Zhu Qizhen frowned and stared at the map closely. At the same time, he reached out and gestured on it.
Jin Ying was very confused and did not dare to ask.
He quietly moved half a step to the side, looked at Fan Zhong, and cast a questioning look.
Fan Zhong understood what he meant, but shook his head.
Because he didn't know what happened. Anyway, the emperor suddenly got up early and hurried over.
At this time, another person walked into the cabin. Jin Ying looked up and saw that it was Yuan Bin.
"Your Majesty!"
Zhu Qizhen's eyes were still on the map, and he glanced at Yuan Bin behind him, motioning for him to come forward.
】
Yuan Bin walked a few steps and asked, "I wonder what the emperor is calling his ministers for?"
"Do you still remember that a month ago, Duke Qian sent a six-hundred-mile express delivery?"
"Remember, it is said that there are foreign ships coming towards our Ming Dynasty."
Zhu Qizhen pointed at the Ma Island at the junction of Champa and Zhenlu, and then rowed northward along the coastline.
"So far, there is still no report from the coast. Where have these ships gone?"
Yuan Bin followed the map and looked a little confused.
If these ships are really heading for the Ming Dynasty, why have they never docked?
Sailing at sea is not as good as on land. When you are tired, you can find a teahouse to take a rest.
The food and water carried on the ship are limited. If we didn't dock for supplies, we would have died of thirst and starvation.
Don’t foreigners need to drink water and eat?
Yuan Bin finally realized that something was strange.
These ships have either turned back or are hiding on an island. They may even be disguised as merchant ships and hiding in a port on the southeast coast.
In the past, it would not have been unusual for foreign merchant ships to come to the Ming Dynasty. After all, the Ming Dynasty had fully opened its seas, and the exchange of merchant ships between countries was normal.
However, when we think of the Wanyan Gunaha rebellion that happened not long ago, the matter becomes serious.
"Your Majesty, will those ships go to Luzon Island?"
Zhu Qizhen shook his head and said: "In the past month, King Tan has submitted two memorials, but this matter was not mentioned in them."
"Is it possible... that they did not dock, but went directly to Japan, Ryukyu and other places?"
"The possibility is very small. Since I received the memorial from the Duke of Guizhou, I have already sent a message to Shi Heng, asking him to pay close attention to every move at sea. If there is any abnormality, he will report it to me as soon as possible. Moreover,
He has a navy in his hands and will react immediately when encountering enemy ships."
Yuan Bin was helpless. This is not true, and that is not right either. Could it be that those ships encountered a storm and were buried under the sea?
Zhu Qizhen stared at the map closely and said: "From Maldao, bypass Linyi Prefecture, and go all the way north. If no news is received along the coast, the most likely possibility is that... they have their own base at sea!"<
/p>
As he spoke, his finger stopped at one place: "The information Jin Ying got is that it is a very poor island!"
Yuan Bin and others went up to take a look and found that this was the Qiongzhou Island of the Ming Dynasty!
Qiongzhou is not poor, but if a person only heard a few words and misunderstood the word Qiong as poor, it would make sense.
Judging from the map, only Qiongzhou Island is the most suitable.
Zhu Qizhen asked again: "How much fuel is there now?"
The boatmen in the helm cabin began to make calculations and finally concluded that if they did not stop in Fuzhou and continued southward, the remaining fuel would be enough to reach Qiongzhou Island.
Jin Ying was panicking. Even if he had enough fuel, he couldn't attack rashly.
If the other party comes prepared and he only has one ship, how can he guarantee the emperor's comfort?
Even if those ships are really hidden in Qiongzhou, they still have to wait until they reach Fuzhou, let the emperor disembark, and go by yourself.
A gentleman does not build a dangerous wall. You are the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. You cannot rush forward in everything!
"Your Majesty, I think... we should arrive in Fuzhou as originally planned and then make plans."
Zhu Qizhen was still looking at the map. After a long while, he said: "Pass the decree, change the route, the target... Qiongzhou!"
"Your Majesty, no!"
Jin Ying hurriedly advised: "This is just a trial voyage. Before departure, we were not prepared for war. If we attack hastily, I'm afraid..."
"What are you afraid of?"
Zhu Qizhen said dissatisfied: "The war is about to break out. Will the enemy let you go just because you are not prepared?"
Jin Ying had no choice but to shut up and go out to convey the imperial edict.
For a time, the entire ship issued an early warning.
In the cabin, the stewards had just gotten up and heard the noise outside. They didn't know what happened, so they went around to inquire.
"I just heard that the route has changed and we will no longer go to Fuzhou."
"Why change?"
"If you don't go to Fuzhou, are you planning to return to Ningbo?"
"Why are you going back to Ningbo? The emperor is going to Qiongzhou!"
"Why go to Qiongzhou?"
"I don't know..."
Everyone was talking a lot, and all of a sudden, they could talk about anything.
"It is said that this ship cost 30 million taels of silver. It is really a waste. This much money is enough to build a fleet to sail to the Western Ocean, but now it has only built a smoking ironclad ship. Your Majesty still
You are too young and don’t know the principles of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure."
"Thirty million taels, I'm afraid the national treasury has been emptied."
"Who says otherwise? With all this money, wouldn't it be better to build a railway? It doesn't cost 30 million taels to build a railway from Ningbo to Fuzhou!"
Many people know nothing about ships. In their minds, it is more cost-effective to build a hundred ships than to build one.
The discussion went on and on, and everyone became more and more excited.
Their attitude is very clear, that is, spend a small amount of money to accomplish big things.
This is the money from the national treasury, not yours, Zhu Qizhen’s. Even if it is yours, doesn’t it come from the people’s support?
So, everyone turned their attention to General Cao Yi.
Here, apart from Tang Xinggu, Bei Lin and others, he is the most senior official.
Although Cao Yi was helpless, he had the guts to see the expectant looks in everyone's eyes, and he knew very well that he had to do something.
At this time, if you sing praises for the emperor, you will inevitably be looked down upon by your colleagues, thinking that you are just trying to flatter the emperor. It seems that it is time to sing the opposite tune.
So, on behalf of the officials, he came to the helm cabin.
"I, Cao Yi, the Chief Minister of Zhejiang Province, send my greetings to the Holy Spirit!"
"I'm fine, what's going on with your family?"
Zhu Qizhen was studying the map. When he heard someone coming, he casually agreed.
Now, Cao Yi was even more angry. What are you doing here?
After all, I am also a veteran of four dynasties. Why don’t you respect me? At least look at me!
"Your Majesty, I think this armored ship looks majestic, but what's the use of putting it on the sea? The cost of this ship is too huge. I suggest building more treasure ships. With the same budget, the price of treasure ships is much lower." p>
Zhu Qizhen finally raised his head and said: "I asked you to board the ship to open your eyes. I didn't expect that you are still stuck in the world of the past. How will Ming's technology progress in the long run?"