The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 752: Shaanxi and Gansu are not the Northwest, Yili is the Northwest

In fact, Chinese people in this era are still extremely confident and have no filters against foreigners.

After all, even during the Qianlong period, the country could still be considered powerful. After Mo Zibu established Dayu, the Han people took back the country again. The country quickly became strong and expanded its territory in the east, south, west and north. Naturally, there was no reason for them to feel inferior.

People at that time had not experienced the hundred years of suffering in later generations, so most of them regarded foreigners as barbarians. The yellow-headed and semi-white people were the barbarians among the barbarians and were looked down upon the most by the Chinese.

However, it was very normal and inevitable that the lectures of Lagrange and Laspus caused a sensation, because at that time, China was indeed lagging behind in mathematics.

The mathematical knowledge and concepts that were previously based on breakthroughs made by our ancestors were all left behind by the Europeans. For more than a hundred years after Xu Guangqi, no mathematicians worthy of praise appeared in China.

In addition, there is another important reason why mathematics has become the most important subject that China learns from the West.

That is, other things such as physics and chemistry. Although they have been studied in ancient China, no system has been formed. Chemistry has mostly been associated with alchemists and has no status in the academic world, and is even despised.

Therefore, scholars did not have a deep understanding of the achievements of Western physics and chemistry.

However, in terms of mathematics, ancient China had a very complete system. Even European mathematicians, such as Euler, drew nourishment from the achievements of ancient Chinese mathematics.

Therefore, the backwardness in mathematics is most likely to attract the attention of Dayu scholars. The gap is the most obvious and can most arouse their desire to win.

Of course, there is another important reason, that is, from a material point of view, mathematics is a subject that can generate returns particularly quickly at this time.

Not to mention anything else, even being an accountant is very popular in Dayu nowadays.

Today, factories and mines in Dayu often employ thousands of people, which is completely different from the needs of accountants in restaurants and cloth shops in the past. Mature systems such as accounting and cashiering have begun to emerge in later generations.

Therefore, the salary of the accountant at this time was much higher than that of the accountants who managed small amounts of money in previous years.

Moreover, after the establishment of Mo Zibu's Dayu, the demand for mathematics and mathematical talents had reached its peak due to the needs of industrialization.

In Jiangnan, the monthly salary of a steel factory laborer was about eleven silver dollars, which seemed pretty good, enough to feed a family of three and leave a little surplus after paying the rent.

However, a skilled worker with some skills could earn more than 35 silver dollars, which was more than three times that of a laborer made by an ox or a horse, and was equivalent to an eighth-rank official in Jiangnan.

His income is higher than that of a small landlord with 300 acres of land in places like the Central Plains, North China, and Northwest China, and he can directly join the ranks of high-income people.

This is the benefit of reality, which is even greater than the spiritual stimulation mentioned above. People have to eat.

For example, Xu Tingchun, a native of Jinshan County, Songjiang Prefecture, was just like this, having just finished a very difficult test and was waiting for the results.

He started taking examinations at the age of fourteen and continued until he was thirty-two. He failed even the county examination and did not qualify as a student. At the age of thirty-two, his wife and daughter were starving, but he still wanted to take the exam.

His uncle, who couldn't stand it any longer, rushed to his door, slapped him several times, and then threw him into a crash course in mathematics. After studying for half a month, he became an accountant in a ship parts factory, taking charge of both cashier and accounting.

In recent years, with the continuous construction of the Dayu Navy and the need for sea colonization, the shipbuilding industry has begun to advance by leaps and bounds. The factory where Xu Tingchun works is thriving and continuously expanding production. Now it has begun to make efforts in the field of steam engines, and the demand for people in various computing and engineering fields is increasing.

Seeing that Xu Tingchun was honest and meticulous in his work, the boss specially trained him and enrolled him in various advanced mathematics courses.

Xu Tingchun was also very talented. In addition to his main job as an accountant, he had also become one of the most important engineers in the factory. He had some experience in repairing and even inventing and improving steam engines.

This not only raised his salary to seventy silver dollars a month, but also gave him half of the factory's shares that could be used to pay dividends. Not only did his wife and daughter no longer have to go hungry, but they also bought a large three-story house in the downtown area of Songjiang Prefecture, Shanghai, and their life became very comfortable.

This is the greatest benefit that Dayu's move towards semi-capitalism has brought to scholars all over the world. It is also the biggest reason why scholars did not strongly oppose Dayu's changes, and even the reforms were so huge.

Because for the group of scholars, the interests of being able to become an official of the third rank or above would definitely be damaged, because too many big businessmen have improved their status through various means.

The pomp and ceremony of officials going out with yamen runners clearing the way and paving the road with yellow earth has almost disappeared, as has the prestige of a county magistrate who would make you see what it means to ruin your family or exterminate your entire clan if you disagree with him.

However, it was extremely beneficial to the entire scholar group. They no longer had to take the imperial examinations, but could become engineers, senior white-collar workers, teach at the Imperial Academy, and so on.

Even if one is willing to go to the Western Regions, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, or Hezhou (Americas), one can immediately get an official position. The path is more than ten times wider than before.

Although I don’t have the prestige of being an official, I can still provide my parents, wife and children with a good life, which is a good guarantee.

After eating five large steamed buns stuffed with crab roe and a bowl of classic Nanjing duck blood vermicelli soup, Xu Tingchun leaned back on a chair in the food store, squinted his eyes and rested for a while.

He was still a little reluctant to become an official, but he also knew that he was not cut out for the Four Books and Five Classics, so he wanted to take the Ming Suan exam, which was a special exam limited to professional skills.

In today's Dayu, officials in many departments have begun to be required to have professional skills. Even a county magistrate cannot take up the position if he does not understand mathematics, business, and cannot distinguish between various factories.

These successful candidates in the imperial examinations had to take part in this kind of assessment before taking up their official posts. If they failed, they would study in the Imperial College or the Imperial Academy. Only after passing the examinations could they become officials.

So Xu Tingchun planned to work for his boss for a few more years. After repaying the favor, he would take the special examination for Ming Suanke. After passing the examination, he would go to work in government offices with higher professional and technical requirements, such as the Ministry of Works or the Ministry of the Navy.

The only problem is that Xu Tingchun is really old. He is 38 years old this year. According to the situation in this era, he is generally a grandfather.

So Xu Tingchun really hoped that he could pass the exam and be able to attend classes because the crown prince was there.

He did not ask to be noticed by the Crown Prince on the spot, he just wanted to meet him once and exchange a few words.

Then in the future, after passing the Ming Dynasty mathematics exam and becoming a court official, when you have the opportunity to meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, you can express your gratitude to him. It is very likely that you will be remembered by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Even if you don't rise to prominence, when you retire, you can just become a fifth-rank official, and that will satisfy you.

In the Imperial Academy of East-West Friendship, Asen also intended to select some talents after this lecture, but not for the Ministry of Industry, nor for the newly established Ministry of the Navy, but to select talents for the Northwest.

In today's China, Jiangnan and Lingnan have entered semi-capitalism, and industry and commerce have begun to develop rapidly. Huguang and Shandong are also entering this stage.

But other places, especially the northwest, are still not much different from the Qing Dynasty.

This also includes the imperial examination system, which is still being implemented in the northwest region.

In Jiangnan and Lingnan, the reform had long ago been implemented so that only graduates from higher education were allowed to take the examination for the scholar-level qualification, and students of the Imperial College could take the provincial examination directly without having to take the county examination.

If one passed the provincial examination, he could be directly appointed as an official, and the highest position he could reach was the governor of a large state of fifth rank. He had to serve for five years before he could continue to take the imperial examination and become an official of fifth rank or above.

This situation is destined not to continue for a long time. If it continues for a long time, problems will sooner or later arise if one country has two sets of rules.

Therefore, the imperial court has been constantly spreading new talents and new knowledge to other places, and minor reforms have also been ongoing, but overall, in order to support the colonization wars in various places, the progress has been too slow.

How to balance this relationship is a great test of governance capabilities.

For Crown Prince Sen, who needs to stabilize the political situation in the northwest for at least five years, the northwest's industry, especially heavy industry, is related to the stability of the Western Regions and Hezhong.

However, the backward education and examination system in the Northwest seriously hindered the industrial construction in the Northwest. There was a severe shortage of technicians and managers in factories and enterprises, as well as teachers in the newly built imperial colleges.

So he could only use his own attraction to capture the person and take him to the northwest.

Utilize these talents from the developed areas of Jiangnan and Lingnan to cultivate industrial talents in the Northwest before the reform of the imperial examination system in the Northwest, and stabilize the basic situation first.

The lecture in the classroom was very successful.

Because those who can pass the test basically have a good foundation in mathematics, and Arsen provided Lagrange, Laspers and others with a very high level of translators, so there was no problem in communication between the two sides.

So much so that after the two lectures were over, the crowd still refused to leave and added another one.

Then, when it was time for dinner, Asen took the opportunity to propose hosting a dinner party, allowing French scholars and students such as Fourier, who was then a rising star in mathematics, to have a cultural exchange with Chinese students who came to listen to the lectures.

This was exactly what the other students attending the lectures wanted. Being able to participate in His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's dinner party was not only an opportunity to communicate with the Crown Prince up close, but also an honor!
At this time, the Western-style buffet salon format also spread to Dayu and was quickly accepted.

After all, it is an academic discussion and exchange, and everyone is eating a whole hot bun and making a big pig's trotter, which is really indecent.

So, borrowing the form of a Western buffet, a Chinese-Western fusion banquet with various cakes, bread, fruits, and various cold dishes in Chinese cuisine, such as braised beef, mixed pig ears and other cold dishes, plus some small barbecues and accompanied by wine, began to become popular quickly.

Xu Tingchun not only got an audience with the Crown Prince, but also succeeded in making the Crown Prince remember him. Therefore, although he had only a few glasses of wine, he was already dizzy.

Of course Asen would notice him, because Xu Tingchun was not only good at mathematics, but also could build and repair steam engines.

The hottest project in Northwest China right now was railways, and there was a desperate need for talent capable of working with steam engines. This man, a near-idiot in the Four Books and Five Classics, but otherwise somewhat talented, was completely unaware that his future lay ahead, building the Northwest and perhaps even the Central Plains.

"Gilbert, do you still hope to return to France? I heard that the current French Directory is not as crazy as that traitor Robespierre."

Asen was chatting with the Marquis de Lafayette. The Marquis de Lafayette's real name was Gilbert Dumotier. Given Asen's status as a big boss, he could naturally call him Gilbert, and it was even considered a close name.

Marquis de Lafayette shook his head and said slowly, "Of course I want to return to France, but although the Directory isn't as crazy as Robespierre and his ilk, they still don't consider any of the nobles to be their own people, or even citizens. Even if we wanted to go back, we couldn't."

"That's a shame. Reform is necessary, and even violence is understandable, but it's not appropriate to be so extreme."

Asen said this somewhat unwillingly. In his opinion, his father-in-law Louis XVI did not do much wrong. The country was ruined by a group of high-ranking clergy and nobles.

In Chinese history, the aristocratic families had never been oppressed to this extent before they were overthrown by Huang Chao.

Now the French Revolution just didn't want to treat them as citizens. A large number of nobles living in France still retained their lives and part of their property, which was already quite merciful.

Marquis de Lafayette also felt that the emperors of the Great Yu of China and the kings of other European countries had quite different attitudes towards the French Revolution.

When the kings and nobles of other countries mentioned the French Revolution, they gnashed their teeth in hatred and wished that the rebels would be wiped out immediately.

But in China, not to mention the common people, even the royal family felt that there was a reason for it and it could be understood to a certain extent.

It's just weird.

The two chatted casually. Asen was considering whether it was appropriate to send Marquis Lafayette to North America, while Marquis Lafayette was thinking about where his future would lie.

This guy was actually a really good person. When the American War of Independence broke out, he sympathized with the North American people, sang praises for them, and even used his own money to raise troops to go to North America to fight the English.

Later, he persuaded Louis XVI to give him 6,000 elite French troops to go to North America to participate in the war.

After the independence of the thirteen North American states, Marquis de Lafayette became a hero of the newborn America.

Then he returned to France. As a noble member of parliament, Marquis de Lafayette sympathized with the Third Estate and supported the Third Estate members in their struggle for equality.

But after the outbreak of the French Revolution, he strongly advocated the implementation of constitutional monarchy and even opened fire in the Champ de Mars to protect Louis XVI.

He is indeed a good person, but this kind of wishful yearning for freedom and fairness based on one's own heart is completely incompatible with politics.

The final result was that people like Louis XVI's brother, the Duke of Anjou, hated him, and now the French revolutionaries could not tolerate him either.

Asen thought for a while and was about to speak when he suddenly saw his personal guard captain in brocade uniforms come in with a eunuch.

"His Majesty has given an oral order, ordering His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to return to the capital immediately." As the eunuch handed over a military report, he couldn't hide the joy on his face.

"His Majesty asked me to give this to Your Highness, saying it would make everyone happy."

Asen couldn't wait to open it and take a look. Even he, the prince who had already mastered the art of keeping his emotions expressionless, couldn't help but reveal a look of ecstasy on his face.

Asen waved the military newspaper in his hand and shouted to the scholars in the room: "The Western Army has won a great victory, four battles in a row, and has completely wiped out the three Khanates of Kokand, Bukhara and Khiva.

The culprits who once harmed China with their evil teachings have all been eliminated. They are currently being escorted to the capital."

As he spoke, Asen choked up a little, "The blood feud of millions of people in the northwest has finally been avenged!"

"Long live! Long live! Long live!"

The students who were discussing academic issues just now immediately cheered when they heard the good news. Many of them raised their arms and shouted as if they had won the victory themselves.

The same was true for Xu Tingchun. He shouted "Long live the emperor" three times, his face flushed with excitement, which shocked a French scholar who had just talked to him.

. . . .

The next day, Asen was waiting outside Kunning Palace at dawn.

Mo Zibu couldn't help but smile when he saw his anxious son. Mo Zibu was 48 years old this year, and his son Asen was 24 years old, which was exactly twice the age difference between the father and son.

"You came so hastily. It seems you knew I was going back to Lanzhou, right?"

Asen nodded and said, "Father, I still stick to my previous opinion. The industrial center of the northwest should not be placed in Lanzhou or Liangzhou. It should be placed in Dihua.

This time, I should also go to Bukhara to express my congratulations to all the soldiers who fought so hard for their country."

Indeed, the current Dayu has already taken over most of Central Asia, which is completely different from the situation of the later republic.

It can even be said that the northwest of the Republic should be called Central Plains or Middle Earth at this time.

Under such circumstances, it is completely inappropriate to place an industrial center that is related to the stability of the Northwest in an inland hinterland like Lanzhou.

"Industry is the most important tool of a country and the basis of life and death. If it is placed in Dihua, it will be too far away." Mo Zibu hesitated a little.

He had considered placing the industrial center of the northwest in Dihua, and then merging Dihua and Urumqi to build a giant city that would influence Central Asia.

However, Dihua is too far away from the inland and is blocked by the desert. If a powerful industry is established there, there will be hidden dangers in the future.

"Then we should migrate. I suggest that we relocate one million households from Lanzhou, Liangzhou, and Ganzhou to Dihua and Yili over a period of ten years, completely transforming the Zunghar region into a Han territory."

The Han family that Asen mentioned does not refer to the imperial court, but to the Han people.

At that time, the Zunghar tribe, that is, the Han people in northern Xinjiang, had only about 30,000 households and about 200,000 people.

The remaining 60,000 households, nearly 400,000 people, were Mongols, Uighurs, Kazakhs, and other Jurchens from the northeast who were conscripted into the Junggar tribe by the Qing Dynasty.

Seeing that Mo Zibu was somewhat interested, Asen continued, "In the Western Army, apart from the Imperial Guards and the Beijing Camp, at least 60% of the remaining soldiers and generals should be granted titles on the spot.

Let them fill the Ili River Valley and the surrounding areas of Dihua, and work together with the one million households of Gansu people who moved there to defend the country and guard the border in Junggar and Hezhong.

Furthermore, the Northwest Mission should be relocated to the Zhun region. Shaanxi and Gansu provinces no longer have any important tasks, and the power of governance should be transferred to the imperial court."

Mo Zibu vaguely felt that his son, who had been trained to be an emperor since childhood, was more suitable to be the king of a great empire than him, who was of half-baked background, because he was more ambitious and had a broader focus.

"No, one million households means more than 500,000,000 people, close to 600,000,000 people. That's too many. Gansu province alone has only a little over 10 million people now."

Mo Zibu shook his head decisively. This kid is too troublesome. He has to be restrained to avoid turning into another Emperor Wu of Han.

"However, I think your suggestion is very feasible. Come with me to court in the next few days to discuss it with the ministers. After that, you can go to the river to take a look."

Asen had wanted to go to Hezhong for a long time, but Mo Zibu was always reluctant to let him go. In this era, going so far was a big deal, and he was worried that something might happen to him.

Asen looked at his father with a smile, and there was a light in his eyes that had not appeared in many years, the light of a child looking at his father.

"Father, are you worried that what happened to Prince Yiwen will happen to me? Don't worry, I'm in good health. I've been taking good care of myself."

You know what, they are quite similar. Both of them expelled the Tartars and restored the Han Dynasty. Both of them had the father delegate power to his son and use his son as the vice emperor. Both of them had the son who was very concerned about the situation in the northwest and always wanted to do it himself.

The relationship between Mo Zibu and Asen is a bit like that between Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao.

"The untimely death of Crown Prince Yiwen was truly a fate not bestowed upon him, and a calamity destined for the Ming Dynasty.

If it is destiny that I am on this journey, I will naturally have no taboos. If there is a calamity in my fate, I cannot escape it.

As Asen spoke, a very confident look appeared on his face. He believed that he must have a destiny and would be able to accomplish something great.

(End of this chapter)