In the winter of the fourth year of Shixing, the sea surface of the old land of Southern Han was still sunny and the temperature was high. The tall white sails on the sea reflected the sunlight, and the waves rushed against the side of the ship, making a loud noise.
This was a fleet of five light boats. On the middle warship, Wang Defang, the commander of the Jiaolong Army, walked onto the deck and looked out at the horizon for a long time. The officers and sailors also walked onto the deck and looked out into the distance. The black shadow on the horizon was the land.
The people who had spent countless days on the boundless sea did not cheer when they saw the land, but just breathed a sigh of relief. Their sun-tanned faces had complicated expressions because this fleet had twenty-one warships when it set out from Haizhou Port and Lianyungang at the beginning of this year.
Wang Defang, the commander-in-chief of the Jiaolong Army, finally returned with twenty-one ships after losing more than half of the ships and crew.
Ding-Ding-Dong-Dong, the bronze bell on the ship was struck, and the remaining ships all hung yellow dragon flags. The Xu army's offshore warship came towards them, waving the red flag of Prince Xing's Palace. Soon, two small boats came closer.
The people on the boat looked up at the black muzzles of the guns on the side of the ship and the men in armor on the deck, and immediately shouted: Xingwang Port is not far away, your army needs to dock!
A civil servant beside Wang Defang responded: Please ask the warship of Prince Xing's Mansion to lead the way.
The people on the small boat found out the army's number and rowed back immediately without even going on deck. Those cannons and equipment were only possessed by the Daxu Imperial Guards, so they were confirmed to be their own people.
The local warships then led the fleet belonging to the Daxu Imperial Guards to the nearby Xingwang Port.
After the ship dropped anchor, the soldiers left the sea in batches and went ashore. Wang Defang remained in the cabin, feeling very depressed. That night, he lit a lamp and wrote a memorial to Tokyo.
Listening to the sound of waves in the harbor, the night has gradually fallen, but the shore is brightly lit; whenever merchant ships and warships dock, the wine shops and brothels are busy. The sound of music and wild laughter can be faintly heard in the cabin. Wang Defang looked through the sea charts and a few packets of seeds he brought back, thinking for a long time, hoping that these few things can exonerate him.
When the soldiers left the ship and returned, Wang Defang heard about the emperor's serious illness and the chaos in the country. He felt a little emotional. After a year of sailing, he felt that the world had changed dramatically. The dynasty that almost started this voyage no longer existed.
During this voyage, Wang Defang lost 16 warships and thousands of elite soldiers of the Jiaolong Army, and sent away a large amount of silk, porcelain and jewelry, which cost countless military expenses. Compared with the large amount of silver mines that the Jiaolong Army obtained from Japan, he got almost nothing this time.
It was not smooth sailing. They first sailed west with the Arab fleet, and indeed passed through Malacca, which was mentioned by the government, and arrived in Chola India. They presented letters and gifts to the Chola Dynasty and received some gifts in return. However, on the return voyage, the fleet encountered wind and waves, and several warships hit reefs and sank, and the Arab guides also died.
Then Wang Defang got lost and wandered for more than a month before he found the Strait of Malacca. When passing through the strait, he wanted to replenish water and repair ships on an island, but was attacked by the Chola people at night and one of their warships was burned. After dawn, Wang Defang was furious and led his troops to rob two villages, but he was afraid of the danger of being alone, so he quickly forced his way through the strait and then headed north.
After many twists and turns, the unpredictable winds and waves and hidden reefs threatened Xu's fleet. When they finally returned home, there were only more than 200 people and five ships left.
When he arrived in Tokyo, Wang Defang received the emperor's imperial edict summoning him, as well as the emperor's reply to his memorial: the harm is immediate, but the benefit will be for future generations.
He quickly dressed up and went to the palace to meet the emperor. After walking through the towering towers and palaces, Wang Defang arrived at the Council Hall. In the bright winter light, the highest-ranking civil and military officials in the court stood on both sides, all looking at Wang Defang's face.
The emperor solemnly summoned him personally. Wang Defang stepped forward, knelt on the ground, and bowed: "I have failed your majesty's trust. Please forgive me."
Stand up. Guo Shao sat on the seat steadily, speaking with full energy, and there was no sign of serious illness as rumored. Those major matters that have no immediate benefits but long-term benefits are the responsibilities of the court, such as building water conservancy projects and expanding territory. The generals and soldiers under the king's capital have cut through the thorns and opened up new lands, and their contributions will be remembered for generations. I have issued an order to provide relief and rewards to the soldiers who sailed far away.
Wang Defang said: Thank you, Your Majesty.
The ministers kept silent, and even the Privy Councilor Wei Renpu did not praise Wang Defang. The atmosphere was somewhat dull. But Guo Shao obviously had different ideas. Reaching India by sea in the 10th century was a feat in itself, and it could not be measured by the loss of military expenses.
Guo Shao picked up the cotton seeds on the imperial table and showed them to the ministers. He said: Silk is precious, rare, and not strong. Linen is too rough and not cold-resistant. Only cotton is suitable for mass production. However, there is a shortage of cotton in the Western Regions, which is only planted in the northwest border. Cotton in the Western Regions is more expensive than silk. If the seeds brought back by Wang Defang can adapt to the climate of Daxu, this will be one of the great benefits of this voyage.
After hearing this, everyone could only shout: Your Majesty is wise
It is unknown how much truth there is in these echoes. Guo Shao could not convince the ministers, and even he himself could not find sufficient reasons, but he knew in his heart that according to the knowledge of later generations, pioneering the industry from the textile industry was a bright road for the world to walk. Opening up trade routes and obtaining as many raw material markets as possible was also an important way to stimulate trade and production.
He outlined his unique vision in a file, and the industry written at the top became a crazy and distant dream. Guo Shao could not make a steam engine, and no one could do it at that time, but it was a direction and vision.
Wang Defang denounced the Chola Kingdom in the Council Hall again, accepted the gift and the letter, and attacked the Daxu fleet in the strait. But the Chola Kingdom was too far away, and there was nothing they could do at this time.
The next day, Gao Shouzhen, the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, presented the Star-Guiding Board to Guo Shao, who rewarded him generously and issued an edict praising his achievement as much as that of Zhang Heng of the Han Dynasty.
Astrology has been around since the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Gao Shouzhen also knew this technique and could calculate directions by observing the stars. However, it was extremely difficult and only people who were well versed in astronomy could understand it. It was also only useful in the vast ocean.
Guo Shao invested unremittingly in military expenditures to the navy, which allowed Gao Shouzhen to guess the emperor's intention. He then summarized the astrology technique and made it into an instrument called the Star-pulling Board.
Guo Shao had no idea about this device, but based on Gao Shouzhen's description, he thought it was a crude version of ancient satellite positioning technology. This invention greatly increased Guo Shao's confidence, and he began to plan his second voyage in his heart.
Not long after, during a grand court session, Guo Shao rewarded a group of people according to their merits, and Gao Shouzhen was among those who had made great contributions.
Guo Shao did not attend the court with the queen, but today he brought the Tangut woman Li Xianfei to the court. That day, Guo Shao cancelled the meeting with the ministers in Yangde Hall, and went to Wushan with Li Xianfei during the day. Now it seems that he favors Li Xianfei even more.
Li Xianfei was favored, and the leader of the Tanguts, Li Yiyin, was exempted from major crimes and was appointed as the Grand Commander of the Pingxia Province of Qin. Li Yiyin will soon go to Xiazhou to take up the nominal highest position in the Pingxia region and recall his fugitive descendants to live in Tokyo.
Many officials and civilians talked about the fame of the Tangut beauty Li Yueji, whose beauty helped her whole family to be promoted to high positions. However, the ministers of the Central Government believed that the cause and effect of this matter were reversed. It was because the emperor wanted to stabilize the Pingxia Tangut and use Li Yiyin to win the hearts of the people that he favored Li Yueji.
Yang Ye, Gao Yanchou and Liu Renzhan were directly awarded the title of founding marquis for their military achievements in the Battle of Hedong, and Feng Jiye was also awarded the title of founding marquis for capturing Li Yiyin. The whole court was filled with joy.
Zhe Dejian, Li Yiyin and others were dukes; Yang Ye and other people who had made great contributions were given the title of founding marquis, but they were very happy.
Daxu actually has two systems of titles. One is the title inherited from previous dynasties, with different surnames such as Fu Yanqing being the King of Wei, and place names such as Duke of Qin and Duke of Xia. This title is just a high position and reputation, but the court does not actually give salaries, which is equivalent to an honor. The other is the title obtained by military officers through real military merits, which is a unique aristocratic level in Daxu. The six states openly have the titles of marquis and earl, with generous salaries, and are hereditary in different levels.
The founding marquisate title obtained by Yang Ye and others is the latter. This kind of title has practical benefits, and can be further promoted through military merit.
After Li Chuyun died, his son inherited the title of Duke of the Founding Country, but after Luo Yanhuan died, the position of Duke of the Protectorate was still vacant. As one of the six hereditary dukes, he shared the world with the Daxu Dynasty, and the generals were all eyeing that position; the chance of being directly named Duke of the Protectorate was too small, unless there was a war to destroy the country, and he had to become a founding marquis first, which was the main reason why the generals were excited.
Then the royal family held a celebration banquet in the Jinxiang Hall, where the emperor and his ministers celebrated together. Cups and plates were clinking, strings and bamboos played, and dancers danced briskly on the wooden stage. The cheerful and lively atmosphere seemed to gradually sweep away the gloom of the past few months.
Guo Shao drank a lot of wine in public, and left the banquet to rest in Yangde Hall. At this time, Jingniang came in, and she stepped forward and clasped her fists and said: Your Majesty, the king's envoy Wang Pu asked me to report an important news from the Bingcao Division.
Let's hear it. Guo Shao said this casually while drinking tea to sober up.
Jingniang said: Xiao Siwen of Liao Dynasty resigned as Privy Councilor of Northern Courtyard and became King of Northern Courtyard; Yelu Xizhen was the new Privy Councilor of Northern Courtyard.
When Guo Shao heard this, he immediately put down his teacup.
The most powerful official position in the Liao Dynasty was the Northern Court Privy Councilor, who was in charge of all affairs; the Khitan name of the Northern Court King was Yilijin, which was only one of the four major courts and was nominally the leader of several large tribes.
It was obvious that Xiao Siwen could not escape responsibility for the siege of Yanmen Pass, so he resolved the domestic conflict by giving up the supreme military leader.
Guo Shao pondered and said: This is not enough to repay Xiao Siwen, but it is a good start.
I am really sorry everyone. The day before yesterday I ate almonds which triggered urticaria. My whole body was itchy to the point of suicidal eczema. I had an IV drip and only feel better today.