1635 Han style rises again

On April 1676, 4, Guangling (now Townsville, Australia).

Before the delegation from Hexian Town arrived in Hanzhou, everyone had this feeling deep in their hearts. Qi State is powerful and even richer. Their country is vast and their army is invincible. They are the protectors of all the Chinese in the Nanyang region, and they can also produce a large number of various industrial products.

However, when they actually set foot on the mainland of Hanzhou and arrived at Jianye Port, they were still shocked by all the things they saw.

The first thing that catches the eye is a monument located near Jianye Port, which is said to be more than 130 meters high.The entire project took four years and was completed last year to commemorate the [-]th anniversary of the ancestors of the Qi State landing on the Hanzhou Continent.The interior of the monument is hollow, and there are more than [-] steps in the body of the monument. You can climb to the top of the monument, and through the four viewing windows on the top, you can have a panoramic view of the entire Jianye Harbor and Jianye City.

Although this towering monument allows all the public to pay a fee to enter and visit, the entire Haxian Mission was in such a hurry that they could not climb to the top to appreciate the poem of Du Gongbu (Du Fu) "When you will be at the top of the mountain, you will see it at a glance." The feeling of "all the mountains are small" made everyone feel somewhat regretful.

In Jianye City, which was once the temporary capital of the Qi State, the personnel of the Haxian Mission were also dazzled by the abundant supplies and dazzling array of commodities in the market.Glass, pearls, tortoise shells, sea cucumbers, and sandalwood, which are regarded as luxury items by countless high-ranking officials and nobles in the Nanyang region, are extremely common commodities in Hanzhou.

Not to mention that the windows of government agencies and wealthy businessmen's houses are equipped with a large number of transparent glass, even the countless ordinary shops, hotels, residential buildings, schools and other buildings in the city are also equipped with glass windows. bright and transparent.

In the mainland of Hanzhou, whether it is Jianye City, which arrived at the first stop, or the small northern cities passing by when heading to the east of Hanzhou by boat, and Weihai City (now Cairns, Australia), an important town in the northeast, everything you see is the same. A thriving scene.

The accompanying Qi State officials proudly told the mission staff in Hexian Town that Qi State has made the domestic industry develop extremely rapidly by improving the production level of commodities for overseas markets.According to rough statistics, over the past 40 years, Qi's economic growth rate has remained between 8% and 15%, and such a strong development momentum has not shown any sign of stagnation, which has created Qi's huge material prosperity.

Although, the delegation from Hexian Town did not quite understand the concept of economic growth rate mentioned by the population of Qi State.But to understand it literally, it means that the development of Qi State is becoming stronger and stronger, and its strength is also increasing year by year.

The prosperity and wealth of this country can also be seen from the living standards of ordinary Qi people.During this period, the people of Qi not only earned more than people in the mainland, Europe and other countries, but also spent more than them.The price of daily necessities in Qi is lower, there are more employment opportunities, and the gap between rich and poor is relatively smaller.Countless individuals and families from mainland China, Southeast Asia, India, Arabia, and even Europe are willing to come to Hanzhou to try their luck with entrepreneurial ambitions, bring their savings and ancestral technology (craftsmanship), and set up workshops, or A trading company.

The great development of industry and trade has attracted a new generation of rural young people who have given up the land that their parents have tended all their lives and moved to towns to seek another way of life.Food processing, machinery production, cotton textiles, garment manufacturing, construction, sugar refining, trading companies... Countless factories have sprung up on the ground, and the machines in each workshop are roaring. Merchant ships carrying countless commodities leave the port and sail to overseas.

At present, in Hanzhou, about 20.00% of the people live in towns with a population of more than 1000 people, and with the deepening of industrialization, this proportion continues to rise every year.

For decades, the government has continuously invested in roads, railways, and sea transportation, closely connecting towns and cities, making the entire Hanzhou continent a large interconnected industry and a large market.

Oh, not quite.From the perspective of the members of the mission of Hexian Town, the Jianye Mansion in the north of Hanzhou is somewhat separated from the eastern region. The railway has not yet connected to the east, and the only way to cross this [-]-kilometer-long road is by sea. distance.

As for the seaside area in the west, it is said that they are all in a desert environment, which is not suitable for human habitation, making the area with a radius of hundreds of thousands of kilometers and a population of less than 5 people, which is relatively remote if you think about it.

After arriving in Weihai by boat, the delegation rested for two days before taking a train to continue their journey to Chang'an, the capital of Qi.

For this reason, Weihai Railway Station had to temporarily adjust the train transportation plan slightly, and specially added two carriages as the exclusive diplomatic box for the mission of Hexian Town.

After ten years of development, the once extremely simple train carriages have become increasingly comfortable.At the very least, transparent glass has been installed on the hollowed-out windows on both sides of the carriage, so that all passengers will not be allowed to "ride" on the railway during the high-speed running of the train.

The two additional boxes for the Hexian Town Mission are high-end business cars, each with [-] sleeper beds and [-] soft leather seats.Although those beds are narrow and divided into upper and lower floors, they are much more comfortable than ordinary carriages with only rows of simple soft leather cushion seats.

It should be known that the eastern coastal railway has not yet completed the double-track construction, which makes the capacity of the entire railway line very tight.Therefore, whether it is a freight car or a passenger car, it is basically overloaded.

The carriages that originally carried 70 people (slightly shorter than the train carriages of later generations) often crammed more than 100 people.As a result, the seats and aisles of the entire carriage were crowded with people.During this long-distance trip of three to five days, the experience is definitely not better than those special immigration boats full of immigrants.

Although the local cities in Hanzhou have different styles, all the visitors have a common impression, that is, the city planning is extremely neat and clean.In addition, each city occupies a huge space and appears to be relatively sparsely populated. According to the Qi people, "the population density is very low."

There are large suburbs around the urban area, which are connected to the city center through a public carriage system, and the infrastructure is complete. They all have a magical water supply system and a smooth sewer system, which is far from being comparable to the primitive sanitation conditions in the Ha Tien area. .

Although, the members of the mission in Hexian Town were not able to enter the homes of ordinary people to visit their actual living environment and living conditions.But on the street, on the carriage, and on the train, you can get in touch with countless ordinary Qi people at a very close distance.

Undoubtedly, most Qi people show a very confident and positive demeanor. Even when they know that you are a visitor from a certain overseas country or region, you will see a kind of enthusiasm in their eyes. A vaguely superior attitude.

Of course, the strength and wealth of Qi State, as well as their established hegemony in the entire Nanyang region, have reasons for their citizens to show such a proud posture.

In Qi State, more than half of the men no longer wear their hair tied up, but have short, clean hair.The attire is also dominated by simple and elegant double-breasted shorts (compared to long robes) and straight trousers. However, during grand ceremonies or festivals, they will also wear traditional Ming costumes, such as green cloth straight long long clothes and hair. Wearing a square scarf, it looks like the Chinese mainland.

As for the women of Qi State encountered in the city, they seem to be somewhat different from those of the mainland and Nanyang land states.They look more beautiful and more generous.I heard that in Qi State, there are women in the government, education, medical care, textile factories, and many other industries, doing jobs that were once reserved for men.

During the more than 300-kilometer journey from Weihai to Guangling, the staff of the Hexian Town Mission saw large tracts of sugarcane fields along the railway from the train window.According to the accompanying Qi officials, Weihai, Guangling and other Northeast regions are the largest sugar production centers in Qi, and the sugar production accounts for nearly [-]% of the country's total sugar production.

You know, 40 years ago, this place was still a barren land, covered with dense forests and countless shrubs and weeds.Although there is no shortage of water in the area, the soil quality is very poor, and the annual harvest is very little.

When the first generation of pioneers came here, the seedlings planted quickly withered.The ax was blunted as it landed on the twisted and tangled roots and branches.The shovel broke as soon as it touched the sandstone beneath the soil layer.The hard-earned livestock were either lost or died.The settlers who live in the wind and sleep in the open will also encounter many wild beasts and indigenous attacks at night.

After 40 years of continuous colonization and cultivation, this barren land has finally become a piece of fertile arable land. Many agricultural products such as sugar cane, potatoes, wheat, barley, sorghum, corn, and cotton are used for millions of Qi people and many factories. Provide abundant food and industrial raw materials.

When the mission of Hexian Town heard the accompanying officials from the State of Qi describe how their ancestors struggled, how they worked hard, and how they developed and grew, they didn't have much resonance in their hearts.

Although, most of the more than [-] Han people in Ha Tien Town have fled from the mainland and live in the Ha Tien area under the Kingdom of Cambodia.But the land there is extremely fertile. Although the output of the cultivated land after burning wasteland and reclamation was a little lower at the beginning, it can't stand the hot and humid climate here. It can be planted for three consecutive seasons. The grain produced in a year is enough to satisfy the hunger. The little surplus can be sold outside in exchange for some silver.

When the train stopped at Guangling Station, for some unknown reason, it was still delayed for half an hour, causing many passengers on the train to stick their heads out of the windows and look towards the platform to find out the reason.

"Jinglue, the people of Qi are transporting gold and silver to the train!" A member of the mission from Hexian Town returned to the carriage and said in shock: "It's just a rough count, there are more than 300 boxes. I guess So, at least one million taels of silver, or even one million taels of gold!"

"One million taels of gold and silver?" Yang Yandi was taken aback by the mission, then he shook his head and said, "Qi is rich, of course we know about it. But how can we transport gold and silver at this station with great fanfare? Child's play? Did you read it wrong?"

"Jinglue, I saw it with my own eyes, how can I be wrong!" Seeing Yang Yandi's disbelief, the member of the mission immediately became a little anxious, "I just got out of the carriage and looked towards the front of the train. I saw there were more than a hundred people there. A soldier from the State of Qi was on high alert with muskets, and dozens of Hanzhou natives were also under supervision, moving boxes one by one to the train. Some railway maintenance workers nearby were also whispering, saying that the boxes were all filled with gold and gold. The silver was transported from two inland gold mines and silver mines, ready to be sent to Chang'an together."

"Hiss..., as everyone said, there are many gold and silver mines in Hanzhou. Based on what you have seen and heard just now, it seems that those rumors are not false." Yang Yandi nodded slightly when he heard the words.

"Accordingly, Hanzhou is so rich in products, and the gold and silver deposits are also huge. And the tribute that our Hexian Town presented to the Emperor of Qi this time, will it be a little... shabby?"

"That's wrong!" Yang Yandi laughed. "In the past, when the Ming Dynasty was rich all over the world, why did it ever despise the shabby offerings from the feudal vassals? On the contrary, as the suzerain state, the value of the vassal tributes does not depend on their value. The Celestial Dynasty cares most about face and dignity, and in order to maintain the dignity of the upper kingdom, it will even reward the vassals with gifts that are twice the tribute."

"Accordingly, Qi State, as the suzerain of our Hexian Town, will reward us with a large amount of gold and silver artifacts when we leave Hanzhou?" Several members of the Hexian Town mission next to him suddenly showed a hint of eagerness. .

The state of Qi is so powerful, and the country is so golden and silver. Seeing the poor and pitiful "son" who came to pay tribute, he definitely couldn't bear it.Then with a wave of his hand, a random reward is enough for all the expenses of our mission to Hanzhou this time, and maybe we can make a lot of money to supplement Hexian Town's weak finances.

The suzerain-vassal relationship between the Central Plains dynasty and neighboring countries has a history of thousands of years.On the surface, this kind of suzerain-vassal relationship seems to be a kind of unequal relationship with small things as big things. The surrounding countries have to "claim vassals and pay tribute" to the Central Plains Dynasty; they are canonized by the Central Plains Dynasty and given seals.

In fact, this suzerain-vassal relationship is mostly just a form of maintaining friendly relations between the Central Plains dynasty and surrounding countries, and does not have the substantive content of ruling and being ruled.Moreover, as the suzerain state, the rulers of the Central Plains dynasty treated the vassal states with an indomitable attitude of "the king will not rule the barbarians, the comers will not be rejected, and those who leave will not be pursued", and in principle they will not interfere in the internal affairs of the vassal states.In order to show their wealth and magnanimity as the "kingdom of the heavens", the rulers of the Central Plains Dynasty always followed the principle of "thriving with less and more exchange" and gave a lot of rewards to the tribute, whose value far exceeded the tribute paid by the tribute. Therefore, since ancient times, the surrounding vassal states have always been willing to come to China to pay tribute.

Some rulers of the Central Plains dynasty did not intend to be taken advantage of at certain times.In order to reduce their own burdens, they have also made various restrictions and regulations on the time and scale of tributes from various countries to China.However, some thick-skinned vassal states did not follow the regulations and came to China to pay tribute in advance. At this time, the Central Plains Dynasty recognized it with a pinch of their noses for the sake of the country's face, and gave them a warm reception.

And as the hegemony of Nanyang that has only risen in the past 40 years, Qi State is not only obliged to protect the security and territorial integrity of our vassal states, but also to provide necessary economic assistance and support to our vassal states?
"Rich dad" wouldn't look at a bunch of "poor sons" so pitifully shabby!