Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

The biggest event in the four years of Hongzhi was undoubtedly the official departure of the Mingyuan Treasure Ship.

In order to break the shackles of food and to bring the Ming Dynasty's population to a new level, the talented and ambitious Emperor Hongzhi formulated a plan to find treasure seeds.

After several years, the best shipbuilders in the country gathered in Tianjin and spent a huge sum of three million taels to finally build the Mingyuan treasure ship with ocean-going capabilities.

This fleet was led by Liu Zhang, the former right minister of the Ministry of Industry, and appointed Zheng Hai and Su Can as deputy captains. Together they went to the American continent to retrieve high-yield treasure species.

After the Spring Festival this year, the fleet tasked with retrieving treasure species for China set off from Tianjin Port and followed the ocean current all the way south. There was quite a feeling that "the white emperor's farewells are among the colorful clouds, and the thousands of miles of rivers and mountains are returned in one day. The apes on both sides of the strait can't stop crying, and the light boats are gone." The taste of "Crossing Ten Thousand Mountains".

It's just that in this era without wireless communication equipment, the transmission of information between fleets is still important.

When walking during the day, recognize the flag, and when traveling at night, recognize the lantern.

This fleet has absorbed many outstanding sailors and adopted the most common code communication, so that the ships have always maintained close contact.

The fleet only carried out food supplies in Shanghai and Ningbo respectively. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, it went directly south to the Luzon City seaport on Luzon Island.

"Please rest assured, Imperial Envoy, the supplies have been prepared, please check them!" Zhang Sui, the governor of Luzon, knew that going to the American continent to recover treasure species was a national strategy, and he greeted him enthusiastically.

Liu Zhang knew that this was the last material supply for their fleet, so he naturally took it very seriously and immediately went to the warehouse in Luzon City to inspect it.

Luzon City is like a new inland city.

The green brick streets here are lined with familiar Chinese shops, and most of the people who come and go are young and middle-aged people. These are people from the Ming Dynasty who were recruited to work.

Since Luzon is the closest to Guangdong and supplies are mainly supplied from Guangdong, most of the faces on the streets are Cantonese, but there are also people from other provinces.

"Now you are paid for your work, so stop being lazy and slipping!"

"Who is lazy? I have to drink a little wine every day to be strong!"

"Niu Dali and his gang are really working hard and have already taken the initiative to apply to dig in the deep forest!"

“It’s true that you have to live and eat in the open air over there in the deep forest, but it’s said that the wages are three times what we pay here!”

…

With batches of supplies arriving from Guangdong, the gold mining plan in Luzon City has begun, and preparations for the future are in full swing.

If the plan goes well, the annual output of the gold mine here is expected to reach 1 million taels, which is undoubtedly an important source of income for the Ming Dynasty's finances.

Zhang Sui, the governor of Luzon, followed the imperial court's instructions and built a road connecting the Luzon gold mines. This road extending to the hinterland of Luzon Island will be a true golden avenue.

Liu Zhang was actually a layman who loved money. Now that he came to this "golden island", he also took the time to check the progress of the golden road.

Originally, he wanted to go to the gold mine to broaden his horizons, but the road was not yet halfway repaired, and the fastest round trip would take half a month, so he had to give up the idea.

In fact, he didn't quite understand why the emperor put the search for treasure seeds above the gold mine. After all, the gold mine would be a huge fortune, but the treasure seeds would at most increase some grain tax revenue, and the economic benefits of the two were fundamentally different.

It's just that he didn't worry too much about this result, but he knew that the emperor attached great importance to recovering the treasure seeds. If he successfully brought back the treasure seeds, he would have a great chance of being promoted to the six ministers.

After only staying in Luzon City for two days, after the fleet completed its last replenishment, and collected a lot of local hawksbill turtles from here, he led the Mingyuan treasure ship fleet around to the east of Luzon and sailed into the Pacific Ocean.

At this point, time has quietly arrived in late March, and their fleet has also faced its first real sailing challenge.

In fact, in the eyes of many people, as long as they can ensure sufficient food and water sources, it will be a very easy thing to go to America and bring back precious seeds.

Only when they actually sailed on the sea and faced the Central Plains, which was far larger than the land and rich in resources, did they realize how naive that idea was.

Unlike offshore navigation, it is difficult to find a suitable anchoring point in this deep sea area, so since entering the Pacific Ocean, I have basically spent the night drifting at sea.

Boom!

Not long after they entered this vast sea, they were greeted by a violent storm.

There was no light in the black night sky, and the sailboat was undulating in the turbulent waves, as if the waves would capsize the entire ship in the ocean at any time.

This fleet consisted of four Mingyuan treasure ships. Liu Zhang and the two deputy captains each helmed one, each with a crew of 400 people. The remaining one was actually a supply ship on the way.

The four Mingyuan treasure ships sailed in an arrow-shaped formation. The main ship led by Liu Zhang was located in the rear, which could ensure the safety of the main ship to the greatest extent.

"Hold on, you must hold on!"

The Mingyuan treasure ship at the front was hit by the storm. Facing the sudden storm, it could only passively drift with the tide, hoping that the storm would be gentler.

It's just that this violent storm showed no mercy. Even when facing the most advanced three-masted sailboat of this era, it still wanted to bury the sailboat in this sea area.

"Captain, I'm afraid we can't hold on any longer!"

"Captain, this must be the center of the storm!"

"The wind and waves here are too big, we have to leave here immediately!"

…

The wind and waves were ruthless, and the violent storm blew the heavy Mingyuan treasure ship to the point of collapse. Several experienced helmsmen expressed their opinions one after another.

Although sailing at night carries the risk of running aground, it is equally dangerous to stay here, so it is a very unfavorable situation now.

"Send the order to the rear and our ship will move forward immediately!"

Wu Zhuangyuan Su Can took the current severe situation into consideration and issued the order decisively.

In fact, their ship can choose to retreat at this time. This can also reduce the probability of hitting the rocks, but it may collide with the main ship behind.

Su Can knew that there were advantages and disadvantages to this choice. This was an adventure that would test his will. Once he encountered some difficulties and dangers and thought about retreating, it would be difficult to successfully bring back the treasure that the emperor cherished so much from America.

Dong dong dong...

Waves of gongs and drums sounded, signaling to the commander-in-chief ship behind that they were sailing forward.

The wind and waves at this time were not weak but strong. They seemed to be seizing the final opportunity to knock over the Mingyuan treasure ship at the front. Another high wave hit it from the north.

boom!

The huge waves hit the hull heavily, and the hull made a squeaking sound. Some people were immediately knocked to the ground, and some were even knocked into the hull.

"Move Jiafan to the dry position!"

"Bingfan transfers to Kun position!"

…

Faced with such unfavorable weather conditions, the helmsman of this Mingyuan treasure ship seemed to cope with the storm exceptionally well and continued sailing in the violent storm at night.

The current situation is indeed very easy to hit the rocks and the whole ship will be killed, but it is also a last resort for them to escape from the center of the storm, especially in this kind of sea area, they are destined to continue to take risks.

In fact, the risk factor of navigation in this era was very high, and countless merchant ships suffered shipwrecks. This is also one of the important reasons why maritime trade is so profitable.

This time they set foot in a completely unfamiliar sea area. They never even thought that there was another shore in the East China Sea, so the risk factor this time increased exponentially.

"We're safe!"

"The rising sun is so beautiful!"

"If I can see this scene in this life, I will have no regrets even if I die!"

…

After a whole night of fighting, their ship finally left the storm area. It was so beautiful when they saw the rising sun on the sea in front of them.

call……

Looking at the majestic rising sun in front of him and the calm sea around him, Wu Zhuangyuan, who was recovering from a disaster, couldn't help but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He was the top scorer in martial arts the year before last, and he was also the most experienced captain on the Tianjin to Luzon route, so there was no need to venture to the United States this time.

It's just that he came from a low-class military family, but he understood the importance of food seeds, so he took the initiative to apply to become the captain of one of the Mingyuan treasure ships.

Of course, he mainly learned that as long as the fleet can successfully bring back the treasure species, the captain will receive a title, and becoming a marquis will no longer be a dream in the future.

That's why, whether it was for the sake of the lower class people of the entire Ming Dynasty or for that tempting title, he decided to take a chance.

But even he didn't expect that just after stepping out of his comfort zone, he would encounter a major crisis, which once made him suspect that he would be buried in the sea.

"Look, is that America? Are we in America?"

At this time, a crew member looked very excited and pointed forward and shouted loudly.

Everyone squinted their eyes and looked eastward. Although their eyes looked very dazzling when facing the rising sun, what they saw was a green area.

Although the green area is small, it undoubtedly gives everyone hope. If the America they are looking for is ahead, then they have achieved half of their goal this time, and all that is left is to go to various tribes or kings to find the treasures they need.

"We should have arrived in Guam!"

Su Can didn't make a fuss. After seeing the green area in front of him, he remembered the description of Guam in His Majesty's dream and explained very calmly.

As for the America they are cheering for, as long as they seriously participate in the training before going to sea, they should know that it is impossible to reach the American continent so quickly.

Out of trust in the emperor, although they did not have specific navigation charts, they already had the emperor's dream map for this voyage, but they knew that it would be a long journey to reach America.

Su Can's Mingyuan treasure ship seems to have arrived at Guam without any danger. This will be the last human gathering area they encounter when crossing the Pacific.

Guam is located in the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific Ocean, and Guam is the largest island in this archipelago. Dozens of tribes, large and small, live here, with a population of nearly 50,000.

They already know how to engage in agricultural production and how to build independent boats for fishing offshore, achieving self-sufficiency. Due to constraints on resources and smelting technology, the weapons held by the original residents here were only sharp stones.

"What is this? So sharp!"

"And this jar, why are there flowers on it?"

"It's amazing, this stone has actually grown into a human form!"

…

A shirtless tribe was the first to notice Su Can's arrival. When they saw the items Su Can brought, they were shocked.

In order to successfully bring back the treasure species, preparations were very thorough this time.

Each ship had specialized negotiators, and when they showed off the advanced civilization tools and commodities they carried, the aborigines took out a large amount of food in exchange.

Half a day later, three Mingyuan treasure ships led by Liu Zhang arrived one after another.

Just as Su Can stepped forward to greet him, he heard Liu Zhang's accompanying secretary saying: "Su Qianhu, kneel down!"

"I am humble enough to pay my respects to the Governor!" Su Can was slightly startled for a moment, then saluted politely.

Liu Zhang's face suddenly darkened, and he looked sinister and said: "You still know that I am the governor? Haha... why did you leave so rashly last night?"

"Your Majesty the Governor, the situation in that position is too big, and it's a derogatory judgment..." Su Can knew this and was ready to explain.

"That's enough! I don't want to hear your sophistry! Su Qianhu, since you are a soldier, you should know the words "military orders are like mountains"! Liu Zhang rudely interrupted Su Can's explanation, and then seriously warned: "If you continue Next time, I will take possession of your ship!"

"It's my humble duty to admit my fault!" Su Can responded helplessly when faced with such an unreasonable boss.

This was just a small conflict during the voyage, or it was Liu Zhang's way of taking advantage of the opportunity to establish his authority.

In fact, it cannot be said that it was Liu Zhang's making a fuss. When Liu Zhang heard that Su Can wanted to move forward, he also ordered to restrict it through drums.

However, when he came out with his clothes on, Su Can's ship had already disappeared, and naturally he could not hear his drumbeat prohibiting action.

After the fleet only took out a few daggers, porcelain and stone carvings, they obtained a large amount of food from the tribes in Guam.

In just two days, the fleet had completed the supply of materials, and then the fleet continued to move towards the southeastern waters. From here on, it will be difficult for them to encounter humans again.

At this time, the time has come to May.

The real test of the fleet came as scheduled. Facing this unknown sea area and the ocean with no other shore, everyone felt confused.

One day, two days, three days...

On the fifth day, after the supply ship distributed the supplies on board to the other three ships, it headed back to Guam without looking back. The rest of the way is up to them.

Six days, seven days, eight days, ten days, twenty days...

This sea area is far different from the Nanyang and East China Sea that they are familiar with. Now it is like an endless ocean, as if there is no end at all.

Boom!

The three Mingyuan treasure ships were once again faced with a violent storm, but the first storm was nothing like a big one. It was like a terrifying wave that hit the ship's hull heavily, splashing water several feet high.

"Let's return!"

After seeing the miraculous craftsmanship of nature, Liu Zhang finally gave up. (End of chapter)