The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 88: Rebuilding the Martial Spirit
October 1766, the st year of Emperor Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty.

Mo Zibu began to recall soldiers on vacation on a large scale. In less than ten days, most of the soldiers had been gathered.

This is because although the soldiers of Kunlun Mountain Hall were given a large-scale holiday, there were actually not many places for them to go.

That is, the soldiers of the Ou family and the Chen family, as well as some pirates of Li Xianwen's army whose families had gone to Ha Tien, could return to Ha Tien.

The rest of the Annan volunteers, European white mercenaries and a large number of pirates from Li Xianwen's army had no home at all.

The Ming Xiang people and Wei Jiadingzhuang in Hoi An couldn't go back because it was too far, so when they were on vacation, they mostly just wandered around Nakhon Si Thammarat.

While ordering the officers to start training the troops, Mo Zibu called Wang Wuchu and Pei's elder brother Pei Changwu over. After a while, Wei Changle from the Wei family also arrived.

After almost a year of adjustment, Wei Changle has retired from the ranks of officers.

It’s not that Mo Zibu excluded him, but he really had no talent for leading troops.

They were unable to maintain such strict military discipline and extensive training in the barracks for a long time and voluntarily asked to withdraw.

Now Wei Changle has changed his job to become the captain of Kunlun Mountain Hall's merchant ship. The young men of the Wei family and some young men from Chaozhou who were invested by Hong Ahan have been handed over to Chen Guangyao for leadership.

"Changle, I want you to go to Ayutthaya and tell King Agada that the Sultan of Pattani has expelled the tax collectors and declared independence. Wuchu and Changwu will bring twenty people with you."

"Is Longtou going to attack Beidannian?" Wei Changle suddenly became excited.

"But Ayutthaya is surrounded by the Burmese. I'm afraid we won't be able to see King Agada."

Mo Zibu was about to explain, but Wei Changle reacted as soon as he said it.

"I understand. What the dragon head meant is that we don't have to meet King Agada. We just need to spread the news."

"Yes!" Mo Zibu nodded vigorously. "It would be best if we could spread the word among you Chaozhou people and tell them that we, the Kunlun Mountain Hall, are suppressing the rebellion on their behalf."

Wei Changle was overjoyed and agreed immediately. He didn't think there was anything wrong with Mo Zibu's suggestion to help the Chaozhou people quell the rebellion.

Because according to the current situation, after nearly a hundred years of operation by the Teochew gang, from the Chinese perspective, Siam is indeed a territory dominated by the Teochew people.

Therefore, when Mo Zibu went to attack Pattani, even if it was at the invitation of the Wei family, he still needed to say hello to the Teochew people in Thonburi and Wangkok.

"Brother, you have received the news in Hoi An, right? When will the Hoi An fleet arrive?" Mo Zibu continued to ask.

The big brother that Mo Zibu mentioned was his sworn brother, Wei Changle's uncle Wei Rikun, whom he forced onto the boat.

When Wei Changle heard Mo Zibu address him as "big brother," he immediately changed his address and replied respectfully:

"In reply to Third Uncle, my eldest uncle already knew that the Hoi An fleet was scheduled to depart six days ago, led by my father himself. They are expected to arrive in Nakhon Si Thammarat in three or four days."

"Also, my sixth cousin from Pattani has also sent someone over. They should be arriving in Nakhon Si Thammarat in the next two days."

Even though Wei Changle is almost a generation older than Mo Zibu, he still has to call Mo Zibu "Third Uncle" politely.

At the same time, Wei Daquan, the head of the Wei family in Pattani, is already sixty-one years old. According to his age, he can be Mo Zibu's grandfather, but he has to call Mo Zibu the third brother or the fifth brother.

This was another important reason why Mo Zibu insisted on asking Wei Rikun to become his sworn brother. Wei Rikun was so old and of such a seniority that once Mo Zibu became his sworn brother, he would be much more senior.

Moreover, he can be considered an elder not only in the Wei family, but also among the Chaozhou people.

The most effective way for the Teochew people to unite with each other in Southeast Asia is to use the relationship between their ancestors and their marriages to rank their generations.

Chaozhou is not a big city, and you can find relatives by counting two or three generations up.

In other words, the Chinese have always liked to unite people in this way.

Well, if you count carefully, Zheng Xin has to call Mo Zibu "Third Uncle".

After Wei Changle left, Mo Zibu grabbed Wang Wuchu again, handed him a letter and whispered:
"After you go to Ayutthaya this time, if you can enter the city, please deliver this letter to Zheng Guoying's house."

Mo Zibu actually didn't say much else in this letter except his analysis of the current situation and a detailed record of what he saw and heard during his trip to Myanmar.

Mo Zi Bu told Taksin that the Konbaung Dynasty had angered the Qing Dynasty and friction had arisen between them. A major war was expected to take place next year or the year after. By then, the pressure on Siam would be much less and the future would be bright.

But at present, almost all the elite troops of the Konbaung Dynasty have been transferred to Siam, and there are also a large number of French slave gunners. Ayutthaya City cannot be defended. It is best to break out and then make plans.

Once the date for the breakout is determined, it would be best to inform Mo Zibu so that he can go north to provide support.

The reason why Mo Zibu wrote this letter was because Zheng Xin had shown goodwill to him first.

When Mo Zi Bu returned to Nakhon Si Thammarat, Wang Runzhi told him that the appointment letter sent from Ayutthaya City officially appointed him as the acting Zhao Meng by the King of Siam.

On the grounds that he had quelled the rebellion, his father Wang Chunfa's title of Earl was given to Wang Runzhi to inherit.

An important relative of the Wang family also stayed in Ayutthaya and did not return to Nakhon Si Thammarat. He should be Zheng Guoying's informant placed in the Wang family.

This is not a simple matter, because Nakhon Si Thammarat is the territory of Siam. If Wang Runzhi had done this when the political situation in Siam was stable, the king would have sent people to punish him and even encircled and suppressed Mo Zibu.

Even though the Ayutthaya Dynasty in Siam is now at its end, Wang Runzhi's lack of recognition by the king will be a crime that will be cleared up once the political situation stabilizes.

It can be said that Mo Zibu stretched his hand too far and overstepped the bounds.

But all of this was perfectly resolved thanks to Zheng Xin's magnanimity, so it was indeed an expression of goodwill.

Since others have taken the initiative, Mo Zibu must respond.

. . . .

A Biao was lying on a bamboo lounge chair with a bamboo stool next to it.

On the stool was a plate of roast suckling pig left over from yesterday's celebration of his moving into a new house, as well as a wine jar and an earthenware wine bowl.

A gentle breeze blew by, and A Biao grabbed a piece of fat pig skin and took a bite with relish. The fat suddenly burst in his mouth, so fragrant and flavorful.

He tapped the bowl gently, and the woman beside him, whose belly was already starting to bulge slightly, quickly filled it up for him.

After taking a sip of the spicy wine with a sweet aftertaste, my whole body began to warm up.

Not far in front of him, two slightly darker women were working hard.

They skillfully used various tools and even their hands to quickly build field ridges and fill the holes hollowed out by snakes, insects, rats and ants.

After eating another large piece of meat, A Biao grabbed a piece of pork ribs and handed it to his pregnant wife. His wife took it with surprise and started eating it happily.

At A Biao's place, all the good things are his alone. Only when he gives them to the women are they qualified to eat them. If he doesn't give them to the women, even if they swallow their saliva fiercely, they dare not take even a small piece.

My third sister-in-law, who had been beaten by the harsh Brahmanism and thousands of years of patriarchal society, was so docile and obedient.

Even Siamese and Khmer women cannot do this. Although they are relatively hardworking, they still have some temper.

A Biao secretly decided that he would have to have sex less frequently in the future. He couldn't let all three of his daughters get pregnant, otherwise there would be no one to farm and take care of him. Just as A Biao was enjoying himself, a group of Chinese people carrying hoes walked by the paddy field of A Biao's family, and all their envious eyes were cast on A Biao.

For the Chinese in Ha Tien, or the Chinese in Southeast Asia as a whole, except for those who suffered from the oppression of the Dutch in Batavia, most people had no problem going to Southeast Asia to marry. The only difference was whether they were willing to marry an indigenous woman.

But marrying three is impossible.

There is also another disadvantage to marrying an indigenous woman, which is that these indigenous women often have a large family behind them.

According to the customs of the indigenous people of Southeast Asia at that time, it was very common for a close relative to help others if he became rich.

This kind of assistance is not like the mutual help among relatives when a family encounters difficulties like the Chinese. It is a bit like the Africans, where you have to help them with food, clothing, housing and transportation.

Some of them can even stay at your house and eat and drink there with a clear conscience, and it is possible that they can bankrupt your small family business.

This is a bit cruel, causing many Chinese in Southeast Asia to not dare to marry locally.

However, the three women that Mo Zibu gave to Abiao did not have such a problem. Not only did they have no family, they were also gentle and hardworking, and at home, men were the most important thing.

Such a woman, even if she is a native, is a hot commodity in Southeast Asia, let alone owning three at a time.

"Damn it! Ah Biao is just a scoundrel. He's got three wives and maids for his broken legs. He has wine and roast pork for breakfast. He's living a life of ease and happiness like a god!"

A group of bachelors who were afraid to marry local indigenous women walked past the paddy fields allocated to A Biao with great discomfort. Each of them wanted to kick A Biao off the recliner and sit on it themselves.

But the torture of their souls was far from over. In the distance, several men wearing fine Songjiang cloth and carrying knives on their waists walked towards them.

These are all soldiers from Kunlun Mountain Hall, just like A Biao. They were bored in Hexian, so they came to A Biao to visit their old comrades.

These soldiers looked majestic, carrying fat and lean barbecued pork, roast goose, and wine bought from Hexian City.

A Biao was very excited and limped over to meet him. He called one of his wives from the field to buy some beef at the village entrance, and then started to stir-fry beef rice noodles at the doorstep.

The honey-like aroma of barbecued pork, the fragrance of fine white rice noodles, and the large chunks of roast goose directly drove a group of farmers not far away crazy.

A tall man threw the hoe far away with a clang, and then fell to the ground on the grass with a thud.

"Damn, if I could eat a meal like this, it would be worth dying for!

Plowing the fields every day is harder than working a big ox, and I can only eat barbecued pork a few times a year."

After hearing what he said, the group of people lost their enthusiasm for farming and just sat in the distance, watching and swallowing their saliva.

Then, wait, wait, the biggest harm comes.

A minor official in a green robe, riding a donkey, came over from a distance with a smile on his face. When he saw that A Biao's house was bustling with meat and wine, he smiled even more brightly.

"Biao, your compensation, I have already brought it to you."

As he spoke, the green-robed official shook the strings of copper coins in his hand. These were Anfa Yuanbao copper coins cast by the Hexian Ou family, and there were two types: Dabao and Xiaobao.

Dabao coins contain more copper and less tin, and are generally used to reward meritorious officials. There are fewer of them circulating on the market.

Xiaobao has less copper and more tin, and its value is far less than Dabao, nor as good as the Qing Dynasty copper coins.

But it is still much more conscientious than being so cruel that you can break the Guangnan copper coins in half with a little force.

Therefore, it is not only circulated in Ha Tien, but also in half of the south, including Jiading, Tonghe, and Pingshun in Guangnan.

The strong man who was far away groaned miserably and suddenly felt unwell.

Not only are he and Abiao from the same hometown, they also grew up together. When Abiao first came back, he felt very sympathetic because Abiao had a lame leg and his life would be difficult in the future.

As a result, damn, A Biao immediately pulled out three women with thick waists and big butts from behind. They could do everything from farming to housework, and they could even sleep in the same quilt at night. I don’t know how carefree their life must be.

The strong man was already extremely envious, but he only found out today that A Biao could receive a small amount of 500 Wen from the general government every month. This was a bolt from the blue for him.

It's so uncomfortable!

Unfortunately, the joy in Abiao's family did not last long. Before his comrades who came to see him had taken a few bites, the village chief started clanging the gong.

"My Lord, you are calling the troops! All the soldiers of Kunlun Mountain Hall must gather in Hexian City before 12:00."

When A Biao's comrades heard this, they immediately stood up.

It was now less than an hour from the beginning of the afternoon, which was one o'clock in the afternoon. They had to hurry to get to Hexian. Without even having time to eat, they said goodbye to Abiao and set off on their journey.

A Biao limped his comrades to the paddy field at the doorstep, looked at their backs, looked at his lame leg, and then sighed deeply.

"Agang, don't go to the fields today. Come and have a couple of drinks with me."

A Biao saw A Gang and his group of shamefaced companions in the distance.

Agang felt his face burning. He didn't want to go, but his friends around him were already so greedy that they rushed towards Abia before him.

In October in Nanyang, the midday sun is not very strong, but Agang always feels listless and cold.

The half-fat and half-lean honey barbecued pork that I dream of eating tasted like chewing wax in my mouth.

However, the strong liquor that would make him dizzy after drinking a few glasses on a normal day, became more and more sober after drinking four or five bowls. A Gang couldn't help but wonder if A Biao's wine was mixed with a lot of water.

"woo woo woo woo!"

A low sobbing sound was heard. Ah Gang raised his head and saw Ah Biao holding a wine bowl, looking at his lame leg and sobbing softly.

A Gang walked over, and the two friends who had not been very close as they grew up suddenly regained the closeness they had in childhood.

"Why are you crying? What's there to cry about in your current life?"

"I feel so sorry for Longtou! He spent so much money, and ended up raising a cripple who only fought a battle for him. I am ashamed to accept so much money. I feel so sorry for Longtou!"

Agang was silent for a long time, and suddenly felt that if he could live a life like Abia for the rest of his life, it would be worth it to have a lame leg. If he was unlucky and was beaten to death, his parents and brothers would always be able to get back on their feet with the help of the pension.

After thinking for a while, A Gang drank the whole bowl of wine in one gulp.

"A Biao, my brother is still young, please help me take care of him. I see that Mr. Li is still recruiting people in the town, so I will go to meet him tomorrow."

A Biao looked up at A Gang in surprise. Due to the poor appearance and treatment of the Green Camp of the Qing Dynasty, as well as the emphasis on civil officials over military officials that started in the Northern Song Dynasty, Chinese people nowadays are very reluctant to serve in the army and eat food. People nowadays regard this as a lowly job.

The saying "good men don't serve in the army, and good iron is not used to make nails" began to spread widely at this time.

As for Agang, he felt much more relaxed after making the decision, and the barbecued pork in his mouth finally tasted good.

He was unwilling to be a farmer all his life, he wanted to be an official.

(End of this chapter)