Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 226 You have the potential to be a marquis
Wang Dayuan had heard about this man from his family several times. The man had visited them many times. He was a scholar who had fled to Nanchang to find his relatives to avoid the war. In addition, he was very polite and brought tea, inkstone and Hui ink. Considering that they were all scholars, Wang Dayuan finally agreed to meet this man once and asked the servants to invite him to their home.

As for the fact that scholars despise merchants, perhaps other literati consider themselves noble, but Wang Dayuan is not that kind of person. He went to sea at the age of 19 at his own expense, and earned the travel expenses along the way by doing business. In the book "A Brief Account of the Island Barbarians" alone, he recounted his experiences of selling blue and white porcelain no less than fifty times.

When it comes to doing business, Wang Dayuan himself is also an expert!

However, it was not called blue and white porcelain at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. Wang Dayuan wrote in his book that it was blue and white porcelain.
When Wei Ziming received the invitation from Wang's servant, he did not dare to neglect it at all. This was the person Lu Jin specifically asked for, and he would take him back even if he had to be tied up. Of course, it would be even better if he could convince this person and invite him directly.

But before that, he had to test Wang Dayuan's views on the current world and his attitude towards the Yuan court and the rebel army.

What he knew about Wang Dayuan was basically what he heard from Bao Yu and Lu Jin. He only knew that this man had gone to sea alone at the age of twenty, and had gone to sea twice, traveling all over the oceans and covering a total distance of more than 100,000 miles. Naturally, he did not dare to underestimate such a man.

However, in terms of academic and political aspects, according to some information Wei Ziming has collected recently, he is not very clear about Wang Dayuan himself, but the people who deal with him are all die-hard fans of the Yuan court and are very resentful of the rebel army. So it is difficult to say what Wang Dayuan’s attitude towards the rebel army will be.

However, when he thought of Lu Jin's original instructions, Wei Ziming still gained some confidence. The title of marquis is not a small promise. How many people in the world regard the title of marquis as dirt?
This time, Wei Ziming brought a guard with him and once again came to Shiyao Village carrying gifts. When he arrived at Wang's house, he handed in a visiting card and was quickly invited in by the servants. Wang Dayuan greeted him at the gate of the second courtyard.

Wang Dayuan is already middle-aged, but he is still quite strong, has a beard, and a ruddy and fair complexion. He does not look like someone who often wanders on the sea. He stands tall at the gate of the courtyard.

Wei Ziming naturally did not dare to let the host and elder Wang Dayuan speak first, so he quickly bowed and greeted him.

"I am Wei Ziming, courtesy name Pengyuan. I have long heard of Mr. Huanzhang's name. Today I finally get to meet him. I am so lucky."

Wang Dayuan laughed and said, "Hahahaha, you are too polite, my friend Pengyuan. You came to visit me three times and I was not at home. But when you came the second time, I asked my servants to find out your identity and purpose. I learned that you opened a calligraphy and painting shop in Nanchang City, so I thought you came to ask for calligraphy and paintings.

"I was very surprised at the time. Wang is not famous for his calligraphy and painting in my hometown. How could a calligraphy and painting merchant come to my door for help? So I didn't respond. But I didn't expect that you came for the third time.

"As the saying goes, three times the limit. Since you are so persistent, I can't just avoid you. Otherwise, it would seem that I am unkind. Come on, please come this way."

"Thank you."

After the two men came to the central hall and sat down as host and guest, Wang Dayuan asked the servants to serve tea, and then he looked Wei Ziming up and down.

He was dressed in brocade and a scholar's cap, and looked to be in his early twenties, quite young. In his hand was a folding fan which had been very popular recently, with the characters '源远流长' ('Long History') inscribed on it. He had an upright posture and decent manners, and could be described as a handsome man.

Wang Dayuan joked when he saw this.

"I heard that you are from Wuwei Prefecture in Luzhou Road, which has been occupied by the Demon Cult's Xiang Army. You came to Nanchang to escape the war, but I see that you are wearing jewels and precious clothes, and your business in Nanchang City is also booming. It doesn't look like you are fleeing."

Wei Ziming heard a hint of temptation in Wang Dayuan's words, but he did not panic. Instead, he explained with a smile.

"It's true that we are avoiding war, but it can't be called fleeing. My family lives in Wuwei, close to the Yangtze River port. My family also runs some business and has some savings. It's true that the Chaohu Red Turbans occupied Wuwei, but they didn't harm the people.

"Although the Red Scarf did not do anything wrong, my family must make plans for the future. Mr. Huanzhang has traveled a lot and must know what the imperial army is like. If the imperial army comes to suppress the bandits in Luzhou, they will definitely land in Wuwei, and my family will not be able to escape. It is better to take advantage of this easy time to move out of Wuwei and find a safe place to take shelter for a while."

"Forehead"

Wang Dayuan was not easy to respond to this. Wei Ziming said it very bluntly. The Red Turban Army in Luzhou did not rob the people, but the Yuan army might not. When the Yuan government troops come, will we be safe? So I am not hiding from the rebels, but from the government troops.

How could Wang Dayuan respond to this? He couldn't let him curse Yuan Ting.

Wang Dayuan did not respond to this question, but instead took the opportunity to ask about the situation in the north.

"My friend, since you have come from Wuwei to avoid disaster, do you know what the current situation in the Central Plains is like?"

"The situation in the Central Plains? How do I put it?" Wei Ziming organized his words, covered his mouth with his hand, leaned closer and whispered in a mysterious manner.

"Now, the entire Henan and Jiangbei provinces are almost no longer in the hands of the imperial court. Since the Central Plains is in chaos, I think it is not impossible for the country to be overthrown and the artifact to change hands."

"How could the land north of the Yangtze River be so corrupt?!"

Wei Ziming nodded seriously.

Wang Dayuan's eyes widened when he heard this.

He had heard about the Red Turban Rebellion, but as a Jiangxi native, he was not unfamiliar with rebellion. Especially since Peng Yingyu, who was currently making a fuss, had rebelled in Jiangxi more than ten years ago, and it was after being suppressed that he fled to the Jianghuai region.

After digesting this shocking news, Wang Dayuan frowned and said, "Even if there are demons causing trouble, it's unlikely that the artifact will change hands. My friend, don't say that. Since ancient times, demon cults have never been successful. Even if these evil cult demons use their followers to cause trouble, it will be difficult to achieve any results. When the imperial army arrives, they will just be a few captive thieves."

This time, Wei Ziming shook his head and said, "No, no, no, Mr. Huanzhang, you don't know. I came from Jiangbei, so how can I not see the current situation clearly?
"Now the Red Turban bandit leaders Liu Futong and Du Zundao are using Yingzhou as their base and attacking from all sides. They have now reached the Yellow River and have hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

"At the beginning of this year, the imperial court sent Prime Minister Toghto's brother to lead an army of 300,000 to attack, but they were defeated and fled. Only 10,000 of the 300,000 government troops escaped.

"In the east, Xuzhou Zhima Li also has hundreds of thousands of soldiers. With Xuzhou as the center, he has annexed a large number of prefectures and counties. His troops have already reached the southern part of Shandong, less than a thousand miles away from Dadu.

"The canal used by the imperial court to transport grain to the north was cut off by them. I heard that by the end of last year, most people had already started cannibalism.

"Wuwei, where my family lives, is occupied by the Luzhou Red Turbans. They occupied the entire Luzhou Road last year, and this year they captured part of Anfeng Road and part of Yangzhou Road. Wherever their troops point to, they can capture every city. The local government troops are no match for them.

"Just when I was heading south to Jiangxi, the Luzhou Red Turbans were still sending tens of thousands of troops to attack Anqing. Anqing is located in the strategic area of ​​Jianghuai, controlling Dongting and Pengli in the upper reaches, and Shicheng and Jingkou in the lower reaches. The division of borders locks the north and the south, and the sitting position controls the east and the west. Once the Luzhou Red Turbans occupy Anqing, you just wait and see, sir. I think there will be news that the Red Turbans have cut off the upper and lower reaches of the Yangtze River soon.

"Sir, you think that as long as the imperial court sends out troops, the Red Turbans can be easily wiped out. But in my eyes as a Jianghuai person, that is not the case.

“Although I am not familiar with military affairs, I can count on my fingers. There are 100,000 Red Turbans in Luzhou, more than 100,000 in Xuzhou, and 500,000 to 600,000 in Yingzhou. The total number of Red Turbans in these three routes is at least 700,000 to 800,000, if not a million. How many troops will the court have to send to wipe them out?
“Even if we can really wipe them out, I’m afraid it will be a war that will destroy the whole country, and the scale of the killing will probably be no less than the war between the two capitals 20 years ago.

"Sir, you are right about one thing. Right now, the three Red Turbans are fighting against local government troops. The real elite troops of the imperial court have not yet arrived. When the imperial court really sends a large army to suppress them, I am afraid there will be a sea of ​​blood and corpses. I am worried about this, so I moved to Nanchang to avoid disaster."

Wang Dayuan held his tea bowl in his hand and listened with his mouth wide open. He had no specific idea about the Red Turban rebels in Jiangbei before. It was not until Wei Ziming introduced the scale of the three Red Turban troops that he felt that the matter was serious. A war of millions of people, even in the change of dynasties in history, there might not be such a large scale of troops.

If they really collided, it would cause the sky to collapse and the earth to break. No wonder Wei Ziming ran to Jiangxi so early to avoid disaster.

"Hmm?" Thinking of this, Wang Dayuan suddenly realized that something was wrong. The boy in front of him, Wei Ziming, was just a scholar whose family was engaged in business. Why did he know so much about the military strength and sphere of influence of the rebels? Could it be that this matter had already spread in Jianghuai?
Wang Dayuan suddenly began to doubt Wei Ziming's identity.

He pretended to be calm on the surface, but he was still arguing.

"My friend, you are still too young. This is not a question of the number of troops, but a question of how to govern the country. Throughout history, no one who used the evil cult to raise an army has ever succeeded.

"The Taiping Dao founded by Zhang Jue at the end of the Han Dynasty had nearly 400,000 followers. In terms of military strength and sphere of influence, it was no weaker than the Red Turbans today. But did the Yellow Turbans succeed?"

"Hahaha." Wei Ziming burst into laughter after hearing this, then lowered his voice and said, "Since you mentioned Zhang Jue's Yellow Turban Army, the Yellow Turbans did not accomplish anything at the end of the Han Dynasty, but the imperial court repeatedly suppressed them and revived them, and eventually destroyed the Han Dynasty. The eighteen princes fought against Dong Zhuo, and then the world was divided into three parts, and finally it was unified again and returned to the Jin State.

"It was after watching the Three Kingdoms at the end of the Han Dynasty that I felt that the Red Turbans today are no different from the Yellow Turbans at the end of the Han Dynasty. Perhaps the Red Turbans will not accomplish anything, but once the world is in chaos and heroes emerge, who knows whether the world will still be ruled by the Yuan Dynasty in the end?"

Wang Dayuan was shocked when he heard this. He had heard before that the Red Turbans were an army that burned incense and believed in the coming of the end of the world and the birth of Maitreya. This was indeed very similar to Zhang Jue's Taiping Dao in the late Han Dynasty.

Wang Dayuan was an orthodox Confucian scholar who simply looked down on religious things. He had previously defined the Red Turbans based on his subjective emotions. But according to Wei Ziming, the Red Turbans were only causing chaos in the world and eventually allowing others to take over the world. This was indeed possible.

The Red Turbans are not fools. If the imperial court sends troops to suppress them, they will run away if they cannot defeat them. Now they have spread across half of the world before we even suppress them. If we let these people run away, won’t the whole world be filled with rebels?
After hearing these words about chaos in the world and the change of dynasties, Wang Dayuan felt that something was wrong. If the man in front of him was not a lunatic, then he must be related to the Red Turban rebels. However, he could not figure out this man's intentions for the time being, and it seemed that he had nothing to do with the Red Turbans, right?

After taking a closer look at Wei Ziming, the boy actually looked at him with a smile, not seeming panicked at all.

Wang Dayuan picked up the tea and took a sip, then thought for a moment with a frown, and simply asked.

"For matters of national importance, we common people should say less, especially your words that are extremely treasonous to the imperial court. I, Wang, will not spread them, but you must not tell others carelessly.

"My friend, you have come to me again and again. I wonder what your intention is. Could it be that you are here to talk to me, a carefree person, about the replacement of divine weapons?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Ziming immediately waved his hands and said with a smile, "These are just some gossips I heard from others. If you don't like them, I won't say anything.

“As for the purpose of my visit today, there are two.

"I have also read Mr. Huanzhang's "A Brief Account of the Islands and Barbarians" and was quite surprised by its contents. There are so many foreign countries. I have also heard people talk about Mr. Huanzhang's two experiences at sea, which made me admire him even more.

"Most people in this world spend their entire lives wandering around in a state or county, just like a frog at the bottom of a well, only able to see the sky at the mouth of the well.
"But you have sailed to sea twice, traveled over 100,000 miles across the sea, and visited hundreds of countries. What a heroic act this is. Whenever I read your books, it is as if I were sailing to the sea with you. Without leaving home, I can broaden my horizons and feel the vastness of the world. I admire you so much that I have come to meet you. This is one of my reasons.

"The second reason is that my elders admire your courage, wisdom, and legendary experience. They once said that they have a deep sympathy with you, but it is inconvenient for them to go out. That is why they specially asked me to give you a gift to express my appreciation."

Wang Dayuan was curious when he heard this, "Oh? Your elders also know me?"

Wei Ziming immediately explained, "Of course I know. Although I have never been to sea, my elders have returned from overseas travels, and the distance they have traveled is probably no less than yours.

"My elders once told me that your jumping into the sea to write a book was a great contribution to the country, and this achievement was enough to make you a marquis."

When Wang Dayuan heard this, he immediately felt something was wrong. A meritorious service that could earn him a title of nobility? Is this something that an ordinary person could say? And the person Wei Ziming was talking about had also traveled overseas? His journey was no less far than his own?

Then why hadn’t Wang Dayuan heard of him? If he had known there was such a person, he would have gone with him!
Thinking about what Wei Ziming had just said about the Red Turban Army and his origins in Luzhou Road, Wang Dayuan immediately guessed a possibility.

Wei Ziming continued speaking.

“My elders also said that in the time of Emperor Wu of Han, Zhang Qian opened up the Western Regions. He traveled only tens of thousands of miles back and forth, and brought back news of the 36 countries in the Western Regions for China. He was therefore granted the title of Marquis of Bowang for his meritorious service.

"Mr. Huanzhang crossed the sea twice for more than 100,000 miles. The distance he traveled was much longer, and the number of countries he wrote about in his book was much greater than that of Zhang Qian. The reason why Mr. Huanzhang could not be made a marquis was simply because he lacked a staff in his hand.

"The elders in my family often talk about you, it's a pity for you, it's a pity."

Upon hearing this, Wang Dayuan quickly waved his hands.

"Your Excellency really embarrasses me. Zhang Qian, Marquis of Bowang, opened up the Western Regions with the mission of the Han Emperor. He went through untold hardships and was captured by the Xiongnu for more than ten years. He refused to surrender and finally escaped. He still remembered his mission and carved a path through the vast desert.

"Not only did he bring back news about the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions, he also brought back many fine varieties that are not available in China, such as shallots, garlic, carrots, alfalfa, grapes, walnuts, pomegranates, coriander, cumin and other fine products. These things are now widely spread and have become food for the common people. In this sense, we have all received the favor of Marquis Bowang.

"Wang has no mission. I just traveled out of personal curiosity. The book I wrote is just a compilation of my records along the way. I didn't bring back anything that could benefit the world. How can I be compared with Zhang Gong, the Marquis of Bowang?"

"Hahahaha." Wei Ziming burst into laughter when he heard that, leaving Wang Dayuan confused.

"Why are you laughing, little friend?"

Wei Ziming immediately explained, "To be honest, sir, my elders have long guessed your reaction. They once told me that you have the talent to be a marquis, but you have nowhere to display it. Now you just lack an opportunity. As the saying goes, there are many good horses, but few good horse trainers.

"I wonder if you still have the ambition you had when you went to sea? My elders asked me to tell you something. If you have the ambition to become a noble, I am willing to be your mentor.

"Oh, yes, this is a gift that my elders asked me to bring to you, sir. It's a folding fan. It's not a very expensive item. I hope you like it."

Wang Dayuan took the fan and opened it. There was a painting of a ship braving the wind and waves on the front, and a poem inscribed on the back, which was Li Bai's "The journey is hard, there will always be a time to ride on the wind and waves, and set sail to cross the vast ocean."

The signature is "Presented to Mr. Huanzhang, made in Luzhou in the spring of the Renchen year, Gongshu Jin".

(End of this chapter)