If someone wants to ask Ye Hua, what is a big country, Ye Hua will most likely answer, no external enemy can defeat you, only you can defeat yourself, and it is about a big country.

When the Zhou people heard this answer, they would definitely scoff at it, because since three generations, the Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang dynasties, the Han people have lived and multiplied in the middle of the country, and they have never been afraid of any enemy? As long as the internal affairs are cultivated, you don't have to care about any barbarian and righteous things, and you still need to say it!

But if you jump out of the Central Plains, look around, and dare to say this, it will be pitiful.

There are even countries that simply kneel to whoever comes, and have never resisted, such as ...... Lovely third brother!

Ye Hua carefully analyzed the current situation of the Great Zhou Dynasty, agricultural cooperatives were promoting, steam engines appeared, and the seeds of the industrial revolution began to germinate.

The problem of transactions between the two sectors of industry and agriculture has also been resolved, and there is no doubt that the contradictions brought about by the industrial revolution will certainly be smaller than those of the Western countries.

But at the same time, we can't ignore a problem, that is, the Great Zhou is too big, and a giant elephant, even if it is just a leisurely stroll, will bring greater shock than a running bamboo rat.

At the end of the day, you still need to look outside...... Plunder everything you can and fill the industrial behemoths.

Chai Rong hoped to attack the Khitan, recover Liaodong, and then attack Goryeo, or even the Wa Kingdom...... Ye Hua has no objection to this route, but fighting to the north, the climate is cold, the population is sparse, and the real economic value is not large, at least for a while and a half.

The cheapest way is to use troops south and pick a big bun with thin skin and big filling!

Ye Hua was thinking about it, and Guo Zongxun came to the door again.

"Master, I have calculated, according to the current price of the steam engine, even if it is discounted, a cooperative of about 100 households still can't afford it!" Guo Zongxun said helplessly: "I hope that the factory can reduce the price, but my uncle firmly disagrees, he said that to continue to research new technology, there must be greater investment, and he wants to maintain the high profit of the steam engine." ”

Ye Hua nodded, "This time, I think Brother Xing's opinion is right. ”

"But, but the peasants can't come up with the money?"

"Then find a way!" Ye Hua said with a smile: "The imperial court can pay subsidies to let the steam engine go to the countryside." ”

Guo Zongxun's face was long, and he looked disappointed, "Master, if my father had money, he would have used troops abroad a long time ago, so he is unwilling to subsidize cooperatives!" ”

"Hahaha!" Ye Hua laughed: "Your Majesty is far-sighted, of course you can see the benefits of the steam engine, and how to find money at the pass, it is not a secret, as early as the end of the Western Regions War, I gave an order to Liu Chuang and Xu Shiling, asking them to form a fleet, and when the time is right, go to Tianzhu and open up the ......route."

Ye Hua really didn't think too much, he felt that the rice had to be eaten one bite at a time, although the "third brother" did not resist the fight, but it had existed for thousands of years, and it was also a bit of a way, and he was careless, so he had to swallow it little by little.

This is Ye Hua's opinion, and Xu Shiling certainly agrees.

He prepared more than a hundred large ships, half loaded with weapons and half with silk and porcelain, and set sail.

Depart from Guangzhou and head south along the coastline to Tianzhu ...... In fact, as early as the Tang Dynasty, or even earlier, bearded merchants came across the sea, and they lived in Guangzhou and other places, with tens of thousands of people.

In recent years, with the domination of the whole country by the Great Zhou, the maritime trade in the southeast has flourished, and many merchants have come.

Xu Shiling's voyage can only be regarded as the first official action.

It took them more than half a year to cross Malacca, enter the Indian Ocean, and reach the east coast of the Indian peninsula.

Stepping into a novel world, Xu Shiling was still quite excited.

There are not many admirals in Da Zhou, Ren Tianxing's guy is a little older, and his wife Han has added two children to him, a boy and a girl.

Ren Tianxing has no ambition, and is more and more willing to live a small life with his wife and children.

Xu Shiling sneered at him, in the end, he was a small family, unlike him, his ancestors were so brilliant, as a descendant, he must surpass his ancestors.

To restore the glory of the Xu family, it starts with opening the gate of Tianzhu Kingdom!

Xu Shiling was full of ambition and enthusiasm.

But he was also very careful, first contacting the locals, and then sending envoys with valuable gifts to meet the King of Chola. He could not set foot on land until he had the king's will.

Originally, the country that ruled the east coast of Tianzhu was called Chola, which is said to have existed for more than a thousand years and was very powerful.

Xu Shiling did not dare to act rashly, he stayed on the ship for five days, and finally, due to the lack of drinking water, he took out a hundred horses of silk and tried to bribe the local officials.

The silk was delivered that afternoon, and at dusk, a pot-bellied guy appeared on the docks. He's dressed in satin, and he's really fast!

Around him were a multitude of slaves, all of whom had only a white cloth covering vital parts, and they were dark-skinned, slender, and had arms and legs about the size of hemp rods.

Surrounding the officials, it is like a swarm of worker ants, surrounding the fat queen, which looks funny and ridiculous.

However, this official was not aware at all, he felt like an emperor, he could look down on the Great Zhou.

"If you can offer a hundred more silks, I will allow you to land."

When the interpreter conveyed the official's words, Xu Shiling smiled, and he agreed without hesitation, "My crew is very tired after a long voyage, and we need a vast camp to rest...... If you can agree, I will give you three hundred pieces of silk!" ”

The official blinked, and simply agreed.

He gave up a three-mile-long section of coast to Xu Shiling in one go.

And he also held a grand welcome banquet and invited Xu Shiling to the banquet.

Xu Shiling dared to say that this was the worst of all the banquets he attended.

The official said that it was held at noon, but in fact he was late at dusk, and this fellow did not have the slightest sense of being late, and when he arrived, he began to talk about the history of Chola and their religious philosophy...... Xu Shiling echoed a sentence, saying that in the Tang Dynasty, there were once high-ranking monks who came to Tianzhu to seek classics.

As soon as these words came out, Xu Shiling's nightmare began, and the fat official put his arms around his neck and sprayed saliva in his face, telling him that Buddhism was becoming more and more declining, and that a wise person should not believe in Buddhism...... Around the Great Zhou, having learned the wrong things, if you want to gain true wisdom, you should convert to Brahmanism.

Next, he spent a full hour talking about the teachings of Brahmans and those strange gods, and this guy was not ashamed to suggest to Xu Shiling that the Great Zhou should be merged into Zhula, and hire their sages to teach the Dharma to the Great Zhou, so that the people of the Great Zhou in suffering can be liberated......

Xu Shiling didn't say anything, he endured it so much that his stomach hurt.

I've seen arrogance, I've never seen such arrogance, and I don't know where this guy's superiority comes from!

The banquet lasted until the second half of the night, Xu Shiling didn't eat anything, those slimy things really made him not interested in the slightest, just drank half a glass of wine.

But it was this half glass of wine that made Xu Shiling pull for three days!

I almost lost my life!

He had to give strict orders that no matter what he did, he must use boiling hot water, local food, which must be cooked to eat, and refuse everything raw.

The Great Zhou strictly obeyed the military order, but the local people were not like this.

Hordes of people patrol outside the barracks, and when the soldiers throw something, they are snatched away in an instant, eating the leftover bones, rotten leaves, moldy grain, brewed tea, discarded boots, rotten bedding...... Whatever it is, it's all going to be swept away like a baby.

Gradually, Xu Shiling found that outside the barracks, there was a long queue, and everyone sat on the ground, waiting for the reward.

When there is endless food in the barracks, take it outside, and everyone has a spoonful, and they will eat happily...... Wait for lunch after breakfast, wait for dinner after lunch......

Just sit like that, honestly, not noisy, not noisy.

yes, just eat so much, where does you get the energy to make trouble?

Xu Shiling felt more and more that Tianzhu was magical, and he risked diarrhea again, and entered the city with a few people...... What he saw and heard once again refreshed Xu Shiling's three views.

The streets of the city are filthy and full of sewage.

Everywhere there was an open space, even on a tree, there were people lying down and sleeping.

Here, the most leisurely thing is not people, but cattle scurrying around.

Obviously hungry, obviously didn't take the next meal, but no one dared to attack the cow, and later Xu Shiling realized that the cow was the mount of the god Shiva, a divine beast, and he would be beaten to death if he ate beef!

Xu Shiling felt that his scalp was numb, and Da Zhou was not allowed to eat beef casually, but Da Zhou's reason was very simple, cattle were used to plough the land, if they were killed and eaten meat casually, what would happen to the fields?

It's good here, just because of an inexplicable god, I don't dare to eat beef.

Is it stupid, or is it brainless?

After living on the coast for a month, Xu Shiling finally had a preliminary understanding of the land under his feet...... He understood that in this country, there was a strict hierarchy, and Buddhism advocated the equality of all beings, but it was collectively opposed by the upper classes and had been completely destroyed.

Those who beg for food outside the barracks, who use the heavens as their cover and the earth as their beds in the city, they don't even have a class, they belong to the untouchables!

In the eyes of that official, they were not even people, but just livestock.

The country has been divided into different levels and cannot be unified at all.

When he saw this, Xu Shiling's heart finally let go......

"The king's will has come, and your gracious majesty has granted you trade...... I've put too much effort into your business, and I think you should express your gratitude, how about a thousand pieces of silk? The officer squinted his eyes and greedily stretched out his paws.

Xu Shiling smiled, "I'll give you more expensive gifts!" As he spoke, he took out a gun from his arms, and with a sound, a thousand peach blossoms bloomed......