The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 580: Emperor Taizong, you have to move again
The Forbidden City, Xingtang Pavilion, today is the day when Liang Guozhi, the Privy Councilor of the Inner Court, is going to retire and return to his hometown, so it is very lively.

Not only the attendants of the inner court, the civil servants, the military advisors and the chief advisors were present, but also the cabinet ministers and the ministers of the outer court, except those who were not in Nanjing and Yingtian Prefecture, had all come.

Mo Zibu's Dayu Dynasty, like himself, displayed an extreme ability to sew things together.

Logically speaking, the parallel existence of the inner and outer courts would inevitably lead to power struggles and constant conflicts, but in reality, at present, the inner and outer courts are very harmonious.

Because under the control of Mo Zibu, the Inner Court Civil Service Office was actually a Silijian without the power to approve documents, and belonged to the emperor's personal secretariat.

The power to wear red robes was half in the hands of the emperor and half in the hands of the privy council of the inner court.

Seventy percent of the Hanlin scholars in the Ministry of Civil Affairs were selected from orthodox officials, mainly Jinshi graduates, from various ministries of the imperial court, the Dali Temple, the Censorate, and officials of various prefectures and counties, who had two or three years of administrative experience.

The remaining 30% were selected by the emperor through recommendations from famous scholars and meritorious officials from all over the country, or officials who were not Jinshi graduates were selected and recruited by the emperor himself.

Well, actually, these are the central selected students, targeted selected students and non-targeted selected students for the central reserve cadres of the later Republic, which were directly plagiarized by Mo Zibu.

After these three types of selected candidates entered the inner court, they generally served for three to five years. The outstanding ones would then be released by the emperor to take up more important positions. Many of the cabinet ministers and officials in the outer court spent their money in this way.

Seventy percent was given to regular Jinshi to avoid their dissatisfaction, and thirty percent was kept in his own hands, giving Mo Zibu enough power to drive officials to serve in difficult areas such as the Western Regions, Qingtang, and Nanyang.

Because as long as you catch the emperor's eye, even if you fail the imperial examination, you will still have a good future.

Those who fail the imperial examination but have the ability to do practical work will often choose this path.

The General Staff of the Inner Court was actually the military organization that the Emperor used to command the Guards and the Navy. They had little conflict with other departments of the Outer Court.

No one from the outer court, including the ministers of honor, had the courage to interfere with the Imperial Guards, as this was a serious crime for the Yi people.

"Your Majesty, if I were in good health, I would really like to serve you again. Unfortunately, my serious illness has resurfaced and I am no longer strong enough." Liang Guozhi was not being polite. He really liked working under the emperor.

If Liang Guozhi were asked to use one word to describe the emperor, it would definitely be rules.

This Emperor Guangzhong was the most rule-abiding emperor Liang Guozhi had ever seen in his life. It seemed as if he had grown up under rules from childhood to adulthood.

Serving beside Emperor Guangzhong was completely different from serving beside Emperor Qianlong, where one felt as nervous as if they were serving a tiger. Although there was still some sense of oppression, he was the emperor after all.

But everyone knows that as long as they don't cross the emperor's red line and don't violate the rules, at least their personal safety and other things are guaranteed.

Therefore, compared with the Qing Dynasty, officials in Dayu at this time were much more courageous in taking on responsibilities, and they could often point out problems quickly when they were discovered. They had a very strong ability to correct mistakes from top to bottom and were very efficient.

"Prime Minister, please don't be so sad. I will not take back your authority to visit the inner court and the forbidden palace. When you feel better, you can come to the palace later."

In fact, Mo Zibu was a little reluctant to part with Liang Guozhi, who was a very capable official, especially good at allocating resources and communicating with superiors and subordinates.

During the years when the Dayu Dynasty was engaged in wars, Liang Guozhi was in charge of all the support work including logistics, money, food and pensions. Not only did he not make any mistakes, but he was also very efficient and did not disturb the people much.

The Prime Minister, Li Xianwen, Duke of Xia, once said that Liang Guozhi had the ability to ensure logistics and prepare military supplies, just like Zhuge Liang.

"Your Majesty, this old minister, I bow to thank you for your grace." Liang Guozhi was very grateful and was about to kneel down and kowtow, but Mo Zibu quickly supported him.

"Your Majesty, although Japan has basically stabilized, one thing should be noted. Japan has been on the edge of China since ancient times and has had its own center for more than a thousand years.

Now, Your Majesty has incorporated all of them above the level of warriors into the Chinese ethnic group. Although they can be conquered by force and it makes sense culturally, more attention must be paid to the hearts of the people.

Therefore, I suggest that it would be best to have Duke Qiong or Duke Cai go to Wa to take charge for a period of time. Once the Wa people are used to not having Kyoto in Japan, we can then say that they are completely subdued."

What Liang Guozhi said is actually somewhat similar to the theory of centralism. For more than a thousand years, Japan has been accustomed to having its own center. If it is suddenly changed, it will be difficult for them to adapt for a while.

Driven by inertia for more than a thousand years, there will definitely be people who will try to establish a center in Japan and are unwilling to be marginalized.

This kind of conquest without a stable center will only foster centrifugal force over time.

Then the best way is to send a close relative of the royal family to take charge for ten or eight years, slowly change the hearts of the Japanese, and then break this problem. This is the best way.

Mo Zibu knew in his heart that if he had not just opened his heart to him, Liang Guozhi would not have made such a suggestion. After all, Japan was so far away, and choosing a member of the royal family to rule there was no different from establishing a vassal state.

If the two emperor brothers, Duke Qiong and Duke Cai, have any inappropriate thoughts when they go there, the person who recommended them will also be held responsible.

"In fact, the most suitable candidate is the retired emperor. I heard that he will be back from Southeast Asia at the end of the year. With his vigorous spirit and high status, he is the most suitable person to rule Japan."

Before Mo Zibu could finish his sigh, Liang Guozhi made another suggestion, which was an even more offensive one. At the age of Emperor Mo Tianci, he would basically die in Japan if he went there.

However, Mo Zibu touched his chin and thought that his father, Mo Tianci, was indeed the most suitable candidate. He was capable enough and there was no need to worry about rebellion. How could a father rebel against his son?

More importantly, Mo Tianci's body can handle it.

Historically, Mo Tianci died this year, but it was not a natural death. Instead, Zheng Xin fell into Nguyen Van Hue's counter-espionage plan and forced Mo Tianci to commit suicide.

Before committing suicide, in 1780, when he was years old, the Siamese concubine given to him by Taksin gave birth to his last son, Mok Thien Chow.

And this is not an isolated case, because in 1779, when Mo Tianci was years old, he already had a son, Mo Zijun.

This is really against the will of heaven. He took two concubines at the age of seventy-eight, and had sons at the ages of seventy-nine and eighty.

The same is true in this time and space. The retired emperor Mo Tianci is old but not old at heart. When he was guarding Siam, he took in two concubines. Only two years ago, he gave Mo Zibu a younger brother, and he also named him Mo Zitian.
Well, that is to say, I, the Great Emperor Mo, now have a younger brother who is not even two years old.

This is really outrageous. How could his health be so good? Mo Zibu estimated that if nothing unexpected happened, his father Mo Tianci should be able to live to be over 90 years old easily.

Thinking of this, Mo Zibu made up his mind and said, "Thank you, Prime Minister, for your reminder. I will write to the Emperor immediately. I think he won't mind making a trip to Japan."

After discussing the affairs of Japan, Liang Guozhi said to Mo Zibu, "The Koreans are narrow-minded, fond of nonsense, and fond of strange and supernatural things. They appear respectful but are actually very two-faced.

There are too many nobles in the country, but the land is poor and the people are poor, so it is difficult for everyone to make a living. Even for the smallest profit, they will be very picky.

For example, when the people of Goryeo crossed the border to the north, the three generations of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty repeatedly issued edicts to reprimand them and even sent special commissioners to supervise them.

The ruler of the Joseon Dynasty always responded very respectfully in person, but he was always perfunctory in recovering the people. Of course, there was also a reason that the ruler of the Joseon Dynasty could not control the poor yangban below.

Therefore, I suggest that Your Majesty, if you want the Koreans to truly abide by the rules, simply reprimanding and urging them like the Qing Dynasty did will not have much effect. You must take strong measures to achieve results.

More importantly, during the hundred years since the Manchus took control of the Central Plains, the Koreans have ostensibly acted subservient, but in reality, they have considered themselves the Great Ming of the East Sea, believing that the Great Ming of the World only existed in Korea, and they held the Manchus in deep contempt. If Your Majesty wants them to serve the Great Yu as they did the Great Ming, it will probably not be enough to simply deal with Yi San, the leader of the Joseon Dynasty; you must also strike hard at the noble families within their own country.

What Liang Guozhi was worried about was that Mo Zibu had been planning for so long and had prepared a large number of charges, but as soon as the Koreans surrendered and knelt down, he would think of forgiving them.

In order to achieve the goal, we must use the most severe means to deal with them. Only by holding the knife to their necks will the people of Goryeo stop trying to be clever.

Moreover, the people of Goryeo now look down on the Central Plains. It is definitely impossible to conquer them without a heavy blow like the Ming Dynasty did in the past.

"I understand. I will never let the Koreans take advantage of the situation." Mo Zibu said this to Zheng Shishi easily, as if he was going to raise it high and then put it down gently.

But in fact, he thought the same as Liang Guozhi. The Korean wanted to do a good job only on the surface, but not actually change at all. He wanted to use less than 5,000 taels of Dongzhu in exchange for Mo Zibu's complete forgiveness. It was simply a dream.

Mo Zibu was already prepared. He would expel at least one million Koreans from the Joseon Dynasty and send them to Southeast Asia as semi-serfs within ten years before he would consider letting them go.

"My final suggestion is that even if the Japanese and Koreans go to Southeast Asia, Your Majesty should not treat them as slaves.

"China has always been against slavery. This is the lesson learned over thousands of years. In the end, the most economical and convenient way to keep slaves is to treat your own children as slaves."

what?
Mo Zibu had never really thought about this aspect. "Prime Minister, why is it so?"

Liang Guozhi smiled bitterly, "Firstly, in China, we have the tradition of taking people in as godchildren, so we can use family affection and morality to drive and restrain them.

Secondly, even if the Koreans and Japanese were made slaves, a considerable number of the people could not afford to support them.

Then the most economical way for them was to buy a few Japanese women or Silla maids, not only to force them to work, but also to occupy their bodies, and then give birth to illegitimate children to use as slaves.

This is the most economical way to obtain slaves. They can help with chores as young as six or seven, and by their teens they can do almost anything. They don't need to be paid, and you can use your father's status to beat and scold them at will. Chains and sticks are all you have to pay, and it's a highly profitable business."

Mo Zibu couldn't help but shudder inwardly, because Liang Guozhi's prediction might very well be true.

This is indeed true. In later America, this was the way slavery was practiced at the lowest level, especially after most states abolished slavery on the surface.

A white farmer raped a black female slave, who gave birth to a bunch of children who were biologically the slave owner's sons but were actually slaves to be exploited by the father.

And this is the case when there is a huge difference in appearance between black and white people. If we look at China, there is not much difference between He women, Goryeo women and Han women. Even the difference between Siamese and Burmese women and Han women is far less than the difference between black and white women.

If this happens, you will not be able to identify one by one who is born to Han women and cannot be enslaved, and who is born to He women or Goryeo women.

In the end, a large number of Han women would be taken to Southeast Asia through various means and become de facto female slaves.

Liang Guozhi saw Mo Zibu's expression and knew that the emperor had already understood the consequences.

"Your Majesty, China has stood firm in this Eastern world for thousands of years. Since the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, our heritage has never been broken, and etiquette and morality are one of the most important guarantees.

If we continue to indulge in slavery now, it will be against propriety, undermine morality, and undermine Your Majesty's benevolence and virtue, causing endless harm!"

After hearing what Liang Guozhi said, Mo Zibu looked at this matter from a cultural and moral perspective for the first time. This was indeed a problem.

Not to mention China, a country with a long history of morality, even the United States, which has been cheating, refusing to pay back debts, and turning its back on its friends since its founding, could not bear it after a few decades and embarked on the road to abolishing slavery.

Even though the Civil War was fought with the North's intention to economically colonize the South, overthrowing slavery and reducing its negative moral, cultural, and economic impact on America were still very important reasons.

"I know this, but without these millions of Korean and Japanese serfs, Nanyang would never have been able to develop so quickly. Many places would even have been abandoned after being occupied."

"Then let's take the exam!" Liang Guozhi had a plan in place, which was also in line with the Confucian society's tradition of using exams to select talents.

"Every Japanese and Korean who went to Southeast Asia signed a ten- to fifteen-year contract as a long-term worker. After the contract expired, if they could speak Mandarin and knew Chinese history, they would be allowed to become Chinese."

Mo Zibu nodded. This was also a good option. Mo Zibu had also considered it. Of course, it would definitely be more troublesome in actual operation, but it was actually a good way to solve the problem.

. . . .

Nanyang, Xingtanghexianfu, Mo family Wuding Palace.

It was almost winter, and ships traveling from the mainland to the South Seas had favorable winds, so if they were specifically carrying information, they could still travel very quickly.

Mo Tianci was watching his nineteen-year-old concubine and two-year-old son playing. A doting smile appeared on his not-too-old face, which did not have a single gray hair.

Mo Tianci really likes this concubine who has half the blood of the Li people from Qiongdao Island, and treats her as a treasure.

Well, anyone who can still have a 19-year-old beauty at the age of 83 must be an extraordinary treasure.

At this warm moment, when our old and strong emperor opened the private letter written to him by his eldest son, Duke of Qiong, Mo Zihuang, he immediately became furious.

"Beast!" Mo Tianci originally wanted to scold his son, but thinking that he was the emperor, he could only force himself to hold it in and immediately changed his words.

"Which bastard gave this advice to the emperor? I'm eighty-three years old, and I still want to go to Japan to work for my life!"

"No, I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to retire here in the River Immortal Mansion!"

Seeing his father getting angry, the eight-year-old sixth son Mo Ziling immediately picked up his younger brother Mo Zijun, and then blinked at his aunt in front of him.

In history, Mo Ziling, who recovered Hexian and could barely be considered the leader of the revival, was still young at that time, but he was already very smart and understood a lot of things.

Dad, Dad, you can't offend my fifth brother. I don't have a title yet.

This Li concubine is also very smart, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to coax Mo Tianci into loving her so much.

"Your Majesty, I heard that Japan is China, with beautiful mountains and rivers and a mild climate. It is far less hot than Hexian, and is more suitable for Your Majesty to recuperate." As she spoke, she blinked her beautiful eyes.

"Your Majesty, there are many vassal states in Japan. If you were to go there to take charge, would His Majesty grant you a vassal state with a land of 300,000 to 500,000 koku?"

Mo Tianci looked at the little beauty's face and finally calmed down. Yes, he still had two sons to take care of.

"Hahahaha, you are still smart." Mo Tianci laughed a few times.

"If Liu Lang and Qi Lang can't become princes in the future, it would be nice if they could become vassals in Japan."

(End of this chapter)