bookrandom Chapter 267 Going to sea
Chapter 267 Going to sea
"What's the matter with you coming to see me?" Yun Zhi asked Tang Qiuwan who came to her hurriedly after court.
Tang Qiuwan's excitement has been suppressed a lot now, but there is still a glimmer of excitement in his eyes.
"Your Majesty, your decision is extremely wise. Anguo will surely undergo earth-shaking changes because of it." Tang Qiuwan said excitedly.
"Oh?" Yun Zhi raised her eyebrows slightly. "Lord Tang, are you saying that in your history, there were emperors who made similar decisions? And who successfully found a country to establish diplomatic relations with, thus bringing prosperity to their country?"
"Yes!" Tang Qiuwan said excitedly, "There are several examples of this in our history. They traded with other countries and brought back new technologies and abundant resources, which greatly enhanced the country's strength."
"In fact, I have considered asking Your Majesty to try this before, but the country's strength was not good at that time, so I planned to raise this matter with Your Majesty a few years later. I never expected Your Majesty to propose an exploration trip today. I am truly thrilled."
As if she had thought of something, her mood dropped a little. "It's just that, in the history of our world, there's no An Kingdom, no previous Tianqi Kingdom, and not even any previous dynasties. This seems to be a parallel world that was created out of thin air, completely independent, and the geographical distribution is also different."
"If the geographical locations are similar, I can directly draw a world map, so we don't have to take the risk of exploring bit by bit."
Yun Zhi heard this and looked at the depressed and somewhat guilty Tang Qiuwan, and couldn't help but chuckle, "My dear Tang, nothing in this world goes as planned. If it weren't for you, the unification of Anguo would have been delayed, and more than 60% of the people in the world wouldn't have to go hungry. You've done a great job."
Tang Qiuwan's ears began to turn red uncontrollably after hearing His Majesty's praise. "Your Majesty, I am too kind. I have only done my duty."
"Lord Tang, you are too modest."
After saying this, Yun Zhi paused for a moment, "You didn't come to me to talk about this, did you?"
Speaking of business, Tang Qiuwan's expression immediately became serious. "Your Majesty, I would like to join you on this voyage. In all the years I've been here, I haven't found anything like sweet potatoes, corn, or potatoes. I suspect it's the same as my previous history; these things are all on other continents."
Yun Zhi became interested when she heard these strange things coming out of Tang Qiuwan's mouth.
"What are these?"
Tang Qiuwan took a deep breath and began to describe it to Yun Zhi in vivid detail.
"Your Majesty, these are all crops that can be eaten as staple food, and they have high yields."
"Sweet potatoes are sweet and can be cooked in many ways. When ripe, they are at least as big as an adult man's fist. They are drought-resistant and can withstand barren soil. They can be grown in both mountainous areas and sandy land. The planting method is also very simple, just cuttings."
"Corn is just a long cob. You can grow a lot of corn from one cob, and it can adapt to a variety of land environments."
"Potatoes are also easy to grow. Just cut the sprouted potatoes into small pieces and plant them. One potato can be cut into several pieces, and one piece can produce many fruits. Potatoes are also very filling."
"If these can be introduced into our country, the people's food and clothing will be more secure. Even areas without much paddy fields can rely on growing these to feed themselves. In this way, another 10% to 20% of the people will no longer suffer from hunger."
As he spoke, Tang Qiuwan became more and more excited, as if he had already witnessed such a prosperous scene.
Yun Zhi was also attracted by Tang Qiuwan's description. There was a hint of longing in her eyes, and her words were filled with emotion.
"If that's the case, that would be great."
"Your Majesty, there are more than that. Besides these, there are also useful things, such as rubber. It is elastic and waterproof, and can be used to make soles of shoes, wheels, raincoats, etc."
After hearing her words, Yun Zhi nodded thoughtfully.
Yun Zhi raised her eyelids and looked at her. "It's too dangerous to go out to sea this time. My dear, just tell them what these things look like. You don't have to go there yourself. Or you can wait until they have explored the route before going."
Tang Qiuwan quickly knelt down and said sincerely:
"I understand your majesty's concerns, but I still want to go. I understand these things best. I'm not a good painter, and I'm afraid they won't be able to tell the difference verbally. As for when they come back from exploring the area, I'll go there. If there aren't any crops there, that's fine."
"If there is, the time it takes to explore the route plus my return journey, I don't know how long it will take. Two years, three years, or even longer, I don't know. But I know many people will starve to death in the meantime. I dare not gamble."
"Even if I die in this sea, I will not regret it. Now that Lord Wei has inherited my true teachings, I have no worries. I hope Your Majesty will grant me this."
Yun Zhi looked at Tang Qiuwan who was kneeling on the ground, with an unreadable expression.
I do not know how long it has been.
"Get up, I agree. But please be careful on your way. I await your safe return."
Tang Qiuwan burst into tears of gratitude and kowtowed again, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will be careful and prudent and will not fail in my mission."
"Go down and get ready."
Tang Qiuwan stood up and took his leave, "I obey your command. May your majesty be well."
From this day on, the court began to make intensive preparations for the voyage.
After everything was ready, Tang Qiuwan and Cai Qin rushed to the coast with all kinds of supplies.
……
Coastal, Fuyou County.
After reading the notice that day, Li Daniu excitedly went home and told his parents, wife and children about it.
As expected, the whole family opposed it.
Li Daniu's father frowned and said, "Daniu, going out to sea is no joke. If you're not careful, you could be killed."
The mother beside him advised with red eyes: "Yes, your father is right, you can't go there."
As for his wife who was pregnant, she just wiped her tears silently and could not say a word.
Li Daniu felt a little uncomfortable when he saw his family's reactions.
But looking at my parents whose hair has turned gray and whose backs are becoming more and more bent due to years of hard work.
The wife had a big belly, thin limbs and a haggard face.
There were also two children who were playing but looked pale and thin.
Li Daniu hardened his heart and pretended that it was no big deal.
"Dad, Mom, and wife, don't think everything is so bad. We were also in danger when we fished before. We can earn two hundred taels of silver in just one or two years. Besides, the government may not accept me even if I apply."
How could the father not see that his son had made up his mind? He sighed and said, "Son, you are determined to go."
Li Daniu nodded firmly, "Dad, I want our family to live a good life."
The mother wiped her tears and said, "Then you must be careful."
Li Daniu's wife finally spoke: "Dad, the child and I will be waiting for you to come back."
Later, Li Daniu was successfully selected due to his excellent swimming skills and strong physique, and the officials also kept their promise.
The one hundred taels of silver were given to him on the day he was chosen.
After enough people were recruited, they all gathered together to start training.
In order to increase his chances of survival, Li Daniu is studying very hard.
In a blink of an eye, the time to set sail was set.
Two days before they were due to go out to sea, the government released them to reunite with their families.
In the past two days, Li Daniu and his family did not go anywhere and stayed at home.
Li Daniu spends most of his time with his family.
On the day of departure, Li Daniu, carrying his bag, looked at the tearful people and waved, "Don't worry, I will definitely come back, even if I have to swim."
After saying that, he turned and left.
If he didn't leave now, he was afraid that his family would see the tears flowing uncontrollably from his eyes.
On March 1429, 3, the first sea expedition in history officially set sail.
This voyage made Anguo stronger and laid a solid foundation for it to become the most powerful country in the future.