My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 355 The Numbing Good News

Ten days ago, on the first day of the ninth lunar month, in the waters near Jeju Island.

Zhang Si, the ship's chief fireman, was on deck, checking the deck planks and writing and drawing in the navigation manual to calculate the speed.

With a nautical chart tucked inside the navigation manual, Zhang Si calculated the speed and then picked up a ruler to estimate the bearing of the Zhigu.

Zhang Si was holding a pencil.

Zhang Si didn't know why this pen was called a pencil, but he heard that it was a new pen invented by Su Hanlin for newspaper editors, and that "pencil" was the name Su Hanlin gave it.

The advantage of this pen is that it can be used in any posture, does not require dipping in ink, and the writing will not smudge.

More importantly, pencil marks are easy to erase, which is a useful tool for newspaper editors who frequently need to revise manuscripts.

The pencil was quickly noticed by the envoy Chen Hao, who immediately introduced it to the navy.

The pencil was indeed welcomed.

The navy also had a lot of calculations to do, which also required corrections, and the pencil was a very useful tool for the captain.

Moreover, the ship was rocking, so the pencil could be used to write in any situation, making it an essential writing tool for every ship's captain.

Of course, pencils are not without their drawbacks.

Pencils are easy to erase, which means that the writing is easily worn away and can be easily altered.

Therefore, the captain's logbook was written with a fountain pen.

This pen was also invented by Su Hanlin; it has a steel nib and can write for a long time when dipped in ink.

Of course, these pens were all handmade by craftsmen and were very expensive; only the captain could own one.

I miscalculated again.

Zhang Si took out a piece of dough from his pocket and erased the incorrect calculation result.

Ship-shaped bread, these are the dry rations prepared by the Pacification Commissioner Chenhao for the crew.

This is a type of dry cake made by flattening wheat flour into a dough and then baking it.

It was not fermented at all, and had no seasoning other than a small amount of salt. It was originally a type of dry food carried by Shanxi merchants when they went to the grasslands to do business.

It is said that this kind of dry biscuit can last for several months without spoiling. After the Pacification Commissioner Chen Hao discovered it, he immediately listed this kind of ship biscuit as a staple food on the ship. The sailors all called this kind of biscuit "ship biscuit", which has now become the official name of this biscuit.

The crew wasn't so kind to the ship's bread. It was so hard that it required a mace and an axe to split it open. The sailors jokingly said that they could knock out pirates with the ship's bread.

Of course, this kind of bread cannot be eaten directly. The ship's chefs would saw it in half and add it to the broth to cook it into a paste.

This kind of boat-shaped flatbread soup was quite appealing when it was first brought aboard the ship. After all, the aroma of wheat and meat combined was a delicacy that many sailors from poor backgrounds could only enjoy during festivals.

However, as the voyage progressed, the cured meat stored in the wooden barrels gradually developed an indescribable smell, and the ship bread would gradually absorb the moisture from the sea. The combination of these two factors was a disaster.

Of course, naval vessels will resupply when they dock, and such a terrible situation only occurs when they are at sea for a long time.

And now happens to be a bad time.

After resupplying at Incheon Port in North Korea, the navy did not dock at other North Korean ports in order not to alert the enemy.

While at Incheon Port, Admiral Li Chao received intelligence from the Tongzheng Office that pirates near Jeju Island had formed a coalition and were preparing to launch a surprise attack on the Ming Dynasty's navy.

Therefore, after setting sail from Incheon Port, Admiral Li Chao did not go directly to Jeju Island, but instead sailed around Jeju Island in search of the ambushing pirate fleet.

Finding the enemy on the vast ocean requires patience and skill. The Ming Dynasty navy has been circling the sea for seven days and has yet to find a large group of pirates.

Zhang Si even suspected that the intelligence from the North Korean Ministry of Justice might be incorrect.

The fresh food on the ship has run out, and the crew eats cured meat stewed with ship bread every day, along with bean sprouts provided by the ship's cook, and a wrinkled orange every day.

The idea that naval vessels should carry oranges on voyages is based on the research of Li Shizhen, a renowned physician from Southern Zhili.

When Li Shizhen practiced medicine at Ningbo Port, he discovered that many sailors on long voyages were infected with scurvy.

This terrible disease was regarded by Western sailors as a punishment from the devil, as it would quickly spread throughout the entire ship once it took hold.

The infected sailors turned from pale to yellowish or black, their gums bled, their mouths smelled foul, and spots appeared on their legs.

Next, the skin turned from yellow to purple, the whole body experienced joint pain, subcutaneous bleeding, and the urine contained pus.

Eventually, it can lead to difficulty breathing, tooth loss, swelling in the legs and abdomen, numbness in the feet, constipation, and even swelling of the bones.

This disease is not limited to Western merchant ships; some Southeast Asian merchant ships that have been sailing for a long time also experience the same symptoms.

Li Shizhen arrived in Ningbo with his students after receiving a request for help from the Ningbo Maritime Trade Office.

After conducting research, Li Shizhen discovered that the disease was not contagious and was not caused by "microorganisms".

After analysis, Li Shizhen believed that the disease might be related to the diet on the ship.

After giving the sick crew members a normal diet, Li Shizhen discovered that fruit could cure this strange disease.

Among fruits, citrus fruits are the most effective.

Li Shizhen reported this research to the imperial court, and Su Ze immediately agreed with his views and proposed to widely plant citrus fruits near the naval base.

The Pacification Commissioner Chen Hao was even more enthusiastic about promoting citrus cultivation. He not only planted citrus in Laizhou, but also wrote to the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, requesting that the eunuchs in charge of the Maritime Trade Offices plant citrus in the ports.

Even in places like Pidao, Jeju Island, Ryukyu, and Penghu, Chenhao demanded that citrus fruits be planted.

An orange a day was also a standard part of the diet for the Ming Dynasty navy during its long voyages.

Unfortunately, not all places are suitable for growing citrus fruits.

Oranges grown south of the Huai River become bitter oranges north of it. The oranges on the ship were both bitter and sour, so much so that the captain ordered the officers to supervise the sailors in eating the oranges completely every day, and all the officers had to finish eating them under the captain's personal supervision.

The lunch bell rang on the ship. Zhang Si put away his surveying manual and mentally prepared himself for the stewed pork and ship bread and bitter oranges when lookout Wang Peng suddenly rang the signal bell!
Zhang Si looked at the lookout tower at the top of the mast, which was the signal bell for encountering enemy activity. Zhang Si decisively climbed up the mast.

As the former lookout, Zhang Si climbed very quickly. He soon reached the lookout tower, unfastened the binoculars from his waist, and, following the direction pointed out by lookout Wang Peng, indeed spotted the enemy ship.

The officers and sailors were drawn to the deck by the signal bell. After confirming that Zhang Si had done so, he quickly slid down from the lookout tower to the deck.

After finding Captain Li Jing, Zhang Si quickly went over and said:
"Captain, I've confirmed it, it's an enemy ship!"

"How far away?"

"About 20 to 25 miles."

Zhang Si asked excitedly:

"Captain, are we preparing for battle?"

Li Jing glanced at him and said:

"Combat?" "At our speed, how long would it take to encounter and engage the enemy ships?"

Calculating these things was Zhang Si's forte. He quickly did the calculations and said:
"Our ship is upwind. This distance, plus the time needed to maneuver the sails and turn, will take about half an hour."

Li Jing immediately said:
"That's right, we won't encounter the enemy for half an hour, so the most important thing now is to eat!"

"Eat quickly! Combat personnel, eat first. After eating, do not engage in strenuous activity immediately. Prepare for battle slowly!"

"The helmsman and sailors will eat in the second batch. Let's adjust our pursuit of the enemy ships first!"

"Messenger, report to the Admiral's flagship immediately!"

Li Jing decisively issued the order, then said to Zhang Si:

"Once the official operation begins, you will take over control of the Zhigu Ship from me. Now get out there and eat!"
-
There were no surprises in this naval battle.

The Ming Dynasty navy held a comprehensive advantage in intelligence, naval artillery technology, and personnel. Naturally, the pirate coalition in the waters near Jeju Island had no chance of escaping being attacked by the Ming Dynasty navy.

In this battle, the Ming Dynasty navy captured and sank more than 30 pirate ships, almost wiping out all the pirates near Jeju Island!

The victory in this naval battle was reported in all the major newspapers in the capital.

However, for the people of the capital, this news of victory was no longer enough to excite them.

It would be normal for the Ming navy to win.

Since His Majesty ascended the throne, the Ming Dynasty has been reporting frequent victories, both in the army and navy, to the point that the common people have become numb to it all.

Ordinary people had become numb to it, but the imperial court was celebrating this great victory.

The reason is simple: the victory report sent back by Admiral Li Chao included the confession of the pirate leader. This victory had almost encompassed all the well-known pirate leaders on this route.

This means that the shipping route from Laiju to Jeju Island has been cleared!

This far exceeded the court's expectations. If these pirates were to launch surprise attacks in a dispersed manner, it would take a very long time to wipe them out.

The naval patrols were originally intended to deter pirates, but the pirates unexpectedly formed a coalition and delivered themselves to the Ming navy for complete annihilation.

Of course, this is only half of the Japanese route. There is still a sea route from Jeju Island to Sakai Port, and there are also many pirates along this route.

However, ensuring safety for half the journey can already save a lot of costs.

On September 11, the King of Joseon, through the Joseon State Administration, presented a letter of state to the Ming Dynasty, thanking the Ming for helping them to eliminate the pirates that were plaguing their coastal borders.

To express his gratitude to the Celestial Empire, the King of Joseon dispatched his younger brother, King Tae-di (Prince Yi Lin), to the Ming Dynasty to deliver a letter of state and pay his respects to the Ming Emperor.

This time, the King of Joseon dared not be stingy and prepared a large number of treasures to pay homage to the Emperor of Ming.

Upon receiving this news, the entire court naturally offered their congratulations.

The only ones who probably felt pain were the Court of State Ceremonies.

This time, King Gojong's younger brother, Prince Haneung, did not take the traditional land route, but instead traveled directly from Incheon by boat to Jiggu in the Ming Dynasty.

When the message came from the North Korean State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, Li Lin had already set off.

In other words, judging by the timeline, this younger brother of the Korean king will be arriving in Zhigu soon.

The Korean delegation this time was of a higher caliber than usual, so the Longqing Emperor dispatched Wang Shizhen, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, to Zhigu to welcome them.

Shen Yiguan naturally had to accompany him.

Shen Yiguan came to the newspaper office to say goodbye to Su Ze and Luo Wanhua.

Seeing Shen Yiguan's worried expression, Luo Wanhua asked in confusion:
"Brother Jianwu, aren't you going to Zhigu? Why do you look so worried?"

Su Ze also looked at Shen Yiguan with a puzzled expression.

Shen Yiguan said with a bitter face, "My two brothers have no idea how difficult it is to travel from the capital to Zhigu."

"Can't we take a boat?"

“By boat? The canal is so silted up now that even official boats can hardly move. Last time, the Grand Herald and I were stuck on a boat for three days. In the end, we had to get off the boat and ride horses to the capital.”

"..."

"Even riding a horse, the traffic is terrible. The trade route from the capital to Zhigu is too congested. Merchants are all crammed onto one road."

Su Ze thought of the original timeline. During the National Day holiday, when people left the city, Zhigu was the closest seaport around the capital and took on part of the canal's transport tasks. In addition, Zhigu Port is now the northern distribution center for sugarcane, wine and tea. Merchants going to the grasslands all have to go to Zhigu to purchase goods. How could the road not be congested?
Although Shen Yiguan complained, he could only quickly pack his bags and rush to meet Wang Shizhen, heading to Zhigu to welcome Li Lin, the Prince of Heling.

After Shen Yiguan set off, Su Ze suddenly asked Luo Wanhua:
"Brother Yifu, after the Korean envoy arrives in the capital, the imperial court will be obliged to entertain him, right?"

Luo Wanhua looked at Su Ze with a puzzled expression, but still nodded and said:
"That's natural. The King of Joseon succeeded to the throne because the previous king had no heir, and this king still has no children. King Haneung, Yi Lin, is practically the crown prince of Joseon."

"Since that's the case, then our Great Ming cannot be impolite."

Luo Wanhua said, "Of course, didn't His Majesty send the Grand Herald to Zhigu to welcome him?"

Su Ze said again:
"What I'm saying is, once we arrive in the capital, since King Haleung, Yi Lin, is essentially the crown prince of Joseon, wouldn't it be alright for the crown prince to receive him?"

Luo Wanhua paused for a moment, then nodded, seemingly without any problem.

Su Ze said:

"I remember that during the Yongle era, Emperor Chengzu ordered the then Crown Prince, Emperor Renzong, to receive the Crown Prince of Joseon, right?"

Luo Wanhua added:

"There was also a case during the reign of the late emperor, when the late emperor once ordered Crown Prince Zhuangjing to receive the Crown Prince of Ryukyu."

Su Ze immediately said:

“In that case, I will write to His Majesty and ask His Highness the Crown Prince to receive this younger brother of the King of Joseon on His Majesty’s behalf.”

Su Ze hadn't expected that the day he would fulfill his promise to the Crown Prince would arrive so soon.

Didn't Little Fatty Jun want to watch a show?
It wouldn't be appropriate to send an opera troupe to perform at the Crown Prince's Palace, but what if they were to watch an opera with the Korean envoys during a diplomatic event?

Su Ze recently received news from the North Korean Ministry of Justice that the Chongwenmen Opera Troupe was very famous in North Korea, and that the troupe's playwright, Tang Xianzu, was also highly regarded among the North Korean officials.

In that case, it's quite reasonable for the Crown Prince to receive the Crown Prince of Joseon, isn't it?

It's quite reasonable that the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty accompanied the younger brother of the King of Joseon who wanted to watch a play.
Su Ze quickly pulled out a blank memorial.

Memorial Requesting the Crown Prince to Receive the Younger Brother of the King of Joseon

The content was very simple: following precedent, His Majesty was asked to hand over the reception duties to Crown Prince Zhu Yijun.

After Su Ze finished writing the memorial, he put it into the "Portable Ming Dynasty Imperial Court".

(End of this chapter)