Emperor Ming's grandson

Chapter 297 A brief era of peace

"This person must not only be familiar with Japan, but also have the ability to adapt and have some external skills."

Zhu Yuanzhang made the purpose of this operation very clear: "This return to Japan is not to stop the civil war between the Northern and Southern Dynasties, but to delay the demise of the Southern Dynasty as much as possible and buy time for the Ming Dynasty to recover its strength. Do you understand?"

Zhu Biao responded, "I understand. However, I think that such an important task is not something that ordinary people can undertake. I would like to ask for your advice, Father."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly, and already had a candidate in mind.

He pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Jian Yi is a loyal and fair person. He has been with us as a secretary for many years and has a good understanding of foreign countries. He has just returned from mourning and is qualified for this important task."

Zhu Biao was startled when he heard this, and then nodded in agreement: "Father is right, Jian Yi is indeed the best choice."

"Then issue an imperial decree and send Jian Yi as an envoy to Japan to mediate."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with satisfaction and continued, "The journey to Japan is long and the situation is complicated, so you need to be fully prepared. You need to allocate sufficient supplies and guards to ensure that the delegation arrives in Japan safely and successfully completes its mission."

"I understand. I will make proper arrangements." Zhu Biao replied respectfully, then turned around and ordered the preparation of relevant matters.

At this time, Empress Ma interrupted quietly, "Your Majesty, we might as well add some people who are familiar with medicine and Confucianism to the delegation. This will not only show the elegance of the Ming Dynasty, but also help us respond in time if there are any emergencies. If there are only one or two doctors, I'm afraid they won't be able to take care of any miasma or epidemics there."

Zhu Yuanzhang heard this and looked at Empress Ma with a smile, saying, "Sister, you are right. Biao'er, remember to make arrangements for this matter as well."

"Your son obeys your order." Zhu Biao responded, feeling admiration for Empress Ma's meticulousness.

"in addition."

Zhu Yuanzhang took out two secret letters.

"This is the letter from the monk Daoyan and the Jinyiwei lurking in Kyoto, Japan. Ask Jian Yi to take a good look at it."

A few days later, Jian Yi was appointed as a special envoy and led a delegation consisting of civil officials, military officials, doctors, Confucian scholars and other people, and embarked on a journey to Japan.

They carried the imperial edict from the Ming Emperor, some gifts for rewards, and various books and medicinal materials that Japan frequently imported from the Ming Dynasty. They were well prepared.

Jian Yi and his party braved the wind and waves and arrived at Kyushu Island in Japan.

Afterwards, they first came to Kyoto, where the Muromachi shogunate of the Northern Dynasty was located.

In spring, Kyoto's cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and the pink and white petals dance in the wind.

At the "Hana no Gosho" of the Muromachi shogunate, the scene is just like its name. It is truly a fairyland with falling petals in all colors.

And a carefully prepared banquet was awaiting the arrival of Ming envoy Jian Yi and his entourage.

The banquet hall is decorated in an elegant and solemn style. Portraits of the first two generations of Ashikaga shoguns hang on the walls, highlighting the glory of the Muromachi shogunate.

Well, only Ashikaga Yoshimitsu is the third generation, so it looks good to put the first two generations on the left and right in front. If there are more than ten generations and the wall is full of them, it will not look good, but scary.
On both sides of the long table, exquisite silver tableware sparkled in the candlelight, the air was filled with elegant incense, and musicians were plucking the strings of their guitars, playing melodious music.

Following a notification, Jian Yi, the envoy of the Ming Dynasty, walked into the banquet hall led by his attendants. He was dressed in official uniform, a black gauze hat, and walked with steady steps.

Upon seeing this, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu immediately stood up from his seat, smiled, and strode forward to greet him.

"Yimitsu is honored that your Excellency has come from afar. Please take a seat."

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu spoke in a loud voice. He personally led Jian Yi to his seat and signaled his attendants to serve the envoy the finest sake and delicacies.

Well, it was just sashimi, rice balls and the like. Even fried tempura hadn't appeared in that era.

The banquet officially started.

However, after three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere gradually became subtle.

In front of Jian Yi, the senior officials of the shogunate held a heated discussion on the possibility of peace talks, and the differences of opinion became increasingly obvious.

Obviously, this was a show performed for the envoys from the Ming Dynasty.

But sometimes, when acting, it is easy to get impatient.
Hatakeyama Motokuni was the first to speak out. His brows were furrowed, and his voice was somewhat unhappy: "The envoys of the Ming Dynasty have come from afar, and our shogunate should treat them with courtesy. However, the dispute between the Northern and Southern Dynasties is our internal affairs of Japan, and the Ming Dynasty should not interfere too much. If we intervene forcibly, it may cause unnecessary misunderstandings and conflicts."

Upon hearing this, Sasaki Yoshimasa immediately retorted, "Master Motokuni is wrong. Ming is a great country, and its prestige and strength are obvious to all. If we can get their help, wouldn't it be better to resolve the dispute peacefully? Moreover, the Ming envoy has clearly stated that he has no intention of interfering in internal affairs, and just hopes that both sides can sit down and have a good talk."

Hosokawa Mitsurumoto seemed more rational and cautious. He twirled his beard and said slowly, "What you two adults said makes sense, but the key is how to balance the interests of all parties and ensure the stability of the shogunate. The Ming envoy is here, so we might as well listen to the Ming's specific suggestions and plans first."

Before the quarrel broke out completely, Jian Yi spoke.

Although many people in Japan understand Chinese, there are also samurai who do not understand it. Therefore, an interpreter was asked to translate Jian Yi's words for them.

The interpreter translated with some stammering:

"His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty knows the value of peace, so he specially ordered me to come to mediate."

"The Ming Dynasty suggests that both sides stop fighting first, and then start peace negotiations between the Northern Dynasty Shogunate and the Southern Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty is willing to serve as a third party witness to ensure the fairness of the negotiations."

It was hard to tell whether Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was happy or unhappy from his expression, he just said it lightly.

"Your Excellency's suggestion is very much in line with my wishes. Our shogunate will certainly be sincere and start peace negotiations with the Southern Dynasty."

However, at this point, Akamatsu Yoshinori aptly raised a different concern: "Peaceful negotiations are good, but what if the Southern Dynasty is unwilling to cooperate, or if the breakdown of the negotiations leads to a greater conflict?"

Jian Yi smiled slightly and answered calmly.

The interpreter continued to translate in Japanese: "You are right. Although the path of peaceful negotiation is not easy, it is a good way to resolve the dispute. The Ming Dynasty is willing to work together with the shogunate to communicate and negotiate with the Southern Dynasty through diplomacy. At the same time, the Ming Dynasty also believes that the shogunate is capable of maintaining the stability of the Northern Dynasty."

Well, anyway, what Jian Yi said was definitely not so stiff, and there were many allusions in it. But unfortunately, the Japanese translator is not at that level, so I can only skip the parts I don’t know and translate it roughly.

Isshiki Manfan frowned slightly, with a bit of dissatisfaction in his tone: "The words of the Ming envoy are indeed pleasant to hear, but words are ultimately light and it is not easy to actually implement them."

"Moreover, if a strong and a weak person are fighting, is it really fair for the middle person to tell the other person to stop and let the weak person recover?"

"Now that the Ming Dynasty has promised us, how can those stubborn people in the Southern Dynasty easily put down their samurai swords and sit down to negotiate with us? If the negotiations fail, and my Northern Dynasty destroys the Southern Dynasty, how will the Ming Dynasty deal with it?"

It can be said that Isshiki Mitsunori's words were the most straightforward ones spoken at the banquet. In fact, it was true. If it were not for the diplomatic obstruction of the Ming Dynasty, the demise of the Southern Dynasty would have been a matter of time.

But the more important fact is - why can the envoy of the Ming Dynasty sit here and mediate the fight?

The reason is even simpler. If you don't listen to Daming, the one who is trying to persuade you to stop fighting, then you will most likely not only have to deal with the opponent in front of you, but you will also be beaten by the one who is trying to persuade you to stop fighting.

The use of force is always the basis of diplomacy.

Only when you have built up your muscles and hold a sharp steel knife in your hand, can a gangster talk to you calmly, because he is afraid of you.

But if you are holding a book and are thin, then if you try to stop the fight, not only will you fail to stop it, but you will also get beaten.

The demise of Lee Seong-gye of Goryeo happened not long ago.

The Muromachi shogunate of the Northern Dynasty was afraid that the powerful Ming army would cross the sea, and was even more eager to obtain wealth from the Ming through trade to alleviate its own difficult financial situation, so today's mediation took place.

If the Northern Muromachi shogunate had not been afraid of the Ming Dynasty and had no demands on it, then none of this would have happened.

After listening to the translation of his own translator, Jian Yi looked at Isshiki Mitsunori calmly and said slowly: "Jian Yi is also aware of what this lord is worried about. However, the Ming Dynasty is not only committed to its words, but also willing to show its sincerity with practical actions. This envoy will personally go to Yoshino to discuss this matter."

Seeing this, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu finally stopped sitting back and watching the situation.

He clapped his hands gently, signaling everyone to be quiet: "The sincerity of the Ming envoy has been deeply felt by my shogunate."

As Ashikaga Yoshimitsu expressed his opinion, the atmosphere in the banquet hall gradually eased.

The banquet continued, with drinks flowing and nothing substantial left.

At the end of the banquet, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu personally escorted Jian Yi out of the banquet hall, and the two said goodbye reluctantly.

Afterwards, Jian Yi went straight to the Yoshino Palace of the Southern Dynasty to meet with Emperor Go-Kameyama and important officials of the Southern Dynasty.

Compared with the reluctance of the Muromachi shogunate of the Northern Dynasty, the Southern Dynasty expressed great anticipation and gratitude for the arrival of the Ming Dynasty.

On a spring afternoon in Yoshino, the sun shines through the sparse clouds, dappling the stone steps of the Imperial Palace.

In the somewhat gloomy hall, many candles were lit in broad daylight, and the candlelight and sunlight intertwined to form a soft light and shadow.

Emperor Go-Kameyama had already been waiting on the throne in the center. Although his face looked tired, his eyes were full of excitement.

"I look forward to your arrival."

Emperor Go-Kameyama personally stepped down from the throne and bowed to Jian Yi. This move was undoubtedly the highest courtesy to the Ming envoy.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty is well aware of the plight of the Southern Dynasty and has specially ordered this envoy to come here." Jian Yi did not call him the emperor, because in the Great Ming Dynasty, Japan had no emperor, only a king.

At this time, the close ministers standing on both sides of the emperor also came forward.

"Emissary from the Ming Dynasty, our Southern Dynasty has suffered from invasions from the Northern Dynasty in recent years. Our territory has shrunk day by day and the people have been suffering terribly. Wherever the Northern Dynasty warriors go, there is devastation. We have tried to resist many times, but in the end we were defeated again and again due to the disparity in strength." Aye Shiwei's voice was slightly choked, and his eyes were slightly red. It was hard to tell whether it was because his heart was filled with anger at the atrocities of the Northern Dynasty, or because of worries about his own wealth and glory.

"Rest assured, everyone. His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty sent me here not to interfere in Japan or seek personal gain, but only to serve as an impartial third party to assist the Southern Dynasty and the Northern Dynasty in conducting peace negotiations."

"It's just that it's not that easy to accomplish, and it's inevitable that we'll encounter various obstacles during the negotiation process. But the Ming Dynasty and the Southern Dynasty have been interacting for many years, so there's always friendship."

Jian Yi didn't say much, but his attitude was actually very obvious.

Having said that, Jian Yi paused slightly and glanced at everyone in the hall. Sure enough, the expressions of the Southern Dynasty's monarchs and ministers gradually relaxed, and the worry in their eyes also decreased a little.

In the following days, Jian Yi shuttled back and forth between the two sides, trying to facilitate dialogue between the two sides and gradually guide them to the negotiating table.

After two months of hard work, the Northern and Southern Dynasties finally began formal peace negotiations under the mediation of Jian Yi.

The talks were not smooth, but under the witness and urging of the Ming envoys, the two sides signed a temporary ceasefire agreement in the summer of the 26th year of Hongwu.

At the same time, both the Northern and Southern Dynasties of Japan were granted permission to conduct larger-scale Kanko trade with the Ming Dynasty.

At this point, the shadow of war that had shrouded the entire East finally dissipated for a short time.

Zhu Xiongying returned to Wu to establish his fiefdom.

The entire Ming Dynasty began a short period of rapid development.

In order to create a good environment for Zhu Biao in the last few years of his life, Zhu Yuanzhang also began to carry out drastic reforms on the entire Ming Dynasty government.

In May of the 26th year of Hongwu, following the "Performance Evaluation Law" for all officials, Zhu Yuanzhang promulgated the "School Official Examination Law" for education officials, stipulating that among the 20 students in a county, if three of them are juren within nine years of their tenure and they pass the examination for proficiency in classics, they will be considered competent and promoted; if there are two juren, even if they pass the examination for proficiency in classics, they will be used at the same level; if there are less than two juren and they do not pass the examination for proficiency in classics, they will be considered incompetent and demoted to another position. The same applies to the principal of the prefecture school and professors of the prefecture.

At the same time, Zhu Yuanzhang did not neglect the education of the children of meritorious military officials.

In order to train more confidants for Zhu Xiongying so that he could become the pillars of the next generation of the Ming army, at the beginning of the 27th year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the children of military officers to practice riding and shooting, and selected them to join the young army. The assessment standards of the young army were used as one of the conditions for inheriting the title. Only those who passed the assessment could inherit the title. Otherwise, although they were appointed, they would only be given half the salary. After three years, they would be re-examined, and if they failed again, they would be directly dismissed. Of course, if they were physically disabled or had serious diseases, they could be exempted, but the children of ordinary nobles would not chop off their hands in order to avoid joining the young army.

Yes, you have to chop off your hands to do it, chopping off your fingers is not okay.

Once he joins the young army, he will naturally be transferred to the third guard of King Wu and become Zhu Xiongying's confidant.

In addition to education, Zhu Yuanzhang's reform efforts were also very strong at the entire institutional level.

In order to stabilize the imperial power and no longer be threatened by the power of the prime minister, in the 28th year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang issued a clear edict, "Since ancient times, the three dukes have discussed the truth and the six ministers have divided their duties. The prime minister was established since the Qin Dynasty, but it disappeared in a short time. The Han, Tang and Song dynasties followed suit. Although there were wise prime ministers, most of the people they used were villains who abused their power and disrupted the government. Our dynasty abolished the prime minister and established five government offices, six ministries, the Censorate, the Tongzhengsi, the Dali Temple and other government offices to manage the common affairs of the country. They dare not compete with each other and dare not suppress each other. All matters are under the overall control of the court, so it is stable. In the future, the successor emperor is not allowed to establish a prime minister. If any minister dares to petition to establish one, the civil and military officials will promptly impeach him and impose severe punishment."

In addition to ordering that the prime minister system should not be allowed to appear again in the future, Zhu Yuanzhang also personally revised the latest version of "Huang Ming Zuxun", listing the following chapters, including "upholding", "strict sacrifices", "careful entry and exit", "prudent state affairs", "etiquette", "laws", "internal orders", "internal officials", "job system", "military guards", "maintenance", and "supply", as the future Ming emperor's manual for governing the country. In addition, in order to prevent usurpation and maintain the stability of Ming society, Zhu Yuanzhang also ordered the compilation of "Essentials of Rituals", which redefined the division of crowns and clothes, houses, utensils, umbrellas and canopies, bed curtains, bows and arrows, saddles and reins, ceremonial attendants, slaves, salaries, forms of memorials, forms of signatures, and clothing systems for people of different social classes.

The law was also not left behind. Although the "Great Ming Code" was compiled in the 22nd year of Hongwu, due to the imperfect situation at that time, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the criminal officials to take the items of the "Great Edict", summarize their main points, and attach them to the "Great Ming Code", which was named "Great Ming Code" and promulgated throughout the country.

Zhu Yuanzhang personally taught Zhu Biao that "when we govern a chaotic world, we have to impose heavy penalties; when you govern a peaceful world, penalties should be light. The saying 'penalties are light in some times, heavy in others' is based on this principle."

After establishing various systems such as education, family rules, etiquette, and criminal law, the last step in passing the throne to Zhu Biao was to clean up the meritorious officials.

However, it was different from what Zhu Xiongying knew about history. Due to the huge changes in various factors, the purge of heroes was not carried out in the form of a large-scale imprisonment, but was more humane.

In the New Year of the 29th year of Hongwu, all the meritorious veterans who guarded various places returned to Beijing.

At the grand banquet in Wuying Hall, the white-haired Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and toasted his equally elderly brothers.

"At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the Central Plains was in turmoil and no one could protect themselves. You rose up to follow the emperor, made meritorious deeds and worked hard to quell the chaos. Now that the world is settled, you will be rewarded according to your merits, and you will be appointed to official positions, and your descendants will inherit the throne and enjoy wealth and honor forever. When we started the war, we were both young. Now I am old, and you are old too. I haven't seen you for a long time, and I miss you a lot, so I summoned you to see me. I will give you a small gift to support your old age. You can return home and raise your children and grandchildren until the end of your life."

So, the next day, 17 elderly dukes and marquises, led by Duke Feng Sheng of Song and Duke Fu Youde of Ying, who were already over 70 years old, collectively wrote a letter to resign and return to the countryside. Zhu Yuanzhang agreed and granted them the same treatment as Tang He and Li Shanchang did when they retired last time - gold, silver, jewelry, land and houses, iron army, and cloth.

Except for the 64-year-old Xu Da, the mainstay who could not move, these veterans in their 60s and 70s basically all returned home in glory.

Without any bloodshed, the Ming army began the pain of replacing the old with the new.

The only ones who were truly strong and healthy were Duke of Liang Lan Yu, Duke of Cao Li Wenzhong, and Duke of Zheng Chang Mao, who were in their prime. Li Wenzhong was also sent to Liaodong, Lan Yu was sent to the northwest again, and Chang Mao remained in Goryeo.

Among the twenty-six marquises who founded the Hongwu dynasty, there was actually one very obvious commonality, that is, their ages were very close. Basically, by this time, they were all seventy years old.

Some of them, such as Hua Yunlong, Marquis of Huai'an, Gu Shi, Marquis of Jining, Guo Xing, Marquis of Gongchang, and Wang Zhi, Marquis of Lu'an, died early and did not live to the end of the Hongwu period. There were also people like Tang Shengzong, Marquis of Yan'an, Chen De, Marquis of Linjiang, and Zheng Yuchun (Feichang Yuchun), Marquis of Xingyang, who were implicated in major cases and were killed.

Veteran generals such as Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Changxing, and Guo Ying, Marquis of Wuding, managed to survive the Hongwu Dynasty with honor.

Soon, a new group of young generals were promoted.

Originally, if this matter was left to Zhu Biao, it would be easiest to gain the gratitude of these generals, but Zhu Yuanzhang had to do it himself because "if the name is not right, then the words will not be smooth." If it is not determined first, the generals in the Ming army will cause trouble over time due to competition.

The common feature of these middle-aged generals is that they all participated in the founding of the country by Hongwu and a series of wars to pacify the world afterwards, but they were ten to twenty years younger than the founding marquis. They were all young men who helped out when the country was founded. After experiencing these twenty years of strength, they are now middle-aged and have rich military experience. They have long been suppressed by the founding marquis and have not been promoted.

Among them were Gu Cheng, who had previously guarded Guizhou, and was named Marquis Zhenyuan; He Fu, who guarded Sichuan, was named Marquis Ningyuan; Yang Wen, who guarded Liaodong, was named Marquis Weiyuan, etc. The navy also received rewards. Yu Tongyuan, the younger brother of Yu Tongyuan, Marquis Nan'an, who made new contributions in the third voyage to Southeast Asia, was named Marquis Yuexi.

In addition, there were some capable second-generation marquises, such as Wu Jie, the successor to the Marquis of Anlu. As the son of the first Marquis of Anlu, Wu Fu, he inherited his father's bravery. During the Hongwu period, he served in Shandong, Shaanxi, Henan, Beijing and other places for garrison and expedition many times, and was promoted and reused. Wu Gao, the son of the first Marquis of Jiangyin, Wu Liang, also made his mark in this transition from old to new.

After clearing out the aging meritorious officials and promoting the backbone of the second generation of the Ming army, of the remaining dukes, Duke of Wei Xu Da would also retire after presiding over this handover period, Duke of Cao Li Wenzhong was Zhu Biao's cousin, Duke of Liang Lan Yu and Duke of Zheng Chang Mao were Zhu Biao's in-laws. No one in the army would pose any threat to Zhu Biao anymore.

On the border, Zhu Yuanzhang required that during this period of transition from old to new Ming troops, the border troops should be careful in setting up outposts, making extensive arrangements, establishing large settlements, inspecting military pay, and raising war horses, and no slackness was allowed.

There were no forces in the surrounding area that could actively challenge the Ming Dynasty, and the old cripple Timur was also busy expanding westwards. Therefore, the Ming army successfully passed through this painful period.

After sorting out the military officials and the army, the next thing to come is the civil officials and scholars.

In the Dingchou Palace Examination in February of the 30th year of Hongwu, the North-South List Case broke out despite Zhu Xiongying's reminder.

However, this time it was intentional. In order to prevent the scholars in the north and south from continuing to be divided, a system of separate examinations was directly established.

And because all the 51 admitted candidates were from the south, the northern candidates who failed the imperial examination jointly wrote a letter to the emperor, accusing the examiner Bai Xindao of being biased towards southerners. The court then took this as an excuse and decided to conduct the examination in separate lists as a custom.

The North-South List Case made the imperial examination system no longer a stepping stone for southerners to succeed. Objectively speaking, at that time, northern scholars were indeed not as good as southern scholars, because the north had been assimilated to the barbarians for too long, their culture and education were simply incomparable, and the economic strength gap was also huge. So since they could not beat them, then it became a good choice to play separately.

In this way, separate examinations for the north and south lists can be regarded as adjusting the balance of interests between the north and the south, maintaining relative fairness in education and entry into officialdom, and making the entire Ming society more stable.

The Ming Dynasty society now has a typical pyramid structure, and the key to mobility from the bottom to the top is the imperial examination. As long as the imperial examination makes the vast majority of people feel satisfied and hopeful, the Ming Dynasty will be stable.

The stability of the Ming Dynasty was exactly what Zhu Yuanzhang needed most when he wanted to hand over the throne to Zhu Biao.

Rules in various aspects were formulated, the replacement of the old and new Ming army was completed, and the promotion assessments of scholars and school officials were balanced. During these five years, the entire Ming society experienced a period of turmoil and then experienced unprecedented prosperity.

Capable military generals were basically promoted one or two levels, scholars in the south and the north had hope, and the common people gradually became richer because of the industrialization and foreign trade of the Ming Dynasty, and their quality of life was much higher than before.

It can be said that the entire Ming society felt that it had benefited from this era.

After five years of experience as a vassal, Zhu Xiongying also established his own team.

At the same time, due to the disappearance of the Zhongshan wormhole, the exchange with the modern world has basically stabilized.

Both the Qinling wormhole and the Taihu wormhole have no time reversal/aging restrictions, so now the Ming Dynasty transports precious metals and rare materials through the Qinling wormhole, and obtains advanced industrial machinery and technical drawings from the Taihu wormhole.

Through several exchanges every year, Zhu Xiongying established a simple but relatively complete industrial system for the Ming Dynasty in Jiangnan, which had reached or even exceeded the level of the First Industrial Revolution.

The Ming Dynasty began to use machine tools and corresponding equipment to mass-produce muskets, cannons, and fixed brass bullets at the level of the Napoleonic era.

As a result, the Ming Dynasty's metallurgical, chemical and other industries also had basic development, and were even able to use relatively mature steam engines to drive generators to generate small amounts of electricity.

An entire railway was also built from Nanjing Yingtian Prefecture to Zhongjing Fengyang Prefecture, Tokyo Kaifeng Prefecture, and Beijing Beiping Prefecture. This railway running from north to south became the main artery of the Ming Dynasty and the best tool to eliminate the division between the north and the south.

Now, among the five capitals of the Ming Dynasty, the main branch line from Kaifeng through Tongguan to Xi'an is also under construction. When it is completed, the five capitals of the Ming Dynasty will be connected into one.

Next, there are plans to build a railway line from Xuzhou to Kaifeng.

In this way, the entire Ming Dynasty will be closely connected from east to west, north to south by a "cross" railway line.

In the 30th year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang, who had accomplished everything, was already 70 years old.

He formally abdicated the throne to Crown Prince Zhu Biao in the Fengtian Hall and became the emperor emeritus.

Zhu Biao ascended the throne and named the reign "Xingwen", which corresponds to his father's "Hongwu".

At the same time, Zhu Xiongying, the King of Wu who had been a vassal in Wu for five years, was officially appointed as the Crown Prince by Zhu Biao, becoming the heir to the throne of the Ming Empire and entering the Eastern Palace.

(End of this chapter)