The worn-out sun and moon flags fluttered stubbornly in the southeast wind, and the sea water continued to expand, leaving white wave tails. The sails were fully hung, and the blowing wind picked up the patched sails.
Zheng He stood on the bow of the ship, lowering the hilt of the knife at his waist with his right hand, looking at the sea to the north with a majestic expression.
"In half a day's journey north, you will reach Xiangshan Mountain."
Du Yu looked at Zheng He who turned around and threw the water bag in his hand.
Zheng He reached out to catch it, took a sip of water, shook his head and said, "I thought you would give me wine, but you are really stingy."
Du Yu chuckled and walked towards Zheng He: "I would like to drink, but I am escorting you and performing military duties. During military duties, drinking is not allowed. As the commander-in-chief of the Nanhai Navy, I must set a good example." .”
Zheng He returned the water bag to Du Yu: "Without the imperial edict, you dare to leave Nanyang without permission, and are you not afraid of the emperor's punishment?"
Du Yu leaned on the railing, enjoying the sea breeze: "The first task of the Nanyang Navy and the Nanyang Navy is to receive, escort, and find your fleet. The second task is to maintain the peace of Nanyang. I act under orders, so how can I be held responsible? ? Besides, you people have accomplished an unprecedented feat, and the whole world will be excited for you. We are all navy masters, and it is our honor to escort you."
Zheng He smiled, looked at the steam engine ship in front of him, and said in a deep voice: "Can we really build a pure iron ship?"
Du Yu patted his chest and assured: "There is no need to doubt that pure iron ships have actually been manufactured. However, the initial iron ships could not solve the problem of seawater corrosion. They were only used for testing and were not delivered to the navy. Since Li Su La came After countless chromium ores, Longjiang Shipyard, Ma'anshan Shipyard, etc. have switched to iron ship manufacturing. It is said that they have completed the manufacturing of three pure iron ships, and they are all under testing."
Zheng He's eyes were full of longing, and his hands were tightly grasping the railing: "If medium and large pure iron ships are born, and equipped with steam engines, then the voyage will no longer be far away!"
"That's right, the Navy will truly have the ability to traverse the four seas by then!"
Du Yu was solemn.
Zheng He was eager for the early spread of steam engines and ships. By then, if Ming Dynasty wanted to go to South America for the second time, it would not take nearly five years. Two years of round trip would be enough!
There are still many undiscovered secrets in South America, and the indigenous people are still in a state of ignorance. If the Ming Dynasty can tame them, it is impossible to build a province in South America.
There are countless minerals in the mountains there, and there are countless large trees of unknown age in the forest. These things are wealth and should not be lost all.
"Let's dock when we reach Xiangshan."
Zheng He looked into the distance and said.
Du Yu frowned: "The Emperor is waiting for you and should keep moving forward day and night. It would be inappropriate to stop at this time."
Zheng He shook his head: "Our voyage lasted nearly four and a half years. After returning to the capital, we will definitely take a full rest. I'm afraid there won't be any long-distance missions in a year or two. I'm afraid we won't be able to be so organized when we leave the capital. Since When passing by, stop and pay homage to Yi Qianshi."
Du Yu knew that the Yi Qian thing Zheng He was talking about was Yi Shaozong of Xiangshan Qiancang Institute, a hero who sacrificed his life to fight against the Japanese invaders, a hero who sacrificed his life to serve his country and was not afraid of death.
"Then give the order."
Du Yu did not stop him, not to mention that Zheng He was the top general of this team. Although he was the commander-in-chief of the Nanhai Navy, he could not compare with the returning integration.
Luo Guanying was not surprised when he heard the order. He steered the ship himself and shouted energetically: "Brothers, go burn incense for Yi Qian."
Zhao Shiyu was lying on the deck, letting the scorching sun shine on him, his crossed legs shaking constantly.
Ma Huan continued to record his voyage notes on the side, constantly sorting out what he saw along the way, and would ask people to ask questions from time to time to ensure the accuracy of the description.
Liang Dafang walked towards Ma Huan, sat down, put one hand on his knee, and said with a smile: "After you return to the capital, you will become a celebrity."
Ma Huan had a naive smile on his face and was noncommittal.
Liang Dafang looked at Zhao Shiyu who was lying down and shouted, "What are your plans after going back?"
Zhao Shiyu sat up cross-legged and hummed two lines of an unknown tune before speaking: "Plan, what else can I plan? Naturally, I will plant the seeds I brought. I won't see them blossom and bear fruit in our fields." How can you feel at ease if you don’t dig out the potatoes and break out the corn kernels yourself?”
Liang Dafang nodded solemnly. Going back to be a farmer and growing crops was probably the wish of all the returning navy soldiers.
The desperate journey is over, huge sacrifices have been made, and the mission entrusted by Emperor Jianwen has been completed. But everyone knows whether the seeds brought can take root and sprout in the land of the Ming Dynasty, can they bear fruit, and can they produce anything. Come out, this is the most important thing.
There are many naval sergeants who come from farmers. They all know that crops depend on the land and the weather. After all, South America has hot weather and a lot of rain. If these crops cannot survive and bear fruit when they are brought back, it will really cost people's lives.
"I said why are you worried about these things? My brother-in-law knows where these treasures are and how to raise them. Naturally, he also knows that these things can take root and bear fruit in the land of the Ming Dynasty. If you are worried about that, you might as well think about whose girls are not yet married. You What about the daughter of Wang Xun’s family..."
Luo Guanying walked over swaying.
Zhao Shiyu rolled his eyes at Luo Guanying: "I'm afraid that the daughters of Wang Xun's family have a lot of children. What are you thinking about? Besides, you are a royal relative, and you are afraid that you can't find a woman? After you go back, as long as you howl at night, you will be dead. Someone sent their daughter to your bed.”
Liang Dafang nodded repeatedly, yes.
Luo Guanying was the first to land in South America and made immortal contributions. He was still less than thirty. Not to mention his sister and brother-in-law, his personal abilities and achievements were enough for people to look up to. After returning home, there is no chance that he would enter the court or hold an important position. .
There are so many things that people want to take advantage of.
Ma Huan is not involved in these at all. There will definitely be rewards from the court, and there will be no less. But the problem is that he has many brothers, and rewards alone are not enough. He must also imitate Mr. Luo Guanzhong and publish a shocking work, that is, It's a good thing to leave a name and make a profit...
Liang Dafang suddenly sighed: "Deputy Commander Zheng's report should have been sent to the capital, right?"
Zhao Shiyu looked a little sad: "According to time, it should be here."
Luo Guanying kicked Liang Dafang: "Everyone is going home. Don't keep mentioning unhappy things. Come on, please fawn over me. When I tell my brother-in-law a story, I will mention your names a few more times... "
"..."
A lot of eye rolls.
Each person's credit is recorded in a credit book, and it cannot be changed by your kid's few words and stories.
When the naval fleet docked to pay homage to Yi Shaozong, an urgent message was delivered to Wuying Hall.
Zhu Yunwen finally received a handwritten document from Zheng He. The document was not as detailed as Zhu Yunwen expected, but was heartbreakingly short.
Zheng He paused:
After leaving Li Su's army in Africa, I took the main force of the Navy and more than 26,000 people to sail across the ocean. Finally, I fulfilled my mission and arrived in South America. I obtained potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, peppers and other crops. The yield was amazing...
The journey is difficult and dangerous, and words are not enough. In the moment of life and death, men are more tragic...
The minister is about to return, and I have no words to complain about, so I will present the details in person. The minister Zheng He, on behalf of 11,618 soldiers, bowed his head again and bowed down.
Zhu Yunwen looked at Zheng He's documents repeatedly, his eyes a little moist.
They made great sacrifices and completed their mission!
Of the more than 26,000 people, only a little over 10,000 returned. The loss of more than half was an unprecedented sacrifice for the Ming Navy!
Even though Zhu Yunwen was mentally prepared to endure a huge sacrifice, facing this tragic sacrifice was still painful! More than 14,000 navy soldiers were lost in the vast sea, endless forests, and strange places, just to achieve a mission that they themselves were not sure of!
These people are all the most elite, loyal and fearless naval officers of the Ming Dynasty. They are the top beings among the first batch of naval officers. The sacrifice of each of them is a huge loss to the Ming Dynasty!
Zhu Yunwen raised his right hand, covered his eyes, took a few deep breaths, calmed down, and told his chamberlain: "Tell Zheng He the number of losses in the Navy to the Navy Commander's Office, the Fifth Army Commander's Office, the Cabinet and the Ministry of War. In addition, let Tie Tie Xuan, Li Jian, Chen Hui and Xu Huizu are here."
The chamberlain took the document and hurried to deliver the message.
Xie Jin and Yang Shiqi looked at the huge number of sacrifices and fell into deep shock.
Yang Shiqi's hand holding the document couldn't help but tremble: "Where did they go, what did they encounter, and why were there such huge losses?"
Jie Jin swallowed and said seriously: "Zheng He is coming back, but we still don't know what they did and what their huge sacrifice was for. This is unfair."
Yang Shiqi nodded heavily and walked out from behind the desk: "Jiege, it has only been three to five days since Zheng He arrived in the capital. It is time to make the true mission of Zheng He and others known to the public. If the people don't know, and the whole world doesn't know, then How can the family members of a Navy sergeant who died accept the sacrifice of his son, husband, and father?"
Xie Jin also walked out: "Let's go to Wuying Hall."
Zhu Yunwen heard that Xie Jin and Yang Shiqi asked to see him, so he let them in.
After saluting, Xie Jin went straight to the point, hoping that the emperor could disclose Zheng He's true mission so that everyone could understand why Zheng He could bear the highest etiquette when he returned.
Zhu Yunwen did not hide it anymore and took out Zheng He's documents. Xie Jin and Yang Shiqi looked at the words "potato" and "corn" and looked at each other in confusion.
"Their mission was to go to the depths of the endless sea to find an isolated continent and bring these crops there. Now, they have completed their mission."
Zhu Yunwen looked solemn.
Xie Jin was a little puzzled: "Your Majesty, I apologize for my stupidity. We have grains. Why do we have to travel thousands of miles and make huge sacrifices to find other crops?"
Zhu Yunwen looked at Xie Jin and walked over slowly: "With corn, Ming Dynasty no longer only has five grains, but six grains!"
"hiss!"
Xie Jin and Yang Shiqi took a deep breath.
Five grains (rice, millet, millet, wheat, and beans) have been mentioned for thousands of years. People in this land have relied on these things to feed themselves. But now, Zheng He will change everything and make five grains become six grains!
Damn it, you have to call him a saint even if he is not a saint. This is a matter of countless living people and is related to the destiny of the people and the country! 【ps:
I've been very busy recently, and I'm a little tired from being able to maintain two updates. The April update will be done twice as much as possible, with constant updates and no requests for leave.
There are relatively few updates, so please understand.
Also, I would like to ask for tickets early next month, thank you Jingxue. 】
