Chapter 41 The original style of the fifteenth century
The reason why. On what day, Fang Guan and others were assessed.
Because as King Jingjiang established the vassal state, this matter was gradually completed. He Xi also opened up the situation. The reported ocean expedition plan will also be slowly implemented.
Therefore, this voyage was also He Xi's test of the strength of Fang Guan and others.
He Xi may not understand navigation, but there are people in Ming Dynasty who do. These people may not understand long-distance voyages. But it’s not too far from Ningbo to Tainan. It should be noted that Zhang He, the Marquis of Navigation, wanted to hunt down the Japanese pirates. Killed directly to Ryukyu.
This is much further than this route.
Fortunately, Fang Guan did not disappoint He Xi. Everything was handled well along the way, and the sailing experts He Xi hired also admired Fang Guan's command. Think calm and sophisticated, let them go. Nothing more than that.
Of course, He Xi also knew. Many times along the way, Fang Guan did not intervene, and it was the people around Fang Guan who directed it.
However, He Xi didn't care, he was using Fang Guan's entire team. Fang Guan is not alone.
What is Fang Guan doing? I brushed my face in front of He Xi, and while popularizing navigation knowledge to He Xi, I also explained the route to He Xi.
King Jingjiang was also listening beside him.
Fang Guan said, "The leukemia your Excellency said Westerners are actually asking for themselves. If we are going on a long voyage, we are used to eating bean sprouts and watering the beans. Even on the ship, it does not prevent them from sprouting. Please ask others." Dispose of vegetables in various ways. I can’t say that the crew will be able to eat vegetables. Under normal circumstances, bean sprouts are enough. I have been on the ship for a long time. Some minor illnesses are normal. But you said it was so scary that so many people died. I have never heard of septicemia. But the plague coming from the shore is very serious."
"In my opinion, this Westerner's ship is too small."
He Xi didn't know what to say.
Now the Ming Dynasty is qualified enough to ridicule the Westerners' ships for being too small. After all, in terms of shipping capacity in this land of the East, it was not until the end of the Qing Dynasty that the load of ships controlled by Westerners exceeded the total load of Chinese ships.
In the early days of the great voyages, Westerners were very fussy about the use of space on ships. It's like Zheng He's treasure ship, so open and bright.
This is certainly related to the size of the ship. But it is more a question of ideas and concepts.
However, He Xi didn't know whether what Fang Guan said was right or wrong. It was Fang Guan's judgment based on his navigation experience, and it was simply discrimination against barbarians.
He Xi looked outside and said, "There is an island over there, what kind of island is it?"
Fang Guan said: "This is Penghu Island. Penghu has thirty-six islands, big and small. It is a strategic point on the sea. From here, you can reach Tainan in one day."
King Jingjiang suddenly spoke and said, "Uncle, is this the fiefdom of Jingjiang Kingdom?"
When Fang Guan said it was Penghu, King Jingjiang was already at an ordinary position on the sea map. Not to mention what kind of person King Jingjiang was, King Jingjiang received the education of the vassal king, and military was one of the vassal king's education.
After thinking about it for a moment, he saw the power of Penghu.
Therefore, he wanted to claim this place.
How could He Xi give this place to King Jingjiang? The hatred of Zhu Yuanzhang, the king of Jingjiang, did not disappear, but was just hidden. Even if King Jingjiang has no evil intentions. He Xi was also unwilling to let the imperial court lose control of the Taiwan Strait.
He Xi said: "This is the territory of Fujian Province. According to the principle, this cannot be given to you."
The principle of vassalage is that the Han areas are not to be enfeoffed. Fujian is Han territory, so naturally it is not included in the list. But Fang Guan knew that Fujian had no troops stationed on Penghu Island at all. Even today's Penghu Island is an empty island. At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhu Yuanzhang sent people to move many people on Penghu Island to the mainland, and then abandoned Penghu Island.
This was also caused by Zhu Yuanzhang's mainland thoughts. He felt that the management costs of Penghu Island were too high. Just a few thousand people. To send someone to manage it, you have to cross the strait. Wouldn't it be much more convenient to move these people to the shore?
It has only been more than ten years, so Penghu Island is still empty. Occasionally, the Ming Navy patrols pass by this place. Or ships may take shelter here when encountering a storm.
However, He Xi had already decided in his heart. After he returned, he immediately discussed with Tang He to establish a guard station in the Penghu Islands and build a city to firmly control the place.
Just in case.
King Jingjiang said: "I see, I was presumptuous."
King Jingjiang grew up very quickly during this period. After all, he was educated by the feudal prince. The education of the feudal prince during the Hongwu period was actually very good. He can teach many things, but King Jingjiang is blinded by hatred and cannot get out.
Now he has come out. Bury the hatred deep in your heart. There were a lot of things that I didn’t quite understand back then, but now I understand them.
He actually knew that Penghu would not be assigned to Jingjiang State. He asked this question for the purpose of testing. Test what kind of person He Xi is? What does it mean to him.
King Jingjiang knew about this temptation. He Xi's kindness towards him was also quite limited.
After all, King Jingjiang knew about the situation in Penghu.
"I must hide myself during this period of time, and don't worry about other things. I can't act recklessly while He Xi is in the southeast. I have to be patient, I have to be patient." In the heart of King Jingjiang, there was probably a psychological shadow towards He Xi. He was extremely afraid of He Xi. So as long as He Xi was around, he wouldn't dare mess around. King Jingjiang looked at the sea to the east and saw the mountains and rivers of Taiwan Island across dozens of kilometers. He thought to himself: "Zhu Yuanzhang, thank you for giving me this piece of land. However, my revenge will be avenged sooner or later."
"Just wait, I'm not in a hurry."
After passing Penghu, Taiwan Island will soon be clearly visible. The fleet passed by the Qikunsha Islands off the coast of Taiwan, which are the seven big sandy states. In later generations, this area was filled with sand and became land. But not in this era. Even the name Taiwan refers to the bay between the seven sandbanks and Taiwan.
The fleet from Taiwan Island has arrived. I have been waiting on the dock for a long time.
It was impossible for He Xi to take risks with such a large fleet. Before that, he had already sent several ships to explore and established a small camp on Taiwan Island. Stand up for everyone. Camps were even set up to welcome the people and goods brought this time.
King Jingjiang saw the real Taiwan at this moment, and his heart fell infinitely downward.
What does Taiwan look like today?
The vegetation is lush and deserted. Even the pier has been temporarily reinforced. The fresh marks on the dock board showed that this board was probably part of a tree more than ten days ago. Fresh ones can emit water.
This shows that a dozen days ago, there was not even a pier here.
Not to mention the crowds.
There was no crowd, and King Jingjiang could only see the newly opened camp in the distance. Can't see anything else. No local people. All you could see were countless large mosquitoes lining up in the air, and their buzzing sound could be heard like thunder from a few meters away.
King Jingjiang even saw a piece of driftwood floating by not far away. Suddenly, the driftwood turned around, revealing two small eyes, and opened its big mouth to the front. Swallowed a big fish in one bite. It seemed that after eating, he glanced at the sudden arrival of humans with cold eyes. Then it sank into the sea water.
As for the trail that was forcibly stepped on. There are already all kinds of birds chirping, insects chirping, and deer chirping. This kind of mountain forest is quiet. It may make many literati feel relaxed and happy, but it is an unbearable blow to King Jingjiang.
King Jingjiang couldn't help it anymore and said, "He Xi, is this the fertile land thousands of miles away and the land of abundance that you told me?"
He Xi was also a little embarrassed.
He has already thought bad enough about the situation in Taiwan. But the reality was worse than He Xi had imagined. He Xi almost thought that she had traveled through the animal world. It's just that the filming location is not the African continent, but the city center of Tainan six hundred years later, or the suburbs?
Suddenly, He Xi had a profound understanding. There is nothing wrong with the pride of the people of the Ming Dynasty.
The situation in Ming Dynasty was unusual in this era. The current situation is normal in this era and on a global scale. Even some parts of Europe are no better than the current situation.
Overseas feudal vassals, or the Ming colonial plan, need to be reconsidered.
