Upon seeing the emperor's carriage stop, Chu Qian and Jian Shuo quickly went to greet it.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!!"

"No need for formalities!!"

Liu Hong raised his hand, looked the two men up and down, and said with a smile, "This voyage to the Western Ocean is a long journey, and the return date is uncertain. Remember to take good care of yourselves. I will be waiting for you to return in Luoyang!"

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will never fail your expectations!"

Hearing Liu Hong's words of concern, Chu Qian and Jian Shuo were deeply moved.

"good!"

Liu Hong smiled and nodded, then slowly walked up to the naval officers and soldiers.

Slowly scanning the faces of his soldiers, Liu Hong asked in a loud voice, "Soldiers, what is your mission?"

"Protect the maritime borders of the Han Dynasty, expand the sea areas of the Han Dynasty, promote the glory of the Han Dynasty, and proclaim the majesty of the Han Dynasty!!"

Upon hearing the emperor's question, all the soldiers shouted with all their might, their voices echoing in all directions, never ceasing.

"This is your second voyage. Last time, you conquered Yamatai and opened up the first overseas territory for the Han Dynasty. This time, I look forward to you bringing me even better news!"

"We will never fail Your Majesty's expectations!!" Huang Gai, his face flushed, responded loudly.

"We will never fail Your Majesty's expectations!!"

The soldiers gripped their weapons tightly and shouted in unison.

Liu Hong then ordered someone to fetch the staff, and solemnly handed it to Chu Qian and Jian Shuo.

"Alright, my two ministers, it's time to set off!"

"Your Majesty, please take care!"

Chu Qian and his companion held the staffs in both hands, bowed to Liu Hong, then mounted their horses and headed south.

"Your Majesty, please take care!!"

The naval officers and soldiers saluted Liu Hong in unison, then changed formation and followed Chu Qian and Jian Shuo.

"Take care, everyone!"

Watching the departing figures, Liu Hong murmured something softly, and only got into the carriage after they could no longer be seen.

...

After traveling for half a month, Chu Qian, Jian Shuo and their group finally arrived at the port of Yinshan County.

At this time, Yinshan Port was overflowing with people. Even the houses within a radius of thirty miles were filled with merchants and wandering knights from all over the country.

The port's dozens of warehouses were also filled with various goods.

Nearly two thousand ships of all sizes are moored on the sea along the port.

After settling into the port, Chu Qian immediately began organizing the merchants to move their goods.

Ten days later, with everything prepared, Chu Qian and Jian Shuo led their delegation and five thousand naval soldiers onto the ship.

Chu Qian's heart pounded as he looked at the large banner with the character "Han" fluttering in the wind on the mast.

"Set off!!"

After taking a deep look at the land of the Great Han, Chu Qian immediately ordered the sailors on the ship to set sail.

Then, the sailors on board began to move quickly, and the sound of horns echoed continuously in the nearby sea.

Before long, the large ship carrying Chu Qian and his group sailed out of the port and slowly headed south along the coastline. Twenty warships carrying five thousand naval soldiers followed closely behind, guarding the left and right sides.

Behind them were the Royal Merchant Guild's medium-sized merchant ships and a group of merchants and wandering knights.

The massive fleet, consisting of nearly two thousand ships, stretched for almost fifty miles, its sheer size and grandeur awe-inspiring.

Jian Shuo stood on the deck, holding onto the railing, gazing at the vast blue sea, his emotions surging like the waves.

"What's wrong, Attendant Jian? Is something on your mind?"

Jian Shuo turned his head and saw Chu Qian walking over with two limes.

Jian Shuo smiled and shook his head: "I don't have any worries, but looking at this vast sea, I feel so insignificant!"

"Yes, the vastness of the ocean is beyond imagination; perhaps we will never be able to see its entirety in our entire lives..."

Hearing Jian Shuo's words, Chu Qian couldn't help but feel deeply moved, and he also handed over a lime he was holding.

Jian Shuo took the lime, smiled, and said, "You're right. Perhaps we'll never see the true face of the ocean in our lifetime, but as long as we can catch a glimpse of it, we won't have lived in vain!"

"Haha~, Attendant Jian's words have struck a chord with me. It's a pity we can't drink alcohol here, so we'll have to substitute with limes!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Qian burst into laughter, then picked up a lime and waved it in front of Jian Shuo.

"Okay, then let's use oranges instead of wine!!"

Seeing this, Jian Shuo couldn't help but laugh heartily. He then peeled off the skin of the lime, touched it with Chu Qian's, and took a bite.

As a surge of acid entered his mouth, Jian Shuo's thoughts, which had been rising and falling with the tides of the sea, calmed down.

The fleet sailed at sea for five days and arrived at the port of Jinan County.

After resting for a day in Rinan, the fleet led by Chu Qian and others officially left the waters of the Great Han and headed towards their first destination.

November 5th, the seventh year of Jianning.

After more than half a month of sailing, the fleet led by Chu Qian and Jian Shuo sailed along the coastline into the waters of the Gulf of Thailand.

On the deck, Chu Qian and Jian Shuo looked at the distant horizon, then took out the nautical chart drawn by Liu Hong and compared it.

"Attendant Jian, it seems that the coastline ahead is the Bangkok His Majesty spoke of!"

(Note: At this time, Thailand was still in the prehistoric period, and the people were not the later Thais. Due to limited information, we are using the names from later times for convenience.)

Jian Shuo gave a soft "hmm," and said, "Judging from the terrain, that should be it!"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!