At home.
Zhao Baihui lay stretched out in a reclining chair, a book in his hands, though not a shred of his attention was on its pages.
He lay perfectly flat, doing his best to keep his stomach level so that the baby sleeping on top of him might rest more soundly.
The only person in the world who could make him this careful was, of course, his precious eldest daughter Zhao Wenjing.
"Master."
"Shh, lower your voice — what is it?"
"Brothers Mingjing and Mingqiao have arrived."
"Fourth and Sixth together? Come here — take the little one back for me."
Mingxin had gone to the capital again. He had no shortage of affairs to manage — the northern barbarians, the Han people in those territories, and now the even more distant red-haired foreigners, those Tsarist Russians, were demanding his attention as well.
The shattering defeat of a twenty-thousand-strong Tsarist army had not put out the fire. The Russians continued to maneuver across the steppe; they simply no longer dared to push recklessly into the passes.
Mingxin had long nursed the idea of establishing a foothold on the steppe, but the land out there was sparsely populated and stripped of resources, making it far harder to build a base than anywhere else.
For now, the plan lived only on paper, being refined little by little.
"Master!"
Mingjing and Mingqiao walked in without preamble and went straight to the point.
"Master, we believe we've found oil — only it's quite a distance away."
Through years of active contact with people from overseas, Longcheng had by now established basic channels of communication with people from most of the world's stronger nations.
Of course, these were only certain free agents among those countries — merchants in particular.
But that alone was no small achievement. One should never make the mistake of measuring the standing of foreign merchants by the low regard in which merchants were held on the Central Plains — that would be entirely wrong.
Overseas men were driven by profit, and so a great many of those at the top also wore the hat of merchant. Some of the wealthiest merchants could tip the scales of a nation's fortunes, even sway the course of a war. The power of commerce had begun, in places, to challenge the authority of kings themselves.
This was, of course, an assessment pieced together by Longcheng's staff department from various intelligence reports — but it was almost certainly close to the truth.
"Distance doesn't matter. Oil's importance will only keep growing for a very long time to come."
"The internal combustion engine will gradually replace the steam engine, and most of the world hasn't yet grasped what that means."
"So we must seize as many oil resources as we can while the window is still open."
"Now that we have a target, go. Set sail — and bring it back for me!"
Zhao Baihui drew a circle on the large map and pressed his brush down on it twice with deliberate force.
"Yes, Master!"
With the master's order given, all of Longcheng stirred like a great beast waking from a long sleep.
"Any volunteers? Overseas posting — triple wages! Promotion upon return! Additional commendations for merit abroad!"
"I'm in! Even without any of those rewards — if the master needs me, I'd walk through fire without a second thought!"
"Count me in too! For the master — and for the money! Heh heh."
Ordinary people didn't know much about this moment, but those in the middle and upper ranks had long been prepared.
Preparations therefore moved forward in an orderly and rapid fashion.
In just one month, a well-provisioned Longcheng fleet was ready to depart.
The expedition comprised ten ocean-going warships, ten larger transport vessels, four thousand crew members, a full division of sixteen thousand soldiers, and twenty thousand construction and support personnel.
Forty thousand people in all.
The highest-ranking was Zhang Mingjing of the staff department, responsible for directing overall operations and handling foreign affairs. Mingjian commanded military matters and any armed engagements. Mingwen oversaw construction and stability.
On the dock, Zhao Baihui patiently gave his instructions to the three of them, and the three of them listened patiently in return.
"The voyage alone will take several months. Watch your health — your bodies are your greatest asset."
"If you find the oil, wonderful. If you search and come up empty, then come home."
"If you run into danger, the most important thing is to come back to me alive. None of you three are even married yet."
"The same goes for everyone else. They are someone's sons, someone's husbands, someone's fathers — the pillars of their families."
"There is a real chance you'll come into conflict with others out there."
"If you face danger and are about to suffer catastrophic losses, surrendering to the enemy is perfectly acceptable. The master won't blame you for it — the master has money, and I can ransom every last one of you back."
Zhao Baihui had never known he was capable of rambling on like this.
"Enough, enough — keep going and night will fall before I'm done. Mingjing, you're the eldest brother — make sure you bring your brothers home!"
Mingjing's eyes grew red at the rims. He drew himself up with every ounce of strength he had, stamped his foot, and declared, "Master, rest easy!"
Zhao Baihui rose and clapped each of the three young men on the shoulder, then turned and walked away quickly — afraid someone might see his eyes.
The rest of the Zhao family surged forward, and there was another round of parting words before the three finally boarded.
Before long, the twenty great ships eased slowly away from the dock. High atop the flagship, three faint silhouettes could be made out, standing motionless, gazing for a long time in the direction of home.
Given the choice, who would ever willingly leave home for a journey destined to be long, grueling, and fraught with danger?
But it was precisely for the sake of home that they stepped onto this path without looking back.