Illustrated Gazetteer of the Maritime Kingdoms

Volume 78, General Discussion on Maritime Planning II

Officials fear a shortage of tax revenue, yet while the surplus from customs duties amounts to only one or two million [taels], the economic drain caused by opium exceeds ten million. How could we crave what is trivial and forget what is essential? Wealth is being exhausted, and even worse, the hearts and customs of the people are becoming base and incurably corrupted. This "poisonous lethargy" original: "gudu yan'an" (痼毒晏安); referring to the physical and social stagnation caused by addiction dulls the spirit of our sturdy armor and sharp weapons a classical idiom for military strength and national defense. Those tasked with planning for the state have no choice but to exert their full strength to rescue the situation and exercise control.

However, in exercising control, some things are maintained while others are neglected. To focus on the trivial is to neglect the fundamental; to focus on the superficial is to neglect the sincere. If we only pursue the trivial and trade in deceit, the disastrous results will be plain to see in another ten years.

The coastal regions of Eastern Guangdong referring to the province of Guangdong consist of thirty percent farmland and seventy percent fishing grounds. Although the territory is vast, the local food supply is insufficient. Every year, the population relies on the grain supply from the prefectures of Guilin, Liuzhou, Wuzhou, and Xunzhou in Western Guangxi referring to the province of Guangxi. If Guangxi suffers a poor harvest and those prefectures halt the sale of grain, the price of rice in Guangdong soars, and the common people find it difficult to obtain even a meager meal. Currently, only "foreign rice," produced in the lands of Little Luzon original: "Xiao Luzong" (小呂宋); the historical Chinese name for the Philippines, specifically Manila, under Spanish colonial rule...