Rebirth of Zhu Di's son

Chapter 175 This is the Globe

a few days later.

Hall of Martial Arts.

"Jiang Zhen, who is of humble rank, is here to see your Majesty. Long live my emperor."

The commander of the Jin Yiwei ordered Jiang Yu to bow into the hall and bow in salute.

"Pingsheng, what has King Zhao been doing recently?"

Zhu Di put down the memorial in his hand, looked up at Jiang Yu who was bowing in the hall, and asked loudly.

"Your Majesty, after His Royal Highness the Crown Prince ordered King Zhao to be grounded, King Zhao made a few noises at first, clamoring to see His Majesty and the Queen. Later, when he saw that the guards watching him were indifferent, he stopped shouting. In the past few days, His Highness King Zhao has only been drinking. For fun, I just danced with swords and guns, and never exchanged news with anyone."

Jiang Wei reported respectfully.

Zhu Di said "hmm" expressionlessly to show that he was listening.

After Jiang Wei finished speaking, he then asked: "Can we find out the traces of the Japanese Oda Jiro and the forces behind him? Are there any traces of overseas Japanese pirates?"

"Your Majesty, I have been sending spies these days to search for witnesses who have seen Oda Jiro in the capital, and at the same time to investigate people who have had contact with Oda Jiro in the coastal towns of Quanzhou, and finally found some clues."

Jiang Wei thought about his words and said slowly: "Your Majesty's guess is correct. The Japanese pirates are ambitious and trying to recruit troops to capture Ryukyu. Oda Jiro is one of the many Japanese pirate forces at sea. At present, this person has retreated to overseas islands. I don't know. trace."

Zhu Di said in a deep voice: "Jiang Wei listens to the order."

"The humble position is here." Jiang Wei bowed his head and said.

Zhu Di ordered: "Send people to pay close attention to the movements of Japanese pirates on the southeast coast of the Ming Dynasty. If there is any abnormal movement, immediately alert the coastal guards."

"Follow your orders!" Jiang Wei said, cupping his fists.

At this moment, Zhu Di suddenly remembered something and asked: "The prince once suggested that I issue an edict: 'Anyone who is a subject of the Ming Dynasty and captures a Japanese pirate alive and escorts him to the government will be rewarded with ten taels of silver; anyone who kills a Japanese pirate will be rewarded with ten taels of silver. Anyone who is named a Japanese pirate will be rewarded with one tael of silver yuan. 'Jiang Gu, how do you think this order to capture the bandits will be implemented?"

"Your Majesty has a question, and I dare not not answer it because of my humble position. As the saying goes, 'Death leads to no proof'. If you kill a Japanese pirate, you can get a reward of one tael of silver. So if someone kills a good person and asks for a reward, how should you identify him?"

Jiang Wei replied respectfully.

Zhu Di said: "For your concerns, the prince has other suggestions. The prince hopes that I will set up a new division under the Jinyi Guards, called the Division of Capturing Bandits, which will be responsible for spying on and apprehending those who enter the Ming Dynasty privately, including Japanese pirates, pirates, and foreigners. , Nanyi and other overseas Chinese. What do you think of the prince’s proposal?”

The establishment of the Division for Capturing Bandits was tantamount to an expansion of the powers of Jinyiwei.

After Jiang Wei thought for a while, he cupped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, I think it's feasible."

Zhu Di shouted: "Jiang Wei listens to the order!"

Jiang Wei knelt down and bowed his head and said: "This is my humble duty."

"It is my decree that from now on, a yamen for capturing the bandits will be set up under the Jinyiwei Pro-Army Commanding Department, with the same position as the Town Fusi, and the Jinyiwei will be ordered to direct the affairs of Sai Hazhi and also take charge of the affairs of capturing the bandits."

Zhu Di ordered loudly.

Jiang Wei bowed and said, "I accept the decree."

"Go down." Zhu Di waved his hand.

"Retire from humble office."

Jiang Wei bowed and retreated.

Then, Zheng He, who had been waiting outside the palace gate for a long time, bowed and entered the palace.

"Weak minister Zheng He, please see your majesty. Long live my emperor."

"Excuse me, give me a seat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Zheng He bowed.

Zhu Di looked at Zheng He, stroked his beard and smiled: "Zheng He, since you took charge of the Five Cities Army and Horses Division, the public security and folk customs in this capital have completely changed!"

"Your Majesty has given you too much praise. Without His Highness the Crown Prince's strong recommendation and guidance, I would not have known how to manage the Five Cities Military and Horse Division. Now after several months of governance, a new trend has emerged in the capital, and dozens of new propaganda shops have been opened along the Qinhuai River. In this grand theater of loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness, His Royal Highness the Prince should take the first place."

Zheng He was a man who understood current affairs and had an overall view of the situation. He knew what to say and what not to say.

Sure enough, after Zhu Di heard this, he raised his head and laughed "hahaha" three times, then stretched out his hand to point at Zheng He and said: "Gao Xu took a fancy to your nature of taking credit without being arrogant and knowing the general situation, so he strongly recommended you to be the fifth admiral." City Soldiers and Horses Division.”

"Your Majesty and the Crown Prince are kind to me, and my wish in this life is to fulfill my duties and be loyal to the king in order to repay the great kindness of Your Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Zheng He immediately stood up and bowed deeply.

"Okay, okay. Sit down, sit down."

Zhu Di was very satisfied with Zheng He's performance and raised his hand.

After Zheng He sat down, he continued: "Zheng He, I summoned you this time to discuss with you the imperial court's second sea cruise."

"Your Majesty, please give me your instructions." Zheng He said respectfully.

Zhu Di said: "In recent days, the celestial phenomena demonstration room has become a lively place after the seven-day trade market, second only to the Garden of Beasts. The demonstration room takes turns to demonstrate the celestial phenomena of the eclipse of the sun and the moon, which is an eye-opener for the people of the capital. Set up celestial phenomena The demonstration room was an unprecedented move in the Ming Dynasty to educate the common people."

"In the past, people who didn't know the truth often associated astronomical phenomena with supernatural things, trying to manipulate people's hearts and wield power by interpreting the meaning of the astronomical phenomena. It was really abominable. Now the astronomical demonstration room has completely shattered those people's illusions. "

"But even so, there are always people who think that the astronomical demonstrator made by Dr. Mei is wrong. They stubbornly believe that the earth should not be a ball."

When Zhu Di said this, he looked at Zheng He and said: "Zheng He, I plan to go on a cruise for the second time and give you another task, which is to lead the fleet all the way to the west! If the earth we are stepping on is a An extremely huge sphere, then after the fleet you lead keeps heading west, it will eventually make a circle and return to the Ming Dynasty from the East Ocean!"

"Your Majesty, if the earth is really a giant ball, then by leading a fleet to sail around the giant ball, wouldn't he become the first person in history to lead a fleet to complete a circle around the earth? This is a great achievement, sir. Don’t dare to obey orders.”

When Zheng He heard Zhu Di's plan, the first thing he thought of was not the difficulties he would encounter during his circumnavigation, but that if he completed the great feat of circumnavigating the world, it would cause many problems.

On the one hand, completing this feat will greatly increase his reputation. It is said that people are afraid of being famous and pigs are afraid of being strong. For a eunuch, this kind of fame is too great, so unprecedented that he is afraid that he will not be able to withstand it.

On the other hand, completing this feat is an unprecedented feat. How should Zhu Di reward him then?
If he were not a eunuch, it would be reasonable and reasonable for him to be granted the title of marquis.

But he is a eunuch after all!

Emperor Taizu had established an ironclad rule that eunuchs were not allowed to interfere in politics. If Zhu Di made him a marquis based on merit, this would have an unpredictable impact on future generations.

If the advantages outweigh the disadvantages in the long run, that's fine. On the contrary, if it causes chaos, then Zhu Di and he will become the eternal sinners who harmed the Ming Dynasty!

"Zheng He, if I don't leave this unprecedented feat to you, who else can I leave it to?"

Zhu Di naturally understood what Zheng He's concerns were, but he really couldn't find the right person to do this. He had watched Zheng He grow up, and there was no need to doubt Zheng He's loyalty to him. Therefore, he did not intend to hide it from Zheng He, but instead told him directly.

"Your Majesty, I am not worried about my own safety, but I cannot make things difficult for Your Majesty in the future."

Zheng He cupped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, please take a closer look."

"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince seeks an audience."

At this moment, the eunuch Li Xing bowed into the palace and bowed respectfully. "You're here just in time. The prince is coming in."

Zhu Di nodded.

"My son-in-law pays respects to his father."

After Zhu Gaoxu entered the palace, he bowed and saluted.

"Exemption."

Zhu Di raised his hand and pointed to the first chair under the royal table and said: "Come, sit down here."

"My minister has met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Zheng He immediately stood up and saluted Zhu Gaoxu, who was walking towards the imperial desk.

Zhu Gaoxu turned his head slightly and nodded to Zheng He.

After Zhu Gaoxu sat down, Zheng He briefly explained what he had just discussed with Zhu Di, and then said respectfully: "I would like to ask His Majesty the Crown Prince to give you some advice."

"Zheng He, if you really lead the fleet to complete the great feat of sailing around the earth, there won't be a situation where you can't be rewarded."

Zhu Gaoxu said solemnly: "You have been to the sea before. Just think about it, why do I say this?"

Zhu Di was very curious after hearing this, so he looked at Zheng He and said loudly: "Zheng He, can you tell me?"

"Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, I thought about it and felt that completing this feat of sailing around the earth may not be smooth sailing. After all, the weather at sea is unpredictable, and sudden storms are common. If you want to sail around the earth, I'm afraid there are quite a few officers, soldiers and sailors who were injured, and whether the ministers can come back alive is probably another matter."

Zheng He was a sensible person and immediately understood the implication of Zhu Gaoxu's words, so he gave an answer.

"Even if I was lucky enough to come back alive and complete the feat of sailing around the earth, those officers and soldiers who were sent out to explore the route and were lost at sea could not come back. The deaths of these people were due to my command errors. Caused by it. At that time, although I have meritorious service, I have also made mistakes. How to reward and punish is all within the discretion of Your Majesty."

Zhu Di stroked his beard and said: "This is indeed in line with the actual situation. In that case, Zheng He, I will leave the task of leading the fleet to sail around the earth to you."

"The minister leads the order."

Zheng He immediately bowed and saluted.

Zhu Di paused, looked at Zhu Gaoxu and said, "Prince, why did you come to see me this time?"

"My son, I am here with a gift for my father."

Zhu Gaoxu stood up and saluted.

"What gift?"

Zhu Di asked suspiciously when he saw Zhu Gaoxu coming empty-handed.

Zhu Gaoxu smiled and said: "Father, please let Erchen go out of his way first."

He then looked at Zheng He and said: "Zheng He, I originally planned to give you a small one. Since you are also here in Wuying Hall, I will first open your eyes."

Just after Zhu Di and Zheng He's curiosity was aroused, Zhu Gaoxu shouted toward the door of the palace: "Kang Ping, Li Xing, bring the things in."

So Kang Ping and Li Xing worked together to carry a huge globe with a diameter of more than three feet and slowly walked into Wuying Hall.

The eyes of Zhu Di and Zheng He were instantly attracted by this huge globe fixed on the wooden frame.

After the globe was placed securely, Kang Ping and Li Xing bowed and retreated without Zhu Gaoxu's instructions.

Then, Zhu Gaoxu raised his hand and slapped the globe hard, and the ball started spinning.

"What is this?"

When Zhu Di saw this, he was greatly surprised. He immediately stood up, walked around the imperial table, walked to the center of the hall, stopped next to Zhu Gaoxu, looked at the globe carefully and asked.

When Zheng He saw Zhu Di coming down, he also stood up and walked to the edge of the globe, standing on the other side of Zhu Di.

"Father, this is the globe."

Zhu Gaoxu replied respectfully.

As he spoke, he raised his hand to hold down the slowed down giant globe, slowly turned the globe, found the location of Daming, pointed to a small dot on it and said: "Father, please look, this is where the capital is. "

"This! This is actually an instrument for demonstrating a large map!"

Zhu Di touched the position of the capital city on the globe and said with a trembling voice, "With this thing, wouldn't it be even more powerful for the Ming Dynasty to launch sea cruises?"

"Father is wise!"

Zhu Gaoxu responded: "With this instrument, you can see the mountains and rivers of the world and the entire universe!"

Zheng He said in surprise: "Your Highness, the directions of the continents marked on this instrument are almost consistent with the positions on the map of the Great Nine Continents."

"Not bad." Zhu Gaoxu turned around and introduced to Zhu Di: "Father, this instrument was inspired by the celestial demonstrator and combined with the map of the Great Nine Continents."

Zhu Di stroked the globe with joy, his eyes moved north from the capital, stopping in Peiping for a long time, and then moved to Xi'an, Hami and other northwest places.

Immediately, he looked at Zhu Gaoxu with gratified eyes and said: "Gaoxu, I am very satisfied with this gift, very satisfied!"

Zheng He was keenly aware that the way Zhu Di looked at Zhu Gaoxu was more gratifying and trusting than the way Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Biao back then. He showed absolute true feelings and was extremely satisfied.

"Father, my son and I consulted ancient books and found that there is a kind of rice in Dahuang Nanzhou (South America) called corn. When its seedlings mature, they can grow to six feet tall or even higher. Compared with rice, wheat and other grains, , has strong drought resistance and cold resistance, and is extremely adaptable to the environment. It can grow even on poor land. It can be planted in the Western Regions, Mobei, Liaodong, and Lingbei, with a yield of at least 600 kilograms per mu."

Zhu Gaoxu said without any surprise: "In addition, according to ancient records, there is also a root crop called 'sweet potato' growing in the northern part of the wilderness of Nanzhou. The root is as big as a fist, with a vermilion skin and a crisp and juicy heart. , can be eaten raw or cooked. It has strong adaptability. Like corn, it can be planted in mountains and wastelands. It can be said that it is not suitable without land. The yield is high, at least [-] stones per acre, which is dozens of times better than planting grains, and it is moist. It can be eaten, boiled or ground into powder, raw as kudzu, cooked as honey, and tastes like water chestnuts.”

Zhu Di's eyes widened, staring at the position of the Great Wilderness South Continent on the globe, and said: "Zheng He, did you hear that? In addition to completing a circumnavigation of the earth, this time we set out to sea, we also need to determine the location of the Great Wilderness South Continent. Location, as much as possible—"

"No!"

Zhu Di was halfway through his words when his tone suddenly changed and he said forcefully: "Zheng He, remember, if there really are such crops in the Great Wilderness South Continent, they must be brought back to the Ming Dynasty, no matter how high the price is. "

"Wei minister leads the order!"

Zheng He said with great excitement.

Like Zhu Di, after hearing what Zhu Gaoxu said, his heartbeat suddenly accelerated and his breathing became rapid.

Because in Zheng He's view, Zhu Gaoxu would not make irresponsible remarks on such a major matter, not to mention that he was facing the current emperor Zhu Di.

If he could really find corn and sweet potatoes and successfully bring these two crops back to the Ming Dynasty, based on this achievement alone, he would have no regrets in this life.

"Gaoxu, Sanbao, if corn and sweet potato are as fertile and high-yielding as recorded in ancient books, do you know what this means?"

Zhu Di's heart was agitated and his face flushed.

PS: Thank you to Brother Zichuan, Fate, Tao Zun Tai Su Xuan Qing, The Cat Walking Alone in the White Night, Lin Yun Jushi and other brothers for their recommendation votes and monthly votes!Thank you so much!The scraped area on the palm of my right hand has become scabbed, and I can barely type. My speed is too slow, so please forgive me!

(End of this chapter)