When facing the officials of the seven counties, Gu Zhengchen was dignified, spoke coldly and strictly, but when facing these six common people who were proficient in maritime affairs, he smiled and spoke in an easy-going tone.
The leader is a short and capable old man in his early fifties, whose movements are still agile and his eyes are bright. His name is Chen Dahe.
Behind Chen Dahe stood two young men in their mid-thirties, with muscular bodies and wide hands, but they looked a bit scary. The one on the left was named Lin Qilang, and his face had pits like craters. The one on the right had moles on his face. Five or six, named Huang Yanshan.
On the left side of Chen Dahe, Lin Qilang, and Huang Yanshan, there were three more people standing, all surnamed Wang. They claimed to be the descendants of the Fujian ancestor Wang Shenzhi. They were all in their forties, with round faces and yellow teeth. The one who is carrying a robe on his back, smiling a little obscenely and rolling his eyes is called Wang Budai, and the one who looks honest and shy is called Wang Baobao.
Damn, it’s not a good name. You have to call me Wang Baobao, which means Xu Da is not here. I can probably hold you down and beat you up here. Don’t think that your baby will be safe unless you keep it safe...
After some introductions, Gu Zhengchen got to know a few people, and then he said: "The government has called you here this time for one purpose, which is to organize a fleet to go to sea for trade, transport the goods of the Ming Dynasty overseas, and bring them back. Spices, jewelry, precious wood, etc.”
Chen Dahe, Wang Futu and others were shocked.
Going overseas for trade?
A few years ago the emperor issued a decree prohibiting people from going to sea. Besides, the sea is not peaceful at the moment. It’s easy to go to sea, but what about it? Can we still come back?
Chen Dahe asked: "Prefect Gu, has the imperial court lifted the ban on maritime affairs?"
Gu Zhengchen shook his head: "That's not true, the sea ban remains the same."
Chen Dahe, Wang Futu and others suddenly withered. Since the sea ban has not been lifted, who dares to go to sea...
Lin Qilang stood up and said bluntly: "In the early years, we went to sea and took the sea route to Nanyang more than a dozen times. We were very familiar with it, but the government banned the sea. Not to mention going to sea for trade, we couldn't even go to sea for fishing. The prefect If they want us to go to sea, the court will not sit idly by and if we are caught then, we will either die or be sent into the army."
Wang Futu wiped his nose: "Most of us are from poor fishermen's backgrounds. We have seen a lot of bad luck in strong winds and waves. We are not people who are afraid of death, but we all have families. No one wants to die in vain and leave behind his wife, children and children." Unattended.”
Gu Zhengchen raised his hand to stop Wang Futu who wanted to continue speaking. Then he looked at a few people and was silent for a while before he said seriously: "I just want to ask you, do you want the imperial court to lift the sea ban?"
"think!"
Chen Dahe, Wang Futu and other six people spoke in unison without any hesitation.
Gu Zhengchen nodded with relief, stood up and said: "Many people in Quanzhou Prefecture died in the hands of me, Gu Zhengchen, but the people I killed were either corrupt or evil people. I have never killed a single commoner. Not to mention harming a common person. Likewise, I will not send you to a dead end."
"As the prefect of Quanzhou, the most important thing is to ensure that the people of Quanzhou Prefecture are well fed and clothed warmly. I have thought about it over and over again. Without the opening of the sea, many people in Quanzhou Prefecture will be hungry, and Jinjiang City will only be hungry. I can live in poverty. Therefore, I need to open the sea, and I need a group of people to go to sea to do business, get rich trade products, and then send them to Jinling to be exchanged for money and grain. Tell the emperor that Quanzhou Prefecture opens the sea - it will benefit the country and the people!"
Chen Dahe, Wang Futu and others looked at each other.
Wang Baobao hesitated for a moment, then stood up and said: "Prefect Gu is a good person, we know it. But once we go to sea, we will probably be caught by the navy..."
Gu Zhengchen laughed and shook his head: "I forgot to mention that this time I go to sea, in order to ensure your safety, smooth trade, and protection from pirates and Japanese pirates, a navy sergeant will accompany you."
"ah?"
Chen Dahe and others were dumbfounded.
Navy sergeant goes with you?
"Is this true?"
Wang Futu asked quickly.
Gu Zhengchen looked at Wang Futu calmly: "Is it possible for me to fight off the pirates on your own? How can you do it without the navy's men and guards? The ship we used for this trip to sea is the navy's Dafu ship. I, Cong Jing, Haihou has mobilized twelve great fortune ships, and they will all gather at Quanzhou Port in a short time."
Chen Dahe stamped his feet and grinned: "Prefect Gu, if you had told me such a good thing earlier, why should we worry? As long as the prefect just says a word, we can go to Nanyang and bring all the treasures here!"
Wang Futu showed his yellow teeth and said: "Since the Navy has a sergeant accompanying us, what do we have to fear? We will just follow the orders of the prefect!"
The navy's involvement is equivalent to a reassurance.
There is no need to worry about the problem of Japanese pirates. It is possible that if you encounter them, you can rob them in turn. When I think of that scene, hehe...
The navy's involvement shows that Magistrate Gu has smoothed the relationship.
In this case, it is good to go to sea.
We are all born as fishermen, and many of us have lived on boats for decades, rarely going ashore.
The voyage was not Magistrate Gu's request, but everyone's desire.
One by one, they expressed their willingness to go to sea.
Gu Zhengchen was very satisfied and said with a smile: "Whether the emperor will nod to open the sea in the future depends on how much goods you bring with you this time. The naval officers are not as experienced as you, the old people who have traveled to Southeast Asia, and know what goods are valuable . The navy will not interfere with what cargo you bring back. As long as it is not overweight, no matter how much cargo you have, bring it all back to Quanzhou Port!"
Chen Dahe patted his chest: "No problem!"
Wang Futu nodded repeatedly: "I haven't seen the merchants from Nanyang for many years, so I can't sell a lot of goods. This time I go to Nanyang, I can get a lot of goods. By the way, Prefect Gu, where are we going this time?"
Chen Dahe was depressed. After talking for a long time, he only talked about going to sea and forgot to ask where he was going.
Lin Qilang and others looked at Gu Zhengchen eagerly, wanting to know the direction.
Gu Zhengchen pondered for a moment and said in a deep voice: "Cham City Kingdom!"
Champa, Champa Puluo (meaning city in Sanskrit), is also called Champa, Champo, etc.
Going back further, Champa was once a territory of the Chinese civilization. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, it was called Xianglin Yi, or Lin Yi for short. However, at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Qu Lian, the son of Xianglin Gongcao, proclaimed himself king and became independent from then on.
Gu Zhengchen's choice of Champa State as the end point of his first Nanyang voyage was not a hasty decision, but the result of careful consideration.
Nowadays, the Champa Kingdom and the Annan Kingdom are at odds with each other. Either you beat me with a stick, or I smash you with a brick.
When talking about the contradictions and problems between the two countries, we have to talk about the Yuan Dynasty.
The Yuan Dynasty once wanted to attack Champa City and asked Annan to let me borrow a way to beat him. Annan was a bit knowledgeable and knew about the "false way to destroy Guo" and refused to say anything. As a result, the Yuan Dynasty attacked Annan because he was prepared to do so. Insufficient, coupled with climate problems, there are many mountains and rivers in Annan, the Yuan Dynasty army was defeated by Annan...
But if he offended the Yuan Dynasty, Emperor Annan would not be stable. After all, the dead spots in the Yuan Dynasty were nothing to worry about, as there were many soldiers. So Annan King Chen Yingzong won over the Champa King and told Jaya Sanghavarman III that after marrying my sister Princess Xuanzhen, we will be a family.
I don’t know if Princess Xuanzhen was too beautiful, or if Jaya Sanghavarman III was too stupid to marry Princess Xuanzhen with the territories of Wuzhou and Lizhou as betrothal gifts.
A woman is worth two states' land in exchange for it.
The problem is that Jaya Sanghavarman III didn't know why or if he was overdoing it. He died soon after marrying Princess Xuanzhen.
If it dies, it dies, it's just dealt with, it's not a big deal.
However, the Champa people believe in Brahmanism. According to the customs of this religion, after the death of the husband, the wife must follow Sati and die in the fire. In other words, Princess Xuanzhen had to be buried.
When Chen Yingzong of Annan Kingdom heard that his sister was going to be burned, he naturally refused and sent Chen Ke to welcome Princess Xuanzhen back.
For the Champa people, this move was tantamount to trampling the Champa people's beliefs on the ground without forgetting to spit on them. It could not end without a fight.
Take a step back and say, you have taken away your women, but give us back our dowries.
The land in Wuzhou and Lizhou must be taken back, right?
As a result, after decades of war, Champa was beaten to the point of being breathless, and the fourth generation was also captured. But this situation changed eight years before the founding of the Ming Dynasty, because a tyrannical king appeared in the Champa Kingdom. He was Ataa, or Zhipeng'e.
He was very fierce in controlling Peng'e, and he was a capable king. Taking advantage of the internal chaos in Annan, in March of the fourth year of Hongwu, he sent troops to invade Thang Long City, the capital of Annan!
Gu Zhengchen knew that Zhi Peng'e, a fierce man, would break into Shenglong City for the second and third time in the near future.
Gu Zhengchen didn't care how Zhi Peng'e bullied Xiao Yueyue. Anyway, Xiao Yueyue would still be dishonest in the future. He would become a white-eyed wolf, occupy the Ming Dynasty's territory, rob the Ming Dynasty's people, and suffer the blows of the Ming Dynasty.
The problem is that Zipeng'e now has many rare treasures in his hands...
As the capital of Annan, Thang Long City has accumulated countless wealth. After finally going there, I don’t know how many good things were moved away. What Peng'e needs now is not rare treasures, but training troops and enriching the people. Since there is no place to sell the treasure in his hand, it is also a good thing to send his own caravan to trade...
At least Zhipeng'e, for the sake of the Ming Navy, would not make it difficult for Quanzhou merchants to purchase spices in Champa State. There is no way he would think that this was Lao Zhu supporting him, cheering for him, taking the initiative to send gifts, and setting the price very low...
When going to Champa State, first lay a solid foundation and establish a good relationship. When Peng A goes to Thang Long City to move in the future, ask him to bring more good things. Don't be like a barbarian who just smashes and destroys.
Besides, the country of Champa is rich in spices, including myrrh, frankincense, and ambergris. If you can't get these things, you can still make money by cutting down a few "Champa Qi Nan" agarwood trees.
As long as he can get good things, extract money and food from the hands of big families, and let Lao Zhu see that opening up sea trade can indeed "rob" the rich, or "rob wealth" with a soft knife, with his "hatred of the rich" mentality, he will definitely not Refuse to open the sea...
