I'm really not doing business

Chapter 629: "General Hydrographic Map of the Ming Dynasty"

Institutional building is not a process that can be accomplished overnight, but rather is an extremely long process. The formation of an inconspicuous regulation requires experience, struggle, and vertical scale.

Take the system that requires approval from the Ministry of War to mobilize more than 100 people as an example. It was formed in the early Northern Song Dynasty by Zhao Kuangyin, who seized the country from an orphan and his widowed mother.

Zhao Kuangyin ended the darkest moment of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms and completely integrated the military into the extension of politics. Of course, with the defeat of Zhao Guangyi at Gaoliang River, this correction immediately became an overreaction and too much force, and evolved into emphasizing culture over military, which led to foreign wars in the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty, which always made people laugh and cry.

Military is an extension of politics. This process and the accumulation of experience requires time and sufficient struggle.

Oda Nobunaga wanted to implement such a decree, but then he found that it was impossible to do so. What made him even more desperate was that he could not see the day when it could be implemented. This was the biggest tragedy. He clearly knew the more correct answer, but he just could not complete the implementation of the decree.

Seeing that Oda Nobunaga had stabilized the situation, Li Chengli led his troops out of Kyoto, Japan. Before leaving, Li Chengli not only took Liu Changshan away, but also took away a bunch of things. These were gifts of thanks. They were treasures pulled out of the Imperial Palace by Oda Nobunaga to express his gratitude. Oda Nobunaga's silver was to be kept as war reparations for the Ming Dynasty.

Even if Liu Changshan is gone, there are still Zhao Changshan, Pu Changshan, and Song Changshan to continue doing business. As long as there are people, there is no need to worry about not having Ming Dynasty's goods. As long as there are Ming Dynasty's goods, there is no need to worry about not having silver.

Li Chengli wrote the Tangbao and handed it to the Coast Guard Inspector, who then sent it to the capital to report to His Majesty.

When the Tangbao was reported to the capital, the Ming Emperor was talking with Li Zhi in the West Flower Hall of Tonghe Palace. Lin Fucheng was not there this time. Lin Fucheng was still writing about his experiences during his study tour, finishing the topic of the alienation of people by religion, leaving behind extremely valuable historical materials, recording why he set out now.

"I remember when I first met you, you were talking about no taxation without representation in Taibai Tower. How come there was no relevant discussion later? I asked you a lot of questions at the time. How do you think about it?" Zhu Yijun once gave Li Zhi homework.

Zhu Yijun still agreed with Li Zhi's point of view, but there were too many problems to be solved in practice. The several questions raised by Zhu Yijun were just problems before departure, and many more problems would be encountered along the way.

"Your Majesty, I have thought about it carefully, and my point of view is still too shallow." Li Zhi said helplessly: "In the end, it is just the same as the Song Dynasty, sharing the world with the literati, not ruling the world with the people."

In fact, Li Zhi had never given up his thinking, but after His Majesty Taibai Tower asked him several questions in succession, he was shocked to find that his views were not new, but had already existed for a long time.

The two Song dynasties and the literati shared the world. This sentence is known to all educated people and is often talked about. One saying is that Chinese culture reached its peak during the Zhao Song dynasty. However, there is no mention of the second half of Wen Yanbo's sentence, which is not about ruling the world together with the people.

Therefore, the complete explanation of this sentence is that it is better to sacrifice the interests of the people than to harm the interests of the literati.

However, scholars often take the sentence out of context, quoting only the first half to prove that not allowing the emperor to rule alone is progress, and ignoring the second half about not ruling the world together with the people, in order to cover up the deep-rooted bad habits of the literati in the Song Dynasty who only cared about their own little piece of land, an evil that they were unwilling to cover up even with the fig leaf of helping the world when they were successful.

There is no need to use the fig leaf that the people are the foundation of the country and that a solid foundation will bring peace to the country.

At that time, Emperor Shenzong of Song Dynasty summoned Wen Yanbo to discuss the military affairs in Shaanxi. Wen Yanbo was not interested in discussing the military affairs. Instead, he attacked the new policy, saying that the laws passed down by our ancestors were not necessarily unworkable, but there were some that were abandoned and not implemented. His meaning was that Emperor Shenzong violated the laws of our ancestors. What kind of reforms would that cause chaos? Wasn’t the military chaos in Shaanxi caused by your reforms?
At that time, Emperor Shenzong had an argument with Wen Yanbo. Wen Yanbo said: The laws and regulations of our ancestors are still in place. There is no need to change them and lose the support of the people.

Emperor Shenzong said: Reforming the legal system may indeed make many scholars unhappy, but why is it inconvenient for the people? Emperor Shenzong said: Reforming the legal system has hurt the interests of scholars and officials, making them unhappy. Although it has lost the support of scholars and officials, reforming the legal system has won the support of the people.

Wen Yanbo immediately said, "The people? Where are the people? Emperor, don't you know who you are governing the country with? Share the world with the scholars and officials!"

Where did the scholars come from? They came from the masses, but after putting on the Confucian robes, they changed their appearance.

Li Zhi racked his brains but couldn't come up with a solution, so he simply gave up. After all, Your Majesty was a wise ruler, and there would be no taxation without representation, so this was not a top priority.

"I am stupid. I can't answer any of the questions your majesty asked me." Li Zhi said sincerely, "The people of the world are waiting for the rain, but they don't know where the dragon is."

The people of the world are longing for rain to relieve their suffering, but they don't know that the blue dragon is lurking here, hiding and unmoved.

The emperor asked a few questions at the beginning.

The first is misattribution. If poor coolies were exempt from paying taxes, would the Ming Dynasty be filled with poor coolies? How can we solve this problem?

The second is identity politics, which distinguishes people by their origins. Once this door is opened, people will pile up all kinds of identities for themselves, which will eventually lead to a mess. This has actually happened. For example, when selecting filial and honest people, there were all kinds of strange and bizarre "filial sons". The Central Plains finally got through the dilemma of identity politics. Is it going to reverse history?

The third is betrayal of class. How can we ensure that after achieving class transition, the representative still represents the original class and does not forget why he set out?
The fourth question is how to choose a person to represent the people? How do the people know of his existence?
Li Zhi tried to think about it, but then gave up. He would rather discuss the alienation of power to people than think about these issues anymore. It is important for people to know themselves, and Li Zhi knew that he did not have that ability.

"I also asked these questions to you, sir. Guess what you said?" Zhu Yijun said with a smile.

Li Zhi's eyes lit up, and he asked impatiently, "What do you think, sir?"

"Sir, let's look at the Emperor's Mirror Picture!" Zhu Yijun thought of Zhang Juzheng's frowning and slightly confused expression, and he felt happy. Zhang Juzheng finally chose to escape. He didn't know the answer either, so he let the emperor look at the Emperor's Mirror Picture.

"I have observed that the Netherlands in the West has a system of upper and lower houses. I originally thought that this system was very good. The House of Lords is composed of the old aristocrats, and the House of Commons is composed of representatives of the people. In this way, they can discuss things together. Later, I found that it didn't seem to work, because the old aristocrats in the House of Lords are hereditary, and the representatives of the people in the House of Commons will become the same." Zhu Yijun has actually thought about this problem.

The son of a member of the House of Commons asked: Father, can I be a senator?

The father of the MP said: No, because the MP also has children.

"I have thought about it, but it won't work, Your Majesty." Li Zhi knew very well about the rebellion against Philip II in the Netherlands, and finally concluded that its route was not suitable for the Ming Dynasty.

Because of the system of the Upper and Lower Houses, the Ming Dynasty had similar experience. In the early years of the Zhengtong period, it was the military heroes headed by Duke Yingguo Zhang Fu and the literati headed by the Three Yangs. The final result was that Zhang Fu was forced to the point where he could not attend court.

The advantage of a long history is that no matter how chaotic an event is, we can find its historical prototype, and history has given answers to all the impacts it has produced, which eventually form experience and turn into institutions.

Li Zhi spread his hands and said, "I will start from the beginning and think about how this council official came into being."

"If the Councillors want to be widely known, they need poets and writers to wave their flags and shout, and they need word of mouth, which all costs money, but is the money free? Are the money given by the powerful and wealthy free? In this way, isn't it the case that politics is won by bribery?"

"It's not as good as the imperial examination."

"Of course you have to say this in front of me. It's boring." Zhu Yijun knew very well that when various liberal groups emerged, the discussion on the system would be put on the agenda, which would eventually sound the death knell of the imperial system.

But in front of the emperor, a madman like Li Zhi did not dare to ring the bell. He lacked some courage.

Li Zhi looked at the emperor, but in the end he didn't say what he had been holding back. He actually wanted to say that if all emperors were like your Majesty, then he would support it with both hands and feet. There was no point in discussing it. The imperial system was the greatest system!
This is also the embarrassing point of Fengli public opinion. Apart from the violent incident, there is nothing to criticize about His Majesty. Should we criticize His Majesty for being diligent? Or for being frugal? Or for being jealous of evil? Or for being tenacious and reviewing the army every day for twelve years?

Li Zhi had two topics in total. One was no taxation without representation, because the Emperor's wisdom came to an abrupt end and this topic could not be discussed as long as His Majesty was still alive. The other topic was the alienation of people, which Li Zhi completed very well. Li Zhi entered the palace this time to listen to the Emperor's teachings.

"I am very dissatisfied with the new article you and Lin Fucheng wrote about the alienation of people caused by money." Zhu Yijun took a sip of tea and said, "It is not deep enough, not thorough enough, and it is too bland."

Li Zhi and Lin Fucheng's latest article on the alienation of people by money was denied by His Majesty the Emperor, saying that the discussion was too simple.

"Your Majesty, this is already very bold." Li Zhi said with great confidence: "This is already the limit of what I know and think."

"So, when the southern tour comes in March next year, you and Lin Fucheng will go to the Southern Court to witness it with your own eyes." Zhu Yijun knew Li Zhi's limitations. The limitation was that he didn't understand. To improve the alienation of money to people, he still had to see it with his own eyes.

Li Zhi and Lin Fucheng believed that it was money that destroyed the rationality in human nature and magnified greed, resulting in the alienation of people by money. Zhu Yijun agreed with this starting point very much, but the examples they cited could not effectively support their point of view.

"Has the southern tour in March next year been decided?" Li Zhi asked in surprise. The rumor that His Majesty would go on a southern tour has been going on for a year, but there has been no action. Now there has finally been substantial progress.

"It has been tentatively scheduled for March next year." Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "I can't go wherever I want."

Zhu Di was able to personally lead five northern expeditions because he had the executive vice emperor, Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi, to handle state affairs. But after Zhu Yijun left the capital, the mountains of government affairs that usually piled up were left unattended. Yet he had to tour the south because he needed to see the Southern Court with his own eyes before deciding on the next move of the Wanli Reform.

Zhu Yijun was somewhat overwhelmed. He had been thinking about touring the south for more than two years, but he was unable to leave.

Finally, the Ming Dynasty's state affairs were in a stable period. The Ming Emperor wanted to go to the Southern Court in person to witness its development and changes. The regent was Prince Lu Zhu Yiliu, who would stamp small matters and send big matters to the emperor on his southern tour.

It takes a year to prepare for the emperor's travel, which is already a very short preparation time. This is the journey of the Son of Heaven, so even the place where he stays is full of variables.

Li Zhi stood up and took his leave. His trip was not in vain. He knew clearly why the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty rejected his article. The alienation of money on people required more and more detailed research to get a clearer answer.

Without research, without practical experience and without facts, there is no right to speak. Any discussion that is divorced from facts will lead to absurd conclusions that are laughable and ridiculous.

Zhu Yijun picked up the newspaper from Nagasaki and was silent for a long time after reading it. In fact, Japan never made military an extension of politics from beginning to end.

Military is an extension of politics. It is very complicated to understand this sentence. It can be simply understood as controlling violence so that it does not get out of control. This is the primary prerequisite for a country's stability, just as it is natural for a person to control his own hands and feet. Because Japan has never been able to complete the control of violence, the United States threw two newly-made atomic bombs at it. Finally, Japan completed its demilitarization under the five-star emperor MacArthur.

The repeated assassinations of Oda Nobunaga are the most typical signs of out-of-control violence.

"The Honnoji Incident is not the end, but just a beginning." Zhu Yijun said sincerely as he looked at the newspaper in his hand.

"Your Majesty, what you predicted is true. Nagasaki has sent us another report. After Commander Li Chengli left, Oda Nobunaga was assassinated again. The Honnoji Temple where he stayed in Kyoto was burned down. Oda Nobunaga luckily escaped the disaster." Feng Bao presented the report from Nagasaki to His Majesty.

Honnoji Temple escaped Akechi Mitsuhide's sneak attack, but was eventually burned down by fire. Because the assassination was an arson, it has not yet been investigated to determine who was responsible.

June and July are the rainy season, which is not conducive to the operations of hydrofoil sailboats by coastal defense inspectors because the rainy season is brought by typhoons. The violent typhoons bring strong winds and huge waves on the sea, making it inconvenient for hydrofoil sailboats, which are not wind and wave resistant, to operate.

So these two reports, which were published two days apart, were delivered at the same time.

Oda Nobunaga was assassinated again and again, and this time he experienced arson. The fire burned down the entire Honnoji Temple and killed six people, including the surviving retainers.

"Can he always be so lucky?" Zhu Yijun reviewed the newspaper and wrote a long letter to Xu Wei, Sun Keyi and Li Chengli. He asked the Nagasaki Governor's Office to sell the gifts that Oda Nobunaga gave to Li Chengli and exchange them for reward money to distribute to the Japanese soldiers. Then he asked Li Chengli to be on high alert. If there was a drastic change in Japan, he should immediately retreat to the Nagasaki Governor's Office and plan for the future.

Zhu Yijun could only shake his head regarding the repeated assassination attempts on Oda Nobunaga.

This time the Guarding Thousand Households got the news in advance, what about next time?
There were three big rebels under Oda Nobunaga, Akechi Mitsuhide, Hashiba Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Now Akechi Mitsuhide died from the shrapnel bomb, and there were two more difficult to deal with. Among them, Tokugawa Ieyasu was the most shrewd and scheming. This guy was like Sima Yi, an old horse in the stable, quietly lying in wait for an opportunity.

Zhu Yijun could only wish Oda Nobunaga good luck, and at least hope he could stay alive well before paying off the 1500 million silver war indemnity.

"The Gewuyuan sent a feng shui map, which is slightly different from the ones I have seen before." Feng Bao asked two eunuchs to open the scroll, which was covered with dense lines.

Nominated by Zhu Zaiyu: "Outline Map of Hydrology of the Ming Dynasty".

"What do these lines and numbers represent?" Zhu Yijun stood in front of the huge feng shui map and asked curiously, "Where is the emperor's uncle? He is so busy offering auspicious signs that he doesn't even show up?"

"His Royal Highness Prince De said that it has not been fully researched yet and is not detailed. Further survey is needed, which still takes time. These lines represent temperature and wave height. Waves and water temperature are closely related, just like wind." Feng Bao explained the lines in the picture below.

The Gewu Academy explained the formation of wind in the Gewu Newspaper. As the heat of the air increases, it rises and creates a low-pressure area, while the cold air descends and forms a high-pressure area. The high pressure flows toward the low pressure and forms wind.

The same is true for the ocean, which explains why there are waves three feet high even when there is no wind. It is even more complicated because the density of water is much greater than that of air, and its specific heat capacity is also much greater, so the convection of the ocean will carry greater energy.

On the huge feng shui map are the temperature lines and wave height lines of the average water temperature observed over a long period of time by the Ming Dynasty's Four Seas Observation Station.

There is a strait between Xinglongzhuang and Miyan Port in Luzon. This strait is called the Luzon Channel (Bashi Channel). In the summer, the Luzon Channel has big waves for 40% of the time. Even in the winter, there are more than 20% of the time.
In the ocean east of Jilong Island, the water temperature is higher, and strong winds and big waves are more frequent. According to observations, the ocean east of Jilong Island is almost impassable in summer, with strong winds and big waves all the time.

In May, June, July and August, huge storms will form in the ocean east of Jilong Island. These storms will be blocked by Jilong Mountain and swirl around this sea area. In the era of sailing, this place was a restricted area.

Judging from the geomancy map, the Daheigou between Daming and Jilong Island is a smooth road, but in fact it is very difficult to travel through. Daming controlled Penghu, Tamsui Town, Xinglongzhuang and other places. So, if smugglers took the sea east of Jilong Island and bypassed the Ming-controlled area, wouldn't they be able to avoid the Ming's taxation and jurisdiction?

But sailing in the ocean east of Keelung Island means a very high risk of capsizing.

"If the Ming Dynasty wants to launch a full-scale attack on the Japanese mainland, it will need to go through Korea and attack the Mori family from Tsushima Island. This route is suitable for the main attack. The other route is from Ryukyu to Nagasaki, and then to Kyoto. This route is risky and can be used as a support." Zhu Yijun looked at the geomancy map and frowned.

In order to prevent the tragedy of Kublai Khan's defeat at the hands of hydrological and astronomical phenomena during his expedition to Japan from happening again, the most suitable route for the Ming Dynasty was to go to Japan via Korea and use Tsushima Island as a springboard. However, this route was also the route taken by Japan, which was greedy and wanted to attack the Ming Dynasty.

Going through another country is extremely dangerous. Even though Korea advocated "serving the powerful and making friends with neighbors" after Suyang Jun became king, Zhu Yijun could not issue such an order to turn his back to another country even if he had no military talent.

During the two Wanli Korean Wars, the Ming Dynasty encountered a very difficult problem: logistics supply.

The Ming army entered Korea, repelled the Japanese pirates and restored peace to Korea. During the war, logistical supply faced a huge challenge, because the civilians who escorted the food and fodder were always robbed, so soldiers had to be sent to protect them. Korea refused to provide food and fodder on the grounds that the land was narrow and mountainous and there was no farmland due to the war. As the war went on, the Ming court found that the burden was getting heavier and heavier.

The Ming court asked three times in total. The first time, Korea refused on the grounds that "food and wages have not been transported here, and our country is devastated and has no food." The second time, Korea refused on the grounds that "everything has been abandoned." The third time, Korea refused on the grounds that "we are a country that relies on our parents and our superior country is vast and we should not ask for anything." In other words, Ming is the Celestial Empire, our superior country, with vast land and abundant resources. How could it ask us for just a little bit of food and grass?
When the Korean envoy refused for the third time, the officials of the Ministry of Rites were completely defeated and cursed: "You don't know how to train your soldiers, and you always use China's soldiers as your soldiers; you don't know how to accumulate pay, and you always use China's pay as your pay. How can you not perish!"

Just die and don’t live anymore.

Military supplies consume a lot of energy, and whether the logistical supplies are sufficient directly affects the outcome of the war.

When Qi Jiguang attacked Guihua City, he advanced step by step cautiously and set up permanent fortifications at the Daqing Mountain Pass and Jining Lake. Only after he drove the enemy out completely could he make further progress and eventually capture Guihua City and capture Altan Khan alive. However, Qi Jiguang, who advanced step by step cautiously, was criticized for becoming timid and hesitant after achieving success.

"Have you taken a look at it, General Qi?" Zhu Yijun pointed at the hydrological map for a long time and asked Qi Jiguang for his opinion.

Qi Jiguang was a radical in the matter of destroying the Japanese pirates. According to Qi Jiguang's proposal, in April, he set sail from his old nest, Songjiang Prefecture, to Jeju Island and directly attack the Japanese mainland. This was undoubtedly a military adventure, but when it came to destroying the Japanese pirates, Qi Jiguang was easily radical.

"I've seen it." Feng Bao whispered, "General Qi's idea is to have the Korean royal family relocate and become neighbors with the Ryukyu King Shangjiu and the Japanese King Ashikaga Yoshiaki."

Offline monarchy, Ming Dynasty completely took over Korea, and then launched a full-scale attack from Liaodong to Korea.

Will North Korea agree? The answer is no.

At the beginning of the establishment of the Joseon Dynasty, Zheng Cundao advocated attacking the Liao Dynasty. During the Jingtai period, when Prince Nosan Lee Hongui accepted the Ming Dynasty's enthronement at the Geunjeongmun Gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace, he refused to kneel down, which triggered the rituals of the vassal state and caused a storm of filial piety. This gave Prince Suyang Lee Seo the opportunity to launch the Jingnan Rebellion.

"Korea and Japan are also intertwined. The Souji, a powerful family on Tsushima Island, is a dog of the Mori family. They are the guardian of Tsushima of the Japanese court and also the lord of Tsushima Island appointed by Korea. Moreover, since the founding of the country, Lee Seong-gye has been recruiting and sheltering the Japanese who have been converted, granting them official positions to win them over. The two countries have been sending envoys to communicate with each other for a long time, and the trade has been constant." Feng Bao further explained the news he had heard from the Ministry of Rites.

Contrary to what the Ming Dynasty imagined, Korea and Japan had never been at odds with each other. On the contrary, they had close contacts, and Korea, which also suffered from the Japanese invasion, appeased and compromised with Japan.

If the Ming Dynasty insisted on relocating the Korean royal family, it would probably drive Korea to the enemy side.

The Ryukyu King Shangjiu was bullied by the Japanese pirates and had no way to survive, so he had to flee to the Ming Dynasty on his own initiative;

The King of Wa, Ashikaga Yoshiaki, was exiled by Oda Nobunaga and became a homeless dog. He fled everywhere and was finally sold.

The leader of the Northern Barbarians, the Great Khan Tumen Borjigin, was bullied by both the Ming Dynasty and Altan Khan and was on the verge of death, so he had to agree to the Ming Dynasty's request to personally send an envoy to the Ming Dynasty to surrender.

But the Korean royal family is determined not to do so.

As for the Korean royal family, they would not even lend their passage to the Ming Dynasty. Korea also understood the principle of "the lips and teeth are interdependent". If Japan was gone, Korea would also be gone.

Zhu Yijun looked at the geomancy map. If he attacked from Tsushima Island, there would be a roadblock like Korea. If he attacked from Ryukyu, there would be obstacles like strong winds and huge waves. The threat posed by such celestial phenomena in a large-scale military operation was no less than Liu Xiu's "meteorite from the sky".

"Let's take it slow. Japan's population is still too large, eight million people. Let the Japanese kill most of them themselves." Zhu Yijun was not in a hurry. He was still very young.

"Send a memorial to the Ministry of Rites, changing the tribute trade with Korea to once a year." Zhu Yijun issued an order, ending the special treatment of the tribute trade with Korea.

Tribute trade was a money-losing business for the Ming Dynasty. In order to demonstrate the magnanimity of a great country and for the sake of face, Korea sent some junk, and the Ming Dynasty had to reward it with several times or even dozens of times the value. Moreover, there was no limit on the number of times Korea could trade with the court in a year and it could come at any time. However, what the Koreans wanted most was food.

Korea has many mountains, and most of the plains suitable for farming are in the south. The south was plagued by the Japanese invasion, and Korea's grain production was insufficient and famine often occurred. However, the main purpose of Korean envoys purchasing grain was not to deal with domestic food shortages, but to make wine.

North Korea has developed Goryeoji into an industrial chain. How much sympathy can this regime, which can be said to be completely dependent on the Central Plains for its existence, have for the common people at the bottom?

Zhu Yijun's decree was just to make Korea uncomfortable for a while, but would not cause any substantial harm. Korea had not made any disrespectful moves since Prince Suyang during the Jingtai period. Therefore, if the Ming Dynasty wanted to force the Korean royal family to relocate, it needed a reason. According to the ancestral law, paying tribute once a year was a good breakthrough.

Korea's unlimited tribute was not in compliance with ancestral law, because after Korea was listed as a country that would not be conquered, it was decided that tribute would be paid once a year. However, Korea later insisted on coming, and Ming did not stop it, and over time it became a habit.

The laws established by our ancestors are now activated!
(End of this chapter)