Chapter 121 The First Governor

Champa, formerly known as "Lin-yi," was a small country. It could be reached by sailing southwest along the coast from Qiongzhou. Champa rice was particularly famous for its three-season harvest. The Great Xia Empire had visited Champa many years ago, but found that besides rice, there was nothing else in Champa that would arouse the Great Xia people's greed, thus Champa escaped a calamity.

Whether they were the Bactrians, Champa people, or Fusang people, their current navigation technology could only support them to sail along landmarks. Therefore, once they left the coast, the immense fear would cause them to lose confidence and become incapable of exploration.

In Qin Mo's previous life, Taiwan was discovered and ruled by China before the Qin Dynasty, but its true development only began after the Song Dynasty. The reason for this was that Taiwan was located on the east side of the mainland, separated by the sea, making its development less worthwhile.

While the Chinese could travel south along the mainland coast all the way to Southeast Asia and even West Asia, a round trip often took several years. The lack of maritime technology hindered China's modern rise. In this world, the Great Xia did not travel as far or as fast as China, and the reason lies in the relationship between the Western Regions and the Great Xia.

For a long time, the activities of the Beastmen were concentrated in Xizhou. Whether it was the Holy Temple or the various duchies, they were all beaten to a pulp. It wasn't until Xizhou sent people from afar to Daxia to request an alliance that Daxia began to send strong people to support Xizhou.

The Silk Road between Daxia and Xizhou was always safe and unobstructed. Xizhou had many wealthy nobles; wouldn't it be more profitable to sell goods to them than to the barbarians in places like Champa? The overland Silk Road fed countless noble families along the way, while countless factors, both overt and covert, hindered Daxia's exploration of the sea route.

The prominence of individual martial prowess also consumed a large amount of resources. The number of social elites researching cultivation far exceeded the number of talents researching science and technology, making the backwardness of the Great Xia's maritime technology inevitable.

Qin Mo's target this time was Manila, which is separated from Champa by the entire South China Sea. On the nautical charts of Great Xia, it was just a blurry area with no specific location.

Manila is located at 121 degrees east longitude and 15 degrees north latitude. Qin Mo had also traveled to major supply ports on Earth, so using the sextant crafted by the Elven race, he could easily find this excellent port in South Asia.

Of course, Qin Mo used a deception when he left. He led five hundred elite troops and his personal guards south by land to open up a land route to Anping. In fact, he boarded a ship bound for Champa halfway there.

Manila Bay is located on the west coast of Luzon Island. Its entrance is narrow, and a river flows from the east into Manila Bay, forming the beginnings of a good harbor with deep waters, wide berths, calm waves, and shelter from the wind.

"Your Highness... could you please send someone else? I... would rather stay by Your Highness's side." Liu Renguang pleaded with Qin Mo once again as the fleet was about to dock.

"Do you want to be a bodyguard for life? Besides, your three-year term will be over soon, and you won't be able to leave even if you don't want to."

Liu Renguang felt utterly defeated. Since the young master became a prince, he had become increasingly authoritative. Now, he had been sent to this so-called "Luzon" to be a "governor"? At first glance, it was a desolate place. Was he going to have to suffer the same hardships he had when he first arrived in Dayuan?

Qin Mo chose to dock on the south side of the river mouth. When they were about ten meters from the riverbank, the boat finally came to a stop, as the pointed-bottom seagoing vessel could not dock directly. The group waded through knee-deep water to get ashore, but the fifty warhorses they had brought were difficult to get on the land, and it took a long time to get them ashore.

"Liu Renguang, immediately send cavalry to scout the surrounding area, especially along both banks of the river. If you encounter any natives, do not engage them; return immediately to report." Arriving in an unfamiliar place is the most dangerous time. Although Qin Mo believed that there would be no super-level experts hiding in this jungle, he still cautiously sent out cavalry to search.

Luzon has a pleasant climate, with temperatures around 27 degrees Celsius year-round, making tent camping a good option. Of course, you'll need essential tropical survival gear—mosquito nets and mosquito coils.

The people of Daxia discovered the mosquito-repelling properties of mugwort long ago. Qin Mo further enhanced its properties, creating mosquito coils that were very popular.

During dinner that evening, Liu Renguang, who had personally gone out to investigate, returned. "Your Highness, there are indeed signs of human activity nearby, but we haven't found any villages. Tomorrow, I will venture further out and make sure to investigate the surrounding area thoroughly."

"Tomorrow we'll build the stockade wall first, then the pier. As long as there aren't any indigenous villages nearby, they'll come to 'visit' us later." Qin Mo waved his hand, telling Liu Renguang not to worry too much. The local indigenous people should live in the upper reaches of the river and the large lake to the east. Once they react to his arrival, the follow-up laborers from Dayuan will be arriving soon.

Whether in a bay or on a river, large ships need to use piers to load and unload cargo. Simple piers can be built with wood, but permanent piers require cement and labor to be brought in. Only then will Qin Mo's first step in his colonization plan officially begin.

“Ren Guang! Look at this land, so fertile and vast, with all sorts of specialties you can’t even imagine. I’ve sent you here as the first ‘Governor’ because I have high hopes for you.”

"I will do my best to fulfill my duties, but... Your Highness must send someone to replace me in three years!" Liu Renguang still looked utterly hopeless. After the prince's governance, Danshui City in Dayuan was clean and prosperous, and now it even had a "protected area" where the girls were incredibly charming...

"You blockhead, do you really think you were banished here?" Qin Mo was very angry. Liu Renguang's eyes were too resentful, which made him feel uneasy.

"It's not exile, it's banishment." Liu Renguang rarely retorted, something that had never happened since Qin Mo became a prince.

"You are already the governor, so I can't beat you anymore. You do two things for me, and then I'll let you live out your days in Tamsui and never think of lording it over others again."

"Your Highness, please give your orders. I can handle anything, not just two, but twenty!" Liu Renguang quickly changed his attitude. Two things? He could get them done in half a year.

"First, we will build this place into a secret harbor, as a backup plan for our officials, understand?"

"Your subordinate understands, a cunning rabbit has three burrows! Hehehe..."

"Second, go and find me three things: copper ore, sugarcane, and abaca."

Liu Renguang exclaimed in surprise, "Your Highness, is there a copper mine here?"

It's no wonder he was surprised; copper mines were extremely important to the Great Xia Dynasty. The main currency of the Great Xia was copper coins, followed by silver, while gold was mainly used for large transactions and was rarely used by ordinary people.

However, the Great Xia Dynasty was short of copper, and all copper mines were the lifeblood of the empire and its nobility. In the Great Xia, the people loved copper products, and the demand for ritual objects and copperware made the already scarce copper supply even more strained.

“Alan explored this place before, and he reportedly saw copper ore, but he didn’t tell me the details. Would you like to ask him?”

"Your Highness, please rest assured, I will definitely find the copper mine. If one year is not enough, I will try two years, and if two years is not enough, I will try three years."

If Liu Renguang hadn't asked Qin Mo to replace him three years later, he would have stayed there if there really was a copper mine.