Chapter four hundred and ninety-four preparations for sea trade
The lotus hat carries the setting sun, and the green mountains alone return to the distance.
——"Farewell to Master Lingche" by Liu Changqing (Tang Dynasty)
…
After solving the mystery of the Dougong, the three men restored the underground fortress to its original state. Bai Fu asked the Sun brothers to go back first, while he continued to lurk in the mansion of Mrs. Guo Guo.
Bai Fu was sure that after Xuanzong found out about the transfer of the mansion, he would definitely send someone to inspect the secret room on the first floor underground.
After lying in wait for several days, I finally saw someone coming at the third watch on the fifth night. The person was wearing night clothes and flew into the mansion like a big bird.
This person used a winch to open the sluice and dived into the bottom of the well...
Half an hour later, the man returned to the ground, looked around, and then drifted away.
Bai Fu hid in the corner and sneered. From the person's size and Qinggong movement, Bai Fu had already recognized that this person was Gao Lishi, Xuanzong's confidant eunuch.
The appearance of Gao Lishi confirmed the inferences of Sun Dashan and Bai Fu that Xuanzong wanted to take the wealth of Mrs. Guo as his own.
"The transfer of the mansion cannot be delayed without delay," Bai Fusi said.
…
A few days later, the Sun brothers brought two pieces of good news: First, the counterfeit gold and silver jewelry had arrived in Chang'an and could be transferred at any time.
Secondly, the buyer of Mrs. Guo's mansion has been found, and he is a Persian Hu.
Bai Fu marveled at the efficiency of the Sun brothers. Sun Dashan smiled and said, "Brother Bai, you are familiar with this Persian Hu man."
Just as he was talking, the waiter reported that a foreigner was at the door asking to see Bai Fu.
Sun Dashan smiled and said: "Speak of Cao Cao, Cao Cao is here."
Bai Fu pondered for a moment, then smiled, having already guessed who the visitor was.
The waiter brought the guest into the living room, it was his old friend the Persian General Alberts.
After not seeing each other for several years, Alberts gave Bai Fu a big hug as soon as he walked in.
The four of them sat down, drank tea and chatted.
Alberts said: "When you were 'killed' because of the Yu Wenba incident, we all thought you were really dead. Her Royal Highness the Princess was heartbroken. She was so sad that she no longer wanted to stay in Chang'an and returned to Persia.
I arrived in Luoyang a few days ago. I heard that the young master survived, so I rushed over. It's so good to see you. Her Highness the Princess will be ecstatic if she knows that you are safe and sound. Thank you to the true god Ahura Maz.
Da’s blessing.”
Talking about the Persian Princess Boniadi, Bai Fu asked: "How is Your Highness doing now?"
Alberts sighed: "After Her Royal Highness the Princess returned to Persia, she handed over the parchment scrolls of Khorezmi to the royal family. Not only did Her Majesty the Queen not reward her with a heavy reward, but because Her Majesty the Princess had seen the parchment scrolls, in order to prevent the leakage of the secrets, Her Majesty the Princess was placed under house arrest in the palace.
.
Her Royal Highness the Princess was worried that Her Majesty the Queen would be angry with me, so she asked an old official in the court to find an errand to arrange for me to return to the Tang Dynasty.
Because of An Lushan's rebellion, Tubo took advantage of the lack of defense in the western regions of the Tang Dynasty and seized the Hexi Corridor and other areas, thus cutting off Persia's land route to the Tang Dynasty.
So, I chose to come to the Tang Dynasty by sea and disembark from Nanhai County. I didn’t expect that after going north, the fertile fields of the past were ruined and deserted. Only then did I realize that the war was brutal and the rebels had done great harm to the people of the Tang Dynasty..."
Looking back on the past, the four of them were filled with pride and emotion.
…
Back to the present moment, Mr. Sun Dashan handed over the sale of Mrs. Guo Guo's residence to Alberts.
Alberts said: "There is no problem. My status in Chang'an can represent the Persian royal family. Unless His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty intervenes, no one else can stop this transaction.
In addition, I have many old friends in Chang'an, all of whom are wealthy merchants from Persia, Dashi and Sogdia. They have strong financial resources and can cooperate with us to change hands of the house many times without being noticed by others."
After dealing with the affairs of Guo Guo's wife's residence, Bai Fu asked: "General, I heard what you just said, this trip to China is by sea. I don't know which way is easier, this trip or the land route across the countries in the Western Regions.
Walk?"
Alberts said: "To come to Datang from the land, you have to cross the desert, Gobi, and high mountains such as Congling. Along the way, there are rolling winds and sand, severe cold and heat, and changeable climate. Once you get lost and trapped in the Gobi desert, you can find your way there.
Without an oasis, it is almost impossible to survive.
In addition, there are many thieves and horse bandits along the way. Without an elite armed escort, it is difficult to escape the fate of being robbed and killed.
Although the journey to Tang Dynasty is quite far by sea, as long as you choose the right sailing season, avoid hurricane currents, and have a smooth journey, you can reach the southern states of Tang Dynasty in a few dozen days.
Along the way, the sea and sky are vast, gulls and herons are soaring, fish are chasing each other, and occasionally you can see a giant whale like a hill emerging from the sea, with springs and waterfalls shooting out of its dorsal fin..."
The scenery described by Alberts fascinated everyone, and Bai Fu sighed: "One day, I also want to go to the sea and see the vast world beyond the Tang Dynasty."
Alberts smiled and said: "Next time I will accompany you on this trip. If Her Royal Highness the Princess knows that you are coming to Persia, she will be extremely surprised."
Bai Fu asked: "What is the size of a sailing ship? Can it withstand wind and waves?"
Alberts said: "The ships we are traveling on are all made by the Tang Dynasty. The ships built by the shipyards of Fujian, Jian, Quan, Zhang, and Chaozhou can travel across the four seas.
Datang Shipyard can manufacture not only flat-bottomed Sichuan ships that can cope with the dangerous reefs and shoals, but also broad Wu ships that can adapt to the monsoon. Especially the huge ships are used as overseas ships to travel across the seas.
This kind of sea ship is tall and sturdy, with several masts and can hold up several huge sails. When the wind is favorable, the ship can travel hundreds of miles a day.
However, when sailing in the sea, the quality of the ship is important, but even more important is the experience of the captain and sailors. Safe navigation often depends on their accurate judgment of the route, ocean currents, monsoons and other terrain and climate.
Relying on his long-term navigation experience, Sailor Dashi combined astrology and arithmetic to create an astrological navigation technology called "star-finding", which can determine the position of a ship in the sea.
What, Bai Shaoxia is planning to go to sea soon?"
Bai Fu said: "I am considering whether it is possible for my company to build a transportation channel from the sea to Persia.
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, since Bowang Hou Zhang Qian cleared the Western Region, the East-West Corridor was officially opened. As the general said, although this land road can connect the vast land of the East and West, it is difficult and dangerous, and the freight cost is quite high.
Maritime channels have existed since ancient times. They were formed in the Qin and Han Dynasties and expanded in the Sui Dynasty.
My sworn brother Chen Honghu was the young gang leader of the Minjiang Gang. After quelling the rebellion of the Yongwang Li Lin, he took charge of the Jianghuai navy. He had thousands of warships under his command and tens of thousands of soldiers who manned them.
As long as we transport goods to the East China Sea by sea, he can transport goods from Persia and China to the Central Plains through the Jianghuai and Grand Canal.
If the sea route is feasible, I would like to unite merchants from the Tang Dynasty, Persia, and Dashi to build another maritime corridor to sell goods from Persia, Dashi, and the Tang Dynasty back and forth, thus achieving great achievements for merchants.
Jewelry, jade, spices, rare animals, medicinal materials, horses and other specialties from Persia, Dashi and other countries were very popular in the Tang Dynasty, while the silks and utensils of the Tang Dynasty were also hard to find for other countries."
After that, Bai Fu ordered his people to find a map and tell them all about his idea. Everyone who listened was filled with enthusiasm.
Tu Xingsun Zhuangzhuang was ambitious and patted his chest and said: "Brother Bai, if it is possible, can my two brothers also join in this grand plan?
I have been a escort for half my life, and the farthest I have been is Yumen Pass. Now that I am half buried in the ground, I have no other aspirations. I can't take any time off, so I just want to walk around."
Sun Dashan smiled and said: "What my brother said is true. I have long heard that Persia is a land of great food, gold paved roads, horses everywhere, beauties like clouds, and all kinds of charms. I have always wanted to see it. But I am afraid of the Gobi desert and dare not go west.
.If the waterway is accessible, we two brothers are willing to explore it first."
Sun Dashan was playing tricks on the gangsters, and his words were humorous. Everyone smiled, clasped their hands and laughed.
…
After everything was arranged, the Sun brothers, Huang Zhen, Tang Kui and Bai Fu personally went out to secretly transfer the treasures from Mrs. Guo's mansion through the underground sewers. They then exchanged the fake gold and jewelry into the secret room, where they were mixed with the real treasures.
Everything is sealed as it is, and the top few layers are genuine. If you don't take it under the sun and examine it carefully, it will be difficult to find anything strange.
After excluding the treasures distributed to the Sun brothers, Huang Zhen and Tang Kui secretly hid the remaining treasures in nine locations including Chang'an and Yizhou.
The warehouses where the treasures are hidden are the highest-secret warehouses of the Sichuan Gang and the Tang Sect, so they are foolproof.
Huang Zhen and Tang Kui handed Bai Fu nine half gold medals.
Huang Zhen smiled and said: "This half of the gold medal can be used like an army tiger talisman. Once it is perfectly matched with the other gold medal guarding the warehouse, the treasure in the warehouse can be taken away at any time.
Gang Leader Jiang joked that these treasures are huge and cannot be kept in vain for you, and I will charge you one ten thousandth of the storage fee."
After that, the three of them looked at each other and laughed.