, which is really sinister!"

Liu Yong had reason to be indignant because among the three people, Shao Zichang was the most suitable. However, someone spread a rumor that Shao Zichang, who was from Daxing County, Shuntian Prefecture, was a bannerman, which added variables.

"I know that if Shao Zichang was really a bannerman from the capital, his family couldn't be that poor, and he couldn't be the first in the second class. He should be the top scholar.

Tomorrow evening, have Shao Zichang wait at your house. I will send someone to summon him to the palace to make an appearance. As long as he truly has talent, even if he cannot become the Governor of Shanxi, he can still display his talents elsewhere."

. . . .

After sending Liu Yong away, Mo Zibu felt a strange feeling in his heart.

He originally thought that the power struggle at the center should be calm and unnoticeable on the surface, but bloody and violent with sophisticated means in secret.

The result is no different from the lowest level. They all quarreled in anger. When no result could be reached, they went to the emperor, the head of the family, to seek justice. Except for the lack of personal attacks full of foul language, it was really just like a quarrel between neighbors.

How come I don’t see the high-level political struggles like the one in 1566 during the Ming Dynasty?

Is it because he doesn't know how to write "Clouds in the blue sky and water in the bottle", or is it that the ministers under him are of too low a level?

Could it be that the situation where presidential candidates curse each other out like Bald Eagle is the common form of political struggle?
The person who had the same question as Mo Zibu was the Prime Minister of the Toyo Mission in Osaka, the retired emperor Mo Tianci.

He felt like laughing when he saw the lords of the Yagyu domain, Yagyu Toshinori, and the lord of the Mizuguchi domain, Kato Akimoto, who seemed very well-behaved in front of him but had come to him to complain about each other more than twenty times behind their backs and almost had a fight outside the Manshou Palace.

These two have been arguing for almost a year over the territories of three manors in Hanchuan Province. Mo Tianci watched helplessly as their hatred grew deeper and deeper.

However, Mo Tianci did not intend to do too much mediation. Letting them argue would highlight the importance of the court.

At the same time, it would allow them to relax their exploitation of farmers again, allowing them to recuperate, have more children, and continue to go out and occupy land.

"Your Majesty, news has come from Nanyang that Prince Lu has arrived in Xingang (Singapore) and will arrive in Tangshan soon."

When Mo Tianci heard the eunuch's report, he was delighted. He had never seen the third brother's legitimate son. He heard that he was very intelligent and had the qualities of a king.

However, just as the joy was rising in his heart, Mo Tianci felt weak all over before he could even stand up. Inexplicably, golden stars danced in front of his eyes and the sky darkened.

"Okay, okay, Gongze is coming to see my grandfather. Once I see him, my wish will be fulfilled."

Mo Tianci knew that there was something wrong with his body, because this situation had occurred many times.

The retired emperor of the Dayu Dynasty, who had just turned ninety, was nearing the end of his life.

His biggest wish now is to wait for Mo Zirong's son Mo Gongze to come, take a good look and have a chat.

(End of this chapter)