The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 193 Doing Business with the Fucha Family
In the city of Ava, just when Mo Zibu was about to use the prestige of King Li Jin to raise his own banner, the order in the city was still far from being restored.

Mo Zibu naturally would not live in the city, so it was Chen Guangyao who entered the city to control it on his behalf.

The Burmese, who have been domineering for decades, finally tasted the feeling of being ravaged and manipulated by others.

Just as Mo Zibu was busy clearing out his belongings, Mingde, led by Changbao, finally arrived in Ava with two hundred people.

Originally, he planned to bring 500 people with him, but considering the long journey and the need to return to China via Ha Tien, Agui was afraid that if he sent too many people, they would be infected with malaria and dozens or even hundreds of people would die, so he reduced the number to 200.

Compared with his brother Mingrui and cousin Mingliang, Mingde does not have much ability in military affairs. Similarly, his abilities in other aspects are even more average.

But fortunately, he came from a high-class family, could write and calculate, and had good interpersonal skills, so he was still capable of being a shogunate staff member.

Of course, this was not necessarily a bad thing. He did not have to command the army or stay in the barracks for a long time, thus avoiding the fate of his brothers Mingrui and Mingliang who died in battle on the border.

As soon as he entered the city of Ava, Mingde couldn't help rubbing his eyes, because a group of soldiers wearing red mandarin duck battle jackets and vermilion lacquered helmets with the word "Yong" on them were walking towards him.

Damn it, Mingde couldn't help but feel his calves twitching. He raised his head and looked around.

My goodness, this doesn’t feel like entering Ava in Myanmar, it feels more like entering the Ming Dynasty.

The Manchu soldiers under his command also became nervous. After the cruel literary inquisitions during the reigns of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong, even the Manchus became sufficiently wary of the word "Ming" and the Ming-style Hanfu and official uniforms.

What's even more terrifying is that Mingde heard a lot of rumors along the way.

For example, this River Fairy King led his troops in white helmets and armor, dressed in mourning clothes, to offer sacrifices to the Ming Dynasty ministers who died in the curse water disaster.

They also built cenotaphs for Yongli's two concubines, Liu and Yang, the last Duke of Qian and his son, and the last Prince Ji and his wife.

What does it mean that all these things are so brazenly shown to everyone? It means that this is a true remembrance of the former Ming Dynasty.

No, they are the remnants of the former Ming Dynasty!
If this happened in China, the entire clan would be exterminated. Could it be that the River Immortal King was still thinking about overthrowing the Qing Dynasty and wiping out all of his two hundred men?

However, although he was a little scared, Mingde still understood one thing: if he showed cowardice in this matter, Qianlong would definitely take his life.

So even though he was afraid, Mingde still pretended to be fearless and kept shouting:

"Everyone, please be alert. We must not lose face for our Celestial Empire. Who has brought shame upon the men of our Forbidden City? Hey, when you go back, go to the Eastern Tomb and guard the Imperial Mausoleum by yourselves!"

After hearing this, a group of Eight Banners soldiers quickly brushed the dust off their clothes and straightened their official hats. The more than 30 people wearing armor also quickly put on the colorful Eight Banners cloth armor.

However, Mingde still thought too much. If Agui really led 10,000 people to march straight into Ava, Mo Zibu did have the idea of ambushing them.

Because if all these people died, it would be like the Qing Dynasty had both its legs broken.

Don't think that the Han scholars, local tyrants, and common people on the mainland are all so willing to be obedient citizens. They just choose to compromise out of fear.

If half of the Qing Dynasty's mainstay military force were to be lost at once, although they would not dare to take the initiative to cause trouble, they would definitely seize the power of the middle and lower classes and threaten the foundation of the Qing Dynasty's rule.

By then, the mainland would probably be in chaos before Mo Zibu could even head north.

However, Agui was not so stupid. He knew the importance of the more than 10,000 elite soldiers of the Eight Banners, so he only sent Mingde's 200 men.

Then these mere 200 people are not worth Mo Zibu's risk.

"Ming Dutong, we have known each other for a long time. Changbao and Duolu have often mentioned you to me. Please take a seat and let us eat and talk. The banquet for the brothers has long been prepared."

Since he had no intention of taking action, Mo Zibu immediately changed into another appearance.

"Come, Your Excellency, try this: grilled chicken with lemongrass and cheese, fish stewed with lemon, mint and chili, a Burmese delicacy, a Siamese delicacy.

As for the wine, knowing that Your Excellency was coming, I specially reserved some fine wine from France."

The two men sat opposite each other, accompanied by Wu Shiying and a second-class Manchu guard named Manduhu, as well as a servant named Changbao who was standing and serving. The rest of the Manchu officials, both big and small, were outside.

Mingde was even more confused. If it weren't for the overly young River Fairy King in front of him, wearing the lion scarlet robe of a second-rank military officer of the Ming Dynasty, he would have almost thought that he was in the capital, going to a restaurant with some familiar Eight Banners youth.

The four of them took a few bites of the food, and Mingde naturally praised it highly. They drank three rounds of wine. Mingde and Manduhu looked at each other.

Manduhu immediately put down his wine glass and pretended to be a little drunk and asked, "When I entered the city, I heard that the prince had offered sacrifices to the Yongli emperor and his ministers in the north of the city. Now he is wearing the official uniform of the former Ming Dynasty. What is his intention?"

Mingde narrowed his eyes and observed Mo Zibu's expression. As soon as Mo Zibu changed his expression, he would immediately come out to smooth things over and make excuses by saying that Manduhu was drunk and talking nonsense.

Unexpectedly, Mo Zibu chuckled and said without hesitation, "You two have misunderstood me. Who am I, brother? I am from Mingxiang, and my ancestors were loyal ministers of the Ming Dynasty.

I came to Ava, but I didn't go to pay homage to Emperor Zhaozong and avenge the disaster caused by the cursed water. That's too unreasonable. How will the world view me? "

This... Mingde thought about it, this is really the truth.

This River Immortal King is from Mingxiang. If he enters Ava and does not go to pay homage and seek revenge, that would be a real problem.

A dignified worship seems to be more upright.

Seeing that Mo Zibu didn't care and wasn't angry, Mingde became a little bolder.

This is also something he must understand. If he doesn't ask face to face and then returns to the capital and the emperor asks about it, he can't just make up stories.

"Your Highness is right, but I am a little confused and don't know whether I should say some things or not?" Mingde asked cautiously.

"Master Ming, please feel free to speak." Mo Zibu knew what he was going to say. For Mo Zibu, this was also a very good opportunity to convey a message to Qianlong.

As expected, Mingde pretended to ponder for a moment, then asked, "Your Majesty, you have accomplished such a great feat this time, don't you wish to be canonized?"

Mo Zibu also put away his smile and looked at Mingde and said, "The Ming general actually wants to ask me if I still want to overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming Dynasty, right?"

Mingde swallowed nervously, and before he could think of how to respond, Mo Zibu continued talking on his own.

"Please rest assured, Commander-in-Chief Ming, the Hexian Mo family is not the Dongning Zheng family, nor do they have the strength of the Dongning Zheng family.

Guo Xingcheng was entrusted with the responsibility of being a successful leader by the whole world, but none of his descendants could handle it. My Mo family ancestor was just a county magistrate who was a student of the Imperial Academy, and he could not handle such a big responsibility.

Besides, the Ming Dynasty had given Guo Xing enormous benefits for his success, so he deserved to sacrifice his life for it.

But my family only has one county magistrate, who has now fled to Tiannan and is still serving as a loyal minister, and has done his best to serve the emperors of the Ming Dynasty.

As for the title of King, what can the current emperor title me? King of Cambodia?

Then please forgive me for my inability to accept your invitation. I am a Chinese citizen of a great country. Even if I lose my country, I will not become a barbarian.

However, if Emperor Qianlong is willing to confer the title of Ming Wang or Nan Han Wang on me, I would be extremely happy to do so."

Haha, Mingde and Manduhu both laughed awkwardly.

This is indeed a bit embarrassing. What the court can confer is meaningless to others, and what others want, the court will never confer.

"So!" Mo Zibu raised his wine glass and offered a toast to the two Eight Banners ladies, "You two, let's not talk about this anymore and get down to business.

The imperial ambition is built with blood, sweat, tears, and countless bones. I, the little king of the Southern Wilderness, cannot do it, nor do I want to do it.

But if the imperial court is willing, I can just let a little bit of food slip through my fingers to fill my stomach. Then, in the future, if the imperial court has any business in this southern wilderness, just send someone to pass on a message, and I will still go through fire and water to fight for it."

After saying that, Mo Zibu smiled at the two of them and said, "The same goes for you two. Please be kind and send someone to inform me if there is anything in the future."...

The old servant Li Yulong was now shaking because he had truly found his place.

Most of the soldiers under Mo Zibu's command were very poor and had limited knowledge. They knew about gold and silver, but they knew nothing about jewelry, calligraphy and paintings, antiques, rare woods, etc.

Although Li Yulong was not well-educated, as the confidant of the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, it was inevitable that he was knowledgeable, so Mo Zibu entrusted Li Yulong to participate in the treasure appraisal.

To prevent those stupid guys under him from missing out on the real treasure.

Just as Li Yulong sat down, a reserve officer from the staff officer corps came over with a big sack, and with a crash, the whole bag fell in front of Li Yulong.

"Ouch, be gentle!" Seeing the blue, green and white jadeite rolling all over the ground, Li Yulong's mouth twitched with heartache.

He picked up a large piece of high-quality jadeite, cursing, "You unlucky child, do you know what a treasure this is?"

He sighed deeply, "What a fine product! It's pure white, with a hint of the rusticity of a commoner, dotted with rich emerald green, which doesn't fade or disperse. It's truly a fine product!"

But as he said that, he threw the thing back to the ground.

"What kind of carving is this? It's such a waste of good quality!

This jade is 30% material and 70% craftsmanship. It's a pity that there is no skilled craftsman! "

"Master Li, I can't stand it any longer. This old Burmese man is completely wasting things. It's clearly worth two hundred taels, but after they've carved it up, it's not even worth fifty taels."

A bannerman clerk next to him also looked distressed and kept muttering.

Originally, when they first saw such a good thing, they couldn't help but put it secretly in their arms.

But when I looked at it later, there were too many of them. Every day, I would find three to five hundred kilograms of them. Yes, I didn’t use the word “pieces” to describe them, but kilograms.

People become numb after seeing it too much, and not many people put it in their arms anymore. They even begin to doubt whether this thing is valuable.

Northern Myanmar is the main production area of jadeite. In the Ming Dynasty, it was not very popular, but in the Qing Dynasty, the status of jadeite began to rise rapidly.

Although it has not yet reached its peak as it did during the Cixi period, it is not much different now, and the Manchus have a strong need for this thing.

There is a huge demand for court beads, feather tubes on official hats, finger rings, and the most common bracelets.

Of course, a big difference from later generations is that high-end goods such as ice and glass types in later generations were rare at this time due to the limitations of mining technology, which also affected aesthetics and made them unpopular.

"Hey, this thing, Master Li, come and take a look. Is this sandalwood?"

Hearing the shout, Li Yulong jumped up and ran to a corner of the treasure house.

The sandalwood rosewood of the Qing Dynasty is the small-leaf rosewood of later generations, and is also considered to be the real rosewood. The rest are just counterfeits under the name of rosewood.

This fine wood was almost completely cut down in the Ming Dynasty. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, more than 90% of the red sandalwood in the entire South Pacific Islands and the waters near southern India was stored in Beijing and Nanjing.

By the Qing Dynasty, there was almost no source of red sandalwood except the Ming court's treasury. The only counterfeit available was Vietnamese-Cambodian red sandalwood produced in Vietnam and Laos.

When it comes to Qianlong, in addition to his love for writing poetry and stamping, he is also known as the red sandalwood maniac. He loves this fine wood to the extreme.

But unfortunately, after being loved by Ma Ge and Yongzheng, there was not much red sandalwood left for Qianlong. Although he was a red sandalwood fanatic, he had very few sources and they were of mixed quality.

"Great, great!" Li Yulong was so excited that he almost jumped up, "This is at least 20,000 to 30,000 kilograms, all red sandalwood from India!

My dear, you are a bannerman in Beijing, a member of the Fucha family. With these 30,000 kilograms of sandalwood and red sandalwood, it shouldn't be difficult for you to get a job in the Imperial Household Department, right? Don't forget me, your brother, in the future."

The bannerman whom Li Yulong called "man" was a fat man named Duolu. He could not bear the hardship of learning martial arts and had no talent for learning literature. Fortunately, his mother was Mingde's wet nurse, so he had two servants around Mingde.

At this time, the Minister in charge of the Imperial Household Department was always selected from the Fucha family. For example, Fuheng first became the Minister in charge of the Imperial Household Department before starting his official career.

Duolu was overjoyed, his face flushed with excitement. Thirty thousand kilograms of sandalwood and rosewood was a huge achievement, and he was about to reach the top in one step.

At this moment, footsteps were heard, and Mo Zibu brought Mingde and Manduhu into the treasure house.

Several servants hurried over to pay their respects and told Mo Zibu and Mingde about their recent discovery.

When Mingde heard that there were 20,000 to 30,000 kilograms of sandalwood, his eyes widened. He knew too well how valuable this thing was.

Mo Zibu walked over and grabbed a handful of jade and jadeite to show Mingde and Manduhu.

"Ming Dutong, Manchu guards, if you don't mind the weight, take some back and pack some small items for the children."

Mandu Hu came from outside the Great Wall and had never seen these things before. When he saw the pile of high-quality jadeite that Mo Zibu was pointing at, his eyes almost popped out.

Mo Zibu feigned a wry smile and said, "It's too much. So far, there are at least three or four thousand kilograms. If we take it all back, the jade will be dirt cheap."

Mingde was still shocked by the 30,000 kilograms of sandalwood and rosewood, and when he heard that jade was calculated in kilograms, his mouth opened wide.

"Ming Dutong, the prince wants to do business with your Fucha family."

"What business?" Mingde took several deep breaths before he managed to calm himself down.

"There are too many jades here, and many of them are just roughly polished.

I think the Burmese king has stored so much here because he is afraid that selling it all at once will affect the price.”

Mo Zibu picked up a large piece of roughly polished high-quality jade and shook it in front of Mingde.

"Xiao Wang has the same concerns. I heard that the craftsmen in the capital are even better than those in Dali, and are unrivaled in the world.

How about we work together? I'll control the quantity, and you pick the skilled craftsmen to carve the pieces, and we can earn the money together."

After a pause, Mo Zibu lowered his voice and said, "Three or four thousand kilograms of high-quality jadeite can be sold continuously for decades. My descendants will benefit greatly from it!"

Mingde's heart was moved. He glanced at Manduhu and felt a little regretful for bringing this barbarian with him. If he didn't give him a share, he was afraid that he would say something nonsense. But if he did, he would feel uncomfortable.

Seeing this, Mo Zibu grabbed various pearl and gem necklaces from another treasure chest and stuffed them directly into Manduhu's clothes. It was estimated that they were worth at least two or three thousand taels of silver.

The wild boar-like Manduhu almost couldn't stand on the spot, his face was as red as if he was drunk.

Mingde immediately laughed and nodded heavily, "In that case, I would like to thank you very much, Your Highness. My uncle died for the country, and the family has lost its pillar. We really need some financial support."

Mo Zibu pretended to be respectful and said, "My prince is willing to cooperate with the Fucha family because he respects loyal and righteous people like Master Fu."

Well, although Fuheng died, he died entirely for Qianlong's face.

Moreover, during this time and space, he also fulfilled Qianlong's wish and defeated the Konbaung Dynasty. Their family's favor would never diminish because of Fuheng's death.

What's more, there is an even more ruthless character, Fu Kang'an, who is about to come online.

If we establish contact with them now, we will be able to gain more benefits from the Fucha family in the future, such as controlling a general merchant in the Thirteen Hongs.

(End of this chapter)