Chapter 467: Side Story 18: Miscellaneous Records of the Southern Seas Since the Jianyan Era — Abathur Takes the Field in Person

Side Story 18: Miscellaneous Records of the Southern Seas Since the Jianyan Era — Abathur Takes the Field in Person

During the Jiankang era, chaos reigned. By the early Jianyan period, Song troops had driven the Jin north to Liaodong. With the realm pacified, Song Guangwu held a grand banquet. A wandering alchemist presented himself, saying, "In the Southern Seas lies a great continent called Australia, where immortals dwell. I beg to be given several seagoing ships to seek the elixir of immortality." The Emperor rebuked him, saying, "This is mere trickery. Yet I have heard that beyond the Nine Provinces lie the Greater

Nine Provinces, filled with rare wonders and strange beasts." He wished to send envoys to seek out exotic treasures. Thus he launched maritime affairs, building great ships, the largest of which measured a hundred zhang in length and carried cargo by the tens of thousands of shi. The Emperor personally named them "Harmony," intending to show favor to the barbarian states. At that time, there was a certain son of the Zheng family in the navy, who in his youth had accompanied maritime merchants on several voyages to the Southern Seas, reaching as far as Tianzhu, and was thus appointed as the Imperial Envoy.

The envoy fleet sailed south for several years before returning, carrying treasures and goods beyond count. The realm was shaken; even small border counties in the north lacked nothing from the Southern Seas. The son of Zheng reported, "The Southern Seas have many islands, with several hundred barbarian states, rich in pearls, jade, coral, and spices. Sailing further south, we reached Australia, a wasteland, where giant rats stand upright and hop. South of Australia,

the natives believed it to be endless, so we turned back. In Tianzhu and Dashi, we were too hurried to visit." He presented several of these upright-hopping rats to stock the imperial hunting grounds. The Emperor was greatly fond of them and richly rewarded the son of Zheng and his crew.

The Emperor said, "Great Song is the superior state. To bring the spices, pearls, and jade of ten thousand states to the superior state, and to bestow the superior state's cloth, silk, and ingenious devices upon the barbarians—this is a great matter for the benefit of the people." A year later, he again dispatched a fleet to the Southern Seas, and the gains were even greater. As for maritime merchants, some sailed alone, some in company, their tracks spreading across all the oceans.

The Southern Seas were full of savages and dense jungles. The Emperor, on the grounds of civilizing them, abolished the native chieftains and barbarian kings, sending tens of thousands of sons of good families to become feudal lords, governing them by Song law. The lords paid heavy annual tribute, and when the Imperial Envoy led the fleet south, they offered meat, fruits, vegetables, water, and firewood. Thus Great Song was able to communicate with states like Dashi and Daqin. At that time, the Emperor was reorganizing domestic affairs,

and many were thrown into prison. A prison warden suggested, "We could exile convicts to the Southern Seas." The Emperor agreed and settled various prisoners in Australia. The prisoners were all awed into submission.

After the realm had been at peace for a long time, the Emperor made an eastern tour. A minor official presented a tripod, patterned with beasts and green with rust. An academician reported, "This is a heavy vessel of the former Zhou dynasty. According to its inscription, the Shang people crossed eastward, and the Grand Duke of Qi sent a navy to pursue them, turning back at Penglai, whereupon this tripod was cast." The Emperor sighed, saying, "It has been long indeed since the Shang people heard the way of the sages." He then sent an envoy

eastward across the sea to seek Penglai. There was a certain son of the Ge family who volunteered in the imperial presence. He was permitted to bear the imperial tally and was given the name "Lunbu," meaning "to widely spread the Sage's Analects among the Shang people of Penglai."

He returned after several years, presenting gold, silver, and spices. The gold and silver bore an ancient style, and the spices were such that even the academicians could not identify them. The son of Ge reported, "Penglai is several thousand li from the Central Plains. Its people have yellow skin and black hair, practice farming, yet hold life lightly and are fond of death, love bravery, and practice human sacrifice. They must be the remnants of the Shang."

The Emperor said, "Penglai hangs beyond the seas; its people do not yearn for civilization. They should be taught the way of the sages." He enfeoffed his second son as the Prince of Penglai, appointed the Duke Yansheng as the state chancellor, and dispatched several dozen great ships, five thousand soldiers, and three thousand virgin boys and three thousand virgin girls to establish the state.

Penglai was far away and had little communication with the Central Plains. In later years, they sent tribute of gold, silver vessels, and spices. They presented a strange beast with wool like a sheep and a body like an ostrich, called a sheep-camel. They presented a strange grain that ripened in half a year, yielding a certain amount of grain, called jade millet.

The Emperor was skilled in archery. Once, hunting in the imperial park, he caught several kangaroos, ostriches, long-necked qilins, and camel-sheep. All of these were strange beasts. The Emperor was delighted. Returning, he said to his ministers, "I hunt in China, just as you ministers hunt across the four seas. From Penglai in the east to Daqin in the west, there are loyal ministers. My altars of state may be said to have no sunset." The ministers all

kowtowed in congratulations.

Six generations later, the Song house became corrupt and degenerate, and a powerful minister usurped the throne.

When the Prince of Penglai heard of this, he proclaimed himself Son of Heaven, styling his dynasty "Beautiful Song," and sent envoys to denounce the false emperor. The navy of the false dynasty was too weak to suppress him. The so-called Southern Seas lords and the Australian convicts still considered themselves "Song subjects," unwilling to return to the homeland, nor did they pay court to the Penglai Son of Heaven.

At that time, the Eastern Mongol king Zhao Bilie heard of this and angrily led troops into the Central Plains, styling his dynasty "Mongol Song," and executed the false emperor. However, Zhao Bilie was originally a barbarian. None were willing to submit to him. Zhao Bilie had no choice but to return north and never came back.

Thus the realm fell into great chaos. Over a hundred years later, the Ming Emperor was established. He enforced a maritime ban, and it was not until the late Ming that maritime merchants were permitted to trade with foreigners. A few years later, an iron ship anchored at Qiongzhou.

At the time of Song's fall, a collateral imperial clansman led his family, retainers, and servants to flee the chaos, sailing by sea to Australia. There they found an oasis, which they made their temporary palace. Later, gaining much from the sea and discovering many rich mines, they settled there, succeeding to the throne of the former Song Son of Heaven, and thus styled their dynasty "Australian Song." By the early Chongzhen era, the land of Australia sank. Over five hundred young men escaped on an iron ship

and reached Qiongzhou. From afar, they acknowledged the Song house in Australia as their emperor, established a Senate, implemented republican governance, and revered original learning.

Australian Song made maritime trade the foundation of the state, sending iron ships across the four seas, compelling the various small Song states to submit. At that time, Australian Song's territories were spread across the outer Nine Provinces. The Senate, following the precedent of Song Guangwu, styled itself the "Sun Never Sets Republic."

However, some busybodies wished to visit the former Australian Song homeland but returned without success. Some said that the people of Australian Song were skilled in strange and cunning arts, and their fathers punished them in anger; others said that Australian Song was torn by internal strife, with only a few hundred people remaining.