The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 226 Qianlong, it's you
In Jiading City, the tailor employed by Bianhe and Wu Shi is taking measurements for General Mo Da, preparing wedding attire for Mo Zibu.

Faced with this major event in his life, Mo Zibu naturally did not want to be careless, and this was a very good opportunity to bring together the various forces under his command and let them get to know each other.

But when it came to making the dress, everyone was dumbfounded.

In the Ming Dynasty, men’s wedding attire usually pretended to be the ninth-rank official uniform, but this thing was green, and I, General Mo, would not accept it.

He was now a little allergic to the color green, so he asked to use Zhuangyuanlang's Dahongpao.

However, before the Mo and Chen families went to Southeast Asia, they were actually just local tycoons and did not have any tailors who could make the top scholar's uniform.

After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, some royal tailors fled to Southeast Asia, but their skills were soon lost because they had no place to be used.

This was not like the later times. Without so much demand, a tailor who only knew how to make official uniforms and formal attire could not support himself and had to be supported by a specialized institution.

It was already a fluke that Mo Zibu could barely find a few talented people who could make yisas. You are asking too much to find someone who can make clothes for the top scholar or even a phoenix crown and bridal robe.

However, after the news spread, the warrior Zun came running over with a smug look on his face. After despising General Mo's background with a sense of superiority, he contributed a tailor who could make a full set of formal clothes.

You may ask why they made such official uniforms and formal attire, but historically, official robes in Vietnam were the same as those worn in operas on the stage?
The reason is very simple. Since the Northern Song Dynasty, because the separatist rulers in Annan falsely claimed to be Little China, the Central Plains dynasties of all dynasties have stopped granting tribute to Annan.

If you wear the robes even though you haven't been given them, it will be a very serious cultural, etiquette and diplomatic incident.

Then why didn't they close the door and wear it quietly? The answer is that the King of Annan wanted to, but the wealthy families in the country didn't allow it.

One of the most important foundations of Confucianism, if not the only one, is etiquette and law. In Confucianism, wearing clothes carelessly is definitely a very serious matter.

You can close the door and claim to be alone, but you must never wear the robe that symbolizes etiquette in a disrespectful manner.

Therefore, they could only make many opposite changes to the official uniforms of the Central Plains court.

The goal was to change the dress to be very different from the dress in the Central Plains, but not too different, and then use it for self-entertainment to show that they had their own etiquette.

However, the difficulty of making such a seemingly daunting modification on such a mature system can be imagined.

If it can be modified to look good, it would definitely be a miracle. If it cannot be modified to look good, it would be normal.

In addition, Annan lacked human and financial resources, and the dynasty could not be run smoothly during its founding period. As time passed, the system became fixed and could not be changed in the middle and late stages of the dynasty.

This has been passed down from generation to generation, and finally we see the ridiculous dress that looks like a monkey in a human form.

But because of this, Annan must maintain a certain number of templates so that they can modify them.

Therefore, at a time when the top scholar's formal dress and phoenix coronet on this continent only existed in a very small area in the Jiangnan region, Annan still had the complete set.

So, while Mo Zibu was selecting the fabric, Wu Shizun said with a sour tone:

"Thirty years ago, I wanted to dress like this too, but my father scolded me and told me to forget about it since we were just southern barbarians."

Mo Zibu felt like laughing when he heard this, because it was said that this dress was a gift from Empress Ma to newlyweds all over the world, but it was only worn within the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

Even countries like North Korea, which often receive gifts of clothing, do not allow it, let alone Annan. Therefore, they can make it, but they cannot wear it.

"Mr. Xinzhai, do you really want to wear it? Why don't you marry a second wife now, and I will let you wear it once?"

Wu Shizun's first wife had been dead for seven or eight years, and he had never remarried, so Mo Zibu made such a joke.

The maids around him covered their mouths and laughed. Wu Shizun rolled his eyes in anger and said, "The general cannot give me the robes. Not even the King of Annan can do that. Unless you can become the Great Emperor of China."

"Hahahaha!" Mo Zibu laughed. "Okay, when I become the Emperor of China tomorrow, I'll definitely let Mr. Xinzhai wear the top scholar's groom's tuxedo."

You might as well just say that you want to be the Jade Emperor. Everyone in the hall was speechless and took it as a joke from Mo Zibu.

The warrior Zun, who came to send the tailor off and was trying to show off, was teased for no reason. He was so angry that he raised his head, turned his nose up to the sky, and continued to act like a king in white clothes.

After laughing off the troublesome Wu Shizun, Mo Zibu took out the secret letter written by Zheng Qing, the left clerk.

"Gentlemen, the Qing envoy Lin Qiaoyin is about to arrive in Hexian. Tell me, what can I do to make him realize the difference between Mingxiang people and the Qing, and make him yearn for it."

Right Registrar Wu Hanzhu, Rites Assistant General Li Guangxian, Household Assistant General Wu Congzhou and others felt even more puzzled.

However, although they didn't know why General Mo Da was so obsessed with this, they still started thinking quickly.

Li Guangxian pondered for a moment and then said, "Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, we have followed the policy of the two Song dynasties of sharing the world with the literati and officials, and have given many preferential treatment to scholars.

However, during the Qing Dynasty, emperors of all dynasties had their own bannermen to use, and they used the Eight Banners Army to suppress the world. It seemed that the imperial examination and culture were no different from those of the Ming Dynasty, but in fact they shared the world with the bannermen and meritorious officials, and the Han literati and officials only got leftovers.

If the general wants to make the Manchu envoys see the gap between the Ming and Qing dynasties, he should start from this aspect."

"That's right, what Li Canjun said is exactly what I want." Mo Zibu clapped his hands in praise, and then said to Liu Zhisan:
"Zhi San, your Nei Si Cheng Yamen (Administrative Secretary) quickly draft an edict, requiring vassal states, exiles, local officials, and personal officials from all regions to arrive in Ha Tien before the first day of March. I will convene a republican conference in Wu Ding City, Ha Tien."

. . . .

On February 22nd, the Siamese city of Thonburi was filled with joy. It was said that King Taksin was so excited that he even cried the night before. General Mo Da can attest to this, as on February 21st, he received a special gift from Taksin, demonstrating his genuine excitement.

Compared to the historical situation where Ou Tianci took advantage of his first-mover advantage to poison him, by the time the title was conferred, Zheng Xin had already been reincarnated.

In this time and space, he could indeed be so excited, because this time of asking for the title was so smooth.

And Siam is not as good as Burma and Annan.

Myanmar has always been outside the Eastern tributary system, similar to Japan, and at times was even a rival of the Central Plains dynasty.

Annan only asked for an enthronement, and then would close its door and dream of a small China, and had little contact with the Central Plains court.

Only Siam has had particularly close ties with the Central Plains since the Ayutthaya Dynasty.

The entire Siam was heavily dependent on ironware, porcelain, cloth, medicinal materials, etc. shipped from Guangzhou.

At the same time, Siam's ivory, sappan wood, sugar, crocodile skin, and rice all needed to be sold to China.

In particular, Siamese rice has become one of the most important sources of food for Guangdong and Fujian provinces.

Especially in Fujian, due to the rapid capitalization of provinces such as Jiangsu and Zhejiang, there are far more mulberry fields than rice fields. The province does not have enough food to eat, and rice can rarely be shipped to Fujian.

Siamese rice is probably the most important source of food for Fujian Province.

Since the Yongzheng period, if a rice merchant ship from Siam was delayed for more than ten days, the price of rice in Fuzhou and Quanzhou would rise sharply.

This is also one of the reasons why the Qing government turned a blind eye to people from Fujian and Guangdong provinces going to Southeast Asia.

They needed the people of these two provinces to go to Southeast Asia to farm, and then transport the rice to the mainland continuously to achieve the goal of stabilizing rice prices.

According to historical records, the Qing court viewed Siam as a country with fertile land and abundant rice production, but the price was also low, at only two or three cents per stone.

However, in Fujian Province, even in a good year, the price is still one liang, two or three qian. In case of drought or flood, the price can easily reach one liang, eight or nine qian per stone of rice.

With such a huge price difference and such urgent need, the Qing government has continuously issued regulations since the middle and late Kangxi period, ranging from exempting merchant ships from rice and bean taxes on bringing rice back to the country to reducing some taxes on the entire ship.

Even in years of disaster, those who brought back more than 2,000 dan of rice could be awarded titles and robes. This greatly stimulated the enthusiasm of merchants.

At this time, Siam produced about 18 million dan of rice annually and exported about 60 to 1 million dan.

In Fujian Province alone, the annual import volume is more than 400,000 shi, and at the least, it is around 150,000 to 200,000 shi.

With such close economic ties, other ties between the two sides have naturally become closer.

It can be said that in Southeast Asia, the country that most respected the central dynasty represented by the Qing Dynasty and was the most obedient was Siam.

So don’t be fooled by the fact that many Siamese people think that Taksin is not even Najin, but with the endorsement of the Qing Dynasty, his position will be much more stable.

February 23rd is an auspicious day.

The Qing Dynasty's envoy, Zhang Jia Qinggui, a member of the Grand Council and the Minister of the Court of Internal Affairs, officially conferred the title of King of Siam on Taksin at the Temple of the Golden Buddha outside Thonburi.

Zheng Xin set up an incense table, led all the officials to kneel, and bowed to the north alone. Qing Gui stood slightly to his right and read the imperial edict, which said:

'Our country was born with the Mandate of Heaven, governs all the lands, and its teachings spread far and wide, earning respect from people far and wide.

.........

Siam is a country separated by an ocean and has paid tribute to the Western Zhou Dynasty. However, since the Burmese rebellion, its people and land have been completely destroyed. It is truly pitiful!
Zheng Zhao, who was in charge of state affairs, was able to protect the land, unite the people, and was supported by all the officials and common people in the country.

Therefore, I hereby issue a decree to confer upon you the title of King of Siam, bestow upon you the imperial seal, and urge you to diligently perform your duties, guard your fiefdoms with utmost care, and comfort the people of Siam, in order to fulfill my sincere wish to win over the sea nations.

When Zheng Xin received the imperial edict, he bowed to the north again, tears of gratitude streaming down his face.

In addition to declaring him the King of Siam, this time, Taksin's mother, Loyang, was also named Queen Mother Zhenhui Fude.

Zheng Xin was rewarded with two pieces of python satin, two pieces of brocade, one piece of shimmering satin, one piece of gold-plated satin, four pieces of silk satin, one piece of jade, one piece of agate, two Songhua stone inkstones, thirteen pieces of enamelware, and one hundred and four pieces of porcelain.

Siam was allowed to pay tribute every year during the Mulan Autumn Hunt. The royal fleet of the King of Siam could enter the port of Guangzhou directly for trade without having to go through the cumbersome customs clearance procedures like the Western countries in Europe. There were also preferential treatment in terms of commercial taxes.

"Damn, the Qing Dynasty really has no good intentions." Huang Zhen, who was about to go to Ha Tien, did not mix with Zheng Xin's Siamese subjects, but watched the ceremony outside.

When he saw the last offer, he immediately cursed in his heart and hurried to Hexian.

Because this last condition is basically the same as what Mo Zibu needs to control the Thirteen Hongs. Well, not really, it's about 60%.

The plate of Shisanhang is so small that if they gave Siam such a big bite, they would definitely not give Ha Tien such a big bite as well.

What was he trying to do? To sow discord between the father-in-law and the son-in-law, to cause a fight between the Zheng and Mo families?

(End of this chapter)