All the resistance in Bogu City had been wiped out. What was left was a group of people who had accepted their fate like quails. The Ming army did not continue to kill them. Instead, they locked them all up because they had a greater use for them.
Xiao Ruxun wanted to discuss a business deal with some people.
Looking at some military and political maps found in the Burmese palace, Xiao Ruxun roughly drew a territorial area for the whole of Burma according to his memory. Then he sent Zhao Hu, Wang Hui, and the boys of the Ma family to each lead a troop to the north, south, and west to continue to attack cities and occupy villages and cities. They were to clean up the local Burmese who had not been captured to make space for his immigration plan.
In addition, according to the intelligence, the troops of Deng Zilong and Liu Qiang had also destroyed the last Burmese border guards at the border of Yunnan. They were crossing the mountains to the capital of Burma. Although they were slower, those places were not easy to travel. Moreover, Burma was not as difficult to deal with as Xiao Ruxun had imagined. The two of them did not get much credit this time. But it was okay. Xiao Ruxun also sent someone to the north to pass the order to the two of them. He asked them to take troops to attack cities and capture people.
Only the places that were conquered by troops and military strongholds could be considered as real controlled land. It was not like drawing a big circle on the map and saying that the land in this circle belonged to him. The territories of the seven warring states were so large, especially the territory of the Chu Kingdom. In the textbooks, the territory of the Chu Kingdom almost occupied half of Jiangnan. Come on, what was the total population of the Chu Kingdom? Did it need half of Jiangnan to settle down?
In many places, there was a sentry post. Even the surrounding area was considered territory. But could an unoccupied area be considered as territory?
In Xiao Ruxun's view, if you occupied it, you should actually occupy it. No matter whether it was useful or not, you should actually occupy it. If you could not use it now, you might use it in the future. He could not leave a hole for the future generations!
This time, Xiao Ruxun wanted to play a big game.
"Isn't it a little inappropriate to do this? These people were born and raised here. I'm afraid it is not easy for them to move away. Moreover, you started a fight without saying a word. Isn't it a little too much? Ji Xin, I didn't say it before. Your … Alas! I won't say anymore! You've said it yourself before. As a general, one doesn't fear killing, but one mustn't be bloodthirsty. Otherwise, one will bring disaster to future generations. Have you forgotten? "
It seemed that Yuan Huang was dissatisfied with Xiao Ruxun's recent large-scale killings.
"Deacon Yuan, of course I won't forget what I said. If I were bloodthirsty, I wouldn't have kept these men and women alive. I would have killed them all to prevent future troubles. I killed the elderly and the young because I didn't want to waste food. I killed the soldiers to prevent resistance and to intimidate the commoners. Deacon Yuan, everything is for the benefit of the Great Ming Dynasty. This is my style of doing things. I don't care about killing."
I don't care about some killings. "Yuan Huang didn't say anything. He also knew that what Xiao Ruxun said was the truth. The Ming Army didn't have much food. After Peng Shiluo, the granary in Siam, was destroyed, his own food was also affected. He had to reduce the supply to the Ming Army. Now, Xiao Ruxun had to give most of the food to the army. He still had to attack cities and seize land. There was indeed not much food left to feed idle people. In order to prevent future troubles, killing was the best way.
He sighed.
"Moreover, these barbarians are different from our Huaxia. Our ancestors were born and raised here for hundreds and thousands of years. They have long taken root here and it is difficult for them to leave their homeland. How long has this small country been established? How long have these people settled here and how long have they been reproducing? How much can they have a local complex? If they don't want to leave, then the benefits are not enough. Just give them a little more. If they still don't want to leave, then they are lowly. Just kill them. There is nothing to say to these uncivilized barbarians. "
Xiao Ruxun looked at the map and explained his plan expressionlessly.
"But they are all here because of Daming's reputation. In order to make offerings to Daming, Daming's reputation is more important!"
"Daming's best reputation is that he will be rewarded for his contributions and punished for his mistakes! And this matter doesn't need Daming to do anything. Deacon Yuan, at least some of these tribes are willing to leave their original residences and come to our designated place. Then, for those who are unwilling to leave, we can call on those who are willing to leave to attack them. We will divide their population and property. Isn't that enough? Big Ming doesn't even need to fire a single shot to finish him off. "
Yuan Huang was stunned at first, then said worriedly, "What you said makes sense. But under the oppression of the Cave Martial Artists, those tribes have already formed an alliance. They have been in contact with each other for a long time. Will such a simple plan work? If they tell each other and form an alliance to fight against Daming, won't there be another conflict? "
"Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu were adopted father and son, but didn't they still turn against each other? Since the Cave Martial Artists are done for, there is no point in forming an alliance with them. What they should be thinking about now is how to get close to Daming, so that they can receive Daming's support and gain a lot of benefits. In the face of enough benefits, these tribes and countries have no credibility to speak of. Otherwise, how can the crude plans of sowing discord succeed so many times in the world? "
Yuan Huang was at a loss for words. He knew that Xiao Ruxun was right. As long as he was willing, he could completely throw away the benefits of these tribes fighting each other, and he could just sit back and reap the benefits. Wouldn't that be perfect?
"Then, Ji Xin, are you really prepared to guard this place forever?"
Yuan Huang looked at Xiao Ruxun with a serious expression.
Xiao Ruxun nodded.
"It's decided. Since they don't want me to go back, they have to satisfy my little wish. Even if I don't have any merits, I have worked hard. Those ten million taels of silver can be used to buy an official post. They won't be unwilling to buy a savage land, right?"
When he thought of those officials in the capital with unimaginably low moral standards, Yuan Huang helplessly shook his head.
"Ji Xin, after today, no matter what you do, you have to think carefully before making a decision!"
Xiao Ruxun laughed.
"There's no time for me to think on the battlefield. I just have to harden my heart and throw caution to the wind, putting my life on the line to carve out a beautiful future. Duke Yuan, if you think twice before you act, the meat will all be snatched up by others! "
Yuan Huang burst into laughter. She was so angry that she was amused.
He knew that he couldn't stop the determined Xiao Ruxun, so he decided to place his future and the last bit of hope he had on Xiao Ruxun. From Xiao Ruxun, he could see the sincerity of his younger self, but he could also see the adaptability and coldness that his younger self lacked. Since ancient times, those who had achieved great things had never been overly sentimental.
Even now, Yuan Huang still remembered that after the battle with the Japanese pirates, an old soldier leaned on his sword and scolded him, "Once the world is in chaos, there will be bastards everywhere. Let's see who is more bastard than the other! Don't pretend to be human! " "I've eaten the flesh of Japanese pirates and drank the blood of Japanese pirates. Am I not a human anymore?"
Those words brought great shock to the young Yuan Huang. However, Yuan Huang also thought that if he really became a bastard, there would be no chance for him to become a human again. The final winner would definitely be the bastard who had never forgotten that he was once a human.
Yuan Huang only knew that he had always been a human.
On the first day of the tenth lunar month in the twenty-first year of the Wanli calendar, the leaders of the major tribes of Myanmar rushed to the Daming barracks outside the city of Bogu with the warriors of their respective tribes and ethnic groups, as well as the precious specialties that they offered as tribute to Admiral Daming. Looking at the ruins of Bogu from afar, they felt some joy, sorrow, and fear.
They were happy that the cruel ruler who had been pressing down on them for so many years was finally finished. It was said that the entire tribe was wiped out, and no one survived. They deserved it! Who asked them to be so arrogant and bully people? How many of our tribesmen were killed over the years? Every day, they robbed us of so much food that we didn't even have enough to eat ourselves. We waited for the stars and the moon, and finally, our savior came.
What made them sigh was that such a powerful country and an army had been destroyed so easily. Was this retribution?
Then, they began to fear. Would the Daming be more cruel and tyrannical than Mang Yingli? Would they ask for more tributes and taxes than Mang Yingli? Would they squeeze us more harshly than Mang Yingli? We couldn't even beat Mang Yingli, how could we wrestle with the Daming?
In short, there were all kinds of thoughts. Twenty to thirty tribes came to the Daming barracks with their own thoughts, asking to see the Daming Admiral Xiao Ruxun.
Under Xiao Ruxun's order, the Ming Dynasty Army lined up to welcome their friends.
A series of war drums sounded, rumbling, making these tribal headmen feel the ground under their feet tremble. Then, accompanied by a distant sound of a horn, the gates of the Daming barracks opened. Two groups of soldiers with bright military equipment walked towards them and lined up on both sides of them. It was obvious that they were here to welcome them. However, in the eyes of these headmen, they thought that the Daming was showing off his military might.
If they really fought with such a well-equipped army, they probably wouldn't be able to beat them.
Many of the headmen of the larger tribes looked at the serious faces of the Ming Army soldiers on both sides, and their hearts beat fast.
Then, they were brought into the Daming barracks to see the Daming Admiral.
Due to the language barrier between the two sides, two foreigners were responsible for the translation this time. One was a Portuguese missionary, and the other was Ricci.
The Portuguese missionary was among the captured Portuguese soldiers. After confirming that they were safe, he found Ricci and told him his identity. Ricci looked very surprised. He told Xiao Ruxun that he knew this person. His name was something like Brown, and he seemed to be a colleague of Ricci. He was supposed to go to India to preach, but he didn't know how he ended up here. According to Brown, he was captured by the Burmese during the war …
Anyway, this Brown had stayed in Burma for more than ten years. With the idea that preaching was preaching no matter where he went, he learned some of the local languages and could communicate with the locals. Xiao Ruxun felt that this guy was really open-minded. Were all missionaries monsters? Could each of them master several languages?
Ricci himself was a language genius, and Chinese was one of the most difficult languages to master in the world. Even in modern times, it was difficult for many foreigners, let alone in the Ming Dynasty, where intellectuals widely used classical Chinese and there was no unified standard language. Even so, Ricci could almost master it. Now there was another Brown. Fortunately, with this guy, Xiao Ruxun could communicate with these tribal headmen.
The specific method was that Xiao Ruxun would speak and convey it to Ricci. Ricci would translate it into Portuguese for Brown, and then Brown would translate it into local languages for the headmen. These headmen would then tell Brown, and Brown would tell Ricci, and Ricci would repeat it to Xiao Ruxun.
This method seemed to be effective, but he didn't know if these headmen could understand it. He had to communicate in three languages at the same time. Fortunately, Ricci and Brown had mastered multiple languages at the same time. Otherwise, how could they communicate?
But they did communicate, which brought a little worry to Xiao Ruxun. When he talked with some of these guys about private matters, he would need to go through Ricci and Brown. Wouldn't that mean that there was a possibility of the information being leaked? Moreover, could these two people really be used by him? Wouldn't they leak the information to other relevant tribal headmen?
It would be great if there was a Han who knew these languages.
Of course, Xiao Ruxun was just thinking about it. In this day and age, English, which had almost become the world's lingua franca, was still a lowly language. Chinese was the supreme language in the East Asian cultural circle. Only other people learned Chinese and wrote Chinese characters. There was no possibility that scholar-officials had to learn a foreign language. Even if they did, it was for the sake of diplomacy. Of course, in this day and age, it was basically other people who came to learn Chinese and then communicate with Daming. Few Daming would take the initiative to learn the language of the other party to communicate with them. Well, Mongolian must be learned.
Not to mention the local indigenous language of these small tribes. Except for these crazy missionaries who deliberately learned it for the sake of preaching, who else would learn it?
He just didn't know if there were any Han who did business with the indigenous people in these places. If there were, there must be some Han who knew the language of this place. Businessmen didn't belong to the scholar-officials. In order to make money, what was the point of learning a little language?
Xiao Ruxun couldn't find such a person. At the moment, it was better to make use of Ricci and Brown!
These headmen came forward one by one and kowtowed. Then, they reported their names, the name of their tribe, and their status as a headman. Then, they described the gifts they brought one by one to show their sincerity. Anyway, Xiao Ruxun couldn't understand the babbling indigenous language, nor the babbling Portuguese. He could only understand the Chinese that Ricci translated.
"This is XXX, the headman of XXX tribe. He sent XXX a box, XXX a cart, XXX a box, XXX ten carts …"
What he heard were all boring things. Gold, silver, and jade products were fine, and local specialties such as meat were also very boring. However, he occasionally heard about things that were worth paying attention to, such as cow genitalia, tiger genitalia, elephant genitalia, and so on. These things were probably the only common treasures that all men in the world knew about, and they were definitely worth a lot of money …
Finally, the boring greeting session ended. Xiao Ruxun sat upright on the seat of honor and rubbed his face that was a little stiff from smiling. He took a sip of tea and slowly said, "I'm very happy that you can come here.
On behalf of the Daming Dynasty, I accept your gifts and have decided to accept you as a member of the Daming Dynasty. When the time comes, I will also ask the Daming Emperor to give you an imperial edict to promote you. You don't have to worry. However, before that, I need you to promise me one thing. "
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