Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

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The prime minister and prince of Srivijaya plotted a rebellion, which was swiftly suppressed by the old king.

The prime minister was executed, and the prince fled to his maternal grandfather's country, the Java Kingdom, located on the island of Java, which also had some territory on the island of Sumatra.

The old king was extremely respectful to the Ming Dynasty, which made it difficult for the envoys to take action, otherwise the diplomatic repercussions would be too severe.

After all, the envoys from various countries were watching.

The military expedition to Ceylon was intended to restore the prince's kingdom and, incidentally, to demonstrate military might to envoys from other countries.

Attacking innocent vassal states without justification will only make the envoys of those states wary and cause them to harbor great suspicion towards the Ming Dynasty.

The two sides then engaged in friendly exchanges. Cheng Yu commended Srivijaya for its respect, and Srivijaya in turn sent envoys to accompany the delegation to pay tribute.

The fleet stopped at the outer harbor of Guangzhou.

Those willing to sell their goods went to trade, damaged ships were towed away for repairs, and horses disembarked for treatment and rest.

While the ship was being repaired, Cheng Yu led envoys from various countries to Guangzhou to broaden their horizons.

Before we even arrived at our destination, we saw a huge construction site.

The official from the Maritime Trade Office who was responsible for leading them to Guangzhou pointed to the construction site and explained, "A new city is going to be built there. Guangzhou was expanded many times during the Song Dynasty, but the population growth was too fast. After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, maritime trade was encouraged, and many farmers from the surrounding areas were attracted here."

Distorted urbanization.

Many prefectures and counties in Guangdong are sparsely populated, but Guangzhou is densely populated, with a large number of farmers coming here to make a living.

Although local officials reduced taxes and encouraged land reclamation, some farmers were still unwilling to cultivate land in the mountains and were determined to come to Guangzhou to work.

Cheng Yu stood at the bow of the riverboat, carefully observing the surroundings, and asked, "How much are you planning to expand it?"

An official from the Maritime Trade Office said, "Expanding to the east and north will increase the area by about one-sixth."

"After its completion, Guangzhou became even more prosperous," Yu Yunwen remarked.

At that time, Guangzhou consisted of three cities.

The inner city was located in the area of ​​what would later become the municipal government, and was expanded during the mid-Northern Song Dynasty.

Today, all the official institutions of Guangdong Province, including the Three Offices of the State Administration of Customs, the Maritime Trade Office, and the Guangzhou Prefectural Government, are located within the inner city.

To the west of the inner city is the western city, which is also a historically significant old city. The Nanhai County government office is located there, and it has the largest area.

To the east of the inner city is the eastern city, which was expanded in the late Northern Song Dynasty. The Panyu County government office was located in it, and it was the smallest in area.

Each of the three cities had its own city walls, and they were connected by a city gate in the middle.

If we include the miscellaneous staff of the delegation, there are several hundred envoys from various countries.

They arrived at the East City Wharf in Guangzhou by boat. The envoy from the small country was already amazed by the magnificent city walls, while the envoy from the large country was simply admiring the prosperity of the place.

In particular, the envoys from Persia, Egypt, and India were worldly-wise.

Anwari asked, "Is this the residence of a governor of the Ming Dynasty?"

Cheng Yu said, "It can be compared to this. The Ming Dynasty divided the country into multiple provinces, and each province was further divided into multiple prefectures, states, and counties."

"This city is called Guangzhou, and it is the capital of Guangdong Province."

Where is the most magnificent wall of the Seljuks?

“The Caliph lives in the compound of Baghdad,” Anwari said.

Cheng Yu then asked, "How high are the walls of Baghdad?"

Anwari said, "It's about twice the height of the Guangzhou city wall."

"The Caliph's residence is indeed a giant city," Cheng Yu couldn't help but exclaim.

Baghdad's circular city is a city with an outer wall that is about 24 meters high and is made entirely of brick and stone.

There were residences and shops inside the city, but most people lived outside the city.

Because a circular enclosure, four miles in diameter, was set up in the center of the city and commoners were forbidden from entering, the Caliph's palace was built in the center of the enclosure.

This resulted in half of Baghdad's urban space being off-limits to civilians.

As Anwari followed the others into the eastern part of the city, his emotions grew stronger.

Although Guangzhou was not as magnificent as Baghdad's Fortress, most of its people lived inside the city and were protected by the city walls.

However, the Baghdad city wall excluded many people, and the vast majority of civilians had to live around the city wall.

“Silk! So many people are wearing silk!” a messenger suddenly exclaimed.

Without him even having to shout, the envoys from various countries were already dazzled by the sheer number of people.

From the Song Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, Guangzhou maintained this layout.

The western part of the city is a residential area, the central part (sub-city) is an administrative area, and the eastern part is a commercial area—each city has residential buildings, but we will only discuss their main functions here.

At this moment, the group is touring Dongcheng, the most prosperous area of ​​Guangzhou, which is home to merchants from all over the world.

Anwari even saw several people wearing robes and turbans. He went up to one of them and asked, "I am from Seljuk. May I ask what country you are from?"

Chapter 3664 The Country Bumpkin Enters the City

“I come from Muscat (a port in Oman).” The merchant was not enthusiastic, because they belonged to different countries and religious sects.

Anwari then asked, "Are you settling here?"

The merchant said, "Siphas cut off merchant ships between the East and the West. I am no longer willing to take the risk and have settled in Guangzhou for twenty years."

“I have shops in the East District, but I usually live in the West District, where I can buy a bigger house.”

"So, are you now considered a citizen of the Ming Dynasty?" Anwari asked.

The merchant smiled and said, "Of course, I registered my household long ago. My Chinese name is Li Wanli. My name is Ali, so my surname is Li."

"Ten thousand miles represents that I came from a faraway place."

"It's more peaceful here, there's no war, and the exploitation from the nobles isn't as severe."

The two talked for a long time before Li Wanli, the merchant, took his leave.

His hometown used to be part of Seljuk territory, but it gained independence during a period of internal strife and is now controlled by the Yahmad tribe.

The Azd tribe, which lives nearby, has been at war with the Yahmad tribe for a long time.

The commercial taxes there were getting heavier and heavier, and Li Wanli didn't like doing business and living in his hometown.

Although he didn't like some of the Ming Dynasty's policies.

For example, when reducing the number of temples and shrines in Guangzhou, all the temples that could be used for worship were demolished.

For example, the government enacted laws requiring these overseas residents to marry Han Chinese from the Ming Dynasty. Violations were met with immediate confiscation of property and expulsion.

Several foreign merchants, defying the superstition, were reported and all their property was confiscated. Their entire families were forced to leave the outer port and find their own way out.

Li Wanli's youngest son married a poor Han Chinese woman.

Wealthy families would not marry their daughters to people of other races; he could only spend money to hire a matchmaker to help him find a daughter-in-law who was educated.

His eldest granddaughter also got married, to the son of one of his servants, and received a considerable dowry.

Although his grandson-in-law came from a humble background, he was intelligent and quick-witted, and Li Wanli planned to groom him well.

He understood what it meant to be emperor.

It simply meant that these people of different ethnicities would be integrated into the Ming Dynasty, abandon their original surnames and beliefs, and after several generations of intermarriage, they would completely become Han Chinese.

Even though Li Wanli was extremely dissatisfied, he still chose to stay.

What else can we do?

Should they return to their hometown to continue being ruled and exploited by the tribe?

He had grown accustomed to the hustle and bustle of Guangzhou, and he would find it impossible to adjust to life back home.

In addition, their faction is relatively moderate and open-minded.

Its logo is not green, but rather light blue.

The laws and customs of the Ming Dynasty were actually more suitable for them than those of Persia and Egypt!

……

The envoys from various countries stayed in Guangzhou for more than twenty days, waiting until the ships were repaired before setting sail.

Anwari traveled all over the three cities of Guangzhou, but he actually didn't see a single beggar.

Police officers patrolled the city every day, and if they saw a healthy beggar, they would send him directly to the orphanage. Once he recovered, they would send him to Guangxi to replenish the population.

If the police find a beggar with physical disabilities, they become even more excited and will interrogate him repeatedly about whether he has been subjected to forced mutilation or other forms of animal cruelty. Solving a major case can earn them merit!

Anwari was unaware of these things. After exchanging views with envoys from various countries, he visited welfare institutions such as orphanages and charity homes.

Ultimately, everyone agreed that the Ming Dynasty was very wealthy and could support all its citizens, and that the weak would be properly cared for.

With the help of monsoons and ocean currents, the fleet arrived in Shanghai with favorable winds and currents.

Haimen, located on the north bank of the Yangtze River, ultimately lacks a solid foundation as a port, as it does not have enough sources of cargo to support it.

And what about Shanghai?

The Shanghai Office (located at the mouth of the Songjiang River) was established during the Northern Song Dynasty and is now flourishing. It is estimated that it will be upgraded to the Shanghai Division in another ten years.

The place is relatively simple, and the dock was expanded three years ago. It is currently just a small commercial town.

The buildings were a mess, completely unplanned, and even included a lot of shacks.

The envoys from various countries finally breathed a sigh of relief; not every place in the Ming Dynasty was as prosperous as Guangzhou.

After waiting for several days, the group transferred to inland river boats.

If any country sends a ship to China, the ship will be temporarily entrusted to the Shanghai Maritime Affairs Bureau for safekeeping.

After passing Jiangyin, we arrived at Runzhou (Zhenjiang).

Runzhou's prosperity and wealth surpassed that of Guangzhou. Continuing north to Yangzhou, even the most worldly envoys were so astonished that they were speechless.

What a huge city, with countless people and a dazzling array of goods.

"Brahma above!"

The envoy from Solanchi (Gujarati, India) clasped his hands together and knelt down directly in the center of Yangzhou.

The Fatima (Egyptian) envoy mistakenly entered a porcelain shop; the entire street was lined with porcelain vendors.

Looking at the various kinds of porcelain, he felt as if his legs were made of lead and he could hardly walk. He muttered to himself, "If I transported these porcelains to Cairo, I could probably exchange them for a city!"

The Seljuk envoy Anwari spent a whole day exploring Yangzhou, but still couldn't see the whole city.

He returned to the ship and asked Cheng Yu, "How many cities like this does the Ming Dynasty have?"

Chapter 3665 Horse Farm

Cheng Yu spouted nonsense: "Less than twenty seats."

"That's more than ten..."

Anwari found this unbelievable and asked again,

How many residents does Yangzhou have?

Cheng Yu said, "Several hundred thousand."

Anwari remained silent.

The Seljuks also had large cities, such as Baghdad, with a combined population of about 300,000 inside and outside the city.

But most of them lived outside the city and were very poor.

Where can it compare to Yangzhou?

When these guys traveled north by boat and showed them around Kaifeng, everyone was stunned into silence.

Although Kaifeng was no longer the capital, it still retained its status as a secondary capital and served as a transit point for goods from all over the country to be transported to Luoyang.

After experiencing a drop in housing prices during the relocation of the capital, Kaifeng's housing prices have now recovered somewhat.

Moreover, an increasing number of merchants from other places are choosing to move to Kaifeng to settle down.