Chapter 1320 "Mediterranean Sea"

Chapter 1320 "Mediterranean Sea"

Chapter 1320 "Mediterranean Sea"

Shao Xun's main destination was not Pingyuan County. He came here purely to take his woman to visit her parents. Therefore, apart from meeting with a few Liu elders on the first day, he mainly dealt with official business on the second day.

The Liaohai Sea has thawed, and the Donglai camp has been set up long ago. Xu Lang is hesitating whether to transport supplies to Liaodong now.

Shao Xun asked him to wait a while, as the earliest would be late April.

The communication ships traveling between Penglai and Mashijin were still running intermittently. Liaodong was not short of food for the time being, but rather of craftsmen.

After a whole autumn of hard work last year, an earthen city has been built near the Mashijin coast.

The city is not of high standard, and it is more like a fortress than a city. Therefore, we continued to build it in the spring, adding defensive facilities such as horse faces and enemy towers. Most of the houses in the city were wooden houses, which were hastily built last year. We will repair them again in the spring, mainly to make sure they are waterproof.

As for the rest, they couldn't do it there either, as they lacked craftsmen and necessary tools, and even materials. They had to be transported from Qingzhou at the turn of spring and summer.

Shao Xun also ordered the establishment of Lushun County, and Ma Shijin existed as the port of Lushun County. The name Ma Shijin came from Ma Shishan. It was said that it was originally called "Wushishan". I don't know who copied it wrong, and later it was called Ma Shishan, which is Laotieshan in later generations.

As a shipping hub connecting Qingzhou, Lushun County will definitely develop in the future.

Although the sea is dangerous, the Liaoze mud is not a good place either. Countless people have drowned, died of disease, starved, and frozen to death there. It is better to try crossing the sea. It is only one day and one night anyway. You won't be so unlucky that you will encounter a shipwreck, right?
As long as more people try to cross the sea, it will gradually drive the development of navigation-related technologies.

Shao Xun doesn't require a high level of technical skills, is it okay for him to travel steadily between the ports along the Liaohai coast?

Is it possible to keep the accident rate at a lower level?
Is it possible to use Liaohai as the "Mediterranean Sea" of the Daliang Dynasty, connecting Le'an, Beihai, Donglai of Qingzhou, Leling, Bohai, Zhangwu of Jizhou, Yan, Beiping, Liaoxi of Youzhou, Changli, Liaodong, Lelang, Daifang of Pingzhou, a total of four states and thirteen counties?
As a person of later generations, Shao Xun knew how efficient sea transportation could be and how low the cost could be. Even if there was a certain rate of shipwrecks, it was not necessarily unacceptable compared to a few tenths of the transportation cost. The key was to reduce the accident rate and to form habits - habits were very important. There were not many fishermen, let alone stable coastal cargo transportation.

"Alas, why don't you like sea transportation? In the past, when we went west to Chang'an, we had to worry about transporting grain. This time, when we go east to attack Murong, for every cart of grain we transport, at least three carts are consumed on the way. If we count from Yecheng and Bianliang, the consumption is even more shocking." Shao Xun put his hands behind his back and sighed, "Every time, we have to wait until the war is imminent and transportation becomes inconvenient before we think of sea transportation. Before, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty landed at Liekou, and now there is-"

He said no more.

Shi Hu and Li Shimin were the most famous for using large-scale sea transportation under pressure from war, but they often stopped once the war ended.

As for Bohai, to put it bluntly, it is not as frequent as the Korean Peninsula, Japan, or even the Mohe people.

In the middle and late Tang Dynasty, the Zibo-Qingjiedushi on the Shandong Peninsula launched a large-scale horse trade with the Mohe people, but it was often the case that the horses were delivered to the doorsteps and the goods from the Central Plains were then taken away.

As for the regular tribute, it was obviously someone else who took the initiative to come to us.

The people of Ziqing Town basically stayed at home and did not go out to sea. Instead, many Hu people and foreigners came from far away.

It would be fine if they didn't go out to sea for business, but they are rarely seen going out to sea to fish. They are extremely conservative.

Even the slave trade of Silla was mostly done by people from the peninsula. At that time, there were tens of thousands of Silla people living along the coast of Shandong and Jiangsu. Is it okay for their own people to go out to sea and capture women from their own country as slaves? So much so that Zhang Baogao, a Silla man who served as a general in the Wuning Army in Xuzhou, could not stand it and took the initiative to return to the Silla court to help the country fight pirates. At that time, nine out of ten pirates in Bohai were Silla people, but most of them claimed to be Tang people.

This is not a technical issue, but rather a result of the mainland countries not taking it seriously. After all, even the barbaric Mohe people could take ships, sail south from northeastern Korea, land in Japan, and plunder in Nagasaki, Hizen, Hakata and other places.

Why are you reluctant to go to sea? Is it because there are no benefits? Or is it because of traditional conservative thinking? Or is it a combination of many factors?

"Your Majesty, the benefits of sea transportation are as clear as heaven, but the ancients chose far away and avoided the sea to go to the river because they had no choice. Stable transportation is better than fast transportation, and people's safety is more important than saving money, that's all." The courtyard was a little cold in spring, Shan Yinan brought a brocade robe and put it on Shao Xun, saying, "Unless something cannot be transported by river, and land transportation is too expensive, then we will think of sea transportation."

Shao Xun nodded and said, "Yes."

Of course he understood this principle, but he was a little anxious.

If you don't do some things, your progress will be slow.

He had heard a saying in later generations that the aircraft design and regulations of the aviation industry all had bloody lessons behind them, in plain words, they were learned from crashing planes. Without crashing, it would be difficult to find out that this place cannot be designed this way, that this system has hidden dangers, etc., and the same is true for shipping.

Some things may sound cruel, but they are the truth.

"So you inspected Leling, Bohai and Zhangwu just for this matter?" Shan Yinan held Shao Xun's arm and asked softly.

"Of course it's for this matter." Shao Xun said, "I'm looking for a reason for people to sail."

"It looks like there's only Liaodong left." Shan Yinan said with a smile.

"There are also Lelang and Daifang counties." Shao Xun said, "These two counties are even farther than Liaodong. If we walk there, not only are the mountain roads winding, but there are also hundreds of miles of mud. It's really better to sail. But I'm worried that my unworthy descendants will abandon these two counties. Wouldn't that mean we don't have to sail there?"

"I'm afraid it's unavoidable." Shan Yinan said.

"Let's go see if there is any solution first." Shao Xun said.

Just as Shan Yinan said, the successor emperor might still think that Lelang and Daifang counties were a burden. Even though he was unwilling to give up for the sake of face and the emperor's majesty, most of his ministers thought differently.

So, in addition to military and political needs, can the trade needs in the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea maintain a fixed sea route? It's hard to say, and it's not very optimistic.

This time, the struggle to "go against the historical trend" made Shao very upset.

As the two of them walked out of the yard arm in arm, they heard laughter coming from the front.

Shao Xun quietly walked behind the wall like a thief and looked forward through the small window panes on the wall. Huan Wen and Fu Bao walked in front.

Princess Yidu Shao Shu followed closely behind, and with her was a group of young girls from the Liu family of Pingyuan. They joked from time to time, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

Behind them, there were several young men of the Liu family, all of them were handsome and elegant. Their eyes lingered on Shao Shu from time to time, and then they looked at their own brothers and sisters with vigilant eyes, full of tension.

Shan Yinan covered her mouth and laughed secretly, and Shao Xun couldn't help but smile.

Alas, young men who are hoping to rise to the top overnight, please be careful, your intentions are too obvious. Mushroom Lady is very smart, how could she not know what you are thinking?
He pulled Shan Yinan back to the middle of the yard, and not long after, Liu Xiaohe came over.

"Your Majesty." When she saw Shan Yinan, her expression did not change at all. Instead, she greeted her.

Shan Yinan bowed and left quietly.

Shao Xun stepped forward, naturally grabbed Liu Xiaohe's hand, and asked softly, "Are you bored living here?"

"No." Liu Xiaohe gently leaned her head on Shao Xun's arms and said, "I just missed you, thinking that you brought me home. I am so lucky that I can go home twice after getting married."

"Since you like it, then stay a few more days." Shao Xun said.

Liu shook her head and said, "No, I don't have any relatives."

Shao Xun was startled at first, then suddenly realized that at this age, there were almost no elders left that he knew when he was a child, and those who knew him were old and confused. As for his peers, some were officials in other places, some were married to other places, and some had passed away.

"I see strangers everywhere." Liu sighed, "I only know who is whose child after being reminded many times. After seeing the elders and meeting the people I knew when I was young, my wish is fulfilled."

"Then come with me to Leling?" Shao Xun asked.

"Someone will accompany you to Leling." Liu smiled and said, "I'd better go back to Bianliang, stay with Hua Nu, drink tea, read books, and if there's nothing else to do, call two more people to play a game of Chupu. Life in the palace is like this from morning to night, and a day passes quickly."

Having said this, she leaned her head into Shao Xun's arms again and said, "Thank you for my life."

"Why do you say that? I originally was..." Shao Xun said.

Liu covered his mouth and said, "I have let it go a long time ago, why are you still talking? If I had returned to Chang'an, I don't know what would have happened to me. It's a pity that I couldn't give birth to a boy for you in this life. We already had a son..."

Shao Xun was silent.

If that son had survived, he would be the real fourth child, eight months older than Hutou.

"I will give birth to a boy for you in the next life?" Liu gently stroked Shao Xun's face and said, "I will go back to accompany Hua Nu. She is actually very lonely. Don't forget the old one when you find a new love, or you will forget you in the next life."

"Can I become a general for King Nanyang in my next life?" Shao Xun said with a smile.

Liu gave him a reproachful look and said, "I won't show mercy..."

"Isn't a slap enough?" Shao Xun was "shocked" and said, "Do you want me to kneel in front of you?"

Liu blinked and asked curiously, "Have you ever knelt before a flower slave?"

Shao Xun pointed to the rifle on the weapon rack next to him and said, "I used this rifle to defeat Ji Sang, capture Shi Le, destroy the Xiongnu, take back Liangzhou, penetrate deep into the northern frontier, and reach Dongmugen Mountain. I have lived up to the ambition of a real man. How can I kneel down and serve a woman?"

"You are so capable, why do you want to be a family general?" Liu asked.

"Isn't it for you?" Shao Xun said with a smile, "I helped the King of Nanyang kill those who disobeyed his orders, used Tongguan to resist the Xiongnu, and then took Qin and Liang in the west. I made the country a country with four barriers and waited for the right time to act. Isn't that good?"

Liu shook her head but didn't answer the reason. She just smiled and walked away.

Shao Xun also smiled, and the depression he had just felt was gone.

Damn it, I must tie up the counties of Pingzhou and the Central Plains and force you to not dare to give up.

On the 15th, just as Shao Xun was about to leave Gaotang, news came from Youzhou: the Recruiting Envoy Li Chong appointed Prince Yu of Yan as the vanguard commander and led 10,000 infantry and cavalry north to Lulong Town to open the way.

Shao Xun was speechless after reading it. I told you to treat Lao Si as an ordinary warrior, but - are you serious?
He has only ever commanded 4,000 people at a time, so you can be confident enough to hand over 10,000 people directly to him.

Shao Xun thought about it and decided to let Chang Long, the leader of the imperial army, go north immediately, carrying his handwritten letter and giving secret instructions to Hu Tou.

After everything was settled, they arrived in Leling County five days later.

At this time, news came from Liaodong: Murong Huang led more than 30,000 cavalry to attack Liaodong County. There were many battles and the situation was extremely tragic.

This is to break through first.

(End of this chapter)