Chapter 2 Chapter 136 Fake Surrender

Not long after Xia Xun returned to the boat, Zheng He, Zhang Xitong and others came back from the banquet. After Xia Xun heard the news, he immediately sent someone to invite them over. Zheng He and Zhang Xitong had just returned from a banquet. Although the water and wine here are soft and sweet, they are not as strong as Chinese wines, but they are quite intoxicating after drinking too much. Xia Xun has already asked someone to cook tea. After the two sat down, the tea was served. The three talked while drinking tea. Zheng He said to Xia Xun: "My lord, at the banquet today, we met several Han merchants who lived here for generations. Their ancestors moved here from the middle of the earth more than a hundred years ago. These people are here now. Quite large forces generally have their own cottages, and most of them are still engaged in business and have their own fleets and escorts.

However, due to the lack of long-distance voyage capabilities of the fleet and the rampant pirate forces, their trading scope has always been limited to a few small countries around them. Every few years, many caravans are gathered to form a huge caravan Only once in the ocean.After they heard about our ocean-going project, they intend to join our fleet. Not only them, but also local wealthy businessmen also want to join. What do you think? Zhang Xitong added: Also, some merchants in our fleet are very interested in this place and want to focus on developing trade here, so they want to stay here.

Xia Xun said: "Okay!"Come and go freely, listen to respect.The last time the father-in-law came, he represented the emperor to appease the barbarians, and he came to establish tribute trade. Naturally, ordinary business groups should not be mixed in the team. Now it is different. , only for trade, not a member of the imperial mission.Therefore, their decision to stay or stay can be decided by themselves, but the review of those who join the fleet must be strengthened.Also, we have to charge fees, we can't protect them for free. Still have to charge a fee? Hearing this, both Zheng He and Zhang Xitong were a little surprised. This is a common problem among officials. A gentleman doesn't talk about profit, let alone a gentleman who is an official.It is a great honor for those people to come here, and you have to collect money from them

Xia Xun said: Not bad!To collect money!Regardless of whether it is a rich Han businessman who moved here from his ancestors or a local rich businessman from the natives, he has to collect money.Do you think that they set up their own boats to go to sea and hire a huge escort team without spending money?The merchants who came with the ship paid taxes when they left and entered the port, so why are they so generous to outsiders? Our fleet belongs to the imperial court, but the imperial court’s money is also the tax paid by the common people. We can’t pretend to be generous on the outside and only pay lip service. What’s the use of that?It costs a lot of money for our fleet to come out once, and the trade we do is certainly enough to make up for the consumption, but who is afraid of losing money?There are still some people in the court who are opposed to going abroad. Only by earning more money for the court can we win more opportunities for official sailing!

This sentence moved Zheng He, Zheng He nodded solemnly and said: "The Duke is absolutely right!"Then do this, those who are willing to sail with our fleet are all allowed, but they will be charged corresponding fees.Later, I will ask someone to estimate how much it will cost them to go to sea by themselves, and the cost of the escort force, and then reduce it as appropriate Xia Xun waved his hands and said with a smile: No, no, no, there is no need to reduce it as appropriate. We will charge as much as the escort fees they need to go to sea by themselves. They can earn a golden mountain and come back with a round trip. Father-in-law doesn't have to save money for them.If they spend the same amount of money and organize their own escort, they may not be safe, but if they follow us, they will never have to worry about being robbed by pirates. It is already quite generous not to overcharge them.

Zheng He said with a smile: "Then follow the Duke, hehe, fortunately the Duke didn't go into business, otherwise, within three years, he would be a Tao Zhugong." Xia Xun said with a smile: "I dare not take it. This is because we have strong military force and ocean-going capabilities. With this strong backing, I have the confidence to make an offer, and I guarantee that they will pay willingly. If I were to do business by myself, it would be better than that." But the scheming of these businessmen.Hehe, in fact, there is another advantage for us to invite these local businessmen to join in.

Zhang Xitong said nahantically: besides collecting escort fees, what are the benefits? Xia Xun said: They are far more familiar with the nearby sea area and surrounding countries than we are.Especially last time we only drove as far as Kezhi and Guli, and we have never been to the west.If we learn from the old and learn from the new along the way, and keep accepting new caravans, there will always be people in our fleet who are familiar with the geography, water regime, country and folk customs ahead, so that we can sail accurately. Don't underestimate this effect. In this way, first, we can avoid many detours, save a lot of time and travel expenses; second, we may have to go three or five times to find out the water regime. Through their understanding, it can be mastered at one time; thirdly, although sea voyages are unpredictable, the locals are very clear about which road sections are more prone to danger. In this way, we will be able to reduce many casualties and ship losses!

Zheng He and Zhang Xitong clapped their hands and applauded: Not bad!How could we not have thought of these many benefits, well, well, well, from this point of view, along the way, we really need to attract more local business groups.After overjoyedly deciding to attract local business groups to participate in the voyage, Zheng He asked again: "The Duke of the Kingdom wants the two of us to come. I wonder if there is anything important to discuss?" Xia Xun looked serious, and said: "That's it. Today, I went ashore with my family for sightseeing, and encountered an incident. This incident itself is nothing, but from this I thought of something that we have neglected."

Xia Xun recounted the jealousy between the Siamese businessman and the naval officers and soldiers, and said, "Manraja originally professed his vassal to the King of Siam and was under his jurisdiction. Now we have issued an edict from the Son of Heaven to establish Manraja as King and use the power of Siam to , I dare not resist my celestial orders, but they suddenly lost their rule over Manlajia. Although Manlajia only donates a mere forty taels of gold every year, they will definitely feel dissatisfied. Zhang Xitong said: "It's certain that you're dissatisfied. Although Manga only offers forty taels of gold every year, they do business in Manga and don't pay taxes at all. This is a lot of money. Now we are just obediently obeying them." They snatched a piece of fat from their hands, no wonder they were happy.But what if they don't want to?

Zheng He heard that Xia Xun had deeper considerations, nodded lightly and said: "I don't know what the Duke thinks about this?" Xia Xun said: "I have always attached equal importance to kindness and power to the countries of the South Seas, dividing and conquering them."Now that Chen Jikuo of Jiaozhi has just been defeated and captured, the place has temporarily calmed down. At this time, if there is a neighbor in Jiaozhi who is dissatisfied with my Daming, they dare not openly resist my Daming, but it is difficult to guarantee that they will not use a knife to vent their anger.If they secretly fund Annan's rebellion

Zheng He was moved and said: Yes, the Duke is very worried!It's just that it is His Majesty's will to allow Manjaga to establish a country and make him a king. Furthermore, since our dynasty has decided to open the sea to trade and connect east and west trade, Manjaga will have great benefits for my Ming Dynasty. The place must be in our hands, so what should we do? Xia Xun smiled slightly, and said: "Of course Manjaga must be controlled by the imperial court, and there is absolutely no reason for the emperor's imperial decree to be contradicted. However, for Siam, you might as well use some means to make them settle down."After I came back, I had carefully thought about the current situation in Siam and came up with some strategies. At this time Zhang Xitong also became more cautious, cupped his hands and said: I would like to hear more about it! Xia Xun said: Siam's trade depends on China.If we Daming don’t buy their products, their Huangsuxiang, Jiangzhenxiang, agarwood, rosewood, blood dried fruit, ivory and other things will be difficult to sell at a price. In the past, they mostly traded with my Ming Dynasty through tribute trade and smuggling. This area is already very important, and now that I am open to free trade, it has become an indispensable and important market for them. Originally, we planned to visit Siam again on our return trip, but now we might as well send a fleet to Siam first, and convey to them my intention of opening up sea trade from Daming. Although they lost Managa, they got my Daming Market , Lost in the east, harvested in mulberry elm, and the economic loss has also made up for most of it.Where the interests lie, this is the policy of restraint. Again, show your kindness.The Siamese have been invaded and plundered by the Khmers, and the two sides have continued to fight.When we send envoys, we can mediate in the middle and prevent the Khmer people from causing war. This is also in line with the emperor's policy of favoring the barbarians and Huaiyuan, and the world is one family.The Khmer king categorically did not dare to disobey the emperor's will, at least he did not dare to brazenly fight Siam again. In this way, we can invite the hearts of the soldiers and civilians of Siam to appease their grievances.Zhancheng and Cochin have always been enemies, and they wholeheartedly hope that the imperial court will accept Cochin under its rule, if Siam does not move against Annan.Annan has dissidents, there is a large army to suppress him inside, and there is no one soldier or grain of rice outside, so what troubles can there be?The two generals Zhang Fu and Mu Sheng governed Annan, which saved a lot of trouble. Zheng He said happily: "The Duke of the State is far-sighted, and Zheng He agrees with this opinion!" During Zheng He's voyages to the West, Emperor Yongle gave him several blank imperial edicts, which showed his great trust in Zheng He, but also took into account the actual situation of his westward journey.For many years, Ming Dynasty has always been relatively closed to the outside world. Even Japan, which is close at hand, could mistake Prince Huairen for the king at the beginning, let alone the land in the far west. The Ming Fleet went all the way to the west, and they didn't know how far they would go, what countries they would encounter, and what situations they would encounter. The emperor couldn't write an imperial decree in advance so that he could communicate with the countries he met.Therefore, we can only grant Zheng He the right to be cheap, and give him a few blank edicts, telling him to go all the way and use it according to the situation, but now it happens to be used. Zheng He said: "This matter is really urgent. How about it? Master Zhang is also here. Let's discuss it carefully. After the discussion is completed, Master Zhang will write and draft an imperial edict." As soon as I said this, someone knocked on the door to report, saying that a Westerner came to the door with a waist card, looking for the shopkeeper Xia Xunxia.Others don't know Xia Xun's identity, but the people on this ship know that they are all from the Shuangyu Guards, and they have always been at odds with other officers and soldiers of the Navy. Unexpectedly, the news leaks out, and besides, there is Third Sister Su here, who doesn't know Who is her man?I can't hide it even if I want to. Xia Xun told the soldier: This man will be a passenger on the ship from now on, arrange a place for him, and don't reveal my identity! After sending the soldier away, Xia Xun continued to discuss with Zheng He and Zhang Xitong. After discussing for a while, the three of them raised some points one after another, and then Zhang Xitong wrote down an edict.He is a member of the Ministry of Rites, and he is very good at writing this kind of official document. After he finished writing, he read it out again. The two of them listened to it, deliberated carefully, corrected some omissions, and finally transcribed the official content in the blank imperial decree with only the imperial seal on it. superior. After writing the imperial decree, Zheng He said: "Look, my lord, which adult should I send to Siam?" Zhang Xitong took the initiative to invite Ying and said: "I'll go. If we go to Siam, it's not far from our next route. I'll lead the fleet to chase you!" Xia Xun and Zheng He nodded and agreed. Not all the ships of this huge fleet are advancing and retreating at the same time. If so, the westward journey of this fleet will be too inefficient. In the original plan, they will also travel separately in the future Yes, people like Zhou Man, Hong Bao, Zhou Wen, Yang Qing, etc. all have to be on their own, leading a fleet to go to different places. Their mission is not only to deal with different countries, but also to explore this overseas world that is still very strange to Ming Dynasty, to conduct astronomical research and geographical surveying and mapping.So, then they will break up here and sail to different places. One of the fleets will thus discover Australia, while the other will go south until it enters the Antarctic Circle. The journey of each fleet is a wonderful story.Zheng He's main fleet was going westward all the way, and Zhang Xitong, as the deputy envoy, would chase after the main fleet after conveying his orders. They had just agreed that Zhang Xitong would go to Siam, when the cabin door knocked again, but this time it was Xu Hu, the commander of the Shuangyu Guards, who came in. Xia Xun thought he was looking for him, and raised his eyebrows at him, Xu Hu bowed down. Voice said: Duke Zheng, Mr. Zhang, Mr. Ji, who was on Mr. Zheng’s ship, invited an envoy, saying that he was ordered by the king of Bolin State to see Mr. Zheng. oh!Bolin State? Xia Xun said with a smile: Our next stop was originally Bolin State. Unexpectedly, their king has already sent someone to urge him after hearing the news.Hehe, then you two will meet and come here, and I will avoid it for a while! Zheng He nodded in agreement, and after Xia Xun left the cabin, Zheng He asked someone to invite the envoy to come in. Xia Xun got out of the cabin and asked people where Fei Yinglun was placed, but it was at the bottom.At that time, foreigners had no status, and the soldiers didn't take them seriously. If Xia Xun hadn't ordered him to find a place to live, he might have let him sleep on the deck. Xia Xun went down the gangway, and when he reached the bottom deck, he saw Fei Yinglun touching and looking around on the deck, with an excited expression on his face, and he stopped from time to time, expressing his amazement.The interpreter stood aside with his lips curled up slightly, as if he was facing a country bumpkin who had never seen the world. Seeing Xia Xun approaching, Fei Yinglun was full of praise and said: "It's great. I didn't see it very clearly when I was on the shore. Only when I boarded this boat did I realize how huge it is. In our west, there is no country stronger than our country." The fleet, but the largest ship in our country is placed in your fleet, and the gap is as small as a quail standing in front of a turkey.However, I heard from Mr. Translator that your ships have flat bottoms?This is probably not conducive to deep sea navigation. Xia Xun smiled and said: No, most of our ships are sharp-bottomed, whether they are warships or merchant ships.Only a few of the largest ships have flat bottoms, because our fleet is too large to carry too much, and flat bottomed boats are heavy enough to navigate in shallow waters.Otherwise, with a giant ship like ours, if we use a sharp bottom, there are few ports in the world today that we can sail into. Xia Xun briefly introduced Fei Yinglun a few words, and then said no more.In fact, when Zheng He returned from the West last time, he also brought back several Western-style ships. In the Longjiang Shipyard, craftsmen once disassembled these wooden sailboats, carefully studied the Westerners’ ships, and found that their pointed-bottomed wooden sailboats were not. Keel, the keel can greatly improve the stability and firmness of the ship. China's sharp-bottomed ships have had keels since the early Song Dynasty. At the same time, our ship plates adopt butt joint technology, while Western ships use a relatively backward lap joint method, which also affects the firmness of the ship.In addition, the craftsmen also noticed that the widest part of the Western ship is at the front of the middle of the hull, which looks like a fish, while the shape of the Chinese sea-going ship is like a webbed water bird, and the widest part of the ship is at the rear of the middle. , so it is better than Western ships in terms of flexibility and speed. As for the sails, the sails of Chinese sailboats are hard canopies reinforced horizontally with bamboo poles. This kind of balanced vertical sail is easy to operate and can withstand wind from all directions, which is also incomparable to Western ships.The other is the airtight cabin technology, which is also not available in Western sailing ships. The final evaluation result is that the performance of Chinese sailing ships is far ahead of Western sailing ships, and these Western ships have very little technology to learn from. It is a fact that the performance of Western sailing ships has been greatly improved since the 16th century. Among them, the invention of the keel technology and the rearward movement of the widest part of the hull can make the ship more flexible. The key technology was not discovered until hundreds of years later. .Xia Xun doesn't want to show off these advanced technologies to Fei Yinglun. The key to these technologies lies in invention, not manufacture. If he knows the key and discloses it to Westerners, he can manufacture it after some exploration. Xia Xun is like a penny-pinching iron rooster, the stingy Grandet (the protagonist of a famous French novel, the standard representative of a miser.), whenever there is a little advanced technology in Western technology, he wants to learn it right away, but what about his own strengths? You can hide it for as long as you can, Xia Xun has never had the stink of being a teacher. Xia Xun introduced a few words casually, then changed the subject, and asked with a smile: "Have you arranged your residence?"Are you satisfied? Fei Yinglun nodded hastily: Satisfied!satisfy!Very satisfied!The accommodation is spacious, clean, bright, well ventilated, and the beds are comfortable, which is much better than the kennel-like place I used to live on a boat.Ah, Mr. Xia Xun Fei Yinglun approached Xia Xun and said in a low voice: You have a very high status on the boat, right?I found that the captain of this ship, the general who is in charge of hundreds of soldiers, does not live in a place as spacious and luxurious as yours. Xia Xun frowned slightly, and said with a smile: Oh?Looks like you've toured the entire ship?Yes, for some reason the general respected me more. Aha, get it, get it! Seeing Xia Xun's vague expression, Fei Yinglun winked at him and smiled slyly, not knowing what he understood. Looking at his curly hair, unkempt beard, and the deep knife mark on his cheek, Xia Xun always felt that if he tied a fancy turban on his head and a wrinkled shirt, his eyes would With a black one-eye patch on top and a rapier on his belt, he is completely a pirate. Xia Xun could feel that this was a Westerner with a lot of stories, and it was by no means as simple as his own experience.Xia Xun was about to inquire about his situation on the sidelines. Zheng He had personally sent the envoy of the Bolin Gang out. The envoy stood by the gangway, bowed very politely to Zheng He, and asked him to stay. Zheng He stood still with a smile, and said something to the man, and the man bowed and left the boat. Fei Yinglun looked at the messenger with the awning in his hand, and asked Xia Xun in amazement: Mr. Xia Xun, who is that? Xia Xun replied casually: That is the envoy sent by the king of Bolin State. I think it should be to invite our fleet to visit the country! Bolin State?Fei Yinglun's face changed suddenly. Xia Xun didn't pay attention to his expression, and said, "I'll go up and ask about the situation."After speaking, he walked towards the gangway. Fei Yinglun stretched out his hand as if to stop him, but when he saw Xia Xun had stepped onto the gangway, he hesitated for a moment and closed his mouth again. Xia Xun boarded the top cabin and returned to the cabin. As soon as Zheng He saw him coming, he immediately smiled and said, "Duke, who do you think is the king of Bolin State?" Xia Xun wondered, Zheng He didn't say why the envoy from that country came, but asked him the identity of the king of that country. Could it be that he knew this person himself, and who could he know to become king in Nanyang?Do you think you are a bearded man?If you were a bearded man, wouldn't I become Li Jing (Li Jing and bearded man are both chivalrous knights in the legends of the Tang Dynasty who have the knowledge of people and can tell who is the future lord of a country.)? Thinking of this, Xia Xun couldn't help laughing, and said to Zheng He: "Don't play charades, my father-in-law. I really can't figure it out. Who is this king?" Zheng He laughed and said: Back then, the Duke of the State was ordered to suppress the bandits, subdued the Shuangyu group of bandits, and had a small fight with the Nanyang bandit Chen Zuyi.Afterwards, the Shuangyu group of bandits became my officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, and now they are soldiers and horses protecting the Duke from going to the West. What about the Nanyang bandit Chen Zuyi?Everyone thought that he had disappeared, but who knew that he had become the lord of Bolin State! Xia Xun was taken aback: what?How did Chen Zuyi become the ruler of a country? Zheng He picked up a letter from the case and said: Chen Zuyi is an important criminal wanted by the imperial court. He knew the news that our Ming Fleet came and was very frightened, fearing that his identity would be revealed and he would be punished by the heavenly soldiers.When he was a pirate, he could escape by boat and go deep into the sea to avoid war. Now that he is the lord of a country, where can he hide?Therefore, I sent an envoy to come down and take the initiative to plead guilty. I am willing to surrender to Daming and be a vassal of Daming forever!Haha, my lord, we have come here, and before we set foot on the western border, we will set up a king and descend a king. If the emperor knows, he will be very happy!