golden scales

After more than ten days at sea, Yin Rusong lost his sense of freshness and awe of this great expedition to the land beyond Huaihua.The psychological preparations that had been made were relaxed as the journey became more and more boring, mainly because of the route chosen by the fleet.

For safety reasons, the route chosen by His Majesty the Emperor for the expedition team is to take the Nanyang route.This route has been taken by people for 200 years. In the early years, the old opponents of the Fujian pirates were entrenched in this sea area, and every dark sand and reef is well known.The most important thing is that, except that the fleet did not dock in Luzon Island controlled by the Spaniards, there were sufficient supplies and rest areas along the way.

"The Nanyang Islands are full of merchants established by Thais and Westerners, and this is the end of their business trips." Yin Rusong stood on the side of the boat, watching groups of black servants in the distance, under the whip of the master, carrying big bags. The packaged goods are stacked on the ship by stepping on the pedals.

He also saw a similar scene when he was in Taiwan. A group of aborigines pulled logs and walked in the rainstorm.There are reeds and grasses on the wood to cover the rain, but those natives walk naked in the rain without shelter.

"They're all human!" Yin Rusong couldn't bear it, and said with emotion.

Standing beside Yin Rusong was a Nanyang Chinese businessman.The family is originally from Fujian, because the ancestors went to Nanyang to do business, so no matter where the younger brothers were born, they were enlightened in their hometown before the age of ten, and they had to go to Nanyang to do business after the age of ten.He was used to this and corrected Yin Rusong's misconception: "They are not human, but just like human. Like monkeys, they are also human-like, but not human."

Yin Rusong gave him a disgusted look, took a step away, and never planned to talk to him again.The Chinese businessman didn't know that he had touched the bottom line of Huaxia Ming's compassion, and he still talked about the definition of "human", thinking that these aborigines in the Stone Age were not qualified to be called "human".

Yin Rusong turned his head, looking for an excuse to leave.He suddenly saw Colonel Xiao Tugeng playing with a bow against the ship's side not far away, and said "Farewell" as if he had been pardoned.Walk quickly towards the Colonel.

"Xiao Junmen is very elegant." Yin Rusong went over to say hello.

Xiao Tugeng felt that he had nothing to say to these scholars, so he reluctantly returned the salute and continued to play with the bamboo bow in his hand.

This bow is made of bamboo bent into a half-moon shape, which looks like a child's toy.

"Isn't this the standard of my dynasty?" Yin Rusong asked curiously.

"This is the weapon of the islanders." Xiao Tugeng tried his strength and said, "I have not used this kind of bamboo bow in China since 2000 years ago."

Yin Rusong is not interested in weapons and the like, but he also knows that there are procedures for making good bows in "Kao Gong Ji" 2000 years ago.He couldn't remember Yuan, but judging from the length of the book, it must have been hundreds of miles away from the bamboo bow.

"I heard that there is a big island in the east. The island is full of savages with this kind of weapon." Xiao Tugeng said: "If my dynasty wants to expand the territory, why should I fight the Mongols in the northwest? We only need to send three or fifty troops People can take it."

"Nanyang Island has few people, so if it doesn't produce special products, what good is it?" Zheng Sen suddenly came out from the side of the cabin, and he didn't know how much he heard.

Xiao Tugeng took a cold look at the Zuoer officer who was trying to seize the command all the way, and said: "Da Ming is very big, but not an inch of land is superfluous."

Zheng Sen knew that this was an old idea of ​​their army.In this world now, it is no longer the era of occupying the earth as the king.To build more ships, cast more cannons, seize key points of communication, thoroughfare, and collect commercial taxes and tolls, this is the way to seek wealth and control hegemony.It cost so much.Is there anything more stupid than grabbing some barren land?

However, the people around Shengtian who can be consulted by the Metropolitan Government are these old-minded soldiers. It would be great if Shen Du could be promoted to the Metropolitan Government when he was able to brainwash them.Zheng Sen thought to himself.

Xiao Tugeng couldn't allow others to question His Majesty's national policy. During his dealings with the navy, he always felt that these pirate-like sailors were not loyal to Daming.

If one is really loyal to Daming, one should unconditionally obey all the decisions of the imperial court, and His Majesty's sageness cannot be doubted.

"If you have land, you can't occupy it. That's because the population of the barbarians in Taixi is too small, and you can't occupy it." Xiao Tugeng said: "There are tens of millions of people living in China, and the land is not enough. How can we not occupy it? Don't say the original The original land of the Han and Tang Dynasties must be recovered, even if there is more new land, the better."

Zheng Sen curled his lips and said, "I've never seen anyone wearing gold and silver, and still thinking about the rags and tattered clothes of beggars on the street."

"The earth is a vessel that bears the sky. The things that support the people and protect the body are rags and rags?" Xiao Tugeng sneered: "You are really good as a naval instructor, and you don't even need to teach this kind of truth."

Promoting the concept of the state is an important task of the Ministry of Training and Education, and the land is the basis of the state.Every warrior is taught to be hungry for the land.Now the land that has been reclaimed and developed has given the soldiers a great stimulus, and many troops that have not reaped the benefits of development are eager to grab the land as soon as possible.

Xiao Tugeng was transferred to an unknown foreign land on the wave of opening up the frontier. Naturally, his heart was very painful, but the education of loyalty and honor made him have absolute trust and obedience to any decision of His Majesty the Emperor.

Criticisms of the incompetence of the naval instructors were even published in the "Hu Ben Bao" and circulated throughout the army.It is only natural to question the loyalty of the navy from this.However, although Zheng Sen has a little temper and pettiness, if he is said to be disloyal to Daming and Shengtian, he will not be convinced.

Zheng Sen was about to refute, when the Chinese businessman who was in charge of transporting the food came over and said with a smile on his face: "You two generals, the goods have almost been moved, Xiaomin's passport..."

Although the fleet borrowed commercial stations and ports from Portugal and the Netherlands, and purchased some supplies from the two countries, the rest was purchased from local Chinese merchants.As for cargo loading and unloading, it is dominated by Chinese merchants.This is also an important task of Zheng Sen's trip: to contact local Chinese businessmen and issue passports to businessmen who are loyal to Ming Dynasty and hope to be protected by the imperial court.

Zheng Sen looked around, and saw that there were fewer and fewer black men working, and more black men gathered in the open space, like a group of donkeys and horses that had just unloaded the mill.

"Where's the care?" Zheng Sen had no choice but to let go of Xiao Tugeng's stubble first, and asked.

The businessman quickly took out a piece of paper and handed it to Zheng Sen respectfully.

The principle of the passport issued by the Ministry of Rites is: as long as the people of Ming Dynasty can understand and speak Chinese, the passport can be issued.

However, when the news spread to Nanyang, it was somewhat distorted, and such generous treatment really lacked credibility, so the fleet just took chicken feathers as arrows, saving a lot of expenses.And once something is rare, everyone will catch up with it. If it is really free, no one may be willing to take it.

Zheng Sen pretended to look at it, stamped the stamp under the note and returned it to him, and asked him to go to the official to exchange his passport.

Nowadays, the passports issued by Ming Dynasty to the people of the country are all hard paper books with large faces.Not only the basic information of the passport holder is written on it, but also the sketches of the characters in duplicate.

Today's Europeans have not invented oil painting, they still use egg tempera.Before painting, a sketch is needed, and this work is handed over to apprentices.Apprentices with average qualifications only need to study for one year to be qualified for this job.Considering that both Eastern and Western masters want to squeeze more labor, this time can be shortened to half a year.

At the beginning, Zhu Cihong hired a large number of Nanyang painters, precisely to ask them to train enough "sketches" to solve the problem of not having photos.Now Daming already has local sketchers and teachers. After intensively researching the teaching skills of painting, although they haven’t achieved a one-month crash course in the art classes of later generations, they can still train qualified portrait technicians in half a year.

It is still a bit far away to popularize sketch portraits in Ming Dynasty, but it can be tested among overseas businessmen.Moreover, in order to obtain passports as soon as possible, many of them did not need the sketcher on board to draw their portraits, and had already asked local painters to help them draw them.

As long as it passes the review, it doesn't matter who draws it.

This Chinese businessman prepared his own portrait.After checking that his own face was similar to the portrait, the official sealed the portrait into the passport page, filled in his name, address, ancestral home, and appearance characteristics in duplicate, and handed the original to him.

The Chinese businessman took the passport excitedly, and eagerly turned it over to the back.

On the back is a clear wood engraving, and it is written: The Minister of Rites of the Ming Empire hereby informs the relevant scholars to give convenience to the descendants of the Ming Dynasty who hold this passport, and provide them with legal assistance and protection.

Underneath this warning full of power is the same clear and huge national seal, and the seal on it is a large seal carved in Yang.Not to mention this Chinese businessman who left his motherland at the age of ten, even many scholars in Ming Dynasty might not recognize all of them.But as a national treasure recently launched by the imperial court, everyone is familiar with the eight characters above, which are: the emperor's picture is eternal, and the emperor's way is prosperous.

"With the passport, can I ask court officials for help?" the Chinese businessman held the passport carefully and asked worriedly.

The clerk nodded: "This is your overseas household registration, which proves that you are from the Ming Dynasty. As long as the officials with the official name of the Ming Dynasty are responsible for protecting the people."

"Thank you! Thank you very much!" The Chinese businessman bowed and saluted, while slipping a velvet money bag from his sleeve, which seemed to weigh heavily on his hand.

The scribe sighed, and tapped a wooden sign on the table with the barrel of his pen.

Only then did the Chinese businessman see the article on the crime of bribery in the "Law of the Ming Dynasty" engraved on this card.When he saw the words "confiscated property, sent to hard labor five thousand miles away", he took a deep breath, clutched the money bag in his hand, and did not dare to hand it out after all.

Yin Rusong saw the Chinese businessman bursting into tears, holding the big passport tightly in his arms, and couldn't understand his excitement.But I don't know why, when I look at him again, I don't feel disgusted—although Yin Rusong still can't accept the saying that "black servants are not human".

ps: Ask for a recommendation ticket, ask for a monthly ticket~~!