Chapter 535: Only I Can Stir Things Up!

Lu Ao was still expounding on the theory of the "Greater Nine Provinces." This old swindler was exceedingly skilled at pandering to people's interests. He also knew that while Qin Shi Huang would believe in seeking immortals and longevity, Heifu would not buy into that at all, so he switched tactics and spoke of opening up overseas territories…

In his mind, when Heifu was in the northwest, he had strongly advocated attacking the Xiongnu and Yuezhi to open a route to the Western Regions. Aside from seeking the Kingdom of the Queen Mother of the West to curry favor with Qin Shi Huang, it was surely driven by an ambition for a marquisate, a zeal for expanding frontiers and conquering new lands.

Lu Ao thought to himself, "Ever since His Majesty heeded Heifu's advice and established the Pacifying Frontier Shrine, and since the three generals Meng Tian, Li Xin, and Heifu defeated the Xiongnu and were rewarded with a triumphal parade through Xianyang, the frontier generals of Qin have been filled with envy. Every year they submit memorials advocating border expansion. The generals of Yuyang say we should strike the Eastern Hu; the generals of Liaodong say we can conquer Jizi Korea; the generals of Kuaiji say we should seize the lands of Ouyue and Minyue; the generals of Changsha say we should take the various Yue of Lingnan; and the generals of Ba and Shu wish to open the Five-Foot Road and develop the Southwestern Yi…"

"As the instigator of all this, stationed here in Jiaodong, how could Heifu watch his colleagues win merit while he himself remains unmoved? I have heard that he once planned to build a fishing harbor and dock south of Jimo, constructing boats and ships for future use. Perhaps this man also has ambitions overseas?"

And so he launched into a grand discourse on overseas matters, even producing the "Classic of the Seas" from the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* to depict for Heifu the lands beyond the ocean…

"The eastern extremity of Yan is Lieyang. Lieyang lies in Liaodong, and Korea lies east of Lieyang, north of the sea and south of the mountains. North of Korea are Fuyu and Woju; to its east and south are the Hui. These are far distant from the Central Plains. Yet from Jiaodong, they are separated by only a single sea. Crossing by ship, if one encounters no storms, can be done in ten days."

"It is also said among the Hui that to their south are the three tribes of Ma, Chen, and Bian. South of these three tribes is the great sea, and beyond the sea is a giant island… That giant island may well be another Nine Provinces!"

Heifu appeared to nod continuously, wearing an earnest expression, but inwardly he was growing impatient.

"Sorry, but that's just the island of Japan, not another continent at all. The Americas are still tens of thousands of li further east…"

Did he need a fangshi to teach him how big the world was? If Heifu were willing, he could sketch out a rough map of Korea, Japan, or even the Americas and Australia in a minute!

But Heifu did not. Having struggled and adapted in this era for so long, Heifu felt that his mindset differed somewhat from that of the typical transmigrator.

Everyone who goes back to ancient times, regardless of time or circumstance, wants to invade Korea, develop Japan, and explore the Americas. But thinking it over carefully, doing such things in the Qin dynasty, aside from wasting money, grain, and manpower to build ships and letting fangshi sail off with large numbers of boys and girls never to return, would truly be of no use to the homeland itself…

The vast ocean is unpredictable, with storms hard to foresee. The seafaring technology of this age only allows ships to creep cautiously along the coast. Even by the Tang dynasty, crossing the sea eastward was a near-death gamble, let alone now.

Therefore, ocean exploration is an endeavor of immense investment and extreme risk. Unless the returns are very high, it is not worth staking money and lives on the wager.

Every era has its adventurers, but why did the Vikings discover the Americas first yet fail to develop them? And why were the Spanish and Portuguese Age of Discovery able to persist and feed benefits back to their homelands, ultimately triggering waves of mass migration?

Heifu believed that overseas expansion must have one prerequisite: the mother civilization must already be highly developed, its population tending toward saturation, with landless peasants and speculators serving as the first wave of migrants, seeking survival in a strange and unknown world. Otherwise, all investment is like throwing meat buns at a dog — gone, never to return!

Thus, although Lu Ao was using arguments ahead of their time to persuade Heifu to discover another "Nine Provinces" beyond the sea, Heifu shook his head and said:

"I once heard that Mozi said to the King of Chu: 'Jing has surplus land but a shortage of people. To kill those you lack in order to contest what you have in surplus cannot be called wise!'"

Lu Ao was taken aback, but then heard Heifu continue:

"Mozi's words, I deeply concur with. The common people of Jiaodong are still poor. Rather than seizing their grain, fodder, food, and clothing to build great ships and hurl them overseas, it is better to dry one more dou of salt, plant one more dan of grain, harvest half a mu more of vegetables, and let the people bear one or two more children."

Lu Ao still wished to press his case, but Heifu said, "Sir, are you aware that my wife is with child again? It may be another son. I have already chosen a name for him: 'Fubo' — Calming the Waves."

"Fubo…"

Lu Ao was even more baffled. From this name alone, one could tell that this Commandery Governor Heifu actually had no small interest in the overseas regions!

Of course, he could not understand that a rational statesman must be someone who knows restraint. Not everything must be done immediately, right this moment. Sometimes, a person must suppress their own desires. Even if something looks beneficial in the long run, in the near term, it will only become a disaster for the common people.

Lu Ao, unwilling to give up, said, "Has the Commandery Governor forgotten his ambition for a marquisate? Is he willing to humble himself behind the other frontier commandery governors and commandants?"

Heifu recalled that secret conversation with Chen Ping and dismissed Lu Ao's instigation with indifference. He rose and said with a smile:

"A marquisate is not my wish; I only hope the ocean waves are calmed!"

These words rang with finality. Lu Ao and Chen Ping, who was inside the room, both changed color.

"Tian Du has fled overseas, and the Lord of Canghai supports anti-Qin warriors, bringing banditry and chaos to the Jiaodong coast. I must sweep them clean. Once the ocean waves are calmed, then the great warships and tower ships can be converted into fishing boats and small craft, used only for catching fish and shrimp, forbidden from distant voyages. Only after three generations, a hundred years from now, when the Central Plains numbers in the hundreds of millions, can we speak of setting sail and seeking the other Nine Provinces!"

With that, Heifu stood and began seeing his guest out. "Master Lu, my mind is made up. The matter of overseas ventures can be put to rest for now! Please, take your leave!"

…

Lu Ao slunk away dejectedly. Heifu stood in the courtyard with his hands clasped behind his back. As someone from a later age, to be stopping the people of this era from exploring overseas — it was truly a contradiction.

But this was a consideration based on reality. The Eastern Sea was different from the Western Regions. Once the Western Regions were opened, connections could be made with other civilizations; stones from other hills could polish jade. But as Heifu stood in Jiaodong, the other side of the sea was a blank void. Even if there were mountains of gold and silver and ten thousand li of territory, there were no people to develop it, and even if developed, nothing could be shipped back.

And knowing the nature of these fangshi, let them sail overseas? That would likely be aiding the enemy. Who knew if, historically, Xu Fu, with his three thousand boys and girls, hadn't simply turned around and defected to the Lord of Canghai?

Besides, must the New World necessarily lie overseas? Must it be the Americas? Who decreed that?

"In this era, the Qin dynasty's New World lies south of the Yangtze River!"

A land spanning ten thousand li, with savage tribes, a sweltering climate, and jungles and marshes teeming with countless wild beasts — rhinoceroses and buffalo, elk and deer filling the plains, fish, turtles, and giant reptiles in abundance enough to enrich the world, and untold mineral deposits waiting to be exploited.

"This New World is right before our eyes. Why forsake the near to seek the far? Have you eaten so much you're stuffed?"

As for opening up overseas? Fine, a hundred or two hundred years from now, when Jiangnan is also overcrowded! For now, this fire will not be stoked. Just leave a few sparks — for instance, the theory of the Greater Nine Provinces could be slightly modified and added to the curriculum for academy disciples, so the next generation retains the desire to explore.

Moreover, the conversation with Chen Ping had also awakened Heifu to the fact that all the things he had done over the years were like carrying firewood to put out a fire: as long as the firewood is not exhausted, the fire will not be extinguished…

"I will no longer blindly add kindling."

"Before I take hold of the reins of the world and decide the carriage's direction, although I cannot stop the emperor's desires and can only guide them, I must stop others from goading the emperor into stirring up trouble!"

"Or rather, the only person who can make the emperor stir up trouble… is me!"

…

In another guest lodge, after Lu Ao returned, he relayed Heifu's stance to Han Zhong, and the two began to put their heads together.

"Alas." Lu Sheng let out a long sigh and shook his head.

"Before even facing off, we suffered a surprise attack and defeat. After that incident, His Majesty's trust in us fangshi will likely not be what it once was. Our journey to Jiaodong will probably be fraught with obstacles! I had intended to reconcile with him; cooperation benefits both sides. But alas, Heifu refuses good counsel, his vision is limited to a mouse's, and he insists on having his own way!"

"But now that things have come to this, we can only press on!"

Han Zhong also knew they were now grasshoppers tied to the same rope, and asked, "How should we respond?"

Master Lu fell silent for a long moment, then revealed a smile. "No rush. Once we reach Mount Zhifu, there are two fangshi even more skilled than I, waiting for the emperor's arrival!"

PS: In a rush to head out, this chapter is a bit short. The second chapter is still tonight, might be quite late, aiming for before midnight.

(End of Chapter)