newbobooks Chapter 483 Return to Ming Dynasty
Chapter 483 Return to Ming Dynasty
They returned to Jinshan and rested for more than a month. It was almost October in the Gregorian calendar. At this time, there were fewer tropical storms in the North Pacific, and it was relatively safe. In addition, the southeast wind was blowing in the southern hemisphere, which was very conducive to returning home. So they embarked on the journey back to Ming Dynasty.
They left Daming before the Dragon Boat Festival last year, and now it is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Only those who have traveled the European route have experienced being away from home for such a long time. For the officers and soldiers of the Daming Navy, this time is a bit scary, so they have long been eager to return home.
The fleet that returned this time was still strong, with more than a dozen ships in total. There were still many miners and soldiers stationed here to pan for gold. Those miners were contract workers hired by various businesses. Each person signed a contract for at least two years, which meant that they could only return to Ming after working for two years. Of course, the wages were not small, but they had to endure the pain of leaving their hometown for a long time.
The fleet sailed northwest with the southeast wind and had a very fast speed. In less than four days, they arrived at Timor Island.
Arriving at Timor Island, I felt like I was back in the real world. Although the natives on Timor Island were also barbarians and their productivity was not much higher than that of the natives on the Australian mainland, at least the natives here could not only gather but also farm and communicate with residents of other islands in Southeast Asia. Although the progress and changes were slow, there was still progress. Unlike the natives on the Australian mainland, who were isolated from the world and had not seen any changes or progress for tens of thousands of years, time seemed to have frozen, as if they were in another dimension.
The fleet went west along Timor Island and entered the Lombok Strait, only then did they return to the civilized world. This was because there were many Chinese people on Java Island, and where there are Chinese people, there is order and etiquette.
After arriving in Southeast Asia, they began to trade the supplies on the ship, exchanging the porcelain, tea, silk and other items brought from the Ming Dynasty with the local natives and Spanish merchants for various spices, medicinal herbs, and jewelry such as corals and pearls.
Their fleet was large and they were not afraid of pirate attacks, so they sailed through the Makassar Strait, the Sulawesi Sea, the Mindoro Strait, and passed through Luzon Island. Their journey was very smooth, with no pirate interceptions and no storms. At their last stop, they landed in the southern part of Dongfan Island (Taiwan Island) for resupply.
When they returned to Quanzhou Port, it was almost the twelfth lunar month, and the Chinese New Year was just a month away. Everyone was eager to return home before the Chinese New Year. However, it was unlikely that Min Xi and others would be able to get from Quanzhou to the capital in just over a month.
Because they were an envoy sent by the imperial court, they did not have to undergo strict goods assessment and tax payment like merchant ships before they could enter the port to unload their cargo. The two merchant ships and several warships of the Yunxiang entered the port smoothly.
When they set foot on the land of Ming Dynasty again, everyone felt a little sad. This kind of emotion can probably only be understood by those who have been wandering overseas for a long time, especially the naval officers and soldiers who left Ming Dynasty for the first time.
Although he did not have to pay taxes like ordinary merchant ships, Yun Ji still had people calculate the value of the goods on his two ships and paid the taxes in full to the Maritime Customs.
Yun Ji also gave bounties to the navy warships that went on the mission, because this was promised at the beginning. Of course, the navy officers and soldiers who followed them around the continent were not given any more, after all, they had already been given bounties before, and the bounties they received were more than those of other navy officers and soldiers, so they would definitely not have any complaints.
After spending a few days to finish these things, Min Xi and Yun Ji counted all the things they were going to bring back to Beijing, loaded them onto the canal boat, and set off on their journey back to Beijing. They also went with two warships, which were from the Zhejiang Navy and the Jiangnan Navy. They were also their teammates who had traveled around the Australian continent with them. They could have returned to their base a few days ago, but in order to travel with Min Xi and the others, they waited until today to leave together.
With two warships escorting us, the journey is naturally safe.
When they reached the mouth of the Grand Canal in Zhenjiang, the canal boats parted ways with the warships of the Jiangnan Navy and set off on their return journey alone. The rest of the journey was much safer, after all, not many inland pirates dared to target the canal boats, unless they didn't want to live.
The north wind was howling, and the cold air was everywhere. Min Xi and Yun Ji were sitting in the cabin, warming themselves by the fire. Doctor Qiao was still shivering with his sleeves rolled up and holding a hand warmer. He sniffled and said, "I also grew up in the capital, and I have suffered from the cold since I was a child. Why do I feel that the south is colder than our capital?"
Min Xi smiled and said, "It's not that the south is colder than the capital. It's mainly because we have been overseas for too long. It is much warmer there than in the Ming Dynasty. We haven't been cold for a long time. Now that we have come back and feel the cold winter again, our bodies are not able to adapt. It will be fine after a while."
"Dr. Qiao has suffered a lot during this mission," Yun Ji said sincerely.
Doctor Qiao couldn't help but sigh: "I really have suffered the most in my life, but it is also a brand new experience. It's quite interesting to think about it now."
After hearing what he said, Min Xi joked, "Doctor Qiao, if you have the chance in the future, do you want to go to sea again?"
Doctor Qiao couldn't help but twitch his lips: "My Lord, do you still want to continue your diplomatic mission to foreign countries?"
Min Xi smiled slyly: "It's hard to say."
Doctor Qiao just felt a toothache. He stretched out his hand and rubbed his cheek: "I may not have the honor to be chosen by the emperor." When he said this, he almost couldn't help but slap himself in the face. What nonsense are you talking about? Can't you find an excuse to get away with it!
So he quickly made up for it: "It's just that my parents are old, and I've been away from home for a long time. I don't know if they are well, and I'm afraid I won't be able to be filial to them."
Min Xi laughed: "I was just kidding, Doctor Qiao. Even if you go out again, I can't let you suffer again." You can't always pull the wool from a sheep.
Doctor Qiao heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this, "You two masters are very capable. This time we went out and found four gold mines. His Majesty will definitely reward you handsomely and give you promotions. He should not send you two masters on overseas missions again."
Min Xi and Yun Ji looked at each other. They wanted to go out to sea, but it was not the emperor who sent them out. They just wanted to go out on their own. However, they certainly could not tell this to Imperial Doctor Qiao.
"Let's think about this later. It's already the 19th day of the twelfth lunar month, and the Chinese New Year is only ten days away. I'm afraid we won't be able to get back before the New Year." Min Xi changed the subject.
Yun Ji frowned and said, "If the wind and water are favorable, and the boatmen work harder, we might be able to catch up in ten days or so. But now it is freezing cold, and the wind is against us, so I am afraid we won't be able to make it back in time."
"Can't you go back to celebrate the New Year?" Doctor Qiao was a little disappointed when he heard that he couldn't go back to celebrate the New Year. He had been away from home for too long and finally returned home, but he didn't want to celebrate the New Year away from home.
Min Xi smiled and said, "Doctor Qiao, don't worry. Even if you can't go home for the New Year, you can at least go home to spend the Lantern Festival with your family."