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Chapter 988 Big Problem

There was no lesson for Hong Tao, the adviser this time. Bi Maokang was just a technical bureaucrat who had spent half his life dealing with oil, coal tar, alkali plants and acid plants. He was neither familiar with government affairs nor had a strategic vision. He was just speaking from his heart.

However, what needs to be made clear still needs to be explained to him, and many officials should also hear it again, so that they can keep the string of religious belief tight in their minds and not take it lightly.

When the Yarkand Kingdom was mentioned, the faces of the ministers became more serious. They didn't really care how many people died on the island of Sumatra, but the tragedy happened before their eyes, and it would seem too cold-blooded if they didn't show compassion.

However, the Yarkand State bordered the empire and gradually became a key area for economic development in the west. Any action would affect the internal stability of the empire.

Over the past ten years, the imperial court has invested a large amount of manpower and material resources in the Yarkand Kingdom, repairing underground canals, open canals and roads, building new schools, private academies and Taoist temples, organizing farms to grow cotton and wheat on a large scale, and sending officials from the Ministry of Health to the hinterland to vaccinate local people.

Indeed, considerable achievements have been made. Now the cotton production of Yarkand ranks first among all provinces and special zones in the empire. The cotton mills established in Khotan and Aksu export coarse and fine cotton cloth as the largest commodity to the Bukhara Khanate and the Kazakh Khanate every year, while also meeting part of the demand in the interior.

In the summer, King Abdullah sent an envoy to Beijing to meet the emperor and also mentioned the request to build a third cotton spinning mill in Kashgar. Compared with traditional agriculture and animal husbandry, the profit that the factory can provide is much higher.

For the sake of gold coins, many Yarkand nobles have begun to change their minds, gradually abandoning ethnic and religious barriers and actively moving closer to the empire.

However, in terms of religious and ethnic integration, there has not been much progress in the past ten years. Taoism has indeed found a foothold and a basic number of believers in major cities and towns in Yarkand, but it is still at an absolute disadvantage in terms of numbers, and the annual growth rate is not large.

The policy of inter-ethnic marriage is even more difficult. In cities such as Khotan, Aksu, Ruoqiang, Turpan and Hami, where there are many Han people and merchants of various ethnic groups and where the Ming Army is stationed, inter-ethnic marriage is increasing year by year. However, in western parts and rural ranches, intra-ethnic marriage is still the main practice.

The most troublesome thing is education. The locals are very reluctant to learn Chinese characters and speak Chinese because they have their own writing, language and history. Only businessmen have to learn some in order to make money and deal with customers from the mainland. Few people take the initiative to learn, and even fewer want to use the new learning to pass the examination to become officials in the mainland.

According to the Ministry of Household Affairs' estimates, if there is no large-scale immigration and no major accidents, if the situation continues to develop in this way, it will still not be possible to achieve initial assimilation in another ten years.

"Your Majesty, I think the primary responsibility for the slow progress lies with Abdul Chaiyin. As a king, he always says one thing and does another. Not only does he not actively cooperate, he also tries every means to hinder it. If it weren't for your Majesty's will, the Taoist temple in Kashgar would probably still not be built now."

As the Minister of Rites, Yang Sichang had an unshirkable responsibility for the current situation of the Yarkand State. But he also had difficulties. As the saying goes, the emperor is far away, and no matter how the road is built, it takes months to communicate. If the other party does not cooperate, a few letters back and forth will take a year.

The current King of Yarkand, Abduchain, is a master at procrastinating. He agrees readily with words, but when it comes to execution, he makes excuses and always finds excuses to delay.

This is why the Imperial Army stationed in Khotan and Aksu always maintains sufficient pressure. Without this factor, nothing can be done except for the correspondence every year.

"Not only Adu Ciyin, Yusup also didn't play a good role. He was behind several incidents of attacking Taoist temples, beating and killing Taoists in recent years, but he has not been caught in the act!"

Liu Fuli, the Minister of Personnel, felt that Yang Sichang's explanation was not comprehensive enough, so he immediately added another candidate. The General Staff made a special report on this matter at the imperial meeting. The trouble was that all the troublemakers were killed, leaving no one alive.

"I heard that Abdul Chaiin is not in good health?" Hong Tao knew what the ministers had said, but he didn't have a good solution. For a king or a religious leader, let alone without solid evidence, even if there was, it would not be as simple as arresting him.

The stable situation that has been achieved with great difficulty cannot be destroyed by haste. Anyway, we have endured for ten years, so we don’t mind waiting for another ten years. Let’s just wait and see who can outlast the other.

"Your Majesty, Abdul Chai is a heavy drinker and has been poisoned. I'm afraid he won't survive for another year or two."

Minister of Health Han Ping hurried out to report that although the Yarkand Kingdom was relatively resistant to intermarriage, Taoism, and Han culture, it was very quick to accept medical clinics and Taoists who knew medical skills.

There is no way, it can indeed cure the disease. Whenever the local royal family, nobles, and Baiyi get sick, the first person they will go to the clinic to seek treatment from the Han Taoist priests, including the king.

"His eldest son is called..." Upon hearing this, the emperor's signature smile reappeared on his fat face. Look, another one is about to die. Time, this killer weapon, is not only invincible, but also has no side effects.

"Abdulhara! If the second son is allowed to succeed the King of Yarkand, it may be even more detrimental to the empire." It was Yang Sichang who gave the answer again.

"How do you say this?"

"Abdulhala is a disciple of Yusup and is extremely protective of the White Mountain sect. He is valued by conservative officials in his country."

As the minister in charge of the empire's diplomacy, Yang Sichang did not just sit there doing nothing. He was basically well aware of the situations in the countries where envoys were stationed and could tell the details at will.

"I remember that Aduqiyin has a second son..." With just this one sentence, Hong Tao has roughly understood the situation of the Yarkand Kingdom.

But it doesn't matter, if the eldest son is not happy, there is still the second son. When Abdul Sin was made king, this step was already thought of, but after so many years, I can't remember his name.

"Abron, he's studying at Royal University."

At this time, Wang Chengen's role immediately became apparent. He was like a memory card. He recorded all the things and people that the emperor did not need to remember all the time, and gave timely reminders at critical moments.

"Yes, it's Abrun. I remember this child. Let him graduate early and return home to prepare to inherit the throne. The Ministry of Rites will send someone to accompany him and treat him with the courtesy of a prince."

Wang Chengen reminded him, and Hong Tao really remembered the little boy with curly hair and round eyes. No, he should be in his twenties now, only two years younger than Abdulhara.

(End of this chapter)