The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 340 The Great Feat of the Qin People

"I believe that Prince Li will be able to hold out until the very end while guarding the border."

Ying Zheng took a sip of tea and said, "Yes, they are all good children."

Just as Li Si said, three days later Xu Fu entered Hangu Pass and headed towards Xianyang.

As soon as the group entered Guanzhong, it attracted a lot of attention. Everyone was discussing whether Xu Fu had really seen immortals overseas and found a fairy island.

I've also heard that these people who came from overseas are no longer human; they've become something different from humans.

Such rumors circulated among the people.

Today, after Gongzi Heng underwent his coming-of-age ceremony, he returned to Xianyang from Yongcheng.

He took a scroll of documents from the Imperial Censorate and was about to return to Weibei when he bumped into Chen Ping in front of the palace gate.

Although Gongzi Heng and Chen Ping did not address each other as master and disciple.

But in Gongzi Heng's eyes, this Chen Ping was his teacher, and he bowed and said, "Imperial Censor Chen."

Chen Ping smiled and returned the greeting, saying, "Young Master."

Heng gazed at the bustling city of Xianyang before him and asked, "Are they waiting for Xu Fu?"

Chen Ping said in a low voice, "Young Master, now everyone in Xianyang wants to know what Xu Fu saw and what he obtained overseas?"

Seeing that Gongzi Heng's expression remained calm, Chen Ping said, "Doesn't the young master want to know?"

Heng said, "I do want to, but Xu Fu wouldn't tell us. He would only tell Father about something this important."

“Imperial Censor Chen,” Heng put his hand on Chen Ping’s shoulder and said, “Besides, even if Xu Fu really did see the immortals, so what? This country still needs to be governed, and the world is still the same.”

Chen Ping nodded and left with Gongzi Heng.

The next day, a troop of soldiers arrived outside Xianyang City; it was Xu Fu's army.

The one who got off the carriage was a gaunt old man, who led a group of soldiers into the bustling city of Xianyang.

Xu Fu had changed into a new official robe, but it didn't fit him well because of his thin frame.

Xu Fu walked step by step toward the palace gate of Xianyang City. People on both sides of the street were talking about it. Many people already knew that the person being escorted by the Qin army was Xu Fu. And this news quickly spread among the crowd. In a short time, many more people came out of their homes and went out onto the street to look at Xu Fu.

Qin accomplished many great feats, including building the Great Wall to defend against the Xiongnu, unifying the six states, standardizing the written language and cart axles, digging the Ling Canal, developing the south, and winning the northern expedition.

Alternatively, Xu Fu's voyage at sea under the emperor's orders was a remarkable feat, as it was something that no one before the Zhou emperor had ever accomplished.

Qin did many things that no one before them had done, and each and every one of them was accomplished under the witness of the people of the world.

Even people like Shusun Tong and Fan Zeng, who were once part of the six states, would feel disoriented, as if Qin had truly unified the six states.

Although Xu Fu was thin and his hair and beard were all white, his steps were still firm. As they entered the palace gate, Xianyang City began to bustle again.

The cost of going overseas was enormous. Of the more than a thousand people who went out, only a dozen or so returned, and almost all of them were emaciated beyond recognition.

I wonder how much hardship they endured overseas.

The Xianyang Palace still stands majestically, its spacious interior resembling the open mouth of a ferocious beast.

Xu Fu stopped in front of the palace, bowed, and said, "Your subject Xu Fu has returned from his voyage at sea."

As soon as he finished speaking, palace guards led him inside, while the rest of the people who had returned from the sea remained outside.

Inside the main hall of Zhangtai Palace, Xu Fu took off his shoes and knelt on the ground. Fusu said, "This is not a formal court assembly; there is no need for formalities."

Xu Fu stood up again, handed over a scroll of paper, and bowed, saying, "This is a nautical chart drawn by your subject."

Tian An took the scroll and presented it to the emperor.

Fusu looked at the nautical chart on the paper, which marked the islands along the way and the direction of the ocean currents.

Xu Fu's knowledge was actually quite advanced; he knew the role of ocean currents in navigation and what the ocean currents looked like in different seasons.

The nautical chart was huge. Fusu spread it out completely, covering the entire table, and finally saw their destination: an island to the east.

Xu Fu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have also discovered this item."

Fusu slowly raised his head and saw the silver stone in Xu Fu's hand. It was no ordinary stone; it was silver ore.

Fusu asked, "How did you manage to get through it?"

Xu Fu lowered his head and remained silent for a moment, probably recalling something. After a while, he finally spoke, "My voyage was smooth, but when we reached that island, we encountered a strong wind. The waves pushed our ships ashore, severely damaging them, and our provisions were also flooded..."

According to Xu Fu, he almost ran out of food on that island, but he found something to eat there and survived for a while.

Fusu said, "There is indeed no such thing as a fairy island in this world."

Although he already knew the answer in his heart, Fusu still wanted to say something, at least to make Xu Fu feel that his voyage was useful.

Xu Fu's experience at sea was very important; he was also the first person to set sail in the past few centuries.

Some things, once the first person does them, will be followed by a second...a third person.

Xu Fu then recounted some events, including the loss of manpower he had encountered. He noted that there were no large tracts of land overseas, only islands, and even larger islands—this was Xu Fu's understanding.

Xu Fu was planning to return, but his ships were damaged and needed repair, so the crew began to work on them.

Xu Fu left one hundred Qin soldiers on that island and erected a monument there, marking it as Qin territory from then on.

This was another good thing, as it meant that Qin's territory expanded overseas.

Xu Fu said, "There are many silver mines there, an entire mountain is a silver mine, but my ships are damaged and cannot transport them back."

Fusu's gaze remained fixed on the nautical chart as he continued listening to Xu Fu's narration.

A typhoon caused seawater to flood the island, pushing the ship and damaging it. Seawater then poured into the cabin, and the crew lost their food.

Afterwards, Xu Fu repaired the ship and began collecting grain on the spot again.

The return voyage was initially smooth, but they did not expect that the ship would encounter several days of scorching sun and no rain at sea.

The fresh water stored on board was consumed in ways Xu Fu had not anticipated, and during a typhoon, the ship nearly capsized, resulting in the loss of a large number of crew members...

Modern navigation technology is not yet comprehensive enough, and there are still many gaps. Even with the best boatmen and the most experienced fishermen, we cannot defy nature.

This return was a tragic one for Xu Fu. As he spoke, he began to weep, because the Qin army had given him the only remaining water, and everyone on the boat was sharing the last bowl of water with each other.

The emperor dismissed everyone in the palace, not wanting too many people to see Xu Fu crying.

The guards in front of the palace could vaguely hear the voices, but by then they could no longer make out what they were saying.

(End of this chapter)