Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 590 Dance and Banknotes

The Lan Fang Governor's Palace, with corpses piled up.

The soldiers cautiously stabbed each one with their bayonets to make sure no one was pretending to be dead.

In the corner, a corpse holding a knife suddenly stood up and attacked, but was shot dead by a soldier who was prepared.

Li Ergou shrank his head and walked close to the wall, shouting in a low voice:

"Governor Wang~"

"Master Yu~"

"It's okay, come out."

Unfortunately, no response.

suddenly,

Li Ergou saw the body of Master Yu Jinguang and went over to check. Ah, he was indeed dead. What a damn war.

"Have you found the Governor?"

"No."

Li Ergou is suspicious~
With the pistol in his left hand and the sword in his right, he continued to call quietly and affectionately.

……

Wang Danwang, hiding in a hardwood box, curled up his body, closed his eyes, and said nothing until he heard the familiar call from his confidant, confirming that the supervisor had entered the scene.

He then knocked on the inner wall of the box with his fist:
"I'm here, help."

Li Ergou looked at Wang Danwang who climbed out of the box with a shocked face, and hurried forward to support him.

"Quick, call the military doctor."

"It's okay, it's okay. I was injured while serving the king. Brother Ergou, we will jointly submit a memorial to report our military achievements to His Majesty. With our concerted efforts, Lan Fang has changed its flag."

"Okay."

Li Ergou nodded guiltily.

He sheathed his sword, walked around the Governor's Palace a few more times, and stole a large diamond to give to a girl he had just met.

Ergou~has grown up.

……

"Wow~"

An ownerless dog was barking wildly on the streets of Pontianak and was shot dead on the spot by a passing soldier.

The heavenly soldiers are so majestic that they treat humans and animals equally.

Order was quickly restored in Pontianak.

Wu's army sent troops to control gold mines and arsenals, blocked major traffic arteries, and then issued notices to reassure the people everywhere.

"The Qing dynasty has fallen and has been replaced by the Wu dynasty. The Lan Fang commander Luo Fangbo attempted to fight the Heavenly Soldiers with arms, but he refused to change and has been killed.

"From now on, all the people of Lan Fang are also the people of Wu, and the people will perform their duties. From now on, the Lan Fang army will be abolished and all the original systems will be abolished."

"Appoint a governor and implement a new system."

……

Java Island is across the sea from Borneo.

The capital city of Batavia was more lively than ever before.

Another five ships lowered their sails and entered the port, three of which were merchant ships of the Saxon East India Company.

The sailors whistled happily, as they could get their wages and go to the city to have fun for a few days.

Most of the new immigrants who got off the ship had green faces, staggered, and could not walk in a straight line.

but,

They still managed a forced smile.

The welcoming ceremony was really grand, with cowhide drums beating and suonas playing in the room. A big red banner was held up: Welcome, new immigrants.

This is very Chinese!

After getting off the ship, there is a whole set of sanitation procedures as usual. Take a bath, disinfect, change clothes, eat liquid food, and identify patients for hospitalization~
……

At the port, a team of soldiers from the 4th Legion finally waited for their long-awaited guests.

Seeing the doctor disembarking, the captain shouted:

"salute!"

Snap, everyone put their boots together, dropped their gun butts to the ground, and raised their right hands in front of their chests.

A captain stepped forward:

"Welcome our military medical team to Batavia. Thank you for your hard work."

"Dear doctors, please get on the sedan chair."

The sedan chair carried by two natives in front and behind is the best means of transportation for nobles to travel in tropical areas.

However, one of the five sedan chairs was empty.

The captain couldn't help but look at the boat, wondering if there was still someone who hadn't gotten off.

The military doctor sighed:

"stop looking."

"On the way, we lost a Mongolian doctor, who had severe malaria and was buried at sea."

……

The city of Batavia is an authentic stone city and the greatest legacy left by the Dutch who colonized here for more than a hundred years.

The slider is swaying.
Zhou Xiaobai noticed that there were many new graves in the distance.

A warrant officer who had been secretly observing for a long time came over and introduced:
“That’s an immigrant grave.”

"Do they have, do they have names?"

The warrant officer shook his head.

After thinking for a while, he said:
"They are lucky. At least they are buried. If they died during the sea voyage, they would have to be buried at sea and their bodies would not be found."

Seeing Zhou Xiaobai's silence, the warrant officer revealed his true intentions:
"Can I invite you to the dance?"

"What dance?"

"It was organized by our regiment. We all danced together, men and women in pairs. It was very fashionable."

……

A group of Saxon officers stood on the balcony of the tavern, looking at the busy street below.

Feelings:

"The Dutch had been operating Batavia for more than a hundred years, but the permanent population never exceeded 3. It took the Wu people only half a year to exceed 5."

"5? 50 if they want."

“God.”

"It's not surprising, they have a population of 3 million."

Nelson suddenly spoke:

"We have made a terrible ally."

"That's right, Mr. Commodore. Our ally has a rich and vast territory. Apart from the navy, it has almost no shortcomings in other aspects."

"Gentlemen, have you ever imagined that one day, our allies would turn against us~"

Everyone was stunned.

Awkward side topic:

"Mr. Future Brigadier General, let's talk about women."

"Yes, the garrison here is organizing a dance tomorrow. We can go and see the fun."

……

The 4th Corps has a total strength of 18000 people and is currently distributed in Tainan Island, Borneo Island, and Java Island, officially becoming a professional overseas colonial garrison force.

They were very happy with this arrangement.

Except for the risks of troop deployment by sea and tropical diseases, everything else is safe.

Occasionally, they would send troops to fight against the mountain natives and island natives. It was easy and all of them were tasks for the novice village. The 4th Legion would always hire a group of native vassal soldiers to lead the way.

Nowadays, they usually call themselves the Heavenly Soldiers. Occasionally, they also call themselves the Ever-Victorious Army.

In short, life is very happy.

All the collective smuggling dividends and private seizures were remitted back home through the colonial branches of Sihai Finance.

taboo?

prom!

At noon, after a shower.

The officers dressed up in new clothes and entered the former Dutch theater in an endless stream. Bad habits are easy to learn, and since arriving in Batavia, the first thing they learned was the foreign dance.

……

At the dance~
There are Western musical instruments and Chinese musical instruments.

There are Western dance music and Chinese classical music.

There are army officers, navy officers, Wu merchants, Saxons, and Dutch people~
This is a classic dance party that combines Eastern and Western elements!
A Saxon Royal Navy officer who had just entered the venue looked at the familiar red-haired Dutchman in surprise.

blurted out:

"F**K, defeated? Why are you here?"

The former Batavia city defense commander smiled awkwardly but politely:

"Thank you, His Majesty the Emperor Wu, for allowing us, the homeless, to continue living in Batavia before returning to Amsterdam."

"really?"

"Yes, it doesn't matter how long it takes. Now, we are the guests and the Wu people are the hosts."

The Saxon officers were depressed. These Dutchmen were the captives they handed over to the Wu State. It was really funny. …

Looking at the gorgeous Dutch women and the officers of the 4th Army on the dance floor, dancing in pairs, flirting with each other.

The Saxon officer could not help but sneer:

"You are so generous that you even offer your own women to us. The silver coins of the Wu people are very sweet, right?"

The Dutch were not to be outdone:
"You Saxons are not bad either. The Royal Navy fights for the Wu people. The gold coins of the Wu people are of high purity, right?"

After some sarcasm, both sides felt it was boring and started to distance themselves from each other.

Anyway,

Wu Dynasty is the biggest winner here.

The Dutch women whose husbands had died in the war and the women of colonial descent threw themselves into the arms of the officers of the 4th Legion.

The gang members in Jiangnan accept everyone, regardless of whether they are vegetarian or not.

Privately, we all said that although Java Island is a little far away, a little hotter, and a little wetter, we are all good people from the south of the Yangtze River who have experienced the test of plum rains for a long time and can overcome it.

……

"Doctor Zhou, can you please do me the honor?"

Zhou Xiaobai shook his head.

As the only woman in military uniform in Batavia, her appearance made everyone's eyes light up. So many people came to see the doctor every day, and even those who were not sick came to complain.

Tattoos, dancing, smooth talk, pretending to be sick,
She had a very bad impression of the 4th Legion.

She was just an assistant military doctor and could only do her job well and inquire about the whereabouts of her brother.

Just as the military doctor said in Huai'an Prefecture:
It's like looking for a needle in a haystack, and there is little hope.

After a long time, she gave up.

He simply calmed down and studied the teaching materials compiled by the Department of Health and took notes. Over time, he was praised by many people for his superb medical skills.

……

There are two types of Javanese immigrants.

One type is self-employed farmers, who are allocated 50 acres of land when they arrive.

The other type is hired workers who work on farms and mines owned by wealthy businessmen, with food and accommodation provided and a salary of 50 silver coins a year.

The Colonial Office's goal is to encourage one million voluntary civilian immigrants within three years.

The Colonial Office announced to the people in Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian that anyone who wished to move to Southeast Asia must arrange their own shipping tickets.

You can farm the land, run a small business, or work for a big businessman.

All immigrants are free to come and go.

Get out there and welcome!
Come home, welcome!

……

At Zhangzhou Port, a ship belonging to a Fujian native is docked here.

This is a mixed passenger and cargo ship with a fixed route: Zhangzhou-Lanfang, and the ticket price is 5 taels.

Fujian immigrants had to collect their personal documents before queuing up to board the ship.

The customs clerks produced it on the spot and it happened on the spot.

Red immigration certificate.

There are five printed words "Imperial Immigration Certificate" on the front, and the national flag of the Wu State is printed on the back - a five-color horizontal striped flag with n stars in the upper left corner.

The five horizontal stripes of black, white, red, yellow and green represent officials, businessmen, workers, soldiers and farmers respectively.

That bunch of stars represents the colonies.

The meaning is profound.

……

Open the document and you will see personal information.

It includes place of origin, age, name, height, occupation, destination, and past experiences.

This column is usually blank.

Only a very small number of people who have achieved fame, served in the military, or held official positions have this ability.

Below the national flag on the back of the document,
There is also a line of small black text:
With this certificate, there will be no obstacles in the world. If you encounter any infringement, you will be arrested.

quickly,

Nanyang will know the weight of these 16 words.

……

The empire was open to immigration.

Go when you want to go, come back when you want to come back.

but,

You must enter and exit the customs port of landing with your documents, otherwise you will be sentenced to one year of hard labor.

Considering the risk of loss or damage of paper documents of immigrants, a small iron plate that can be hung around the neck is issued. The iron plate is engraved with a string of numbers, and the customs can trace the identity of the immigrants by checking the files based on the numbers.

There was a lot of opposition within the Wu court.

One is that they think it is unnecessary to be so meticulous, and the other is that allowing immigrants to come and go freely will cause a lot of trouble.

But Your Majesty would not listen and insisted on carrying it out.

Immigrants from Southeast Asia are free to come and go, but immigrants from Northeast China are not allowed to enter the country in their lifetime.

The reason for this difference is that the circumstances are different.

Shanhaiguan was strictly blocked mainly because people were worried that a generation of immigrants would run back to their hometowns after having enough food.

The reason why people in Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian come and go freely is that these people have the tradition of going to sea and the clan ties, so they are likely to go back and forth. They do business, farm, mine and work, and when they make money, they will definitely send money back to their hometown.

There is profit and no harm.

……

The Qing dynasty closed its doors to the outside world because it was worried that immigrants would bring in foreign cultures.

Wu Ting had no such worries.

Because, Your Majesty is the one who sets the trend. The immigrants will only import the trend to the Southeast Asian countries.

The ship left the shore, and the customs officer waved his arms:
"My fellow countrymen, have a safe journey. Come home often."

"Get rich, get rich~"

Hundreds of people crowded on the side of the ship, looking for their families among the waving crowd on the shore.

Similar phenomena occur every month in Guangzhou, Zhangzhou, Fuzhou, Chaozhou and Qinzhou.

Fujianese people live by the sea.

This is fate.

……

In just one year, the customs issued a total of 1 certificates~
It represents 50 immigrants who went to Southeast Asia to earn hope for their families.

Simultaneously,

Printing immigration certificates and casting iron plates kept more than a dozen small factories running at full capacity, busy all day and night.

Li Yu set a rule without making a sound.

Big orders go to big factories, small orders go to small workshops.

Each government office must hand over trivial and small bills to small workshops in various places and make this a precedent. This is called "rain and dew are shared equally."

When purchasing from a small workshop, payment is made before delivery.

When purchasing from large factories, you get the goods first and pay later.

By the way,

A banknote printing factory was set up under Sihai Finance, and the paper money - "Wu Yuan" was officially launched, with denominations of 1 yuan, 2 yuan, 5 yuan, 10 yuan, 20 yuan, 50 yuan, 100 yuan, 500 yuan and 1000 yuan.

……

The significance of paper money to the imperial economy is self-evident.

The foundation for issuing paper money is trust as strong as gold.

Therefore, word of mouth must be established from the moment it is launched. If there is even the slightest "trust flaw" in paper money among the public, it will be over.

Therefore,
Li Yu was very cautious and started the pilot project with large industrial and mining companies and wealthy businessmen with titles of nobility.

The tycoons and workers in state-owned factories are the supporters and beneficiaries of the empire.

Once they are used to using paper money, it will be much less difficult to gradually introduce it to the general public.

Don't advise, just do it.

The common people are not fools. When they found that paper money could be used to pay land taxes, buy coal briquettes, bricks, salt, and cloth, and that its use scenarios became increasingly broad, they naturally accepted it.

The promotion of paper money must be done step by step and must not be implemented by edicts.

……

Huang Wenyun, director of the Water Conservancy Bureau, is back, looking much thinner.

The floods flooded two counties in the Lixiahe area of ​​Jiangsu, one county in Xuzhou, and two counties in Sizhou of Anhui.

River management has been put on the agenda.

On the bank of Jinji Lake to the east of the Wu Imperial Palace, high-ranking officials gathered and many onlookers gathered.

"Your Majesty has arrived."

"Long live Long live Long live."

Li Yu put it succinctly:

"The Yellow River must be treated. It will take a thousand years, and the problem must be solved once and for all from the root."

"Everyone, please start the demonstration."

(End of this chapter)