Not long after Xia Xun returned to the boat, Zheng He, Zhang Xitong and others returned from the banquet. After Xia Xun heard the news, he immediately sent someone to invite them over. ""
Zheng He and Zhang Xitong had just returned from a banquet. Although the water and wine here were soft and sweet, not as strong as Chinese wine, they were quite drunk after drinking too much. Xia Xun had already asked someone to make tea. After the two sat down, the tea was served.
, the three of them talked while drinking tea.
Zheng He said to Xia Xun: "My lord, at the banquet today, we met several Han merchants who have lived here for generations. Their ancestors moved here from the central land more than a hundred years ago. These people are now here."
There are considerable forces here, and they usually have their own fortresses. Most of them are still engaged in business and have their own fleets and escort forces.
However, due to the fleet's insufficient long-distance voyage capabilities and the rampant piracy, their trading scope has always been limited to a few small surrounding countries. Every few years, many caravans are gathered to form a huge caravan.
They only go to sea once every year. After they heard about our ocean-going plan, they were interested in joining our fleet. Not only them, but also local wealthy businessmen also wanted to join. What do you think?"
Zhang Xitong added: "Also, some merchants in our fleet are very interested in this place and want to focus on developing trade here, so they want to stay here."
Xia Xun said: "Okay! You are free to come and go as you please. The last time my father-in-law came, he represented the emperor to propagate the barbarians and establish tribute trade. Naturally, ordinary business groups cannot be included in the team. It is different now.
Although the father-in-law still has the sacred mandate, the many business travelers who came with the fleet are only for trade and are not part of the imperial mission. Therefore, their stay can be decided by themselves. However, for
Those who join the fleet need to be more closely scrutinized. Also, fees are charged, so we cannot protect them for free."
"Are there still fees?"
Upon hearing this, both Zheng He and Zhang Xitong were a little surprised. This is a common problem among officials. A gentleman does not talk about benefits, let alone a gentleman who is an official. It is a great honor for those people to join them.
I still have to collect money from them...
Xia Xun said: "That's right! You have to charge money! Whether it's the wealthy Han businessmen who moved here or the local rich businessmen, they have to charge money. Do you think they can set up their own ships to go to sea and hire a huge escort team without spending any money?
Money? The merchants who came with the ship all paid taxes when entering and leaving the port. How come they are so generous to outsiders?
Our fleet belongs to the imperial court, but the imperial court’s money is also the taxes paid by the people. We can’t pretend to be generous on the outside and just pay lip service to it. What’s the use? Our fleet costs a lot of money to go out once, and the trade it does
Although it is enough to make up for the consumption, who is afraid of losing money? There are still people in the court who are opposed to going abroad. Only by earning more money for the court can we win more opportunities for official voyages!"
This sentence touched Zheng He, who nodded solemnly and said: "What the Duke said is absolutely true! Then let's do it. Anyone who is willing to sail with our fleet will be allowed, but corresponding fees will be charged. I will tell you later
Ask someone to estimate how much it will cost to protect their strength when they go to sea on their own, and then reduce it as appropriate..."
Xia Xun waved his hands and said with a smile: "No, no, no, there is no need to reduce it as appropriate. We will charge them as much as they need to spend on escorting to go to sea. They can make a fortune in one trip and back, and my father-in-law does not have to save money for them. They spend money
For the same amount of money, if you organize your own escort, you may not be safe, but if you follow us, you will never have to worry about being robbed by pirates. It is quite generous not to overcharge them."
Zheng He said with a smile: "Then I will obey the Duke. Haha, it's a good thing that the Duke didn't go into business. Otherwise, in less than three years, he would be a Duke Tao and Zhu."
Xia Xun smiled and said: "This is not something that should be taken seriously. This is because we have strong military force and ocean-going capabilities. With this strong backing, I have the confidence to make a price, and I guarantee that they will pay willingly. If I are allowed to do business on my own,
Nothing compares to the scheming of these businessmen. Haha, in fact, if we ask these local businessmen to join in, there is another benefit. (《》)”
Zhang Xitong wondered: "Besides charging escort fees, what other benefits are there?"
Xia Xun said: "They are far more familiar with the nearby sea areas and surrounding countries than we are. Especially since the last time we only sailed as far as the Kochiguri area, we have never been further west. If we learn the old and absorb the new all the way, we will continue to absorb the new.
When a caravan comes in, there will always be someone in our fleet who is familiar with the geography, water conditions, country and customs ahead, so that we can sail accurately.
Don’t underestimate this effect. In this way, firstly, we can avoid many detours and save a lot of time and travel consumption; secondly, we may have to take three or five trips to get a clear understanding of the water conditions.
Through their understanding, we can master it in one go; thirdly, although maritime navigation is inherently unpredictable, the locals know very well which sections of the road are more likely to be dangerous. In this way, we will be able to reduce many casualties and ship losses!
"
Zheng He and Zhang Xitong clapped their hands and applauded: "Not bad, not bad! Why didn't we think of these many benefits? Well, well, well, it seems that we really need to absorb more local business groups along the way." They decided to absorb with joy.
After the local business group participated in the voyage, Zheng He asked again: "The Duke wants us to come, what important matters do we need to discuss?"
Xia Xun looked solemn and said: "That's right, today I took my family for a trip ashore and encountered something. This thing itself was nothing, but it made me think of something that we had ignored.
"
Xia Xun recounted the jealousy between the Siamese merchants and the navy officers and soldiers, and then said: "Manraka originally professed vassalage to the King of Siam and was under his jurisdiction. Now we have received the emperor's edict and established King Manraka.
With Siam's national strength, they absolutely dare not resist our imperial decree, but if they suddenly lose their rule over Managa, even though Managa only donates a measly forty taels of gold every year, they will definitely be dissatisfied."
Zhang Xitong said: "It is certain that we are dissatisfied. Although Manlajia only provides forty taels of gold every year, they do not have to pay taxes at all when doing business in Manlajia. This is a lot of money. Now we are forced to pay from
They have snatched a piece of fat from their hands. It’s strange that they are happy. But what can they do if they don’t want to?”
However, Zheng He heard that Xia Xun had deeper considerations, and nodded slightly: "I wonder what the Duke has in mind about this?"
Xia Xun said: "Our dynasty has always paid equal attention to the kindness and power of the Southeast Asian countries, dividing and ruling them. Now that Chen Jikou of Jiaozhi has just been defeated and captured, the area has been temporarily peaceful. At this time, if there is someone in Jiaozhi who is dissatisfied with our Ming Dynasty,
Neighbors, they dare not openly resist me, the Ming Dynasty, but there is no guarantee that they will not vent their anger. If they secretly support the Annan rebels..."
Zheng He said with emotion: "Yes, the Duke is very worried! However, it is His Majesty's will to allow Manlajia to establish a country and make him king. Furthermore, since our government has set the national policy of opening up sea trade and connecting the East and West trade,
This will bring great benefits to our Ming Dynasty. This place must be in our hands, so... what should we do?"
Xia Xun smiled slightly and said: "Of course Manlajia must be controlled by the imperial court, and there is absolutely no reason to renege on the emperor's imperial edict. However, for Siam, we might as well use some means to make them settle down. I'll come back
From now on, I have carefully thought about the current situation in Siam and come up with some strategies."
At this time, Zhang Xitong also became cautious and said, "I would like to hear the details!"
Xia Xun said: "Siam's trade relies heavily on China. If our Ming Dynasty did not buy their products, it would be difficult to sell their Huangsuxiang, Jiangzhenxiang, agarwood, rosewood, blood drain, ivory and other products at a high price.
In the past, they mostly traded with our Ming Dynasty through tribute trade and smuggling, and they relied heavily on this area. Now that our Ming Dynasty has launched free trade, it has become an even more indispensable and important market for them.
Originally, we planned to visit Siam again on our return trip, but now we might as well send a fleet to Siam first to convey my Ming Dynasty's intention to open sea trade to them. Although they lost Manraka, they gained
After taking advantage of the Ming Dynasty market, we lost the east corner and gained the mulberry tree. Most of the economic losses were recovered. The latest chapter of the Holy Church's interests lies in this, and this is the policy of restraint.
Furthermore, we should show kindness. The Siamese people have been invaded by the Khmers, and wars between the two sides continue. We send envoys to mediate and prevent the Khmer people from war. This is also in line with the emperor's principle of benevolence, and the world is one family.
Policy. The Khmer king absolutely did not dare to disobey the emperor's will, at least he did not dare to brazenly fight with Siam again.
In this way, the Siamese soldiers and civilians should be encouraged to calm down their resentment. Champa and Cochin have always been enemies, and they wholeheartedly hope that the court will accept Cochin under their rule. If Siam does not move its hands and feet against Annan, then Annan has different intentions.
, with a large army inside to suppress it, but no soldiers outside, and only a grain of rice to support it, what kind of trouble can it cause? The two generals Zhang Fu and Mu Sheng will govern Annan, and there will be less trouble."
Zheng He said happily: "The Duke of the country has great foresight, and Zheng He agrees with this opinion!"
During Zheng He's voyage to the West, Emperor Yongle gave him several blank imperial edicts. This was a great trust in Zheng He, but it also took into account the actual situation of his journey to the west. For many years, the Ming Dynasty has always been relatively closed to information from the outside world, and even
Japan, which is very close at hand, could mistake Prince Huairen for the king, let alone the far west.
As the Ming Dynasty fleet went all the way west, there was no telling how far it would go, what countries it would encounter, and what situations it would encounter. The emperor could not write an imperial edict in advance to communicate with the countries he encountered. Therefore, he could only grant it
Zheng He had the advantage of giving him a few blank imperial edicts and told him to use them according to the situation. Now he just used them.
Zheng He said: "This matter is indeed urgent. Let's do it this way. Mr. Zhang happens to be here. Let's discuss it carefully. After the discussion is completed, Mr. Zhang will write and draft an edict."
Just as I said this, someone knocked on the door and announced that a Westerner came to the door with a waist card and wanted to find shopkeeper Xia Xun. Others didn't know Xia Xun's identity, but the people on the ship knew that everyone here was
The Shuangyu Guardsmen have always been incompatible with other officers and soldiers of the Navy, so unexpectedly the news leaked out. Besides, with Sanjie Su here, who doesn't know who her man is? They can't hide it even if they want.
Xia Xun told the soldier: "This man will be a passenger on the ship from now on. Arrange a place for him and don't reveal my identity!"
After sending the soldier down, Xia Xun continued to discuss with Zheng He and Zhang Xitong. After discussing for a long time, the three of them put forward some key points one after another. Then Zhang Xitong wrote and worded an imperial edict in a eloquent manner. He was from the Ministry of Rites and could write such official documents.
He was the best at it. After writing it, he read it out. The two listened, carefully considered it, corrected some omissions, and finally transcribed the official content onto a blank imperial edict with only the imperial seal.
After writing the imperial edict, Zheng He said: "My lord, who do you think we should send to Siam?"
Zhang Xitong took the initiative to invite Ying and said: "Let me go. If we go to Siam, it is not far from our next route. I will lead the fleet to chase you!"
Xia Xun and Zheng He nodded and agreed.
Not all ships in this huge fleet advance and retreat at the same time, and never leave each other. If that were the case, the fleet's westward journey would be too inefficient. In the original plan, they would also go separate ways.
Zhou Man, Hong Bao, Zhou Wen, Yang Qing and others all had to stand alone and lead a fleet to different places.
Their mission is not only to deal with different countries, but also to explore this overseas world that is still unfamiliar to the Ming Dynasty, conduct astronomical research and geographical mapping. After each detachment completes its mission, it will catch up along the action route of the main fleet. So.
, then they will break up here and sail to different places.
One of the fleets will discover Australia, while the other fleet will go south until it enters the Antarctic Circle. The journey of each fleet is a wonderful story if taken separately. Zheng He's main fleet is
It is going all the way to the west. Zhang Xitong, as the deputy envoy, will chase this main fleet after conveying the order.
They had just agreed that Zhang Xitong would go to Siam, and the cabin door knocked again. This time it was Xu Hu, the commander of the Shuangyu Guards, who came in. Xia Xun thought that he was here to find her, and raised her eyebrows at him. Xu Hu
He whispered: "The Duke of the State, Eunuch Zheng, Lord Zhang, and Eunuch Ji from Eunuch Zheng's ship have brought an envoy here, saying that they have been ordered by the King of Bolin State to see Eunuch Zheng."
"Oh! Bo Lin State?"
Xia Xun smiled and said: "Our next stop was originally planned to be Bolin State, but I didn't expect that after hearing the news, their king had already taken the initiative to send someone to urge him. Haha, then you two should meet the envoy, I will avoid it!
"
Zheng He nodded in agreement. After Xia Xun left the cabin, Zheng He sent someone to invite the envoy to see him.
Xia Xun came out of the cabin and asked where Fei Yinglun was staying, but he found it was at the bottom. Foreigners had no status at that time, and the soldiers didn't take them seriously. If Xia Xun hadn't ordered him to be accommodated,
If we don't have a place to live, I'm afraid we'll let him sleep on the deck.
When Xia Xun went down the gangway and walked to the bottom deck, he saw Fei Yinglun stroking around and looking around on the deck, with an excited look on his face. He stopped from time to time and marveled. The interpreter stood aside and smiled slightly.
He pouted his lips as if he was facing a country bumpkin who had never seen the world before.
Seeing Xia Xun coming, Fei Yinglun was full of praise and said: "It's great. It turned out that I couldn't see very clearly when I was on the shore. Only when I boarded the ship did I realize that it is so huge. In the West, there is nothing bigger than our country."
A powerful fleet, but the largest ship in our country, placed in your fleet, the gap is as small as a quail standing in front of a turkey. However, I heard from the translator that your ships are flat-bottomed? I'm afraid this
It’s not conducive to deep-sea navigation.”
Xia Xun smiled and said: "No, most of our sea-going ships have pointed bottoms, whether they are warships or merchant ships. Only a few of the largest ships use flat bottoms because our fleet is too large and needs to carry too many things.
, Flat-bottomed ships have a large load capacity and can sail in shallow water channels. Otherwise, if a giant ship like ours uses a sharp bottom, there will not be many ports in the world that we can sail into. "
Xia Xun briefly introduced Fei Yinglun and said no more. In fact, when Zheng He came back from the West last time, he also brought back several Western-style ships. At the Longjiang Shipyard, craftsmen once dismantled them.
After learning about these wooden sailing ships, I carefully studied the Western ships and found that their pointed-bottomed wooden sailing ships did not have keels. The keel can greatly improve the stability and sturdiness of the ship. China's pointed-bottomed seagoing ships have had keels since the early Song Dynasty.
.
At the same time, our ship's plates use flat jointing technology, while Western ships still use a relatively backward overlapping method, which also affects the sturdiness of the ship. In addition, the craftsmen also noticed that the widest point of the Western ship is on the hull.
The forward part of the middle resembles the shape of a fish, while the shape of a Chinese sea-going ship is like a webbed waterfowl. The widest part of the ship is at the rear of the middle, so it is superior to Western ships in terms of flexibility and speed.
As for the sail, the sail of a Chinese sailing ship is a "hard canopy" reinforced with bamboo poles laterally. This balanced longitudinal sail is easy to operate and can withstand wind forces in all directions, which is also unmatched by Western ships. The other is sealed cabin technology.
The same goes for Western sailing ships. The final evaluation result is that the performance of Chinese sailing ships is far ahead of Western sailing ships, and these Western ships have very little technology to learn from.
This is a fact. The performance of Western sailing ships has only been greatly improved since the 16th century. Among them, the invention of keel technology and the technical key of moving the widest part of the hull backward to make the ship more flexible were discovered hundreds of years later.
Xia Xun didn't want to show off these advanced technologies to Fei Yinglun. The key to these technologies lay in invention, not manufacturing. If he knew the key and revealed it to Westerners, he could create it after some exploration.
Xia Xun is like an iron rooster who never pulls out his hair, and the stingy Grandet. As long as there is a little bit advanced in Western science and technology, he wants to learn it immediately, but what are his own strengths? He can hide it as long as he can. He likes to be a teacher.
Xia Xun has never had any problems.
Xia Xun introduced a few words casually, then changed the topic and asked with a smile: "Has your accommodation been arranged? Are you satisfied?"
Fei Yinglun nodded hurriedly: "Satisfied! Satisfied! Very satisfied! The residence is spacious, clean, bright, well ventilated, and the bed is comfortable. It is much better than the doghouse-like place I used to live in on a boat. Ah.
,Mr. Xia Xun..."
Fei Yinglun approached Xia Xun and said in a low voice: "You have a very high status on the ship, right? I found that the captain of this ship, the general in charge of hundreds of soldiers, does not have a spacious and luxurious residence like yours."
Xia Xun raised his eyebrows slightly and said with a smile: "Oh? It seems that you have visited the entire ship? Yes, for some reasons, that general respects me more."
"Aha, I understand, I understand!"
Seeing Xia Xun's unclear expression, Fei Yinglun winked at him and smiled slyly, wondering what he understood.
Xia Xun looked at his curly hair, unkempt beard, and the deep knife mark on his cheek. He always felt that if he tied a fancy headscarf on his head and a wrinkled shirt, his eyes would
With a black one-eye patch on his head and a rapier on his belt, he looked like a complete pirate.
Xia Xun could feel that this was a Westerner with a lot of stories, and his experience was by no means as simple as what he said. Xia Xun was about to inquire about his situation indirectly, but Zheng He had already sent Bo Lin to him personally.
When the envoy from Bangguo came out, the envoy stood by the gangway, bowed to Zheng He very politely, and asked him to stay.
Zheng He stopped with a smile and said a few more words to the man before he got out of the boat.
Fei Yinglun put his hand on the awning and looked at the envoy, and asked Xia Xun in confusion: "Mr. Xia Xun, who is that person?"
Xia Xun replied casually: "That is the envoy sent by the king of Bolin State. I think it should be to invite our fleet to visit the country!"
"Bo Lin State?" Fei Yinglun's expression changed.
Xia Xun didn't pay attention to his expression and said, "I'll go up and ask about the situation." After that, he walked towards the gangway.
Fei Yinglun stretched out his hand as if to stop him, but when he saw Xia Xun stepping onto the gangway, he hesitated for a moment and closed his mouth again.
Xia Xun boarded the top cabin and returned to the cabin. When Zheng He saw him coming, he immediately smiled and said: "My lord, who do you think the king of Bolin is?"
Xia Xun was surprised. Zheng He didn't tell the country's envoy what the purpose of his visit was, but he asked him about the identity of the country's king. Could it be that he knew this person? Who did he know who could go to Nanyang and become king? Do you think you are?
A bearded man? If you are a bearded man, wouldn’t I become Li Jing?
Thinking of this, Xia Xun couldn't help laughing, and said to Zheng He: "My father-in-law, please stop playing riddles. I really can't guess who this king is?"
Zheng He laughed and said: "Back then, the Duke of the State was ordered to suppress the bandits and subdued the Shuangyu group of bandits. He also had a small fight with the Nanyang bandit Chen Zuyi. After that, the Shuangyu group of bandits became my officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty. Now they are protecting the Duke of the State on his voyages to the West.
soldiers and horses, what about the Nanyang thief Chen Zuyi? Everyone thought he had disappeared, but who knew he would become the leader of the Bolin Kingdom!"
Xia Xun was shocked: "What? How did Chen Zuyi become the leader of a country?"
Zheng He picked up a letter from the case and said: "Chen Zuyi is a wanted criminal by the imperial court. He was very frightened when he heard the news about our mighty Ming fleet. He was afraid that his identity would be exposed and he would be punished by the heavenly soldiers. When he was a pirate, he could drive
The ship escaped and went deep into the sea to avoid the battle. Now that he is the leader of a country, where can he hide? So he sent an envoy to surrender and took the initiative to plead guilty. He is willing to surrender to the Ming Dynasty and be a vassal of the Ming Dynasty forever! Haha, Lord, we are here
Come, before I set foot on the western border, I will establish a king and surrender a king. The emperor knows that he will definitely be very happy!"
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