Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 515 The Adventure of the Yuanwang Ship (Part 5)

"I never imagined that this place, which is even further north than the Qingqiu Islands, would be warmer and more comfortable. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains, the valleys are lush and green, with clear skies and towering trees. It truly is like a fairyland on earth."

"Do you think this is the place where the Gongshu clan lived in seclusion? Otherwise, why would His Majesty designate this place as Shanglin Park? Could it be that there is a blessed land or grotto-heaven of the Gongshu clan's ancestors here?"

Yang Hui, who had been relatively quiet since setting sail, couldn't help but exclaim in amazement at the beautiful scenery of Anchorage.

Because of the influence of the Alaska Current, Anchorage is indeed warmer than the Aleutian Islands. In late May and early June, the temperature can reach 12 to 18 degrees Celsius, similar to late autumn in Kunming. It's neither too hot nor too cold, and very comfortable. Moreover, the area is beautiful with clear waters and lush mountains. Giant spruce trees can grow up to 60 meters tall and are as thick as two people can hug, making them a spectacular sight.

Chen Youliang stepped forward and patted a spruce tree, exclaiming in amazement, "My goodness, such a big tree! If we cut it down to make pillars, I wonder how big a palace we could build."

Wang Dayuan immediately poured cold water on the two of them, saying, "You think the climate here is pleasant? But it's already the height of summer here. Summer here only lasts for a little over three months. The rest of the time it's all snowy winter, and you can't even grow crops. You can only live by fishing and hunting, just like those Inuit people."

Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged bewildered glances, but Yang Hui then said, "What if immortals can abstain from grains?"

Even Wang Dayuan began to have doubts. Yes, what if the Gongshu family really had immortals?
The group quickly set up camp by the river and, as usual, made a deal with the local Inuit natives, buying seven or eight reindeer and a dozen jars of wine to improve the meals for everyone on board. They also bought a dozen or so Alaskan sled dogs from the locals, bringing the total number of dogs on board to nearly thirty.

That afternoon, Wang Dayuan looked at the nautical charts while writing his daily log and local observations.

Seeing him staring blankly at the nautical chart, Chen Youliang brought him a deer leg and some wine. "I've noticed you've been standing here in a daze for a long time. What are you thinking about?"

Upon seeing that the visitor was Chen Youliang, Wang Dayuan unfolded the nautical chart and, while showing him the map, asked, "General Chen, if we were to draw an accurate map of each place we visited, how long would it take to draw a map of the entire continent of Lizhou?"

"This," Chen Youliang thought for a moment, "I don't know about others, but if you asked me to draw maps, I'm afraid I would never finish them in my lifetime."

Wang Dayuan nodded in agreement, and then said, "Yes, let alone just one person, even if we had hundreds of people on this ship, it would probably be difficult to draw a complete map of Lizhou in a lifetime. But the Gongshu clan has such a map, and it's not just for Lizhou, but for our world. Even the far north and far west of China, including Australia in Oceania, have maps. Isn't that strange?"
"Moreover, His Majesty is also very knowledgeable about the climate around the world. When we passed through the Qingqiu Islands, he told us exactly how strong the wind was in which month."

Chen Youliang understood the implication in his words. He put the wine down on the ground, sat down next to Wang Dayuan, and frowned as he pondered, "Does the gentleman mean that His Majesty's ancestors were truly immortals?"

Wang Dayuan shook his head. "I dare not speculate, but this nautical chart is so precise that it's hard to explain, unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless this nautical chart was not written by Gongshu Ling alone, as Your Majesty claims, or if Your Majesty's ancestors were truly immortals, or perhaps His Majesty encountered an immortal and received their teachings and guidance, but Your Majesty has repeatedly emphasized that there are no gods or ghosts in this world, then there is only one possibility in the end."

"What's possible?" Chen Youliang also became interested.

Instead of answering directly, Wang Dayuan asked, "General Chen, have you seen His Majesty's family's secret manual, the Gongshu Manual?"

Chen Youliang shook his head. "I haven't seen it, but I've heard people say that His Majesty's Gongshu Secret Manual is like a heavenly book, encompassing everything?"

"It's not that magical, but it is indeed all-encompassing and quite profound. I have read those books. In the first volume of the Gongshu Secret Manual, Gongshu Zi, it is said that Your Majesty's ancestor Gongshu Ban, also known as Lu Ban in folk legend, once created a device that could carry people and fly through the air, just like a carriage or a boat."

“When we travel by ship, we have to go from place to place. But what if the person who drew this nautical chart was flying in the sky like an eagle or a wild goose? Wouldn’t they be able to travel a thousand miles in a day and see all the mountains and rivers in their eyes?” Wang Dayuan guessed again. Apart from this reason, he really couldn’t think of anyone who could draw such a world map.

Chen Youliang's eyes widened instantly, and he looked at Wang Dayuan with an incredulous expression, asking doubtfully, "That's unlikely, isn't it?"

Wang Dayuan immediately retorted, "Compared to Your Majesty's ancestors having immortals, do you believe in the existence of immortals, or do you believe that the Gongshu clan could create a device that allows people to fly through the air?"

Chen Youliang remained noncommittal upon hearing this, feeling that both claims were too far-fetched.

Wang Dayuan then said, “Although His Majesty has taught many people a lot of skills, such as astronomy, geography, navigation and star observation, which he taught me, as well as military strategy, which he taught the generals, and artillery, which he taught Yang Huan and others, he has never formally accepted anyone as a disciple. There is only one person whom His Majesty immediately thought of taking as a personal disciple after seeing him. Do you know who it is?”

Chen Youliang shook his head again. "I don't know. Who is it?"

"It is Tao Guangyi, the Minister of the General Armaments Department of the Privy Council. He was formerly the commander of Wuzhou Road in the Yuan Dynasty. He is particularly skilled in firearms. Although he is not as good as His Majesty, he is still quite capable. The strangest thing is that I heard that he was obsessed with ascension in Wuzhou in his early years. He not only refined elixirs, but also studied the equipment for manned flight, but he did not succeed."

"You said His Majesty took him as a disciple, is this one of the reasons?"

Chen Youliang shook his head. "How would I know? I heard that His Majesty intends to reform the army and convert all the current troops into firearms-equipped troops. The Minister of Armaments has been unable to make a decision because he wants to find someone who is proficient in firearms."

"Since you say that Tao Guangyi is particularly skilled with firearms, could this be the reason?"

Wang Dayuan immediately waved his hand, "You are talking about the origin of his official position, I am talking about His Majesty taking him as a personal disciple. If it is just to find a minister to do, then just teach him some skills like I do, why take him as a personal disciple?"

Chen Youliang rolled his eyes and said again, "The art of navigation and stargazing can only enable one to travel overseas, but the art of making and using firearms is a matter of great importance to the military and the nation, a vital national asset, and a matter of life and death for the country. How can it be easily passed on to outsiders? Perhaps it is for this reason that you took him as your apprentice?"

Wang Dayuan frowned and pondered for a moment, then finally nodded, "That's also possible."

“Hey, sir, why are you thinking about all this nonsense? Just eat this deer leg while it’s hot, or it’ll get cold. We’ve been entrusted by His Majesty to come to Lizhou to find superior seeds. We’ll go back once we find them. There’s no use thinking about it so much.” Chen Youliang immediately handed over the roasted deer leg and said.

Wang Dayuan took the deer leg and immediately laughed, "Hahaha, General Chen is so open-minded! I've brought trouble upon myself." Chen Youliang chuckled. He wasn't open-minded at all; he simply didn't want to reveal his thoughts. Since joining them, the more he learned about Lu Jin, the more wary he became. What if Lu Jin found out if he said something bad about Lu Jin?
That evening, the group witnessed the amazing aurora borealis in Anchorage, adding to the area's mystique. What they didn't know was that the aurora could be seen in Anchorage for 246 days a year. Some uninformed crew members took this strange celestial phenomenon as a symbol of a blessed land.

No matter how reluctant they are to leave this place, they will eventually embark on another journey of exploration.

After resting for two days in Alaska and replenishing its supplies of fresh water, firewood, and a large quantity of venison, the Yuanwang set sail south again.

Because they had ample supplies, they did not stop at Juneau this time. After making some transactions with the locals, they set off again for their next stop, Changchun, which is the place where Vancouver and Seattle meet in later years.

However, due to the northward-flowing Alaskan Current, their journey south from Anchorage to Vancouver was against both wind and current, making their sailing speed very slow, far slower than when they were in the Roaring Forties and passing the Aleutian Islands.

Although the weather there was bad, it only took two days to cross the Pacific Ocean with full sails. However, their journey south along the west coast to Vancouver took a full seven days, and they only felt the ship was moving a little faster when they were almost in Vancouver.

Wang Dayuan then said to everyone, "We should have sailed out of the Alaskan Warm Current. After passing Changchun and heading south, we can take advantage of the Jinchuan Cold Current to sail south. With the wind and current at our backs, we will definitely be able to travel faster."

The group had been extremely bored on the ship for the past few days, and Chen Youliang nodded and urged, "Let's hurry up and get to our destination and let those dozens of dogs go. These beasts are making a racket every day. I'm afraid if this continues, I won't be able to resist strangling them."

"..." Wang Dayuan was speechless for a moment before saying, "Don't worry, we'll be in Changchun soon."

Sure enough, the day after Wang Dayuan said this, the Yuanwang ship arrived at the Vancouver coast and encountered a large Chinook tribe there.

In his nautical log, Wang Dayuan recorded that there were native people in Changchun, called Zhinu, whose customs were similar to those of the Ainu in Chengzhou. They carved totems on wooden pillars, with human and animal faces on them. They were skilled at building large wooden houses, weaving baskets, and making dugout canoes. They made a living by fishing and hunting and did not know how to farm. I did not see the corn and potatoes that Your Majesty mentioned.

I traded some ironware, cloth, and clothing with them and acquired two men. The locals were accustomed to naming their children after the sun, moon, and stars, so I renamed them Wu Nancha and He Xu.

After buying two more children, the Yuanwang did not stay in Vancouver for long and continued sailing south. Soon it passed the mouth of a large river, which Lu Jin marked on the map as 'Chunjiangpu', which is actually the mouth of the river in Portland in later years.

However, since there was no shortage of fresh water on board, the group simply docked and observed the area briefly. Finding that they couldn't find the potatoes and corn they were looking for, they set off south again.

Passing through the territory of the Kus people, they continued south. Because the voyage was smooth and the ship was fast, it only took them three days to reach the place marked as Jinchuan on the map.

Chen Youliang then asked, "I've noticed that the names Your Majesty gave to places like Lizhou all have their own meanings. What is the significance of naming this place Jinchuan?"

Wang Dayuan immediately said, "His Majesty said there is a bay here, surrounded by mountains. The entrance is flanked by two mountains, like the Three Gorges of the Wujiang River. The inner harbor is extremely large. Once inside, there is a hidden world, a basin, with a terrain similar to Sichuan and Chongqing."

"Moreover, several rivers extend from the inland and flow into the sea from here. Moreover, the rivers are full of gold, hence the name Jinchuan (Golden River)."

“The local people do not know what gold and silver are, and regard them as dirt. If you come here, you can exchange a lot of gold and silver from the locals by using some iron tools.”

"Really?"

Is this place really paved with gold?

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes widened in disbelief.

Wang Dayuan said, “There is plenty of gold and silver in this world. Lizhou is vast and not much smaller than Shenzhou. It is not surprising that there are gold deposits in some places.”
"However, let me make this clear first: we can exchange gold and silver, but the amount exchanged must be recorded in the account. When we bring it back, His Majesty will surely reward us. But if His Majesty finds out that someone is hoarding it, in the future, when there are good opportunities like going to sea, not only will you not be able to participate, but you also know what the consequences of deceiving the emperor are."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chao immediately stated, "Your Excellency, what are you saying? We are all serving the court, and we receive our own salaries and rewards from His Majesty. We would never hide anything that is not rightfully ours. Even if we take the gold and silver back, it will be exposed to others as soon as we dare to spend it. It is not as comfortable as receiving His Majesty's rewards, at least we can spend them openly and honestly."

"That's exactly right." The others quickly nodded in agreement. Regardless of what they really thought, everyone could at least say nice things.

However, when the Yuanwang arrived in San Francisco the next day, the amount of gold in the rivers there still made them gasp in astonishment. It was truly a land of gold, and this was no exaggeration.

Because of its relatively isolated terrain and lack of communication with the outside world, San Francisco has not developed large indigenous tribes. Instead, it consists of small tribes formed by family ties, with a maximum of only thirty to fifty people.

Upon discovering that the place was indeed full of gold, Wang Dayuan and the others quickly came up with an idea to prevent it from falling into the hands of others.

First of all, it's definitely impossible to send people to stay here to mine gold. If too many people are left, they won't be able to continue their task of finding seeds. If too few are left, what if that person gets greedy and runs away with the gold? That would be even more of a loss. Human nature can't withstand the test.

Finally, they decided to hire the local natives to mine gold dust, and then trade it with them using iron tools, cloth, and other items. They would do business with the natives first to let them know the convenience of iron tools, and then leave them the transaction price so that they could continue mining as much as they could.

When the Yuanwang ships return, they will first head north from Xiangxun Port to Jinchuan to retrieve the gold, and then cross the Pacific Ocean back home.

Everyone agreed to this method. As the saying goes, one person works for private gain, but three people work for the public good. With so many of them together, as long as they don't separate, they will all be working for the public good, preventing anyone from embezzling the gold.

What they didn't expect was that in their first transaction, even without panning for gold from the river, they received over 700 catties of gold, worth tens of thousands of taels, simply by exchanging the gold accumulated by the local natives.

This discovery immediately caused everyone to gasp in astonishment, secretly marveling at how incredibly easy it was to make money in Lizhou. A bolt of cloth or a set of clothes could be exchanged for a gold necklace, gold jewelry, and even ironware could be traded for gold at the same price. This was simply outrageous!
(End of this chapter)