Chapter 929: Xiangshan Port

An eastern-style small fishing village is quite different from a Western one. Westerners prefer to build houses with stones and give them a geometrical appearance with angles and corners, showcasing geometric beauty. However, it’s not the same for Easterners. They use wood and thatch to construct houses, resulting in a style that is exceptionally intricate and exudes a sense of simplicity.

Robb stopped fishing and leaned against the ship’s rail, gazing at a small fishing village on the shore, his gaze reluctant to leave.

The two young girls were very curious and couldn’t help but approach, asking, “Godfather, what’s the matter with you?”

Robb smiled and said, “Nothing, I just find these houses beautiful, so I’m taking a longer look.”

While his words sounded light, deep inside, he was profoundly moved. It had been eight years since he came to this world, and he had experienced three cycles of the Black Dragon’s Flight. Being away from home for so long, he inevitably felt homesick. However, there was no home for him in this otherworldly realm. The only place that could evoke a sense of home was this nation of countless rabbits. Seeing the architectural style on the shore, reminiscent of the ancient town of Ciqikou in Shuangqing City, how could he not feel emotionally touched?

“When we return, I’m going to develop an area in Shuangqing City and build houses in this style,” Robb said. “The name of this area will be ‘Rabbit People Street.'”

The two young girls burst into laughter, “Can you do that?”

“Of course I can,” Robb said. “No matter how fierce the wars were, no matter how much animosity there was, in the end, all the races in this world will blend into one community. Ethnicities and cultures will merge. It’s an inevitable trend. Having an Eastern street in a Western city is not strange at all, and it’s no different for a Western street in an Eastern city.”

As they continued chatting, they passed by the small village. The fleet kept sailing north, and after an unknown amount of time, a natural harbor appeared by the coast. The harbor wasn’t very large in scale; the buildings were short, the town looked rundown, but there were quite a few ships docked in the harbor, including Western sailboats.

The two captains approached Robb and reported, “Godfather, this is a small coastal port city in the southeastern region of Big Tang. It’s called Xiangshan Port. It’s smaller than Boning Port, but it’s still the second-largest port in Big Tang. There are quite a few caravans from the Kingdom of Gran and the Norma Kingdom here. It’s the place where most Westerners gather in Big Tang.”

Robb thought to himself, “This place is probably equivalent to Hongkong in the original world.”

Curiously, he asked, “This is only the second-largest? Is Boning Port even more impressive?”

The two captains nodded, “Boning Port is indeed the most bustling and prosperous port in Big Tang. Xiangshan Port is still quite far behind. This port is almost entirely sustained by us Westerners. The people of Big Tang don’t attach much importance to this harbor.”

“I see!”

This novel was translated on ShanghaiFantasy, https://shanghaifantasy.com/novel/after-maxing-out-all-classes/. If you are not reading on this website, it was stolen and aggregated

In fact, Robb didn’t know that even in the Age of Exploration in the original world, Hongkong started as quite backward, far behind Ningbo. At that time, Ningbo was the most impressive and magnificent port in the East. A famous figure from the Island Nation’s Warring States period, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, once believed that Ningbo was the best place in the world. He even dreamed of destroying the Ming Dynasty and then relocating the capital to Ningbo. However, he wasn’t successful and was repelled back to his homeland in Goryeo.

Pointing ahead at Xiangshan Port, Robb smiled and said, “I’d like to take a look at this harbor. We’ll make a brief stop here and then continue on to Boning Port.”

The two captains nodded, “Of course, no problem.”

They answered like this first, then lowered their voices, “However, there’s something you should know. This is Eighteen Divinations’ territory. The Western merchants who pay protection fees are safe here, but for us who refuse to give face to Eighteen Divinations, it might be a bit inconvenient. Of course, with you around, we have nothing to fear from them. We just need to watch out for their tricks.”

Robb chuckled, “I understand. If the crew stays within my sight, we won’t have to worry about the Eighteen Divinations.”

The captains issued the orders, and the three large sailboats began to approach Xiangshan Port.

Before they even reached the shore, they saw several small boats with official Dragon Flags of Big Tang blocking their path. A few rabbit sailors wearing the uniforms of the Big Tang navy stood at the bow, shouting towards the large ship, “Where are these vessels from? Declare immediately and pay taxes.”

Robb turned to the two captains, “There are Big Tang officials here?”

The two captains quickly introduced the situation to Robb, “Although this place isn’t highly regarded by Big Tang, it is still under the jurisdiction of the government. Moreover, it has been receiving increasing attention in recent years.”

As it turned out, Xiangshan Port at this time was just a small county town within the organization of Big Tang, called Xiangshan County. The county magistrate was originally a minor official, overseeing a small, dilapidated city of about a thousand rabbits. He lived in a very awkward position. However, he never anticipated that one day a Western ship would arrive, and suddenly, this small county town with a natural harbor would become bustling.

Western ships arrived one after another, and this previously insignificant place became more and more lively. The county magistrate was initially pleased because the tax revenue increased, but he slowly felt that something was amiss. His few hundred local militia members seemed inadequate to control these Westerners. As the number of Westerners increased, they started to disrespect the county magistrate’s authority, refusing to be governed by him. Some even refused to pay taxes and challenged his authority directly.

Over a year ago, a group from the Norma Kingdom, seeing the county magistrate had very few troops under his command, became arrogant and built a fortress by the seaside, encroaching on Big Tang’s territory. They even stationed two hundred sailors to guard the fortress, bullying the county magistrate who only had a few hundred militia members at his disposal, thinking that he wouldn’t be able to deal with them.

This novel was translated on ShanghaiFantasy, https://shanghaifantasy.com/novel/after-maxing-out-all-classes/. If you are not reading on this website, it was stolen and aggregated