New Shun 1730

Compared to Quan Zheshen who thought so much, Zhao Liben, who was looking for his brother, had much simpler ideas.

He had no feelings for these people who sat on the ground peeling coconuts, whether it was pity, empathy or anything else.

When he was digging gold in Huanglongfu, it was much harder than this. Every day, he would carry a few people outside.

He was lucky. He survived the hard times and had some small capital in his hands. Perhaps the only feeling was that he would not have to live such a life in the future.

As for whether his brother was dead or alive, it was hard to say.

I heard that there were many diseases in Nanyang, but if he died of the disease, it could only be considered bad luck.

Another thing was to look at these tall coconut trees. After escaping from the gold mine, every year, people could hear that someone fell to death while picking pine nuts and pine cones. This could only be said to be left to fate.

These days, if you work outside and die, no one will compensate you. After running away from the gold mine, he witnessed with his own eyes that someone in the town’s cart shop had malaria, and there was almost still hope, but he was carried out directly. If he hadn't been lucky enough to have crawled back in the middle of the night and only lost a few toes due to freezing, there would have been another dead body.

To be honest, it's normal for people to die in places like the black gold mine. But in fact, it's normal to die in towns after leaving the gold mine. They are all immigrants, and no one cares if they die.

Generally speaking, officials don't investigate unless the people report it. The so-called order of Dashun is the three miles around the violence agencies in each city.

People like Zhao Liben, even if they know that their brother is dead, they may just squat down and smoke a cigarette, and then do what they should do.

There have been many deaths and many encounters, and they already think it's very normal.

With only a little hope left, Zhao Liben found the owner of the plantation.

The owner of the plantation became much more polite when he saw Quan Zheshen and Zhao Liben's dress. In this day and age, if you can come to Ceylon and are not wearing work clothes, no matter whether it is a long gown or not, you may not be able to provoke it.

Especially when Quan Zheshen spoke, he had a strong flavor of Jiao Liao Mandarin, and the owner of the plantation was even more polite.

Weihai is the place where the new practical learning of Dashun started. The naval officers, the earliest sailors, and the marines were basically the first recruits from Dengzhou Prefecture.

After the first batch of practical students were scattered and blossomed, they became the intermediate force in the transformation period of Dashun.

Most of these people should not be judged by appearance. Maybe their brothers, sisters, parents, etc. may have some kind of relationship, which can be regarded as an era feature in the modernization process of Dashun.

After politely asking about the purpose of the visit, Zhao Liben said his younger brother's name.

He only said that he had something to do at the time and left home in a hurry, so his younger brother came to Ceylon with the labor dispatch company. The plantation owner was even more respectful when he heard it, thinking that the one who left home in a hurry at that time and was from Huainan was probably either the leader of the rebellion or the backbone of the uprising. How could he afford to provoke such a person?

He quickly took out the roster, checked it, and said with a smile: "Brothers, this person did work for me for a period of time. But the contract he signed with the labor dispatch company was only a few years. After the contract expired, he stopped working for me."

"Let's not beat around the bush. As the saying goes, people go to high places and water flows to low places. We can't pay too much money in our plantation. When his contract expired, he went to Baoshi City to make a fortune. There were workers being recruited there, so he went there."

"We all remember it here, for fear of something happening in the future. Look, this is your brother's handprint."

Zhao Liben himself didn't know how to read, but after these days of communication, he knew that this "Brother Zhao" in front of him was not an ordinary person. He knew how to read, which was amazing, so he asked Quan Zheshen to take a look.

Quan Zheshen glanced at it and found that it was indeed a deed.

The general idea was that the labor dispatch company's contract had expired, and this person could be hired as an idle worker and choose his own job. It happened that someone in Baoshi City was recruiting workers, so he went there.

There were a lot of handprints and names printed densely below, and it seemed that they were all from the same group of people.

So Quan Zheshen nodded, indicating that Zhao Liben was indeed the case, and asked: "Where is this Gem City?"

"Oh, this Gem City was not originally called Gem City. The people here call it Ratnapura, which means Gem City if translated. His Majesty the Emperor bought this place out, and many people have mined and dug for treasures there in recent years, and the population is gradually increasing..."

The plantation owner explained briefly, and saw Zhao Liben groan and his face changed slightly.

However, he didn't say anything else, just drooped his face, thanked him, and left the plantation.

As soon as he went out, Quan Zheshen asked curiously: "Brother Zhao, why is this?"

Zhao Liben sighed and said: "Gold, silver, and gems, nine deaths and one life. I'm afraid my brother...ah."

Although the two of them were also predestined, and there was also a half-life-saving grace, but what Zhao Liben had experienced in the past, he never told Quan Zheshen.

Speaking of it, it's all trouble. During the riot, the people were really bloodthirsty, especially the Koreans who were slaves in the gold mine at that time. The means of revenge were really cruel. After the riot, some supervisors and guards were torn off their clothes and tied naked to trees.

In the deep mountains and old forests, gadflies, mosquitoes, horseflies, small bites... In a short time, the big gadflies can bite people to a bloody mess, and the fresh smell of blood will soon attract more insects. The revengers were tied up and couldn't move. They could only watch the insects sucking blood and slowly flying away, calling friends to come.

Zhao Liben was in Huainan that year, just because of the salt policy reform, he burned a few houses.

Over there, it really killed people.

Gold is enough to make people lose their humanity, not to mention gems that sound more expensive?

Since he had experienced it, when he thought of the mine, he felt that his brother might be... gone.

Quan Zheshen saw that he looked unhappy, and thought that if that was the case, it seemed right for his country not to mine gold and silver. This person must have worked in the mine... After all, the ancient scholars saw clearly the theory of mining ban.

With such random thoughts, he asked about the location of the gem city, but he didn't expect that a kind-hearted person who pulled a cart said: "Since you are going there, get on the car. I am just going to deliver some goods there. I won't charge you. When you get to the town ahead, just buy me a pack of cigarettes."

Zhao Liben was stunned. He didn't expect it to be like this.

His limited experience in gold mines made him have a deep prejudice against gold and silver mines. But he also felt that this place seemed a little different. The mine he was in, and the contacts with the outside world were all miners, but there was no such person pulling a cart to deliver goods.

And there is a town ahead?

If there is a town, it may not be a bad thing. If it is really hard, can't you run away?

Thinking of this, he ignited a glimmer of hope.

However, his "prejudice" is not without reason.

Not to mention the gold and silver mines, even the Xishan coal mine that started to be mined in the Ming Dynasty, how many cases of abduction and trafficking of men and women at Lugou Bridge, and how many people died.

That is still the standard foot of the emperor.

Zhao Liben was worried and sat in the carriage without saying a word. I don't know what he was thinking. Maybe he was mentally prepared to find that his brother was dead after he went there.

Quan Zheshen observed everything around him along the way and found that the Han flavor here was already very strong.

Many places along the way are rice fields or coconut groves in villages and communities.

There will be some simple water conservancy projects around the rice fields. There is no river here, but it rains a lot, so some reservoirs need to be built to accumulate rainwater when it rains, and irrigation can be carried out when necessary.

It may not be used, but once it is used, it will be infinitely useful.

These water conservancy facilities and housing styles are very Chinese, and Quan Zheshen can still see it at a glance.

However, wherever he looks, he can only see these superficial things.

In fact, the biggest impact of Dashun's rule over the southwest region of Ceylon, or the biggest part of Chineseization, is the "secularization" of the southwest lowland of Ceylon.

Dashun actually doesn't understand the "artisan household" system very well, so it is not very adaptable to Ceylon's serious caste division of labor system.

For the Dutch or Portuguese, they don't like more of their own people to come here and affect the company's profits. And even if they like it, their population is destined to be impossible to bring nearly 200,000 people here in a few years like Dashun.

So they prefer to use the caste system here.

Dashun is not the case.

How to change the native system?

There is a model in the southwest region.

Moreover, the economic base determines the superstructure.

Before the colonial invasion, Ceylon's small peasant economy was destined to determine the caste level.

Under the kingship, there are high castes, and the sub-castes within the high castes include most farmers.

However, with the arrival of the Portuguese, the Dutch, and finally the Dashun, the situation changed.

First, the Portuguese promoted Catholicism on a large scale, which led many people of low castes in Buddhism to convert to Catholicism.

The high castes have a deeper belief in Buddhism, and most of them choose to flee to the mountains, which frees up a lot of land.

And the Kavala caste, which fishes and collects pearls, is not welcome in the characteristic Buddhism of Ceylon because fishing is killing.

For example, the Saragama caste rubs cinnamon bark, which is similar to the Baiding caste in Korea and is also a low caste.

There is also the Duwara caste, which burns lime, and is also a low caste.

The problem is that with the Dashun occupying the southwestern part of Ceylon, the Dashun's commercial capital came to make money, and soon brought the secularization trend in Dashun.

What is secularization?

When Yangzhou students flattered the salt merchants, the scholars who traveled here exclaimed that the world was turned upside down. This is called secularization.

Pearl mining, cinnamon planting, lime burning, construction and other industries are the real money-making industries and the industries that Dashun really cares about.

Farming? Does Dashun need these high-caste people to farm? Is farming difficult?

Dashun has no interest in occupying the entire Ceylon, not even a little interest.

The amount of money determines social status.

The low-caste fishing and pearl mining, lime burning and construction, and cinnamon planting are not only industries that make money by being pulled into world trade, but also talents urgently needed by Dashun capital.

Dashun capital has no interest in maintaining a small peasant economy and growing rice here.

Therefore, these low-caste craftsmen soon created a group of people who became rich with Dashun's colonial rule.

It's a very simple story. A low-caste Duwara who was supported by Dashun and opened a large lime factory earned 18,000 taels of silver a year. At this time, he met a high-caste small landlord. The small landlord said that he was a high-caste and you were a low-caste. Would the lime factory owner serve him humbly? Or would he take out 20 taels of silver and let the bodyguard beat him up?

The etiquette and music had already collapsed in Dashun, let alone in this marginal capital-dominated area. Where was the etiquette and caste?

In the past, a large number of high-caste people fled to the mountainous areas. Now, the plantation industry in the lowlands is basically based on the Fubing village community and plantations in Dashun.

Soon, the "Religious Reform", which may be inevitable for countries to adapt to their economic foundation, broke out in the Dashun occupied area of ​​​​Ceylon under the influence of Dashun.

It is somewhat similar to the Xinxue and Taizhou studies of the previous dynasty.

A "Buddhist Restoration Movement" called the Gray Clothes Sect, which merged primitive Buddhism, Chinese Buddhism, and Siamese regional sects, broke out. Religious reforms always come under the banner of restoration, and they can only carry out ancient reforms. This set.

Two demands.

First, the Sangha abolishes caste restrictions and restores the Buddha's concept of equality for all living beings.

The second is to accept the official management of Dashun, and monks in the Sangha are willing to accept official ultimatums.

Needless to say, the class basis of this gray sect is the Saragama, Kavala, and Duvala castes that were originally low castes, but whose economic level has been boosted as they were involved in world trade.

Soon, the Gray Clothes Sect quickly swept through the southwest region under the influence of Dashun's ban on religion. In itself, what many Sinhalese people call "taking refuge in the embrace of the Lord" is that they can make the sign of the cross and go in to worship when they see a temple.

As for how much Buddhism there is in this... I can only say that a caste that engages in the life-killing industry of fishing for pearls can believe that their fishing for pearls will not affect reincarnation, and it can be roughly guessed.

Dashun is of course happy to do this, which is very conducive to Dashun's rule in the southwest region.

If you go there now, you should still be able to see the remnants of this "religious reform". Looking at the color of the monks' clothes, the bright red ones are caste-like and the gray ones are caste-free. World trade in the 18th and 19th centuries promoted the economic status of handicraftsmen.