Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2452: Peace of the World (IV) Prince of the South
The hot wind from the Indochina Peninsula, carrying the scent of jasmine, blew over the revised draft of the Naturalized Household Registration System on Gao Yuan's desk. The prince of the Southern Kingdom, dressed in a bright yellow satin five-clawed dragon robe, put down his wolf-hair brush and traced the four characters "Penglai Ningtao" on the map with his fingertips. Penglai was Australia before Gao Youshi traveled through time, and Ningtao was Sydney in the past.

Ningtao has already started building a city. The newly built Han-style city there is using Beijing cement to build a three-meter-high city wall. The imprint of the "Taichang" era name on the bricks is clearly visible.

Speaking of Ningtao City, the few aboriginals here probably had no concept of territory. When they saw the mighty and powerful fleet and soldiers of the Southern Palace landing, they almost all fled inland. The people of Jinghua then began to build. Not only did no conflict break out during this process, but there was not even any transaction - such as using some things to buy some land from the aboriginal chiefs.

The local climate is relatively pleasant, but as long as you go out to sea, you are likely to encounter storms of varying sizes, and heavy rains often cause flooding in the local area. Therefore, it was named "Ningtao", and the hope it carries is needless to say.

"My father is promoting practical learning in Beijing, and I should follow his aspirations in Da Nan." Gao Yuan looked out the window. A team of native officials wearing cross-collared and right-fronted clothes were walking through the courtyard. The Chinese characters on their waist badges gleamed like copper in the sun. "The Naturalized Household Registration System has been in effect for many years, and more than 17 million people have been registered, but less than half of them can really read and write, and less than 30% can write and compose a book. How can this work?"

Chen Wenqing, the governor of Fengtian (Siam), bowed and said, "Your Highness, there are already quite a few academies established in various provinces and prefectures, and Chinese language and basic arithmetic are required for Han people. However, the Han people need to migrate here after all, and their number has gradually decreased in recent years, and the same is true for naturalized Han people..."

He hesitated for a moment, "Many of the old nobles from Siam, Burma, Champa and other places who were unwilling to naturalize were resistant, saying, 'Our ancestors were not Han, how can we change?'"

This is also what is meant by the title, which is equivalent to "reform has reached the deep water zone". To put it bluntly, after many years of operation of Gao Youshi's "Household Registration Naturalization System", those who are willing to naturalize have basically been naturalized. The remaining people who are unwilling to naturalize can be regarded as some kind of stubborn conservatives in the reform. They would rather risk some inconveniences or even losses in their interests, but they still insist on not changing. In some contexts of later generations, these people can be roughly called "extreme populism" and are the most difficult to deal with.

Gao Yuan sneered and reached out to take the Great Southern Code from the table. The words "Published in the 30th year of Taichang" on the spine were rubbed until they shone: "Conflict? In the former Sui Dynasty, Shi Wansui pacified Nanzhong, Li Jing of the Tang Dynasty settled Jiaozhi, and Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty drew the boundary with his jade axe. Now, our Great Ming has established a country in the southern border and is following the Han Dynasty.

You should prepare and inform the uncle and other officials that we will discuss the legislation of compulsory naturalization in the court tomorrow. We must tell those old nobles that if they still want to keep their fiefs, their children must go to the academy to study, otherwise..." He tapped the "Reform of Natives" clause in the "Collected Statutes" with his fingertips, "then we will take away their fiefs and let them do hard labor in Penglai and Yingzhou. "

Chen Wenqing's forehead was covered with sweat, and he quickly agreed. Gao Yuan had already turned to the map and pointed his finger at Sumatra Island: "The tin mine in Lake Toba has been opened for three years, and the annual output of refined tin is 20,000 kilograms, but the Mint still says it is not enough. You go and inform Jinghua Mining, and ask them to copy the booklet of 'Water Method Tin Refining' to the local craftsmen, and send another 200 craftsmen over... Now the 'Southern Money' is being used more and more, and Europe is scrambling to use it! If we don't increase production, I'm afraid we will fall into the 'deflation' crisis that my father mentioned."

"Yes, Your Highness." Chen Wenqing stole a glance at the bright yellow jade belt around the prince's waist. On it was a five-clawed python pattern specially granted by the emperor, which was higher than the specifications of ordinary princes (in fact, princes in the middle and late Ming Dynasty often exceeded the rules and were forbidden). "I heard that a new mine was discovered in Penglai's Great Copper Mountain. This time, there is not only copper, but also gold..."

"A new mine has been discovered in Penglai?" Gao Yuan turned around, his eyes sparkling. Chen Wenqing quickly presented a map with the words "a mine in Penglai, Da Nan" marked in cinnabar, with many areas marked, but mainly concentrated in the southwest area.

"Your Highness, when the fleet landed, the natives were still ignorant and used stone tools and wooden sticks as weapons." Chen Wenqing's finger slid across the southwest region on the map. "But the climate in West Penglai is not good, the land is barren, and the mountains are full of red soil (this is actually a characteristic of the local iron production area). It is not as pleasant as East Penglai. If a large number of artisans are to be transferred, I am afraid that food and other aspects will have to be supported from Java and other places... Whether its development is cost-effective is still being calculated."

Gao Yuan was silent, and Chen Wenqing continued, "Oh, there is one more thing we should be wary of. Because our Southern Fleet has been to East Penglai several times to explore, it seems that it has been discovered by Spanish merchants in Luzon. Recently, I heard that a ship owner found Spanish ships swaying off the coast of East Penglai... I think our South Sea Fleet should also make preparations early to avoid accidents when we completely fall out with the Spanish."

Gao Yuan pressed his finger heavily on Penglai: "Spaniards? Wasn't their Manila Galleon Fleet completely defeated by Jinghua? Their forces withdrew from Luzon and were only allowed to come to trade? Humph, they dare to hang around in Penglai now, I'm afraid they are asking for a fight again.

However, this matter involves Yingzhou affairs, so it is not easy to act rashly... Discuss an idea at the meeting tomorrow, and then tell my third brother during the next voyage to the East to have his Yingzhou colonization fleet ready. If the Spanish do not know what is good for them, let them have a taste of the power of the Great Southern Navy."

The "third brother" mentioned by Gao Yuan refers to Gao Mu, the eldest son of Menggu Zhezhe. This third brother, who is keen on sailing, was sent by Gao Youshi to practice in the Beiyang Fleet after he came of age. Two years later, he was transferred to the Nanyang Fleet as the commander of a newly formed squadron.

The year before last, Gao Mu led his squadron across the Pacific Ocean, landed in western North America, and established the Yingzhou colony, which is later known as California. Gao Mu liked the pleasant climate and fertile land there very much, and immediately implemented the military farming system there and reclaimed a large area of ​​fertile land.

However, the problem was that because of the Papal Meridian, the Spanish regarded all areas in America except Brazil as their colonies. Therefore, they regarded Yingzhou as a thorn in their side and believed that Jinghua - now called Da Nan - had invaded their sphere of influence, so a conflict was inevitable.

There is a very realistic problem here: although the Spanish had already claimed almost the entire Americas, in reality their colonial activities were mainly civilian-based, and the royal family did not actually play much of a role in actual expansion.

As a result, the Spanish occupied only a few strongholds, at most a few important cities, and then they unceremoniously claimed ownership of a huge territory - in the words of later generations, they dared to claim 1% when they occupied 100%, but their real control was almost zero outside their strongholds. In essence, the Spanish did not do any development in America at all, and they did not have the strength and energy. They simply found a few rich mines and started digging, which led to a large amount of precious metals flowing from America to Europe and Ming Dynasty, and also created the so-called "price revolution" in Europe - in fact, inflation.

Gao Mu naturally did not buy into the Spanish claims at all, so the fleet and marines he led fought against the army led by the Spanish Governor of Mexico. Relying on the Ming Dynasty's advanced firearms and tactics, they finally won.

There is not much to say about this battle itself - Gao Mu's Marine Corps had less than 6,000 people in total, and less than 4,000 actually participated in this battle. About 2,000 Marines stayed behind to "watch the house", that is, to guard the newly developed stronghold. However, the funny thing is that although the Spanish Governor-General of Mexico has a huge territory, it does not have many troops. Its native white army and the colonial mixed-race army only have more than 5,000 people. Although more than 10,000 indigenous slaves were recruited to participate in the war in the end, it was considered a victory as long as these people did not drag their feet. The result is nothing to say. Gao Mu, who is not proficient in land warfare, defeated them in one battle. The main force of the Governor-General of Mexico moved thousands of miles from California in the future back to Mexico City, and the crusade was carried out to their own nest.

However, Gao Mu did not intend to continue to pursue southward, because he always felt that a force of several thousand people was not enough. In such a large area of ​​Yingzhou (California), several thousand people would not make any splash, so how could he go south to fight Mexico? Therefore, he led his army back to Dingdong - Dingdong was the name he gave after "Dingnan", which was actually San Francisco in later generations - to continue to expand the port and cultivate land, and at the same time he sent a fleet back to Dingnan to ask his elder brother Gao Yuan for reinforcements.

However, this matter was of great importance, and Gao Yuan did not dare to make the decision completely on his own, so he wrote to his father Gao Guoshi to see what his father's attitude was. Gao Guoshi supported this - nonsense, if he did not support it, he would not have sent Gao Mu out.

Gao Youshi's reply was that the Spanish were focusing their main attention in America on Mexico and Peru, so he could send reinforcements to let Gao Mu inflict heavy losses on the Spanish, and then draw the border - Jinghua would not go south, but at most east, but the Governor-General of Mexico was not allowed to go north, otherwise everyone would decide the outcome on the battlefield.

Of course, the Governor-General of Mexico at that time had a large territory, and Gao Youshi would not recognize it, so the so-called boundary he gave was almost the border between the United States and Mexico in later generations. Gao Yuan had only received this reply not long ago.

Now that he had come to this point, Gao Yuan turned around and walked to the desk, picked up his pen and wrote a few lines on the "Yingzhou Colonization Strategy", and at the same time instructed Chen Wenqing: "Order the Yingzhou Colonization Fleet to strengthen its defense and train the army and navy; order the Nanyang Fleet to discuss the allocation of ten large and small warships and thirty armed transport ships to the Yingzhou Colonization Fleet; order Luzon, Java, and Annan to each allocate a land division to Dingdong to obey the command of my third brother.

Oh, by the way, my second brother said last time that there are a group of dishonest guys in Japan, so let him recruit those people and send them to Dingdong to be under the command of my third brother. This would be the best of both worlds.

Finally, I told my third brother not to be too cautious after the reinforcements arrived. My father said that there were no strong enemies in the area, so we could rest assured to establish a base in a wider area. As for the negotiations with the Spaniards, I told him to follow my father's instructions. If there were any obstacles, he could do what he wanted.

Chen Wenqing took over the strategy and was about to leave when Gao Yuan asked again, "By the way, how is the Maritime Customs Office I asked you to set up in Berbera Port in the Horn of Africa going?"

"Your Highness, the Baicheng Port Maritime Customs Office has been established," Chen Wenqing replied. "It is reported that there are more than ten merchant ships coming and going every day. Although the trading volume is not as large as other major ports, it is already very impressive in the local area. The ivory and spices traded there are piled up like mountains. However, there are many tribes in the area, and conflicts often occur. The Nanyang Fleet is overwhelmed by the disturbance, so 500 new Tuntian Guards were dispatched to garrison, and only then can order be maintained."

Gao Yuan nodded: "The Horn of Africa is an important node connecting Southeast Asia and Europe, and it is also an important base for managing trade in southeast Africa. It must be firmly controlled. Let me tell you, you will send another thousand musketeers over there to ensure the safety of the Maritime Customs and the smooth flow of trade."

Chen Wenqing was a little surprised and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Although the local trade is becoming more and more prosperous, if we increase the garrison by 1,000 people, the surplus will probably be..."

"It doesn't matter," Gao Yuan shook his head and said, "We can't just focus on the present. These 1,000 people are only stationed in Baicheng now, but what if they need to do other things in the future?"

He ran his finger across the vast area of ​​southern Africa and said calmly, "If these places are willing to do business with us in an orderly manner, that would be the best. But if some people always want to do business without capital, then our 1,000 musketeers will have a place to use their skills. Don't you think so?"

"So that's how it is. Your Highness, your Highness has a good idea." Chen Wenqing accepted the order and left. Gao Yuan walked to the window and looked at the sparkling Chao Phraya River in the distance. Not far south of this river is Dingnan Port, which faces the Gulf of Siam - of course, it is now called Dingnan Bay.

In Dingnan Port, merchant ships flying the "Book and Sword" flags came in and out all day long, connecting the Ming Dynasty, Japan, Persia, Arabia and even Europe.

Gao Yuan knew that he had a heavy burden on his shoulders. His father had now been granted the title of king and had been granted the right to establish his own country. This situation was better than his highest expectations when he was young. But at the same time, it also meant that his responsibilities were even greater.

He felt that his father wanted him to establish a stable country in southern Xinjiang, which would not only become the strongest barrier of the Ming Dynasty, but also lay the foundation for his family's eternal foundation. He also knew that only through continuous sinicization reforms and external expansion could the Great South truly become a new paradise for the Han people.

So he turned back to his desk and continued to write the revised contents of the Naturalization Household Registration System. Under his pen, new policy clauses gradually took shape, which would further promote the process of sinicization in Nanyang and make the people of this land truly become the people of the Ming Dynasty.

As for those who are unruly and stubborn, they will all have their fate... When the troops sent to Yingzhou are sufficient, you will all be sent there. As for what tasks they will be assigned and what their final fate will be, it all depends on the arrangements of my third brother.

Xiao Mu... Yingzhou is so far away, you must also hope to build your career there, right?
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PS: Readers have different opinions... Oh, and one more thing, I might plan to start a new book around the last two chapters of this one. Well, love and the like can't be seamless, but it shouldn't matter when writing a book, right?

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