After turning into the Wusong River, the ship suddenly increased its speed and sailed downstream, reaching Chongming Island before dark.
Zhao Hao stood on the spacious rouge wood deck, the wind blowing from the river hitting his face. But he did not move, his eyes fixed on the seemingly endless river ahead.
But in fact, one hundred and fifty miles ahead is Wusongkou, which is right at the mouth of the Yangtze River!
So this is also the route to the ocean. This time he can finally see the sea that he has been dreaming about.
Of course, this trip was not just to visit his disciples, but more importantly to help Jin Xuezeng gain a foothold as soon as possible and prepare for the upcoming historical opportunities!
In the third year of Longqing, which is next year, the flooding of the Yellow River will block the canal transportation.
This was of course a disaster for the people along the coast, and also caused great suffering to the people in the capital. But as the saying goes, misfortune often brings blessings, and the crisis also gave birth to the hope of returning the Ming Dynasty to the sea.
Because the imperial court will have to implement sea transportation of grain to alleviate Beijing’s food crisis.
In Zhao Hao's opinion, this is a great opportunity to break the surface with a single point. It can eliminate the ocean phobia that has been developed in the government and the public for more than a hundred years!
The Chinese people are not afraid of the ocean! Our maritime history is longer than anyone else's! Our achievements are also extremely brilliant!
Since the Xia Dynasty, the ancestors of the Chinese nation have established a fixed round-trip route between the Liaodong Peninsula and the Shandong Peninsula.
During the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the coastal vassal states were able to build huge tower ships, launching large-scale maritime expeditions, maritime transportation, overseas trade and frequent naval battles.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, we opened up the first route to Japan, which was a left-hand circulation route; during the Warring States Period, with the improvement of navigation technology, we opened up a route via Tsushima Island to Kitakyushu, Japan.
During the Qin Dynasty, Xu Fu took the latter route when he sailed eastward.
During the Western Han Dynasty, we opened up the Maritime Silk Road.
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, thanks to the efforts of Chinese and foreign maritime traders, trade with the Roman Empire was connected, and the two responsible great powers finally had direct flights.
During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Wei opened up the third route to Japan. The Eastern Wu, which "turned its ships into carriages and horses and the vast ocean into barbarians", opened up the third route to the west.
Sun Quan also sent his fleet to Liaodong seven times and ordered Wei Wen to lead a fleet of more than 10,000 people to expedition to the southeast coast. This great voyage included Taiwan and Hainan Island into my country's territory for the first time in history.
During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, a fourth route to Japan was discovered, called the South Route. Many Chinese followed this route to Japan, settled there, and completely incorporated Japan into the Chinese civilization.
During the Tang and Song dynasties, our maritime industry was at its most prosperous. At this time, we exported strong economic and cultural resources to Japan, and our trade with Southeast Asia continued its previous good momentum. Together with the Arab Empire, we pushed the maritime industry in Asia and Africa to its peak.
In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, China's maritime power reached its peak. Zheng He's huge fleet, both in terms of the number of ships and tonnage, was dozens of times larger than Columbus's fleet more than 70 years later. So far, it is still the most powerful ocean-going fleet in human history!
However, in the past hundred or so years, there has been a gap in our maritime industry.
The Ming Dynasty, which had the world's best navy, suddenly lost interest in embracing the ocean and closed its doors to live its own life.
In response to this, many historians have talked big and made ridiculous and even ulterior interpretations from various angles such as culture, race, and system.
They completely ignored China's long maritime history and insisted that we are a land-based nation with an innate fear of the ocean...
In fact, the reasons are not that complicated. The fundamental reason is just one: the rise of the Ottoman Empire, which defeated the European Crusaders, seized Constantinople, blocked the East-West route, and then became obsessed with the Western Expedition.
When Arab merchants no longer go out to sea and Venetian merchants can no longer follow Marco Polo's footsteps to the East, who will the Ming Dynasty go with for ocean trade? The natives basking in the sun on Luzon Island, or the crazy involutionary Indians?
As a result, going to sea became a losing business. The larger the fleet, the greater the loss. Eventually, the "messenger of justice" Liu Daxia angrily burned Zheng He's navigation chart, which put an end to the Ming Dynasty's loss-making maritime business.
As for why the Ming Dynasty was not as persistent as the Europeans in finding other routes?
Because the Ming Dynasty had no pressure. It was vast and rich in resources, highly developed, and could still be a powerful country in East Asia if it closed its doors.
Europeans stopped doing business with the Ming Dynasty, but their living standards plummeted. The queen no longer had gorgeous silk to make skirts, and the king no longer had exquisite porcelain to drink afternoon tea.
They were even out of tea!
How the hell was he going to get by? So the arduous quest to bypass the Ottomans and reconnect with the East began...
While generations of Western navigators risked their lives to open up new sea routes, the Ming Dynasty gradually forgot the taste of the ocean during its peaceful years.
As a result, we missed the Age of Exploration, which marked a new era for human civilization.
Zhao Hao’s mission is to wake up this sleepy dragon and accompany her back to the center of the world stage.
The Ming Dynasty will be great for another hundred years! No, how can a hundred years be enough? It will be great for another thousand years!
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The first step for the Ming Dynasty to go to the ocean was in Chongming.
Thinking of this, Master Zhao silently put on his red-circled straw hat.
Time is running out...
At dusk, the river wind blew.
The three girls returned to the deck.
They carried food baskets and held food boxes, and laughed and commented on the medals on each other's chests, and whether their clothes, dresses, and jewelry matched.
Seeing that Zhao Hao was lost in thought, they lowered their voices and prepared afternoon tea with the help of the guards.
Secretary Ma then walked up to Zhao Hao, stretched out his slender, white hand, and waved it in front of him.
"Oh." Zhao Hao came back to his senses.
"What are you thinking about, young master?" Ma Xianglan asked in a low voice.
"I was thinking that our journey is to the sea of stars..." Zhao Hao pressed his straw hat, stuck out his tongue and laughed, "No, that's not the case."
"I'm just thinking about what to name this ship." Young Master Zhao didn't want to scare them, so he changed his words.
"Sir, you are so serious, but you only want such a small thing?" Secretary Ma looked at him suspiciously, feeling that things were not that simple.
"For boys, this is a big deal." Zhao Hao said seriously.
"Come here and eat and chat. We will help you think about it together." Qiaoqiao invited the two to sit down quickly.
"Wow, what a stylish style." Zhao Hao then discovered that there was a square table on the deck, covered with a refreshing Songjiang printed tablecloth.
On the table were brightly colored Chenghua Doucai tea sets, as well as four dry dishes, four fresh dishes, and four dim sum, a number of exquisite snacks.
After washing his hands with warm water in the copper basin, Mr. Zhao took the towel and wiped his hands, then sat down in the seat facing the bow of the boat.
The three women also sat down, sipping herbal tea while giving Zhao Hao advice one after another.
Master Zhao sat comfortably in the armchair, holding the colorful chicken-glazed cup in his hand. He felt that he should not be too persistent in moving forward, and it would be nice to stop and look at the scenery along the way.
Suddenly, Jiang Xueying said to him, "Look, the land east of the river is all our company's land."
ps. Second update, please vote for me! In addition, Mr. Zhao has decided to give everyone the naming rights for his ship, please use your imagination to see who will be chosen.