Volume 3: Confrontation! The Run of Civilization Chapter 429 Students' Ambition
"Your Majesty, we had 500 rubber plants on board on our return trip, but we lost 160 of them when the Shunqing was sunk. Later, we took a detour and the return journey took too long, so only 65 plants survived after we disembarked in Hainan. We found manors with different soil types, such as thick fertile land, thin barren land, and sandy land, and planted them there. The prefect of Qiongzhou has sent special soldiers to guard them."
"Hahaha, very good! You did a great job! Hey, this trip was really a life-and-death experience. Thank you for your hard work."
"I dare not. Serving the Emperor is our lifelong wish!"
In February 1620, after all the remaining rubber plants on Hainan Island were planted, Zheng Wei, Zhang Hong, Zheng Guangyuan and others were finally able to come to Beijing with their heads held high to report to Zhu Youdong and hand over orders.
Prior to this, the Jinling Daily, which first received the news, had already begun to vigorously promote the 30,000-mile expedition, which was so exciting, and with all the exotic stories along the way, it was itself an excellent legendary text. Zhang Shize had already begun to organize his writers to start literary creation, and according to reports from the East Factory and the Jinyiwei, it was even heard that a folk troupe had begun to arrange operas about this matter, preparing to tour and sing it across the country.
It can be said that this time, Zheng Wei, Zhang Hong and Zheng Guangyuan are going to become truly famous throughout the world.
"I have received all the anacondas, mountain lions, and alpacas that the Taiwan government transported to me on your behalf a few days ago, and I have personally gone to see them."
"Your Majesty, what is an alpaca?"
"Ahem, eh? Aren't those guys who like to roll around in the mud and eat grass called alpacas?"
"...Well, since the emperor gave that alpaca a name, it should be Alpaca."
"Hahaha, just joking. How could I not know that the guy who loves to spit is called an alpaca. Well, let's get on with business. In addition to various animals, I have also received various plants that are native to America. Among these, some crops have been fully planted in the Ming Dynasty, and some are tropical plants, suitable for planting in places like Taiwan Prefecture and Qiongzhou Prefecture. In addition, as for strategic crops such as rubber, after receiving the news last month, I have already sent Song Yingxing to the south to Qiongzhou Prefecture. After these rubbers have recovered, they will begin large-scale planting in the new five states of the Central and Southern Governor's Office.
I am also going to allocate funds from the inner treasury to build a zoo and a botanical garden in the capital city. In the future, my Ming Dynasty will gradually bring animals and plants from all over the world to these two gardens. Let the people of my Ming Dynasty also broaden their horizons and see how many wonderful species there are in the world. Well, a group of bronze statues will be erected on the gates of the Beijing Zoo and Botanical Garden. The three people in the lead will be you three, and the others should also build statues for the warriors who went to sea this time as much as possible!"
"Your Majesty, we are so grateful for your grace!"
"Okay, okay, don't kneel. Didn't I tell you before in Fangshan that except for purely ceremonial things like grand court meetings, you should try not to kneel on your knees."
"Yes, but the thought that we have to build a statue at such a young age makes me feel extremely excited."
"Hahaha, this is what you deserve . Although my Ming Dynasty is generally rich, the world is so big, with different ethnic cultures, geographical climates, countless creatures and even various minerals. All of these require the people of my Ming Dynasty to have the courage to explore and the desire to learn, so that they can keep exploring. I commend you, in fact, I am also encouraging the hundreds of millions of people of my Ming Dynasty to have the courage to go out in the future."
"Yes, Your Majesty, your majesty is sincere. We, your subjects, are in awe of your kindness."
"Well, I heard that there were 620 people in total when you went out to sea this time, but only 413 returned in the end, and 23 of them were disabled for various reasons?"
"Yes, we are not good at leading the team. Please punish us, Your Majesty."
"I am not blaming you. In fact, although we have the help of antibiotics and the Age of Exploration has given us a lot of experience in ocean voyages, it is already remarkable that we only lost a few people in such a long expedition. What I mean is that the court will reward the warriors who come back alive, but will never forget the martyrs who died. It is appropriate to provide pensions to their families and treat their children well. Even their spirits will be placed in the Martyrs' Shrine."
"Yes, we thank the emperor for his compassion for the soldiers. We have also discussed that the three of us will deliver the relief to the brothers who failed to return one by one."
“As it should be.”
At this point, the voyage to America basically came to an end. Zhu Youdong stood up, rolled up his sleeves again, and said in a loud voice: "You three have indeed worked hard on this trip. I will grant you three months of leave. While you deliver the pensions to the fallen soldiers, you might as well think carefully about where you want to go next. After all, now you are heroes praised by the whole country, and the court should naturally respect your opinions first."
"Uh, Your Majesty." To Zhu Youdong's surprise, as soon as he finished speaking, the three of them stood up at the same time.
"Huh? Why, have you guys thought it through?"
"Hehe." Zheng Wei, who was the most outgoing among them, smiled foolishly: "Your Majesty, life on the ship, except for the few days of fighting, is actually very boring most of the time. The three of us have already discussed it."
"Well, Zheng Wei, tell me first, where do you want to go ?"
"If Your Majesty permits, please let me go to Southeast Asia. Your Majesty, through this voyage, I deeply feel the importance of Luzon's geographical location. If Luzon is in the hands of our Ming Dynasty, it will be much easier for us to sail to America or go south to the Johor Islands in the future. When I go to Southeast Asia, I will first find a way to find out the situation around Luzon and make friends with the natives on Luzon Island. As long as Your Majesty gives an order in the future, I will take Luzon for Your Majesty!"
"Hmm..." Zhu Youdong thought for a moment and then said, "I used to think that with the steam engine, my Ming Dynasty would soon be able to build ironclad ships. Who knew that in the past one or two years, I realized that the development of ironclad ships is not so easy. So in the past two years, the two major shipyards in Binhai and Changsha are still building sailing warships. Let's put it this way. Sun Chuanting and Chen Xiaotian in Taiwan have repeatedly reported that the indigenous people along the coast of Taitung are colluding with the indigenous people in the mountains and are not obedient to the king. In addition, they are roaming along the coast, which is very troublesome. I will form a Taiwan fleet for you to command. You will be stationed in Tainan first. While helping Sun Chuanting and others stabilize Taiwan, you will also investigate Luzon."
"Yes, I thank the emperor for his help."
"Haha, this is a tough job. Okay, Zhang Hong, what about you?"
"Your Majesty, I heard that the court will soon send a large number of troops to Mongolia and the Western Regions? Hehe, can I be sent to a town in the new army to serve as a lieutenant general? Even if the new army is difficult to arrange, the Beijing Camp and the Tengxiang Four Guards will also be fine."
"Well..." Zhu Youdong smiled and spread his hands: "No, it's not possible. It's already February, and the troops have to be dispatched in early March. Now all the troops have been mobilized, and the chief officers of each department are all in place. I can't make any arrangements at this time."
"ah?!"
"Hahaha~" Zhu Youdong patted Zhang Hong on the shoulder as he looked frustrated. "This is what I think. In the future, there will be no shortage of landing battles and beach operations in the Ming Dynasty. The army alone is still a little inadequate for these battles. I plan to set up a new army called the Marine Corps, which will be responsible for amphibious operations in the future. You are the first commander of the Marine Corps that I have reserved."
"Ah?!" The frustration just now was completely gone, and Zhang Hong, jumped up all of a sudden: "Your Majesty, this is what I wish for in my heart! Thank you for your help. Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will definitely train this unit well for Your Majesty. When Hongyuan's fleet lands in Luzon in the future, my unit will be the vanguard!"
"Well, as long as you like it." Then Zhu Youdong turned his head gently: "Su Hua, what about you?"
Zheng Guangyuan took a step forward and said, "Your Majesty, after my trip to America, I realized how big the world is and how strange all things are. If Your Majesty permits, please let me retire. I plan to spend the rest of my life traveling to the ends of the earth and compiling a great encyclopedia. In this book, I want to include the customs and practices of all parts of the world, unique species, historical allusions, and topography..."
"Hahaha~ I am very pleased that Su Hua has such an ambition!" Zhu Youdong was really happy to hear such words: "Just don't say anything about retirement. I will appoint you as a regular attendant of the imperial guards, give you a certain amount of manpower and funds, and support you to travel around the world. In addition, I will also recruit someone to assist you. With him, I believe that doing this will be twice as effective with half the effort!"
"Oh ? May I ask your Majesty, who is this person?"
"This man is Xu Hongzu, with the courtesy name Zhenzhi and the pseudonym Xiake. He is from Jiangyin, Nanzhili, and is 33 years old this year. He should be the top geographer, traveler, and writer in our Ming Dynasty. I will call him to Beijing. In the meantime, you should make some preparations in advance. With the title of Palace Attendant, you will be able to get help and protection from the government in any place in our Ming Dynasty or its vassal states. In this way, I believe you will be able to achieve success quickly! I look forward to the early publication of the Encyclopedia!"
