After three rounds of wine, Long Yan finally brought up the question that was on everyone’s mind: “Miss Yun, may I ask what important matter brings you and your brother specially to Quanzhou?”
It was time for a detailed discussion.
Yun Yanjiao smiled and turned to look at Yun Yanran.
Yun Yanran set down his wine cup and looked around. The most important people in Quanzhou city were all here tonight.
He said calmly, “Our purpose in coming, you have perhaps already guessed somewhat.”
Pu Jian stroked his long beard and said unhurriedly: “If ships could continuously transport Sumali Blue from the Western Ocean back to China…”
He didn’t continue, but everyone understood his meaning.
Porcelain held a pivotal position in the Ming Dynasty’s domestic and foreign trade. If they could once again mass-produce such beautiful blue and white porcelain… everyone understood the great significance of this.
Another sea merchant sighed: “But the court has prohibitions. The number of ships and voyages going to sea each year is strictly limited.”
The Quanzhou sea merchants had wealth rivaling nations, massive fleets, and well-trained shipwrights and sailors, yet could only watch year after year as their ships and sailors aged. This new empire didn’t quite trust these sea merchants who had too close relationships with the Mongol Yuan and the various heroes who had contended for dominance at the dynasty’s founding, including their fleets—especially when there were still quite a few outlaws roaming the great seas, such as remnants of Zhang Shicheng, Fang Guozhen, Chen Youding, and Chen Youliang.
Yun Yanran smiled: “But if under the Ming banner, led by Ming naval forces going to sea, that would be quite different, wouldn’t it?”
Everyone was greatly shocked. Could this mean that the entire national policy was about to change?
The Ministry of Rites sending an Imperial Academy student to formally represent the nation in worshipping Mazu was a clear signal.
In the silence, Chen Yongxing, who had been sitting respectfully at the lowest seat, suddenly said blandly: “I hear the great pirate Chen Zuyi of the South Seas claims to have over a thousand ships and is quite rampant. The naval forces of various South Sea nations dare not easily engage him in battle. Even the Immortal Mountain of the Sea was nearly intercepted on this return voyage, and two accompanying Ming naval ships were lost.”
Yun Yanran was slightly startled and glanced at Meng Jianqing, realizing that Meng Jianqing was as secretly shocked as he was by the Chen family’s well-informed intelligence network. Looking at the expressions of the other sea merchants, they had heard about this matter long ago.
Among those seemingly unrelated ships, there seemed to exist an invisible channel that could quickly inform shipwrights, sailors, and even sea merchants thousands of li away about everything happening at sea.
Yun Yanran gazed at Chen Yongxing and said, “As Uncle Chen says, Chen Zuyi indeed has over a thousand ships. But these thousand ships couldn’t stop our Thousand-Li Ship. I wonder what Uncle Chen thinks of this?”
Chen Yongxing smiled indifferently: “If every time our fleet encounters Chen Zuyi, only one-third of our ships can escape danger, then when we travel far across heavy seas seeking profit ten thousand li away, where would this profit come from?”
Everyone was in an uproar and turned their gazes toward Yun Yanran.
Yun Yanran said without change in voice or expression: “Therefore, not only must naval forces provide escort, this naval force must be expanded in scale and rigorously trained, but the ships must also be rebuilt so that Chen Zuyi’s fleet cannot compare with ours in speed, agility, sturdiness, or size. When that time comes, if he dares to provoke us again, it will be no different from seeking his destruction.”
Chen Zuyi’s fleet claimed to have a thousand ships, but everyone knew this included small vessels that could only carry ten to twenty people. Yet from Yun Yanran’s tone, he seemed to want to build a thousand ships that could match the Immortal Mountain of the Sea’s Thousand-Li Ship in speed and agility, match naval warships in sturdiness, and match Fujian-style great five-masted ships in size.
This couldn’t help but make them gasp…
Yun Yanran continued: “Not to mention Chen Zuyi—even the combined power of one or several nations probably couldn’t compete with us.”
The sea merchants all understood the implication of his words. Over these twenty years, the reason Quanzhou sea merchants couldn’t fully display their abilities was certainly due to strict court prohibitions and Chen Zuyi’s rampage across the seas, but also because the South Sea nations had ambiguous attitudes. They probably didn’t want to see frequent coming and going of Chinese vessels, and especially didn’t want to see Chinese merchants bypass their intermediary role to trade directly with the Western Ocean. Some ports were particularly hostile, creating difficulties in freshwater and food supply, ship docking and repairs, and trade in various goods, even forcing expulsions or secretly encouraging pirate raids. The South Sea route was dangerous not only because of wind and waves, but also because of human hearts. To cross the South Seas to reach the distant Western Ocean was even more perilous.
But if there was such a powerful fleet on the ten-thousand-li ocean, where couldn’t they go? What couldn’t they accomplish?
Pu Jian pondered for a long time before saying, “The court is currently conducting military campaigns against the northern Mongols, so funding is probably still not abundant. To build such a fleet, the capital required—”
He was hoping they would first advance the funds as major sea merchants.
Yun Yanran said frankly, “Not only funding, but even shipwrights and sailors must rely on everyone’s strong support.”
Since the Song Dynasty, among all types of ships, Fujian ships had been the finest, said to cross dangerous seas as if walking on level ground. The shipwrights and sailors of Fujian were likewise renowned as unmatched under heaven. The various Quanzhou sea merchant families had dominated their era largely thanks to this.
However, this plan required a massive investment, and building ships and training naval forces would take time—who knew when it would show results? If the court’s policy changed by then…
But if they didn’t contribute money and people now, when the fleet set sail in the future without their share, they would probably regret it bitterly.
Among the thirteen sea merchant families, the most skilled at shipbuilding was none other than the Chen family.
It seemed the Chen family might have days of revival again…
The thoughts of the various sea merchant families turned round and round, and they all simultaneously looked toward Chen Yongxing.
Chen Yongxing still appeared calm, but his slightly trembling beard revealed that his inner excitement was barely concealed. However, he remained composed enough not to be the first to take a position.
Pu Jian silently cursed “old fox” and turned to Long Yan, saying with a smile: “I wonder what Niece Long thinks?”
Long Yan didn’t answer but turned to Yun Yanjiao and said softly: “Miss Yun, this matter was presumably orchestrated entirely by the Immortal Mountain of the Sea, wasn’t it? I’m very curious and would like to know why you’re so enthusiastic about this.”
If the Immortal Mountain of the Sea hadn’t brought back Sumali Blue, they probably couldn’t have persuaded the Hongwu Emperor to make this decision. And now it was the Immortal Mountain of the Sea coming forward to convince the Quanzhou sea merchants to invest massive human, material, and financial resources to complete this plan—if someone else had said these same words, they absolutely couldn’t have had the same influence on the Quanzhou sea merchants.
Without understanding the Immortal Mountain of the Sea’s intentions and the role they played in this plan, it still couldn’t put people at ease.
Yun Yanjiao smiled with pursed lips: “Sister Long—may I presume to call you sister?”
Long Yan smiled: “Sister Yun, please speak freely.”
Those present smiled knowingly as they watched them become familiar.
Yun Yanjiao said slowly: “The overseas Chinese of the South Seas haven’t seen Chinese culture and dress for a hundred years. Living in foreign lands, they’re viewed as people of a fallen nation. The bitterness within this, unless one is in their midst, is probably impossible to comprehend.”
Her words were gentle and graceful, yet moved the listeners, unconsciously arousing feelings of sadness and sympathy.
Yun Yanjiao paused slightly, then continued: “Everyone must be quite clear that for nearly a hundred years, the South Sea Chinese have revered the Immortal Mountain of the Sea, hoping only that the Immortal Mountain of the Sea could protect their safety in foreign lands.”
As for how the Immortal Mountain of the Sea protected their safety, everyone present understood without saying.
Though it couldn’t compare to Ban Chao’s slaying of the Xiongnu envoy and seizing Kucha’s army, it probably wasn’t much different.
But Yun Yanjiao’s next words took a sharp turn: “However, the Immortal Mountain of the Sea is ultimately just a sea island—how can it compare to a nation’s power to move mountains and overturn seas!”
This latter statement made everyone present feel their hearts heat up, as if they could see that magnificent sight of moving mountains and overturning seas.
Yun Yanjiao immediately continued: “Since our dynasty’s founding, the South Sea Chinese, including the Immortal Mountain of the Sea, have hoped every day to see the imperial army again. The reason lies precisely in this.”
After she finished speaking, the Lotus Viewing Pavilion fell silent, but the expressions on everyone’s faces were far from calm.
In Fujian, almost every family had people who went to sea, and everyone had countless connections with the South Sea Chinese. Not only were family and blood ties impossible to sever, but the interests involved were also of great importance. For instance, the properties that Quanzhou sea merchants had established in various South Sea locations were enormous in number. However, due to too many difficulties and dangers over the years, the profits couldn’t be brought back to their homeland and were accumulated in foreign countries, kept by their respective relatives. Whether the properties or those guarding them inevitably had worries about their precarious situation. But if there was such a fleet traveling back and forth across the South Seas…
Just for this reason alone, it was worth their massive investment to wait several years to complete this plan.
Meng Jianqing, observing coldly from the side, watched the changing expressions on these sea merchants’ faces and silently sighed.
Yun Yanran reasoned with logic, Yun Yanjiao moved with emotion. These siblings carefully cultivated by the Immortal Mountain of the Sea truly had the bearing of great generals and the talent of royal advisors, managing people’s hearts with ease and commanding as they wished.
Long Yan only pondered briefly before raising her head and smiling gently: “In this matter, both publicly and privately, the Long family should not decline.”
Her appearance was delicate, but regarding such a major matter, she showed such clear decisiveness—perhaps outsiders would think it too hasty and rash. But Meng Jianqing would never think so.
No wonder that in the years since Long Yin’s death, the Long family’s position hadn’t wavered in the slightest. This was not because the other twelve sea merchant families pitied this orphaned girl and were soft-hearted.
With Long Yan’s statement, the other twelve sea merchant families went with the flow, expressing that they had an unshirkable responsibility to share the nation’s worries and promote the people’s interests.
But the taste of it all probably differed for each. Chen Yongxing’s face seemed to be glowing.
Meng Jianqing silently speculated that the heavy responsibility of training the naval forces would probably be presided over by Yun Yanran, which was why he had come to Fujian and paid special attention to naval warfare talent like Chen Sha. There were many former naval subordinates from the founding heroes, and though they had surrendered long ago, the estrangement from the court wasn’t so easily eliminated. Having the Immortal Mountain of the Sea come forward to select and train them was indeed a compromise strategy that all sides could accept.
He suddenly realized that tonight, he was closer than ever before to the vigorously beating heart of the Ming Dynasty, closer to this nation’s decision-making center.
With this thought, Meng Jianqing couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned, suddenly feeling his own heart beating more intensely than ever before.