unclear

Chapter 1339: Bloody Battle of Panama City 3
Why did they rush to sign up even though they knew they might die without a burial place? It was definitely not because they wanted to be loyal to the Celestial Empire and His Majesty the Emperor, nor was it because they had a blood feud with the Spaniards. In the end, it was still about those two damn words: profit and benefit.

The world is bustling with people, all for profit; the world is bustling with people, all for profit. The ancients had understood this truth thousands of years ago, but unfortunately the descendants are getting more and more stupid, and they don't use the ready-made truth, but insist on pondering about etiquette, virtue, filial piety, and benevolence.

To use the emperor's words, this is like taking off your pants to fart. Not delving into the essence of things and the root of human nature, but grasping the appearance and trying to ponder and sublimate, and even deliberately describing evil as good and ugly as beautiful, is not only stupid, but also bad.

Fortunately, after the current emperor ascended the throne, he cleared out the officials who were used to thinking and doing this, gradually reversing the bad habits in the officialdom, which prevented the Ming Dynasty from declining. The core ability to revive the government and hold power is the control of interests and the understanding of human nature.

There was no need for others to summarize it. The emperor himself had mentioned it many times during his lectures. He also called on students to study more, recognize the essence of things, and scoffed at the so-called imperial skills.

"…The governor's words awakened me from my dream. Thinking back to the past, my people were very similar to these Japanese soldiers. They also signed up to help the Ming army fight. Some returned, but some did not.

I was still a kid at that time, and I also clamored to join the army, because the men who came back from the war had candy and canned food in their saddle bags and interesting stories in their heads.

I didn’t want to chase them for money like other kids did, I just wanted to earn it myself. As a result, I stole a horse in the middle of the night and was caught before dawn. I was tied to a wheel and whipped. My skin was bruised and I couldn’t lie down to sleep for several days.

Maybe Du Wenhuan explained it too clearly, which actually resonated with Settle. While recounting his childhood experiences, he unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it out from his belt, revealing a piece of skin on his waist and back.

"Don't think too much, Commander Sai. I don't mean to be sarcastic."

Without looking carefully, one can see a series of lighter scars on the dark skin. The Kalaqin Marquis was very cruel back then. However, Du Wenhuan's attention was not on the scars, but on Settle's attitude.

"You are too suspicious, Governor. I know what is good for me. Besides, my people have Ming identity cards, pay the same taxes as the people of Ming, go to the same new school, and abide by the same laws. Since everything is the same, what is the difference between you and me?

Not only my people, but all the Mongols, as well as the Liaodong Jurchens, the Western Regions, the Southwest ethnic groups, and even the distant black people in South Africa, are slowly becoming indistinguishable from you and me. I think in a few years, the situation in Korea and Japan should be similar.”

Settle knew why Du Wenhuan was busy explaining that ethnic discrimination was a serious crime under Ming law, and its punishment was second only to treason. From the common people to the princes and ministers, anyone who was found guilty of this crime would have his family destroyed and be exiled.

The reason for this is easy to explain, because the emperor has always regarded ethnic assimilation as the concept of governing the country, and all policies are basically formulated around it. Opposing this concept is almost equivalent to treason.

"What the commander-in-chief said is very true. Only when we make no distinction between you and me can we unite as one. The navy cruises between countries all year round and has come into contact with all kinds of people. If you have any opinions on the future governance of this place, please feel free to say a few more. I will be grateful to you."

Seeing that Setel knew a lot about the assimilation policy, Du Wenhuan changed the subject and wanted to hear the young and middle-aged general's thoughts on governing the American occupation zone. "Well... since the governor asked, I will speak boldly. These are all my personal opinions. If I were to manage this place, the first thing I would do would be to kill the gods! Any religion would be considered illegal, public preaching sites must be banned, and believers must leave within a certain period of time. From now on, only the laws of the Ming Dynasty will be respected."

Although Panama City is still in the hands of the enemy, Settle and Du Wenhuan both firmly believe that it will soon change hands and will definitely face civil administration tasks in the following period of time. It is not too early to discuss this issue now.

"Just a little?"

"It's not just one point, but it's the most important. As long as people are not facing death, they can make do with eating more or less. Given the natural conditions and population here, it's not difficult to eat well, but it's not difficult to get enough to eat.

If nothing else, a deck gun could be modified to become a whaling gun. If you find a sloop to install it, and sail out to sea for two days, you will probably catch a whale. If you have a few more whaling ships like this, not only can you solve the meat problem for tens of thousands of people, but you can also make lamp oil, soap and leather goods.

I can provide whale meat to the locals for free, but they have to compensate with labor. After the war, there are many places that need to be built and many people are affected by the war. This way they have food to eat and I have labor to drive them. It's a win-win situation!

People who have jobs and can earn money to support themselves and their families will not easily take risks. If the General Staff can really send immigrants here quickly, the newly built factories, farms and ports will absorb a large number of manpower, and there will be very few people who are truly capable and qualified to resist.

Among this group of people, a large proportion use religion as their slogan and goal. There is no need to be polite to them, and there is no need to care whether the evidence is solid or not. Once you find any signs, you should act immediately. It is better to kill a thousand people by mistake than to let one go. Just kill the chicken to scare the monkeys, and also set rules for the local people. "

Although Settle said his opinion was immature, he was very organized in his speech. The order of steps and the importance of each were all arranged. It was definitely not a spur-of-the-moment idea.

"Well, using whale meat for work-in-lieu of relief is a good idea! Commander-in-Chief Sai is worthy of being a disciple of the emperor..." Upon hearing about whaling ships and whale meat, Du Wenhuan's eyebrows raised obviously, and after a moment a smile appeared on his face.

When he set out to assemble in Japan, he was thinking about the issue of post-war governance. Any army general with actual combat experience, after carefully studying the information provided by the General Staff, would not have doubts about winning, at most there would be different opinions on how much to pay.

Fighting was relatively easy, but post-war governance was a big problem. According to the emperor's customary practice, newly occupied areas would usually be handed over to the military to manage with high pressure for a period of time, and only after all unstable factors were eliminated would civil officials be arranged to take over.

If nothing unexpected happened, such as being seriously injured or killed in battle, the post-war management of the Viceroyalty of Peru would most likely fall on his shoulders. Whether he could gain the recognition of ethnic groups with completely different languages, cultures, and religions in a strange place far away from his homeland was a great challenge that required great wisdom.

(End of this chapter)