big song poppi

Chapter 666 [Great Zhou Zheng Huaxia Flag]

Four months have passed since I led the fleet from the Cape of Good Hope to the Americas mentioned by Your Majesty.

They purchased a lot of nautical charts at high prices locally and hired a large number of local veteran sailors.

At first, everything was fine. With the help of nautical charts and the guidance of the crew, we avoided storms several times and found islands to replenish water.

But as they went deeper and deeper into the sea, the charts and crew members gradually became useless.

Because this is a sea area they have never set foot on.

Without any experience to follow, Fan Heng was facing an unknown world.

When we set out, there were a total of twenty-three boats.

There were a total of twenty-three ships, but after four months, only three were left.

Moreover, each ship suffered varying degrees of damage.

If they can't find an island to get wood to repair the hull, the three ships may not be able to survive the next storm.

Fan Heng licked his cracked lips and smiled bitterly.

I'm afraid they will die before the next storm comes.

Because there was no fresh water on the ship.

The last time he drank water was five days ago. During these five days, he drank turtle blood and his own urine.

However, Fan Heng did not regret it. He was born in the sea and should die in the sea. This was his fate.

Fan Heng is not very old, he is only twenty-six this year.

His father, Fan Ziyuan, was the chief water conservancy official of the Zhao Song Dynasty and was in charge of the construction of Shenzhou.

He followed his father since he was a child and made several diplomatic missions to Goryeo. At the age of eight, he dared to go out to sea alone in a small boat.

It can be said that he spent much more time at sea than on land.

The ship is Fan Heng's home, and he would have no regrets if he died on the sea.

But even if I have to die, it's not now.

He cannot let down the trust of His Majesty and Prime Minister Yang. He, Fan Heng, wants to leave his name in history and be respected by future generations.

At this moment, a crew member stepped forward and reported: "Mr. Fan, the cabin of the Lihua is seriously damaged. Seawater has already poured into the hull. It cannot be repaired."

Upon hearing this, Fan Heng's voice was hoarse, and he immediately ordered: "Let the Lihua abandon the ship and transfer all the food and supplies on board as soon as possible. In addition, dismantle the Lihua's deck and repair the Songzhu and our main ship."

The Ewha was bound to sink, but before it did, we had to make use of its remaining energy as much as possible to save the other two ships.

"Order!"

After the crew agreed, they left in a hurry.

After two hours of busy work, the repaired Shochiku and the main ship slowly sailed away from the sea, leaving behind the half-sunken Rika.

"Mr. Fan, when can we find the island?"

The man who was speaking had dark skin, a thin build, and a short knife hanging from his waist.

At this moment, he was holding a fresh fish in his hand and sucking the fish blood.

The fresh fish had obviously just been caught from the sea. It was very energetic and kept twisting in his hands, with its tail slapping against the back of his hand.

This man's name was Zheng Dafu. He was the battalion commander of the navy on board and was responsible for protecting the safety of the crew.

All the naval commanders, including Zheng Dafu, volunteered to go, because His Majesty said that if they could return from this trip, all of them would have their military merits promoted nine times and their ranks promoted three levels.

If one unfortunately died at sea, the imperial court would issue a pension of 100 strings of cash, the family's fields and shops would be permanently tax-free, and the court would support children's education until they reached the age of 15 and the age of coming of age.

Such generous conditions naturally attracted countless naval officers and soldiers to scramble for them.

Zheng Dafu successfully got the job with his outstanding resume, which made his colleagues envious for a while.

You know, the above pensions are only for ordinary soldiers. Battalion-level generals like him will only receive better treatment.

In a word, Your Majesty will not treat them unfairly!
Fan Heng swallowed hard, and said bitterly, "To be honest with you, General Zheng, I don't know either. I can only leave it to fate."

"You bastard, are you really going to die here?"

Zheng Dafu took a big bite of the fish and chewed it in big mouthfuls.

He is a soldier and should die on the battlefield, not die of thirst in a cowardly way!
Shh! ! !
Suddenly, a loud whistle came from the lookout tower.

Fan Heng's face changed and he quickly looked up.

On the observation deck, there were two flags waving, one black and one white.

"We found land!"

Fan Heng's face showed ecstasy.

The next moment, deafening cheers rang out throughout the ship.

"Pooh!"

Zheng Dafu spat out the fish in his mouth, threw away the fresh fish in his hand, and said with disgust: "Damn it, I'm about to vomit after eating so many fish in the past few days. When we get ashore, the headhunter pig will have a good meal!"

"Full speed ahead!"

Fan Heng was very excited because the flag signal just now said that land was discovered, not an island.

They drifted on the sea for four months, during which time they encountered some small islands, but this was their first time on land.

America!

The destination of this trip popped into his mind.

Thinking of this, Fan Heng hurried back to the cabin, took out the nautical chart, picked up the pen, moistened it in his mouth, and began to add to the text.

The most precious thing on this trip is the sea chart he drew himself.

This was achieved at the cost of thousands of lives and more than twenty ships.

Even if they did not find the sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn and cinchona trees that Your Majesty mentioned this time, as long as they present this nautical chart, it will still be a great achievement.

After finishing the painting, he carefully blew dry the ink, then rolled it into a small roll, wrapped it with waterproof oilcloth, put it into sheep intestine, tied the mouth tightly, and finally stuffed it into a cowhide painting tube.

He can die, but the sea chart must not be lost!

……

……

In the small courtyard behind the Chuigong Hall, Han Zhen was drinking with a monkey.

Although the stove is small, the fire is very strong. The copper pot on it is constantly bubbling and making gurgling sounds.

The soup base, made from several ingredients, exudes an enticing aroma.

Several plates of beef, mutton and lush green vegetables were neatly placed on the plate.

"Thanks for your hard work over the past two years. Now that the sea trade route has been completely opened up, I'll leave it to my subordinates from now on." Han Zhen picked up a small bowl and was preparing the dipping sauce for himself.

Sesame paste, fermented bean curd, dogwood paste, then drizzle a spoonful of boiling pepper oil, then stir quickly with chopsticks.

The only drawback is that there is no chili pepper, so I have to use dogwood instead.

In the deep winter, nothing can warm you up better than a hotpot.

Monkey scooped up a piece of mutton from the copper pot, dipped it in chives and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling, "I listened to Second Brother Han. Hmm, this mutton is good. It's not only tender, but also has no smell."

"The quality of the Yanchi Beach Sheep from Hetao is naturally good."

Han Zhen smiled slightly, picked up a piece and put it into the copper pot to rinse.

It is generally acknowledged that the mutton from Hetao is the best in the world. The mutton from the Central Plains cannot compare to it.

There is no way. The environment in Hetao is suitable for sheep raising, and the sheep breeds are also good.

The bright red lamb slices quickly turned gray in the broth. Han Zhen placed them in a bowl, dipped them in the sauce, and put them into his mouth, savoring them carefully.

He was still not used to the smell of dogwood. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but ask, "How is the exploration of the American route going?"

The monkey replied, "I have collected a large number of sea charts and will set out in July in time for the monsoon."

Han Zhen was silently calculating in his mind.

The straight-line distance between South America and the Cape of Good Hope is not far, about 8,000 kilometers at the closest point. With the current sailing speed of ships and the support of the monsoon, it can be reached in about four to five months.

Of course, the premise is that the deviation is not too outrageous.

In today's America, the Inca Empire has not yet been established and Indians rule this land.

Thinking of the Indians, Han Zhen couldn't help but recall a report he had read in his previous life.

According to molecular anthropology testing, the majority of Chinese people are O, with a small number of N, C, and D.

The majority of Indians are Q.

Here comes the interesting part. Zhao Kuangyin, this guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, also had a Q Y chromosome when tested.

This means that the Zhao family and the American Indians are close relatives.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

But it is also normal. The Indians migrated to America from Siberia. It is normal for a group of them to go south, cross the permafrost and vast grasslands and reach the Central Plains.

Of course, this does not mean that Zhao Kuangyin was a Hu person, because the ancestors of the Zhao family were the royal family of the Wei State, the real princes of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the original shareholders of China.

By this calculation, America has existed since ancient times.

"What are you thinking about, brother?"

Just as his thoughts were drifting further and further away, the monkey's voice rang out.

"Thinking about the American fleet, come, have some wine."

Han Zhen raised his wine glass and clinked it with the monkey's.

In winter, people usually drink rice wine, which makes people feel warm.

The monkey drank the wine in the cup and said with emotion: "I have learned a lot in the past two years of going to sea. Going to sea is built with human lives and ships. There are more than 20 ships this time, and I wonder how many will come back."

In order to find the so-called America, he began to make real preparations two years ago.

No fewer than ten ships were lost just to reach the Cape of Good Hope.

The Cape of Good Hope is merely a transit point on the way to America. The real test is the vast unknown ocean.

Han Zhen nodded and said solemnly: "You are right, but there are some things that must be done."

It is impossible for food seeds such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, and peppers to run from America to the Central Plains for no reason.

Just like Shu, without Li Bing and his son, and without those civilians who died in the rivers and canals, there would be no land of abundance.

Therefore, the Chinese people worship their ancestors and show respect and gratitude to them, because everything we have today was obtained at the cost of their ancestors' lives.

All Emperor Han Zhen could do was to provide relief to the families of those warriors as much as possible.

The monkey asked, "Brother Han, is there really a gold mountain in America?"

Others might not know, but how could he not know? Before Second Brother Han became emperor, he had always led them to be hooligans in Linzi County, hanging out all day long.

But they said with certainty that on the other side of the vast ocean, there was a land called America, which not only had gold mountains, but also had grain crops that produced thousands of kilograms per acre.

Han Zhen smiled and said, "Why, you don't believe me?"

"How could I not believe in Brother Han?"

The monkey scratched his head with a wry smile.

Han Zhen made up an excuse: "There is a map in the palace that was handed down from the Qin Dynasty. It was drawn by Xu Fu when he was seeking immortality and medicine for the First Emperor. Although there are no immortal mountains overseas, places like Japan do exist. It's a pity that the map of America has been lost due to the passage of time. Otherwise, there would be no need to sacrifice human lives to fill it."

I have to say, Xu Fu is a good excuse.

What is certain is that this guy did not go to Japan or Goryeo, because these two places are adjacent to the Central Plains, and there was frequent communication between them, especially during the Tang Dynasty. If he had gone to these two places, he would definitely have discovered it with such frequent exchanges, but there is no mention of it in history books.

As for the so-called Xu Fu Temple, Xu Fu Tomb, Xu Fu Landing Site, etc. in Japan in later generations, they all emerged in modern times.

Could this guy really have run off to America?

The more likely possibility is that he died in a shipwreck.

After all, with the navigation technology and ships at the time, the probability of a shipwreck would increase significantly if they strayed too far from the coastline.

"I see."

The monkey looked suddenly enlightened.

"Let's not talk about this anymore." Han Zhen raised his glass.

Lifting up their glasses and clinking them together, the monkey said, "I heard that Little Bug got married?"

Han Zhen nodded: "Well, this guy has been entangled with Su Qianqian. His parents really have no choice but to find me and ask me to help wake him up."

Two months ago, Lin Cong got married.

The wife was Zhao Huer, the thirteenth daughter of Zhao Ji, and their marriage was arranged by Zhao Fujin.

Zhao Huer's character was considered good among all the princes and princesses of the Zhao Song Dynasty. She was gentle and virtuous, and her painting skills were inherited from Zhao Ji. Unfortunately, she was not good-looking.

But when it comes to choosing a wife, it’s her virtue that counts, not her beauty.

Less than a month after the marriage, Lin Cong took Su Qianqian as his concubine.

According to Han Zhen, Xiao Chong is a bastard. Wouldn't it have been better if he had done this earlier?

Monkey agreed, "Second brother should have taken care of him a long time ago. He is an important official in the court after all. It is not good for him to go to Fanlou all day long."

"Don't talk about him." Han Zhen waved his hand and said with emotion: "Over the years, you have worked the hardest among the brothers. You have traveled all over the country and crossed the oceans. Before the New Year, you should hand over the Commercial Institute and go to the Ministry of Revenue as an assistant minister at the beginning of the new year."

Among all the ruffian brothers, Monkey has the highest talent, and Han Zhen has always focused on cultivating him.

From the original salt factory, to the transformation into a salt supervision bureau, to the establishment of a college of commerce, and finally to going out to sea to open up maritime trade, Han Zhen witnessed the company's growth step by step.

Liu Mi, the Minister of Revenue, actually did a good job and was always dedicated and responsible. However, with the unification of the country and the unification of the north and the south, the burden on his shoulders became heavier and heavier, and now he is somewhat overwhelmed.

Now that maritime trade is unblocked, Han Zhen plans to place Monkey in the Ministry of Revenue to help Liu Mi share the pressure and make it easier for him to take over in the future.

"I understand."

The monkey nodded solemnly.

Both of them were in a good mood and chatted while eating hot pot.

Thanks to the foundation laid last year, maritime trade has reached a new level this year, with profits more than doubling.

Gemstones, ivory, agate, and various spices from Southeast Asia and Central Asia were all sold well, especially spices. No matter how much was shipped in, they could be consumed. Some officials even suggested that the year-end dividends could be settled with spices.

During the early Tang Dynasty, Fang Xuanling hosted a banquet, but he had no spices at home, so he had to send someone to borrow some from Changsun Wuji's house to avoid losing face.

Fang Xuanling, the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, was short of spices at home. You can imagine how the people were feeling.

Although the situation is much better now than in the early Tang Dynasty, spices are still a scarce commodity.

The monkey drank until the moon was at its highest point in the sky, and then he left the palace drunkenly.

……

The silver coin has been issued for more than a month, but it has not made any splash.

Firstly, the first batch was small in quantity and only circulated around Gyeonggi Province.

Secondly, as expected, many merchants began to hoard such exquisite silver coins as soon as they were issued.

After all, no matter how good green money is, it is just a piece of paper and cannot be as real as silver.

Even in later generations, many wealthy people kept some gold bars in their home safes for emergencies, let alone now.

The court did not care about this.

This kind of thing cannot be avoided. After two or three years, the number of silver coins issued will increase, and it is only a matter of time before they are circulated.

(End of this chapter)