Chapter 1176: Colonization Has Risks; Founding a State Requires Caution

Zhu Cilang was pouring cold water on a bunch of hot-headed princes and the "mad emperor" Chongzhen!

These people only saw that Zhu Cihuan had founded a state and made himself king on the far side of the ocean; they did not see how enormous a risk he had taken, nor how much effort and sacrifice he had put into the Kingdom of Jiaging.

Moreover, the two samurai groups of Shimazu and Hoshina bore an old grudge against each other, and no one knew when they might turn on one another in open strife. Zhu Cihuan's skill at smoothing things over could not be too poor, or else he would never have managed it!

Besides, the Kingdom of Jiaging was wedged between the United States of Xinzhou and the Kingdom of New Spain. Two great powers, one to the south and one to the north, both eyed it hungrily.

Of course, for now it did not matter. The Kingdom of Jiaging was presently a stretch of wilderness, with no Hollywood, no discovered gold mines, and no discovered oil, so naturally it drew no contention. But how much longer could California's gold stay hidden? Once the Chinese settlers there discovered it, could the Kingdom of Jiaging still rest easy?

Yet however uneasy the Kingdom of Jiaging might be, it had after all been established, and it could hold for some time. If Zhu Cihuan and his descendants were deft enough, it might well endure for many years.

But as for these princes before him, ready to sell the pots and pans and pool their resources to colonize in groups — ha, one fears they will not be so lucky as Zhu Cihuan!

If they blindly put to sea, in a few years they might well lose their entire stake, even have to sell their princely mansions to pay debts, and the whole family, young and old, would be sleeping in the streets!

The Retired Emperor Chongzhen frowned deeply and said, "Our son, do you mean that Cihuan's founding of a state and establishment of a fief on the continent of Xinzhou was pure luck, and that if others go overseas they will most likely fail?"

"Imperial Father," Zhu Cilang said with a smile, "all undertakings in this world are hard. Whatever one does, those who succeed are always the few, and those who fail are the many! How could the founding of a state be any exception? Since ancient times there have been a number of men in this line of work. How many succeeded? How many failed? The risks of this trade are not small!"

"But those were all men plying this trade in the Middle Kingdom!" Chongzhen said. "Unclaimed lands beyond our borders should not be so hard to take, surely?"

"Of course not!" Zhu Cilang said. "But what abilities does Imperial Father think those princes of yours who have not yet grown possess? And how much capability do the princes' sons and grandsons in the various princely mansions have? Can they truly accomplish so great an undertaking?"

Chongzhen was somewhat unconvinced and said, "Did Hehao not gain a United States? We have also heard that Our son intends to establish twelve kingdoms of ten thousand li in one stroke and pass them to your sons and grandsons. Is that pace not a little fast?"

Zhu Cilang smiled and shook his head. "Imperial Father, your son is, after all, the Son of Heaven, and his wealth fills the four seas! Moreover, the United States of Xinzhou was not built by your son's strength alone, but by the combined strength of many, with a capital of over a hundred million taels raised before it reached its present state. As for the twelve kingdoms of ten thousand li your son intends to newly establish, they are no great states, but merely twelve city-states meant to control the strategic chokepoint of the Malacca Strait. Small states with few people, yet situated on the vital route of maritime trade — though called states, each is in truth no more than a single city.

And your son will not send those princes who have not yet grown to manage the work of building colonies. They merely bear the title, and when they grow up they will simply pick up what is ready-made."

Zhu Cilang's eldest son, Zhu Hehao, was born in the first year of Hongxing and was seventeen by nominal age this year. He had just now gained admission to the Military Academy, and his title of King of the United States was nothing but an empty name — it was not yet time for him to make decisions. As for the lords of those twelve duchies, they were even younger and even less able to manage affairs.

So whether the United States or the twelve duchies, to put it plainly, they were all Zhu Cilang's own handiwork.

And Zhu Cilang himself was the richest man in the Great Ming and held the power of all under heaven, so naturally he was not to be compared with Chongzhen and a crowd of powerless princes.

After this dousing of cold water, the princes in attendance had already wilted somewhat.

So colonizing and founding states was not so easy — did these princes have what it took?

"Your Majesty," asked Zhu Yihai, Prince of Lu, "can this business of colonizing and founding states still be done at all?"

"It can!" Zhu Cilang said with a smile. "But it cannot be done blindly, nor can one greedily seek too much and too great. With Our financial and human resources, beyond the United States We can build at most twelve city-states. You princes formed six nation-founding groups at the very outset, and quarreled until you were red in the face — do you truly think the unclaimed lands of the world are so easily taken?"

"Our son," Chongzhen asked, "speak plainly — how should this business of colonizing and founding states be carried out?"

Zhu Cilang thought for a moment and said, "Take it slowly. First seek stability, then seek quality, and only last go all out at full speed. Otherwise, before the state is built, what will you do when the capital you princes have prepared is already spent?

If you want stability, then first establish a Kingdom of Luzon!"

"Just one state?" Chongzhen looked around at the roomful of princes, then thought of his own hundred-odd sons. "Not enough!"

"Get some practice first," Zhu Cilang said. "Founding a state and colonizing is not only a matter of money, but even more a matter of men! Do you have that many men to use? To say nothing else, who in this hall can go to the Kingdom of Luzon to serve as minister or general? Who knows how to build a city? Who knows how to open up land in the miasmic pestilential regions of the Southern Seas? Who knows how to make the finances of a Kingdom of Luzon ample?"

The princes stared at one another, wide-eyed — none of them knew!

Zhu Cilang swept his gaze over the assembly, then said to Chongzhen, "Imperial Mother told your son that the kingship of Luzon is to go to Third Brother's son, and We have already agreed. However, the state of Luzon can still be built by everyone together.

Luzon Island is not small; there is much land that can be opened up, and the territory is already in our hands. There are also the castles and ports left by the Spanish, so the foundation is good and can serve for everyone to practice on. There may not be many marquises of a thousand li to hand out, but there will be counts enough for all! One per family — as long as you can send men to the princely mansion on Luzon Island, each can obtain a countship in the Kingdom of Luzon.

Furthermore, however much capital each princely house puts up, We will lend the same amount, with no interest within ten years and no repayment of principal required within twenty years. What do you think?"

Emperor Zhu certainly did not wish the thirty-odd princely mansions in Yingtian Prefecture to end up going bankrupt one after another over this business of colonizing and founding states!

He genuinely hoped to open up a great host of Zhu-surnamed vassal states to expand the prestige of the Zhu Ming dynasty, so he had to plan carefully for these relatives of his, whose abilities and finances were both insufficient.

Of course, his putting up money and subsidizing interest to send these relatives — who could not even make pigs of themselves — overseas to start enterprises was not solely for the dynasty's continuation. It was truly because there was no one else to use.

The greatest difference between vassal states and directly governed provinces was that vassal states had a lord, while directly governed provinces were managed by "hired hands." And in the seventeenth century, provinces too far from the capital faced the problem that the whip could not reach so far, making effective governance difficult.

Therefore, establishing garrison commands and vassal states was an effective means of expanding the Celestial Dynasty's sphere of rule. And to establish vassal states, one had to have state lords!

Seeing that the princes' faces showed some disappointment, Zhu Cilang added, "A countship has a fief of two hundred fifty li square — that is a hundred thousand mu of land!

If it is truly to be developed, it will need at least five hundred households of people. And two hundred fifty li of land with five hundred households is no easy thing to govern well! If you can govern it well, only then will you truly have a foundation, and with that foundation you can go on to govern a thousand li of land and two thousand households. Once you have governed a thousand li of land and two thousand households well, then go govern a state of ten thousand li square, and perhaps you will not fail."

Zhu Yihai had once been lord of a prefecture, and he knew that governing land and overseeing people was no easy matter. He also knew that opening up two hundred fifty li square of land in Luzon and managing five hundred households well would be harder than managing a department or prefecture well in the Ming homeland. So he stroked his beard and said, "All that Your Majesty says is true, but to open up two hundred fifty li of land in Luzon and manage five hundred households well will surely take many years, will it not?"

"It will indeed take many years — some small success in five years, and a little visible achievement in ten." Zhu Cilang glanced at the already aging Prince of Lu. "To truly go step by step to a state of ten thousand li will likely take the strength of twenty or thirty years!

Prince of Lu, will you do it?"

"I will!" Zhu Yihai, Prince of Lu, nodded. "Those who came before planted the trees, and those who come after enjoy the shade. Now, if we want those who come after to enjoy the shade, we must plant the trees!"

"Well said!" Zhu Cilang clapped his hands. "Our generation is planting trees for those who come after. Even if it costs thirty years of effort, it is worth it to plant a towering tree for posterity! What do you all think?"

The princes all answered loudly, "We are all willing to plant trees for posterity!"

(End of Chapter)