In the court meeting on the second day, the scandal of the Eastern Zhejiang Navy was still the main topic of mutual criticism between the two camps belonging to the eldest prince Zhu Gaochi and the second prince Zhu Gaoxu. Although Zhu Di did not like this matter to be exploited by someone with ulterior motives, he took this matter to the next day.
The scandals that he was saddened by kept coming out, but there was nothing he could do to stop them.
The emperor does not do whatever he wants. He can make the final decision on national affairs, but he cannot block the mouths of ministers and prevent them from speaking, or force them to only say what they want to hear. He has this ability, but he cannot abuse it.
ability, otherwise it will cause greater harm to his rule.
However, he was gratified that today some officials were finally willing to focus on other aspects. First, someone impeached the Chaohu Navy for not fighting for a long time and lacked combat experience, making it difficult to take on the important task of suppressing Japan. Then someone impeached the Fuzhou Navy.
Chi Zhong, the commander-in-chief, had a feuding family, with his mother-in-law and daughter-in-law quarreling. It is said that his private life was not very good, and he once supported a male prostitute. Fujian is a place where masculinity is the most prevalent. It is said that he even refused to have sex with members of the clan who came from afar and were like-minded.
Without care, they live on the streets, begging for a living, etc...
These things seem to have nothing to do with his role as the commander of the Japanese-suppressing fleet, but the conduct and behavior of officials at that time were the most important criteria for measuring an official's competency. If his moral character was low, let alone being unable to serve as the commander-in-chief of the Japanese-suppressing fleet.
He is not even worthy of being an official. Of course these reasons can be used to attack him.
Regardless of whether the impeachment of these imperial envoys was based on rumors, at least this trend made Zhu Di very happy, so Zhu Di accepted the memorial with a cheerful face and ordered Yousi to conduct an investigation. Immediately, Wu Youdao, Huang Zhen and more than 20 imperial envoys
They also went to court one after another and severely accused the Japanese pirates of causing trouble. The people along the coast of the Ming Dynasty were invaded. As the Japanese king conferred by the Ming Dynasty Emperor, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was suspected of condoning the rampant Japanese pirates. Even if he was not, he was incapable of governing the country and was unfavorable in suppressing the bandits.
.For such a vassal country, our Ming Dynasty should not accommodate it, but should refuse to reopen trade with that country and impose sanctions.
When the civil and military ministers were entangled in the Zhejiang Navy case and busy fighting among themselves, there were still so many officials focusing on the overall situation. Their role was no less than the source of running water. Zhu Di was surprised and delighted. So under Zhu Di's deliberate guidance
Under this situation, civil and military officials had to express their opinions on this issue.
The court meeting that day did not reach an agreement on whether to sanction ***, but this topic has been raised, so it is easier to deal with. Since the ministers are involved, they must implement their own ideas. When the court meeting tomorrow
, there will definitely be people who will put forward their own opinions on this matter, which will divert everyone's attention from the Eastern Zhejiang Navy scandal in disguise.
Zhu Di and Longyan were very happy. In order to show their importance to this matter and their appreciation for Wu Youdao, Huang Zhen and others' understanding of the general situation and the important situation, he immediately asked the Grand Scholar Xie Jin to read the two people's evaluation books from last year, and then promoted Wu Youdao to the deputy capital imperial officer.
Envoy, Huang Zhen was the envoy of Qiandu.
Chen Ying is the imperial envoy of the capital and the director of the Imperial Procuratorate. He is parallel to the six ministries and is collectively known as Qiqing. Below him are the deputy imperial envoy of the capital and the imperial envoy of Qian. Although Wu Youdao's faction has relatively few imperial envoys, this promotion has
Occupying two key positions in the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Wu Youdao and his party had some checks and balances on Chen Ying.
The emperor used this move to express his dissatisfaction with everyone's excessive entanglement in the Zhejiang Navy scandal. Some officials secretly became alarmed, and the momentum of mutual criticism showed signs of cooling down.
After the court meeting was over, Zhu Di deliberately left Xia Xun behind and summoned him to attend the ceremony.
During this period, Xia Xun was busy building his own team to suppress Japanese pirates. Zhu Di also ordered the major shipyards to speed up the construction of sea-going ships. Fortunately, in the Song and Yuan dynasties, shipping was very developed, and sea-going shipbuilding was very important to all major shipyards.
It’s no stranger. Whether it’s technology or personnel, major shipyards now have it and can put it into production immediately with a decree.
Therefore, during this period of time, the Longjiang Shipyard in South Zhili, the Clippers Shipyard, which specializes in the production of sea-going ships, as well as the Ma Shipyard and Huang Shipyard have been manufacturing various ships such as warships and transport ships for use in the ocean. The Fuzhou Shipyard specializes in the production of large-scale ocean warships.
Dafu Ship, Guangdong Xinhui Dongguan Shipyard specializes in the production of small and medium-sized ocean warships such as Hengjiang ships and Wucao ships. Now it is working day and night, and one ship is delivered every time it is built.
With the emperor's full support and the cabinet's care, preparations in all aspects were in full swing. The production of corresponding naval warfare weapons was also stepped up, and the proportion of firearms was increased. Although this posture was not overwhelming, the court paid attention to it.
The intensity of support and support was more than ten times stronger than when the navy in eastern Zhejiang was suppressing the Japanese.
Zhu Di must avenge the humiliation caused by the Japanese to the Ming Dynasty, so he spared no effort to support Xia Xun, but Xia Xun's responsibility will be heavier accordingly. With such support, if he loses another battle, he will really
He cannot explain himself to the world. No one needs to impeach him, he must take the initiative to take responsibility.
In the Jinshen Hall, the monarch and his ministers had a serious exchange on various war preparations. Finally, Zhu Di said: "I don't know much about the ocean and sea ships. During this period, I have learned a lot about this aspect."
I made a special effort to understand the matter. If the threat of Japanese pirates to our coast can be eliminated, I believe that in the future, grain transportation to the north can be carried out through sea channels as much as possible. In this way, the losses of river transportation can be reduced, both in terms of speed and volume of transport.
, far surpasses river transportation. At the same time, it can also reduce the heavy burden of canal transportation and make the river more accessible to industry, commerce, and society. What do you think?"
Xia Xun was overjoyed when he heard this. During this period, he had also been learning about things about the ocean. Based on his historical knowledge as a later generation, combined with the actual situation he had grasped, he believed that the Ming Dynasty gave up its sea power.
It is unfair to blame the civil government cultivated by Confucianism for being conservative and not thinking about expansion. At least it is not the main reason.
The real reason why the Ming Dynasty gave up its sea power should be that the driving force behind the Ming Dynasty's expansion into the ocean gradually disappeared.
Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, Confucianism has become the only doctrine followed by the officialdom. The world is controlled by Confucian disciples. Have they ever given up on expansion? When the emperors made great achievements in expanding their territories, the Confucian ministers cheered and encouraged them.
Do they praise it, or do they oppose it with all their strength? Why do they welcome the expansion of land, but they disapprove of expansion of the sea?
Why did they build the Great Wall when the land expanded to a certain extent, and they were satisfied? But some people discovered that the place where the Great Wall was built had two worlds? Why is farming developed on the inside of the Great Wall, but there is green grass outside the Great Wall? Is it because no one went there?
Was it planting or was it because the climate and farming conditions at that time were no longer suitable for planting further out?
Although these ancient politicians may not clearly realize it subjectively and use it as their criterion for action, objectively they use this as their criterion for action, that is: interests!
When the benefits brought by expansion are greater than the costs of war and occupation, then it is to open up territories and expand territory, and it will be supported and praised. On the contrary, it is to engage in militarism, and it will be opposed by ministers. Their attitude is subconsciously based on This standard was changed. Of course, this is not the only reason, but it is the main reason.
The idea of opening up enough living space, or that those seemingly desolate places actually contain countless mineral deposits, so they should be occupied at all costs, are just daydreams of unpromising descendants. For people at the time, there was no such reason at all. .
The current population is not more, but less. There is no sense of oppression in the living space. People now have no way to develop and survey to discover what treasures are buried under those barren lands. If the expansion continues, it will be It wastes people and money and cannot make ends meet, so it will naturally become something that everyone is strongly opposed to.
In the early years of Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Dynasty Navy was still relatively strong. This was because the Ming Dynasty needed to control sea power. They needed to attack the remaining forces such as Zhang Shicheng and Fang Guozhen who had fled overseas. They needed to strengthen the defense of the southeastern coast. These constituted The reasons for the development of the navy in the early Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Di later made seven voyages to Nanyang, communicating with overseas countries, mainly for political needs and to show his authority in foreign lands. However, in the process, the Ming Dynasty Navy fleet went all the way, like a giant ship crushing ants, mopping up pirate gangs of all sizes such as Chen Zuyi Once empty, the small Nanyang countries that were hostile to the Ming Dynasty were subdued one by one, and the Chinese forces who had been living in Nanyang since the Southern Song Dynasty were brought back to the mainland. The Nanyang Chinese trade network shrank dramatically...
At the same time, the strength of the Ming Dynasty fleet also caused heavy losses to the Japanese pirates. Coupled with the rise of Sino-Japanese exploration and trade, the Japanese pirate organizers had legal trade channels, and the threat of the Japanese pirates also decreased during that period. All of the above, whether it was In terms of coastal defense security and trade monopoly, the sea no longer poses a threat to the Ming Dynasty and cannot bring more benefits. Therefore, when the political task is completed, no one will pay attention to the importance of sea power. Already.
Of course, these are just what Xia Xun thought of. In fact, there are other reasons. For example, the flow of population is not only the return of Nanyang Chinese in large numbers. Due to the establishment of Beijing, the population and economic centers in the Central Plains are also moving northward. A large number of people in Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong moved to the north. Zhejiang had the largest population. During the Yongle Dynasty, half of the local population moved to the north. This series of changes made the Ming Empire less and less interested in the ocean.
At the same time, the rise of the Tatars and Oaras also caused the strategic center of the Ming Empire to move northward, gradually forming a continental army doctrine in military construction.
The construction of an army requires military expenditures. At this time, the Ming Empire's military expenditures will inevitably tilt towards the north, toward infantry and cavalry. Not only will the navy not be able to build, but military expenditures will be greatly reduced and misappropriated. In the end, the fleet can only It rotted in the harbor, navigation data were destroyed by the Ministry of War, construction of ocean-going ships was stopped, overseas private trade was strictly prohibited, and sea power was surrendered.
Although Xia Xun's understanding was not comprehensive, he had vaguely discovered the essence of the problem, so when he heard Zhu Di's idea, he was very happy.
Zhu Di was a rare emperor who was willing to value sea power. Although his original purpose was political and was not enough to support the long-term and sustainable development of the Ming Dynasty's sea power, if he could add fuel to the fire and strengthen the Ming Dynasty's development of the ocean,
In order to gain actual benefits, will Ming's warships still rot in the docks? Will Ming still be a full century behind the West when it realizes the importance of sea power?
Xia Xun was so happy that he immediately transformed into Huang Zhen's second, flattering Zhu Di for free.
Zhu Di had been very depressed these days because of the Zhejiang Shuidongshi scandal, but now he was amused by Xia Xun. He waved his hand and said with a smile: "Okay, okay, if you keep filming, you will become a sycophant of the emperor.
Oh, haha, the Japanese envoys have arrived in Beijing, and the Ministry of Rites is dragging them around, when are you going to negotiate with them?"
Xia Xun smiled and said: "Tomorrow, I want to go to Dingguo Duke's Mansion first to visit General Chizhong!"
Zhu Di glanced at him with a half-smile but said, "The two people you chose are highly criticized by the ministers in the DPRK!"
Xia Xun said: "It's mediocre if you don't make people jealous, but I have full confidence in them!"
Zhu Di, who had been criticized by others, felt the same way about this sentence, nodded and said with a smile: "Okay, since you want to use it, then use it boldly, I fully support it! But if you come back after a defeat, I will not spare you!"
Xia Xun agreed with a smile, the monarch and his ministers talked for a while, and then Xia Xun left the palace.
After Xia Xun left the palace, he did not return home, but went directly to Dingguo Duke's mansion. Dingguo Duke Xu Jingchang came back early and told him the criticism of Chi Zhong by the imperial envoys and officials, which made Chi Zhong angry.
Fa Chi. Literary men look down on military ministers, and military ministers always look down on civil servants. These uncles and nephews are insulting civil servants with their words. Someone came in to report that the auxiliary Duke Yang Xu was here.
After hearing this, the two people hurriedly came out to welcome him.
When he saw Xu Jingchang, Xia Xun cupped his hands and smiled and said: "Ding Guo Gong, I heard that General Chi Zhong has arrived in Beijing. No, I will come as soon as the performance is over. I am going to the East China Sea. This success is all due to General Chi.
Why don't you invite General Chi out and introduce him to him?"
In fact, he had already seen Chi Zhong, who was wearing regular clothes next to Xu Jingchang. Xu Jingchang and Chi Zhong came out to greet them, with a personal entourage beside them. However, the guest of honor and the entourage could be seen from their position, clothing, and demeanor.
When he came out, Xia Xun only took a quick glance and knew that the middle-aged man next to Xu Jingchang was Chi Zhong. When he first saw Chi Zhong, Xia Xun couldn't help but be a little surprised. When he heard the name and Xu Ming'er's introduction, in his imagination,
This General Chi Zhong must be a tiger general who is eight feet tall, mighty and high-spirited, decisive in killing, resolute and brave, but from this look, there is really no military style at all.
This Chizhong is of medium height and has put on weight. It is definitely not all about tendons, but he is indeed a little put on. His belly is slightly bulging, and he has thin skin and white flesh. It is obvious that he is used to being pampered. There is no trace of it on his face.
Powerful and domineering, with long and narrow eyes, a flesh-headed nose, and a slightly thunderous mouth, his appearance is unremarkable. Although it is said that people should not be judged by their appearance, but this is...
When Xia Xun secretly looked at Chi Zhong, the attendant next to Chi Zhong stared at Xia Xun with wide eyes and a look of astonishment on his face!
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