unclear

Chapter 955 Ten Years Later 2
With a carrot in one hand and a stick in the other, it has brought economic development to border areas and effectively improved the living standards of local people; at the same time, it has continued to erode and influence the original culture, customs, and even religion.

Taoism is currently the largest religion in the Ming Empire and its vassal states, but unlike the development model of Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism, it does not rely on missionary work and preaching, nor does it build pure Taoist temples in various places. Instead, it uses medical clinics and schools instead.

After more than ten years of interpretation and development, subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and geography have been integrated with Taoist culture such as the stars, sun and moon, wind, frost, rain and snow, the five elements and eight trigrams, and feng shui. It is both science and metaphysics.

Do ordinary people want to live forever, fly into the sky and into the earth, and become an immortal? Come on, study hard, and if you practice any of these courses to a certain level, you can achieve it.

Don't believe it? Please go to the Forbidden City and look! The current emperor is over fifty years old, but his eyesight is not blurry, his ears are not deaf, he has not a single white hair, he has not lost a single tooth, and his facial features, limbs and skin are no different from those of a thirty-year-old.

Let's take a look at the concubines in the harem. When they entered the palace, they were 10 or 20 years younger than the emperor. Now when they stand next to the emperor, the age difference is indistinguishable.

The simplest example is to look at Wang Chengen, the chief eunuch of the imperial palace. He was just ten years old when he served the emperor, while the emperor was already twenty-four or twenty-five years old. It was obvious at first glance that he was just a child following an adult.

Now Wang Chengen is 40 years old, and the emperor is over 50 years old. When they walk together, Wang Chengen looks older, while the emperor is 10 years younger than him. The officials who were about the same age as the emperor back then are now the same age as Wang Chengen.

You can also ask the former imperial doctors, but you have to hurry up, because some of them are still alive, but they don't have much time left. Since they became imperial doctors, they have served the previous emperor and the concubines in the inner palace, and also served the current emperor and the concubines in the inner palace, but none of them has treated Emperor Jingyang.

This emperor had never been sick since he was a child, and he had never bothered the imperial physician for more than fifty years. Oh, that's not right, the imperial physician was summoned during the rebellion in the Yangxin Palace. As a result, after eating the same poisonous noodles, the Empress Dowager of the West Palace died, while the emperor was alive and well like a normal person.

What is this called? It is the art of maintaining youth! According to the "Biography of Immortals" written by Ge Hong, the art of maintaining youth is an internal alchemy method to maintain youth, which is a method in the practice of alchemy.

When one has achieved a minor level of success, one can reach the state of having a youthful and ageless appearance, eliminating diseases and prolonging life, keeping youth and body light, and having an everlasting appearance. When one has achieved a major level of success, mortals can be immune to all poisons and live forever. As the power continues to improve, living for hundreds or even thousands of years is not a problem.

Emperor Jingyang obviously practiced alchemy and achieved great success, which enabled him to cure diseases, prolong life, be immune to all poisons, and maintain an eternal youth.

This also explains why Emperor Jingyang suppressed Buddhism and vigorously promoted Taoism in the Ming Dynasty. He himself was a master who had attained enlightenment, so naturally he also hoped that his people would practice together.

Can't see the emperor and ministers? No problem, can you see the Ming army? Look at the muskets and cannons they use, it's obviously a magic spell of thunder and lightning.

The emperor put magic into muskets and cannons, turning them into magical tools that ordinary people could use. However, since ordinary people did not practice magic, the power of the weapons was reduced.

If we can't see the army, can we see the navy? They obviously also learned some Taoist techniques, and more than one. For example, Fubo technique, water division technique, walking on water technique, etc. Otherwise, how could they drive a large sailing ship for thousands of miles without stopping at any time, while the sea merchants of other countries in Southeast Asia and the West could not do it.

There are also clocks that are not uncommon on the market, which use mechanical techniques; machines that rotate day and night must be the art of controlling ghosts and transporting things; all kinds of new products are extracted from coal tar and petroleum, which is the famous alchemy!

It is said that if one practices chemistry to perfection, one can create everything else. If one grabs a handful of air or a scoop of seawater, one can create something that does not exist in the world.

According to Taoism, this is the external alchemy method in the alchemy. Judging from the means shown by the emperor, he should not have cultivated to the great success, but he must have cultivated to the small success. He is a genius who has cultivated both inside and outside for thousands of years, and one foot has already stepped into the threshold of the immortal on earth!

Regardless of Christianity, Islam or Buddhism, no matter how wonderful the scriptures are, which one can show the plots and characters in them, even the tip of the iceberg? No! Hehe, Taoism has it. The emperor casually casts a spell, refines it in a pile of bottles and jars, and the elixir produced can be poison. Even the Golden Immortal cannot save him if he drinks it.

It could also be a magical medicine that can cure malaria if you drink it, and even smallpox can be eradicated after dripping blood to recognize the master. You can tell me if it is magical or not, you can tell me if you want to learn it, you can tell me if you should believe it or not!

Hong Tao spent nearly ten years using economics, military, policies and metaphysics to successfully bring together hundreds of millions of people with different cultures, customs, blood ties and even languages ​​and appearances, allowing them to have a similar understanding of the world and become a role model for more and more people to believe in.

Although this work is not yet complete, and may not be completely successful even in another ten years, it is enough for a ruler. As long as it continues to be consolidated and grows a little bit every year, the faith gained will become more and more, and more and more devout.

During these ten years, not only the Ming Empire was changing, but the whole world was also changing.

After the death of Queen Inmok, King Yi Jong of Joseon purged the northern faction that had supported him to the throne. He demoted some court officials and sent them home, and then selected some officials from the western faction and placed them in high positions.

On the surface, Yi Jong was further governing the country, but in reality, he was forced to do so. At this time, the two most favored concubines around him were daughters of the Ming royal family, and many of his personal eunuchs were also awarded by the Ming emperor. Even the female officials in the harem were maids of the Ming empress, and they were almost left unattended 24 hours a day.

Under such circumstances, the message conveyed by the Ming Empire's ambassador to Seoul every time he entered the palace basically had to be executed. If he dared to deliberately delay and pretend to obey, he could be burned to death like his uncle Li Hun in a fire in the palace.

It is said that Gwanghaegun Lee Hun's son and his cousin Lee Il was attending school in the school run by the Ming Emperor. After he was burned to death, it was very likely that his cousin became the King of Joseon.

As for the officials of the Northern Party who were demoted or even killed, they had supported his ascension to the throne. There was nothing they could do, because now they thought the Ming Empire was too controlling. Now they had to obey and obey, all for the sake of saving their lives.

From the Korean Peninsula to the south through the Tsushima Strait you will reach the Japanese archipelago. If you were to ask which country is the least troublesome for Hong Tao after he ascended the throne, Japan would be the first choice, without a doubt.

Tokugawa Ieyasu was a good comrade. After unifying Japan, he lived a quiet life behind closed doors and no longer coveted the Korean Peninsula.

When his son Tokugawa Hidetada took over, he inherited his father's will and took the policy of isolation to a new level, even driving away British and Dutch merchants.

Now the only two countries that trade with Japan are the Ming Empire and the Kingdom of Korea, with the former accounting for 90% of the trade volume. This alone is enough to satisfy the Ming merchants who specialize in running the Japan route.

Starting from the 22nd year of Yang Jing's reign, Hong Tao would take out a sum of money from the treasury every New Year to purchase raw silk, glassware, perfume, soap, whale oil and other goods. He would fill a ship and sail it to Edo, where it would be delivered to the Shogun by the ambassador to Japan.

You can call it a reward or a thank you. He sincerely hoped that Tokugawa Hidetada could live a few more years and continue to watch over Japan's seas and not let any ships go to sea.

For this purpose, a death order was issued to the Japanese and Korean branches of the Statistics Bureau, requiring them to pay close attention to the movements of the shogunate and local daimyos at all times, and to immediately report to the Ming Empire's ambassador in Edo if they learned of anyone taking any action that was detrimental to Tokugawa Hidetada. If necessary, extreme measures could be taken to eliminate the hidden danger for Tokugawa Hidetada.

If the ambassador to Japan believes that the situation is likely to get out of control, the Ming Empire is willing to send out the navy and the marines at its own expense to help Tokugawa Hidetada maintain his rule. Such a good comrade must not die young, and strive to pass on his excellent genes from generation to generation!

(End of this chapter)