The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 236 Oops, I've Become an Imperialist
In Johor City, Sultan Muhammad III's cheeks twitched as he heard the roar of cannons that became faster and faster.

Also with him, looking gloomy was Viceroy Raja Haji, the chief of the Bugis people in the entire Johor Sultanate.

After a while, another Bugis chief, Salahuddin Shah, who controlled the Riau Islands opposite Singapore and also served as the Sultan of Selangor, walked in.

He simply bowed to Sultan Muhammad III and then looked at Viceroy Raja Haji.

"King, we are powerless against this new enemy. Their giant warships are even more formidable than those of the Dutch. They can cut off the Johor Strait at any time if they wish."

Hearing what Salahuddin said, Sultan Muhammad III's eyes lit up, and then he coughed lightly, attracting the attention of the two and said:
"Then, can we consider the request of that Tang man Chao Phraya? After all, if we don't agree, they will come and take it themselves."

As the legitimate Sultan, Muhammad III needed to negotiate with his subjects in a tone of consultation.

Raja Haji snorted coldly, then stood up and walked out of the palace. After a few steps, he turned back and said coldly to Sultan Muhammad III:

"Your Majesty the Sultan, you are the king of this country and the protector of the people.

If we have to beg for mercy and offer gold, silver, treasures, and beautiful women to anyone who sends a few warships, can the Sultanate survive for long?"

Muhammad III looked very embarrassed, but Raja Haji ignored him and walked towards the fortress outside the city with Salahuddin.

In fact, what Rajahaji said makes a lot of sense.

But Mehmed III didn't care whether he knelt or not because he had nothing but the palace.

But Raja Haji owned everything in the Sultanate of Johor and Johor City, so he would be unhappy if he lost even a penny.

However, there are too many things in the world that cannot be changed by personal willpower.

Rajahaji thought he was facing an opponent similar to the Dutch East India Company, so he was not panicked at all.

Because the Bugis people were supported by the Dutch, he knew too well what the Dutch East India Company was and how strong its fighting capacity was.

To this end, he prepared for fifteen years, intending to defeat the Dutch and replace their position in Southeast Asia.

However, he greatly underestimated the strength of a third-level battleship in the East.

Lion City, the forts built along the Johor Strait were taken down one by one. Most of these forts were made of stone and equipped with several eight to twelve pound cannons to block the sea.

However, for the task of blocking the strait, even the caliber of the twelve-pounder was still too small.

Not only could it not threaten the third-tier battleship Jingning, it could not even threaten the fourth-tier battleship behind it, the Zhongzhen, named after Mo Zibu's grandfather Chen Shangchuan.

Taking advantage of the wind, the fleet advanced along the strait from east to west. The Jingning led the way, first using a salvo of large-caliber 36-pound main guns to knock down the fortress of Lion City.

Then the large transport ship following behind him will release more than a dozen fast crab boats.

The soldiers on the crab boats quickly reached the shore, used the mortars they carried to drive out the soldiers in the damaged fortress, and then killed them all with flintlocks and bayonets.

Finally, slave sailors captured from Arakan and Lower Burma would pull out the small-caliber artillery from the fort and take it away.

No matter how small a mosquito is, it is still meat. These small cannons can be repaired a little and become useful things, whether they are equipped with wheels for the army or installed on armed merchant ships.

Damn it!
Across from Singapore, on the other side of the Johor Strait, Raja Haji was almost furious when he saw the Xingtang Navy completely ignoring his existence and "raiding properties" everywhere.

When he was furious, the Bugis gunners around him also gnashed their teeth.

Damn it, you think we don’t exist, right? Then I’ll let you taste the power of my huge cannon!
Raja Haji had reason to be confident because the several artillery batteries near Johor City were located in strategic locations, which not only allowed for cross-fire without blind spots, but were also equipped with huge cannons bought from the British at a high price - 18-pound cannons.

It is no wonder that Raja Haji regarded the 18-pounder as a giant cannon. At that time, in the whole world, only Britain, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Austria, Prussia, Russia and Turkey in Europe, as well as Venice in northern Italy, and our Qing Dynasty had the ability to cast cannons over 36 pounds.

Therefore, there were only a small number of artillery pieces weighing more than 36 pounds in Southeast Asia, and all of them were in the hands of Burma and Siam.

Even the Dutch didn't have it, but they didn't need it and the price was too uneconomical.

Therefore, in Raja Haji's eyes, there was no warship that could not be sunk by 18 pounds.

"Hahahaha, those Tang people are too arrogant. They actually drove the warship directly over here."

The commander of the fort looked at the approaching warship with a sneer, and all the Bugis officers and soldiers on the fort also laughed.

As they got closer, the artillery commander suddenly howled, "King, we're already within range. We can hit them."

Rajahaji was overjoyed, "Open fire and sink those Tang warships!"

Boom! Suddenly, there was a loud explosion, and more than ten cannons simultaneously aimed at the largest target.

"General, please come into the captain's room!" The officers surrounded Major General Fragosse and were about to go to the captain's room, while the rest of the soldiers and sailors huddled together and hid behind the side of the ship.

Generally, the captain's room is located below the forecastle deck and is reinforced with iron plates, which can easily withstand the bombardment of artillery shells.

However, Major General Fragosse smiled faintly and said, "Gentlemen, maintain your composure. They only have a maximum of 18-pound cannons, and they can only fire direct fire with much lower accuracy. They cannot threaten us."

Sure enough, as Major General Fragosse had expected, shells fell densely around the Jingning. It was not until the second round that two shells accurately hit the Jingning.

There was a cheer at Bugis Battery, and Rajahaji couldn't help but wave his fist, but the next second, they were all dumbfounded.

The two shells that everyone expected did hit the Jingning hard, and then...

There was a loud bang, and it seemed that Raja Haji heard it. He only saw the shell hit the side of the Jingning ship violently, and then fell into the sea. The Jingning just shook slightly, and then there was no other "expression".

"How is this possible? How is this possible?" The artillery officer held his head and howled in disbelief.

"We clearly hit it, why is it not hurt at all?"

Haha, the standard for a third-class battleship is that it must be able to withstand a close range of about 150 to 160 meters, and each part must be able to withstand at least 36-pound gun bombardment without causing serious damage.

As for the eighteen-pounder, it is basically immune to most attacks below three shots, not to mention that the distance is at least one thousand meters.

"It's our turn, beggars, let them taste real naval guns!" The officers on the Jingning shouted.

Immediately, the thirteen 36-pound and fourteen 18-pound naval guns on one side of the battleship roared one after another.

The whistling guns flew towards the fort in a dense array, and with a bang, a huge shell fired from a 36-pound gun suddenly hit one of the forts.

The bunker built by the Bugis people was directly destroyed, and then the shells flew in and blew the 12-pound gun into the sky. The artillerymen nearby were almost killed instantly and turned into a pool of minced meat.

The twelve-pound cannon flew high in the air, bringing great fear to the people, and then fell down with a thud, hitting the two unlucky guys directly.

One person's head was smashed directly and he died without a sound.

One man's thighs were almost broken, and he was screaming miserably, which added a bit of miserable and terrifying atmosphere to the artillery position.

In a very short period of time, the Jingning fired nearly a hundred shells in one breath, and then Major General Fragosse stopped the bombardment.

"Order the Fortune to come ashore for cover, and send fifty musketeers ashore to defeat the Bugis. If the fighting continues, it will be an easy opportunity for the Dutch."

If Mo Zibu were here, he would find out what use the Lucky, which he looked down upon, was. This level 26 cruiser, which was only 8 tons and equipped with -pound guns but not even a single large-caliber gun, was.

This ship is not used for naval battles with any of the countries including Britain, France, the Netherlands and Spain. It is used to bully the indigenous people in various places.

It weighs only 410 tons and has a high speed, so it can pass through almost any coastal waters. An eight-pound gun can only tickle a warship, but it is a deadly weapon when it comes to hitting people.

The 410-ton ship was equipped with thirteen eight-pound guns on one side, firing fast and fiercely. This was not a fifth-level cruiser, but a fast-moving, high-end yellow-water gunboat.

Compared to a larger vessel like the Jingning, the Lucky's lethality against the Bugis was truly terrifying. It maneuvered rapidly along the Johor Strait, firing back and forth, sinking countless Bugis boats and crumbling countless infantry positions.

As expected, professional matters should be done by professionals. In Mo Zibu's hands, the Lucky could only be used as a signboard, but in the hands of Rear Admiral Fragosse, it immediately became a powerful weapon.

Raja Haji and Salahuddin Shah retreated into the palace in embarrassment, feeling a chill in their anus. How did these Tang people possess such terrifying warships?

"Haji, you must make a decision, otherwise Johor will suffer the same fate as Malacca!"

Salahuddin Shah was also frightened. He gasped and said, "The Tang navy did not occupy the Riau Islands, let alone start looting. This shows that they really do want to negotiate peace."

Haji stopped, pulled Salahuddin aside and whispered, “I know what these Tang people are doing.

They were going to compete with the Han Chinese in Annan for the throne, but they were afraid that we would be instigated by the red-haired Dutch to attack their fiefdoms on the peninsula, so they chose to give us a warning."

Salahuddin looked at Raja Haji in surprise. "King, since you know their intentions, these Tang people are just here to show their force, so why can't we negotiate with them?"

Raja Haji smiled bitterly, "Because even without the instigation of the red-haired Dutch, I was prepared to take back Kelantan and Patani when the Tang and the Han Chinese (Annam) were fighting."

Salahuddin Shah stamped his foot heavily, "Haji, I don't see the reason for doing this. Even if we temporarily take back Kelantan and Patani, we will gain nothing except angering the Tang people.

Even if these Tang people are easy to deal with, the King of Siam behind them will not give up."

Salahuddin still had old-fashioned thinking. In his eyes, Siam was the most powerful country in Southeast Asia, and the Tang people in Pattani and Kelantan were just vassal states dependent on Siam.

Rajahaji looked coldly into Salahuddin's eyes, and only after Salahuddin lowered his head did he slowly say:
"Salahuddin, my brother. The red-haired Dutch are not to be feared. They are only after money and have lost the motivation to expand further.

The King of Siam is not to be feared either, as he is eager to take over the Burmese territory.

Only these Tang people are the most terrifying demons. Can't you see that in just two years, their number has increased by 300,000.

This baby is not born from a woman's belly. It takes more than ten years to grow. Half of it is the growth of a woman who cannot go to the battlefield.

Instead, they came here by ship. They were all adult men who could pick up weapons and fight as soon as they got off the ship.

If we cannot curb this momentum, at the rate of 100,000 people per year, in ten years there will be one million Chinese men coming to the peninsula.

They are brave in battle and good at business.

We are no match for them in business, mining, and farming. They are all men. For every woman they marry, we will lose at least three people.

If we don’t stop them, in fifty years, there will be no Bugis left!”

Salahuddin was stunned. He felt that at first glance, everything Rajahaji said was right, but after careful analysis, he felt that it was a bit alarmist.

"Wang, you are too radical. The future may not be as you say.

It is not a wise thing to make such a choice at present just for the sake of guessing about the future."

Rajahaji's eyes showed despair, and then he closed his eyes sadly.

"A race that cannot consider its descendants has no future."

Raja Haji, who had seen through the possible development of the situation, wanted to persuade Salahuddin again, perhaps to bring everyone to cooperate with the Dutch again to fight against the Tang people.

But at this moment, Salahuddin's nephew Ibrahim ran over from a distance.

"Uncle, the Tang army has captured the Pahang capital of Pekan. Temenggong Abdul Majid has arrived and has requested an immediate meeting to discuss countermeasures."

Rajahaji's face turned pale. It seemed that others were much more powerful than he had imagined. The navy was just a feint, and the real fist was the army.

This time, a compromise was necessary because most of the land forces were in the hands of Temenggong Abdul Majid.

He said he wanted to negotiate with the Tang people, and unless I was willing to break up with him for this, I had to agree.

. . . .

January 1772, 1, the 12th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty, the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.

In the newly occupied city of Pekan at the mouth of the Pahang River, Mo Zi Bu personally visited and signed a peace treaty with Sultan Muhammad III of Johor.

Muhammad III expressed deep apologies to Mozibu for his rough treatment of the Tang people in the country some time ago and expressed his willingness to compensate.

The so-called rough treatment was that several Chinese tin mine owners believed that the tin mining tax of the Johor Sultanate was too high, so they refused to pay the tax and formed a team to drive away the officials of the Sultanate who came to collect taxes.

Then the Sultanate naturally had to send troops to pacify the rebellion, but before their troops left the city, Mozibu's sea and land forces arrived.

The two sides agreed that the Sultanate of Johor would accept the protection of the Xing Tang Shogunate, and in order to obtain this protection.

The Sultanate of Johor surrendered the protectorate of the Sultanate of Terengganu to the Hin Tang Shogunate.

The Pahang River and about 50 kilometers of land on both sides of the river were ceded.

All tin, gold and other mines in the Johor Sultanate's country can only be operated by Chinese, and other foreigners are not allowed to mine without the permission of the Xingtang Shogunate.

The Sultanate must negotiate all mining taxes with the Xingtang Shogunate and levy taxes according to prices agreed upon by both parties.

The Sultanate is open to all Chinese, allowing them to settle down, do business, and get married, just like the people of the Sultanate.

When the Sultanate was invaded by foreign enemies, the Xingtang Shogunate was willing to mediate and even provide military protection.

After the peace treaty was signed, Mo Zibu withdrew his troops with satisfaction.

This military operation, which lasted for one and a half months, not only trained the troops, but also tested the capabilities of the officers recruited from France at high salaries.

The result made Mo Zibu very satisfied. The framework of the army was basically established, and great progress had been made from marching and combat to the setting of arms and mutual coordination.

The navy was even more obvious, and its combat effectiveness was quickly formed almost visible to the naked eye.

Compared to Mo Zibu's previous fleet, which was a little nervous even when fighting pirates, the current Xingtang Prefecture fleet can truly be called a navy.

Although Major General Fragosse and his naval officers are greedy, they are indeed capable.

In addition, Mo Zibu also acquired a territory equivalent to half of Hainan Island and discovered six new tin mines, which could bring in an additional 30,000 to 40,000 taels of net income each year.

Most importantly, he defeated the Sultanate of Johor, making it so that the most powerful indigenous country on the Andai Peninsula no longer dared to launch a sneak attack when he was participating in the Annan Chicken Eating Competition.

And just to the north in Guangnan, the Second Battle of Pingshan began.

This time, Nguyen Van Yue received an 'epic' reinforcement, with hundreds more flintlock rifles and a large amount of gunpowder.

At the same time, Zhang Wenxian helped him "farm" in Guiren for half a year, which greatly alleviated the material problems that had been plaguing the Tây Sơn army.

Ruan Wenyue finally made up his mind and tried to curry favor with Li Guangcai and Li Jiting, successfully winning their support. The morale of the army was higher than ever.

On the other hand, in Guangnan, Zhang Fuluan's previous actions greatly damaged the morale of the regular soldiers. The mercenaries in Hoi An received less than half of their wages and were unwilling to go out.

The Xishan Army was able to quickly capture Pingshan County, and then easily captured Shenghua Prefecture, the capital of Guangnan Camp.

They advanced all the way to My Son, a place with a large number of Champa temple ruins, which was later called the Vietnamese Angkor Wat.

This place is only 40 kilometers away from Hoi An and less than 130 kilometers away from Hue.

(End of this chapter)