Southern Ming: A boy soldier at the beginning, supporting the world

Chapter 342 Jiangnan Gu Family
It was autumn, and the sea breeze was blowing, bringing a lot of coolness. The waves hit the boat, stirring up many waves. Gu Yanwu and Gu Zuyu came to the deck, leaned on the railing and watched the sea, feeling very generous.

Gu is a big family in Jiangnan. Gu Yanwu is from Kunshan and Gu Zuyu is from Changshu. Both of them are from the Gu family of Wanshan in Wuxi. They respect Gu Yewang of the Southern Dynasty as their ancestor and are descendants of Gou Jian, the King of Yue.

In the Ming Dynasty, the borders were threatened by the Japanese invaders in the north and Japan in the south. The Wanshan Gu family, father and son, specialized in geography for generations, and eventually became a "family of geography". Gu Zuyu's great-grandfather, Gu Dadong, was the Guanglu Cheng during the Jiajing period and wrote "Nine Borders Illustrated".

Gu Yanwu was already 38 years old. He joined the Fushe Society in his early years and became famous. During the Hongguang and Longwu periods, Yanwu actively resisted the Qing Dynasty and united the righteous army. He was defeated and rose again. When the Qing army massacred Kunshan, Yanwu was fighting against the Qing outside. He was lucky to escape, but many of his family members died. Afterwards, the Ye family, a wealthy family in Kunshan, sought to seize the Gu family's property, and the clans fought for land. Gu Yanwu could not tolerate it in his hometown, so he decided to go to Lingnan to study practical learning.

Gu Zuyu was only 20 years old, and it was the first time in his life that he took a ship and traveled far away. Although he was young and suffered the pain of losing his country, he insisted on his integrity and did not seek fame or wealth. His greatest wish in life was to compile a complete geographical book to help restore China and drive out the Tartars in the future.

The two Gu were 18 years apart in age, but they were actually of the same generation. In recent years, the Red Army had risen suddenly, and the whole world was shaken. Hearing that the Red Army was recruiting talents, the two of them took a boat south and inspected the coastal mountains and rivers.

"I wish to pacify the South China Sea, even if my body sinks and my heart remains unchanged. The sea will never be calm, and my heart will never be broken..." Gu Yanwu muttered to himself as he saw the surging waves.

"Brother Ningren compares himself to Jingwei and is determined to fill the sea. This is truly a lofty ambition. I admire you very much." The ship owner Zhou Tingshen walked up and said.

The Qing government accepted Wu Liuqi's proposal and issued an order to "relocate the border and close the sea." Residents of the coastal areas of Shandong, Jiangnan, Zhejiang, and Fujian provinces were relocated 30 miles inland, and civilians were not allowed to sail out to sea.

The southeast was a place of great importance for taxation, and there were many cruel officials. With an imperial decree, the Qing government forcibly relocated the people. They dug trenches thirty miles inland, built chevaux de frise walls, set up military camps every twenty miles, sent a thousand households to guard, and set up beacon towers every five miles. Anyone who crossed the trenches would be killed without mercy.

According to the order, the government was to buy private ships at a price. This was of course impossible. Ships were expensive to build, so many people sailed to Fujian to sell them. Some people, like Zhou Tingshen, simply bought a ship at a low price and sailed it to Guangdong to try their luck.

"Brother Zhou, please forgive me for making a fool of myself. I was lucky to have your care all the way south so that I could arrive in eastern Guangdong smoothly."

Zhou Tingshen was from Songjiang and had studied, but unfortunately he was not good enough for the imperial examination. In troubled times, he simply gave up literature and went into business, struggling in the business world for many years. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Zhou Tingshen was ashamed to shave his head, and first became a Taoist priest in the mountains. However, he was reluctant to leave the secular world, so he bought a ship at a low price and prepared to go to eastern Guangdong to see the world.

"Business depends most on luck. Thanks to you two, this trip south has been smooth sailing."

"Brother Zhou, you are too polite. We two brothers are willing to take your boat, and we really don't know how to thank you." Both Gu were scholars, and they spoke very sincerely, and bowed deeply to Zhou Ting.

"I'm really not being polite. You two think, although I have been to many places, this is my first time to the South China Sea, and also my first time to sail as a ship owner. This sand ship was originally a sea ship only found in the north, traveling between the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea, and rarely to the East China Sea and the South China Sea.

"Pirates are rampant in the southeast, but we were able to pass through Zhoushan, Kinmen, and Nan'ao without any harm. It's hard to imagine. If it weren't for the blessings of the two of you, how could it be so smooth?"

This was of course an exaggeration. Zhou Ting was well-informed and knew the secrets of sailing across the sea. He sent someone to Jinshan in advance and spent three hundred silver coins to buy a flag of the Cixing Fan. With this flag, he could sail the southeast sea without any worries.

The two Gus were from Jiangnan families. Although they had no official titles, they were still worthy of Zhou Tingshen's flattery. These gentry had inextricable ties with the Ming and Qing dynasties. Gu Yanwu was from Fushe and had long been in harmony with Fang Yizhi, the left assistant general of the Red Army. Gu Zuyu was from the Gu family of Changshu, and there were many officials from Changshu in the Red Army's senior management. When Zhou Tingshen went to Lingnan to do business, he might have to ask the two Gus for help?
The sea narrows in the distance, and two green mountains appear faintly on both sides, echoing each other and guarding the Pearl River Estuary.

Gu Zuyu was excited, as if he had seen a friend he hadn't seen for many years, and asked, "Brother Dingren, is this the Tiger Head Gate?"

Hutoumen is today's Humen. People in the Ming Dynasty called it Hutoumen, and people in the Qing Dynasty called it Humen, and the name is still used today.

Gu Zuyu was older and more knowledgeable. He shook his head and said, "It doesn't seem like that. According to the Great Ming Unified Records, Hutoumen must be close to Dongguan. Right now we have just left Lingdingyang and have not yet entered the mouth of the Pearl River."

Zhou Tingshen called an old sailor from the cabin. The sailor was originally from Guangdong, and was well-informed and familiar with the Pearl River waterway. He looked from a distance, shook his head and said:

"Gentlemen, Hutoumen is not far away. The two mountains in front of us, the one on the west is called Dajiao Mountain, and the one on the right is called Shajiao. About five or six miles ahead, you can see the black dot in the distance. In fact, there are two islands, which are located in the middle of the Pearl River channel, blocking the Pearl River. The name is Hengdang. The upstream island is called Shanghengdang, and the downstream island is called Xiahengdang.

"There are mountains on both sides of Hengdang, which guard the east and west banks of the Pearl River. The government troops often set up artillery positions here. After Hengdang, seven or eight miles upstream is Hutoumen, which has two gates, Dahu and Xiaohu, like tigers lying on the river surface, commonly known as Hutoumen.

"This area belongs to Dongguan County. It has been an important coastal defense area of ​​Guangdong since ancient times. Pirates often take this road to attack Guangzhou. After passing Hutou Gate, there is only Nantou'ao in front, which is the gateway to the provincial capital. In the past, pirates were rampant and often lurked here. They first passed Hutou Gate and Nantou'ao, and then docked at Haojing'ao, which was a threat to the heartland..."

Gu Zuyu picked up the brush he carried with him and began to draw on the bumpy deck while listening to the old sailor's story.

Gu Yanwu could not help but think of the "Great Ming Unified Records" and silently recited: "Hutou Gate is Xiushan. In the second year of Song Jingyan, the Yuan general Liu Shen attacked the emperor in Qianwan. Zhang Shijie was defeated in the battle and led the emperor to retreat to Xiushan. In the early Ming Dynasty, Liao Yongzhong went to Dongguan and stopped at Hutou Pass. Today, foreign tributes and diplomatic envoys all take this route..."

After the record was finished, Hutoumen was approaching. The Red Army Navy had already sent a sampan to check the boat list. The soldiers were very strong and disciplined, and there was no extortion or bribery. Everyone began to relax.

Soon, we approached Hutoumen. It was indeed two mountains, one large and one small, towering over the Pearl River, like tigers guarding the waterway. There was a fort on the mountain, with the muzzle pointing toward the river, and a red flag fluttering on the fort, showing the military might.

Gu Zuyu sighed: "Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. I finally understand the meaning of this sentence."

Gu Yanwu introduced Zhou Tingshen, “My cousin is determined to write a book on geography that will never be surpassed. He has even thought of a name for it: A Summary of Geography from the History of the Tang Dynasty. It will not only surpass the Yuanhe County Atlas of the Tang Dynasty and the Taiping Huanyu Ji of the Song Dynasty, but will also surpass the Universal History and the Ming Dynasty Tongzhi.”

Gu Zuyu quickly declined the offer and said, "Brother Dingren, you are too kind. China is a vast country with abundant resources. I only wish to travel all over the world, study the regional situation, towns and passes, the dangers of mountains and rivers, and explain the battles, defenses, conquests, gains and losses in ancient and modern times."

"What a great ambition, what a great ambition." Zhou Tingshen praised sincerely, "In the future, we will need your talent to restore the Central Plains."

(End of this chapter)