"Father, several business representatives from Lanfang Company are at the port. They want to see you."
More than two thousand Chinese immigrants were placed in the open space outside the port to eat and rest. On the other side, the eldest son Wu Chong came over and told Wu Jin a piece of news.
"Songkhla has been busy recently and cannot spare time to meet with them alone. After receiving Lord Mei and his party, you can entertain them on my behalf."
"They said they were requesting to see my father on behalf of the seventeen business groups in Lanfang. They wanted to discuss with him the important matter of expanding the scale of investment in Songkhla. There should be no delay."
"What important thing can happen to Lanfang Company? Their assets are all hidden. They are afraid of being targeted by the Dutch and losing their wealth. They use money to expand capital investment in Songkhla, so they are not afraid of attracting the attention of the Dutch.
?”
The Wu regime itself was also engaged in commercial trade. There was a certain degree of competition between the Lanfang and Songkhla regimes in maritime transportation, grain, cloth, industrial and commercial commodity transactions, etc. However, because they completely favored the Dutch, they relied on the Dutch's influence in Southeast Asia.
Due to the power, the business groups within Lanfang Company often squeezed out the business groups affiliated with the Songkhla regime, and the two parties accumulated a lot of conflicts.
"From what they said, it seems that due to changes in the internal political situation in Lanfang, Liu Asheng retired early and recommended his son Liu Fangliang to be the first wife of Lanfang Company. However, before Liu Fangliang came to power, he was secretly preparing to agree to the Dutch threat and allow the Dutch to send colonial officials.
Oversee Lanfang’s internal governance affairs.
They are worried that if the Dutch further control the Lanfang Company, the tragedy of more than 20 years ago will happen again, so they are looking for an escape route for business groups and families in advance."
"The Lanfang Company was ultimately responsible for the tragedy more than 20 years ago. They are actually scared now."
Wu Jin sneered and said disdainfully.
Wu Jin himself personally experienced the collapse of the Dagang Company more than 20 years ago. At that time, the Chinese immigration regimes in other parts of the East Indies were wiped out by the Dutch, and only two Chinese immigrants, the Dagang Company and the Lanfang Company, were left on the island of Borneo.
regime.
In 1850, the Dagang Company refused the Dutch's request for surrender and gathered Chinese workers to resist the Dutch invasion. During this period, the Lanfang Company obeyed the Dutch's orders and not only sent armed Chinese workers to fight against the Dagang Company, but also after the Dagang Company's resistance failed, six hundred
On their way to escape from the territory of Dagang Company, more than one Chinese workers were intercepted and disarmed by armed personnel from Lanfang Company led by Liu Asheng, and they were finally handed over to the Dutch for disposal.
The Dagang Company was destroyed, and more than 3,000 Chinese died in the war. With his help, Liu Asheng, the Jia Tai of the Lanfang Company, eliminated the forces that opposed him within Lanfang and secured his position as the Jia Tai of Lanfang. However, the collapse of the Dagang Company
, but it seriously weakened the armed forces of the Nanyang Chinese and kicked off the collapse of the Nanyang Chinese regime. Since the demise of the Dagang Company, the Dutch turned their attention to their affiliated force Lanfang, and continued to use various excuses to embezzle the territory of the Lanfang Company.
In 1879, at its peak, the Lan Fong Company controlled an area of more than 200,000 square kilometers. The only land it could directly control was Dongwanlu and Singkawang, and its population was reduced from more than 2 million to 30 million.
From victory to decline, the decline and even the final demise of the Lanfang Company were closely related to Liu Asheng and his son. Especially when the Han Dynasty entered Nanyang, Liu Asheng and his son still did not see the changes in the situation clearly. They followed the Dutch loyally and took the initiative against the Taiping Society.
They turned a blind eye to the sincerity of cooperation shown. In the last Chinese armed uprising led by the Taiping Society, they still obeyed the orders of the Dutch colonists and took the lives of the Chinese workers in Lanfang to claim credit and reward for their father and son.
Liu Asheng and his son did not leave a way out for themselves. Rumors spread in other parts of Southeast Asia that Lanfang offered to submit to the Manchu Qing Dynasty and accept the protection of the Qing court were all nonsense. In the last thirty years of the Liu family's rule, Lanfang was ruled by his father and his son.
, in order not to arouse the suspicion of the Dutch, they did not take the initiative to seek help from the Manchu court.
In the competition between big powers, weak forces can only rely on the protection of big powers to ensure their own safety. The situation in Southeast Asia continues to be chaotic and turbulent. The British introduced Indian military and police, prompting the Chinese Kapitans to plan their own actions in exchange for the British colonists to step back.
At the same time, they also began to move closer to the Manchu court. Ye Yalai, Huang Fuyuan, Deng En and other Kapitans either took advantage of the momentum of the Han Dynasty to secretly flirt with the Taiping Society, and used the Taiping Society's intelligence all over Southeast Asia.
Economic Network, quietly transferred its assets to Songkhla, South America and Han, or spent money to bribe Manchu and Qing officials and ministers, bought an official hat from the Manchu and Qing court, and took advantage of the remaining power of the broken ship of the Qing Empire.
, bringing a sense of security to themselves. Among the many Nanyang Chinese forces, only Liu Asheng and his family relied entirely on foreign colonists.
Wu Jin felt that maybe Liu Asheng and his son believed that they were clinging to the clutches of the Dutch. Even if Lanfang Company perished, the Dutch would retain their power and wealth for the sake of their loyalty and dedication in the past.
But would the Dutch really miss their old friendship so much? Wu Jin couldn't guess, and he didn't want to think about it deeply. Anyway, in a few years, after Lanfang's last military power was controlled by the Dutch, the outcome would naturally be clear.
"Tell them that Songkhla welcomes investment from all businessmen and we will ensure the safety of their property. Please don't worry."
It was one thing to dislike the behavior of Liu Asheng and his son, but it was another thing to accept the investment from Chinese businessmen of Lanfang Company. Wu Jin made a clear distinction between the two.
Songkhla is different from the Han Kingdom in South America. Songkhla is small in area, surrounded by foreign powers on all sides, and has limited development space. It can only use commercial methods to build a country, coupled with Han Dynasty's politics and force to maintain its politically independent status.
Wu Jin positioned Songkhla and the Wu family as a transit point for Han immigrants in South America, a military and intelligence stronghold, and it also played a role in absorbing Chinese businessmen's funds and serving as a temporary refuge for Nanyang Chinese.
If we understand the positioning of Songkhla itself, we can also understand why Wu Jin could rationally accept the refuge and protection of the Lanfang Chinese business group.
"Father, will you see me or not?"
"Forget it, let them come to the City Lord's Mansion tomorrow morning and learn more about the actual situation inside Lanfang. It might come in handy in the future."
"Yes, father, my son will make arrangements now."
Wu Chong responded, and when he turned around and wanted to leave, his father stopped him, "Don't leave now, I have something to explain."
"Father, please speak."
Wu Chong said respectfully
"You are the eldest son of Wu, and the future foundation of Songkhla will be handed over to you sooner or later. My father was lucky enough to make friends with Master Mei Dongxingmei of the Nanyang Army. Through the introduction of Master Mei and Master Li, my two sisters were married to His Highness the King of Han.
,
It is a blessing for your sister to marry His Highness the King of Han, and it is also a blessing for Songkhla.
In two years' time, you will be thirty years old. From now on, you will have to learn to handle all matters in Songkhla."
"Father, you are in your prime years. When dealing with government affairs, your child will have plenty of time to learn slowly. Don't rush for a while. From what I see, it will not be too late for my child to learn from you in ten or twenty years."
"My father is not someone who clings to the past and is greedy for power. In more than ten years, when Songkhla is stable inside and outside, he will pass on the position of city lord to you. You don't have to worry about other people's gossip."
Wu Jin was quite satisfied with his son's performance and warned, "Mr. Mei, General Yang will return to South America in October. At that time, I will send you and your second brother to represent Songkhla to attend the enthronement ceremony of His Highness the King of Han, the enthronement ceremony and your sister's wedding ceremony."
After this is over, you will stay in South America, and I will ask someone to ask His Highness the King of Han to arrange for your second brother to attend the Army Military Academy, and for you to enter the Han government agencies and learn to handle government affairs with His Highness the King of Han."
"The son obeys the father's arrangements, but the son is not around. The father should take more care of himself."
"My body is very strong, so you can go to South America with peace of mind. When you get there, spend more time with your sister. She will go to a place as far away as South America when she gets married. With you accompanying her, I feel more at ease."
"My sister is well-behaved and lovely. She has been away from home for half a year. She must miss her father very much. When she arrives in South America, the child will give her a few more words of encouragement on behalf of her father."
"Lingxuan is innocent by nature. After marrying His Highness the King of Han, she is different from the past, but she has to learn to be more considerate when encountering problems."
Speaking of his precious daughter, Wu Jin couldn't help but give a few more instructions. After more than ten minutes, when his entourage sent word that the Nanyang Legion's fleet had arrived at the port, the two of them ended their conversation.
