PFC Chapter 6: Focusing on Overseas Markets
Chapter 6: Focusing on Overseas Markets
After explaining the plans for the south, Liu Yulong raised the wooden stick in his hand and pointed to the due east on the map.
It crossed the Pacific Ocean directly and landed in northwestern North America, where it drew a circle.
Roughly extending south from the historical Vancouver and Seattle areas of Canada and the northwestern United States to California:
"Do any of you know which country is closest to here?"
The nobles around him were slightly surprised when they heard this.
The new generation of students, following Liu Desheng's arrangements, had taken basic geography courses and had a basic understanding of the world's major countries and regions, so this question was not difficult for them.
However, they worried that Liu Yulong had his sights set on the Americas and might be so ambitious that he wanted them to conquer them.
Now, the Great Han should concentrate its forces to go south and explore the South Seas adjacent to its homeland. Why go to the Americas across the entire ocean?
Unsure of Liu Yulong's mindset, the scene fell silent for a moment, with no one taking the initiative to speak.
Seeing that no one responded, Liu Yulong selectively called out names directly:
"Let Duke Cao speak."
Wang Yong, the second Duke of Cao of the Han Dynasty, was from Shangqiu County, Guide Prefecture, Henan Province. His father was a fellow townsman of Liu Desheng and was a senior noble general in Liu Desheng's inner circle. Wang Yong is currently serving as the governor of the Naval Commandery.
Wang Yong reflected on the knowledge he had gained from Liu Desheng's book:
"Your Majesty, I believe that the two countries closest to this place are, firstly, the United States, which rebelled against Britain decades ago, and secondly, Mexico, which rebelled against Spain more than a decade ago?"
After listening, Liu Yulong gave a brief evaluation, and then went on to talk about his future plans:
"That's not wrong. From a land perspective, the closest country to here is Mexico."
"There are Mexican people and priests in part of this land."
"The United States is based on the east coast of North America, which is separated from the northwest coast by an entire continent, making travel here extremely inconvenient."
Only a small number of expeditions and fur traders operate here.
"If viewed from the sea, apart from Mexico, the closest country to here is our great Han."
"Now Rakshasas, Britons, Mexicans, and Americans all claim to own land here, and there are also priests, merchants, and explorers active here."
"But for the Rakshasa to get here, they have to travel through the entire Siberia to the far east, and then take a waterway to reach this place."
"They really came from a great distance."
"The Britons had to cross the Atlantic Ocean and then travel overland across the entire North American continent to get here."
"It can also be described as traversing mountains and rivers."
"If you want to take the sea route, you have to go around the Americas or Africa and China, going around the whole world to get here."
"But it's much closer to get here from the Great Han than from them."
"Sailing eastward from the eastern coastal areas, following the North Pacific warm current, it only takes two months to reach the destination."
"It is faster for Han people to travel to this place by boat than to travel from Jiangnan to the Western Regions."
"Although there are American and Mexican people nearby, it is difficult for both sides to get here. They don't have many immigrants here either, because the populations of both countries are not large to begin with."
"The total population of the United States is only over 20 million, which may not be a small number in Europe, but in the Han Dynasty it is just a province."
"It is estimated that there are only a little over a thousand people active here."
"Mexico's total population is only seven or eight million, and there are fewer than ten thousand immigrants living here."
"The Rakshasa and the Britons are even fewer in number."
"As long as the Han Dynasty sends a thousand militiamen, it can gain a foothold in the local area."
"Then we can send another 10,000 militiamen here and directly control a large amount of land here."
"Neither Mexicans nor Americans, nor Britons nor Rakshasas, could contend with the Great Han."
"As long as the Han Dynasty is willing to participate, this land will never fall into the hands of Europeans."
"The indigenous population here is sparse, and the climate is quite mild and humid, unlike the hot and humid Southeast Asia or the cold Northeast, making it relatively more suitable for reclamation."
"The key is to deploy forces here, which can serve as additional assistance in the fight against the Rakshasa and the Britons."
"We can't just let them run rampant around the Han Dynasty; we also have to go to the places they consider their own territory and disrupt their operations."
"Therefore, in the next few years, the main focus of the Great Han will naturally be on the development of Southeast Asia, but we cannot ignore this place."
"The Naval Governor's Office will mobilize a fleet and send 30,000 to 50,000 militiamen here over a period of five to ten years."
Before the opening of the Arctic shipping route, the most remote places from Europe, besides Australia, were the northwest coast of North America.
At this time, this land is only frequented by explorers, whether Russians or British.
Even in the Americas, the United States and Mexico, there are only a few thousand immigrants here.
There were already some settlements along the California coast, mainly established by early Spanish missionaries.
The Central Valley is still wilderness, and no gold mines have been discovered in San Francisco yet.
The Seattle and Vancouver areas didn't even have settlements; only some fur traders came here regularly to trade with the indigenous people.
If the Han Dynasty is willing to take action and participate in the competition, it will have an advantage over any other country.
The key point is that Liu Yulong knows that the United States and Mexico will most likely go to war in the future.
California and Texas are still part of Mexico, but they have already been targeted by the Americans.
If we consider the issue from the perspective of safeguarding the future interests of the Han Dynasty, then we should not allow the United States to own land on the west coast of the Americas.
The United States could not become a two-ocean empire, which gave the Han Dynasty the opportunity to turn the Pacific Ocean into its own domain.
Therefore, Liu Yulong needed to prepare for the Mexican-American War in advance by sending a certain number of immigrants, or militia, to the northwest coast of the Americas to prevent the United States from taking California.
In the future, depending on the actual situation in the Americas, it may be decided whether to form an alliance with Mexico to directly participate in the Mexican-American War, thus preventing the United States from seizing other Mexican territories.
Naval Commander Wang Yong was initially worried that Liu Yulong was ambitious and eager for quick success, but after hearing the story, he felt relieved.
Although Wang Yong did not know Liu Yulong's true thoughts, he knew that his young emperor had given it considerable thought.
They had a thorough understanding of the situation in the Americas, and their goals were simple and clear.
During the reign of Emperor Taizu, a government-run maritime trade fleet was established, with a portion specifically responsible for trade between the mainland and Mexico.
The navy simply followed the established traditional routes and transported a total of 30,000 to 50,000 militiamen over ten years without any difficulty.
If the area was indeed inhabited by only a few thousand European barbarians, and the climate was more comfortable than in Southeast Asia and Northeast China, then it would be a place that the Han Dynasty would gladly occupy.
As per the emperor's request, the main focus in the future will be on Southeast Asia, and it is perfectly reasonable to seize this land at the same time.
So Wang Yong quickly clasped his hands in acceptance of the order:
"I obey your decree."
Liu Yulong then had someone bring him a map of the Americas, circled the bays where Vancouver and Seattle were historically located, and instructed Wang Yong on some details he knew:
"Early settlements were established in this bay. After setting up villages, more militia were gradually deployed to build cities and fortresses, thus controlling the bay and the surrounding land."
"Organize militia from Hebei and Shandong, selecting children of militia members who have just gotten married but have not yet had children."
"The first batch of 1,000 militia members will at least enjoy the treatment of a militia captain in the future and will be given priority in being selected to become higher-ranking officers."
"We can allow local European merchants to trade with us, but they must accept our jurisdiction."
Wang Yong and the commander of the Central Military Commission agreed very seriously from the side.
With the discussion on the exploration of the Americas concluded, the strategic plan for the Han Dynasty over the next ten years or so was essentially finished.
The specific details of personnel deployment, material preparation, combat procedures, and post-war governance were to be drafted by the Military Advisory Office in accordance with Liu Yulong's orders and the combat model under Liu Desheng's administration. These plans were then submitted to Liu Yulong for review.
There were no civil officials present. The war launched by the Han Dynasty itself and its military logistics did not require the involvement of civil officials.
At this time, the Han Dynasty was very similar to the early Ming Dynasty, and the army still did not need the court to directly pay its soldiers when they went to war.
Even the food, clothing, and weapons needed for the expedition were collected and transported by the militia command itself.
Each militia command had its own granary and armory.
Every year, a portion of the land tax collected by military households is stored in granaries to supply the local militia for daily training, patrols, and duties, as well as for use when the local militia goes out to defend or fight.
Therefore, even if the Imperial Guards went on campaign, militia would be dispatched to assist them, and the militia would also supply the Imperial Guards with the necessary food.
As emperor, Liu Yulong's job was to reward those who had contributed to the war and distribute the spoils of war.
Moreover, the "rewards" distributed to junior and middle-ranking officers and ordinary soldiers were directly the land and people acquired during this expedition.
Liu Yulong only needed to promote meritorious officers and soldiers, while also giving separate rewards to senior officers.
All the gold and silver needed for the rewards were paid from the imperial treasury, not from the Ministry of Revenue's account.
All the troops were "Royal Army".
Such a military system was highly independent, and its operational plans were almost entirely unaffected by the court officials.
In addition, the local militia system was too large, which was equivalent to bringing the entire population under the jurisdiction of the military system, resulting in a sharp decline in the power and status of local officials.
Even a militia squad leader could curse in front of the county magistrate, while a militia commander could make the prefect smile and speak to him.
When human civilization reached the threshold of the industrial age, when military and production technologies were about to support large-scale expeditions.
The birth of such a new Han dynasty in the Central Plains will inevitably have a disruptive and enormous impact on all countries and ethnic groups in the surrounding areas and even the world.
If the nearly 500 million Han Chinese do not want to engage in a frenzied internal struggle, then they have no choice but to continue waging war against other countries.
Many places surrounding the Han Dynasty's homeland, such as Korea, Vietnam, Myanmar, Siam, Luzon, Borneo, Palembang, Java, and Japan, will become provinces of Han territory in the future.
With a little guidance from Liu Yulong, they can also turn their attention to Australia, the Americas, and Africa.
However, Liu Yulong was also very clear in his heart that he could rely on and command the army to achieve his goals, but he could not rely entirely on the army to rule the world in the future.
That would bind you to the military and restrict your decision-making.
Over time, the military system will form a community of shared interests, and at that time, the interests of the military may conflict with the imperial power, and the emperor will lose the ability to make independent decisions.
They'll be happy as long as we let them keep fighting.
In the future, things might gradually turn into a situation where if they are not allowed to fight, they will be unhappy, which will then force the emperor to continue waging war.
They must build another interest group to divide and suppress the excessively large military force.