My life skills in Daming Liver - Chapter 653

c643 Free navigation and open door

Shen looked around calmly and asked:

“How we treat Siam is our future diplomatic policy in the southeast. I wonder if the Governor and your lords want to act kingly or domineering?”

Everyone frowned. Everyone had experienced the transition between old Confucianism and new learning. Whether they were scholars from the Ming Dynasty or the Southeast, they all experienced Confucian education when they were young.

If it were in the past, everyone would naturally say “walk the king’s way” without hesitation. The king’s way is the foundation of the Confucian system, and the king’s virtues praised in Confucianism are the so-called “king’s way.”

Xu Wei asked:

“How about being domineering? What about being kingly?”

Shen Guanyi said:

“Being domineering means occupying land, dumping goods and commodities in these places like those in Europe, and driving local people into mines and plantations, so that they can continue to provide raw materials and markets for industrial products in the southeast.”

Everyone frowned. In fact, this kind of thing was already happening.

In some small places in Southeast Asia, some Chinese who went to Southeast Asia, and even some local merchants from the southeast, hired pirates or mercenaries to conquer some small kingdoms in Southeast Asia.

They formed various Southeast Asian colonial groups, captured these natives into plantations, and enslaved them to cultivate a series of tropical cash crops such as sugar cane and bananas.

The name is called the Colonial Expansion Group, but it is actually a matter of armed plunder.

Although some Confucian scholars condemned this colonial expansion in newspapers, the behavior of these merchants overseas did not violate the laws of the Southeast, as long as they did not abduct, sell, and enslave Han people.

In Annan, there are also many sugarcane plantation owners who purchase such slaves from other places because of insufficient production efficiency.

Is this what Shen Guangyuan refers to as domineering?

It seems that is really the case.

Xu Wei asked:

“Where’s the royal way?”

Shen Guanyi said:

“The king’s way is not to give up overseas, nor is it to send people to ask for rare treasures and establish worthless tribute trade like the Ming court.”

Shen Guanyi said:

“Bizong believes that in order to act kingly, we need to clarify the three overseas squares.”

“Free navigation of the oceans, open doors, and self-determination of nations.”

Everyone raised their heads and looked at Shen Yiguan. These three policies all sounded a bit abstract, and they all seemed to be related to trade. What did this have to do with the royal way?

Shen Guanyi said:

“The first is free navigation of the ocean. Our overseas income in the southeast is getting higher and higher, and trade has become an increasingly important financial pillar. There are many businessmen engaged in domestic trade, and what is the most important thing in trade? Naturally, it is the trade route. Safety.”

“The Governor is destroying pirates in Nanyang in order to ensure the smooth flow of trade in Nanyang. Only when the ocean is safe can free navigation be guaranteed.”

“In the future, my subordinates said that in the future, if some countries want to cut off routes and affect our southeastern foreign trade, what should we do?”

Everyone immediately began to think that free navigation seemed to be really important.

Shen Guanyi said:

“Here I propose a concept. Countries have land under their jurisdiction, which also includes oceans. However, if it is not for the sake of territorial security, blocking merchant ships is destroying free navigation. This is a challenge to our royal order, and troops should be sent out immediately. Conquered.”

Although he talks about the royal way, Shen has always been murderous.

Hu Zongxian, who had just completed the construction of the main irrigation canal in northern Jiangsu, returned to Nanjing. Although he was the Minister of Industry, he rarely attended cabinet meetings.

After hearing Shen Guanyi’s words, Hu Zongxian asked:

“The sea is freely navigable, but what about the rivers?”

Hu Zongxian pointed to the whole map of the world behind the cabinet. This was a precise map specially drawn under Su Ze’s order. It included the Central Plains region and the area currently ruled by the Southeast, including Annan and Korea.

The unexplored areas in the southeast were compiled from maps collected from other countries.

Hu Zongxian pointed to the Mekong River and said: “This river is called the Mekong River. It runs through the entire South Asian Peninsula and flows through Siam, Khmer, Myanmar and other countries. It is also a water freight hub. If someone cuts off this river, it will block our southeast What about trade?”

Shen Guanyi smiled and said: “Hu Gong’s high opinion is due to his humble position and lack of thoughtfulness! Navigation does not distinguish between inland rivers and open seas. This is true for both. If you want to become a vassal state in the southeast of me, you must accept free navigation!”

Hu Zongxian stopped talking, and Shen Yiguan continued:

“Opening the door is just a matter of trade restrictions.”

“European countries hope to set up tariffs, restrict the import of some products, and encourage the export of some goods.”

“This is naturally unfavorable to our southeastern trade. What we need is fair trade and free trade. The king’s way is to lead all countries to open their doors and not lock themselves in.”

Everyone nodded. In fact, this is what Southeast also insists on now.

Southeast’s commodity economy is strong, and the cost and price of products are much lower than those of foreign countries. The most profitable free trade is Southeast’s business activities.

Daze free trade can obtain a large amount of raw materials and wealth through free trade, which is much more convenient than using weapons and causes less resistance.

Free trade is not the first slogan put forward by Shen Guanguan. Nowadays, a large number of officials in the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Municipal Shipping Department believe that “free trade” should be made a national policy.

Opening up the door is for better free trade, and Shen Yiguan believes that these two aspects are complementary to each other.

First, free navigation is provided to ensure the transportation of goods, and then the door is opened to ensure that goods can be sold at low prices.

Everyone looked at him, but what did “national self-determination” mean?

Shen Guanyi said:

“Self-determination means allowing each nation to decide its own affairs.”

“For example, when Spain invaded Southeast Asia, it violated national self-determination and forcibly colonized other countries. When we established the Governor’s Palace in accordance with the requirements of the local Han people, we were complying with national self-determination.”

Everyone was a little nervous. Shen Guanyi was indeed a diplomat. He could tell everything inside and out with his mouth.

But everyone started thinking about the so-called national self-determination.

First of all, what kind of nation is this nation of self-determination?

Naturally, only ethnic groups recognized by the Central Plains can participate in national self-determination. This means that only ethnic self-determination supported by the Southeast can be national self-determination.

And within any country, there are also nations that want self-determination.

For example, within Myanmar, there are countless small ethnic groups who want independence.

Another example is that among the countries in Southeast Asia, there are also a large number of small states, and the system of Southeast Asia determines that there are a large number of small states.

If national self-determination is carried out on vassal states, it will create more small states that are easy to control, rather than forming a large and powerful country.

This is naturally a model that favors the Southeast.

Everyone looked at Shen Yiguan, this was a bit too kingly!