The Six Arts of the Gentleman in the Bright Moon of Qin Dynasty

Chapter 1219 The Hundred-Day Restriction [Please Subscribe*Please Vote for Monthly Tickets]

If it were just the Later Yan itself, it might not be able to produce such a large and invincible fleet capable of long-distance ocean voyages, but couldn't it be leased?

Following their elder brother, they ate meat and drank soup. After several decades, they accumulated capital and were able to build their own invincible fleet, using Yingzhou to control various enclaves and plunder resources from all over the world.

"A unified, centralized government? As the last surviving member of the Zhou dynasty, we are determined to follow the feudal system!" Fan Yuqi thought about it more and more and felt it was feasible.

With their invincible fleet, they can remotely control all enclaves, which can be considered a variant of enfeoffment.

Tribute?

No need, I'll come and get what I need myself!
Of course, Fan Yuqi wouldn't tell Wei Jiu, Chen Jian, and Li Yao before the plan was fully implemented.

After all, the Qin state and Bingzhou might not want them to develop.

Therefore, once everything settled down, it was impossible for the Qin state and Bingzhou to stop it.

Although they were defeated and forced to leave their homeland, it doesn't mean they didn't want to return to China.

“My Yan Kingdom doesn’t have any special products to offer, nor can it afford to spend that much money, but… we can provide manpower!” Fan Yuqi said slowly.

If all the officers and soldiers of the ocean-going fleet were the navy's men, his plan for naval power would not be able to be implemented. Therefore, Fan Yuqi found a good reason to place his own people in the navy.

After all, compared to the wealthy, powerful, and resourceful Qin Dynasty, which conquered China, the Yan State, confined to Yingzhou, had nothing to offer.

Without any contribution, why should the Qin state, Bingzhou, and navy let you have a share of the spoils?

Even if we sympathize with you, Houyan has no say in this gluttonous feast.

Therefore, they must demonstrate their value and prove that they are useful, not just there to coast along and freeload.

This explanation wouldn't raise any eyebrows, and no one would have imagined that the Yan state, amidst the nationwide reforms of unification and centralization, would resort to a less desirable, feudal variant.

Chen Jian and Li Yao were, after all, civil officials, not military officers, and knew nothing about the navy, so they turned their attention to Wei Jiu.

Wei Jiu was also pondering. This was an ocean voyage, and the first time to explore and survey the sea. The risks and mortality rate were extremely high, so the naval elites would have to be sent out. However, Wei Jiu did not want the veteran soldiers who had followed him for many years to sacrifice themselves in vain.

In other words, although he was in debt, he could always find another way to make money and rebuild a ship, but once his elite veterans were gone, they were gone forever.

Now that Fan Yuqi is willing to send the elite troops of Yan, what reason does he have to refuse?

"I will send twenty elite first and second officers to accompany you and ensure the safety of the voyage!" Wei Jiu said.

He couldn't let the Yan Kingdom sacrifice so many people for nothing. Although he knew that money and ships could be earned and rebuilt, he wasted money and ships that could have been avoided by hesitating.

"Thank you!" Fan Yuqi breathed a sigh of relief.

With experienced first and second officers accompanying them, they can navigate the seas more effectively, an experience that the Yan Kingdom currently lacks.

“Money and goods…” After receiving confirmation from Wei Jiu, Li Yao looked at Chen Jian.

“My Bingzhou and Qin will provide it!” Chen Jian understood Li Yao’s meaning.

After all, it was ocean trade, and the navy and the Yan state couldn't provide that much stuff.

With this, the four-party talks officially came to a successful conclusion.

The Qin and Bingzhou provided the money and goods needed for the long-distance trade, the navy provided experienced helmsmen and warships, and the Yan provided skilled crew members and soldiers. The meeting concluded, and all four parties returned to their respective homes to prepare.

Fan Yuqi also returned to Yingzhou immediately to see Lord Yanchun, now the King of Yan.

"China is going to sail the oceans to sell Kunlun slaves?" Yan Chunjun hadn't expected China to go this far.

After all, since the first reform during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, various countries have begun to prohibit human trafficking.

Therefore, Yan Chunjun never expected that Qin Bing and his navy would go to the far west to engage in human trafficking in such a high-profile manner.

“Kunlun slaves are of no use to our Yan Kingdom. We have no shortage of labor!” Fan Yuqi shook his head and said.

"Then why did the General agree, and even send his elite troops to personally lead the expedition?" Yan Chunjun wondered.

"First of all, this is really profitable!" Fan Yuqi said with a smile.

They conquered Yingzhou and so many natives, so they had no shortage of labor, but they lacked distinctive local products and trade with China.

They are very clear about how popular Kunlun slaves are in China.

"Isn't that the point?" Yan Chunjun frowned. If it was just about making money from China, there was no need for Fan Yuqi to personally take command and even draw on the elite Great Wall garrison.

"Your Majesty has guessed!" Fan Yuqi nodded with a smile.

Yan Chunjun waited quietly for Fan Yuqi to continue.

"Our Yan Kingdom has now completely occupied Yingzhou and controls the entire island, but is Your Majesty willing to be confined to Yingzhou and turn the Yan Kingdom into an island nation?"

As Fan Yuqi questioned him, Yan Chunjun fell silent.

They are the legitimate heirs of the Zhou dynasty and descendants of the Ji clan. How could they possibly admit that they were driven out of the Chinese mainland?
"By Bingzhou in the north and Daqin in the south, we even have to rely on the navy's ships to sail overseas. How can we talk about counterattacking the mainland!" Lord Yanchun sighed helplessly.

"A counterattack on the mainland is impossible and very difficult to achieve. At least as long as Bingzhou and Qin do not fight or fall into internal strife, we will never have a chance!" Fan Yuqi shook his head.

"So what does the Great General mean?" Yan Chunjun asked, puzzled.

"The existence of the two great empires has limited our development, but surely there must be places in this vast world that the two great empires cannot govern?" Fan Yuqi said with a confident and arrogant smile, taking out a simple, even hasty, map.

"This map was drawn by the Qin and Bingzhou based on the accounts of merchants from the far west who came to trade between the two countries. It is rudimentary and hastily drawn. Furthermore, due to the limitations imposed by the Hundred Days' Control Theory, the two great empires were unable to continue expanding into these areas!"

"And this is our opportunity!"

Fan Yuqi pointed to a place on the map that was represented by only a few simple strokes, which was the capital of a region.

“If even Qin can’t control a place, then we have even less chance!” Yan Chunjun, bound by fixed ideas, still failed to understand Fan Yuqi’s meaning.

"The Hundred Days Theory applies to empires like Qin and Bingzhou that sought centralized power, but it doesn't apply to us," Fan Yuqi explained in detail.

The so-called 100-day limit refers to the control of local areas by centralized states. In other words, if a rebellion occurs in a local area, the time from when the news reaches the central government to when the central government sends troops to quell the rebellion cannot exceed 100 days.

This was limited by transportation and communication, which is why both the Qin state and Bingzhou chose to enfeoff the peacocks.

Even if they truly control it, they can't control that far.

(End of this chapter)