Chapter 51 Farewell
Ningbo Port.
More than a dozen large ships are being prepared in an orderly manner.
He Xi was on the pier at the moment, holding the wine glass in both hands, and said: "Brother Fang, there are many difficulties and hardships here, and the hardships and dangers are no less than Monk Tang's journey to the west. I have already taken care of the Nanyang side. You guys. On the ship, except for necessary supplies, the other empty compartments can be filled with any goods. All the profits this time will be given to the soldiers. I reiterate again, if you can return successfully, I will ask for a seal for you in front of His Majesty. "
"Never break a promise."
When He Xi was running Xinjingjiang. Preparations for the voyage fleet have never stopped.
During this period of time, Fang Guan went out frequently, just to invite old relatives and friends from back then. After all, the Fang family is in this circle. Fang Guan will know who has real skills at sea and who is a boaster.
This fleet, no, should be two fleets, they will go their separate ways after entering the Strait of Malacca. One to the west and one to the east.
No expert like Fang Guan knew the difficulty of this voyage better. Because of this, Fang Guan desperately found the best personnel. Therefore, there are not many people in this fleet. More than a thousand people in total. After they parted ways, each fleet had less than a thousand people. The overall supplies are even more abundant. In addition to water, all kinds of food can last for at least three years.
They were a group of people who stood at the top of navigation technology at that time.
Fang Guan said: "We will definitely complete our mission here."
He Xi was silent for a while and said: "Although I should say that you will have no hesitation. But I will still tell you a list separately. When you feel that the fleet cannot support it, you can make any decision you can. Including Turn around and come back.”
"Even if it doesn't succeed, your hydrological data and navigation experience are still the greatest assets."
Navigation is never successful every time. The book only records those navigators who have made great achievements, but it does not mention many navigators who have disappeared in history. Not every expedition will be successful.
This is the cold reality.
But He Xi still couldn't bear to let these people's lives be wasted at sea.
Fang Guan was a little moved after hearing He Xi's words. On the contrary, it made him more determined that he would not come back unless he did something good this time.
In fact, Fang Guan is not a fool. We are really in danger of being irreversible. He won't rush over either. Fang Guan is not the kind of person who is so rigid that he only has one muscle. It’s just that the burden on Fang Guan is too heavy. He did not want the Fang family to become subordinates.
As Fang Guozhen's son, Fang Guan has certainly lived a good life. But before Fang Guozhen became famous, he was just a pirate. Fang Guan went through many hardships when he was young. It is precisely because of the hardships that we know that the Fang family's current status is hard-won. I also know what life is like for the people at the bottom.
Although Fang Guan already felt that life was difficult. But compared to the real lower class people, the Fang family's life is something they don't dare to hope for.
But the Fang family only inherited a little bit of Fang Guozhen's legacy. It will be used up soon. He did not want to see the descendants of the Fang family living among farmers from now on. As the head of the family and as a father, Fang Guan could do very little for the Fang family.
Today is his best chance.
Fang Guan said, "Everything is ready now, except for one thing. The soldiers are still hesitant."
He Xi said, "Just say it."
Fang Guan said: "Sir, what will happen when we explore the unknown waterway this time? I don't know, but I guess there will be casualties. Most of the people in the fleet are making a living at sea, life and death. Don’t care either.”
"Just at home?"
He Xi waved his hand and said, "Don't worry. Anyone who dies at sea will receive a pension from their family, and at least they will be allowed to raise their children. Officials will be protected, and I will provide for their children to study until they reach adulthood." .”
Fang Guan said: "What if you can't come back? Do you know whether you will live or die?"
He Xi was silent for a while. There was actually a question, that is, how to ensure that Fang Guan would not be like Xu Fu? But after a while, He Xi gave up this idea because he truly understood the Ming Dynasty people deeply. I know how ridiculous this idea is.
Give all the people of Ming Dynasty a questionnaire. The place they want to live most must be within the territory of Ming Dynasty. Maybe just change to another city. Because all Ming people have a consensus. That is the most prosperous cities in the world, all in the Ming Dynasty.
Only a fool would leave the Ming Dynasty and go to a barbaric land.
Fang Guan would never stay overseas unless he had no choice, not to mention that the Chinese people still have the idea of returning to their roots. Fang Guan wanted to die in Ming Dynasty. Why don't you come back? That must be force majeure.
When encountering such a thing, there is nothing to say.
He Xi said: "I hope everything is safe. But if the news is cut off from now on, then it will be treated as death. I won't let you have any worries, leave everything to me."
Fang Guan said, "All the lower officials have done their best and died." Fang Guan looked up at the sky and said, "The time is just right. After worshiping Mazu, we are about to leave the port."
Under the leadership of He Xi, all the sailing personnel burned incense in front of Mazu and prayed for blessings. Then they brought the amulets from the Mazu Empress Temple, and others took small jars and dug the soil from their hometown. Getting on board one after another. Sailed away.
He Xi climbed up the hilltop near the port without stopping, and watched from a distance as the ships spread their hard sails and sailed toward the unknown. Only when they knew they were out of sight did they stop. Then he scanned the surrounding area. See the hills below.
In fact, this so-called hill is not that high. It's just a small slope, but it's already the highest place around the pier.
He Xi said, "Go ahead and build a lighthouse here."
He Xi originally wanted to talk to Zhu Yuanzhang and use an administrative order to build lighthouses all along the coast. as navigation infrastructure. But He Xi studied it carefully and found that it didn't work. Because the location of lighthouses is very particular. If navigation cannot be deeply rooted in people's hearts, this lighthouse is just a decoration.
Moreover, no one can say what the one-size-fits-all order will look like at the implementation level.
Not to mention, if the higher-ups ordered the construction of a lighthouse, the cost would be difficult to handle. After all, thousands of lighthouses along the coast are a considerable expense. The imperial court was not without money, but Zhu Yuanzhang would not want to spend it on this.
He Xi had to first set up lighthouses where needed. Then it spread. As long as maritime trade was frequent enough, a little wind would be enough to build a lighthouse below. And there is no need for imperial funding.
He Xi sent Fang Guan away, and he would see Fang Mingqian away tomorrow.
Fang Mingqian's fleet will sail north. After passing through the Tsushima Strait, it will go all the way north, cross the Bering Strait, and reach North America. It is the shortest of all routes. But if you analyze it carefully, it’s not an easy path. After all, He Xi is not sure what the situation will be like as we approach the Arctic Circle.
Just after He Xi finished her work, she received a secret letter from Zhu Yuanzhang. There are also some for Princess Anqing.
Zhu Yuanzhang did not hide many things from He Xi, and even analyzed them clearly for He Xi. It has a bit of a teaching component. In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang's ability to educate students is not too bad. Just like Lu Zhongheng, many military things were taught face-to-face by Zhu Yuanzhang. Lu Zhongheng has such qualifications. And he doesn't like studying either. Therefore, the achievements in this life are finalized. Fighting and killing are okay, but the rest are not okay.
However, after Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne, he rarely did this. This also shows that Zhu Yuanzhang attaches great importance to He Xi.
Zhu Yuanzhang explained the reason for asking He Xi to temporarily leave the southeast coast, and also explained the reason for leaving, which was to go north to inspect shipping. and develop better plans for shipping grain by sea. After all, the army's move to Liaodong was something that had been decided a few years ago.
He Xi needs to make advance preparations.
The better the effect of transporting grain by sea, the easier it will be to fight on the front line.
This is an important task.
He Xi had just finished reading it, and before he could think of what to do, Princess Anqing came to He Xi happily. Said: "Look, I said so. Father will not argue with us about this."
