Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 511 The Adventure of the Yuanwang Ship (Part 1)

When Lu Jin asked about the Yuanwang, Feng Guoyong immediately countered, "What time period did His Majesty agree with Wang Huanzhang on? How much supplies did he bring on board? If the supplies run out, he'll definitely have to come back, right?"

“That’s not necessarily true,” Lu Jin explained. “The agreement I made with him was for one year, or at most two years, while his ship has more than 700 people and the rations it carries are only enough for ten months, plus six months of fresh water.”

"Logically speaking, if he had returned that year, there would have been enough food and fresh water to replenish along the way. But if he had reached Lizhou and did not want to return that year, he had brought farming tools and seeds on his ship. There were also crops to cultivate in Lizhou. He could have stayed in Lizhou for two more years before returning. As long as nothing unexpected happened, when he would return would depend on his own wishes."

"However, I made an agreement with him that if he does not return within two years at the latest, I will send a second batch of ships to Lizhou to search for him, and assume that they are all dead."

Upon hearing this, Feng Guoyong immediately comforted him, "That might be because Wang Huanzhang hasn't completed the task His Majesty assigned him. His Majesty sent him to find crops in Lizhou, but if he arrived there and missed the farming season, and by the time the seeds were harvested, he had missed the best time to return, he might have made a last-minute decision to come back a year later."

"Besides, even if we reach the coast of Lizhou, we will have to search deep inland to find those crops. It is normal for it to take several months. It doesn't necessarily mean that something happened on the way."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin nodded, "That's right, that's why I made a two-year agreement with him."

Feng Guoyong then said again, "As for sending a second batch of ships to sea, the No. 2 dock of Longjiang Shipyard was completed last year. Construction of two ships started this year, and two more new ships were launched last month. They are currently being outfitted and will undergo sea trials and training for another year next year. If Wang Huanzhang has not returned by next year, we can send three or four ships to search for him next time."

Lu Jin nodded, "Then let's go to the shipyard in a couple of days. These two ships will soon be of great use. One can be allocated to Xinjin Prefecture and the other to Xuantu Prefecture in Liaodong."

"Xuan Tu Mansion?" Feng Guoyong asked in confusion upon hearing this.

"It is the Shuangcheng General Administration, which is located at the border of Liaodong and Goryeo. During this Northern Expedition, Liu Futong's Provisional Eleventh Army Group has recovered all the territory of the Yuan Dynasty at the border of Liaodong and Goryeo. The Shuangcheng General Administration was originally the Xuantu Commandery of the Han Dynasty. Now it is just a restoration of the old name."

"Furthermore, I also met the Goryeo envoy in Dadu, and Deokheung-gun, Tas Temur, the cousin of the current Goryeo king. I brought him back this time and took him hostage."

"This time, Goryeo responded to the Yuan court's call and sent more than 2,000 soldiers and troops to fight in Dadu. They were captured by our army. I killed all their generals and pro-Yuan ministers in Goryeo, leaving only a former prime minister of Goryeo to go back and report. I made an agreement with them that all the former Yuan territory would belong to the Ming Dynasty. I warned them not to invade the north. I also demanded Jeju Island from them to keep a close watch on the Japanese pirates."

Feng Guoyong suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. They agreed?"

Lu Jin immediately said, "Now Goryeo is beset by internal and external troubles. In the north, the Yuan court is manipulating the Goryeo court, and in the south, Japanese pirates frequently raid the country. Internally, there are also powerful ministers who are pro-Yuan and domineering, annexing the land of the people, bullying men and women, and taking people as slaves."

"I have just eliminated the pro-Yuan faction leader in Goryeo. They also need to eliminate the pro-Yuan faction within their own country and redistribute the land seized by powerful ministers to the people. It will be quite a busy time. They dare not agree. By the time they have governed their country well, we will have established a firm foothold in Liaodong."

"And Jeju Island. Once these two warships are fully equipped, we'll immediately occupy the island, build a bastion on it, and see who has the ability to take it back."

Feng Guoyong then learned about the situation in Liaodong and Goryeo, but he reminded him, "If that's the case, those two warships, one in the South Seas and one in Goryeo, probably won't be enough. Goryeo has to guard Liaodong, Xuantu Prefecture, and Jeju Island, and one warship probably won't be able to handle it all."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin immediately said, "Then let's continue building ships. We can't eat or drink the wood used to build palaces, but we can use it to build warships to defend our country. It's a good deal no matter how you look at it. Let's continue building two ships a year. There's plenty of timber in Liaodong and Fujian. We can consider opening another shipyard in Liaodong and another in Fujian. That way, we can build six ships a year, which will speed up the shipbuilding process."

Feng Guoyong nodded, "Your Majesty is wise."

Lu Jin thought for a moment and then said, "There is also the matter of building fortresses. Not only should Jeju Island and Xuantu Prefecture be built, but also the southern desert, the Hetao region, and Liaodong. We need to build cities, settle immigrants, and cultivate land. We need to take a three-pronged approach: military, pacification, and land reclamation. I want to use castles and military settlements to gradually push towards the northern desert. I must defeat those Tartars in the northern desert. Remember this. If I forget, please remind me, sir."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will certainly remember." Feng Guoyong immediately agreed.

Ye Chen walked alongside and overheard Lu Jin and Feng Guoyong's conversation. Only then did he gain some impression of this great ruler who swept across the world, drove out the Tartars, and rebuilt China. Not only was he well-versed in the affairs of Goryeo, but he also took advantage of the strategic window when Goryeo was in turmoil and had no time to attend to other matters, and seized the opportunity to demarcate and consolidate the border between the two countries. He even demanded Jeju Island, a strategic location.

One Northern Expedition not only recovered Yan and Yun, but also controlled Liaodong, southern Mongolia, and the Hetao region. His talent and strategy were truly unmatched by ordinary people. No wonder he was able to drive out the Tartars and pacify the country within three years.

As if remembering something, Lu Jin asked again, "What has Tao Guangyi, the Minister of the General Armaments Department, been doing lately?"

Feng Guoyong immediately said, "He's making some kind of machine tool with His Majesty's disciples. I heard it's a task His Majesty assigned to them."

Lu Jin nodded. "That's true. Has he made any progress?"

Feng Guoyong said again, "I don't understand those things either, but I saw him a few days ago. He was holding a three-foot-long twist drill. He said that this thing can cut iron like mud and can drill a three-foot-long through gun barrel out of an iron rod. I suppose it is for the new type of firearm."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin pondered, "To be able to make a twist drill that is more than three feet long, it seems that he must have mastered the gearbox of the lathe, as well as the milling machine and the drilling machine."

Then he asked, "What about the group of glass artisans from Shandong?"

Feng Guoyong replied again, "Your Majesty's predictions are indeed accurate. The craftsmen did indeed discover a crystal mine in Fengyang. I am from Dingyuan and was unaware that there was a crystal mine in my hometown. After finding the crystal mine, they have already collected some and set up furnaces and workshops on the banks of the Qinhuai River. They are now able to fire ordinary crystal cups. However, the test tubes that Your Majesty mentioned seem to still be in the trial production stage."

Lu Jin nodded upon hearing this, "Then let them try it first, and go and check on it again in a couple of days when we have time. We should also arrange something for Marquis Hunde Xiaotieguo to do, so that he won't do anything rash."

Marquis of Hunde. This was the title given by the Jin Dynasty to the captured Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji, specifically to humiliate him. Zhao Ji and his son were respectively Duke of Hunde and Marquis of Chonghun. Now, the tables have turned. Tuoguan Temur was captured by Lu Jin and became Marquis of Hunde as well. His son, Ayushiridara, although dead, also had a title. His title should have been one rank lower than his father's; Tuoguan Temur was a marquis, so he should have been an earl, like Zhao Ji and his son. However, this fellow wanted to rebel and usurp the throne, and his name contained the characters for "reason," so Lu Jin deliberately gave him the title Marquis of Beili. Firstly, to put him on the same level as his father, thus fulfilling his desire to usurp the throne; secondly, to show that he was immoral and attempted to usurp the throne, defying common sense. This title of Marquis of Beili was a final judgment on his fate.

When Feng Guoyong heard that Lu Jin was planning to find something for Xiao Tieguo, he immediately became interested and asked curiously, "What does His Majesty plan to have him do?"

Lu Jin thought for a moment before saying, "When I went to Dadu this time, I saw the water clock he made and the dragon boat. Since he likes mechanics and clocks, let him be the director of the clock factory."

Feng Guoyong immediately nodded and said, "It's a good thing that he can find solace in objects and live out his remaining years in peace."

As they talked, the group returned to Jiankang City. Lu Jin first went home to see his wife and children, and the next day he held a court assembly in the palace. The purpose was twofold: first, to announce his triumphant return, and second, to arrange matters for all parties. Now that the Yuan Dynasty had been destroyed, Yan and Yun had been recovered, and various documents from Dadu had been brought back, they could begin compiling the History of Yuan.

However, since Song Lian and Chen Yu already had the task of compiling textbooks, the task of compiling the History of Yuan Dynasty had to be handed over to someone else.

In addition, there is the history of Western Xia. Lu Jin previously mentioned that he wanted to combine the histories of Song, Jin, Liao, Yuan, and Western Xia into a "History of the Later Five Dynasties". The histories of Song, Jin, and Liao have already been compiled by the Yuan Dynasty, so there is no need to make major changes. The only thing that needs to be completed is the history of Western Xia.

Furthermore, there is something to note regarding the compilation of the History of Yuan Dynasty. Because the Yuan Dynasty was founded by Mongols, these nomadic peoples did not have the habit of recording history, so there was very little available material. In addition, the official script of the Yuan Dynasty, especially the more authoritative ones, was not written in Chinese characters, making it quite difficult to study these materials.

The Western Xia faced similar difficulties. Although they also used Chinese characters, they were completely different from Han characters. They could only extract characters from the historical records of the Song, Jin, and Liao dynasties and then refine them.

Finally, there is the issue of dynastic division in the history of the Yuan Dynasty. Lu Jin requested that the calculation begin with Kublai Khan, and that the history of the Mongols before Kublai Khan, including the westward expeditions of the eldest son of the Mongols, be compiled into a separate book, "The Origin of the Mongols".

Since most of the materials related to the Mongol westward expansion are recorded in Uyghur and Uyghur languages, and also involve many Central Asian and European countries, it is not easy for Confucian scholars in China to understand the details. So, it is better to compile another book and put it into the world history in the future.

Finally, he handed the task over to Shi Nai'an, who was the Minister of the Propaganda Department of the Privy Council. Originally, he was in charge of the cultural troupe and scriptwriting. Now that the war was almost over and there was nothing else to do for the time being, he was simply put in charge of the chief editor of the 'History of the Later Five Dynasties'.

In addition to Shi Nai'an, Lu Jin added a Mongolian who had previously joined him in Wuwei to the project team. This Mongolian was Ai Yan, his Mongolian teacher, who was specifically responsible for the Mongolian translation work of the project team. As for other personnel, they could recruit more if needed, or select some talents to enter the Hanlin Academy after the next imperial examination to be specifically responsible for this matter.

However, compared to compiling history books, Lu Jin still attaches more importance to compiling teaching materials. Now, after several months of compilation, Song Lian and others have completed a set of primary school Chinese textbooks, and Lu Jin's eldest apprentice, Meng Zhifang, has also compiled a set of primary school mathematics textbooks, which are waiting for Lu Jin to review after returning from the Northern Expedition.

While Lu Jin was busy compiling books, inspecting factories, and arranging the appointment of officials in the newly attached territory, at the same time, the crew of the Yuanwang ship in Acapulco, Mexico, on the other side of the ocean, were indeed clearing land and farming, preparing to spend the New Year there and return next year.

The Yuanwang ship departed from Jiankang on the eighth day of the fifth lunar month. It sailed out of the Yangtze River basin at noon that day and, taking advantage of the southeast trade winds, sailed straight towards Jeju Island in Goryeo.

To avoid alerting Goryeo, Wang Dayuan did not plan to stop at Jeju Island. In any case, the Yuanwang had just set sail and had ample supplies on board, so they could resupply in a few days. Otherwise, if they stopped at Jeju Island, they would have to explain to the locals, and Goryeo would definitely find out about their plans.

Also, to avoid encountering Japanese pirates, he deliberately slowed down the speed, preparing to cross the Tsushima Strait on the night of May 9th or in the early morning of May 10th. Otherwise, with the speed of the Yuanwang and sailing with full sails and favorable winds, it would only take a day at most to travel from Shanghai to the Tsushima Strait.

Unfortunately, he had never sailed this route before. He didn't expect that the southeast monsoon in the western Pacific during the spring and summer would not be as strong as he had imagined. It wasn't until the afternoon of May 10th that he crossed Jeju Island and entered the waters of the Tsushima Strait. Unfortunately, he ran into the Japanese pirates.

This is actually quite normal. 1354 was the year when the Japanese pirates were most rampant in harassing the Korean Peninsula. At their peak, they raided at least three times a month, which means there was a Japanese pirate attack every ten days. In other words, there were Japanese pirate ships passing through the Tsushima Strait almost every day.

Wang Dayuan was unaware of this situation at the time. In fact, no matter how he tried to avoid it, the Yuanwang was bound to encounter the Japanese pirates. Given the frequency of the Japanese raids, it would be strange if they didn't run into them.

Fortunately, the ship had made contingency plans in advance, so there was no panic when they encountered Japanese pirates.

The group of Japanese pirates they encountered at the time consisted of only about eighty ships, the two largest of which were only Atakebune ships of about two hundred tons each. The rest were small sampans without even cabins. Although the Yuanwang was not fully armed and only had eight cannons on each side, it was enough to deal with these small sampans.

Wang Dayuan immediately ordered the gunners to prepare and had the sailors lower two sails, deliberately slowing down the speed.

As for the Japanese pirates, when they saw such a magnificent ship, and that it was all alone, their eyes immediately lit up with greed. Unfortunately, the gunwales of the Yuanwang were too high. Even if they stopped and let them attack, it would be difficult for the Japanese to climb from the small sampans to the gunwales of the Yuanwang. It was like attacking a city; how could they get up there without ladders?

Left with no other choice, these reckless Japanese pirates decided to use their two 200-ton Atakebune ships to flank the Yuanwang, which was fully loaded with more than 4,000 tons of cargo.

Chen Youliang was in charge of the battle. He deliberately waited until the two Atakebune ships were only a hundred meters away, and then suddenly ordered the gun ports to be raised. Suddenly, eight dark cannon muzzles appeared on the side of the Yuanwang, which was originally a pure white ship. However, the Japanese had never seen cannons before and continued to approach.

The next moment, with Chen Youliang's order to fire, the eight heavy cannons used double the propellant, with two shells loaded in each cannon. A salvo fired 16 shells, and one of the two Japanese Atakebune was hit on the spot. At a distance of several tens of meters, the salvo hit the enemy squarely.

As the saying goes, it's better to receive a good hit than to strike well. The Atakebune that was hit was sunk on the spot in the Tsushima Strait. The ship was leaking badly and disappeared from the sea within minutes.

Such a terrifying attack immediately frightened the other Japanese pirates' small sampans into turning around and fleeing. Chen Youliang and his men also knew when to stop, raised their sails and sailed at full speed, quickly disappearing from the Japanese pirates' sight.

Having crossed the Tsushima Strait without incident, the next stop was Chengzhou (Hokkaido), a place Lu Jin had been longing to visit. This time, Wang Dayuan finally decided to stop in Sapporo, not only because Sapporo could provide fresh water, but also to conduct a brief inspection, since Lu Jin had always intended to immigrate to Hokkaido.

(End of this chapter)