In the era of smoothbore guns, it is not yet possible to talk about firearms as king.

But the rifled gun has greatly increased its firing range, and the accurate range is already about a hundred meters.

During the Civil War, there was also a story of a rifled gun exploding the head of an enemy general 500 meters away.

Therefore, under the circumstance that rifled guns can be produced in batches through mold manufacturing, it is imperative for the Song Army to develop into the era of firearms in the future.

As long as firearms are manufactured on a large scale, and the steel industry is everywhere, productivity will increase significantly, and it is expected that in ten years, the era of steam power will be fully realized.

So this is the trend of the times and cannot be changed.

However, what Zhao Jun didn't expect was that his wife's family was also involved in backward industries, and operated several handmade weapon manufacturing workshops in Bianliang City.

As vested interests, they are naturally likely to object. For this reason, he had to talk to Cao Cong.

But before that, he still has to investigate the intelligence.

Knowing oneself and knowing one's opponent will not be defeated in a hundred battles.

Now we must start with the problem of three redundancies, and naturally we must investigate which relevant interests are involved, so as to formulate corresponding tactics.

In the blink of an eye, the time has come to August.

On the morning of 14 August, the Bianhe River began to temporarily stop sailing, and it cannot be said that it stopped, but the government ordered that all ships must stop at the pier in front of them to make way for the ships in the rear.

The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is a great project, but unfortunately its average width is only 20 meters, and the speed of the water is comparable to that of a turtle.

Therefore, the ship often sails by wooden oars and the slender man on the shore.

In the early morning, since all the ships coming from Yingtianfu had been suspended for a day, although this would cause some fluctuations in commerce, it was not a problem if it was only for one day.

I saw that from the direction of Datongmen, I don't know how many ships were coming, and under the pull of at least thousands of slender men, they slowly sailed into Datongmen and headed towards the dock.

Bianliang South City is prosperous in commerce and trade, in addition to the economic prosperity of the Great Song Dynasty, the most important thing is that the southeast corner is the entrance of Bianqu, where ships will unload, so the warehouses are gathered, there are several large warehouses such as Guangji, Guangying, Fuguo, Wanying, etc.

At this time, the dock was crowded with people, because many people had heard that this was a fleet returning from overseas, and that it was a place far away from Japan or Goryeo, and no one knew what they had experienced, and everyone was curious.

At this time, the officials of Kaifeng Mansion slowly opened a passage, and a carriage went straight to the direction of the dock along this passage under the protection of many Imperial City Guards.

Everyone knew that this was the carriage of Zhao Zhiyuan, which was praised by the world in Bianliang, so everyone got out of the way and let the carriage pass smoothly.

Soon the carriage came to the dock.

Zhao Jun got out of the carriage and looked in the direction of the dock.

At a cursory glance, there are already countless ships on the canal, and you can barely see the end at a glance.

I saw that more than 200 water transport ships were slowly dispatching, rushing in, and sailing into the berthing space one after another.

Since the ships used in the ocean-going fleet are all large maritime ships, although they are not like Zheng He's seafaring treasure ships, the largest can reach 151.18 meters long and 61.6 meters wide, but they are definitely not small.

They are all 120-meter-long, more than 30-meter-wide ocean-going ships, and there are six or seven masts on the ships alone, representing the highest level of navigation ships in the Northern Song Dynasty and even the whole world.

It was impossible for such a large ship to enter the canal, so when they arrived in Mingzhou, they changed to cao transport boats, the original more than 20 ships, replaced by more than 200 cao transport ships, how many things did they have to carry.

Zhao Jun was stunned to see that Cao Xiu had already led people over, the ship at the front docked, put down the plank, and the one walking in front was an official with a vicissitudes of life and dark skin.

Dressed in a brand new official uniform with a patch on the cuffs, he walked down with his head held high.

In fact, when the fleet arrived in Mingshu from Tsushima Island last month, the local officials of Mingzhou City had already reported the situation.

The fleet sent out by the Great Song Dynasty was lucky, they took the map given by Zhao Jun, and used the latest nautical fortune boats, powered by wing wheels and oars, each ship carried more than 1,000 tons of grain and hundreds of tons of tea, and went north in this way.

They have been in distress in the East China Sea, have hit reefs in the Kuril Islands, run aground in Siberia, and even encountered storms and Indians when crossing the Bering Strait.

Some crew members died at sea, some ships disappeared in storms, and some were killed in sudden battles.

Like this official named Chen Haizhong, he was born in a merchant family, and once followed his father to trade in Goryeo and Japan.

Five years ago, he was elected by the imperial court as an official to go to sea, and since then he has represented the face of the Great Song court, and every time he meets locals along the coast, he will take out the official uniform that is properly stored in the cabin box, and communicate with the local natives on behalf of the Great Song court.

As for the patch on the cuff, when he arrived on the American continent, he was shot by a sudden bow and arrow, but fortunately he only shot through the wide cuff and caused no casualties.

But another official was not so lucky, and died of an illness, under the severe cold temperature, the high fever did not go away, and finally died.

Chen Haizhong stepped down from the plank, and Zhao Jun walked over slowly.

Cao Xiu said to him: "This is the prefect. ”

"Xiaguan has seen the prefect!"

Chen Haizhong gave up.

"Supervisor Chen, it's been hard all the way!"

Zhao Jun's face was serious, and he bowed back.

He couldn't imagine how many times the other party had suffered and how many times he had been in danger.

In order to open up overseas for the Great Song Dynasty, the fleet paid a heavy price.

Maybe all this is worth it for Da Song, but for them, it is sad.

"It's not easy along the way, and we've lost a lot."

Chen Haizhong sighed.

Zhao Jun asked, "Then how did you get here?" ”

"Xia Guan is just thinking, don't count what you have lost, what you lose is what you lose, think about what you have left."

Chen Haizhong said seriously: "Xiaguan still has the mission of the imperial court left, and there are more than 2,000 people left, and they have seen different scenery and different appearances on the road, which is enough." ”

Zhao Jun held Chen Haizhong's rough hand and said movingly: "This open-mindedness and wisdom, maybe this is the reason why the prison envoy was able to overcome obstacles and return all the way safely." It is the luck of the Great Song Dynasty to have such an official as a supervisor! ”

"Praise from the Governor!"

Chen Haizhong was really open-minded, but he responded lightly.

The five-year experience is probably the most unforgettable experience of his life.

"Let's go, the official family is waiting for you!"

Zhao Jun said.

The ships behind him were unloading, and boxes of souvenirs were being moved, causing hundreds of people to exclaim.

For it was seen that many of the chests on the ship were uncovered, and that the lumps of gold and silver were thus exposed, and that there were many chests full of them.

Follow-up ships also docked one after another, and there were many dogs barking, and many sailors followed a few dogs when they disembarked.

When Zhao Jun heard the scream, he looked back in wonder, and then his pupils shrank.

He saw the familiar eyes of the dogs who walked off the ship with the sailors, the black and white hair, the big tongue that kept purging, and the eyes full of wisdom.

Isn't this TM Erha?

Seeing Zhao Jun staring at those dogs, Chen Haizhong thought he was curious about those dogs, so he explained: "The sea drifting is hard, when we crossed the strait, we encountered a glacier stranding, and stayed in the local area for more than a year before the ship was repaired. ”

"Amount"

Zhao Jun had no choice but to say: "It's good to have some dogs." ”

Erha's scientific name is Siberian Husky, and since thousands of years ago, the Inuit have raised sleds, but they did not expect to be brought back by the crew.

But this is also normal, in the later Age of Discovery, many other continents did not have special products, and this is how they were brought over, such as the peppers produced in the Americas, weren't they brought to the Ming Dynasty by European traders from the Americas during the Ming Dynasty?

So it's not uncommon for the crew to bring some local produce.

Chen Haizhong was taken to the palace to see Zhao Zhen, and the sailors got off the ship, so naturally someone took them to find a place to live.

As for whether they will visit the bustling Bianliang Qinglou next, or enjoy the food and wine, and brag about their overseas experience to others, that is their own business.

Anyway, the sailors must have made a lot of money on this trip, and it is estimated that it is enough for them to spend their lives.

Even those who were shipwrecked in the voyage had a share of their widows and families, and this trip to the Great Song Dynasty estimated that there were thousands more wealthy people with thousands of dollars in money.

Soon the group arrived at the palace.

It was noon, everyone in the Chongzheng Hall had arrived, Zhao Zhen sat on the main seat, and the political institutes on both sides had already done a good job.

Under the guidance of Wang Shouzhong, Zhao Jun took Chen Haizhong into the palace.

Seeing the emperor, Chen Haizhong's originally calm face finally showed a touch of excitement, and he hurriedly stepped forward and bowed down and saluted: "Chen Haizhong, the envoy of the Ming City Shipping Division, has seen Your Majesty!" ”

"Chen Qing, get up!"

Zhao Zhen hurriedly raised his hands and motioned for him to get up.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Chen Haizhong straightened up.

"Throne!"

Zhao Zhen said to Wang Shouzhong.

Wang Shouzhong brought a chair.

Chen Haizhong arched his hand again, and then sat down.

"Chen Qing, how is it overseas?"

Zhao Zhen asked curiously.

He's actually seen what America looks like.

After all, there are still a lot of American blockbusters in the movie.

But he didn't know what North America looked like in the Song Dynasty thousands of years ago.

"There is desolation, and there is abundance."

Chen Haizhong took out the crumpled map from his arms, which could be said to be the life of the whole ship.

Although they copied hundreds, and there were more than a dozen on each ship, this one was the most delicate and detailed, and therefore always kept it close to him.

He took out the map and unfolded it and said: "Your Majesty, the minister has been to too many places over the years, and he has seen too many beautiful places, but I don't know where to say. ”

"It's okay, Chen Qing might as well talk about this journey."

Zhao Zhen said.

As he spoke, he asked Wang Shouzhong to move a large table over, and Chen Haizhong spread out the map on the table, and everyone gathered around to listen to him introduce them one by one.

"He went north along the Goryeo, the Bal Sea, and the East China Sea, and eastward in the East China Sea, through these islands, to the Kamchatka Peninsula recorded on the map, and then continued northward, along the Chukotka Peninsula, across the Bering Strait, and along the coastline to the Americas."

"In the process, the minister encountered many things, such as the ship ran aground and delayed the trip. Caught the storm and lost more than a dozen ships. It was also attacked by the locals, and their attacks were repelled with great difficulty. ”

However, the minister and Brother Zhang overcame all difficulties and continued to march along the map without the slightest slack. Unexpectedly, Brother Zhang had already arrived in North America, but he finally fell ill and died in a foreign land. ”

"The minister can only bring back his bones, and after arriving in Mingzhou, he will send his ashes back to his hometown in Yueqing."

I still remember that before Brother Zhang died, he did not forget to entrust his ministers to complete the mission. Therefore, the minister did not dare to slack off, and galloped under the stars, hoping to go to the Americas as soon as possible to get what he needed. ”

Chen Haizhong sighed: "It's just that the minister is ashamed that the minister originally wanted to go south to South America, but when he arrived at this place called Portland, he was suddenly attacked by the local natives, suffered heavy losses, and was forced to return to the sea, unable to complete the mission." ”

Zhao Zhen was also moved and said: "You and Zhang Xianwen are both the pillars of the Great Song Dynasty. ”

"If you can't go to South America and bring back what the court wants, please punish Your Majesty!"

Chen Haizhong was quite ashamed.

"The court will not punish you, but will only praise your wisdom and reward your courage!"

Zhao Jun was relieved: "You have accumulated valuable sailing experience for the Great Song Dynasty, and I hope you can write down this journey and compile it into a book." ”

"Xie Zhiyuan, Xia Guan will do his best."

Chen Haizhong arched his hand.

Zhao Zhen asked again, "What did you bring back?" ”

Speaking of this, Chen Haizhong perked up and said: "Although the minister did not disgrace his mission, although the rubber and cinchona were not brought back, the minister exchanged with some local friendly natives, and exchanged the silk, wine, porcelain, tea, and ironware produced in our Great Song Dynasty for a large number of local vegetables and fruit seeds such as gold and silver, corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes, peppers, and peanuts. ”

Saying that, he still didn't finish: "I really don't know where the Zhiyuan came from, not only the location marked on the map is clear, but also the local abundance is clearly marked, and the minister waited until he went to know, sure enough, it is the same as the Zhiyuan described, and the Zhiyuan is really a god." ”

"Great."

Zhao Jun didn't have the heart to accept Chen Haizhong's praise, but became excited.

Rubber and cinchona trees though did not get.

But with products like corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and peanuts, it's already very satisfying.

At this time, the productivity will be greatly improved, and it can even be considered to spread the land into the mu, officially allowing the Great Song Dynasty to enter the population explosion period.

Then, under the questioning of everyone, Chen Haizhong said some more about his experience at sea.

His journey to North America was the most dangerous, with obstacles to overcome along the way, and even the experience of running aground, more than 20 ships were wrecked and leaking, and he had to dock for more than a year before he could set off.

It took him more than three years to travel from the Great Song Dynasty to North America, but he came back much faster, and the crew returned like arrows, and it only took more than a year to arrive.

If it weren't for the fact that a lot of supplies were consumed on the road, they had to find a way to exchange supplies with the locals everywhere they went, or fish and hunt for maintenance by themselves, I am afraid that the time to return would be even faster, at most half a year.

After all, it looks far away from the Great Song Dynasty to North America, in fact, even if it goes along the coast like this, it is only about 11,000 kilometers, and if it sails at full speed, the Great Song Dynasty ship can only travel thirty or forty kilometers per hour, which is more than enough to walk four or five hundred kilometers a day.

Eliminate the risks that may be encountered, and in the smoothest case, you can reach North America in 20 days.

But unfortunately, this situation only exists in the ideal, and the reality can make them unable to survive for more than a year, which is the price that must be paid to open up a new world.

And Da Song's price this time is actually very small and lucky.

Last month, 302,933 words were updated, at least 8,000 words per day, and an average of 9,770 words per day. Thank you all and Happy New Year's Day!

(End of chapter)