On March 18, the 14th year of Hongwu in the Song Dynasty, outside the military port dock outside Yuejiang Gate of Yingtian Prefecture, Nanjing.
At this time, it was a heavily guarded scene. Inside and outside Yuejiang Gate, there were one post every five steps and one sentry every ten steps, all of which were Ban Zhi's forbidden troops. On the pier, there were even fewer people walking around. There were only some laborers in short clothes, carrying supplies to the three large ships docked at the pier amidst the sound of labor chants.
These three large sea ships are all the latest Shenzhou Ding III type 3000 stone gun ships, which are medium-sized sea ships that can carry 3000 stones of cargo and can also be equipped with artillery. This type of ship was completed and put into use only after Zhao Kai's Song Dynasty unified the north and south. There are military types that are relatively strong and can be mounted with a 5-pound long gun. There are also commercial models that are relatively thin and can only install 1-pound or 2-pound guns.
Today, the three Shenzhou boats moored at the Yuejiangmen Pier are all commercial models used to transport cargo. Although they are commercial ships, they all fly the blue-based Canglong flag of the Song Dynasty Navy, which is fluttering in the wind and is very eye-catching.
On the Yuejiangmen Gate Tower, a burly middle-aged man was walking and talking with a young man in his twenties.
Far away from the two of them, at the horse crossing leading to and from the city gate tower, there was a blond-haired, snow-skinned Ocean horse and several female students guarding the crossing.
Of course the big horse is Natalie. She has now replaced Guo Tiannu and become Zhao Kai's personal woman... Oh, she has real qualities! When Zhao Kai has nothing to do, he can learn a foreign language from her, so many skills are not overwhelming!
The man Natalie was guarding was, of course, Zhao Kai, an official from the Song Dynasty, the burly middle-aged man. And the young man in his twenties who was with Zhao Kai had an impressive name - Chair. His surname was Zhao, and his name was Chair. He is the twenty-sixth son of Zhao Ji. He is only 24 years old this year. He has been granted the title of Duke of Jia and has also attended the Naval Academy. He is currently serving as an official in the Great Shipping Department under the supervision of Zhao Shu.
This Department of Shipping seems to be a civilian yamen, but in fact it is the "Second Navy". Although it is not under the jurisdiction of the Navy Metropolitan Control Department, the officials who serve in it are all naval officers.
In recent years, half of the officers who graduated from the Xiuzhou Naval Academy also went to the Large Shipping Department, also located in Xiuzhou.
The Duke of Jia, Zhao Yi, was a naval officer of the Song Dynasty who served in the Great Shipping Department and often traveled between Guangzhou and Jinling. In addition to pulling goods and people, he also ran to the Nanyue Palace in Guangzhou to pass messages between Zhao Kai, Zhu Lian, Zhao Huan and Zhao Chen.
Today is the day when Zhao Yi sets out for Guangzhou again. The mission is to escort the Roman King Alexius and the Georgian Archmage Bagration south to Guangzhou.
However, before Alexios and Bagration arrived, Zhao Kai suddenly rushed to Yuejiangmen and had Zhao Yi summoned to him, obviously to be interviewed face to face.
"Chair..." Zhao Kai shouted the nickname of his twenty-sixth brother.
Of course Zhao Yi didn't like this nickname, but he could only agree, "Uh, brother emperor, do you have anything to say to me?"
Zhao Kai shook his head, "I didn't give it to eldest brother, I gave it to Chen'er."
Chen'er? Zhao Yixin said: Are you shouting too affectionately? Aren't you afraid that others will misunderstand you? In the past few years, there have been rumors that you and your sister-in-law were having an affair, and that Zhao Chen is your biological son...
Zhao Kai had never heard of this rumor, and no one told him! Even the chief secret agents of the North and South Town Fusi did not dare to say this in front of Zhao Kai - what if this thing is true? How did you, a dog spy, know about such a secret thing? No, we have to kill people and silence them!
So although this rumor has spread widely, no one close to Zhao Kai "knows" it!
Of course Zhao Yi "didn't know". Although he was a child of the emperor's family, he had no father or mother since he was a child. He relied on flattering his brother and sister-in-law to get rich. How could he be stupid enough to interfere with the privacy of the Tian family? ?
Zhao Yi looked normal and asked with a smile: "Brother Emperor, what message do you want me to send to the King of Nanyue?"
"It's about Wanyan Xianxian's attempt to protect Rome..." Zhao Kai thought for a moment, "Rome is a big country in the West. It has competed with Dashi for hundreds of years, and it is also the suzerain of all the countries in the West that worship God. Oh. , this Rome was also divided into Western Rome and Eastern Rome, which is a bit similar to the Western Zhou Dynasty and Eastern Zhou Dynasty in China! When the Western Rome was still alive, Rome could still command the heroes. Later, the Western Rome disappeared, leaving only the Eastern Rome, which had no name. However, after Wanyan Xiebao took over, the situation was different! The countries in the West that worship God are very likely to be unified by the Eastern Roman Empire!"
"Brother Emperor," Zhao Yi said with a smile, "are you too high-minded about Yan Xiebao? No matter what, he is just a barbarian who took advantage of the chaos and took over King's Castle. Can the people in Rome be convinced?"
Zhao Kai waved his hand, "The rules of God-worshippers in the West are different from ours... They don't believe that the common people believe in God, and they rule the country with gods. Moreover, the king of Rome is not hereditary, as long as he has soldiers and soldiers. General, and with the support of the Roman God-Worshipping Church and the Roman Noble Patriarchate, anyone can become a king."
"What? How can it be like this? This is not a mess!" Zhao Yi shook his head repeatedly... Of course, he was performing for Zhao Kai. Because he felt that the conditions for becoming an emperor in China were simpler than in Rome, as long as the soldiers and horses were strong. There are no God-worshipping churches or elders who would mind their own business.
Zhao Kai snorted: "This Xiebao is the most cunning. He not only took advantage of the loopholes in the Roman king selection, but also conspired with some archmages of the God-worshiping Church with ulterior motives to dress himself up as the legendary Priest King John in the West. .”
"You're still pretending to be a ghost!" Zhao Yi frowned, "Isn't this a monster?"
"Yes, he is a monster!" Zhao Kai gritted his teeth, "So we have to take precautions before they happen! I plan to leave the defense on the western land to the Western Tang and Khitan... we should be able to rest assured."
Can you trust Dangxiang and Khitan?
Zhao Yi is a little suspicious!
Zhao Kai said again at this time: "What I am worried about is the southwest sea... After Wanyan Xiebao captured Rome, it was bordering the Dashi Kingdom! And today's Dashi has long been unable to resist the Sheng Kingdom. The great food country of the Tang Dynasty was no longer a country, but a country in troubled times that fell apart and had heroes vying for supremacy. It could not resist Xiebao who unified Rome. If Xiebao destroyed the great food country, he would be able to launch an eastern expedition from the Western Sea. Let’s You can’t help but be on guard!”
Zhao Yi now understood, "Brother, I understand. I must tell the king of Nanyue and let him be careful to guard against enemies in the West. If it doesn't work, go to the seaport of the West to build more coastal defense fortresses." .”
The western seaport he mentioned is actually the Strait of Malacca, which is now jointly managed by the Kingdom of South Guangdong and the Kingdom of Srivijaya. The Southern Guangdong Kingdom established a Fengtian Jiaohua City on the north bank of Xiyangkou and stationed a fleet. At the same time, it also launched a road toll service at Xiyangkou... It can collect one to two million guan of goods every year. .
"It's not enough!" Zhao Kai shook his head and said, "Chen'er has to guard the country...Why did our eldest brother go south to Guangdong?"
Zhao Yixin said: I'm afraid I'll be killed by you!
I thought so in my heart, but said solemnly: "Brother went to Guangdong to guard the country!"
"But now Guangzhou is no longer the gate of the country!" Zhao Kai said with a smile, "Chen'er has to move further south...either to Hue, Fenghua, or Chenghua."
Zhao Chen's brand is "Southern Emperor comes out, Tianli thrives". Why did Nan Di come out? It is to educate the barbarians to "preserve the principles of nature and destroy human desires."
Therefore, his regime was relatively religious. In order to achieve the goal of "the emergence of the Southern Emperor and the rise of Tianli", Zhao Chen established three "Tianli colonies" in Nanyang: Shuntian Jiaohuafu, Fengtian Jiaohuafu and Chengtian Jiaohuafu. .
Among them, Shuntian Jiaohua Prefecture occupies the coastal area between Dazhan Haikou in Champa and the Nie'an area of Annan Protectorate. It also established Hue Fortress at Dazhan Haikou as the center for ruling Tiannan Peninsula.
Fengtian Jiaohua Mansion surrounded the land of Fenghua Peninsula (Malay Peninsula) north of Xiyang Haikou, and also occupied a piece of land in the Lijiapo area to build Fenghua Castle.
The Chengtian Jiaohua Mansion surrounded a piece of land at the mouth of the Jiulong River (Mekong River) and built a six-sided and twelve-cornered bastion as a stronghold against the Chenla Empire and to open up the Jiulong River Basin.
However, the population of these three "Jiaohua Prefectures" is not large. If the "savages" are not counted, the total number of people in the three prefectures is just over 100,000... which is simply not enough to establish a country.
So Zhao Kai asked Zhao Chen to move from Guangzhou at this time, but he was a bit lacking in "fatherly love".
Zhao Yixin said: Is the rumor wrong? Isn't Zhao Chen the third brother's son?
"Brother Imperial," Zhao Yi thought for a while, "Isn't it a little early for the King of Nanyue to go south? The population of these two Guangdong provinces is much larger than that of the three civilized provinces."
Zhao Kai smiled: "There has to be a start, right? Guangdong and Guangxi have been the land of China since ancient times. I can't let it stand on its own... but I won't push Chen'er to a dead end. The land of Guangdong and Guangxi can be sealed. Give it to the eldest brother as a place for him to retire. In the future, Chen'er's sons will be given the title of several county princes in Guangdong and Guangxi. Chair, you and the eldest brother have a good relationship. In a few years, when Chen'er leaves, you will go Be the pacifier of Guangnan and Guangnan!"
Zhao Kai's feudal methods are getting more and more sophisticated, and all operations are done just right. Promote unification step by step, but at the same time take care of the feudal interests of the old Zhao family. And it continues to open up new feudal territories... So although his central power has not taken a step outside the "national gate" (referring to the land of the Han and Tang Dynasties), the entire "world" has been expanding and carrying out It went very smoothly.
Zhao Yi breathed a sigh of relief. Zhao Kai's path should be stuck at the bottom line that Zhao Huan and Zhao Chen could accept... After all, their father and son could never beat Zhao Kai.
"That's fine," he didn't say anything. "Brother, go and have a good talk with your eldest brother and the King of Nanyue...Brother, can you spare them a few more years?"
"That's easy to say," Zhao Kai smiled, "Chair, go and have a good talk with them. We are all a family. Is there anything we can't say?"
