The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 142 You Can’t Do It
However, although Mingrui's superiors may very likely destroy him, it is a great benefit to Mo Zibu and Zheng Xin.

Just after the Mid-Autumn Festival, after witnessing his parents schedule the wedding of his sister Mo Hui and his sworn brother Li Xianwen for the end of the year, Mo Zi Bu was recalled to Chanthaburi by Zheng Xin.

Because Zheng Xin finally managed to figure out the current situation of the Burmese army. After all, no normal Siamese would be willing to be a slave under the rule of the Burmese army.

When the Burmese troops around Ayutthaya withdrew in large numbers, a large number of Siamese civilians, and even Siamese soldiers serving in various Thai traitor armies, also fled.

Most of them fled to Taksin's side, and a small number fled to Phraya Korat, who supported Thepphit, the younger brother of King Agada.

Therefore, after obtaining first-hand intelligence, Taksin decided to march into Ayutthaya before Phraya Korat, expel the Burmese army, recapture the old capital, and seize the righteous cause.

Well, actually, Taksin doesn’t need to be so anxious, because Phraya Korat’s territory and population are not much different from Taksin’s.

But this guy was originally a favorite of King Agada, and helped King Agada do many things to punish the Chinese, so he could not gain the trust of the Chinese.

In Siam, especially in today's Siam, if he fails to gain the trust and support of the Chinese, it means that he will fail miserably in his economic activities.

Therefore, Phraya Korat cannot even gather enough equipment for 10,000 people.

He was not in the same league as Zheng Xin, who already had 150 warships, 35,000 soldiers, dozens of cannons, thousands of flintlock rifles, and more than 10,000 musketeers.

In the Chanthaburi Palace, Taksin also held a small welcome ceremony for Mo Zi Bu. All the close people around Taksin were present and waited until they arrived at the inner palace.

Zheng Xin's mother Luo Yang, wife Wu Xuan, and daughter Shi Shi were all there.

Shishi smiled as she sat next to Mo Zibu, and they all enjoyed a family meal of strong tea and desserts.

It even made Mo Zibu have a strange feeling. He felt more relaxed when he was with Zheng Xin's family than when he was with Ou Tianci.

This may be the worry caused by Mo Zibu's different paths from his father Ou Tianci.

Mother-in-law Wu Xuan became more and more satisfied with Mo Zi Bu, especially after Mo Zi Bu adopted Phraya Rayong's daughter and kept her in Zheng Mosai's house, which made Wu Xuan even happier.

Zheng Xin was also very satisfied with Mo Zibu's actions. After drinking tea for a while, Zheng Xin said with a smile:
"Zi Bu is not young anymore, there are some things that he should enjoy, and there is no need to worry too much.

Although my uncle is old, he is not the only one in the family."

Zheng Xin's words were a little obscure, after all, his daughter was right in front of him, but everyone understood.

Mo Zi Bu also understood. Taksin might have thought that Mo Zi Bu did not accept Phraya Rayong's daughter immediately because the woman was not sent by Taksin.

Zheng Xin also thought Mo Zibu was quite loyal.

As for not having to worry too much, of course it refers to the fact that he and Mo Zibu are not only father-in-law and son-in-law, but also brothers-in-law.

In this era when men control the means of production, such women do not have much status, and no one would regard such a relationship as a brother-in-law, so Zheng Xin asked Mo Zibu not to be too cautious.

"Hmph!" There was only one person at the scene who was dissatisfied, and that was Shishi.

This little girl, who is not even fourteen years old, has already known how to be jealous.

But she could only throw a tantrum. Given Mo Zibu's status, there would be no more than twenty women around him in the future, which was a great respect for her.

Mo Zibu also laughed, thanked Zheng Xin for the reminder, then looked at Shi Shi and said:

"We're about to start retaking the capital, and I really don't have anywhere else to go. Why don't I hand her over to Shishi and let her train her properly?"

"Hehe!" Shishi couldn't help laughing out loud at the thought of having a 'slave girl' that belonged entirely to her.

She looked at Mo Zibu with her signature crescent eyes and said sweetly, "Brother Zibu, you are so nice!"

However, unlike Shishi's ignorance, Zheng Xin and his wife Wu Xuan looked at each other and a little doubt arose in their hearts.

Could it be that Mo Zibu really only likes men and not women as the rumors say?
Or perhaps he's mentally distorted by a previous emotional injury? Or perhaps a part of his body is injured and can't function properly anymore?

Zheng Xin nodded to Wu Xuan secretly and agreed to a plan. This was related to his daughter's future happiness and he couldn't be careless.

But Mo Zibu didn't know this at the moment. Seeing that the tea and pastries were almost finished, Mo Zibu glanced at Zheng Xin, and Zheng Xin sent his mother, wife and daughter out.

"Sir, my father may take action against Tonle Sap Lake. My sworn brother has sent several waves of envoys." Mo Zibu said softly.

This time, Ou Tianci was quite dissatisfied that he got nothing and even Zheng Xin did not accept his investment.

King Nong Neng (Angnon II) of the Tonle Sap Lake area was originally supported by Siam and had always been a major concern for King Nong Neng (Phra Udei II), the adopted son of King Nong Thien Ci and the King of Cambodia.

Now that Siam is preoccupied with internal turmoil, it is the best time to eliminate Ni Nen. Ni Nen has made many requests, and Ou Tianci also needs to take over this area to give an explanation to the Mingxiang people and the fellow villagers in western Guangdong who are ready to make moves.

In addition, the Qing envoys frightened Ruan Zhongming, the commander of the Guangnan Left Camp, and he is now very obedient.

This was not acceptable, so Nguyen Tien-chi decided to personally lead an expedition to Tonle Sap Lake to continue providing space for Nguyen Trong Minh to abuse his power.

Zheng Xin thought quickly. Since Mo Zibu came to talk about this matter personally, it meant that he could not persuade Ou Tianci.

He now also needs to reach a tacit understanding with Ou Tianci so that when he retakes Ayutthaya, Ou Tianci will not stab him in the back.

"Sir, the land bordering Nirvana is Phraya Korat."

Mo Zibu reminded again that Taksin was not the King of Siam at that time, and his territory did not border the Tonle Sap Lake area controlled by Nimrod Nen.

Zheng Xin nodded. "In that case, I won't be involved in this matter anymore. Besides, I received a batch of jewelry seized from the Burmese army these days. I have asked your mother-in-law to select a batch. Please send it to your mother in a few days."

Although the problem was temporarily resolved, both the father-in-law and the son-in-law sighed in their hearts at the same time.

Besides the scramble for Cambodia, the Zheng and Ou families also had an irreconcilable conflict: money. Due to the recent turmoil in Siam, Ha Tien had become the first port of call for Chinese and foreign merchant ships on the trade routes from Guangzhou and Fuzhou to Southeast Asia over the past decade or so, earning substantial amounts of port fees and secondary resale profits.

But if Taksin unified Siam, the Gulf of Siam where Mongkok (Bangkok) is located would definitely vigorously develop trade, and competition with Ha Tien would immediately become fierce.

In addition, there is another big business in which both sides will soon face competition, and that is selling stolen goods to Chinese pirates in Southeast Asia.

At this time, the total number of Chinese pirates in Southeast Asia was about 30,000 to 50,000. Most of the goods they looted needed to be sold in exchange for goods from legal sources or simply cash.

Some pirates, when they are old and want to go ashore, will also give a sum of money to people who can guarantee their life safety and provide a safe place for their retirement.

This kind of business must be undertaken by a local tycoon whom they can trust, who has strength and credibility.

At the beginning, it was done by Hoi An, Ha Tien and Siam.

Later, Hoi An gradually declined and it became difficult for Guangnan Kingdom to control it, so the pirates dared not go to Hoi An anymore.

Then King Agada came to power in Siam and the situation became chaotic. Especially after he intentionally restricted the Chinese, the pirates gradually abandoned Siam as their base.

Now the largest stolen goods trafficking den is only in Hexian.

It is estimated to bring in more than 100,000 taels of silver to Hexian every year, making it the third largest source of income for the Zhou family after tin mining trade, commercial transactions and commissions.

But in the foreseeable future, after Siam’s political situation stabilizes, this business will definitely continue to be developed, and then conflicts with Ha Tien will inevitably arise.

However, the two people's inner thoughts were completely different. Zheng Xin was thinking about how to compete with Ha Tien without breaking off relations after he established his country.

What Mo Zibu was considering was to resolve this fundamental conflict, and the only way was for Siam and Cambodia to unite.

In this way, as the co-leader of the two families, he could calmly mediate and distribute these interests to achieve a balance.

"Zi Bu, do you think we can achieve a complete victory in this march into Ayutthaya?"

Putting aside the thoughts of the two people, the most important thing at the moment is to recapture Ayutthaya and help Taksin become the King of Siam.

"We will definitely win a great victory." Mo Zibu nodded affirmatively.

It seems that the development is going too smoothly now, and Zheng Xin is beginning to doubt himself.

He must be doubting whether he really has such great prestige. Why do so many people suddenly come to him to place bets?

"Last month, Li Shiyao, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, sent an envoy to my home, bringing a written order from the Emperor of Beijing.

My son-in-law learned that the court's first-class general Gong Mingrui had already led a large army south, and the Burmese army must have withdrawn most of them, leaving only the second and third line troops.

The situation now is essentially the same as when King Naresuan restored the country, except that the Ming Dynasty has become the Qing Dynasty."

Hearing Mo Zibu say this, Zheng Xin breathed a sigh of relief. He still trusted Mo Zibu's judgment.

When Zheng Xin heard that the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Li Shiyao, had sent someone to bring the emperor's oral instructions, he became very envious.

A fact that is completely unimaginable to later generations is that, except for the Konbaung Dynasty, which did not get much profit from the Nanyang trade, the current Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi in the Qing Dynasty is the lord of the Nanyang countries. Perhaps the Cantonese term "qiye" is more accurate.

Often, a letter from the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi could mobilize Zheng in the north, Nguyen in the south and Siam. As long as the request was not too outrageous, they would definitely comply.

If you ask Zheng Xin to use the King of Siam to exchange for the position of Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, maybe he will really be willing to do it.

So Mo Zibu thought for a moment and said, "Your Excellency, why don't you choose a smart one to accompany my delegation to Guangzhou to see the attitude of Li Shiyao, the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. When you ask for a title in the future, you will definitely have to deal with him."

Zheng Xin was greatly surprised. "Then I will write a letter to your father myself. If our two families unite, we will both benefit. If we separate, we will both suffer. We should stick together!"

Well, Mo Zibu wanted to laugh. Historically, it was extremely difficult for Zheng Xin to obtain a title. It was exactly the bad medicine that Ou Tianci had given him.

At that time, Emperor Qianlong sent an envoy to ask Ou Tianci about Zheng Xin's background.

In his reply, Ou Tianci scolded Taksin, saying that Taksin was a usurper, a traitor, and had killed a large number of royal family members of the Ayutthaya Dynasty, which made Qianlong extremely dislike Taksin.

Later, when Taksin sent an envoy to Beijing, Emperor Qianlong was furious and threw the letter from Siam requesting a title on the ground. He then drove the Siamese envoys out of Beijing and ordered them to return south immediately.

. . . .

At night, Mo Zibu and Zheng Xin drank a lot of wine, and Zheng Xin was so drunk that he needed someone to support him.

It was getting late, and Mo Zi Bu had no choice but to stay in the royal palace in Chanthaburi at Zheng Xin's request.

Not long after he lay down in a daze, Mo Zibu heard the door creak open.

Before he could get up, a warm, delicate body as soft as silk crawled into his bed.

On a slightly chilly autumn night, the presence of such a warm body under the quilt is unbearable for anyone.

Mo Zibu pushed with his only remaining willpower, and found the soft and fragrant jade irresistible. He tried to resist but ended up losing his willpower. Mo Zibu, who had not tasted meat for three months, could not resist at all, and his rationality was instantly destroyed.

"Who are you?" Mo Dalong asked.

"Don't talk, let me serve you." A low and soft voice came, and the faint fragrance was particularly familiar. Mo Zibu immediately knew who it was.

He straightened his body, blurry looking at a beautiful face, with a warm and moist feeling, gently kissing his forehead.

Outside the window, several old maids heard the moans of lovemaking coming from inside the house, and immediately went to report with smiles on their faces.

(End of this chapter)