The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 230 Who is the Spark?

Mo Zibula has a unique way to win people's hearts, which is due to his life experience before the time travel.

The African continent, where the people are wild and the food is wild, honed his culinary skills.

Therefore, not to mention among all the monarchs, even among all the men except the chef, Mo Zibu's cooking skills are very good.

Lin Qiaoyin watched in amazement as Mo Zibu expertly cut cross-shaped cuts into the fat and lean meat, then cut the water chestnuts and marinated them with red fermented rice, balsamic vinegar, and icing sugar.

I saw smoke rising from the hot pot, and soon a plate of orange, golden, and sweet-as-honey lychee meat, a famous Fuzhou dish, was ready.

"Brother Yue Ting, come and try my cooking and see if it can be considered authentic Fuzhou cuisine." Mo Zibu smiled as he filled the plate and placed it in front of Lin Qiaoyin.

Lin Qiaoyin was a little flattered. Although the man opposite was just a small king of a local state, he was still a king!
Moreover, Lin Qiaoyin had a strange feeling that not only compared to Thonburi, but also compared to Fuzhou and Ha Tien, the latter was more like a Han city.

Mo Zibu's behavior is more like that of a sage and wise king as described in Confucian classics.

Lin Qiaoyin stretched out his chopsticks, gently picked up a piece of meat and put it in his stomach. His eyes immediately lit up. It was sweet with sour, and sour with sweet. The two flavors did not conflict at all, but rather complemented each other.

The meat is crispy when you put it in your mouth, and tender when you chew it. The aroma of oil fills your mouth, and when you savor it again, you can find a sweet taste similar to that of lychee.

Lin Qiaoyin sighed, "The general's cooking skills are almost on par with my mother's."

Lin Tonghuo was tending the stove over there. He smiled innocently when he heard this and said, "My aunt's food is famous far and wide in Houguan. It's a pity that no one can usually get a taste of it."

Mo Zibu laughed and lightly kicked Lin Tonghuo on the calf. "You better focus on lighting the fire. If this Buddha Jumps Over the Wall doesn't cook well, you won't have any to eat today."

Lin Tonghuo blinked his eyes. "General, is this thing really as delicious as you say? It's just a stew."

Mo Zibu chuckled and said, how could it not be delicious? You know, in later generations, when people mentioned Fujian cuisine, almost everyone would think of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. It had not been invented yet, so General Mo got a chance to take advantage of it.

Lin Qiaoyin couldn't help but smile when he saw the harmony between the monarch and his ministers. Then, when he actually tasted the delicious dish called Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, he understood that what Mo Zibu said was true.

Abalone, sea cucumber, fish maw, grass shrimp, pigeon eggs, as soon as you open it, you can smell the aroma of wine mixed with various fragrances, which hits you in the face and spreads all over the room. The food is rotten but not rotten, smooth and chewy, and the various ingredients complement each other, with endless variations in taste.

Attracted by the delicious food, Lin Qiaoyin immersed himself in the most primitive happiness of human beings. Only when the three of them were full of food did they realize that they were guests.

My General Mo Da has this ability. With just a few words and actions, he can make people he just met feel at home and not feel awkward at all.

Lin Qiaoyin looked at Mo Zibu's hair tie, net bag and green robe, and suddenly felt very uncomfortable. She didn't know why, but she suddenly couldn't hold it anymore.

"I wonder when I'll be able to see Han clothing again after this trip."

Seeing Lin Qiaoyin's eyes filled with tears, do you think I, General Mo, am going to take this opportunity to win over people's hearts?

No, if you say words of enticement or provocation at this time, it will make others think you have bad intentions and become wary.

So the correct thing to do was for Mo Zibu to pat Lin Qiaoyin on the shoulder to comfort him, and then to have Lin Tonghuo go out and drive the guards outside away, and then solemnly reminded Lin Qiaoyin:

"Brother Yue Ting, just say this to me, but when you return to Houguan, you must be careful with your words and actions.

Given the ruthlessness of the Eastern Tartar Emperors, they will not miss any opportunity to launch a literary inquisition."

Lin Qiaoyin looked up at Mo Zibu with gratitude, then reached out and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve.

Mo Zibu continued to comfort him: "Huainanzi said: Fish ride on water, birds ride on wind, and plants and trees ride on seasons.

The Book of Changes also says: A gentleman hides his abilities and waits for the right time to act.

Our Han Dynasty has lasted from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, Tang of Shang and Wu of Zhou, to the present day. We have experienced the crisis of the Five Barbarians' Invasion and the destruction of our country and our family at the end of the Song Dynasty.

By the time of our generation, there were still 200 million compatriots left. Although they were forced to shave their heads and change their clothes, the Taoist tradition was not lost.

When I saw Mr. Lin's tears staining his clothes when he saw the Han clothes, I knew that the scholars in his hometown had not forgotten the Ming Dynasty and the people still knew the Yan and Han dynasties.

Even though all the troops are silent now, if only one hero raises his arm and calls for help, it will become a prairie fire. How can a mere million Eastern Tartars suppress it? Why be so sad?

Lin Qiaoyin glanced at Mo Zibu hopefully, "So this hero is the general?"

Then he shook his head and said, "I have traveled far and wide, and have only seen the hardships of life, the apathy of the common people, and the scholars poring over the eight-legged essay, but I have not seen any spark that could set the prairie on fire."

It was already dusk. Mo Zibu walked forward, closed the doors and windows, and extinguished the candles. Suddenly, everything was dark.

Just when Lin Qiaoyin was at a loss, Mo Zibu turned on the tinder, and a faint flame flashing orange light appeared in the room.

"This is the flame of hope, and it is also the reason why I refused to accept the Qing Dynasty's canonization and risked my life to uphold the orthodox tradition of the gentry."

Then, Mo Zibu swung the tinder hard, and sparks flew everywhere. A few of them touched the papers in the room and began to burn slowly and stubbornly.

Although the rest did not encounter paper, they did not go out for the time being.

"This is the spark that will start a prairie fire." Mo Zibu whispered, "I don't know if I'm that hero, but I, the River Immortal Mo Wu, have been preparing.

If the fortune was not with the Han family when I was still alive, I would still have a son, and my son would have a son.

As long as Hexian is still here, the common people of our homeland will know that there are still Chinese people in the south and they can see the flame of hope."

"The Eastern Tartars, a small tribe, were conquering a great power. Since the fifteenth year of the Yongli reign (1661), a hundred years ago, the Qing court produced three successive emperors, Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong, all of whom were wise rulers.

Such luck, even in the Han Dynasty, has only produced Wen, Jing, Wu, and Xuan of the early Han Dynasty; Guangwu, Ming, and Zhang of the later Han Dynasty; and Taizu, Chengzu, Renzu, and Xuan of this dynasty.”

"I just don't believe that after the Qing Dynasty had three emperors, Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong, there would be another Huo Guang and Emperor Xuan of Hanzhongzong who could stabilize the country.

Brother Yue Ting, do you think among the current Qing Dynasty princes, who has the ability of Liu Bingyi, and which minister can do what Yi Huo did?"

Lin Qiaoyin stood up suddenly and said excitedly, "I've seen no princes like you, and there's absolutely no one with such talent!
Not to mention Emperor Xuan of Hanzhong, who left a name that will be passed down through the ages, they didn’t even have a paperhanger like Emperor Wuzong of Tang, Li Yan!”

"There will never be another famous minister like Yihuo."

Mo Zibu laughed heartily and walked over to relight the candle. "Qianlong is already sixty years old now. Even if he lives another ten years, what difference does it make? I, Mo Zibu, am only twenty-three this year, and will be thirty-three in ten years. If the time is not right for Yanhan, then I will raise a son."

Lin Qiaoyin looked at Mo Zibu, bowed deeply to him, and said with some shame, "What the general has done is an eternal and difficult task of reviving and continuing the past! Whether it succeeds or not, all Han people in the world should be grateful and follow his lead.

It’s a pity that my mother, Lin Qiaoyin, is still alive, and my children are still young and crying for food. I am so worried that I cannot risk my life to follow you.”

Mo Zibu smiled calmly, "Brother Yue Ting, please don't be like this. I, Mo Wu, am in Tiannan, and what I am doing now is just to preserve my clothes and appearance. What I am doing is just to keep a spark of hope.

Moreover, how can a man of honor violate filial piety and sever ties with his family when doing things? "

Mo Zibu was actually a little excited just now, and his words were a bit too serious.

He had no historical impression of Lin Qiaoyin, and was not 100% sure of his character, so at this point, he backtracked a little.

"If Brother Yue Ting, seeing that we are all Chinese, could find more talented people for me to go to Southeast Asia, that would be a great help.

Look at me, sometimes I even have to act as a clerk myself, because I’m so short of talent. Even if it’s an old student, as long as he is willing to live here in his old age, I will welcome him with open arms.”

Lin Qiaoyin nodded, and understood that given their current relationship, they could not continue the in-depth conversation.

It would be bad for no one if we continued talking about it.

Moreover, in his opinion, Mo Zibu might not have a firm determination to oppose the Qing Dynasty, and he was not willing to abandon his family and career to follow him.

"I have realized that after returning to Fujian, I will definitely publicize the general's deeds and let the people of eastern Fujian know that there is such a paradise in Southeast Asia.

I see that all industries in Ha Tien are thriving. The general has the tigers and wolves that can destroy the Burmese chieftain, the White Elephant King. If he can gain the support of a million Han Chinese men, he will be able to build a foundation for Nanyang.

At the end, Lin Qiaoyin couldn't help but whisper, "If there are a few like-minded people, I, Lin Qiaoyin, will let them know that even here in the south of the ocean, there is a sky that will never end the flames.

The Cai family of Zhangpu, the old Lord Cai of the current dynasty also knows the difference between Chinese and barbarians, but there are some things that cannot be helped, so I hope the general will be magnanimous.

At this moment, having one more friend is always better than having one more enemy."

Mo Zibu nodded and bowed to Lin Qiaoyin in return. Everything was said without words. What he would do after returning to Fujian would depend entirely on his own conscience.

If time proves that this person is trustworthy, then he can be used after Mo Zibu almost has all of Annan.

Use him to pull the literati and scholar class on the mainland, which has the largest power and the deepest hatred towards the Qing Dynasty.

After seeing Lin Qiaoyin off, Mo Zibu immediately called Wu Shiying over.

"Arrange a few eloquent officials and select a few beautiful and charming Zhenla women to make the four bannermen who came with Lin Qiaoyin happy.

Each person can give a gift of no more than 200 taels. If it exceeds this amount, you will personally check it out."

. . . .

On April 1771, , the sixth day of the third lunar month in the thirty-sixth year of Emperor Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty, Lin Qiaoyin reported back to Qing Gui, the chief envoy of the enthronement mission, who then personally visited Ha Tien.

Qianlong's reward to the Hexian Mo family finally came down. Sure enough, it didn't include the Thirteenth Floor position that Mo Zibu wanted, but it wasn't stingy either.

Qianlong rewarded Ou Tianci, whom he considered the lord of Hexian, with a prince-level robe embroidered with nine pythons, as well as the corresponding hat with a peacock feather, court beads, etc.

However, this set of clothes was not for Ou Tianci to wear, but was to be displayed and worshipped, which could be regarded as a gift in another sense.

Perhaps Qianlong also knew that the Mo family would not wear the clothes he gave them, so he used this method.

In addition, there are a large number of gold and silver utensils, furniture, and even sachets and pouches for betel nuts, all of which are worth about 30,000 taels.

Then something interesting happened. Mo Zibu's cousin Mo Kuan, who was counting the items, came over and whispered to him that only two-thirds of the items on the list were taken off the ship.

My goodness! Mo Zibu was greatly surprised. These people in the Imperial Household Department really value money more than their lives. They even dared to withhold this money.

Moreover, Mo Zibu actually discovered that he didn't seem to have any good way to cause losses to these people. He could only say in his heart, "Awesome!"
Finally, the highlight is here.

In order to reward Mo Zibu for his contribution and let the world see that he, Aisin Gioro Hongli, was definitely a person who would double the reward for merit, Qianlong gave Mo Zibu a bonus he had never thought of before.

That is, from today onwards, all red slips for tin ore ships heading from Nanyang to Guangzhou, that is, the customs declaration forms that can pass customs, will only be issued to Ha Tien.

Since the mainland only had Guangzhou as a foreign trade port at that time, that is to say, from now on, all tin ore ships would not be able to enter the mainland without a red bill stamped with the Hexian Zhuyin.

Hiss, Mo Zibu took a breath of cold air, this move was really cruel!

According to current data, about 35% of all tin ore ships are sent to Guangzhou after rough selection by the Mo family in Hexian.

The profit from this item is about 400,000 taels per year, accounting for more than 57% of Hexian’s total fiscal revenue.

From this we can also see that the total profit from the tin mining trade is about 1.2 million taels per year.

Although Qianlong's concession would not allow the Mo family to take all of the 1.2 million taels of profit, it was likely that the Mo family could only sell licenses for at least half of it and could not take it all.

But Mo Zibu estimated that in this way, the profit from the tin trade would likely increase to around 700,000 taels.

This amount of money is enough to buy the hearts and minds of the people living at the foot of Hexian Mountain, and it can also provide sufficient financial support for Mo Zibu's career.

However, if Mo Zibu challenged the Qing Dynasty for personal reasons and lost this income, it would be difficult for him to withstand the pressure from all sides.

"Old Shiquan, you are amazing!"

Mo Zibu sighed sincerely. Even when the most perfect operation could not be carried out, Qianlong still made his most beautiful move.

He combined a large bone stick with meat on it with a dog chain and fed it to Hexian Mojia's mouth.

The Mo family simply couldn't refuse.

(End of this chapter)