Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 543 This is the link between the imperial court and Southeast Asia.
When Li Bin heard his subordinates report that the familiar Yuanwang ship had appeared at the mouth of the Xinjinfu River, he was overjoyed and immediately led his men to the river mouth to welcome it. He soon met Wang Dayuan and others.

"Mr. Wang, where have you come from? Since we parted in Southeast Asia two years ago, I have heard that you were preparing to go to Lizhou. Now two years have passed in a flash, and I have not heard any news about you or the Yuanwang ship. Now that you have come suddenly, I am truly overjoyed."

At the dock of Xinjin Prefecture, only Wang Dayuan, Chen Youliang, Wang Zong, and a few soldiers went ashore, while Zhang Chao and the others remained on the ship, remaining on guard at all times.

When Wang Dayuan saw Li Bin come to greet him personally, he smiled and said, "So it's Station Chief Li. The Yuanwang and I have indeed just returned from Lizhou. We parted ways in the South Seas in December of the year before last. I returned to China in the spring of the following year. In late May of the first half of the year, I was sent by His Majesty to go to sea to find Lizhou on the other side of the ocean. I never expected that this trip would last for nearly two years."

"However, thanks to His Majesty's great fortune, we were fortunate enough to fulfill our mission and finally found what His Majesty needed. In early September of this year, I led the Yuanwang ship back to port. After nearly two months, we finally returned to the South Seas."

"Actually, we just stopped in Cebu at the southern tip of the Luzon Islands a few days ago and heard some news from Chinese merchants there. The merchants said that the Ming Dynasty has now recovered southern Mongolia, Yanyun and Liaodong, and Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi, and Qiongzhou in the southern coastal areas have also been recovered. Is this true?"

Upon hearing this, Li Bin immediately nodded in affirmation, "That is indeed the case. The year you set sail, Your Majesty launched the Northern Expedition in September. Not only did Your Majesty successfully reclaim half of the northern territory, but Your Majesty also captured the chieftain of Dadu and the Yuan Dynasty. Emperor Tuojun Temur was even captured by Your Majesty and brought back to Jiankang, where he was given the title of Marquis of Hunde."

"At the beginning of summer this year, His Majesty sent troops to several southern provinces, including Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi, and Sichuan Province. These provinces were also recovered. Now, except for some places in the northwest and Yunnan, most of the former territories have been recovered."

"Now that Mr. Wang has returned from Lizhou with the Yuanwang ship, it is another great achievement. If His Majesty and the court find out, coupled with the many victories this year, it will be a double celebration. I must first congratulate you on your promotion."

As Li Bin spoke, he took the initiative to cup his hands in congratulations.

Wang Dayuan waved his hand, "This little bit of merit is nothing. I've only learned a little from His Majesty and followed his orders. Let's not talk about the congratulations for now. I've also heard that His Majesty is cracking down on the Semu people and foreign vassal worship in Fujian. Now even trade with Sulu has been stopped. What's going on? Does Station Chief Li know?"

"That is indeed true," Li Bin nodded and said immediately.

"Actually, this is also the fault of those Semu people, especially those Persians in Quanzhou, Fujian. These guys not only colluded with the Tartars to resist the Heavenly Army, but also tried to seize Fujian, slaughter Han people, replace the Chinese with barbarians, and destroy the Chinese tradition. In a fit of anger, His Majesty sent a large army to kill them all, and also cleaned up those wicked cults in Fujian."

"Mr. Wang often goes to sea, so he should know that the maritime trade in Southeast Asia and Persia used to be mostly controlled by the Semu people from Quanzhou. Now that these Semu people have been cleared out, it is only natural that the maritime trade business has been hit."

"But this situation won't last long. I've received news from the court that His Majesty wants to rebuild maritime trade and create new shipping routes. The court issued an official document last month, and this matter must be completed before the typhoon season next year at the latest."

Wang Dayuan was somewhat surprised upon hearing this, "So eager?"

"Well, we can't afford to be in a hurry. His Majesty is a man who wants to accomplish great things, and doing things inevitably requires spending money. And the customs duties on maritime trade are a major expense. In the Song Dynasty, the customs duties of just the two Maritime Trade Offices in Guangzhou and Quanzhou accounted for 20% of the court's total fiscal revenue. That's no small sum."

“Now that the country has just been established, and the court has fought in the south and north for two consecutive years, finally recovering so much land, we are in dire need of money. Therefore, the matter of maritime trade cannot be delayed. With His Majesty’s full support, the officials of the court dare not disobey His Majesty’s will, so it will naturally be done quickly,” Li Bin explained immediately.

"I see."

Wang Dayuan suddenly realized that he finally had a general understanding of the current situation in China, so he immediately asked again.

"I have another question to ask. I wonder what the current situation is in Guangzhou. If I lead the Yuanwang to anchor in Guangzhou, will we encounter any danger?"

Li Bin was taken aback. "Sir, you're going to Guangzhou?"

He looked around and immediately said again, "This is not the place to talk. Sir, you have traveled thousands of miles across the sea and have had a long and arduous journey. Why don't we let everyone go ashore to rest and we can talk slowly on the shore?"

Wang Dayuan immediately waved his hand and refused, saying, "No need. We won't stay here for long. We'll just replenish our supplies here and leave today at the latest. Thank you for your kindness, Station Chief Li."

Li Bin asked in surprise, "Are you in such a hurry to go back?"

"Hehe." Wang Dayuan smiled perfunctorily. "These soldiers and sailors have been at sea with me for nearly two years. Now we've reached the South Seas and are almost home. Everyone is missing home terribly. Station Chief Li should also know the saying that the closer one is to home, the stronger the feelings become. I can't let them stay here any longer."

In fact, Wang Dayuan's real reason was the more than two hundred tons of gold and silver on the ship, worth tens of millions of taels. When he was in the Americas, he didn't have to worry too much. The people there were savages who didn't know the value of gold and silver. There were no enemies at sea, and the natives couldn't build large ships. But things were different in the Western Pacific. There were many states here, and there were many pirates in the South Seas.

In addition, there are tens of millions of taels of gold and silver on board. If the news leaks and the ship is besieged by those with ulterior motives, the poorly armed Yuanwang might really be doomed here. How would he explain that to Lu Jin?

Therefore, he only took a few people off the ship, and had Zhang Chao and his men stay on the ship to be on guard at all times, for fear that someone would covet the gold and silver on their ship. Wang Dayuan himself dared not stay in Southeast Asia for long. If it weren't for the need to obtain information from China in order to plan subsequent routes, he wouldn't even want to come to Xinjin Prefecture.

"Haha, the closer you are to home, the stronger your feelings become, I understand that principle. May I ask what supplies you need, sir? I'll have someone prepare them for you first, and then we can talk about it later?" Li Bin didn't delve into the matter and immediately said.

Before Wang Dayuan could speak, Wang Zong swallowed hard and asked, "Is there any rice? The brothers on our ship haven't eaten rice for over a year. If we don't try it soon, we'll forget what rice tastes like."

"Hahaha, you've come to the right person! I may not have much else, but I have plenty of rice. It's a bit hot here in Xinjin Prefecture, but rice is harvested three times a year. Today, you can eat as much as you want!" Li Bin said readily.

"Hey, let's take it easy. Everyone hasn't eaten rice for almost a year. Be careful not to get an upset stomach if you eat so much at once. We still have things to do, so we should be cautious. Let's wait until we get back to China to rest properly. Today, let's eat some potatoes and corn mixed with rice to help us adjust and avoid getting sick from the change in environment. Make sure the water is boiled before drinking it." Wang Dayuan immediately waved his hand to remind everyone, his words clearly showing his caution.

With a snap, Wang Zong slapped his forehead, immediately realizing, "Sigh, look at my brain. Being closer to home has made me stupid. I almost forgot about my business when I got a craving. The magistrate is right."

The biggest taboo on ocean voyages is a sudden change in diet. If someone gets sick from the change in environment, and the whole ship gets diarrhea, oh dear, then there's nothing to do.
Li Bin didn't say anything upon hearing this, but upon hearing Wang Dayuan's words, he immediately asked curiously, "Mr. Wang, did you really find those potatoes and corn?"

"Of course, we not only found it, but we've been living off this stuff for the past year. First Lieutenant Wang, go and get some corn and potatoes for Station Chief Li in a bit."

"Yes."

After Wang Zong agreed, Wang Dayuan continued, "These seeds were hard to come by. Apart from the food rations on the ship, the rest must be taken back to His Majesty. Therefore, we cannot let Station Chief Li have a taste. We can only give you some samples so that you can have a taste. Consider it a small gift we brought back from Lizhou."

"No problem, no problem, but we should prioritize the important matters of the court," Li Bin immediately said, waving his hand understandingly. So, both sides immediately began resupplying. Wang Dayuan had all the remaining ironware unloaded from the ship. Now that they were practically at their doorstep, there was no point in keeping the ironware. They still needed to resupply a lot of supplies in Xinjin Prefecture, and it wouldn't be appropriate to take it from Li Bin for free. The ironware would be considered payment.

Large quantities of buckets filled with fresh water and grain were transported to the dock and then hoisted onto the ship by the crew of the Yuanwang, so as to prevent outsiders from discovering the gold and silver on board.

Wang Dayuan also unloaded 40% of the cassava seedlings, 60% of the rubber seeds, 70% of the cocoa seeds, and all the rubber and cinchona seedlings from the Yuanwang ship. Wang Dayuan kept only one of each for himself, intending to take them back as samples and to give Lu Jin an explanation. After all, words are not enough, and he had to bring back some physical evidence.

The remaining cassava and rubber seeds, as well as cocoa and cinchona tree seeds, were to be taken back to Guangzhou and given to the local government for trial planting in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan Island to see if they could survive.

He left behind a booklet containing detailed planting methods for several crops, as well as samples of rubber and cinchona bark, before giving his instructions.

"This is rubber, just like the lacquer tree in China. You can get raw lacquer by cutting the lacquer tree, and you can collect rubber by cutting the rubber tree. When you cut it, the sap is like milk and it will solidify in one or two days. Squeeze out the water and then smoke it with the bark and leaves for three days. That is what you get."

"His Majesty attaches great importance to this item and is willing to travel great distances to obtain it. Its importance is no less than that of potatoes and corn. Station Chief Li should know the significance of this matter."

"I'm leaving these seeds to you. You must assign someone to plant them. Not a single seed can be lost, and every sapling must be recorded!"

"First, set up a nursery to plant saplings. Once the saplings have grown, select a site to transplant them and establish a rubber plantation. Ten years later, when it's time to tap the rubber, the court will buy as much as there is, and His Majesty will purchase it at a high price, which can be considered a source of income."

"As long as this product can be planted all over Southeast Asia, the imperial court will never give up the land there, and whoever controls the rubber plantation will enjoy endless wealth. I think Station Chief Li understands what I'm saying, right?"

Li Bin wasn't stupid. He was, after all, the head of the Nanyang Intelligence Bureau. Wang Dayuan had been so blunt; how could he not understand?

The two most crucial factors were: first, rubber plantations were profitable; and second, rubber served as a link between the imperial court and Southeast Asia. Without rubber, the court officials might have given up on Southeast Asia at any time, but with rubber, they couldn't possibly give it up even if they wanted to. This was the achievement of Li Bin and others.

Think about it, if the imperial court were determined to withdraw from Southeast Asia, wouldn't all the work their intelligence agency had done be in vain, and their achievements would naturally be lost? But with rubber, the imperial court couldn't easily withdraw from Southeast Asia, and their intelligence agency's achievements in expanding their territory in Southeast Asia would be preserved. To put it bluntly, this thing is their record of achievements!

"Don't worry, sir, I'll take care of everything. I'll arrange for someone to plant these seeds." Li Bin immediately and solemnly agreed.

"Yes, and there's also the cinchona tree. Its bark can be used in medicine and has incredible effects in treating malaria. It's no exaggeration to say it can bring the dead back to life. You should know the value of this tree. In the future, when the imperial court develops Southeast Asia, there will inevitably be a lot of immigration to Southeast Asia, and malaria is the most common disease in Southeast Asia. I don't need to say more about the uses of this tree, do I?" Wang Dayuan introduced again.

Li Bin's eyes lit up immediately. "Sir, your trip to Lizhou was truly worthwhile! I never imagined that such a wondrous object existed on the other side of the ocean, thousands of miles away!"

"And this cocoa tree is a kind of food in Lizhou. It doesn't have much practical use, but growing it is still a source of income, which is related to the future economy of Southeast Asia. You can take it too."

"And those two kinds of cassava, I wrote down the planting methods in that booklet. This stuff is poisonous and must be processed before it can be eaten, but the advantage is that it has a high yield, with a yield of several thousand to tens of thousands of catties per mu. It can only be planted in humid and hot places, and it is also an important crop in Southeast Asia. Don't forget about this stuff."

Wang Dayuan introduced each item one by one, leaving most of the things that could only be grown in tropical regions for Li Bin. Currently, the imperial court only has Xinjin Prefecture as a reliable territory in Southeast Asia, and it is not feasible not to give it to them for cultivation. Li Bin listened attentively to everything.

After a while, Chen Youliang, who had just finished loading supplies, came over and asked, "Why didn't we see Commander Zhao Yu of the Nanyang Fleet?"

Li Bin immediately replied, “Last month, the court sent a letter saying that several thousand more exiled criminals would be emigrated to Southeast Asia, and we were asked to prepare to receive and arrange them. However, His Majesty’s long-cherished oil has not yet been secured. So I discussed with Commander Zhao whether we should wait until the exiled criminals arrive and then open up a new piece of land in Borneo across the strait to acquire those oil fields as soon as possible.”

"So Commander Zhao led the fleet to Borneo on the other side to scout the situation. Once he has figured out the situation on the other side, there might be a small battle to be fought at the end of this year. He has been on the other side for several days now. Perhaps you didn't run into him when you came here."

"I see."

Chen Youliang suddenly realized that fighting against indigenous tribes in Southeast Asia was indeed a small-scale war, and bullying these natives was meaningless. Chen Youliang had fought once before and was no longer interested, so he did not ask any further questions.

After Wang Dayuan finished explaining the crops that needed to be planted in Xinjin Prefecture, he asked Li Bin a question.

"These tropical seeds, apart from some that I'll give you, the rest should be sent to Guangzhou for planting. Station Chief Li hasn't said yet whether the situation there is stable, or whether it will be dangerous for me to take the Yuanwang ship there."

Li Bin thought for a moment and immediately replied, "Guangdong and Guangxi are newly annexed territories after all. I heard that the officials in Guangdong and Guangxi were also newly appointed by His Majesty. In many remote areas, there may not be local officials who have taken office yet. Therefore, I do not recommend that you wander around Guangdong and Guangxi."

"However, if it's just going to Guangzhou, then there's definitely no problem. Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong and the garrison of our Great Ming Holy Martial Army. There are generals at the level of regional commanders stationed there. Your safety can be guaranteed if you briefly dock in Guangzhou."

"Fujian is a bit more chaotic than Guangdong and Guangxi. I heard that when the army marched into Fujian, some merchants from the Semu region fled by ship and became pirates, robbing passing ships. His Majesty is currently ordering the navy to suppress them."

"Sir, just rush through Fujian back to Jiankang. Your boat is fast, and as long as you are determined to escape, no one can stop you. Once you reach the north of Hangzhou, you will be safe."

Wang Dayuan, Chen Youliang, and the others exchanged glances, then bowed to Li Bin, saying, "Thank you for informing us, Station Chief Li. We will not linger here any longer. We have been at sea for a long time and need to return to report to His Majesty as soon as possible. We shall take our leave now."

Li Bin returned the greeting, saying, "The affairs of the court are of utmost importance, so I will not keep you for a drink. When you have some free time, please come to Xinjin Mansion again, and I will certainly host a banquet for you."

"Farewell!"

"Take care of yourself!"

"Weigh anchor, hoist the sails, let's go home!"

(End of this chapter)