Volume 5: Fellow Traveler Chapter 870 Abandonment
Zhang Shou never expected that the ruling class of this era would rebel - without systematic learning and ideological education, in this era, even if someone sympathized with the suffering of the common people, they could at most help the poor and the weak, or try to be honest and upright when serving as an official. If they crossed the line, they would most likely do something stupid.
Without a change of thought like a brainstorming session, even talented and famous people would not be able to see the problem from a high vantage point.
Pity their misfortune and be angry at their lack of struggle. This saying can be perfectly applied to ordinary people. It is better to forget about expecting ordinary people who have never received education to be aware of it. Therefore, he said so much to Zheshanjun, but he did not mention the word education. Of course, even if he mentioned it, Zheshanjun would not have a solution. The children of the two classes of the Lee Dynasty of Korea could not learn everything they should learn!
The official messenger from Goryeo arrived to announce the death, but the next messenger arrived earlier than the emperor and his ministers expected. It turned out that the people of Goryeo were frightened by the memorial to the emperor, so they sent people to apologize and claimed that they would send a large army to Jeju Island to wipe out the rebellion, and only asked the emperor for mercy... In short, they would handle it themselves.
The emperor simply laughed at this statement. When he summoned several ministers that day, he casually threw the letter aside and said unhappily, "If most of the northern ports were not frozen, and the wind direction was not unfavorable from the southern ports, it would be twice as effective for half the result. I would have sent the navy to attack directly. Why did I bother waiting for their reply?"
Among all civil officials, especially high-ranking ones, there are very few who are only thinking about expanding the territory. Most of them are so-called mature and prudent. At this moment, most of those in front of the emperor are such people. So, Academician Kong was the first to say: "Even if the wind is favorable, it is not a good idea to rashly send troops on an expedition. Let Goryeo investigate first, this is the right thing to do."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Jing said calmly: "Recently, the wind direction is unfavorable to me, but favorable to Goryeo. Didn't Master Kong think that there must be more than one ship looting the Goryeo tribute ship at sea? And since they can easily reach Qinhuangdao, they can easily reach all coastal areas!"
"So, it's not a question of whether Ming Dynasty should send troops now, but if they send ships to harass us, then all parts of Ming Dynasty's borders will be under war!"
"Moreover, these villains who claim to be descendants of Emperor Taizu may not be the Japanese pirates who once ravaged Goryeo and made them suffer terribly!"
When Zhu Jing first refuted him, Confucius had a stern face ready to retort, but as he listened, his expression gradually changed, and he was even more frightened. If it was really as Zhu Jing said, wouldn't it be impossible to defend against it? But he couldn't immediately support a massive attack instead of passive defense.
In his opinion, how could he bear the consequences of sending out a large army and spending countless money and food just because of a momentary guess?
However, Wu Ge Lao got ahead of him and spoke in a leisurely tone: "What the Grand Marshal said is very true. The wind direction is not favorable for our navy now, but whether it is Goryeo or Japan, their fleets can cross the sea to attack, which is very convenient. If those rebels are so cruel, won't the war spread directly to our country?"
Scholar Kong unconsciously looked up at the emperor. In his opinion, it was most likely because the emperor had consulted Zhu Jing and Wu Ge Lao in advance, so the two of them said such words.
However, to his surprise, the emperor did not take the opportunity to agree, but showed a slightly smug expression, then looked at Zhu Jing and said in an excited tone, or in a tone that was eager for the world to be in chaos: "I have earlier asked the Ministry of War to send a letter to the naval forces in various parts of Jiangnan to start the Linhai naval exercise. It should be about time to start now, right?"
"If these naval camps that spend countless money and food every year are still defeated by a few rebels, then they might as well be disbanded!" He paused here, and his tone became more unquestionable. "Now March is almost here, and the ports in the north are gradually thawing. Notice to fishing boats everywhere to be careful when going out to sea. Also... bring weapons such as Pudao!"
Scholar Kong was slightly surprised. It was okay for fishermen, but how come he didn't know about the naval drill before? He suddenly remembered that because the second prince was killed at the end of the year, all kinds of aftermath and related matters were piled up, and he was in charge of them. As for those involving the punishment of Goryeo and related issues, it was Wu Ge Lao who took the lead.
So, he, the Prime Minister who is not the Prime Minister, was kept in the dark just now!
The emperor saw that Grand Secretary Kong had a gloomy face, so he did not continue to provoke him. Instead, he put away his previous attitude and said earnestly: "The reason why the words 'descendants of Taizu' can easily fool people is because in recent years, the navy's ships have only been cruising in the coastal waters, cracking down on smuggling, but no longer sailing across the oceans. Instead, it is the merchants and merchant ships that have traveled the farthest."
"I have no intention of sending out countless large ships to travel around the world like during the reign of Emperor Taizong, wasting countless money and grain. After all, Emperor Taizong also realized in his later years that this approach was inappropriate, so there were those ships that you all know about but don't talk about."
Hearing this, whether it was Grand Secretary Kong, Lord Wu and Zhang Yu, or even Duke Zhao Zhu Jing and several chancellors, their expressions were somewhat awkward and subtle.
The royal fleet seemed to be secretive, and it always had an apparent owner who abided by the law and paid taxes on time. Of course, no one knew whether there were any messy incidents in foreign countries, but in general, the people present, even if some of them did not know which specific fleet it was, had all heard of this hen that laid golden eggs .
Seeing that no one else was talking, Grand Secretary Kong could only bite the bullet and say, "Your Majesty means that we are not only conducting naval exercises, but also sending ships out to sea? How many ships? How many people? How much will it cost? How will we explain this to the people..."
Before Academician Kong finished listing these questions one by one, the emperor said in a cold voice: "Be straightforward with the people. It is rumored that Emperor Taizu founded the country in Haidong, so there are rebels with ulterior motives and secretly planning, which led to the previous incident at Lutai Horse Post. To prevent this from happening again, since the Ming Dynasty is known as the Celestial Empire, we should redraw the map of the world and visit the customs of the world!"
"It's not the territory of the Ming Dynasty, but the territory of the world! It's not the customs of the Ming Dynasty, but the customs of the world. Since the Haidong Continent is clearly marked on the globe left by Emperor Taizu, and ships have been there, then we should go look for it! Even if we can't find the descendants of Taizu, we can still establish vassal states overseas!"
"Since we are called the Celestial Empire by our vassal states, we should have the responsibility of a great Celestial Empire. If we are complacent and confined to a corner of the so-called central globe, how can we be called the Celestial Empire?"
If Zhang Shou was here, then upon hearing such impassioned words, he would definitely be willing to say "good" and be the most qualified supporting actor. However, most of the ministers present at this time had frowns on their faces. Even Lord Wu, who was known as the emperor's yes-man, was slow to react. Instead, it was Zhu Jing who spoke first.
However, as the Minister of War, he did not praise the emperor, and his tone was very calm: "Your Majesty wants to make this matter public, and then send ships to the four seas to promote the country's prestige, which is fine. And since there are many high-yield crops in the Haidong Continent, if they can be suitable for the land of the Ming Dynasty, there will be no hunger in the future. However, just doing this will cost a lot, I wonder where to squeeze out these expenses?"
Academician Kong was simply surprised and delighted. He had never thought that Zhu Jing would stand on his side one day. In just a moment, he only heard Elder Wu slowly say, "Your Majesty's blueprint is really impressive. However, I would like to ask, those ocean-going ships are completely different from the ships in the naval camps of various places nowadays. Do you want to build new ones?"
Then, Grand Secretary Zhang Yu and several other ministers also raised their concerns - nothing more than where the ships would come from, where the money would come from, and where the people would come from.
In the face of this series of doubts, the emperor remained calm and made a shocking statement, just like he did at the beginning: "The ships are naturally the ones used by the royal family back then, and the people are the ones used by the royal family in recent years. As for the money, it doesn't have to come from the national treasury!"
In an instant, all the people present, except for Zhu Jing, the Duke of Zhao, who remained calm but actually acted as a guarantor for the emperor, took a deep breath. For so many years, the fleet had always been a forbidden delicacy in the palace, and there were powerful prime ministers who wanted to reach out to it. However, even the most cowardly and indifferent emperor had an extremely tough attitude on this point .
Of course, if he wasn't tough, there would be something fishy! The emperor had money in his hands, so he didn't have to look at the faces of the ministers or listen to the heart-wrenching advice of the imperial censors. The concubines in the palace, regardless of their virtue or not, were extremely consistent in this point, because they all received huge amounts of cosmetics money!
And now, the emperor actually intends to bring this thing that has always been kept under the table to the surface?
Is this true? If it is true, of course they can do it! If they do it, they will go down in history. Who doesn't want to restrict the inner treasury?
Scholar Kong exchanged glances with his colleagues, then bowed deeply and asked, "Is your Majesty serious?"
I knew you would take the bait! The emperor smiled smugly and said nonchalantly, "I'm not kidding!"
Faced with such a resounding promise, Wu Ge Lao was the first to agree without the lead of Confucius: "If this is true, the court can spread its power throughout the world without spending any money. Moreover, the ships and people are ready-made, and they are experienced, so this is naturally feasible! Moreover, although the previous fleet was quite secretive, there were discussions in the court and among the people. Now in this case..."
"The people of the world will certainly praise the emperor for his lack of ostentation. He is truly the holy ruler of the Ming Dynasty!"
Academician Kong felt so jealous that his teeth were about to fall out. The only person who could speak such naked words of praise to the emperor in front of so many top ministers in the court and still feel justified and unashamed was Lord Wu.
However, before he could assert himself, he found that the next person to come was Minister Chen of the Ministry of Revenue, who came in as the chief treasurer in charge of the court's purse and also expressed his support in a serious manner. After Minister Chen came the Grand Secretary Zhang Yu, and after Zhang Yu came the other two ministers... In the end, he found that only he and Zhu Jing were standing still.
He knew that he could not be compared with Zhu Jing, a noble relative, so he could only reluctantly say: "Your Majesty has such a heart, and he is the most wise emperor after Taizu and Taizong of our dynasty. However, it will take more than a day or two to change from a merchant ship to a military ship..."
This time, he still couldn't finish his words, because Zhu Jing, the Duke of Zhao who had been silent just now, said indifferently: "Zhang Kang, the Earl of Weinan who is in charge of the Military Equipment Bureau, has been supervising the construction of ship cannons, muskets, rams and other weapons for boarding battles. If needed, the weapons he provides are probably enough to fill twenty ships." Although those ships already have weapons...
How come I don’t know!
When Confucius came out of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, his face was as black as a pot-bottomed bread. It was not just him, but several ministers were like this, even though they had just praised the emperor's noble character. However, when they returned to their own offices, most of them had calmed down.
It is said that when the emperor and his subjects are of one mind, the world will prosper. But throughout history, has there ever been a truly harmonious relationship between the emperor and his subjects without any game? Dong Zhongshu said that the connection between heaven and man is to flatter the emperor, but isn't it also to put shackles on him? Otherwise, if the emperor has no reverence at all, wouldn't it easily create a tyrant?
The former Emperor Taizu was like that. His prestige was too high, so many of his systems and things were unheard of in previous dynasties. The ministers were dumbfounded but could not control them. When it came to Emperor Taizong, he took advantage of his early accession to the throne and the support of a group of meritorious officials, so he created a huge institution independent of the Ministry of Revenue and the treasury, and the internal treasury was self-sufficient in terms of supplies.
When the court officials were unable to control the emperor's expenses from the source, and the emperor could maintain a luxurious life without excessive taxation, then there would be no way to check and balance. The two previous attempts by Yingzong and Ruizong to seize the throne seemed to be a natural outcome, but wasn't it because the completely crazy princes in the palace forgot their fear of awe, so the ministers joined forces to welcome the new emperor?
But now, the emperor is willing to cut off one of his arms. So he has to endure the humiliation today!
In the empty main hall of the Qianqing Palace, the emperor suddenly said without thinking: "This time the wind seems to be blowing too hard. Many people fainted. Maybe everyone thinks that I am cutting off my own arm. From now on, I can put the unscrupulous royal family in an iron cage. After all, even the emperor can't do whatever he wants without money."
It seemed that there was no one in the main hall at this time, but after the emperor finished speaking, a person quietly turned out from behind the screen. It was Chu Kuan, who was said to have disappeared because he angered the emperor due to the death of the second prince. After the person stood behind the emperor, he whispered: "The elders will probably think of placing officials on the ship and bringing everyone under the control of the court."
"Yes, they have been looking forward to this day for a long time." The emperor shrugged nonchalantly, and then said word by word, "You should be ready to set off with the ship. Also, tell Duke Zhang Rui of Chu that I want to use him again. I will have to set up a Maritime Affairs Department under the Ministry of War."
