Zheng He expressed what he was thinking, and Zhu Yunwen did not judge, but just looked at everyone: "The "Hunyi Map of the Ming Dynasty" is a masterpiece of the map of the Hongwu Dynasty, and many of the position markings are basically correct. However, only this one A map is not enough for me to seal Wuying Palace and issue a gag order."
Zhu Yunwen walked to the huge "Hunyi Picture of the Ming Dynasty", picked up a bamboo stick, and pointed to the lower left position: "Zheng He led his fleet to the Western Ocean. After arriving in Guli, he went north along the sea on the west side of the continent to arrive. Tianfang, right?”
"That's right."
Zheng He and others nodded repeatedly.
Zhu Yunwen moved the bamboo stick, pointed at the African continent, and looked at everyone: "The fleet went south from Tianfang, went east and returned, and did not continue westward and arrived at this strange continent. Am I right?"
Seeing that no one refuted, Zhu Yunwen knocked on the location of Africa: "Here is a mysterious continent called Africa. I hope that after you sail to the West again and return the envoys, you can go south from the sky and reach the southernmost tip of Africa. There’s a name here, it’s the Cape of Good Hope.”
Zheng He, Zhu Neng and others couldn't help but look at each other. This mysterious and unknown continent actually has a name?
Africa?
Cape of Good Hope?
A name I've never heard of.
Zhu Yunwen looked at everyone. What they didn't know was that it was precisely because of the existence of "The Ming Dynasty Mixed One Picture" that it was unmistakably proven that the first people to discover and understand Africa were the Chinese.
"Your Majesty, do you want us to survey the Cape of Good Hope and Africa?"
Luo Guanying was unsure and asked.
Zhu Yunwen waved his hand and said with a serious face: "No, this is your final transit place. From here, you will arrive at a completely strange and completely unknown new continent. And this is the real reason why I summoned you. , is the top-secret mission you are about to take on!"
"New World? Top secret mission!"
Everyone was confused and full of longing.
Zhu Yunwen looked at Yu Zhen, Kuang Yu and others: "You have written and begged many times. You want to follow the fleet on the voyage to the west, go overseas to search for herbs and prescriptions, and broaden your horizons. This voyage to the west will be the most grand and difficult. The risk will be unprecedented, are you sure you want to go to the Western Ocean?"
Kuang Yu, Yu Zhen and others solemnly said: "We have made up our mind a long time ago."
Zhu Yunwen reminded: "This voyage will enter completely unfamiliar waters. Storms may occur at any time, and you may even face attacks from primitive people. Life or death is unpredictable. This is your last chance to withdraw."
"You will never change your mind!"
None of Kuang Yu and others chose to retreat!
Zhu Yunwen nodded solemnly, and then looked at Zheng He and other navy commanders: "This voyage is definitely not as simple as going to Nanyang and reaching heaven. The mission and route I have arranged for you will most likely lead to a narrow escape. Now exit the hall. , I am absolutely to blame! If you choose to sail, be prepared to die!"
No one moved, no one spoke.
Zhu Yunwen was extremely serious: "I know that you have experienced rough seas, but the voyages before this were all carried out with detailed charts, and most of the time they sailed along the coastline. But once you accept the next task , you will lose the continent and drift on the vast sea. You may lose your direction, you may be buried in the storm, you may die in the unknown sea!"
"I hope you will think clearly. If you stay in the Ming Dynasty, your contributions will be enough to live a long life without any worries about your life. If you sail westward, you may never be able to return! The risks are great and the task is difficult, beyond all your imagination. ! Speaking of which, I’ll give you half a cup of tea to think about it.”
Zheng He stepped forward: "Your Majesty, as navy masters, we are sailing across the sea and across the sky. How can we be afraid of storms and shrink back? There is no need to think about it. I am willing to go!"
"I am willing to go!"
Zhu Neng, Luo Guanying and others stepped forward one after another.
There were sixty-seven generals in the Navy, and no one gave in.
Zhu Yunwen looked at everyone with gentle eyes. They were the people of the Ming Dynasty, the elites of the navy, the sergeants who selflessly served the country, and the warriors who fearlessly voyaged!
"That being the case, then you just remember, no one is allowed to ask questions about what you see or hear next! Use your eyes and your hearts to remember all the content firmly, and do not disclose it to the outside world. Half a word! You just need to remember that these are real, and they are missions that you must complete even if you sacrifice your life!"
Zhu Yunwen shouted majestically, and his powerful momentum made everyone feel nervous.
Opening the side hall, Zhu Yunwen walked in, then took out a huge map and asked Zheng He and others to hang it up. It was on the right side of the "Hongyi Map of the Ming Dynasty".
This map is far inferior to the Ming Dynasty in "The Ming Dynasty Mixed Map", both in size and detail, but besides the Ming Dynasty, there are North Korea and Japan in the east, Ryukyu and Yiqian Islands in the southeast, Nanyang Countries further west, including Guli, Kochi (India), Tianfang, Africa, and the Cape of Good Hope, are all clearly marked. The details overseas are breathtaking.
Zheng He, Luo Guanying and other people who went to the West were even more wide-eyed after seeing it. Although this map is not as detailed as the "Hongyi Map of the Ming Dynasty", the geographical locations of overseas places, national labels, mountains, islands, rivers and lakes are actually the same as those of the "Hongyi Map of the Ming Dynasty". There is not much difference from what I have experienced!
What surprised Zheng He and others the most was that an arc stretched out in the sky, connecting the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. There was a huge red dot here, and then starting from this red dot, they continued westward and passed through A large ocean was then connected to a new huge continent, and this continent, in? It is not shown at all in "The Ming Dynasty Mixed Picture"!
Zhu Yunwen looked at the commotion of the crowd, his sharp eyes full of pressure. Everyone remembered Zhu Yunwen's words, and no one was allowed to ask questions, so they had to hide their endless doubts.
"Very good. If you have any questions, please don't ask, let alone tell me. You heard me clearly. Then go to the West and reach the sky. You have already walked through this section of the sea. You are familiar with it. Don't worry. I will reach the Cape of Good Hope from the sky. I am also relieved about a section of the sea, but you must remember that the Cape of Good Hope is not easy to live in. Waves and storms occur from time to time. If the reserves are insufficient, you can go ashore in other nearby sea areas to replenish supplies. If the reserves are sufficient, you can go south around the Cape of Good Hope before heading north..."
"After arriving at the central part of the west coast of Africa, you start here and follow the direction of the ocean current, one direction to the southwest, and you can reach the Amazon Plain. There is a huge river here called the Amazon River, which can be entered from here. One direction to the northwest Then go and arrive in the Caribbean. The hurricanes here are fierce and the sea conditions are complicated, especially between June and September. Avoid it as much as possible. If you encounter a continent where you can land, land as soon as possible..."
"This continent is called South America, and the one to the north is North America, but your destination is South America. The voyage from Africa to South America is more than five thousand miles. In such a vast sea, there may not be any islands that can be landed on. For supplies, if we sail long distances and don’t reach South America, we will die!”
Zheng He swallowed, and Luo Guanying and others also looked a little pale.
There is no place to stay in such a vast sea area, which is a bit bullying.
Although the navy of the Ming Dynasty has long-distance voyage experience, as Zhu Yunwen said, most of them sail not too far along the coastline. I really want to dock, it will only take a few days at most, but this sea area is inaccessible. Without a store, once you enter the vast sea and get lost, you will be completely doomed, with no supplies from east to west, north to south...
To say that it was a narrow escape from death is not an exaggeration.
Zhu Yunwen looked at everyone and said: "You have memorized these charts clearly. I will give you more detailed charts when you set sail. Arriving in South America is just the place where you complete your mission, and your real mission is to dig Potatoes, sweet potatoes, peanuts, corns, tomatoes..."
"..."
Everyone was stunned.
I don't understand anything about this at all.
I’m not allowed to ask, I’m holding back and feel uncomfortable!
Zhu Yunwen also knew that they didn't know what potato stewed beef was, they didn't know about alcoholic peanuts, and they had never tasted roasted sweet potatoes, but it didn't matter, we had the drawings and they were drawn...
I took out the drawings one by one and hung them up one by one.
Zhu Yunwen pointed to the potato picture and introduced: "You all can see clearly, this is potato, a kind of crop. The above-ground stem is rhombus-shaped and hairy. The primary leaves are single leaves. After they grow, they become pinnately compound leaves, as shown in the picture. , the fruits produced underground are potatoes..."
"This is corn, the real food. They say rice, millet, millet, wheat, and beans are the five grains. If you can bring corn back, the five grains will become the six grains..."
"Sweet potato, you must find this. It should be in the Andes Mountains in the west of South America, that is, this area. If you want to go deep here, you have to go..."
"chili……"
"rubber tree……"
"These drawings will also be sent to the ship before you set off. Every crew member accompanying you must recognize them at a glance, everyone!"
In Wuying Hall, Zhu Yunwen introduced them one by one, and everyone was listening. Outside the hall, the guards were tight, and no one could approach within three feet of the hall.
"I know you have many doubts and want to ask what the purpose of this mission is. Let me tell you that your trip is extremely dangerous, but it is also extremely glorious. You are taking risks for the sake of the millions of people of the Ming Dynasty. I am taking risks so that there will be no more famines in the Ming Dynasty, and no more tragedies like changing children for food!"
"Many of you are from farmers, and you know how much wheat and rice can be produced from one acre of land. In the best years and with the best farmers, it would be good to have a harvest of three stones from one acre of rice field! But I tell you, potatoes and rice Potatoes, one acre of land can produce twenty or even twenty-seven shi!”
The sound fell to the ground, and the whole hall was shocked.
Medical officers such as Yu Zhen and Kuang Yu were even more anxious and hurried forward. Some generals also wanted to ask questions, but everyone remembered Zhu Yunwen's words and could not ask!
Zhu Yunwen raised his hand, looked at everyone seriously, and said: "I know you want to ask, is this true? I can tell you, it is true! So, go to South America and bring back these crops, you will be the most powerful people in the Ming Dynasty. Great hero, it is the meritorious service that has saved countless lives! You will use your hands and lives to create a prosperous dynasty without famine in the world!"
