Late Ming sea owl

Chapter 131: Dominate Tamsui
On the eighth day of the first lunar month of the sixth year of Tianqi, there was a strong north wind on the East China Sea. Five medium and large ships left Cen Port and then turned south.

In addition to the Fenyang and Ganfu, Lin Hai bought three more two-masted Zhejiang ships in Zhoushan.

The so-called Zhejiang boat is what is often called a bird boat among the people. Like Fuchuan and Guangzhou, it is a sharp-bottomed sea-going boat. In fact, they are all similar.The wood used in the Zhejiang ship is similar to that of the Fu ship. Like the Guangzhou ship, it has a bow post, but it does not have a center plate and a porous rudder.

The characteristics of these three types of sea-going ships are actually just discussed in general terms, and there are no certain rules. There is no problem in saying that they are the same ship type. For example, there are actually many ships in Guangzhou that use cheap wood. The only ones with big differences are those in the Yangtze River and above. It's just a sand boat commonly used in Beijing.

The main reason why we bought three more ships was that there were a lot of people and materials going to Dongfan this time, and the Fenyang and Ganfu alone were too crowded.

Moreover, these two ships are too big, and it is not very convenient to sail in the offshore. Especially Lin Hai will run back and forth between Zhoushan and Dongfan in the future. Fighting the wind is inevitable. At this time, the maneuverability advantages of small and medium-sized seagoing ships It's even more obvious.

In the official hall of the Fenyang, there was an iron chair with many sword-like spikes on the back.

Lin Hai pointed to the iron chair and said to Wu Lang: "This is the throne I built for you. Sit on it and take a look."

Wu Lang sat on the iron chair and leaned back: "This chair is not comfortable to sit on either."

"As a king, you can't always think about being comfortable, you have to be different." Lin Hai said and added, "What is the most precious in the eyes of Basai people? I think it should be iron, so you are stupid. The king's title is called the Iron King, and your throne is called the Iron Throne. Iron is a symbol of wealth and power."

Lin Hai talked for a long time, but Wu Lang still couldn't understand: "But what's the use of this?"

"Of course it is useful." Lin Hai continued, "To rule your people, it is not enough to rely on the army and tax collectors. You also need something else."

"What?" Wu Lang paused and continued, "I understand. Shopkeeper Lin is talking about iron. Iron can be used to make weapons."

"No, no, you are talking about something in the military category." Lin Hai continued, "I'm not talking about a specific thing, but...how should I put it? Let me think about it."

"Do it the same way. First of all, you need to let your people know the superiority and inferiority of the people. We once had a very wise man in the Ming Dynasty. He said this, the most important duty of the emperor is to distinguish between everyone. Regarding status, some people are noble and some are humble, and people with different statuses must abide by different behavioral norms.”

What Lin Hai was talking about was etiquette, but obviously there was no such word in the language of the Basai people, so he could only explain it to Wu Lang in as plain language as possible so that Lun Yi could accurately translate what he meant.

As for the sentence he said later, he actually quoted Sima Guang's words: "The emperor's duty is greater than etiquette, etiquette is greater than proportion, and proportion is greater than fame."

Etiquette is not unique to China, nor was it invented by Duke Zhou. Any royal society will have more or less a set of rituals, but Chinese culture places special emphasis on this.

"What should we do specifically?" Wu Lang obviously understood the meaning, but he didn't know where to start.

"Let's start with the daily necessities of life. For example, on this Iron Throne, only you, the Iron King, can sit on it. Anyone else who sits on it will be beheaded. For another example, your people will kneel down and kowtow when they see you... ...Anyway, I will let Brother Lun make a set of simple rules for you, and you can add more later as you see fit."

Lin Hai said and added: "Next, you have to distinguish between high and low, which can be distinguished by blood relationship. People who are close to you by blood are noble, and people who are far from you are humble..."

After Wu Lang heard this, he wondered: "Why does it sound similar to what I said before about distinguishing between superior and inferior?"

"No, no, the two are different, but they can be used together." Lin Hai explained, "This status of closeness and nobility is innate, and the status of superiority and inferiority mentioned above can be given by you. The former is So that you have natural supporters, but you can also lift up people who are naturally humble..."

What Lin Hai was talking about was the patriarchal system. Like etiquette, it was not unique to Chinese civilization, but it was the most important aspect.

He then started talking about divine power: "Then, you have to change the current situation where every village has wizards. When your army conquers a village, the first thing you have to do is to capture their wizards. Come on, the king must monopolize the channel of communication with the gods."

In fact, this point is unique to Chinese civilization. The emperor monopolizes divine power, rather than priests monopolizing political power, or the divine power and political power are separated.A famous historian in later generations once lamented that the Chinese civilization was the only great civilization that did not produce a priest class.

Regarding this article of divine power, the approach is very specific, but Wu Lang was a little scared: "If I do this, the gods will punish me."

"If you are not willing to do this, then I can do it for you. Will I be punished by the gods when you see it?" Lin Hai said with a smile, "When I point a knife at your wizard, let me They say that I am the representative of the gods, do you think they will comply?"

Wu Lang was silent, and Lin Hai continued: "Your mother and wife are both wizards. Don't you still understand the tricks of wizards?"

"Actually, I know that some wizards don't have any magical power, and they can't communicate with the gods..."

Wu Lang's wife Amei is the little wizard of Jinbaoli Society. She is still young and is not very good at maintaining the mystery of the wizard. He went on to say: "But this does not mean that the gods will not punish me."

"What you said is a bit strange. Those wizards who have no divine power but claim that they can communicate with the gods are not punished. Why are you punished for doing this?"

These words stopped Wu Lang from questioning, and Lin Hai continued: "Your mother said that I am the messenger of the ancestral spirits. Do you really believe it?"

Wu Lang was shocked when he heard this. In his mind, his wife Amei was just a parallel wizard, but his mother was truly powerful.

But it is indeed difficult to make him believe that Lin Hai is the messenger of the ancestral spirit.

For the Dongfan natives who have never been overseas, these outsiders arriving in large ships are very mysterious.But Wu Lang had already followed Lin Hai to the Ming Dynasty, and the mysterious veil shrouding overseas visitors had been unveiled unknowingly.

Just like the Native Americans would regard the Spaniards riding horses as aliens, but if you let them live in Western Europe for a period of time, they will naturally not think so.

"I can tell you clearly that I am not the messenger of the ancestral spirit!" Lin Hai looked at Wu Lang and said, his eyes seeming to penetrate his heart.

"Sure enough..." Wu Lang was silent for a long time and finally murmured.In fact, he was already inclined to think so in his heart, but he didn't want to think about it deeply.

Because that is a question about his mother's divine power, which will shake his faith since childhood and make him at a loss what to do...

"The ancestor spirits are the most important spirits to you. Your mother has conveyed countless decrees from the ancestor spirits in her life. Are these really the meanings of the ancestor spirits?"

Lin Hai said and added: "But your mother was not punished in any way. On the contrary, she lived well for more than 60 years. Her life span is much longer than that of most Basai people. Therefore, Wu Lang, the gods will not punish you.”

After another long silence, Wu Lang finally replied: "I understand, Shopkeeper Lin, I will do as you say."

Lin Hai nodded with satisfaction. This aboriginal young man was indeed very perceptive. This was enough for now. There was no need to rush to deny the existence of the gods that the aborigines believed in.

When those wizards were controlled by Wu Lang and made them round and flat, the next step would naturally fall into place.

Among the different ethnic groups and villages of the Dongfan indigenous people, there are differences in the gods they believe in, but they all originate from the animistic beliefs of the Paleolithic Age.This kind of primitive belief is actually extremely fragile. The spirits in their eyes are actually very different from the gods that people usually think of. There is not much divinity in these spirits.In their view, every grass and stone has animism, as the saying goes, everything has animism.

This animistic primitive religion of the Paleolithic Age has three typical advanced versions in class society. One is shamanism that is widely popular in North Asia, the other is Shintoism that is popular in Japan, and the third is popular in Japan. Chinese Taoism.

In fact, Taoism is not closely related to Taoism, but is more closely related to the Yin Yang family, which originated from witchcraft. To a certain extent, it can also be regarded as an advanced and advanced version of animistic belief.

But whether it is Shamanism, Shintoism or Taoism, these advanced versions of primitive religions are vulnerable to Confucianism and Buddhism. This alone is enough to prove their fragility.

To use an inappropriate analogy, this kind of belief is probably as strong as modern people’s superstitious belief in dancing gods and appearing in horse-drawn spirits. After all, these are the remnants of the animistic beliefs of the Paleolithic Age in modern society.

"Very good, of the three points I just mentioned, the last point is the most important. Only by doing this can you become a real king..." Lin Hai said to Wu Lang excitedly.

The reason why he wants to destroy the beliefs of indigenous society, especially its ruling class, is because he has regarded Dongfan as his own.When the faith was destroyed, the only thing the Earth King feared was power, so that he would never escape Lin Hai's control.

In the land of Dongfan, Lin Hai did not allow anything to override him.All authority can only come from Lin Hai. Even gods cannot be equal to him!

This is the reason why Lin Hai wants Wu Lang to go to Ming Dynasty, and tempting him with sugar-coated bullets is only second.

Only by achieving this can he truly complete in-depth control of the entire island in a short period of time and completely turn this place into his own back garden.

This is the advantage of being a time traveler. When it comes to how to let a primitive society enter a civilized society, modern people really have a crushing advantage over the ancients.

After all, the ancients didn't actually know how ancient society evolved. They didn't have much knowledge of archeology and anthropology.

These three points mentioned by Lin Hai are actually the three main roots of Chinese civilization, and their origins are all very early.

The ritual system probably originated from the Dawenkou Culture of Dongyi. This was an ancient culture with very prosperous commerce. The differentiation of wealth became a symbol of class and was reflected in all aspects of clothing, food, housing and transportation. The ritual system was formed. This is reflected in the tombs of the Dawenkou Culture. There is a reaction in.

The patriarchal system originated from the Yangshao culture, the main root of Chinese civilization. This was a culture that arose on the tributaries of large rivers and relied heavily on agriculture. Due to the need for water control, a complex society was formed. Blood and marriage were the main divisions of social status. This is the patriarchal system. origin.

The emperor's model of rulers monopolizing divine power probably originated from the divine country Liangzhu in the south of the Yangtze River. This was probably the first ancient country in China to enter the stage of civilization. Its civilizational achievements were later absorbed by Chinese civilization, carrying this The specific artifact of this culture is the jade cong used to communicate between heaven and earth.

Chinese civilization was integrated through this exchange and collision. If we want to find an iconic figure for this integration, it would be Zhuan Xu among the Five Emperors.

In the Legend of the Five Emperors, Zhuanxu is the grandson of the Yellow Emperor, but he was raised by Shaohao. He can be regarded as a representative figure of the deep integration of ancient China and Dongyi. The archaeological remains of this integration are the Longshan Culture.

The earliest emperor's ritual vessels, such as drums and special chimes, also appeared in the literature records about Zhuan Xu. Later, the actual objects were unearthed from the royal tomb in Pingyang, the capital of Yao.

At the same time, Zhuanxu was also the first person among the Five Emperors to monopolize the divine power. The so-called Jedi Tiantong, which is the current situation of reformers with a history of witchcraft, placed the divine power under the royal power.

Therefore, Zhuanxu can probably be regarded as the representative of the final maturity of Chinese civilization, and the historical depth reflected in the legend of Huangdi is far older than Zhuanxu. As "Zuo Zhuan" said, "Since Zhuanxu, we can't remember the distant past, but remember the recent." "

The Battle of Zhuolu between the Yellow Emperor and Chi You can probably be seen as the beginning of the integration of Huaxia and Dongyi, and Zhuan Xuru Yu Shaohao can be seen as the final completion of this integration process.

The reason why Lin Hai wants to use Chinese civilization as a template to transform the indigenous society of Dongfan is to better integrate them into the Confucian cultural circle in the future. This is an experiment of great strategic significance in his opinion. If it succeeds, it will be Extended to other Austronesian ethnic groups who have not yet entered civilized society.

How much territory did these Austronesian peoples occupy?Approximately equal to the entire Pacific Ocean!
The three major Pacific island groups of Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia are all occupied by Austronesian peoples.

The Austronesian people are cousins ​​of the Chinese people, and their matrilineal ancestry is largely similar. Incorporating this widely distributed ethnic group into the Confucian cultural circle not only has practical considerations, but also has far-reaching significance.

No invasion is more long-term than cultural invasion. Only assimilation is complete conquest. This is the heirloom skill of the Chinese ancestors.

Lin Hai never agrees with the nonsense that Confucian culture has lost its vitality and that Confucian culture cannot adapt to the technological era!
In fact, Confucianism is just a basket, and everything can be put into it. As the saying goes, "The Six Classics annotate me, and I annotate the Six Classics." Confucians who do not know how to innovate are not real great Confucians. Confucianism relies on innovation to constantly adapt to the times and become the world today. One of the three mainstream cultural circles.

Before Dong Zhongshu, Confucianism was only one of the prominent schools.It is precisely because Dong Zhongshu took the step of "response between heaven and man" that it perfectly fits one of the roots of Chinese culture, the emperor's monopoly of divine power, and combined with the patriarchal laws and rituals that pre-Qin Confucianism originally emphasized, Confucianism can truly Complete the absorption, precipitation and interpretation of ancient Chinese culture, thus becoming the mainstream ideology.

Later, Confucianism absorbed the theoretical achievements of the new Taoism-Metaphysics in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and the localized Buddhism-Zen Buddhism in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, thus giving birth to Neo-Confucianism, and along the path opened by Neo-Confucianism, new branches were born. ——Lu Wang Xin Xue.

Japan's Meiji Restoration was guided by Rikuo's philosophy of mind. Does this mean that Confucianism cannot adapt to the new era?
Taking a step back, if Confucianism is completely discarded, how can we compete with other mainstream civilizations for cultural positions?

This is the only weapon we have. We should not abandon it, but improve it. We must continue to innovate like the true Confucianists and great Confucianists of all ages and absorb the most advanced contemporary culture.

Even if you transform it beyond recognition, don't throw away this brand easily. This is self-destructive martial arts.

Again, cultural invasion is far more lasting than military invasion.

There are two methods of cultural invasion, one is immigration, and the other is assimilation. The boundaries that the latter can reach are far farther and broader than the former.

Fortunately, the late Ming Dynasty was the first era of very active thinking. There were humanistic and pragmatic thinkers such as Huang Zongxi, Gu Yanwu, and Wang Fuzhi, as well as scholars such as Xu Guangqi, Li Zhizao, and Fang Yizhi who truly opened their eyes to the world and learned both Chinese and Western knowledge.

Even Zhu Shunshui, who was unknown in the Ming Dynasty, became a great master after arriving in Japan. The Edo School based on his teachings provided powerful ideological weapons for the subsequent Meiji Restoration.

If the social changes of this era were not interrupted by aliens, what kind of glorious New Confucianism would be born?Will our own Enlightenment ever come?

Lin Hai didn't know the answer, but he was looking forward to it and wanted to give history a chance to see if it was possible.

Of course, these are still too long ago for Lin Hai now.

All he has to do now is to establish his own kingdom in Dongfan. Here, there are no Ming Dynasty bureaucrats, gentry and wealthy businessmen. All the powerful people do not exist. He will have the final say in everything.

Even in the future, even the indigenous gods will not be allowed to exist. The only thing that everyone respects is the power controlled by someone in Talin - in this blank virgin land, he can do whatever he wants without any restrictions.

When Lin Hai got off the Fenyang, he took a deep breath of Dongfan's air: "The air here is still fresher. There are too many birds in the Ming Dynasty. Living is polluting the air."

(End of this chapter)