The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 279 The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Going to the World (Requesting Subscription, Requesting Tickets)
Many people in later generations blamed the suppression of the Chinese in Southeast Asia on the lack of support from their motherland, but in the view of Luo Xueyan or Luo Yaoguo, the lack of support from their motherland was not the main reason. After all, there were many Chinese in Southeast Asia, and their financial resources were overwhelming! Although they were not strong in military force, the motherland in the north had been in chaos for more than a hundred years, and there were many veterans who wanted to flee, and not everyone could squeeze onto that island.

If the Chinese in Southeast Asia really wanted to spend money to organize Chinese mercenaries, not to mention wiping out the entire Southeast Asia, it would not be impossible for them to take over one or two countries outside of Singapore.

But why can't it succeed?
The problem is that there is no powerful organization to take charge of this matter!
Although there are Hongmen, various hometown associations, and some clan forces overseas, the organization of Hongmen, hometown associations, and clans is still not enough and is not enough to establish a country through fierce struggle.

In contrast, the so-called indigenous peoples in Southeast Asia did not have much of an advantage in numbers when the colonial tide receded, and their financial resources were even worse than those of the Chinese. The knowledge and talents of the indigenous elites were not as good as those of the Chinese elites. However, they had organizations that were more powerful than gangs, hometown associations, and clans, namely, the Roman Catholic Church and Theravada Buddhism.

Within their respective spheres of influence, the Muslim sect and the Theravada Buddhism can integrate the upper-class dignitaries, the middle-class elites, and the lower-class cattle and horses together to form a huge whole. Whether it is "violent non-cooperation" or "non-violent non-cooperation", they can make a big noise.

When facing the attacks from foreigners, the huge organization can share the burden, so that the damage to individuals is not so serious.

The foreigners can destroy a disobedient Chinese family, but they cannot eliminate the Muslim community and Buddhism. They may even hesitate when faced with a group that can incite millions of people for fear that the situation will get completely out of control.

However, when it comes to regulating Chinese families, there are no such concerns.

And in today's China, there happens to be an organization that can unite the masses. That is the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom!
Although this group of shamans is not well received by later generations, their organizational ability is definitely better than that of the Tiandihui and the Tongxianghui.

Maybe I can even compete with white Americans in California!

After signing several temporary agreements in Shanghai with the American Minister Marsali, the British Minister Bonham, and the French Minister Bourboulon on the export of Chinese workers, the full opening of Shanghai (the military governor's jurisdiction), the lease of fleets, the introduction of technology to build shipyards, and mutual freedom of preaching, Luo Xueyan handed over the establishment of HSBC Bank, Sanxin Company, Xueji Real Estate Company, and Greater Shanghai Development Company to Wu Jianzhang, Xu Yuegui, Cheng Peifu, Jiao Hong, and others. Then, he spent two days with Zhou Xiuying before "leading troops to fight" again to Kunshan to attack Su Sanniang.

Accompanied by Xiang Xun, the newly appointed commander of the First Regiment of the Shanghai New Army, Luo Xueyan passed through the heavily guarded Anting Pass and Huaqiao Pass and entered the jurisdiction of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Prince Wu's Mansion. After that, he once again turned back into the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's holy angel, commander-in-chief of the upper army, military strategist of the Westernization Movement, chief lecturer of the God Worshipping Society, and Prince Wu Luo Yaoguo.

Waiting for Luo Yaoguo at Huaqiao Pass controlled by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was Su Sanniang, who was already more than a month pregnant. Perhaps because of her increased appetite after pregnancy and reduced exercise, Su Sanniang was now much plumper than before. Her lines were rounder, and her originally handsome face became soft and charming. It seemed that a mountain-building movement was taking place.

The carriage was speeding along the official road leading to Kunshan County. Luo Yaoguo, who had been intimate with Su Sanniang, opened the curtains and admired the scenery outside the window.

It is now the end of summer. Kunshan County, which is ruled by the Wu Palace of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, is full of greenery. The fields on both sides of the official road are full of thriving rice. From time to time, you can see Taiping soldiers and farmers measuring the land - this should be the redistribution of land.

When Luo Yaoguo was in Shanghai, he received a report from the Jiangnan branch of the God Worshipping Society, informing him that the land reform pilot was being carried out throughout Kunshan. Kunshan is a typical Jiangnan land of fish, rice and mulberry trees. There are paddy fields and mulberry trees everywhere in the territory, and the transportation is extremely convenient. In the Qing Dynasty, it is definitely a first-class wealthy town. However, the population density of the wealthy town is also extremely high. Even if the land is divided equally, the per capita arable land is still very small, and farming alone can only make do to survive. Fortunately, the farmers in this area have always had a sideline of planting mulberry trees and raising silkworms. The shadows of mulberry trees can be seen everywhere in the fields, even on both sides of the official road, and in the villages with curling smoke, which can be regarded as giving the farmers in Kunshan another bite to eat.

But even so, no matter how hard you work in the countryside of Kunshan, you still can't earn as much as working in the booming Shanghai, not even 10% of what others can earn!

As landlords and gentry in southern Jiangsu flocked to Shanghai with their families and property, the real estate business in Shanghai flourished. Not only was Xue Ji Real Estate owned by Luo Xueyan doing extremely well, but also the Wu family's Tong Shun Hang and Qi Chang Hang, Liu Lichuan's Yi Xing Company, Xu Yuegui's San Xin Company, and the foreigners' Jardine Matheson, Po Shun Hang, and Remi Hang were all enclosing land everywhere to build roads and houses. With the launch of these infrastructure projects, Shanghai's demand for labor went up a notch.

Before Sister Yuegui's Sanxin Company started "selling piglets" overseas, it received a large number of orders to help recruit workers from the chaotic southern Jiangsu.

For such an order, Xu Yuegui naturally accepted it all!
So when Luo Yaoguo was riding in a carriage to Kunshan, he could see groups of strong men following the Red Gang disciples with the "Xin" flags and walking to Anting Pass. Sometimes, he could also see landlords running away with their families in sedan chairs - they also had a "Xin" flag to protect them. However, when these landlords saw a group of Taiping cavalry escorting a four-wheeled carriage passing by them, they couldn't help but shiver.
Xu Zhenghui, the landlord of the Xu family in Kunshan, who was sitting on a carriage, happened to see a big man from the Heavenly Kingdom in a yellow robe staring at him through the glass window of the carriage. He felt a terrifying pressure coming at him, which almost scared him off the sedan chair.

Although Xu Zhenghui himself was only a scholar and had not entered the officialdom, he was a descendant of the famous Three Xus of Kunshan, and had many relatives and friends who were officials and their aides, including several who were in the officialdom in Hunan.

Through correspondence with them, Xu Zhenghui learned too many rumors about the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom dividing land and killing landlords, each one more terrifying than the last. So when Luo Xueyan's army retreated from Kunshan, Xu Zhenghui began to think of ways to sell off his property, and at the same time sent his son and housekeeper to Shanghai to buy land and prepare to build a house there to settle down.

However, he did not expect that there were too many landlords in Kunshan who had the same idea as him. The land price kept falling and no one was interested in it. Before he could deal with his property, the Taiping Army had already entered the city.

Fortunately, the Taiping Army that reached Kunshan was not as fierce as the Taiping Army in Hunan, and they did not immediately send people to the countryside to divide the land. However, they also posted notices everywhere, announcing that the land distribution would be started before the autumn harvest this year, and also announced that all usurious loans owed by farmers to landlords would be invalidated!
Now Xu Zhenghui finally realized that he could not stay in Kunshan anymore and had to run to Shanghai immediately!
But how to escape? Just when Xu Zhenghui was at his wit's end, his son in Shanghai suddenly sent Huang Jinbao, a fellow villager who had been in Shanghai for a few years and joined a gang, back to his hometown to show Xu Zhenghui and several of his fellow villager masters how to transfer cash and escape.
Now all the Xu family’s money has been transferred out, but people have not yet passed Huaqiao Pass, and the security here in Huaqiao Township has obviously become much tighter!

You can't run away, right?

When he thought of the brutality of the Taiping Army, Mr. Xu Zhenghui made the sign of the cross on his chest and chanted, "Greatly merciful and compassionate Avalokitesvara, may you bless me."

When he saw the Taiping New Army equipped with foreign rifles with bayonets and training in formation inside Huaqiao Pass, he secretly made up his mind: he could not stay in Shanghai for long and had to keep running. The farther the better!

(End of this chapter)