amaotonovel Chapter 584 The Way to America
Chapter 584 The Way to America
As a farmer, Liu Bei cared most about farming, and instinctively wanted to take any fertile land suitable for cultivation into his own hands.
As a general, Liu Bei was most concerned about the terrain. Whether the terrain was easy to pass through and whether it was conducive to defense and blocking were essential subjects for generals to learn.
Therefore, upon hearing the words "Bering Strait," he instinctively asked if it was easy to cross and what was required to pass through it smoothly.
Guan Xing picked up his brush again and quickly drew a sketch under the watchful eyes of the four people, saying, "This is the Han Dynasty, this is Liaodong. Go north along the coastline from Liaodong, until you reach the easternmost edge of the continent. Stand on the shore and look out to sea. On the other side of the sea is the Americas."
"The sea area between the Asian continent and the American continent is the Bering Strait. The narrowest part of this strait is only seventy miles wide. Moreover, the climate of the strait is cold, and the sea surface freezes in winter. After the ice freezes, you can walk across without a boat."
Liu Bei, breathing rapidly and his face full of excitement, asked, "You mean we don't need to take a boat, we can walk to the Americas as long as the ice freezes in winter? Are you sure?"
He didn't care about other continents, but he was determined to go to the Americas because they had the staple foods he longed for, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn.
I thought I had no hope in my lifetime, but if I can get to the mainland, I can still try and see what potatoes and sweet potatoes actually look like.
Guan Xing shook his head and said, "Theoretically it's possible, but in reality, Liaodong is freezing cold in winter. The winter temperature in the Bering Strait can drop to below minus fifty degrees Celsius. I estimate that you would freeze to death before you even get there."
"Besides, the Americas are much larger than the Han Dynasty. Even if we got to the Americas, it wouldn't be easy to find these crops."
It takes half a day to travel from a county in the Han Dynasty to travel across the entire American continent; it seems absurd.
Liu Bei gritted his teeth and said, "We still have to go. If it gets cold, we can just wear thicker clothes. Even if the weather is cold, it's still much better than risking our lives in the vast ocean."
Zhuge Liang said, "Anguo, judging from your expression, you must have other ideas. Tell us quickly so we can't keep guessing."
The group looked at him again, and Guan Xing touched his nose and chuckled, "There is one, although it's not as convenient as crossing the Bering Strait directly, it's easier than crossing the ocean. It involves going through Japan."
After finishing his sentence, he picked up his brush and started painting again. Then, pointing to the painting, he said, “Your Majesty, please look. This is the four islands of Japan. The easternmost island, the one furthest from the Han Dynasty, is called Hokkaido. It has not yet been discovered and developed by Japan and is still a primitive area. If you continue northeast along Hokkaido, you can reach the Bering Strait. Alternatively, you can continue east to find this group of islands called the Aleutian Islands. If you follow the islands, you can enter the Americas.”
"So my solution is to establish a port supply point in Hokkaido, use Hokkaido as a springboard to find the Aleutian Islands, establish supply points on the islands along the way, and use this supply line to reach the American continent directly. This step-by-step approach is much safer than risking freezing to death by crossing the Bering Strait."
Looking at the Bering Strait and the Aleutian Islands, Liu Bei pondered, "That's true. I'll take Hokkaido then. Ji Jie sent that dog, Furutakawa, back to Japan a few days ago. He should be back by now. This time, I'll send him to Hokkaido to pave the way."
Seeing that no one objected, Liu Bei said, "Then let's do it this way. First, we'll focus on cultivating Champa rice, and then we'll encourage the gentry to gradually explore overseas. But how can we motivate the Han gentry to explore overseas? Simply granting them titles of nobility might not be enough."
Exploring the ocean is an extremely dangerous activity, with a high probability of dying at sea without anyone to recover one's body. This is difficult for Han Chinese, who value returning to their roots, to accept.
Therefore, unless the benefits are substantial enough, it is unlikely that these aristocratic gentlemen would abandon their comfortable lives in the Han Dynasty and go to sea to enjoy the sea breeze.
Guan Xing said, "First, we need to send Fu Shiren out to sea again to explore more distant places and bring back more treasures. Let the gentry know that overseas can generate profits. Let's tempt them with benefits first."
"Secondly, the enfeoffment system of the pre-Qin period was implemented overseas. Whoever discovered a new island or continent was immediately granted a title, and it was stipulated that the entire area within a radius of 10,000 li was his fief. Take Australia as an example. After Fu Shiren discovered Australia, he directly granted Australia to him and made him the Duke Yongzhen of Australia. Then, he invited the major gentry to visit Australia and let them see the real benefits. The gentry would definitely flock to it."
"Hiss..." Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang all gasped in surprise. Looking at the map drawn by Guan Xing, Australia was no smaller than the Han Dynasty. To directly grant away such a large piece of land was truly a grand gesture.
Liu Bei, scratching his teeth, said reluctantly, "Isn't it a bit wasteful to grant such a title? Besides, the enfeoffment system has its hidden dangers. Have you forgotten the Rebellion of the Seven States during Emperor Jing's reign?"
Guan Xing shook his head and said, "Of course I haven't forgotten, but I would like to ask Your Majesty, after King Wu conquered King Zhou and established the Zhou Dynasty, why did you implement the enfeoffment system instead of the prefecture-county system? Did he not see the hidden dangers behind the enfeoffment system?"
Liu Bei said, "It was because at that time, many places outside the Central Plains were barren lands, which the Zhou Dynasty could not control. They could only enfeoff the vassals to defend the capital region against the natives."
Guan Xing nodded and said, "That's right. There is no best system, only the system most suitable for the context of the times. The Western Zhou Dynasty could not control so much land, so it could only distribute it to the feudal lords. By the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the local natives had been wiped out by the feudal lords, the land had been developed by the feudal lords, and the roads leading to the cities had been opened up by the feudal lords. So the war between the feudal lords broke out until the First Emperor completed the unification."
"It's the same now. The court can only effectively control the homeland of the Han Dynasty. The overseas territories are too far away to be managed. If we want to occupy them, we can only enfeoff them. After a few hundred years, when the lords enfeoffed by His Majesty have completed the development of the overseas territories, explored the sea routes, and improved the productivity of all fields, it will not be too late to think about unification."
"Although there will definitely be chaotic battles like those during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, no matter how fierce the fighting is, it is still our Han people's business. It is better than the Western whites using their powerful ships and cannons to forcibly open the gates of China, or the Japanese launching a war of genocide."
Liu Bei pondered, "That makes sense. As long as it is occupied by the Han people, no matter how fiercely they are attacked, it's still a matter of rotting flesh in the pot. It's much better than the Five Barbarian Invasions and the Japanese invasion."
"Tell Fu Shiren to stop staying in Jiangling. He should rest for two or three days and then leave. He doesn't need to stay long in Linyi, and he doesn't need to worry about those dozen or so experimental fields. Just leave the experimental fields to Mi Fang. He can rest briefly in Linyi and then continue his sea exploration, so that the profits he makes can attract the attention of the Han gentry."
Guan Xing: "..."
Fu Shiren has just returned and you're already sending him off? Your Majesty, you really don't treat this old brother like a human being.
Liu Bei continued, "Each crew member who goes to sea with Fu Shiren will be rewarded with ten acres of fertile land. Also, inform the local county magistrate that the crew members' parents and families should be taken care of as much as possible, so that the crew members at sea have no worries about their future."
"I hereby order each of the major clans in Jiangdong and Jingzhou to select one member to accompany Fu Shiren on his voyage. They are to bring paper and pen with them and record everything they see along the way, and report it to their respective clans. The major clans may not trust Mi Fang and Fu Shiren, but surely they would trust their own clansmen?"
Overseas exploration is a matter for the whole society. To complete it quickly, we must mobilize the power of the gentry. To motivate the gentry, we must show them enough enticing benefits that they are willing to take risks for.
Self-interest is the greatest driving force for striving!