Emperor Ming Dynasty

Ceylon, the capital of Ji.

After taking over the Kingdom of Jaffna, the Kingdom of Ceylon established its rule over North Ceylon, with as many as 40 people under its command.

Yanbao in Xijing, Jidu in Beijing, and then the two prefectures of southern Liaoning and western Liaoning were sent to the two younger brothers of the king to control them.

It can be said that after nearly a year of governance, the Kingdom of Ceylon has gained a firm foothold, and the country is stable without the Portuguese and Dutch causing trouble.

At the port, several cargo ships flying Dutch flags slowly docked at the pier, and a group of shirtless Tamils ​​rushed aboard to unload the cargo.

Several tax collectors were already standing on the long trestle.

A Han man with a broad forehead, white face, thick neck and straight belly, wearing a simple linen robe and a square scarf on his head, looked up.

The moment the ship docked and he stepped onto the deck, the captain smiled and said: "Dear tax collector, according to the rules, if there are more than thirty Han people on my ship, you should give me half the tax."

"Of course." The tax collector nodded, without putting down the brush in his hand, and continued writing on the slightly yellowed account book: "I will buy the Han slave at the market price, and the tax reduction is certain."

"Hahaha! Thank you very much."

The captain laughed, and then let him patrol the cabin.

After the Kingdom of Ceylon was officially established, it followed the Ming Dynasty in setting up customs and strictly implemented the tax system.

In order to better attract Han people, any Han slaves selling more than 30 people are exempted from half tax.

This is extremely beneficial to boaters.

Because the slave trade is a business, and it can be exempted from half tax, why not do it?
After Held arranged the goods, he came to Jidu City.

This city is completely different from a year ago.

Tamil and Dutch style architecture gradually disappeared.More and more Ming-style buildings are emerging. Although they are somewhat nondescript, they are a bit more unique than Indian-style buildings.

You must know that along the entire Indian Ocean coast, let alone Africa, India is almost unsystematic except for Delhi.

In places like Goa and Colombo, there are mostly European-style buildings. I'm tired of seeing them, and the Ming-style style seems a bit abrupt.

The tiles, ditches, blue bricks, stone lions, steps, lanterns, wooden buildings, wood carvings, etc. made sailors who had never been to the East particularly curious.

After entering an old European-style tavern, the familiar smell of foot odor, bad breath, and cheap drinks hit their faces, and everyone came back to their senses.

Held sat at the counter: "Have a glass of sugar and wine."

He passed out three copper coins.

In the Netherlands, twenty copper coins were exchanged for one silver coin.

"Yes!" Soon, an exposed girl wearing cheap perfume brought him a glass of wine.

He reached out and touched it, but unfortunately it was avoided.

As a captain, he didn't take it seriously. He saw a lot of women, but if he didn't take advantage of them, he would lose money.

Sugar wine came from the East. Legend has it that the wine is made from sugar cane and has a hint of sweetness, so it is called sugar wine.

Due to its long shelf life, it has been unanimously welcomed by sailors.

After taking a swig, he put down his drink and listened with his ears.

The tavern, where good and bad people are mixed, is a good way for him to find a way to make a fortune.

"The price of pearls is [-]% lower. I think there are more pearl divers coming to Ceylon..."

"I heard that Ceylon has started growing sugar cane? Could it be that they also want to make sugar?"

"There are also tea leaves. Does anyone drink this?"

"Why not make porcelain? Ming porcelain is the best, and noble men love it the most. Others can only be bought by the poor. But how much money can the poor have?"

For a long time, all he heard was routine content.

Regarding Ceylon, he felt that there was almost nothing to buy except ivory and pearls.

Whether it is pottery, porcelain, or even cloth, they can only be sold to India, not to Europe.

As a result, profits will be shallow.

Because the Portuguese are best at running the route of India and Ceylon.

People who run at sea are bold. They are not afraid of big risks, but afraid of thin profits.

Walking out of the tavern, he looked for direction.

Suddenly, a group of Han people were seen rushing towards the center of the city.

The Tamils ​​walking on the road were indifferent.

He hurried away, only to see that there was just a building with a different man written on it.

Held couldn't understand or understand, and Held just felt extremely uncomfortable.

But he could see that this group of Han people were very excited. It was obviously a big news.

Sure enough, the guards began to clear the way, and men dressed in aristocratic styles came over, causing everyone to kneel down.

No matter how idiotic he is, he understands that this is the King of Ceylon.

Finally, his conspicuous Dutchman caught Zhu Ci's attention.

"When the Confucius Temple is completed, what will the Western Yi come to do?"

Zhu Ci asked casually, and then asked someone to bring him over.

With the interpreter beside him, Held was finally no longer mute: "Dear Your Majesty the King, I was just crowded here to watch the fun."

It was rumored that the King of Ceylon was a descendant of the royal family of the Ming Dynasty. Held put away his arrogance towards the indigenous savages and said respectfully.

"Hahaha!" Zhu Ci smiled casually and said unconcernedly: "Just stand aside and watch the ceremony!"

The completion of the Confucius Temple was a milestone achievement for Zhu Shi, no less than the destruction of the Jaffna Kingdom.

Nowadays, with various redemptions and policies, the number of Han people in Ceylon has exceeded [-] without realizing it. As time and gold and silver are sprinkled, hundreds of Han people will come to Ceylon every month.

In order to stabilize the rule with the Han people as the center, the distribution of land and houses is only the most basic, and ideological unity can only rely on Confucianism.

The Confucius Temple is its representative.

In this place where barbarians are everywhere, Confucianism is also needed to educate.

After the gift, Zhu Ci felt dizzy and exhausted.

Immediately, he summoned the Dutch businessman and asked about the pros and cons of Ceylon.

The Han people only saw Ceylon prospering, but he knew in his heart that the truth is clear to those who are on the lookout.

Held was also dizzy. When asked, he said bluntly: "Besides pearls and ivory, I don't know of any other profitable business in Ceylon."

"Business in India is really not as profitable as porcelain and silk."

Zhu Ci fell into thinking.

This is also the problem with Ceylon.

Whether it's sugar cane, tea, porcelain, cloth, etc., Ceylon is just a bud, and it will take many years before it can truly develop.

However, the annual policy of redeeming the Han people has caused the national treasury to be in deficit and unable to make ends meet, but it has to be done.

Surrounded by hundreds of thousands of foreigners, how can we feel safe without the Han people?

After thinking again and again, Zhu Ci asked: "Do you know what else I can sell in Ceylon?"

As for the merchant's way, if he can discover pearls, it can be considered that he has tried his best. No more will be difficult.

"This..." Held hesitated: "If Your Majesty doesn't mine more, maybe some gold or silver mine will be discovered."

"It's not that easy." Zhu Ci shook his head.

"Your Majesty, since there is no gold and silver in the mountains, there is a lot of wood." Herder's eyes suddenly lit up: "You are originally from the Ming Dynasty. Is there any precious wood in the mountains of Ceylon that can be sold to the East?"

Since it is impossible to sell things to Europe, then sending things to the Ming Dynasty is also a good way.

"Wood, wood!" Zhu Ci pondered: "Mahogany, golden sandalwood, ebony, teak, ironwood, etc. are all very expensive in the Ming Dynasty." "I will go look for it right away. If there is any, you will find it right away." If you work hard, the franchise will be yours."

Held was overjoyed.

Zhu Ci returned to his palace.

His palace is the old palace of the Kingdom of Jaffna. After some renovations, it is barely pleasing to the eye.

Due to the limitations of castration technology, there were few eunuchs in the palace, and they were all maids.

As soon as he sat down, he saw Sun Bai, the chief minister of the cabinet, approaching in a hurry: "Your Highness, the treasury is empty!"

After some restructuring, although some of the big nobles were eliminated, a large number of small and medium-sized nobles in the Kingdom of Jaffna remained and still controlled the place.

Therefore, Zhu Ci had to let his two brothers Zhu Yong and Zhu Ding go to western Liaoning, and the Liaonan Mansion would take charge of important military and political affairs, the most important of which was to clear up taxes.

Because it is located in a tropical area, Ceylon has two or even three crops a year. The annual food income is 80 dan, which is enough for a kingdom with only a thousand officials and 2 soldiers.

But there was not enough gold and silver.

There has never been a shortage of food in the Indian peninsula, so rice is cheap and cannot be sold, while the benefits brought by ivory and pearls are only tens of thousands of yuan every year.

The policy of redeeming the Han people was enacted, which caused the continuous outflow of gold and silver, and it was already beyond the means to make ends meet.

"I have my own idea." Zhu Ci rubbed his temples and told him about profiting from the mountains and forests.

Ceylon was suddenly self-sufficient at this time, but with the danger of overturning, who dared to relax?
"By the way, how about growing sugar cane?"

"I have already asked people to plant [-] acres. It is expected that the harvest will be harvested in a few months. However, sugar production requires secret methods. I am afraid that white sugar is hard to come by..."

Sun Bai sighed.

It is easy to find simple craftsmen, but how can you obtain such a hidden secret recipe that is related to great interests?

"Brown sugar is brown sugar. I don't believe there are so many rich people in Europe? Besides, India is just around the corner, so they will definitely eat brown sugar."

Zhu Ci said casually: "We have to work hard on tea, wine, porcelain, pottery, lacquer, paper, etc. It has been more difficult in the past few years. When things are done, we will naturally make profits."

"Your Highness, why not form a caravan in our country?"

Sun Bai's eyes were bright and he said: "Let those Western barbarians make money, why not make it ourselves."

"India is so huge that if we miss a little bit, we will be full."

"It's difficult to build a ship." Zhu Ci sighed: "Besides, the Portuguese and the Dutch will not let us break their monopoly on India."

"The barbarians only have profit in mind, but are rude."

After talking about state affairs, Zhu Ci went to the university hall.

A group of teenagers, most of whom have tall noses and deep eyes, can skillfully recite ancient poems and the Four Books and Five Classics, no less than three hundred of them.

On the other side, dozens of big men struggled to learn Chinese characters, scratching their heads and wanting to go to the rafters.

Few Han people could read or write, so they could only study. Major events like the imperial examination had no time to be popularized.

Thinking of this, he ordered in a deep voice: "Instruct the cabinet to draw up a surname granting order. All common people and nobles in the country must have Han surnames and Han names. Anyone who violates this will be fined a hundred dollars or have to build roads for half a year."

The attendants on the side responded immediately.

"It's here!"

Chu Ke struggled to get out of the cabin, feeling the heat of the sun and the lapping of the waves.

His eyes finally adjusted to the dazzling sunlight. He looked up and saw that it was a pier.

Looking around, Han Chinese like him were concentrated on the deck.

Suddenly a Han man came over and said, "Everyone, who of you can understand Mandarin?"

The people in the circle were a little confused, and only a few people raised their hands.

Chu Ke was no exception. When he heard the official saying, he felt as if he had found a savior: "I am a Tongsheng. My home is a thousand acres. No matter how much money I have, I will be redeemed. Don't kill me..."

"Put it down, I won't kill you."

The man laughed: "This is the Kingdom of Ceylon. Our king is named Zhu, and we belong to the royal family of the Ming Dynasty. I am spending money here to buy you back..."

Chu Ke was overjoyed.

Immediately, the man ignored him and spoke Cantonese, Fujian, and Hakka again, and everyone was overjoyed.

After getting off the boat and seeing the Ming-style buildings, everyone felt that they had really been rescued.

When arriving at a courtyard, the scholars were screened out first, and Chu Ke was no exception.

"Everyone, you will be my officials in Ceylon."

"Official, I want to go home, I don't want to be an official!" Chu Ke said hurriedly: "I went to sea to do business and was robbed and captured by pirates. I still have a wife and elderly parents back home!"

"Please let me go back!"

"No!" The big man shook his head: "I mean we can't go back immediately."

"You must serve as an official in Ceylon for five years. During this period, you can send letters home to report that you are safe, but you cannot go back."

"In the past five years, you have repaid the imperial court."

Chu Ke's face was full of decadence.

Immediately, everyone understood the situation.

Farmers will be allocated at least a hundred acres of land, craftsmen will be assigned work by category, and will be provided with homes, and doctors, sailors, etc. will have their own arrangements.

Those strong men will not only have houses and land, but they will also be assigned wives because they want to join the army.

Chu Ke and other scholars must be officials, govern the barbarians, educate the people, and receive more preferential treatment.

At this moment, he had land, house, wives, concubines, and slaves.

He also learned that the Han people in Ceylon are affectionately called villagers. No matter which province they come from, they naturally stick together and get close to each other.

As long as he reaches adulthood, he will immediately be rewarded with a hundred acres of land, and he can give priority to joining the army, becoming an official, and living in Jidu City.

But for the marriage gift, you must marry an indigenous woman and enter into a marriage.

"Prince of Ceylon? Jidu, the land of the four prefectures?"

Chu Ke looked at an official manual, and he felt strange for a moment.

As far as he knew, the vassal states of the Ming Dynasty only had princes named Qin, Yue, and Liao, but there was no small country like Ceylon!

After seeing the face of the King of Ceylon, he was truly convinced that this was the Ming Dynasty, and the official language was more authentic than him.

Listen carefully, it still has a Beijing accent.

"Tongsheng is rare in Ceylon. Let's be a county magistrate!"

King Ceylon said casually.

In an instant, he who was supposed to have been working hard at court for a year and a half suddenly became a county magistrate without having to take an exam at all.

After taking three hundred soldiers to take office, Chu Ke was shocked: "This county town is actually a wooden village."

The county government office is a mud house.

Most of the indigenous people have dark skin, but they are fair and have high noses and deep eyes, which makes people dislike them.

In agricultural land, although it is not slash-and-burn cultivation, it is not much better.

How can a wooden plow produce a good harvest without composting or spreading plant ashes?

The arranged interpreter described the situation: "You are in Pinggu County, which is under the jurisdiction of Jidu. There are 28 noble families, big and small, with an area of ​​about [-] hectares and more than [-] people. It is a large county."

Chu Ke nodded. He felt that the first thing he should do as an official was to repair the government office.

Where can virtue come from without authority?

At this moment, he looked up at the stars. When could he return home?