The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 560 The Great Emperor's Sunrise Warrior
Humans are actually a kind of creature that finds it difficult to hide their thoughts. In other words, any large animal cannot hide its true intentions for a long period of time.

Mo Zibu now had some understanding of why Zhu Yuanzhang in history almost fabricated cases of treason and executed certain people.

Because no matter their expressions, tone or behavior, they are almost nakedly expressing their positions and ambitions.

In history, there are very few people like Sima Yi who could pretend for decades and deceive everyone.

This is also an important reason why the Sima family is disliked by not only ordinary people but also emperors of later generations who hold the same profession as emperor.

An old coin like this is really terrible.

After enjoying the feeling of being supported by the people, Asen still couldn't calm down. Seeing that he looked like he really wanted to find his mother to tell her the good news, Mo Zibu waved his hand and told him to get out.

After such a ceremony, everyone should have seen clearly that he, the emperor, would not wait for Zheng Susu to give birth to a child, or for Defei Ye Yizhen to give birth to a child before making a decision.

But it has already been decided that the future heir will be Asen.

Mo Zibu had no choice because his empire was too big. It was conservatively estimated that the actual controlled area was more than 13 million square kilometers, and at least 18 million square kilometers had been incorporated into the empire.

If we add the Seven Rivers Region, the Fergana Basin, North Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand that will be recovered in the future, the total area will be at least 28 million square kilometers.

This area is too terrifying, and it would be extremely difficult to rule even in the future.

At present, although Mo Zibu has begun to madly upgrade the talent trees of steam locomotives and telegraphs, it will take at least eight to ten years for the technology to mature.

Even if it is fast, the technology will mature in seven or eight years, but it will probably take another 30 years to extend telegraphs and railways to the northwest and Southeast Asia. This time span is too long.

And now, local tyrants have begun to appear in various places, such as Su Ji and Huang Zhen in Lower Burma, Luo Fangbai in West Borneo, Hoi An Prefecture in Xingtang, Rinnan, and the Minh Xiang people of Hoi An headed by his sworn brother Wei Rikun.

Although they did not reach the point of disobeying orders or even opposing the imperial court, they had formed a deep and powerful background in the local area.

And this is just a large local force. The rest of the places are already full of vassal states.

The big ones, like Wu Rang, owned more than ten cities and hundreds of thousands of people, while the small ones controlled a town and had thousands of people.

It is easy to say if they are just vassals, but there are many who do not have the title of vassal at all, but have already become vassals. So how will they be determined in the future, whether they agree or disagree?
There are also some that were planned to be directly under the imperial court, but now they have been turned into vassal states. How should this be resolved?
Every problem here may cause unrest or a chain reaction, which in turn may affect the colonization cause.

Mo Zibu himself can certainly suppress it, but it is not certain whether the second generation of kings who take over can handle this situation.

Therefore, he needs to start training his successor personally now, so that his successor will not suddenly take over and face a complex situation and have no idea what to do.

Even Mo Zibu needed a crown prince like Asen to go to Nanyang in person to take charge and conduct research, so as to obtain first-hand information about the real situation without any polishing or deletion by the ministers below, so as to make a judgment.

So from this perspective, Asen is the most suitable candidate for the position of crown prince.

He has enough ability and a good background. At least for now, the core base of people including Mingxiang people in Jiading and Hoi'an, fellow villagers in western Guangdong, Hakka people, and Cantonese people in the Pearl River Delta all support Asen.

I believe that once I make my position clear, the Chaozhou and Minnan factions will soon change direction.

Then, marry Asen to a queen who has a background of Jiangnan gentry and wealthy merchants.

A concubine with a background of northern literati and gentry, such as the Yuan Shoutong family in Shandong or the Wang Jie family in Shaanxi, would be perfect.

The rest of the princes, even the offspring born by Zheng Susu, could not marry a queen from Jiangnan or a noble concubine from the north, and achieve such a perfect marriage.

Of course, the most important thing is that Asen's ability makes Mo Zibu feel relatively at ease.

At least from the current situation, under Ye Xiaomei's Zizhi Tongjian education, Asen can still understand the responsibilities of the emperor, know some tricks to win people's hearts, and know the relationship between close and distant relatives.

However, there is a very obvious drawback to doing this.

That is, Mo Zibu was born in the 1748th year of Qianlong's reign (), and he is not yet years old this year. It is still a bit dangerous to designate and train the crown prince so early.

In history, all those who lived longer and established the crown prince earlier, such as Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Taizong of Tang, and Ma Ge of the Qing Dynasty, all had problems without exception.

Therefore, the four spies are the emperor's confidants.

The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was actually Chen Xu, the pacification commissioner of the Southern Pacification Office and the assistant official of the Experience Office.

Li Cunyi, the deputy commander of the Jinyiwei Palace Front Division.

Huo Ran, the pacification envoy of the Northern Pacification Office.

Chen Agao, the colonel captain of the Tax Police Cavalry General Flag Team, and the other three looked at each other and felt that they would soon have something to do and their power would be increased.

Because when the cards are already known, there will definitely be many ambitious people who cannot control their desires.

A resentful husband who starts to stir up trouble now but then doesn't get the expected return for a long time.

Guys who are dissatisfied with their own status and who crazily want to get to the top overnight by making a big move keep popping up.

However, although the four of them looked at each other, they did not communicate afterwards, but walked away immediately, because at this time the Dayu spy system was completely independent of each other.

Among them, the Northern Pacification Division is responsible for domestic affairs.

The Southern Pacification Office is responsible for foreign affairs.

The Experience Department is responsible for personnel and archives.

The Criminal Law Department is responsible for detention and trial
The Dianqian Division was responsible for security and focused on religious aspects, while the Tiqi General Flag Team was responsible for taxation, etc.

Each of them was directly responsible to the emperor. Even Chen Xu, the genuine commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, could only communicate and coordinate with several departments with the emperor's authorization.

So, although they all seem to belong to the Jinyiwei, they are actually four different secret service departments.

It is possible that someone among them is trusted by the emperor and is secretly monitoring others. In this kind of relationship, it is naturally better to have less communication and relationship-building.

After Asen's affairs were arranged, Mo Zibu did not plan to summon Tanuma Yichi from Japan, but instead planned to leave them alone for a while, let them find connections on their own, and then pretend to agree to the summons.

Tanuma Yizhi was also deeply stimulated during the past two days. At this moment, he and Lin Shuzhai were in the inn arranged by the Honglu Temple. He was holding a book bought from the market outside and reading it attentively.

The Changes in the East-West Patterns Under the Rise of Western Europeans

As soon as you see the title of this book, which is completely different from the current one, you will know that it was compiled by order of the emperor.

This is also Mo Zibu's old routine. Before doing anything, he will definitely write a book as a theoretical basis and guidance.

The core of this book is to summarize his theory of the Second Warring States Period and, based on the original theory, put forward the concept of the New Seven Kingdoms.

That is to say, the Eastern world, which once attached great importance to literature and where Confucianism was basically developed into the Jixia Academy of Qi State, was likened to the State of Qi.

The West, plagued by intense internal strife but experiencing rapid technological advancement, particularly in military strength, was compared to the Qin State, which began its rise, the Wei State, which underwent Wu Qi's reforms, and the Zhao State, which adopted the Hu clothing and horse riding. Sandwiched between the Qin and Qi states were the Ottoman Empire, India, Persia, and the Hezhong region, naturally representing the remaining small states struggling for survival.

According to the theory of this book, the current era of the Warring States period, when heroes competed for supremacy, was almost reaching the era when Qi and Qin claimed to be the Eastern and Western Emperors.

Although comparing the Eastern world to Qi State does not seem entirely appropriate and is somewhat unlucky, this is exactly what Mo Zibu needs.

He not only wants the Chinese people to feel the pressure of competition, but also wants to make the people outside of China, mainly Japan and South Korea, see the situation clearly, and make these two countries feel that their only option is to follow China and participate in the competition between the East and the West.

"What a great book!" Lin Shuzhai was completely conquered. This was a characteristic of his school of thought, which advocated respecting the king and expelling the barbarians from the country. This school of thought was still being advocated in mainland China until the end of the Qing Dynasty.

They believed that Japan was incapable of carrying the banner of the Eastern world, so they were quite supportive of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, and some even regarded the success of the Xinhai Revolution as hope.

"Now is indeed the era of the Warring States period, when many heroes are rising up. Although I don't agree that the powerful Chinese Empire is a large but weak Qi State, the world situation described is correct."

Hearing Lin Shuzhai's words, Tian Numa smiled bitterly, "Matsudaira-kun, if China is the Qi of the new era, and the Western countries are the rising Qin, or the Wei and Zhao after Wu Qi's reforms and the Hu clothing and horse riding.

Then what is our Kingdom of the Rising Sun? Where is our status and future?"

Lin Shuzhai gave Tian Numa Yizhi a strange look and said naturally, "We are of course Dongyi people. We resisted Qi at first, but eventually followed and even integrated into Qi."

"Matsudaira-kun!" Tanuma shouted, "But if that happens, the Land of the Rising Sun will become part of Middle-earth, and the Yamato people will become a branch of the Han Chinese!"

"Isn't this a good idea?" Lin Shuzhai asked again, curiously. "If not, when China demands the Land of the Rising Sun follow, or when the Western demons come knocking on our door, do you know who should resist, Tanuma-kun?"

Tanuma Okitsugu fell silent. It was obvious who would resist. Of course, it would not be the emperor of Yamashiro Province who had a salary of 30,000 stones and had to support not only a bunch of royal family members and maintain his own pomp, but also a large number of court nobles.

But it was the Shogun of the Tokugawa clan in Edo.

"Tanuma-kun, does the above have such ability, or can your father, the First Imperial Prefect, defend the Land of the Rising Sun against China in the east and the White Demons in the south?"

Lin Shuzhai continued to ask, and Tian Numa's head had already drooped.

Shogun Tokugawa Ieharu had lost confidence in the Land of the Rising Sun and even felt a little resentful because his only heir was killed due to his implementation of the New Deal.

As for his father, the Shogunate's Senior Councilor Tanuma Okitsugu, well, he was okay at dealing with a few businessmen and was good at making money, but he was not good at defending the entire Land of the Rising Sun with force.

Tanuma Ochi suddenly realized with horror that the Tokugawa shogunate, which had achieved its tyrannical rule through force, had in fact lost its greatest reliance, which was force.

It might be possible to maintain domestic stability and subdue the daimyo in various places, but as for foreign aggression, the shogunate was powerless in the face of both China and the Western white devils.

Isn't the shogunate's greatest reliance on conquering foreign invaders? Without this function, is it still the shogunate? Is there still a legal basis for its existence?
Lin Shuzhai saw the expression on Tian Numa Yizhi's face and knew that he finally understood his current situation.

Thinking of the eldest son of the Chinese emperor, who was basically the second generation emperor showing closeness, Lin Shuzhai, who was only fifteen years old, was the most impulsive and full of fantasies about the future, quickly made up his mind.

The stage of the Land of the Rising Sun is too small to respect the king and expel the barbarians. It is only possible to join the Chinese platform.

"Tanuma-kun!" Lin Shuzhai shouted to Tanuma Yizhi in a low voice, "Now that China has taken control of the Satsuma Domain, they will certainly not withdraw easily, and the shogunate no longer has the ability to expel China's navy and army.

If this situation continues, the legitimacy of the shogunate will be questioned.

What's even more terrifying is that before the shogunate is questioned, someone with enough weight will definitely come forward to take responsibility for causing such serious consequences. Who do you think it will be?"

Tanuma Ichi knew that a fifteen-year-old boy had hit upon the issue that worried him the most.

Moreover, he had been in a state of fear and shock since arriving in China. His mental defenses were on the verge of collapse. He actually followed Lin Shuzhai's words and said:
"If it's not Shangyang, then it must be my father who bears this responsibility." As he said this, Tanuma Yizhi shuddered with fear and said in unison with Lin Shuzhai, "It could also be that Shangyang and Gozenyang are together!"

Although Lin Shuzhai was young, he was very shrewd. He knew that at this moment, Tanuma Yizhi had already agreed with his point of view, and immediately nodded heavily.

"Tanuma-kun, you are the main assistant of Gozen-sama. You know how many people's interests were harmed by Gozen-sama's new policies. If Ueyama and Gozen-sama are to be held responsible for this, Ueyama can retire, but Gozen-sama and Tanuma-kun."

Lin Shuzhai hadn't finished speaking, but Tanuma Yizhi had already started sweating profusely. Yes, if this situation occurred, Shogun Tokugawa Ieharu would at most be forced to retire, or he could live in confinement for a few more years.

But his father, Tanuma Okitsugu, and their family would surely be torn apart by the angry samurai class.

At this moment, several hatamoto who came with Tanuma Yoshitomo came back from outside, obviously drunk. When they saw Tanuma Yoshitomo and Lin Shuzhai, they immediately greeted them loudly.

The Emperor held a grand celebration for the triumphant warriors of the Indian expedition, arranging competitions in horsemanship, swordsmanship, archery, gunnery, wrestling, boxing, and other subjects.

Echizen Hiroki won first place in horsemanship, swordsmanship, and gunnery, and was awarded three hundred silver dollars. We bought some wine and meat and invited you to a feast."

The Echizen Sho mentioned by these samurai is Oda Nobufuke, the lord of Takahata domain who holds the title of Echizen-no-kami. Although the Oda clan suffered severe damage in the Meiwa Incident, it has recently shown signs of recovery.

When Oda Nobufu heard the hatamoto around him praising him, he felt a little happy, but he still knew what was good for him and quickly waved his hand.

"The Emperor forbade true warriors from participating in this garden party. He intended to discover brave warriors among the people. My victory was not a fair one, it was not a fair one!"

"Echizen-sama is too modest. We come from the Land of the Rising Sun, and we are not yet the emperor's warriors. Naturally, we can participate in the name of country wanderers. How can this be considered an unfair victory?"

"Yes, there are so many good things in Nanjing Yingtian Prefecture that it's almost overwhelming. Without the three hundred silver dollars that Echizen generously allowed us to share, we wouldn't even be able to afford a proper banquet."

Tanuma Yizhi simply didn't have the courage to continue listening. He knew that these people would start complaining as they talked.

Because in the Land of the Rising Sun, the real samurai are so poor that they are not even as good as the Chinese coachmen. With such a huge gap, how can people not yearn for it?

Tanuma Ochi gave up his fantasy. You have to know that these hatamoto warriors were all hatamoto and hereditary heads of the high-ranking families who were relatively close to Shogun Tokugawa Ieharu.

Or like Oda Nobufu, it was the shogun who promoted him to the position of daimyo. Even though Takahata Domain only had 20,000 stones, it was still a daimyo!
But now, they have changed their attitudes so quickly, and they regard themselves as the great emperor warriors. Other low-level warriors will have no ability to resist.

Just when Tanuma was feeling very passive and was eating and drinking at the banquet invited by others, another extremely important news came.

The Shimazu family of Satsuma Domain in Kyushu region has decided to surrender to the emperor, and Shimazu Shigehiro even sent his eight-year-old son Shimazu Yoshinobu over.

On the other hand, the Mori clan of Choshu Domain, who was said to have led the bombardment of the Great Emperor's fleet, has been almost uprooted.

With a clang, the soup spoon in Tanuma's hand fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

Although the Mori clan of Choshu Domain was a major concern for the shogunate, Tanuma Otomo still knew that the Mori clan was capable of some tricks.

Is such a powerful southwestern vassal state gone just like that?

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, for our future, for the Land of the Rising Sun, we must immediately go to the residences of the noble ministers of the Chinese Empire and plead for a chance to see the Emperor, to save the situation, to save the Land of the Rising Sun!"

Lin Shuzhai took the opportunity to shout loudly, and immediately won everyone's agreement. As for how to save the situation, that was obvious.

Apart from being a dog, oh no, a warrior for the emperor, is there any other way?
　Thank you all for your understanding. We expect to resume the weekly updates next Tuesday.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)