1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 845 "Manifest Destiny"

On February 1669, 9, Hanzhou, Jianye.

In Qi State, whether it is at the level of the cabinet government or among the common people, there have been several sayings about "manifest destiny" since more than ten years ago. One of them is that the Chinese nation living in Hanzhou is "independent". It is destined to save the fallen land of China, save the entire Chinese nation from danger, and lead the Chinese nation to a great revival again."

The news that came back to the mainland one after another this year made this "destiny" statement even more popular.In the first battle of the Northern Expedition of the Ming Dynasty, the offensive was like a tide, and the momentum was like a broken bamboo. However, within a few months, the Qing captives seized the gap in the battlefield and defeated the Eastern Army of the Northern Expedition in Cangzhou, almost pushing the battle line back to the Jianghuai area.

If it hadn't been for our country of Qi to turn the tide and send the army (well, Yunzhou Town is deliberately ignored here) to land on the side of the Qing Dynasty, cut off the Liaoxi Corridor, threaten the capital, and force the Qing Dynasty to have to transfer more than [-] elite Manchurian Eight Banners cavalry back. north.Otherwise, how could the Ming army seize the opportunity again, defeat the Qing army in Jining, and reverse the situation on the battlefield in one fell swoop.

According to the latest news, in early July, the Ming army launched an offensive from Jining and Denglai at the same time, broke through Jinan, Qingzhou, Zichuan, and Binzhou, and began to besiege Dezhou, as if they were about to advance the front to Hebei.In response to the crisis, the Qing captives had to mobilize troops from Zhengzhou, Kaifeng, Luoyang, and Xuzhou (now Xuchang) to flank Caozhou (now Heze City), trying to distinguish the strength of the East Route Army.However, the weakened Qing captive Runing camp had to shrink its forces, abandon all the previously captured territories, and protect several strategic support points such as Runing, Nanyang, and Huaining to death.

Generally speaking, the battlefield situation on the mainland has a very big advantage for the Ming army. What's more, in the rear of the Qing captives, after several months of operation, our Qi army has firmly controlled the entire Shanhaiguan Pass. It was completely cut off from the capital, which almost cut off the way for the Qing captives to flee back to their hometown (in fact, they can also return to Liaodong through Mongolia).It is said that the Ming army plans to send a partial division, and is also planning to land in Liaodong, and compete with the Ming army in Yunzhou Town, which has already attacked Haizhou.

Based on the current development of the war situation in the mainland, many people are optimistic that before the end of the year, the Ming army may advance to the capital, and it is not even ruled out that they will completely expel the Qing captives from the pass and unify the Han land.

In fact, compared to the "small goal" of saving the Ming Dynasty from peril and rebuilding the Chinese regime in the mainland, the whole country of Qi thinks that the great national mission of annexing the entire Nanyang and dominating the Indian Ocean is the real "goal" bestowed on Qi by heaven. Manifest Destiny".

Some radical young people, based on the viewpoint of "Evolution" discussed and researched in China, "natural selection, survival of the fittest", believe that "ignorant and backward races are doomed to be subordinated or extinct". To justify the driving of natives and the legal occupation of Nanyang land.

However, it is a little regrettable that Jianye City, like the Xinxiang City they passed by, has very few vegetation in the city, which is a bit out of place with the large forests and green farmland in the suburbs.However, this approach has an advantage, that is, the number of mosquitoes in the city has been significantly reduced.

When the British colonies in North America were first established, they were divided into four types: company charter colonies, owner colonies, crown colonies and self-governing colonies.The ethnic composition of the colony is also very mixed. In addition to Indians and blacks, there are also French, Dutch, Germans, Swedes, Swiss, Irish and English, and the languages ​​are naturally diverse.Religious beliefs are also divided into Protestantism, Catholicism, Judaism, Indian religions, etc.

"Gentlemen, is it because the Hanzhou people are so rude to the visit of our English mission because the gifts we give them are too shabby?" Viscount McMillan picked up a glass of wine produced locally in Hanzhou, gently Taking a sip, the taste is much worse than that of French wine.

Feeling the rise of Hanzhou and their geographical location on the ocean, Viscount McMillan firmly believed that forming a strategic alliance with this country would be of great benefit to the development of England's eastern trade, but also It can help the United Kingdom to establish maritime hegemony more smoothly.

However, when the mission came to Jianye, they found that the pocket watches produced by Hanzhou were more delicate and smaller.The carriages they produce include not only heavy-duty carriages and ordinary carriages for people, but also luxury carriages of various styles.Not to mention, they also have steam locomotives running on the rails, and the royal family can have more luxurious and comfortable private boxes.

"The Netherlands is worried that we will be close to the British, so as not to endanger their eastern interests." Zhang Wenqi smiled, "However, our diplomatic guidelines in Qi will not undergo fundamental changes for the time being. In Europe, the focus is still on development and The relationship with the Netherlands. Well, the British, in accordance with the king's consistent attitude, try to limit and suppress their development in India."

"Your Majesty has no specific instructions." Zhang Wenqi shook her head and said, "Your Majesty is most concerned about the development of the situation in Daming. As for the visit of the British, you Honglu Temple should contact them first to hear what they heard. No If you keep the envoys of another country in such a cold state, you will lose the dignity of Qi."

In addition, Hanzhou people have a persistent pursuit of the environmental sanitation requirements of the entire city. They not only built many public toilets in the city and cleaned them regularly, but also stipulated laws and regulations strictly prohibiting random dumping of garbage, making the whole city extremely clean and tidy.Without considering the hot and humid climate, Jianye City should be more livable than all European cities.

In order to prepare for this trip to the Far East, the English mission carefully selected the gifts presented to the King of Hanzhou before departure, including a "Nuremberg egg" made of pure gold (the prototype of a pocket watch), a royal luxury car A carriage, a fine crown, and a hundred horses of top-quality woolen cloth.

"Oh, that's right." After chatting about colonial construction for a while, Viscount McMillan remembered something, "When will the Hanzhou people arrange a formal meeting and foreign affairs negotiations with our British embassy? We have already stopped in Jianye For more than ten days, except for a low-ranking diplomatic official who received him, he has not met with any high-ranking official.”

"Mandate of Heaven? Hehe... Hanzhou really created a sacred slogan in order to conquer the native kingdoms of the East Indies, plunder land and wealth, and enslave those backward and ignorant natives." In Hanzhou, the British East India Company In the shop, the British Special Envoy to the Far East, Viscount Maurice MacMillan, couldn't help but hear the news that Hanzhou was about to conquer Gowasultan Kingdom again in the near future when Wenlun Heywood, the business representative of the East India Company in Jianye City, talked about it. He couldn't help but laugh, "However, the idea of ​​natural selection and survival of the fittest they put forward is very unique, and it can fully explain the bloody law of survival between countries and nations in this world."

"Yes, the situation you mentioned has a high probability of happening in the future." Zhang Wenqi had a helpless expression on her face, "But your majesty firmly supports the unification of the mainland."

Then, it seems that the only gift that can be given is the crown.However, it is said that the symbol of their king's power is not an exquisite crown, but a jade seal inherited from Hanzhou in China.

Jianye Port has more than a dozen large and medium-sized transport merchant ships every day, continuously transporting countless finished products produced by many factories in Jianye City to other regions of Hanzhou, as well as Nanyang, Zhongnan, Daming, Japan, North Korea, Persia and other countries and region.

The visiting British were not quite clear about the development of other places in Hanzhou.But the wealth and prosperity of Jianye City are obvious to all.In this city with more than 10 people last year, there are no less than [-] large and small factories and workshops, textiles, machinery, wood, fine craftsmanship, glass, grain, oil, food, wine, building materials, shipbuilding, vehicles, military industry... In the industrial areas in the south and west of the city, there are many factories, chimneys, and billowing smoke, which makes gray haze often float over the city.Well, the air in Jianye City doesn't seem very fresh, it smells like soot.

"You still insist that the unified mainland will pose a direct threat to Qi in the future?" Zhang Wenqi looked at the solemn Huang Zijia.

Obviously, our English mission was deliberately slighted by the Han Chinese, or rather, the Han Chinese didn't really care about their visit from England.The reason for this is Hanzhou's long-term hostility to England, as well as the various frictions and conflicts between the two sides in India and Banten in the past ten years.

It has to be admitted that from all aspects, Hanzhou is a prosperous, civilized, and advanced regional power.Although their current population size is not as large as that of England (including England, Scotland, and Ireland with a population of more than five million), and their influence has not spread to Europe, Hanzhou will sooner or later rely on its unusual economic development speed and rapid population growth. Become a global power with considerable world influence.

"Isn't it? The unified mainland has tens of millions of people, profound historical background, rich land, and rich resources. Under this situation, as long as the mainland's regime remains unified and stable, it will naturally become a regional power." Huang Zijia said with a serious expression: "And looking at the history of China, any mainland country that becomes stronger will inevitably become the leading force in the east. Our Qi country is facing a unified and powerful mainland China. Don't say that immigration matters are difficult to advance. Even the major commercial interests we have in this region may not be able to continue to be held. This is obviously contrary to the Manifest Mandate that our country Qi pursues!"

As for the above-mentioned North American colonies, the United Kingdom did not formulate a unified governance method during this period. They all regarded the colonies as targets for economic plunder and wealth collection, and they could earn as much as they could.As for bringing the North American colonies under the administration of the government and carrying out certain infrastructure construction, that does not exist.

--------

God predestined that all the people in Hanzhou and Nanyang should belong to the same "nation", speak the same language, believe in the same culture and political beliefs, and all "subjects" must also follow the same social customs.

"Does your majesty have any specific instructions for the visit of the British?"

In an official room of the Prime Minister's Office, Huang Zi, Minister of the Honglu Temple of Qi State, sipped tea and glanced at the slightly tired Prime Minister Zhang Wenqi.

"Yes, there is no difference between the Hanzhou people and the Spaniards, Portuguese, and Dutch in terms of treating colonies and backward natives." Simon Steven, senior manager of the East India Company, said with a smile: " Apart from plunder and slavery, there is no so-called pursuit of common civilization and progress. However, the Hanzhou people proposed the same country, the same nation, and the same language. I think this is very positive for the establishment of a stable colonial empire. Our ten colonial strongholds in North America (at this time, the other three colonies Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Georgia have not yet been established) should also learn from the Han people and unify their language, beliefs, and culture. Maybe , and later make those colonies a part of our England, like Scotland and Ireland."

"Lord Macmillan, according to my guess, the Hanzhou people may have been busy with the affairs of the Ming Dynasty recently, so they temporarily put your mission's visit on hold. In addition, their current government and royal family are preparing to move to the new capital. Their senior diplomatic officials may also be busy arranging the relocation of personnel and materials. So..." Wen Lun Heywood avoided Viscount McMillan's eyes and said somewhat insincerely.

The class structure of the colony is also very complicated, with big merchants and planters at the top, small landowners, small factory owners, technicians, self-cultivators, etc. in the middle, and tenant farmers, farm laborers, fishermen, handicraftsmen, craftsmen, apprentices, etc. at the bottom. , the ones at the bottom are indentured slaves and blacks, and the Indians are the targets of massacre and extermination.

As for the woolen cloth, Hanzhou can produce it by itself, and the quality of its high-grade woolen cloth is no less than the top woolen cloth that England is proud of.It is said that the Hanzhou mainland has vast natural pastures, raising tens of millions of various sheep and goats.The members of the mission even found a large amount of high-grade fur in the market in Jianye City, the texture of which was almost the same as the fur exported by Tsarist Russia.

As a result, it seemed a little embarrassing for the British mission to present the gift to the King of Hanzhou.

Although the largest city in Hanzhou has a population far smaller than that of London (the population of London during this period has exceeded 40), the wealth it created may not be inferior to London at all.In addition, the overall planning of Jianye City is more scientific and reasonable than that of London. The streets are spacious and the layout of buildings is strict. It seems that a detailed blueprint planning has been carried out in advance.

"Over the years, we have set up offices in India, Arabia, the Red Sea, South Africa and other regions, and have successively established a series of stable strongholds and supply ports. However, Britain's maritime power has not yet expanded to the southern tip of Africa, and there has also been an incident with the Netherlands. The two large-scale naval wars must have greatly weakened its strength. I don't think that in the Indian Ocean region, Britain will pose a direct threat to our Qi."

As the most enlightened and civilized country and nation in the region, Qi State has the obligation to help and guide the natives to "civilize" them so that they can get rid of ignorance and backwardness and realize common civilization and progress.That being the case, all Nanyang natives should be placed under the rule of Qi State and bathe in the light of Chinese civilization.

"The Dutch seem to be particularly concerned about the visit of the British mission." Huang Zijia said softly: "Dutch ambassador Vincent Jansen has visited our Honglu Temple twice in the past month and talked about how to further strengthen Qi Constructive opinions on in-depth cooperation between the two countries.”

"The king's decision is... irrational." Huang Zijia said a little excitedly: "The king is sacrificing the current and future interests of our Qi country to cultivate a potential powerful opponent!"

"Da Honghe, be careful!" Zhang Wenqi shouted in a low voice: "Although the king's decision is a bit...biased, but he is my king of Daqi, how could...how could he sacrifice the interests of our country in vain? This move must be planning our country's future hundred-year plan."

"..." Huang Zijia stared blankly at Zhang Wenqi, then shook his head lightly, "Master Shoufu, do you believe it?"

"...he is the king, of course I believe it." Zhang Wenqi said expressionlessly.

(End of this chapter)