At the Great Court Meeting, Cheng Yu took Yu Yunwen, Hu Quan, Qian Sui, Zhu Xiaozhong and others to report to the emperor in front of all the civil and military officials.
Cheng Yu took out his work report and read:
"On this overseas mission, we exchanged letters of credence with a total of thirty-two countries. Among them were several Nanyang countries. The envoys did not go there in person. Merchants delivered the letters of credence on their behalf and brought the envoys back to Guangzhou to wait for rendezvous...
…”
"Recording ports, mileage, star maps, longitude and latitude, climate, crops, customs, and political systems along the way... The navigation clock has design flaws, and there are huge errors after a big storm..."
"We brought back more than 40,000 books from various countries, all of which were selected together with local scholars. There were especially many medical books, totaling more than 13,000. We also brought back 12 foreign doctors and a large number of overseas medicinal materials...
"
"425 horses of excellent breeds from various countries were purchased. 37 of them stayed in Ceylon Island to recuperate due to illness. Another 12 horses became ill and stayed in Guangzhou to recuperate. Another 5 horses fell ill and died at sea. The rest have died
It was transported to the horse farm in the northern suburbs of Kaifeng. When I left there, there were still 16 horses that were sick..."
"The horses that the Ming cavalry took to sea were either sick or dead, and only half returned home alive. Some of them may not have died because they were sick and stayed on the island of Ceylon."
"The mission earned a large amount of gold and silver from trade, but how much it earned cannot be estimated for the time being. Because many of the goods were exchanged for books, scholars, doctors, and horse breeds. Not all the foreign goods shipped back to the country were sold.
There are also some gold and silver treasures that were stolen from foreign countries..."
"Disregarding books, scholars, doctors and horse breeds, and subtracting the salaries of all personnel and the money spent on travel, the officials of the Shipping Department have helped to give a rough estimate. The profit from this voyage is more than 1 million taels of silver. This
It's just a conservative valuation, it may be more after the goods are sold."
"In addition, envoys from various countries brought many tributes. In fact, they were gifts in return after we gave gifts, but they were not included in the profits. This is also a large amount of wealth. Some kings even gave slaves in return. I really don't know how to calculate the value."
"There are also three Buddhist treasures from Ceylon, but their value cannot be calculated."
"On this trip, five soldiers died in battle. Eighteen sailors were missing in the storm. One sailor broke his waist and became disabled. Two sailors were killed while sailing in the storm. There was also an official and two clerks.
, six soldiers died of illness. Eight others were seriously ill and stayed in many countries along the way to recuperate, and the kings of those countries promised to take good care of them."
"On this trip to sea, many warships were damaged due to storms. One of them was seriously damaged and could not be repaired in a short time. It was sold to an Indian merchant at a low price and Indian sea ships were purchased to supplement it."
After listening to the work report, all civil and military officials showed surprised expressions.
A conservative estimate of the net profit is over 1 million taels of silver, and this does not include gifts from various countries, books, horse breeds, scholars, Buddhist treasures, slaves, etc.
This is pure profit!
Ju Ming asked: "The cost of building the ship was not included in the calculation, right?"
Cheng Yu replied: "The cost of shipbuilding was not calculated, only the cost of repairing the ship during the voyage. On the way back and forth, almost every ship was overhauled, and it cost a lot of money to repair the ship."
Ju Ming ordered:
"All the deceased will receive heavy compensation."
"The disabled sailor ordered the local government to pay a sum of money and food every month, according to the salary standard of a first-class official in the place where his residence is registered. It will be paid continuously for twenty years, and no delay is allowed during the period, otherwise he will be severely punished. It will not be paid in one lump sum.
After all, I’m afraid that he will be remembered by others because he is disabled.”
"For those who are stranded in other countries due to illness, their family members can receive their salary as usual before being taken back to the country. If it is confirmed that the person died of illness abroad, additional pensions will be paid."
"The Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War, please discuss the rewards for all members of the envoy based on the mission's merit report, and submit a list of rewards for my review."
Chen Dong and Zhang Guangdao came out: "I obey the order!"
Ju Ming asked: "Who wants to go to Ceylon to be the governor? Officials of the fourth grade and above can nominate themselves. As long as they go, they will be promoted immediately. After a few years, they can return to the country to report on their duties."
The whole place was silent.
Ceylon is still too far away, it is the Lion Kingdom in the Buddhist scriptures.
Cheng Yu went out and told the ministers: "The temperature in the Ceylon port we occupied is similar to that of early summer in Luoyang all year round. Although there are occasional hot weather, it is not much hotter than midsummer in Luoyang. There are no four seasons there.
There are only dry seasons and rainy seasons. The dry season is refreshing and pleasant, and the rainy season is slightly humid. The islanders know how to build water conservancy, are good at farming, and are rich in products. Everyone there believes in Buddhism."
Are the four seasons like early summer in Luoyang?
The islanders know how to farm and are rich in products? And they believe in Buddhism?
This is not a deserted island, this is a paid vacation!
While everyone was still thinking about the authenticity of the information, an official came forward and said: "I would like to go to sea and become the Governor of Ceylon!"
But it was Cheng Yu's clan brother Cheng Kejun. He knew that his brother would not tell lies, so he was the first to come forward and recommend himself.
Moreover, this guy was promoted to the fourth rank last year, which just meets the conditions for going overseas to become a governor, and the benefits of promotion can be maximized.
Ju Ming nodded and smiled: "Okay, it's up to you."
Seeing that the candidate for the governor has been confirmed, many fourth-grade officials felt regretful. Why didn't they know to hurry up and grab it?
Cheng Yu saw his brother serving as the governor and continued to speak with a smile: "Your Majesty, since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, many temples have been destroyed. Sometimes, many eminent monks are crowded into one temple, and thirty eminent monks can be sent to Ceylon.
Spread the Dharma.”
"Oh? What's the situation with Buddhism there?" Ju Ming asked.
Cheng Yu said in detail: "Decades ago, when Ceylon became independent from the Chola Kingdom, there were less than ten pure monks left on the island, and most of the Buddhist scriptures were destroyed by Brahmins. In order to promote Buddhism, the first two generations of kings came from Bagan
(Myanmar) invites eminent monks and Buddhist scriptures. Most of the well-known eminent monks in Ceylon today are from Bagan, and they believe in the Southern Buddhism."
A pure monk is a monk who can wear cassocks, observe the precepts, and protect the Buddha's teachings.
Although there are many Buddhists in Sri Lanka, during the rule of the Chola Dynasty, the monks turned to Brahmanism one after another. There were very few monks who could still strictly observe the precepts, and their lives were miserable. After the restoration of the country, they even had to go to Myanmar to learn Buddhist scriptures.
Ju Ming asked many more questions about the situation in Ceylon, and finally ordered:
"I ordered the Senglu Division to select ten eminent monks from across the country and bring twenty disciples to Ceylon to spread Buddhism. Tell them that Ceylon is the Lion Kingdom in the Buddhist scriptures. Also, all the major Buddhist sects in the Ming Dynasty have
Choose a representative.”
"The Ministry of Rites engraves the gold seal of the King of Ceylon and prepares to officially canonize the King of Ceylon."
"In addition, five silver seals are engraved and five great Kassapas are conferred. Four of them are consecrated to the eminent monks of Ceylon in the areas under the jurisdiction of the island princes. The remaining one, Great Kassapa, is conferred to the eminent monks who came from the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty
The eminent monk has been living in the territory under the jurisdiction of the King of Ceylon. After he has figured out the situation and recruited many disciples, he will go to the territory of the island princes to preach."
Asking again about scholars and books, Ju Ming continued to announce:
"All scholars from various countries who are willing to live in the Ming Dynasty, especially well-known scholars from Seljuk and Green Shirt, will be given an official position in the Hanlin Academy by the Ministry of Rites."
"Select a group of Hanlin officials and medical officers, and then select a group of imperial students and medical students to work with scholars from various countries to translate tens of thousands of books brought back from overseas."
"The translation is completed and needs to be verified."
"Especially overseas medical books, there are many superstitions about gods and monsters. Eliminate those errors, retain the essence of medicine from various countries, and finally compile a "Ming Dynasty Medical Classic" that integrates Chinese and foreign medicine."
"Things involving other subjects should also be strictly demonstrated and experimented. I heard that there is another kind of logic, the dialectics of China's pre-Qin period, and the science of enlightenment from India. In fact, they all have the shadow of logic. But they are different from logic.
, this knowledge can also be studied in depth."
"Cheng Yu just said that he also brought back a "Book of Optics" from Luyi Dashi. This book can also be studied carefully. It can corroborate with my Ming Dynasty's optics, learn from each other's strengths, and then publish it into a book."
Immediately afterwards, Ju Ming ordered Haosheng to take care of the horse breeds and cross-breed the horses from various countries.
He also asked the new Jinshi who was intern to copy Hu Quan's records of various countries. In addition to the key information that is helpful for navigation, other customs, customs, and overseas experiences could be copied and compiled into a booklet.
Ju Ming even planned to have the Hanlin Academy, together with envoys and scholars from various countries, compile a book called "Arabian Nights".
The stories in the book are drawn from all countries, from Egypt and Seljuk in the west to Srivijaya and the Kingdom of Sabha in the east. Any bizarre legends or folk anecdotes can be compiled into it.
There is nothing to encourage citizens to go overseas. At least it can improve the breadth of their horizons.
If this book sells well, it will make the officials and people of the Ming Dynasty know that there are countless interesting countries and interesting stories overseas.
Don’t rest on your laurels!
When the dynasty dispersed, Ju Ming left Huan Guo behind and told him his thoughts on "Arabian Nights".
Huan Guo asked: "Your Majesty wants the Hanlin Academy to compile a collection of novels about supernatural beings?"
Zhu Ming shook his head and said: "No. First, it must show an exotic atmosphere and involve the customs and customs of various countries; second, the choice of words and sentences must be appreciated by both refined and popular people, and try to use common language to write the text, so that it can be spoken directly to farmers in the countryside; third,
All kinds of stories must be positive and praise kindness, kindness, wisdom, bravery, loyalty, hard work, and perseverance.”
Huan Guo said: "How vulgar are the proverbs?"
When the great Confucian scholars of the Northern Song Dynasty annotated the classics, their writing was vulgar enough, but for the common people at the bottom, they were still incomprehensible in many cases.
Ju Ming said: "How ordinary people talk, this "Arabian Nights" is written in the same way. Moreover, it must be written in an interesting way."
"This...I'm afraid we can't let scholars write it." Huan Guodao.
Zhu Ming suddenly thought of someone and said with a smile: "The Hanlin Academy compiled all the stories and gave them to Li Bangyan to revise carefully. Regarding the content of each country, if he can't understand it, he can communicate with the envoys from each country."
"Yes." Huan Guodao said.
Ju Ming continued: "I have already thought about the beginning. The story takes place in a country in Tianfang (generally referring to the Arab region). There is a cruel king who takes a concubine every day and kills him when the cock crows. The people of the country are terrified.
They fled abroad one after another. The prime minister could not find the girl and was worried that he would be killed by the king."
"The prime minister's daughter was so smart that she took the initiative to marry the king as his concubine. She also told the king a story before the rooster crows every day."
"The king spared her for one day just to listen to the story. So the prime minister's daughter insisted on telling the king stories every night for a thousand and one nights."
Huan Guo was surprised and said: "This book sounds very interesting."
