My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

This was the first time Chongzhen had heard of such a use for whales in such detail, and a look of surprise and contemplation flashed in his eyes.

He initially thought it was just a strange and unusual story, never expecting that this giant sea creature would have such enormous economic value.

Seeing this, Zheng Zhilong added another sentence, quoting classical texts:
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, in fact, our ancient Chinese ancestors recorded this creature very early on. The 'Ancient and Modern Notes' states: 'Whales are sea fish, some of which are a thousand miles long, while others are only a few tens of feet long.' The 'Huainanzi' also records: 'When stacked tablets and swirling stones are used to purify the cliffs, a comet appears when the whale dies.'"

"The ancients also knew its size and associated its appearance with changes in celestial phenomena, regarding it as an auspicious omen or a sign of disaster."

Zheng Zhilong's description of whales being valuable from head to toe, and the occasional whaling along the coasts of Fujian, Zhejiang, and Guangdong, was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up completely different yet equally intense waves in the hearts of Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang.

Emperor Chongzhen was surprised that this enormous sea monster had so many practical uses, while Zhu Cilang instantly seized another opportunity!
Indeed, as Zheng Zhilong said, the ancient Chinese people were not completely ignorant about whales.

The records scattered throughout various ancient books and local chronicles do indeed outline the ancients' understanding of this enormous thing.

These records are mainly found in local gazetteers from the Ming and Qing dynasties, especially those from coastal provinces such as Guangdong and Fujian.

For example, the Nanhai County Gazetteer of Guangdong records: "The sea fin has a large mouth and no scales, and has fleshy fins on its back. The larger ones are tens of feet long. Fishermen devise ways to catch them because their skin, flesh, fat and oil are all useful."

The language is concise, yet it highlights the enormous size of whales and the ancients' initial understanding of their value.

The Fujianese book "Min Xiao Ji" provides a slightly more detailed account, mentioning that during the Ming Dynasty, if fishermen along the Fujian coast encountered whales approaching the shore, they would gather multiple small boats to surround and attack them, using specially made javelins, huge fishing spears, and even powerful bows and crossbows to hunt them down. The process was extremely dangerous.

Perhaps the most famous example is a record in the "Chaozhou Prefecture Gazetteer" of Guangdong:
Around the time of Emperor Qianlong, dozens of giant whales, while chasing schools of fish or influenced by ocean currents, strayed into the relatively enclosed waters of Zhelin Bay in Chaozhou Prefecture.

Seeing this, the local garrison and fishermen saw it as a golden opportunity. They joined forces, using hundreds of small boats, and spent more than ten days hunting down most of the whales using various methods such as fire, spears, and knives and axes.

The whale oil and fish meat obtained afterwards piled up like mountains, becoming a huge fortune for the local area.

However, such incidents are more sporadic than a regular, organized industry practice.

At this point, some people may ask: if whales are so valuable, why did ancient China fail to develop a professional whaling industry chain like that of the modern West or Japan?
There are many factors involved.

The primary reason lies in the limitations of grassroots power.

Hunting an adult whale, especially a large whale species such as a fin whale or sperm whale, is an extremely dangerous activity that requires a high degree of organization and specialized equipment.

Whales don't always stay near the shore; they spend more time swimming in the deep sea where food is plentiful.

Most of the fishing boats used by ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty were small to medium-sized wooden sailboats with poor resistance to wind and waves and limited endurance. They were simply not capable of tracking and hunting whales in the open ocean.

Therefore, almost without exception, all recorded whaling incidents in history occurred when whales themselves approached the coastline or even strayed into the shallow waters of a bay.

Just like the scene we are witnessing now, the whale pod has appeared right in the near-shore shipping lane.

The lack of long-distance sailing capabilities and specialized hunting tools makes it difficult for private individuals to carry out large-scale, regular whaling.

Secondly, it lies in the functional positioning of the official navy.

After the Zheng He era, the core mission of the Ming Dynasty navy gradually solidified into military and security tasks such as coastal defense, escorting grain transport, and investigating smuggling.

The design of naval warships, the configuration of their armaments, and the training of their officers and soldiers were all centered around naval warfare and patrols.

Although naval warships are large in tonnage and equipped with cannons, theoretically capable of attacking whales, it is clearly inconsistent with the main function of a country's regular navy to devote its precious manpower, ammunition and time to whaling, which is regarded as "fishing" rather than "military". It is also unlikely to gain the support of the court.

Of course, if a giant whale is encountered that is obviously aggressive and seriously threatens the safety of the shipping route or the fishing operations of fishermen, it is reasonable for the navy to drive it away or kill it for the purpose of escorting or eliminating the threat.

This is similar to the scene in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" where Cao Cao's navy shoots down a giant fish to demonstrate their martial prowess while he is looking at the sea, suggesting this possibility.

However, the likelihood of making it a regular task is extremely low.

However, these historical constraints were instantly reassessed and restructured in Zhu Cilang's mind.

Zheng Zhilong's words, "every part of him is a treasure" and "even a medium-sized head can produce tens of thousands of kilograms of meat," illuminated a huge problem in his mind like lightning—food!
Or more precisely, it's meat! It's fat! It's protein!

The Ming Dynasty is desperately short of food!
Years of natural disasters, wars, and the strain on the empire's massive army and bureaucracy have kept the empire's food supply in a state of constant strain.

Although sweet potatoes and potatoes have become widespread, they cannot be grown in every place, and meat is a luxury.

The army's food and pay were barely enough, let alone enough to ensure that the soldiers could regularly eat meat to maintain their physical strength.

If there were a vast animal resource that existed in nature without the need for farming or animal husbandry, and could be utilized on a large scale, it would greatly alleviate food pressure! And looking at the whole world, what animal is larger than a whale?

An adult fin whale can weigh tens or even hundreds of tons, which translates to tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of kilograms!
Even if the edible meat and fat only account for half of its body weight, that still means tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of kilograms of meat!

What an astonishing number!

The thought of those colossal beasts swimming in the sea, each one a moving mountain of flesh, made Zhu Cilang's heart race involuntarily, and his eyes gleamed with the light of discovering a vast treasure.

As for the environmental protection concepts that later generations listed whales as protected animals and strictly prohibited commercial whaling, they had no binding force on Zhu Cilang in the late Ming Dynasty, an era in which survival was paramount.

Faced with the threat of famine for hundreds of millions of people, the rational development and utilization of marine resources to alleviate the urgent crisis is undeniably justified.

At this moment, he was contemplating the practical issues of survival and development.

Of course, he was also keenly aware of the technical challenges he faced, such as the fact that whale meat is rich in oil and highly perishable, making preservation and transportation crucial.

But this was no challenge for Zhu Cilang, who came from the information age.

Two well-established solutions immediately came to mind:

One method was to utilize the abundant salt available in the Ming Dynasty, cutting whale meat into pieces, salting it in large quantities, and then drying or smoking it to make dried meat or salted fish. This method was low-cost, easy to store and transport over long distances, and could be used as military rations and civilian reserves.

Secondly, there is a more technically demanding method – canning!
Although the word "canned food" sounds modern, the principle behind it is not complicated:
Food is sealed in containers and sterilized by heating to achieve long-term preservation. With the existing handicraft industry base of the Ming Dynasty, it was fully capable of manufacturing rudimentary sealed earthenware jars or glass jars.

The most crucial step of heating and sterilization now has a new help: the steam engine!
By utilizing steam to provide stable and controllable high temperatures, it is entirely possible to achieve mass production of canned goods.

If successful, this canned whale meat with a shelf life of several months or even years will become an ideal high-protein military ration for supplying troops at the front lines. It will not only greatly improve the soldiers' diet and enhance their physical strength, but also reduce their dependence on food transportation from the rear, which is a win-win situation!
The more Zhu Cilang thought about it, the more excited he became.

Moreover, the value of whales extends far beyond their meat! Zheng Zhilong's statement that "every part of a whale is a treasure" is no exaggeration:

Pure whale oil, refined from whale oil, is an extremely high-quality lighting fuel. It is bright and produces less smoke, far exceeding traditional vegetable oils and beeswax. There is huge market demand for it. It can also be used as a raw material for mechanical lubrication, leather treatment, and even soap making, making it extremely valuable.

Besides being consumed, fish meat and offal can also be processed into feed or fertilizer, promoting the development of animal husbandry and agriculture with almost no waste.

Whale baleen is an excellent material for making umbrella ribs, crinolines, brushes, and even parts for certain precision instruments.

Skin and bones can be tanned into special leathers used to make armor, horse harnesses, and boots.

Whale bones can be ground into bone meal and used in medicine or as phosphate fertilizer.

This is practically a fully-fledged "biological factory" that roams freely in the ocean!
Once its comprehensive development and utilization potential is formed into an industry, the economic benefits it brings and its supporting role for the national economy and people's livelihood will be immeasurable!

Just as Zhu Cilang was immersed in this exciting blueprint, a surprised question from the Chongzhen Emperor beside him brought him back to reality.

"Minister Zheng,"

Emperor Chongzhen's voice was filled with disbelief as he pointed to the enormous, dark shadows that were faintly visible on the distant sea, spewing forth bursts of water:
"Can such a colossal creature really be hunted and killed by human power?"

Emperor Chongzhen's question represented the most direct feeling of the vast majority of people who witnessed the power of a whale for the first time.

Faced with such an absolute difference in size and strength, individual bravery seems so insignificant.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Zhilong immediately restrained the slight casualness he had displayed when speaking with Zhu Cilang, and turned to Chongzhen with a resolute and respectful expression, replying:
"Your Majesty, it is indeed possible! In my early years, when I roamed the seas, I participated in and even commanded the hunt for lone giant whales. Although the process was dangerous, as long as the methods were appropriate, the equipment was excellent, and the crew was brave, a successful hunt was not impossible."

To make his argument more convincing, he even gave a personal example:

"I remember about ten years ago, off the coast of Fujian and Zhejiang, we encountered a huge sperm whale, which was probably seven or eight zhang long! My men sailed a small boat close to it and used a specially made steel fork with barbed barbs to stab its vitals. We fought with it for a whole day and finally exhausted its strength before we were able to drag it back."

"That one fish alone produced enough oil to fill dozens of large barrels, and the fish meat was enough to feed all the crew members and the people on shore for several months with a surplus! Its meat production was truly astonishing!"

"Tens of thousands of pounds of meat? Enough to last for months?"

When Emperor Chongzhen heard the specific figure, his eyes widened even more, his face filled with shock. For an emperor who was well aware of the preciousness of grain and often worried about empty treasuries and shortages of provisions, the impact of this number was enormous.

He seemed to see granaries moving on the ocean!
Just then, Zhu Cilang also snapped out of his reverie.

He realized that this was an excellent opportunity for practice and demonstration.

He then looked at Zheng Zhilong, his tone carrying an undeniable expectation, and said:

"Father-in-law, since you have such experience and there is a pod of whales here, could you demonstrate how to hunt one down, so that Father Emperor, I, and all the accompanying officials and soldiers can witness firsthand the prowess and skill of the Ming Dynasty navy in hunting sea monsters?"

Upon hearing the Crown Prince's sudden request, Zheng Zhilong's face immediately showed a hint of difficulty.

He bowed respectfully and replied:

“Your Highness, it is not that I am unwilling to serve, but whaling is time-consuming, laborious, and quite risky. It requires the deployment of special small boats, the selection of brave and skilled soldiers, and the preparation of special equipment to fight and contend with the giant whale. It may take one or two hours at the shortest, and possibly more than half a day at the longest.”

"The fleet is currently escorting His Majesty on his southern tour, and the journey is urgent. If the trip is delayed because of this matter, it would be inappropriate."

"How about we wait until we arrive in Nanjing and the situation stabilizes, then I will organize a team to demonstrate this to Your Majesty and Your Highness?"

Zheng Zhilong's concerns were reasonable, as the Southern Tour was, after all, a major national event.

However, before Zhu Cilang could speak again, Emperor Chongzhen, who was standing to the side, had already been aroused with great curiosity and potential hope of solving the food problem.

He waved his hand, his tone carrying an air of undeniable interest:
"Minister Zheng, you are overthinking it. Although the southern tour is important, it won't make a difference if we take half a day or a day. I am also very curious about this matter and would like to see with my own eyes how the soldiers of my Great Ming Dynasty will slay this giant beast from the ancient books! I grant your permission!"

With the emperor's word, Zheng Zhilong could no longer refuse.

Moreover, he immediately realized that this was not only a matter of satisfying the curiosity of the emperor and the crown prince, but also an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the strength of the navy and highlight the value of the ocean to the supreme ruler!

He immediately bowed and accepted the order:
"Since Your Majesty has decreed it, I will gladly die for it! I will immediately go and make the arrangements, and I will ensure that the Ming Navy presents Your Majesty with a spectacular whale-hunting exercise!"

"Wait a minute."

Chongzhen seemed to have thought of something else and added:
"Make arrangements. The Crown Prince and I will move to the forward-deployed ships to observe the battle from a closer perspective!"

"This"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Zhilong was startled.

Watching from close range? That's risky! When a giant whale struggles in its death throes, the waves it creates could capsize a small boat! He was about to offer some advice when he saw that Chongzhen's attitude was resolute, and Zhu Cilang also cast a tacitly approving glance.

Zheng Zhilong then thought that if safety could be ensured, allowing the emperor to personally experience the grandeur of the ocean and the bravery of the navy would undoubtedly be the best outcome.

He had no choice but to grit his teeth and agree:
"Your Majesty, I obey! I will make meticulous arrangements to ensure the absolute safety of Your Majesty and His Highness!"

"Okay! Go and make the arrangements immediately!"

Emperor Chongzhen nodded in satisfaction. (End of Chapter)