Qin Official

In the second year of the Regency, it was April in summer.

While Fusu was still forging ahead in North Korea, Liu Ji was already standing at the southernmost tip of the peninsula.

When he led his people to flee Liaodong, Liu Ji's idea was simple: the farther away from Hei Fu, the better.

Liu Ji, who was nearly fifty years old and had a gray beard, was ordered by Fu Su to stay in Liaodong to confront Wei Man and Zang Tu. Looking back on the past, he only felt that half of his life was wasted and he failed to make any achievements in troubled times. , the reason is not myself, but the black husband!

When a dragon leaves the water, it's like a shrimp trick, when a tiger leaves the mountain, it's like a dog bullying it, and it's still a damned black dog!

The township party in Peixian County is his water and his mountain. Once he is separated, he can only rely on himself. At most, he can achieve the position of "Captain" under Fusu, second only to Gao Cheng. But before Liu Ji could make his next move, his dream of doing something big was awakened by the bad news of the reconciliation between Fu Su and Hei Fu.

"If he captures Nai Gong, there's no telling what kind of trouble he will take. Nai Gong would rather leave by himself!"

So there was this escape. There was no way to go back to the Central Plains. The Northeast was too cold, so Liu Ji could only take the more than a thousand people he had coaxed and followed through North Korea and headed to the east of the sea.

He did not dare to stay in Hancheng and Seoul, which already had cities, because he always felt unsafe. Liu Ji hoped to go to a place where black men could never catch him.

So, they came to the extreme south of Haidong, the territory of the Bianhan people among the three Koreas, and later the Busan area of ​​South Korea...

Liu Ji was stationed in Lintun on the east coast of Haidong, which was later renamed Hancheng by Heifu. He had dealt with the indigenous people and could even understand their words a little bit. He knew that Dongyi in the northeast of Haidong and Dongyi in the south The three Koreans are completely different races.

The three Han people are also different. For example, the people of Benhan and Chenhan are not similar to the Mahan people near "Hancheng": Mahan are both short and hairy, while Benchen is slightly taller, prone to tattoos, and has a thin body. Head, his speech is also very different. Benchen is also good at farming. The land here is more fertile than that of Mahan. He is good at growing rice and making cloth. There are towns gathered together, each with its own king and leader, and it can smelt copper...

After Benchen's child was born, he let the child's head rest on a stone all day in order to hope that the back of the child's head would be flat. He probably thought that this would lead to longevity? So everyone I saw was jealous.

And what’s funny is that Benchen’s residential buildings are a kind of well-dry wooden corrugated house, which is like a prison in the Central Plains.

Although it is a barbarian land, at least the climate is good enough for farming. Many people hope to stay in the land of Bianchen. This is the case for Liu Ji's wife Lu Zhi. She is pregnant again. Liu Ji is really old and strong.

It seemed safe, but Liu Ji was paranoid and felt that he should run farther.

His gaze has been staring at the sea area south of Benchen, where the islands are densely covered.

Liu Ji remembered that in the early years when Heifu and Fusu were on an expedition to Haidong, he had heard someone say that this was actually a strait. In the southeast, there was a land covered with mountains and forests, perhaps another state outside Kyushu. , but when it was finally drawn on the map, it became a large island, larger than Haidong. It is said that Heifu personally decided to name it Fuso...

"Fusang." Liu Ji sat on the beach and chanted this name for a long time.

He wanted to cross over, but the embarrassment was that they did not have a big boat. Liu Ji and his men tried to enter the sea in a small boat, but they were quickly overturned by the wind and waves.

It was also sleepiness that came to the pillow. After Liu Ji and the others arrived at the seaside, they used the enslaved Benhan people to establish a camp. One month later, three stranded ships stopped in the open sea, and someone came in a small boat. This posture was to treat them as They invaded the local indigenous tribes and wanted to exchange for fresh water...

Liu Ji thought he was the person sent by Heifu to capture him, and he suddenly felt like he was facing a formidable enemy. However, he finally calmed down and led his men to ambush the group on the seashore, and captured the leader, Fang, who called himself "Xu Ning". Warlock.

After interrogation, it was discovered that Xu Ning was a disciple of Xu Fu, the Taibu of the Great Qin Dynasty, who stayed in Jiaodong. He specialized in the art of leading stars to the sea.

"What are you doing here? Are you here to capture Naigong and take him back?"

Liu Ji raised his palm fiercely, but Xu Ning struck him without a fight: "The world is at peace. The regent ordered Jiaodong to open a trade route with Haidong. We will send grain and seeds to Hancheng and hand them over to the Prime Minister of Haidong. Came here again to survey so that we can reopen the sea route..."

After learning that the three ships represented the most advanced craftsmanship in Jiaodong and were suitable for navigation, Liu Ji was overjoyed. He took Xu Ning hostage with his lover Lu Wan and his cousin Liu Jia, and took a small boat back. Arriving at sea, he boarded a large ship and relied on the desperadoes in his hands to successfully capture two of them, leaving only one to escape and head northwest to the coast.

What is strange is that there were very few soldiers on the ship and there was almost no resistance. Most of the servants rowing in the bilge were from Chu. They spoke the same language. Lao Liu "restored freedom" to them and gave each of them a Bianhan. Under the deception of the woman, she shouted that she was willing to join Captain Liu...

At this time, Liu Jicai announced his ambitious plan:

"We are leaving Haidong by boat and heading east to Fusang!"

…

Because a ship was escaping, Liu Ji believed that there was not much time left for him. They spent another half a month plundering the surrounding Bian and Chen tribes to reserve enough meat, fruits and vegetables to overwhelm them. At the bottom of the cabin, preparations were made for the eastward crossing.

However, the two ships could only carry more than two hundred people, and the number of people who had followed Liu Ji here was seven to eight hundred, so someone had to stay.

This is not difficult. Most people refuse to go to the sea. Most of them are not accustomed to water and have a deep-rooted fear of the sea. Liu Ji decided to let Fa Xiaolu Wan lead this group of people and lead them to live in Bianchen.

But his cousin Liu Jia and two hundred people who wanted to have a chance were willing to follow Liu Ji to the end.

But what Liu Ji didn't expect was that Lu Zhi, who had been working hard for the past few years, did not intend to go with Liu Ji. Her reason was that the sea was rough and the waves were rough, and Fuso was a route that had never been explored before. Even if Xu Ning is a good sailor, but there are still risks.

"If I stay here and raise children for my husband, if my husband unfortunately dies in the storm, at least I can leave some blood and incense..."

Didn’t this woman curse him? Liu Ji was so angry that he wanted to do domestic violence, but looking at Lu Zhi's big belly, when he thought about it, it was not unreasonable.

So on the first day of May, when the two ships left the land and the coastline of Benhan gradually moved away, among those who waved goodbye to them were Liu Ji's wife and children...

Although the Tsushima Strait is only two hundred miles away and can be reached in a few days if everything goes smoothly, Liu Ji and his team's voyage is still extremely difficult. During the day when the wind and waves are not big, they can still enjoy the sea breeze on the deck, but when night falls, they cannot see The ship on the Qing coast seems to be alone, and its fate is uncertain.

More than two hundred people were placed in a long cabin that lacked lighting below the main deck. Each person slept in a narrow space. The bilge emitted bursts of stench. Coupled with the cries and moans of fellow passengers due to seasickness, the ship rocked. The unfamiliar movements, the stench of vomit and urine from the overturned chamber pot, the quarrels, fights, bed bugs and fleas were all a source of constant annoyance.

Liu Ji couldn't sleep. He staggered, avoiding the smelly cabin, boarded the deck, sat on the wood on the side of the ship, facing the sea, holding the rope tightly in his hand.

Although there is the danger of storms on the sea, there are also moments of joy and beauty. The sea is rippled and undulating like silk, and the moon is bright and clear on the water.

Under Liu Jia's knife-wielding coercion, Xu Ning, who was in charge of piloting, looked at the stars and compass and kept the ship heading southeast.

Liu Jia was a landlubber. After a bumpy journey, he had already vomited everything in his stomach and sat on the deck with a sour face.

No matter how brave a man is on the shore, his feet will still slip when he reaches the sea.

In this dangerous and unpredictable night, he couldn't help but ask Xu Ning: "Fusang, can you really go there?"

"Perhaps someone has already been there."

Xu Ning looked at the compass in his hand and said with a smile: "In the early years, my master sent someone to Haidong to ask that Koreans from Bian and Chen used small boats to go to Fusang. Of course, those who went there never came back. I don’t know if it’s true or false.”

"And in the Central Plains, someone has already tried it."

Xu Ning used an analogy: "My master has calculated the ocean currents and monsoons. To go to Fusang, the most convenient way is not from Jiaodong, but from Wuyue and Donghai."

"It is said that when the Wu and Yue countries fell, many people from Wu and Yue tried to cross eastward. There was also one recently..."

Xu Ning talked about an incident that happened last year after Xia Gong destroyed Chu. At that time, the ships of thirteen merchants from Jiaodong were ordered to blockade the East China Sea. However, in the Quxian area, a large merchant ship docked and was hijacked by the Chu people's remaining party. , hundreds of Chu people boarded the ship, and it is said that among them was Xiang Ji's think tank "Yafu" Fan Zeng.

"Then the ship was pursued by the captain, and it sailed eastward along the monsoon wind. The captain was unable to catch up, and the Chu people were never seen again..."

"Some people say that those Chu people have arrived in Fusang."

"But it's a long way from there to Fusang, and it takes at least half a month to get there. It's more likely that those people have encountered wind and waves in the open sea and died in the belly of the fish."

When he said these words, Xu Ning's eyes were full of longing for the unknown world. These disciples were recruited by Xu Fu after he took refuge with Heifu. They all learned different skills, such as mysterious alchemy or map-making. and sailing.

Among Xu Fu's disciples, he was the most enthusiastic about exploring the outer sea and searching for the mysterious worlds in the "Book of Seas" and "The Book of Mountains".

Liu Ji listened, curious, and asked about Fusang.

"It's said to be the place where the sun rises?"

Xu Ning nodded and said: "Master and others hold this view. In the sea, there is a mountain named Nie Yao Huo Fang. There are hibiscus trees on it with pillars three hundred miles away. Its leaves are like mustard. There is a valley called Wenyuan Valley. On Tang Valley. There are support trees, and they arrive in one day and come out in one day, and they are all carried in the crow."

"But Zhang Cang, the young master, does not agree. He thinks that the earth is round and revolves around the sun, traveling ninety thousand miles a day. Therefore, there is no such thing as a place where the sun rises and sets. It is the same everywhere, and there is only a difference between morning and evening."

"I still believe there is a place where the sun rises."

Liu Ji is not interested in these too grand and nihilistic knowledge. His only concern is that after arriving in Fusang, even if Heifu has great abilities, it will be difficult to catch him, right?

"In that place where the sun rises, under the hibiscus tree, I probably don't have to be afraid of the dark shadows after nightfall..."

So Liu Ji took a sip of wine, pointed to the east, and said firmly:

"We will definitely arrive at Fuso at sunrise!"

But his words turned out to be crow's mouth.

Xu Ning stopped answering. He stared at the stars shrouded in clouds in the sky and the rapidly turning trade wind birds, and said solemnly:

"The storm is coming!"

…

Although Tsushima is just a strait, when the storm arrives, it is still very sudden and earth-shattering.

In the dark compartment, Liu Ji was thrown from one side to the other. He could feel the ship being twisted by the angry ocean.

In the storm, there is no sound more frightening than the creaking of the ship. The ship's planks groaned so loudly that it seemed as if it might collapse at any time. Sea water poured in through the hatch, soaking the poor people all over, and the screams were very tragic: it was as if all the innocent souls who died in troubled times were here.

Another huge wave came, carrying terrifying power. At that moment, everyone seemed to be buried under the sea. Everyone shouted the name of the god they believed in:

Dongjun is useless. There is no sun at night. Although Yunzhongjun is in charge of rainfall, can he reach out to the sea? Mrs. Xiang and Lord Xiang are too far away from here. They can control the rivers and lakes, but they cannot control the sea. Mountain ghosts? It would be nice to have a mountain here.

We can only hope that Da Siming will not take their lives.

In this panic, even Xu Ning, who was experienced at sea, turned pale.

He glanced at everyone in the cabin and found that the only one who could remain calm was Liu Ji. He tied himself firmly to the pillar and endured, his eyes full of tenacity hidden under the frivolous surface.

Liu Ji did not yell, but asked Xu Ning loudly:

"Can your boat survive these waves?"

Xu Ning shook his head: "I don't know."

Liu Ji couldn't help but laugh: "I didn't expect that I, Old Liu, would be buried in the belly of a fish after eating fish for decades. What a coward!"

The words were full of reluctance and regret, and after these days of getting along with each other, Xu Ning was also infected by Liu Ji's generous loyalty. After hesitating for a moment, he responded:

"Liu Jun!"

"We don't know whether we are alive or dead, but there is one thing I won't hide from you!"

"What's the matter?" There was another wave, and Liu Ji hugged the pillar tighter than he had hugged any woman in the past fifty years.

Xu Ning leaned close to his ear and said loudly: "I came to Haidong not to reopen some shipping routes, but to have a mission."

"On the orders of Duke Xia, the regent of the Great Qin Dynasty, I found Mr. Liu, pretended to be captured, and sent you to Fusang!"