I

Forbidden City, Qinzheng Hall.

Liu Xiangke recounted the story of this troop dispatch in detail, and then 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. Around the coast of the island, although there are many aquatic forests (mangroves), there is also a wide area of ​​arable land. Crops are also available. Mainly 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 boil than ordinary brown sugar and is rich in iron.

In ancient times when 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 is enough to attract Zhao Han's attention, not to mention that there are many giant trees on the island that are hundreds of years old.

This time we send troops, we will definitely make a profit without losing any money.

The war indemnities paid by the Satsuma and Hirado clans were more than enough to recoup their military expenses. Brown sugar and wood will generate profits every year from now on. As long as heavy taxes are not imposed on agriculture, the island can be self-sufficient with its own rice.

If it were replaced by Western colonists, they would inevitably force the islanders to give up growing rice and switch to more profitable sugar cane - this is called a colonial plantation economy.

Spain did this in Luzon, and the Netherlands did it in Java.

In fact, in order to control spices, the Netherlands used force to forcibly cut down the spice trees scattered throughout Java. Then select some islands where there are spices themselves, artificially transplant a large number of spice tree species, and cut down the trees on the islands 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, on the other hand, could buy grain and ship it from other places, and use the grain to control the natives in the area so that they would not dare to rebel.

This approach is very short-sighted and effective, but it seriously damages the natural ecological balance and the social ecological structure. Once there is a problem in any link, such as a grain transport fleet being late, the region will immediately fall into famine.

Zhao Han would naturally 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 never expected 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 and Fangzhang are the three immortal 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 noble elders also have more or less franchise licenses.

Of course, in order to prevent unfair competition, the business scope of these franchise licenses is not large. For example, you can mine a certain mine, such as the right to operate a salt store in a certain county (there are several salt stores 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 rewards of industry and commerce.

Perhaps his identity is too sensitive, similar to the commander of the Imperial Guard in the Ming Dynasty, who was afraid of getting too many things and ending up with a good death.

This time Zhao Han was forcibly giving him a reward. Two hundred acres of overseas forest was not a lot, but it was enough to bring in stable profits. Moreover, the two hundred acres of forest given to Xu Ying included land ownership. The fifteen merchants recruited only have the right to develop and use the forest. When the contract expires, the government can take it back or choose to renew it depending on the situation.

Fangzhang Island has a subtropical climate, so it is not difficult to harvest the forest.

Logging mountains and forests in Luzon is really annoying. There are many tropical rainforests that are simply incompatible.

After everyone retreated, Xu Ying was summoned to see him.

Zhao Han told the story of the reward 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 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 food is very good." Zhao Han said with a smile. This alone would eat up the Champa Kingdom.

Xu Ying added: "The area at the junction of Champa State and Jimei State (the transliteration of Jinnah and Phnom Penh 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 Jiulong River Plain in the Mekong Delta, which at this time belonged to Cambodia. Most of that fertile land still belongs to mangroves, and farmers make a living by fishing. It will not be 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 borders at all in that area. It was the Vietnamese Nguyen regime that used force to coerce the Cambodian king, and Vietnamese people were allowed to immigrate to the Mekong River Plain. Moreover, the Vietnamese farmed in Cambodia, but they did not pay taxes to the Cambodian government, but only paid taxes to the Vietnamese Nguyen regime.

In addition to the threat of 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'm happy 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: "Ask him, five hundred thousand taels of silver, make him the Duke of Champa, give him fifty acres of land, and the right to run a salt shop in Nanjing for ten years, and see if he is willing to dedicate the Champa Kingdom. "

The Champa king and his son were unwilling to leave when they arrived in Nanjing, and they tried to shirk 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, its land area is about one-third of Hainan Island. Five hundred thousand taels of silver, fifty acres of land, ten years of salt shop management rights, and the title of Duke of Zhanguo. Zhao Han felt that this was a fair deal.

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 news that the king had finally returned home.

After 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 Ponan 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 at all.

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 officials displeased.

It is really difficult for Po Nan to make up his mind if he really wants to use the Datong Army to trap and kill the powerful ministers, and then clean them up afterwards.

"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 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 I can 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 officials.

Even the palace guards could only afford to support dozens of them. To fight the Vietnamese Zheng family, peasants had to be temporarily recruited into the army. If you want to repair the palace, you also need to collect corvees. The king has 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 betrayal 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 Chongguo said: "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.