The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 316: The Endless Battle in the South

On the ninth day of the ninth month, the Double Ninth Festival, Mo Zibu met with all the Mingxiang people's representatives in Jiading as scheduled, including the captains of each production team.

There was a buffet banquet in Jiading Xiaoyao Palace that lasted for more than ten days. No matter who came, as long as they came, they could sit in the outer palace and have a seat at the banquet.

During this period, Mo Zibu would bring his younger cousin Chen Yizhen and eldest son Asen out every day, and every appearance would draw cheers from the Mingxiang people attending the banquet.

In this extremely intimate atmosphere, Mo Zibu brought hundreds of leading figures among the Mingxiang people to worship the two holy kings, Mo Jiu and Chen Shangchuan.

Moreover, Mo Zi Bu fulfilled the promise he made when he rescued Taksin in the Pattaya battle. The direct descendants of the Chen family of the Mingxiang people will be regarded as the royal family of the future Mo Dynasty, and the collateral branches of the Chen family will also be public clans.

Having posthumously conferred the title of King of Xu on his maternal grandfather Chen Shangchuan, Mo Zibu again conferred the title of Duke of Gaozhou on his uncle Chen Dasheng and the title of Marquis of Xuwen on his cousin Chen Dali.

Chen Dali was changed back to his original name, Chen Guangli, and the tradition of using pad characters that the direct descendants of the Chen family had learned from the Annan people was abolished.

At the same time, Mo Zibu also posthumously conferred the title of Duke of Longmen County on Yang Yandi, who was not conferred the title when the country was established last time, and gave him the posthumous title of Zhuangjian.

It took about fifteen days for Mo Zibu to completely gain the support of all Mingxiang people before he began to recruit soldiers from Jiading.

He recruited 4,000 people from the 110,000 Mingxiang people and 4,000 people from the more than 300,000 high-ranking officials in Jiading, Jinghan and Beijing.

However, these 8,000 people were not given new numbers, but were directly assigned to the five regiments of Wuding, Longmen, Longqi, Baima and Bianhe in Jiading Town, expanding the five regiments to 13,000 people.

They are basically our own people. Once they are filled in, the veterans can lead the new recruits and quickly form combat effectiveness.

After doing all this, Mo Zibu let his younger cousin and eldest son rest in Jiading, while he himself headed north to Hoi An without stopping.

By this time, the officers and soldiers who had ended the war in Jiaxidao (West Borneo) had basically finished their vacation.

Mo Zibu first arranged for the Tangshan Zhentaixi Yicongtuan and the European officers and soldiers of the navy to gather in Hoi An, promised them a lot of rewards, and accompanied them to toast with European guys such as Reinstein and Fragossels.

After dealing with them, Mo Zibu began to have heart-to-heart talks with the officers and soldiers from other towns.

In Tangshan Town, except for the Hakka officers and soldiers, most of the others are from southern Fujian. They are not fond of Cantonese opera from Guangdong, but are fond of puppetry.

This art form originated in Quanzhou and is a favorite of almost all Minnan people from the Zhangzhou and Quanzhou areas.

The new play being performed on stage is called The Loyal and Martial King's Surname.

The story is very simple. When the Qing army marched south to Fujian, Zheng Zhilong, the father of Koxinga, believed Hong Chengchou's lies and insisted on surrendering to the Qing despite Koxinga's pleadings. However, he was detained by the Qing army, and both father and son were taken to Yanjing and subsequently executed.

However, Koxinga was loyal to the Han Dynasty and refused to be a captive. He led a small number of soldiers who refused to surrender and fled to Kinmen. During this period, he experienced the tragedy of his mother Tianchuan committing suicide and his wife Mrs. Dong and eldest son Zhu Jin being separated during the war.

But in the end, with the support of a group of loyal and unyielding Han men, they finally drove out the red-haired demons, occupied Dongning, recovered Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, and prepared to launch a large-scale northern expedition to Nanjing.

The plot is indeed not complicated, but it is gripping enough. You can even make people feel the thrill and urgency by just acting out what actually happened in history.

When Mo Zibu saw the heads of Zheng Zhilong and his son falling to the ground in Yanjing, he could even hear a deep sigh.

On the stage, the actress playing Guoxing's mother, Mrs. Tianchuan, was singing in a humming voice: "Though I am a barbarian girl from Japan, I also know loyalty and righteousness. The Eastern barbarians are as vicious as jackals and wolves. How can I rely on them as a strong tree? They are the hidden star of disaster, definitely not the Purple Star of the Ninth Heaven."

Today I pour out this passionate blood, just to let my child know that bandits cannot be trusted, and Han and bandits cannot coexist. I want him to re-establish Nantian for the Han Chinese and pass on the traditional culture of clothing and morality.

After that, the plot developed further, and every officer and soldier watched intently. It was indeed not easy for Guoxing to succeed. Almost everyone had surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, but he was struggling to hold on.

He nearly lost his entire army several times, and nearly lost his entire family several times, but in the end he fought again and again, and finally recovered Taiwan and gained a firm foothold.

Finally, in the triumphal song sung by the majestic Qi Jiguang, the flag symbolizing the Northern Expedition flutters high, as if foreshadowing future success.

This puppet show was performed for five days. Mo Zibu only appeared among them after all the summoned officers and soldiers had watched it.

Looking around at the dense crowd in the Hoi An Palace, Mo Zibu walked to the high platform in the center of the hall.

Those who can come here today are basically officers above the rank of Junior Guard and representatives of brave soldiers fighting in the army.

Mo Zibu raised a bowl of wine and looked at the officers and soldiers, "One hundred and twenty years ago, Guoxingye was about the same age as me, Mo Zhao, but the situation he faced was far more dangerous than mine. His father, brothers and sisters were deceived and slaughtered by the Tartars, his mother committed suicide, and his family disappeared.

But Koxinga never wavered, because he knew that the Tartars could not be trusted!
They only want us Han people to be their slaves from generation to generation, and not to treat us as human beings.

If they really treated us as human beings, they wouldn't have asked us to shave our heads and change our clothes, and they wouldn't have killed Zheng Zhilong and the others!"

Mo Zibu's words filled the faces of the officers and soldiers from southern Fujian with anger, as did some Hakka and Chaoshan officers and soldiers.

To be honest, the Qing Dynasty's harm to Zheng Zhilong was indeed very tasteless. At least in the hearts of people in southern Fujian and Chaoshan, it completely lost its credibility.

This is also the reason why the national surname became such a big deal later, because the people in southern Fujian no longer dared to believe in the Qing Dynasty.

"Some people say that this vengeance has been over a hundred years ago, and future generations must survive. Instead of constantly talking about revenge, it is better to live a comfortable life.

I, Mo Zhao, cannot agree with this. A grudge of ten generations can still be avenged, but only over a hundred years have passed, so how can a blood feud be settled? How can the person who said this be worthy of his ancestors? Is he still a man?

Besides, where is the good life these days? The Bannermen in Fuzhou and Guangzhou are grabbing land and taking up all our farmland. They don't have to work a day, and they have enough food to eat all year round.

And what about us? After working hard all year, our parents, wives, and children can hardly even have a full meal. Eating a bowl of porridge that can hold chopsticks firmly in place is considered a festival. What kind of good day is this?

If we really want to live a good life, are I, Mo Zhao, and you all fools?

Life is good back home, but you have to risk your life to go to Southeast Asia and fight with the natives for a living!"

Mo Zibu pointed randomly and said, "Sergeant, when did you go abroad and why did you go abroad?"

Huang Wangcai shuddered all over and stood up with a numb feeling all over. He couldn't believe that he was the first person the king noticed.

"Reporting to the king, this is Huang Wangcai, a sergeant of the Zhongnan Yicong Corps, who came here in the 37th year of the Qianlong reign."

"Okay, Wangcai..." Uh, damn it, in such a serious occasion, Mo Zibu was almost made to laugh by this name.

"Why did you come over here to risk your life? Is it because life at home is too good and you have to come out and challenge yourself?" Huang Wangcai probably understood what challenge meant. He shook his head violently, and his head was like a rattle.

"No, my Lord, my family is very poor. My five brothers and my father only have one set of clothes to wear when going out. We live by renting fishing boats from wealthy families.

If they wanted to rent it to us, we could catch some fish and exchange them for rice. If they didn't want to rent it to us, my father would have to take us to the beach to catch some shrimps, crabs and shells.

Even so, the government still required us to pay two taels of silver in taxes every year. If we didn't pay, they would come and beat us or lock us up. My second brother was locked up by the dog police and never returned.

I want to go abroad because I really can't make ends meet anymore. If I stay in Tangshan, I will starve to death, and my whole family will starve to death."

Mo Zibu breathed a sigh of relief. He was quite afraid of picking a household with better conditions, but now it seems that he was worrying too much.

The farmers under the rule of the Qing Dynasty were basically on the brink of life and death. They could not starve to death, but many of them were in a semi-starved state.

Someone in the crowd called out in a funny way, "Wangcai was so frugal when he came over here. He didn't even wear a pair of pants. He just came with a stick. When I saw him, he was squatting in the cabin with his bare bottom."

"Hahahaha!" Countless people burst into laughter, and Huang Wangcai's face suddenly became embarrassed.

But as they laughed, many people stopped laughing because Huang Wangcai was not the only one who crossed the border naked.

Mo Zibu didn't laugh. He looked at everyone and said, "So, just like I said, if you can live well in your hometown, why do you need to risk your life to make a living overseas?"

"No, no!" The responses were not uniform at first, but later on, the voices gradually became uniform.

"Think about it, everyone. Have the Tartars ever treated us Han people as human beings?"

"No!" they shouted again in unison.

"Did I, Mo Zhao, intend to provoke the Qing Dynasty from the very beginning?
No, we even helped them fight the White Elephant King. But now, why do the Qing Dynasty not allow us to enter Beihe?

They occupied our land, and we don’t mind it, but why don’t they give us the chance to live a better life in Southeast Asia?

Isn’t this a bit too much? "

"Yes, yes, yes!" someone shouted, "Without the Beihe River, our southern kingdom will be unstable. We didn't ask for the Qing Dynasty's land, so why can't we give it to the Beihe River?"

"That's right, Beihe is where the kingly aura of the South lies. It's like a piece of fat meat right at my fingertips. I'll fight anyone who doesn't let me eat it!"

Curses and roars continued to ring out, and the atmosphere began to become tense. Anyone who could cross over to Southeast Asia was born in a poor family and had some feelings for the corrupt officials of the Qing Dynasty.

They may have had doubts at first, but that was because they felt that the Qing Dynasty was too powerful and there was no need to provoke it.

But for everyone in the Xing Tang Army, Beihe is a piece of fat meat at their fingertips, because the main force of the Zheng Army in Beihe has been defeated.

Now, attacking Beizheng is just as enjoyable as eating meat and drinking wine. They will vent their anger on whoever does not let them go.

“So, today I, Mo Zhao, summoned you here to tell you all, Tartars, I, Mo Zhao, will no longer serve you.

I am a man of seven feet tall and a Han noble. I will not work like a slave for the Tartars. Whoever wants to go can leave the Xing Tang Army and go on his own. I, Mo Zhao, will never go.

As for Beihe, I'm going to take it, and no one can stop me. Whoever cuts off my financial resources will have his parents killed. Even if the Eight Banners soldiers of the Qing Dynasty come, I will break their legs."

"Let's fight, charge into Beihe, and secure Tiannan. We will follow the king until death!" Finally, the people in the crowd took effect, and they took the lead in roaring.

"Strike your way into Beihe and secure your position in Tiannan!"

"Strike your way into Beihe and secure your position in Tiannan!"

Countless people roared in anger, and in the passionate atmosphere, Hakka officers such as Li Quan and Ye Xianchun rushed out.

Ye Xianchun's eyes were filled with tears. He hugged Mo Zibu's thighs and cried, "Your Majesty, I was originally a coolie. I toiled all day long, exhausted to the point of vomiting blood, yet I had neither enough to eat nor enough clothes to wear. My mother was sick, and I could only watch her being tortured to death. I couldn't even afford a penny for her medicine.

Today, I can lead a thousand men, have been awarded the rank of major, and my whole family lives a good life. This is all due to the grace of the king.

Ye Xianbi is a ruthless person. I have already sent people back to my hometown in Changle County to kill all seventeen of his family. If any Hakka dares to betray the king in the future, I will kill his entire family!

Mo Zibu looked at Ye Xianchun in shock. To be honest, even he, the king, had never thought of using this trick. "Ye Xianbi is your cousin, and his father is your uncle within the fifth degree of mourning."

Ye Xianchun gnashed his teeth and said, "How can there be any family affection under the righteousness? I don't have that kind of ruthless uncle!

Ye Xianbi hadn't wavered at first, but it was my uncle who was discovered by spies from the Guangdong Governor's office, and was bribed by Guangdong Governor Baode with the promise of an eighth-rank inspectorate. He then wrote a letter to Ye Xianbi himself, which made him decide to defect.

So there was such a thing. Mo Zibu didn't know what to feel in his heart, he could only sigh.

"Ye Xianbi is guilty, but his family is not guilty. I, Xing Tang, will not commit murders of an entire family. Don't do this again in the future."

At this time, many Hakka officers and soldiers gathered around, and most of them had worried looks in their eyes, some like cubs who were afraid of being abandoned by their parents.

Mo Zibu suddenly realized that there might be some wavering people among them, but most of them were completely bound to him, and not everyone was heartless.

However, my previous intentional distance from these Hakka people and my unwillingness to let them take the lead may have hurt them.

“Your Majesty, the Second Hakka Regiment requests to be the first to enter Beihe.

If the Tartars dare to march south, I, Ye Xianchun, will pledge my life. Even if all 1,100 officers and soldiers of the Hakka Second Regiment die in battle, we will not retreat a single step!"

Mo Zibu thought about it for a moment before nodding his head vigorously. "Okay, when we dispatch the troops, let your Hakka Second Regiment, Ye Xianchun, lead the charge."

Hearing what Mo Zibu said, the Hakka officers and soldiers present finally cheered. They all knelt down in unison, their faces filled with joy.

"I wish to follow the king and settle in the south of the sky!"

(End of this chapter)