Chapter 1511: None of Them Are Good People, and They All Have Guns!

Prince Huai, Zhu Hekun, Prince De, Zhu Hezhen, Chief Councilor Kong Xingfan, Chief Grand Secretary Zheng Xi of the Grand Secretariat, Minister of War Chen Yonghua, Minister of Revenue Shen Shixing, and Military Advisor Sun Shining of the Grand General's Office all lived not far from the White House, and upon receiving news of the great victory at Golden Gate, they quickly hurried over to the White House.

Zhu Hehao had already changed into military dress, and with both hands resting on the hilt of his saber, he sat upright upon a throne at the head of a long table. Wu Ahuan, queen consort of the United States, sat on a chair to Zhu Hehao's right.

Led by Prince Huai and Prince De, the several United States officials who had arrived first performed obeisance toward Zhu Hehao and loudly proclaimed: "Your subjects humbly wish the King of the United States ten thousand blessings and golden peace!"

Zhu Hehao was thoroughly satisfied by his two brothers performing the rites of subjects toward him, and with a smile he nodded and said: "Sit, all of you. Second Brother, Fifth Brother, you are Our brothers, and also princes of the United States, about the same age as Us. Henceforth you need not perform the rites of subjects."

"Eldest Brother, what are you saying?" Zhu Hekun said with a laugh. "You are the sovereign and the eldest brother; Old Fifth and I are subjects and younger brothers. Hierarchy and deference must still be observed! Besides, the rites of the United States are light—it is no more than a bow with clasped hands."

Zhu Hezhen also laughed and said: "Eldest Brother, you are the sovereign, and Second Brother and I are subjects. This bit of ritual must still be kept; otherwise rites would collapse and music be corrupted. Chief Councilor Kong, you are the leader of our United States' Confucian school—wouldn't you say that is the proper principle?"

Kong Xingfan was the son of Kong Yinzheng. He had grown up "fierce, big, dark, and coarse," and lacked his father's great learning, so he had been packed off to the New Continent to fend for himself—who would have thought he would end up as Chief Councilor!

Of course, his post as Chief Councilor had been pushed through by Zhu Hehao, but he still had to give the local tyrant king a gentle rap, and at once said with a beaming smile: "Indeed, indeed—rites collapsing and music being corrupted will not do! Although every household in our United States has guns, if a million people are to hold together, without rites and law they would be shooting at each other every day!"

Minister of Revenue Shen Shixing was the academic laggard of the Shen Tingyang family (every family has its laggards!), and also an old New Continenter. With a wry smile he picked up the thread: "Only when granaries are full do people know propriety; only when well-fed and well-clothed do they know honor and shame—how much more so when every household has guns? Every household has guns, every household has land, every person eats meat—of course a little rites and law must be observed!"

The two old New Contineners sang in harmony, giving the local tyrant king a lesson in national conditions.

The local tyrant king smiled and did not raise the matter of sovereign and subject again—every household having guns was indeed a problem! Moreover, New Continent also had the problem that "when the people are rich, they are hard to govern." Compared with the Ming homeland, here in New Continent there were almost no poor people (there was certainly a gap between rich and poor, but no abject poverty), which made the price of hired claws here in the United States of New Continent far too high!

Even the local tyrant king could not afford to keep many hired claws.

Although he had won over some of the backbone of New Continent society through the "Sisters-in-Law Battalion," these people were not his die-hard loyalists. Even if they were die-hard loyalists, the cost of winning them over was far too high!

Under such circumstances, the local tyrant king's royal authority simply could not be boosted no matter what.

Seeing that everyone had taken their seats, Zhu Hehao said with a smile: "I take it you have all heard the news of the great victory at Golden Gate Bay?"

"We have heard, we have all heard!" Everyone nodded.

Kong Xingfan asked with a smile: "Great King, does this mean the Pacific coast is now ours to come and go as we please?"

Shen Shixing also asked: "Great King, should we not next attack the port of Acapulco?"

Zhu Hehao said with a smile: "How about advancing east first? Prince Huai's and Prince De's two nomadic chiliarchies are already prepared and can march east at any time. Moreover, because we have won a great victory at sea, New Spain and France will certainly deploy heavy troops at Mexico City and the port of Acapulco—sending our fleet and the Heavenly Dynasty's fleet to smash head-on against them would not be worth it!

And once France and New Spain station their heavy troops at Mexico City and Acapulco, the Great Plains will be empty and undefended. This is our chance to seize the Great Plains in one stroke!

Ministry of War, Military Advisor—what do you say?"

Say what?

Chen Yonghua and Sun Shining exchanged glances, both somewhat troubled. Chen Yonghua had come with Zhu Hehao, while Sun Shining was a "contract military advisor" whom the United States Ministry of War had "invited" from the Great Ming Heavenly Dynasty—both men were naturally inclined toward the local tyrant king.

And they understood what Zhu Hehao, Kong Xingfan, and Shen Shixing were contending over.

Zhu Hehao wanted to seize territory! While Kong Xingfan and Shen Shixing wanted to seize money and seize women—all of it the glorious capitalist highway of "building is not as good as buying, buying is not as good as seizing"! Only the direction of the plunder differed, and the interests represented differed as well.

Zhu Hehao was the "king of military households." The forty thousand households who had come with him from the Great Ming (including the former Shun prefectural troops) were his true base. These people had all come with their families in tow, and seizing a good territory in which to spread their branches and leaves was what served their interests—so they preferred advancing east.

Kong Xingfan and Shen Shixing represented the "old New Contineners"—that is, a crowd of academic-laggard nobles, stock refugees, gold prospectors, and fur traders.

The academic-laggard nobles wanted rich domains; the stock refugees wanted to make one great haul and then return home in glory; the gold prospectors and fur traders lusted after the bodies of white women and mixed Indian-Spanish women—so they did not want to advance east; they wanted to go south!

Advancing east offered only vast open lands, only bison, only the Great Soviet Union—no rich domains to exploit, no gold, silver, or treasure to seize, and no beautiful women. The Great Soviet Union of course had women too, but too few in number—not enough to go around—and they were also harder to seize.

Neither of these two gangs was made of good people, and both had guns!

"Great King," Sun Shining said with a furrowed brow, "advancing east is of course an arrow already on the string—the two great chiliarchies are ready and can set out at any time. But the opportunity to go south should not be missed either. Now the Pacific is ours to come and go, and the great fleet is all here with us."

Zhu Hehao said coolly: "The great fleet cannot be used for free."

Zhu Cilang and Zhu Hehao were father and son, after all—so of course accounts had to be settled clearly!

Previously the great fleet had wandered over to Golden Gate Bay on its own, so the expenses were naturally borne by itself. But if Zhu Hehao wanted to use it to attack New Spain's territories along the Pacific coast, the expenses would have to be borne by the United States of New Continent.

"Great King, the Ministry of Revenue has money!" Shen Shixing said at once. "If you do not wish to use the Ministry of Revenue's funds, that is no matter—this subject has ways to raise money without the state spending a single cent."

Well, of course—if you are going to seize money and seize women, why worry that no one will pay the ship fare?

Especially the women—Latin beauties! How many women could the local tyrant king manage to ship to New Continent in a year no matter how hard he tried? Too many wolves and too little meat—not enough to go around!

Kong Xingfan said with a smile: "Great King—you need not worry about the matter of money, and the elite troops to lead the assault need not come from us either. Let the King of Jiaqing provide them. He has always wanted to trade his territory—let him go."

The King of Jiaqing's men had long gnashed their teeth at Mexico City—they were the eighth-class "Wa" of the Kingdom of New Spain!

It was too humiliating—why should they be eighth-class people?

Chen Yonghua said in a low voice: "Great King, the King of Jiaqing being in the south is, after all, not safe. Better to let him go south and make his bid—if he can take Mexico City, he will not come back again."

The King of Jiaqing, Zhu Cihuan, was always a threat to Zhu Hehao—and Zhu Hehao had no way to eliminate him! Because the gun-toting mobs of the United States of New Continent all recognized the King of Jiaqing, and the King of Jiaqing had a samurai army in his hands with very strong fighting power.

Zhu Hehao was finally persuaded, and nodded: "Then we shall divide our forces into two routes—one advancing east, one advancing south. Which of you will make a trip to Angel City? To discuss the matter of the southern advance with my Fifth Uncle?"

"Great King, this subject will make the trip to Angel City!" Kong Xingfan said.

Zhu Hehao glanced again at Chen Yonghua.

Chen Yonghua immediately grasped the local tyrant king's meaning, and at once rose and requested the mission: "Great King, let this subject go together with the Chief Councilor!"

Zhu Hehao nodded and said: "Very well, then—you shall go together." He paused, then continued slowly: "Discuss with him the matter of transferring the Kingdom of Jiaqing's fief. Although the Kingdom of Jiaqing's land is barren, it was enfeoffed by the Heavenly Dynasty and cannot be changed casually.

However, this king can petition the court on his behalf to transfer the fief to Mexico City. But once he transfers the fief, the land the Kingdom of Jiaqing currently holds will have to be exchanged to another prince."

(End of Chapter)