Chapter 1

During the Jiankang era, things were chaotic. By the early Jianyan period, Song soldiers were driving the Jin people north to Liaodong. With the realm pacified, Emperor Guangwu of Song held a grand banquet. A Taoist presented a memorial, saying that there was a large continent in the Southern Ocean called Australia, where immortals resided, and requested several seagoing ships to seek elixirs. The Emperor rebuked him, saying, "This is trickery. However, I have heard that beyond the Nine Provinces, there are greater Nine Provinces, with strange and exotic beasts." He wished to send envoys to seek out extraordinary treasures. Thus, he promoted maritime affairs, building great ships, some of which were a hundred zhang long, carrying goods estimated in the tens of thousands of *shi*. The Emperor personally named one "He," intending to bestow favor upon the barbarian nations. At that time, among the naval forces was a Zheng clansman, who had traveled the Southern Seas several times with merchants in his youth, reaching as far as Tianzhu (India), and was thus made an envoy.

The envoy's fleet sailed south for several years before returning, carrying countless treasures. The world was shaken. Even small and remote counties in the north were not without goods from the Southern Seas. The Zheng clansman reported, "There are many islands in the Southern Seas, with hundreds of foreign nations, abundant in pearls, jade, coral, and spices. Sailing further south to Australia, one finds barren land, inhabited by giant rats that stand upright and leap about. The natives of southern Australia believe it to be without end, so we returned. We were unable to travel to Tianzhu and Dashi (Arabia) due to time constraints." He presented several upright rats to enrich the Imperial Gardens. The Emperor was greatly pleased, and handsomely rewarded the Zheng clansman and his crew.

The Emperor said, "The Great Song is a superior nation. To bring the spices, pearls, and jade of all nations to our superior land, and to bestow the fabrics and ingenious devices of our superior land upon the barbarians, is a great matter for the benefit of the people." Within a year, he dispatched another fleet to the Southern Seas, which returned with even greater spoils. As for the merchants, whether traveling alone or in groups, their footprints covered all the oceans.

The Southern Seas were full of savages and dense forests. Under the pretense of civilization, the Emperor abolished the native chieftains, dispatching tens of thousands of good families to become feudal lords, governing according to Song law. These lords sent abundant annual tributes, and when the envoys led their fleets south, they offered meats, fruits, and firewood, allowing the Great Song to communicate with Dashi and Daqin (Rome). At that time, the Emperor rectified internal affairs, imprisoning many. A prison warden suggested, "We could exile the prisoners to the Southern Seas." The Emperor agreed, placing the prisoners in Australia, where they were all in awe and submission.

After a long period of peace, the Emperor made an eastern tour. An official presented a ding (ancient cauldron) with beastly patterns and green rust. A scholar declared, "This is an important vessel from the old Zhou dynasty. According to its inscription, merchants crossed the sea eastward, and Duke Tai of Qi sent a naval force to pursue them, reaching Penglai before returning, and thus this cauldron was made." The Emperor sighed, "For so long, the merchants have not heard the Way of the sages." He then sent an envoy to cross the sea eastward in search of Penglai. A Ge clansman recommended himself before the Emperor and was granted permission to hold the imperial staff, bestowed the name "Lun Bu," meaning "to widely spread the Analects of Confucius among the merchants of Penglai."

Several years later, he returned, presenting gold, silver, and spices. The gold and silver possessed an ancient style, and even the scholars could not identify the spices. Ge reported, "Penglai is thousands of *li* from the Central Plains. Its people have yellow skin and black hair, engage in agriculture, but are frivolous about life and fond of death, valuing courage and practicing human sacrifice. They must be descendants of the Shang people."

The Emperor said, "Penglai hangs isolated overseas, and its people do not admire civilization; we must teach them the Way of the sages." He enfeoffed the second imperial prince as the King of Penglai, appointed the Duke Yansheng as his prime minister, and dispatched dozens of large ships, five thousand soldiers, and three thousand young boys and girls to take up residence.

Penglai was distant, with little contact with the Central Plains. In later years, they sent tribute of gold, silver vessels, and spices. They presented exotic beasts with wool like sheep and bodies like ostriches, called alpacas. They presented an exotic grass that matured in half a year, yielding a certain grain, called jade corn.

The Emperor was skilled in archery and once hunted in the Imperial Gardens, obtaining several kangaroos, ostriches, giraffes, and alpacas. These were all exotic beasts. The Emperor was pleased and returned to tell his ministers, "I hunt in China, and you, my ministers, hunt in the four seas. From the east to Penglai, from the west to Daqin, there are loyal subjects everywhere. It can be said that my dynasty will never see a setting sun." The ministers all kowtowed and congratulated him.

Six generations later, the Song court became foolish and incompetent, and a powerful minister usurped the throne.

The King of Penglai, upon hearing of this, declared himself Emperor and named his dynasty "Beautiful Song," sending an envoy to berate the false emperor. The navy of the usurper's court was weak and could not subdue him. The so-called feudal lords of the Southern Seas and the prisoners in Australia still considered themselves "Song subjects," unwilling to return to the mainland, nor did they pay homage to the Penglai Emperor.

At this time, Zhao Bilie, the Eastern Mongol King, heard of this, became enraged, and led his troops into the Central Plains, calling his dynasty "Mongol Song," and executed the false emperor. However, Zhao Bilie was originally a barbarian. The people were not convinced. Zhao Bilie had no choice but to retreat north.

Thus, the realm fell into great chaos. More than a hundred years later, the Ming Emperor arose. He implemented a sea ban, and it was not until the late Ming dynasty that merchants were allowed to trade with foreigners. Several years later, iron ships anchored at Qiongzhou.

When the Song dynasty fell, a collateral relative of the imperial clan led his retainers and servants to flee, crossing the sea to Australia, finding an oasis, and using it as a palace. Later, due to abundant sea trade and the discovery of numerous rich mines, they settled there, continuing the lineage of the former Song Emperor, and thus called themselves "Australian Song." By the early Chongzhen era, Australia suffered a land subsidence, and more than five hundred young men and women escaped in iron ships, reaching Qiongzhou. From afar, they honored the Australian Song imperial family as the Emperor, established the Senate, implemented a republican government, and revered original learning.

Australian Song based its nation on maritime trade, sending iron ships to the four seas, forcing the small Song states to submit. At that time, the territory of Australian Song was scattered throughout the outer Nine Provinces, and the Senate, drawing upon the story of Emperor Guangwu of Song, called itself the "Never-Setting Republic."

However, some enthusiasts tried to visit the former homeland of Australian Song, but returned without success. Some said that the people of Australian Song excelled in ingenious and decadent arts, and fathers punished their sons in anger; others said that the internal ministers of Australian Song fought among themselves, leaving only a few hundred people.