The world is round?
This idea completely overturned the Ninth Princess’s worldview. They simply could not believe that they were living on a sphere.
In fact, Jin Feng knew many theories that could prove the earth was round.
For example, during a lunar eclipse, the shadow cast by the earth is round.
For example, the Foucault pendulum experiment.
But the Ninth Princess and the others had never studied any physics. No matter which theory Jin Feng chose, he would first have to explain a great deal of basic physical knowledge before they could understand it.
The process was far too long, and definitely not something that could be explained clearly in just a few sentences.
Moreover, even if Jin Feng explained it, they might not believe him.
In the end, Jin Feng could only point at the globe and say, “I have asked people in the Eastern Sea to build a dock. Once ships capable of long distance voyages are completed, I will organise two fleets, one sailing west without stopping, and one sailing east without stopping.
Qing Mulan turned to look at Qing Xinyao. “I think the sir has been possessed.”
“You are the one who is possessed!”
“I can guarantee that the fleet sailing east will eventually return from the west, and the fleet sailing west will return from the east. When that happens, you will understand.”
“Brother, does our household doctor know how to treat possession?”
These health supplements had exquisite packaging. The boxes, instructions, and labels were all in pure English, and looked very high end.
But Jin Feng only needed one glance to see that the main ingredient was almost entirely starch. Apart from looking good, they were completely useless.
Jin Feng slapped Qing Mulan on the head, his heart filled with a sense of powerlessness.
He could not help recalling one summer holiday in his previous life. When he went home, he discovered that his mother had been scammed by people selling health supplements. She had taken the little hard earned money she had saved up and spent it all on a large pile of supplements.
The manufacturer was not some big foreign company either, just a small county in their own province, with road names written in pinyin.
But no matter how Jin Feng tried to persuade her, even pointing at the ingredient list and explaining what the English meant, his mother still refused to believe him.
Of course, they would not kill anyone.
After all, the main ingredient was just starch.
At the time, Jin Feng had been so angry that he punched the wall, yet there was nothing he could do.
Now, facing the Ninth Princess and the others, Jin Feng felt that same sense of helplessness again.
On the contrary, they thought Jin Feng was shallow and ignorant, unaware of the miraculous effects of health supplements.
When the argument became heated, they even scolded Jin Feng for being unfilial, saying they had worked so hard to support his studies, yet he was unwilling to let them buy medicine to take.
“Forget it, let us stop talking about this. Let us continue discussing the lands where cotton can be found.”
Jin Feng knew that continuing the argument was meaningless. He put down the globe and spread the world map out flat on the table.
He clearly knew the truth, yet could not explain it to the other side.
Worse still, the other side looked at him as if he were ill.
Jin Feng pointed at the map and explained the countries surrounding Great Kang to them.
“I once heard people say that the pirates from the Eastern Sea are very fierce. They come from such a small place?” Qing Mulan pointed at the map and said.
This was something he had drawn in spare moments at Xihe Bay. Although it was not precise, the outlines of the continents and oceans were roughly sketched.
“Great Kang is here. To the north west is the Dangxiang. To the north east is the Khitan. Crossing the Yalu River from the Khitan is Goguryeo. Adjacent to Goguryeo, these islands are Wa.”
“Goguryeo and Wa were once places where Great Kang exiled criminals. They are descendants of base people, so their conduct is naturally base and brutal,” the Ninth Princess said.
“If it were not for the Dangxiang, Khitan, and Tubo frequently harassing us in recent years, my imperial grandfather would have dealt with them long ago, and would not have allowed them to continue causing trouble in the Eastern Sea.”
“Wa is not only small in area, but also suffers frequent natural disasters such as volcanoes and earthquakes. That is why they have always coveted the fertile and stable Central Plains. No matter the time, we must never relax our vigilance against them.”
Jin Feng looked at the Ninth Princess and reminded her, “And also this Goguryeo. They usually appear humble and obedient, but they are also shameless scoundrels. They too need to be guarded against.”
“Further north of the Dangxiang and Khitan is a group of fanatical warriors. Great Kang is still separated from them by the Khitan, so there is no need to provoke them for now. Let us look to the south.”
Jin Feng pointed south of Great Kang. “This is Tubo. South of Tubo is Dazhao, which is what I want to focus on next.”
“So they have not been dealt with?” Jin Feng said. “In any case, just mention it to your imperial father. It would be best to stay on guard against them.”
“Understood,” the Ninth Princess nodded.
The rulers of Dazhao had always believed in Buddhism and were relatively peaceful. Their relationship with Great Kang was fairly good, making them the only neighbouring country that held no hostility towards Great Kang.
With Great Kang surrounded by threats, it naturally would not take the initiative to provoke Dazhao.
“Sir, do you intend to take action against Dazhao?” the Ninth Princess frowned slightly.
Dazhao lay to the south west of Great Kang, bordering Sichuan and Shu, occupying the Yunnan and Guizhou regions as well as parts of present day Myanmar, Laos, and northern Thailand.
“Dazhao has always been well behaved, chanting sutras and worshipping the Buddha. Why would I attack them?”
Jin Feng waved his hand. “I want to send people through Dazhao to look for cotton seeds. If Dazhao does not have them, then we will continue from Dazhao to Tianzhu.”
The two sides had been getting along fairly well.
If Jin Feng were to take action against Dazhao, no matter how highly the Ninth Princess regarded him, she could not agree to it.
“I know. It used to be a vassal state of Great Kang, sending tribute to the capital every year. In recent years, Great Kang has been unstable, with bandits rampant. Twice, envoys from Jiaozhi bringing tribute were robbed by bandits, so they stopped coming.”
The Ninth Princess sighed and asked, “Why does the sir bring up Jiaozhi?”
“This approach is good. Although it is a longer route, it is safer,” the Ninth Princess nodded repeatedly. “We have just eliminated Dan Zhu. Sending people to Tubo now would be sending them to their deaths. Going around through Dazhao is best.”
“Going to Dazhao is not only to go around,” Jin Feng pointed at the map. “South of Dazhao, there is a country called Jiaozhi. Does Your Highness know of it?”
“Champa rice is extremely adaptable, very suitable for cultivation in the hilly terrain of the Jiangnan region. It has a high yield and a short growing cycle. From planting to harvest takes only fifty days. Can Great Kang’s rice do that?”
Jin Feng glanced sideways at Qing Mulan.
“In the central and southern part of Jiaozhi, there is a small state called Champa. There is a type of rice there called Champa rice,” Jin Feng said. “I want to send people to bring some back.”
“Great Kang already has rice. Why travel thousands of miles to Jiaozhi to get it?” Qing Mulan asked.
“Sir, please make sure you find Champa rice!”
A sharp gleam flashed in the Ninth Princess’s eyes.
“From planting to harvest only fifty days?” the Ninth Princess exclaimed in shock. “Is this really true, sir?”
“Absolutely true!”
This year, many areas of Sichuan and Shu had suffered total crop failure. Even if spring planting were carried out next year, it would take several months before harvest, far too late.
This time, Jin Feng could obtain grain, but what about next time?
Although Jiangnan had fertile land, grain production also had its limits. Jin Feng and the nobles had obtained quite a lot in autumn, and now Jiangnan did not have much grain left either.
If the Champa rice Jin Feng spoke of truly could be harvested in fifty days, it would perfectly solve this major problem.
“Your Highness, rest assured. I will definitely bring back Champa rice.”
After giving this assurance, Jin Feng poured a bucket of cold water on her expectations. “However, I advise Your Highness not to hope too much. At least, not next year.”
