dognovel Chapter 489 Guan Xing's pancakes are round and fragrant
Chapter 489 Guan Xing's pancakes are round and fragrant
Funan, also known as Funan or Banan, encompassed what is now central and southern Vietnam, southern Laos, and southeastern Thailand.
It is worth mentioning that in later generations, northern Vietnam was still part of the Han Dynasty's Rinan Commandery. The Han Dynasty and Funan were neighboring countries, so the Han Dynasty had some knowledge of Funan, unlike the distant Qin Dynasty which knew nothing about it.
Historically, thanks to the efforts of Lü Dai, the governor of Jiaozhou, the King of Funan even sent an envoy to pay homage to Sun Quan, the Great Emperor of Eastern Wu. Sun Quan also sent an envoy in return, and the two countries thus established close exchanges.
Liu Bei brought up Funan now because he was afraid that Mi Fang and Fu Shiren wouldn't do their best and wouldn't return from Funan, which would ruin his idea of opening up the Maritime Silk Road.
Upon hearing this, Mi Fang and Fu Shiren immediately bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty. Your subjects will do their utmost to ascertain the terrain of Funan as soon as possible and prepare for the army's expedition."
Liu Bei was too lazy to argue with these two, so he snorted and turned to leave, with the others quickly following.
After everyone left, Guan Xing stepped forward and helped Mi Fang up, saying, "Uncle Mi, get up, it's alright now."
After saying that, he called out to the outside of the tent, "Go make some food and bring it over."
Upon hearing this, Mi Fang could no longer hold back and hugged Guan Xing, crying loudly, "Anguo, I thought I would never see you again, boohoo, I was so scared."
He is now extremely grateful that he took care of Guan Xing when he was a child, otherwise he would really be in serious trouble.
Looking back, it wasn't because he liked the little brat that he took care of Guan Xing back then. Rather, all the officials in Jingzhou knew he'd risen to power through nepotism, so nobody liked him or wanted to hang out with him. Only the young and naive Guan Xing didn't understand these intricacies and often followed him around. Over time, they became familiar. Plus, Guan Xing's unreliable father was often away from home, so…
Hearing Mi Fang's cries, Guan Xing couldn't help but fall into memories. When he was a child, his father was focused on restoring the Han Dynasty and was busy with work every day. He had no time to take care of his family and children. Mi Fang, on the other hand, was lazy and had plenty of free time. He was also rich and often bought him delicious food and took him out to play.
Another thing is that Mi Fang has a good temper, unlike his father Guan Yu who always has a sour face that makes people afraid to approach him because others owe him money.
Over time, the young and naive Guan Xing became dependent on Mi Fang.
Moreover, Mi Fang was not as concerned with his reputation as Guan Yu and his son Guan Ping. When Guan Ping killed a child by running over his horse, he chose to drag Guan Xing to apologize to the family and beg for their forgiveness. Mi Fang, on the other hand, directly threw money at the family and threatened them and their relatives, forcing the relatives to morally blackmail the family. He swaggered around in front of the victim's family and their relatives, playing the good cop and the bad cop with Guan Ping, successfully persuading the deceased's family to forgive Guan Xing.
It is no exaggeration to say that Mi Fang played the role of a mother in Guan Xing's upbringing, and she was extremely indulgent towards him.
However, without Mi Fang's indulgence, Guan Xing wouldn't have done something like running over and killing a child while riding a horse.
While indulgence is wrong, this favoritism is undeniable.
Guan Xing patted Mi Fang on the back and sighed, "It's alright, it's alright. Once we've investigated Funan Kingdom thoroughly, we can come back to retire."
Mi Fang was overjoyed but also nervously asked, "Really? Is it enough to just find out about Funan Kingdom? Do we not need to go to Qin?"
The Qin Dynasty is too far away; I really don't want to go.
Guan Xing said, "Didn't His Majesty already say that he would pardon you if you found out about Funan? If you're innocent, His Majesty can't say anything if you stay home and do nothing. Get up, I'll tell you about the precautions for going to sea."
In this era, going to sea was not a good thing. Sailing north might be okay, but sailing south was almost always a matter of life and death. This was because the south had a tropical climate, with miasma and poisonous insects everywhere. Cockroaches were bigger than fists, and a mosquito bite could be fatal. Otherwise, everyone would shake their heads at the mention of going to sea.
Apart from Mi Fang and Fu Shiren, Guan Xing really couldn't find anyone willing to go to sea and do their best.
The meal was served quickly. It wasn't anything fancy, just two large bowls of thick porridge and half a dish of pickled vegetables. But for Mi Fang and Fu Shiren, who had been drinking thin porridge for more than half a month and were starving, it was a delicacy.
The two men wolfed down their food with chopsticks. After wiping their mouths, Fu Shiren said decisively, "Young General, just tell me what to do. This time, even if it costs me my life, I will complete the mission."
Unlike Mi Fang, who only wanted to lie down and do nothing, Fu Shiren, as a general, had some sense of shame and could not remain indifferent to Liu Bei's mercy in sparing his life. Therefore, Fu Shiren had made up his mind that even if he died, he would bring back what Liu Bei and Guan Xing wanted.
Guan Xing hesitated for a moment before organizing his thoughts and said, "I heard from the prisoners of the Jiaozhou army that Funan is all flat plains with no winter and no snow all year round. It is a perfect place for farming. If it is true, there is no reason to give such fertile land to Funan. I want it too."
"Uncle Fu, don't you want such fertile land? Don't you want to roam freely on the plains, ride horses and claim land? Don't you want to send a son over there to establish a lineage and build an ancestral hall to worship you for generations?"
Oaths are not to be trusted, and oaths of traitors are even less so. To get Mi Fang and Fu Shiren to work wholeheartedly, you have to promise them benefits. Only with a generous reward can you have a brave man.
As expected, upon hearing this, Fu Shiren's eyes instantly gleamed with greed, and the wonderful scene of becoming a landlord in Funan flashed through his mind.
He was from Zhuojun. He had seen the vast plains and the fertile fields of the aristocratic families. He dreamed of becoming a great aristocratic family like the Lu family of Zhuojun.
Unfortunately, he came from a commoner background; he wasn't even a self-cultivating farmer, let alone a large landowner. Otherwise, he wouldn't have followed Liu Bei.
Having seen fertile fields but never owned them, Fu Shiren had a strong obsession with becoming a large landowner like the Lu family of Zhuojun, and he was even more motivated to expand his territory through land grabbing.
But this dream was impossible to realize in the Han Dynasty. Not to mention Liu Bei's preparation for land reform, even without land reform, which of those powerful clans could a small Karami like him compete with?
This dream couldn't be realized in the Great Han Dynasty, but it was different in Funan. He was, after all, a general of the Great Han Dynasty. Going to Funan would be like a game of subversion, allowing him to do whatever he wanted.
Thinking of this, Fu Shiren rubbed his hands together eagerly and said, "Young General, just tell me what to do?"
Initially, he was in a state of atonement, but after being tempted by Guan Xing's promises, he gradually developed an entrepreneurial mindset and decided to make this his life's work.
Different mindsets naturally lead to different levels of enthusiasm.
Seeing that he was interested, Guan Xing continued to offer empty promises, saying, "This matter cannot be accomplished overnight. First, we need to understand the important matters such as the waterways and hydrology along the way to ensure smooth navigation in the future. Then we can slowly make contact with Funan."
"In addition to recording hydrology and topography, we also need to collect grain seeds. I want any kind of grain seed, as long as it is a seed. We will bring it back first and then slowly cultivate and select it. If you can really bring back the sixth grain in addition to the five grains, you will become the Shennong of our time. At that time, not only will you be exempted from punishment, but you may even be granted a title."
What Guan Xing really wanted was Champa rice, a rare treasure that could be harvested two or even three times a year. With this, the Jiangnan region could rise rapidly and even surpass the north to become the largest grain-producing area of the Han Dynasty.
It's important to know that Champa rice was only introduced to Jiangnan during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song. It was also around that time that Jiangnan gradually surpassed the Central Plains, and by the time of Zhu Yuanzhang, it had completely overtaken the Central Plains. Therefore, it was essential to obtain Champa rice.
Tragically, although Guan Xing knew of the existence of Champa rice, he couldn't say it openly and could only let Mi Fang and Fu Shiren explore it. Fortunately, Champa was located in Funan, the same destination as the first voyage.
"A title of nobility?" Fu Shiren's eyes widened even more. Unlike Mi Fang, he had a son, but...
Fu Shiren said, both excited and apprehensive, "But Funan is so vast, how could I possibly search the entire territory of Funan in such a short time?"