The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 713 Your Majesty, England Needs India

Mo Zibu didn't really want to leave Macartney alone for a while, but he had more important things to deal with, which was the wave of bankruptcy among Chinese farmers, which finally led to unrest.

The Great Yu Dynasty led by Emperor Mo Da can be considered a unique gem throughout history.

There was a peasant uprising right after the founding of the country, and it was quite powerful, affecting several provinces, with millions of people coming out to cause trouble, which was a perfect match for the chaotic environment.

However, this is inevitable because the establishment of the Dayu Dynasty did not go through the horrific wars of Chu and Han at the end of the Qin Dynasty, the Three Kingdoms at the end of the Han Dynasty, the eighteen rebel kings at the end of the Sui Dynasty, and the fighting between dozens of forces of various internal and external ethnic groups at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the end of the Ming Dynasty.

All of the above-mentioned battles in the game of Chicken Dinner wiped out at least 60% to 70% of the population. Naturally, after the founding of the country, there was more land and fewer people, and the living environment was relatively good, so large-scale peasant unrest was impossible.

As for the establishment of the State of Dayu, it is estimated that it was only 10% difficult, and the contradiction between population and land was quite prominent.

This means that no matter what Mo Zibu does, the problem of population-to-land ratio will definitely arise after the population expands.

Therefore, Mo Zibu simply did not distribute the land equally, nor did he restrict mergers. His main focus was to migrate people outwards and let them go outside Shenzhou to develop the country.

However, this policy may seem perfect when formulated, but it is full of loopholes when implemented.

Because there are too many variables in human hearts, you can't predict them at all.

For example, nowadays, a large number of large households can use the name of agricultural farm companies like Qianping to let the poor act as their proxy for them, and they can still merge the land. At most, they just have to pay a little more in dividends than before.

As for how to annex the land that others regard as their lifeline, that is simple. China has used this method for thousands of years.

It's nothing more than eating, drinking, whoring and gambling. If you are not determined, it will be basically difficult to escape.

At the same time, because they knew that the court's policy was to move a large number of people out of Shenzhou, many local officials turned a blind eye to these annexation methods. As long as it did not cause public outrage, they basically did not interfere.

For the people at the bottom of society, land is their lifeblood. Now that it has been taken away and the court officials do not care, it proves that they are in collusion to harm the poor people.

As for going abroad to make a living, no one would be willing to do so if there was even the slightest option. They would rather beg everywhere than leave their hometown, which would lead to further accumulation of resentment.

Therefore, whether they lost their land due to being lured into eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring, or lost their land due to poverty due to poor management, all their resentment would eventually be directed towards the court, and trouble was inevitable.

"Your Majesty, over the past three years, provinces and regions such as Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Henan, and northern Jiangsu and northern Anhui have been hit by a series of natural disasters, including scorching summers and frequent heavy snowfalls in winter.

When it's supposed to rain, it doesn't rain for a whole month. When the weather is supposed to clear up, it rains heavily for consecutive days. Many crops rot in the fields and there is not much to harvest.

The local wealthy families were not willing to provide even a grain of food for relief, because they all felt that it was the court's responsibility. Anyway, these people were going to go to other places and would not cause trouble locally.

In addition, these people acted rather rudely, which greatly intensified the conflicts in the countryside, thus leading to the chaos that broke out one after another in these four provinces and two regions."

Lu Yinpu, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, had just returned from Henan and Shandong, so he was very familiar with the place where the trouble was happening and his analysis was very accurate.

What he said, in addition to natural disasters, man-made disasters are caused by excessive policies.

All the officials in the Dayu Dynasty knew that the emperor could allow bankrupt farmers to migrate and that there were ways to solve the problem from the root, so they were not very concerned about these things and even condoned them.

Anyway, the emperor can find a solution, so why should we bother with it, right?

"Prime Minister, what do you think about this issue?" Mo Zibu asked Prime Minister Luo Fangbai who was sitting on a brocade stool to his lower left.

According to the division of labor in the Dayu Dynasty, Mo Zibu did not directly interfere in government affairs. He only served as a judge and the one who made the final decision.

Luo Fangbai pondered for a moment, then said with a hint of regret, "Local officials in four provinces and two regions have failed to perform their duties. I suggest that the Ministry of Personnel, the Censorate, and the Supreme Court jointly establish a special office to handle this matter. We will not tolerate any of them."

Mo Zibu nodded in satisfaction. "There are still a lot of cunning people left over from the Qing Dynasty in the officialdom today. They are clinging to the past and just sitting there doing nothing. It's time to clean them out."

During the more than ten years since the founding of Dayu, Dayu's ideological and cultural circles were also experiencing the New Culture Movement.

It mainly takes the restoration of the Confucianism of the Han and Tang Dynasties proposed by Mo Zi Bu when he replaced the Nguyen Dynasty in Guangnan as the banner, encouraging the people to be brave enough to take on responsibilities and venture out. It also makes some localization of the freedom, fraternity and human rights proposed by Western scholars and combines them with traditional culture.

After more than ten years of training, officials influenced by the new learning have gradually grown up, forming a sharp contrast with the bureaucrats of the old era.

Moreover, most of these people have studied in the new-style Imperial College and can be regarded as useful talents cultivated by Mo Zibu himself. Now it is time for them to replace the old bureaucrats.

"As for the civilians causing unrest, the Ministry of War and the Privy Council will work together to formulate a suppression plan. Initially, the provincial garrisons will be the primary focus. If the situation escalates and requires the Beijing garrison, a report will be submitted to me.

However, we must follow one principle: except for those who kill innocent people indiscriminately and commit unforgivable crimes among the rioters, their lives should not be harmed. The main approach is to appease them, and suppression is secondary.

Especially for those who were coerced, as long as they are willing to cross over, I will forgive them."

It's not entirely a bad thing that someone is causing trouble. It's another reason to send them abroad.

Afterwards, Mo Zibu said to the Minister of Justice, Dai Quheng, "The Ministry of Justice will also send commissioners to the four provinces and two regions to inspect the case. Any local tycoons who use coercion or other force to seize the people's land will be expelled.

Bullying your fellow villagers in your hometown is nothing. If you have the ability, go and colonize overseas for me!"

This is what an emperor should be like. Do you think our Emperor Mo Da would feel sorry for a certain group? Maybe he still feels a little bit reluctant in his heart, but he never shows mercy when doing things.

Now Mo Zibu only wants the people who have excellent farming skills and are hardworking to stay in the Shenzhou Continent. The rest of the farmers who are not determined, who will lose money by farming, and who are good at cheating and taking advantage of loopholes should be driven out!

"In this case, I suggest that Your Majesty build royal pensions in four provinces and two locations." At this time, the deputy minister Liu Yong suddenly suggested.

"Imperial farm?" Mo Zibu stared at Liu Yong in confusion. He put down the rebellion, and then built an imperial farm on the people's land that was taken away by the rich. Was he trying to concentrate all his firepower on the emperor?
However, Mo Zibu didn't think Liu Yong would come up with such a stupid idea, so he didn't rebuke him immediately. Sure enough, Liu Yong continued:

“This imperial farm is not the former Ming imperial farm, nor is it the imperial farm of our dynasty controlled by the inner court. Instead, it should be called the Imperial Family Grace and Support Bureau.

Your Majesty, in fact, many people are unwilling to go abroad. A big part of the reason is that their parents are old and their children are still young, and they are worried that they cannot withstand the hardships of going abroad.

Especially the former, which accounts for a large proportion. Who can abandon their elderly parents and go far away? This is extremely unfilial and violates Chinese ethics and morals.

Therefore, I suggest that the confiscated lands of the wealthy households be used to build a royal pension bureau, and that the land be leased to the eldest son of the family for cultivation.

The rent is only 70% of the local average, allowing the eldest son to stay in his hometown to take care of his parents. This way, the other brothers and sisters can go out and explore the land without worry."

"Good, that's a very good idea!" Mo Zibu praised repeatedly. This was indeed a good idea. It not only won people's hearts, but also blocked the excuses of some people.

The subsequent discussion was much simpler. They just carried out the emperor's wishes, and no one expressed concern about the suppression.

This is because the current Dayu is very stable, and there are no problems with the three pillars supporting this dynasty - the wise and powerful emperor, the Fujian and Guangdong nobles group, and the Jiangnan gentry and wealthy merchants group.

As long as they don't have any problems, the army, arms, steel, and tax revenue will be guaranteed, and they won't be afraid of any small disturbances.

After the ministers dispersed and went back to prepare for their next move, Chen Nan, the commander of the Jinyiwei Southern Pacification Division, came secretly to report.

"Concubine Xian's family, the Qian family, is very arrogant. Recently, through more than a dozen of their descendants, they have opened at least 20 agricultural cooperatives and acquired tens of thousands of acres of land.

However, they are very secretive and thorough, making it almost impossible to catch anyone. This is completely different from the almost open robbery in other places. Moreover, they are very good at winning people over and generally do not push people into a desperate situation easily."

Mo Zibu sneered. The Qian family was indeed very smart, but they were still a little naive when it came to going against the state apparatus.

"Select some accounting experts from the Southern Pacification Office and have them go in there to infiltrate and sort out their accounts for me.

Isn't it 15 mu per person as a share? Then I'll check their accounts and give the dividends to the person who took the blame. I'll make sure they get nothing!"

The lack of loopholes is the biggest loophole. A Shangyuan County magistrate like Zuo Fu has no way to check the Qian family's accounts, but for Emperor Mo Zibu, it would only take a few minutes to do so.

But Mo Zibu will not touch the Qian family now, because he wants to see what the prospects of the Qian family's agricultural cooperative company are.

In the end, will it continue with the old routine of collecting rent, or can it really become an agricultural company that integrates research and development, breeding, large-scale, professional planting, and irrigation in the future?

In addition, a large portion of the money earned by the Qian family was used for his eighth son, A'an.

This boy was used by Mozibu to marry Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire, thus stealing the show from Napoleon. He was considered a very important son.

In the future, Mo Zibu’s idea is to banish Achu to Ceylon, which is now Sri Lanka, so there will be a lot of money to spend.

Moreover, Mo Zibu knew that the Qian family's accumulation of wealth was largely due to their preparations for A'chu.

The Qian family was ready to take their grandson's express train and go overseas to become a real master, the kind of master who lived in a large palace-like room and had hundreds of servants, a master that was impossible to become in the Red County of Shenzhou.

. . . .

Five days later, Mo Zibu formally received the English delegation. However, after the grand banquet, only the chief envoy, Earl Macartney, and the deputy envoy, Baron Staunton, got the opportunity to have a long talk with the emperor.

In the huge Wuying Hall, there were only three people and a few eunuchs and guards, making it seem quiet and heavy.

Soon, several palace maids in colorful robes and skirts arrived with tea and pastries, warming the atmosphere slightly. Under the light of sandalwood candles, each as thick as a child's arm, a world map unfolded. Mo Zibu's eyes settled on Europe, specifically the border between France and Belgium.

"This is simply training the French army. What does King George think? I feel like the monarchs of European countries don't seem to be in a hurry. They still regard the unrest in France as an ordinary incident."

Even though Mo Zibu was thousands of miles away, he could tell something was wrong, because the main forces fighting against France at this time were Austria and Prussia, the two heroes within the Holy Roman Empire.

However, at this time, Austria looks strong, but after experiencing the chaos of Joseph II, his successor Leopold II died of illness after only two years, and the subsequent Francis II who came to power was even more of a idiot. It has never come to its senses at all, and it is no exaggeration to say that it is strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

At present, Prussia is still basically an agricultural country. Frederick William II is overjoyed by Mozibu's annual trade of 400,000 to 500,000 silver dollars. It can be imagined that although the Prussian army has a large number of people, its actual combat effectiveness is really just so-so.

What's more, these two countries are not 100% committed to fighting France. They are already weak and hesitant. It is impossible for them to cause much damage to France, the largest European army.

"Your Majesty the Emperor, His Majesty King George III, and Prime Minister Sir William Pitt the Younger believe that the riots in France are absolutely intolerable and have dispatched troops to assist other countries in suppressing them.

However, Parliament, especially the Whigs, did not want the Kingdom of England to intervene deeply. After all, England itself had not had an easy time in recent years.

A large number of factories are operating, but there are not enough countries to absorb these goods. Instead, they have to import a large amount of goods from China every year, resulting in a serious outflow of precious metals such as gold and silver.

Earl Macartney grunted and said that he yearned for China, but his butt was still sitting on England because he knew where his roots were.

When Mo Zibu heard this, he knew that George III could no longer take care of many things and might have lost control of Parliament due to health reasons.

Although Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger held great power, he was only the Prime Minister, not the king. Faced with a large number of opposition parties in Parliament, such as big capitalists like the Whigs, William Pitt the Younger did not have many means to deal with them.

Therefore, no precious means were used to force the war against France.

As for the Whigs, they certainly did not worry about the French Revolution, because it was a revolution that benefited the bourgeoisie.

When the revolutionary government sold large tracts of land that had previously belonged to the nobility and high-ranking clergy, the biggest beneficiaries were the large number of wealthy farmers and the small and medium bourgeoisie.

It was also through this secondary division of the total social wealth that the French peasants were able to break free from feudal personal dependence, lose the shackles of poverty in their hometowns, and gain the freedom to work themselves to death in the city after bankruptcy in the future.

This is actually the same thing as the wave of peasant bankruptcies happening in Dayu. Both are phenomena of the rapid disintegration of feudal production relations in traditional wealthy agricultural civilization and the movement of everything towards capitalism.

The only difference is that the French Revolution was violent and intense, while Dayu was generally controllable, and everything was still in the hands of the emperor and the court.

But no matter what, the collapse of this feudal production relationship is beneficial to capitalists.

There were a large number of rich peasants left in the countryside, and people finally had enough money to buy their products and sell a large amount of agricultural products to the cities.

The bankrupt farmers who entered the city brought a large amount of cheap labor to the factories, killing two birds with one stone.

Therefore, the Whig Party, which represented the interests of the bourgeoisie in England, would not support the suppression of the French Revolution.

They were eager for France to make things bigger and let the king and nobles of England see what they would face in the end if they obstructed the development of capitalism.

"Your Majesty, China's trade is too strong. The English are already feeling a bit suffocated under this heavy pressure."

Seeing that Mo Zibu seemed a little confused, Macartney felt it was better to make it clear.

Mo Zibu glanced at this supposedly China expert, but in reality, a brilliant Scottish nobleman, and said helplessly, "Young William Pitt should be the one saying this to me, not you."

Macartney also realized that it was not that the emperor did not understand what he meant, but that Macartney, who was not even a member of the Union Jack of old London, could not accomplish such a big thing.

He couldn't make even the slightest promise, and even if he did, he wouldn't be able to gain Mo Zibu's trust.

After a moment's silence, Macartney said sincerely, "Your Majesty, the Chinese Empire is the only moral country, even a heaven, that has appeared in my childhood education. And these days, I have also seen its side full of fraternity and human rights.

Therefore, even as an envoy, I have laid out the real reason before you, because I sincerely hope that the Chinese Empire and the Kingdom of England will not end up on the battlefield of confrontation."

Mo Zibu was also stunned for a moment. He didn't expect that there really were such brilliant people in this world. These words basically revealed England's trump card.

It also exposed the contradictions between China and Britain, namely that England could not afford the growing trade deficit, and also knew that even if they dealt with France, they would not be able to become the world's number one, so they were a little discouraged.

After hearing this, Mo Zibu saw that Macartney was almost shouting that England needed India, and he was suddenly at a loss whether to laugh or cry. You golden-haired guys, can't you be more subtle?

So, after pretending to be silent for a moment, Mozibu asked Macartney: "I would like to ask the envoy a question, that is, why did I make such a big concession to England?
England's trade deficit is not caused by me or the Chinese Empire's forced buying and selling.

Moreover, a trade deficit of around 13 million silver dollars a year is not a serious matter for the Kingdom of England, which has an annual revenue of 100 million silver dollars.

Macartney was clearly well prepared. Facing Mo Zibu's scrutinizing gaze, he loudly and fearlessly said, "Because the Chinese Empire's true ally on the European continent is not France, but England.

Because in the entire European continent, only France has the strength to unify the continent, and if France succeeds, it will not challenge England, which is located on the isolated island of Europe, but your Chinese Empire. "

It seems that the strategy that he has been implementing, which is to enter Europe from the perspective of culture and life, and to avoid the division of the East and the West into two major camps of confrontation, has been seen by many people.

However, Mo Zibu still did not express his opinion easily. Instead, he drank a sip of tea and ate a piece of dessert to ease the tension in the atmosphere before continuing to ask, "France can unify the European continent, so why can't England?

I am actually very optimistic about England."

Macartney smiled bitterly and said, "England won't do. It has never been the center of Europe. Even if it is powerful, it will be seen as a barbarian on the island and will not convince people.

For example, now I am talking to Your Majesty in French. You should understand that French culture is the mainstream and beacon of Europe.

Without this cultural high ground, it would be impossible to unify Europe, not even superficially.”

"Yes, Your Majesty, it is impossible for England to unify Europe." The deputy envoy, Baron Staunton, also continued:

"Furthermore, after hundreds of years of war, the hatred between England and France has become quite deep. Everyone in Europe can be ruled by the French, except the English.

Unless we, the English nobles, are willing to prostrate ourselves before the King of France." Baron Staunton said this with an expression of disgust and disbelief.

"Besides, now that France has no king, England, from top to bottom, will be even less willing to submit to France.

Therefore, as long as England exists, it will do its utmost to shatter France's dream of unifying Europe. As long as Europe is not unified, the confrontation between the East and the West that the Chinese Empire worries about will not happen.

Because a united Europe would challenge the Chinese Empire, but a fragmented Europe would have no one capable of challenging it, and they would only be able to petition the Emperor, as we are doing now."

"That does make sense. I think what you said is correct." Mo Zibu had to admit that this was the case. "But I don't think France can unify Europe.

And Baron, you also said that the English cannot accept French rule, so even if the Chinese Empire does not make concessions, you will continue to resist."

What a cunning emperor! Macartney and the other man looked at each other and cursed in their hearts.

"The English will certainly resist, but to use a Chinese idiom, we cannot resist to the point of total destruction.

Even if the king and nobles above cannot accept the rule of France, the people and Whigs below will succumb to the powerful threat.

Your Majesty is the wisest monarch in the East, and he naturally knows that even if there is only a one percent chance, it should be extinguished."

After hearing this, Mo Zibu already had a rough plan. What Macartney and Staunton said made sense.

After the French Revolution, the appropriate ally for Dayu in Europe should have been England, rather than any other powerful country on the European continent.

As long as England is the troublemaker, Europe will never be unified.

In other words, while England was messing up the European continent, Dayu was using England as a support to mess up the whole of Europe.

But this is difficult to achieve and requires a series of military and diplomatic coordination.

At the very least, this strategy can only succeed if England is truly defeated in the navy once, leaving it completely unable to think of fighting back.

The time was not yet ripe, and Mozibu quickly retreated. England was not in a very dangerous situation at the moment. Unlike Catherine II of Sharon who took the initiative to seek peace, they still had a lot of room for maneuver.

As for Mo Zibu, he needed England to lose all these before negotiating with them, so Mo Zibu immediately made an offer to see the guests off.

"This is a very interesting argument, but it is not the opinion of King George and the Royal Government. I respect your spirit for the country, but it is too early to say anything about this. Perhaps we can reach some consensus elsewhere for the time being."

Macartney was helpless. He felt that his status was too low and that the Eastern Emperor was unwilling to have a deep conversation with him. So he could only stand up and say goodbye with Baron Staunton.

The remaining time was for them to reach some painless agreements with the ministers of the Chinese Empire that were slightly beneficial to both parties.

The real decision may have to wait until after several confrontations.

(End of this chapter)