Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 489 The Mushroom Mansion of Zhonglizhou

Lu Jin smiled upon hearing this and asked the same question again, "So you're going to submit to me?"

Nahachu's answer this time was also very interesting: "The demise of the Yuan Dynasty is inevitable. You are indeed different from other Han people. You are the only Han emperor I have ever seen who thought about how to govern the grasslands."

"If it can ensure the continuation of my people, if it can stop the conflict between the Han and Mongol peoples, and if the herders of the grasslands can live as prosperous a life as the Han people of the Central Plains in the future, then what does it matter if I honor you as the Khan of Ulaanbaatar?"

"So I'll take that as a sign of submission?"

Nahachu then knelt down and said, "I am willing to assist Your Majesty in promoting land reclamation on the grasslands, but Your Majesty must also promise me that this will be effective."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin replied, "You have no right to negotiate with me. Besides, we'll only know if it's useful after we do it. I have something for you to do right now."

"What is it?" Naha asked, puzzled.

Do you know what lies on the other side of the earth beneath our feet?

"The other side of the earth? I don't know." Naha shook his head in confusion.

"You come here, and Yang Hui, you get over here too, stop lying there pretending to be dead."

Upon hearing this, Yang Hui quickly got up and followed Nahachu to a large globe next to the desk. Lu Jin pointed to the globe and said, "Look at this."

"This looks like a map, but why is it drawn on a sphere? Is the ground beneath our feet also a sphere? Then why don't the people standing on it fall off?"

Nahachu looked at Lu Jin with a head full of questions. Yang Hui also looked over carefully when he heard this. This was the first time he, a Jinshi from the Yuan Dynasty, had ever seen a globe.

"You can figure out why it won't fall down later."

Lu Jin immediately turned the globe to the Chinese side and said, "This is Jiankang. To the east is the East China Sea. This vast ocean deep in the East China Sea was called the Pacific Ocean by the Gongshu clan. The Pacific Ocean is about 40,000 li wide at its widest point. On the other side is a continent no smaller than China, which was called Lizhou by the Gongshu clan."

Both of them found it incredible upon hearing this. Yang Hui immediately said, "It is said that there is a fairy island deep in the East Sea. I never expected that there would be such a huge landmass on the other side. But why is it called Lizhou?"

"The story of Lizhou was discovered around the Northern and Southern Dynasties period by an elder of the Gongshu clan named Gongshu Ling. He found that the natives on the other side of the river looked the same as the people of Shenzhou and worshipped Nuwa, so they might have also come from the Central Plains of Shenzhou."

"But with such a vast ocean, it would be difficult to cross 40,000 miles with the ships and navigation techniques of the past. So he concluded that these people must have traveled from the north to the other side via the Bering Land Bridge."

Lu Jin followed the line from China northward to the Bering Strait and then to Alaska, saying, "This place is located in the far north, with ice and snow all year round. It only thaws for two months in the height of summer each year, and freezes into an ice bridge for the rest of the time. From here, you can walk on the solid ice to the other side, and this distance is not wide, less than two hundred miles."

"Furthermore, because the predecessor Gongshu Ling discovered on the other side that the local people there did not know how to make wheels, and the Chinese wheel was invented by the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan, their migration to the other side should have been earlier than the time of the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor, and they did not know that there was such a thing as a wheel."

"Or perhaps they were the Jiuli tribe under Chiyou, who disdained using the wheels made by the Yellow Emperor. After their defeat, they fled north and eventually stumbled upon the other side. Therefore, the elder Gongshu Ling believed that they were the remnants of the Jiuli tribe, which is why he called the other side Lizhou."

“I see. But why has no one else discovered this in thousands of years?” Nahachu asked in bewilderment.

"Of course it's because it's too far. The sea route crosses a vast ocean of 40,000 li, which is still very difficult even now. As for the land route, this place is even more bitterly cold than the northern desert, with snow all year round. Even you Mongols have only ever been active around the North Sea. You've never been to any place further north, so naturally no one has discovered it."

Yang Hui seemed to be deep in thought. "So His Majesty told us all this?"

Lu Jin picked up an illustrated book from the table next to him. It was called "Illustrated Record of Local Products of Lizhou," the book he had asked Fan Qiuchan to draw.

“In the central part of Lizhou, there is a country called Maya. Its country has many wonderful special products, such as a grain called corn, which can yield one or two shi per mu. It can also be rotated with winter wheat. If it can be introduced to China, then half of the country north of the Yangtze River can be like the Jiangnan region, with two harvests a year and grain production doubled.”

"There is another thing called potato, also known as 'potato'. It is drought-resistant, cold-resistant, and can withstand poor soil conditions. It can yield about 1,000 catties per mu. It is suitable for both vegetables and grains. This thing can also be grown in the northern desert. With this thing, we can grow grain on the barren land of the northern desert. We can build cities, station troops, and cultivate the grasslands. As long as we can cultivate and defend the grasslands for a long time, we will not be afraid of the rebellion of those kings of the eastern route. The Han people can also gain a foothold on the grasslands!"

Nahachu and Yang Hui suddenly realized why Lu Jin had told them this.

"There is also a strange tree here called the rubber tree, which is similar to the lacquer tree in China. When you cut the bark with a sharp blade, a white, milky sap will flow out. This is called latex or rubber. When you apply it to fabric, it will make the fabric airtight and waterproof."

"Most importantly, with this rubber waterproof cloth, I have a way to make silage. I can harvest the pasture and grain stalks in summer and autumn while they are still green, add lactic acid bacteria such as yeast to ferment them, and store the tender grass for winter until the following spring."

"In this way, if there is another blizzard on the grassland and the cattle and sheep have nowhere to find food, they can take out these silage feeds to feed the cattle and sheep, so that the herders can store up food for the winter like the Han people, so that the cattle and sheep will not starve to death, help the herders get through the difficulties, and also prevent them from going south to rob the Han people."

"There are many, many more similar useful things, and each one is very useful."

"So His Majesty wants us to go to Lizhou to retrieve these things? But I can't sail, let alone navigate a sea," Nahachu guessed.

Yang Hui, however, was already ashen-faced, having guessed what Lu Jin wanted them to do.

Lu Jin then put down the map and looked at the two men, saying, "You don't need to retrieve these things. This Mr. Wang Dayuan, also known as Mr. Huanzhang, is from Nanchang, Jiangxi. He went to sea alone at a young age and traveled more than 100,000 li in twenty years. He is more skilled at navigation than either of you. I have already ordered craftsmen to build a fast seagoing vessel, and Mr. Huanzhang will be responsible for going to Lizhou to retrieve these items."

"However, it takes time to introduce rubber trees back to China, and it's still unknown whether they can survive the transplantation. Even if they can be successfully transplanted, it will take at least one or two decades for them to grow to the point where they can be tapped. I don't want to wait that long. "Since Lizhou produces rubber, why not purchase it from Lizhou before the local rubber trees mature? However, this would require setting up a trading post in Lizhou and having someone stationed there to purchase rubber from the local people year-round."

"Now you understand, right?"

Yang Hui slumped to the ground with a thud, his heart sinking. Lu Jin had previously threatened to sell him to cannibalistic islanders as a slave. Now, although he wasn't being enslaved by barbarians, he was being sent to oversee trade forty thousand miles away for one or two decades. How was this any different from exile? He was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) of the Yuan Dynasty, yet he had fallen to such a state.
Looking at Yang Hui, who was slumped on the ground, Lu Jin said with disdain, "Look at your worthless self. You've wasted so many books of sages and worthies. You've lived half your life and even served as a high-ranking official in the province. In all those years, have you ever done anything of real benefit for the people of this world?"
"If this matter is accomplished, and those local products of Lizhou are retrieved, the historical records will no longer contain the phrase 'people eating each other during times of great famine,' the imperial court will be able to station troops in the northern desert, and there will be no more disputes between farmers and herdsmen. The grasslands will be peaceful and stable forever. What a great achievement this will be! It is destined to be recorded in history!"

"Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions lasted thirteen years, and Su Wu herded sheep in the North Sea for nineteen years. You're sent to Lizhou to do trade for a few years, and this is the kind of behavior you're expected to have?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Hui smiled bitterly, thinking to herself, "Zhang Qian was granted a title after being sent to the Western Regions. I've been in Lizhou for over ten years. Do you expect me to come back? And what will I get after I return?"
Lu Jin, however, seemed to be able to read minds and immediately said, "This journey to Lizhou is 100,000 li round trip. You can neither sail nor observe the stars, and you will not be the one to make the greatest contribution by crossing the sea, so you can forget about being ennobled."

"You are not worthy to be compared to Zhang Qian and Su Wu. They would rather die than surrender to the Xiongnu barbarians, while you, Yang Hui, a Han Chinese, actually dare to clamor for me to go to Dadu to apologize to the Hu chieftain with thorns on my back. You are a dog. Putting you and Zhang Qian and Su Wu together is an insult to our martyrs."

"You know you deserve to die. Since you deserve to die, then go and atone for the sins of hundreds of millions of people in China. I won't lie to you. Don't even think about being granted a title. At most, your name will appear in the history books. If you do well in Lizhou, I might let you come back in ten or twenty years, so you can return to your roots. Otherwise, you will never have to come back."

Upon hearing this, Yang Hui burst into tears, filled with remorse. If only he had known this would happen, he would never have spoken so disrespectfully to Lu Jin that day.

Knowing that the matter was inevitable, Yang Hui knelt down again and kowtowed properly to Lu Jin, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing my life. This sinful subject will certainly atone for my crimes and perform meritorious service to cleanse myself of my sins as soon as possible."

"Well, it's good that you understand this. Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Yang Hui then got up again.

Nahachu looked at Yang Hui and said, "His Majesty asked me to go too, so isn't he here?"

Lu Jin said, "One is a scholar and the other a warrior. Just look at him. He's only read a few more books and passed the imperial examination. He's fine for managing the trade market, but the local natives aren't necessarily vegetarians. There might even be some savages among them."

"If you want to purchase rubber and gold and silver from the locals in the long term, you need to stockpile various supplies. With so much wealth, it's hard to guarantee that the local natives won't covet your assets. Therefore, you still need to have someone in charge of the defense of the stronghold. He will be in charge of the trade, and you will be responsible for building a city and cultivating the land there, as well as supplying the imperial ships in the area."

"However, you don't need to stay as long as him. Let's work for five or six years first, depending on your progress in building the city. If the city is completed, I will let you come back. You are a general who has led troops before, so you should know how to build a city."

Naha nodded, then asked, "How many soldiers will His Majesty give me?"

"There are only three hundred, all of them death row inmates. If there are any more, the ship will not have enough food and water to carry that many people."

Naha immediately frowned. "But with only three hundred people, how can we build a city? That's not enough."

Lu Jin explained, “You can lead them to set up camp at the port first, then build a wooden stockade, then slowly build an earthen city, and finally cover it with bricks. That Mayan kingdom was a slave society, what you Mongols call ‘slaves.’ If you don’t have enough manpower, you can also buy slaves from the local area and have them work.”

"Moreover, as long as you establish a foothold in the local area, I will send ships to Lizhou for trade every year. At that time, I will also bring you more people, several hundred people at a time. After five years, you will have several thousand people."

Naha breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "Where exactly is that place?"

Lu Jin spun the globe and pointed to a natural harbor in Central America, saying, "Here, there is a natural harbor named Mushroom Harbor because its bay resembles a mushroom."

The so-called Xiangxun Port is actually the famous Acapulco Port, an important port on the Spanish-established shipping route to the Americas. The final destination on the American side was Acapulco, and the final destination on the Asian side was Manila in Luzon.

They first gathered goods from China, Japan, and Southeast Asia in Manila, then transported them across the Pacific to Acapulco, and finally shipped the silver from the Americas back to China. This was the famous Spanish galleon trade.

The reason Acapulco was chosen as a trading post was not because Lu Jin copied Spain, but because in Central America, only this place was closest to the Mayan kingdom and Aztec (Mexico), and it also happened to have a natural and excellent harbor suitable for accommodating a large number of ships. Who else could be chosen but Acapulco?

This port is small in the middle and large in the middle, and is semi-circular, like an open umbrella. There is also a slightly narrow waterway leading to the sea. The overall shape is like a mushroom. Mushrooms were called "xiangxun" in ancient times, hence the name.

Naha looked at the globe, gestured with his hands to show how far away China was, and then took a deep breath and asked, "When do we set off?"

"We'll set off next month, so you can start preparing now. In May, watch the trade winds. Once the southeast winds blow, you'll depart immediately. Before you leave, you can follow Mr. Huanzhang and have him teach you some things," Lu Jin added.

"Yes," the two immediately replied, bowing in agreement.

Lu Jin then said, "Work hard and get the stuff back to me as soon as possible so I can implement my plan to manage the grasslands. Whether agriculture and animal husbandry can achieve long-term stability depends on you. When the conflict of thousands of years is finally ended, you will definitely deserve some credit."

“I understand, Your Majesty, please take care,” Nahachu said solemnly.

Lu Jin nodded, then watched as the two were led away by Wang Dayuan.

Preparations for the Yuanwang's voyage are in full swing, and the altar in the southern suburbs of Jiankang City is about to be completed. Before we know it, it's May. After seeing off Wang Dayuan, Lu Jin will begin preparations for the Northern Expedition.

(End of this chapter)