Pang Tong rolled the term around on his tongue, and the conclusion came naturally.
"Then does that mean," he said slowly, "that the age we're living in right now is an age of land power?"
Zhuge Liang shifted his posture, rubbing his leg as he found a more comfortable position, and shook his head.
"An age like that depends on people—and on nations," he replied. "But one thing is certain."
He paused, then continued gravely:
"The moment a single country masters true oceanic navigation, the contest for sea power is no longer far away."
"To batter open another nation's gates with warships… to enslave its people…"
He stopped mid-sentence.
The future he glimpsed was too terrifying, yet uncomfortably close.
After a brief silence, Zhuge Liang summarized in a low voice:
"If you lack strong ships to defend against sea power, then you can only become meat on the chopping block."
From what the descendant had described, it was clear that the people of later ages had endured unimaginable suffering.
Who would have thought that the source of it all lay here?
And yet, recalling the colossal ships that once helped General Guan Yu seize Jingxiang, Zhuge Liang had to admit—
a fleet possessing such might made perfect sense.
His thoughts drifted to another object the descendant had mentioned only rarely:
Aircraft carriers.
A vessel that sailed the seas, yet was the mother of flight.
Though he could not yet fully grasp it, Zhuge Liang instinctively sensed the terror such a thing represented.
Zhang Fei, on the other hand, cared little for abstract strategy. His attention locked onto a name.
"Big Brother," he said excitedly, "doesn't this mean we could use Xu Fu's name and declare that the Wa country's main island was once Qin land?"
Liu Bei was so shocked he nearly jumped.
"What? How could we possibly do such a thing?!"
Zhang Fei snorted indignantly.
"They learn Han and Tang culture, eat our fruits, use our writing—and then turn around and bite the hand that fed them!"
Liu Bei nodded slightly, but ultimately shook his head.
"That matter lies too far in the future. What matters now is restoring the old capital. Once we reclaim the Central Plains, we can look for a proper shipyard site—perhaps at Guangling or Beihai."
At the thought, Liu Bei felt his heart stir.
This year, many things would finally come to a head.
If Guanzhong could be recovered—if the western trade routes reopened, and the fertile lands returned—then Cao Cao's defeat would only be a matter of time.
Only after the Han was truly restored would these grand designs become feasible.
"Control the sea routes. Monopoly over cross-sea trade."
Li Shimin murmured the descendant's words to himself.
The logic was not complicated.
The Tang followed Qin and Han precedent—valuing agriculture and restraining commerce.
In early Tang, the western trade routes had been reopened, the east was secured, and the southern tributaries never ceased.
Under such circumstances, being Tang was the ultimate passport.
The Four Barbarians bowed, borders were peaceful, and merchants flourished.
Yet the household registration system bound Tang commoners tightly to their land.
Unless summoned for war or granted special permission, a man would live and die where he was born.
This restriction, however, did not apply to foreigners.
These "new Tang people" rode the empire's military prestige, amassing enormous wealth through trade.
And if one failed to understand the deeper implications, Li Shimin realized, then from emperor to clerk, everyone would find this arrangement perfectly agreeable.
Farmers farmed. Foreigners traded.
Convenient. Comfortable.
But as the descendant explained, overseas commerce itself was not the true prize.
Li Shimin sat silently, expression unreadable—but those who knew him understood this meant fierce internal conflict.
The light screen was openly questioning policies upheld for centuries.
This was not a trivial matter. Any reform—even the smallest—would unleash waves across the realm.
He could not afford recklessness.
Du Ruhui pondered quietly until he noticed Fang Xuanling.
After finishing copying the light screen's text, Fang had turned to another sheet—furiously scribbling numbers.
"What is this?" Du Ruhui asked, baffled.
"Come with me to Wanning County tomorrow," Fang said without looking up.
"These ideas from later generations are vast fields of learning."
"The more I think about the Malthusian Trap, the deeper it seems."
"I used mathematics to roughly project fifty years of Tang development."
Du Ruhui stiffened. "And?"
Fang Xuanling shook his head.
"Come tomorrow. In half a month, I may submit a mathematical remonstrance urging His Majesty to open the seas."
Du Ruhui's eyes widened.
He knew Fang's temperament—gentle, non-confrontational unless faced with catastrophe.
For him to speak this way meant the situation was dire.
"I understand," Du Ruhui said solemnly.
[Lightscreen]
[The other key factor was geography.
Southern waters formed the largest island chain on Earth.
Stretching from the Andaman Sea in the west to the Philippines in the east,
from Taiwan in the north to Australia in the south—
Large islands scattered, small islands densely packed.
The climate was mild, the resources abundant.
Cloves, nutmeg, sandalwood, camphor, benzoin, gold—
All were treasures coveted by ancient Chinese dynasties.
For Chinese maritime merchants, trading between China and this island chain was safe and profitable.
Given that, why risk sailing to the distant West, gambling life and ship for riches one might never live to spend?
As the light screen spoke, a more southern map unfolded.]
Li Shimin raised his gaze.
He recognized the region—Yan Liben's world map hung nearby—though clouded and indistinct.
But then his eyes widened.
"Australia… is this vast?!"
Even from rough comparison, it was clear:
This landmass exceeded the current Tang territory in size.
Li Jing stroked his beard, unease in his voice.
"This archipelago makes it easy for China to sail outward."
"But if an enemy occupied it with strong fleets…"
He paused.
"This 'newbie village' could become our maritime prison."
A naval god like Li Jing needed little time to extrapolate doctrine.
Around him, generals' faces darkened.
Tang faced no such threat now.
But in a true age of sea power?
The danger was real.