p: I have to stop updating for another two months, sorry!
After Hong Chunkui agreed to join the National Defense Forces, Li Mingyuan summoned Liu Pu, Chen Guozhu, Zhao Yan and others to the National Defense Forces headquarters to seek their opinions on Hong Chunkui's job arrangements.
"Master Hong is a veteran of the Kingdom of Heaven. His ability to lead troops in battles and train soldiers is undoubted. However, the position of Director of the Military Affairs Department is of great importance. Master Hong is a newbie here. It is inevitable that he does not know much about the situation of the Military Affairs Department. Taking over the work of the Military Affairs Department hastily will inevitably have a negative impact on the army.
The training has had a negative impact, so I suggest that Mr. Hong can first work in the Munitions Department to assist the Director of the Munitions Department in handling logistical matters."
"I agree with Master Li's suggestion. Mr. Hong has not made any achievements, so it is not appropriate to assign important positions from the beginning."
As soon as the discussion started, Li Sandou and Zhang Ansong clearly opposed Hong Chunkui's appointment in the Military Affairs Office.
The General Staff Headquarters has four major departments: the Operations Department, the Intelligence Department, the Military Affairs Department, and the Munitions Department. The Military Affairs Department is responsible for managing National Defense Force exercises, training, troop station rotations and other matters. It is generally as important as the Operations Department and the Intelligence Department in terms of military functions.
Li Mingyuan and Hong Chunkui were arranged in the Military Affairs Office, far away from the frontline combat troops. Li Mingyuan regarded it as just a transitional arrangement, but Li Sandou, Zhang Ansong and other old Taiping soldiers who followed Li Shixian did not think so.
What they were thinking was that Hong Chunkui was crowned king by virtue of his status as a relative of Hong Xiuquan, and during the Kingdom of Heaven era, he outnumbered Li Shixian and other generals. Now that the Kingdom of Heaven has been overthrown by Hong Xiuquan, Li Mingyuan led everyone to finally grab a place to stay in South America.
Why let the Hong clan enjoy its own success?
As Li Sandou and Zhang Ansong took the lead in opposing Hong Chunkui's appointment, there was more and more opposition in the conference room. Finally, even Liu Pu also raised objections: "Your Highness, some old brothers from the Kingdom of Heaven may have some misunderstandings about Mr. Hong. I'm afraid that he will force the appointment."
It will aggravate everyone’s dissatisfaction with Mr. Hong. I hope Your Highness will consider the opinions of my brothers."
"It seems that the brothers are still a little worried about the past."
Li Mingyuan gave a bitter smile, and then looked at the officers below who had obviously dissatisfied expressions on their faces. He didn't know whether to be happy or distressed.
The propaganda against Hong Xiuquan's arbitrary use of relatives seems to have been successful, but the reaction of the officers below was a bit excessive.
During the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Hong Xiuquan consecrated Hong Renfa and Hong Renda, who had no military merit, as King Xin and King Yong, and appointed them to control the government. He also generously rewarded the Hong family's nephews and relatives as kings, and their status was higher than that of Li Shixian, Chen Yucheng and other generals.
However, among these people, in addition to those who have climbed to high places, there are also people with real abilities like Hong Chunkui.
One thing must be viewed from two aspects. If Li Mingyuan wants to achieve great things, he cannot tolerate useful talents like ordinary generals. Therefore, facing the dissatisfaction of the people below, Li Mingyuan smiled and comforted and said, "Brothers Hong, Hong Renfa, and Hong Renda are not the same."
Similarly, in the war to establish the Kingdom of Heaven, Brother Hong also made great contributions. We cannot blame Hong Chunkui brothers for Hong Renfa and Hong Renda's troubles in the government of the Kingdom of Heaven..."
Li Mingyuan explained and finally appeased everyone and approved the appointment of Hong Chunkui.
In the evening, when the moon was rising, Li Mingyuan left Hong Chunkui to eat in the palace.
"Brother Chunkui, I hope you don't pay attention to what happened during the day. They are all soldiers who fought in the war. They are used to talking directly. In fact, they don't have any ill intentions towards you."
Li Mingyuan picked up the wine glass, took a sip and said.
"The king of heaven mistakenly used the Hong clan as officials in the past, which led to the collapse of the government of the kingdom of heaven. It is right for the generals to be dissatisfied."
Hong Chunkui cautiously agreed.
"The past has passed. It is futile to dwell too much on the past. It is more practical to look forward."
"Your Highness taught you this."
"Brother Chunkui doesn't have to be so reserved." Li Mingyuan smiled and poured a glass of wine for Hong Chunkui, and then said, "I heard that brother Chunkui has stayed in Hong Kong, Nanyang, the United States and other countries for a period of time. Has Brother Chunkui ever had any interactions with the local Hong Kong people?"
Have you ever had contact with the sect?”
"His Majesty fled overseas and did not dare to show his true identity to others. He had no contact with the heads of Hongmen halls. However, when he was in Malaya, he did meet many Hongmen branches."
"How strong is the Nanyang Hongmen organization?"
Li Mingyuan asked.
"Your Highness, you should have heard before that during the Heavenly Kingdom uprising, many members of the Hongmen Tiandihui joined the Heavenly Kingdom. Luo Gangyou, Su Sanniang and other Heavenly Kingdom heroes were all from the Tiandihui. Later, the strength of the Heavenly Kingdom declined, and many Tiandihui members in the Central Plains and other places
Withdrew from the Heavenly Kingdom organization and re-hidden among the people to gather strength to prepare for an anti-Qing uprising. However, the Tiandihui organization in Nanyang and other places was different. The Nanyang Tiandihui organization used the identity of Hongmen to engage in human trafficking, transporting Chinese laborers and other industries to make a living.
The branch’s main goal is to make money and make a living, and the Tiandihui’s anti-Qing claims are rarely mentioned.”
"Nanyang is not as good as the mainland. The Hongmen organization gave up its anti-Qing ideas and instead pursued economic interests. It could avoid conflicts with foreigners in a short period of time. However, in doing so, they also missed the political idea of uniting Chinese people from all parts of Nanyang. They were just doing it to make money.
Consider that the previously strict political organization will quickly degenerate into a combination of economic interests like Lanfang Company, lose the struggle and unity of political groups, and will eventually be eliminated one by one by foreigners."
Li Mingyuan commented from the perspective of future generations.
"Although various gangs in Nanyang all bear the name of Hongmen, they have never been unified. In the small Lion City area, gangs such as Yixing, Fook Hing, and Luen Yee often fight for territory. In Malaysia,
In places like Kuala Lumpur on the peninsula, the tongs that control tin, iron and other mines can even summon nearly ten thousand Chinese people to fight with each other.
During my one-year stay in the Malay Peninsula, I personally witnessed no less than twenty large and small armed fights. In the entire Nanyang region, there were probably more than a hundred armed fights in various Hongmen halls in a year."
"The forces of Hongmen in Nanyang are complex. There is not much difference between the hundreds of Chinese forces, and no one is ambitious enough to unify Hongmen in Nanyang. Internal strife and violence are inevitable all year round."
Li Mingyuan nodded, not optimistic about the situation in Nanyang.
Before sending Sun Bin as envoy to Nanyang, the plan for the Chinese forces in Nanyang was to win over the top figures of various Chinese forces and integrate the non-subordinate Chinese forces in Nanyang under the unified command of the National Defense Forces. However, in Sun Bin's report, Li Mingyuan understood
The efforts to win over the upper-class Chinese were not successful.
Sun Bin first sent more than 40 people to contact the Chinese forces in various parts of the Malay Peninsula. The result was that more than 30 people directly rejected the recruitment of the National Defense Forces. Three or five people from the Tang Dynasty said that the two parties could cooperate and asked them to submit to Sun Bin.
The subordinates avoided talking, but the two gangs with the worst attitude not only failed to agree to the request of the National Defense Force, but also publicly beat to death the two Chinese sent by Sun Bin, directly provoking Sun Bin's troops.
Li Mingyuan understood what Sun Bin was like. He would not be careless in recruiting Nanyang Chinese forces and send unreasonable people to perform liaison missions.
Therefore, the two clansmen who dared to provoke Sun Bin's troops either believed that Sun Bin was in the north of Annan and could not retaliate on their territory, or they were confident that they had the support of foreigners and did not take Sun Bin's troops seriously.
As a mercenary who had spent time in Nanyang in his previous life, Li Mingyuan leaned towards the second possibility. The two gangs provoking Sun Bin's gang had foreign support behind them.
There are millions of Chinese in Nanyang, a large part of whom are young workers with labor force. Li Mingyuan will not give up this largest source of overseas immigrants, so those who obstruct the immigration plan of the National Defense Forces, no matter what force they are, cannot tolerate their continued existence.
.Li Mingyuan has issued an order to Sun Bin. He will never tolerate provocations of the National Defense Forces, and the development of the National Defense Forces' power in various parts of Southeast Asia cannot be suspended. Li Mingyuan allowed Sun Bin to directly send soldiers from the Nanyang Forces of the National Defense Forces to disguise themselves as ordinary Chinese and infiltrate into the Malay Peninsula.
In the Indies and other places, use your own people to establish the National Defense Forces' strongholds in various parts of Southeast Asia, annex or replace the old local Chinese forces, and complete the layout of the National Defense Forces in the Southeast Asia region as soon as possible.
