"Don't be in a hurry about going on the expedition, make preliminary preparations first."

Lunch at noon was eaten in the imperial study, and there were no more than 100 dishes on the table. Wang Xiao and Zheng He were holding a large bowl with rice and vegetables in it, and they stood in front of the map while eating to discuss their actions.

"I wanted to send you more cavalry, but the mortality rate of horses and seas is too high. It is better to wait until there is a stable transport route to send more cavalry over. ”

Wang Xiao, who was holding the bowl, tapped the map with his fingers, "Tell me what kind of resistance there are here." How about combat effectiveness. ”

Zheng He ate very quickly, and the rice cover was already halfway down under the chopsticks.

Hearing Wang Xiao's inquiry, he put down the dishes and chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and stretched out his hand to point to the south of India on the map.

"There is no big dynasty in this large area. They are all small princely states, so there is nothing to worry about. ”

Zheng He's finger slid up the map to the north and drew a circle: "Here, it's the country of Delhi." The current dynasty is the Sayyid dynasty. The largest area and the strongest strength. If it is said that they are the opponents of my Daming, then only they have this qualification. ”

"Derry Dynasty."

Wang Xiao had heard of this dynasty, and it would be destroyed by the Mughal dynasty in a hundred years. After that, it was the time of the East India Company.

"I can't care if I'm so far away. It's up to you to decide what to command. All I can do is support you in any way I can. Don't worry, it doesn't matter if you lose. The comeback is. ”

Wang Xiao put down the dishes and chopsticks and stopped eating, picked up the teacup and drank the water, waiting for Zheng He to finish eating.

"There's one more thing I want you to do." Zheng He rested for a while after eating, and Wang Xiao opened a new topic.

"Your Majesty, please."

"You pick a group of experienced people and form a fleet of about ten ships." Wang Xiao's hand landed on the Luzon coastline on the map, and he paddled eastward "Sail towards the place where the sun rises in the east, and walk along the coastline." Keep going east until you reach the other side of the sea. ”

Zheng He's eyes were confused, there was an endless ocean to the east of Luzon.

Wang Xiao explained, "On the other side of the sea, there is a vast and rich land. The task of this fleet is to find the land, record the routes along the way, and the islands that can be replenished. It's an expedition, and their mission is to explore. As for mass immigration, at least I didn't have a chance to see it in my lifetime. But we have to open the road and occupy the land first! Let it become an inseparable part of China since ancient times! ”

Zheng He didn't ask Wang Xiao how he knew that the end of the sea was another world, he asked a very practical question.

"Dare to ask Your Majesty, how far is this new continent from my Daming."

The length unit of the Ming Dynasty is calculated using the "three hundred steps for miles" in the 'Dadai Li Ji'.

Converted to a modern unit, it is roughly 600 meters in one mile.

"Forty thousand miles."

Zheng He"(╯ ̄Д ̄)╯"

40,000 miles, a distance that I can't even think about, can I come back if I go?!

"It's... It's a little too far. Zheng He's forehead was sweating, "I'm afraid the soldiers don't want to go." ”

"All the sailors who volunteered. A son of Yin was rewarded with two hundred taels of silver, and five hundred acres of land were given to India. As long as you can successfully arrive and come back, you will be rewarded again regardless of life or death. ”

Wang Xiao offered a price code, a price code that made it difficult for the sailors and sailors of the Ming Dynasty to refuse.

The pursuit of the ancients is actually very simple, it is nothing more than four words: 'seal the wife and the shadow.' ’

It's just that it's extremely difficult to do that. Wang Xiao gave them a chance.

The purchasing power of the silver taels of the Ming Dynasty is extremely high, and two hundred taels of silver is enough for a family to live for many years. Definitely a lot of money.

And the 500 acres of fields in India are even more attractive.

For the people of the farming people, there is nothing more attractive than land.

As soon as such a generous reward comes out, it will immediately change from reluctance to rushing.

"Soldiers who go to India will not be treated badly. As long as India is conquered, the soldiers can be awarded fields according to their military merits. If you like a piece of land in India, you can choose your own enclosure. ”

Wang Xiao raised his hand and put it on Zheng He's shoulder, "The number of acres of land in the Ming Dynasty is limited, but the population will continue to increase. We must use our swords to carve out enough living space for future generations. You can take all of the victims of the Jiangnan flood and divide the land directly over there. The future of the Ming Dynasty depends entirely on you, my Jinghaihou. ”

Zheng He's matter of being a marquis made the civil officials very unhappy, in their opinion, where is a eunuch qualified to be a marquis. Their group of civil officials have not yet been knighted.

It's just that the influence of civil officials on Wang Xiao is too low, and there is no way to do it even if they are dissatisfied.

They could only watch Wang Xiao implement one policy after another. watched the hundreds of schools of thought have a chance to get ahead, and watched Confucianism decline day by day.

Confucianism is not giving up, but accumulating strength and waiting for the opportunity.

Their eyes are actually very vicious, and they can see at a glance that the current suppression of Confucianism and the gentry by Xuande is all rooted in Wang Xiao alone.

If Wang Xiao can be eliminated, then everything will be self-defeating.

What they are waiting for now is the time to get rid of Wang Xiao.

With Zheng He once again leading a huge fleet to sea, Wang Xiao's daily life has also returned to its previous state.

In the morning, he handled official business in the imperial study, and in the afternoon, he practiced swordsmanship and martial arts, riding and archery, reading, and fiddling with musical instruments.

In the evening, Wang Xiao usually went to chat with Sister Sun Ruowei and chatted all night.

Of course, sometimes he will go to Concubine Jin, and then through Concubine Jin, Concubine An and Concubine Pu will come over to play the novel landlord together.

Staying up late to play cards is indeed sad, and every time after fighting the landlord, Wang Xiao will ask the imperial dining room to get more nourishing things.

It's like a tiger, a leopard, an old cow, and a donkey.

When you have lunch the next day, you should add an extra cup of deer blood that can clear your lungs and relieve cough.

That's right, the effect of deer blood is to clear the lungs and relieve cough, Wang Xiao insisted on so.

The days passed day by day, and the Ming Dynasty gradually adjusted the wind and rain, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. Naturally, the national strength is also increasing day by day.

The gold and silver brought from Fuso played a big role.

Before Mexican silver was sent to the Ming Dynasty to buy silk porcelain, the Central Plains Dynasty had been plagued by a lack of precious metal currency.

China lacks copper, silver, and gold.

Although the Song Dynasty pioneered the paper money Jiaozi, it was used as an ATM that could be infinitely overdrawn by those faint monarchs and ministers who did not know what monetary policy was.

The Central Plains Dynasty has always lacked currency, and the metal currency it has is not commensurate with its own economic size. Many places are still using the primitive barter method of trading.

With the gold and silver mined from Fusang, Wang Xiao could effectively mobilize the materials of the Ming Dynasty to do things.

For example, build more warships and merchant ships, produce more muskets and artillery, organize and train more armies, establish schools, provide relief to disaster victims, transport disaster victims to the South Seas to India, and so on.

It can be said that it is the people of Fusang who use their hard work and sweat to contribute to the take-off of the Ming Dynasty.

This is the kind of true international friendship, the kind that never changes.

In the fourth year of Xuande, Wang Xiao formally established the Ming Navy and deepened his pursuit of the sea.

The previous Daming fleet was a naval division, and changing the naval division to the navy meant a change from the near sea to the far sea.

Flotillas began to sail out to sea.

Yizhou, the Spice Islands, Guam, and even the Australian mainland have been discovered one after another.

Wang Xiao's reward for these explorers was to reward the fields according to the area of the land they found. And they also have the right to get and sell the treasures found in these places.

The exploration fleet was full of rare treasures from overseas, and the return of a large number of materials to Daming caused a great sensation.

These are all things that can be sold for money.

Moreover, Wang Xiao also granted titles to those who discovered overseas territories and planted the golden dragon flag of the sun and moon in overseas territories. and ordered people to erect monuments for them and hyped them up.

Soon, stimulated by huge profits, various fleets of the private sector also expanded rapidly.

One after another, civilian fleets sailed into the sea, and flags were planted all over the world.

Although sailing is dangerous, many people never return. But more people are returning to their hometowns with wealth and glory.

The gradual rise of shipping has changed the living conditions of the Ming Dynasty.

There was no shortage of buyers for grain from Annam and Siam, spices from Sumatra, timber, gemstones, jade mines from Burma, and novelty goods from other places to Daming.

Those who dared to explore made a fortune, which stimulated more people to join the Age of Discovery.

The era of great exploration, which belongs to the Ming Dynasty, has finally really opened.

"Your Majesty, the number of students in schools in various places has increased significantly recently, and this educational achievement is unprecedented in ancient and modern times."

In the imperial study, Sun Ruowei, who was sitting in Wang Xiao's arms, was ghostwriting and reviewing the chapters.

She was talking about a report from the Ministry of Rites about the growing number of students in the school.

Wang Xiao was very lazy, and most of the official recitals were handed over to Sun Ruowei for approval. As for the outside world talking about the harem doing politics or something, Wang Xiao doesn't care about this.

"These are all smart people, and they know that it will be useless to study the Four Books and the Five Classics in the future. All of them began to study mathematics, physics and chemistry. ”

The schools opened by Wang Xiao in various places have finally reached the stage of large-scale enrollment, which can cultivate truly useful talents for Daming.

"If you want to go to sea, it's useless to hold the Four Books and Five Classics. If you want to know astronomy, know how to see sea conditions, know how to pilot, know how to use a rangefinder, and know how to bargain with people outside to do business, you must learn mathematics, physics and chemistry. The Four Books and the Five Classics do not teach people how to discern what goods are useful and can be sold for money. But that's what you can learn in the classroom. ”

Wang Xiao, who was leaning on the chair, squeezed Sun Ruowei's hand and said, "In the school, students can be taught what kind of medicine to prepare when going to sea, and they must bring lemons, oranges, and bean sprouts." It is known that Artemisia annua can be used as a medicine to treat malaria. You have to know that the weather in Nanyang is hot, the forests are hot and humid everywhere, mosquitoes are infested in swarms, and it is very easy to get malaria. ”

Wang Xiao's voice was a little emotional: "Our Chinese people are the smartest, they know what is really useful. All I want to do is give them the opportunity to show themselves. ”

"This is all the credit of Your Majesty, and it will be remembered in the history books of future generations." Sun Ruo sent a fragrant pi without a trace.

Wang Xiao looked at the beauty in his arms curiously, "Do you have something to tell me?" ”

Sun Ruowei put down the chapter and leaned on Wang Xiao's arms, "The concubine has two things I want to say to Your Majesty." The first is that His Majesty lent money to buy timber for the orphans of Jingjing a few years ago. Now Daming is full of people who want to buy ships to go to sea, and they have made a lot of money. This kindness, the concubine is grateful to her heart. ”

Wood for shipbuilding is not something that can be cut down.

Wood is rich in moisture and must be dried for several years before it can be used.

The orphans of Jingyan began to prepare a large amount of timber for shipbuilding a few years in advance, and when the Ming Dynasty's sailing enthusiasm was aroused, the timber they hoarded became a popular material. That's a lot of money.

Wang Xiaoyun waved his hand lightly, "It's a trivial matter, why worry about it." What else? ”

Sun Ruo lowered his eyelids slightly, and said something expressionlessly that made Wang Xiao almost jump up.

"Concubine Park has it."