Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5329 Mind Your Own Business
After leaving Chang'an, Li Zhi kept urging the caravan to travel day and night at a rapid pace. Leaving Chang'an did not mean absolute safety. As long as he was within the territory of the Tang Dynasty, an imperial edict could recall him to Chang'an. Only by going to sea as soon as possible could he be completely out of danger.

However, once the caravan transferred to boats and sailed down the canal, passing through the Guazhou ferry crossing which "overlooks Jingkou, connects to Jiankang, borders the sea, and embraces the Yangtze River," and entered the Yangtze River, Li Zhi looked out from the side of the boat and saw misty rain, vast sky and water, and the mighty, open, surging Yangtze River. Only then did his sense of crisis greatly diminish, and he was able to appreciate the scenery of the Yangtze River and the misty rain of Jiangnan.

At the ferry crossing, merchant ships and boats came and went like clouds. On the Yangtze River, hundreds of boats raced upstream and downstream. When the fleet entered the Wusong River to wait for transfer to sea vessels, Li Zhi was overwhelmed and deeply impressed by the endless stream of Chinese and foreign merchant ships and armed warships on the wide river.

The Jiangnan region has been desolate since ancient times, with rampant rivers and barbarian tribes. It was only after the Han people, who had been massacred by the northern nomads, migrated south in droves, bringing technology and culture to this land, that it gradually developed. However, this development was limited to small areas such as Suzhou, Qiantang, and Jiankang.

Huating, a place ravaged by saline-alkali soil and hurricanes and tsunamis, could be described as a "barren land." Yet, after the establishment of the Maritime Trade Office, it developed into such a large-scale, prosperous and beautiful place in just a few years.

The fleet docked in the naval port, and the town government officials who came to greet them prepared small boats for crossing the river. They informed Li Zhifang that Jun was at his residence and asked him to cross the river to meet him.

Li Zhi waved his hand, instructing the officials to settle their families, while he himself rode his horse with a dozen or so imperial guards, strolling leisurely around the dock.

The town government officials had no choice but to send someone to accompany them, and at the same time, they planned to send someone to inform Fang Jun.

Li Zhi still refused, saying that he would only stroll around for a while and look around before going to meet Fang Jun, and there was no need to disturb him in advance.

The dock was packed with people.

Countless merchant ships are docked at their berths, waiting to load and unload cargo. Huge cranes rise and fall, and all kinds of goods are loaded or unloaded. Huge wagons filled with cargo are pulled along the tracks by several strong horses. On one side of the dock are densely packed warehouses that seem to stretch as far as the eye can see.

Officials in their robes, soldiers with turbans and swords, dark-skinned Kunlun slaves with clenched fists, merchants in fine clothes, porters and laborers in thin clothes, and even women in plain clothes and simple hairpins... all sorts of people mingled together, bustling and busy.

Inside the main hall of the Maritime Trade Office, Li Zhi listened to the officials' explanations and watched as wooden plaques hanging on the walls, listing the types, quantities, and prices of various goods, were put up and taken down repeatedly. He watched in amazement as merchants who owned no goods at all shouted "sell" or "buy," making or losing money in this so-called "futures trading," their voices filled with joy, anger, laughter, and curses...

After standing in the lobby for only half an hour and gaining a general understanding of the model and logic of this "futures trading," Li Zhi was shocked to discover that the transaction volume during this period had reached as high as one million strings of cash. The Maritime Trade Office did not participate in the trade, but the various "handling fees" and "management fees" it collected alone amounted to tens of thousands of strings of cash.

In addition, there's the "Royal Bank," which absorbs wealth from all over the world...

Fang Jun's "art of accumulating wealth" is truly unparalleled.

After wandering around Huating Town for several hours, trying to understand the place, Li Zhi was shocked by this place that far exceeded his expectations.

Although Huating Town and Chang'an City are both located on the territory of the Tang Dynasty, they seem to be separated by an insurmountable chasm, existing in completely different forms... like a new world.

The boat crossed the river and arrived at a small dock on the opposite bank. Li Zhi stepped ashore and looked around. He found that it was a residential area built on a low hillside and surrounded by trees. Soldiers were already waiting there to take him to Fang Jun's residence.

A maidservant at the door saw Li Zhi arrive and hurriedly tried to go inside to announce his arrival, but Li Zhi waved his hand and smiled, "Is the Grand Commandant at home?"

The maid looked slightly flustered: "The Grand Commandant is on official business and did not know that His Highness had arrived. This servant will go in and inform him immediately."

"Why should a family care about these formalities?"

With a smile, he stepped onto the steps in front of the door and entered the room.

The main hall is simply furnished with mostly wooden furniture, creating a warm and comfortable atmosphere without any hint of luxury.

Fang Jun strode in from the back hall, bowing respectfully: "I was unaware of Your Highness's arrival. Please forgive my failure to greet you properly."

Li Zhi waved his hand, his smile bright and sunny, even revealing a row of white teeth: "I didn't want anyone to inform you, I wanted to give you a surprise."

Fang Jun was slightly taken aback. Although Li Zhi had always given people the impression of being smart, well-behaved, and sensible, he was definitely not cheerful or lively. He was a precocious child.

Now that I've left Chang'an, I feel like a bird freed from its cage, soaring high with boundless joy...

A woman dressed in brocade robes, with her hair piled high in a bun, walked out from the back hall. She was slender and graceful, carrying a tray in her hands, and had a gentle and beautiful smile.

Before the smile on Li Zhi's face could fade, his mouth opened wide and his eyes widened.

The woman stepped forward and placed the tray on the tea table. She then took out the teapot, teacups, snacks, and other items. As she straightened up, she saw Li Zhi staring at her in disbelief. She couldn't help but chuckle. She gently smoothed her disheveled hair with her hand, exuding a gentle and approachable demeanor.

Just like the lady of the house, naturally easygoing...

"What's with that expression, Zhinu? Are you upset that your sister didn't bow to you?"

"what?"

Li Zhi woke up with a start, his mouth stammering, "You, you, you, Seventh Sister, what are you doing here?"

Chai Lingwu had been serving as an official in Fusang Kingdom for several months with the King of Wei, and Princess Baling had also bid farewell to His Majesty on the first day of the month to go to Fusang Kingdom to reunite with her husband. However, it is now March and she is still stranded in Huating Town...

Although the rumors between Fang Jun and Princess Baling had been circulating for a long time, especially since the royal family knew about it very well, such things were not supposed to be out in the open. However, the two of them made no attempt to hide their relationship and simply acted as lovers and lovers.
Do you really think Chai Lingwu has no guts and wouldn't dare to give you a bloody show?
Well, that coward Chai Lingwu really didn't dare. If it weren't for Princess Baling's "sacrifice," the Chai family would be in a miserable state by now...

Princess Baling smiled gently and spoke in a calm tone. She knelt on the mat in front of the tea table and raised her delicate hand to pour tea: "I originally intended to go to Fusang, but the sea is very dangerous with high winds and rough waves. I am also a little seasick, so I will stay here for a while and wait for the wind and waves to calm down before taking a ship to Fusang."

Li Zhi: “…”

Are you kidding me?
Although he had never sailed out to sea, nor had he ever seen the treacherous waves of the ocean, he gradually learned about navigation from the moment he decided to go to sea to take up his fief.

Unlike rivers, the ocean is not calm. Even the slightest breeze can create waves on its vast surface, so there is no such thing as "calm seas" at sea.

Winter brings fierce northerly winds, cold weather, and ice formations at sea, making navigation difficult.

Springtime brings warm southerly winds, but also high waves and rough seas, making navigation difficult.

Summer hurricanes are common and extremely dangerous, making navigation difficult.

Autumn winds blow from the north, and the waves crash against the shore, making navigation difficult...

So you're planning to settle down here in Huating Town with Fang Jun?
Fang Jun sat down next to Princess Baling, took the teacup she offered, took a sip of tea, raised his eyebrows, and said to Li Zhi, "If you still expect me to give you more support, then I advise you to mind your own business!"

Li Zhi was speechless. He didn't even know how long he would live after going to sea. How could he have the time to meddle in your business?

But since Fang Jun had brought it up, he naturally had to ask, "How much support does my brother-in-law plan to give me?"

Fang Jun took a sip of tea and said, "Don't even think about firearms. These are top secrets of the empire and there's absolutely no way they could be leaked overseas."

After all, the formula for gunpowder is not difficult. What if a clever person observes carefully and figures it out?

Although it will eventually be leaked, we can keep it under wraps for as long as possible.

Li Zhi nodded, indicating that he understood.

Fang Jun said, “Besides firearms, we have 500 strong bows, 10,000 arrows, 100 suits of plate armor, and 500 swords… Don’t be picky. With these weapons, we can arm 1,000 people and make them kings on Tiannan Island. The natives there are truly primitive and backward. Your biggest enemy will not be them, but the various strange and ferocious beasts on the island.”

These weapons were enough to crush 99% of the countries in the world at that time, let alone those savages on the southern islands.
Compared to the savages who carried sticks and leaves to cover themselves, killing wild animals was actually more difficult...

However, Li Zhi didn't care about these things at all: "What about the population? If there are no people to fill the island, wouldn't I be a king without a people?"

Leaving aside Japan, the other islands such as Luzon, Ryukyu, and Brunei have long been inhabited by Han Chinese. If they were to establish their own kingdoms there, they could quickly establish a nation, and in the future, merchants and ordinary people would continue to migrate there.

But the islands in the far south are too remote; there are hardly any savages there, let alone Han Chinese...

If no population is gradually added, they will become extinct within a few decades.

"Your Highness, rest assured. His Majesty has granted you permission to go to your fiefdom and establish a kingdom, rather than exiling you. This is because factors such as population have been taken into consideration. Starting this year, the Ministry of Civil Affairs will open up household registration transfers, allowing citizens of the Empire to migrate to their fiefdoms, and will provide them with grain, seeds, and money as subsidies."

Although many areas within the Tang Dynasty remain undeveloped and there seems to be no rush to expand outwards or encourage immigration, the population is poised for explosive growth within the next twenty years, driven by the gradual improvement of basic water infrastructure and high yields of crops such as corn and rice.

In the absence of synthetic fertilizers, it is clearly unrealistic for the Tang Dynasty's land to support more people. Therefore, in order to prepare for the future, it is necessary to initiate a policy of outward migration.

But who would willingly leave their homeland to immigrate overseas?
Policies must be formulated to provide appropriate subsidies and encourage emigration.

Fang Jun said, "So, Your Highness, whether your fiefdom can gather people to migrate there depends on your abilities and methods."

Upon hearing that the empire would allow its people to migrate on their own, Li Zhi was filled with confidence.

In terms of ability and methods, he was confident that he could surpass all his brothers!