The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 264 Slope County
After entering the Strait of Malacca, there were suddenly more ships sailing on the sea. Countless merchant ships shuttled through this world's busiest waterway, bringing endless business opportunities and prosperity to both sides of the strait and even the entire Southeast Asian region.

Standing on the bow of the ship and looking up into the distance, the waves are rolling on the sea, rolling up white spray, which looks particularly spectacular in the distance. All kinds of merchant ships float on the sea. Their huge sails, towering masts, thick smoke columns, roaring whistles, and the figures shuttled back and forth on the ships form a grand and noisy picture.

The sun was shining high in the sky, and the sunlight shone on the sea, creating sparkling ripples, which made people feel warm and comfortable, but at the same time, it also made the sailors on the ship feel a little confused and tired.

After the "Yanfeng" left Aceh, it took only three days to sail and arrived at Hankou Port on Temasek Island (today's Singapore) - a port that emerged due to trade and shipping.

In the Strait of Malacca, two extremely prosperous trading ports have sprung up due to this busy golden waterway, namely Malacca and Temasek.

Malacca began to gradually prosper during the Kingdom of Malacca in the 13th century. In particular, the vigorous Zheng He fleet voyages to the West launched by the Ming Dynasty further stimulated the development of Malacca.

At that time, every time Zheng He's fleet sailed, it had to bring more than tens of thousands of people and a large amount of supplies to Malacca. Therefore, in order to obtain a stable maritime supply transfer port, the Ming Dynasty began to use a large amount of resources to build Malacca. City, Zheng He even personally built special warehouses and fortifications in Malacca.

This is not only because Malacca itself has the potential to become a prosperous port, but its relatively weak position also makes the local natives more willing to welcome the intervention of the Ming Dynasty's official forces, trying to rely on the support of the Ming Dynasty to gradually expand their sphere of influence. Zheng He was also determined to build this small port, which still looked like a run-down fishing village, into a golden overseas port for the Ming Dynasty due to dual considerations.

In order to get closer to the Arab merchants from the Indian Ocean, the ruling class of Malacca voluntarily gave up their original Hindu beliefs and converted to Islam. But in terms of diplomacy, it has always followed the tribute trade system established by the Ming Dynasty.

However, Malacca City is different from all ports in the world that rely on trade as their main means of livelihood. For example, the Hormuz Island in the Persian Gulf is also small in area, but it needs to maintain a large fleet in order to maintain its dominance in maritime trade. Venice and Genoa on the Mediterranean use their limited population and financial resources to support the world's leading naval forces.

Only the city of Malacca in the east is not interested in building maritime power. On the contrary, the Sultan of Malacca relied on mercenaries recruited from Bangladesh, Java and other places to establish a relatively powerful army. After all, the local Sultanate Kingdom has always set its sights on the Malay Peninsula behind it. They relied on the support of the Ming Dynasty to compete with the Thai people of the Ayutthaya Kingdom who were trying to go south.

It is for this reason that the Portuguese who came from afar easily gained absolute sea control in the Strait of Malacca and took advantage of the situation to capture the city of Malacca.

After the Portuguese established a foothold in Malacca, they immediately promoted this port, which was prosperous for trade, and built it into the most important trade center and shipping center in the entire Southeast Asia region. It was also the center of Portuguese colonial rule in Southeast Asia. It made the city of Malacca famous for a while.

However, the Dutch East India Company captured Malacca in 1643 (due to the existence of Qi, the Dutch captured Malacca two years later than in the original time and space history). According to their agreement with the Johoreans, the port city was administered by the Dutch. However, the strategic focus or business direction of the Dutch at this time has been transferred to Batavia, the headquarters in the south. They are not very concerned about the development and construction of Malacca, resulting in a sharp decline in the status of the port. It is only used as a port for the Dutch to control the strait. A sea base.

In 1653, Qi Guo Nanyang Trading Company leased Temasek Island, which belongs to the Kingdom of Johor, at a price of two thousand Hanzhou silver dollars per year, and continued to invest heavily in its development and construction, making it a prosperous commodity distribution center and superior location. It is a shipping center and has replaced Malacca City as the largest commercial and trade center in the Straits region.

Contrary to what most people know, Temasek Island did not suddenly emerge as the largest shipping center in the region after Qi took control.

Because Temasek Island has been described in many early ancient navigation and geographical records. Its special geographical location and excellent port environment impressed the early navigators more than a thousand years ago.

Around the first century AD, the Maritime Silk Road was gradually developed. Greco-Roman traders from the Mediterranean world or Asian traders from the Persian Gulf and Indian coast would pass through Temasek Island on their way to the port in southern Annam. The coast of Annan was a remote county under the control of the Han Dynasty at that time, and it was also an important base for the dynasty to absorb maritime trade wealth. Some ships departing from Lingnan and Annan mainland will also arrive at Temasek Island to trade with various merchants from the West.

However, due to the limitations of navigation technology at that time, ships needed to anchor in relatively calm waters. Therefore, the Johor Strait in the north of Temasek Island has become the most ideal anchorage for passing merchant ships. The island's early settlements and trading ports were also concentrated in the north, near the Malay Peninsula.

The scenery of Temasek Island lasted until the early 15th century. A series of changes in the political structure of the region brought it into a dark period of decline.

As a new generation of Nanyang overlord, Qi has surpassed the previous Portugal and the Netherlands in many aspects, especially in terms of strategic layout, it is a few steps ahead of them.

During the Second Sino-Dutch War, the people of Qi noticed the importance and superiority of Temasek Island and secretly deployed a powerful naval squadron here to cut the east-west route of the Dutch East India Company into two sections. It almost blocked the Dutch's sea lanes to and from Europe.

A few years after the war, Qi State obtained the management and development rights of Temasek Island from the Sultan of Johor, and a port city with complete functional facilities was built near the sea.

In order to compete with the Dutch, the Qi people also deliberately set up Temasek Island as a free port open to all ships, allowing many merchant ships passing through the Strait of Malacca to choose to anchor at Temasek Island to avoid the heavy taxes imposed by the Dutch Malacca authorities.

Later, as Temasek Island's business became increasingly prosperous and countless ships stopped by, the people of Qi discovered that it was indeed possible to make a lot of money here, and endless wealth surged here. Therefore, Qi State simply took out 20,000 Hanzhou silver dollars to forcefully buy this island, and it became the Strait Governor-General under Qi State.

In the following twenty years, Qi State successively acquired dozens of islands near the straits such as Lingga, Riau, Bintan, and Batam from the Kingdom of Johor, further strengthening its control of the waters on the east side of the Malacca Strait.

In the fourteenth year of the Han Dynasty (1684), in order to have a broader strategic depth behind the Straits Governor-General, Qi State forced the Kingdom of Johor to cede a large area of ​​land on the north shore of the Johor Strait to Qi State, forcing them to move their capital to Further north, inland areas to avoid the sharp edge of Qi.

Eight years ago, the Dutch, knowing that their fate was over, "actively" retreated from the Nanyang region. They passed an agreement and handed over a series of territories, including Malacca, to the Qi people for management.

At this point, the decline of Malacca and the prosperity of Temasek Island are irreversible.

The reason why Qi State values ​​the island of Temasek so much can be traced back to the period of Emperor Taizu.

For unknown reasons, Emperor Taizu, who had never set foot on Temasek Island, had always been fond of this island. After the navy developed to a certain scale, it couldn't wait to claim the island from the Kingdom of Johor.

Sometimes, people cannot help but marvel at Emperor Taizu's far-sighted strategic vision and layout. With the development and progress of Qi's shipbuilding technology, the size and draft of ships have begun to increase. In particular, the tonnage and displacement of steel ships built in recent years have become larger and larger. This makes many ports that were excellent in the past become unsuitable for large ships to dock. The exponential growth in maritime trade has also placed higher requirements on port throughput capacity.

Temasek Deepwater Port, facing the sea, is far superior to Malacca City, which has only a narrow river, in these aspects. And the Johor Strait, which has been favored by small and medium-sized merchant ships in the past, can also continue to provide a necessary temporary haven for small boats.

From this point of view alone, Temasek Island far exceeds any port in the Strait of Malacca.

Likewise, in terms of military purposes, Temasek Island is far more significant than other ports. The State of Qi has become a super maritime power that spans the seven seas. The maintenance of interests in major coastal economic zones around the world requires the protection of the Navy of the State of Qi at all times. The deep-water port on Temasek Island is naturally a treasure trove frequently visited by warships, providing a way for the State of Qi to surpass More than 60% of trade transactions are escorted.

Many years ago, Emperor Taizu gave this island a very "rustic" name, Po County (actually derived from the Malay "Singapura", transliterated as Singapore). Considering the geographical environment of the island, which is low and flat, covered with forests and swamps, it seems to be somewhat "unworthy of its name." However, Emperor Taizu's prestige was very high, and naturally no one objected to his utterances.

However, most people still like to call this island Temasek. Although the name is also Malay, it sounds like a hint of "fashion".

In the 1726nd year of Taiping (), in order to further eliminate the local indigenous civilization and original cultural imprint, the cabinet renamed Temasek to Hankou. The meaning is self-evident.

At present, the entire Straits Governor-General includes Po County, Longmen County (today's Batam Island), Gui'an County (today's Bintan Island), Lingzhi County (today's Lingga Island), Yongjia County (today's Johor Bahru City, Malaysia), Liyang County (Today's Kulai District, Malaysia), Dexing District (today's Kota Tinggi, Malaysia), and Ucheng District (today's Pontian District, Malaysia) were successively established with a population of about 130,000, which can be regarded as "the largest county in the entire Malay Peninsula". Densely populated” place.

However, if you take a closer look at the population distribution data of the entire governor-general, you will find that in such a large area of ​​land, covering an area of ​​about 15,000 square kilometers, Slope County accounts for nearly 50% of the total population. There are almost 63,000 people, while Yongjia County across the Strait of Johor has more than 45,000 people. The remaining six counties have a combined population of only 20,000, which is definitely a vast area and sparsely populated area. of.

But it is understandable. Po County, where Hankou is located, is a trade center and shipping center carefully built by the government. It is also the seat of the Governor's Palace, so it naturally gained more resources and population. Yongjia County is the former site of the capital of the Kingdom of Johor. It has been developed by the natives for hundreds of years. It is already a well-established area and has also received a lot of foreign investment and immigrant population.

As for other island counties or coastal counties, most of them are not good places for people to live. Dense virgin forests occupy the vast majority of the area. In addition, swamps, meadows, hills, and tidal flats can also be seen everywhere. If not After a lot of vigorous renovation, development and construction, it is impossible for human beings to survive, let alone agricultural production and living.

When Pan Guangfeng got off the ship, he was welcomed by many local officials and took a luxurious carriage to the VIP building in the city to stay.

"Over the past few decades, the urban construction of Hankou City has reached a considerable scale. In terms of prosperity, it is probably no less than Yong'an (formerly Batavia, that is, Jakarta) and Guangning (today's Cilegon City, Java Island) , Even compared with some major ports in China, it doesn’t make any concessions.” Through the car window, Pan Guangfeng looked at the rows of buildings and the flow of people on one side of the street, and he was very pleased.

"As an official of Hankou, I feel extremely honored to be praised by Ambassador Pan!" Mu Yuanlin, the magistrate of Po County, who was sitting opposite, slightly arched his hands towards Pan Guangfeng and said with a smile: "Ambassador Pan came from Europe. We must be very tired after traveling all the way back, so we might as well stay in Hankou for a while to recuperate. During this period, Ambassador Pan can explore the scenery of Wopo County and make it easier to travel. The faculties can be consulted at any time to make up for their gains.”

"After several months of traveling and crossing the sea, Pan is exhausted physically and mentally, but he is eager to return home!" Pan Guangfeng smiled slightly, "Not to mention that my wife, children, and children at home are all looking forward to my return. Even with His Majesty's holy orders and cabinet orders, I I don’t dare to stay here longer to recuperate my energy. I’ll have a rest tonight and then go to the dock tomorrow to complete the last leg of my journey.”

"Uh..." Mu Yuanlin couldn't help but show a hint of hesitation when he heard this, "Ambassador Pan, the Governor happened to go to Kluang, the royal city of Johor this morning to discuss the recruitment of tens of thousands of natives to build the Johor Strait Causeway and Railway. We plan to return in three to five days. If the Governor returns to Hankou and learns that the Ambassador is only staying here for one night, I am afraid he will blame me for not knowing how to treat guests and for disrespecting the Ambassador."

"Haha..., it doesn't matter!" Pan Guangfeng smiled and waved his hand, "You, Governor Luo, were my classmates and friends more than 20 years ago. I want to meet Pan just to reminisce about our old friendship. But Pan is scheduled to return. It's a mistake. We can't stay any longer. When we meet in the mountains and rivers, there will always be a day when we meet. Before setting off tomorrow, I will leave a letter and forward it to you, Governor Luo. After he reads the letter, he will not blame you. It’s hard for you to wait.”

"Ambassador Pan, the sea is rough and the weather is unpredictable. Shipping delays are common. Even if the return to Chang'an is delayed for a few days, His Majesty and the cabinet will not mind it..." Mu Yuan Lin was still waiting for further persuasion, hoping that Pan Guangfeng could stay for a few more days so that he could meet with the governor.

"Muzhi County needs no further persuasion. Pan really can't delay it any longer."

What a joke, I was about to arrive at my doorstep, I didn't want to rush back to Chang'an to see the emperor and the cabinet, and get the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs, but I was hesitant and delayed in the Strait area because I wanted to express my friendship as a classmate. Drinking flower wine and strolling around Hankou is too imprudent.

If a caring person gives you some eye drops for this reason, wouldn't it make the duck you were about to get fly away!

"Uh..." Seeing that the other party was resolute, Mu Yuanlin had no choice but to give up, "In that case, forget it. Tonight, Hankou officials and businessmen will hold a reception dinner for the ambassador at the Yanbin Building. Please don't refuse. I’ll show you my face.”

"Hmm..." Pan Guangfeng pondered for a moment and nodded, "In that case, Pan is going to bother me."

"Ambassador Pan can attend the meeting and the banquet, which is really a great honor for us Hankou officials and businessmen."

"I just heard you mention that your Governor Luo went to the Kingdom of Johor to discuss the recruitment of native people to build the railway. Is it that your Straits Governor-General wants to build the railway to the mainland across the Strait of Johor?"

"It is true. Rubber plantations are scattered all over the four counties of Yongjia, Liyang, Dexing and Ucheng on the north coast of the Johor Strait. During the rubber tapping season every year, a large amount of raw rubber is transported across the sea to many rubber factories in Hankou for reproduction and processing. However, The only way to travel between the two places is by boat, which requires multiple turns and is time-consuming and laborious. In the past few years, our Strait Governor-General has planned to build a cross-sea railway directly to the northern inland hinterland in order to better take advantage of Hankou's developed shipping center. , to continuously export rubber products to all over the world. To this end, our Straits Governorate plans to recruit tens of thousands of natives from the Kingdom of Johor to first build a causeway connecting both sides of the strait, and then lay a railway on it and supplement it with roads. Completely connect the hinterland with Hankou.”

“I’m afraid there will be many obstacles if the railway extends to the Kingdom of Johor.”

"Haha..." Mu Yuanlin smiled, "There may be some obstacles, but the Kingdom of Johor does not dare to refuse. Besides, the Governor personally went to visit King Sultan of Johor. I believe they will not offend us."

Oh, once this railway is opened, the Kingdom of Johor will probably be destroyed.

(End of this chapter)