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

Chapter 1221 Luzon [Please subscribe*Please vote for monthly tickets]

Amidst the cheers of his naval crew, Fan Yuqi, with his elite troops and a mix of suspicion and uncertainty, set sail, embarking on their path to maritime hegemony.

Just three months later, the navy sent back new news: the Yan Kingdom had discovered a new island beyond the Three Mountains overseas and had successfully stationed troops on the island, allowing this barbarian land to bask in the sunshine of Chinese civilization.

"It seems we're about to make a fortune!" Fan Yuqi looked at his subordinates' report and the map, and fell into deep thought.

They discovered large gold and copper mines on the island.

As is well known, China is not rich in copper mines, so much so that the army later rarely used copper as a raw material for ammunition, and instead used steel bullets.

They have now discovered vast copper and gold mines on this island, with copper reserves estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of tons.

It's important to understand that in this era, copper ore was not only used to manufacture weapons, but also served as a major raw material for currency circulation.

This means that after they mine, they can obtain enormous wealth whenever they want, or use it to forge equipment and weapons, creating a heavily armed army.

Not to mention, in addition to copper mines, they also discovered gold mines, and the reserves are equally substantial.

"This is troublesome!" Fan Yuqi took off his helmet and ruffled his hair.

If it were just a small amount of copper and gold mines, he could occupy the island with peace of mind, and neither the Qin state, Bingzhou, nor the navy would care.

But now the island nation has such large reserves of gold and copper that it can no longer be kept secret.

The two great empires could not simply sit idly by and watch the Yan state monopolize the territory.

He wanted to keep it a secret and enjoy the benefits all to himself.

However, once the news leaks out, Qin and Bingzhou will inevitably intervene, and Yan will have to give an explanation to China, having to give back everything it had taken.

"Notify the Northern Palace and Xianyang!" Fan Yuqi sighed. It was truly a case of a weak nation having no diplomacy.

Even if they discover it, they can't make the decision themselves.

As for concealing it, it can't be hidden. After these gold and copper are mined, they will be transported back to Yingzhou. The navy will inevitably find out, and at that time, the warships may not even dock at the port of Yingzhou, but will directly turn to major ports in China.

"Tell them to send their own fleet and men to mine it. I refuse to believe the next one will be the same!" Fan Yuqi said bitterly, leaving behind some officials and soldiers before continuing south and west.

"Another gold mine!" When the news reached Xianyang, Qin officials were instinctively terrified.

The last time, due to the large influx of gold, they fell out with Bingzhou, and then the Yuezhi were gone.

Now another huge gold mine has appeared, even larger than the last one, and they are all instinctively feeling a bit scared.

“Gold mines, copper mines…” Li Yao also fell silent.

There are too many mineral resources.

As for these things, they don't belong to China, but to that island nation...

Who cares?

It was yours before I found out, but after I found out... you can't control this thing!

"This voyage alone has already made a fortune!" Dunruo said in a low voice.

The voyage was originally for the Kunlun slaves, and their expenses were enormous. They were prepared for the initial capital to be lost before transporting the Kunlun slaves back. But who knew that the navy would make a profit from the first stop alone.

"Money is a small matter!" Ying Zheng did not focus his attention on these mineral resources.

The report of victory described at length the abundant mineral resources and specialties of the island nation, which the Yan state named Luzon, as well as their customs and traditions, only briefly mentioning at the end, "Governor Qin Lang is in charge."

Six words, yet they say a lot.

If we only look at this report of victory, then the Qin state, Bingzhou, and the navy would only send officials and craftsmen from the Shaofu and Shaopu departments to mine, and would not send a large army and administrative officials.

This would be a tacit acceptance of Yan's jurisdiction over Luzon. After all, a Daifu was already a nobleman, and Qin and Bingzhou would easily overlook the fact that Yan had left behind a Daifu and would not send any other officials.

"It's beyond our reach!" Ying Zheng sighed.

He still didn't understand what the Yan state was trying to do.

A barbaric island nation, once it's mined, it's done. As for Doctor Qin Lang, will he stay in Luzon long-term or leave after the mining is finished?

It would have been impossible for the Qin state to maintain a permanent position of Grand Master in Luzon.

Therefore, Ying Zheng could not understand what the Yan state was trying to do.

If Yan only sends Qin Lang after the discovery, then it is very likely that it is a last-minute effort.

However, Qin Lang went with the navy from the very beginning.

This left Ying Zheng puzzled about what the Yan state was trying to do.

"Let's wait for Bingzhou's reaction!" Ying Zheng did not publicly express his doubts; he would know the answer once Bingzhou reacted.

After all, Yan Yan and Lord Yanchun were quite familiar with each other, so perhaps he could guess what the State of Yan wanted to do.

The same good news also reached the Northern Palace.

Yan Yan didn't notice this at first, but after looking closely, he also discovered the problem.

"Fleet, doctor, soldier..." Yan Yan pondered for a long time, feeling as if he remembered something but couldn't quite grasp it.

It wasn't until they heard the sunrise and sunset coming from the royal elementary school that they finally realized what was happening.

"The British Empire on which the sun never sets!"

"It's working! Everything's working!"

Yan Yan returned to the palace with a smile.

"Investigate! Find out who Lord Yanchun met during this period, especially in the two months before the navy set sail!" Yan Yan ordered.

He was curious about who had found another path after the enfeoffment, under the unified centralized power.

As for Fan Yuqi, Yan Yan did not believe him. A military general who did not study military strategy and reform was neglecting his duties.

An amateur player wants to surpass a professional player?

"There are only a few people in Yan..." Mo Ya muttered to himself. Yan only has a handful of big cats and small cats now. Who would follow them to Yingzhou if they were truly talented?

Just like those who were willing to come to Bingzhou back then, weren't they all collateral descendants of noble families, people who were not favored?

When the Yan state went to Yingzhou, it was in an even worse state than the original Bingzhou, and it was even less likely that any outstanding people would follow it.

However, he had no choice but to carry out Yan Yan's orders.

However, the investigation yielded the same result: apart from the legacy left by King Yanxi to Lord Yanchun, only a few people, such as Fan Yuqi, remained.

"So, it really is Fan Yuqi!" Yan Yan exclaimed in surprise.

Why give up a perfectly good generalship? How much money do you make a month? And instead, you spend your spare time researching reforms!
"Zifei, you have a rival!" Yan Yan summoned Han Fei and explained in detail the path that Yan State was taking to achieve maritime hegemony.

"Ah, this..." Han Fei was also shocked.

They had always believed that the enfeoffment system would inevitably lead to centralized power, but they never expected that the Yan state would take the enfeoffment system to its extreme.

“It’s highly feasible. As long as the Yan state and its navy continue to lead those places in terms of military and civilization, they could very well become a maritime hegemonic empire!” After thinking for a long time, Han Fei gave an affirmative answer.

(End of this chapter)