The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 8: A Different Qing Dynasty

How should I put it? At this time, our Qing Dynasty was actually still playing the role of a benevolent father to the people of Southeast Asia.

Although the Qing government called them "one-cent men" and "villains", this did not prevent the people of Southeast Asia from longing for the Qing government to truly protect them.

The reason is simple. At this time, the Qing Dynasty, relying on its giant size and its reputation from the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, is still a well-known powerful country in the world.

If we only consider the number of warships and artillery in the navy without considering the quality and the quality of officers and soldiers, it is lower than that of Britain and France, but definitely higher than that of the Netherlands, Russia, Spain and other countries.

As for the army, theoretically the Qing Dynasty had unlimited mobilization capabilities. Considering that Europe was 18,000 miles away from East Asia, the Qing Dynasty was invincible at this time.

At this time in Europe, in the cultural circle, a large number of elite artists turned into public intellectuals and desperately advocated that China was the most civilized country in the world, saying that even the servants in China were more polite than the European nobles and that China was the most civilized nation.

They speak politely, eat politely, walk politely, and I would even say that Chinese people are polite when they go to the toilet.

Under this false impression of culture and strength, the Europeans in Southeast Asia at this time generally gave the Chinese enough respect, did not dare to exploit them wantonly, and were still quite afraid of the Qing Dynasty.

Although the Red Creek Massacre occurred in 1740, the causes were very complicated. Not only were the Dutch on the verge of bankruptcy due to the economic squeeze of Chinese businessmen, but the Chinese were also planning to drive the Dutch away, or at least pay less taxes to the Dutch.

However, the Chinese in Batavia really underestimated the shamelessness and cruelty of the Dutch. The Chinese hoped to succeed by using the method of boiling a frog in warm water, but they did not expect the Dutch to kill them directly.

What is a bit magical is that, from the perspective of people of that era, the Red River Massacre was not about the Chinese being massacred by the Dutch, but about the Chinese failing to compete with the Dutch for Batavia.

Therefore, even though this incident happened, the overall status of the Chinese in Southeast Asia did not decline rapidly.

As Pierre Beaufort, a French missionary and profiteer operating in Southeast Asia at the time, said, 'It is true that the rumored civilized China has been ruled by the Tatars, but the Tatars seem to govern it well, and it is still a formidable empire.

A large number of Qing people could still rely on the prestige of this vast empire and be regarded as civilized and superior by the indigenous people further south.

At least the empire in northern Annam (referring to Northern Zheng) dared to kill our missionaries and expel our merchants, but turned a blind eye to the Qing Dynasty mine owners who filled the empire and did not abide by local laws.

Although this French profiteer did not have a comprehensive understanding of the Qing Dynasty, it can indeed be said that the Qing Dynasty in the middle of the Qianlong period was indeed powerful.

Therefore, in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions closest to Southeast Asia, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, who has the power of life and death, is a high branch that all Southeast Asian Chinese want to climb.

No, the Chinese in Southeast Asia could not get close to the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi in the Qing Dynasty. If they could get close to the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi's white gloves, they would be holding on to a golden thigh.

Just look at the shiny braid behind Hong Ahan's head and you will know that this guy's ideal is definitely not to establish a business in Fu Lu.

What he wanted most was to hang around here for more than ten years, accumulate a large sum of wealth, and then return to his hometown Chaozhou to buy thousands of acres of land, become a carefree rich man, and then train a son to take the imperial examination, so that his family can rise to become a family of poetry and etiquette that can be close to the ruling class.

What were the Nanyang Chinese like on the mainland? They were scoundrels, fat sheep in the eyes of local government officials.

If Hong Ahan went back and bought a few thousand acres of land, the end result would be that he would be blackmailed by officials and yamen runners to the point of bankruptcy, and he might even lose his life.

However, if he could get in touch with the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi and get a number from the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, and have a way out when he returns to his hometown, and make some arrangements, he would most likely be able to land safely.

Thinking of this, Ou Zibu secretly sighed deeply. Although he was full of disgust for the Qing Dynasty, in the current environment, he could not say the words of expelling the Tartars and rebuilding the country.

Let alone Hong Ahan, look at Hexian. His grandfather was a hero who refused to shave his head and led more than a thousand people from his clan to the south at the age of sixteen. But did his father Ou Tianci have any resentment towards the Qing Dynasty?
No, on the contrary, if the Qing Dynasty was willing to incorporate Hexian and give Ou Tianci a title, Ou Tianci would definitely be so moved that he would kneel down and kowtow nine times and shout "Long live the Qing Dynasty".

Let’s take a look at his uncle Chen Dading. Who is his father, Chen Shangchuan, Ou Zibu’s grandfather?

He was the general of three towns of the Ming Dynasty, Gao Leilian, who joined the army as a student and persisted until the 18th year of the Kangxi reign. After the Three Feudatories Rebellion failed, he fled to Southeast Asia in despair.

He was the last hero on the mainland who persisted in resisting the Qing Dynasty, except for Li Laiheng, the Little Li King on Maolu Mountain, the last spark of the Thirteen Families of Kuidong.

Uncle Chen Dading not only did not have much resentment towards the Qing Dynasty, but he even fantasized that the Qing court would forgive Chen Shangchuan's so-called sins of resisting the Qing Dynasty in the past. He wanted to return to his hometown in Gaozhou to enjoy his old age.

Ugh!
Thousands of words turned into a long sigh. In this environment, if Ou Zibu dared to open his mouth and speak out against the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty, at best he would be regarded as a "premature dead man", a "madman" or a "bad boy", or at worst he would be kidnapped and taken to the Qing court to seek credit.

The situation is stronger than people. Ou Zibu decided that until he could unite the interests of most Chinese in Southeast Asia, he would keep the matter of the Qing Dynasty in his heart. It is possible that he would even need to rely on the power of the Qing Dynasty in some aspects.

For example, the upcoming Qing-Myanmar War. Having sorted out the burdens and contradictions he felt towards the Qing, Ngo Tzu-bu felt much more relaxed. So, in Hong A-han's expectant eyes, he whispered, "Do you recognize Jiang Liuxing, the wealthy merchant from Hoi An?"

Hong Ahan raised his eyebrows and said in surprise: "Is it really him?"

"That's him. He's officially affiliated with the Hesheng Trading Company, run by Shi Zhonghe, the head merchant of the Thirteen Hongs. He frequently travels between Hoi An and Guangzhou, but in reality, he's the spy for the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi."

"How do you know?" Hong Ahan was still a little bit unconvinced. After all, Ou Zibu's previous performance was really hard to believe. He had the ability and connections to know who was the spy of the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi.

How do you know? Humph! Of course, Ou Zibu knew why it was Jiang Liuxing.

Historically, during the period when the Konbaung Dynasty of Burma conquered the Ayutthaya Dynasty of Siam, it harassed the Yunnan border. Emperor Qianlong was furious and ordered the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi to investigate the situation.

Li Shiyao, the then Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, had no choice but to let Jiang Liuxing surface and personally go to the Hexian Ou family to ask them to inquire about the situation of the Gongbang Dynasty.

The Ou family refused to believe Jiang Liuxing, so Li Shiyao sent Chen Zhongcheng, a captain of the Guangdong Navy, to escort them by boat and send Li Shiyao's confidant Ge Shaha and Li Yulong, a captain of the governor's standard-bearing soldiers, to the Ou family in Hexian, and presented the document with Li Shiyao's official seal on the spot.

The Ou family then sent envoys Ou Long and Lin Tong to Guangzhou to inform the public of the situation, bringing maps of the tribute dynasty and other information. Emperor Qianlong was also very interested in the fact that the Hexian envoys were wearing Ming Dynasty Hanfu, and rewarded the Hexian Ou family with gold, pearls and tribute satin.

But..., there is no way that Ou Zibu could tell this to Hong Ahan!

He then smiled mysteriously, "Uncle, you can ask around. Jiang Liuxing is a very generous businessman in Hoi An. He's never exacting a penny. He often offers rare goods that others can't get, and he's very attentive to making friends with heroes from all corners of the world."

"Yes!" Hong Ahan slapped his thigh. There was no need to ask because he had met Jiang Liuxing before, and he was indeed the kind of person Ou Zibu described.

"We left our homes and careers to come to Southeast Asia just to make some extra money. We're not businessmen, but it doesn't matter how much we earn, unless we have a bigger background."

"If uncle still doesn't believe it, then Jiang Liuxing will definitely purchase rosewood from everywhere in seven or eight months at the shortest, or about a year at the longest, and the quantity must be very large." As he said this, Ou Zibu pointed his finger to the sky.

"Because this is what the higher-ups want, my uncle believes in me. If I start hoarding more from now on, I'll definitely make a fortune and even gain merit.

If you don't believe it, you will know the authenticity when Jiang Liuxing purchases the red sandalwood."

In later life, Emperor Qianlong suddenly asked the Thirteen Hongs to pay tribute of 70,000 kilograms of red sandalwood, which almost forced several general merchants to death. This incident is quite famous in the study of foreign trade in the mid-Qing Dynasty. As a member of the foreign trade industry, Ou Zibu happened to see it before he traveled through time.

Rosewood mostly refers specifically to Dalbergia santalinata, which is mainly produced in southern India, Yunnan and Guangxi.

However, after years of mining in Yunnan and Guangxi, there is basically not much left, and even if there is any, it is extremely difficult to mine.

The situation in southern India is similar. Production cannot be expanded with current technology, so it almost drove people to death back then.

But this thing can be replaced by a lower quality one, which is the rosewood known as Vietnamese-Cambodian red sandalwood. This thing is inferior in fragrance, but its color and density are closer, and it is often used by the Imperial Household Department to make up the numbers and embezzle.

For example, this time, Qianlong asked for 70,000 kilograms, which was simply an exorbitant amount. In the end, they were able to get him 20,000 kilograms of the real stuff. This was a sign of the loyalty of the Imperial Household Department.

Hong Ahan was overjoyed. Since Ou Zibu dared to say this and was so specific, he must have inside information.

For a moment, he was even more in awe of the strength of the Hexian Ou family. He thought that the Hexian Ou family had already established connections with the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi in Guangzhou.

Even Hong Ahan thought that instead of trying to curry favor with Jiang Liuxing, why not curry favor with Ou Zibu directly?
"Hahaha, nephew, what are you talking about? I, Hong Ahan, admire young heroes like you the most. Please come with me to the Hong family mansion to recuperate for a few days. Once you have recovered, you can go wherever you want!"

At this moment, a noisy sound came from outside, and a trusted member of the Hong family rushed in and said:

"Mr. Han, Ah Liu, Ah Qi and the others have captured the thieves who robbed and killed the Ganlu Envoy outside the city. They even managed to kill a giant tiger!"

Uh. Ou Zibu was stunned. This is what love is like!

"Excuse me, are these three people two men and one woman?" Ou Zibu asked softly.

"Yes! That woman is so strong, her thighs are thicker than my waist, she's like a fucking she-devil, and she injured more than a dozen of us by herself!
By the way, they also said they knew your younger nephew, Master Chen. Who is Master Chen? "

(Thanks to Aspern for the 500-point reward and Wanfeng for the 100-point reward.)
(End of this chapter)