Countless seabirds flew across the sky, and bursts of chirping sounds were heard. Groups of whales on the sea spewed out streams of water that drifted like rain, forming patches of colorful colors under the reflection of the sun.
The sea and sky were clear, and the coast was covered with grass and jungle, stretching endlessly to the horizon. After nearly two months of bumpy sea voyage, the first batch of 10,000 people exiled to South China Island finally arrived at their destination.
Because it is in the southern hemisphere, the seasons here are completely opposite to those in Daqin. December to February is summer, March to May is autumn, June to August is winter, and September to November is spring.
It is a hot summer in Daqin, but here in Nanhuazhou, people have to wear cotton clothes.
Wang Guichen and his soldiers stood at the port, looking at the huge fleet entering the port, and couldn't help but cheer. This place was too far away from Daqin. Every time they saw a ship coming, the soldiers were very excited, let alone this time such a large fleet came at once.
To transport 10,000 exiled prisoners at a time, as well as their winter food, as well as oxen, horses, sheep, camels and other livestock, probably only the current Qin Dynasty has such delivery capabilities.
Along with the 10,000 exiled prisoners, there were also 500 army soldiers, led by a commander named Ding Ke, who was here to replace Wang Guichen and his men.
Ding Ke and his men will serve here for three years, after which the imperial court will send other troops to replace them. Along the way, Ding Ke has made the worst plan and will live a hard life after arriving.
After entering the port, they found that not only was the port well built, but there was also a city built on the shore, and the scale... My God, it was probably as big as Suzhou City. On the tall city gate tower, a large Qin flag fluttered in the wind.
When Dink's soldiers saw this, they couldn't help but cheer, echoing the cheers on the shore. Even those who were exiled to South China couldn't help but cheer.
After landing, Ding Ke greeted Wang Guichen enthusiastically. After handing the handover document from the imperial court to Wang Guichen, Ding Ke said with emotion: "I thought this place was barren, but I never expected that General Wang would build such a large city. General Wang is really amazing."
Wang Guichen raised his eyebrows again and laughed, "To be honest with you, General Ding, only half of the city has been built. The walls on the west and north were not built in time. There are not many brick and tile houses in the city, and most of them are thatched houses... General Ding, don't worry, your barracks will definitely be tall and spacious brick and tile houses. As for the others, let them build them slowly."
“But this city wall...”
"General Ding, don't worry. One piece of silk is enough for you to recruit hundreds of natives to work as laborers. Tsk tsk! You know what, these natives are really hardworking. They run barefoot, holding 60 to 70 kilograms of stones, and run very fast..."
Ding Ke felt a little comforted when he heard that the barracks had been built.
But I still feel a little cheated. You are so good, Wang Guichen, you built a decent wall facing the port. From the port, you would think the whole city is built. This is really a face-saving project!
Moreover, you have built the city to such a large scale, and you just left without any preparation. Aren't you going to tire us to death
Wang Guichen seemed to know what he was thinking, and then smiled and said: "General Ding, we won't let you repair the city by yourself, why are you in such a hurry? There are many natives in Nanhuazhou. As long as you give them some benefits, you don't need to supervise them at all. They will work consciously."
"real or fake?"
"I'll let you see it tomorrow, hahaha..."
The total number of people implicated in the treason case and exiled to South China Island reached 35,000. These 10,000 were only the first batch, including men, women, old and young. When the ship approached, everyone carried clothes, bedding, pots and pans, and other large and small bags off the ship;
In order to save water on the ship, these people had not washed their faces for nearly two months. They were unkempt and looked very embarrassed. This was how the Qin Dynasty's colonization of South China Continent began.
Once you get here, there is no need for soldiers to guard you anymore. No one can escape anyway, unless you can swim across the Pacific Ocean.
After entering the city, except for the barracks where the soldiers lived, most of the houses were thatched houses, but they were all cleaned very well.
For exiles, having a place to live and being able to live with their families is already a precious thing.
After settling down, the only things left for Dink and his family were to take care of. On the third day, Wang Guichen couldn’t wait to set sail, destination: Nanjing!
The desire to return home was so urgent that the clipper's towering sails were filled to the brim, and its sharp bow plowed through the white waves as it sped forward.
Along the way, Li Sangui, Mo Liang and others were discussing what kind of rewards they would get after returning. After careful calculation, they found that their contributions were not small. They participated in the Luzon War, destroyed the Sulu Sultanate and the Brunei Kingdom, and opened up Nanhuazhou. With such great achievements, what kind of reward would the emperor give
Because of the favorable wind, Wang Guichen and his crew returned to Luzon in 22 days and stopped at Fusu Port.
At this time, there were only 5,000 Qin army ground troops stationed on Luzon Island, but there were 25,000 vassal troops who were advancing into the remote mountainous areas, expelling the natives there. The men were sent back to Daqin to build roads, and the women were sent to work on military farms.
Nowadays, it is rare to see young indigenous men on the island of Luzon.
There were already many Chinese here. In recent years, the imperial court has provided preferential policies and guidance. In addition, the trade routes have been prosperous, and the frequent commercial ships have brought many business opportunities. Many people from provinces such as Guangdong and Fujian have voluntarily come to Luzon to buy property.
Now the total number of Han people has reached nearly 60,000, most of whom live along the west coast of Luzon Island. It is said that because there are very few indigenous men left, the goal of clearing out the indigenous people of Luzon has been basically achieved, and the court is considering sending officials to govern.
Wang Guichen and his men rested for a day in Fusu City, and after replenishing their food and water, they set off again in a hurry. It took them another nine days and nine nights to return to the mouth of the Yangtze River.
The Haijiangkou waterway was very busy, with merchant ships coming and going in an endless stream, some bound for Shandong, Beijing, Liaodong, Korea, Japan, Fujian, Guangzhou, Guangxi, Southeast Asia, India, Persia, Africa, and even to Europe;
In the past few years, the orders of Daqin's shipyards have been full, and a large number of ships are launched every day, especially the high-speed clipper ships, which have become the mainstream of construction. The development of maritime trade is growing at an amazing speed.
Every day, there are six or seven hundred merchant ships entering and leaving the Yangtze River estuary. These merchant ships are not only from Daqin, but also from various countries. This busy scene is absolutely unprecedented. Countless Daqin goods are usually sold to all parts of the world by sea, and then brought back goods from other countries and a large amount of gold and silver treasures.
Just by looking at the busy scene at the mouth of the Yangtze River, it is not difficult to imagine how prosperous the empire is now.
Seeing the Yangtze River estuary, many soldiers could not help but throw themselves on the side of the ship, jumping and shouting, laughing loudly, but tears could not stop flowing down their eyes.
I'm back! After traveling thousands of miles and thinking about you day and night, I'm finally back!
Even Wang Guichen's eyes were blurred. The glory of the empire required soldiers to explore and make sacrifices, but living away from home for many years inevitably accumulated too much longing for the motherland and hometown. At this moment, Wang Guichen even wanted to go ashore and kiss the land in front of him.
As soon as they entered the Yangtze River estuary, the soldiers immediately carried buckets of Yangtze River water, lowered their heads and drank it in big gulps, as if it were sweet rain or fine wine. After drinking enough, they poured buckets of water over themselves, making their whole bodies wet. Then some people couldn't help crying. They were like a group of madmen, like a group of drunk madmen, crying and laughing, dancing and singing.
Give me a scoop of Yangtze River water, Yangtze River water,
The water of the Yangtze River is like wine.
The feeling of being drunk is the feeling of homesickness.
Give me a bucket of Yangtze River water, Yangtze River water.
Give me a palm of red begonia, red begonia,
That blood-red crabapple color.
The burning pain of boiling blood is the burning pain of homesickness.
Give me a palm of Begonia red, Begonia red.
Give me a piece of snowflake white, oh snowflake white,
The letter was as white as snow.
The waiting for the letter from home is the waiting for homesickness.
Give me a piece of snowflake white, snowflake white.
Give me a wintersweet, oh, wintersweet,
The wintersweet fragrance is as motherly as that of my mother.
The fragrance of the mother is the fragrance of the land.
Give me a fragrant wintersweet. oh, fragrant wintersweet.
If you have never sailed far, if you have never fought against the wind and the wind for life and death, if you have never experienced a near-death experience, you will not understand how sincere the soldiers' emotional expression is. In front of the enemy, they will not shed a tear even if they die. However, when they return from thousands of miles away and see the land of their motherland, they can't help but feel overwhelmed and burst into tears.
Wang Guichen and his men were very eager to return home. According to the court's arrangements, they should have rested for a night in Zhenjiang, taken a bath, changed into new military uniforms, and returned to the capital in a refreshed state to accept the emperor's commendation and the cheers of the people in the city.
But they were too impatient and did not stay in Zhenjiang, but went straight back to Beijing.
When they returned to the imperial capital, it was already dusk and dusk was approaching over the river. Under normal circumstances, the city gates would be almost closed at this time. Wang Guichen and his friends thought that no one would come to greet them, and they inevitably felt a little disappointed.
However, when the boat arrived at Yanziji, we looked up and suddenly saw a large umbrella with golden tassels, under which stood a figure in a black dragon robe.
The figure stood high on Yanziji, the setting sun shone obliquely, the river breeze ruffled the black dragon robe, and behind the tall figure were the soldiers and horses standing solemnly.
"That's your majesty!"
"That's your majesty!"
"His Majesty has come to greet us personally. His Majesty has come..."
Seeing this scene, the soldiers on the ship were surprised and happy, and they couldn't help but burst into tears of excitement. They quickly stood at attention and saluted the most solemn military salute to Yanziji from afar!
"Long live our emperor, long live our emperor, long, long live our emperor!"
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.(To be continued..)
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