AD 2388, the twenty-sixth year of Jiajing. In this year, the Emperor of Heaven was already forty years old.
The Longevity Ceremony was supposed to be held last year, but the war between several parties was not over yet. The emperor's intention was to hold it next year to reward the meritorious officials and establish a new order around the Ming Dynasty.
Therefore, at the end of the past year, the emperor made a triumphant return from the Northern Expedition, leaving more than a year to end the chaos in Yunnan, Jiaozhi, and Korea, and to allow Japan to wrap up its affairs.
The people of the Ming Dynasty have become accustomed to the frequent good news in the past two or three years. The people of the capital are naturally looking forward to the Longevity Ceremony to be held this year.
I heard that this year the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty will send decrees to all directions, and all surrounding countries will be without exception. The king of the country will lead his ministers to the Ming Dynasty in person.
The matter involves major construction and transportation matters.
The area around the Temple of Heaven and Earth was originally a place where nobles and nobles bought land and built their homes. Now it has undergone a large-scale renovation.
Many of our ancestors chose to go to the Steppe Khanate, Korea, Japan, Ryukyu, and even more vassal states.
Their houses now have new uses: they serve as embassies in the capital of the Ming Dynasty for countries that have diplomatic relations with the Ming Dynasty.
It has not been activated yet because the document of establishment of diplomatic relations has not been signed yet.
In the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Zaiyu stood aside and listened to his father's emphasis on Yan Song.
"Don't make the ceremony like all nations coming to court." Zhu Houcong looked at the notes of the grand ceremony presented by Yan Song, "The heads of the nations and their envoys are here to observe the ceremony. Since the Ming Dynasty's military power has been demonstrated, now it is good to those countries that are friendly to them. Just be reasonable and they will listen."
Yan Song was a little embarrassed: "Your Majesty, if that happens, I'm afraid they will also feel uneasy."
"My nephew, it is appropriate to kneel down and congratulate him on his birthday. However, the other vassal states' heads do not need to ask for it. They can just offer congratulatory gifts. The main thing is the venue. In the bright hall of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the seats are arranged at a round table. I will discuss with them what to do in the future. To seek common development. In addition, I will have individual talks with each family within the Zhai Palace."
"The Ayutthaya of Siam..."
After Yan Song finished speaking, he couldn't help but look at the prince from the corner of his eye.
The disposal of Burma, Jiaozhi, Babaidadian and other places is naturally an important agenda item of this Longevity Ceremony and the "Conference of Heads of State".
Although the Ming Dynasty had made plans, it had not yet been officially announced to the outside world. The prince and the ministers who would go to North Vietnam were still making preparations in the capital, waiting for their departure after the Longevity Ceremony.
Over in Siam, it is now the Ayutthaya dynasty, and its leader is named Gaifa.
Zhu Houcong looked at Gao Gong and said, "Does Gaifa dare to come?"
Gao Gong came back from the Nanyang Protectorate. When he heard this, he bowed: "This Gaifa only succeeded to the throne last year. His father originally took the throne from his nephew. Now the powerful minister Kunwala Wangsa is attacking Lanna with the help of Burma. Ji sent troops to Lanna together, and actually took over the power. I'm afraid Gaifa won't dare to come, otherwise the king will change his throne."
Zhu Houcong smiled: "Whether he comes or not, it is true that we sent troops to Lanna and divided 800 days with Burma. Now that I have come, I should also uphold justice for my beloved concubine and let him hand over the occupied land. There are other important things." Punishment. How can we establish diplomatic relations with this country if we have committed such a crime? Since we are not establishing diplomatic relations with a friendly country, there is plenty of room for follow-up."
"I understand..."
"This is true for Siam, but there is no need to treat Lanna and others harshly. They have their own national conditions. Whatever they have been in the past, there is no need to ask them anything in the future. The barren mountains are bound by commerce and trade, and culture and education are slowly assimilating. The Southeast Asian countries
, even more so, cooperation will benefit both sides, it would be good to help them set up more commercial ports."
The east and north sides of the Ming Dynasty have been completely renewed, and there are new situations in the south. However, the greatest hidden danger is in the west.
Yan Chunsheng has already set off with his army and will not come this time.
There is no news yet on whether Tibet will come.
There is still not a unified country there, and there are many different Dharma kings.
Now that An Da has been enthroned, Tubo has once again retreated to the plateau, but there was indeed a decisive move before.
It's hard to really defeat them because the geographical advantage is so obvious.
When the discussion was over, Zhu Houcong thought for a while and said: "If they want to stay there, give them a formal title. I ordered both Qinggan and Sichuan to go there, and the Pope took turns to canonize. I recognized the family; there was only one Xuanwei.
The division is called the Ming Dynasty Territory, and they are autonomous. Border trade exchanges are exchanged, and peace and stability are the top priority."
To completely solve the problem there, Ming Dynasty still needs more accumulation to avoid the inconvenience of transportation and the back and forth due to the fight.
It took more than 400 years for the place to truly change, and a huge price was paid, including building roads.
Now let's treat it as a special case, at least lay the groundwork first.
After the ministers all retired, Zhu Houcong looked at his son: "You should feel more at ease, right? Although there are not many days left to stay with dad, after you leave, you will have to exchange letters frequently. Dad will continue to teach you.
.”
"...My son is ashamed."
"I understand. It's just that the problems you have to face are indeed more than those of previous princes."
The prince, who was originally stable and stayed in the capital to wait for his succession, suddenly had to take charge of his own affairs. It was called experience, and he didn't know how many possibilities there would be in the future. It was normal for Zhu Zaiyi to be determined and depressed at the same time.
But Zhu Houcong has already decided this and will not change it.
"When your eldest brother comes back, and Zai Chi joins him, I will make it clear to you." Zhu Houcong looked at him, and his tone softened a lot, "After so many years, you should have an idea of how much effort I have spent on the future of Ming Dynasty.
Cultivate an excellent heir. Even if you go to Vietnam to practice, don't let some thoughts in your heart swallow you up. Even if the queen has a legitimate son, can I train him to be better than you?"
"Father..." Zhu Zaiyu's voice was choked with sobs.
"In front of the imperial throne, father and son, brothers, uncles and nephews... I know how many bloody stories there are in history books, and I also know that everyone will inevitably have secret thoughts in their hearts. We must face what should be faced, but Dad teaches you
In my knowledge, I always hope that you can distinguish the priorities and see the importance."
After a pause at this point, Zhu Houcong sighed softly: "No matter what, you have to remember that at least on the issue of inheritance, dad has always been honest with you and has not evaded anything. This is because dad has given you
I treat you as an adult, and I hope you will become stronger."
Patting his shoulder, Zhu Houcong said: "Although your father is a special case, the pressure he puts on you is indeed greater. Let's go, the days of reunion are getting fewer and fewer, and you can accompany your father to play ball again. You also want to
Exercise well and don’t let dad’s hard work go to waste in the future because of physical problems.”
The words were spoken very clearly and clearly.
But health and lifespan, for example, are also huge unknowns.
He had a son before he was twenty, and the emperor is still in good health. Although he was indeed raised as a prince with a clear attitude and never wavered in his status, what if the prince walked ahead of the emperor?
This situation will become more obvious as the emperor and prince get older.
I think back then, when Prince Zhu Biao of the Ming Dynasty died young, all Zhu Yuanzhang's hard work was in vain. How bloody the Ming Dynasty was in the government and the public in his later years?
Everyone is thinking about that possibility, and everyone is predicting the possible bloody storms in the future.
The pressure that the longevity emperor put on his sons and courtiers is unimaginable.
Zhu Houcong had no better way to solve all this. After all, the imperial power was still there. Although he created many new systems, because of his own differences, the imperial power today is actually more stable and powerful.
Even if he tries to be a false king, due to a sudden and huge change, not only his son but also the ministers will not agree, and the civil servants will immediately fall into inevitable internal fighting and delay the progress of the Ming Dynasty.
Take your time, take your time...
…
After the emperor had been in power for so many years, his civil, political and military skills had reached this level, and the only thing to guide the officials and people of the Ming Dynasty on what to do was to look at the emperor's daily words and deeds.
The emperor's current hobbies are three things: inventions, miscellaneous books, and asking questions.
Needless to say about the invention, when the steam engine was credited with a new generation of princes, people were already shocked by the emperor's emphasis on scientific research, inventions and creations.
There are also clues about miscellaneous books. After all, there was imperial approval of the Three Kingdoms before, and now they are even more keen to let many academicians, including Li Shizhen, a new scholar who has just entered the medical hospital, compile various books.
These novels, astronomy and geography, medical books... all kinds of books were naturally non-mainstream miscellaneous books a few decades ago and were not popular among scholars.
As for interrogating cases, it doesn't mean that the emperor likes to try cases personally, but he starts to like to read various case files.
From major cases in the imperial court to small private cases in local prefectures and counties, everyone seems to like them all.
The person who cooperated with the emperor to satisfy his new preference was Hai Rui from the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
The sensible ministers understood the meaning: the emperor was reminding them in this way that the constitution, party program, and laws and regulations were the most important things for the emperor in the administration of officials.
You guys can show off your talents, but I'll just keep an eye on you to see if you remember them.
Coupled with a more low-key but powerful factory and security system, no one dares to underestimate the amount of information the emperor has.
The emperor was preparing to welcome his forty-year-old longevity ceremony, while the kings, crown princes, and important ministers of various vassal states set foot on the land of the Ming Dynasty one after another.
Zhu Zaiqi came back from Korea with Yan Shifan. King Zhu Xianzhen of Liao, Shen Lian, Li and others met with them and set off together.
On the other side of the grassland, the Duoyan Khanate, the Ulyanha Khanate, and the Khalkha Khanate... drove their sheep and horses, carrying their furs, to the northern border of the Ming Dynasty.
Frequent fleets arrived from Guangzhou Port. The Nanyang countries had seen or heard about the invincibility of the Nanyang Navy in the battles of Burma and Cochin, and they were extremely anxious about heading north.
Ming Dynasty should have fought enough, right?
On the Tubo side, red hats, yellow hats, and secular dignitaries all had to make choices because of Ming's attitude.
There is not much time left, and Ming has made it clear that he will not interfere in the internal affairs of the plateau. If he admits it, he can legitimately suppress others.
Within the Ming Dynasty, governors from various provinces came forward to bring congratulatory gifts to Beijing.
The emperor has passed the threshold of being forty years old, and he will really celebrate his birthday later.
The Ming Dynasty has been governed like this by the emperor. When you reach middle age and old age, the drama of those jealous of your sons and ministers may happen again. Of course, you must have bottom-line thinking.
The same is true for the nobles and dignitaries: after a great battle, the merits are like a torrential rain. This year, in terms of merit awards, I don’t know how many more princes and princes will be rewarded. After returning to the capital, the emperor began to pull the reins, and only allowed a limited number of people to go west. The direction is still moving forward, that is, the hilt of the knife must be stored in the warehouse, and the horse is released to Nanshan?
Next, it is the turn of those whose achievements are hard to reward and often feel their necks get cold.
This is what Zhu Houcong realized was that it was too difficult to change his mind: there were bloody stories in the history books, and he firmly believed that the times were really different, and there were still too few people who were different from this emperor.
There is no way, too many people do not have the capital to believe firmly.
If anything goes wrong, there will be a lot of consequences. Who dares to make a big bet?
Zhu Zai'an returned to the capital from Kunming earlier, accompanied by Mu Shaoxun's son, Mu Chaofu, the eldest son of the Duke of Guizhou.
Over in Myanmar, Mu Shaoxun and Yang Bode continued to control the situation.
On the other side of Jiaozhi, the sons of Lingbihou and Pinghuhou also came over. They themselves were still stationed in North Vietnam and Vietnam, waiting for the Ming Dynasty's disposal.
In the Qianqing Palace, before the Longevity Ceremony began, there was a banquet given by the clan and relatives.
Over the years, Zhu Houcong has been surrounded by children and grandchildren.
The emperor's eldest grandson was still in Kunming, but after the prince's wedding, the emperor's grandson was already born. He was born at the end of the twelfth lunar month after the emperor's triumphant expedition to the north, and was named Zhu Yitong.
It is both a weapon and a party. Zhu Zaicheng was about to go to Vietnam, and another reassurance Zhu Houcong gave him was to keep his grandson in the capital for good education.
It just makes people think that if something happens to the prince, will the old story between his uncle and nephew happen again?
Don't make guesses purely based on historical events, don't be too dark. The emperor said frankly to the prince, which made the prince feel embarrassed: Dad, am I already a person who would think so extreme for the sake of the throne?
Now in front of his clan relatives, Zhu Houcong was in a good mood.
"We are all members of the same family, heroes, and relatives of the country. Some things can be said openly." Zhu Houcong continued his battle, "I have conquered the vassal state, not only for the future of the Ming Dynasty, but also for the settlement of you. I am not a heartless person, let the vassal state be settled."
The main reason why we all moved to the capital was for the sake of grain storage. Although the Ming Dynasty is vast, it has few good fields and fertile soil. If we cannot concentrate our efforts, how can we accumulate strength and eradicate foreign troubles? Now, you can go to all the lands of foreign vassals."
After saying that, he looked at Zhu Zaiqi: "Over there in Japan, there are still a lot of shortages of people to grant some princes to take care of some industries, right?"
"Exactly! Father, my son and I are worried about this matter."
Zhu Houcong nodded: "From generation to generation, the clan has spread. In the Han Dynasty, favors were extended, and in successive dynasties, vassal vassals were reduced, all because the clan became more and more numerous and the financial resources were difficult to support. Now I have allowed the clan a way out, and can also reuse the relatives of the country. The hereditary inheritance has been lost.
If you don't downgrade, you can show your ambitions. Now that the Ming Dynasty is building barriers again, and China has new relations with other countries, it is time for the clan members to set an example and show their strength. Everyone knows that my wish is for the world to be harmonious and one family everywhere. What do you think?
how?"
“Your Majesty’s Holy Spirit, it’s time to spread its branches and leaves!”
"That's the truth. Today is a poor and remote place, but we should work hard, and it will be prosperous and prosperous in the future." Zhu Houcong looked at them one by one, "Now the power of the Ming Dynasty is unparalleled, and the people of the Ming Dynasty are still as high as the local dignitaries and common people in the vassal state.
Take a look at it, let alone the relatives of the Ming Dynasty clan? If you don’t say anything else, wherever you go, it’s not like staying in the Ming Dynasty and still feeling fear, isn’t it?”
"...Your Majesty is serious."
"I always say what I say directly." Zhu Houcong shook his head, "A man is born between heaven and earth, and it is inevitable that he will not be practical if he just sits and enjoys the benefits. In the Ming Dynasty, if you do things, you are afraid of causing disaster, and if you don't do things, you will live a life of ignorance. When you reach the vassal state, you will have branches.
Scattered leaves, a hundred wastes waiting to be revived, will not touch the foundation of the Ming Dynasty. Neither I nor the leader of the vassal country can be more tolerant. However, we must pay attention to the general direction. I hope that the Ming Dynasty can win the hearts of the vassal people.
This is too much exploitation. With the support of the Ming Dynasty, it is not difficult to govern the vassal state into a prosperous age that their ancestors have never had before, isn't it?"
After the massive conquests, the next stage is the reconstruction and revival of the countries.
The fastest way is, of course, to inject external resources.
The best way to get the best of both worlds is naturally to let the "private forces" with the resources of the Ming Dynasty go to the vassal states more, without putting too much pressure on the Ming treasury itself; by the way, reducing the expansion of clans and relatives will have a greater impact on the Ming Dynasty's finances.
A big burden.
This is why it was planned before the war that there would be an unknown number of kings and dukes in this battle.
Anyway, most of them were sealed in vassal states.
The gold content seems to be half a level lower than that of the Ming Dynasty itself, but what about the power? After all, it is to control the wind and rain within the vassal state.
After Zhu Houcong listened to everyone's statements, he looked at Cui Yuan happily: "Maoren, there is a beginning and an end. Let's mint and print new money, silver coins, silver notes, and treasure tickets. Let's discuss everything."
Cui Yuan, who is already seventy years old, can be said to be standing tall and has always been favored by the saints.
This sentence of beginning and end is also said to others.
Cui Yuan felt a little emotional. After all, he did not kill the donkey. The emperor was tolerant, but everyone was squeezed out.
Now that we are seventy, we still have to do one last thing, which is to establish a monetary system between the Ming Dynasty and the countries that have diplomatic relations.
This large-scale clan and relatives went to the vassal state to "join the vassal", which was naturally accompanied by an extremely large amount of currency exchange.
Their assets in the Ming Dynasty need to be converted into silver notes and treasure notes. After arriving in the feudal state, they can be converted into resources through business transactions and invested in the assets there.
As a result, Ming Dynasty will benefit a lot.
Of course, I won't treat them badly. This part of the profit itself will be considered a big part on their heads, allowing them to exchange their assets in the Ming Dynasty for more money.
In and out, this is a mathematical problem. As long as it is circulating, Daming and them are not losing money after all.
In the Forbidden City, the emperor, his clan, and his ministers were discussing this matter.
Japan, North Korea, Ryukyu and other places have also recruited large-scale manpower in the capital.
Scholars are most popular, but those with special skills are also welcome.
As a result of victory and conquest, a massive migration and assimilation began.
Zhang Juzheng is temporarily in charge of the Literary and Communications Department, personally handling the new business called "visas."
He carefully understood this kind of thing that had never been seen in history books, and a concept came to his mind: I'm afraid this is the beginning of true world harmony, right?
Countries have not abolished their local languages, but what is left behind in writing and practiced in the world will be Chinese, and many rules are derived from the Ming system.
In addition, the migration of hundreds of thousands every year brings with them the lifestyle and culture of the Ming Dynasty, and they marry and have children with the locals...
While His Majesty is still here, Ming Dynasty can control everything.
But it's not enough, the prince and his generation, and even the next generation, are still needed to be able to control everything!
A hundred years from now, if there are disputes again, so what?
They are all from the same culture and species!
The hardest part is always starting.
Since Qin unified the world and sent officials from counties and counties to the local areas, this was another truly purposeful and planned expansion.
Do the feudal lords who arrive in Beijing one after another realize this?
Tang Shu, who was in charge of the Ministry of Industry, got the writing from Cui Yuan. He was stunned and asked: "So many preparations?"
Li Mo leaned over to take a look, and then laughed: "Isn't that right? The wealth of more than ten vassal kings and hundreds of nobles for so many years will be bought when they arrive in the vassal country. Put the news down quickly, they will make it happen.
If you sell it, I can collect a lot more taxes this year!"
The vast resources that the vassal state was about to need, the small-scale handicraft industry and the light and heavy industries that had begun to take shape all had a larger market.
Yan Song already knew what was going on. Now in the State Palace, he twisted his beard and smiled.
"Yong Xiuzi has been worrying about it for a long time and calculating carefully every day. He plants trees and I enjoy the shade!"
There was a happy atmosphere in the State Palace, and that was it.
Autumn is coming soon, and it’s time for Ming Dynasty to reap the rewards of so many years of hard work.