"Nanzhang has always been respectful and has never disturbed the border. The people of the two countries have smooth communication and are as close as one family. Please also ask the envoy to tell His Highness the King that you treat our two countries as normal."
The Nanzhang Kingdom was Laos in later generations.
However, unlike the ambitious Annan and the unruly Myanmar, the Nanzhang Kingdom is very law-abiding.
When studying the strategy for the Indochina Peninsula, neither Zuo Menggeng nor the Center thought about taking the Nanzhang Kingdom as their own.
It's not that everyone's hearts have become kinder, but that this place is too poor.
Real backwaters.
To use force and govern such a place is simply not worth the gain.
If you really want to covet the resources here, normal trade will be enough.
"The empire has just recovered the southwest and will soon invest a lot of money in development. We can purchase some scarce minerals, timber, etc. from your country. Please rest assured that this is a purely commercial behavior and does not require your country to expend national power and manpower. Tribute. Similarly, in the future, the borders between your country and our country will be fully open, and your country can purchase any goods it needs without hindrance."
Zuo Rong and Fu Zonglong, as military and political representatives respectively, negotiated with Nalin Duore, the envoy of Nanzhang Kingdom.
The goodwill and tolerance shown by the empire really made everyone in Nanzhang Kingdom extremely happy.
To be honest, the Ming Dynasty could only treat Nanzhang Kingdom so well. In border trade, Nanzhang people often encountered difficulties from corrupt officials.
Now that the empire actually treats Nanzhang Kingdom equally, how could they not understand what this means.
Lin Duoge was a very talented official, and he was keenly aware of something.
"I dare to ask His Highness King Wu, Fu Shengzheng, since the country plans to vigorously build the southwest, there must be a need for more labor. Can we Nanzhang people come to work?"
Nanzhang's mountains are densely forested and its plains are limited, so its output is not much. However, the population is large, so the pressure to survive is very high.
For this reason, Nanzhang officials are also having a headache.
However, Annan and Myanmar next to it are both difficult to deal with, and Nanzhang has little room for expansion.
If the people of Nanzhang can be allowed to work within the empire and earn a share of food rations, it will greatly ease the domestic pressure.
What Lin Duoge didn’t know yet was that this kind of behavior was very common in later generations and was called transnational labor.
Fu Zonglong thinks this method is very good.
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, not only was the Central Plains in chaos, but the Southwest also never calmed down.
In addition, the environment here is harsh and unsuitable for survival, so the population has dropped sharply.
Of course, the country will not sit back and watch the southwest continue to suffer, and has prepared 14 million yuan in advance development funds.
But money alone is not enough. Someone must do the work before various projects can be carried out.
The domestic labor force will not give priority to the southwest under any circumstances. After all, the Northeast, Northwest, and Nanyang are the main areas.
Then Southwest will have to find a way on her own.
Now that sleepiness has come to the pillow, how can Fu Zonglong let it go?
"We are worried about the shortage of labor force. It would be great if your country could provide some support. Please rest assured that the wages will be the same as those of the locals. But there are two points that I hope the envoy can finalize after he returns."
Hearing that the empire allowed people from Nanzhang to work across the border, Lin Duoge was already extremely excited. When he heard that there was a condition, he quickly raised his ears and listened carefully.
"First, after all, there are many differences in language and customs between our two countries. After workers from your country come, please be more careful to avoid unnecessary conflicts. Second, the laws of the empire will treat everyone equally. If workers from your country come over, If there is any adultery or illegal behavior in the future, we will deal with it as usual."
So that's what happened.
Lin Duore couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
He thought it was such an incredible restriction.
In his opinion, what Fu Zonglong conveyed could simply be called kindness.
How could the original Ming Dynasty be polite to the people of these vassal states?
Don't talk about treating everyone equally, it's normal for them to be beaten to death if they don't go their way.
The people in Nanzhang don’t think there’s anything wrong with this.
Now being looked down upon, the people of Nanzhang will only be grateful.
Lindore happily returned to the king with a new agreement.
He had a hunch that Nanzhang seemed to be ushering in a new era.
At the same time, on the Batavia side, Xu Erjue also reached a consensus with the Siamese envoy.
"The relationship between Siam and the Empire has always been harmonious. When the empire's merchants and caravans arrived in Siam, they were all taken care of. Since Burma is now our common enemy, we should fight together. I just don't know how powerful your country's military is and how capable it is of fighting. ?”
Xu Erjue asked a soul question.
There is no problem if Siam wants to join the Empire in conquering Burma.
But can Siam's army be able to fight?
After all, Siam has been suppressed by Myanmar for nearly a hundred years.
Today's Siam belongs to the Ayutthaya dynasty. They gained independence from Myanmar only 45 years ago.
The current king is called Pasethong. He is wise in politics and has improved Siam's national power. But facing the pressure from Myanmar, there are still many difficulties.
Sure enough, Siamese Prime Minister Naskun was extremely ashamed when he heard Xu Erjue's question.
"No matter what, we will do our best to help the empire."
The subtext is that we can't beat it.
Since you can't beat me, then things will be easier to handle.
So Xu Erjue asked Temasek's military to prepare a military performance for Naskun and others.
Under the hot weapon that destroyed the heaven and earth, everyone in Siam was stunned and their souls were out of their bodies.
They couldn't imagine that there were such terrifying weapons in this world.
In addition, the power displayed by the National Defense Force made Naskun and others jealous.
"If your country is willing, the empire can help you train the army and provide weapons. When you capture the Mawlamyine area, the empire will also recognize your territorial sovereignty."
In the face of a great good thing, Naskun knew very well that the empire must ask for something.
"I wonder how Siam can repay the empire's love?"
Of course Xu Erjue had conditions.
"First, Pattaya allows the Imperial Navy to be stationed. Second, Chiang Mai allows the Imperial Army to be stationed. The two countries will each bear half of the corresponding military expenses."
Like the Nanzhang Kingdom, Siam was not included in the empire's elimination plan.
Siamese people are kind-hearted and have a somewhat aloof attitude. Moreover, he has always been very obedient to the orders of the Central Plains Dynasty and has an open attitude towards the empire.
It can be said that among the countries in Indochina, Siam is the most welcoming to imperial merchants.
In view of this, it is necessary to support Siam and set an example for Indochina.
At the same time, stationing troops in one south and one north can effectively deter Annan and Cambodia on the one hand, and suppress Myanmar on the other.
As long as Siam agrees, the empire will completely bring Indochina into its sphere of influence.
(End of chapter)
