Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

Zhanbei Outer Harbor.

Hu Quan followed the translator around and inquired for several days in a row. He returned to the cabin and began to take notes:

“Set sail from Guangzhou, pass through Annan and Champa, and reach Srivijaya in ten months with favorable winds...”

“This country has two new and old capitals. The new capital is called Zhanbei and the old capital is called Balinbang. Both are 200 miles away from the coast (100 miles in a straight line). There is a big river directly connected to the seaport between the two capitals. Merchants from all over the world gather in the two places, and ships on rivers and seas are constantly traveling...”

“Merchants with the surnames Li (Ali), Pu (Abu), and Ma (Mohammed) are all believers in the Daqin religion. Most of their ancestors came from Daqin and settled in Srivijaya for more than a hundred years...”

“Those named Futu, Luotuo, Jhazhe, Rama, Xinge, etc. are mostly Buddhists and Brahmans. Many of these are powerful nobles who have fiefs in one area, such as the Fangbo and vassal lords in the Zhou Dynasty...

The Ming Dynasty opened After the founding of the country, Srivijaya also quickly sent envoys to ask for a title, and became a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty without any psychological burden.

Hu Quan recorded everything he could find out, including politics, military, customs, commodities, crops, etc.

He took these to the Qianxing Room, where several sea gods including Mazu were worshipped.

From Pagan (Myanmar) to Chola (South India), there are a total of four small countries along the way.

Unfortunately, there are no white women. Those female slaves are all low-caste South Indian natives with darker skin.

The Ming official fleet went out to sea this time, breaking this long-standing harmony.

When meeting the master, they all prostrated on the ground, which made Cheng Yu feel embarrassed.

Yu Yunwen looked at the pagodas and temples scattered on the shore, and couldn't help but sigh: "India does not believe in Buddhism, but Ceylon does. If Tang Sanzang knew, he would be very disappointed."

"This is the best." Yu Yunwen smiled.

"This Xilanchi country is not hot either. Is it because of spring? "Yu Yunwen muttered.

"Srivijaya is intercepting ships now, when will your country teach them a lesson?" Cheng Yu asked.

An astronomer named Li Nanheng said: "The outer port of Balinbang is 7.6 degrees west longitude and 2.1 degrees south latitude. The outer port of Jambi is 8.8 degrees west longitude and 1 degree south latitude. The temperature in both places is around 30 degrees in December, and the temperature difference between day and night is not much. According to merchants, there is no difference between winter and summer here. "

The second prince and the financial officer had wanted to rebel for a long time, and the Ming fleet was just an opportunity and excuse for their coup.

Kulutongga saw that everyone was laughing, so he laughed: "By the way, thank you for protecting our merchant ships from being exploited by those damn Srivijaya people. "

That lord made his fortune through maritime trade, often acting as a pirate to plunder everywhere, and even occasionally went to Bengal and Myanmar to rob.

They have been independent from the Chola Dynasty for 65 years, but are currently in a semi-divided state. A lord in the northeast of the island is rising rapidly and can command the princes to influence the government.

The Ming patrol ship on the sea suddenly sounded drums and even fired a warning shot from a distance.

It is currently called the Kingdom of Silanchi, which can also be translated as Ceylon.

Kurutongga said: "I will write him a letter, and when you return, I will send an envoy to the Ming Kingdom. From now on, he is the emperor of the East, I am the emperor of the Center, and the Seljuk Sultan is the emperor of the West. The three of us, together, will rule the world!"

That was the fleet of Lord Rajarata of Ceylon and his princely allies.

This country has two kings. The old king announced his abdication two years ago and is now the emperor on his sickbed.

Ying Xuan shouted hurriedly: "Wave the flag, and all ships will be organized into battle lines! ”

At this moment, Indian merchant ships no longer followed, and only more than 20 Chinese and Seljuk merchant ships remained.

When they arrived at the Chola Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty envoys were warmly received.

Hu Quan carefully observed with a telescope for a moment, shook his head and said: "There are too many Buddhist temples. There are 20 to 30 Buddhist temples in and outside this small seaport. This country is a paradise for monks, but it may be a hell for the people. This country will never prosper. ”

Chief Medical Officer Yan Xiuqing found Cheng Yu: "Governor Cheng, there are two local doctors who are willing to follow us. We have also purchased a lot of local medicinal materials for the prevention and treatment of various diseases, but their efficacy is not yet known. There are two mosquito repellents that can be used directly, one is a juice rubbed on the skin, and the other is hay for fumigation. ”

On the northern sea, two or three hundred ships came with the wind, and there were even ultra-small rowing boats of 100 tons.

Hu Quan took a notebook and quickly wrote it down. After writing, he said: "Thank you. "

A few days later, the Ming fleet went to Sri Lanka to present the credentials and measured the latitude, longitude and temperature of the port.

Cheng Yu led the fleet to supply and trade at the Chola Port, and also took out a piece of velvet as a state gift.

"Boom!"

Hearing that the official Chinese fleet was coming, this guy rode a horse and sailed for several days, and actually came to the port in person to meet the Ming envoy.

Cheng Yu bowed with a staff in his hand: "Cheng Yu, the envoy of the Ming Dynasty, greets King Zhunian! "

In some countries, the capital is too far from the coast, and the Ming fleet does not have so much time to delay. So the letters of credence are sent to coastal officials, and the letters of credence are collected back when returning.

Not only the longitude and latitude must be marked, but the nautical charts are not in graffiti mode, but countless accurate maps are drawn!

Including the Ming map that is being made, longitude and latitude must be used to assist in map work at intervals.

On the other hand, the merchants of Srivijaya are very good at dealing with things. They not only bribed Chinese officials, but also deliberately made friends with Chinese merchants. Sometimes the Srivijaya fleet deviated from the course and missed the deadline, and simply gave part of the goods to the government or wealthy merchants in Fujian and Guangdong.

The Ming Dynasty's letter had been delivered at the outer port of Zhanbei, and the King of Srivijaya replied with a letter. The letters were exchanged by inland ships, which could be returned in a day and a half.

Their envoys were not only visiting various countries, but this time they were here to explore the way and draw a detailed navigation map.

It was obvious that the country was declining, and they even reached Java Island a hundred years ago!

The new king, who had just succeeded to the throne for two years, was very young, named Kurutonga Chola II.

He even drew a map of the Srivijaya royal city, but it was not very accurate, and he only drew a rough map from a distance.

At this time, the Chola Dynasty was beaten by the Chalukya on land and suppressed by the Silanchi (Sri Lanka) on the sea, and the hegemony over land and sea had been lost one after another.

"Blow the horn and set sail!"

"You are responsible for disease prevention and control, and I will not interfere." Cheng Yu said.

The Ming Dynasty fleet successfully passed through the Strait of Malacca, and the coup in Srivijaya was still brewing.

Core interests!

Srivijaya only collected commercial taxes from its people, and did not collect population taxes or agricultural taxes.

"The army, cavalry and infantry, stay at the port to protect officials and merchants."

"Dongdongdongdongdong!"

Hu Quan said, "You can ask more."

Hu Quan asked, "Have you calculated the longitude and latitude?"

If it happens again in the future, I am afraid that Srivijaya will really use force because it has harmed their interests.

Then, each of the main members of the Ming Dynasty envoys was given a female slave.

"Civil officials, all go to the cabin, don't stay on the deck!"

The barbarians in this guy's mouth are the Sri Lankan islanders.

Cheng Yu's identity to the outside world is the chief envoy, but his identity to the inside is the governor of the sea exploration.

The Indian merchant translated it truthfully, and such awesome words made the members of the Ming Dynasty envoys present laugh.

Kulutongga patted his chest and proudly said, "That is the merit of my great ancestors."

When delivering the letter of credence, he also followed a cartographer to draw a simple topographic map of both sides of the river.

After leaving the Strait of Malacca, the Ming fleet continued to sail, and issued letters of credence to recruit followers along the way.

Cheng Yu said: "I wish you a successful start. This is the letter of credence from the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

Kurutongga liked velvet very much and gave it a large amount of gold in return. At the same time, it was agreed that when the Ming fleet returned, he would send envoys to follow the visit to the Ming Dynasty.

Kurutongga jumped off his horse and responded with courtesy: "I heard from domestic merchants that a Ming Dynasty has risen in the east and has become richer than before. The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is a young and great king like me. He defeated the barbarians in the north, and I am sure I can defeat the Chalukya in the north!"

Kurutongga's expression was a little embarrassed, and he quickly covered it up with a smile: "Before teaching Srivijaya a lesson, I must punish the barbarians on the island first! You should also be careful, those barbarians are pirates. Merchant ships that do not enter their ports will be looted by barbarians. They stole our shipbuilding and naval warfare technology."

On the one hand, Srivijaya was very domineering and greedy. If merchant ships from various countries do not enter their ports, they will kill and rob all of their goods.

Today, the prime meridian passes through Luoyang, so Jambi and Palembang belong to a certain degree of west longitude.

…

Although she is not pretty, she is very obedient.

This does not match the information provided by the Arab merchants. Cheng Yu now wants to confirm it indirectly.

To put it bluntly, it is based on the monopoly of maritime trade. If the Ming Dynasty continues to do this, it would be strange if the king and his ministers of Srivijaya do not turn against each other.

South Indian merchants have been helping to translate.

Cheng Yu said: "I heard that your country once broke through the capital of Srivijaya and killed the king of Srivijaya."

But South Indian merchants are particularly good at bragging, claiming that their country is extremely powerful.

This guy is about to unify Sri Lanka again, and carry out a series of reforms, gradually build a strong navy, and eventually even control the Strait of Malacca and the Indian Ocean!

The diplomatic relations between Srivijaya and China were very harmonious in the Tang and Song dynasties.

The reason is very simple. They have common interests but no conflicts.

Under the old king's rule, the Chola Dynasty lost its hegemony over South India and was beaten by the Chalukya Dynasty. During the reign of the old king's father, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh became independent one after another.

The Ming Dynasty ships slowly left the port without being attacked.

Hu Quan lit a few incense sticks, worshipped the sea god, and left after a chat.

The number of times Srivijaya paid tribute to the Song Dynasty was second only to Champa and Annan.

"Merchant ships that can fight, follow the warships and pay attention to the flag orders."

"..."

Just when the naval battle was about to break out, seven or eight thousand Sri Lankan army soldiers were coming from the direction of its capital Polonranuwa.

These guys are really brave. They dare to rob the powerful Ming Dynasty fleet!