Cang's Ramblings

Chapter 544 540. Comments on "Opening the Sea"

What I recommend to you today is a completed historical novel of 334 million words.

"Kai Hai", Duo Lu Hou, level 5 author.

Category: History - Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasties.

【Introduction】

The 45th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, on the eve of the Longwan Restoration.

This was the best era. The Qi family army took the first step towards a modern army. Pedal-operated reeling machines produced silk day and night in the southeast. It was powerful and prosperous.

This was also the worst era. The Wei-suo system was gradually collapsing due to corruption, land annexation was becoming more and more serious, and the cabinet was in endless fighting for power. It was declining and dying.

When volleys of guns and artillery roared on the battlefields of Europe, when the Spanish Armada crisscrossed the seas, and when missionaries, holding the Bible and carrying secret letters, cast covetous eyes on this new continent.

Chen Mu, a small flag officer of Qingyuan Guard, wore a hat and an iron helmet on his head, carried a musket on his shoulder, and looked out to sea with his chin raised high.

【Golden Five Chapters】

Chapter One: Ming Dynasty. The protagonist, Chen Mu, travels back to the 45th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty and becomes a minor official in the Qingyuan Guard of Guangdong Prefecture. Despite his poverty, he wouldn't starve. But his cousin's family has another child and again asks for food. The protagonist is baffled, considering the guards were serfs and peasant soldiers, and he never expected them to starve to such an extent.

Chapter 2: Mountains and Rivers. The protagonist reconsiders his thoughts. Opening a restaurant or making muskets isn't an option. What he remembers most clearly is the traditional method of making saltpeter—not the kind used for scraping toilets. A cousin returns with rice and talks to the protagonist, who reveals a nearby cave suitable for making saltpeter. His access to his superiors is also a plus.

Chapter 3: Execution. A flag bearer reports that the old cripple has escaped for the third time and has been caught, sentenced to death according to law. The protagonist changes into a military uniform and arrives at the parade grounds, witnessing the old cripple's death with his own eyes, feeling immensely sad. However, he's caught red-handed by the captain, and he's unsure what he's up to.

Chapter 4, "Fowl Guns." The protagonist follows Captain Bai Yuanjie to the checkpoint. It turns out they're of the same age and have always known each other. However, as the superior officer, Bai Yuanjie is more valiant, so he demands the protagonist's flag bearers demonstrate similar prowess. So, the protagonist takes the opportunity to request that his fire guns be exchanged for bird guns, with his flag bearers assigned to guard the city walls.

Chapter 5: Farming. The protagonist didn't get a good night's rest, and the next day he was pulled back to the fields early. He thought he was actually working, but in reality, he was just sitting on a small stool and watching others do the work. However, when he told his subordinates he was going to Guangzhou, they were overjoyed, and his cousin, who had borrowed grain, was so happy that he almost flew to heaven.

【Brief Comment】

Duolu Hou, a level 5 author, has written two works, "Let the Soldiers Seize the Cauldron" and "Open the Sea".

But according to him, he's been writing books for five years, across four platforms, and even as a ghostwriter. He treated "Opening the Sea" as his last book, but he never expected it to be so successful. Even Liudanpashui, the author of "Fu Han," recommended it.

As of now, this book has 120,000 collections on Qidian.com, 13,100 collections on Bookstore, 290,000 followers, and 5 alliance leaders, one of whom is a Silver Alliance. It was launched on August 10, 2018, with an initial order of 3000, and achieved boutique status on August 21.

From the title of this book, we can tell that it talks about the strength of the Ming Dynasty navy, but from the chapter titles, we can't tell anything.

From the content, we can see a lot of connotations, including the exquisite writing style that is similar to Xun Ge, the detailed annotations that are like a dictionary, the jumping plot, vivid characters, clear details, rich inner thoughts, and extremely down-to-earth language, etc.

I've been recommending a lot of historical novels lately, especially those set during the Ming Dynasty. This is one of the few with a solid historical foundation, and the seemingly insignificant vulgarity is a reflection of the author's unwavering literary temperament.

The fact that this book did not become a big hit is enough to show that the historical classification industry is indeed full of talented people and hidden dragons and crouching tigers.

In short, I personally like this Ming Dynasty novel very much.

In addition, this book has no system, no cheating skills, no child brides, no imperial examinations, and no prime minister.

【to sum up】

Writing is not easy, so cherish every moment!

I’m Cang Yiwei, and I’m here to promote “Cang’s Ramblings”!
Welcome to the paradise of book reviews.

【Cang's Ramblings】

My perfect attendance this month has been ruined again because of family matters.

However, updates are still normal.

Please rest assured about this.

The feeling of generating electricity for love is so comfortable~
(End of this chapter)