[He]
When Lin Feng saw the writing on the stele, someone immediately came to mind.
[Zheng He]
Mostly because [Zheng He] and the [South Seas] seemed inseparable. As a veteran who had followed Zhu Di since before the Jingnan Campaign, he was undoubtedly one of Zhu Di's most trusted confidants. Yet Zheng He had not been particularly famous during the campaign. His fame came when he sailed to the South Seas on the emperor's orders.
There was a reason Lin Feng thought this.
The inscription followed the format of chief envoy (official position) + [He].
Below that, in the same format, was another person's name.
That suggested this [He] was very likely a person's name too.
Put the South Seas and He together...
And Lin Feng thought of Zheng He. After all, [Zheng He's Seven Voyages to the Western Ocean] was even in school textbooks. He was practically a household name.
And it was not just Zheng He.
The name listed alongside Zheng He was [Wang Jinghong], which settled [He]'s identity outright.
Beneath their names were Zhu Liang, Zhou Man, Hong Bao, Yang Zhen, and others, all "one rank below."
Lin Feng stared at the names. He knew little about the later names, but as for the first two, setting [He] aside for the moment, [Wang Jinghong] was a famous Ming Dynasty navigator. The waters he was most famous for sailing were the South Seas. Several times, he had served as chief envoy on voyages there alongside Zheng He.
In other words, this inscription had most likely been left during one of Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean.
Lin Feng looked at what appeared to be a commemorative stele. Most of its inscription had weathered away. Although Fifth Uncle had made it very clear that they should not leave