Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 214 People from All Directions Come to Join Us: The First Person to Open His Eyes to the World!
"It's time for the Mountain and Sea Association to place its bets!"

For the past few days, Elder Diaoye, the president of the Shanhai Society, has been holed up in the Zhengqi Hall, studying diligently and tirelessly, reading the masterpiece in his hands again and again.

Even when I occasionally force myself to hang myself on a rope, I can't bear to let go.

“We, the Tanka people, the water collectors, and all the members of the Shanhaihui who were artificially placed in the buffer zone, all know that we must open the seas to allow more people to join the maritime trade so that our descendants can survive.”

For thousands of years, however, there has been no theoretical guidance to prove the correctness of our claims.

It makes us seem like we're the ones making a fuss and trying to drag others down with us.

Prince Jinghai's book, *On Sea Power*, is like a guiding light, a beacon illuminating the future of all those who seek knowledge!

There are as many interpretations of "The Influence of Sea Power" as there are people.

Old Diaoye's focus was different from that of Guishan Bookstore; his withered fingers traced lines on the pages:

"Six factors that influence sea power: geographical location, natural structure, national territory, population size, national characteristics, and the nature of government."

These factors collectively determine a country's competitiveness at sea.
The text also mentions that the Malacca Strait is a key waterway connecting the Borneo Sea and the vast ocean, and that an open port can attract wealth.

To maintain its status, the Great Zhao Dynasty had to manage the Southeast Asia and keep enemies out of its borders.

That's so well said! It captures all my insights from these past years!

The gentry and powerful families of Dazhao only saw the piles of silver, but failed to realize that if the people of Dazhao didn't venture out onto land, these vital sea routes, ports, minerals, and countless resources would simply fall into the hands of the "red-haired devils."

Zheng He's treasure ships left behind a large number of crew members from Minzhou in Borneo, and further south were the Old Port Pacification Commissioner's Office, Malacca Official Shipyard, and Sumatra Official Shipyard, which served as the core supply bases.

Apart from ceding the Old Port Pacification Commission to the Zhu family, the other ports and strongholds established along the route, including the core waterway Malacca Strait, are still under the control of the Shan Hai Hui.

But how long can this control last? Even the old master of the art of scissors doesn't know.

“Those red-haired devils haven’t been here for very long, and the conflicts haven’t been intense, but they have been increasing their troops and excluding our businessmen in Manila over the years, and the pressure on overseas Chinese is getting heavier and heavier.”

Although I knew they were called the "empire on which the sun never sets," I never knew exactly how large they were until I read "The Influence of Sea Power on the World" and my eyes were opened.

With such a powerful dragon crossing the river and unveiling its veil, how many kings in Southeast Asia will find it hard to sleep soundly?

It is hoped that this will allow us to unite our forces against the Franks, and also draw the attention of the ruler, making him realize the importance of managing the seas.

Old Master Diao remembered that his ancestors had said that before Zheng He's seventh voyage to the Western Ocean, he had advised Emperor Renzong to preserve the treasure fleet and overseas business.
"If we want our country to be prosperous and strong, we cannot ignore the ocean. Wealth comes from the ocean, but danger also comes from the sea. If a foreign ruler were to seize the South Seas, our land would be in danger."

Then he failed.

The scholar-officials won a great victory.

Otherwise, the posthumous title jointly proposed by the Ministry of Rites and the Hanlin Academy would not have been "Ren" (仁).

Whether emperors in history who were posthumously honored with the title "Ren" (仁) was truly benevolent to the common people is another matter, but they were certainly benevolent to the scholar-officials who controlled the mouthpiece of the government.

Different people require different approaches. Old Diaoye believed that the persuasive power of "The Influence of Sea Power on the World" was far more effective than that of the eunuch Zheng He's advice.

Looking at the author's name, I sighed inwardly:
"Young hero! Wang Cheng, the second Prince of Jinghai, is the first person on his homeland to truly open his eyes to the world after the disappearance of the treasure ship's naval commander!"
I want to make him famous.

After pondering for a long time, he called over his grandson, Sun Tianba, and highlighted a sentence in the book, showing it to him:

"Learn the superior techniques of the barbarians"

The grandson earnestly instructed:

"Tianba, our firearms, warships, and naval warfare technology are far inferior to those of the Franks."

We should learn from our shortcomings. This book also presents various naval warfare tactics that are already quite mature.

Today, the East Sea Kingdom is the testing ground for "The Theory of Sea Power," and every change affects the fate of all those who collect water. Our Mountain and Sea Association cannot stand idly by.

I'll write you a letter of recommendation. Bring some of our Southeast Asian specialties and join the ranks of Prince Jinghai, who is well-versed in Western trade. It would be best if you could become his apprentice and learn as much as you can.

The future of our water-collecting lineage rests on you young people.

Although this grandson is naturally unruly, he is a sixth-rank water officer [General of the Warships] and a sixth-rank earth officer [Needle and Pen Craftsman], so his abilities are quite good.

Giving it away to the Donghai Kingdom as a slave should earn it some respect.

"I got it, Grandpa."

Sun Tianba was obedient; he was the one who discovered the book first and had long admired the author.

Without saying a word, he packed his bags and boarded his heavily armed flagship.

Just as I was waving goodbye, I saw my grandfather, who was waving to me from afar, suddenly hang himself from a rope. His body was stiff, his legs were dangling in the air, and he was swinging back and forth in the air when the sea breeze blew.

Unable to contain himself, he shouted towards the shore:
"Grandpa, if you weren't so kind, you should have found a chance to return this noose to the Zhu family. Even if you had to exchange it for a few less valuable treasures from the province, that would have been fine."

I think King Wu, this "Taoist alchemist," has cultivated himself for many years and his body is shaped like a crane. This rope certainly won't kill him! Actually, the Shan Hai Hui, located in Southeast Asia, is relatively slow in its movements.

The first group of people who came to surrender have arrived at the palace.

These were the children and grandchildren sent by Xu Weixue, the "Peddler of a Thousand Gold," and Peng Laosheng, the "Knife Seller."

In a large family, those who can serve as hostages are not insignificant figures.

Xu Weixue sent his youngest legitimate son, Xu Youde, who was also the most talented among the younger generation of the Xu family.

This wealthy peddler had many concubines, including more than thirty beautiful daughters, but far fewer sons, and only three legitimate sons born to his principal wife.

The man sent by Old Master Peng was his eldest grandson, Peng Wujiu, the undisputed heir to the family business.

Wang Cheng summoned the two men to the imperial palace.

Their true colors were revealed with a single glance.

Xu Youde was a sixth-rank official of a niche school of thought, a Gongyang scholar who studied the Gongyang School and took the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals as his primary text.

Standing at a height of two meters, wielding two nine-sided gold-plated hammers, he clearly still retains the excellent academic style of "winning people over with virtue" from ancient Confucianism.

However, their lineage had virtually no chance of entering the imperial court as officials after passing the imperial examinations; they could only follow the path of ancient Confucian scholars who taught in seclusion.

Only by spreading one's virtues and civilized ideas to "barbarians" and carrying out the work of education can we make continuous progress.

He handed the sledgehammer to the bald-headed commander of the Imperial Guards, and bowed deeply as soon as he entered the main hall.

He kowtowed three times in a row.

He started by reciting several passages from "The Influence of Sea Power on History":
"The most solemn dust is hidden in the folds of history. Perhaps our generation of Tanka people will still be a footnote to the times, but our next generation cannot continue to be a footnote."

They will be the trendsetters of the age of sea power.
We should be clear that whoever controls the ocean controls the vital sea lanes.
I have a dream.

Finally, he raised his head, his eyes filled with fervor:
"Your Highness, our Gongyang School of thought advocates unification, righteousness, and revenge!"
As you described in your book, ruling the ocean, ruling the world's wealth, and ruling the whole world—isn't that the ideal of universal harmony advocated by our ancestors?

You are the sage of my Gongyang School!
Moreover, he was more radical than any of the sages and more in line with the founder's ideas.

Regardless of what others think, in the eyes of the students, you truly deserve the title of 'Prince'!
Under the vast heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the earth, all people are subjects of the king.

Students are willing to hold your horse's stirrups and serve you as your foot soldiers!

Wang Cheng's hand, holding the teacup, froze in mid-air.
'.
What's with the "fire" thing? Now that you mention it, I'm starting to get the feeling that "The Influence of Sea Power on the World" is a manifesto against traitors, a declaration to conquer the world.

As expected of a Confucian scholar who interprets the Six Classics, your reading comprehension is absolutely perfect!
Could this be the legendary situation where, after entering the pass, great Confucian scholars would personally debate the classics for me?
He coughed lightly, not responding to the conversation, but offered a few words of encouragement, telling him to get up and become a guard by his side.

Peng Laosheng's eldest grandson, Peng Wujiu, was not so outrageous.

He was a respectable sixth-rank "knife-selling man," taciturn and like a precious sword in its sheath.

He simply said one sentence:
"I am willing to die for the prince!"

For some reason, these words carry immense weight, as if even breaking a person's bones wouldn't change their will.

Wang Cheng was fairly satisfied with the two of them.

He walked up to them, raised his hand, and the Five Emperors' Golden Coin Sword jumped out of its scabbard, tapping two points on each of their shoulders.

"I will not let you down, and you must not let me down either. Join my Chifeng Banner and become a first-class guard, and from now on we will be one family."

This is a new usage of "Loyalty Loan" developed by Wang Cheng.

This time, what is being sent out is no longer past knowledge or wisdom, but "loyalty".

As long as he doesn't betray his brothers, the other party must repay his "loyalty" with interest, which is another form of repaying a small favor with a great one.

He then passed on his book "On Sea Power" and his insights into military strategy to them.

The twenty-four generals and thirty-six fierce warriors under his command, who were newly replenished, also went through almost the same ceremony.

The main reason is that we have learned from Mao Haifeng's example, so we must nip problems in the bud and leave no chance for our winning alliance.

After accepting the two generals, he was about to hold a banquet to show his close relationship with them.

The lice spirit, Dragon Tail, came bounding and skipping in to report:

"Young Master, a team of [Gold Medal Swift Horsemen] riding raptors has flown thousands of miles from the Old Port Pacification Commissioner's Office and has already arrived at the palace gate with two Five Temples Divine Treasure Flowers."

Wang Cheng's eyes lit up:
"My fifth-rank Dharma position is secured."

(End of this chapter)