Volume 5: Fellow Traveler Chapter 871: Swarm
The conversation between the emperor and his ministers in the Qianqing Palace should have been kept secret, after all, leaking the forbidden words has always been a serious crime. However, it was different when it came to an emperor who did not follow the usual path. At the emperor's instruction, the news of sending a large number of official ships on a long voyage spread like wildfire, which immediately caused a sensation in the capital.
Then, another piece of news shocked everyone. It was obvious that such a large-scale voyage would cost money, food and manpower, but the emperor actually claimed that he would not use the national treasury, but would use a fleet that had been established since the reign of Emperor Taizu and formally formed during the reign of Emperor Taizong, and now had 18 ships, as well as all the crew members to complete the task.
The fleet was a secret kept by the royal family in the past. High-ranking officials in the court had heard of it vaguely, but low-ranking officials knew nothing about it. Among the people, there were only some people who talked about it in secret, but most of them would be invited to the government office for tea, so over time it became a tacit secret. Therefore, facing this huge move, no one knew how many people were talking about it.
Not only ordinary people, but even the children of upper-class officials started gossiping. Especially Lu Sanlang, who was very interested in making money, beat his chest and stamped his feet, thinking that the cultural industry he was so proud of was nothing compared to the business acumen of Taizu and Taizong.
Of course, he was beaten by Zhu Ying the next moment - can the capital be compared, can the status be compared? Since neither can be compared, then don't envy the two's preparations for a rainy day, let alone marvel at the courage of the current emperor. But those who want to make achievements should think about whether they have the courage to risk being buried in the belly of fish and seek a job in this fleet that has now changed from private to public.
With the deliberate spread of Fatty Lu, Zhu Ying's words quickly spread from one person to ten, and then to a hundred, and became a well-known secret. No one knew how many people were secretly calculating and thinking about it.
Although some of the children of officials are well-fed and happy all day long, there are also some who are not good at either literature or martial arts but think they lack opportunities. Some are even more ambitious but their families have never taken them seriously. They feel that being trapped behind high walls is worse than death, so they plan to break out.
On this day, Duke of Chu Zhang Rui went to the Qianqing Palace and was ordered to set up the Maritime Affairs Department. At the same time, he understood the emperor's hint and knew that he should be prepared to take over the post of Minister of War from Duke of Zhao Zhu Jing at any time - this showed that the emperor was not optimistic about the situation of the old lady. Although he and Duke of Zhao Zhu Jing did have a grudge, he still had some respect for the old lady.
Therefore, when he left the palace, he did not feel happy about the misfortune, but felt heavy in his heart. Everyone dies since ancient times. Even heroes and heroes will still be buried in the earth when they die. For example, Emperor Taizu, such a great hero, did not know where he was buried when he was old. It is no wonder that the current emperor, who always admired Emperor Taizu, would make such a choice.
As he was thinking, he couldn't help being a little absent-minded when he left the palace. When he heard something wrong and looked up, he found that there was a huge crowd of people in front of him.
Even though he didn't think anyone was so audacious as to surround him, the Duke of Chu, in public, Zhang Rui still frowned slightly, and then took two steps forward instead of retreating. Because he saw a familiar figure among them, that was his nephew, Zhang Wuji, the son of Zhang Qiong, the Earl of Xiangyang, who was a huge man!
He stood there and saw other people retreating, so he asked coldly, "What are you doing?"
When Zhang Dakuo saw his father, Xiangyang Bo Zhang Qiong, he was as timid as a mouse seeing a cat, not to mention his uncle who was even more powerful. But today he was not alone, there were a lot of people behind him, so he couldn't be timid, so even though his back was a little cold, he still mustered up the courage to shout out.
"We are here to volunteer!" Zhang the big guy said as he waved his fist vigorously, as if to encourage himself so that he could smoothly express his inner feelings. "Instead of letting those petty officials who are eyeing these royal ships and seeking personal gain board the ships and ruin the reputation of the court, it is better for us who are not afraid of death to go on board!"
"We are not afraid of death! We will spread the reputation of the Ming Dynasty throughout the world!"
Zhang Rui was both angry and amused, but after hearing what Zhang the big guy said, everyone waved their fists and started shouting. He recognized a few of them who seemed to be from several familiar families of meritorious officials and nobles, but they were the eldest and second in command after all, and he could not remember them without Zhu Jing's photographic memory. At that moment, the scolding that was about to come out of his mouth was swallowed back unconsciously.
Danran stared at these people for a long time. Seeing that some of them timidly lowered their heads to avoid him, but some of them mustered up the courage to look him in the face, he smiled and said, "Volunteering to take on such a dangerous task is indeed a good thing, but let me ask you, how many of you have actually been on a boat?"
"It's not the small boats on the lotus pond in your mansion, nor the stable boats on Shichahai, nor the stable boats on the canal, or even the river boats on the big rivers that are stable most of the time. It's the sea boats that are prone to storms at any time. No matter how skilled the boatman is, he can only leave it to fate and pray for God's help!"
"Do you know that some people can fight on horseback or on foot on land, but when they get on a ship, they vomit like a pool of mud, and in a few days they become extremely thin and have to be carried off sickly? Do you know how many ships of the royal family have sunk in storms or other accidents since the reign of Emperor Taizu, and how many people have died?"
"How many people have survived the near-death experience and escaped?"
Zhang Rui was speechless after hearing these words. He then said with a sneer, "I am not afraid of exposing my own shortcomings. I was the one who vomited all over the ship. Besides, there are many things to learn on board. Instead of blocking me to show my determination, you should go back and find out what happened on the ship."
"Also, look at Master Zhang. While you are all talking about this, he has already suggested opening a new school - to learn foreign languages, to learn how to read the stars at sea, to learn how to save yourself in an emergency, including how novices should not make stupid mistakes on the ship. He expected that some people would want to take a gamble, but before boarding the ship like gambling, they should learn what they should learn first."
Having been frightened by his uncle before, when he heard that it was Zhang Shou's suggestion, the big guy Zhang immediately shut his mouth. Not only everyone else also dared not say a word.
Zhang Rui, a strong and martial man, vomited until he was exhausted after getting on the ship. Did they think that life on the sea was too simple? Building achievements was indeed attractive, but if they couldn't even survive on the ship, there would be no need for a storm, they would just die!
Zhang the big guy watched Zhang Rui walk away in a huff. He stood there hesitating for a long time and wanted to chase after him, but after thinking it over again, he finally ran to the side, found his followers, got on his horse and headed straight for the public school.
As Zhang Shou's genuine student, instead of going to the teacher for advice, would he go to his father to ask for scolding?
When Zhang the Big Guy left, the others looked at each other for a while, and finally someone shouted to follow him. For a moment, a large group of people did not disperse, but went to find their own carriages, and then quickly caught up with Zhang the Big Guy.
Although he was very dissatisfied with these followers, he could not drive them away by scolding them, nor could he beat them... Zhang was not so impulsive and irritable now, and it was strictly forbidden to ride horses on the main roads of the capital to prevent injuries, so after scolding them for a few words, he could only turn his head and pretend he didn't see anything. He hurried out of the city gate and rode to the public school, and he saw Zhang Shou coming out.
This head-on encounter was not good news for him, because he did not want to drag these idlers behind him, so he jumped off his horse and ran forward without thinking, and then he held Zhang Shou's arm and said, "Teacher, where are you going? I will take you there."
Zhang Shou glanced at Zhang the big guy in confusion, and then saw the crowd of people behind him. He had no idea what was going on, but when he saw that Zhang the big guy was pulling him in with great force, he saw what he was thinking and teased him, "What crime have you committed that you were chased here?"
"My teacher, you don't know that you were sold out by my uncle!"
What the hell is this?
The more Zhang Shou listened, the more confused he felt. The next moment, a voice came from behind him: "Mr. Zhang, we went to see Duke Chu before and volunteered to help the country, but Duke Chu said that you submitted a memorial. Please give us !"
Zhang Shou finally understood this extremely nonsensical remark. He had only made one memorial recently, so he certainly knew what he had discussed. At this moment, he glanced at these twenty or thirty people and laughed, "So Zhang Wuji didn't come here to hide because he beat someone up and was chased by so many of you, but because he brought you here to seek advice?"
He ignored Zhang, who was standing beside him and wanted to say, "Teacher, please ignore them." He said calmly, "Duke Chu has a quick temper and should have said everything he needed to say. I don't need to repeat the logic. If you want to make suggestions, I will only give you one."
"Although the emperor wants to mobilize the fleet, the manpower and other things are ready, but it won't be possible so soon. In two months, there will be a ship from Dengzhou to Goryeo. This is a very mature sea route since the Song and Yuan dynasties. If it's fast, it will arrive in a few days. If you really have such determination, you might as well go on a ship and experience it."
Having said this, it was really a wake-up call. But then Zhang Dakui was the first to ask: "But, teacher, even if we want to send a ship to Goryeo, how can we get on it?"
The people who were planning to go home and make plans finally realized it. Yes, even if they knew such a plan from Zhang Shou in advance, how could they go?
Fortunately, this was not a big secret. Zhang Shou shook his head and smiled, then said directly: "Sending ships is certainly not for going to Goryeo to fight, nor for doing business, but for friendly exchanges between the two countries. After all, Goryeo sends royal children to the Imperial Academy of the Ming Dynasty to study every now and then, so isn't it normal for our dynasty to send some noble children over to take a look?"
Seeing the excited faces in front of him turned into ghosts, he laughed even more happily: "Why, you don't believe it? We are going to travel and have fun, and we will bring you a group of the best interpreters! Although it is a poor place, their previous dynasty's previous dynasty, the former Goguryeo, also defeated Emperor Yang of Sui and Emperor Taizong of Tang."
Zhang Shou's description of the dynasty before his previous dynasty was indeed a bit redundant, and people only realized what was going on when they heard later people mention Goguryeo. Of course, there were also some uneducated guys who had no impression of the Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties, and they still had very confused faces at this time.
But at this time, Zhang the big guy did not try hard to break down Zhang Shou's words, because based on his understanding of Zhang Shou, he should be telling the truth!
At this moment, he, who was simple-minded, immediately showed his joy: "So what the teacher means is that this matter is very simple, as long as we are willing, we can definitely go? And after we go there, we just walk around and have a look, there is no special task?"
"Of course. But..." Zhang Shou suddenly changed his mind and said seriously, "The premise is that you don't get seasick! I guess when we get to Dengzhou, we'll let you go out to sea for a try. Otherwise, if you vomit a lot on the boat, you'll be exhausted or even die from seasickness before you even reach Goryeo, then it'll be all over."
"After you come back from Korea, I think you will have a good understanding of sea travel. If you really want to establish a career here, then you can learn some related things and you will be considered a talent."
This was similar to what Duke Zhang Rui of Chu had just said. In this case, a large group of people bowed and thanked him noisily, and soon dispersed. They were all busy going home to find out whether this was true, and if so, how to plan. So, in the end, only the big guy Zhang was left alone.
This time, he was actually happy . He wanted to continue to help Zhang Shou inside, but he heard a slight cough. When he looked up and found Ah Liu quietly appeared behind Zhang Shou, he quickly retracted his hand.
After shrinking his head due to Ah Liu's glare, he asked cautiously, "Teacher, where are you going?"
"Go to the girls' school to pick up your mistress. Why, you want to go together?" Zhang Shou joked, half smiling. Seeing that the big guy was shaking his head like a rattle in fear, he said softly, "The sea route is very dangerous. Even though this is a familiar sea route, there are still unpredictable risks. It's not like Korean envoys haven't drowned before, otherwise they wouldn't have taken the land route."
Knowing that Zhang Shou was reminding him kindly, Zhang the big guy couldn't help but take a deep breath, and then said in a deep voice: "I know that the teacher is doing this for my own good, but I am only a half-baked student, and I have a big body but can't learn martial arts. Rather than wasting my life like this, I am willing to fight!"
