Three days passed in the blink of an eye. When it was first dawn, the docks in the capital were already crowded with countless people who came to watch the excitement. Various voices intertwined together, making it appear chaotic.
As for the officials and wealthy households, they also received the news early and booked the best viewing positions through various channels.
At this moment, the thirteen treasure ships that are about to set sail are quietly docked at the edge of the pier. The largest ship is forty-four feet long and eighteen feet wide. The hull has a total of four layers. The shape of the treasure ship is on the bottom It is wide, the head is high and the stern is high, and an additional ram is installed on the bow.
In terms of power, a combination of hard sails and rotating oars is used. There are nine masts on the ship, which can hang twelve sails. In addition, the shipyard has optimized the structure. Therefore, the sailing speed is faster than before. Great improvement.
Each ship was hoisted with the national flag of the Ming Dynasty, and combined with the twenty-five brand-new cannons, it looked majestic.
And all of this, Ding Shichang, Yin of Shuntian Prefecture, appreciates it flawlessly, because a few days ago, after receiving the order from the cabinet, he started to get busy. At this moment, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was listening to the report of his subordinates.
"Your Excellency, the entire area around the pier has been checked, and no one has been found acting suspiciously!"
After Ding Shichang heard this, he felt relieved and asked immediately.
"By the way, are the people from the Five Cities Military and Horse Division in place? Why didn't I see anyone?"
"Sir, the people from the Five Cities Military and Horse Division say that they are already on the way!"
When Ding Shichang heard this, he couldn't help but became furious, and soon he vented all his resentment for not having a good rest in the past few days on the Wucheng Soldiers and Horses Division.
"Damn, it's like this every time. Are the people from the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division deliberately trying to get in trouble with me?"
"Or are you saying that the people in the Wucheng Army and Horses Department don't take this official, the Shuntian Prefecture Yin, seriously at all?"
"Every time I take my time, it was the same last time, and it's the same this time!"
"If something goes wrong later, I must submit a memorial to them and ask your Majesty to punish them!"
After Ding Shichang finished scolding, a lot of the resentment accumulated in his heart immediately dissipated.
After Ding Shichang vented his emotions, the subordinates on the side mustered up the courage to explain to Ding Shichang.
"Sir, the people from the Five Cities Military and Horse Division are responsible for the security of the entire capital, so..."
However, before this subordinate could finish speaking, he was coldly interrupted by Ding Shichang.
"I don't care about this, I only care about the results!"
When Ding Shichang said this, he looked his subordinate up and down and asked rhetorically.
"Also, are you from the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division?"
Seeing this situation, the subordinate did not dare to say anything more and had to stand aside angrily.
On the pier, countless people were commenting on the thirteen treasure ships docked near the pier.
"This ship is so big!"
"Hey, what's the flag hanging on the ship? It looks pretty good?"
"Where, why didn't I see it?"
"Here, it's right there, look."
Looking in the direction pointed by the visitor, I saw a blue flag hanging on every treasure ship.
The flag is blue as a whole, with thirteen stars embroidered on it. Among the thirteen stars, two stars are slightly larger. In the center of the flag, there is also a dragon embroidered with teeth and claws, and its dragon head corresponds to the flag. The sun and moon coexist above the sky, with extraordinary momentum, as if they want to swallow the sun and moon in one gulp.
Not only the common people, but also the officials and wealthy households were very curious about the flags hanging on the treasure ship, but soon, officials who knew the information came forward to clarify everyone's doubts.
"This is the national flag of our Ming Dynasty that His Majesty asked the cabinet to design earlier!"
"Flag?"
Seeing that there were still doubts on everyone's faces, the official continued.
"The so-called national flag is the flag that represents our Ming Dynasty. You see, the thirteen stars embroidered on the flag represent the two capitals and thirteen provinces of our Ming Dynasty. The two larger ones represent respectively South Zhili and North Zhili."
After the official's explanation, everyone present understood the meaning of this flag.
"I heard that this flag was designed by Xiaoge Lao Yan Shifan himself. His Majesty was so pleased with it that he even rewarded him!"
"Yeah, I've heard about this too, it's said..."
Just as everyone was discussing intensely, a high-pitched voice was heard from a distance: "Your Majesty is here!"
As soon as the voice fell, the originally bustling and noisy crowd suddenly became quiet.
Immediately afterwards, whether they were high-ranking officials or unknown common people, they all knelt on the ground.
Jiajing rode the dragon chariot, his eyes swept over the people on both sides of the road one by one, his expression was deep, and he didn't know what he was thinking, while Lu Fang followed Jiajing's dragon chariot respectfully.
Behind Jiajing's dragon chariot, they followed closely the five people in the cabinet. At this moment, their faces had the same expression as Lu Fang's, full of respect. The difference was that they all looked at the ground with extra concentration. .
After a while, the dragon chariot arrived at its destination. Jiajing got off the dragon chariot with Lu Fang's help.
Next, someone shouted "Long Live Long Live", and then the atmosphere at the scene was quickly stirred up.
"Long live, long live, long live!"
Everyone present looked solemn and bowed three times in the direction of the emperor!
Seeing this situation, Yan Song and others' faces were full of surprise, and they looked at each other. Their expressions seemed to say: "What is going on? This has not been rehearsed before!"
But they soon reacted and knelt on the ground together with the people.
Jiajing, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, just looked around quietly at the countless people kneeling at his feet. For a long time, Jiajing retracted his gaze and said slowly.
"Well, everyone, get up!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After receiving Jiajing's permission, many people at the scene slowly got up from the ground.
Then, Jiajing stepped onto the steps, looked at the many subjects in front of him, and said loudly.
"Today is the day when the fleet sailing around the world officially sets off. I am here to see them off in person!"
After Jiajing's words fell, Gu Yan, who was not far away and was the commander of this fleet, felt extremely flattered. He did not expect that he would actually receive this honor and be able to be sent off by the emperor in person!
Although the cabinet had specially sent someone to notify him before this, everything that happened before him was so illusory that he couldn't help but suspect that it was a dream.
Then Gu Yan pinched his hand extra hard, and the pain coming from his hand told him that all this was true!
Gu Yan knew in his heart that his mission this time was not only to complete the circumnavigation of the world, but more importantly, to find the two crops called sweet potatoes and corn described by His Majesty.
As long as you find these two crops, the people of Ming Dynasty will no longer have to endure hunger!
When Jiajing said this, he seemed to feel something in his heart, and then added.
"There is a saying that change leads to improvement, change leads to blockage, change leads to prosperity, change leads to decline, change leads to survival, and change leads to death!"
"Everything is always changing, and the same goes for the court's policies, which change as specific circumstances change."
"Earlier, our Ming Dynasty had two major worries. One was the Japanese pirates along the southeast coast, and the other was the Tatars who were entrenched in the north and harassed our Ming border from time to time. In order to prevent Japanese pirates, the imperial court promulgated a sea ban policy!"
"Now that the Japanese pirates have been eliminated along the southeast coast, and the imperial court has also lifted the maritime ban, it is foreseeable that maritime trade will become more prosperous, and the lives of ordinary people will become better and better!"
"This is the promise I make to you as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty and as your king and father. I, the Ming Dynasty, will officially make changes at this moment!"
After Jiajing's words fell, the atmosphere at the scene suddenly reached a climax. Countless people were moved to tears by the emperor's words. Just like before, they all knelt on the ground and shouted long live.
After the atmosphere at the scene calmed down a little, Jiajing waved his hand to signal everyone to be silent, and then stretched out his finger to point to the flag hanging on the treasure ship.
"I know that many of you are quite curious about this flag."
"Now, I can tell you clearly that this flag is the flag that represents our Ming Dynasty, and it is also the flag that represents the hundreds of millions of people in the Ming Dynasty!"
"The cabinet will soon issue a corresponding resolution. This flag representing our Ming Dynasty will be hung at the entrance of the government office. This flag is not only a symbol of the Ming Dynasty, but it is also a symbol of you. .”
Then, Jiajing turned his attention to the thirteen treasure ships docked near the dock and said loudly.
"They are all the heroes of our Ming Dynasty, and they are the people who will make great contributions to our Ming Dynasty. Their achievements will be recorded in the annals of history and be sung by future generations!"
Just like that, amidst warm farewells, the fleet sailing around the world officially set off.
——
Many historians have debated when the Ming Empire began to enter the Age of Discovery.
I believe that the sign that the Ming Empire officially entered the Age of Discovery was the moment in February 1561 when Emperor Jiajing officially dispatched a fleet to sail around the world overseas, and this announced the arrival of a new era. ——Stavrianos "A General History of the World"
(End of chapter)
