Captain Lu Benyun looked at the South American continent in the distance.
The exploration fleet took nearly half a year and finally arrived at the west coast of the American continent.
He stood on the deck and said loudly to the officers and soldiers of the exploration fleet: "In ten days' time it will be New Year's Eve, to celebrate our arrival in America and prepare for the festival.
Let’s find a landing point along the coast and set up a simple camp ashore.”
When the soldiers of the exploration fleet heard the news, they all cheered.
Captain Lu Benyun and Chief of Staff Zhou Qianxue carefully observed the American continent ahead.
The exploration fleet has arrived, but only half of the mission has been completed.
Next, we need to conduct a detailed investigation of the geography, hydrology, environment, customs and customs of the west coast of America.
At the same time, observe the conditions of the coastal waters and find a suitable place to establish a port.
On New Year's Eve in 4337, Lu Benyun took the main personnel of the exploration fleet to hold a bonfire dinner at the mouth of a Danshui River by the sea.
Chief of Staff Zhou Qianxue led people on duty on the ship to prevent the fleet from encountering enemy attacks.
Captain Lu Benyun was roasting lion meat over a bonfire. He looked at Liu Yuanshan and asked, "Mr. Liu, what are the results of your exploration?"
He took the exploration fleet to explore the situation directly east of Hope Island and on the coast of the American continent.
After Liu Yuanshan got off the boat and learned about the situation on the shore, he was not satisfied with the situation here.
He borrowed two boats and went south to explore the west coast of South America and other shores.
When Liu Yuanshan heard Captain Lu Benyun's question, he shook his head and said, "I shouldn't have questioned Mr. Lu's words some time ago.
I took a boat and went south along the coast. When I saw the situation on the west coast of South America, I felt so cold!
To the east of Hope Island, there is also an estuary delta area that is the land of two provinces.
I walked several hundred kilometers south, and the west coast of South America was full of hills and towering mountains.
There is not even a single county in the plain area that can be used for farming.
The terrain here in South America is so strange. Such a huge mountain actually runs north-south.
Most of the mountains in our country run east-west.
I thought I could find a mountain pass, but I didn’t expect to find a break in the mountain even as I walked south. This is a large, neat mountain range.”
Liu Yuanshan discovered some time ago that the plain area near their landing was too small.
The east of this estuary delta is blocked by a huge mountain range.
If we choose to build our country here, this territory alone can support the food rations of millions of people at most.
As they expanded outward, they had no choice but to climb over this huge mountain range.
Liu Yuanshan felt that this was not the land of kings and he wanted to go south to check other places to see if there were any better areas.
Lu Benyun told him that the navy learned about it from the Spanish and Portuguese people.
The west coast of South America is a huge mountainous area, blocked from north to south by a large mountain range.
The living environment here is harsh and there is no way to start plantations and other industries.
Only a small number of local indigenous tribes exist.
It is precisely because of this that these Westerners did not focus on the west coast of South America, but focused on developing the east coast of South America.
If this was a good land, the Spaniards could travel thousands of miles to Luzon.
How could they let go of the west coast of South America, which is so close to Chichi.
Zhang Maizi accompanied Liu Yuanshan on the operation. When he saw the situation here on the west coast of South America, he almost laughed out loud.
The west coast of South America is blocked by a huge mountain range, and there are mountains and hills everywhere.
If King Cao Li Dazhuang chose to build his country in such a place, his country's development would be extremely slow, which would be very beneficial to the development of his brother-in-law, King Su Xiong of Zhao.
He suggested: "Lao Liu, we learned from the Spanish people that the east coast of South America is extremely rich.
There are thousands of miles of fertile land there, and Europeans established large plantations there.
There are mature lands that have been reclaimed and cultivated for a long time.
There are also large amounts of gold and silver minerals, providing sufficient resources for these European countries.
Why do you have to chew on this tough nut in front of you? I suggest you go to the east coast of South America and take a look."
Liu Yuanshan glanced sideways at Zhang Maizi, which was an extremely sinister suggestion.
There is no power on the west coast of South America, and it is relatively close to the Great China Dynasty.
As long as routes are opened up to make merchants profitable, Dahua will be able to transport a steady stream of supplies within the country.
Once heading to the east coast of South America, the caravan needed to go around Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost tip of South America, adding thousands of kilometers to its journey.
They also had to compete with local European colonists.
These European colonists have been operating on the east coast of South America for a long time and are extremely powerful.
Even though King Cao had experienced hundreds of battles, he was not sure of victory.
Even if they win, they may not be able to hold on for long because the logistical supply line is too long.
Liu Yuanshan took a bite of the fragrant lion meat, and he made up his mind: "This place is very good, it is located in the tropics, and the food can be harvested three or four times a year.
We can accumulate strength here, and when our troops and horses are strong, we can naturally climb over this mountain range and seize the rich East.
Back then, His Majesty the Emperor led the prince and others to fight out of Qinchuan, eight hundred miles away, and conquered the world.
Now the geographical advantage of this river mouth delta is stronger than that of Shaanxi and Gansu.
We also have domestic support from Dahua, but if we can’t gain a foothold here, it will look like we are such useless people.”
Liu Yuanshan knew Cao Wang Li Dazhuang, not to mention that there was an estuary delta the size of two provinces, which could be used for immigrants to farm and build cities.
Even if this area is all hilly and all food is purchased from outside, King Cao will persevere.
He will use his own strength to build his own country, and does not want to rely entirely on the power of the Great China Dynasty to conquer the world.
】
Captain Lu Benyun was very happy when he heard what Liu Yuanshan said.
One of the missions of the exploration fleet is to cooperate with people like Liu Yuanshan.
In the past few days, Lu Benyun has led King Cao's people to fully explore the geographical conditions and the strength of the indigenous tribes in this area.
Now that Liu Yuanshan has chosen the location where King Cao founded his country, they no longer need to stay in South America.
The bonfire dinner is over and everyone gets on the boat to rest.
Liu Yuanshan is writing his development plan after the founding of South America.
Kong Liuniu, a confidant of King Cao and the younger brother of Kong Erniu, the future governor of Cao State, quietly walked into Liu Yuanshan's cabin.
Liu Yuanshan put down his pen and looked at the somewhat honest Kong Liuniu.
This little peasant boy who doesn't know Chinese characters has a lot of cleverness.
He also received simple military training, and this time he was responsible for observing the strength of the indigenous people.
"Liuniu, what's the matter with you?"
Kong Liuniu placed a gray stone on the table.
"Master Liu, we have had contact with the indigenous tribes here.
Mr. Lu shot and killed a ferocious lion, which immediately shocked the local indigenous tribes.
We didn't show too much aggressiveness either.
After a simple exchange, we used salt and iron pots to make trades with the indigenous tribes.
This stone is something I asked for by exchanging a pound of salt for a few silver bricks."
Liu Yuanshan looked at this stone. He didn't know what this stone represented.
He knew that the Americas were rich in silver mines, and Spain went to Dahua to purchase goods. Most of the silver they paid was mined from the Americas.
The fact that Kong Liuniu can take out this stone proves that it is more important than the silver mine.
Kong Liuniu saw Liu Yuanshan's confused look and said directly: "Master Liu, I have been a miner in the mine for several years.
This ore is not ordinary, it is saltpeter ore of very high purity."
When Liu Yuanshan heard this, he immediately stood up and lowered his voice to confirm: "Liuniu, you read that right."
Kong Liuniu said with certainty: "I have been dealing with this kind of ore for several years, and I will never be wrong about it."
Liu Yuanshan couldn't help laughing. The indigenous tribes had high-purity saltpeter ore, which proved that there was a saltpeter mine nearby.
Once it is confirmed that this saltpeter mine has considerable reserves, Cao State's overall development plan will have to be changed.
Saltpeter, a mineral, is the most important resource in the current military industry system.
Through simple chemical industry, it can be turned into various explosives and propellants.
Even if there is no chemical industry, it can be directly used to make black powder.
The Royal Army of Dahua is extremely powerful, and its combat characteristics require a large amount of ammunition.
Ammunition needs to be purchased outsourced, which will be the largest cost of the war.
Ammunition can be localized, even if it uses a front-loading rifled gun, Cao's strength will be greatly improved and it can develop sustainably.
"Great things can be accomplished, great things can be accomplished!"
Liu Yuanshan looked at Kong Liuniu and asked with a serious expression: "Who knows about this matter."
Kong Liuniu patted his chest and assured: "None of them know the saltpeter mine, and no one cares that I took a piece of stone.
I didn’t tell anyone about this.”
Liu Yuanshan smiled and nodded: "Okay, this is done very well.
Just keep this matter in your heart and don't tell anyone about it until you return to Luzon."
Liu Yuanshan changed Cao Guo's development plan overnight.
He prepared two development plans. The saltpeter mine had considerable reserves, so he would take the path of military expansion.
Saltpeter ore reserves are not abundant, so we can only follow the traditional farming development path.
…………………………
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the festive atmosphere has not dissipated.
Zhou Qianxue and Lu Benyun saluted each other with military salutes.
"Take care and stay safe."
“Have a safe journey and return to Nanyang safely.”
Today is the day for the exploration fleet to part ways.
Captain Lu Benyun, with twelve ships and Liu Yuanshan and other King Cao's men.
Following the route they opened up, they set off back to Dahua with navigation charts and information about South America.
Zhou Qianxue took the remaining fifteen ships and headed north to explore.
The air whistle sounded, and the exploration fleet parted ways, with the two fleets heading towards their respective goals.
Zhang Maizi stood on the deck and looked at the mainland in the east.
Without Liu Yuanshan to argue with him, he was not used to traveling.
The exploration fleet sailed north and found a gap in the sea to the east.
They drove along the coastline and met a Spanish expedition of more than a hundred people on the shore.
After friendly exchanges, the Spanish expedition team was invited to board the ship at the cost of more than a dozen deaths.
After interrogation, the exploration fleet learned that this is the junction of North and South America and the narrowest place in the Americas.
This piece of land is about tens of kilometers wide, and opposite it is what Europe calls the Caribbean Sea.
Not far further north is Spain's most famous colony, Mexico.
It is famous for its silver mines, and most of the Spanish silver mines came from there.
Chief of Staff Zhou Qianxue put down his sextant and couldn't help but curse: "Those cartographers in Spain have no scientific literacy at all.
They drew maps of South America based entirely on their imagination.
This is simply nonsense. If you really refer to their charts, it would be strange if you don't get lost in the sea."
Zhou Qianxue asked the navigation staff to record the accurate longitude and latitude of Mexico on the globe and nautical charts.
He looked at Zhang Maizi and asked: "Mr. Zhang, what do you think of the peninsula ahead?"
Zhang Maizi shook his head and said: "There is no danger to defend here, and it is also close to the Spanish colony of Mexico.
This peninsula is the remnant of a mountain range and is not suitable for farming at all.
Let's keep going north and find a better place."
Zhang Maizi would not choose this place, nor would his brother-in-law Zhao Wang Su Xiong.
This place is too close to the Cao Kingdom of Cao King Li Dazhuang, and there is no room for two tigers in one mountain.
This is a rich place, and you can still fight for it.
It's not worth paying such a high price for such useless hilly land.
The exploration fleet continued north, and they saw an even larger mountain range lying across the west coast of North America.
Zhang Maizi was a little desperate, and he finally understood Liu Yuanshan's previous mood.
"What a rotten land America is. South America has a mountain range from south to north. I thought it was a wonder of nature.
Who would have thought that North America is like this too.
This place is not as good as the place King Cao chose. It is full of hills and mountains, and there is no large plain area at all."
Chief of Staff Zhou Tianxue looked at Zhang Maizi and yelled as he collapsed.
He reminded from the side: "Mr. Zhang, let me remind you that the latitude here is equivalent to the north of the country.
Continuing to the north, that is the latitude of Northeast and Mobei.
I don’t need to tell you that you also understand the situation in Northeast China and Mobei."
When Zhang Maizi heard the news, he was immediately awakened.
Further north, the weather is very cold, which is not conducive to farming and industrial development.
He made up his mind and said: "Next time we see the mouth of the river, we will land. The city must be built along the river. We cannot survive without water."
After the exploration fleet traveled a few kilometers further, they discovered a larger river.
Zhou Qianxue and Zhang Maizi led the team to disembark and inspect the environment and the situation of the indigenous tribes.
This is a natural harbor suitable for a large number of ships to dock.
There is a medium-sized indigenous tribe nearby.
They use a small number of bronze weapons and bone space, and are not very threatening.
Seeing that the exploration fleet was well equipped, these indigenous tribes stayed away and did not communicate with them.
Zhou Qianxue and others camped near the river.
A soldier went to the river to get water. He suddenly screamed in surprise.
"Golden sand, there is gold sand in the river."
The soldiers were all alarmed, and they stretched their hands to the bottom of the river to pick up the sand.
I saw a lot of golden light shining in the river sand.
When Zhang Maizi saw this situation, he almost jumped up with laughter.
With his simple knowledge of geography and mineral resources, he can also judge that there is a large amount of gold sand in the rivers, and there must be rich gold mines nearby.
Zhang Maizi led the team and carefully investigated the area.
They used tools to dig into the mountain to see if there were veins of gold ore around it.
Zhang Maizi received the results reported by each team.
He couldn't help laughing. The mountains near the river contained rich gold deposits.
The mountains here are simply golden mountains.
Zhang Maizi decided to name this area Jinshan.
He immediately found Zhou Qianxue and said: "Master Zhou, our Zhao country has chosen to land here.
You need to record the longitude and latitude here and the surrounding conditions."
Zhou Qianxue nodded and said: "I have already recorded it, and I will arrange for the exploration fleet to return as soon as possible."
He also discovered that this place contained rich gold deposits.
The soldiers of the exploration fleet have not been idle these days, and they picked up a lot of gold mines by the way.
Zhou Qianxue doesn't care about the final ownership of these gold mines.
He only knew that the exploration fleet could return.
They want to set off from Jinshan to Dahua mainland and open up a new route.