1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 586 The Princess' Southward Journey ([-])
On January 1647, 1, the Qi State immigrant fleet arrived in Batavia and stayed here for a short period of time. After replacing some of the immigrants who stayed here, they continued to sail to Hanzhou.

On January 1, the fleet arrived at Xinxiang City (now Suai Town, East Timor), which was within easy reach of the mainland of Hanzhou.

When Princess Zhu Yu of Kunxing of the Ming Dynasty entered this first overseas territory of the Qi State, she had some slight expectations for the upcoming Hanzhou.Departing from Denglai, it took more than a month to cross thousands of miles, from the cold winter in the north to the red hot and scorching south, and she also saw various scenes and scenery that she had never experienced in her life.

There is also this country of Qi, although the population seems to be only about 20, but they have occupied so much territory from Annan to Nanyang, and then to this Timor Island, and set up strongholds and towns on it, as if laying a road The sea route to my Ming Dynasty.

I heard that the Hanzhou Continent, which Qi State occupies, is also exclusive to one country. Its area is even larger, and it is far larger than that of Ming Dynasty. I don't know how they did it.

Outside the city of Xinxiang, there are many natives scattered in the docks, forest farms, and farms. They are short, black and thin, with dull expressions, and they look lifeless.

After entering the city, there were a lot fewer natives. The streets, various shops, government halls, and folk houses were almost similar to ordinary towns in the Ming Dynasty. There were hawkers hawking, loud noises from pedestrians, and children and teenagers. The sound of playing and playing, although the accent is different, they are all familiar and friendly Chinese.

"Here, are you really in the extreme south?" Aimee Zhu gently lowered the curtain on the side of the carriage, and murmured involuntarily.

Today, the entire Xinxiang City and several nearby strongholds have a population of more than [-] people, and the number of natives under its control is several times that, and its power has also begun to extend to the inland mountains and valleys.A large amount of farmland has been reclaimed on river banks, valleys, and coastal plains, and the natives have been driven to build countless water conservancy and irrigation facilities, bringing the primitive agriculture that was still slash-and-burn to a mature post-traditional agricultural stage step by step.

Iron farm tools, cattle, crop rotation, selected grain seeds, artificial basal fertilizer, planting green manure, criss-crossing hydraulic facilities, refined farmland management... These make the natives who are still in the primitive tribal society look very impressed Stupid.It turns out that the food in the belly can also harvest a large amount of food without relying on God to reward the food!
When Xu Lin, the county magistrate of Xinxiang, heard that Princess Daming had arrived, he immediately gave up his county mansion for Auntie Zhu to use as a resting place for a short stay.

Local coconuts, mangoes, guavas, watermelons and apples from Jianye City, oranges and avocados from Weihai (now Cairns, Australia) and other seasonal fruits are placed on the table next to Aimee Zhu, and the pleasant fragrance of sandalwood is in the room. It curls up.A few plates of crisp and tender vegetables are stir-fried, the taste is smooth with honey wine, and fresh and fat cod is served on the table one by one.

Surprisingly, red sandalwood, regarded as precious by the noble family of the Ming Dynasty, can be seen everywhere in this small magistrate's mansion, and even some commonly used low stools are made of rosewood.

From the conversation with the woman who came to serve in the mansion, I learned that there are many sandalwood furniture in the mansion, which is not luxurious, because the island is rich in red sandalwood and mahogany, and even many ordinary people may prepare a few pieces of sandalwood furniture in the house .A few years ago, the island even shipped a large amount of local sandalwood to Daming for sale, which really earned a lot of money for Xinxiangcheng and greatly supported the development of the area.

It is a pity that this kind of good business has not been done for a long time. With the change of Jiashen and the establishment of slaves, the entire Ming Dynasty was in the midst of war. The countless precious woods such as red sandalwood and mahogany on the island suddenly lost buyers. Many forest owners and traders who make a living by this lament.

For this reason, the officials of Timor Island's general administration turned their ideas to the newly opened Indian market.It is said that the princes of the Tubang there are all extremely rich, and they should have a certain purchasing power for this precious wood, which may be able to make up for the market demand after the temporary loss of the Daming market.

In addition, in addition to producing a large amount of rice and timber, the general area of ​​Timor Island has started planting tobacco transplanted from Daming in the past two years.It is said that a flue-cured tobacco factory was built there to process the tobacco leaves collected from various places to make flue-cured tobacco.But that thing tastes bitter and choking, how could anyone consume this kind of thing?
You know, in the territory of Ming Dynasty, there are also tobacco leaves, but people generally smoke dry tobacco, water pipes, or more elegantly snuff, but they have never heard of smoking flue-cured tobacco.It is estimated that those who are full of food and have nothing to do are thinking about hunting, and may try this completely different method of using tobacco leaves.

Auntie Zhu listened with great interest to the woman talking about some affairs on Hanzhou and Timor Island, from which she could get a glimpse of the level and means of governance of King Qi.

Qi seems to be very business-oriented. Government officials in an overseas territory are all thinking about promoting the development of industry and commerce in the region. Although they are currently only using the special products of their respective regions to actively expand the market for commodities, but this time This behavior will somewhat increase the income of the local people and indirectly enhance the strength of Qi.

On February 2, the fleet left Xinxiang City and continued on its way to the final destination, Jianye Port.

Standing on the side of the ship, he casually looked at the accompanying ships, and found that the nine large ships sailing together had been reduced to four, but there were two more small galleys behind him.It may be that some large immigrant ships couldn't wait for the princess to stop in Xinxiang City. After replenishing fresh water, they sailed back to the mainland of Hanzhou in one go.

After traveling for four days, the ship may be approaching the mainland of Hanzhou, because on the way, it unexpectedly encountered three armed transport ships heading towards each other. There were merchant ships of the East India Company with the Dutch "VOC" logo, and there were Qi ships with the red and yellow dragon flags. country transport ship.

For the Hanzhou continent that is about to arrive, Auntie Zhu felt a little bit of inexplicable nervousness, but also a little bit of anticipation.She didn't know what kind of person the King of Qi she married was, let alone what kind of attitude the other party would show after seeing her.

As far as Yu Daming is concerned, she is a political gift, a bargaining chip used to gain more support and assistance from the Qi State. As for maintaining the long-term friendly relationship between the two countries through a woman, she does not hope for it.It is impossible for a country, or a king, to give up its existing positions and principles just because the other party sent a princess, let alone sacrifice the major interests of its own country, and do its best to support the dilapidated regime thousands of miles away.

If one day, Qi State changes its policy and no longer wants to immigrate from Daming, or if the fundamental interests of Qi State are violated by other forces, they will definitely stop supporting Daming, or even leave completely to focus on and maintain their own national interests.

And she, as the married princess of Ming Dynasty, can only become a symbol, proving that there is a certain relationship between the two countries, that's all.

A piece of green land appeared in front of them. Just as everyone was cheering and celebrating that they had finally arrived at Hanzhou and ended the long and arduous sea journey, a sailor told everyone that the land they saw now was not the Hanzhou continent. They are two huge islands in the north of the mainland.

Qi people called the two islands Damen Island (now Melville Island in northern Australia) and Xiaomen Island (now Bathurst Island in northern Australia). The mainland of Hanzhou.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!..." Auntie Zhu was staring at the Xiaomen Island in a daze, when she suddenly heard a muffled thunder.

Looking up at the blue sky, I couldn't help but wonder, could it be "dry sky thunder"?Many things here are really different from those in Daming, not only the weather is hot and tight, but also the position of the sun rising and setting in the sky is completely different from that of Daming, and the sunny sky... thunderbolt.

"Great victories!..."

The officers and sailors of the Qi State Navy on the ship suddenly burst into enthusiastic cheers, and some sailors waved a red and yellow dragon flag, signaling to the left front of the ship from a distance.

Auntie Zhu looked around, and saw a huge sailing warship in front of the left, parked near the Xiaomen Island, as if responding to the waving gestures of the sailors and officers here, a flash appeared on the side of the ship. Dozens of flames followed by a violent roar.

It turned out that this warship of the State of Qi was doing a sea artillery attack drill, and the target was the innocent trees and flowers on Xiaomen Island.Several immigrant ships passed the huge gunboat one by one, and the officers and sailors on board waved their arms vigorously and greeted them enthusiastically.

The officers and sailors on the ship were excitedly discussing the huge gunboat, as if they were talking about something. That warship with a displacement of 1100 tons fully represented the magnificent force of the Qi State. The city of Davia will definitely shock and intimidate the Yi people the most.

There are also some military officers who disagree with this, and claim that this kind of giant ship should not be exposed to the barbarians prematurely, so that the other party should be alert and prepared. harm.

Aimee Zhu looked at the officers and soldiers of the Qi State Navy on the deck, and pointed to the giant ship that was gradually receding. They were still discussing how to kill the barbarians, how to dominate the South Seas, and how to capture more maritime points. The power of Qi State covers the whole Nanyang, and there are mixed feelings in his heart.

The Qi people, compared to my Ming Dynasty, although the whole country is small, they seem to be more active, more active, and more sharp-edged.

Could it be that just because Qi State is located in the barbaric area of ​​Nanyang, it must rely on absolute force to conquer the surrounding areas and even subdue the Quartet?However, since the millennium, all dynasties of Chinese civilization have ruled the world with benevolence and righteousness, and touched the barbarians with tenderness, that is, governed with virtue, and the king ruled the country with kingship.

So what kind of person is this King Qi?
(End of this chapter)