The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 444: Watery Sister-in-law

"Brother-in-law, come and try the hot and sour shrimp soup I made."

A sweet little voice sounded, and a little girl wearing a colorful Thai tube skirt, without any makeup, looked very pretty, with thin legs and arms, and two lumps of baby fat on her face, holding a bowl of soup and looking at Mo Zibu with a smile.

Mo Zibu couldn't help but take a few more glances at her. It wasn't because she was stunningly beautiful, but because she looked like a young and sweet girl from later generations, which really touched people's hearts' nostalgia and memories of their sweet first love in school days.

The so-called hot and sour shrimp soup, later called Tom Yum Goong soup according to the Thai pronunciation, is the most famous dish in Southeast Asia.

Zheng Shishi felt a little bitter, but this was something she had to face. The emperor was the most powerful man in the world, and there were countless women who dreamed of throwing themselves at him.

She also knew that she was infertile, and it would be a good thing for her if she could have a younger sister enter the palace.

Because his sister's son is much safer than Wu Qian's son, who is his cousin in name but actually has no blood relationship with him.

"There are many people in the palace who can make hot and sour shrimp soup, but no one can make it as well as you, Susu."

Mo Zibu took the Tom Yum Goong soup that his sister-in-law Zheng Susu had just served with a smile and couldn't wait to taste it.

The spicy taste of ginger and chili peppers are well blended, the crab has a strong flavor, the prawns are chewy, the abalone is soft and tender, and the combination of mint leaves and lemon juice can also give people a unique sour and refreshing feeling.

Mo Zibu drank two large bowls in a row and kept praising it.

Of course, he didn't know that Zheng Susu was the originator of Tom Yum Goong soup in history.

This sour soup, which was originally only popular on a small scale, gradually became popular after Zheng Susu creatively added ingredients such as chili peppers and fresh mushrooms.

"Your Majesty likes Susu's hot and sour shrimp soup so much, why not keep her by your side and let her make soup for you every day."

Zheng Shishi has been the queen for several years, and has established basic political qualities.

Seeing that Mo Zibu really liked Zheng Susu, she immediately continued the topic.

Zheng Susu naturally thought so in her heart, but as a little girl, she was still very embarrassed when she heard her sister say that.

"Sister!" She called out in a reproachful tone, waved her hands around in a panic, pinched the corner of her clothes, and lowered her head.

Mo Zibu was silent for a moment, then burst into laughter. "I don't mind, but I don't know if my father-in-law is willing!"

Mo Zibu was silent for a moment because Zheng Susu's maternal grandfather was Chen Sen, the Chinese Minister of State Affairs under Zheng Xin.

Although Chen Sen was from Zhangzhou, he made a big bet when Zheng Xin started his business. He supported Zheng Xin with a total of 20 armed merchant ships, 60 small cannons, 800 muskets, and more than 700 sailors.

Also, because Chen Sen's wife was from Teochew, and Zhangzhou dialect is part of the Minnan dialect system and is most similar to Teochew dialect, which is also a Minnan dialect, Chen Sen has always been a core minister of the Taksin Thonburi Dynasty.

It can be said that this incident caused such a big stir that the angel group headed by Chen Sen and the Zheng royal family group headed by Zheng Congli intervened in various money-making industries in Siam, offended a lot of people and have to bear a lot of responsibility.

But at the same time, Mo Zibu thought again, Chen Sen and others were wrong, but that was an internal matter among the Chinese. No matter how bad he did, it was not a reason for these people to rebel.

What Chen Sen and others did is outrageous. Can't you follow Wenma's example and come directly to Yingtian Prefecture to file a complaint?

Therefore, Mo Zibu thought about it for a while and decided that Chen Sen and others were not guilty of the death penalty. At most, they would be exiled to Jiaqing Island (Borneo) or Nanji Island (Java Island). Then, they could eat this delicious sister-in-law every few years, and there would be no problem.

However, when Mo Zibu mentioned Zheng Xin's name, Zheng Shishi beside him, Zheng Miao and Zheng Susu opposite him fell silent. Zheng Shishi's eyes even turned red and she tried to wipe away tears.

Mo Zibu laughed heartily and handed a newly arrived report to Zheng Shishi, "Don't worry, with the Emperor taking action, there's nothing we can't handle.

My father-in-law has been rescued. He will be recuperating in Ha-hsien for half a month before heading north. Tong and the other traitors have also been executed."

When the three heard this, they couldn't help but cheer loudly. Mo Zibu looked at their ecstatic expressions and thought it would be better to make things clear.

"Ah Shui, Siam is extremely important to us Han people in maintaining our vast territory in Southeast Asia. My brother-in-law is planning to make it a direct jurisdiction. He wants to transfer you to Brunei in the future. Is that okay with you?"

Although the Sultanate of Brunei still existed at this time, they could not even defeat the Chinese miners in Borneo, and their demise was only a matter of time.

It’s just that Brunei became extremely wealthy in later generations because of oil. At that time, this land was still far from comparable to Siam.

So Mo Zibu thought that he was indeed a little sorry for Zheng Miao. This kid had always admired his brother-in-law, but at this moment, Mo Zibu had to give up Siam, which belonged to him.

However, after hearing what Mo Zibu said, Zheng Miao immediately knelt on the ground and said loudly:
"I thank Your Majesty for your grace. Actually, Brunei is too big for me. I implore Your Majesty to split it into several fiefdoms.

I have more than a dozen younger brothers. Although I cannot make all of them princes, I must at least give them some opportunities."

What kind of person has the least ambition?

They are people who know their own limitations and how much they can eat. Mo Zibu is lucky to have Zheng Miao as one of them.

Historically, Taksin sent him as a military supervisor to monitor Tong who led the army to attack Cambodia. However, not only could this guy not control the army at all, he also treated Tong with respect as an elder, hoping that Tong would end the war as soon as possible. The result of his fate can be imagined.

"Does your mother agree?" Zheng Miao's statement made Mo Zibu dazed for a moment, and then he asked.

"This is what mother meant. She said that all she wants is for our family to be reunited. Anyway, you, my brother-in-law, will ensure that our family will be prosperous and everlasting." Zheng Miao quickly replied.

Mo Zibu picked up the half-remaining bowl of Tom Yum Goong soup on the table and drank it all in one gulp. Then he said to Zheng Miao, "Go back and tell mother to rest assured that the title of a vassal king of the Zheng family and the wealth of your brothers will be left to me."

Mo Zibu waved to Zheng Shishi, who couldn't contain her joy, and said, "Go, tell your mother the good news."

After the three men left, Mo Zibu immediately convened a meeting in front of the emperor. Except for the Grand Secretary Qian Daxin who stayed in Yingtian Prefecture, all the other ministers from the inner and outer cabinets were present.

Enping Bolintong, the Grand Secretary of Jianji Hall, reported in his report, "Siam currently has a non-slave population of 810,000, of which more than 330,000 are Thai, about 180,000 are Chinese, about 260,000 are Najin, 15,000 are descendants of Arabs and Persians, and 20,000 are descendants of Mon people.

Of course, this is a very rough preliminary screening, in which Thais and Chinese do not include mixed blood, while Nazhen counts both paternal and maternal lines.

The rest, as long as they are mixed with the Arabs and Persians, are counted among them, including the Mongols."

Mo Zibu nodded. This number was not much different from the data obtained by the Jinyiwei.

"It seems that Siam can be conquered. The Najins are all considered Han Chinese. Let them immediately restore their ancestral surnames. The matrilineal Najins will immediately take their mother's surname.

Thais must learn Chinese immediately. Cantonese and Minnan dialect do not count. They must learn Nanjing Mandarin.

After they have learned Chinese well and read the Three Hundred Thousand, they will be asked to choose Mo, Chen and Zheng as their surnames from the Hundred Family Surnames.

Thais with surnames will be treated as Han Chinese, and Thais without surnames will be treated as Khmer."

Now the Khmers in Dayu are considered a relatively special ethnic group. They are not Han Chinese, but they have a certain political status. They just cannot go to Han provinces including Guangnan at will.

But they can go to other territories of Dayu as they please, but they cannot be recruited into the Beijing Camp, let alone the Imperial Guards.

"Prachuab and Chumphon, two provinces south of Phetchaburi, were placed under the jurisdiction of An Dai Province. The Lanna King, who was again seeking independence, was ordered to come to Eeng Thien Province to pay homage. If he refused, he would be destroyed.

He was given the surname Phraya Chanthaburi and ordered to lead the army to recapture Phitsanulok and be granted the title of prince. As for his name, he was named Peng.

"I will issue an edict to the King of Luangpra and the King of Champasak, ordering them each to send 3,000 troops, led by Chen Chengji, the commander of the Northern River Army, to capture Vientiane City and capture the King of Vientiane and bring him to Yingtian Prefecture."

Lin Tong wrote down everything, and even took the time to look at Liang Guozhi, feeling a little amused and helpless.

The three countries of Luang Prata, Vientiane and Champasak are so poor that there is really no need to conquer them. As long as their trade is controlled by the Chinese, the Chinese can obtain the privilege of mining and opening up new land in these three countries.

But this King of Vientiane was truly an amazing person. It was already a good thing that the imperial court did not pursue his crime of supporting the King of White Elephant. He even dared to gather the opposition forces in Siam and even took advantage of the civil unrest in Siam to invade the south. I really don't know who gave him the courage.

"Your Majesty, please tell me who should be responsible for the Governor of Siam Province and the Admiral in charge of the garrison troops." Lin Tong asked.

"Let Zheng Mincheng be the governor of Siam's military, finance, and criminal affairs, and let Jiang Wusheng be the admiral of Siam's military affairs." Mo Zibu made arrangements quickly.

"The existing nobility of Siam above the rank of Luang are ordered to come to Yingtian Prefecture this winter to pay homage and confirm the fiefdoms of their respective families.

All the fiefs of executed criminals will be handed over to the court to establish farms, with half each allocated to imperial farms and official farms. We will make a decision based on the situation in the future."

Mo Zibu frowned as he spoke. There were more than three million slaves. It was naturally impossible to liberate them all. It was better not to take too big a step.

However, Mo Zibu was a little reluctant to confer titles on new nobles according to the previous model. How could he have a bunch of vassals in the Chao Phraya Plain?

Therefore, Mo Zibu had to wait for Zheng Mincheng and Jiang Wusheng to give him a detailed report. After all the information was transparent, he could consider where to establish garrisons, where to give them to vassals, and how to arrange so many slaves.

After the imperial conference, the arrangements for Siam were roughly decided, and news came back from Europe.

Mo Zibu was stunned for a moment. He really didn't expect that his third brother could gain such trust from Maria Theresa.

The only people he could discuss such matters with were Lin Tong and the Chief of Staff of the Inner Court, Mo Zhengcun, because these two were the only ones who had been to Europe and could understand what was going on.

"Theresa asked me for the right to govern Pahang. She wanted the director of the Austrones Company (Austrian East Indies) to be appointed as the Prime Minister of Pahang in exchange for the White Horse Prince and his wife giving up Batavia."

Lin Tong snorted coldly and immediately waved his hand. "This is the Queen of Rome's best tactic. She takes advantage of her small concessions and then makes a huge demand. Pahang is within our territory, and there is absolutely no possibility of handing over the ruling power to another country."

Mo Zibu also nodded in agreement. Nanyang was China's forbidden territory, and there must be no possibility of negotiation.

Lin Tong thought for a moment and suddenly said to Mo Zibu, "Prince Baima becoming the Grand Duke of Transylvania will not bring us much benefit at the moment. On the contrary, Your Majesty will lose a relative you can rely on.

I wonder if Queen Theresa's big mouth is meant to test us?
If we show enthusiasm and agree to anything for the White Horse Prince's Grand Dukedom, Queen Theresa might change her mind."

"Your Majesty, I also think this is possible, so why not deal with it this way?" Mo Zhengcun said.

“The title of Prince of White Horse was originally a temporary measure for the three kings to visit the European continent. Pahang has now been changed to New Pahang.

It would be better to enthrone the three kings as the Kings of Peng, solidify their titles, and stall for a while to see how the Queen of Rome reacts."

"Okay. Let's arrange it this way." Mo Zibu agreed and started to pull each other to see what Theresa's real intention was.

And the truth is, just as Lin Tong said, the third brother Mo Zirong became the Grand Duke of Transylvania, and the Hungarians were willing to recognize the Huns as their ancestors. The benefit was in the long run, as it made it possible for China to use this as a fulcrum to intervene in European affairs.

But at the moment, there is actually no benefit, so you must not show any excitement, so as not to arouse the suspicion of Theresa, who is already suspicious.

(End of this chapter)