In the fourth year of the establishment, in mid-March.

Night gradually enveloped the port of Yokohama. Groups of peasants, organized by the nearby samurai to help unload their goods, lined up to return to their villages under the shouts of the samurai and the clubs; Several leading samurai held abacus in their hands and said something to two men in Ming costumes. The two officials of the Ming Dynasty counted the numbers again, and handed them the reward promised to them this time in a sack. Several samurai left happily.

A man dressed in a eunuch's uniform lit a lantern hanging in the courtyard of a deep house. Suddenly the whole mansion became brightly lit, especially in one house in the front yard of the mansion. There was also the sound of women's laughter in this house, and more than a dozen fifteen or sixteen-year-old girls dressed in the costumes of Daming Palace were standing outside the house, and their rough skin could be seen from the place where the clothes that were not tightly covered could be seen.

"Uncle Twelve, I haven't seen you for many years, this time I finally got together together, I want to have a few drinks with Uncle Twelve." Zhu Mengjiong sat on the main seat, raised his wine glass and said to Zhu Bai with a smile.

"Just drink one meal, but not more. I'll have to go east to see if there's any land. Zhu Bai also raised his wine glass, touched the glass with Zhu Mengjiong, and took a sip of the glass, but still said.

"Is there any urgency to explore the East?" Zhu Mengjiong said with a smile: "I also know about the last time I went north to explore, and I used it a lot, and I am not in a hurry on this day." What's more, after Yokohama, although there is still food and vegetables in the Ainu people's place, there is nothing comparable to the prosperous city of Yokohama, and the twelfth uncle still hides in Yokohama for a few days, and then leaves after everything is arranged. ”

"His Royal Highness the King of Xiang, His Royal Highness the King of Yongxing is right." Fang Mingqian, who was sitting at the bottom of his hand, said: "After Yokohama, there is no decent city to the north, and if you want to have fun, you can't find a place; Even more so in the land of the Ainu, who are a bunch of wild people, where there will be some fun. Therefore, His Royal Highness the King of Xiang will stay here in Yokohama for a few more days, and then set off to the north. ”

"In that case, Lone will stay here for a few more days." Zhu Bai also smiled: "I stayed in Yunxi's fiefdom for a year last year, and I will take a look here in the past few days and see for a long time." ”

"What can I see here! Don't say that compared with the capital, even Wuchang or Jingzhou can't compare. Zhu Mengjiong said with a smile.

"7, you're being arrogant." Fang Mingqian interjected again: "When the minister came over last year, Yokohama was still just a small city, not much bigger than the palace in the Central Plains, and the city walls were also very low; There are only a few people except the soldiers and their families who have been sent over, and they are very desolate. ”

"How long has it been? The walls of the castle have been built, the area has been expanded, there is a market in the city, there are more shops on both sides of the road, and there are many Japanese people to work, and it looks not much worse than the Japanese capital. This is all due to His Highness 7. ”

"Meng Jiong, do you have a good set of local governance! If you stay in this small place in Yokohama, the officials should transfer you back to govern a province! Zhu Bai laughed.

"Ping Rang (Fang Mingqian), you said too much." Zhu Mengjiong said with a smile: "Yokohama can have such a big change in just one year, mainly because Yokohama opens the sea, allowing the Ming Dynasty to do business with local Japanese merchants. When there are more people doing business, the place will naturally prosper. All I did was build a city and divide the streets and neighborhoods. ”

"You also have a part in the fact that Yokohama has changed so much." Zhu Bai said again. Zhu Mengjiong smiled and didn't answer, just persuaded to drink.

After three rounds of drinking, everyone was a little drunk. Zhu Mengjiong continued to drink and eat vegetables, and said: "Twelfth uncle, Pingrang, is there really a large piece of land in the east?" ”

"Of course, there is land, but I don't know how big it is or where it is." Fang Mingqian said with a big tongue: "The last time I went, I saw a large piece of land in the east with no end in sight, and I didn't know if it was a big island or land. However, the latitude of that place is very high, almost 60 degrees north latitude, and it is very cold, and people can't stay at all. ”

"But if there is a piece of land in the south, not land, as long as it is an island with a small area that can allow people to live, the purpose of this exploration will be achieved."

"However, the official family seems to believe very much that there is a vast land area in the east, and they have sent me out, probably with the intention of sealing me up there. If there really is such a land, it would be fine, if not, I will run for nothing. Zhu Bai said.

"Brother Huang is full of confidence, it seems that he has never missed it, so it seems that there is probably really a large area of land in the east, not to mention many large islands." Zhu Mengjiong said.

"That's good. I don't have to make a trip in vain. Although the fiefdom is far away from the imperial court, there are also far benefits, what you say is what you say, and there are not so many things, and you are at ease. Zhu Bai said again.

"What Uncle Twelve said made his nephew envious, so it was better for his nephew to ask the royal brother to let Uncle Twelve guard Yokohama, and his nephew would go east to explore." Zhu Mengjiong said with a smile.

"I think it's good!" Zhu Bai also smiled: "You have such a good life in Yokohama, I am jealous, let's change just right." ”

"Haha, then tomorrow my nephew will ask the imperial brother for advice." Zhu Mengjiong knew that this was a joke, so he didn't take it to heart, and said casually.

After drinking a few more glasses, Zhu Mengjiong thought of something again, and said to Zhu Bai and Fang Mingqian: "Twelfth uncle, Pingrang, this time to explore the east is farther than before, and it is estimated that it will be more than half a year, and it will be much longer than before." For such a long time, the ship was full of men, which is not good. ”

"That's true." People's physiological needs are difficult to suppress for a long time, and there are no women on pirates or naval ships in various countries in history, so there is an endless stream of **, the young are controlled by the elderly, and the junior are controlled by the senior. The Daming Naval Division has not been out to sea for a long time, and it can stop at the ports of Ryukyu and Japan in the middle, there are still few such things, but Zhu Bai and Fang Mingqian will lead the fleet to go for such a long time this time, this problem cannot be ignored.

"What? Can you solve this problem? Zhu Bai said to Zhu Mengjiong again.

"I can fix it." Zhu Bai just teased, but he didn't expect Zhu Mengjiong to really answer and solve it, so he hurriedly asked, "You have so many young women in your hands?" It won't be to sacrifice all the maids in your house, right? ”

"Naturally not." Zhu Mengjiong said with a smile: "These maids in my house are carefully selected, and I talked with the Japanese Sagami country a few times before they came down, how can they be willing to give them to ordinary soldiers?" ”

"The women I'm talking about are all found in Sagami Country."

"Sagami country? Why is the government in this place willing to find young women for the Ming fleet? Zhu Bai was puzzled.

"Naturally, I am curious about the continent in the East." Zhu Mengjiong said with a straight face: "Ping Rang led the fleet north twice before, and he brought back a large amount of gold, so the daimyo here in Japan are extremely attentive to the fleet sent by the Ming Dynasty to see if they can make a fortune along the way." The premise that Sagami Kingdom gave us a young woman was to send a few samurai to accompany us. ”