Navigating the Ryukyu Kingdom from Fujian to the east was very difficult at that time, because the monsoon in the Taiwan Strait has its fixed wind direction. Northeast winds blow in winter and spring, and southwesterly winds blow in summer and autumn. Therefore, in the Taiwan Strait, the most advantageous sailing is north-south. To navigate east-west, most of the year, the direction of the ship is at a 90-degree angle to the wind direction, and the navigation is so dangerous. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the mainland had already begun to communicate with the Ryukyu Kingdom, but this was mainly commercial. In the early Ming Dynasty, at the request of the Ryukyu King, the Ming Dynasty sent envoys to sail thousands of nautical miles to bestow the Ryukyu King. By the time Emperor Chengzu of Ming arrived, due to the rampant piracy of Chen Zuyi in the South China Sea, Hu merchants no longer dared to come to China for trade, so

According to the "Records of Emperor Chengzu of Ming": "In the first year of Yongle (1403), in May, Xinsi ordered Fujian Duji to build one hundred and thirty-seven ships." "In Guihai, the first month of the second year of Yongle, he will send envoys to Western countries and order Fujian to build five ships." The imperial court began to make full preparations for the eunuch Zheng He's voyage to the West.

Zheng He, the eunuch of the Three Treasures of the Ming Dynasty, led the fleet seven times across the ocean. He repeatedly claimed to have won the "Divine Concubine of Heaven" at sea. So Emperor Chengzu of Ming Zhu Di ordered the construction of temples of the Concubine of Heaven (Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty had canonized Lin Mo-Mazu as the Concubine of Heaven) in Meizhou, Changle, Taicang, Nanjing and Kyoto. Zhu Di himself wrote the inscription "Nanjing Hongren Puji Tianfei Palace Stele", praising the merits of the Concubine of Heaven.

In fact, Zheng He did not make up the myth of the celestial concubine's appearance. Regarding Zheng He's adventures at sea, various versions of Luo Maodeng's famous novel "Three Treasures and Eunuch's Western Records" were published in the Ming Dynasty. Although the plot of the book is bizarre, it illustrates the difficulties of maritime trade in the Ming Dynasty at that time.

One day, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva personally summoned the Tathagata Dragon Lady and said to her, "Dragon Lady! Do you remember when we passed by Meizhou Bay one year, a monster was eating the fishermen. At that time, I didn't save them because it was a secret, and it was time to solve the mystery after many years!"

When the dragon girl heard that, she thought that the Bodhisattva was going to send her down to earth again. She wanted to say it, but was stopped by the Bodhisattva.

"Dragon Lady! Those fishermen were pirates who did all kinds of evil in their previous lives, so they should receive that kind of retribution, and no one can change it!"

The dragon girl listened quietly.

"Of course, that monster should also be punished! So, go down to earth and kill that crocodile spirit!"

Although she had killed that monster, she had offended the younger daughter of the Dragon King of the East China Sea. She looked at the little golden sword on her chest again — it was just a gift from the hand of Empress Nuwa Wa's fake Zhao Gongming, but this Zhao Gongming had seen Putuo Mountain many years ago.

"However, the monster escaped from hell again, and the first person to be endangered was Zheng He who went to the West."

At this time, the dragon girl came back to her senses from Feifei's thoughts, or she understood a lot more, or she was even more confused. The master looked for her, and it turned out that she really wanted her to go to earth again. Although she was very unhappy in her heart, it was difficult to violate her order. In order to win the initiative, she said, "Master, do you want me to go to earth again?"

"No, I'm not going down to earth this time, but sending you to protect Zheng He and reach the Western Ocean safely!"

The dragon girl immediately became happy in her heart after hearing this. With her current cultivation method, it should be more than enough to deal with a monster. If it is to descend to the earth, it is not easy for a mortal to deal with a monster!

"Dragon Lady, don't be too happy!"

The dragon girl was startled after hearing this.

"That crocodile spirit has been suffering in hell for so many years, it's not the horse attached to the East China Sea Dragon King back then, it's so easy to kill it!"

Dragon Lady looked at the little golden sword on her neck - the "Shadowless Divine Sword" given to her by Zhao Gongming.

"Come here and take off your sword!"

The dragon girl held the small golden sword in her hand as ordered. Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva lifted the willow branch, dripped a few drops of nectar on the small golden sword, and then said, "Wear it again!"

It is not good for the dragon girl to ask the master directly.

"So you can subdue him and catch it back to hell!"

The Dragon Lady left Mount Putuo alone, and even her maid Lan Lan and the Four King Kong did not know where she was going.

The location for Zheng He's shipbuilding was in Changle Taiping Port on the lower reaches of the Minjiang River, where the harbor was wide and deep, and the upper reaches of the Minjiang River was the origin of timber for shipbuilding. There were inexhaustible woods such as cedar, camphor, pine, and pear used in shipbuilding, and it was extremely convenient to build ships here. In the book "Bieji of the Mindu" written by He Qiu, there is a story like this: " (Emperor Yongle) ordered the eunuch Zheng He (also known as Sanbao), the eunuch Wang Jinghong, and Hou Xian to go to the southeastern countries of Fuzhou for rewards, and ordered the adoption of treasures, and ordered the provincial treasuries to be allocated, and the government and army to escort them. After the edict was issued, a judge first built a boat in Changle Shiyang. There were thousands of craftsmen, and there were people who set up shop and trade there. People gathered like a crowd, and it The boat has been completed, the three treasures and eunuchs have all arrived in Changle, and they follow the official sea ship, and the rest of the rewards include rations, soldiers, armor, and various craftsmen, and more than 500 sea ships are allocated, all of which are in Taiping Port, that is, Wu Hangtou boarded the boat "

In the eleventh year of Yongle, in the summer and autumn, Zheng He boarded his treasure ship for a voyage to the West. Zheng He led this huge fleet, which had more than 200 warships and carried 27,000 officers and men to escort, so that it could revive all the countries of South East Asia. Because they were going to sail the Indian Ocean, they would encounter unimaginable storms, so these treasure ships were built very large and very strong. Zheng He was on this treasure ship canonized by the emperor: the long belt is fifteen feet high, the wide belt is twenty feet nine feet seven inches, and the depth is one foot four feet. It is divided into twenty-four cabins. The cabins are generally made of camphor wood with beams, and there are many narrow beams in the cabin, especially hard and solid. The eight-foot-high fir mast, the sea breeze bulges the white sails, and it is even more majestic.

Zheng He's fleet has entered the South China Sea, where pirate Chen Zuyi is most rampant.

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the Central Plains was in chaos, and there was no time to take into account the pirates at sea. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the sea ban could only be implemented passively, so that the pirates had no target to grab. The rampant piracy finally brought the maritime trade of the Tang and Song Dynasties - the Silk Road - to a sudden halt. The purpose of Zheng He's voyage to the West was to reopen the sea corridor. Therefore, Zheng He came prepared. In addition to merchant ships, the fleet was an excellent team of escorts equipped with muskets, whose purpose was to fight against the pirate Chen Zuyi and remove the threat of pirates for the Fanguo countries.

Pirate leader Chen Zuyi dominated the South China Sea and had been rampant in the South China Sea for decades. Hu merchants no longer dared to trade with China, and the coastal countries had to pay tribute to him. Without Hu merchants' trade, the pirates' financial resources would actually be cut off. Now that the Daming Fleet has sent gold and silver jewelry to the door, there is no reason not to.

Pirate leader Chen Zuyi mobilized all his pirate ships and lined up on the main waterway of the South China Sea to intercept Zheng He's fleet.

Zheng He was resting in the cabin, listening to the reports of his subordinates, and there was black pressure in front of the ship blocking the channel. After listening, he immediately gave the order: The escort is ready for battle!

Zheng He stood on the deck, observing with binoculars in his hand. When the pirate ship saw Zheng He's fleet coming straight, it had to give up the main channel, but it outflanked the wings of Zheng He's fleet, aiming directly at Zheng He's ship. Zheng He had two frigates, and immediately caught fire on the pirate ship. The pirates' guns were specifically aimed at Zheng He's ship, and Zheng He's frigate also fired fiercely with guns. At that time, the guns could only be fired once, and then they had to be filled with gunpowder.

At this time, the other guards also surrounded them. In fact, the merchant ship was also protected by heavy troops, so they started a sea battle with the pirate Chen Zuyi. The Ming army was originally selected from the Fujian Navy, and they were all brave and skilled soldiers, and the pirates were also outlaws.

The Ming army's treasure ship was tall and sturdy, but the pirate ship could not withstand the collision of the treasure ship, but it was just a pebble. The pirate ship was knocked over, and the pirates fell into the water and were shot dead by the Ming army's random arrows. The Ming army easily defeated the pirates, only the pirate leader Chen Zuyi escaped with two ships, because the Ming army could not stay away from the fleet, so they gave up the pursuit.

At that time, it was the darkest time of the night. After Zheng He and his subordinates finished reporting, they ordered them to continue sailing. In the dark night sky, a red light suddenly appeared.

With the help of his guards, Zheng He walked out of the cabin again. He glanced at the red light and involuntarily said, "This is the signal given to us by the goddess!" Then he knelt on the deck and prayed.

The navigator brought from Fujian took out a compass, looked at the candlelight, and reported to Zheng He, "The red light points to the port of Fanguo that we are going to!"

The fleet followed the red light and sailed smoothly. There was no sea breeze and no waves, and the speed of the ship was very slow at this time. Zheng He stood on the deck of the ship, and his servant put a cloak on him. He stared intently at the red light until his legs were sore, and the servant helped him into the cabin to rest.

Zheng He lay on the bed in the cabin, as if he had slept in a cradle when he was a child. The slightly swaying boat easily reminded him of his miserable childhood. It was because his family was poor and there were many brothers that his father castrated him and sent him to the palace as a little eunuch. As he thought about it, he gradually fell asleep: the red light in the night sky fell in front of his bed, and in the blink of an eye it turned into a woman in a red dress. Startled, he sat up from the bed and asked, "Who are you?"

"Who am I? don't ask!"

"Then what do you want to do?"

"Zheng He, I want to remind you that there is a murderous intention hidden ahead!"

"You must be a goddess!" Zheng He hurriedly slipped down from the bed and knelt down. When he looked up again, the woman in the red dress had disappeared, so he shouted, "Goddess! Goddess!"

The servant outside thought that Zheng He was talking in his sleep, so he stepped forward and shouted, "Eunuch Zheng! Eunuch Zheng!"

Zheng He was awakened by his servant's call, but it turned out to be a dream. He flipped over and sat up, saying, "Little Zhang, quickly help me up to the deck to have a look!"

Zheng He walked onto the deck and looked ahead. There was no more red light. So he asked the navigator, "How many nautical miles are there in port?"

"Eunuch Zheng, there is still half an hour to go, and our fleet is about to enter the port!"

"What time is it now?" Zheng He asked the timekeeper.

"Eunuch Zheng, it's Yin Shi now!"

After listening, Zheng He immediately returned to the cabin and sent his guards to call Wang Jinghong and Hou Xian.

The fleet continued to sail, and the sky was already white. The pilot ship in front had already sent a signal to the port of Fanguo to enter the port.

Zheng He had already ordered his guards to prepare for battle to prevent the Fanguo from robbing the goods. At the same time, he ordered that no one disembark without his order.

There were ships of different sizes sporadically moored in the harbor of Fan Country, and these ships looked very shabby compared to Da Ming's treasure ship. Zheng He sent Wang Jinghong ashore and handed over the credentials, asking the king to send representatives to the treasure ship to accept the reward from Da Ming.

After two days, Fanguo did not reply, but Zheng He did not go ashore either.

In fact, the pirate Chen Zuyi fled to this country first, and the pirate leader Chen Zuyi was received by the king of the country as soon as he came ashore. Chen Zuyi then boasted to the king and encouraged him to snatch the fleet of Daming. Chen Zuyi said: The fleet of Zheng He carried a lot of raw silk, tea leaves and porcelain, as well as countless treasures. Then he deceived the king and said: "If the king makes a move in the harbor, we will attack from the back of Zheng He's fleet, so that Zheng He's fleet will become a turtle in a urn when attacked from both sides." The king of Fan, who was in a corner, was finally moved by Chen Zuyi. As a result, he set up a plan to lure Zheng He ashore and capture him in one fell swoop, so the king did not send anyone to contact Zheng He. Because the king can't afford to offend anyone between the pirates and Zheng He, Zheng He's army is enough to destroy his country, but the pirate Chen Zuyi will also make his country restless. He is still watching, waiting for the pirates to attack the Daming fleet, hoping that Daming's army will eradicate the pirates in one fell swoop.

Zheng He sent people ashore every day to urge the king to send people to the ship as soon as possible to be rewarded, but the Fanguo asked Zheng He to go ashore to be canonized. The two sides were deadlocked, and Zheng He had been waiting in this harbor for five days. His army could have destroyed any Fanguo on the way to the West, but he was a messenger of peace and did not need the territory of other countries.

Pirate Chen Zuyi was a little anxious. His purpose was to provoke a conflict between the Fanguo and the Daming fleet. Only in this way can he survive and profit from the cracks.

In fact, Fanguo had already deployed heavy troops on the coast, just waiting for Zheng He to go ashore before taking action. Chen Zuyi was afraid that after a long time, the king would know that he had been defeated by Zheng He, and he was also afraid that Zheng He's fleet would leave safely. So he organized his minions to dress up as Daming's soldiers and took advantage of the night to launch a provocative attack on the Fanguo army lying in ambush on the coast. The Fanguo army believed Zheng He's team had landed from other places and attacked them from behind. As a result, the Fanguo army launched an attack on Zheng He's fleet in the harbor, and the two sides started another war. There are poems as evidence: the sound of gunshots is loud and arrows fly, and the killing valve Weizhen dragon flag is waved.

20,000 athletes work together, just for peace and not for anyone?

But because pirates are too rampant, how can they not move to fight?

The waves of the South China Sea connect with the East China Sea, and free trade is the soul of China.

After Chen Zuyi provoked the conflict between the Fan army and Zheng He's fleet, they took off their clothes and came to assist the Fan army. This Chen Zuyi was originally a crocodile spirit who escaped from hell and suffered years of fire in hell. Therefore, it has been refined into steel and iron bones in hell, and can even spit flames, even reefs will be ignited. No matter how elite armored soldiers are, it is impossible to resist such a demon, so Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva sent the dragon girl to assist Zheng He.

Although the Fan army was much stronger than Chen Zuyi's pirate team, they were no match for the Great Ming army. The treasure ship had already touched the dock, and the Great Ming soldiers jumped ashore one after another, while the Fan army was losing ground. At this moment, Chen Zuyi appeared in its original form, a huge crocodile essence stretched out its long head, opened its bloody mouth, and spewed a bloody flame at Zheng He's fleet.

The Crocodile Essence was already familiar with Zheng He's ship, so it continuously sprayed fire on the treasure ship, attempting to burn Zheng He to death at once. Zheng He's situation was quite dangerous, once the ship caught fire, it would die without a doubt.

Just then, a rainstorm suddenly fell from the sky and extinguished the flames spewed by the crocodile spirit. Zheng He immediately got up from the deck and saw a golden light rolling towards the crocodile spirit on the shore.

After the flames of the alligator spirit were extinguished, most of the Ming army had boarded the dock, except for the people left behind to guard the treasure ship, and began to pursue the pirates and the Fanguo army.

When the woman in red was about to kill the crocodile spirit, she only heard: "Dragon girl, leave it alive under the sword, let us take her back to hell and accept the punishment of Yama!"

Dragon Lady said to Black and White Impermanence, "Then please, take good care of this beast in the future!"

Zheng He knelt on the deck, kowtowed, and saw the goddess in a red dress slowly leave and disappear into the night sky.

"Princess!"

The Dragon Lady looked up, but it was the maid Lan Lan, Clairvoyant, and Shunfeng Er who came to greet her.

The Dragon Lady stood in the clouds and said, "General Liu, you stay and continue to protect Zheng He's voyage to the West!" After Shunfeng Er took the order, she continued, "We'll go back to Mount Putuo. When General Liu is in trouble, we'll come again!" Lan Lan's eyes were always fixed on the small golden sword hanging on the Dragon Lady's chest. Maybe other than her, the Four King Kong did not know that the small sword was originally given to the Dragon Lady by the God of Wealth Zhao Gongming.

After the Daming army went ashore, Fan's army of the country of Fan fled, and Fan's king of the country of Fan had to submit and tie up the remaining pirates and hand them over to the Daming army for disposal.

Zheng He bequeathed the Queen of Fanguo, and under the protection of General Liu Shunfeng, he continued to sail to the West. After seven long voyages, he served the thirty-nine countries and Weizhen Sea Watch.