Liu Jin had been chatting with Du Mingen and Emperor Hongzhi for more than two hours. During these two hours, Liu Jin mostly talked about some things he knew about overseas. As for the formation of the caravan, he talked for a while.
The general direction has been agreed upon at the meeting, and the rest can be left to the people below.
Whether it is Emperor Hongzhi or the businessman Du Mingen, both of them are accompanied by their entourage. The two masters have discussed the formation of the caravan, and the specific details and execution will be handled well by their respective subordinates.
As for Liu Jin, just go back and write down a detailed guide to Golden Continent.
"In fact, when we travel to Tianzhu and Ceylon in the Ming Dynasty, we must go through Nanyang. We go directly from Sichuan and Yunnan to Myanmar. We will soon reach the Indian Ocean. From here, it is very close to India and Ceylon."
"As long as we can open this road, it will be much more convenient to go west from Myanmar. Silk and porcelain from the Ming Dynasty can be continuously transported to Europe and Africa in exchange for a continuous flow of gold and silver."
Liu Jin took a piece of white paper, drew a map of the Ming Dynasty and Nanyang on the paper, drew a straight line on it, pointed to the straight line and said.
"It is indeed very close, but as far as I know, the terrain in this area is rugged, with high mountains and dangerous rivers. It is more difficult and dangerous than the one hundred thousand mountains heading to Nanyang. Although the distance is closer, it is not as good as traveling by water.
Fast and safe.”
"What's more, although Myanmar is a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty and has always paid tribute, it is governed by countless chieftains, large and small. It is difficult, very difficult."
After hearing Liu Jin's words, Du Mingen pondered for a while and then shook his head repeatedly.
"Now, it is indeed a bit unrealistic, but we need to have a strategic vision. The future is hard to predict."
Liu Jin smiled and nodded. When he said this, he also looked at Emperor Hongzhi. In fact, he was speaking to Emperor Hongzhi. Naturally, it was only him, the emperor, who was more suitable to do this important matter of expanding the territory.
However, Liu Jin knew that although the Emperor Hongzhi in front of him was a good emperor and the kind of emperor that the scholar-bureaucrats liked the most, the emperor who listened to these courtiers was the most disgusted with things like opening up territories.
Because in the view of the scholar-bureaucrats, such a large-scale war would not only waste people and money, but also easily lead to the resurgence of those military officers and nobles who had finally suppressed it. What's more, Confucianism has always emphasized loyalty and filial piety in governing the country, opposed to force, and believed that militarism was not good.
Fighting will lead to death.
In this regard, we cannot expect too much from Emperor Hongzhi. On the contrary, there is still hope for his son Zhu Houzhao, Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty. This emperor was quite out-tempered and dared to think and do. In history, he put down the rebellion of King Ning, the rebellion of King Anhua, and the Great Rebellion.
The defeat of the little Mongolian prince, the great victory in Yingzhou, etc. show that Zhu Houzhao, who is still a little kid in front of him, is more ambitious than his father, Emperor Hongzhi.
It's just a pity that both father and son were short-lived and died in their thirties. One only married one wife and had only one son, and the other married many wives but left no descendants. In the end, this
The pulse was cut off immediately, and Zhu Houcong's fortune was greatly reduced.
Emperor Hongzhi seemed to feel Liu Jin's gaze. He looked at Liu Jin and then at the red clouds appearing in the sky outside. He smiled and said, "It's getting late. I still have some things to do at home. How about we do it today?"
Let’s stop talking here.”
"We will keep in touch later about setting up a fleet to go to the Golden Continent."
"Okay, let's stop talking today. I am truly lucky to be able to meet Mr. Zhu and Mr. Liu today. I wish I could talk to them all at night."
Du Mingen cupped his hands in front of Emperor Hongzhi and said with a slight regret.
"There will definitely be many opportunities in the future."
Emperor Hongzhi smiled and nodded.
The three of them said goodbye to each other. Emperor Hongzhi and Du Mingen took their people and left Wangyue Tower one after another. As for Liu Jin, he was not in a hurry to leave. He had three cheap disciples waiting patiently.
"Teacher~"
Seeing Liu Jin looking at him, Huang Jinquan, Tong Yuan, and Lin Shuhong quickly came to Liu Jin's side respectfully and said in unison.
Throughout the afternoon, the three of them stood beside Liu Jin, listening carefully to the conversation between Liu Jin, Emperor Hongzhi, and Du Mingen. They were even more impressed by Liu Jin's profound knowledge.
Knowing geography, it seems like there is nothing in the world that he doesn't know.
"Sit down, I'm really sorry for letting you three stand all afternoon."
Liu Jin smiled and motioned for the three of them to sit down and chat slowly.
"It's okay. It's our destiny to be able to listen to our mentor's wise words."
Lin Shuhong shook his head repeatedly and said.
"What are you talking about? I'm just a scholar like you. I haven't even passed the exams yet. Maybe next autumn, when the three of you are in high school, I, as a master, may fail."
Liu Jin smiled bitterly and shook his head. He was unwilling to accept the three of them as apprentices. Liu Jin also had his own considerations. The four masters and apprentices will take the exam together next autumn. If they can go to high school together by then, it will naturally be a good story.
But if all three of the apprentices are in high school and only the master fails, it will become a joke.
"My teacher is very knowledgeable and talented. I will definitely be able to go to high school next autumn."
Tong Yuan seems to have great confidence in Liu Jin.
"We'll know when the time comes."
Liu Jin smiled and said nothing more about this matter, then thought about it and said: "You worship me as your teacher, but I actually have nothing to teach you."
"No, my teacher knows astronomy from the top and geography from the bottom. I'm afraid we won't be able to learn anything from our teacher in our lifetime. Once I have settled everything at home, I will study hard with my teacher."
Huang Jinquan seemed to have made a decision and said decisively.
"Me too. I will write a letter home today and study with my teacher from now on."
Lin Shuhong thought about it and made a decision.
"The same goes for me. I will write home when I get back and stay close to my mentor from now on."
When Tong Yuan saw the two people's posture, he quickly expressed his stance.
"You don't have to be like this. You may not be able to learn anything by following me. What's more, you still have to take exams for merit. In the future, you will have to report to the king and govern the people."
Liu Jin looked at the three people. These three people seemed to be serious. It seemed that there would be three more mouths in the house in the future. Naturally, he quickly shook his head and refused.
"Teacher, it is precisely because we will have to take meritorious examinations in the future, report to the king, and govern the people, so we need to learn more knowledge from our mentor."
"Otherwise, the superiors will not be able to relieve the king's worries and problems, and the subordinates will not be able to seek benefits for the common people. Instead, they will sit on a plain diet and be mediocre and ineffective."
"I think my mentor definitely doesn't want to see us like this."
Huang Jinquan was determined to stay with Liu Jin, but Liu Jin couldn't defeat him at all.
Although Lin Shuhong and Tong Yuan did not speak, they were still very determined, as if they were determined to follow you from now on.
Liu Jin looked at the three of them, feeling helpless.
"Since you three want to stay with me, then let me. We can learn from each other and make progress together."
