American Bay, Peach Blossom Island.
Now is the season when peach blossoms are in full bloom. Zhu Hehao proposed the "examination to recruit brides" at the beginning of the 22nd year of Hongxing's reign in the Ming Dynasty. After that, he spent another month promoting and preparing for the exam.
By the beginning of March, more than 10,000 Xinzhou people who were confident in their abilities and had worked hard to achieve success gathered in Washington to try their skills.
Neither Wei Zhongcheng nor Zheng Xi were willing to get involved in this matter, but they did not dare to oppose the overwhelming public opinion and the royal power of the United King. I simply asked for leave and went to Peach Blossom Island to recuperate - the United States is not like the Ming Dynasty, where there are many people and things to do, and those in power are busy with everything.
The United States now has only a few hundred thousand people, how much can it do? So the leaders are very laid-back. A group of island owners often leave Washington and go to their own island to spend a few days relaxing.
The area around Taohuawu belonging to Wei Zhongcheng on Taohua Island is now a sea of flowers. A gust of sea breeze blew by, and the unique fragrance of peach blossoms floated into the high pavilion of Taohuawu, making several middle-aged people in casual clothes feel refreshed and extremely comfortable.
Most of the people who were admiring the flowers in Taohuawu this time were close friends of Wei Zhongcheng and Zheng Xi, and one of them was Yao Daqiao, a confidant of King Jiaqing and the right minister of Jiaqing. Although Yao Daqiao is the minister and marquis of Jiaqing Kingdom, he does not live much in Angel Castle. He spends most of the year living in the manor in America Bay (also on a small island), managing his own Business in the Port of Mountain Harbor and the City of Washington. He also has an excellent relationship with Wei Zhongcheng and Zheng Xi, the two leading figures in the United States.
Of course, like Yao Daqiao, there are still many Jiaqing nobles who have lived in the United States for a long time or have large investments in the United States. Even Jiaqing King Zhu Cihuan himself invested a lot of money in Kinmen Port in the United States, developed real estate and docks, and built a palace.
Zhu Cihuan and Yao Daqiao are not very concerned about the development of Jiaqing Country. In the past seven or eight years, only the area around Angel City, the capital of the Jiaqing Kingdom, has seen some development. Many Chinese-Western or Japanese-style mansions or castles have appeared, as well as some manors for growing grapes and making wine.
The reason why they are like this is not because they are unpatriotic, but because the little land allocated to Jiaqing Kingdom is of little use except for growing some grapes. Rather than investing a lot of energy and money in development, it would be better to invest in the United States.
Therefore, most of the nobles and citizens of the Jiaqing Kingdom now live in the United States, and they just have their names on the household registration of the Jiaqing Kingdom.
This Jiaqing Kingdom has actually been part of the United States for a long time!
There are even many nobles from the Jiaqing Kingdom who are pushing for the complete merger of the two countries, and Yao Daqiao is the leader of those Jiaqing nobles who advocate the "Xinqing merger".
In his opinion, the Jiaqing Kingdom has no independent economic foundation... It is too dry. Only the coastal areas are a little moist, but they can only grow some grapes. If it hadn't been for the discovery of gold mines, the Jiaqing Kingdom's finances would have been difficult to maintain.
But the problem is that the gold mine will eventually be mined out. What will the Jiaqing Kingdom do then? A whole country can live on just a few grapes? It’s totally unrealistic. Do so many people eat grapes together?
So Yao Daqiao discussed with Zhu Cijiong to find a way to join the United States while the Jiaqing Kingdom was still wealthy... get some "shares" and become a "vice king".
It is impossible to leave this matter to Ming Dynasty. The state has no shares and no two owners! However, the foundation of the United States is a "shareholding state". The highest power does not belong to the king, but to the political officials who discuss the government.
The Jiaqing Kingdom is also not a country with a particularly strong monarchy, but a small country with many feudal lords. There was not much land and population in the total, and it was still so fragmented. The land belonging to King Jiaqing was a little bit of land near Angel Castle.
Among them, those with certain development value are more than 100,000 acres that have been planted with grapes. The rest are either abandoned or used to raise some cattle and sheep transported from the mainland of Ming Dynasty... He is said to be a king, but in fact he is a big landowner.
If he brings the Jiaqing Kingdom into the United States, his castle and land in Angel Castle will still be retained. The title of King Jiaqing can also be retained, and he can also get ten or fifteen political seats (new seats).
As for the Jiaqing nobles who follow him, they can also become United States nobles. From any aspect, Zhu Cihuan and his men were not at a disadvantage.
So Zhu Cihuan agreed, but he didn't want to be a deputy king. This deputy king was too jealous, so he wanted to be a prince of the United States who dominated one side.
However, Wei Zhongcheng and Zheng Xi did not want Jiaqing to join the alliance... At that time, the King of the United States did not come to the country. The United States was the world where they discussed politics, so why should they let the King of Jiaqing get a share?
But now, the King of the United States has arrived, and his methods are extraordinary. If King Jiaqing cannot be allowed to join the United States, the share and influence of the King of the United States will be diluted. Then the king of the United States may become stronger and stronger, and eventually turn the United States into a kingdom or empire. By then Wei Zhongcheng, Zheng Xi and others will be crying without tears.
"Youfu," Wei Zhongcheng gently waved his paper fan, "If King Jiaqing really wants to join the United States, now is an opportunity. The king of the United States has already joined the country, and he also plans to use troops east and south... Since he wants to When fighting a war, of course the more people, the better. I wonder if Prince Jiaqing is still willing to join?"
Yao Daqiao rolled his eyes, already understanding Wei Zhongcheng's thoughts.
This is to use the power of King Jiaqing to contain the King of Hezhong!
"Prime Minister," Yao Daqiao smiled, "Of course Prince Jiaqing is willing to join the gang, but he still has a few conditions.
First, the territory of the Gakyung Kingdom had to establish its own Gyeongju and could not be merged into California.
Second, the governor of Gyeongju must let King Gagyeong be hereditary.
Fourth, Gyeongju’s parliamentary government must have the power to formulate its own laws!
Fifth, the Gyeongju National Assembly has the right to elect 15 seats to discuss political affairs.
Sixth, if the United States wants to expand southward, Gyeongju will also want a share of the pie! "
There are a lot of requirements, and the wishful thinking is also very precise!
Wei Zhongcheng glanced at Zheng Xi, who nodded slightly. Now the United States needs King Jiaqing to join, so there is nothing wrong with giving it a little sweetness.
Wei Zhongcheng smiled and said: "These six items are quite reasonable... Right Man, how about we go to Washington together and mention this matter to the King of United States?"
Yao Daqiao thought for a while and said with a smile: "It's not enough for us to raise this matter. It's best to ask King Jiaqing to come forward. After all, he is the uncle of the King of Hezhong."
"That's fine." Wei Zhongcheng said, "Without further delay, You Mansion, when will it be convenient for you to go south?"
"Leave tomorrow!" Yao Daqiao smiled at Zheng Xi, "Master of Meihua Island, I have to ask you to send a fast boat."
"Okay, I'll take care of it."
Zheng Xi patted his chest without saying a word. He has a lot of business in the United States of New Zealand, including Kinmen Shipping Company, the largest shipping company in the United States.
Taking a Pacific sailing ship from Kinmen, Yao Daqiao spent three days from Huazhou to the Angel Fort in the Kingdom of Jiaqing - this is a stone fortress facing the sea and with mountains on the back. It looks indestructible, and it is somewhat It's majestic and obviously cost a lot of money to build.
It seems that Zhu Cihuan, who has been King of Jiaqing for seven or eight years, has become a bit bad - he still owes Emperor Chongzhen hundreds of thousands in pension money and has not paid it back, so he has the nerve to build a big house for himself... It is really unfilial. !
"What? You want the king to go to Washington to propose a merger with the king of the United States? Will this bring harm to the king's face? The king is the uncle of the king of the United States, not a retainer of the king of the United States. However, the king of the United States has not had any relatives since he came to the country. Come visit..."
It was Noyoshi Shimazu who raised different opinions in the meeting hall of Angel Castle. Since King Jiaqing's first wife died in childbirth two years ago, Naiji became the princess, and she was also a powerful princess who was in charge of the government with the king!
