Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 907 0902 [Sri Lanka and South India]

Zhanbei Outer Harbor.

Hu Quan followed the translator around and inquired for several days. He returned to the cabin and began to take notes:

"Set sail from Guangzhou, passing through Annan and Champa, with favorable winds for ten months, you can reach Srivijaya..."

"This country has two capitals, the new capital is called Zhanbei and the old capital is called Balinbang, both of which are 200 miles away from the coast (a straight-line distance of 100 miles). There is a large river connecting the two capitals directly to the seaport, and merchants from all over the world gather in the two places, and ships on the river and the sea travel endlessly..."

"Merchants named Li (Ali), Pu (Abu), and Ma (Mohammed) are all believers in the Caliphate. Most of their ancestors came from the Caliphate and have settled in Srivijaya for more than a hundred years..."

"Those named Buddha, Radha, Jatya, Rama, and Singo are mostly Buddhists and Brahmans. They are often powerful nobles who have fiefs, such as the feudal lords of the Zhou Dynasty...

Hu Quan recorded everything he could find out, including politics, military affairs, customs, commodities, crops, etc.

He took these to the Star-Gathering Room, where several sea gods including Mazu were enshrined.

Hu Quan asked, "Have you figured out the longitude and latitude?"

An astronomer named Li Nanheng said: "The outer port of Balinbang is 7.6 degrees west longitude and 2.1 degrees south latitude. The outer port of Jambi is 8.8 degrees west longitude and 1 degree south latitude. The temperature in both places is around 12 degrees in December, and the temperature difference between day and night is not much. According to merchants, there is no difference between winter and summer here."

Hu Quan took out his notebook and wrote it down quickly. After he finished writing, he said, "Thank you."

Today's prime meridian passes through Luoyang, so Jambi and Palembang belong to certain degrees west longitude.

Hu Quan lit a few incense sticks, worshipped the sea god upright, and left after chatting for a while.

This delegation of envoys was not only visiting various countries, but this time they were here to explore the route and draw a detailed nautical chart.

Not only do you need to mark the longitude and latitude, but the nautical charts are not in doodle mode, but you need to draw countless precise maps!
Including the Ming map that is currently being produced, longitude and latitude will be used at certain distances to assist in map work.

"Blow the horn and set sail!"

The Ming ships slowly left the port without being attacked.

Chief Medical Officer Yan Xiuqing found Cheng Yu and said, "Governor Cheng, we have two local doctors who are willing to follow us. We have also purchased many local medicinal materials for the prevention and treatment of various diseases, but we don't know how effective they are yet. There are two mosquito repellents that can be used directly, one is a juice that is rubbed on the skin, and the other is hay used for fumigation."

"You are responsible for disease prevention and control. I will not interfere." Cheng Yu said.

Cheng Yu’s external identity was the chief envoy, but his internal identity was the Governor of the Sea Exploration.

The Ming Dynasty's letter had been delivered at the outer port of Zhanbei, and the King of Srivijaya sent a letter in return. The letters were sent back and forth by inland ships, which could make a round trip in a day and a half.

When delivering the letter of credence, a draftsman was also brought along to draw a simple topographic map of both sides of the river.

He even drew a map of the Srivijaya capital, but it was not very accurate, he just drew a rough outline based on observation from a distance.

The diplomatic relations between Srivijaya and China were very harmonious during the Tang and Song dynasties.

The reason is simple: they have common interests but no conflicts.

The number of times Srivijaya paid tribute to the Song Dynasty was second only to Champa and Annan.

After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Srivijaya quickly sent envoys to request a title and became a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty without any psychological burden.

On the one hand, Srivijaya was extremely tyrannical and greedy, and would kill and rob merchant ships from other countries if they did not enter its port.

On the other hand, the merchants of Srivijaya were very good at dealing with things. They not only bribed Chinese officials, but also deliberately made friends with Chinese merchants. Sometimes, when the Srivijaya fleet deviated from its course and missed the deadline, they simply gave part of the goods to the officials or wealthy merchants in Fujian and Guangdong.

The Ming Dynasty's official fleet's voyage broke this long-standing harmony.

If it happens again in the future, I'm afraid Srivijaya will really resort to force because it has harmed their interests.

Core interests!

Srivijaya only levied commercial taxes on its people, and did not impose any population taxes or agricultural taxes.

To put it bluntly, the country was established by monopolizing maritime trade. If the Ming Dynasty continues to do so, it would be strange if the ruler and his ministers of Srivijaya did not turn against each other.

The Ming fleet successfully passed through the Strait of Malacca, but the coup in Srivijaya was still brewing.

The second prince and the treasurer had long wanted to rebel, and the Ming fleet was merely an opportunity and excuse for their coup.

……

After leaving the Strait of Malacca, the Ming fleet continued sailing, distributing letters of credence and recruiting followers along the way.

In some countries, the capital was too far from the coast, and the Ming fleet did not have enough time to delay, so they sent letters to coastal officials and then took back the letters when they returned.

From Bagan (Myanmar) to Chola (South India), there are four small countries along the way.

When they arrived in the Chola Empire, the Ming envoys were warmly received.

There are two kings in this country. The old king announced his abdication two years ago and has been serving as the emperor emeritus while being bedridden.

Under the old king's rule, the Chola dynasty lost its hegemony in South India and was beaten by the later Chalukya dynasty. During the reign of the old king's father, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh became independent one after another.

It was obvious that the country's power was declining, and they even reached Java Island a hundred years ago!
The new king, who had just ascended the throne for two years, was very young and his name was Kuruthunga Chola II.

Hearing that an official Chinese fleet was coming, this guy rode a horse and sailed for several days to come to the harbor to meet the Ming envoy in person. Cheng Yu held up a staff and bowed: "Ming envoy Cheng Yu, meeting the King of Zhunian!"

Kurutongka jumped off his horse and said politely, "I have heard from merchants in my country that a great Ming Kingdom has risen in the east and has become richer than before. The Ming Emperor is a young and great king like me. He defeated the barbarians in the north, and I am sure I can defeat the Chalukyas in the north!"

South Indian merchants have been helping with translations.

Cheng Yu said: "I wish you a successful start. This is a letter from the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

Kulutonga said: "I will write him a letter. When you return, I will send an envoy to the Ming Dynasty. From now on, he is the emperor of the East, I am the emperor of the Center, and the Seljuk Sultan is the emperor of the West. The three of us, together, will rule the world!"

The Indian merchant translated it truthfully, and his awesome words made the members of the Ming Dynasty envoys present laugh.

Seeing that everyone was laughing, Kurutongga also laughed and said, "By the way, thank you for protecting our merchant ships from being exploited by those damned Srivijaya people."

At this time, the Chola Dynasty was severely beaten by the Western Chalukya on land and suppressed by Sri Lanka on the sea, and its hegemony over land and sea had been lost one after another.

But South Indian businessmen are particularly good at boasting, claiming that their country is extremely powerful.

This doesn't match the information provided by the Arab businessman. Cheng Yu now wants to confirm it indirectly.

Cheng Yu said: "I heard that your country once conquered the capital of Srivijaya and killed the king of Srivijaya."

Kurutonga patted his chest and said proudly: "That is the achievement of my great ancestors."

"Srivijaya is intercepting ships now. When will your country teach them a lesson?" Cheng Yu asked.

Kurutongka looked a little embarrassed, but he quickly covered it up with a smile, "Before I teach Srivijaya a lesson, I must first punish the barbarians on the island! You must also be careful, those barbarians are pirates. Merchant ships that do not enter their ports will be looted by the barbarians. They have stolen our shipbuilding and naval warfare technology."

The barbarians this guy is talking about are the Sri Lankan islanders.

It is currently called Xilanchi Kingdom, which can also be translated as Ceylon.

They have been independent from the Chola Empire for 65 years, but are currently in a semi-divided state. A lord in the northeast of the island is rising rapidly and is able to command the princes and influence the government.

The lord made his fortune through maritime trade. He often acted as a pirate and robbed people everywhere, and occasionally even went to Bangladesh and Myanmar to rob.

Cheng Yu led the fleet to the port of Zhu Luo for supply and trade, and also took out a piece of velvet as a state gift.

Kurutonga was very fond of velvet and gave it a large amount of gold in return. He also agreed that when the Ming fleet returned, he would send an envoy to visit the Ming.

Then, each of the main members of the Ming Dynasty's diplomatic delegation was given a female slave.

Unfortunately, there were no white women. The female slaves were all low-caste South Indian natives with dark skin.

Although she is not pretty, she is very obedient.

Whenever he met his master, he would prostrate himself on the ground, which made Cheng Yu feel very embarrassed.

A few days later, the Ming fleet went to Sri Lanka to present its credentials and measure the longitude, latitude and temperature of the port.

At this moment, Indian merchant ships no longer followed, and only more than 20 Chinese and Seljuk merchant ships were left.

"It's not hot in Xilanchi Country. Could it be because it's spring?" Yu Yunwen muttered.

Hu Quan said, "You can ask more about it."

Looking at the numerous pagodas and temples scattered along the shore, Yu Yunwen could not help but sigh: "India does not believe in Buddhism, but Sri Lanka does. If Tang Sanzang knew this, he would be extremely disappointed."

Hu Quan carefully observed the area through a telescope for a while, then shook his head and said, "There are too many Buddhist temples. There are 20 to 30 Buddhist temples in and outside this small harbor. This country is a paradise for monks, but it may be a hell for the people. This country will never prosper."

"That's best." Yu Yunwen said with a smile.

"Dong-dong-dong-dong!"

"boom!"

The Ming patrol ships at sea suddenly sounded drums and even fired a warning shot from a distance.

Ying Xuan shouted quickly: "Wave the flags, and all ships will form a battle line!"

On the northern sea, two or three hundred ships came with the wind, including even a very small rowing boat of one hundred tons.

It was the fleet of Lord Rajarata of Ceylon and his allied princes.

This guy is about to unify Sri Lanka again, carry out a series of reforms, gradually build up a powerful navy, and eventually even control the Strait of Malacca and the Indian Ocean!

"Civil servants, all go to the cabin, do not stay on the deck!"

"The army, cavalry and infantry will stay at the port to protect the officials and merchants."

"Merchant ships that can fight, follow the warships and pay attention to the flag orders."

"..."

Just as the naval battle was about to break out, seven or eight thousand Sri Lankan troops were coming from the direction of their capital, Polonranuwa.

These guys are really brave. They even dare to rob the powerful Ming fleet!
(End of this chapter)