I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 352 Ye Shiyun: Your Majesty, you must teach your sons to repay your parents' kindness.

...

Zhao Kai is lucky.

It's worth noting that Columbus discovered the New World in 1492.

However, for more than three hundred years until the eighteenth century, Europeans had not yet discovered San Francisco Bay.

This is mainly because, in the 16th and 17th centuries, European colonists often used the "Atlantic-East Coast of America" ​​route, while San Francisco Bay was on the west coast. At that time, the Panama Canal had not yet been built, and to get from the east coast to the west coast, one had to go around Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America.

Cape Horn is located at the southernmost tip of South America. Its harsh climate and frequent storms and waves made it an extremely challenging route for navigation at the time, which made Europeans reluctant to explore the west coast for a long time.

Besides the fact that San Francisco Bay is located on the west coast, making it difficult to reach San Francisco Bay if traveling on the "Atlantic-East Coast of America" ​​route, the entrance to San Francisco Bay is also blocked by the San Francisco Peninsula. When viewed directly from the sea, if the ship has not reached the Golden Gate Strait directly in front, it can only see the Pacific coast (with many cliffs and shoals) on the west side of the peninsula, and cannot perceive the bay behind it.

Of course, this is also because the core objective of the Pacific shipping routes in the 16th and 17th centuries was "trade" rather than "geographical exploration".

At that time, Spain's Pacific shipping routes were centered on the "Manila Galleon Trade" (from Acapulco, Mexico to Manila, Philippines), with the main focus on transoceanic transport of silver and spices. Exploration of the western coast of the Northern Princes was only a "side business," and the focus was on the vicinity of known Mexican colonies (such as San Diego), without actively searching for unknown bays to the north.

The Dutch and British Pacific expeditions, on the other hand, aimed to find the Northwest Passage (the Arctic route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans), focusing their attention on high-latitude regions and paying less attention to the low-latitude San Francisco Bay area.

In addition, before the 18th century, European nautical surveying relied on "astronomical positioning" (calculating latitude through the solar altitude angle) and "dead reckoning" (estimating position through speed and course), which had large errors. Furthermore, the narrow mouth of San Francisco Bay (only 1.6 kilometers) further reduced the probability of "accidental discovery".

Zhao Kai, however, was different.

First of all, Zhao Kai came from Asia and took the "Pacific-West Coast of America" ​​route, which is not far from San Francisco Bay.

Secondly, with Li Lin as their living map guide, Zhao Kai's fleet ventured to approach the coast (even landing to reconnoiter) when they reached the west coastline, breaking the safety convention of "offshore navigation".

Furthermore, Zhao Kailai arrived at a good time, avoiding the interference of weather conditions such as sea fog and storms.

This allowed Zhao Kai to quickly locate the California region.

At this time, the California region was still in the stage of primitive tribal society.

Geographically, the western coast is a narrow coastal mountain range with scattered river valleys and mudflats between the mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Tribes such as the Chumash and Oron live there, relying on fishing and hunting. They make tools and ornaments from seashells and catch fish in dugout canoes. The eastern part consists of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Colorado Plateau, with an arid climate. Nomadic tribes such as the Pauit and Mojave migrate with the water sources and live by gathering berries and hunting small mammals.

The region lacked a unified government, and tribes were distinguished by language and totems. There was occasional trade but no large-scale cooperation, and no writing system or metal smelting technology was developed. It was clearly disconnected from the development of civilization in Eurasia.

The San Francisco Bay area is precisely the "geographical essence" of this original landscape.

The San Francisco Peninsula acts as a barrier, separating the bay from the Pacific Ocean. Although the Golden Gate Strait at the bay's entrance is narrow, it creates a calm and tranquil body of water within the bay. At high tide, seawater rushes in and mixes with freshwater from the surrounding rivers, forming brackish wetlands and mudflats that thrive with abundant fish, waterbirds, and shellfish.

On the eastern side of the peninsula, along the bay coast, there are low hills and gentle valleys covered with oak and coniferous forests. Streams between the hills provide a steady supply of fresh water. At this time, the Oron people lived here, building thatched huts and fishing on the mudflats with sharpened wooden poles, completely unaware of the approaching outsiders.

Ok.

Zhao Kai's process of finding San Francisco Bay was more like "verification under precise positioning".

Following the coordinates marked for him by Li Lin before departure, the fleet sailed north along the west coast of the Northern Prince Continent for several days. He then ordered the shipwrights to shorten the distance from the shore, maintaining a route of only about three nautical miles.

This was almost a risky voyage at that time, as the ship was often rocked by the near-shore currents, and the lookout had to keep a close eye on the reefs at all times.

When they reached the vicinity of the marked area, Zhao Kai remembered that Li Lin had specifically reminded him to "pay attention to the special landforms of the peninsula's protrusions." He then ordered two fast boats to scout ahead, while they stood on the deck of the main ship, using a telescope to examine the area and a sextant and quadrant to measure the latitude. They found the 37 degrees north latitude that Li Lin had repeatedly mentioned and compared it repeatedly with the marked data.

When the scout boat reported that "there seems to be a surging current at the end of the peninsula ahead, and the coastlines on both sides suddenly turn inward," Zhao Kai and his team immediately used binoculars to check the area and sent a small boat closer to examine it in detail.

At this moment, the sun shone brightly and the sea fog dissipated. Zhao Kai personally climbed the mast to look out and saw that the strait at the end of the peninsula was like a "rift valley". Seawater rushed in from both sides, but the inside of the strait was not the land he had expected, but a wide expanse of water.

The small boat sent out by Yue Kai slowly passed through the strait and entered the bay. Someone exclaimed, "The water here is calm and deep enough to anchor the boat," and immediately returned to report to Zhao Kai.

Upon receiving the report, Zhao Kai ordered the entire fleet to enter the area.

As they sailed into the strait, Zhao Kai stood at the bow, gazing at the pristine vegetation on both banks and the figures of the indigenous people moving about on the mudflats, confirming that this was indeed the San Francisco Bay that his mother, Zhang Chun, had described as "a place that could serve as a long-term base."

—In fact, this was not a chance discovery, but a targeted arrival at the original geography by the time traveler after mastering geographical information.

Upon arriving at their destination, Zhao Kai ordered his men to immediately establish a base and continue exploring the area, striving to find the gold mine as soon as possible...

……

Unlike Zhao Kai, who arrived at his destination so smoothly, Zhao Cheng's journey to Florida was far more arduous.

When they reached the Panama region, Zhao Cheng looked at the map of the Prince's Continent drawn by Li Lin and couldn't help but think how wonderful it would be if this place could be opened up.

At that moment, Zhao Cheng made up his mind that once his power had grown to a certain level, he would definitely dig the Panama Canal. It took Zhao Cheng's fleet three whole months to sail from the west coast to the east coast.

During this time, Zhao Cheng's fleet almost perished at Cape Horn. Fortunately, Zhao Cheng's ships were equipped with steam engines, otherwise it would have been impossible to overcome the raging winds and waves at Cape Horn.

After leaving Cape Horn, Zhao Cheng gave the place the terrifying name "Death Corner".

After sailing along the east coast for more than a month, Zhao Tang finally arrived in Florida with his fleet.

To be honest, Zhao Cheng once doubted whether they could even reach Florida alive. Would they just perish at sea at any moment? He even began to doubt whether Zhang Chun was his biological mother. Could he have been adopted? Later, his mother Zhang Chun gave birth to Zhao Kai and other biological children. Seeing him as an eyesore, she gave him this wrong instruction, letting him die in the ocean tens of thousands of miles away from home.

It wasn't until he arrived in Florida and explored the area briefly that Zhao Cheng realized Zhang Chun was his biological mother, who had chosen an excellent place for him to rise to prominence.

Located at the southeastern tip of the Northern Princes continent, this place is shaped like a curved knife plunging into the ocean. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the west, and faces Cuba across the strait to the south, occupying a strategic position where the two oceans meet.

Its geographical layout is completely different from the mountainous and ocean-oriented California. The entire territory is mainly plains, with low hills only in the north and swamps and shallows in the south. The terrain is flat and unobstructed, but it is richly endowed by the ocean.

The climate here is hot and humid, belonging to the transitional zone between subtropical and tropical regions, with nearly 300 frost-free days per year and abundant rainfall. The coastal plains are mostly alluvial soils, which are extremely fertile and have excellent water retention due to the humus deposited by the rivers year-round, making them particularly suitable for the growth of rice, sugarcane, and tropical crops. The podzolic soils around the inland swamps are suitable for citrus cultivation. The foundation of the produce that would later be known as the "Sunshine State" was already hidden in this primeval land.

In other words, this place is a natural granary; occupying this place ensures a continuous supply of the most important food.

Furthermore, compared to the scattered tribes of California, the indigenous populations of Florida are more concentrated. The northern part is inhabited by the Appalachians, primarily engaged in agriculture. They have mastered pottery making, timber-framed settlements, and while their techniques for cultivating corn and pumpkins are not as refined as those of the Central Plains, they have established a stable agricultural system. The southern Kalusa people are skilled hunters and fishermen, navigating the islands and swamps in canoes, using bone tools to catch shellfish. Their tribal alliances are beginning to take shape, and their population density is about three times that of the California coast. Although these indigenous people lack metal tools, their utilization of the land and climate is methodical, providing valuable survival experience for newcomers.

Crucially, this provided Zhao Cheng with the population to rule and the labor force to develop.

Its advantage as a fiefdom lies in its geographical location. Its eastern ports offer direct access to the Atlantic Ocean, while its western ports, via the Gulf of Mexico, connect to the heart of the northern princely mainland. The southern strait provides a shortcut to the Caribbean Sea.

If a city were built and troops stationed here, it would not only be possible to control shipping routes between the two oceans, but also to develop self-sufficient agriculture based on the plains.

Unlike San Francisco Bay, which is a natural harbor, Florida is a comprehensive hub with both maritime and land advantages. It has the potential for maritime trade and enough arable land to support population growth, which perfectly meets the core needs of feudal fiefdoms for "defending and expanding their territory".

The dense forests and swamps that Zhao Cheng saw when he landed were actually granaries waiting to be cultivated and waterways waiting to be opened up. The value of this land was hidden in the humid winds and fertile soil.

Most importantly, getting here is too difficult now, so most of his brothers will definitely choose to land on the west coast where it is easier to establish a foothold. That would leave him alone on the east coast, allowing him to obtain more resources in a short period of time.

'This is my mother's good intention!'

After selecting a suitable location, Zhao Cheng immediately instructed his civil officials to lead the soldiers and laborers to cultivate wasteland and plant grains and various crops.

At the same time, Zhao Cheng personally selected suitable areas to build ports and cities.

What Zhao Cheng didn't know was that shortly after they arrived in Florida, the local Native Americans discovered them.

These Native Americans saw that the Song Dynasty's treasure ships were larger than their temples, and that Zhao Cheng and his entourage wore exquisite silk, while ordinary people wore durable cotton clothes. The Song soldiers' armor was even more refined, and there were also pocket watches, matches, bicycles, all sorts of advanced tools and agricultural implements. They misjudged the Song Dynasty's "technological advantage" as "supernatural power," and thus developed awe.

Some bold Native Americans voluntarily gave Zhao Cheng and his group their most precious resources, such as gold ornaments, cocoa beans (the currency of Native Americans), feather cloaks, and jade statues.

In tribal culture, these supplies are either "sacrificial objects" or "symbols of power," and the act of giving them is essentially a gesture of goodwill towards the gods.

Some Native Americans even offered Zhao Cheng and his group guides and laborers, and even had tribal members "serve" the colonists. For example, some tribes would have young men help Zhao Cheng and his group move supplies and reclaim wasteland, while women would be responsible for cooking and drinking, and even take the initiative to serve the colonists in bed.

Faced with the posture adopted by the Native Americans, Zhao Tang and his group were somewhat bewildered.

However, on the way there, Zhao Cheng had already heard Zhao Cang say that when the natives of Cang Island first saw their ships, they dared not let their feet touch the ground directly (believing that "the feet of gods cannot touch mortal soil"), and would lay down fur or cloth for them to walk on; some tribes also forbade their members to touch their weapons, believing that they were "tools of the gods".

After discussing with his advisors, Zhao Cheng decided to take advantage of the "naivety" of the Native Americans by gifting them small mirrors and toys that were common in the Song Dynasty, thus persuading them to help them reclaim wasteland and build cities and ports...

At the same time, Zhao Yu successively dispatched dozens of his sons, ordering them to lead fleets loaded with supplies to the Prince's Continent, just like Zhao Xiu, Zhao Da, Zhao Tang, and Zhao Kai who had set off earlier, to expand the territory of the Song Dynasty...

It is worth mentioning that Zhao Yu also sent many of his sons, like Zhao Cang, to Southeast Asia to take over important territories, including Huazhu.

In other words, although Zhao Yu had not yet begun to implement the large-scale enfeoffment system, he had actually already taken action in secret.

Furthermore, to ensure his son could always reach the Prince's Continent safely, Zhao Yu continuously sent people to strengthen the construction of the shipping routes along the way, making the routes increasingly safe.

As a result, Zhao Yu spent money like water. So much so that even someone as wealthy as him saw his wallet shrink at a visible rate.

Seeing this, Ye Shiyun, who was in charge of Zhao Yu's purse, came to Zhao Yu and said bluntly, "Your Majesty, you need to teach your sons to repay their kindness, otherwise, your money won't last for many more years..."

……

(End of this chapter)