Li Guozhu agreed and said, "Mekong Province has just been established. I think there is great potential for development. We can establish a business here, even if it is just a transit port."
Li Dan pondered for a moment and said, "Old Yan is optimistic about Dongfan, and I, your father, also think that Dongfan has a good geographical location. As for Mekong Province, you've been there before and seem to have witnessed the military's combat capabilities. Since you think it's a good place to establish a base, I'm sure there's no force nearby that can resist the army."
Li Guozhu chuckled and said, "Compared to the imperial navy and army, the water Zhenla, Champa, and the Vietnamese are nothing but chickens and clay dogs, and cannot withstand a single blow."
Li Dan nodded slightly and said, "In that case, I'll leave this matter to you. Old Yan is not doing his job properly, and the Maritime Merchants Association needs to be in charge of my father, so he really can't get away."
"Don't worry, father." Li Guozhu promised, "I will definitely take care of this matter."
After hesitating for a moment, Li Guozhu said, "Father, your Majesty is favoring us. Could you please write to Your Majesty and ask for your care in Mekong Province?"
Li Dan frowned and shook his head, saying, "What do you mean by 'the emperor is favoring you?' But don't let outsiders hear it, or they'll laugh at you. As for petitioning for the emperor's reign, it's not appropriate at this time. Putting forward conditions right after receiving a promotion seems like asking for more."
Li Guozhu nodded and said, "I was reckless. Father is absolutely right."
"With our family's strength, it seems no one can challenge us in establishing a presence in Mekong Province." Li Dan said with confidence, "Of course, receiving a few words from Wansui should make things even smoother. I've made a note of this and will discuss it later."
"And..." Li Dan pointed at Li Guozhu and solemnly instructed, "Pay close attention to Luzon. Inquire carefully about any merchants coming and going, and record their information."
Li Guozhu blinked his eyes and agreed readily. He knew that his adoptive father had a grudge against the Spaniards, but it would be difficult for him to take revenge as a maritime merchant!
Li Dan not only told his adopted son about this, but he was also secretly doing these things. In his opinion, Wansui's ambition was definitely not limited to just Mekong Province.
Despite the enormous costs of the Liaodong War, the Emperor continued to expand the navy, purchasing and building cannons to equip warships. He would never have done this if he had no further plans.
Of course, this was just speculation. But Wansui's recruitment of these merchants gave him some clues. If the Spanish dared to attack Chinese merchants again, Wansui would probably not give up.
"Not only Luzon, but also other small overseas countries, as well as the situations of the Western barbarians in various countries, must be inquired and recorded." Li Dan suddenly remembered something and added.
Li Guozhu quickly agreed, but he didn't know that his adoptive father remembered the Pacification Office and had sent someone to find him, asking him to provide convenience for some people to go out to sea by boat.
Now think about it, if they are from the Zhenfu Division, who else could it be besides the Jinyiwei? And who is the superior of the Zhenfu Division? Is it hard to figure it out?
Zhu Youxiao was not the first to use merchants as spies or to gather intelligence. He was simply following suit and preparing for overseas expansion.
To put it bluntly, expansion is plunder. The Little Ice Age wasn't a localized disaster; the entire world was affected.
There are many reasons why the disaster had such a great impact on the Ming Dynasty, but the Western barbarians did reduce the impact of the disaster through foreign plunder.
The Ming Dynasty had both the conditions and the strength, so why should it sit back and do what it has done?
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Mekong Province, named after the Mekong River, was considered by many to be an overseas territory, despite the presence of governors and other officials, as well as a permanent navy and army.
This was something Zhu Youxiao did not want to see. Because in the eyes of ordinary people, if it was the territory of the Ming Dynasty, relocation and residence would be acceptable, after all, there were many preferential conditions.
However, if they were to go to overseas, their enthusiasm would inevitably be dampened. Therefore, the first batch of immigrants in Mekong Province were mainly navy and military, as well as their families.
Without enough manpower, how can we reclaim more arable land and make good use of this good place to grow rice three times a year?
To this end, Zhu Youxiao formulated more favorable policies to attract the people, and specifically issued an edict to officials in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, asking them to relocate disaster victims to Mekong Province when disasters occurred in their local areas.
Disaster victims often lose everything in disasters, so they naturally don't have much choice.
Perhaps, using Mekong Province as the place where the vassal king is enfeoffed is a good way to calm people's hearts and enhance the status of Mekong Province.
Zhu Youxiao touched his chin and thought of several princes in the capital.
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