Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

"Unheard of before, unseen before..."

From that day on, everyone in the entire First Fleet of the Tang Dynasty, as well as on the merchant ships that returned to the Tang Dynasty, suffered from insomnia.

On the deck, a group of people were gathered, gazing at the sea monster that was sailing with them not far away on the sea surface. Oh no, His Highness the Prince of Han said that this was an auspicious omen.

It is a divine beast of my Great Tang Dynasty, named the Great Sage Who Overturns the Sea.

"Boss, so that's actually the Kun from the Classic of Mountains and Seas? The kind of monster, uh, mythical beast that can soar ninety thousand miles into the sky?"

Sismi was the most excited.

This energetic, restless fellow, who always seemed adventurous, surprisingly managed to speak a Tang Dynasty phrase fluently and clearly.

"So, everything recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas is true?!"

Li Ke didn't know how to answer him, but he nodded anyway: "What our ancestors recorded couldn't possibly be fake..."

"Is what His Highness the Crown Prince said about Wampis true?" Sismi asked excitedly.

Li Ke: "...My brother wouldn't lie."

Sismi gasped and paced back and forth in front of Li Ke.

"Boss, I've made up my mind. I can't wait any longer. I need my own fleet. I'm going to find the Wampis His Highness mentioned, to find those mythical lands from the Classic of Mountains and Seas. They must be hidden somewhere in this world..."

During the rest of the voyage, Sismi became increasingly eccentric and delusional.

Therefore, he had already begun planning ahead, using the wealth he carried with him, enough to buy several ships from the Tang Dynasty.

The fleet, consisting of more than 400 medium and large-sized ships, consumed a huge amount of supplies every day, not to mention that the fleet was also carrying 40,000 black slaves.

The daily necessities of food and water provided to these slaves significantly increased the frequency of resupply for the fleet along the way.

This was something that all the naval officers and soldiers of the fleet, including Prince Li Ke of Han, were worried about at first.

But with the appearance of the Great Sage Who Overturned the Sea, everything changed...

Whenever the fleet's supplies reach the alarm line, His Highness the King of Han only needs to take a small boat to the Great Sage of the Overturning Sea and tell him what he needs in human language.

The enemy will then turn their fleet towards the nearest island.

This not only expanded Li Ke's nautical charts once again, but also made all the black slaves in the fleet so obedient that not a single one dared to resist.

The Jewish merchants who accompanied them to the Tang Dynasty were also shocked.

"Damn it, what on earth is going on? How can such a terrifying monster exist in the world? And how can the Tang Dynasty royal family command it?!"

On the Jewish merchant ship, a Jewish merchant, as if he had seen a ghost, couldn't wait to speak first after someone closed the door.

“If we don’t accept their terms, those merchants from the Tang Dynasty will definitely replace us, just by capturing slaves. Our men will also betray us because of their offer.”

"Even if we were to assemble our own fleet to transport slaves to the Tang Dynasty, it would be destroyed halfway there..."

Everyone was talking.

They originally represented the interests of the collective, going to the Tang Dynasty to see its so-called prosperity and to negotiate with the Tang Dynasty's high-ranking officials to see if gold or other things could be used as currency in the future.

Instead of those "waste papers".

But now, some timid Jewish merchants have already become hesitant, looking around at their companions who are frowning and struggling, and can't help but speak in hushed tones.

"Perhaps, using paper money for transactions isn't a bad idea. After all, it's quite convenient, isn't it?"

Someone immediately retorted: "The Tang Dynasty wants to control all the gold in the world. They're using these pieces of paper to exchange for our gold and slaves. If one day the Tang Dynasty says these pieces of paper have depreciated or are even worthless, we will become penniless in an instant..."

"But at least we're not completely penniless now, are we?"

Everyone: "......"

When a group, especially when facing a powerful force, begins to voice its willingness to compromise, that group is not far from failure and collapse.

They will find all sorts of seemingly more reasonable and law-abiding excuses for themselves.

Make yourself accept the conditions proposed by the other party.

For example.

His Highness the Prince of Han of the Great Tang Dynasty said that the Great Tang Dynasty would set up a bank in Jeddah, where Tang paper money could be exchanged for gold.

Merchants in the Tang Dynasty accepted Tang paper money and could exchange it for goods from the Tang Dynasty.

The Tang Dynasty needs us. Turning Tang paper money into worthless paper is a terrible move, and the Crown Prince of Tang will not do that...

After nearly two months of continuous resupply and stop-and-go sailing, the Tang Dynasty's First Royal Fleet finally sailed into the waters of Pyu and Siam.

Because the fleet was extremely large, and there were more than 40,000 slaves who needed to be inspected and registered before entering the country.

Officials from the Guangzhou Maritime Trade Office were already waiting here by boat early on.

While continuing to sail towards the port of Guangzhou with the fleet, he explained the procedures for receiving slaves from the imperial court to Li Ke and the others.

“Your Highness, receiving points have been set up in Guangzhou, Chaozhou, and Kangzhou. But before that, please have the fleet turn to Jiaozhu Island (later Lantau Island in Hong Kong). There, large enough quarantine sheds have been built to accommodate these slaves. After they have been observed and examined by doctors and found to be healthy, they will be sorted there and handed over to different maritime trade offices for registration and sale according to their quality.”

Li Ke, of course, did not say much about this and immediately ordered the fleet to adjust its course.

At this very moment, the Great Sage Who Overturned the Seas, who had escorted the fleet safely back to the Tang Dynasty's waters, finally sank into the sea after a final, mournful cry, as if bidding farewell to the fleet amidst the excited gazes of everyone on board.

Put the black slaves down on Jiaozhu Island.

The first generation of maritime merchants of the Tang Dynasty, who were already impatient, had long been eager to return to Guangzhou or Chaozhou.

This sea voyage not only greatly broadened their horizons, but also allowed them to witness the wonders of the Great Sage Overturning the Sea, a mythical beast of the Tang Dynasty.

This increased his assets many times over.

At this moment, they successfully returned to the Tang Dynasty, carrying a large amount of precious treasures such as gold, jewels, and ivory acquired from Arab merchants.

News of the fleet's return spread throughout Guangzhou.

Early on, the families of maritime merchants were already eagerly waiting at the port. As ships emerged from the sea fog in the distance, those who saw their own company flags waved and shouted excitedly.

"Hahaha! Madam, Hongyu, I'm back! Hahahaha!"

"It's Father! Father's back! Ah, I see Second Brother! Second Brother!!!"

"Waaaaah, thank goodness, we're finally back safe and sound..."

On the dock, while waiting to unload the cargo, the people who came to welcome their loved ones home also truly witnessed the enormous profits of maritime merchants.

"hiss!!!"

The merchants carried boxes of gold and silver jewelry to the tax officials in front of them for public valuation, registration, and tax payment.

Since ancient times, wealth has been a powerful motivator.

What's more, this wealth is acquired legitimately and even protected by the government.

Soon the entire dock was crowded with people, who stared intently at the merchants who had registered and paid their taxes, carrying boxes of gold and jewels, reuniting with their families.

The envy in his eyes was almost overflowing like a flood.

"No way! No matter what, I'm going to go to sea this year! This money is being made way too easily!"

......

The ports of Guangzhou and Chaozhou were teeming with people, all astonished by the profits of maritime trade.

On the other hand, the First Royal Fleet, which has the largest number of warships in the fleet and carries the vast majority of goods, had a much more low-key registration process.

Seeing that Minister of Revenue Feng Deyi had personally arrived, Li Ke couldn't help but worry that this ambitious but dutiful old man might die on the way.

Feng Deyi was beaming, and he didn't even bother to greet Li Ke, the Prince of Han, as he kept looking at the registration points of the Ministry of Revenue officials.

Li Ke glanced at Hughes, the Jewish family patriarch who clearly wanted something, and gestured towards Feng Deyi.

It seems like a smile but not a smile.

"That man is the Minister of Revenue of our Great Tang Dynasty. Chief Hughes can discuss his thoughts directly with him."

Hughes glanced at Feng Deyi, who was surrounded by several golden-armored warriors and looked even more greedy than the group of Jews.

He shook his head decisively.

He rubbed his hands together obsequiously: "Your Highness, we were short-sighted before and failed to understand the far-sighted commercial policies of the Crown Prince and the Great Tang Dynasty... We accept that the payment for this batch of slaves will be settled entirely in Tang paper money. Moreover, we are willing to use Tang paper money for all transactions of our Benny Kenur family in the future."