If I fail to overcome the tribulation, I can only return to the Ming Dynasty and become a prince.

Chapter 134 Xiao Liuqiu Kingdom
In the Qianqing Palace, a huge sea map hung on the side of the palace. Zheng He and Zhu Di were listening to Zhu Zhankui's arrangements for conquering Japan.

"In the past three months, in addition to clearing away Japanese pirates at sea, my Qingyu Guards also went north along the sea route and arrived at Xiaoliuqiu." Zhu Zhanquan drew a line on the map with his finger, and then continued Said: "There are many islands in the Xiaoliuqiu area, and many of the islands are still inhabited. If the army of conquering the Japanese country goes to the Japanese country from here, it can save a lot of trouble in supplying supplies along the way. Even if there is a storm at sea, they can take shelter on these islands to avoid unnecessary damage." Go to the ending where the ship was destroyed by a typhoon like Qian Yuan.

In addition, the king of Xiaoliuqiu Kingdom has long admired the king of the Central Plains and has always wanted to come to pay tribute. However, his country is small and weak, and the only good shipbuilder in the country is the 36 Fujianese who moved to Xiaoliuqiu under the order of Emperor Taizu during the Hongwu period. There are no big ships in the country, and every time you want to send envoys to the DPRK, it costs a lot of money.

If the imperial court can provide some help to Ryukyu, or establish a stronghold on the Xiaoliuqiu Islands to open up a maritime trade route from the Japanese country to the Ming Dynasty, this will not only facilitate the maritime trade and control of the Japanese country in the Ming Dynasty, but also allow the Xiaoliuqiu Kingdom to Obtain benefits and demonstrate the benevolence of our Ming Dynasty. "

After listening to Zhu Zhanyu's words, Zhu Di nodded frequently, then looked at Zheng He and asked him: "Sanbao, what do you think?"

As the most knowledgeable person in maritime affairs in the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di still valued Zheng He very much and cared about his opinions.

Zheng He thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement and said: "His Royal Highness King Zheng's strategy is indeed good. If the Ming Dynasty can station soldiers on the Xiaoliuqiu Islands and patrol the ocean with ships, the entire Xiaoliuqiu Islands can be included in our Ming Dynasty is under control.

There is just one question. I wonder if His Highness Prince Zheng has considered it?The Xiaoliuqiu Islands are small in area, have poor resources, and have a sparse population. Although they can provide supplies for maritime trade routes and reduce Japanese invasion, what benefit does this small country have to the Ming Dynasty?

If troops are stationed, the court will have to transport food to the island every year. This expense and expense..."

What Zheng He said is one of the main reasons why Chinese civilization has been unwilling to expand its territory since the Qin and Han Dynasties. There is really not much benefit to be gained from conquering these places.

Although the territory of Chinese civilization has changed, expanded or shrunk through the ages, its core areas have always been concentrated in the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins.

The Yellow River Basin is the ancestral land of Chinese civilization. Thousands of years of development have made it very mature and prosperous. Even after wars and the prosperity of the Han and Tang Dynasties, this area is still densely populated, with rich economic and cultural heritage. Still there.

During the Song Dynasty, although the economic and cultural center of gravity moved southward, and clothes and clothes were transferred southward, they still did not break away from the already developed and mature area. They just moved from the Yellow River Basin to the Yangtze River Basin, and to a limited extent in the areas south of the Yangtze River. for development.

And this is because the territory of the Yellow River Basin in the north has been developed to the limit and can no longer support such a large population. Coupled with the harassment of nomads, the center of gravity of Chinese civilization has moved south.

But even today's Ming Dynasty, its core territory still has not escaped the barriers of the Qin and Han Dynasties, and still sticks to the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins.

Why don't you continue to expand overseas?Has Chinese civilization lost its enterprising spirit?

No, it's because the Chinese civilization is too strong. It is so strong that it is like a black hole attracting everything to surrounding civilizations and countries.

So for the Central Plains Dynasty, all the good things in the world are at home. What kind of stinky fish and shrimps are those small countries around them?Only the nomads in the north deserved a high look from the Central Plains Dynasty because they were capable of fighting, but they never regarded their land as a good place.

Otherwise, why would the nomads in the north always want to go south and have fought with the Central Plains dynasties for thousands of years, from the Shanrong Donghu in the Spring and Autumn Period, to the Xiongnu in the Qin and Han Dynasties, to the Wuhuan and Xianbei in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and the Mohe and Turks in the Tang Dynasty. From the Khitans and Jurchens in the Song Dynasty to the Mongols and Manchus, these ethnic minorities spent more than 2000 years just to move south.Are they stupid?They have been fighting with the Central Plains Dynasty for more than 2000 years.

No, they are not stupid, because compared with the rich land of the Central Plains Dynasty, the grasslands of the north?That's a remote place where birds don't poop.

Herding horses and sheep may sound romantic, but in fact, half of the livestock died in a snowstorm, and they kept migrating in pursuit of water and grass all year round. In the huge grassland, even mature wood was a rarity, and life was very hard.

Monan may be fine, but Mobei?It was a truly bitter cold place, almost reaching Siberia.

Therefore, this allowed the rulers of the Central Plains Dynasty to develop an inertial thinking, that is, the surrounding areas were in ruins, and the land conquered was not worth the military expenditures.

Just like Zhu Di's Northern Expedition in the seventh year of Yongle, if Zhu Gaochi becomes emperor, he will never fight this battle. Instead, he will consolidate the border defenses and prevent the Mongols from going south.

Although this cannot solve the problem of the Mongols invading the border, as long as the Mongols are blocked from going south, it is already a victory for the court, and it will cost less money.

Although this would leave many problems, the imperial court would need to station heavy troops in the north all year round to prevent the Mongols from going south at any time, but the costs of stationing troops and going out to fight were completely different.

You must know that although Zhu Di's Northern Expedition only lasted a few months, all the taxes from the seven provinces south of the Yangtze River were paid in. If the national treasury had not been able to pay out the money, Zhu Di would not have come back.

Zhu Zhanjun was able to persuade Zhu Di to conquer the Japanese, but he still used the Japanese-owned gold and silver mountains as bait.

And it's not just an empty talk. After Zhu Zhankun said that Japan has gold and silver mountains, Zhu Di sent the most capable people from Jinyiwei to Japan, and went directly to the country where Zhu Zhankun said there were gold mines. The local government conducted a survey and found out that there were indeed gold and silver mines, so the court relaxed and allowed the Japanese conquest.

Otherwise, even if Zhu Di relaxed the restrictions on the vassal kings leading troops, he would not allow the six vassal kings to join forces to conquer the vassal countries.

But conquering the Japanese country is conquering the Japanese country, and dealing with the Xiaoliuqiu Kingdom is another situation.

Although it is possible to persuade the court on the grounds of maintaining waterways, this is ultimately an investment, and the cost of long-term garrisoning is also not a small expense, and people will always find excuses to deny it.

Faced with Zheng He's question, Zhu Zhanqi just smiled and said: "The climate and soil of Ryukyu are very suitable for growing sugar cane. If their people are widely encouraged to plant sugar cane and make cane sugar, it will also be a source of wealth. "

　The Big and Little Ryukyu in the Ming Dynasty are today's Taiwan and Okinawa Islands. The Big Ryukyu is Taiwan and the Little Ryukyu is the Ryukyu Kingdom.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)