The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 649: The Prince's Journey to the West - Guanzhong Makes My Right Hand Raise

Asen stayed in Henan much longer than in Hebei, because this place was almost being built into a template for the Mo Dynasty's transformation of the Han people's hometown.

In the future, Hebei, Shanxi and parts of Shandong will be built into large, purely mechanized farms according to this example.

People from Henan, Hebei and Shandong are likely to become the rednecks of Dayu in this time and space, but they should have a better life than the rednecks you see, A-mei.

Because there is probably only one world empire like the United States that is so bold as to hollow out its industry before losing the war, and throw away the things that make it a living as garbage, and not take it seriously at all.

Since it is a template, Asen must see and learn more in Henan to accumulate experience for his future governance.

On the other hand, there are too many places to offer sacrifices to, and people don’t come here often. It would be unreasonable not to offer sacrifices to the ancestors.

Before crossing the Yellow River, Asen held a large-scale sacrifice at the tomb of the two emperors in Neihuang County, Zhangde Prefecture (Anyang, Henan).

It is said that this is the tomb of Emperor Zhuanxu and Emperor Ku, and temples have been built here for worship since the second year of Zhenghe reign of Emperor Huizong of Song (1112).

During the Qing Dynasty, official sacrifices were basically abolished, and only the people were left to support them spontaneously. The temples were already in a very dilapidated state.

After offering sacrifices in Neihuang County, Asen immediately ordered the Ministry of Works of the imperial court to send people to rebuild the tombs. He also exempted 550 acres of land near the tombs of the two emperors from taxes and ordered 13 households there to be responsible for maintaining the tombs of the two emperors, the sacred tablets, etc.

At the same time, the Longmen Sect of Quanzhen Taoism, which followed Asen on his inspection, took the initiative to take over the task of maintaining the sacrificial temple of the Second Emperor's Mausoleum.

After consulting Mo Zibu, Asen agreed to name the restored temple Shengdi Zhaode Temple, and the Quanzhen Longmen Sect would be responsible for daily sacrifices.

After leaving Zhengzhou, Asen first headed southeast to Huaining, the capital of Chenzhou (Huaiyang District, Zhoukou), to worship Fuxi Taihao, the first of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

Then continue south to Yangguanpu on the banks of Qu River in Gushi County, Guangzhou (Gushi County, Xinyang City) to pay homage to the ancestor of the Chen family of Wuchuan in western Guangdong.

The Chen family had been here a long time ago, and had built a magnificent ancestral hall according to imperial regulations. They also renewed the family tree with their relatives from Yangguanpu who lived hundreds of years ago, and included Chen Shangchuan and Mo Zibu's mother, Empress Dowager Chen, in the list.

The person in charge of handling this matter was none other than Sun Xingyan, a famous Confucian scholar, calligrapher, and book collector in history.

Compiling a family tree is not something you can do casually.

Instead, we have to consider the reality based on historical records and family legends. Some images also require artistic creation. Finally, just making up people's names to make them look decent takes a lot of effort.

In this era without the Internet and when information cannot be easily accessed, ordinary people cannot do this.

At the same time as the Chen clan ancestral hall was being built in Yangguanpu, a grand temple covering an area of more than 600 acres was also built in Fenshuiting Town, 25 kilometers away, at a collective investment by the nobles of southern Fujian for the three brothers Wang Shenzhi, the rulers of Fujian for five generations.

For the people of Fujian, especially those in southern Fujian, Wang Shenzhi is the real Saint King who founded Fujian and the ancestor of the eight Fujian people.

Historically, Wang Shenzhi followed Wang Xu and set out from Gushi County, Henan Province to avoid the attack of Qin Zongquan. He recruited heroes from Henan Province and settled in Fujian Province.

At that time in Fujian, the Baiyue ethnic groups such as Minyue and Ouyue had not yet been completely assimilated, and the Arab merchants who were killed in Guangzhou by General Chongtian gathered in Quanzhou and other places.

They secretly stored weapons, recruited warriors, built large temples, colluded with the governor Liao Yanruo, acted as Liao Yanruo's lackeys, harmed the people, and plotted evil.

At the request of Zhang Yanlu, a fellow townsman from Gushi, Wang Shenzhi captured Quanzhou, killed the governor and more than a thousand Arab merchants, and cleared out Quanzhou inside and outside.

After that, these Han people from Henan took root in Fujian, brought the Central Plains culture to the local area, and assimilated the last Yue people who had been hiding in the mountains and fighting against the central dynasty for hundreds of years.

These Henan immigrants managed to reclaim large tracts of fertile farmland in Fujian, a country with harsh natural conditions consisting of eight mountains, two rivers and only one piece of land. They achieved self-sufficiency in food before the population explosion.

Afterwards, these Henan Han people continued to migrate to the coast of Guangdong, forming the Chaoshan dialect of Minnan in eastern Guangdong and the Leiqiong dialect of Minnan in western Guangdong.

It can be said that if the Han people in southern Fujian, Chaozhou and western Guangdong in later generations look for their ancestors, the source must be Wang Shenzhi.

Others such as the Holy King of Kaizhang, the Holy King of Kaiquan, etc., are basically soldiers and generals under Wang Shenzhi.

In particular, Chen Yuanguang, the King of Kaizhang, who was from Gushi like Wang Shenzhi, the real reason why later generations debated whether he existed was probably because his image was stitched together.

The true identity of this person should be a brave general named Chen who followed Wang Shenzhi into Fujian. He assimilated the natives of Zhangzhou, led the Han and Fan ethnic groups, established a paradise away from the disputes in the Central Plains, and truly incorporated Zhangzhou into the Han civilization.

For various reasons, his descendants continued to add halos and deeds to him, forming his image in later generations.

This is also the reason why Asen, the half-Minnan crown prince, must come to build a temple and commemorate the Wang brothers, mainly Wang Shenzhi.

Without Wang Shenzhi, there would be no Minnan people in later generations. Without Wang Shenzhi, the ancestors of the Minnan people would probably have died in the Central Plains purgatory in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties.

After doing all this, Asen stayed in Henan for three months before starting to head west through Shanzhou (Sanmenxia).

Then they paid tribute to Huangdi at Lingbao, the place where Huangdi ascended to heaven, and then followed the Yellow River across Fenglingdu, entered Tongguan, and followed the Wei River to the Guanzhong Plain.

As soon as he entered Guanzhong, and even just passed Shanzhou, Asen clearly felt the sudden change in people's customs. The people's spirit and temperament, and even the mountains, rivers and land, were very different from those in Henan.

Unlike Henan, where the desolation is mixed with the past wealth, the reality of hard work has created a character that is hardworking and overly frugal to the point of being meticulous. Shaanxi has a temperament that Asen likes and is fascinated by.

In the words of later generations, it was said that such beautiful mountains and rivers, and such strong people, made my right hand raise unconsciously.

Asen stood on Tongguan, looking at the towering mountains and rivers in the distance and the dangerous and wonderful scenery, he couldn't help but feel excited and deeply moved.

"This is truly the last bastion bestowed upon China by Heaven. With the danger of the Yellow River and the solidity of the Yaohan Pass, it can serve as a backup for the vast territory to the west, without the risk of being completely blocked.

If we can conquer Bashu and close Kuimen, we will have a world of our own, possessing everything. Even if the enemy is powerful, it will be like a mouse trying to pull a tortoise, with nowhere to bite.

The officers who came with Asen all nodded in praise. Some of the officers who were from Mingxiang said with great disdain:

"This further demonstrates Li Zicheng's incompetence. He was from Shaanxi, but after conquering the world, he couldn't even put his own hometown in order.

Guanzhong, with its strategic location and natural defenses, was defeated by the Eastern Tartars in just over a month, forcing us Han people to be slaves for over a hundred years. It's truly a case of one incompetent general leading to the downfall of the entire army."

In fact, Li Chuang's reputation was not very good except for a period of time in the early days of the Republic when his image was good due to the need to promote the peasant uprising.

Ming supporters regarded him as a traitor, and ordinary Han people hated his incompetence. Rebelling against the Ming Dynasty only added insult to injury to the Later Jin Dynasty.

Asen coughed twice and said nothing. The Mingxiang people must look down on Li Chuang, but he couldn't.

Not to mention that my uncle Li Xianwen is here, even Li Laiheng, who fought to the end on Maolu Mountain, should still be shown mercy.

At this moment, Asen suddenly understood why his father transferred his uncle Li Xianwen away from the court.

Because Dayu must learn from the lessons of the Ming Dynasty's fall, Li Zicheng will inevitably be dragged out and whipped again and again.

By then, Li Xianwen would be serving as the Prime Minister or in some other high position, which would be really embarrassing.

The military officers mocked Li Zicheng for a few times, but when they saw that the prince did not respond, they tactfully stopped talking. Instead, the civil officials continued the discussion.

"Your Highness, the mountains and rivers are won by virtue, not by danger; they are won by the support of the people, not by the terrain.

The tyranny of Qin II ended, and the Han, Sui, and Tang dynasties all relied on Guanzhong for their base. When virtue spread to all quarters, the whole world became its vassal. But when virtue is lost, no matter how dangerous the mountains and rivers are, it will not be enough to sustain it.

This is another correct nonsense. It is true that mountains and rivers are about virtue, not danger. But if there were no dangers of mountains and rivers, did the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty see it? That was miserable.

The Northern Song Dynasty wanted to trick you guys with all your correct nonsense into the abyss of no return.

"Sir, you are right. Then please follow me to Xi'an and witness the virtue of Dayu."

However, correct nonsense is also correct. Not only can Arsen not refute it, but he must also act like a wise king who is willing to accept advice and even learn from it.

In Guanzhong, when the news of the Crown Prince's arrival was heard, the entire Guanzhong Plain was excited. Countless men, women, young and old put on their best clothes and came to the Wei River in groups, looking forward to it.

The majority of the crowd were strong men between the ages of fifteen or sixteen and thirty-five or thirty-six. They wore tight-fitting clothes in black (blue), white and gray, with short knives slung around their waists, and some even exposed half of the handle of their pistols.

In contrast, there were a small number of strong men carrying long spears, wearing relatively gorgeous clothes, and some even wearing low-level warrior uniforms such as blue with purple edges, white with gold edges, etc.

They were leading some militiamen with red headbands to check people coming and going.

Anyone who approached the Wei River had to hand in their lead bullets and gunpowder, and the pistols on their waists had to be checked to see if they were loaded.

Although these strong men were holding weapons, they did not dare to cause trouble during the inspection. Because in Dayu and Tangshan, hot weapons are still strictly prohibited. Although it is not allowed in the countryside, it is not allowed to openly carry guns in all towns.

This gun specifically refers to a hand cannon, because long guns are not allowed to be carried openly at any time or place. They must be placed in a long box specially designed for guns and are not allowed to be opened, let alone loaded.

But there is one exception, that is, military honors with titles, military officers from the ninth rank inspector and above, and meritorious officials who have been awarded robes for their military achievements.

These people can hold spears in public.

This is because the hand cannon needs to be within fifty meters to hurt people. Most of the time, in order to achieve effective and accurate killing, it must be close to more than ten or twenty meters.

At this distance, as long as the security personnel are not idiots like Mr. Abe's Reiwa waste with a big heart, it is impossible for them to fail to defend.

As for the long gun, that's more troublesome. Rifles equipped with Minié bullets have many successful cases of sniping at a distance of 400 meters on the battlefield. If used in ambushes in peacetime, the effect should be even greater.

Therefore, it is necessary to prohibit open carrying of drugs, otherwise, not to mention the upper class, even the lower class people will not feel safe.

"Wow, it's really the mighty Qin. There are so many Flying Tiger uniforms, and Cloud Lion uniforms. These are all the warriors of the country!" Asen exclaimed in surprise while standing on the big ship in the Wei River.

The Guangtong Canal, the canal connecting the Wei River and the Yellow River, has long been abandoned. The water volume of the Wei River has been much lower than before after the end of the Tang Dynasty. In addition, the Guanzhong area has suffered from severe soil erosion and high sand content, so it has basically no shipping value.

However, this situation has improved greatly in the ten years after the establishment of Dayu.

The biggest reason for this is that the population of Guanzhong has finally dropped to a relatively healthy and even somewhat scarce number considering the productivity at that time.

The reason, of course, was the Northwest turmoil ten years ago. The population of Shaanxi Province, which used to be over 8.3 million, dropped sharply to less than 6 million in less than three years.

The ones who suffered the greatest losses were naturally a certain ethnic group that was basically uprooted, except for the tens of thousands of people from the 36 Huiliang clans.

Of course, the Han people also suffered heavy losses, losing three or four hundred thousand people.

Without so many elderly people, and in order to fill Gansu and prevent the entire province from collapsing, the Northwest Mission took away almost one million people.

With so many people leaving, many slopes have been basically abandoned. Not many trees have been planted, and nature has recovered most of the land in just three years. Soil erosion has actually been brought under control to a large extent.

At the same time, with a smaller population, water consumption also decreased. Without the extraction of water for drinking and irrigation in various places, the water volume of the Wei River immediately recovered a lot.

Well, to be frank, humans have indeed had a huge impact on the natural environment, and many of the impacts are negative.

Take the Guanzhong Plain as an example. During the Qianlong period, there were more than four million people here, plus a floating population of nearly five million. The government's governance capabilities were poor, with all kinds of indiscriminate burning, groundwater extraction, and river water pumping. It would be strange if there were no problems with the Wei River.

Today, Shaanxi Province has a population of just over four million, and the entire Guanzhong Plain has a population of just over one million to less than two million, which is less than during the Tang Dynasty. The mountains are greener, the waters are clearer, and the tigers have returned.

Everyone said that it was Emperor Mo's benevolent rule that spread his virtue throughout the world, so much so that even the Wei River became clear.

When they arrived at Xinfeng Town, Asen couldn't stand the enthusiastic people on both sides of the strait and felt embarrassed to continue sailing in the Wei River, so he disembarked at Xinfeng Town.

There was thunderous cheering on both sides of the strait, and countless Shaanxi people gathered around with knives and guns, but they were very well-behaved.

These men who came from various prefectures and counties in Guanzhong to witness the emperor's face were as disciplined as soldiers under the control of local sages and inspectors.

Although it is noisy, there is rarely any loud quarreling. Everyone wants to rush forward, but no one will barge in or push anyone.

Arsen was very excited. This was the best source of soldiers. They had money to provide their own basic weapons, knew how to abide by discipline, and had practiced martial arts since childhood. There was no one more suitable than this.

The noise lasted for about ten minutes and then gradually died down. However, Asen was unable to move forward because he was blocked on all sides by Guanzhong warriors who were looking at him excitedly.

Asen was just considering whether to ask the runners from the Shaanxi Governor's Office or the Xi'an Prefecture Office to clear the way when a dozen old men with white hair and beards came forward and knelt on the ground.

The winnowing baskets they held were filled with red Laba porridge and white steamed buns, and the pots were filled with milky white Huanggui thick wine.

Today is Laba Festival.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor sent heavenly soldiers to save the lives of us Guanzhong people. He is too busy with his duties to come here. Today, we are fortunate to have your presence. I would like to invite you to have a bowl of Laba porridge and a sip of Guanzhong's Guifei thick wine."

Without experiencing that turmoil, it is impossible to imagine how cruel and dangerous it was.

The conflicts in the northwest were caused by the Qing Dynasty’s deliberate instigation, but the bigger reason was the loss of the ecological high status of the Han people in the northwest.

How could a Han nobleman who had become a penniless man possibly withstand the constant cold wind blowing from the three Khanates in Central Asia?

By the time Mo Zibu initially established his rule, the disciples of Shaanxi had already taken root throughout Guanzhong. They united as sects and religious groups, and whenever there was a dispute with the Han clan, they would rise up and attack.

The Han Chinese clans in Shaanxi had long since been wiped out in one catastrophe after another, and were now small and insignificant, completely unable to resist. Therefore, the Han Chinese often suffered great losses in disputes.

Every time they relied on their population advantage to gain the upper hand in the early stages, but after the disciples organized people into sects, they often suffered heavy casualties.

And every time the Han people failed, it would help the disciples to be more aggressive. In order to survive, many Han people even converted to religion, and then became more aggressive and joined in the trouble.

How serious was it in history? It was so serious that even the Qing Dynasty, which deliberately provoked trouble to divert conflicts, found it impossible to stop it. Bannermen like Duolong'a hated the disciples even more than the Han people in Shaanxi, and regarded them as a serious threat.

This shows how serious the situation is!
Even in this time and space, if Mo Zibu detonated the bomb in advance, more than 400,000 Han people in Shaanxi would still be killed.

The situation in Gansu is even worse. Four million people have come from Henan and Shaanxi, and Gansu, which originally had a population of 16 million, now has only more than 9 million people.

So much so that Mo Zibu was reluctant to look directly at the bloody scene and left it all to Li Xianwen to deal with, leaving Asen, the successor, to face it.

When Asen heard what the elders said, he quickly jumped off the carriage, helped the elders up, and simply signaled the guards to bring a table.

In front of thousands of people, Asen ate a big bowl of Laba porridge, two giant roujiamo, and a big pot of thick wine.

He usually doesn't have such a big appetite, but he didn't find it difficult to swallow at all. On the contrary, he felt a little unsatisfied after finishing it all in one gulp.

"Your Highness has a good appetite. Just based on this physique, you are a well-known man in Guanzhong."

"See? Our rice from Guanzhong is still good for health. Even the prince loves it!"

Warm cheers rang out all around again, as if what Asen was eating was not food, but the loyalty of the old Shaanxi people to the empire. It seemed that from this moment on, they had truly integrated into the new Dayu Dynasty.

While eating, Asen quickly understood the thoughts of the people of Shaanxi.

They were frightened by the Muslims who came from the river. In their opinion, the emperor saved their lives this time, but who knew whether the emperor could save them next time.

They also knew that many people's land and houses were occupied by the disciples during the turbulent period, so they were very afraid that the disciples' fellow believers would come from the West to harass them again.

It's not their fault. At that time, information was not flowing smoothly, and many people had no idea what was happening in the West. They all thought that since the disciples were so arrogant and developed so quickly, there must be a big empire in the West supporting them.

Therefore, the people of Shaanxi were somewhat anxious to be accepted and protected by the dynasty to prevent the tragedy from happening again.

"Your Majesty, we have long been prepared to reclaim the Western Regions for the Han people. When will we send our troops?"

Sure enough, as soon as Arsen finished his food, someone couldn't help but shout loudly.

After all, it is the birthplace of militarism and the old revolutionary base of the Qin and Han dynasties. The court has not yet recruited them, but a large number of Shaanxi people, perhaps they should be called Qin and Han people, are ready.

They are well aware of the principle that to cut the grass you must remove the roots, and to kill people you must exterminate the species.

"Fellow elders of Guanzhong, this is not the place for conversation. Three days from now, I will personally go to pay my respects to the great Emperor Taizu Gao. I will prepare food, carriages, and horses. I invite all my fellow villagers to come to the banquet so that we can discuss important matters together."

At this time in Dayu, under the influence of the strong wind of nationalism, the Taizu Gaohuangdi without the prefix generally referred to Liu Bang, the Taizu of Han, and Zhu Yuanzhang, the Taizu of Ming.

Specifically, if it is said around Nanjing, it refers to Zhu Yuanzhang, and if it is said in Guanzhong, it definitely refers to Liu Bang.

It is estimated that only after Mo Zibu dies and he, the Emperor Gaozu of Dayu, is here, will Liu Laosan and Zhu Baba add the prefix.

Hearing that the Crown Prince was so down-to-earth, without any aristocratic hypocrisy, and that everything he said and did was very much to their liking, the cheers became even louder.

Everyone felt very honored. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince addressed me as "Sir" and invited me to attend the banquet in memory of Emperor Taizu Gao. The sense of closeness was instantly increased.

(End of this chapter)