The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 732 A More Cruel Future

The heavy snow in the river arrived as expected, and the sky and the earth were covered in white. The fierce war also became silent in the barrier of ice and snow.

The Long March athletes from Changshunbao and some Unity athletes from Andijan lived together in a large house in the west of the city.

This was originally the residence of a wealthy Karluk merchant, but now it has been opened up and turned into a military camp.

The flames crackled as they licked the bottom of a huge copper pot. Steam swirled in the pot, and fist-sized pieces of camel meat were bubbling in the broth.

The chubby cook kept roughly chopped onions, carrots, peppers and potatoes and put them in. The faces of the surrounding soldiers showed eager expressions.

Although these things were stored in the cellar and had wilted beyond recognition, they were still fresh vegetables that were extremely difficult to obtain on the winter battlefield and were extremely precious.

Yusup swallowed his saliva and put down the dry naan in his hand. For the past two or three months, he had been eating dry naan with smoked meat and a little bit of dried milk with sugar every day. He was so tired that he could hardly defecate.

With the addition of salt, dried chili peppers, star anise, bay leaves and other seasonings, the fragrance began to spread. The athletes sitting around came over and sat around the big pot, starting to tease each other.

"Hahaha, come and look what good things I brought you!" Dazhong, the steward of Leng Tianlu, the lord of Changshun Fort, walked in with a smile.

Following him in came seven or eight fairly plump and strong women, each holding a thick blanket in their hands.

Two Qarluk captives were pushing two carts, which were filled with some fairly well-made silver, bronze, jewelry, long swords, short swords, daggers and other items.

However, these were not given to the soldiers for free, but they had to exchange them for something.

Since the Western Army began fighting, it has seized quite a lot of spoils along the way, but the valuable items such as gold and gems must be registered and handed over.

Half of these things were presented to the emperor as tribute, and the remaining half was converted into gold and silver coins by the emperor and distributed as rewards.

Then the remaining materials that cannot be directly converted into gold, silver and military merits need to be exchanged among the soldiers.

If someone captured too many women for their own use, they could exchange them for strong draft horses, oxen, camels, donkeys, etc.

If some animals catch too much, they need to be exchanged for blood, swords, blankets, etc.

This kind of exchange of spoils between soldiers, supervised by the army's military court, can greatly improve the efficiency of utilizing spoils of war, so that the gains on the battlefield can reach the hands of those who need them most as quickly as possible.

Inside the house, after a while, the soldiers exchanged things they didn't need for various items they needed.

The ranger cavalryman She Leng, who came from Chahar and was originally named Selenge, who lived to the north of the fort, changed his horses for two draft horses.

Although this type of horse cannot be used on the battlefield, it is cheap and durable, and there is no need to exchange it halfway. If it can no longer transport the goods, you can kill it and eat its meat.

A tall Hui warrior exchanged his fortune for a woman with black hair and black eyes. Although she was not very pretty and was probably around 25 or 26 years old, the Hui warrior was still very satisfied.

Because this not-so-pretty Karluk woman just happened to have the face of a Han woman.

This is not surprising, because the Qarlugs have always been part of the orthodox Pan-Turkic ethnic group. It is not uncommon for some people to have Northeast Asian looks, and it is even normal for a very small number of people to have a little bit of Han blood.

"Turdi, you made a good choice. Maybe your children and grandchildren can really become Han people." Dazhong gave a thumbs up and said to the Hui warrior named Turdi.

At this time, the Han Dynasty was prosperous, so naturally, the appearance of the people in the Red County of Shenzhou, represented by the Han people, which is what later generations called the yellow race, naturally became superior.

This is what Turdi thought. He was not angry when Dazhong revealed his thoughts, but instead became complacent.

The Hui warriors around him were surprised to find out why Turdi had just spent a huge amount of money to exchange a set of chain mail for such an old woman of twenty-five or twenty-six years old. At this moment, everyone's face showed a look of sudden realization and regret.

In the corner, Feng Yuan, who had changed into a Damascus steel knife and a set of exquisite chain mail, saw all this and couldn't help but reveal a look of pride.

He was from Nanpingguan, Lufeng County, Chuxiong, Yunnan, but he was not Han Chinese but Yi Chinese. In recent years, the emperor called on people of all ethnic groups in Yunnan to move south and agreed to let them recognize Chiyou as their ancestor, which was equivalent to being half Han Chinese.

However, Feng Yuan was unwilling to go south because the best places in Southeast Asia were occupied by the Han people, especially those in Fujian and Guangdong. The ethnic groups in Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi who went south, even the chieftains, could only go deep into the dense forests.

There are indeed benefits, but they are not great and cannot at all satisfy Feng Yuanzhi, who has had great ambitions since childhood.

Moreover, there is another advantage of coming to the Northwest, that is, when they go to Southeast Asia, they will only be regarded as half-Han people in the empire.

But in the northwest, as long as Feng Yuan himself doesn't say it, he is a real Han Chinese and enjoys the standard treatment of a Han Chinese.

"Mr. Feng Erlang, I offer you a bowl of soup. You will surely have a bright future." Butler Dazhong picked up a bowl of soup as if it were wine and flattered Feng Yuan with some envy.

As expected, in the northwest, no one knew that Feng Yuan was a Yi person, and everyone regarded him as the most authentic Han Chinese.

Hearing Dazhong toasting, the surrounding Hui warriors came over to flatter him.

Firstly, they also felt that Feng Yuan was more noble than them, and secondly, this Han warrior was very different.

He exchanged all his spoils for the best weapons. Others asked for women, cattle, sheep, land, etc. as rewards, but Feng Yuan only asked for a rifle and long bullets (Miné bullets).

A person with such belief and persistence will definitely be able to achieve success.

After Feng Yuan, the most promising Han man, drank the first bowl of soup, the chef began to serve dishes to everyone.

The camel meat is a bit tough and has a different flavor, but with enough spices and 'fresh' vegetables that are extremely hard to get in winter, this big pot of stew tastes really good.

Moreover, today there is not only camel meat stew, but also a camel hump, which is regarded as a delicacy.

This thing is just a huge and perfect lump of fat. In later generations, it is famous but not delicious. However, at that time, in an era when fat is generally scarce, it is a truly delicious delicacy.

Each soldier was given a large bowl of broth and dipped their naan in it, or they would put a piece of camel hump on the naan and toast it. After the fat from the hump had seeped into the naan, they would roll it up and enjoy it.

Just as everyone was enjoying their meal, Leng Tianlu, the lord of Changshun Fort, walked in with two jars of wine. The Long March athletes and Unity athletes under his jurisdiction immediately burst into cheers.

What could be more refreshing than eating meat on a snowy day and drinking a bowl of wine?

Leng Tianlu chuckled and was friendly to his subordinates for the first time. He personally filled each warrior's cup with wine. Of course, the Han warriors each had three bowls, while the Hui warriors each had only one bowl.

After everyone had drunk and were happy, Leng Tianlu asked the Kokand servant who was eating biscuits and dried meat in the outer room to bring in a few Qarlug people.

"According to the Grand Marshal's orders and with His Majesty's approval, the Western Army will select 7,000 men from the 30,000 captives to form an army to restore the Badakhshan Kingdom.

In order to reassure these people, their brothers and sisters will be returned to them.

Everyone, please move everyone out of your rooms and come and see. If they are relatives, return them to them. The Grand Marshal's Office will compensate them according to the market price."

Li Xianwen is now using the reason of restoring the Badakhshan Kingdom as a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty to go to war with the Durrani Dynasty, because this sounds more legitimate.

Of course, it was impossible for the plan to steal the treasure brought back from India by the Durrani Dynasty to be approved by Mozibu so quickly. The messenger probably had not yet arrived in Gansu.

However, the Grand Marshal of the Western Army had the power of arbitrary decision, which could barely be considered as the emperor's approval.

All the athletes looked unhappy because the women assigned to them were not always around. They were only able to enjoy this treatment now that the fighting had stopped.

Many people have just gotten used to being served, having their beds warmed, and having their quilts washed and folded, but in the end they may be asked to go back and be compensated. Haha, how can the compensation afterwards compare to the feeling they get now?

However, the wine had already been drunk, and military law was in place, so no one dared to object. They could only pray that they would not be chosen.

"Sister, I found you!" Unfortunately, the opposite happened. A captive who was chosen for pardon found his sister, whose face was covered in tears. After almost the entire family was killed, it was so rare to still have a relative around. The two hugged each other and cried together.

"As long as my sister can be returned to me, I am willing to serve the Great Emperor Taohuashi and be his servant for generations to come!"

In the windy and snowy city of Samarkand, such scenes were played out everywhere. Seven thousand people selected from the 30,000 captives had their families and certain properties returned, of course, on the premise that their families were still alive.

Of course, there were also those whose families were not in Samarkand, and they were all allowed to bring their families into the city.

For these Karluk people, they do not have much concept of nationality. They always recognize the master Bai who controls them. Therefore, as long as they can preserve some of their own interests, they are willing to surrender.

At the same time, they did not dare not surrender, as they had witnessed the brutality of the Dayu Western Army.

As for the remaining 3,000 out of the original 10,000 people, they will all be recruited from Hui warriors, and they will basically hold all officer positions.

In other words, these 10,000 people were said to be capital given to Prince Hassan Hussein, but in fact they were still controlled by Dayu.

These Hui warriors will not only become his officers, but will also become his vassals in the future and become the big and small Baiji masters of Afghanistan.

. . . .

Henan, Luoyang Prefecture.

In order to receive news from the Western Army earlier, Mo Zibu simply set up a temporary court in Luoyang, which can be regarded as a justification for the term.

The word "xingchao" originally referred to the temporary residence of the emperor with his entire government team. However, after the Song Dynasty and the end of the Ming Dynasty, the meaning of "xingchao" changed and became a nickname for the precarious exiled court.

Mo Zibu's palace was in the White Horse Temple in Luoyang. It had been renovated throughout the dynasties and covered an area of more than 60 acres, making it a pretty good house.

After Dayu was established, Mo Zibu used his own money to expand and repair it, making it very suitable as a temporary palace.

As the Spring Festival approached, the new battle plan sent by Li Xianwen from Samarkand, signed by all the civil and military leaders of the Western Army, finally arrived.

"The Durrani Dynasty had such a glorious past?" Mo Zibu found it unbelievable.

"Your Majesty, this is indeed true!
Moreover, without the Durrani dynasty’s conquest of Delhi, the British East India Company would not have been able to defeat the Mughal Empire and the Maratha Confederacy, nor would it have been able to easily recapture the Sikhs.”

Wu Wenyong, the Privy Councilor beside him, immediately began to educate the emperor about the past of the Durrani Dynasty.

Mo Zibu also became excited after hearing this. "So, the Durrani Dynasty may indeed have hidden gold and silver treasures worth tens of millions of silver dollars?"

Unlike Afghanistan under the Durrani dynasty, Dayu did not complain about having too much gold and silver, but rather that it did not have enough.

Because Dayu's productivity is developing rapidly due to the court's continuous external expansion and the high demand brought about by the expansion, various commodities are being produced in large quantities, and funds are needed everywhere.

However, due to the shortage of precious metals such as gold and silver, there are too many things being produced, but not enough gold and silver for circulation and trading.

This phenomenon of insufficient money supply has actually seriously restricted economic development and the increase in wealth of the entire society.

"This is great news. If tens of millions of silver dollars worth of precious metals flow in, we can leverage this to tap into a market worth hundreds of millions of silver dollars.

At the same time, the issuance of gold and silver yuan certificates does not need to be so hasty, and can be implemented after sufficient research.

We can also impact the bargaining power of the United States and Spain for gold and silver shipped to the Americas. We can’t just let them dictate the price.”

Prime Minister Luo Fangbai said with a smile on his face that the current anti-counterfeiting technology of banknotes is not yet mature, and Dayu is too big, unlike England, which is only a small country, and can effectively control the occurrence of counterfeit currency.

Therefore, the introduction of paper currency in Dayu has been relatively slow. Even Mo Zibu's current proposal to take back the silver bill issuance rights of bill exchanges and banks and to have the court issue gold yuan notes and silver yuan certificates as a semi-monetary policy with the nature of passbooks has been discussed again and again but still has no final result.

"On the other hand, I also agree with my uncle's policy of repeated strangulation." Crown Prince Mo Zhousen also spoke up, "I have read a lot of old Mongolian history and have come to a conclusion.

The reason why Mongolia was divided into four khanates was not only because the Mongolians themselves had a low level of cultural literacy, but also because the Khanate in Mobei, and the subsequent Yuan Dynasty court, had no economic connection with the four khanates.

The Khanate did not need the four khanates, and the four khanates did not need the Khanate, so they soon split up.

Nowadays, this situation is also prone to occur in Dayu, especially when steam trains are not fully connected.

Therefore, at a time when the imperial court is still unable to deeply control Hezhong from all aspects, it is actually better to destroy Hezhong rather than quickly occupy and develop it."

Big Brother Sen's face was very serious, and his tone was slightly solemn. After five years of training, Asen had completely adapted to the role of emperor, and all his thinking was based entirely on his identity as the heir to the empire.

"It would be more advantageous for us to destroy the river, repeatedly pull and strangle the locals, and turn the river into a complete wilderness!"

After hearing his son's words, Mo Zibu nodded slowly. This principle was not complicated to explain.

That is, if Hezhong was developed before the railway could run from Jiangnan to Hezhong, then due to the long distance, Hezhong would immediately and spontaneously become an absolute economic center.

And this economic center is most likely either Samarkand or Bukhara.

Once Transoxiana forms its own economic center, its tendency towards independence will soon become stronger.

In particular, among the vassal lords and ministers who stayed in the river, most of them were not the ones who benefited the most from the Dayu Dynasty. They were basically people from the relatively lower levels of society, and they were very likely to develop an independent mentality.

They don't even need to develop an independent mentality. As long as they feel that Transoxiana was conquered by them and refuse to share this area with the court and other people in the empire, and engage in open or covert confrontation, it will be troublesome.

Then the safest way is to maintain the wartime status in the river when the court's tentacles - the steam locomotives - are not fully connected, and not to develop it but to destroy it.

In this way, the vassal states in Hezhong always needed the support of their parent states, and it was impossible for them to form large cities with economic centers.

After the railway is opened, Transoxiana will begin to have economic ties with the mainland. Then we can build Transoxiana and turn Samarkand and Bukhara into big cities controlled by court officials, which will cause much less trouble.

"After the Hui warriors go to Afghanistan to become Bai nobles, can we still control them?" Mozibu still didn't trust Mamtim and others, fearing that they would turn against us after arriving in Afghanistan.

"I dare not guarantee it 100%, but I dare say that the vast majority of people can be trusted because they have no choice.

Since ancient times, Muslims in Transoxiana, Afghanistan and other places have looked down on Muslims of the Hui ethnic group. The upper echelons of the Hui ethnic group were all the so-called Khojas of the two places in the past.

If there were no Dayu, the Hui people would actually have been conquered only by high-ranking monks from Transoxiana and Afghanistan.

As early as the Tang Dynasty, even if Hui people converted to religion, they were still called Taohuashi people. For example, Satuk, the founding emperor of the Karakhanid Khanate, was called Taohuashi Khan.

Wu Wenyong concluded: "So, when the Hui warriors arrived in Afghanistan, they could not convince the locals. They could only rely on the imperial court to maintain their position.

Even though there are one or two people who cannot see the situation clearly, the vast majority of people can understand this.”

Mo Zibu thought about it and realized that this was indeed the case. Even if there would be a problem, it would be at least fifteen years later.

At that time, the steam locomotives could go deeper into the river. With Dayu's mobilization capabilities, there was no need to worry about these people turning against them.

"Then let the outer court draft an edict, and I will affix my seal, approving the request of the Western Army!"

Mo Zibu waved his hand lightly, and a plan to turn the river into a meat grinder was born.

(End of this chapter)