Chapter 283: Missing Home

The 14th year of Hongwu, 15th day of the 11th month.

The interior of Australia.

Zhu Yong stood on a sheer cliff, squinting against the scorching afternoon sun as he looked into the distance.

Below his feet lay rolling mountain ranges cloaked in dense eucalyptus forest, a gray‑green sea of trees stretching to the horizon.

Occasionally a flock of cuckoos flew through the woods, startling a flurry of birds.

On the slope behind him, a troop of more than two thousand people was resting.

The soldiers leaned against tree trunks drinking water, the craftsmen gathered to study freshly mined ore samples, and the captured aborigines curled under the shade, their expressions numb.

Zhang Wu climbed up from the slope, drenched in sweat, cradling a fist‑sized stone in his hands.

"Prince, look at this!"

Zhu Yong took it, hefted it briefly, then examined it carefully in the sunlight.

The stone was dark red, its surface bearing a faint metallic sheen, and the fracture revealed a fine crystal structure.

"Hematite, decent grade—where was it found?" he asked, handing the stone back.

Zhang Wu pointed excitedly toward the base of the cliff and shouted, "Walk east five li; there's a dry riverbed, both sides covered with this stone, a vast stretch extending ten‑plus li!"

Zhu Yong nodded, a slight smile tugging at his mouth.

Iron ore.

Australia truly doesn't lack this.

Since landing at North Bank, it's been over a month; they have traveled westward, crossing more than a dozen mountains and fording seven or eight rivers.

The copper ores they've found are too numerous to count—malachite, blue copper ore, yellow copper ore, piles of various grades forming small hills.

There are also several coal seams, open‑pit and ready to be mined.

Now they have iron ore as well.

This continent is practically a treasure trove the heavens prepared for Great Ming.

"Zhang Wu, mark it down, have someone draw a map when we return, indicating the exact location and scale."

"Yes!"

Zhang Wu answered, turned, and ran down the slope.

Zhu Yong remained on the cliff, his gaze sweeping over the vast land before him.

According to the marked positions on the map, they should now be three to four hundred li deep into Australia's interior.

But the map only sketches the outline; the precise terrain still requires their own exploration.

How large is this continent, really?

He didn't know.

But he knew that with their two thousand‑plus, even a year's march wouldn't finish it.

"Prince, it's time for lunch," Xiao Zhu called, walking up from behind with a food box.

Zhu Yong nodded, took the box, and sat on a flat stone.

He opened the box: roasted kangaroo meat, wild vegetable soup, and a few dry biscuits.

He lifted a piece of meat, took a bite, and chewed slowly.

The kangaroo meat was a bit tough, but perfectly roasted—crisp outside, tender inside, sprinkled with salt, and tasted acceptable.

"Prince, how much longer must we go?" Xiao Zhu asked softly from beside him.

Zhu Yong swallowed the meat and looked into the distance.

"I don't know; we'll stop when we can't walk, explore wherever there's ore, capture any people, and keep going until next spring."

Xiao Zhu was silent for a moment, then asked, "Prince, don't you miss home?"

Zhu Yong's hand paused briefly.

Missing home?

Of course.

Missing Guanyin Nu, missing Huanhuan, missing his newly walking son Zhu Qiong Jiong.

Missing mother's cooking, missing father reviewing Memorandums in Qianqing Palace, missing older brother's caring look when he smiled and spoke to him.

Also missing those younger brothers, who are noisy usually but lively when together.

"I miss… but the tasks aren't finished, missing won't help," he said calmly.

Xiao Zhu asked no more, standing quietly aside.

After the meal, Zhu Yong stood, stretching his muscles.

A clamor rose from afar.

He followed the sound and saw, at the camp's edge, several soldiers surrounding something.

"Let's go see."

Zhu Yong strode over.

When he got close, he saw the soldiers were surrounding a huge kangaroo.

Larger than any he'd seen before, it stood about a person tall, with two thick hind legs, a thick long tail dragging on the ground, short forelimbs, baring its teeth at the soldiers.

"Prince! That thing just burst out of the woods and knocked over our two brothers!" a soldier reported.

Zhu Yong sized up the kangaroo.

Male, adult, massive build, its hind‑leg muscles as solid as cast iron.

A kangaroo of this size can kill with a single kick.

"Don't fire, capture it alive."

As Zhu Yong finished speaking, the kangaroo suddenly lunged, its hind legs kicking hard as it pounced on the nearest soldier.

The soldiers couldn't dodge in time, and it looked like they were about to be hit.

Zhu Yong flashed, instantly stepping in front of the soldiers.

The kangaroo's hind legs kicked hard into his chest.

Bang!

A muffled thud.

Zhu Yong didn't move a hair.

The kangaroo, however, seemed to have kicked a steel plate; its whole body leaned back and it fell heavily to the ground.

It struggled to get up, a hint of bewilderment in its eyes, clearly not understanding why it couldn't move this person.

Zhu Yong stepped forward, grabbed the kangaroo's tail with one hand, and lifted it upward.

The kangaroo was hoisted upside down, thrashing desperately, but that hand was like iron tongs, unmoving.

"Find a thick rope, bind it, don't kill it."

The soldiers scrambled to fetch a rope, tied the kangaroo up tightly, and securely bound it to two wooden poles.

Zhu Yong looked at its terrified eyes, a slight curl at the corner of his mouth.

"Take it back, let Huanhuan and Jiong Jiong see it; they'll definitely like it."

Zhang Wu beside him couldn't help but say, "Prince, can this thing… survive in captivity?"

"I don't know, let's try... catch more, both males and females; maybe they can breed," Zhu Yong said, patting the dust off his hand.

Everyone looked at each other.

Prince, are you planning to move all of Australia's animals back to Great Ming?

…

In the days that followed, the party continued westward, capturing all sorts of exotic animals along the way.

They caught over twenty kangaroos, big and small, both male and female.

They also caught a dozen or so rheas, those large birds that look like small ostriches, which run incredibly fast, requiring great effort to catch.

There was also an animal that looked like a bear but was covered in sharp spines— a hedgehog? No, much larger than a hedgehog; the soldiers called it "Spiky Ball".

Zhu Yong knew it was a Needle Mole, also native to Australia.

There were also dozens of brightly colored parrots—red, green, blue—caught and placed in cages woven from branches, chattering nonstop along the way.

The captive convoy grew longer and longer.

Each time they reached a tribe, it turned into a battle.

The men who resisted were killed in a batch, and the rest were captured.

Women and children were all taken away.

Elders?

No elders.

Those who resisted were killed in a batch; the ones who couldn't move were left by the roadside to fend for themselves.

Zhu Yong gave no order to slaughter, but he also did not stop it.

That's the rule.

This continent is vast, its resources abundant, requiring manpower.

And Great Ming lacks people.

They can only use these natives.

If they don't resist, they are given food, water, and their children are allowed to live.

If they resist, they die.

Simple, cruel, but effective.

A month later, the captive convoy stretched for over ten li, massive and imposing, numbering more than twenty thousand.

Men were responsible for prospecting, mining, and transport.

Women handled cooking, laundry, and caring for the children.

The children were gathered, given two meals a day; though not enough to fill them, at least they wouldn't starve to death.

Special instructors taught them simple Great Ming official speech: "eat", "work", "obey", "disobey and die".

After three months, most of the children could understand simple commands.

…

In early December, the convoy stopped.

It wasn't that they couldn't move; a massive mountain range had appeared ahead.

The range stretched in endless undulating peaks, the tallest spire piercing the clouds, its upper slopes cloaked in pristine white snow.

"Prince, we can't get over it. I asked the natives; they say this mountain is called 'Divine Mountain', and beyond it lies another world that no one has ever entered," Zhang Wu said, pointing ahead.

Zhu Yong gazed at the towering range, silent for a moment.

"Then we won't go over; we'll walk north along the foot of the mountain and see if there's another path."

The convoy turned, heading north along the mountain.

After three days, they discovered a huge river valley.

The valley was broad, the river swift, its banks sheer cliffs, the exposed rocks on the cliffs mottled in patches of dark red and green.

Zhu Yong recognized it at a glance.

Copper ore, iron ore, and coal.

Having the three minerals together was practically a heaven‑sent treasure land.

"Set up camp; start surveying tomorrow."