Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 874: Stability and perfection
The person who greeted Yuan Xi was Mi Tai, the leader of the fleet. He was a tall and strong man. Although he was not yet fifty, his face had been eroded by the wind and frost on the sea. His leather clothes were dark and rough, and there were cracks in them. , obviously has been traveling at sea for many years.

He was extremely excited when he saw Yuan Xi, and he quickly knelt down when he saw him. Yuan Xi helped him up. Seeing his expression, he knew that he should have learned about the appointment. He not only sighed in his heart, no matter in that dynasty, it was almost impossible to become an official. It is the ultimate destination that people from all walks of life want.

Only when you work for a long time can you deeply feel that the problems and obstacles faced by other industries can be easily solved in the face of power. Without this, there will be twists and turns, everything will be bumpy, and there will be many people who are depressed and regretful for the rest of their lives.

In his previous life, Yuan Xi deeply understood the helplessness when facing the power hierarchy. This is a common phenomenon that human society cannot get rid of so far. If he does not want to deceive himself, he can only face this reality face to face.

But Yuan Xi also understands that once business is tainted with power, the combination of power and money can control almost everything in the world. This is an extremely dangerous sign and can easily lead to a situation of no return. This is what he tries his best to avoid.

Yuan Xi said to Mi Tai: "I plan to speed up the establishment of a stable route with the Japanese Nu Kingdom. At the very least, I must first build a seaport and dock along the coast, as well as a walled city sufficient to protect it."

"Before this, I want to let some Japanese slaves learn Chinese. If we go sailing again, wouldn't it be better to wait until the next spring?"

Mi Tai lowered his head and thought for a while, then said: "In terms of sea navigation, if you go south, the northeast wind is most suitable in winter, and if you go north, the southeast wind is most suitable in summer."

"But the Wonu Kingdom is in the northeast of Haixi. It is actually quite difficult to get there. It is far less easy than starting from Liaodong and the Korean Peninsula."

Yuan Xishen believed that in the Han and Tang dynasties when sea-going ships were still in the development stage, the only thing that could be used for ocean navigation most of the time was the summer and winter monsoons, and both of them were along the northwest and southeast axis.

So even though the compass only appeared in the Northern Song Dynasty, China's navigation industry was already developed enough before, especially offshore navigation. There were many ways to identify the direction. It does not mean that it would be impossible without a compass.

It is much easier to get from the Wonu Kingdom to the mainland. There is little rain in winter and the wind is stable. Even if you deviate, you can still find land on the long coastline.

This also leads to the fact that the direction to the Wonu Kingdom from the Jiangdong area of ​​Xuzhou, where seaport trade routes are developed, is northeast, which does not coincide with the direction of the monsoon. In addition, the southeast monsoon is changeable in summer, and thunderstorms occur frequently. It is easy to miss the correct direction, resulting in Drifting to the open sea and perishing, this is also the reason why monk Jianzhen of the Tang Dynasty was killed at sea several times.

Yuan Xi nodded. Just as he guessed, even if there was no compass in navigation at that time, experienced captains could find the right direction, but it was more difficult.

Just like stirrups, if you use them, your enemies will also use them. Whether there is a way to technically block this kind of thing can be understood by just cleaning the battlefield, so in the end everyone is back on the same starting line.

The reason why Monk Jianzhen of the later Tang Dynasty failed to make five eastward voyages was that his ships were privately built and he mainly relied on his own disciples to find people to go to sea. Also, he could only go to sea when the local officials were relaxed, which was often not the most suitable monsoon season. , combined with various factors, it would be strange not to fail.

"Although there are some deviations due to the weather, and only experienced elderly people can reduce omissions, but generally speaking, unless the weather is very bad, the possibility of deviation is not very high."

Mi Tai answered honestly: "It relies on the sun, wind direction, night stars, ocean currents, and the direction of bird flight to make a comprehensive judgment. The key point is to calculate the sailing distance, because many characteristics change when approaching land and in the ocean. It’s not exactly the same.”

He thought for a while and asked: "What do you rely on to guide you when you are sailing on the sea now?"

This is why Yuan Xi has not been in a hurry to take out a compass. He has been looking for magnetite and found someone to make a few samples. The results are quite satisfactory. The key question is how to implement a new technology.

The compass has a certain role in promoting navigation, but most of the time it is an ocean voyage with changing climate characteristics, and the direction of the ocean currents in the East China Sea is already known to experienced captains, so the direction is not a big problem.

Just like Monk Jianzhen’s original intention of traveling eastward may have been just to promote Buddhism, but the traditional Chinese medicine, calligraphy, architecture, sculpture, tofu, tea, lacquerware, porcelain and other production methods he brought with him still promoted the technology of the Wonu Kingdom to a certain extent. Progress, especially in shipbuilding and navigation, eventually came back during the Ming Dynasty.

Yuan Xi is extremely cautious about the role of technology in cultural communication. Cultural exchange is a good thing, but it may also produce unexpected consequences.

Therefore, Yuan Xi did not want to leak the compass and other navigation skills for the time being. He first had to ensure his dominant position in the Japanese slave country before considering these.

In order to rule, it is not a good idea to turn the Japanese slave country into a slave, and the cost of backlash is also very high. What Yuan Xi plans to do is to first occupy coastal strongholds and build port towns. When the situation is on track and the level of living is improved, the local people Aboriginal people naturally develop a mentality of dependence.

The so-called assimilation is to make foreigners admire you and be virtuous. Both are indispensable. The former is to ensure the military strength of an organization to deter evil spirits, and the latter is to have living conditions that make foreigners envious, so they will take the initiative to be naturalized. .

To put it bluntly, this virtue is not a great principle like the Tao of Confucius and Mencius, but a desire to give human beings a yearning for a better life. Without material life, there is no spiritual life, and life is not as good as others. Will people believe in the Tao of Confucius and Mencius?
Therefore, it is the last word to abandon all nonsense and develop oneself. This is why Yuan Xi is eager to go to the Japanese slave country to establish a port. This is an extremely long and century-old plan, and the sooner the better. He discussed his ideas with Mi Tai. Mi Tai was extremely impressed. He knelt on the ground and said, "Your ideas are inspiring. This expansion of territory is a long and arduous task. I'm afraid it will be difficult for a villain to bear it alone."

Yuan Xi smiled and said: "It doesn't matter, just go ahead and do it. If you need anyone, just ask me and I will help you find it. However, they are only responsible for the internal affairs of the port. You are responsible for all matters at sea."

"You go back and think about who you are missing first. Then I will find someone for you in the four states of the East China Sea."

After hearing this, Mi Tai immediately accepted the order. While he was going to call the natives of the Wonu Kingdom, Mi Zhen secretly smiled at Yuan Xi and said, "Only when I heard about the four states of the East China Sea did I remember that my husband was already a famous prince in the world. , Youzhou, Bohai, Qingzhou, Xuzhou, all have the custom of sailing since ancient times, and the folk customs are strong. Now that talents from the four states are gathered together, it is hard not to look forward to the future prospects."

Yuan Xi smiled and said: "Yes, there are great risks overseas, but there are also many opportunities. If people are complacent, they will easily lose their enterprising spirit, but the unknown ocean gives people unlimited possibilities."

"But it's a pity that now we can only focus on the Wonu Kingdom. Most of the passages to Nanyang are blocked by Jiangdong. Our relationship with them is not good now. If I hadn't obtained the cotton seeds in advance, I might have to I was upset for several years.”

Mi Zhen nodded and said: "That's true, but it's not impossible. Jiangdong's fleet mostly sails fifty miles away from the coast. Now the Mi family's southbound fleet must be at least a hundred miles away from the coast to avoid Jiangdong's fleet. .”

"The current problem," she hesitated, then said, "is that although the Zhen family fleet and the Mi family fleet communicate from time to time, they also have route conflicts. They bought goods in the same place, wasting the ships."

"Both the Mi family and the Zhen family knew it well, but because the Mi family was still an outsider at that time, it was difficult for them to get close to each other..."

Yuan Xi smiled and said: "Now that you have become one of our own, can we consider the merger?"

Mi Zhen's face turned red, "I do have this idea, it depends on my husband."

Yuan Xi thought for a while and said with a smile: "It is not impossible to combine the Yuan family's caravan, but in this way, power can be easily concentrated. Although it is most convenient, it may not necessarily be a benefit."

"My idea is that the Mi family and the Zhen family will take part of it, reorganize it under my name, and do business in the name of the three parties."

Mi Zhen was a little confused. Two families became three. Wouldn't this make it more chaotic?
When Yuan Xi met, he explained: "The biggest fear when developing a foreign vassal is that the person in charge is too ambitious."

"What if the person in charge of the Yuan family's caravan wants to seize the Japanese slave country and establish itself?"

"They have rich navigation experience and have weapons to fortify the city. Is it possible that I can form another fleet to attack them?"

Mi Zhen suddenly realized and said with a smile: "So that's how it is. There are three parties to check and balance. Only if one party has a different intention, the other two parties can also restrain it. It is really a good idea."

"The husband's vision is much higher than that of the concubine. The concubine only cares about business affairs, but what the husband sees is state affairs."

Yuan Xi couldn't help but be on his own guard. There were too many tiger-raising incidents in history. Once they got out of control, it would be difficult to turn back, just like the Eastern Han Dynasty gave up the four Han counties and was taken advantage of by Goguryeo to rise.

Now the Gongsun Du family and Goguryeo are in a stalemate, and neither side can take advantage of the other. The Gongsun family has ambitions, but its strength has not kept up, and its vision does not seem to be very far-sighted. Yuan Xi originally thought that Gongsun Du would ask for help from him, but so far, so far There is no news from Bian.

This makes Yuan Xi unable to see the sincerity and vision of the Gongsun family. Are they waiting for the world to be peaceful and want to gain benefits by doing nothing?
But since the two sides are in a stalemate, Yuan Xi is happy to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight. The focus of his strategy for the next two years will be on the Hetao Plain in Bingzhou. The Central Plains side will be on the defensive for the time being.

Because judging from Liu Biao's letter, the Jingzhou nobles are very resistant to outsiders, and there are very few Jingzhou nobles who seek refuge with Yuan Xi. In this case, Yuan Xi does not need to be hot-tempered and cold-hearted. When Cao Cao attacks Jingzhou again, those nobles will naturally Will regret it.

It was difficult to defend Jingzhou. Most of the cities in the late Han Dynasty were not solidly built. Fortresses such as Xiangyang were far less solid than in the later Song Dynasty. Taking a passive defensive position would only be delayed. Therefore, Yuan Xi asked Lu Xun to return to Shouchun to wait for an opportunity. While moving, Cao Cao stepped up the construction of the Jianghuai defense line. As long as the Huaihe River was not lost, Cao Cao had nothing to do.

At this moment, Mi Tai came over with the natives of the Wonu Kingdom.

(End of this chapter)