Jin Mantang, who Li Ze had been thinking about, finally returned.

When the news of the arrival of the Jin Mantang fleet in Haixing was sent to Wuyi quickly, Li Ze was not only happy, but also a little sad mixed in, at this time, the fleet of more than 100 large ships, when they returned, only half of them remained.

In this era, such a great voyage is extremely dangerous after all. Even if they have in their hands a rough sketch that they have drawn for them. But it's just a sketch, a real nautical chart, which I don't understand or come up with.

Jin Mantang's fleet was fully loaded.

When a shipload of ivory, gold, silver, and jewelry was lifted off the ship, it caused a sensation throughout Haixing. It is said that at that time, the eyes of countless fleet bosses who went overseas in Haixing were green, although Jin Mantang's loss on this trip was great, but his harvest was far beyond everyone's imagination.

"The route has been opened, and I'm afraid that there will be countless fleets along this route to start their treasure hunt." Gongsun Changming said with a smile: "Not to mention the harvest of Jin Mantang's trip, just by selling sea charts in the future, he can make a lot of money." ”

"It's good to go out, go out for a walk more, and see, so that your horizons can be broadened, and your mind will not be limited to this small place." Li Ze turned a globe in front of him.

This is not his public hall, but his little study, and things like globes will definitely not appear in his public hall. Li Ze didn't want to tell everyone at this time that the earth is round, and the earth is a star floating in the universe. If he really dares to say this, maybe everyone will think of him as a psychopath.

"Only Li Xiang, you, would think that we are just a small place here!" Gongsun Changming said with a smile: "Since ancient times, how many heroes have fought for such a place!" ”

Li Ze laughed: "That's because they don't know how big the outside world is, if they knew, maybe history wouldn't be like this." Mr. Gongsun, this year, the population under our rule has increased by 20%, exceeding 30 million. ”

Over the years, under Li Ze's rule, the north has become more and more prosperous, and the corresponding is the rapid growth of the population. Of course, these newly growing populations, for the time being, are still a burden on the state, because they are all still little dolls, the oldest is only six or seven years old, and the youngest is just croaking to the ground. If you want to wait for them to become a new force in this era, you will have to wait at least ten or twenty years.

"This is Li Xiang's immortal achievement!" Gongsun Changming is colorful.

"What is this!" Li Ze waved his hand and said: "If we unify the world, everyone lives a good life like the Wuyi people, and the population growth at that time will not be a happy event, but a headache for everyone." ”

Gongsun Changming thought about it carefully, and it was really like that. Now the territory under Li Ze's rule, if you put aside the desert south and desert north, the northeast regions and the western regions, it is actually not big, and the pseudo-Liang ruling area and the south that is still falling apart are all larger than this side, but the population, by this year, the north has overshadowed these two places for the first time.

As Li Ze said, when that day comes, if the population grows at this rate, it will be a big problem to feed this large population.

"So, we need to get out." Li Ze turned the globe and said leisurely.

"I'm afraid that those places are too far away, and our people will not be willing to emigrate to such a far place." Gongsun Changming shook his head and said: "The ancient land is inseparable, you just need to see how difficult it is for us to immigrate to the border states." So many benefits have been promised, but there are still not many responders. However, in a city like Wuyi, which is already overcrowded, the people outside break their heads and squeeze inside. ”

"It doesn't necessarily have to be where to go to emigrants, we just need to maintain enough influence in those places and draw nutrients from these places continuously." Li Ze said with a smile.

"Just like Jin Mantang did this time?" Gongsun Changming said: "Or send an army then?" ”

"When the army goes to such a far place, the probability of defeat will account for nine out of nine!" Li Ze categorically objected: "We don't need to use force to conquer these places. ”

"So how can you get nutrients in these places?"

"Cultural Infiltration!" Li Ze said proudly: "Compared with us here, many parts of the world are still in a barbaric period, and we only need to work hard to transfer our advanced production and lifestyle here to these places, so that the people there feel that we are heaven here, and that we are the best place in the world, and everything will be taken for granted." Mr. Gongsun, after we have completed the great cause of reunification, what we have to do is to make people in all other parts of the world think that the moon of our Datang Dynasty is rounder than theirs. We work hard to build Datang into the center of this world, and when the time comes, all the good things will naturally come to us. ”

"I'm looking forward to this day!" Gongsun Changming said with a smile: "Although I am not a fan of money, the wealth that Jin Mantang brought back this time still makes me red." ”

"I like the other things he brings back more than the gold and silver treasures he brings back." Li Ze said with a smile: "For example, the nautical charts, for example, the specific situation of those places, the crops there, and so on. ”

More than ten days later, Jin Mantang appeared in front of Li Ze.

In the past two years, Jin Mantang, a fat white man who was rich and rich when he set off, is now full of swarthy face, and his fat body is gone, which almost makes Li Ze unable to recognize him.

"Good work!" Holding Jin Mantang's hand, Li Ze said heartily.

The big salt merchant in front of him, who once had millions of dollars in his pocket, has an incomparable adventurous spirit. It is precisely because of this that eight years ago, he found Li Ze to become Li Ze's biggest investor, and then after Li Ze became powerful, he categorically threw away the lucrative salt industry and went on a sea adventure.

Of course, now his net worth is a little richer than before.

All ventures like this, once successful, are rewarded.

"When you landed in Haixing, the imperial court had already passed a resolution to make you a marquis. Congratulations, my open sea! Li Ze laughed and said, "Turn back, the Ministry of Rites will hold a grand ceremony for you." Your success has opened up endless maritime territory for our Datang. ”

Jin Mantang was full of shame: "Li Xiang, I disappointed your expectations and didn't arrive at the Europa you said, we went to another place." ”

"Not Europa?" Li Ze was startled, and pulled Jin Mantang to the globe, "Tell me, where is it?" ”

Staring at this globe, Jin Mantang looked at it for a moment, pointed to a place and said, "It should be here." ”

"It turned out to be Meizhou!" Li Ze let out a groan from the depths of his heart. Jin Mantang discovered Meizhou, which was six or seven hundred years earlier than the era in which he once lived.

"America? Is this the name you gave him? It is indeed a beautiful place. Jin Mantang's eyes were full of intoxication: "The land there is fertile and rich in products, it is really a fat place." ”

Li Ze fixed his mind, and the current American state should still be when the Mayan civilization is dominant.

Sure enough, Jin Mantang's next narrative verified Li Ze's idea.

"It's a huge area, and we've only done some preliminary exploration in the coastal areas. But Li Xiang, where is the best city for them, not by the great river, on the plains, like us, but in the mountains and forests......"

"They don't have a unified country, and in some of the places we arrived, there are cities that are completely independent of each other, and I wonder if they still use stone tools, not to mention iron tools, and you can't even see bronze tools." Jin Mantang looked puzzled: "I really can't imagine how they used those simple tools to build such a prosperous town and such a beautiful stone tower!" ”

"Li Xiang, if we have a fully armed soldier of 3,000 men, I think we can sweep across that continent! They fought mainly with stone spears and sticks. ”

"Where we are, we helped one city-state fight another city-state, helped them defeat that adversary once and for all." Jin Mantang smiled: "Because of this, we have gained the friendship of this city-state, but they are so barbaric that they actually sacrificed all the captured enemies to their gods. ”

"The way they farm the land is unusually primitive, Li Xiang, you know? They carved out farmland in the jungle, and it was actually a fire that burned the jungle and then dropped the seeds, ah, where the land is too fertile, just like that, they can actually harvest. Then the next year, they burned it in another place, and outside the jungle, there was so much fertile land, but they didn't use it, which made us really incomprehensible. ”

"Where did we get a piece of land for our settlement. Right next to a large river, where Kim Se-won is now stationed, with five hundred soldiers. He didn't go to Europa to his homeland, but he was very pleased with where he was, and where he was looking forward to our second voyage. ”

Li Ze smiled and listened to Jin Mantang narrate their adventure, the Mayan civilization has now entered their final stage, and then, their civilization will mysteriously disappear without a trace, and now, the Tang people have a stronghold somewhere, maybe they will know more about what happened there.

"Where did I bring back countless gold and silver treasures, and of course, I also brought back a lot of local crops, which we don't have here, and I know that Li Xiang has always attached great importance to these things."