The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 371 Australia? Yanzhou!
After several months of preparation, the copper type mold was finally made, and the transportation routes covering major cities were also initially laid.

The first newspaper of the Ming Dynasty rolled off the printing press amid much anticipation.

Zhu Xiongying and Chen Jingke attended this important moment together.

Picking up a newspaper that smelled of ink, Chen Jingke felt a mixture of emotions.

Another thing that was common in the previous life was brought out.

Zhu Xiongying was not so sad about the passing of time. He also picked up a copy and started reading.

Because it is a weekly report, the volume is very sufficient, with a total of ten pages of content.

The first article introduces the nature of the weekly newspaper, and at the end is a call for papers.

Anyone can submit articles to the weekly newspaper, which will be reviewed by dedicated staff and published in the newspaper free of charge if selected.

It was also specifically emphasized that the publication would be free and contributors would not have to pay a penny.

Contributors only need to pay the postage and send the article.

If this happened in the previous life, I would definitely be spit to death.

What? You publish our articles but don’t pay us, and now you want us to pay for them?

However, in this era, this is pure conscience.

You have to know that in this era, publishing a book is basically done at one's own expense.

Whether you make money or not is secondary. The most important thing is that your work can be published, seen by more people, and become famous.

Of course, there are also quite a few people who write books to make money.

However, these people are either famous scholars or great writers, and the articles they write are of very high quality, which are widely circulated.

Or there are some writers who write anonymously some things that are not presentable.

For example, a bottle of plum blossoms.

No matter how many people praise this book, it cannot cover up the reality that its author dares not use his real name.

Now there is a nationwide platform that is willing to publish your article and not charge you any money, which is already a great kindness. How dare you ask for a fee?
Chen Jingke naturally knew the rules of his previous life, but the previous life was the previous life, and the present was the present.

He did not mechanically follow the rules of his previous life.

Not accepting money from contributors shows that he has a conscience.

Having said that, if you really pay for your articles, it would be inconvenient to submit your articles.

In an era without bank transfers, how to pay out-of-town contributors became a problem.

By mailing an envelope?

Stop joking. You just think you haven't thrown enough letters.

So, it’s free and convenient for you and me.

The second article is an excerpt of Zhu's views on officialdom, highlighting the murderous intent.

The third article was written by Zhu Biao, which expressed his attitude towards the New Deal. To put it bluntly, it expressed his determination to stick to the New Deal for a hundred years.

The fourth article is written by Zhu Xiongying, which reviews the past history and then looks forward to the future, building a unified Chinese regime.

The fifth article is written by Chen Jingke, titled The World of Great Harmony.

The idea of ​​a world of great harmony was elaborated in detail and a standard was announced.

Abundant materials, spiritual richness, equality for all, rule of law and civilization, etc.

In the book "Datong Thought", he describes the world of Datong as one where everyone is like a dragon.

But this change is too broad, and it needs to be more specific to be easier to understand.

Then he explained these standards one by one, including sufficient supplies of food, clothing, housing, transportation, medical care and other aspects.

Everyone has housing, clothes, jobs, enough food and drink, and can get timely medical treatment when they are sick, etc.

Spiritual richness, in a small sense, means that everyone can enjoy music, dance, and books; in a big sense, everyone can be respected.

He focused on explaining the concept of equality for all.

The key basis is the Tao Te Ching's "Heaven and Earth are not benevolent and treat all things as straw dogs."

In the eyes of heaven and earth, all things are straw dogs.

Since we are all straw dogs, we are all the same and equal.

There is also the Buddhist concept of equality of all beings, which also embodies the idea that everyone is equal.

Dividing people into different classes is a selfish act of some people and goes against the principles of nature.

Therefore, a truly harmonious world is a world without oppression and exploitation, where everyone is equal.

This is in line with the laws of nature and morality.

Regarding the rule of law civilization, he put forward the basic principles of punishment in the previous life, namely:

The principles of legality of crime and punishment, equality of all before punishment, and proportion between crime and punishment were adopted.

It also extends to the view that there are laws to follow and that laws must be followed.

The argument is very simple. Since ancient times, people have been pursuing the idea that princes who break the law should be punished the same as common people.

The famous strong orders in history are also listed as evidence.

This shows that the ancients had already noticed this point and had always been pursuing the rule of law civilization.

But the resistance was too great and it has never been successful.

……

Later he changed his tone and admitted that it would be difficult to achieve a world of universal harmony.

But you can’t not do it just because you can’t do it.

Just like those sages, their morals are so high that normal people can hardly achieve them.

Just because it is unattainable, should we not sing praises or pursue it?
These lonely moral standards tell us what is right and what is wrong.

The same is true of the world of great harmony.

Although it is difficult to achieve, only with a correct goal can we know how to govern the country and how to lead China towards prosperity.

Chen Jingke was very restrained in writing this article. He did not criticize any ideas, nor did he make any insinuations.

He simply described the perfect world in his mind and used the deeds of various philosophers and ancient sages as evidence.

Tell the world that what you said is not made up, but is derived based on the thoughts and deeds of ancient sages.

He also admitted that it could not be achieved, but hoped to provide a reference for those in power.

To ensure that it will not cause resentment and criticism from the world, and to avoid stimulating rational studies too early.

He hopes that with the help of this article, he can guide people to think about what kind of world everyone needs.

If there are relevant submissions in the future, he will use his privileges to select a few for publication.

If there were no relevant submissions, he would write a few articles under a pseudonym and publish them.

This will encourage more people to participate.

When more people participate, more people will start to think about this issue.

He then put forward the idea of ​​Great Harmony.

By that time, even those who do not agree with the Great Harmony Idea will not be able to help but read it.

As long as they are willing to read it, that's enough.

The Datong Thought, which has mature theories and complete arguments, will teach them a profound lesson.

This is Chen Jingke’s plan, which can be described as a small effort with a great result.

Fang Xiaoru's physical combat is completely different from that of others.

Of course, Chen Jingke did not forget Fang Xiaoru.

This newspaper published several materialistic articles.

This is a journal published by the imperial court. This move can be said to have clearly placed the court's attitude towards materialism in front of everyone.

The attitude of the imperial court has the greatest influence on the choices of scholars.

After all, the purpose of studying is to become an official, so naturally one should learn the knowledge supported by the court in order to be a better official.

Emperor Wu of Han did not ban all schools of thought. He just opened a back door for Confucianism and allowed Confucian scholars to have priority in official career.

Then all the schools of thought disappeared one after another.

In addition to these, there are some other articles, which fill up ten pages.

After roughly looking through the content, Chen Jingke asked a core question:
"What's the cost?"

Xie Jin replied: "A total of 5,000 copies of the first issue were printed, and the cost was about 45 wen."

Chen Jingke frowned slightly: "It's expensive, too expensive."

Xie Jin retorted: "It's already very cheap. Books with the same content cost several hundred coins."

Chen Jingke said: "But you only need to buy one book, but you need to buy weekly newspapers frequently."

"Forty-five coins may seem cheaper than books, but the price over a year is not something most people can afford." Xie Jin said helplessly, "We have already reduced the cost to the lowest. If we go any cheaper, we will lose money."

Chen Jingke touched the newspaper in his hand and said, "This paper is too good. Change it to straw paper."

Xie Jin was surprised and said, "Ah? This... straw paper is of too poor quality. How can it be used to print books?"

Chen Jingke explained: "The characteristic of a newspaper is to deliver the latest news to readers, not for them to take home and study as classics."

"Throwing it away after reading is the norm."

"So there is no need to use such fine paper. A slightly better quality straw paper will suffice."

In fact, newspapers and magazines in previous lives all followed this idea.

Low-quality paper is used to reduce costs.

Of course, some special collector's editions are excluded.

There are also some so-called high-end journals that use all kinds of gimmicks to hype up and maintain high prices to reap profits.

But these are not normal newspapers and are not instructive.

Normal newspapers and periodicals will use low-quality paper to reduce costs.

At this time, Zhu Xiongying also agreed and said: "I think what Chen Bandu said is very true..."

"The purpose of a newspaper is to deliver the latest news to readers as quickly as possible..."

"As long as you do this, it's enough. You don't need to consider anything else."

"Besides, newspapers carry such a wide range of content that readers cannot possibly like every article. Most of them just throw it away after reading it."

"If they like an article in particular, they can cut it out and put it between the pages of a book, or just copy it down."

Seeing that the prince had spoken and what he said made sense, Xie Jin had no choice but to agree.

Then I recalculated the cost, and the price was reduced by more than half, and I only needed twenty cents to buy one.

Chen Jingke was still not satisfied.

They cut costs in every aspect and increased the printing volume of the first issue to 60,000 copies, finally lowering the selling price to ten cents.

This price is not cheap, equivalent to half a day's salary for an ordinary worker.

But it was basically the limit, there was no room for compression, and Chen Jingke did not force it anymore.

Most scholars these days are not short of money, so this price can be considered very cheap for them.

If you buy it all for the whole year, it’s only over 500 Wen.

Xie Jin raised another concern: Are 60,000 copies too many?
Chen Jingke told him that he was worrying too much.

There were more than five million literate people in the Ming Dynasty, so 60,000 newspapers could be easily digested.

Moreover, in this era, information dissemination is very slow and the channels are very narrow.

What happened a year ago may still be news in some remote places.

So there is no need to worry about the newspaper being out of date or anything.

Except for those big cities, there is no such thing as expiration. They can be sold out sooner or later.
-
The two men had just finished dealing with the newspaper matter and had not yet walked out of the door when they saw a eunuch running towards them in a hurry.

The Supreme Emperor and the Empress Dowager have returned, and please ask the Crown Prince and Chen Bandu to go to the Qianqing Palace to see them immediately.

The two looked at each other and realized that something was wrong.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma traveled incognito most of the time during this tour, they always reported their whereabouts to Luoyang.

What's more, for such a big thing as returning to Beijing, normally even if it is not done in a big way, it should be notified in advance.

This is where we can make preparations for the reception.

But now they came back suddenly without any notice.

Moreover, he summoned the two of them urgently as soon as he came back, and it was obvious that something had happened.

But what could possibly happen? Could it be that Madam Ma's old illness had relapsed?

The two did not dare to delay any longer and immediately rushed to the Qianqing Palace.

When they arrived at the main hall, they found Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma sitting there peacefully, talking and laughing with Zhu Biao.

Both of them breathed a sigh of relief and then stepped forward to salute.

The old man and the old woman haven't seen their grandson for a long time, so naturally they have to ask about his well-being.

It took a while before we got down to business.

"Some merchants discovered an island in the southeast of the South Seas. It's very large."

"They walked along the coastline for five or six days, but they didn't see the end..."

"We have already sent people there to investigate the situation. This time we are back to discuss a set of rules..."

As they listened to Old Zhu's introduction, Zhu Biao and Zhu Xiongying's expressions became more and more solemn.

If all this is true, then this island is extraordinary.

Even if it is not a brand new continent, it is still a giant island and deserves the court's careful treatment.

Chen Jingke's heart moved. Could it be Australia?
Madam Ma had been paying attention to his expression, and when she saw this, she looked as if she had expected it:

"Jing Ke, do you know where that is?"

Zhu Yuanzhang and the other two looked at him.

Chen Jingke felt helpless. Empress Ma was too smart and he could not show any abnormality in front of her.

My brain raced, and soon I came up with an idea:
"Your Majesty, do you remember that I once read a travel book?"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded. Of course he remembered this.

When Chen Jingke first entered the palace, he once said that he had read a travel book that recorded the routes from Goryeo to Japan and then to Southeast Asia.

The Ming Dynasty's initial exploration of the ocean began with this legendary travelogue.

"That travelogue mentioned that big island?"

Chen Jingke said in an uncertain tone: "The book says that ten thousand miles southeast of Yazhou, there is a large continent called Yanzhou."

"They had gone to look for it, but were unable to reach it due to the small size of the ship and limited supplies. They also expressed deep regret for this."

"Wait..." Lao Zhu asked doubtfully, "Yanzhou? Yanzhou among the Ten Continents and Three Islands?"

The Ten Continents and Three Islands are things in Chinese mythology and legends. The three islands are Fangzhang, Penglai and Kunlun.

The Ten Continents refer to ten major continents, and Yanzhou is a continent located in the South China Sea in legend.

Australia is a name given by Westerners. Since Chen Jingke has traveled through time, he naturally won't use it again.

The climate of that continent is indeed hot and there are many deserts, so it is truly worthy of the name Yanzhou.

Chen Jingke shook his head and said, "I don't know. The book says that a merchant encountered a storm and deviated from his route and arrived there."

"At first, the merchants thought it was an island, but after careful investigation, they found that it was a continent."

"Its size should be about the same as the territory of the Northern Song Dynasty."

"It's just that the island is extremely hot, lacks water and is mostly desert. Only the southwest and southeast corners have grasslands and forests."

"So those merchants named this place Yanzhou."

"By the way, according to the book, there are many strange animals on Yanzhou that are not found anywhere else."

"For example, there are small animals with mouths like ducks, which lay eggs but feed their young with breast milk."

"There are also many animals that have pockets on their stomachs, and they put their young in the pockets to feed them."

The more Zhu Yuanzhang, Empress Ma and the other three listened, the more mysterious it seemed to them. What kind of little beast with a duck's beak could lay eggs and feed on milk?

What about a beast with a pocket on its belly...

Isn't this nonsense?

But the more this happened, the more they believed Chen Jingke's words.

It’s just a rumor? Those who know will understand. Naturally, it becomes more and more mysterious as it spreads.

Zhu Xiongying asked, "What happened afterwards? Didn't the merchants report this to the court after they came back? Why was there no further news?"

Chen Jingke shook his head and said, "I don't know. It's not written in the travelogue. They only said that they heard it from hearsay. I don't know whether it's true or not."

Zhu Biao said thoughtfully: "I guess, when they come back and tell the story, no one will believe it."

"Besides, the barbarians on the island were poor and had no trade value, so those merchants stopped going there and the incident became a legend."

Chen Jingke added: "The owner of the travelogue also thought that it must be the merchant's nonsense, and I didn't take it seriously at the time."

"Your Majesty just mentioned that someone discovered a large island in the southeast, and I suddenly remembered this."

This explanation was reasonable. At least Zhu Yuanzhang and the other three did not ask any further questions but chose to believe it.

Old Zhu looked excited and solemn, and said, "If the rumors are true, there really is a continent that is no less than the Ming Dynasty..."

Zhu Xiongying replied excitedly: "May God bless our Ming Dynasty."

(End of this chapter)