Start with Baihuguan

Chapter 544
When these western envoys entered the capital, the Ming side naturally received the news early on. Although foreign nations from all over the world have come to the court in recent years, the members of the Ming court are already familiar with these foreign nations coming to the capital to pay tribute.

But this time, it was the first time that more than a dozen western missions had arrived, so the Department of Hosts and Guests under the Ministry of Rites was also busy.

The Siyi Pavilion, Honglu Temple, and Huitong Pavilion all dispatched competent and capable personnel to welcome the arrival of this group of Western envoys.

After being arranged in Honglu Temple, a dozen or so large and small Western missions headed by Spain and Portugal received training from the officials of the imperial court and taught them the etiquette of meeting the Emperor of Heaven. Accompanied by the officials of the museum, he observed all aspects of Ming Dynasty in the capital.

It has to be said that Ming has undergone great changes in recent years, especially when various policies that benefit the country and the people, such as tax reform and opening up the sea, were forcibly implemented, and under the high-pressure supervision of Jin Yiwei, they were thoroughly implemented to the bottom , Daming's finances and even the administration of officials have undergone great changes.

With the national treasury full, the imperial court was naturally willing to spend a lot of money and food to promote various reforms in Ming Dynasty.

Naturally, the capital, which is the confidant of the Ming Dynasty, is also the first to bear the brunt. Whether it is the infrastructure of the capital of the Ming Dynasty or the various cities and towns, there have been earth-shaking changes.

So when these western envoys walked around the capital, what they saw was naturally an extremely prosperous capital.

In the imperial city, Zhu Houzhao and Li Huan looked at the rare treasures presented by many Western envoys in front of them. They had to say that the Spanish army, which was a powerful country at sea, was defeated in the battle of Manga and the First World War. It has brought great deterrence to these Western countries.

This time when I came to visit Daming, I naturally lowered my attitude. Although I dare not say that I met Daming completely according to the etiquette of the Ming dynasty, but I also presented rare treasures as tributes.

Just like the mechanical desk clock in front of them looks extremely exquisite and luxurious, this desk clock looks completely made of gold, with a lot of precious stones inlaid on it.

Of course, what the emperor valued most was not the material of this clock, but the mechanical manufacturing capabilities of Western countries displayed on this clock.

The first mechanical clock to appear in the Ming Dynasty was during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. It was presented to the Emperor Wanli by Westerners. Its exquisiteness and beauty amazed the Emperor Wanli, and he personally ordered people to set up a palace workshop to imitate it.

Li Huan looked at the big clock with a strange look in his eyes. The development of Western science and technology in this era has shown some signs, but it is really exaggerated to say that it surpasses Daming.

The East really began to lag behind the West in an all-round way after the Manchu Qing Dynasty entered the customs. During the Ming Dynasty, from the emperor to the common people, they all had a learning attitude towards many advanced technological creations introduced from the West.

Taking a deep breath, Zhu Houzhao caressed the big bell in front of him and said, "Li Qing, you once said that the western barbarians are undergoing unprecedented changes, and the waves caused by this change will become bigger and bigger. In a hundred years, it will have a great impact on my Ming Dynasty, I didn't quite believe it before, but now when I look at these things, I realize that what Li Qing said is true."

Li Huan chuckled and said: "Your Majesty, people from the West may have merits, but I am not bad at Ming Dynasty. In the past few years, the imperial court has attached great importance to craftsman talents, and there have been a large number of people who can be called beneficial to the country. If things go on like this, our Ming Dynasty will always be at the forefront of the world, so there is no need to worry about being surpassed by other countries.”

Taking a deep breath, Zhu Hou took a look at Li Huan, nodded slightly and said: "Li Qing wrote a letter earlier asking for the establishment of the Ge Daming Royal Gewu Department. For those craftsmen with amazing attainments, I will order the cabinet to discuss it. , Take out a charter."

Li Huan just nodded. To be honest, Li Huan has been silently promoting the reform of Daming's treatment of craftsmen.

People in later generations know one thing, that is, technology is the primary productive force, and Li Huan naturally knows this.

And in this era, the representatives of science and technology are naturally those craftsmen who are ignored or looked down upon by people. People cannot live without these craftsmen, but they are at the bottom of society.

It is said that the life of the military households in the Daming Guard is the most miserable, but compared with them, there are also craftsmen.

However, under the influence of Li Huan over the years, the military households in the Daming Guard now have long since disappeared, and there are no more military households like tenants, and the lives of those craftsmen have also undergone earth-shaking changes. .

Li Huan, while disbanding and relocating the military households in the world without alarming anyone, also conducted a comprehensive review of the artisan households in the world. Of course, Li Huan will not let go of the skilled craftsmen among the craftsmen.
Almost 10,000% to [-]% of the world's skilled craftsmen have been assembled. The general supervisor under Li Huan now has as many as [-]+ skilled craftsmen. Among them, in Li Huan's opinion, there are some masters who are capable to a certain extent. Dozens of people.

In Li Huan's view, these craftsmen with amazing talents and skills that can be called miraculous skills are of great value and great contribution to Ming Dynasty, far surpassing those so-called Hanlin scholars.

This is also the reason why Li Huan played the emperor's request to the emperor to grant these craftsmen the title of Gewu University.

June of the 16th year of Daming Zhengde

The Western envoys who came to Beijing to meet the Emperor of Heaven were finally summoned by the Emperor of Heaven after a month or two of teaching etiquette at Honglu Temple.

In the solemn Qianqing Palace, there are hundreds of officials, and on both sides of the outer corridor are the royal guards standing solemnly, each of them is like a statue, exuding a murderous aura.

A dozen or so envoys representing Western countries came to the Qianqing Palace under the guidance of the officials of ceremonies. Looking at the solemn and solemn palaces of the imperial city along the way, one can imagine the great impact it brought to everyone.

Under the watchful eyes of all the officials, more than a dozen Western envoys entered the Qianqing Palace respectfully, kowtowed to the emperor with great reverence, and then presented their credentials with both hands.

Standing in the ranks of officials, Li Huan watched the envoys of Portugal, Spain, England, Holland and other countries, which represented the western powers of this era, bow down to the emperor honestly, and the corner of his mouth could not help showing a little smile.

What is the kingdom of heaven, this is the infinite majesty of the kingdom of heaven.

But Li Huan also knows that these westerners have always been fearful of power and not virtuous, as long as your fist is hard enough, then these people will behave extremely submissive.

If it weren't for Daming's defeat of Portugal, a Western maritime power, several times at sea, how could they be so honest to these bandit-faced Western countries.

Accepting the credentials from more than a dozen countries in the West made the imperial court understand the West a step further. In these countries that are thousands of miles away, most officials above the court actually don't have much interest.

However, the attitudes and reactions of these officials are quite normal. After all, Daming is now in an era of high development and change.

With the enfeoffment of a large number of vassal princes and clan relatives in the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court's external expansion has not stopped at all, especially under the impetus of the increasingly powerful nobles and the military, the army of the Ming Dynasty has already stepped out of the territory of the Ming Dynasty. It began to expand towards the surroundings.

In the past, the factors that restricted the outward expansion of the Central Plains Dynasty were the biggest ones, such as transportation and the speed of information dissemination.

After all, there is a limit to the scope of a dynasty's control. Even if the territory is temporarily expanded, if it cannot be effectively ruled, once the Central Plains dynasty is in turmoil, then the territory in the remote frontier is very likely to be destroyed. It will break away from the rule of the Central Plains Dynasty again.

One of the important factors for the Ming Dynasty to be able to expand abroad today is the emergence of a large number of smooth and convenient concrete roads.

With the victory of the war against the Japanese, a large number of young Japanese were reduced to captive slaves and used to mine and build roads.

It is conceivable how much change can be brought about when millions of captives are used to mine and build roads.

Several roads traversing the north and south of the Ming Dynasty were started at the same time, and millions of manpower were directly used. No matter if such a large-scale project was placed in any dynasty, the direct consequence would be the collapse of the dynasty.

But for Da Ming, it didn't have the slightest influence. Not only did it not shake the foundation of Da Ming, but it made Da Ming's development as if it had wings.

The roads stretching for thousands of miles or tens of thousands of miles are the tentacles of the Ming Dynasty's external expansion. As far as the roads are concerned, the speed at which the Ming Dynasty can send troops and horses has increased by more than several times compared to before.

In the blink of an eye, it has been more than ten years, and in a blink of an eye, it has been the 30th year of Daming Zhengde

A tall building with a height of several feet stands where the former prisoner used to be, and within a few miles, there are many new high-rise buildings.Among them, the Daming Royal Gewu Division, which has been established for more than ten years, is located here.

A carriage slowly entered the most eye-catching Yamen of the Ming Royal Gewusi Yamen.

Luo Tong, one of the Great Masters of Gewu awarded by Emperor Ming, was wearing a robe and bowing respectfully to Li Huan, saying: "Your Majesty has met the Duke."

Although more than ten years have passed, Li Huan does not seem to have changed much from that year. No one would doubt it at all.

However, these years of being pampered and in a high position, Li Huan has already cultivated the temperament of a high-ranking person. Looking at Luo Tong in front of him, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth and said: "I read your report and said it was you Gewusi’s steam engine project, which has been researched for nearly 20 years, has finally come to fruition, and I’m here to have a look!”

Apparently Luo Tong and the others already knew the purpose of Li Huan's visit, so they hurriedly said after hearing Li Huan's words: "If my lord wants to check the progress of the steam engine, please move outside the city. The newly built steam engine is currently in the city. Get ready for a test run."

Li Huan frowned and said, "Follow me out of the city."

A stretch of factory buildings outside the city covers a range of more than ten miles, and it is where the manufacturing bureau under the Royal Gewu Division of the Ming Dynasty is located.

Li Huan and his party entered an area, and saw a rumbling sound coming from a factory building, accompanied by a column of smoke like wolf smoke.

Seeing this situation, Li Huan couldn't help raising his eyebrows, strode forward, and soon an ugly machine the size of an ordinary house appeared in Li Huan's sight.

Its structure is obviously very different from the steam engine in Li Huan's impression, but Li Huan knows that the roaring machine in front of him is exactly the steam engine that he has been watching for 20 years.

Since Li Huan took over as general supervisor more than 20 years ago, Li Huan has consciously summoned a group of skilled craftsmen to start researching steam engines.

It took a full 20 years from the initial principle of the steam engine to the production of a real working object.

However, in this era, it is acceptable to gather the power of a country, especially under the guidance of Li Huan, to spend 20 years to manufacture the steam engine.

After all, more than ten years ago, Ming's ocean-going fleet entered the Americas and brought back a large number of local American specialties, such as corn, sweet potatoes, rubber and so on.

Of course, since it has entered the vast land of America, it is naturally impossible for Daming to turn a blind eye, especially when Western countries have also discovered America.

Although it is said that because the Americas are vast and sparsely populated, there is enough territory for the two sides to occupy and expand, and it is impossible for a conflict to break out between the two sides for a while, but under the personal leadership of Li Huan, Daming relied on the advantages of population and national strength to start The continuous transfer of population to the Americas has occupied a large area of ​​fertile land and a large number of mines.

With the large-scale development of Nanyang Province, a large amount of grain produced in Nanyang has been continuously transported back to the Central Plains in the past ten or 20 years. In addition, Annan, Champa and other places have been included in the territory of the Ming Dynasty. Although I dare not say that the Ming Dynasty Since then, the food crisis has been overcome, and at least the basic food and clothing of the Ming people can be guaranteed.

Once we get rid of the basic food and clothing problem, the reproductive instinct that seems to be imprinted in the genes will prevail, and it is almost a generation in ten or twenty years.

Li Huan still remembers that when the New Deal was implemented, the imperial court counted the number of people in the world. Although I dare not say that all the people were naturalized, they accounted for 980 to 860% of the total population. At that time, the total number of people was more than [-] million households, with a population of more than [-] million.

Later, the imperial court enfeoffed the vassal kings and their relatives, and migrated a large number of people to Nanyang, Annan, Champa, and even Japan, and almost tens of millions of people were relocated.

(End of this chapter)