Chapter 907 0902 [Sri Lanka and South India]
Zhanbei Outer Harbor.
Hu Quan followed the translator around and inquired for several days. 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 river directly connected to the seaport between the two capitals. Merchants from all over the world gather in the two places, and ships on the river and the sea are constantly traveling...”
“Merchants with the surnames Li (Ali), Pu (Abu), and Ma (Mohammed) all believe in the Arabs. People of religion. Most of their ancestors came from the Caliphate and have settled in Srivijaya for more than a hundred years..."
"Those named Buddha, Radha, Jatya, Rama, and Singo are mostly Buddhists and Brahmans. Many of these people are powerful nobles who have fiefs, such as the princes of the Zhou Dynasty...
Hu Quan recorded everything he could find out, including politics, military affairs, customs, commodities, crops, etc.
He took these to the Star-pulling Room, where several sea gods including Mazu were worshipped.
Hu Quan asked: "Have you calculated the longitude and latitude?"
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 about 30 degrees in December, and the temperature difference between day and night is not large. According to merchants, there is no difference between winter and summer here."
Hu Quan took a notebook and wrote it down quickly. After writing it down, he said: "Thank you. ”
The prime meridian now passes through Luoyang, so Jambi and Palembang belong to a certain degree of west longitude.
Hu Quan lit a few incense sticks, worshipped the sea god upright, and left after a chat.
Their delegation was not only visiting various countries, but also came to explore the way along the way and draw a detailed nautical chart.
Not only the longitude and latitude should be marked, but the nautical chart is not in graffiti mode, but countless accurate maps should be drawn!
Including the Ming map that is being made, longitude and latitude should be used to assist in map work at intervals.
"Blow the horn and set sail!"
The Ming ship slowly left the port without being attacked.
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 many local medicinal materials for the prevention and treatment of various diseases, but we don't know how effective they are for the time being. There are two mosquito repellents that can be used directly, one is a juice rubbed on the skin, and the other is hay used for fumigation. ”
"You are responsible for disease prevention and treatment, and I won't interfere. "Cheng Yu said.
Cheng Yu's external identity is the chief envoy, but his internal identity is the governor of the sea exploration.
The letter of the Ming Dynasty has been delivered at the outer port of Zhanbei, and the King of Srivijaya has replied with a letter of credence. The letters of credence are sent by inland ships, which can go back and forth in a day and a half.
When delivering the letter of credence, a draftsman was also brought along to draw a simple topographic map of both sides of the river.
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.
The diplomatic relations between Srivijaya and China were very harmonious in the Tang and Song dynasties.
The reason is simple, they have common interests, but there are no conflicts.
The number of times Srivijaya paid tribute to the two Song dynasties was second only to Champa and Annan.
The founding of the Ming Dynasty After that, Srivijaya also quickly sent envoys to ask for a title, and became a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty without any psychological burden.
On the one hand, Srivijaya was very domineering and greedy. If merchant ships from various countries did not enter its port, they would kill and rob them all.
On the other hand, Srivijaya merchants were 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, so they simply gave part of the goods to the government or wealthy merchants in Fujian and Guangdong.
The Ming Dynasty official fleet's voyage this time broke this long-standing harmony.
If it happens again in the future, I am afraid that Srivijaya will really use force because it has harmed their interests.
Core interests!
Srivijaya only levied commercial taxes on domestic people, and did not impose population taxes, agricultural taxes, etc. No.
To put it bluntly, the country was established by monopolizing maritime trade. If the Ming Dynasty continued to do so, it would be strange if the king and his ministers of Srivijaya did not turn against each other.
The Ming fleet successfully passed through the Strait of Malacca, and the coup in Srivijaya was still brewing.
The second prince and the financial officer had long wanted to rebel, and the Ming fleet was just an opportunity and excuse for their coup.
…
After leaving the Strait of Malacca, the Ming fleet continued to sail, and issued letters of credence along the way to recruit younger brothers.
In some countries, the capital was too far from the coast, and the Ming fleet did not have so much time to delay. So the letters of credence were sent to coastal officials, and the letters of credence were collected when they returned.
From Pagan (Myanmar) to Chola (South India), there were a total of four small countries along the way.
When arriving at the Chola Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty The envoys were warmly received.
This country has two kings. The old king announced his abdication two years ago and became the emperor on his sickbed.
Under the old king's rule, the Chola Dynasty lost its hegemony in South India and was beaten by the later Chalukya Dynasty. During the reign of the old king's father, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh became independent one after another.
It is obvious that the country is declining, and they even reached Java Island a hundred years ago!
The new king, who has just succeeded to the throne for two years, is very young. His name is Kurutonga Chola II.
Hearing that the official Chinese fleet has arrived, this guy rode a horse and traveled 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!"
Kurutongga jumped off his horse and replied politely: "I heard from domestic merchants that a Ming Dynasty has risen in the East and has become richer than before. The Ming Emperor is a young and great king like me. He defeated the barbarians in the north, and I am sure I can defeat the Chalukyas in the north!"
South Indian merchants have been helping to translate.
Cheng Yu said: "I wish you a successful start. This is the letter from my Ming Emperor."
Kurutongga said: "I will write him a reply. When you return, I will send an envoy to the Ming Dynasty. From now on, he is the emperor of the East, I am the emperor of the Central, and the Seljuk Sultan is the emperor of the West. The three of us, together, will rule the world!"
The Indian merchant translated truthfully, and such awesome words made the members of the Ming envoys present laugh.
Seeing that everyone was laughing, Kurutongga also laughed: "By the way, thank you for protecting our merchant ships from being exploited by those damned Srivijaya people."
At this time, the Chola Dynasty was beaten by the Chalukya on land and suppressed by Sri Lanka on the sea, and its hegemony over land and sea had been lost one after another.
But South Indian merchants are particularly good at bragging, claiming that their country is extremely powerful.
This does not match the information provided by Arab merchants, and Cheng Yu now wants to confirm it indirectly.
Cheng Yu said: "I heard that your country once broke through the capital of Srivijaya and killed the king of Srivijaya."
Kurutongga patted his chest and said proudly: "That is the achievement of my great ancestors."
"Srivijaya is intercepting ships now, when will your country teach them a lesson again?" Cheng Yu asked.
Kurutongka looked a little embarrassed, but he quickly covered it up with a smile and said, "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 have stolen our shipbuilding and naval warfare technology."
The barbarians in this guy's mouth are the islanders of Sri Lanka.
It is currently called the Kingdom of Silanchi, which can also be translated as Ceylon.
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 lord made his fortune through maritime trade, often acting as a pirate to rob everywhere, and even occasionally went to Bengal and Myanmar to rob.
Cheng Yu took the fleet to supply trade at the Chola port and took out a piece of velvet as a state gift.
Kurutongka liked velvet very much and gave it back a lot of gold. At the same time, it was agreed that when the Ming fleet returned, he would send an envoy to follow the visit to the Ming.
Then, each of the main members of the Ming Dynasty's envoys was given a female slave.
Unfortunately, there were no white women. Those female slaves were all low-caste South Indian natives with darker skin.
Although they were not beautiful, they were very obedient.
When they met their masters, they all prostrated themselves on the ground, which made Cheng Yu feel embarrassed.
A few days later, the Ming Dynasty fleet went to Sri Lanka to submit the credentials and measure the longitude and latitude and temperature of the port.
At this moment, the Indian merchant ships no longer followed, and only more than 20 Chinese and Seljuk merchant ships were left.
"This Xilanchi Kingdom is not hot either. Is it because of spring?" Yu Yunwen muttered.
Hu Quan said, "You can ask more."
Yu Yunwen looked at the pagodas and temples scattered on the shore and couldn't help but sigh: "India doesn't believe in Buddhism, but Sri Lanka does. If Tang Sanzang knew, he would be very disappointed."
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 inside and outside this small harbor. This country is a paradise for monks, but it may be a hell for the people. This country will never prosper."
"That's the best." Yu Yunwen smiled.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
The Ming patrol ship on the sea suddenly sounded a drum, and even fired a warning shot from a distance.
Ying Xuan hurriedly shouted: "Wave the flag, all ships form a battle line!"
On the northern sea, two or three hundred ships came with the wind, and there were even ultra-small rowing boats of 100 tons.
That was the fleet of Lord Rajarata of Sri Lanka and his allies.
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!
"Civilian officials, all enter the cabin, don't stay on the deck!"
"Army, cavalry and infantry, stay in the port to protect officials and merchants."
"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 soldiers were coming from the direction of its capital, Polonranuwa.
These guys are really brave, and they dare to rob the powerful Ming fleet!