Chapter 27 Sejong Chapter 28 The City of Dawn, the Elderly White Dragon
Chapter 2152 Sejong Chapter 28 The City of Dawn, the Elderly White Dragon
Chaohui is a city built on the water. The dense harbor branches and vertical and horizontal water networks make a large number of buildings inside and outside the city surrounded by water, and even on the water. Due to the limitations of the topography, Chaohui City does not look like an ordinary city in appearance.
Regular and some bizarre arrangements and designs destroy the overall sense and beauty of traditional Chinese-style buildings, but they are not obtrusive when combined with the surrounding environment.
The size of the city is not that big. Strictly speaking, it is just like those small cities in the mainland of the empire that are two or three miles away. It is even worse, but it has clear layers. Chaohui City is surrounded by ditches and has six water and land gates. Ships can
Direct access inside and outside.
The city is divided into an inner city and an inner city. The inner city is the royal city, which is specially used for the residence and administration of royal family members. The outer city is larger in scope and is used for the residence of Wu nobles, bureaucrats and Han people with certain status and property. At the same time, it is the main official office.
Institutions, warehouses and other buildings are also located in the outer city.
The city is naturally well-ordered, patrolled closely, and well-protected. This is also a common feature of Chaohui City or Seoul and Seoul Town in the entire Nanyang region, which is racial segregation. That is where Han Chinese gentlemen usually live in the city.
Under normal circumstances, local aborigines are not allowed to enter the city. Of course, some menial jobs such as cleaning up the city, collecting and transporting manure, and transporting coolies require barbarians. At the same time, some naturalized aborigines with a certain status can also
Report to the city regularly.
You can also imagine how vastly different there is between the city of Chaohui and the outside of the city. Dirty and messy is an appropriate adjective, but it is the ports, commerce, land and a large number of indigenous residents outside the city that support them.
The city is clean and tidy.
To be fair, the situation in Chaohui City is not in line with the image of a new country that strives hard and develops upwards. However, considering the actual conditions, the Han family's cross-sea exploration was originally very arduous and sacrificed a lot.
If you don't enjoy wealth and wealth, why should you share the joys and sorrows with the local indigenous people?
At the same time, whether it was to facilitate management, maintain rule, maintain the Han people's lofty status, and ensure their desire for expansion, it was necessary to exploit the indigenous people to a certain extent.
Without exploitation, how can there be development and prosperity? To work hard and abide by the law is itself a kind of exploitation in a sense. However, in the vast continent of Nanyang, the Han people can justly pass this exploitation on to the indigenous people.
.This is the price of accepting civilization, and it is also a spur and incentive for the indigenous people. They are too lazy and barbaric. How can lazy and ignorant people have a bright and beautiful future?
When the Han people arrived here, as long as they dared to fight hard, they would soon become "Han masters" in the eyes of the natives. Of course, this situation only existed in the early days of pioneering. As time went by and the population increased, the Han people
The threshold for upward development in immigration areas is also constantly increasing.
Therefore, there are also many Han civilians outside the city and around Chaohui City. Although they enjoy domestic treatment, they do not have "aristocratic" privileges. Presumably, if we rely only on the indigenous people, their productivity cannot be improved.
With so many Han masters supplying them, for many Han immigrants, a better life has to be created with their own hands.
The Gou Wu Kingdom is a place with extremely feudal characteristics. The "feudal" here refers to the feudal state. In this country, almost all behaviors of all classes are centered around serving the nobles.
Its administration, judiciary, economy, people's livelihood and even the military all implement the will of the powerful. Compared with the central empire, the greed and exploitation of the powerful are greatly magnified.
At the same time, in addition to the powerful, there is also the rise of a new class called the "Qiangui". This is also caused by geographical factors. These feudal states in Nanyang all have strong commercial attributes, and they can be said to have no business.
In this context, the rise of the power of those merchants who started out in trade is also predictable. Although they do not have enough say in the country, they have legitimately entered the ruling class, just like those Han planters.
, belonging to the superstructure of the feudal state.
The rise of the emerging business class has formed a huge trend throughout Nanyang. With sufficient economic strength, they must also hope to obtain corresponding political status and protection. This is an instinct.
Realization still needs a long way to go.
Although the living environment of the Han immigrants in Southeast Asia has changed, the shackles of traditional concepts from the mainland have not been completely broken so easily, especially the oppression of a large wave of powerful aristocrats, who are the strongest conservatives.
It is conceivable that with the continuous development of commerce in the Nanyang region, the strength and power of the business class continue to increase, which will eventually have an impact on the ruling structure of the Nanyang feudal states.
But at the moment, they are not qualified yet and still need to accumulate. In this era, the powerful people represented by the feudal royal power have the final say. Even in the Southeast Asian countries, Confucianists and Buddhists have a higher status than plantation owners.
Be high with businessmen.
Especially the former, which is the most fundamental guarantee and source of strength for the spread of Han civilization in the Nanyang region and for the Han people to conquer the vast continent. No feudal state does not pay attention to it. Since the first Confucian museum was established on Liangping Island during the Kaibao period
, In the past few decades, Confucian schools, large and small, have sprung up in the Southeast Asia region. Although they are large or small, the classic teachings of Confucianism have also been spread in the process and infiltrated this vast world.
Of course, the Confucian teachings spread to Nanyang were obviously untraditional. Among the Confucian schools in the empire, including those emerging local schools, they all despised the Confucianism in Nanyang because it was difficult to produce good Confucianism in the wilderness.
, also due to the increasingly obvious deviation of Nanyang Confucianism, and even the demonic reform
Taking quotes out of context, tampering with classics, and insulting sages are the strong criticism and accusations made by the imperial traditional Confucianism against Nanyang Confucianism. There are too many things that are expansionary and unbenevolent. Even wealthy businessmen can openly participate in the propaganda of the doctrine.
How can this not make the traditionalists sad?
However, no matter how many local criticisms there are, it does not affect the support and even admiration of Nanyang Confucianism in other countries. After all, there are no Confucian scholars from the mainland who have criticized harshly coming to correct it.
What's more, Confucianism, which was born in mainland China, has undergone changes in Nanyang, where the environment is very different. It is also a matter of time and opportunity. In addition to being incompatible with mainland Confucianism, Nanyang Confucianism also has some differences in Nanyang, especially among the countries.
There are considerable differences, and many sparks of thought have collided over the past few decades.
But no matter what, while the major feudal states and the imperial center were showing a centrifugal trend, although the Nanyang Han people were culturally in line with the empire, they had also deviated in development. This was particularly obvious during the Jianlong era.
Inside Chaohui City is a large Confucian school, which is the official school of the Wu Kingdom. There are more than 300 students, all of whom are powerful people, sons of wealthy businessmen, and naturalized indigenous chiefs. Each student is a member of the ruling class of the Wu Kingdom.
reserve force.
In the residential areas outside the city, there are also many Chinese schools, libraries, and private schools developed based on the Confucian Academy. These are the grassroots forces for the spread of Chinese culture, and they also receive policy and financial support from the kingdom.
Moreover, it is not something that ordinary people can enroll in. Knowledge, learning and the brilliance of civilization are not cheap things. In addition to the expensive tuition fees that many Han immigrants are reluctant to invest in their children and grandchildren, there are also differences in status, but few
Ten years later, many local indigenous people have still discovered this way to truly change their own destiny. They have to learn the advanced culture of the Han people even if they sell iron.
There are already some such examples in Wu. Some smart natives who were untouchables even in the Bo Ni era successfully broke away from their original slave class by moving closer to the Han people and relying on their study and familiarity with Han culture.
, becoming superior indigenous people who are attached to and united with the kingdom's system, and are also an important tentacle for the kingdom to deepen its management and control over the indigenous peoples.
Opposite to Nanyang Confucianism is the development of Buddhism, which is equally outstanding, even better than Confucianism. Obviously, the aborigines in the Nanyang region also need more advanced gods to comfort and even redeem them in their beliefs.
Therefore, the most conspicuous building outside Zhaohui City is not the port, the market, or the buildings, but the golden temple on the road leading to the city - Jialan Temple. As long as the sky is clear, you can always see the prosperous
The incense is rising, and the sound of Buddha is played. More indigenous people offer incense and pay homage to the Buddha than the Han people. The positive role of Buddhism in the rule of the kingdom is also much more obvious than in the empire itself.
Zhaohui is a commercial port city. The pier in the outer port can accommodate large ships with a draft of 2 feet deep. The excellent hydrological conditions and the port facilities that cost a lot of money to build and maintain have also attracted a large number of passenger and merchant ships.
Of course, in addition to the trade and commerce that relies on the benefits of the port, the most important source of power for the development of Zhaohui City is agriculture, fishery, salt industry, and small handicrafts.
Salt production is a tradition here, and some immigrants from Huainan (originally specially recruited by Zheng Zhi) brought with them the advanced technology and experience of Huaidong salt production in recent decades, greatly improving the output and quality, and also making Zhaohui
The salt is even sold across islands and borders to East and West Java (Xiyong, East Vietnam) and even North and South Jinzhou (Qi, Liang).
The handicraft industry was completely brought by Han immigrants, especially woodworking. In addition to the various carpentry activities surrounding Han architecture, the culture of woodcarving and woodcutting has also spread significantly, giving this city a bit more character.
The breath of art.
During the day, the port area is very lively inside and outside, but apart from the Han operators, most of the busy people are indigenous people who are being worked by others. In contrast, at night, it becomes even more prosperous, with restaurants and bars everywhere, both inside and outside the city.
, it’s hard to stop until late at night.
After all, we are in a tropical area, and it is hot during the day. No matter what class of Han dignitaries they are, they are not willing to go out. Only at night can they feel the slightest coolness, enjoy the comfort of the sea breeze, and enjoy the fruits of their development.
.
At night, in addition to the prosperity of bright lights, it also allows some shady things to exist and happen more calmly and conveniently. Under the cover of the night, a three-masted blessing ship slowly sailed into the Chaohui Outer Harbor.
Under his command, he anchored and docked in a berth that had been cleared long ago.
A row of torches were lit on the wooden trestle. Under the dim yellow light, dozens of strong men were already waiting with weapons in hand. Among them was an old man with a thick beard.
He looks quite old, and there is an obvious scar on his face, but his eyes seem to be radiating with light, which cannot be concealed by the rich night sky, and the awe-inspiring aura released from the inside out also shows that he is unusual.
status.
It can be speculated that this old man is a powerful figure in Chaohui City, and in fact, he is like this in the entire Wu Kingdom. His name is Shen Bailong, and he is the Viscount of Gou Wu Kingdom, a serious nobleman of the kingdom.
In the kingdom's title system, titles are something that cannot be conferred lightly. In addition to members of the royal family, only those who have made special and major contributions to the state of Wu can be awarded titles. Even Zheng, who was designated as the "first hero in the founding of the country"
Zhi is just a postmaster. It can be imagined that Viscount Shen Bailong has a high status in the Wu Kingdom.
And this Shen Bailong was the "Brother Bailong" who was famous on the Shanghai Bund Pier. He was also the first reclamation group that followed Zheng Zhi south to Bo Ni with a group of brothers. At first, relying on his clever mind, he was an outstanding colonist.
With courage and powerful methods, as well as the support of a group of life and death brothers, Shen Bailong has prospered in the reclamation group.
Shen Bailong also seemed to have found an organization. He worked extra hard and quickly stood out. Under Zheng Zhi's promotion, he became the middle and senior management of the reclamation group. He participated in the strangulation of several big families in Bo Ni; he once led his subordinates to cut down trees and open up wasteland.
Provide space for the arrival of subsequent immigrants; he also led his troops to repel countless attacks by indigenous tribes, traveled in all directions, quelled repeated rebellions, and went hundreds of miles along the river, capturing tens of thousands of indigenous people, livestock, and property; Wu
Shen Bolong was responsible for the specific formation of China's navy, which only had a few dozen ships.
That is to say, his background is a bit low, otherwise a count would not be able to escape, but the gift of Viscount of the Kingdom is enough to show the Kingdom's recognition and commendation of his achievements. Nearly thirty years have passed, and the original "Brother Bai Long" has become
He became the "Old White Dragon" and at the same time retired from the military and political frontline of the kingdom, but his power and status in the country did not fade much.
In the past thirty years, the formation of the Shen family with Shen Bailong as the core has been a matter of course. In addition to Shen Bailong's own children, people were also sent to bring in some Shen family members from their hometown in Zhoushan who dared to fight to enrich the Shen family's influence.
The power of Wu.
Today, Shen Bailong is older, his beard is white, and his face is covered with wrinkles, but he is still old-hearted. Even though he is over sixty years old, he is still running the family business. And with his status in the Wu Kingdom, he can personally
