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Chapter 973: Changing with each passing day
Is this useful? So far, it seems to be working very well. Both military and political power are firmly in their hands, and there is no possibility of anyone or anyone usurping it.

In fact, Hong Tao is not the inventor of this model. He is just borrowing it. The person he is borrowing from is named Jiang, who used to be a school principal.

During the years he was in power, his control over government and the economy was weaker, but his control over military power was stable from beginning to end, and the reason was his former students.

Based on his foundation, Hong Tao further strengthened this academy which was only responsible to the emperor himself. It was not only able to output a large number of officers to the army, but also a large number of civil servants to governments at all levels, which fully made up for the shortcoming of President Jiang that he could not handle both military and political affairs and was always lame.

After arriving at the Port of Manila, although they never left the city, they had not even left the fortress built by the Spaniards, which was now used by the governor and the commander-in-chief.

However, through the staff of the advisory office scattered across the country and the students working locally, we can fully understand the military, political, economic and people's livelihood situations from many angles, including many specific figures.

Generally speaking, after 20 years of governance, the achievements of the Luzon Special Region are obvious to all. The greatest achievement is that it has completely solved the integration problem between the various ethnic groups of indigenous peoples and between indigenous peoples and new immigrants.

Now there are no ethnic groups in the entire Luzon Island that openly oppose the Ming occupation or those who are lip service and secretly disobey. They are either wiped out among the mountains and dense forests, or choose to live together with other ethnic groups, speak Chinese, write Chinese characters, send their children to new schools, and intermarry with new immigrants.

Under the high pressure of policies and the temptation of economy, most of the natives and new immigrants can still understand where to go. And as time goes by and the quality of life improves, people's habits will slowly change.

Especially for young people who have received new education since childhood, the concept of nationality is becoming increasingly indifferent. It is estimated that in another 20 years, most people will not know their original nationality or even their hometown, let alone speak their own language.

Two generations, or forty or fifty years, can wipe out most traces of an ethnic group from the root, making it as if it had never existed in the world.

Of course, this step also requires a lot of costs. The first is population. Although there is no detailed statistics, the Navy General Staff has made a rough estimate that the population of Luzon Island alone has decreased by about 15 in the first ten years of occupation, which is almost one-third of the total population of the island.

The second is financial resources. Over the past 20 years, the imperial court has invested a lot of manpower and material resources in Luzon Island, although % of them are indirectly invested through private economic means. However, the construction of roads, irrigation systems, schools and clinics can only be funded by the national treasury, and no businessmen will get involved.

Finally, it's time. 20 years is almost a generation. How many emperors would be willing to spend a generation to slowly and firmly carry out thorough national integration? Even if they wanted to, whether they could live that long and control absolute power for that long was a very realistic problem.

Only Hong Tao has the ability and willingness to invest, and he believes that it is worth investing from the beginning to the end. It is crucial for future rule to completely wipe out the culture of an island or a region in 20 years... or even 40 years, leaving only Han culture.

No matter how people in the future toss and turn, even if they fight and split into several countries, it is still a civil war. Not only the Han people think so, but also the assimilated ethnic groups think so, and it is natural.

It is easy to say "since ancient times", but it is not easy to do it. It is easy to occupy, whoever has the bigger fist basically owns it, but it is difficult to completely make it your own. The Mongol Empire spanned the Eurasian continent, but it fell apart in less than a hundred years. The ethnic groups that are considered to be descendants of the Mongol Empire in later generations are fewer than the ethnic groups that try to erase the traces of the Mongol Empire. The pure Mongolian country has no face to shout "since ancient times".

The reason is simple: they did not put in much effort or were not capable of ethnic assimilation. Most of the wars and conflicts in later generations were caused by the lack of this step, which left hidden dangers.

Just after noon, more than a dozen beasts in human form entered the second floor hall of the castle, which was full of European palace style. Compared with when they first arrived in Manila, everyone's face was no longer tired from the long voyage, but showed some excitement instead.

Han culture emphasizes not showing one's emotions on face. Having reached the position of Minister of the General Staff, he must have at least worked in official circles for several years, and he should not easily reveal his inner thoughts on his face.

However, what they saw and heard in the past few days has exceeded their psychological expectations. To put it bluntly, they were shocked. It is inevitable that they would show their joy on their faces before they adjusted their mentality.

"Just now, Lord Liu had the loudest voice and shouted the loudest slogans. I heard it clearly. If there were another 50 people, could the annual tax revenue of the Luzon Special Administrative Region really exceed that of most provinces?"

The emperor arrived not too late, but did not enter the hall. Instead, he hid in a semi-suspended toilet in the corner, listening to the discussions outside while flipping through the map in his hand. He slowly walked into the hall until his pocket watch made a crisp sound.

"Your Majesty, I have never lied, nor have I exaggerated. Last year, the taxes paid by the Luzon Special District to the court were equal to the sum of the taxes paid by the other special districts, and have exceeded those of Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Guangxi and other provinces.

During these few days, I saw large tracts of rice fields that could be harvested twice or even three times a year, endless stretches of sugarcane, and ships coming in and out day and night. Now I understand why this achievement was possible.

But unlike Suzhou and Hangzhou, this place has not reached its peak, but has just started. Many acres of land are barren, many gentle slopes and terraces have not been cultivated at all, and large tracts of forests have not been cut down. If they can all be developed, the tax revenue will surely be able to go up a level. I dare not say that it will surpass Guangdong and Fujian, but it can enter the top five! "

The Minister of Taxation Liu Lishun was named by the emperor, but he did not feel any pressure. Instead, he looked happy and spoke eloquently.

In the past, he rarely spoke in the imperial meetings because he was not familiar with the topic. But now, the situation has changed. With his professional insights, the Luzon Special Zone has great potential. Moreover, he has seen it with his own eyes instead of hearing about it, so he does not have to worry about saying the wrong thing.

"What Minister Liu said is absolutely right. I have visited more than ten towns and villages along the way. All the people I saw were well-dressed and reasonable. Few looked pale, and I did not see ragged people begging on the streets. Great governance of the country is just like this. The people here are lucky, and your Majesty's new policy is great!"

Liu Lishun was not the only one who wanted to speak his mind. Yuan Huazhong, the Minister of Agriculture, was also impatient. However, his way of expression was more tactful. In addition to describing the facts, he also did not forget to praise the emperor's great achievements.

(End of this chapter)