Jingming

Chapter 406: Marching into Europe?
It is already quite hot in the capital in June. In the courtyard of the Yangxin Hall in the Forbidden City, the hut next to the south wall has now become the place where civil and military courtiers come here to wait for their audience after being summoned.

It's like being a concierge when visiting a dignitary's home, but this is the emperor's concierge.

After another conversation at the courtyard door, another person walked into the concierge.

There are only two rows of chairs in the room, and there will be a square stool between the chairs, where they can put tea cups and some books and materials.

Now after the newcomers entered the room, they looked around for a while, then went over and saluted one of them: "Master Nie is here to bid farewell to Your Majesty?"

The one who was saluted was Nie Bao. He stood up first and returned the salute: "Zisheng, there is no need to be more polite. I am here to say goodbye to His Majesty and go to Hetao."

When he was the magistrate of Huating County, Xu Jie was not yet a high school scout.

Before this new job change, both of them were already the general directors of the fourth rank.

Xu Jiexian, who had just turned 30, met with Nie Bao, who had a teacher-student relationship, and then met with the other people waiting here one by one.

Among them are Zheng Xiao, who accompanied the imperial commander during his personal expedition, and returned after going to Hetao to find out the truth about "pacifying the chaos"; Lin Xiyuan, the editor-in-chief of "Ming Pao"; Sun Yuan returned to Beijing after sending his father to his funeral and serving the new period of filial piety.

They are not considered important ministers of the imperial court, so they have to wait here.

Generally speaking, if people at the advisory level want to meet with the emperor, they will usually arrange the time in advance.

Now, they have to wait for the emperor to finish the lectures given to the princes and family members in the Zhongyuan Hall.

"Congratulations to Chief Xu..."

No one else dared to neglect Xu Jie's greeting.

Starting from Xu Jie, the chief of the imperial study took another approach.

In the past, people would enter the imperial study first and then leave it outside.Now, Xu Jie is a local official who has experience as a county magistrate and has served successively as a doctor in the Ministry of Household Affairs in Nanjing and as the general director of the Ministry of Personnel in Beijing.

Everyone regarded this as the emperor's attention and training for him - he was young, had a solid resume, and listened to more teachings in front of the emperor. By the time he was released to the outside world, he would be in the third rank.

With the experience of participating in national policy as the chief of the imperial study room, Xu Jie's future is promising.

The concierge was chatting, and people came one after another from behind.

This kind of scene is no longer unfamiliar to everyone.

After the emperor returned to the capital, there was no big move. The emperor began to spend time summoning more officials below the fourth rank in the capital, sometimes just to chat and get to know each other.

This is what the middle and lower-level Beijing officials have been looking forward to for the past three months.

In response to this, Yang Shen breathed a sigh of relief: No need to persuade, Your Majesty has settled down to discover and become familiar with the important officials of the imperial court in the next 20 years.

Over in the Zhongyuan Hall, Zhu Houcong's class is coming to an end.

In today’s class, all the people who can attend this class are older children.

Among the princes, there are only the prince and the king of Yue.After the clan passed away, there were only three who were eager to learn, talented and diligent.

They are: King Rui Zhu Zaiyan, King Su's concubine Zhu Biniu, and Lingbihou's grandson Tang Shilong.

"What I'm talking about today is the fundamental reason why China and the Northerners have been going back and forth for thousands of years." Zhu Houcong looked at the five people and told them something deeper, "Today's lesson is to teach me again. Clarify the content. Farming and nomadism, the two ways to ensure the survival and reproduction of the people, how did the north and the south become like this? Once you clarify these, you will better understand what physical and human principles are all about."

The person who taught them was an emperor with extraordinary achievements. He had proved the extraordinary and usefulness of his knowledge with more and more achievements.

What Zhu Zaiyan learned from him was far beyond Xia's reach.

He just still didn't quite understand that the emperor seemed to be really trying to train him.

Many contents involve the fundamentals of governing the people.Not only was he listening here, but the King of Yue was also listening.

Doubts exist in the mind of Zhu Zaiyan, who is about to be fourteen years old, but he knows that these lessons will not stop and one day the answer to the mystery will be revealed.

Perhaps the more profound content is just not suitable to be discussed with them now.

"The prince will follow me to the imperial study."

Zhu Houcong stood up, but the prince was still different.

The emperor trained him more by words and deeds.

Even though he is no longer in charge of the country, after His Majesty returns to Beijing, the Prince can still receive individual instruction from the Emperor from time to time.

The eleven-year-old Yue King Zhu Zaiyang didn't have any other ideas, and that was as it should be.And his mother-in-law is a calm woman who knows how to remind him.

The Zhongyuan Hall is not far from the imperial study. The first person to arrive at the imperial study is Xu Jie.

Zhu Houcong looked at him. From his initial prejudice against Xu Jie to Xu Jie's official reputation over the years, Zhu Houcong could not always maintain his prejudice.

Maybe it's because he brought a different atmosphere, maybe it's because Xu Jie has great ambitions and his current official position is not high. In short, he has not done anything excessive at this moment for the family's personal gain and future generations.

Jiang Rubi was released and went to Xuanfu as the magistrate.

Having been in the imperial study for a long time, he was very aware of the supporting role of the Xuanfu in the entire Xuanning border area and even the Hetao.

And Lieutenant General Wang Shen will take over as the editor-in-chief of Ming Pao, and the imperial study room will have to change a group of people.Gao Gong returned to the imperial study and looked at Xu Jie curiously.

Zhu Houcong also found it interesting, so let the two people have a confrontation in the imperial study room first.

"Zisheng doesn't need to be formal, let's start to perform our duties now. I'm summoning the courtiers now, and I'll leave the daily care and other chores to you."

"The minister obeys the order."

Xu Jie is very cautious and respectful.

Then, Sun Yuan was called over first.

"Have all the family affairs been taken care of?" Zhu Houcong was very kind, with a bit of regret in his tone, "I have been on the northern expedition for several months, but I haven't been able to see the father-in-law for the last time."

To this sister-in-law, Sun Yuan could only kneel down to thank the emperor for his kindness and express his gratitude.

"When you go to Shaanxi, you have a heavy responsibility." Zhu Houxun said seriously, "I have decreed that horses are not allowed to be raised in the old land of Taolu south of the Yellow River. Unless I want to send you a hard worker, your important responsibility is related to Huanghuai The flood is a thousand-year plan and is related to the foundation of the Ming Dynasty. With you there, I can rest assured that the whole Shaanxi province will obey orders."

With the Hetao back, desertification control in Shaanxi and Shanxi can be put on the agenda.

Among them, we need to not only control desertification and plant trees, but also continue to promote high-yielding dryland crops and make Shaanxi and Shanxi the long-term work of becoming the granary of the northwest.

Obviously, a lot of land has been recovered and can be cultivated with peace of mind, but it is necessary to plant trees in some key areas to control desertification and conserve soil and water. This is a difficult matter that may cause a lot of confusion.

Sun Yuan is the queen's brother. He takes on this special responsibility and goes there to better solve some problems.

as long as he wants.

When Zhu Houcong mentioned this, Sun Yuan naturally gave repeated assurances. He also said that he had no great talents and was not greedy for official promotion. He only hoped to live up to the emperor's order.

"You asked your younger brother to seize the title. I know that the father-in-law taught you." Zhu Houxuan sighed, "We are all one family. Let me put it simply. If you do this well, the Sun family will be recorded in history books in the future. , we will never just focus on our status as a relative of the country. If we can control the Huanghuai floods, it will be a matter of immeasurable merit."

"I understand that I should devote myself to it. It has been said since ancient times that when the Yellow River is clear, a sage will emerge. Now that the sage is on the throne, I will spend my entire life doing my best to make the Yellow River clear."

Xu Jie listened to the emperor's teachings at close range.

The queen's brother was sent to a difficult place by the emperor, and it even seemed like he would have to spend his whole life running around in the sand and loess to complete this task. This was hard to imagine in the previous dynasty.

This was the first major event that he had personally heard of - it might be a small matter between the government and the public, but the emperor's serious attitude was genuine.

Then Nie Bao also came. He served as magistrate of Huating County, promoted Guangdong Municipal Bureau of Shipping, and served as chief director of Guangdong Qing Li Department of the Ministry of Household Affairs. What he was going to do now was long-term.

"Now that the Hetao has been restored and the Qingnan-Gansu Border Region has been established, the Qinggan-Gansu Border City is a big deal." Zhu Houcong looked at him, "Duogan, Uszang, Turpan, and even the remnants of Oara, we will start with the border market in the west. I recommend that you go to the Qinggan Border Region to take charge of the civil affairs of the border area. The city here is also related to military affairs and ceremonial affairs. I grant you the same rights of specialization and change as the Marquis of Xining and Mao Dutai. I hope that the three of you will first take charge of the Qinggan Border Region. Let’s straighten things out.”

After Tang Shunzhi keenly realized that Gunbilik had returned from Qinghai, the situation in Qinghai was not very optimistic now.The tribes sent there by Gunbilik circled back from Turpan.Turpan and Tibet actually knew about such a big movement earlier.

Nowadays, it is difficult for the Ming Dynasty in the Qinghai area to hold on with absolute strength.However, after the news of the great victories in Hetao and Xuanning spread, Turpan and Tibet did not dare to act rashly.

In that direction, the strategy set by the emperors and ministers of the Ming Dynasty was to build border markets on a large scale, first to let the tribes in the Western Regions accept a new exchange relationship, and at the same time, to rely on trade routes to lay a better foundation in the northwest.

After Nie Bao came Lin Xiyuan, who had been the editor-in-chief of Ming Pao for several years. He went to Hetao.

From an enterprise to a civil servant, Lin Xiyuan was No. 1.

"Maozhen, you are very clear about my many thoughts, and Ying De is also very clear." Zhu Houcong smiled and said to him, "Can the Hetao become a fortress in the south of the Yangtze River? Can the Han people in the border area and the Mongolian people surrender? In harmony, if the tribes in the north of Yinshan Mountain can come to surrender to Wang Hua, I believe you and Ying De can handle it well."

Now that Lin Xiyuan is here, he is also a third-level official like Nie Bao, so he is naturally looking forward to making an unusual statement again.

The matter of Zheng Xiao coming here is also related to the Hetao.

"The General Armament Department and the Qunhu Supervisors have already surveyed the Hetao." Zheng Xiao came over and reported, "How many garden supervisors should be set up is a trivial matter, but how many Han people and how many Mongolian people should be hired to raise horses is still controversial..."

This meeting lasted longer, and Xu Jie knew that it was related to Ma Zheng, who would completely eliminate the enemy in the future.

Nowadays, Ma Zhengshi is mainly doing it through the company of Qunmujian. However, there are a large number of Mongolian people who have surrendered in Hetao and Xuanning. After the relationship between the three tribes of Duoyan and the Ming Dynasty also entered a new stage, there have been many changes. .

Similarly, in Qingganbian City, another important goal is the good horses from the Western Regions.

Outside, at the concierge, Jin Kaila continued to wait.

He was quite patient.He only has the title of county magistrate, and everyone here is an official.

Others were chatting patiently. Although he couldn't get in the conversation and no one talked to him, he just stayed here today and waited for the summons.

When it was almost noon, the only sounds outside were heard. General Military Staff Xia Yan and the Minister of War came together.

The people in the concierge were silent for a moment, wondering if it was the military information of the Northern Expedition Army.

However, there was no news of victory, and Xia Yan and the two went straight to the imperial study. It was obvious that there was something else important, so everyone had their own thoughts for the moment.

In the imperial study room, Zhu Houcong heard them coming and let them in directly without avoiding Zheng Xiao.

"What's the matter?"

"Your Majesty, it is urgent to deliver the report that has just arrived in Beijing. The general affairs envoy sent it to me, but I was not summoned. After asking, I found out that your Majesty is summoning all the ministers. I am afraid that I have not read the report that has just arrived. . I was worried, so I came to see you."

Zhu Houcong was a little surprised: "What can make you so anxious?"

Xia Yan handed the memorial to Huang Jin and was already explaining: "It's the report submitted by Chief Weng from Malacca. It was a smooth journey. This time it only took twenty days to reach Guangzhou, and then all the way to Beijing. Nan'ao Bo came up with an idea, and I thought it was possible, so I couldn't hold it back."

Zhu Houcong opened the memorial in confusion and looked at the news sent back by Weng Wanda.

More than a month has passed. In the memorial, Weng Wanda first introduced in detail what happened after he arrived in Malacca.

Looking at it, with Zhu Houcong's current concentration, he couldn't help but froze, his mouth slightly opened.

Alfonso, is this guy letting himself go?

Xia Yan was eager to try: "Your Majesty, I think it can be done!"

Zhu Houcong couldn't laugh or cry: "Is it feasible? Why don't I think so?"

Xia Yan replied strangely: "According to what Juan said, the Portuguese ruler was unwilling to be defeated and actually dispatched nearly a hundred warships, large and small, to sail away. The country was extremely empty. And the old Indian governor had been escorted back to the West, and the new India The governor has been captured again. If we can use clever tricks to subdue the fleet officers, it is very possible to recruit and surrender the entire fleet. If we continue to conquer Portugal, won't Ming have a bridgehead in that Western Ocean?"

"This guy Alfonso dares to go to sea. He is really bold at heart." Zhu Houcong shook his head repeatedly, "How can it be so simple? Even if you can subdue all the fleet generals and recruit the fleet soldiers, do you think you can easily seize the country by returning to Portugal? The position of Lord? Alfonso doesn’t have the ability, bloodline, or popularity to secure his position.”

This guy relied on Daming's support to come up with such a bold idea.

In Europe, how complicated are the marriage relationships between royal families of different countries?There is also the issue of papal recognition in religion.Although the power of the church is already in decline, under the call, countries like Spain are eyeing the interests of maritime trade and there is no guarantee that they will not attack in groups.

As for the battles at sea and on land, could Alfonso still expect the Ming Dynasty to go all the way to give him blood transfusions and gain a firm foothold?
How many years has it been since he left Europe?

whimsical.

"Your Majesty, the next best thing is to surrender the fleet and occupy the Goa area in India. This time the Portuguese monarch should surrender, right?"

During his term of office, Xia Yan made great contributions to Xuanwei's foreign affairs in Yunnan and Nanyang, and also made great contributions to the restoration of Qinghai, Hetao, and Xuanning. Now he is extremely enthusiastic about opening up territories.

For him, what kind of boast would it be if he could expand his enclave to the seaside of Tianzhu in the history books?

So now he is really anxious to get the emperor's approval so that he can support Alfonso in doing this.

Zhu Houcong didn't speak, thinking silently.

Malacca will definitely be in hand, but there is a fulcrum in India. Is it necessary for today's Ming Dynasty?
There is no doubt that Alfonso's ambition has emerged since he returned to the sea.

It's not that he no longer surrenders to the Ming Dynasty, but the enclave, especially the extremely important midway base for East-West maritime trade, represents huge interests.

Decades later, the benefits naturally took on a life of their own.

Now if we want to support Alfonso in doing this, we need the help of Zhao Jun and others.

If it succeeds, it will naturally bring a lot of benefits to Daming in the short term, but it will also trigger a chain reaction.

For example, Portugal cannot give up its interests in Malacca and gambles on its national destiny. If they lose, their vitality will be greatly damaged.Countries such as Spain, which are watching eagerly from the sidelines, will naturally take over this benefit.When they return to the east, will the Ming Dynasty extend its support so far out for the stronghold of Goa?

Unless Alfonso is given full autonomy, and even canonizes him as a prince to establish his own dynasty, let them act as agents of the Ming Dynasty and fight against the European forces from the West with only their own force.The Ming Dynasty was behind it, and at most they had enough financial resources to expand their power and strengthen their military force through trade.

Moreover, there is no qualitative difference in military force between the Ming Dynasty's navy and the European fleet. How could Zhu Houcong bet Zhao Jun and others on this matter?

Thinking of this, Zhu Houcong shook his head resolutely: "This is not allowed."

Xia Yan was a little disappointed and stopped talking.

Zhu Houcong said again: "We haven't yet figured out how to manage Nanyang, so we can't just blindly go west. However, this matter is not impossible to try. Since Nahuan knew the power of our Ming army and was greedy for the monopoly of east-west sea trade, let him go on his own it is done."

Xia Yan was stunned: "How... can he do this alone?"

Zhu Houcong smiled: "Of course he can't do it on his own, but since he is determined to rebel, let him rebel again. Let him go back and let him bring the Portuguese fleet to Malacca and ambush them. If he can achieve this feat, I can allow him to establish a foothold in Goa with the remaining fleet. Whether he establishes his own dynasty or relies on foreign trade and self-respect to become the governor of India, as long as he still needs to rely on the Ming Dynasty's trade permission and serve the Ming Dynasty. Just be a middleman in trade with the West."

Xia Yan still wanted to speak, but Zhu Houcong stopped him: "There are many Westerners, and the northern barbarians are not yet extinct. What is Gong Jin thinking about the Western Seas? I really want to set foot in Europe, but it is impossible to do it all the way by sea. It is too far."

If Ming's technological level has truly entered the era of steel freedom, then it is still possible to give it a try.

But now, it's really far from that time.

Even if Alfonso's plan comes to fruition, this new Portugal will definitely be just a flash in the pan in Europe.

For at least one to two hundred years, as long as the East and the West each get what they need and gain through trade, the contradiction will not be obvious.

If the Ming Dynasty's technological level has improved in these 20 years, it can try to expand its branches and leaves.

Zhu Houcong never expected that Alfonso would draw him a pie to enter Europe at this time.

This guy has forgotten the word Nan'ao. Does he think that his grandson should be a European king instead of being the king of South Australia who still doesn't know where he is?
The steps were too big.

Xia Yan left with regret, and Zhu Houcong could only sigh helplessly.

I don’t know what the current situation is like after Yu Dayou and Guo Xun went deep into the grassland.

Is everyone so wild in their ambition to achieve success?

(End of this chapter)