Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 1008 A Small Boat Drifts Across the Sea
Furthermore, if anyone had seen ancient Chinese nautical charts, they would have discovered that Luzon Island was actually much closer to the mainland than Taiwan Island.

The reason is quite simple: the ocean currents in Southeast Asia were discovered very early on, and with the increasing frequency of maritime trade, the trade routes became more and more mature.

Sailing with ocean currents and monsoons is certainly more efficient and closer than going to Taiwan.

But are there no monsoon currents when you go to Taiwan?

How can it be?

However, because it has always been excluded from the Southeast Asian trade zone and is far from the Yellow Sea trade zone of Shandong, Korea, and Japan, its geographical location has always been awkward, and no one wants to expand its territory in a desolate land full of cannibalistic islanders.

But now it's different.

With the opening of the North and South Sea routes, countless seafarers set sail, hoping to get a share of the booming ocean trade.

Taiwan Island and its affiliated islands such as Penghu, due to their outstanding geographical location, situated between the South China Sea and the Yellow Sea Economic Zone, immediately became highly sought-after.

The most ingenious thing is that the Penghu Islands and Taiwan Island are both in a state of neglect, and the Song Dynasty has no time to deal with them. Although the Han Dynasty has also sent some people, the war in the north is pressing, so they have not focused their efforts on this.

As a result, these two large islands have formed a kind of autonomous situation and have rapidly prospered in the form of an alternative tax-free economic zone.

Meanwhile, directly opposite Taiwan Island is Fujian Road, a famous strategic location that was not contested by military forces. With six parts mountains, three parts water, and one part farmland, the farmland on Fujian Road simply could not support so many people in the face of population explosion.

Therefore, many Fujianese followed merchant ships to Taiwan Island and cultivated the land, showing a spirit of settling down and making a living.

"Master Qian, that's the situation." After explaining to Qian Duanli in the cabin, Lu Jiuyuan concluded: "Although most of Taiwan is still barren, Penghu Island and Beigang are becoming more prosperous, which should be enough for Master Qian to live a stable life."

Qian Duanli was vomiting profusely while holding a wooden bucket, and it was unclear whether he was even listening to her.

Although the winter sea breeze and waves were not particularly strong, there were still some ups and downs, making Qian Duanli, a Confucian scholar who was unable to lift heavy objects, feel like he was in heaven or hell.

After spitting out the acid, Qian Duanli tried to change the subject: "Lu Liulang, isn't this place called Yizhou Island? Why is it called Treasure Island?"

Even in the dimly lit cabin, Lu Jiuyuan maintained his composure, waving his hand dismissively: "Who knows? There's just one theory that the name was given by the Han King in the north. Because it was recorded in official documents, it became the accepted name. After all, most of the merchant ships that stop here have to head north to make a living in the major northern ports."

Qian Duanli's face instantly turned from deathly pale to ashen: "There are actually Liu Dalang's troops on the island?"

"Of course there are, and there are also Song Dynasty soldiers! The cannibals on the island are not to be trifled with. However, neither side is considered a proper military force, so they get along quite well."

"Are there really cannibalistic savages?"

"They did before, but after several years of using both kindness and severity, the savages in the mountains no longer dare to openly kidnap people."

Qian Duanli was about to ask more questions when the merchant ship rocked violently, causing his stomach to churn. He then hugged the bucket and continued to vomit.

Lu Jiuyuan stepped forward and handed over the handkerchief, then reached out and patted Qian Duanli on the back.

Qian Duanli was also a little embarrassed: "Lu Liulang, you've really worked hard this time. If there's a future, the Qian family will definitely repay you with everything we have!"

Lu Jiuyuan maintained his gentle and refined demeanor: "Let's talk about the rest later."

"Speaking of which, weren't you and your brother lecturing in Jiangxi? Why have you come to Fujian?"

"Oh, that's a long story..."

The journey was long and quite boring, so the two gradually became very talkative.

The reason why Lu Jiuyuan and his fifth brother Lu Jiuling came to Fujian was, of course, to visit their eldest brother Lu Jiusi and let him know they were safe.

Secondly, there is the academic dispute.

It is said that Lu Jiuyuan, Lu Jiuling, and Lu Jiushao were all great Confucian scholars of their time, and were collectively known as the Three Lus.

The academic ideas of these three people can be summarized in three words: "Mind is principle." Simply put, the mind and the principle of Heaven are one, and it is emphasized that one can understand the principle of Heaven by eliminating selfish desires and returning to one's original mind.

This theory was inherited and further developed by Wang Yangming in later generations, becoming the School of Mind. This school of thought was simply called the 'Lu-Wang School' in later generations.

Before Zhu Xi went north to Shandong and found a methodology for Confucianism, he insisted on the system passed down from Cheng Yi, which is "human nature is principle".

The main argument is that human nature originates from the principles of Heaven, equating human moral nature with universal laws of the universe, establishing a comprehensive system of "principles of Heaven—human nature—morality," and the way to reach the principles of Heaven is through "investigating things" to acquire knowledge.

This school of thought is commonly known as the "Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism".

These two doctrines are fundamentally opposed, and their origins and complexities could not be fully explained even in a ten-thousand-word paper. To put it simply, it is a struggle between idealism and materialism.

In retrospect, it is clear who was right and who was wrong.

After all, the idea of ​​seeking truth through self-cultivation, as advocated by "the philosophy of mind," is too abstract and difficult to achieve.

However, because Zhu Xi had not yet found a methodology, the two schools of thought fought fiercely, each seemingly on equal footing, like a hidden dragon and a phoenix. Their academic debates continued, progressing from correspondence to direct meetings.

Since Zhu Xi went north, he developed the study of things from Neo-Confucianism, which led the academic trend in the north, needless to say.

Due to the geographical distance and poor communication, the School of Mind was also expanding its territory in the Jiangnan region.

After losing Zhu Xi and other great Confucian scholars, the Neo-Confucian school was no match for the Lu brothers. Lu Jiuyuan's trip to Fujian, Zhu Xi's former stronghold, to give lectures had a strong sense of sweeping away the old guard.

"...Therefore, it was all just a matter of chance," Lu Jiuyuan concluded.

Just as Qian Duanli was about to speak, he heard a Hokkien fisherman's song on the deck, mixed with cheers, and he was slightly stunned.

Lu Jiuyuan stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes: "We're almost at Beigang. Please follow me, Mr. Qian."

Qian Duanli hurriedly got up, but his legs were weak from seasickness and vomiting. He rested on the bed for another quarter of an hour before getting up and, with Lu Jiuyuan's help, went to the deck.

In the bright sunshine over the sea, Qian Duanli squinted at the distant horizon, where a bustling port suddenly appeared before him.

As the saying goes: The harbor opens at dawn, the sea is just beginning to clear. Giant ships stand in rows, masts like a forest. Rocky islets meander like dark dragons lying on the waves, mottled moss like emerald embroidery seeping into the bones. Salty winds carry the stench of fish and salt; the rising sun melts gold, dyeing the shadows of sails on the clouds.

Qian Duanli, having once been a high-ranking official in the Song Dynasty and served as the Grand Chancellor of the Western Prefecture, naturally knew what such a port meant and immediately became dumbfounded.

"Does the court know of such a large port overseas?"

Seeing Lu Jiuyuan looking at him with a surprised expression, Qian Duanli realized he had vomited too much and his head was spinning: "That's right, I shouldn't have asked you about this. If I, as the prime minister, don't know, then no one else does."

“They probably do know. Court officials are human too. They have to earn a living for their families and run businesses. How could no one know about such a large overseas port?” Lu Jiuyuan, being worldly-wise, quickly replied, “It’s just that no one here collects taxes, so they don’t have to get involved with the government and are happy to remain ignorant.”

"Moreover..." Lu Jiuyuan pointed to the large black flag with red characters on the mast beside him: "If the Great Song Dynasty insists on occupying this island, the Lord of the North will naturally not sit idly by. At that time, the two sides will fight a great battle here. No matter who wins or loses, this harbor will be reduced to nothing."

Qian Duanli looked up along the mast and saw a large black flag with red Chinese characters fluttering in the wind, leaving him speechless once again.

He clearly remembered that when he set off from Quanzhou Port, the mast was still adorned with the Song Dynasty flag. How could the flag on the city wall have changed so drastically in just over ten days?
Could it be that while vomiting, he or she also vomited out his mind, liver, and gallbladder?
However, the salty sea breeze helped Qian Duanli regain some clarity and political acumen, and he immediately realized that this was just a businessman's clever tactic of hedging his bets.

Perhaps the Qian family's merchant fleet is doing the same thing at sea!

But this also illustrates one thing.

Although most of the people on the island are immigrants from Fujian, at least in the surrounding waters, the Han are the more powerful side.

As they got closer to Beigang, the surrounding ships became denser, and more and more Han flags with black backgrounds and red characters appeared. Qian Duanli finally confirmed his judgment.

At least on the surface, the strength of the Han Dynasty here should be more than three times that of the Song Dynasty.

But when he stepped onto the North Port, before he could even recover from the weakness in his legs, he suddenly realized that the port seemed to be a little too prosperous.

The docks were bustling with people. Besides the shirtless laborers, there were sailors coming and going, calling out to their friends and having fun. The cargo on the ships was also all-encompassing. Qian Duanli could see seven-foot-tall corals, piles of spices, and tall, strong long-necked unicorns (giraffes) with just a quick glance. This was enough to make Shi Chong and Wang Kai look like country bumpkins who had never seen the world.

What surprised Qian Duanli even more was that there were many foreigners in this harbor. There were not only blonde and blue-eyed foreign women, but also Arabs with curly beards, hawk-nosed and deep-eyed, Kunlun slaves whose bodies were as black as charcoal, and even dwarfs who were only as tall as an adult's chest.

Seeing Qian Duanli's gaze linger on the few short, dark-skinned men for a moment, Lu Jiuyuan explained, "These dwarfs are a specialty of Southeast Asia. They are skilled at climbing, and almost every ship employs some to help raise and lower the sails by climbing the masts. They are very useful. Quanzhou also has them, but not as many as on Taiwan."

These dwarfs were probably a subspecies of humans, and they were once widely present on many islands north of Australia. There are many records of them in Tang and Song dynasty historical books, and some of the "dwarf Kunlun slaves" even refer to these dwarfs.

As for why they were completely wiped out in later generations, we'll have to ask the merciful European colonists.

Qian Duanli frowned as he looked at the noisy group of dwarves.

He was, after all, a noble official deeply influenced by Confucianism, and was about to make some racial remarks when suddenly several voices called out from ahead: "Lord Lu! It's been a long time!"

A burly man strode in with several warriors as his attendants, his face beaming with a smile.

(End of this chapter)