After handling the agricultural development plans of Japan and Mindanao, Zhao Xuening quickly returned to Manila to continue working overtime.
A few days after returning to Manila, on October 3, Zhao Xuening met Liu Chongwen’s son Liu Li.
He came to see Zhao Xuening on behalf of his father, and he used secret channels, not open channels.
He came here specifically to tell Zhao Xuening some good news.
Not only was Liu Chongwen willing to help Zhao Xuening deliver the news, but he also found an influential person to cooperate with. This important person was optimistic about Lanfang's future and had some understanding of external investment and the outside world.
So he wanted to ask Lanfang if he needed financial investment. He wanted to run some industries in Lanfang, which could also be regarded as helping Lanfang develop its economy.
"I didn't expect that your father would do things so quickly and find a collaborator so quickly?"
Zhao Xuening handed Liu Li a cup of tea.
Liu Li thanked him and said with a smile: "The reputation of His Excellency the President has spread throughout Southeast Asia. It is difficult not to know it. Now that you want to cooperate with businessmen like us, that is a great thing and something that can make money. Why not To do your best?"
"Is it just about making money?"
Zhao Xuening held the teacup and looked at Liu Li with a smile.
Liu Li recalled the Lanfang flags fluttering in the wind that he saw when he arrived at the port of Seoul, and he felt a little complicated.
"Not only do I want to make money, but I also want to contribute to Lanfang. When Lanfang was first established, it must be very short of money, and we businessmen have no other strengths. What we have in abundance is money. Apart from purchasing land and real estate, it doesn't have much use. Being able to help Lanfang and making money at the same time is the best of both worlds.”
Zhao Xuening looked at Liu Li higher.
After all the talk, Che Zulu's attitude was still extremely ambiguous and he did not reveal his true purpose. Even Zhao Xuening did not know who the big shot behind Liu Chongwen was who wanted to have an encounter with him.
But after thinking about it, I understand that since he is a big shot, he must have an official relationship. Since he has an official relationship, it is even less likely that his true identity will be revealed easily.
And Lan Fang is too sensitive.
Not to mention anything else, if Hongli sees that flag, his blood pressure will definitely soar. Even if there is no navy, he will definitely force the landlubbers of the Qing army to come to him in the wind and waves. Trouble.
Although Zhao Xuening never publicly revealed his goals for the Northern Expedition, this flag said it all.
Needless to say, if we want to conquer the Qing Empire in the north, the best slogan to use is to oppose the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty.
The upper echelons of the Qing Empire did not understand republicanism, and the lower levels did not understand republicanism even more. Using republicanism as a slogan had no appeal, and using other slogans may not arouse widespread response.
But everyone must know how to fight against the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty.
These four words have not stopped for more than a hundred years since the Qing Empire unified the Central Plains.
Republic is his goal and ideal. In the process of realizing his goals and ideals, there will be setbacks and repetitions, which Zhao Xuening can accept.
The best way is to change this ancient empire according to local conditions and in a way that is acceptable to the ancient empire. It is related to the transformation of political systems and ideas. If it is done too hastily, it will only bring disaster.
Therefore, this flag is the buffer space he left for himself and the ancient empire. Using this flag, he can unite as much as possible with the majority of the land and make them stand on his side, not the Manchu government. there.
For those knowledgeable and inherited Han people of this era, Ming Dynasty is no longer the Zhu Ming Dynasty in the narrow sense.
The process of the Manchus establishing their political power was too bloody and brutal, and they forced the Han people to give up their thousands of years of clothing and customs, which brought too much impact and humiliation to the Han people, so everyone selectively forgot all the inappropriate deeds of the Zhu Ming Dynasty. I miss the Zhu Ming Dynasty.
The late Zhu Ming Dynasty brought no less suffering to the people living in that land than the Manchu and Qing Dynasties. They were also not human beings. Comparing these two dynasties is nothing but a joke at fifty steps and a hundred steps at a time. It is meaningless. .
If there was no such thing as shaving one's hair to change clothes, future generations' evaluations of the Ming and Qing dynasties would not be much different before the Opium War.
However, the policy of shaving hair and changing clothes added a strong color of ethnic conflicts to the chaotic situation at the turn of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, so strong that some people who had surrendered to the Manchus immediately rose up to resist.
Because of the existence of shaving one's hair and changing clothes, ethnic conflicts seemed to have surpassed class conflicts in some areas of that era, so much so that the forces of the Southern Ming Dynasty were able to join forces with the peasant army to resist the Qing Dynasty. Those who resisted the Qing Dynasty in the end turned out to be anti-Ming rebels. The most active peasant army general.
Regarding the collective resistance of the Han people, the Manchu Qing adopted the method of killing, killing with the handle of a knife, killing all the way, and forcibly suppressed all resistance.
Has the problem been solved?
No, it just solved a group of people who raised questions.
They are neither capable nor willing to completely resolve these contradictions, so they just move these contradictions from the open to the underground.
As a result, it had a more profound impact on the future situation and the foundation of Manchu rule. In a sense, the word "Ming" became synonymous with Han family clothes and thousands of years of inheritance, suddenly surpassing the original "Zhu". The meaning of "Ming Dynasty".
Ming, in the hearts of the knowledgeable and inherited Han people in this era, actually symbolizes clothing, tradition, ancestors, and even dignity, and the glorious past that cannot be recalled.
What we want to restore is not the Zhu Ming Dynasty, but the inheritance that has been passed down for thousands of years.
It is said that what is lost is the most perfect, and what is not obtained is the most worthy of pursuit. Bai Yueguang may not be perfect, but as long as it is Bai Yueguang, it is already invincible.
In a pure competition of military strength and comprehensive national strength, Lanfang would not be a match for the Big Empire in another hundred years.
But if it occupies the identity of Bai Yueguang - then the "current" Manchu and Qing government will pale in comparison.
In addition to military offensives, the most powerful weapon against the Manchu government was the struggle for and use of people's hearts. This was also the reason why it was difficult for European colonists to overthrow the Manchus.
Their military power is strong enough, but military alone cannot overthrow the Manchu Qing Dynasty. What can really overthrow the Manchu Qing Dynasty is the silent majority in this land, and their hearts.
The European colonists could not win their hearts, but Zhao Xuening could.
Using this flag as a cover, using the identity of the Han people to win over these silent majority, and winning their trust through victory in one or two wars, is Zhao Xuening's surefire move.
Therefore, one word "clear" is worth a thousand words.
This move was successful. Zhao Xuening's opponent was the Eight Banners of the Manchu, Mongolian and Han Dynasties, the Manchu and Qing government, not the entire Qing Empire. He would fight Hongli alone and had nothing to do with the entire Qing Empire.
By then, Hongli will be forced to compete on an equal level by him. Hongli will never be able to easily mobilize the empire's manpower and material resources to fight against him.
That's enough.
And all of this starts with the man in front of him and the big shot behind him.
His arrival means that the big man behind him is tempted.
I am tempted by the slogan of countering the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty, and I yearn for the white moonlight in my heart.
Originally, even if Liu Chongwen reported Lan Fang to the Manchu government after returning, this was one of the consequences that Zhao Xuening expected. If this really happened, Zhao Xuening would not be surprised.
It's nothing more than taking action against the boss empire early.
If Hongli wanted to fight, he could only use the navy, but did the Qing Empire still have a navy?
Gone.
If they want to fight with the navy, they will build Lan Fang's reputation. The power of a battle can greatly enhance Lan Fang's reputation and Zhao Xuening's reputation, as well as their self-confidence. Everyone's fear of the Qing Empire will be greatly reduced. It will also be of great benefit to the future Northern Expedition.
As for the consequences.
Lanfang's economic lifeline lies entirely in the sea. At the current stage, except for a small amount of smuggling, it has no serious trade relations with the Qing Empire at all. Hongli has no ability to block it.
shipbuilding? Build a stronger navy?
Then I will patrol the coast of the Qing Empire, find where you are building ships, and destroy them directly so that you can't build ships.
And to be honest, the so-called century-old navy needs a completely different foundation from the army. Hongli can build a huge fleet by throwing money at national strength, but its essence is nothing more than an army on ships.
The Lanfang Navy inherited the naval heritage of the Dutch in the Spice Sea for hundreds of years, and successfully succeeded in being superior to others.
Even if Zhao Xuening does nothing and directly confronts such a navy, the final result will be a complete victory. The two sides have completely different understandings of the navy.
Of course, army operations are different. Zhao Xuening was confident enough to defeat the Qing army in naval battles, but he was not completely sure in land battles.
Over the years, the Qing army has not stopped fighting and has been fighting. An army that is always fighting must have a large number of elite veterans, and its combat effectiveness cannot be poor.
Just like the British's war to conquer the Konbaung Dynasty of Myanmar, the Burmese army, which was at its peak at the beginning, also won a victory against the British army and caused considerable losses to the British.
Lanfang's family is not as strong as the British and cannot afford to lose the war, so Zhao Xuening will definitely not easily start a land war with the Qing army in the short term.
He wanted to give the Qing army a few more years to drink, gamble, neglect training, gradually forget about the blood and fire on the battlefield, and lose their strong bodies.
At the same time, letting Hongli age even further made him more tired, more powerless, and more addicted to his past glory.
But right now, it is still a period of development.
