Move the capital to another place
Another far-reaching thing that Chu Emperor did was to move the capital, which was a great event in any dynasty. Judy's move to the capital is undoubtedly the most influential one for later generations. There are tens of millions of people and countless tall buildings in Beijing today. It is the capital of our country and one of the most prosperous cities in the world, and all this started with a decision of Judy.
In March of the first year of Yongle (A.D. 1403), Mongolian troops attacked Liaodong and plundered it. The local commander ordered Shen Yong to be an incompetent person. He could not resist and did not report to the leader in time. When Judy heard about it, she was furious and immediately killed Shen Yong, and called ministers to ask the reasons for the deterioration of the military situation in the north.
Judy questioned his ministers that the defense in the north was so weak that the Mongolian army was in full swing. How can this go on? Who should be responsible for this?
However, to Judy's surprise, although all the ministers didn't speak, they didn't be timid, but looked at him straight and waited for a while. Judy felt an uncontrollable anger and was about to explode. Suddenly, he changed his mind and shrank back.
Why?
Because he finally understands why these ministers have been staring at him, and the person responsible for this matter is himself!
In the defense system of Ming Dynasty, Judy, the prince of Yan, and Zhu Quan, the king of Ning, were mainly responsible for the defense in the north. But in the battle of Jingnan, Zhu Quan was kidnapped by him, and he also went to Nanjing to be emperor. Without them, the northern border is basically an unguarded area. How can you blame others?
Nanjing is a very good place, and it is also very suitable for building its capital, because it has dangerous terrain, good feng shui and is also a major grain producing area. As the economic center of China had moved southward at that time, it was very beneficial to maintain the rule of the Ming Dynasty to build its capital here.
However, the problem is that accommodation in the Ming Empire was not a single house. There are several unfriendly neighbors in the northern part of the empire. These neighbors often go into the house to get what they like without the owner's permission, and never write IOUs. Just once or twice. How can this go on?
It is useless to send troops to crusade, because these neighbors are basically made up by guerrillas, and they use the policy of "you enter and I retreat". If you retreat, I will come again. They belong to nomadic people and don't farm. Their daily job is to ride horses and run around, idling about. If they don't rob you, who will you rob?
No crusade, anyway, this is really a problem.
Although the military and political situation is the main reason for moving the capital later, there are also some reasons that cannot be ignored, which is Judy's own characteristics.
Does Judy have anything to do with moving the capital?
The answer is yes. If you remember, we mentioned before that although Judy was born and registered in Nanjing, she went to Beiping at the age of 2 1 and lived there for 20 years. Although he has not changed his household registration (it was not difficult to enter Beiping in those days), his living habits have been completely northernized.
According to historical records, Judy prefers northern food and likes kimchi very much. At that time, korean king Li Fangyuan sent a North Korean chef (fireman) to serve Judy, and he accepted it. Judy, who likes northern tastes, is not too interested in southern food. Although the wind and sand in the north is not as beautiful as that in the south, Judy has always lived in such an environment. Familiarity is the best for him.
Of course, Judy's main reason for moving to the capital is political needs. Now that he has made up his mind, let's act.
Wait a minute! This does not mean that if we bend the rules, we can move. Moving the capital without moving it is definitely not a good job. Just call the moving company. The biggest problem is that Judy didn't move to Beiping alone. If so, it would be much simpler.
Moving the capital involves not only Judy, but also many of his wives, nobles, soldiers and civilians. These people still need to find a place to live and repair their houses. Beiping has been fighting for many years, and the streets and palaces have to be rebuilt, and the urban layout has to be rearranged. Moreover, the people who went to Peiping with him are not ordinary people and need a lot of money to settle down. This is definitely no more difficult than rebuilding the capital.
Although these problems are difficult to solve, they can be solved after all. Judy has a bigger problem before her. If this problem is not solved, moving the capital is tantamount to moving in vain.
We know that Judy's main reason for moving the capital is to control the northern border and ensure national security. It is said that moving the capital can solve this problem, but have you ever thought that there is one more thing that is necessary?
That is food.
Beiping is not a grain-producing area, and moving the capital will inevitably bring a large population (China people always have the habit of going to big cities). These people have to consume a lot of food, and to control the border, they must raise a large number of soldiers. Although the Ming Dynasty realized the barracks (soldiers farmed in peacetime and fought in wartime), which could solve the food problem of some troops, the elite troops in Beijing (such as the 3rd Battalion) did not farm, so many people could not eat or drink anything.
The more serious problem is that it is not enough to ensure the food for the soldiers and civilians in Beiping, because the Ming government may often go out to express condolences to those unfriendly neighbors and teach them a lesson. As the saying goes, before the soldiers and horses move, food and grass come first, and you have to prepare food for 100 thousand people. The grain output near Beiping is absolutely not enough to ensure these actions.
Some people may say, what is this problem? Why not transport the grain from the southern grain-producing areas to the north?
If you think so, congratulations, you finally found the difficulty of this problem.
The biggest obstacle to moving the capital is traffic. At that time, there were no trains, cars and planes, and food could only be transported by manpower. Today, it takes us a lot of time to get from Nanjing to Beijing by modern means of transportation, and people need more than a month to get there. We should not ignore the problem that people who transport food must also eat. No matter how loyal they are to their duties, you should have a clear understanding that they will never starve to death before eating all the food they carry.
So if you find someone to transport grain by land, you must prepare extra rations for the transporter, and let him push two grain trucks on the road, transport one, eat one, and hand over the unfinished part at the destination, which is even a job. And you may prepare more rations than he transports.
If any government is willing to transport goods in this way for a long time, there is only one fate waiting for this government-bankruptcy.
So the only choice left by the Ming government is river transport (also known as water transport).
Yes, the problem seems to have been solved. The answer is simple. Cann't you transport food by boat quickly and in large quantities? Then why are you going around in such a big circle?
I can assure you that there is absolutely no intention of teasing everyone. I can answer this question in two words:
It doesn't work.
At that time, the river from the main grain-producing areas in the south to the north was not smooth, and canal embolism and river diversion brought great inconvenience to the river transportation at that time. Unless the ships of the Ming Dynasty are amphibious, it is absolutely impossible to have a pleasant journey. Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming emperor, suffered a great loss in this regard. He thought that when his old man was fighting, he needed to assemble rations from the south to Liaodong and Peiping, but the river transportation was blocked. In desperation, he had to go by sea and transport them through the Bohai Sea, not to mention the long journey. It is also because the wind and waves are too big and unsafe. It is lucky that a 10 kg shop can deliver half of it.
However, it is by no means easy to bring it up. You should remember that the fuse of the Yuan Dynasty's demise was the river management. Water conservancy project is absolutely the key project invested by the state in any era. This requires a lot of money and labor. Moreover, if spending too much money shakes the foundation of the country, the problem will be serious (the Grand Canal of Emperor Yang Di is an example), so this matter, like writing a book, is not a rich country, so don't even think about it.
Judy's time was prosperous.
After the long-term recovery of Hongwu period and Judy's correct strategy of governing the country, the Ming Dynasty had enough economic strength and accomplished unimaginable things before. The Yongle ceremony has also been completed, so it is natural to do some water conservancy.
In the 9th year of Yongle (A.D. 14 1 1), Judy ordered Song Li, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, to administer the Tonghe River to ensure its smooth flow. Song Li is a very capable water conservancy expert, and he has accomplished this task. Since then, Chen Xuan, governor of grain transportation, has further dredged the river, and the north-south grain transportation has been unimpeded since then. The so-called "Antarctic estuary, Datong bridge in the north"
Other work of moving the capital has been under great pressure. The offices of the central departments were restored as early as the seventh year of Yongle (1409), and the capital was established in the fifteenth year of Yongle, which lasted more than 30 years.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Judy officially ordered to move the capital in the 19th year of Yongle (A.D. 142 1)!
The original capital was renamed Nanjing, and Beijing was determined as the new capital of the Ming Empire. Since then, Beijing has officially become the capital of the Ming Dynasty, and it has lasted for more than 200 years. However, its history did not end with the demise of the Ming Dynasty. On the contrary, it has been alive, developing and eventually becoming one of the most influential cities in the world.
Today, when we stroll in the modern city of Beijing and look at the bustling scene of high-rise buildings and traffic, we should not forget that it was a person named Judy who laid the foundation for all this more than 500 years ago.
It should be pointed out that Judy had a considerable sense of modernity when she built Beijing. He paid great attention to the overall planning of the city, built several trunk lines and branch lines respectively, planned the urban area of Beijing into a square with neat shapes, formulated strict regulations and laid a complete sewer system.
Now, famous buildings in Beijing, such as the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven, are all built by Judy (it was restored in the Qing Dynasty). What is particularly worth mentioning is the Forbidden City, which covers an area of170,000 square meters and takes 20 years to complete. Originally, it was only the place where the emperor lived, and the people absolutely missed it and did not buy tickets to visit it, but this did not affect its position in history. Now the Forbidden City, as a historical treasure of the Chinese nation, has become the pride of every one of us in China.
There is no denying that this is Judy's achievement, which cannot and cannot be erased.
It is worth mentioning that moving the capital is by no means smooth sailing, and everyone has responded. In fact, few people agree with Judy's decision.
There is a simple reason. Most of the ministers of the imperial court lived in the south for a long time except those who Zhu Dijing could not take. Their wives and children are all in Nanjing, and their friends and social relations are all here. Who wants to follow Judy to the North for a briefing?
Shortly after moving the capital, a fire broke out in the palace and natural disasters occurred in many parts of the country. At that time, people called it "natural disasters", and ministers naturally attributed these things to disasters caused by moving the capital.
Although Judy was cruel enough, she was a little flustered because of her lack of theoretical knowledge of natural science, so in order to make up for her mistakes, she asked ministers for advice.
But what he didn't expect was that the ministers took this opportunity to launch a fierce attack on him.
Many ministers wrote about the dangers of moving the capital, saying that there were natural disasters. Among them, Xiao Yi's words are the most intense, and Records of the Historian record that "the words are especially heavy". As for what he said, it is not listed, but it is estimated that Judy was scolded. As we all know, Judy was never a man who broke his word. His reaction was very simple, so he killed Xiao Yi.
This has stirred up a hornet's nest. You know, a scholar is not easy to mess with. Since he was a child, he listened to the sage and pretended to be his protege. What about the emperor? Afraid of you?
So many ministers wrote letters and commented one after another. They also held an open debate outside the noon gate, saying it was a debate, but the opinions at the meeting were completely one-sided. In fact, this is a critical meeting for Judy. If an ordinary emperor changed, he might be shaken when he saw so many people opposing him, but Judy was not an ordinary emperor. He stuck to his point of view and strengthened his determination to move the capital.
"Don't say it again. I decided to move the capital. I have to move. I have the final say, that's all! "
Judy needs courage to do so. Even though his opponents are in the majority, he dares to stick to his point of view and never gives in. In fact, the opinions put forward by many ministers are also very pertinent. For example, moving the capital wastes people's money and causes corruption. These are objective facts. But history will prove that Judy's choice is correct.
In history, there are often some highly qualified people who can foresee the future development of things before the situation is still unclear. For example, Zhuge Liang can calculate that the future world is divided into three classes in a broken hut, but Zhuge Liang's thinking is cost-free. Even if his thinking is incorrect, no one will bother him.
What is easy to get into trouble is choice, which means that some immediate interests must be sacrificed in exchange for longer-term interests in the future. This choice is often extremely painful, because everyone can see the immediate interests, but can't see the long-term interests. Just as you ask everyone to drop the money they already have and follow you to dig gold mines, gold mines are very attractive, but whether they really exist or not really requires a big question mark. With what?
More than a hundred years later, the great reformer Zhang fell on this choice, because those ministers would rather wait for death with what they were holding than follow him on that unknown road.
Judy is a very qualified leader, a leader who dares to make choices. He knew that moving the capital was a big project, which was time-consuming and laborious, but he accurately judged that the biggest factor affecting the long-term stability of the Ming Empire was Mongolia in the north. If you want to live a quiet life in the future, you must give up your immediate interests and move the capital to Beijing. Otherwise, the Ming Dynasty can't escape the bad luck of the Southern Song Dynasty.
Compared with Zhang, he has one advantage-he is an emperor, and he is also an iron-fisted emperor, an emperor who dares to go his own way, so he can always stick to his beliefs, so he finally completed the difficult task of moving the capital.
At that time, Judy's move to the capital was opposed by everyone, and many people also asserted that this move was not feasible. However, after 19 years, Yu Qian, who is standing on the head of Beijing and looking far away, should not think so.
History is the ultimate judge of the development of things. Before long, it will undoubtedly tell everyone that Judy's choice is correct.
Chapter IV After Zheng He, there was no Zheng He.
As we have already introduced, Judy sent two people to look for Wen Jian, all the way to Hu Ying. We have already told his life story, so it is not surprising that many people are not familiar with this life story of Hu Ying, because he is engaged in secret work, which is difficult to publicize.
However, the fate of others is quite different. They were not only famous at that time, but also left a name in history and remained immortal. This is the famous Zheng He's fleet and its seven voyages to the West.
The same secret mission, the situation is so different, we can't help but ask: the same person, why is the gap so big?
There are many reasons, such as the size of the team, incidental tasks, etc., but in my opinion, the greatest contribution of such a feat should be attributed to the commander of this fleet-the great Zheng He.
The word "great" is absolutely not excessive for Zheng He, who is not related to the family and has no prominent family background. However, with his own efforts and wisdom, he created a legend-the legend of China people at sea. There were countless princes and princes before Zheng He in history, and there will be many after him, but there is only one Zheng He.
After Zheng He, there was no Zheng He-Liang Qichao.
Let's introduce the magnificent life of this great navigator.
Zheng He, born in Hongwu for four years (137 1), was originally named Ma, a native of Yunnan. He has been smart and studious since he was a child. More importantly, he has a strong interest in sailing since he was a child. It is said that sailing was not a hot subject in China at that time, and Yunnan was not a place to go to sea. Why does Zheng He like sailing?
This is because Zheng He is a devout Muslim, his grandfather and father both believe in Islam, and all Muslims have the greatest wish in their hearts-to make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca.
Pilgrimage to Mecca is the greatest wish of Muslims all over the world. Christians living in Mecca are lucky because they can look up to the holy land at any time, but for Zheng He at that time, it was really a very difficult thing. Mecca is in Saudi Arabia today. Interested friends can connect Mecca and Yunnan on the map and multiply it by the scale to know how far it is. Fortunately, his family's economic conditions are not bad. Both his grandfather and father have been to Mecca. When Zheng He was a child, his father often told him about the thrilling experiences of sailing and wading through mountains and rivers and the anecdotes in foreign countries during his pilgrimage. All these deeply influenced Zheng He.
It is precisely because of this that young Zheng He is different from other children of the same age. Instead of sitting at his desk day after day reciting the words of sages for the sake of making a name for himself in the future, he worked hard to exercise and learn the knowledge related to navigation, because deep down in his heart, he had the belief that one day, he would surely ride the wind and waves and make a pilgrimage to Mecca.
If his life goes on like this, maybe after more than ten years, he can realize his wish, fulfill the long-cherished wish of an ordinary Muslim, and then live an ordinary life.
However, some people are doomed not to lead an ordinary life. It seems that great missions and undertakings must be accomplished by these selected people, even if sometimes in a very cruel way.
In the 14th year of Hongwu (138 1), Fu Youde and aquamarine went to Yunnan on the orders of Zhu Yuanzhang. The Ming army was in full swing, and it took only half a year to pacify the whole of Yunnan. It was this expedition that changed Zheng He's fate. By the way, in this battle, a general of the Ming army, Qi Xiang, died. His sacrifice brought hereditary Wu Zhi to the family and changed the fate of the family. Since then, his descendants have practiced martial arts from generation to generation. This Qi Xiang is just a nobody. He is mentioned here because he has a very successful successor-Qi Jiguang.
History is really elusive.
For the Ming government and Zhu Yuanzhang, this was just one of countless expeditions, but for Zheng He, this expedition was a turning point in his life, a painful and unknown turning point.
After the war, many children became prisoners of war. Supposedly, prisoners of war are just prisoners of war, and they are forced to do coolies. But at that time, there was an extremely cruel way to treat child prisoners of war-castration.
The purpose of this convention is self-evident, and it is really unbearable to talk more about futility. A horse as young as 1 1 is one of these unfortunate children.
It is not difficult for us to imagine that the horse's pain and countless dreams seem to have left him, but history has told us countless times that the beginning of tragedy is often the starting point of glory.
Tragedy, or glory, only depends on you, depending on whether you are strong or not.
From then on, this 1 1 year-old boy began to follow the Ming army in all directions. The snow in the north and the yellow sand in the desert left his traces everywhere. At his age, he should have been playing at home, but suddenly he became a member of the war, running a river of blood on the battlefield. Swords and spears have replaced wooden horses and dolls. In the military camp, no one will treat him as a child, and no one will take care of him. In the war, no one can guarantee that he will survive tomorrow, so the only one who can take care of him is himself.
But how can an eleven-year-old take care of himself?
We can't imagine how much Ma Sanbao suffered, how much he was tired and how many times he lived. What we know is that the tragic experience did not erase his hopes and beliefs. He survived tenaciously and finally became the great Zheng He.
Summarize the childhood experiences of famous figures in history (such as Zhu Yuanzhang). ), we can assert that it is not a bad thing to suffer more when I was a child.
After five years of wandering, he met a person who influenced his life. This person is Judy.
At that time, Judy was still a prince He took a fancy to this taciturn but determined teenager at a glance and chose him as his personal bodyguard. Since then, the horse has been following around and has become his confidant.
Gold shines everywhere. Ma Sanbao is a man destined to achieve great things. In the battle of Jingnan, he fought side by side with Judy and made great contributions. As we have already mentioned, in the battle of Zhengcunba, Judy used his plan to smash the 7th Battalion in Li Jinglong and defeat the Confederate Army.
From then on, Judy got to know this private bodyguard again. In the first year of Yongle (1403), immediately after he ascended the throne, Ma was made a eunuch in charge of the internal official, which was the highest position of the internal official. In the second year of Yongle (1404), he was even more honored and named "Zheng". Later, he changed his name to Zheng He.
You know, being given the surname by the emperor is the supreme glory of the Ming Dynasty. Later, after being given the surname by the emperor, Zheng Chenggong regarded it as the greatest glory in his life, and his subordinates also called him "the surname of the country", which shows that Judy spoke highly of Zheng He.
God wants you to suffer, and it is not uncommon for you to get more in return. Zheng He was reused by Judy and became a hot figure in the imperial court. As a courtier of Judy, he won many honors that no one else could dream of. I think Zheng He should be satisfied.
But fate seems to make him a legend and immortal. A greater mission and glory will come to him, and a greater cause is waiting for him to start.
set out on a voyage
Judy arranged Zheng He to go to sea for a deeper purpose. In addition to searching for Wen Jian, Zheng He also shouldered the mission of conquering the world and being far-sighted, which can be said to be an ancient tradition in the history of China. However, in a powerful dynasty, there are bound to be such moves, such as the Silk Road that runs through the east and west in the Han Dynasty, and many students from developing and underdeveloped countries came to China to study advanced science, culture and technology in the Tang Dynasty.
China has become powerful, and all countries envy it. This is probably the greatest dream of emperors. Historically, China did not have many territorial claims. This is because we have always been conceited and have money for everything. Why rob other people's rags?
But as the saying goes, fate has its own day, and the glory that is stronger than the East Zhizhong cannot be concealed. When its advanced civilization is recognized by the world, the time to conquer the world will naturally come.
To tell the truth, when China was strong, although there were territorial disputes and wars with foreign countries (such as the war between the Tang Dynasty and Arabia) and wars with neighboring countries (such as the war to conquer Korea), on the whole, China's foreign policy was relatively liberal. We generously help outsiders and spread the advanced scientific and cultural achievements of the Chinese nation to all parts of the world. The four great inventions are the biggest examples.
Generally speaking, we can use four words to describe China's far-sighted tradition and purpose:
Serve people with virtue.
Now China has become a powerful country. After a long period of war and recovery, as well as the efforts and struggles of several model emperors, the land of China at this time has become a real peace and prosperity. The people live and work in peace and contentment, and the country has sufficient grain and silver. It's time to do something.
What else is around our huge country? This is a question that every powerful dynasty is very interested in. The Ming Dynasty is a powerful dynasty, and the land area around the Ming Dynasty has been proved by the expeditionary heroes in the heyday of Han and Tang Dynasties. Comparatively speaking, the long coastline of the empire is more likely to arouse people's reverie. What kind of world is on the other side of the vast sea?
The first thing that catches people's eyes is the West. It should be noted that the meaning of the word "western" in the Ming Dynasty is not the same as today. The so-called western ocean at that time was actually Nanyang now. Although the previous dynasties also sent ships to sail in these areas, it was only a relatively single action and did not have much impact. People don't quite know what's beyond the sea. Now, Judy, the powerful ruler of the Ming Dynasty, is a different person. He is regarded as a wise monarch rare in history.
Now, Judy will entrust Zheng He to do something that no one has ever done in history. This is an honor and a great trust.
No matter from which angle, Zheng He is the most suitable candidate. He not only has rich knowledge of navigation, but also has stood the test of war. He has a high military accomplishment and a strong personality. Finally, he planned to believe in Islam in many western countries, and Zheng He himself was a devout Muslim.
Presumably, this is just a sailing mission. Why send such diverse talents as Zheng He? However, it turns out that Zheng He had to face more than the sea on this voyage.
History will remember this day. On June 15th, the 3rd year of Yongle (July 1405, 1 1), Zheng He set sail in Wumen, Fujian, and started the greatest voyage in China history. Zheng He stood at the bow, looking at the huge fleet about to leave and the vast sea in front of him.
He knows the mission and responsibility of his voyage, but he doesn't know that at this moment, he is creating a history that will be praised by future generations forever.
His heart is full of excitement, and the sea he yearned for since he was a child is now in front of him, waiting for him to conquer! A great journey is about to begin!
Sail!
Spanish Armada
It seems a bit exaggerated that we use the word fleet to refer to Zheng He's fleet. How can a diplomatic and tracing fleet be called a fleet? But after reading the following introduction, I believe you will agree that there is really no other word to describe his fleet except fleet.
Thanks to Chen Youliang's clothes, Zhu Yuanzhang attached great importance to shipbuilding technology. No wonder Zhu suffered a lot in the water war with Mr. Chen, and even his life almost went in. With his encouragement, the shipbuilding technology of the Ming Dynasty developed greatly. According to historical records, Zheng He's biggest ship at that time was called Treasure Boat. How big is this ship? "The big one is 44 feet long and 18 feet wide; The middle one is thirty-seven feet long and fifteen feet wide. " You can convert it yourself. According to this length, Zheng He can hold a sports meeting after sailing, and setting up a 100 meter runway is definitely not a problem.
And the sail of this ship is by no means the single sail we saw on TV. It's hard to imagine it has twelve sails! Its anchor and rudder are also in the shape of a giant, and it takes hundreds of people to shout slogans and work together to swing it. In the 1950s, Nanjing once excavated the Ming Dynasty treasure ship manufacturing site and unearthed a wooden pole. This wooden pole is 1 1 meter long. The question is, which part of the ship is this wooden pole?
The appraisal conclusion came out, which shocked everyone. This wooden pole is not the expected mast, but the rudder!
If you don't understand what this concept is, I can explain what a mast is. It should be clear to everyone that the so-called rudder is just the control linkage of the rudder blades of a ship. After calculation, the height of the rudder blade connected with this rudder is about six meters. That is to say, the rudder blade of this ship is three stories high!
Aircraft carrier, a veritable aircraft carrier.
This treasure ship is the main ship of Zheng He's fleet, which is what we usually call the flagship. In addition, there are horse boats specially used for transportation, warships used for combat, grain boats used for transporting grain and water boats specially used for transporting people between major ships.
Zheng He led such a fleet, and the name of the fleet really deserved its reputation.
This is the situation of Zheng He's fleet, so how many people did he take to the Western Ocean?
There will be more than 27,800 infantry.
To tell the truth, judging from this figure, this fleet doesn't look like looking for someone or engaging in diplomacy anyway, but is going out to pick fights, which is very doubtful. But the facts tell us that this is indeed a friendly fleet. Wherever we go, there is no war and bloodshed, only peace and friendship.
Strong but not bullying, strong but not bullying, this is the tolerance and heritage of a great country and nation.
Zheng He's fleet sailed south, first reaching Zhancheng, then occupying Zhancheng south, and half a month later reaching Java Island, an important stronghold in the Straits of Malacca. Anyone who goes to Africa from the Straits of Malacca must pass through this place. At that time, it was also a densely populated and rich place. Of course, there is no unified Indonesian government in this place. To this day, we don't know who was the government of this island at that time.