Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 1033 1028 [Wang Bo and Taiping Port]

Night at sea.

Wang Chongdu pointed to the lighthouse in front and introduced: "That is the Zi'an Pagoda, named after Wang Bo's pen name. It is said that Wang Bo fell into the water and died here. The pagoda is 20 meters high. When it was completed, a monk from Luoyang was invited to perform a ritual to consecrate it."

The six second-generation officials stood in awe and bowed towards the lighthouse.

In fact, there are many different opinions about the exact place where Wang Bo fell into the water. However, Zhu Kang, the regent of Annan, asked someone to verify that it was at the mouth of 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 introduced: "There was no port here before, it was just a small fishing village. Merchants from the former Song Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty came here to trade and resupply in Yong'an Prefecture in the northeast. Goods from the capital of Annan needed to be shipped out from the Taiping River and then transferred to Yong'an Prefecture. This method was extremely inconvenient, and it was probably intentional by the Annan monarch and his ministers for coastal defense."

"Was this port built in recent years? It is brightly lit even at night." Fan Chengda asked.

Wang Chongdu said: "His Royal Highness Prince Yu (Zhu Kang) moved the people here to build the port and reclaim the land. The people of Annan here are very supportive of His Royal Highness Prince Yu."

"What a wise king!" The six people hurriedly complimented the prince from a distance.

Actually, support is bullshit!

At least the people of Annan in this seaport hated Prince Yu Zhu Kang to the core, and had nothing to do with supporting him.

Zhu Kang had been the regent of Annan for several years. The nobles of Annan had rebelled four times and plotted coups twice. Zhu Kang dealt severely with such incidents, often confiscating their property and exterminating their clans.

All those implicated and rebel prisoners were exiled here to build the port.

Why is there only a small fishing village at the mouth of the Taiping River, which can lead directly to the capital of Annan? Because it is not suitable for human settlement - there are large tracts of swamps and mangroves.

The criminals exiled by Zhu Kang drained the nearby swamps with the fishing village as the center, and then cut down the mangroves crazily. They also used the soil transported from upstream to fill a large area of ​​land, pounding and compacting it day after day. Then they built a port and a lighthouse (the lighthouse was built on the island for fear of unstable foundation). The mortality rate of 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 stained with the blood and sweat of countless convicts.

Even the prisoners exiled for rebellion and coup were not enough, so Zhu Kang also drew other prisoners from various prefectures and counties in Annan to serve.

Although the process was bloody, the result was satisfying.

This largest port in Annan was built in just a few years and became a key trade node connecting Ming Dynasty and Southeast Asia.

The fleet docked at the port, and Lu You and others couldn't wait to stroll around.

Their followers were particularly frustrated because these second-generation officials even cheated their own followers.

It was agreed that they would take a boat to Guangzhou and then travel around Lingnan. But when they arrived in Guangzhou, they found that their young master would not get off the boat at all. The followers were afraid of getting into danger at sea and afraid of being punished by the master after returning.

"Gentlemen, do you want to stay in the hotel? If you need a maid to sleep with you, our hotel can help you find one."

Not long after I got ashore, a group of servants surrounded me.

Although the accent is very heavy, he speaks Mandarin!
Wang Chongdu introduced: "Most of the merchants and clerks here are from Fujian and Guangdong provinces. In order to attract customers, they not only speak Mandarin, but also some foreign languages."

Li Zuqia asked, "Even brothels?"

Wang Chongdu smiled and said, "Most of them are foreign women from Southeast Asia, and there are also some local women from Annan. Not to mention that young men don't like them, even sea merchants don't look for women here. The customers of these prostitutes are all sailors who are looking for food on the waves. In addition to brothels, there are also casinos. Many sailors throw their hard-earned money into the casinos."

"A place where good and bad people mix together." Lu You curled his lips.

Wang Chongdu pointed outside the port town and said, "In the past two years, His Royal Highness Prince Yu has gradually lured some farmers from Fujian and Guangdong. The drained swamps around the port are extremely fertile, and the farmers from Fujian and Guangdong settled outside the town to cultivate the land."

Fan Chengda nodded and said, "This is a plan that kills two birds with one stone. It can increase the number of Han people and prevent foreigners from causing chaos. It can also increase the grain income of the port and try to be self-sufficient to avoid unexpected food shortages."

Bai Shihou asked: "What goods does Annan produce?"

Wang Chongdu said: "Good wood, gems, spices, ivory, medicinal herbs, furs... and rice! Although the people here are poor, the rich have more than enough food, and they are willing to sell food to Ming merchants. Guangdong and Guangxi are generally short of food. With the arrival of Annan rice, the price of food is cheaper than before."

Wang Chongdu had only been to Malacca once with the navy, but he had recorded all the information along the way in a small notebook, and he knew everything about Taiping Port by heart.

After walking around, everyone went back to the cabin to rest and chat together.

"It seems that the Qing Dynasty intends to annex Annan." Fan Chengda guessed.

Lu You said: "The so-called Annan is the ancient Jiaozhi. Even during the Five Dynasties, it was still under the jurisdiction of China, but it was a rebellious separatist and did not obey orders. It was not until the reign of Emperor Taizong of the former Song Dynasty that the Central Plains court officially recognized Annan's independence. Jiaozhi belonged to China for thousands of years, but it was only independent for more than a hundred years. It was smoother to annex than Goryeo."

Wang Lianqing said proudly: "We must take back all the lost territories of the Han and Tang dynasties. We are all citizens of the prosperous Celestial Empire!"

Bai Shihou said, "I'll go get some wine and have a few drinks to celebrate this great era."

The drinks were brought and the conversation continued.

The topic gradually turned to Wang Bo, and they decided to go to the lighthouse named after Wang Bo to pay tribute to him after dawn.

However, Prince Yu Zhu Kang's regent of Annan is now getting more and more successful.

He suppressed rebellions and coups one after another with force, and killed all those who dared to resist by confiscating their property and exterminating their families.

The mainstream ideology in Annan now regards the Ming Dynasty as the motherland. Nobles and wealthy people with a little ability all make a family tree for themselves, claiming that their ancestors came from a certain place in China. This is politically correct and is given preferential treatment in imperial examinations and official promotions.

There really is preferential treatment.

In addition to the name, place of origin, appearance, etc., Zhu Kang also made up a "place of origin" for the Annan candidates. As long as the candidate filled in a certain place in the Ming Dynasty as "place of origin", he would be arranged to a special examination room, have his papers graded differently, and be given certain preferential treatment.

The same is true for the promotion of officials.

After a few years, it turned out that all the officials and candidates from Annan were from all over China!

what?
Your ancestors are actually native to Annan?

Barbarians!
Zhu Kang's sights are now on Champa, which is his real fiefdom.

The father and son corresponded with each other over the past few years and finally determined the boundary.

When the Ming Dynasty annexed Annan in the future, it would only recover the old territory of the Han and Tang Dynasties, namely the Rinan County established in the Han Dynasty (the southernmost part of which could reach the Da Nang area of ​​Vietnam).

The remaining territory was all given to Zhu Kang.

The king of Champa at that time was mentally retarded, and his regime was unstable after he succeeded to the throne for several years. Not only was the Angkor Dynasty of Chenla invaded every year, but there were also many rebellions in the country.

Champa, a tiny place that believes in Brahmanism, actually has a country within a country.

The most powerful person in Champa now is King Pindtonglong. In another time and space, this person replaced the king of Champa and established the Pindtonglong Dynasty of Champa.

Zhu Kang always pays attention to the information of Champa. Once the king of Champa is overthrown or executed, and King Bintonglong tries to seize power, he will lead his troops to kill him in the name of justice!

Zhu Kang learned everything from his father, including how to fight.

He is still young and has plenty of time to wait and see. It would be unwise to rush into sending troops now.

……

Heading south, we passed Singapore.

At that time, Singapore was called "Puluozhong" and belonged to the territory of Srivijaya. It also had a port, but it was small in scale and could only supply fresh water and a small amount of food and fruits, and could not provide repair services for damaged ships.

The Ming Dynasty did not want this place, but chose Malacca.

Only by building a port in Malacca can the strait be effectively controlled, otherwise Srivijaya will continue to block merchant ships from the West.

Lu You asked Wang Chongdu, "Where is the farthest you have been this time?"

"Ceylon," Wang Chongdu explained in detail, "I don't have enough sailing experience, so I can only follow the mature sea routes and do business while accumulating experience. When the sea route from Ming Dynasty to Ceylon is familiar, I will go to Kediri (East Java) east of Srivijaya. Your Majesty showed me a globe, and a large area of ​​the sea in the south is empty. After contacting King Kediri, I will find a time to explore the south."

From South India to Java Island and even Southeast Asia, most of the area now belongs to the Brahmanic area.

Indian epics were circulated on the island of Java, and Javanese Brahman literature evolved from them.

This situation has trade factors.

But the real key is that the Chola dynasty in India was once at its peak and brought Brahmanism here through military conquest.

With the rise of the Ming Dynasty's maritime power, Confucian culture and Buddhism and Taoism will gradually spread in Southeast Asia in the future. If we can win one or two big battles, the spread will be faster, because this is a world that admires the strong.

Bai Shihou was very interested in the exploration: "When you explore the southern seas, write to me in advance and I will take people to take a look."

Fan Chengda asked, "What is a globe?"

"Please wait a moment, young gentlemen."

Wang Chongdu returned to his cabin and took out a globe: "This is the globe, a gift from your majesty."

He pointed to the locations of Australia and North and South America and said, "Your Majesty, in such a vast area, there may be one or two other continents, and there may even be states on the continents."

The second-generation officials gathered around to watch, and the more they watched, the more amazed they found it.

Lu You said, "When I was studying at the Imperial College, I also learned 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. Your Majesty is right. There will definitely be unknown continents in the vast ocean."

Li Zuqia smiled and said, “Perhaps there is an emperor in the southern continent (Australia).”

Wang Lianqing's excitement is different: "The scenery in foreign lands is very different from that in China. When I go to India and Ceylon, I will paint some foreign pictures. If I explore a new continent, I will paint there."

Wang Lianqing is not only good at painting, he also knows medicine and herbal medicine.

While staying in Taiping Port, Annan, he observed the local unique plants and drew them carefully.

If this guy went to sea more often, he would probably become a naturalist.

(End of this chapter)