Wang Chongdu pointed to the lighthouse in front and introduced: "That's the Zi'an Tower, named after Wang Bo. It is said that Wang Bo fell into the water and died of illness here. The tower is twenty feet high. When it was completed, an eminent monk from Luoyang was invited to consecrate it."
The six second-generation officials stood in awe and bowed towards the lighthouse one after another.
In fact, there are different opinions on the specific place where Wang Bo fell into the water. However, the regent of Annan, Zhu Kang, asked someone to verify that it was at the mouth of the Taiping River, so Wang Bo must have fallen into the water at the mouth of the river!
The fleet sailed towards the lighthouse and soon arrived at a port.
Wang Chongdu said: "There was no port here before, it was just a small fishing village. Maritime merchants from the Song Dynasty and Ming Dynasty came here and traded supplies in Yong'an City in the northeast. Goods from the capital of Annan needed to be shipped out from the Taiping River, and then
Transfer to Yong'an Prefecture. This method is extremely inconvenient. It is probably that the Annan monarchs and ministers did it intentionally for the sake of coastal defense."
"Has this port been built in recent years? It's even brightly lit at night." Fan Chengda asked.
Wang Chongdu said: "His Royal Highness the King of Yu (Zhu Kang) moved the people to build the port and reclaim the land. The Annan people here are extremely supportive of His Highness the King of Yu."
"The truly virtuous king!" The six people hurriedly complimented the prince from a distance.
Actually, support is nothing!
At least the Annan people in this seaport hated King Zhu Kang of Yu deeply and had nothing to do with supporting him.
Zhu Kang had been the regent of Annan for several years. The Annan nobles rebelled four times and conspired two coups. Zhu Kang severely cracked down on such things and frequently raided their homes and exterminated their families.
They also captured those who were implicated and the rebels, and exiled them all here to build a port.
Why is it that the beautiful Taiping River Estuary, which can lead directly to the capital of Annan, has only one small fishing village? Because it is not suitable for human cultivation and habitation - there are large swamps and mangroves.
The criminals who were exiled by Zhu Kang drained the nearby swamps with the fishing village as the center, and then cut down the mangroves frantically. They also filled up a large area of land with the soil transported from the upper reaches, and pounded and compacted it day after day. Then they built a port.
and lighthouse (the lighthouse was built on an island for fear of unstable foundations), the mortality rate in the whole process was extremely high, and less than 30% of the prisoners survived.
This port is called Taiping Port, but every inch of land in the port is spilled with the blood and sweat of countless prisoners.
Even when there were not enough prisoners exiled due to rebellions and coups, Zhu Kang also transferred other prisoners from Annan prefectures and counties to serve.
Although the process was bloody, the result was satisfying.
The largest port in Annan was built in a few years and became a key trade node connecting the Ming Dynasty and Southeast Asia.
The fleet docked at the port, and Lu You and others couldn't wait to hang out.
Their followers were particularly frustrated because these second-generation officials also deceived their own followers.
We agreed to take a boat to Guangzhou and then travel around Lingnan. But when we arrived in Guangzhou, we discovered that our young master would not get off the ship at all. The followers were both afraid of being in danger at sea and being punished by the head of the family when they returned.
"Do you gentlemen want to stay in a hotel? If you need a girl to sleep with you, our hotel will help you find one."
Not far after landing, a group of boys gathered around me.
Although the accent is very strong, he speaks Mandarin!
Wang Chongdu said: "Most of the merchants and clerks here come from Fujian and Guangdong provinces. In order to facilitate the recruitment of customers, they not only speak Mandarin, but even some foreign languages."
Li Zuqia asked: "There are even brothels?"
Wang Chongdu smiled and said: "Most of them are prostitutes from Nanyang, and there are also some local Annan women. Not to mention that the young princes look down on them, even maritime merchants don't look for women here. The clients of these prostitutes are all sailors looking for food in the waves.
Sailors. In addition to brothels, there are also casinos, and many sailors throw their hard-earned money into the casinos."
"A place where fish and dragons are mixed." Lu You curled his lips.
Wang Chongdu pointed to the outside of the port town: "In the past two years, His Royal Highness the King of Yu has also attracted some farmers from Fujian and Guangdong. The drained swamps around the port are extremely fertile, and farmers from Fujian and Guangdong have settled outside the town to cultivate land.
.”
Fan Chengda nodded and said: "This is a plan to kill two birds with one stone. It can not only increase the number of Han people and prevent rebellion by foreign tribes, but also increase the port's food income and try to be self-sufficient to avoid being unable to supply food in the event of an accident."
Bai Shihou asked: "What kind of goods does Annan produce?"
Wang Chongdu said: "Good wood, precious stones, spices, ivory, medicinal materials, furs... and rice! Although the people here are poor, the rich have more than enough food, and they are willing to sell food to merchants of the Ming Dynasty. Generally speaking, Guangdong and Guangxi are short of food.
Yes, with the arrival of Annan rice, food prices are cheaper than before."
Wang Chongdu only went to Malacca once with the navy, but he recorded the information along the way in a small notebook, and he could also keep the things about Taiping Port at his fingertips.
After walking around for a while, everyone went back to the cabin to rest, chatting and having fun together.
"It seems that the imperial court is going to annex Annan." Fan Chengda guessed.
Lu Youyou: "The so-called Annan is the ancient Jiaozhi land. Even during the Five Dynasties period, it was still subordinate to China, but the rebel separatist regime did not obey orders. It was not until the Taizong period of the former Song Dynasty that the Central Plains court officially recognized Annan's independence. Jiaozhi has been owned by China for thousands of years.
It has only been independent for more than a hundred years, and its annexation is smoother than Goryeo."
Wang Lianqing said proudly: "All the land lost during the Han and Tang Dynasties must be taken back. We will all be citizens of the prosperous age of the Celestial Dynasty!"
Bai Shihou said: "I'm going to get some wine and have a few drinks for this prosperous age."
Get the drinks and continue chatting.
The topic gradually turned to Wang Bo, and several people decided to go to the lighthouse named after Wang Bo after dawn to worship.
But it is said that the regency of Annan by King Zhu Kang of Henan is getting smoother and smoother now.
Every rebellion and coup was suppressed by him with force. He frequently confiscated homes and exterminated clans, and he had already killed all those who dared to resist.
Nowadays, the mainstream thinking in Annan is to regard the Ming Dynasty as the mother country.
Nobles and wealthy people with a little bit of ability would create a genealogy for themselves and claim that their ancestors came from such and such a place in China. This was political correctness, imperial examinations, and preferential treatment when officials were promoted.
There is really preferential treatment.
In addition to name, place of origin, appearance, etc., Zhu Kang also created an "original place" for Annan candidates' career information. As long as the candidates fill in a place in the Ming Dynasty as their "original place", they will be arranged to enter a special examination booth, and the papers will be marked differently.
Give certain preferential treatment.
The same goes for official promotion.
Over the past few years, all Annan officials and candidates have their ancestral origins in various parts of China!
What?
Your ancestors are actually Annan indigenous people?
Barbarians!
Zhu Kang's eyes have now turned to Champa, which is his real feudal land.
The father and son corresponded over the past few years and finally determined the boundary.
From now on, the Ming Dynasty annexed Annan and only recovered the old land of the Han and Tang Dynasties, namely Rinan County established in the Han Dynasty (the southernmost part can reach Da Nang, Vietnam).
The rest of the territory was given to Zhu Kang.
At this time, the king of Champa was mentally retarded. After several years of succession, the regime was in turmoil. Not only did the Angkor dynasty of Chenla invade every year, but there were also many rebellions in the country.
Champa, which believes in Brahmanism, is a big place, but it is still a country within a country.
Now the most powerful person in Champa is King Bintonglong. In another time and space, this man replaced the King of Champa and established the Bintonglong dynasty in Champa.
Zhu Kang always pays attention to the information about Champa. Once the king of Champa is overthrown or executed, and King Bintonglong tries to seize power, he will uphold his righteousness and lead his troops to kill him!
Zhu Kang imitated his father in everything, including fighting.
He is still young and has plenty of time to wait and see what happens. It would be unwise to rush to send troops now.
…
Go all the way south and pass through Singapore.
At this time, Singapore was called "Plutaka" and belonged to the territory of Sriwijaya. There was also a port, but it was not large. It could only supply fresh water and a small amount of food and fruits, and could not provide repair services for damaged ships.
Ming Dynasty did not want this place, but chose Malacca.
Only by building a port in Malacca can we effectively control the straits, otherwise Sriwijaya will continue to block merchant ships coming from the west.
Lu You asked Wang Chongdu: "Where is the furthest you have gone this time?"
"Ceylon," Wang Chongdu explained in detail, "I don't have enough sailing experience. At present, I can only go along the mature sea route to accumulate experience and do business at the same time. When I get familiar with the sea route from Daming to Ceylon, I will go to Ceylon.
Kediri Kingdom (East Java) to the east of Foqi. His Majesty showed me a globe. The vast sea area in the south is empty. After getting in touch with King Kediri, I will find time to explore the south."
From South India to Java, and even Southeast Asia, most areas now belong to Brahmanical areas.
Indian epics circulated on the island of Java, and Javanese Brahmin literature was derived.
This situation has trade factors.
But the real key is that the Chola dynasty in India was very prosperous for a time and brought Brahmanism all the way through military conquest.
With the rise of the Ming Dynasty's maritime power, Confucian culture and Buddhism and Taoism will slowly spread in Southeast Asia in the future. If we can win one or two big victories, the spread will be faster, because this is a world that seeks strength.
Bai Shihou was very interested in exploration: "When you explore the southern seas, write to me in advance and I will take people to go and have a look."
Fan Chengda asked: "What is the globe?"
"My dear gentlemen, please wait a moment."
Wang Chongdu returned to his cabin and took out a globe: "This is the globe, a gift from His Majesty."
He then pointed to the location of Australia and North and South America: "Your Majesty said that in such a vast area, there may be one or two continents, and maybe there are countries on the continent."
The second-generation officials gathered around to watch, and the more they looked at it, the more amazing they felt.
Lu You said: "When I was studying in Taixue, I also studied astronomy and geography, and I knew that the earth is a sphere. But this is the first time I have seen such an intuitive map of the earth. What your majesty said is true. The vast sea area
There will certainly be unknown continents to be found.”
Li Zuqia smiled and said: "Maybe there is an emperor in the southern continent (Australia)."
Wang Lianqing's excitement is different: "The scenery of foreign lands is very different from that of China. When I get to India and Ceylon, I will paint a few pictures of foreign countries. If I explore the new world, I will go to the new world to paint."
Wang Lianqing is not only good at painting, he also knows medicine and herbal medicine.
While staying at Taiping Port in Annan, he was observing the unique local plants and drawing them carefully.
If this man goes to sea often, he might become a naturalist.
