Prodigal Son of the Ming Dynasty

  Chapter 1061 Triumph of the Hero

  Zhu Houzhao and Fang Jifan arrived at Kunning Palace.

  Seeing the smiles on the faces of the two, Empress Zhang couldn't help laughing: "What happened again today, look at how happy you are."

  Zhu Houzhao said cheerfully: "Mother, Jiujiang is flooded..."

  Empress Zhang instantly lowered her face.

  This flood has caused disasters, why are you so happy?

Fang Jifan was busy explaining, and Empress Zhang nodded: "It turns out that's the case, but I can't be so happy. If it spreads, it's still said that you are a dignified prince who doesn't care about the victims. Prince, your words and deeds represent the prince. See Look at your father, you should learn."

  Zhu Houzhao had no choice but to say: "Yes. Mother, why don't you listen to operas recently?"

Empress Zhang was silent for a moment, before she said: "I haven't thought about it these few days. Seeing that it is almost the end of the new year, year after year, but so far, my two brothers have not come back, eh... "

  Fang Jifan comforted: "Shouning Hou and Jianchang Boji people have their own heavenly faces."

Empress Zhang said: "Don't I hope that my brothers can be capable? The Zhang family is a foreign relative. They have not made an inch of merit, but they have received a lot of money. Their foundation is shallow. But who are these two brothers? Don't you know, it's because I know them too well that I worry about them. I don't count on merit. I just count on them, and they will live in peace for the rest of their lives."

   "Since they went out to sea, they are like released loaches. I can't even catch them. In my heart... I can't help worrying."

  Fang Jifan thought to himself, is it my fault? Going to sea is my idea, there is nothing wrong with that, but these two **** insist on going to sea.

  Fang Jifan was very happy and didn't say anything.

  Zhu Houzhao said angrily: "My mother always wants them to eat dry rice, but is this dry rice so delicious? We Daming shouldn't raise idlers, sons and ministers will..."

  When Zhu Houzhao was young, he watched his father and emperor worry about hard work, but those relatives of the emperor were all eating dry food. Fang Jifan suffered from brain disease, how about you? Do you have a face?

  Of course, Fang Jifan is physically disabled, although he is a little lazy, he still did something, which is more worthy of recognition.

  Empress Zhang knew Zhu Houzhao's temper, so she pursed her lips, and then said: "The prince must not blame his two uncles, they are worthless, but they are also uncles of the country."

"Cough cough...cough cough..." Seeing that the mother and son seemed to be arguing, Fang Jifan coughed and said, "The two uncles will surely return by riding the wind and waves, so please don't worry. As for His Royal Highness, how can these two uncles be called?" They are eating dry food, I think their skeletons are strange, and they may make great achievements in the future..."

  Zhu Houzhao pouted, noncommittal.

After coming out from his mother's place, Zhu Houzhao was still whining and moaning, and couldn't help complaining: "Women are soft-hearted. That's why, in our Daming, there are so many idle people. The only ones who work are my father and this palace. The others are all holding hands, all enjoying the glory and wealth, just watching from the sidelines. Look at my father's appearance, one day will not be exhausted..."

  Fang Jifan nodded approvingly: "Your Highness is right."

  Zhu Houzhao bared his teeth: "Since you know it's reasonable, why didn't you speak up for me just now, and now you say it's reasonable, what's the use?"

  Fang Jifan looked at Zhu Houzhao as if he was mentally retarded: "Because... I just figured it out just now."

  Zhu Houzhao: "..."

He immediately waved his hand: "Forget it, I am not the emperor, what do you want to do with these things. Lao Fang, I just mentioned the ship, and I just remembered a very important thing. You said, we can build steam trains, why... can't What about steamships?"

  He immediately became elated: "With a steamship, it will be powerful. You can ignore the sails and the monsoon. You can go wherever you want, and go as far as you want..."

  Fang Jifan frowned: "Steamboat, this...is a bit difficult."

  For Fang Jifan, the steamship has completely exceeded the limit of his poor knowledge.

  Zhu Houzhao said: "What's the matter, there is nothing difficult in the world."

  He always maintains an optimistic spirit.

  Fang Jifan shook his head, and said: "Don't talk about other difficulties, just say one thing, the steamboat... where does the pure fresh water come from?"

  Zhu Houzhao: "..."

  To make steam, it is not only necessary to ignite coal, but to burn coal to heat the boiler, and then the water in the boiler to produce a large amount of steam.

   To make the steam pure, there must be relatively pure water. The steam locomotives of this era are relatively primitive. Because the steam locomotives are traveling on land, they can still find pure water for replenishment when they stop at stations.

   What about steamships?

   Any resources on board are precious, including fresh water.

  The seawater contains too much salt, once it is used in the steam engine, it will cause the boiler to be blocked or even scrapped.

   Zhu Houzhao has verified this point.

  Steam ships are floating in the sea, going to sea at one time, as long as a year, and as few as a few months, even if there is a port supply, it is very limited.

   You can’t use local materials and use seawater to supply steam, so why not talk about steamships.

   Besides, this is just one of the technical difficulties, and there are many, many technical difficulties to be faced.

  Zhu Houzhao scratched his head: "At the beginning, steam cars came out, so why is it so difficult, I can always think of a solution."

  Fang Jifan felt ashamed, and couldn't help thinking, I understood the principle of the steam train back then, and because I understood it, I knew that as long as I walked in this direction, there would be nothing wrong. But now... I don't even know which direction to go.

  Zhu Houzhao looked at Fang Jifan seriously: "Old Fang, don't you think you've been a little weird lately?"

   "Weird?"

"For example, you are less prone to anger than before; for example...you are much calmer than before. For example, you don't even like to eat beef recently. For example...you are not impulsive and irritable now, always shouting to kill people Killed."

  Fang Jifan: "..."

Have it?

  Zhu Houzhao said worriedly: "I am worried, are you...are you about to have a brain attack? Ever since your father left, you have changed, and you have become almost unrecognizable to me."

  Fang Jifan also came and made a good expression on me.

Zhu Houzhao grabbed Fang Jifan's shoulders and shook them desperately: "You can't hide your illness from the doctor, you need heart medicine for heart disease. I want you to see your father. If you have a steamboat, most of the problems can be solved. No matter the steamboat No matter how difficult the boat is, I have to build it, there is always a way in this world, this is what you said."

  Fang Jifan was moved.

  Ashamed, I almost forgot that I still have a father.

   What moved me was that, yes, Xiao Zhu is still good, and she actually knows how to care about herself.

  Fang Jifan said: "Okay, okay, okay, I have money, what I have is money, let's build a steamship, set up the project immediately, call the manpower, Your Highness will take the lead!"

  Zhu Houzhao patted Fang Jifan on the shoulder: "Good brother!"

   "Yes." Fang Jifan's face was awe-inspiring and upright: "I am such a person who treats money like dung and treats money like dirt."

  …………

  Several dilapidated ships dangled on the endless ocean.

  Since the fleet discovered a large amount of silver in the southern part of the Golden Continent, the first thing the Zhang brothers thought of was to return immediately.

  In order to choose to return to Daming as soon as possible, and at the same time bring a larger fleet, transport civilians, and mine this place, they chose to take risks.

  Fleet all the way west...

   Drifted at sea for several months.

  As they imagined, there is nothing along the way except a lonely uninhabited island.

  Following the direction of the world map, they no longer know how many miles they have sailed at this time.

  First I was overjoyed, then complacent, then full of hope for the future, and then... Gradually numb, but slowly, until now, everyone's face is full of despair.

   Supplies are almost gone.

  All the canned food, even if you lick it again and again, you can hardly taste any taste.

   Not only that, the most important thing is fresh water.

  Although they found fresh water on a small island and replenished it, but then, in this boundless ocean, they could no longer find any place to replenish it.

  Hunger, thirst, disease, and despair surround everyone.

   Now, there is only a little fresh water left, and it is almost exhausted.

Ruined.

  Zhang Heling was almost paralyzed on the deck, facing the hot sun above his head. At this moment, he found that his tears were like sea water. When he licked them, they were still salty.

  Zhang Yanling was lying in every corner, as if looking for something.

Finally, with tears streaming down his face, he held something in his hand. It was a cockroach, a weak cockroach. Zhang Yanling howled happily: "Brother, brother...Look what I found, take a look I found something good... we can have meat, we can have meat."

  Zhang Heling turned over, his eyes were blank, he didn't make any gestures to his brother's cheers, he licked his shriveled mouth, at this moment...he was only skinny, hungry...hungry...

  Hungry and hungry, obviously carrying a treasure on his body, but now... he finally felt the approach of death.

  Of dozens of ships, four have been sunk, and the remaining ships are almost exhausted.

   Now...it's over.

  Really... It's over!

   "Brother..." Zhang Yanling rushed over happily.

   "Shut up...you shut up for me, save some energy." Zhang Heling now doesn't even have the strength to beat his brother.

  Zhang Yanling said: "Brother, what's wrong with you, what's wrong with you."

Zhang Heling closed his eyes, and said weakly: "Where did I expect that this ocean is so wide? I'm really crazy, really crazy. I've been damned all my life. I fell into the front eye, regardless of family affection." , Without filial piety and friendship, being so stingy to the people around me, and my heart is full of my own little calculations, how could I have fallen to this point, how could... have no conscience so far. "

  Zhang Heling was heartbroken.

  (end of this chapter)