The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 301: The Steadfast and Loyal Sulu Kingdom
October 1732, 10, Sulu Kingdom, Gaoan (now Sandakan, Malaysia).

Among the many vassal states of the Great Qi in the Nanyang region, most were Han kingdoms that were supported and established by the Qi State decades ago. Through continuous immigration and development, they gradually grew in strength, gradually established their military superiority over the local natives, and followed in the footsteps of the Qi State, conquering all directions and expanding their colonies outward.

But there are two relatively special indigenous vassal kingdoms among them, namely the Champa Kingdom and the Sulu Kingdom.

However, the Champa Kingdom had been exposed to some Chinese civilization through Annan over the past thousand years, and under the influence of Qi, it had long since converted from its previous Brahmanism to Buddhism. It also formed a state of political, economic, cultural and military integration with the Annan Governorate of Qi and the Ha Tien Kingdom, making the kingdom almost the same as the Han kingdom and completely integrated into the Nanyang vassal system dominated by Qi.

Since the mid-15th century, the Sulu Kingdom was influenced by the True God merchants from Arabia and India, and began to gradually accept True God and the entire nation believed in it. It also implemented a political system of combining politics and religion, which lasted for hundreds of years.

As we all know, since the State of Qi began to manage and conquer the Nanyang region, it has always adopted a strategy of vigorously suppressing and restricting the True God Church, trying to completely exclude the True God Church from the region.

To this end, the State of Qi did not hesitate to "correct" the religious beliefs of the local natives by forcing them to change their doctrines, carrying out bloody killings, destroying temples of the True God, and levying special head taxes in order to gradually eliminate the influence of the True God Church.

The Kingdom of Sulu was a country that believed in the True God religion and was located in the strategic location of the Sulu Archipelago, adjacent to Luzon, connected to Borneo, and connected to the Spice Islands. Logically, the State of Qi should have sent troops to destroy it, seize its land, plunder its people, and turn it into an overseas territory of Qi, just like many other kingdoms in the Southeast Asian region, so that it would eventually disappear in the long river of history.

However, the Kingdom of Sulu changed its destiny because of a good relationship it had with Emperor Taizu of Qi and its founder more than 90 years ago. It tied the entire kingdom closely to Qi and not only did it not suffer any suppression or restrictions, but instead received Qi's unremitting support and help. Its territory also expanded from only a few hundred small islands to part of the southeast of Borneo, becoming a regional country with considerable influence.

Sulu knew that the True God Church was feared and suppressed by the State of Qi, so during the Hanxing period (1670-1685), with the guidance and help of Qi's political advisers, he adopted a political system of separation of church and state and began to gradually promote secular reforms throughout the kingdom.

Subsequently, the Kingdom of Sulu deleted the provision that True God was the state religion of Sulu in the newly formulated National Charter (Constitution), allowing the people of the country to have the right to freedom of religious belief.

In the domestic legal system, the laws of the True God Religion were abolished, and many codes such as civil law, criminal law, and commercial law were formulated based on the laws of the State of Qi.

Under the advice of Qi's advisers, the Sulu Kingdom also built schools and provided education, stipulating that schools must strengthen non-religious professional knowledge education and must impart Qi's scientific, technological, culture and way of thinking to the educated.

In the tenth year of Shaoning (1706), Sulu also carried out language and writing reform, replacing Arabic letters with Chinese, thereby completely integrating into Chinese civilization.

In terms of social customs, Sulu also gradually abolished various bad rules of the True God religion, advocated equality between men and women, women did not wear veils, abandoned tribal attire, and encouraged Chinese clothing.

Over the past two decades, the Sulu Kingdom government has also closed some True God religious facilities, abolished religious titles, abolished the True God calendar, and adopted the reign of the Qi emperor and the traditional Chinese lunar calendar.

As time went by, the secularization reform of the Sulu Kingdom gradually gained popularity. The once sacred temple has now become a place for pure religious prayer and psychological comfort, and is no longer an exclusive tool for controlling the inner beliefs of the people.

In the hearts of the Sulu people, fewer and fewer people are willing to pay attention to theological doctrines, but begin to pay attention to the commercial value system. Although there are still many devout believers, their number is gradually decreasing, and even in daily religious baptisms, they are not enough to fill the solemn buildings of the true temples.

In the era of Sulu's secular reforms, the sacred altars and flowing robes have gradually gone away. In their place is an open culture, rich and diverse goods, bustling markets, and frenetic consumers.

People began to be obsessed with the expansion of their own wealth and material accumulation, while gradually becoming indifferent to spiritual needs.

In this somewhat impetuous atmosphere, the sacred place in memory has gradually faded from the consciousness of the Sulu people.

After decades of transformation and profound influence by Qi State, the Sulu Kingdom has achieved a certain degree of secularization and has become a heresy among many true God countries.

Needless to say, Sulu is sandwiched between several Han Chinese countries such as Luzon, Wei, and Qi. The economic and cultural integration and exchange of personnel between them are increasingly frequent, resulting in a large number of Han Chinese immigrants and mixed-race descendants in the country, which is gradually evolving this small country into a quasi-Han Chinese country.

In terms of politics and military, the Kingdom of Sulu also followed the lead of Qi State in everything and followed closely in its pace.

Before the State of Qi was officially established, Sulu took the initiative to send troops to follow the Hanzhou Army at the time to attack the Spanish colonial territories of the Philippines - of course, this move was also intended to take the opportunity to counterattack the Spaniards.

In all of Qi's foreign wars, the Sulu Kingdom always followed Qi firmly. Although the country was small and weak, and its army was not large, it sent a considerable number of elite new troops to fight alongside the Qi army.

The army of the Sulu Kingdom participated in almost every war initiated by the Qi State, including Japan, Annan, Cambodia, Aceh, Ceylon, Bengal, India, Persia and Egypt. They served the country at its beck and call and never left its side, which perfectly demonstrated the loyalty and steadfastness of a vassal state.

The reason why Sulu turned to Qi so unconditionally was not only because he had to obey the strong due to the situation, but also because after following Qi for many years, Sulu really gained the greatest political and economic benefits, and the entire kingdom gradually became prosperous and powerful from a poor and weak state.

As a scholar from the State of Qi said, this is an era that believes in the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, the strong survive and the weak are eliminated.

Unfortunately, Sulu was once a typical small and weak country. Before the rise of Qi, it was bullied by the Kingdom of Brunei and the Spaniards.

The latter, in particular, launched a series of aggressive wars against the True God followers in southern Philippines, including Sulu, starting in 1578. A large number of True God villages were burned down by the colonists, and thousands of people were hanged on trees.

In 1639, in order to avenge Sulu's attack on the Spanish Philippine territory with the then Hanzhou Army, the Spanish colonists brazenly dispatched more than large and small ships and more than soldiers to land on Hele Island (now Jolo Island in the Philippines) and captured the Sulu Royal City. After some unscrupulous looting and massacre, they set the royal city on fire. In this battle, more than Sulu soldiers and civilians were killed or injured, which was known as the Hele Island Massacre.

However, things changed and the Spaniards eventually paid the price for their barbarity and brutality.

In 1641, when a large-scale Chinese uprising broke out in the Spanish Philippines, the State of Qi joined forces with Zheng Zhilong to attack Spain. After nearly a year of hard fighting, they captured Manila, ending the Spanish colonial rule over the Philippines that lasted for a hundred years.

After receiving a large amount of weapons support from the State of Qi, the Sulu Kingdom took the opportunity to join forces with several True God countries in the south to launch a retaliatory attack on the Spanish colonial forces, slaughtering nearly 10,000 Spanish colonists and dependent indigenous peoples, avenging the massacre on the Hele Island.

Afterwards, the Eastern King clan, which controlled the Sulu Kingdom, invaded the Sabah region of Borneo with the support of Qi State, defeated the former Sultan's royal family, and completed the political and territorial unification of the Sulu Kingdom.

Relying on Qi's military protection, the Sulu Kingdom maintained long-term peace and stability. The people's livelihood and economy were greatly improved with Qi's strong support. Although it was not a prosperous life, compared with other indigenous people in the Nanyang region, it was definitely a paradise-like life.

Perhaps it was precisely because Sulu fully turned to Qi and implemented secular reforms in the country that it became a "shameful apostate" and a "despicable heretic" in the eyes of the surrounding True God forces and was unanimously hostile.

Many theist kingdoms, including the Sultanate of Brunei, the Sultanate of Maguindanao, the Sultanate of Mindanao, the Sultanate of Ternate, and the Sultanate of Belau, had continuously sent people to attack Sulu, trying to overthrow this "traitor country" and correct the wrong deeds of the Sulu people.

However, under the protection of Qi's powerful military, Sulu not only withstood the endless raids and harassment from many True God countries, but also followed Qi in successively destroying the above-mentioned kingdoms and seizing a large amount of territory, becoming a regional power spanning the Sulu Sea and Borneo, with an area of ​​more than 50,000 square kilometers and a population of more than 400,000.

In February this year, the Sulu Kingdom actively participated in the military operation initiated by the Shun Kingdom to divide Brunei. It not only dispatched several naval warships to approach the Brunei royal city, but also dispatched more than 3,000 land forces to cross the border between the two countries in Sabah, Borneo, and invade Brunei.

However, according to the previously drafted partition agreement, the Sulu Kingdom only obtained nearly 1,000 square kilometers of land between the Labuk River and the Sugu River, which was even less than what the Wei Kingdom, which contributed the least, obtained.

But the Sulu Kingdom did not care because they had obtained the promise of Qi that after Brunei signed the surrender agreement, Sulu would work together with Qi to send troops to the royal city of Brunei to "protect" the safety of the Brunei royal family and government.

Just think about it, what an honor this is!

The Brunei Empire, which once dominated Borneo and Southeast Asia, will now prostrate itself at the feet of the Sulu Kingdom, and the Sultan of Brunei will have to rely on the Sulu people to survive.

In addition, after careful consideration by the royal family and cabinet of Qi, the request for marriage between the two countries was accepted. At that time, Qi will select a princess to marry the crown prince of Sulu, and the Kingdom of Sulu will also send a beautiful princess to Qi to become a concubine in the harem of Emperor Yonglong.

From now on, our Sulu Kingdom is a close relative of Qi, and our King Sulu has become the father-in-law of the Emperor of Qi. From now on, who dares to treat us as a foreign race? !

"To be honest, among all the vassal states of Qi, the Kingdom of Sulu should be the most loyal, the most steadfast, and the most dependent on us." Zuo Zongzheng of the Qi clan office and Duke of Dongping Qi Yuanhe were sitting in a carriage, looking at the many traditional oriental buildings and the bustling flow of people on one side of the street. They didn't feel at all that this was a country that believed in True God.

"Uncle Jiu, why are you so sure?" Qi Weishu, the Right Clan Member of the Clan Affairs Office and Marquis of Yongcheng, asked with a smile, "The various countries in Southeast Asia were all supported by our Qi State, and they are of the same clan and origin as our Great Qi State, and they are also of the same civilization. In this sense, they should be closer to our Qi State and more dependent on it. We should be of the same blood and we should rise and fall together. And Sulu is, after all, a native indigenous kingdom. Although it has been influenced by our Qi State and has escaped from barbarism and ignorance and is a vassal state of our Great Qi State, it may not be our most loyal and steadfast partner."

"Haha..." Qi Yuanhe chuckled a few times, lowered the curtains beside the window, turned around and said, "It is precisely because Sulu is a native kingdom of Southeast Asia that they will follow our Great Qi more firmly and become the most determined and most dependent vassal state. Think about it, the areas surrounding Sulu are all owned by the Han people, and the country itself is small and weak, how can it not be alarmed? If there is no Great Qi to take care of and protect Sulu, can it continue to exist? You know, since the uprising of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, we Han people have had the spirit of resistance in our bones. By the Five Dynasties, the vassal states There were many warlords, and the saying "The emperor should be the one with the strongest army and the most powerful horse, not the one with the strongest blood!" came into being. Tell me, if hundreds of years later, our Great Qi is defeated and weak, will the Nanyang Xia still be willing to follow us? If that happens, I am afraid that they will forget about our Great Qi and fight each other to the death for land, population, wealth, and regional dominance. As for Sulu, it will definitely be swallowed up by Luzon, Weiguo, and Shunguo. So, for the future, Sulu is the country that least wants our Qi to decline, and is the most determined defender and follower of our Great Qi. "

"Uncle Jiu..." Qi Weishu was stunned for a long time after hearing this, then he smiled and shook his head, saying: "Uncle Jiu, your idea is really a bit... unexpected. Ha, who can control what will happen hundreds of years later? However, the geographical scope you are considering is only the Nanyang region. If you take the entire Eastern world into consideration, the Nanyang states, as well as the Northern Ming and Northeastern vassal states, are probably thinking like Sulu and will not hope that our Great Qi will decline and face the threat of the mainland directly."

"Well, you're right." Qi Yuanhe nodded. "With the size of the Qin State on the mainland, I'm afraid none of the Xia Kingdoms can compete with it alone. Without the support of our Great Qi, it would be difficult to withstand the attack of Qin. Therefore, our Qi State needs to unite the Xia Kingdoms as much as possible, completely realize military and economic integration, and build a firm and reliable alliance vassal system. The strength of our Qi State is the guarantee of their safety and prosperity. The decline of our Qi State is the beginning of their demise and downfall."

"Uncle Jiu is right." Qi Weishu echoed, "By the way, the date and process for Crown Prince Sulu to marry my Princess Daqi have been confirmed in the past few days. What are the rules for the next step?"

"Why, are you in a hurry to return to your homeland?"

"That's not the case." Qi Weishu hesitated for a moment and said a little embarrassedly: "Uncle Jiu, a few years ago, I partnered with someone to open a copper mine in Jing'an Prefecture, Luzon (now Davao Region, Philippines), and I thought about going there to take a look."

"Copper mine?" Qi Yuanhe raised his eyebrows upon hearing this, and looked at the other party with a smile, "I didn't expect that you have the means to get a copper mine in Luzon. In recent years, with the sharp increase in domestic demand for copper, your copper mine is nothing short of a treasure pot, bringing you endless silver and money."

"Uncle Jiu, are you willing to go to Luzon with me?" Qi Weishu understood, and immediately leaned close to him, whispering, "Luzon has more than just copper mines, there are also many gold mines with rich reserves. If Uncle Jiu is interested, I can help you make some connections and invest in one or two gold mines to earn some money for your retirement."

"Well, let's go and take a look." Qi Yuanhe nodded in response with satisfaction.

"Luzon is truly a treasure land!"

(End of this chapter)