The sun never sets in America

Chapter 310 Philippine Colony

At Manila City Hall, a Spanish flag slowly lowered. Immediately afterwards, another red and black dragon flag slowly rose into the sky.

Under the stage, stood a big-nosed foreigner in military uniform with a "painful" expression. He even closed his eyes when the black and red flags were raised. For a Spanish nobleman, there is nothing more painful than this.

Contrary to him, there was a white-faced man with a short beard next to him. When the man saw the Spanish flag falling, he almost shouted. It was not until the secretary reminded him that he slowly recovered.

"Hello, Governor Hukant."

"Hello, Governor Lu!!"

After the handover, Lu Ting shook hands with the governor in front of him. When shaking hands, there was an unconcealable smile on his face, while Hukant, who was opposite him, reluctantly said a few words about "the friendship between the two countries." , and left here in a hurry.

Not wanting to stay for a minute longer, I took the already prepared passenger ship and left Manila, this sad place.

That night, the fireworks over Manila never stopped. The local Chinese performed dragon and lion dances to celebrate the arrival of the "King Master". Even when the army entered the city, they prepared meals and so-called "customs" .

Although in the eyes of the Spaniards, all this was naked collaboration with the enemy, but in the eyes of the local Chinese, their lives became stable with the arrival of the Han Dynasty.

In the history of Manila, or the Philippines, there have been many massacres and plunders against the Chinese. Even after the rise of the Han Dynasty, the Spaniards' attitude towards the Chinese became much more polite, but second-class citizens are indeed not meant to be treated by humans. .

In the Philippines, although the Chinese can live a normal life, in the eyes of the Spanish colonists, these people are here to pay taxes, and they are even the so-called "tax farmers."

Therefore, taxes on the Chinese are always higher than those on the indigenous people. This is not only the tradition of the Philippines, but also the tradition of the entire Southeast Asia. In the eyes of the colonists, the Chinese are producers and providers, but they are not the masters. Not even a deputy position.

The Chinese who worked in the colonies were basically small-time local people. The police chief, or some financial official, was their top line.

As for going up further, no, it's directly to the ceiling.

The local Chinese businessmen also always have to look at the faces of those colonial masters. Except for the so-called "jazz" and a certain medal that was presented to scare people, they are basically useless. They are basically mascots to "fool" the Chinese.

This is also the fundamental reason why the development of Han Dynasty in Nanyang was so smooth. It was essentially caused by the Chinese people's insecurity and inferior status.

It was also because of such an embarrassing situation that the Han rule in the Philippines, especially in the core area of ​​Luzon Island, quickly stabilized with the help of the local Chinese, even far exceeding the imagination of the Spaniards.

Before leaving, Spain went around publicizing the brutality of the Han people and "hinted" the natives who had had issues with the Chinese that once the Han people ruled the Philippines, they would live a life worse than pigs and dogs, and even directly turn into piglets and be sent to the Philippines. Go to Lanfang's plantation and become a slave from then on! !

This kind of propaganda did play a certain role. After the Spanish evacuated, the local indigenous police refused to hand over their guns, and there was even bloodshed. Although they were wiped out, the "unstable" factors still existed, which is why Before the handover, Lu Ting announced the reasons for martial law.

Because it is the first day of the handover, the local heads are still observing, so the current situation is relatively stable, but if it is not handled well, an internal conflict will occur, and this is what the Han Dynasty does not want. have witnessed.

After all, colonies are still different from the mainland. Han's understanding of colonies is actually similar to that of Britain, which is to make money, get raw materials, and control the dumping market.

And since it is a colony, the local requirements must be different.

...............

The Philippine Governor's Palace is a typical Spanish building. Because he arrived in such a hurry, many local facilities were not replaced in time. On the day he entered the Governor's Palace, Lu Ting could also see several oil paintings from the Spanish Empire.

The secretary on the side thought that Lu Ting was dissatisfied with those Spanish buildings, so he explained:

"Governor Lu, the current situation is like this. After a period of time when the situation stabilizes, we will build a new one and follow the rules of the Han Dynasty."

Lu Ting shook his head and replied in a satisfied tone:

"The Philippine Governor's Palace has just been established, and everything is busy. There is no need to spend money to build a Governor's Palace that is not useful."

"I think this is good. The Spaniards have been using it for a hundred years, and I can use it for another hundred years. It doesn't matter."

Lu Ting looked at this "century-old mansion" and became energetic.

For him, being selected as the first Governor-General of the Philippines can be said to be the most important step in his official career. "One step to the top" is not enough to describe this situation. He still remembers the comments made by his colleagues in the Department of Taxation after the transfer order was issued. eyes.

Therefore, for Lu Ting, the Philippines is the most important opportunity in his life. He must seize it. What happened to the Spanish architecture, what happened to the antiques, and there are no dead people to live in! !

On the contrary, if you screw up all this, let alone live in an antique house, you may not even be able to live in a wooden house.

Late at night, the office of the former Spanish Governor was brightly lit, and the desk was filled with documents related to Philippine affairs in recent days. The oil painting of the Spanish countryside that once hung on the wall was replaced by a piece of calligraphy, which read:

"Stand firmly on the green mountains and never let go. The roots are still in the broken rocks. They are still strong despite being struck by the east, west, north and south winds."

Lu Ting was crouching on the desk, holding a brush in his hand, correcting the document one stroke at a time. Next to him was a pen. The reason why he didn't use the pen was because of Lu Ting's words, "train the mind."

"Hmph, these barbarians!!"

"I think of beauty, how dare you ask for such a price at this time!!"

After seeing a document that stated that the local native leader wanted to be canonized by the Han State and have his rights protected, and even directly asked for the position of uncle, Lu Ting couldn't help it and laughed.

"It's so stupid that you can't understand the situation!!"

Lu Ting shook his head and wrote on it: "Please wait for the opportunity."

As for the timing, Lu Ting did not say, but everyone knew that it was nothing more than waiting to fully control the Philippines and "liquidating" some of the indigenous people.

This not only gives an explanation to the local Chinese, but also clears up some unstable factors. After all, for a colony, "stability" is sometimes more important than anything else.

After all, you can't expect to get anything out of a place where turmoil and wars occur every day.

Lu Ting obviously understood this truth, so he didn't mention the past at the beginning. It seemed that he didn't care, but in fact it was just a "sharpening" strategy.

After flipping through another document about local taxation, Lu Ting felt a little dizzy. He really didn't understand why the Spaniards wanted to set up tax types so complicated. When dealing with this kind of tax, it would be difficult for someone who was born in the tax department to deal with it. In Lu Ting's opinion, it was simply a "joke".

In other words, it is plundering. After all, there is no place that can tolerate such a suction method.

But soon Lu Ting realized that the Philippines was not Spanish territory, but a colony. Since it was a colony, it was natural to make money and suck blood as much as he wanted. Why should he care about the life and death of the locals?

As for the Spaniards' tax farming system for the natives, Lu Ting felt that it was outdated at first. What era did they still use the tax farming system? But after thinking about it carefully, he suddenly discovered that such a simple and complicated tax was actually After collecting it for more than a hundred years, we must work hard to excel.

Later, after reading more local documents, Lu Ting was surprised to find that this tax farming system was really suitable for the local area, no, it was suitable for most of the current colonies around the world.

Moreover, most of the British tax revenue in India, except for big cities, is outsourced to local kings. After they collect it, they share the dividends with the British.

Although this tax model can easily lead to the transfer of local tax power to others, Lu Ting feels that in a place with a large population and complex history and culture, it is best not to interfere with the affairs of the local people, at least not to interfere with anything other than revenue. something other than that.

If there is too much intervention, a situation similar to chaos may occur. Refer to several major uprisings in India. Although they failed in the end, the cost of British rule actually increased.

The same is true for the Philippines at present. From the time His Majesty announced the establishment of the Viceroyalty of the Philippines and selected all of his tax departments to be governors, Lu Ting knew that the matter must be related to taxation. As expected, he read a few volumes. After reading the local documents and historical tax information, Lu Ting had basically understood the "Emperor"'s will.

Late at night, Lu Ting's room was still as brightly lit as a few hours ago. The towering files on the desk moved from the left to the right. The ashtray on the desk was filled with cigarette butts and white ash.

There is an empty cigarette case in the corner of the desk, and the tea in the tea cup has been bottomed out many times and refilled many times, so that the tea taste is getting weaker and weaker. In the end, the only difference from plain water is that it has a hint of bitterness. , and not so obvious.

"Snort!!"

After drinking the last bit of tea, Lu Ting put the tea and tea leaves into his stomach. Finally, he continued to lie on the table and wrote the last memorial regarding the number of local garrison troops. At three-thirty in the morning that day, Lu Ting dragged his tired body and lay on the big velvet bed left by the Spanish. The window next to him was open, and the refreshing sea breeze slowly blew into the room, falling on Lu Ting's tired body. On the face.

Lu Ting turned to look at the half-moon hanging window and said with a complicated expression:

"Colony, what the hell!!"

.............................................

"Everyone, according to the current situation, we cannot completely ignore the past as some people say, and we still have to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys."

"You guys said, who should I kill??"

Lu Ting sat in the main seat, put his hands on the table with his hands clasped together, and asked everyone's opinions in a "sonorous" tone.

"Governor Lu, in my opinion, it is better to attack the native tribes and big families who harmed the Chinese in the first place. Killing these people is justifiable and well-founded, and it will also make the Chinese outside support us more."

"Yes, don't let anyone go, kill them all!!"

"Yes, that's right, blood debt must be paid with blood!!"

In the Governor's Mansion, the Chinese officials who had taken refuge in the Philippines immediately became "angry" after hearing that the indigenous people were to be liquidated, and everyone demanded "severe punishment."

Lu Ting looked at these Chinese people and said directly:

“There are so many natives, is it possible to kill them all??”

“Or do you want to make the entire Philippines free of other ethnic groups except Chinese??”

Hearing such obviously "sarcastic" remarks, some Chinese people were dissatisfied with what Lu Ting just said and directly stood up and responded:

"My Lord Governor, you are a high-ranking official from the Han Kingdom. You don't know the injustice we Chinese people have suffered in the Philippines. You don't know what it feels like when the natives come to kill you and the Spaniards stand by and watch. You don't know how it feels when your wife and children are humiliated. We know what it’s like!!”

"Governor Lu..."

Looking at the "aggressive" and "full of anger" police chief who came from a wealthy local family, Lu Ting shook his head helplessly.

Finally he said:

"It is easy to kill the natives, but it is difficult to establish order. If all the natives are killed, the Philippines will be able to operate. The governor will ask the court to suppress the natives with a large army."

"But let me ask, who will pay for the military expenses, and who will pay for the casualties of the soldiers??"

"In other words, do you send people to fight the natives in the deep mountains and forests, or do you pay and hire people to fight??"

"If the Philippines is in chaos and its finances collapse, how will the governor maintain order? I'm afraid it won't be as good as the Spanish period, right?"

Several consecutive fatal questions made the local Chinese officials who were clamoring to "kill all" the indigenous people not know how to answer. Could it be that they didn't want to pay and had to pay for it from the Han State? They didn't want to kill themselves. Only the Han people must die.

Lu Ting "sneered" in his heart when he looked at these local wealthy families who kept saying they wanted to "serve" the imperial court and "die" for the Han Dynasty.

In his opinion, these Chinese people are not only useful in normal times, but at critical times, it is probably more difficult to make them bleed than to reach the sky.

If you think about it carefully, it’s not surprising. Which of the Chinese who can survive in the Philippines are “fuel-efficient lamps”? As for what these people are like, the Han people actually learned it once in Lanfang. As for some people’s “yearning for” The Nanyang Chinese who "eat the milk from the pot" and "long for the motherland" are essentially forced by reality.

If you don’t believe it, just look at Singapore in later generations and you will know.

Lu Ting looked at these "cowardless people" with disdain in his heart, but on the surface he said:

"The indigenous people must be cut down, but not all of them. In my opinion, it is better to do this. The first offenders of all tribes who were stained with Chinese blood will be captured immediately, and the remaining offenders will be sold to everyone's plantations, and they can be beaten and punished at will."

"As for those who don't have it, or whose debts are light, just pay a ransom."

"However, the territory of the local indigenous people needs to be redefined."

Lu Ting was already throwing out several solutions. The local Chinese dignitaries below were whispering to each other. Finally, an old man named Zhou stood up in a silk gown and said to Lu Ting:

"Governor Lu, what we just said was impulsive, but it is true. Every word is bloody. The natives killed more than a thousand Chinese, and even less than ten thousand in less than a hundred years."

"I am seventy years old, and I have only seen my Master Wang of the Han family come ashore today."

"The Governor-General just said that crimes should be punished by law. I think it will work. It will end with the indigenous people and it will not mess up the Philippines."

"However, I have something to say. During the Spanish period, the local natives relied on the favor of the Spanish barbarians to occupy a lot of cultivated land and gardens belonging to us Chinese. If they don't get it back, I'm afraid they won't be able to bring peace to everyone. Even my heart cannot bring justice to the Philippines..."

"With all these things, I hope the Governor will learn from it!!"

After saying that, the old man bent down, and Lu Ting was so frightened that he quickly shouted:

"Old sir, you're welcome, hurry up, hold on!!"

Bystanders immediately helped the old man up.

Lu Ting's attitude towards the local elders really made many Chinese people who were dissatisfied with him feel good about him.

When he sat down again, Lu Ting still had a "respectful" expression on his face. In fact, he had already scolded these local Chinese people in his heart.

Why did the natives bully others and occupy their fields and woods? Why don't they want to take advantage of this opportunity to rob the natives' real estate and enrich their own pockets?

And Lu Ting is sure that when the so-called dirty land is really "recovered", it will definitely fall into the hands of these big families and have nothing to do with ordinary Filipino Chinese.

So he said after comforting him:

"I know about this. When the time comes, I will arrange for people to clear all the local land and give everyone justice!!"

As soon as these words came out, the locals who were still prepared to reap the benefits were dumbfounded and wanted to refute, but could not find any reason to object.

At this time, Lu Ting continued to speak:

"Since the old gentleman has just agreed to my several punishment measures, and you have no objections, from tomorrow on, I hope you will cooperate with our army to suppress the possible resistance of the indigenous people. At that time, we will still need all your loyal and brave ministers to serve the country. Distress!!"

When everyone below heard this, they couldn't help but smile bitterly. Good guy, I thought that the Han people could get some benefits when they came, but now they just got some benefits, and they were given a half discount, and they had to help pay for the military supplies.

This, what is this? !

Lu Ting, who was on the stage, looked at the scene in front of him with great satisfaction, because for him, the indigenous people needed to be punished, and the local guys who had "betrayed" and "betrayed the Chinese" during the Spanish period also needed to be punished.

Only in this way can he be able to live up to the title of governor-general on his head and the power in his hands to represent the herdsmen of the emperor.

The next day, the order was officially announced in Manila, causing a stir. There were even local incidents of indigenous people attacking military and police officers with explosive money.

Turmoil continued in other places. In view of this situation, Lu Ting ordered garrisons from various places to join in maintaining public order and clear out those "rebellious bandits".

In Lu Ting’s words:

"Sweep out the rioters to clean up the filth!!"

　Asking for monthly tickets and rewards

　　

　

(End of this chapter)