Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 806: Chapter 802: The Nautical Chart on Parchment

”What is this?”

Gu Xu was stunned when he unfolded the parchment and saw what was on it.

Huo Sining turned her head, her gaze following Gu Xu’s line of sight, and was equally dumbfounded when she saw the parchment.

Since she began her education, the history of the Great Ming Dynasty that Huo Sining had been exposed to portrayed generations of emperors as arrogant and complacent.

The self-sufficient nation was still indulging in the dream of being a great power, inventing behind closed doors, unaware that beyond its borders, the Renaissance, technological developments, and advancements in astronomy, physics, and chemistry were progressing rapidly with the intention of penetrating this eastern fertile land.

The first brave soul to step out of the country and venture into the world was Zheng He, who charted the sea routes of his voyages to the Western Ocean, leaving a significant mark in history. Unfortunately, in the feudal era, his actions were not understood.

In a closed-off and self-satisfied empire, Zheng He’s actions were seen as an admission of incompetence. His Western Ocean voyages were considered wasteful and unproductive, and his nautical chart was regarded as a harmful and wicked endeavor, ultimately burned to ashes by the short-sighted but upright Minister of Works of the Great Ming Dynasty.

This nautical chart, which took 28 years and seven expeditions to complete, was burned in vain. In the face of this historical fact, not only Huo Sining, but anyone with a slight understanding of history would grit their teeth in hatred towards the person who ordered the burning.

This was such a crucial move to open the nation’s gates to the world, yet it was destroyed.

Huo Sining had always believed that Zheng He was the first person in China’s maritime history, and in her heart, his status could even be compared to Columbus.

But now, seeing the parchment in Gu Xu’s hand, Huo Sining realized she was completely wrong.

No, it wasn’t just her, the whole world was mistaken. The first person to explore the Western Ocean was not Zheng He, but Shen Wansan!

Huo Sining initially thought the carved red lacquerware was used as a decoy to cover the white agate wine cup, but after seeing the agate cup, she had completely ignored the parchment wrapping it.

Now, seeing the parchment unfolded in Gu Xu’s hands, Huo Sining’s mind buzzed and went blank.

The parchment was densely illustrated with locations and nautical routes. Though it was only a piece of parchment about half a meter square, the various routes were clearly marked.

In the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty, unlike now, there were no aerial cameras or satellite maps to monitor everything on Earth in real-time. In the technologically backward feudal era, creating a nautical chart required not only skilled artisans but a significant expenditure of silver and manpower to navigate the vast ocean.

Especially against the backdrop of a closed and backward mindset at the time, Shen Wansan’s decision to embark on maritime trade required taking huge risks and enduring great pressure while building relationships with various departments—no easy task.

Huo Sining remembered reading in a document about the vast ocean, surrounded by islands like Korea, Ryukyu, Luzon, and Penghu, facing Huaxia across the sea. During the Ming Dynasty, countries like Portugal and Spain traveled great distances to pay homage to the Great Ming Dynasty, establishing bases in Penghu and Taiwan for smuggling, staying for hundreds of years.

How did Shen Wansan accumulate his enormous wealth? Historical records state that analyzing the world’s economic structure at the time, Shen Wansan earned his great wealth through foreign trade. Even when he was exiled to Yunnan, he continued international trade using the Tea Horse Ancient Road.

While managing his business in Zhouzhuang, Shen Wansan often traveled by sea, creating a nautical chart that included the name and location of Diaoyu Island, which was later passed down to his descendant Shen Fu.

Shen Fu followed Shen Wansan’s route, documenting the details and locations around the island, leading to the famous literary piece ”Six Records of a Floating Life,” which became irrefutable evidence that Diaoyu Island belongs to China.

Looking at the parchment in Gu Xu’s hands, Huo Sining scrutinized it repeatedly. Afraid it might be a forgery, she used the Heavenly Eye Skill to inspect it and saw that the Purple Spiritual Qi enveloping the parchment was the same as that of the white agate wine cup, confirming in her heart that this should indeed be something left by Shen Wansan.

However, the historical records should not be wrong. Since Shen Wansan handed down the nautical chart to his descendants, why did he make another copy and hide it along with the cup? What was his intention?

Unable to figure it out, Huo Sining focused her attention on the parchment. Since she couldn’t guess Shen Wansan’s intentions, she might as well look at the nautical chart.

Although small, Huo Sining was very familiar with the routes drawn on it. The route was from Suzhou to the Persian Gulf and various European nations, known historically as the Maritime Silk Road.

Aside from the routes, Huo Sining was particularly interested in the text on the parchment.

One side of the parchment contained numerous annotations, detailing not only the customs, politics, and geographical information of the countries en route but also information on maritime supplies and communication methods.

How much effort and cost would it take for a merchant to compile such detailed nautical information from scratch?

Huo Sining’s emotions were mixed looking at the map. If this chart represented Shen Wansan’s commercial empire, it was evident from this map alone. Yet, such an exceptional commercial genius was stifled in the cradle by the Ming emperor. How could one not feel sigh?

Even more lamentable was the fact that if a mere merchant could achieve this much, imagine what an official endeavor could accomplish. Zheng He, with official support for his maritime expeditions, would surely have done even better than Shen Wansan.

That means the nautical chart burned shortly after Zheng He’s voyages would have been even more detailed, with greater historical and research value than the one before her.

Huo Sining boldly speculated that if that chart had not been burned and was valued by those in power, Huaxia Country might have participated in the Industrial Revolution, avoiding the subsequent invasions by the Eight-Nation Alliance and the ensuing decades of turmoil and war.

Thinking this, Huo Sining felt stifled. The fire didn’t just burn a nautical chart; it destroyed an opportunity for a great nation’s rise and a chance for Huaxia to lead the world for decades.

Of course, these were just thoughts. Since it had happened, one could only sigh deeply in their heart.

Reflecting with regret, Huo Sining’s gaze fell on the parchment, suddenly noticing an ink dot on the route.