Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 486 To the ends of the earth, even unto death.

Upon hearing that Lu Jin wanted to rename the main hall, and given that it was a day of triple celebration, everyone present was very enthusiastic. Ji Xuan immediately suggested that they change the name of the main hall to Jiqing Hall or Jiqing Hall, or even Daqing Hall if necessary. The main hall of the Bianjing Imperial Palace in the Northern Song Dynasty was called Daqing Hall, and this name could also represent the orthodoxy of China.

Lu Jin argued that the new dynasty had just been established and the country was in dire need of rebuilding. If the court were to celebrate this or that, the officials below would inevitably speculate and report only good news, which would be undesirable. Moreover, the court should be a solemn and dignified place.

So, on Li Shanchang's advice, the main hall was renamed "Dazheng Hall," which wasn't particularly outstanding, but it was a safe and appropriate name.

The small hall behind the main hall was abuzz with chatter, with names like Cunxin Hall, Jiaotai Hall, Jinde Hall, and Huagai Hall popping up everywhere. In the end, Lu Jin chose a familiar name and simply renamed it Yangxin Hall.

The last Luomutang was converted into Yunxiang Hall, to be used as the emperor's daily office.

Rue is a type of citrus fruit. Orange peels are used to repel insects, and in ancient times, rue was often placed in studies to protect books from insect damage. Therefore, the name rue is often used in studies, library buildings, and other similar structures. The name Ruexiang Hall means Imperial Study, and it is also suitable for daily office work.
Thus, the three main halls were renamed Dazheng Hall, Yangxin Hall, and Yunxiang Hall. Lu Jin also personally wrote the four characters "Seek Truth from Facts" and had them made into a plaque, which was hung in front of the throne in Dazheng Hall to show his attitude towards governing the country.

In the following days, Lu Jin had the news of the pacification of the Central Plains and the great victory in Kaifeng sent to various provinces under his jurisdiction in the form of a public announcement.

The main force of the Holy Martial Army is currently in the north, and they will launch a northern expedition this autumn and winter. The newly conquered Huguang and Jiangxi provinces will be relatively vulnerable. Sending news of the great victory in Kaifeng to the rear can also be used to deter troublemakers and prevent unrest in the rear.

Just after news of Lu Jin's order for the envoys to return to the capital on the first day of the fourth month reached Hangzhou, Wang Dayuan and Chen Youliang also returned to Jiankang ahead of schedule with the Yuanwang ship. After all, they had gone south under the guise of merchants. Since they were not officials of the court, there was no need for them to go to the capital with the envoys, so they returned ahead of schedule.

Wang Dayuan, Chen Youliang, Zhang Chao, the captain of the Yuanwang, and Gao Qiang, a descendant of Javanese Chinese, went to Beijing together. As soon as they entered the city, Lu Jin summoned them to the Privy Council to report on the situation. The situation in Southeast Asia was related to the court's future strategy for managing Southeast Asia, so it was necessary for the Privy Council members to understand it.

So Wang Dayuan immediately took out the map and reported to the group.

"His Highness ordered us to find a foothold in Southeast Asia and to find a way to extract oil, but after looking around, we found that the conditions there were not very suitable."

"Although there is oil near Brunei Bay, it is the capital of Brunei. Although there are some Han Chinese there, they are not many. Moreover, it is right under the nose of their capital, so it is not easy to make a move."

"The customs of Champa are very different from those of China. The country is more influenced by Shaivism from India. Moreover, there are not many Han Chinese there and no oil, so it is not easy to take action."

"The Srivijaya Kingdom, which controls Temasek and Palembang, is now like a trapped beast. The more it loses to Majapahit, the more it keeps a close watch on the Strait of Malacca. Moreover, it imposes heavy taxes on passing merchant ships. Its local officials are also greedy and have joined forces with pirates to try to rob our ships. They will stop at nothing to make money, just like a drowning person grabbing at a straw before dying, clinging to it tightly."

“Under these circumstances, unless Srivijaya is destroyed now, it will be difficult to seize control of Palembang and Temasek without fighting them. Therefore, Station Chief Li Bin suggests that we should lie low for now, develop the local Chinese community, and wait for changes in the country before taking over their territory. At that time, we can occupy all the former territory of Srivijaya without losing a single soldier.”

"As for the Majapahit Kingdom, it goes without saying that they are currently in a strong position and are thinking about annexing Srivijaya all day long, so it is even more difficult to make a move against them."

"Finally, there is the Sulu Sultanate. As the first Sultanate of Islam to be greened in Southeast Asia, and also the stronghold of the Semu people, it is not easy for the Sulu Sultanate to gain a foothold there."

"Therefore, after much deliberation, we finally decided to find a place where no powerful forces would interfere, and that is the Kingdom of Gowa (Makassar)," Wang Dayuan said, pointing to the island on the map that looked remarkably like the Chinese character '斤'.

"The location of this country of Gowa is very unique and very important. It is only a few days' journey from Surabaya, Semarang, Jakarta, Palembang in Srivijaya, and other places in Java. To the west, it can also access the east coast of Borneo."

"The nautical chart Your Highness provided indicates that the east coast of Borneo is rich in oil and coal, and currently only some indigenous tribes reside there, with no major powers interfering. It is easy for us to control it. Thus, we can use Gowa as our base to gradually control the east coast of Borneo, making it convenient to extract oil along the coast."

"From Gowa northward, we can also counterbalance the Sulu Kingdom, or connect with Luzon, Cebu, Manila and other places."

"Although the location is a bit to the east, Xinjin Prefecture occupies an island, and there are no major enemies on the island. Therefore, it can be used as a stable stronghold. It is also located in the middle of the powers of the Southeast Asian countries, making it extremely convenient to contact any direction."

"The problem is that Xinjin Prefecture has too few people. In order to gain a foothold, we must relocate people to increase the population and also replenish more warships to prevent being attacked. Of course, the main concern is to guard against pirates."

Feng Guoyong, Bao Yu, Xia Yu, and others were all greatly surprised when they heard Wang Dayuan's introduction to the situation in Southeast Asia.

Xia Yu looked at the map and said, "You really chose a good location for Xinjin Prefecture. But with only one ship and a few hundred people, how did you manage to destroy a country so easily? If I didn't know the character of Mr. Huanzhang and General Chen, I would have thought you were talking nonsense."

"Hahahaha," Chen Youliang laughed immediately.

“We heard that the Kingdom of Nagowa also traded with foreigners, so we went there to investigate under the guise of trading. It was said to be a small country, but in fact, its population was less than 10,000. Excluding women, children, and the elderly, there were less than 2,000 able-bodied men. Moreover, they did not even have weapons or armor, and they did not know anything about military systems or ranks.”

"Moreover, there isn't even a city here, just a cluster of stilted thatched huts surrounded by rice paddies. Wouldn't it be a piece of cake to defeat such an opponent?"

Upon hearing this, the others nodded, and that made sense.

Feng Guoyong laughed and said, "I had long heard in the history books that Ban Chao led thirty-six horsemen deep into the Western Regions, destroyed dozens of countries, and was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Dingyuan for his merit. At first, I thought it was a strange story. But now I think that the dozens of countries that Ban Dingyuan destroyed were probably similar to this Gowa. Each city was a country, and Gowa didn't even have a city. So it's not surprising."

Chen Youliang, who had been cooped up on the ship for too long, immediately began to tell everyone about the strange things that had happened, saying, "You don't know, the customs in this wretched place called Govana are quite peculiar."

"What's so strange about it?" Lu Jin asked curiously.

Chen Youliang continued, “The natives of Gowa do not know what life and death are. If a family member dies, they neither grieve nor bury the dead, nor cremate the body. They simply put the dead in a coffin and place it in their own house.”

“I heard from the interpreter that they think the dead are just sleeping, and keeping them at home is like having deceased elders with them. The coffins are kept at home for years, and they are not buried even when the people smell bad. After we conquered this place, we distributed houses and land to the soldiers, and as a result, every family had a coffin in their house. It took a lot of effort to deal with all these things.”

"This"

"Such a bizarre custom?" Everyone was stunned.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin said, "What's wrong with that? The Maya people of Lizhou also have similar customs. They also worship their ancestors every year and have festivals similar to our Ghost Festival. Every year after the autumn harvest, around the end of October, when they worship their ancestors, the people do not grieve, but sing and dance and celebrate with their deceased ancestors."

"This person does not fear death. On the contrary, he believes that death is the opposite of life. If one is born but does not die, it is incomplete. Only with both birth and death can there be a complete cycle of reincarnation. Therefore, people rejoice with ghosts, believing that only in this way will their ancestors bless them and ensure a good harvest in the coming year."

Everyone marveled, and Xia Yu said, "The Maya are quite open-minded. However, people eat grains and all kinds of food, and birth, aging, sickness and death are all natural. Their thinking is not wrong. Moreover, the natives tens of thousands of miles away also worship their ancestors and celebrate the Ghost Festival. This is similar to us. Maybe they really are the descendants of the Jiuli who migrated from China thousands of years ago."

After a long chat, Bao Yu asked, "Even if the Gowa people aren't many, and you have soldiers and armor, you still have even fewer men. Fighting them is no problem, but if a few of them escape, won't they always come looking for trouble in the future?"

Wang Dayuan then said, “There are many Chinese in places like Coconut City, Surabaya, Semarang, and Palembang in Srivijaya. Among them are descendants of the remnants of the Yuan army that conquered Java. We found a local strongman in Semarang. His surname is Gao. He is a descendant of the Yuan army that conquered Java and is quite prestigious among the local Chinese.”

"So we persuaded him to help us gather the local Chinese, promising to give them the rice fields and women after we conquered Gowa. In this way, we gathered more than two thousand young Han men and five boats to attack Gowa. With these two thousand men and the soldiers on our boats, we were able to wipe out the Gowa Kingdom in one fell swoop."

Wang Dayuan then described the aftermath, including the sale of slaves, the distribution of land, and the fact that the women there were also completely wiped out.

Lu Jin asked curiously, "Are the people of Gova also short, dark-skinned people like those in Southeast Asia? Why would those Chinese want women like that?" Wang Dayuan replied, "The indigenous people of the islands in Southeast Asia are indeed mostly short, dark-skinned, but the Gova people are actually quite fair-skinned. In addition, the area is located near the equator, where the sun is very strong. Even if they were originally white, they would inevitably turn dark after being exposed to the sun for a long time. Therefore, the skin color of the Gova people is actually no different from that of the Han people, at most similar to that of the people of Guangdong and Guangxi."

"I see." Lu Jin then asked, "Sir, you said that Gao Qiang claims to be a descendant of a Yuan army general. Does he have any proof?"

"Yes, according to him, his father was once a centurion in the personal guard of Gao Xing, a general in the conquest of the enemy. His father's armor and Yuan army badge are still kept. I have seen them. Moreover, the other descendants of Yuan soldiers in the area also have great respect for the Gao family. It should not be false."

"Furthermore, this person has already brought the token. He said he is willing to help us gather manpower to fight Gowa, and he only asks to return to China to meet His Highness. This person was born in Java, but his father has told him since he was a child that his family are from the Celestial Empire and are different from the Javanese barbarians. However, he has never been to China. This time, he hopes that we can bring him back to recognize his ancestors. If His Highness can give him a minor official position, he will probably be more loyal, which will also be beneficial for us to establish our influence in Java."

Lu Jin nodded, then asked the crowd, "Was there really a general named Gao Xing who went to conquer Java back then? Does anyone know about this?"

Feng Guoyong immediately stepped forward and said, "I know a little about him. I am glad that he served as a high-ranking official in the Yuan court for several terms and as the Pingzhang of several provinces. A few years ago, he was posthumously granted the title of Prince of Nanyang by the Yuan court. He is actually a fairly well-known figure."

"Oh? Or is it the Prince of Nanyang? Tell me more." Lu Jin immediately became interested.

Feng Guoyong immediately introduced him, "This man is from Caizhou (Runan, Zhumadian), and his courtesy name is Gongqi. He was strong and good at archery when he was young. He could draw a bow with a two-stone length. Later, he joined the army and became a general of the Southern Song Dynasty. He was under the command of the military commissioner Chen Yi. In the twelfth year of the Yuan Dynasty, he surrendered to the Yuan Dynasty with Chen Yi in Huanggang, Hubei. He was then appointed as a thousand-household commander by Emperor Shizu of Yuan."

"Later, due to his participation in the war to destroy the Song Dynasty and the suppression of the anti-Yuan uprising in Jiangnan, he accumulated merits and was promoted to the position of military commander. In the 28th year of the Yuan Dynasty, he was promoted to the position of Left Vice Minister of Jiangxi. In the 29th year, he was promoted to the position of Right Vice Minister of Fujian. In the same year, he participated in the war against the Zhao tribes as the Right Vice Minister of Fujian."

"At that time, Kublai Khan sent three generals, namely Shi Bi, Gao Xing, and Yi Heishim, to lead 20,000 troops and 1,000 warships on an expedition to Java. However, it is estimated that there were only about 5,000 or 6,000 troops, not 20,000. Shi Bi was the commander-in-chief, Gao Xing commanded the infantry, and Yi Heishim commanded the navy."

"At that time, there was a rebellion in Java. The Yuan army contacted the surrendered Javanese general and successfully captured his king. However, Shi Bi and Yi Heishimi believed that since they had won a great victory, they should release the surrendered Javanese general. Gao Xing firmly disagreed, believing that this person was very ambitious and that releasing him would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains."

"Later, the Javanese general who had surrendered indeed rebelled again, openly attacking and killing the Yuan army that was besieging them. The Yuan army led its troops to break out of the encirclement. Gao Xing led his personal guards to fight to the death, covering the rear of the entire army. In the end, only a little over a thousand people broke through the encirclement, boarded a ship at sea, and returned to China. There were five or six thousand people when they went, but only a little over a thousand returned."

"At that time, thousands of Gao Xing's personal guards failed to board the ship back to China. This Gao Qiang's father was probably one of the centurions of the personal guards who followed Gao Xing to cover the rear of the army. It is just unexpected that he survived, married and had children in Java, and became a local strongman."
"Later, after Gao Xing returned to China, he was punished by Emperor Shizu because Shi Bi and Yi Heishi made a mistake in their decision-making. Gao Xing, because of his outstanding military achievements and his disagreement with releasing the traitorous general, only received a minor punishment and was instead rewarded with more.

"After that, he rose through the ranks, serving as Pingzhang in Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Henan provinces during the reign of Emperor Chengzong. During the reign of Emperor Wuzong, he served as the Left Vice Minister of Henan Province. He died in the second year of Huangqing and was posthumously granted the title of Duke of Liang. In the third year of Yuantong (1336), he was further granted the title of Prince of Nanyang."

Lu Jin nodded upon hearing this, "That makes sense. Those Chinese in Java should be descendants of the Yuan soldiers who stayed behind to cover the retreat of the entire army."

Lu Jin then turned to Wang Dayuan and asked, "You said Gao Qiang is now a powerful landlord in Semarang. Is he here too? Where is he now?"

"I have temporarily placed him at home. If Your Highness summons him, he can be brought here immediately."

“Then let’s call him over for a meeting. Since he’s so influential in Java, it’s worth developing him. Consider it a small step, but it’s good to secure a foothold first,” Lu Jin decided immediately.

Wang Dayuan nodded, "That's what I think too. Although we can't do anything to Java right now, the Xinjin Prefecture we occupy is very close to Java. Moreover, Xinjin Prefecture is newly established and often needs to purchase various supplies. If we can get some support from the local forces in Java, it can also accelerate the development of Xinjin Prefecture."

"Then shall I summon him?"

Lu Jin waved his hand, "You don't need to go in person, just send someone. You stay here for now, I have some questions for you."

"Yes."

Lu Jin sent a guard to Wang Dayuan's house to summon someone, and then asked Wang Dayuan, "How was the Yuanwang ship on this voyage to Java? Have you taken measurements of the nautical clock, sextant, and nautical charts? If we set sail in May or June, are we confident we can reach Lizhou?"

Wang Dayuan immediately said solemnly, "Of course there's no problem with the Yuanwang ship. It's extremely fast. Faster speed saves time, which means saving food and fresh water. Since we're crossing oceans without resupply, a fast speed is essential."

"Furthermore, the nautical charts and sextant are very accurate. I calculate them daily during my voyages, and I also recalculate the latitude and longitude at each port. I found that the error between the latitude and longitude marked on Your Highness's nautical charts is only a few miles. This should not be a problem with the charts, but rather that my calculations are not accurate enough. If you really want to calculate carefully, you still need to go ashore at a port to get accurate measurements."

"However, the biggest problem is still the marine chronometer. When I first arrived in Penghu, I measured the longitude and felt that the error was not very large. But after arriving in Java, the error suddenly started to increase. I think this should be the reason for the clock error that Your Highness mentioned. It may still be not accurate enough."

"This trip to Java is relatively short, but the round trip to Lizhou will take almost a year. If it is delayed, it may take two years. I am worried that if the trip is delayed for too long, the clock error will increase a lot. There are already few places to stop on the return trip. If the accuracy is miscalculated, it may be even more dangerous."

Lu Jin nodded, thought for a moment, and then said, "There is indeed a problem with the cumulative time difference of the clocks, but it is also related to latitude. Don't forget, the further south you go, the closer you get to the equator. The closer you get to the equator, the greater the error of the marine chronometer will be, especially at the equator, where the error of the marine chronometer is the greatest."

"But this is the level of precision I can achieve for my clocks right now. If we have ruby ​​bearings in the future, we might be able to improve the precision further, but there's really no way to do it now. Do you have any ideas on how to overcome this difficulty?"

Wang Dayuan was silent for a moment, and after thinking carefully, he said, "There is indeed a way. When we go, we can use the time of the Purple Mountain Observatory as a reference. It is estimated that it will take three or four months to reach Lizhou. During this period, there will definitely be a lot of time difference."

"But when I went to Java this time, I found that the latitude and longitude of the nautical charts Your Highness gave me were quite accurate. In that case, I can calculate the latitude and longitude of the local area after I arrive in Lizhou. If the error is about the same as the markings on the nautical charts, then it means that the nautical charts of Lizhou are also accurate and reliable."

"That way, when I'm on my way back, I can use Lizhou local time and longitude to recalculate the accurate Zijinshan time to eliminate the accumulated time difference, or I can simply use Lizhou time as the reference for navigation on the way back. I wonder if this will work?"

Lu Jin clapped his hands. "Of course! It seems you've finally learned how to use Earth's latitude and longitude. And don't worry too much. I guarantee that the latitude and longitude on the nautical chart I give you are absolutely accurate. This is a treasure passed down from our ancestors, the Gongshu clan, and there's no way it's wrong!"

"Then I am relieved. Your Highness, please give the order. I will set sail on time in May or June and head to Lizhou," Wang Dayuan said immediately.

"No rush. It's not easy to go to Lizhou, so it's best to make more preparations."

Lu Jin thought to himself that he had recalculated the latitude and longitude using an offline map on his phone, and the data was measured by satellites from later generations. How could it be wrong? With such an amazing nautical chart, even if the accuracy of the nautical clock was a little off, the nautical chart could correct the shortcomings of the nautical clock.

Looking at Wang Dayuan, who was already over forty years old and had become even more tanned after returning from Java, Lu Jin sighed with emotion.

"Sir, you went to Java this time. In just a few months, I have already pacified the Central Plains. I originally planned to ascend the throne in August this year, but I'm afraid you won't be able to make it in time. In the autumn and winter, I also plan to launch a northern expedition against Yan and Yun. Perhaps by the time you set foot on the land of Lizhou, I will already be at the gates of Dadu. By the time you return, the new dynasty may have already been established for two years. Don't make me wait too long."

"The dynasty has just been established, and everything is in need of rebuilding. Hundreds of millions of people are starving. The court is launching a northern expedition beyond the Great Wall, and it also needs grains that can be grown in the north. Military affairs and civil administration all require the high-yield varieties from Lizhou. You must come back, sir!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Dayuan was also moved and immediately knelt down, bowing deeply and saying, "Your Majesty, I wish you a triumphant return and the restoration of our Chinese homeland. I will never forget Your Majesty's entrustment, and I will go to the ends of the earth without fear of death!"

Lu Jin quickly stepped forward to help him up, saying, "No, it's not for me, but for the hundreds of millions of people in China, for our motherland, and so that the words 'in times of great famine, people eat each other' will never appear in history books again. You must come back alive!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will definitely return alive!"

(End of this chapter)