The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 667: The world no longer belongs to the scholars alone

Unlike the people's ecstasy, the court's reaction to this matter was quite intriguing.

The cabinet ministers initially thought that the emperor had tacitly approved of this matter. After all, Lin Tong, the former Prime Minister and current Cardinal Minister of the Imperial Court, who was born a servant of the emperor, had come forward to suppress the Burmese king's memorial.

If this happened in the Ming Dynasty, Lin Tong would be equivalent to the Prime Minister who castrated himself to become the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department after leaving office. Who would believe that such a person came forward without the emperor's tacit approval?
The result was that the emperor really didn't know.

This caused great harm to the cabinet ministers, as they indirectly became accomplices.

Moreover, in today's Dayu Dynasty, although the outer court still holds administrative power, a large part of its power in taxation, national defense, vassal states, etc. has been taken away by the inner court controlled by the emperor.

Now, even the governors and governors-general of the outer court follow the path of the inner court. Then what is the point of the outer court existing? It would be better for everyone to serve in the inner court.

It's the other way around!

So these days, while the cabinet ministers were busy going to the palace to apologize, they were also planning to teach Chen Qiuze a lesson. Even if you have made great contributions and they cannot touch you now, they will still have to deal with you later.

There were even cabinet ministers who declared that those with titles could no longer serve as civil servants in the outer court, and they were then driven out by the Prime Minister Luo Fangbai.

Because Luo Fangbai himself was granted the title of Earl of Pontianak for his contribution in conquering Jiaqing Province. He was the prime minister and also a meritorious official.

However, this incident did cause a great impact on the court of Dayu. Mo Zibu specially summoned Luo Fangbai and said to him clearly:

"Given the current situation, if the foreign dynasties continue to focus only on the Shenzhou Continent, they will surely gradually fall behind the times.

If this continues, I will have to set up another government office to take over all matters outside the Shenzhou Continent.

By then, Dayu might become a government office consisting of two or even three yamen, and the prestige of the imperial court would probably be greatly reduced.

Although in the short term, this matter is beneficial to me, because I can control the three courts and easily deploy all the manpower and material resources in the world.

But in the long run, it will be very harmful to the country and may even cause the country to split.

This move will cause endless harm, just like the Ming Dynasty's practice of keeping vassal kings in captivity. I will never adopt it.

Therefore, what the cabinet ministers need to do is to avoid this situation and make the outer court truly become the court of Dayu. "

Luo Fangbai, who was sitting on a small stool, had completely understood the emperor's intentions. It turned out that there was another meaning behind letting him, a man who had expanded the territory in Southeast Asia, serve as prime minister.

Luo Fangbai thought about it and realized that this problem did exist in the Dayu Dynasty. The central government did not have much control over the four diplomatic missions in the Northeast, Northwest, East Asia, and South Asia.

These three places are actually more like the emperor's private fiefdom.

Forget about the Northwest and Northeast. If we want to concentrate our forces for fighting, we must have a powerful official in the local area who has the final say and directly obeys the emperor. Only in this way can things be done well.

In Japan, there is an emperor emeritus in charge, and all the people are vassal states, so it is not a big problem if the imperial court does not intervene.

However, the basic system of Nanyang has now been formed, and there is no need for powerful figures like the emperor and Ningxia Prince Li Xianwen to be in charge. It is indeed time to take it back from the central court.

The Chen Qiuze incident happened partly because the foreign court did not fully understand the actual situation in Nanyang and therefore could not judge the specific situation in Hanchuan.

And because the emperor was in control anyway, it was better to have less trouble than more, so the handling seemed a bit passive, which resulted in Chen Qiuze choosing to take shortcuts.

"I understand. I will review this carefully when I return and come up with a basic plan for Your Majesty's review in five days."

Luo Fangbai nodded and said that for him, knowing the emperor's intention would make everything easier.

"The Nanyang Republic Parliament is a foregone conclusion, and the Shenzhou Continent will follow suit in the future. The Prime Minister can convene cabinet ministers and ministers from various departments to discuss the matter. Simply refusing to address the issue is not the solution.

In addition, since Nanyang was to be included in the scope of the court's administration, court officials had to go to Nanyang to serve normally.

The cabinet should do a good job of propaganda to prevent local officials from thinking that going to Southeast Asia is equivalent to exile, which may lead to passive resistance.

The selection of officials must also be more careful. Nanyang is not like Shenzhou. Copying the experience of governing Shenzhou to Nanyang will definitely cause problems. We must fully respect the local situation. "

Luo Fangbai took out the small notebook he carried with him and wrote down everything, but when he was about to leave, Mo Zibu called him again.

Still worried!
Mo Zibu was really a little afraid of these civil servants. The main reason was that their two experiences of ruling and destroying the country had left Mo Zibu with a huge psychological shadow.

"Let's proceed in two steps. The court will first include Rinan, Jiading, and Taiping provinces, and then consider other provinces in the next step."

Now the Dayu court is in Southeast Asia. Except for Guangnan Province which has been incorporated into the Lingnan area and is no different from the Shenzhou continent, the power of the foreign court in other places is still very weak.

Basically, officials below the rank of prefect were not appointed by the imperial court. They were all arranged by local governors directly instructed by Mo Zibu, and their names were then reported to the Ministry of Personnel for registration.

Even the governors and governors-general of the Nanyang provinces were not appointed by the imperial court, but by the emperor, who then sent them to the Ministry of Personnel to go through the formalities.

In view of this situation, other Nanyang provinces are still in a critical period of colonization. In order to avoid chaos, it is better to only transfer the already stable three provinces of Rinan, Jiading and Taiping.

. . . . .

After coming out of Wuying Palace, Luo Fangbai returned to Wenlou, where the cabinet ministers and secretaries including Liu Yong, Qian Daxin, and Zheng Jinshui had already been waiting there.

Luo Fangbai briefly explained the emperor's request, and Qian Daxin smiled bitterly.

"Chen Qiuze can't be moved. His Majesty is encouraging this kind of external expansion, and it's implied that he's blaming us for not paying enough attention to colonization."

"Indeed, a little bit." Zheng Jinshui nodded in agreement after listening.

Although he could basically be said to have been placed in the cabinet by the emperor, once he entered the cabinet, it was impossible for him to just be the emperor's yes-man. He still had to have some opinions of his own.

"It seems that the Republican Parliament is inevitable. Prime Minister, fellow ministers, I still suggest that we make concessions as soon as possible before the conflict escalates. We can just treat this Republican Parliament as the Censorate.

However, the Republican Parliament, this Censorate, will no longer be enjoyed exclusively by those who roll their names outside Donghua Gate, but will be shared with everyone else.”

Minister of War Chen Shaochang was from Guangnan and had studied in Europe, so he was very familiar with the external situation. After listening to Zheng Jinshui's words, he also said:

"Now it seems that allowing the three classes of farmers, merchants and industrialists to participate in politics is the general trend. Moreover, the officials of the Dayu Dynasty have great power and a relaxed atmosphere, which is rare in the history of dynasties. It is not a big deal if they are subject to a little supervision now.

Look at France in Europe. When a country develops to a certain level, it is impossible for the empire to be dominated by one class.

The current situation is that scholars can no longer single-handedly drive this country forward. Other classes have contributed, and they are naturally qualified to demand power."

As a great scholar in Guangnan, Chen Shaochang was quite insightful. He believed that the Republican Parliament could emerge because those who promoted social progress were no longer all from the imperial examination system.

There are a large number of outstanding talents in the three classes of agriculture, industry and commerce who are driving social progress, so it is impossible not to give them power.

The underlying logic is actually the same as that of the French Revolution.

It’s just that because the Chinese Empire was so large, there were more places where the benefits could be distributed, and its political system and social classes were far less rigid and dark than those of France.

Therefore, a major revolution will not break out, and it is even difficult for fierce conflicts to occur. Instead, only some institutional corrections will be made.

“Yes, the path of the imperial examination cannot satisfy the progress of heroes all over the world. The Republican Parliament is also a good substitute. At least it can ease the contradictions.

As for being supervised, just as Zheng Ge Lao said, we should treat it as a civilian censorship agency. A person with an upright character has nothing to fear from his own shadow. "Jinshen Palace Grand Secretary Qian Daxin also agreed.

Of course he would agree. Ever since the emperor designated Qian Daxin, who had a certain blood relationship with Xia Wanchun, as a descendant of Xia Wanchun in order to continue the family line of Xia Wanchun, a sixteen-year-old hero whom he respected and pitied, the Qian family's status in Jiangnan has improved by leaps and bounds.

To date, the Qian Daxin brothers have become one of the wealthy merchants in Songjiang Prefecture, but many of their descendants do not want to go to school or cannot go to school.

If a republican parliament were to be convened, Qian Daxin's power might be compromised, but his descendants would all be immune from death. The remaining few, such as Liu Yong, the Grand Secretary of Wenhua Palace, and Wang Jie, the Grand Secretary of Huagai Palace, were from the north, so even if a republican parliament were to be convened, it would not be held in their area for the time being.

They were eager to let the South open first, and then they would go to refer to and observe, and when the Republican Parliament opened in the North, they would let their children grab seats first, so they had no objection.

The matter was quickly passed, but in the eyes of future generations, the future Republican Parliament would still be a playground for wealthy businessmen and the second generation of powerful people.

But in the era in which Mo Zibu lived, this was the only thing he could do.

In such a great era, the lower classes will bear some of the hardships of working like slaves, but they will still be able to get some benefits.

Mo Zibu has put in a lot of effort to prevent the horror of the average life expectancy of lower-class workers in Britain and France from happening in China.

. . . .

On the 13th day of the eighth lunar month, the aftermath of the complete capture of Hanchuan Province had not yet dissipated, and Mo Zibu began a new round of adjustments.

First, the Cardinal Minister of the Imperial Court Lin Tong resigned due to illness. The emperor persuaded him to stay and agreed to his resignation. He ordered him to rest at home for three months and then go south to Guangzhou to serve as the principal of the Sanzhong Temple Imperial College.

This is a complete disparagement.

Anyone with a discerning eye knew that this was the emperor's punishment for Lin Tong's crime of concealing the memorial, and it was also an explanation to the top court officials.

If anyone dares to do something like Chen Qiuze in the future, you have to think about whether there is a big shot like Lin Tong who can guarantee you with his future.

But those who really have a discerning eye know that Lin Tong is retiring at the height of his career.

The Marquis of Enping had served as the top leader in both the inner and outer courts. He was young and strong, and the Lingnan officials regarded him as their spokesperson in the court. Even many imperial concubines were looking for ways to curry favor with Lin Tong.

It is said that when Privy Councilor Wu Wenyong learned about this, he couldn't help but give a thumbs up in admiration.

Because if Lin Tong did not retire at this time, he would become Hu Weiyong in a few years, or even have a greater influence than Hu Weiyong.

When that time really comes, it is only a matter of time before the whole family goes to the vegetable market.

Lin Tong is now able to control the human desire for power, which is to save the lives of his entire family, and there may be a chance for him to be revived in the future.

After Lin Tong left office, Mo Zibu promoted Chen Shengjia, the former governor of Guangnan and Earl of Xiangcha, to be the cardinal minister of the inner court.

This man came from a noble family in Jinghan, Hue, and was the son of Chen Taili, the former second-in-command of Xiangcha.

Chen Taili passed away three years ago, and Chen Shengjia inherited the title. Since then, he has been living in a hut in front of his father's tomb to observe mourning. Now that the three-year period has expired, it is the right time to be called back to work.

Moreover, Chen Shengjia is already 57 years old and is a loyal person. Although his ability is not very high, he is obedient and tight-lipped. He is qualified to be Mo Zibu's mouthpiece.

As for Chen Qiuze, who caused trouble but also made contributions, Mo Zibu gave him the title of Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, and appointed his eldest son as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and his second son as a baron of the vassal state.

This reward seems not low, but considering that Chen Qiuze solved the problem of King Meng Yun of Burma, such a reward is obviously not enough to reward his merit.

You know, in this battle, Wu Da of Shangyuan County beheaded 31 people and gave them to the garrison commander, who was only slightly lower than the baron.

As the commander-in-chief, Chen Qiuze's achievements, under normal circumstances, can be given to a vassal state earl, or even inner earl. Considering that he is already an inner earl, he should at least be given a marquis.

Now, this is just a small warning.

At the same time, Mo Zibu ordered the Nanyang Prime Minister Zheng Miao to rush back to the court, but not to scold him, but to comfort him with gentle words.

After the last Dong Jinfeng incident, Mo Zibu kicked Zheng Miao in Wenhua Hall, which might have really scared him.

This won't do. Mo Zibu currently has no suitable candidate for the Prime Minister of Nanyang, so Zheng Miao has to continue to hold the position for a while. This position is high and powerful, and he cannot continue to play badly. He has to be called back to encourage him and ask him to continue working hard.

Then the cabinet added another rule: from now on, all matters involving military intelligence, vassal states, and diplomacy, no matter how big or small, must be reported to the emperor immediately.

Finally, Mo Zibu agreed to Chen Qiuze's memorial and changed the name of Ava City to Guide City, making it the capital of Shangchuan Province.

Shangchuan and Hanchuan provinces are also divided by Ava. Forty kilometers south of Ava is Hanchuan Province, and the rest including northern Myanmar is Shangchuan Province.

In this joyful and somewhat strange atmosphere, Mo Gongze finally arrived in Jiading County, Songjiang Prefecture.

Originally, Mo Gongze was going from Shangchuan to Yunnan, and then planned to enter Huguang and go directly to Nanjing along the Yangtze River.

After arriving in Kunming, he thought about it and decided to return to his country, but it was not appropriate to go to the ancestral temple in western Guangdong to take a look.

So he went from Yunnan to Guangdong, and paid homage in Haikang County, Leizhou, western Guangdong, before taking a boat north by sea.

When he was in Guangzhou, due to the tight distance and time constraints, he did not stay in Guangzhou city for long, and naturally did not visit coal and iron bases such as Foshan and Guangnan Halong.

So when he arrived in Jiading County, he was immediately stunned by the scene before him.

At this time, Jiading was famous for its hardware and its gun production was among the best in the country. It was a real industrial city.

Here, Mo Gongze saw a scene that was completely different from Brussels and even Paris.

The whole city seemed to be shrouded in a layer of black light, not at all like the water towns of the south of the Yangtze River. At the dock, a large number of coal and iron trucks were shuttling back and forth, and everyone was in a hurry.

In the cold wind of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the porters, wearing only short shirts and short jackets, walked quite fast while carrying heavy objects that were almost as heavy as themselves, and looked very strong.

A bronze bell rang, as if it was time to go home from school. A large number of middle school students wearing white or blue uniforms that looked like small military uniforms and large black hats on their heads suddenly rushed out of the school and instantly occupied the entire block.

Mo Gongze even saw that most of these teenage students were holding fake wooden guns in their hands, and had swords hanging around their waists that were not sure whether they were real or fake.

"It really is the richest place in the world, it really is a paradise on earth. Middle school offers military-style education, something only the children of the nobility in Shinra can enjoy."

Mo Gongze couldn't help but say that as long as these students received a certain amount of military education in school and were sent to the battlefield when they were fifteen or sixteen years old, they would be the best source of soldiers.

Even the workers he had just seen could become good mercenaries if they were given guns and a little training.

Soldiers of this quality are extremely rare in Europe, but they are so common in Jiading City.

The students were playing and fighting in a chaotic manner on both sides of the street. Suddenly, someone looked up and saw Mo Gongze's cavalry and the red sun and moon imperial flags they were carrying on a white background.

In an instant, without anyone giving any instructions, the students who were playing around quickly gathered together and soon formed neat square formations according to their classes.

Their speed is almost as fast as that of regular troops, which is obviously the result of long-term training.

"For His Majesty, for the Empire!"

"Recover the land and rebuild the Han Dynasty!"

"Salute to the heroes of colonization!"

Clear voices rang out, and it seemed as if the air had become hot. Led by several military instructors who ran out of the school, children aged twelve or thirteen shouted in unison.

While shouting, the students also performed a cross-arm salute, but they raised their hands to their chins. This is considered a military salute in Dayu today.

Mo Gongze felt numb all over. He didn't say anything, but just saluted with his arms crossed on his horse.

More and more people gathered on the roadside, including many adults, who kept shouting with excitement, their eyes full of admiration for the warriors who opened up new territories and occupied vast tracts of land for their descendants.

(End of this chapter)