Han Shizu

Chapter 2151: Emperor Shizong Chapter 27: Nanyang Gouwu
In the fifth year of Jianlong's reign, Brunei Island and Chaohui City (Brunei).

This city, located in the northern part of Brunei Island, is the capital of the Gouwu Kingdom of the Han Empire. It is the largest and most prosperous city in Brunei Island and the center for the spread of Han civilization in Brunei Island.

As early as the middle and late Kaibao period, Han people had already spread all over the coastal areas of Brunei Island and established trading points of varying sizes. Kuncheng was one of the earliest Han settlements.

However, the empire's business focus at that time was on North and South Jinzhou and Java, and Brunei Island was only briefly cared for. Therefore, the development of the Han people on Brunei was at a relatively slow pace. They were very cautious about the indigenous state of Brunei on the island. The Han merchants who had frequent exchanges often exchanged gifts to maintain relations. They only carried out basic defense and resistance against the greedy attacks of the indigenous people, and rarely escalated the situation.

As Liu Yun, Liu Chun, and Guo Liangping led the navy and army south to destroy Srivijaya and pacify Java, Emperor Kublai Khan granted great power to the South Seas. The Han army's ships and troops also invaded Brunei Island on a large scale for the first time (with more than 10,000 naval and land forces).

With the cooperation of Han merchants in the continent, they quickly occupied the towns and strongholds along the coast of Brunei. This was a military journey with almost no difficulty. They only encountered some resistance when they captured the capital of Brunei. However, in the face of the powerful military force of the Han army, their resistance was as fragile as paper.

The ancient country of Brunei, which had been established for hundreds of years, ended in such a sad and helpless ending. After the country was destroyed, the entire Brunei Island became the back garden of the Han Dynasty's officials, soldiers, merchants and civilians, where they could trade freely and roam freely.

The Han people began to accelerate the development of Brunei after the fall of the Brunei Kingdom. However, this vast and sparsely populated continent was easy to conquer by force and not difficult to assimilate by civilization. The biggest obstacle was the pioneering and construction from scratch.

By the fifth year of Jianlong, more than 30 years had passed, and the Han people's exploration of Brunei Island was basically limited to the coastal areas, while most of the vast deep land was still virgin land, and most of the areas reached by rivers were occupied by indigenous tribes.

Even so, the former settlements and trading places were transformed into coastal cities and towns under the leadership of Han merchants. Of course, they could not avoid harassment from the remnants of Brunei and the barbaric natives, but in the face of these threats, the Han merchants could deal with them with armed forces without the need for regular troops. In contrast, mosquitoes, diseases, miasma and other harsh natural environments posed a much greater threat to Han immigrants.

Chaohui City was rebuilt and expanded on the basis of the original capital of Brunei. No matter how primitive and backward Brunei was in the eyes of the Han people, it was able to become a state and a capital city, so its conditions and foundations in all aspects were always better than those of other coastal towns.

From the perspective of feudal states, Emperor Shizu and Emperor Taizong were both good to King Wu Liu Hui. After all, the most civilized and relatively mature land in this continent was given to him.

The management of Brunei Island by the lineage of the King of Wu began in the fourth year of Yongxi. That year, King of Wu Liu Hui was sentenced to one year of imprisonment due to a "government corruption case". The power of the government was handed over to the crown prince Liu Wenyu, who was instructed to manage the fiefdom to avoid turmoil in the court.

Liu Wenyu immediately began to allocate money and food, recruit personnel, and prepare for the voyage. Led by Zheng Zhi, a military officer, he organized the first batch of "reclamation groups", with a total of about 2,000 people, including government retainers, servants, tenants, craftsmen, as well as sailors and militiamen recruited from society.

That winter, the reclamation group set sail from Shanghai Port and arrived in Brunei City in February of the fifth year of Yongxi, starting the official "reclamation". At that time, there were only a few hundred soldiers and tax officials stationed by Guo Liangping in Brunei City, who were considered official management personnel and could only maintain a basic and crude order. The actual operation of the city was decided by a group of Han clans and wealthy merchants.

This model lasted for almost ten years and developed quite well, but the conflicts, bloodshed and death that accompanied it are imaginable, and sin can often nurture the flowers of prosperity for a certain period of time.

With the arrival of the Wuguogong Mansion Reclamation Group, the local situation was immediately broken, because the person who was truly in charge and had the final say had come, both in name and in strength.

The arrival of the powerful dragon "Duke of Wu" means that Brunei City will move towards another order, which will inevitably lead to conflicts and redistribution of interests. This process is destined to be not smooth.

To be fair, the arrival of the government reclamation group did seem like they were taking advantage of the situation. This was difficult for the major families who had worked hard to run Brunei City to accept for a while. Under the psychological resistance, all kinds of overt and covert means of resistance emerged one after another.

However, although the little devil is difficult to deal with, the original Brunei territory was granted by the Emperor of the Han Empire and Lord Wu, and it has official justice, which is something that a group of so-called families cannot contend with.

Zheng Zhi, the military officer chosen by Liu Wenyu as the head of the reclamation group, was no ordinary man, at least not a good man. He was a man who had worked his way up from the grassroots level within the imperial system and had even visited and studied at the prison camp under the jurisdiction of the Wude Division.

Zheng Zhi was well aware of the tension and dissatisfaction among the major families in Brunei City, but he never took any action. His main focus was on the stability of the reclamation group, official contacts in Southeast Asia (especially Liangping Island), and raising the flag and signboard of the Wu Mansion to announce the arrival of the true owner of this city and land.

With the arrival of the second batch of reclamation groups from the government in the sixth year of Yongxi, Zheng Zhi, who was already familiar with the local conditions, took action. An action to regain power, or to establish authority, came swiftly.

Just like the appearance of the vast Nanyang region, the Han officials and civilians who went south to settle and cultivate the land were also infected with a lot of wildness, and even had less awe. Among several major families, some people even dared to resist, and openly carried knives.

A bloody battle was inevitable. Even some of the Han people who went south to "spread" civilization needed blood to clear their heads. Originally, there were "eight great families" in Brunei City. After the sixth year of Yongxi, there were only three left, and two of them were related to the imperial nobles. In the sixth year of Yongxi, there were not many imperial nobles who were willing to take root in Nanyang for development, but there were two in Brunei City.

After completing the basic reorganization and taking back power, the public reclamation group headed by Zheng Zhi officially began to operate the Brunei port city and its surrounding areas. In the Brunei Kingdom era, this area was mainly based on agriculture, with the benefits of fishing and salt, which were also what the Han people were good at, and they were almost seamlessly connected, and the Han people brought more advanced and sophisticated technical methods.

At the same time, commerce and small handicrafts were gradually developed, and the birth of several major families meant the local economy was accumulated. What Zheng Zhi did was to continue to grow and lay the foundation for the establishment of the state.

For a flower of civilization to grow and bloom, it needs sufficient nutrients. The nutrients that nourished the proud flower of the "Gou Wu Kingdom" in Southeast Asia mainly came from three sources. The first was the local fertile natural soil and water, the second was the local indigenous people and old citizens, and the third was the Han people who were continuously transported in through the South China Sea routes. Especially the third one, that was the foundation for the Han civilization to take root in this land.

Starting from the fifth year of Yongxi, every year the Wugong Mansion recruited people (including various technical men) from the mainland of the empire and transported them to the fiefdom from the coastal ports of the empire. The scale of each recruitment was not particularly large, with the largest number being more than 2,000 people and the smallest being several hundred to a thousand. It was carried out once or twice a year, but the key was to persist.

It was not until the 4th year of the Yongxi reign that the pace slowed down, mainly due to two factors. One was the cost issue. Even in the Yongxi era when shipbuilding technology, navigation technology and navigation routes were relatively mature, it would cost an average of guan of money per person to transport a person to the thousands of miles away Brunei Island through formal channels, even if the cost was reduced in the most extreme way.

This does not include the early recruitment of personnel, the preparation and supply of materials, and the settlement after arrival. The risks along the way are not ruled out. Ship capsizing at sea is common. Just from the population transportation of the Wu Mansion, no less than 4,000 immigrants died in the vast South China Sea. The loss of ships and personnel and the corresponding compensation are enough to make the Wu Mansion feel painful to the core.

The salaries and requirements of various technical personnel and administrative personnel are even higher, plus the administrative costs and losses in the process of reclamation and development. The accumulated expenses are an astronomical figure. There is no other way. The Duke of Wu's Mansion must do things "honestly" and follow the formal immigration procedures, and the cost is so high.

However, even with the wealth of the Wuguo Mansion, how long could it sustain such blood transfusion expenses? In fact, Liu Hui and Liu Wenyu, father and son, had persisted for eight or nine years and remained unshakable despite huge losses, which showed that they were determined.

This was perhaps the thing that King Wu Liu Hui insisted on most in his life, although the one who worked hard on this matter was Liu Wenyu (during those years, Liu Hui's main job was to drink and play the piano in the Taihe Tower and listen to people discuss politics).

Another factor was the internal conflict of the Wuguo Mansion, or more precisely, the conflict among Liu Hui's sons. Liu Hui had five sons, including the eldest son Wen Yu, and four younger brothers: Wen Bo, Wen Cong, Wen Yong, and Wen Bo.

Liu Hui had been oppressed politically since the late Kaibao period. Since his father was unsuccessful, it was difficult for his son to achieve anything in his official career. Therefore, although the sons of the Duke of Wu's Mansion each had their own businesses, they mainly relied on the Duke's Mansion for support.

On the issue of title, Liu Wenyu had the advantage of being the eldest son of the legitimate wife, and it was difficult to overturn it. However, there was a lot of room for discussion on the issue of property, and everyone was watching it closely, especially Liu Wenbo and Liu Wenyong, who were also legitimate sons, and they were extremely jealous.

Although the expansion of the principality was decided by Liu Hui, you, the eldest branch, are not allowed to transfer property so unscrupulously. That's two or three hundred thousand strings of cash. The brothers were extremely distressed and resentful when they saw it.

Therefore, the colonization of Brunei Island was obstructed by the government. Liu Wenbo and Liu Wenyong would go to the old man to complain and tell him about their grievances. The two brothers were right in saying that if they did not restrain themselves, the property of the government officials would be taken away by Liu Wenyu.
Due to these two factors, the blood transfusion from the Wuguogong Mansion in the Brunei direction slowed down and even stagnated. However, after nearly ten years of unremitting support and the hard work of Zheng Zhi and others, the development of Brunei has become more and more effective, not only in Brunei City, but also in almost the entire northern Brunei, officially covering the most traditional ruling areas of the former Brunei Kingdom.

During the Brunei Kingdom's rule, the population of the capital was over 10,000 at its peak. In the 12th year of Yongxi, this number in Brunei City had exceeded 20,000, of which more than half were Han people.

Being able to support a city of 20,000 people is itself a most intuitive demonstration of the achievements of development, after all, it means sufficient supply of goods. Of course, to achieve this level, the hard work and sacrifice involved are also immeasurable.

For the public office, the biggest loss was the death of Zheng Zhi, the main executor, the most important controller, and the greatest contributor in the early stage of the development. After long-term fatigue and hardship, he contracted an illness and died suddenly. What he left behind was a rudimentary Nanyang Wu Principality.

Of course, in addition to regretting Zheng Zhi's death, the Duke of Wu also gave him enough honors, and named him the Earl of Mayi, and his son Zheng Tai succeeded him. (Mayi is located more than 300 miles southwest of Brunei City. Zheng Zhi built a town there and named it Mayi. At the same time, the titles of the subordinate states of the major fiefdoms have one biggest difference from those in the empire, that is, they are hereditary and there is no such thing as demotion. This is also one of the reasons why many people in the empire are willing to venture out.)

At the same time, a temple and a monument were erected in the city of Brunei to commemorate Zheng Zhi's achievements and let future generations remember him forever. Because he was originally in charge of the development of Brunei as a military officer, the temple was named "Military Officer Temple". In Brunei, there was more than one military officer, but the Military Officer Temple commemorates Zheng Zhi alone.

Zheng Zhi died in the tenth year of Yongxi. After his death, Brunei City lost a person in charge. For his successor, the public office rebuilt a "management level". A situation like Zheng Zhi's monopoly was not allowed to happen, and the public office was also on guard.

Therefore, the new power was divided into three parts. Liu Chu, a local pioneer and hero in Brunei, was promoted to be in charge of military affairs. This man was a general from a noble family. Liu Wenyu also sent his confidant Wang Tai to be in charge of civil affairs.

More importantly, Liu Wenyu also sent his younger brother Liu Wenbo to Nanyang to take charge of the overall situation. Among Liu Hui's sons, Liu Wenbo, who was born out of wedlock, had the best relationship with Liu Wenyu, and they were very close. This matter was of great significance to the Wu Kingdom in Nanyang, as it meant that Liu Hui's lineage had officially taken a step towards Nanyang, which was a key and historic step.

In the 13th year of Yongxi, nearly ten years after the start of the colonization of Brunei Island, Liu Wenyu personally went out to sea and visited Brunei Island as the eldest son of the Duke of Wu and also as the host.

In addition to inspecting the achievements of the ten years of development, Liu Wenyu also announced the official establishment of the Wu Principality of Nanyang, which of course had first been recognized by the emperor and the court. Although Liu Hui, the monarch of the principality, was absent from the founding ceremony, it did not hinder its significance. The history of North Borneo Island had already opened a new chapter.

At the beginning of the founding of the country, in addition to rewarding meritorious officials, Liu Wenyu also renamed Brunei City to Chaohui City, taking the word "Hui" from the name of Wu Gong Liu Hui, which also expressed his good wishes for the new Principality of Wu.

It has to be said that the process of the colonization and establishment of the new Principality of Wu in Southeast Asia is textbook-level, and it basically and completely presents the process of a Han Dynasty fiefdom from scratch. It is by no means a matter of conferring a title with a golden book from the central court.

When Taizong passed away and Kangzong succeeded to the throne, Liu Hui was promoted to King of Wu, and his fiefdom was upgraded to a kingdom. In the court documents, it was recorded as "Gou Wu". Of course, it was also called Xin Wu among the people and in Southeast Asia.

Some people also call it Northern Wu, because Wu's main territory was in the northern part of Brunei Island, and it also occupied some land and towns along the northeastern and northwest coasts. As for the rest of Brunei Island, it was occupied by the Yong State established by Liu Chun and the Yue State established by Liu Han.

When Liu Wenji succeeded to the throne, Liu Wenyu, who had been ruling Wu as the crown prince since the reign of Emperor Kangzong, finally outlasted his father Liu Hui, who had played the zither for twenty years in Taihe Tower, and succeeded to the throne. At that time, he was already forty years old.
(End of this chapter)