The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 106 If life were just like the first time we met

Mo Zibu and Zheng Xin retreated very quickly, because if they completely angered the White Elephant King, he would send more than 10,000 elite soldiers to chase them, which would be troublesome.

In fact, Zheng Xin was particularly worried that the Burmese army would catch up with him.

But Mo Zibu was not worried, because it was already the end of the first month of the 1767nd year of the Qianlong reign, AD, and the White Elephant King had no intention of caring about the two of them.

At this time, the daring Governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, Yang Yingju, should have been arrested and brought to Beijing. Mingrui, one of the top three powerful generals of the Qing Dynasty, is already on his way to become the Governor of Yunnan and Guizhou.

The White Elephant King must seize this good opportunity to capture Ayutthaya. If he waits for the Qing army to arrive, he will lose this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Of course, Mo Zibu would not tell Zheng Xin about these things.

First, he could not explain the source of the information.

Secondly, Mo Zibu only had a vague impression that the Qing Dynasty was going to launch a third large-scale expedition, but he had no idea about the specific situation.

So it’s better to be cautious.

It was only when he followed Zheng Xin from Pattaya all the way south that Mo Zi Bu truly felt the benefits of reputation.

When the news spread that they had defeated the Burmese army twice.

Well, in fact, in the eyes of the Siamese, it was Taksin who defeated the Burmese army twice, and Moses was simply ignored by the Siamese.

They had only walked more than twenty miles south from Pattaya when eight waves of people arrived.

They were all local village elders, township officials and even town Kuns (roughly equivalent to Viscounts). They brought their young men, led livestock, and carried rice, fruits, fish and meat to join Zheng Xin's camp.

When they arrived in Sattahip, the original team of Taksin and Mok Tsotsobu, which had only more than 2,000 people, had expanded to more than 5,000 people.

Later, Mo Zi Bu handed over Sotao to Zheng Xin, allowing Zheng Xin to raise his flag here and recruit soldiers.

But there is a practical problem. Sotao is still too small. It is just a fishing village with only about a hundred people. It cannot serve as a logistics base for fighting against the Burmese.

Staying here, let alone anything else, we can't even accommodate Mo Zibu's one or two thousand men, let alone Zheng Xin's current large group of people. We definitely need to find a better base.

Then the best place is the city of Rayong, about 45 kilometers to the east, which had bombarded Mozibu.

Zheng Xin dragged his tired body and once again finished handling government affairs.

He did not dare to take it lightly, so he deployed a large number of visible and hidden sentries on the road from Pattaya to Sattahip, so that even if the Burmese army attacked, he could get the news quickly.

After finishing his government affairs, Zheng Xin did not return to his own house, but went directly to Mo Zibu.

Before he even entered the house, he shouted exaggeratedly, "Zi Bu, bring the rice noodles over!"

Well, the fact that I, Mo Da Longtou, am good at making Teochew rice noodles has spread throughout the army, but apart from Zheng Xin, it seems that no one can half-jokingly ask Mo Zibu to come out and cook the food.

In fact, Mo Zibu does not have any special skills in making rice noodles, but Teochew rice noodles usually contain fried cypress, also known as fried dough sticks.

To make fried dough sticks, you need flour. This thing is generally grown in Southeast Asia, only in some mountainous areas in northern Myanmar and some mountainous areas in northern Annan.

Since the source is so scarce, there is even less flour on the market. Zheng Xin and others had just fled from Ayutthaya in a panic, so they certainly couldn't bring such a rare thing with them.

In addition, there is a shortage of flour in Nanyang, so most people don’t know the techniques of kneading dough and fermenting it.

Only someone like Mo Zibu, who has stayed in Africa for many years and was forced to develop good cooking skills, would delve into these things. After all, eating a meat bun in Nigeria is a very happy thing.

Mo Zibu also knew that Zheng Xin was coming, and to put it bluntly, Mo Zibu now not only helped Zheng Xin in his time of need, but also saved his life.

Mo Zibu paid so much, but he did not ask for anything. This was very uncomfortable for Zheng Xin, so he would definitely ask Mo Zibu what he wanted.

Sure enough, after the two of them finished a large bowl of rice noodles, Zheng Xin wiped his mouth, walked to the window, and said in a nostalgic tone:
“I lost my father when I was young, and it was my adoptive father who brought me up.

His favorite was this rice noodle. I remember the night he passed away, he asked the cook to cook a big bowl of rice noodles. He looked at me while eating and said to me:
"Ah Xin, after I leave, there will definitely be other kings who will try to take this position away from us Chaozhou people. Whether we can hold on to it depends on you."

Mo Zi Bu knew what the position Zheng Xin meant. It was the position of Minister of Finance of the Ayutthaya Dynasty that had been controlled by the Chinese for a hundred years.

"But things didn't go as planned. In order to protect the last bottom line of the Chinese community, I worked hard to learn how to be a good businessman, a good financial officer, and a good tax officer.

But in the end, it was my ability to march and fight that brought me to the top of the country."

Mo Zibu walked to Zheng Xin and looked at the sea view of Sattahip outside the window with him.

"But the end result is the same. Although my uncle didn't become the Minister of Finance, the position was not taken away by an outsider."

Taksin nodded, but suddenly put on a very sad expression. "The Minister of Finance is Chinese, but Siam is about to be destroyed. I'm sure Ayutthaya won't last more than three months."

After saying that, Zheng Xin looked at Mo Zibu and did not hide his desire at all.

"Ayutthaya lasted for 416 years, spanning 35 kings. According to our great nation of China, only the two Zhou dynasties, the Han dynasty, and the Song dynasty were states that lasted for more than 300 years. Even the Tang and Ming dynasties did not exceed 300 years.

As for the Xia and Shang dynasties, their gods and ghosts are beyond comprehension and cannot be guessed. After King Ping of the Western Zhou dynasty moved eastward, they became like puppets.

The Zhao Song Dynasty came to power illegitimately and was never able to unify the country. Emperor Gaozong fled south and lived in a remote corner, and even became a vassal of the barbarians. It could not be considered a great dynasty.

Only during the Han Dynasty, Emperor Guangwu was a gifted man of genius, and the dynasty was able to continue thanks to the blessings of the ancestors and gods.

From this we can see that it is difficult for a king in the world to remain immortal for three hundred years.

Although Ayutthaya enjoyed a hundred years of prosperity thanks to the Buddha's protection, its fate has now run out. Zibu, if I wanted to become the King of Siam, do you think I have a chance?"

Apart from anything else, Zheng Xin's frankness and honesty, his willingness to speak from the heart and never tell lies, is really comfortable to get along with.

Mo Zibu nodded and responded, "Five hundred years have passed since our Chinese ancestors went to Southeast Asia at the end of the Yuan Dynasty.

How many of our ancestors braved the frost and dew, cut through thorns, braved the wind and waves. Without us Chinese, how could Nanyang prosper?

I wonder where are the Chinese heroes in places like Old Port and Semarang during the Ming Dynasty now?

The reason is that we always think of ourselves as strangers in a foreign land. We have not realized that many of the fertile fields, good ports, and large mines in Southeast Asia were cultivated by us Chinese, and we think of ourselves as locals.

My father, Mo Shilin, took this into consideration and thought about the sinking of China, so he took up the title of King of Cambodia and wanted to build a peaceful paradise for the Chinese in Southeast Asia.

But my family is a remnant of the Ming Dynasty, and my compatriots have some doubts about us. Cambodia is a small and weak country, and cannot be relied upon.

On the other hand, Siam, which belonged to my uncle, was one of the major countries in Southeast Asia. It had a vast territory and abundant resources. It was known as the land of fish and rice. If I could rule it, I would be able to protect all the Chinese in Southeast Asia.

If my uncle wishes to build Siam into a paradise for all the Chinese in Southeast Asia, I will definitely help him!"

A spark of hope flared up in Zheng Xin's eyes. He gently stroked his chest twice, as if trying to calm his excitement. After a while, he looked at Mo Zibu and said,
"With Zibu's help, great things can be accomplished. If you are willing to submit, after the success, I am willing to split the land south of Luokun as a token of my gratitude."

Mo Zi Bu was greatly surprised. Taksin's words certainly did not mean that he should establish an independent country, but he was willing to give up the provinces south of Nakhon Si Thammarat, namely Nakhon Si Thammarat, Songkhla, Kaew Tou Lang, Pattani, etc., which were nominally controlled by Mo Zi Bu.

That is to say, in later generations, more than 80% of Thailand's territory on the Malay Peninsula was given to Moses Chan, making him the largest vassal of Siam.

Seeing Mo Zibu's shocked expression, Zheng Xin knew it was worth it.

He saw from the battle of Pattaya that the more than 1,000 people under Mo Zibu's command were extremely powerful, even stronger than the elite Burmese.

It is estimated that even if the White Elephant King comes in person, Kunlun Mountain Hall can still exchange one for one with the Burmese army.

This combat power is equivalent to Zheng Xin's initial 2,000 elite soldiers.

However, most of Zheng Xin's two thousand elite soldiers were consumed by the White Elephant King's mobilization of the imperial guards during the Battle of Ayutthaya.

If he wanted to recapture Ayutthaya, he would first have to wait for the Qing Dynasty in the north to take action, and secondly, he would definitely have to rely on Mo Zibu's elite troops.

More importantly, Mo Zibu was able to build such an elite force in just over a year, proving that he was a talented general and a talented commander.

As the saying goes, it is easy to get an army but difficult to get a good general. Giving a high-ranking vassal is nothing. The most important thing is to be able to attract talented people.

However, after being shocked, Mo Zibu quickly calmed down.

Because Taksin did not respond to his proposal to build a paradise for Chinese in the whole of Southeast Asia, but instead simply granted official titles and made promises.

This is, alas!

This is actually because they are afraid that Mo Zibu has bigger intentions, so they use a super big cake, but not too damaging to the core, to hit Mo Zibu first, so that he can no longer make other demands in the future.

Mo Zibu understood that the reason why Taksin pretended to be deaf and dumb was because the Chaozhou faction behind him had made a huge investment in Taksin first, and Taksin himself was a member of the Chaozhou Party of Siam.

After more than a hundred years of control, Siam has become the exclusive territory of the Chaozhou people.

The area south of Nakhon Si Thammarat is already the biggest piece of cake that Zheng Xin can get.

If he still had any requests, Zheng Xin would definitely suspect his motives. After all, their relationship had just begun to develop and was not that solid.

After figuring this out, when Zheng Xin was about to become suspicious, Mo Zibu bowed and expressed his gratitude.

"Uncle, you really understand me! I don't want my own flesh and blood to kill each other, so I have to follow Chong'er's example and flee abroad. If I can settle down south of Luokun, I will surely become a permanent vassal of Siam."

Zheng Xin was also very happy. He thought he finally understood Mo Zibu's needs.

If Mr. Mo Wu does not want to return to Hexianxing to deal with the Xuanwu Gate Incident, leaving is the best choice.

Mo Zibu began to understand that his original plan was more effective. He had to become Zheng Xin's son-in-law so that he could infiltrate the Chaozhou people with his own identity.

Now they are the largest force in Nanyang. If they do not win the support of a considerable number of Teochew people, integrating the Chinese in Nanyang will be just empty talk.

(End of this chapter)