Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

When the rocket engine was shut down, the plane began to descend below the clouds - Pontianak had arrived. Such destructive hypersonic speeds were only suitable for use in the sea and uninhabited areas. If a rocket were used to approach Pontianak's airspace, Lan Fang Airlines would receive as many claims as a room.

After descending below the clouds, Pontianak City came into view.

Looking down from the sky, it is hard not to notice the location of Pontianak City. At the junction of the green rainforest and the blue sea, dense skyscrapers rise abruptly and sparkle.

This group of skyscrapers is not much inferior to the metropolis in Nanzhili, at least in terms of average height. And because there is no need to consider the height comparison with Zijin Mountain, nor the need to match the visual perception of the old city, the skyscrapers here are particularly tall and upright, and some of them can even compete for the top few in the world's tallest building rankings.

But what is different from all the cities Shangluo has seen before is——

“So there are no suburbs in Pontianak?”

This surprised him. All the cities he had seen before, even the abnormal city of Constantinople, actually had a transition from suburbs to urban areas. But Pontianak had no suburbs at all. The concrete forest of skyscrapers was separated from the tropical rainforest outside by only a city wall.

The huge city wall not only separates the city from the rainforest, but also separates the city from the open sea: the wall extends all the way to the sea, enclosing Pontianak's coastal waters and Pontianak's harbor.

[This city has a story. This shows that the city of Pontianak was not naturally grown, but was built based on specific needs. But combined with the local situation, it seems easy to understand. Do you know the 'Mandala System'? ]

"Oh, I know. It's a political model of the Southeast Asian cultural circle, right?"

【Yes. The Mandala system is a loose regime that relies on "rituals" instead of administration or feudal contracts. Although the rule is loose, in Southeast Asia, where islands are scattered and rainforests are dense, this is the only way to connect the many already loose settlements. Other governance methods are not suitable in terms of cost. The iconic feature of the Mandala system is this huge "port city".

【The Mandala system will naturally form a large city near the capital. This large city is not supported by the agricultural population and suburbs, but is created out of thin air. The name of the Ayutthaya Dynasty in Siam’s history, Ayutthaya, means "big city" in Siamese. "Angkor", where Angkor Wat is located, also means "big city" in Khmer.】

"So this is what the Lan Fang Company is doing in Southeast Asia?"

【I think this is very appropriate. You see - why does the Mandala system need such a model? Because the king at the center of the Mandala must collect resources from various secondary centers in the name of worshipping gods. Only in this way can legitimacy be established. What the Lan Fang Company did in Southeast Asia is actually no different from those Mandala countries in the past. In the past, those Mandala countries worshipped gods, and the Zhendan that Lan Fang worshipped was also a god, right? It is also reasonable for Lan Fang to build a huge city "to worship Zhendan" according to the same rules. 】

"Not only is it reasonable, but it's also very efficient, right? I would like to interview Guo Xing himself. After all, the Zheng family, who established this system in Nanyang, must have their own long-term plans."

【Why do you ask them this? 】

"Because it's time to close the stall."

The Ninghe landed in Pontianak.

Shangluo once again felt the influence of the "Mandala System" on Pontianak's urban construction. Although the area is so large, Pontianak's airport is still an offshore airport, which was built by reclaiming land from the sea. Pontianak wanted to build such an airport on the sea, leaving such a large area of ​​undeveloped land outside the city wall unused.

Along the long sea bridge, Zheng Shijie's convoy to meet them drove all the way to Pontianak City. Shangluo and Zheng Shijie sat in one car, separate from the others.

On both sides are pale blue shallow seas. Container ships pass under the sea bridge and head to the nearby Pontianak Port to line up under the countless gantry cranes. Cities outside the port area have all retained golden beaches by the sea. Winter in Kinai is the peak tourist season in Pontianak, where tourists from the two capitals and 13 provinces can enjoy the equatorial sunshine.

The "equatorial sunshine" here is not an adjective, but a precise description. Because the Equator Monument is in the city, and the equator passes through the city. The sun is directly overhead all year round, and the temperature is usually not lower than 25℃ when it is "lowest". The highest temperature is usually stable at around 30℃, and it is rare to see a scorching heat of more than degrees, so there is no need to worry about heat stroke.

There are golden beaches all year round, and air conditioning is required all year round. The temperature is similar all year round, so you can wear summer clothes all year round without having to prepare winter clothes.

"This place is really nice." Shangluo looked at the beach outside. On the beach in the distance, the row of parasols and lounge chairs were almost full, and the business here was indeed good.

"Of course." Zheng Shijie said proudly, "I am proud to provide high-quality tourism services and other needs for the people of our country. Although the three metropolises of Pontianak, Sin Chew and Sunda Java under Lan Fang's rule have their own strengths, they were all born to serve the people of Kinmen."

"Is it because of the Mandala system?"

"Shangluo, you actually know this word? I remember it's not taught in the textbook. This is a word used when studying the pre-modern colonial history of Southeast Asia from a modern perspective."

"So you guys are really building a country according to this model?"

"If anything, we didn't take the initiative to do so," Zheng Shijie replied. "But if you were to build the whole in Southeast Asia with the purpose of worshipping a 'god', you would definitely build it like a mandala system and establish a number of 'port cities'. Pontianak in Borneo, Xingzhou in Malacca, and Sungai Srei in Java were all built in this way."

"Then why don't you expand a little bit? I mean, you can expand the actual control area a little bit, fill in more colors on the map."

"Ah, Shangluo, you asked a very good question." Zheng Shijie replied, "In fact, many people from Kinai would have this question - why do we only establish point-like city-states in Southeast Asia and not expand the scope of governance. My answer is: the natives are not worthy of enjoying our administrative services. It's that simple."

Chapter 1053 New Frontier

Zheng Shijie continued: "Our governance system only provides convenience for the 80 million people in the capital. I don't intend to give modern life to the surrounding Nanyang natives. At most, with the addition of a few citizens from nearby vassal states, some of them can also come to Nanyang to enjoy the golden beaches. But the local natives, they don't deserve it. I am here to rule them, not to give them gifts."

He pointed to his name tag: Chairman of Lan Fang Administrative Services Co., Ltd.

"Administrative services are innate to the people of Kinai because they cannot see the disparity in the world. Governance and order are the highest luxuries. I do not intend to provide this luxury to everyone. It is not cost-effective. Let me make it clear that I am not discriminating against them. Really, I have seen the most noble natives, and I have also seen people of varying quality. I really am not discriminating against these natives. What I mean is that they cannot afford the 'modern'."

He pointed to the beach again:

"That beach is really not a place they can come to. The price of a bottle of soda on the beach is what I can sell a box of soda for there. Companies are born for efficiency, so of course we will choose the most appropriate way to make profits. Having said that, I am not the only one who thinks so. Look, North Korea is right next door, and we haven't completely converted Hyundai to it - as the saying goes, Buddha saves those who are destined to be saved."

"Well, I have a question." Shangluo asked, "Do you plan to close the stall?"

"Closing the stall? What do you mean by closing the stall?"

"The ascension path of Jinei is about to begin. You know, even an old monster like Xu Fu has jumped out. I think he had to jump out at this point in time, probably because Qin Shihuang can really be resurrected in the present - but with such progress, it is difficult for us to expand to Southeast Asia."

"Ah!" Zheng Shijie nodded. "You are talking about this question, right? I have indeed been thinking about it for some time. Because before you came, we didn't have such a timeline. You know, the company will never invest in long-term, unpredictable decisions. The company's decisions are sometimes surprisingly short-sighted. In other words, preparing for ascension was completely confusing before you came. It was only after you came that I started to think about this issue carefully."

"So what are the results of your consideration?"

"According to what you said - we will definitely close the stall. Although Pontianak is not my home, my family is still in Quanzhou, and the generations of Yanping Hou will definitely return to Quanzhou. But Pontianak is indeed where I was born and grew up here. Many people in Pontianak, Xingzhou and Sunda are the same as me. Although our real hometown is not here, and our household registration is Hakka, this is where we grew up after all. So it is still a bit difficult to close the stall suddenly."

"Yeah," Shangluo nodded, "So this is what I want to discuss with you. Since you said you must close the stall, what are your plans?"

"I'm thinking about just asking everyone in Nanyang to move to the moon."

[Huh? ?] Apollonia was shocked

"???" Shangluo was also stunned for a moment, "Why is it jumping so fast?"

"Because to be honest, look: Pontianak, Sin Chew, Sungai Sembilan. These three cities have a total population of nearly 1800 million. If so many people suddenly go back, it will bring land, employment and other various pressures to Kinai. I don't want to cause trouble to Kinai, so we just move to another place. If Nanyang is not easy to live in, we might as well live on the moon. Just like in the past, Lan Fang Company will be at the forefront of developing the frontier."

"You really have to choose the high difficulty mode!"

[Wait. I can probably guess why he made this choice. Although this is not the true fief of Marquis Yanping, it is almost the same as a fief. If he gives up the fief and goes back, then Marquis Yanping will just be like everyone else, becoming an idle nobleman. But if he opens up a new frontier, he can continue to go to the moon, or even Mars, to be Marquis Yanping.]

"Ah," Shangluo touched his forehead, "I said Guoxing, do you want to go to the moon and continue to be the Marquis of Yanping?"

"This," he also asked tentatively, "going to the moon, or becoming the Marquis of Yanping?"

"You don't want to be the Palace Master of Guanghan Palace, do you?"

"Ah, this. Palace Master or something, it's not impossible, right? Although I'm a man, if you can give me Guanghan Palace, then I don't mind being the Palace Master. I can assume that I am the Palace Master, right?"

"." Shangluo was silent. "Is this something I should be in charge of? That's not what I'm asking."

"But you can manage it, Shangluo! Aren't you the Lord of Heaven?"

"I am indeed the Heavenly Sovereign, and I am in charge of the affairs of the Heavenly Court, but matters related to feudal relations must be managed by the future Heavenly Emperor. I don't want to be the Heavenly Emperor, and the Heavenly Emperor must be the Son of Heaven. So you can go talk to your old classmates about these matters."

"Ah, do we still need to look for him? Okay, it's not a big problem. As long as I build the colony myself, and then ask him for an imperial edict, it shouldn't be a problem. Anyway, as long as it doesn't cost the court money, everything can be discussed, right?"

“That makes sense.”

"However," Zheng Shijie also said, "Although we don't know much about 'closing the stall', we do have some research on star colonization. We think that the future model of the interstellar empire may be similar to the mandala system we are using now."

"Huh? Are you studying interstellar governance? Isn't that a bit ahead of its time?"

"It's business-related. No matter how far away it is, we have to do some early research. And it doesn't cost much to do a bare-bones study. In short, we think the interstellar environment is quite similar to the South Sea. The characteristics here are rich resources, but the population cannot move freely. In the South Sea, there are huge waves and miasma in the rainforest. And in space, we have to face the test of the cosmic environment. No matter where, the people lack the ability to migrate on their own."

"Hmm? Now that you mention it, it seems that they are somewhat similar."

"And think about those fairy tales. Those famous mountains and sects that occupy spiritual veins, those loose sect alliances, aren't their orders also based on the Mandala system? From this perspective, perhaps the interstellar civilization of the future will become like this."

"That's terrible! Isn't that the same as the natives?"

"Indeed." Zheng Shijie nodded. "In front of the vast universe, sometimes I feel that we are occasionally helpless. So this situation may indeed be the natural mode of the interstellar empire. If we don't care at all, the empire's direct jurisdiction may only include the Earth itself in the future, and other places will be ruled by loose governors. Those governors are local emperors. It doesn't matter what system they implement. As long as tribute is handed in, the empire will not care at all. We must never go to such a future."

Chapter 1054 Pontianak

We arrived in Pontianak. Everything here was normal—or rather, too normal. Except for more arcades and higher temperatures, it looked no different from Yingtian. In fact, from some angles, the density of high-rise buildings here was even higher than that of Yingtian.

Driving on the road, Shangluo could hardly see the sun. The tall buildings on both sides had blocked the direct sunlight, leaving only golden sunlight slanting out between the buildings.

As an island city, the abundant rainfall throughout the year keeps it spotlessly clean, just like Yingtian where cars are washed four times a day.

"This place is quite suitable for living. The road here is much cleaner than the one in front of my house."

"It wasn't like this at the beginning." Zheng Shijie handed Shangluo a glass of pineapple soda, "Try it, it's a local brand, and the juice content is 99%."

Shangluo took a sip - it was not too sweet, very flavorful, and almost pure pineapple juice.

"It really isn't diluted with water at all. It feels like drinking refreshing liquid pineapple."

"Because not all fruits can be transported back for consumption, it would be a pity to let them rot, so every year we make juice from unsalable fruits to preserve them. Oh, and the ones we sell in Pontianak are the ones with a short shelf life."

"Is it the same short-life draft beer sold next to the brewery?"

"Well, this has been kept in the refrigerator since it was made, and the shelf life is only three days."

“If it can’t be sold after three days, will it be thrown away?”

"No, the ones that can't be sold are relabeled and sold as having a longer shelf life."

"???"

"You wouldn't have thought, right? Actually, this stuff is just like canned food, with a shelf life ranging from a few months to a few years. So at the beginning, it's sold for its freshness, and it won't go bad after three days, it just doesn't look as good as before, so they give it a discount and continue to sell it - I didn't know this when I was a kid, and I was cheated when I went to the store to buy it."

“Is it really possible?”

"In theory, the disposal of expired food is an important part of food safety research. Expired food must be disposed of harmlessly and used as much as possible. After all, food is not grown on the shelf. Even if we are rich, we must do good deeds - of course, we don't have to do good deeds on soda, in fact, this is a bit unethical. Anyway, this is what I mean. Whether in Southeast Asia or anywhere else, we always do this."

"So." Shangluo thought for a moment, "You guys are going to move back soon, right?"

"Yes." Zheng Shijie nodded and said, "Although the future of the Lan Fang Company lies in the universe, the people of Nanyang can still stay or go as they please. After all, I am not the lord here. No one can govern the people on behalf of the emperor. I have no right to govern the people here, let alone restrict them. The full name of the Lan Fang Company is 'Lan Fang Administrative Services Co., Ltd.' We are here to provide services, not to be county governors."

"So, what parts do we need to connect after we return? I mean, do we need to make some preparations for food, clothing, housing and transportation?"

Shangluo asked this question on behalf of the court. After all, he had to take care of this matter. The emperor had gone into seclusion, so the responsibility of inquiring into these matters fell on him. Just like when the emperor was here, he wanted to provide attentive service and try not to cause unnecessary trouble to everyone during the ascension process.

"Just look around and you'll see. Food, clothing, housing, and transportation are all pretty much the same. There's only one thing that's different—the exams."

"Oh, yes, that's it. As I recall, you have preferential treatment for exams?"

"That's the situation," Zheng Shijie replied. "All of us in Southeast Asia are registered as 'Hakka'. The so-called Hakka is not a civilian registration, but a branch of the military registration."

"Then how is this divided?"

"Shangluo, you may not quite understand the rules here. Let me explain briefly - various 'nationalities' are actually choices of lifestyle. If you choose 'civilian nationality', then your life is in the default state, and as an ordinary citizen you enjoy ordinary benefits and fulfill ordinary obligations. If you choose military nationality, then you must fulfill military obligations, and enjoy the corresponding benefits on the basis of fulfilling military obligations."

"Like the middle school you attended before?"

"Yes. That is the privilege of military status. If the father chooses to join the military, then his children can study in the school of the garrison, without taking an exam and enjoying high-quality education, and it is free. Hakka status is a variant of military status, and it is not affiliated with an ordinary garrison, but a real garrison."

"What is the difference between a real earth guard post and an ordinary guard post?"

"The difference is, as the name implies, a Shitu garrison is set up to fill undeveloped land. You can see it not only in Nanyang, but also in Liaodong. Shitu garrisons have no military obligations, or only very limited military obligations, but the premise is that you have to live here and cannot leave. Ordinary garrisons are still set up in cities, and they only go to the garrison when performing military service."

"What if someone leaves? For example, moves back from Southeast Asia?"

"Giving up your obligations is equivalent to automatically giving up your benefits." Zheng Shijie replied, "In other words, you can go back to the capital anytime you want, and you can move back to your hometown anytime you want, but the benefits associated with military households will also be terminated. The specific details are more complicated. For example, if your children attend schools in the garrison, you will have to make up part of the tuition difference, etc."

"Then what about the children who grew up in military households?"

"You choose. Being born into a military family doesn't mean you are a military member - but if you go to a military school, joining the military is usually the default option. Anyway, you can quit at any time if you want."

"Wait a minute." Shangluo suddenly remembered, "I suddenly remembered that I am a craftsman."

"Yes, sometimes I suddenly remember that I am a foreign military household. So I can't stay in the capital for too long at a time. I have to stay in my own garrison city for at least 8 months a year. Sometimes I feel that this is a besieged city. People outside want to get in, and people inside want to get out. However, our city life is not much different from that in the capital, so it's not difficult to adapt to it. It was indeed very hard a few hundred years ago, but who can blame our ancestors for having suffered so much? All we have to do is enjoy air conditioning and soda, and we can enjoy the benefits of military households."

"So you guys don't necessarily want to go back, right?"

"Of course. We have extra quotas for the imperial examinations. After all, we can't go out for 8 months a year, and we can only arrange our own affairs for 4 months. This is still a little restriction on personal freedom. We have lived like this for so many years, and suddenly we have to change back to civilian status. Many people will be very uncomfortable. Even the heavenly court has to take exams, right?"

Chapter 1055 Moon Advertisement

"That's true." Shangluo nodded, "Even if it's the Heavenly Court, the exam still needs to be taken."

[You guys are really obsessed with exams! Why? I don’t understand.]

"Tsk, this is our way of maintaining order, and it's gradually become a habit. If you ask me why I'm obsessed with exams, I can only say that it's right. The resources of this society should be allocated to the right people, and there are many ways to select the 'right' people. Maybe there will be a better way than exams in the future, but now, the best way overall is exams."

[So the martial arts tournament can also be counted, right?]

"That's absolutely right. Look at those martial arts novels and fairy tale novels. Although they don't test writing skills, there are still many sect competitions, Huashan sword contests, etc. So even if it's the Heavenly Court, there are still tests."

[I didn't expect that you guys still have to write a test paper even if you go to heaven. This is really a bit...]

"Not necessarily. The test may not be written on paper. It may be replaced by another method, such as creating a small world by yourself. As long as a unified scoring standard can be found, the test content can be unlimited."

Then he asked Zheng Shijie: "So, do you have a specific time for your lunar development plan?"

"The timeline is out. Conservatively, we will establish a permanent colony on the moon within two years."