I am the king of the dead

Chapter 880

During the Jingtai period, why did Zhu Qiyu choose Tang Xing, a relative of the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, as the commander of the Fandu to lead the fleet to the west, instead of choosing an eunuch like the Yongle period?
The eunuchs who went south to the West include not only Zheng He, but also Wang Jinghong, Hou Xian, Yi Shiha, etc. Most of these eunuchs who can do practical things are selected by the test of the Jingnan Battle.And in the peaceful age, the selection of eunuchs will definitely become the one who will flatter and be reused in the end.

There are three ancestors in Daming Tai'an Palace, the first ancestor is Xing'an, the second ancestor is Cheng Jing, and the third ancestor is Li Yongchang.

One of these three is the admiral eunuch of the Rites Supervisor, the other is the supervisor of the East Factory, and the other is the admiral of the Jiangwu Hall. They are all extremely important positions, no matter which one they are, there is no way to transfer them.

Commanding the position of Fandu is not something everyone can do. Official ships and official trade not only have economic significance, but also have strong diplomatic and military significance. They must also be trusted by the emperor. He forgot the emperor in the capital, and the mission he carried on himself.

Therefore, this choice finally became Tang Xing's command of going south to the West as Fandu. This was the result of careful consideration.

"Speaking of the official ship and official trade in the late years of Xuande and the early years of Zhengtong, Commander Tang thought, why did the official ship and official trade in Daming just stop?" Li Binyan and Tang Xing had a drink. See you again, I don't know when it will be.

What Tang Xing was going to was Tianrim, whether he could come back or not was still unknown.

Looking at the boundless sea, Tang Xing said solemnly: "It's not just because the dog legs of the powerful and powerful people in Nanya are making noise in the court, but also because even if it is the last time in the nine years of Xuande Sailing to the West means that even the internal money is not lost or profitable, and if it continues, it is just a loss and a profit. Official ships and official trade will cost a lot of money, at least a million taels of silver for a trip. No matter how rich you are, you can’t afford such a compensation.”

"I lost money, so I couldn't do it anymore, it's as simple as that."

"That's it." Li Binyan smiled a little, and said with a full smile: "Commander Tang has been delayed by the status of the emperor's relative."

Tang Xing didn't simply attribute the stoppage of voyages to the fact that the power and authority hindered the development of Ming Dynasty for his own selfishness. Instead, he considered it comprehensively. From this point of view, it showed that Tang Xing was competent enough to command Fandu. Admiral Daming Navy, headed for Nanyang.

The efficiency of the imperial court is much lower than that of the people, which is an inevitable disadvantage of the bureaucratic system.

If the civil and military officials of the foreign dynasty also participated in the official trade of official ships and officials, and the civil officials, generals, and eunuchs wrangled, how could such efficiency compete with the smugglers all over the mountains and plains of the Ming Dynasty?

Now it should not be called a smuggler, but a merchant ship.

How serious is the phenomenon of smuggling in Ming Dynasty?During the reign of Hongzhi, even the princes of the world participated in it. For example, Liu Jing, the general officer of Guangdong and Guangxi, and the Marquis of Anyuan, colluded with Qin Hong Wenwu, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, in Dianbai Port, Guangzhou, and transported sulfur and saltpeter from Japanese pirates to Annan. Annan transported grain to the Japanese country in exchange for Japanese silver, earning a lot of money.

How did this matter get to the court in the end?
The spoils are not evenly distributed.

Qin Hong reported that Liu Jing embezzled military pay and massacred good people, and Liu Jing said that Qin Hong was brutal and violent. In the end, Emperor Xiaozong reconciled with Xi Ni. Hong was dismissed from office, but soon went to Nanjing to be the Minister of the Ministry of household affairs, and was activated again not long after.

The nobles, eunuchs, civil officials, military generals, gentry, subordinates, and merchants of Ming Dynasty were all participants in smuggling in the southeast. The imperial court used them to ban them, which was completely scratching the surface.

The Ming Dynasty made seven voyages to the West to open sea routes, reopening the sea routes that were closed at the end of the Yuan Dynasty because of Hu Yuan's loss of justice. Of course, they would take risks because of the huge profits. During the Yongle period, even the prince's son-in-law had to build ships privately to make money from this business.

The commercial roads are smooth, and the previous huge profits are becoming normal. The Ming court's costly voyages to the West, hundreds of treasure ships and official ships, official trade, but they can only make a profit, and it seems tasteless to eat , It's a pity to abandon it.

The cost of official ships and official trade of the imperial court must be higher than that of private trade.

Civilian commerce and trade are only commercial activities, while the official ships of the Ming Dynasty also have diplomatic and military functions, and the official ships of the imperial court have redundant expenses and extremely high administrative expenditures, which make the internal funds of the Ming Dynasty seem to be unable to make ends meet. Combined with the political situation in the early years of Zhengtong, and countless reasons, it led to the stop of Ming's voyages to the West.

Official ships and official trade have existed since the mid-Tang Dynasty. No matter in Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasties, these official ships and official trades are all chicken feathers in the end, and ended in embarrassment.

The reason why Li Binyan asked Tang Xing about these old things was to know if Tang Xing knew one of the purposes of the official ship and official trade going south again, which was to anchor the price, so that the official ship and official trade no longer had to pursue interests, nor could they pursue it.

Tang Xing put his hips on his hips, and said quite proudly: "As long as you, Governor Li, are Jane's figure in the emperor's heart, don't I, Tang Xing, not be? Let me tell you, Your Majesty has even settled the matter of my son. !"

"Your Majesty has taught me about maritime trade for a long time, and His Majesty has explained the truth very clearly."

"Your Majesty said that our official ships and official trade do not seek huge profits, but are only judges. Regarding the disputes among the Fanyi countries, the replacement of the throne of the Fanyi countries, the exchanges of Fanyi merchant ships, and the Ming merchant ships, Ming Dynasty It is the role of the referee, which also saves the mouths of Beijing officials and Qingliu, who openly and silently compete with the people."

"Referee." Li Binyan nodded heavily and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

Referees are actually order. Ming’s voyages to the West will bring a new order to Nanyang and the West. Only with order can we talk about the luxury of development.

"By the way, that imperial order of yours is going to go to the West with you, and go further west?" Li Binyan talked about the current participation in the bureau, and this time the participation in the competition is going to the West together.

Tang Xing nodded and said: "Well, that woman wants to go with her life and death, saying that she is afraid that I will get a bunch of women and children back in the West, and she will fall out of favor, so she will make a noise to go, she is not afraid of me Bringing people home is obviously because I am afraid that I will die outside."

"She can't stay in Daming, and the child stays in the capital. If she stays in Daming, the officials of Daming can't deal with me, and can't deal with a woman?"

Tang Xing really wants to get a bunch of concubines back, there is nothing he can do about participating in the game, he looks like a jealous woman, but it's just that life and death are rich, and death is the same.

Today, if she stays in the capital to take care of her children, she will definitely die, even if the emperor is extra merciful, but she is a Japanese, if she makes a fuss, she will end up dying to thank God, this has nothing to do with her wrist, she has done it before As the Imperial Order of the Wa Kingdom, this identity is destined not to be caught in any political vortex.

Li Binyan hesitated for a moment, but still said in a joking tone: "This time, Your Majesty has given permission to let Japanese merchants like Hosokawa Katsumoto go south with the fleet in the name of Yamano Yuan Gongfang. The Japanese are good at steering ships and are even more brave at sea. It is indeed the help of the voyage, you mother-in-law, you can be bullied, this imperial order waved his hand, and the Japanese warriors responded, how do you treat it?"

Is Li Binyan joking?He was worried about Tang Xing's safety.

Li Binyan is a very traditional scholar-bureaucrat, with a deep-rooted obsession that people who are not of our race must be different, making him believe in barbarians is as easy as killing him.

"She dares! I can't even control a woman, and I still run to the sea to be the general of Jin Pingbo?" Tang Xing said confidently with his back straightened.

"That's true." Li Binyan thought for a while, and it was indeed the case. Today's Candidates have abandoned their identity as imperial orders, and ran away with Old Tang, and then went to sea to make troubles. ?
Tang Xing and Li Binyan chatted for a long time. After this trip, if it goes well, we can see each other again. If it doesn't go well, it will be the last in-depth conversation between heaven and man.

When Tang Xing returned home, it was already the time when the willows were on the moon. He was not drunk, but just drinking lightly, so naturally he would not be confused.

"Are you back?" Jin Shenju bit his lips when he saw Tang Xing, and waited for Tang Xing to change his clothes and wash his hands.

Shenju's cheeks were a little blushing, and he held a pill and said: "Officer, I've taken the medicine. This is the prescription I got from asking around in the capital, and it was prescribed by Concubine Ran Ning."

"What is this?" Tang Xing was taken aback and asked strangely.

Jin Shenju said in a low voice: "Your ruler is Rehmannia glutinosa, subject cornus and yam, and ruler and minister three tonics; it is compatible with Alisma, Moutan cortex, and Poria cocos as assistants, to relieve dampness and relieve turbidity and three diarrheas; three tonics and three tonics, the tonic is more important. diarrhea, liver, spleen and kidney three yin and nourishing."

"It's true that my husband is good at fighting, but the future will last forever, so it's better to take care of one or two, for a long time, to be harmonious and beautiful."

These six medicines are combined together, how can Tang Xing not know what the medicine is for?Just like what the bureau said, Tang Xing is still young when it comes to bed matters, but he has reached the age after all, everything should be done in a steady manner, after all, his opponent is a temptress.

The next morning was bright and sunny, but Xingang in Songjiang Mansion was full of people, and there was a hustle and bustle everywhere. Apart from the boat masters and sailors, there were spectators on the pier.

With the warm wind blowing from the southeast a few days ago, everyone knew that Daming's official ship and official business was finally about to set sail after a year of preparation.

Li Binyan led the officials of the Songjiang Mansion to worship the Hall of Martyrs first in Wan Guo City, and then began to worship the mountains and rivers, praying for God to bless the trip smoothly.

When Li Binyan arrived at Xingang, Tang Xing had already led a group of generals of the Daming Navy, waiting to worship the God of Concubine Tian, ​​that is, Mazu, the sea god.

Standing on the three-foot platform, Li Binyan shouted loudly, "Get up the stele."

The name of this stele is "The Story of the Concubine's Spiritual Response", which is the inscription erected in the Tianfei Palace in Nanshan, Changle, before Zheng He's last voyage to the West.

A eunuch in a big red robe flicked his fly whisk, his face was flushed, and he shouted loudly: "Emperor Ming mixed with Haiyu, surpassed three generations and surpassed the Han and Tang Dynasties. The north is far away, but the journey can be counted."

"Looking at the ocean, the torrents meet the sky, the huge waves are like mountains, and the barbarians are separated from each other by the haze and haze. But my cloud sails are high, and the stars are galloping day and night, and I am involved in the raging waves. If I walk on a thoroughfare, I am sincere to the court. The blessings are due to the protection and protection of the God of Concubine Tian."

"When you come to a foreign country, those who are disrespectful to the kings will be captured alive; those who invade and loot the barbarians will be wiped out."

"Because the sea road is clear and peaceful, and the Fan people rely on it, it is a gift from the gods."

Although it is really far to the west of the Western Regions and the north of Yibei, it is still a long way for Ming Dynasty. Annihilation, this is how the Haidao Qingning and Fanren relied on during the Yongle period.

The reason why Daming erected such a stele for the official ships and official trade is to show the purpose of this trip, the sea roads are clean and peaceful, and the people rely on them.

"Fengtian Chengyun, the emperor prays: everything will be peaceful." The eunuch Liu Yongcheng finished reading the inscription, said the emperor's prayer, and then shook the dust and shouted loudly: "Sail, set sail!"

Who is this eunuch Liu Yongcheng?

Liu Yongcheng was born in the 24th year of Hongwu, and entered the palace at the age of 12. During the Yongle period, he followed the Emperor Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty to conquer Mobei five times. His status in the army was not a minister, but a general.

During the Xuande period, Liu Yongcheng followed Xuanzong to quell the rebellion of the King of Han, and then led the army to the Northern Expedition, breaking the Wuliangha tribe three times. In the end, he would repeat it again and again. In fact, bow your head and proclaim yourself a minister.

Later, Liu Yongcheng took up the post of Gansu Town, the capital of Shaanxi Province, repeatedly broke the Western Regions, and asked to reopen the Western Regions, and was ordered by the emperor to send envoys to the countries in the Western Regions.

The orthodox civil engineering has changed, Liu Yongcheng is in Gansu, and he just returned to Beijing in the first year of Jingtai. At that time, Liu Yongcheng and Li Yongchang were strong contenders for the admiral of the martial arts hall, but in the end it was Li Yongchang who was better, because the admiral was talking about The intimacy with the emperor, rather than credit, is obviously closer to the emperor as Li Yongchang, as a former residence.

The reason why Liu Yongcheng has such a prominent resume, he has not been appointed and dispatched, and has been idle all these years is probably the same reason as Xu Youzhen. Liu Yongcheng is a solid supporter of orthodoxy, and his obsession with the word orthodoxy is no less than Xu Youzhen. Xu Youzhen is a foreign minister , can be released, this Liu Yongcheng is an internal minister, with such outstanding achievements, he can't be killed again and again, so he can only sit idle.

When the emperor abolished the crown prince Zhu Jianshen in the first year of Jingtai, Liu Yongcheng, who was still in Gansu Town, heard the news and made a statement about the crown prince and opposed the abolition of the crown prince Zhu Jianshen. Zhu Jianshen is the prince, not the king of Ji.

When the Emperor Taimiao murdered, Liu Yongcheng, as a die-hard orthodox supporter, was guarded by Jin Yiwei and Fanzi in Dongchang, and he was not allowed to enter or leave.

Since the first year of Jingtai, this Liu Yongcheng has been living idle. It is because the emperor is not pleasing to the eye everywhere, and he does not write a congratulatory form during the New Year. It looks like this has been waiting for more than ten years.

Did the tyrannical emperor of Ming Dynasty behead Liu Yongcheng, nor did he sink Liu Yongcheng into a well? When the imperial court asked for official ships and official trade, Xing'an recommended Liu Yongcheng who had been doing his best for Daming since Yongle.

Although Liu Yongcheng still insisted that he had just become an official because of the power of a dog and a horse, he accepted the dispatch and went to the Western Ocean with the head of state Tang Xing to repeat the grand event of Yongle.

It is probably the same reason as Tie Xuan’s kneeling facing north. Emperor Taizong Wen made Tie Xuan the condition that Tie Xuan kneel north and not kneel to him as the emperor. Zhu Qiyu used Liu Yongcheng. Liu Yongcheng worked for Daming, not for Zhu Qiyu. Efficacy, although the end result is the same, but everyone has a step to go down.

How glorious was the prosperous age of Yongle like the sun, and what was the appearance of Daming during the orthodox years?
As a person who has been there, Liu Yongcheng can see clearly that he has already given up his efforts these years. King Jili was killed by the emperor himself. That's all.

Liu Yongcheng and Zheng He, the eunuch of the Three Treasures, were regarded as the right-hand man among the courtiers of Emperor Taizong Wen of the Ming Dynasty, but Liu Yongcheng made contributions on the way of the Northern Expedition, while Zheng He made seven voyages to the West.

　Liu Yongcheng is a veteran of the Yongle Dynasty, and he made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty. It is not easy to kill this man, but he is right, so he has been idle for these years. This is also when Li Binyan was impeached, he had already appointed an admiral The character of the navy sailing south, although hesitating again and again, finally chose him, asking for a monthly ticket, ouch!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)