Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 698 Returning Home to Hear Changes
The main force of the Donghua Army did not go far, but retreated across the river and set up camp to await further instructions. This can be regarded as a practical battle and training exercise.

Jia Zhi and Jia Quan soon found themselves with nothing to do, so the two brothers took their fishing rods and went fishing by the river, chatting idly along the way.

The small town on the other side of the river has come back to life; wisps of smoke can be seen rising from chimneys in the distance, and buoys drift on the water. It looks like the air force needs to be deployed.

"I'm telling you, if you withdraw the troops, they won't thank you." After half an hour without any fish, Jia Quan started complaining out of boredom.

Jia Zhi sat on a small stool, gazing intently at the river, as if speaking to the water: "This isn't just for the US government; it's for everyone."

Jia Quan tilted his head and thought for a moment: "The idea is good, but it will take a lot of time and effort to see results."

Jia Zhi said calmly, "Since we've decided to settle down in this land, we can't be impatient. We can only work gradually over a longer period of time. Our competitors are not weak!"

Jia Quan understood Jia Zhi's meaning and nodded in agreement, saying, "That's right. It's not difficult to defeat the enemy on the front lines, but it's difficult to win the hearts of the people after we've occupied the territory."

“My father said that the Anssa people are cunning, untrustworthy, and have no bottom line. They also bully the weak and fear the strong. Right now, our strength is insufficient, so we have to use this strategy to buy time to develop our strength.”

Three days later, an American governor arrived from the border town. After several rounds of negotiations, the American representatives agreed to sign a non-aggression pact with the north and south banks of the Missouri River as the boundary.

With this, the Donghua Army, having achieved its objective, withdrew. The US side had actually played a trick; they signed the agreement on behalf of the states, not the US government.

Both Jia Zhi and Jia Quan noticed this, but didn't point it out. After all, Jia Zhi could always bring up the agreement when territorial expansion was needed in the future, since he represented the Northern Province, not the Eastern China Kingdom.

If a map existed at that time, it would show that the territory occupied by the Donghua Kingdom and the indigenous peoples roughly accounted for one-third of the modern United States.

One large mountainous area, seemingly of little value, is actually the source of two major rivers. The people of Donghua Kingdom, who are fond of farming, are quite sensitive to water resources.

When it comes to the speed of development of Donghua Kingdom, Li Heng's side is really fast. They have already extended their reach into modern Texas and New Mexico.

Li Heng especially loved Texas; it was perfect for farming. After supporting local self-governance and bringing the region under the Donghua Kingdom's rule, he continuously sent immigrants there.

The rate of immigration from the mainland to Donghua Kingdom also reached a peak that year, with a total number of nearly two million. Half of them came spontaneously from the Fujian and Zhejiang regions along the eastern coast.

Speaking of these two provinces, things weren't so great during the agricultural era; they were truly mountainous with very little arable land. The people, struggling with hardship, were eager to venture out and make their way in the world.

In the past, people were willing to go to Southeast Asia, but now the majority go to Donghua (East China). After all, the gold mines in Australia are said to have been exhausted, while the gold mines in New Gold Mountain are far from being depleted.

Countless young people, hoping to get rich, signed employment agreements and boarded ships bound for Donghua Kingdom.

The circumnavigation fleet, having completed its repairs, encountered a minor but significant problem, which stemmed from Li Heng.

This extremely audacious Prince Donghua first proposed that the fleet help him sail south to intimidate Mexico. After being refused, he then offered to buy five cruisers.

This guy is really rich; he quoted a million silver dollars for a cruiser. Although it's a Mexican silver dollar, its value isn't much less than that of a Mexican silver dollar.

The fleet dared not make the decision, as these were all the latest warships, equipped with the latest naval guns. They could only refuse again.

Finally, Li Heng proposed another condition: warships were not necessary, but naval cannons had to be purchased.

The fleet had no choice but to agree to sell him thirty naval guns and five loads of ammunition.

It can only be said that Li Heng's identity was too special, and under these circumstances, he still played a very important role.

In contrast, Jia Zhi also acquired twenty-four new naval guns. Upon hearing this, Xue Fang also requested to buy naval guns, and the fleet had no choice but to sell him twelve.

Having sold a batch of naval guns and ammunition, the ships returned laden with copper ingots and boxes of silver dollars.

The price of the naval cannons was outrageous, 50,000 silver dollars per cannon and 500 silver dollars per shell. Even at this price, Donghua Kingdom did not think it was expensive and wanted to buy more.

From this perspective, the people of Donghua truly lack a sense of security.

The returning fleet took the North Pacific route, spending another six months at sea before finally reaching Nagasaki. This route had become very well-established over the years, with various markers visible along the way. Compared to the route pioneered by the Spanish, it was significantly shorter and the sea conditions were much better.

The Global Fleet, eager to return home, docked in Nagasaki for three days. During the brief resupply and rest period, Jia Quan also disembarked and strolled around the Nagasaki concession.

The short rickshaw driver provided excellent service. There were many restaurants here, filled with sailors and disheveled local women.

Chinese signs are everywhere on the main street. Because of the North Pacific route, Nagasaki, as the starting point, has developed a service industry that is somewhat abnormally developed.

Jia Quan found a seemingly upscale tavern and signaled the driver to stop.

Having been at sea for almost three years, Jia Quan is considered a fairly self-disciplined person. In places like Ottoman, London, Marseille, and New York, he has always followed the crowd.

I came out for a stroll alone today. I'd only ever seen Silla Hibi, mentioned in historical records, when I was in the capital, but I'd never seen a Japanese maidservant who was on par with Silla Hibi. I took this opportunity to come and see for myself.

After the shogunate was forced to accept the Zhou Empire's demand for a leased territory in Nagasaki, its rule remained quite stable. The reason for this was the large-scale human trafficking, which brought enormous wealth to the shogunate and daimyo, while also greatly alleviating the conflict between population and land.

Faced with the Zhou Empire's exploitation, the shogunate and local daimyo showed no remorse whatsoever, kneeling in submission. The heirs of the shogunate and local daimyo all chose to study in the capital.

According to partial statistics, approximately three thousand Japanese students studied and lived in the Zhou Empire. Of these, half remained in the Zhou Empire after completing their studies, while the other half returned home and became elites. Interestingly, the vast majority of these elites, upon returning home, advocated for full-scale competition with Korea. Regarding the issue of human trafficking, Korea, due to its land border, primarily sold people to the Far East, while Japan, due to the presence of Nagasaki, primarily sold people to Donghua (Korea).

Strictly speaking, it wasn't selling. It was a long-term employment contract, essentially a twenty-year contract with wages. Li Heng was the shogunate's biggest client, paying the shogunate or daimyo fifty silver dollars per head. When young Japanese men arrived in Donghua, they generally had two choices: join the army or farm. Military service required ten years to gain freedom and fifty acres of land. Farming, however, required at least fifteen years of cultivation based on performance before being granted land and residency. Li Heng even formed a Japanese-origin division based on this tactic. This unit performed exceptionally well in battles against the Mexican government forces, repeatedly achieving victories against superior numbers.

As Jia Quan stepped into the tavern, he subconsciously slowed down. Four Japanese women at the door bowed and said, "Welcome!" They spoke in Chinese, but their accents were off.

The four women were all quite young, no more than fifteen years old. In this era, that was quite normal.

The tall Jia Quan, seeing the pitiful looks in the eyes of these shorter women looking up at him, couldn't help but soften his heart and said to the madam, "I'll take all four."

Jia Quan, who was in the army, had money but nowhere to spend it. He hadn't spent a single silver dollar of the money he brought with him before going to sea, and he still had 100,000 yuan of dividends from buying naval cannons on the ship.

In reality, these hostesses are not expensive; even the four best ones in the bar only charge five yuan per session.

The meal cost only ten silver dollars, so Jia Quan didn't feel much about the amount. In contrast, back in the capital, a meal at a decent restaurant could easily cost fifty or sixty silver dollars, and sometimes even over a hundred. The girls in the capital, whether they were the beauties of Datong, the nuns of Taishan, or the "slender horses" of Yangzhou, were all very attractively priced.

A single trip would cost at least five hundred silver dollars. In recent years, prices in some places have become increasingly outrageous.

The prices in Nagasaki are low, the service is good, and the skills are excellent. Unlike in Beijing, where they're always trying to chat with you—what's there to talk about with things like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting?

After experiencing the exotic services of 404, Jia Quan, who had drunk quite a bit, staggered into the car and returned to the dock. He would still sleep on the warship that night; it would make him feel safer.

Three days later, the fleet entered Tianjin Port. Jia Quan's business was not over yet. He had to submit the nautical log and a professional nautical report, which had to explain in detail the various advantages and disadvantages of the new warships.

Fortunately, this job was ongoing; it only required a day to compile and submit the materials. Senior officers like the fleet commander weren't so relaxed. They also had to report to their superiors, but soon discovered that the superiors had changed. What used to be called the Naval Office was now the Ministry of the Navy. Even their superiors had changed; most of the former elites had left. Asking around, they learned that a comprehensive military reform had been launched two years prior. The Grand Secretary personally oversaw the reform, implementing a system in the Navy that promoted the mediocre and demoted the incompetent. Many officers who had never even been at sea were all dismissed.

The remaining officers weren't much better off; they had to take an assessment, and those who failed had to go back to military academy for further training.

That's how it was done. Those traditional nobles didn't dare to show their teeth. There were a few who were dissatisfied, but they were simply sent to the Far East to watch black bears baring their teeth.

The remaining individuals were more sensible; having already amassed enough wealth over the years, they voluntarily retired. It's likely that if they hadn't retired, the Grand Secretary would have resorted to his trump card: an audit.

Thinking about it carefully, from the reign of Emperor Chenghui until two years ago, the Naval Office existed for more than ten years, receiving an annual allocation of ten million yuan.

The same thing happened to the troops stationed in various places. Those who honestly accepted the military reforms could be transferred to a different location, and the undignified court would help them to maintain their dignity.

During the two-year military reform period, it is said that at least three thousand people were exiled. Those who were exiled were either lucky enough to be part of their entire family, or unlucky enough to be exiled as an entire clan.

Moreover, the officials and their families who were exiled during the military reform were all sent to that godforsaken place in the Far East.

Under such a tough approach, the military reform was able to proceed smoothly, but Chief Minister Jia also offended a large number of people.

Jia Quan first deposited his dividends at the bank; this money couldn't be taken home—it was his personal savings. Jia Quan's wife didn't come from a high social class; she was the younger sister of a classmate from his military academy days, and her brother-in-law was in the South China Sea Fleet.

Jia Quan's marriage was not arranged through an alliance; he made his own decisions. Similarly, the marriages of Jia Lian's children were all arranged by themselves, mostly with ordinary families.

That night, after staying in a barracks at the naval base, Jia Quan learned about the military reforms from his colleagues.

The following day, after Jia Quan reported to the Navy Department, the staff officer who received him informed him that all officers and soldiers of the Global Fleet would be given a six-month leave, and would return to their camps after the leave to await further assignment.

Jia Quan brought back too many things, so he had to go to the Sihai Bank to find the Xue family and ask them to help send the items back home.

It's not Jia Quan's fault that there were so many things; it was mainly because Jia Zhi insisted on sending them, and Xue Fang also sent quite a lot. If you were to ask what good things Donghua Kingdom had, the first thing that came to mind was furs.

Among the furs Jia Quan brought back were three white bear skins, which were gifts for Wang Xifeng, Baochai, and Daiyu; and three bear whips, which were for Jia Lian.

Jia Quan left everything else behind and boarded the train back to Beijing.

Because there was no prior notice, when Jia Quan returned to her doorstep, the doorman was so startled that he fell off his stool.

Upon hearing the news, Wang Xifeng rushed out of the central courtyard like a whirlwind and saw Jia Quan holding his head and wailing loudly, which made Jia Quan shed tears as well.

After sitting with Wang Xifeng for more than two hours, listening to his mother ramble on about the events of the past two years, Jia Quan finally understood what a major change meant.

In the two years that followed, his grandfather Jia She passed away. Before Jia Lian, the Grand Secretary, could even submit his resignation, the emperor's edict arrived, granting him only seven days of leave.

The reasons are also compelling: the population census and military reforms, which Jia Lian personally oversaw, are at a critical stage of implementation.

Secondly, the second branch of the family moved out and separated from the main branch. Now, only Jia Lian's lineage remains in the Rongguo Mansion.

Speaking of the second wife, there's another matter: Jia Baoyu ran away from home, saying he was going to travel the world. Fortunately, Jia Baoyu still has two sons, and Jia Zheng now spends his days playing with his grandsons.

Jia Lan, from the second branch of the family, also passed the imperial examination and went to Shandong to take up his post, accompanied by his mother, Li Wan. Jia Shi, the eldest brother from the eastern branch, returned from Anxi, having been promoted to the rank of lieutenant general, officially entering the ranks of generals. Jia Wei, the second brother from the eastern branch, was retained as a teacher at the Engineering Academy due to his outstanding academic performance. Incidentally, the Engineering Academy was renamed the Imperial University of Peking, incorporating the Hanlin Academy, thus becoming a comprehensive university. Before their official assignments, all Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) had to undergo six months of training at the Imperial University of Peking and then observe government affairs at the Six Ministries for another six months.

Even more outrageous, all those who passed the imperial examinations, even after taking office, had to pursue further studies through correspondence courses at the Imperial University of Peking. Only after passing the examinations and obtaining a so-called master's degree could they be promoted.

Regular graduates of universities in the capital were required to participate in the imperial examinations as candidates for the Juren degree.

(End of this chapter)