Liu Xiangke recounted the story of this troop dispatch in detail and said: "Your Majesty, the eight northeastern islands of Ryukyu should be separated from Ryukyu County and established as a separate county."
"What's the land, special products, and population like there?" Zhao Han asked.
Liu Xiangke said: "The eight northeastern islands of Ryukyu are not smaller than the main island of Ryukyu in terms of geographical area. The largest island among the eight islands is called Ubushima Island by the Ryukyu people and Amami Oshima by the Japanese. This island
There are many mountains in the middle, and there are giant trees on the mountains that are hundreds of years old. Many of them are hardwoods, which can be used to build ships and other tools. There are many aquatic forests (mangroves) around the coast of the island, but there is also a wide area of arable land.
The main crops are rice and sugar cane, and the islanders are good at making brown sugar. The brown sugar on this island was once the most stable financial income of the Satsuma Domain in Japan."
Brown sugar is a type of brown sugar. It takes longer to cook than ordinary brown sugar and is rich in iron.
In ancient times when the sugar-making technology was underdeveloped, huge profits could be made from any sugar-related products participating in maritime trade. Amami Oshima's specialty brown sugar alone was enough to attract Zhao Han's attention, not to mention that there are many centuries-old products on the island.
of giant trees.
This time we send troops, we will definitely make a profit without losing any money.
The war reparations paid by the Satsuma and Hirado clans are more than enough to recoup military expenses. Brown sugar and timber will generate profits every year in the future. As long as heavy taxes are not imposed on agriculture, the island's own rice can be self-sufficient.
If it were replaced by Western colonists, they would definitely force the islanders to give up growing rice and switch to more profitable sugar cane.
-This is called colonial plantation economy.
Spain does this in Luzon, and the Netherlands does it in Java.
In fact, in order to facilitate the control of spices, the Netherlands used force to cut down all the spice trees scattered throughout Java. Then they selected some islands where spices existed and artificially transplanted a large number of spice tree species.
And cut down the trees on the island that cannot produce spices.
There are three advantages to doing this.
First, grow and process economic crops on a large scale to maximize profits.
Second, the least amount of troops can be used to effectively control the most economic crops.
Third, the indigenous people in the relevant areas can no longer grow food, or rarely grow food. The colonists can buy food from other places and transport it, and use food to control the indigenous people in the area and dare not rebel.
This approach is very short-sighted and effective, but it seriously damages the natural ecological balance and seriously damages the social and ecological structure. Once there is a problem in any link, such as the grain transport fleet being late, the region will immediately fall into famine.
Zhao Han naturally would not do this, because Ryukyu and Amami Island were built according to the local area, and he must achieve as much self-sufficiency in food as possible.
"Li Qing, how are you?" Zhao Han asked with a smile.
Li Banghua raised his hand and said: "I didn't expect that overseas islands are so rich in products. Your Majesty is still wise."
It seems that he still feels conflicted about what he said.
Zhao Han said to Li Xiangjun: "Draw up a decree to separate the eight northeastern Ryukyu Islands and set up a separate county. The name will be..."
Seeing that Zhao Han was still thinking about a name, Li Xiangjun smiled and said, "It's better to call it Fangzhang County."
"Okay!" Zhao Han clapped his hands in approval.
Penglai, Yingzhou, Fangzhang, and the Three Immortals Mountains on the sea.
Zhao Han added: "The main island of Hojo County will be renamed Hojo Island from now on, and will no longer be called Ufushima Island or Amami Oshima. We will invite private investment, and once selected, we can recruit workers to immigrate to Hojo Island to cut down the forest."
Only fifteen merchants are recruited, and each family is given 350 acres of forest. After the forest is cut down, trees must be replanted. Each family is allowed to leave 100 acres of land, which can be reclaimed as cultivated land after the forest is cut down. "
Hojo Island is rich in forest resources. Hundreds of years later, Japan had more than 400 logging camps on the island.
Zhao Han thought for a while and continued: "Give Xu Ying 200 acres of mountain land and let his brother recruit people to log on the island. The immigration costs of recruiting workers will be paid by the royal family."
In addition to granting land, the distinguished elders also have more or less franchise licenses.
Of course, in order to prevent Xungui from unfair competition, the business scope of these franchise licenses is not large. For example, it can mine a certain mine, such as the right to operate a salt shop in a county (there are several salt shops in a county, and Xungui only occupies one of them).
.
This is also to allow the nobles to have a psychological balance. Otherwise, it would be unreasonable to see businessmen with millions of dollars and only dozens of acres of land for themselves.
Only Xu Ying has never accepted the exclusive reward from industry and commerce.
Perhaps his identity is too sensitive, similar to the commander of the Imperial Guard in the Ming Dynasty. He was afraid that he would get a good death if he got too much. This time, Zhao Han forcibly rewarded him. Two hundred acres of overseas mountains and forests is not a lot, but it is enough to bring stable profits. Moreover,
The two hundred acres of forest given to Xu Ying included land ownership. The fifteen merchants recruited only had the right to develop and use the forest. The government could take it back when the contract expired, or they could choose to renew the contract depending on the situation.
Hojang Island has a subtropical climate, so it is not difficult to harvest the forest.
Logging mountains and forests in Luzon is really annoying. Many tropical rainforests are simply useless.
After everyone retreated, Xu Ying was summoned to see him.
Zhao Han told the story of the rewards for overseas mountains and forests, and before Xu Ying could refuse, he said: "Don't say more. If you continue to be shabby, others will say that I treat the heroes poorly."
Xu Ying could only hand over her hand: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward."
Zhao Han asked: "What's the latest news about Annan?"
Xu Ying said: "The Ruan family is ready to make a move and seems to be planning to send troops to capture the city. The Zheng family is also ready to make a move and seems to be planning to send troops to the Ruan family. There will definitely be a battle between the Ruan family and the Zheng family after the rice harvest this year! In addition, the garrison sent to the Champa Kingdom
I would like to report that the rice in the southern part of the country can be harvested three times a year."
"Three cooked ones are very good." Zhao Han said with a smile, he would have eaten the Champa Kingdom just because of this.
Xu Ying added: "The area at the junction of Champa State and Jimei State (Jinnah, the transliteration of Phnom Penh, which is Cambodia) has been cultivated by Annan people, and the whole area can be harvested three times a year."
Xu Ying was referring to the Mekong River Delta's Mekong River Plain, which at that time belonged to Cambodia. Most of that fertile land was still mangrove forest, and farmers made a living by fishing. It was not Vietnam's most important granary a few hundred years later.
What's even more ridiculous is that it clearly belongs to Cambodia, but most of the people who developed the Jiulong River Plain are Vietnamese people.
Vietnam and Cambodia have no border at all in that area. It was the Vietnamese Nguyen regime that used force to threaten the Cambodian king, and Vietnamese people were allowed to immigrate to the Jiulong River Plain. Moreover, Vietnamese people farmed in Cambodia.
But it does not pay taxes to the Cambodian government, but only pays taxes to the Nguyen regime of Vietnam.
In addition to being threatened by force, the main reason why the Cambodian king agreed was that the Jiulong River Plain was "unsuitable" for farming.
Who could have guessed that hundreds of years later, after reclamation and transformation, it would become the most fertile and productive area in Southeast Asia!
Zhao Han asked again: "King of Champa, how are you doing in Nanjing?"
"I don't want to miss Shu," Xu Ying said. "I invited a famous chef to come home. I visit Washi every now and then. Recently, I like visiting brothels."
Zhao Han said with a smile: "Go and ask him, five hundred thousand taels of silver, make him the Duke of Champa, give him fifty acres of land, and ten years' rights to run a salt shop in Nanjing, and see if he is willing to dedicate himself to the Champa Kingdom.
"
The Champa king and his son were unwilling to leave when they arrived in Nanjing, and they shied away from each other before convincing one of his sons to return to the country to take charge (the details are in Chapter 614 of Lifting the Ban).
A small country as big as a palm, with a land area about one-third of Hainan Island. Five hundred thousand taels of silver, fifty acres of land, ten years of salt shop management rights, and a dukedom of occupying the country. Zhao Han felt that this was a big deal.
A fair transaction.
Xu Ying personally went to find Po Lai, the king of Champa, but ended up lingering in a brothel without returning.
Even if the brothel girls in Nanjing are not famous prostitutes, their quality is generally higher than that of the concubines from Champa State. What's more,
Everyone can play lyrics and sing songs. Po Lai feels that today's life is much more comfortable than being a king in Champa.
It wasn't until the third day that Xu Ying received the news that the king had finally returned home.
After the meeting, Xu Ying asked: "Why hasn't the prince returned to China?"
Po Lai said: "My third son has returned to Champa to inherit the throne. I stay in Nanjing. It is a good place. If you want to discuss state affairs, just look for my son and don't bother me."
"Okay, farewell." Xu Ying left immediately.
The Champa State has 500 Datong troops stationed there, and military supplies are supplied by the Champa State.
More than two months later, battalion commander Xiao Chongguo found the new king and asked: "Your Highness seems a little sad?"
Wang Po Nan forced a smile: "It's okay."
But this guy returned from Nanjing to take over the throne, and found that the government was controlled by the powerful minister He Tu, and his orders could not leave Bintong Longcheng.
Xiao Chongguo said: "Perhaps, I can relieve your majesty's worries."
Po Nan was only sixteen years old and had no idea how to govern the country. He just wanted to see the powerful ministers unhappy.
It is really difficult to make up one's mind to use the Datong Army to trap and kill powerful ministers, and to clean up afterward.
"Well, if only I could stay in Nanjing and enjoy happiness like my father." Po Nan couldn't help but sigh.
After half a month of eating good food in Nanjing, it tasted like crap when I returned to Champa. The food in the palace was not as good as the small restaurants in Nanjing city.
Xiao Chongguo smiled and said: "Your Highness can sell the Champa Kingdom to my Datong court."
"Treason?" Po Nan felt it was very strange.
Xiao Chongguo said: "Fifty thousand taels of silver, fifty acres of land, ten years' right to operate a salt shop in Nanjing, and then make His Highness the Duke of Datong. How about that?"
Five hundred thousand taels of silver!
Po Nan took a breath of cold air.
In the small country of Zuer, although the royal city is a commercial port, it really does not collect much commercial tax, because a lot of the port tax is taken away by the officials.
Even the guards in the palace could only afford a few dozen. To fight the Zheng family in Vietnam, farmers had to be temporarily recruited into the army. If they wanted to repair the palace, they also had to collect corvees. The king had never seen hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.
.
Po Nan said: "After I betrayed the country, can I not live in Nanjing? The salt shop I was given as a reward should not be in Nanjing."
His father and two older brothers were both in Nanjing. He wanted to monopolize the benefits of betraying the country and did not want his father and elder brothers to come to him to share the money.
"Okay." Xiao Chongguo smiled.
"Then it's settled," Po Nan asked again, "Besides Nanjing, which other cities in China are the best?"
Xiao Chongguodao: "There is paradise above, and Suzhou and Hangzhou below. Suzhou and Hangzhou are both suitable for enjoyment."
Po Nan said happily: "Then I'll go to Suzhou!"
One-third of Hainan Island’s land was purchased in this way.**