Qian is the sky, Kun is the earth, and the territory of public opinion. Kunyu Wanguo Complete Map contains the meaning of the map of the territory of all countries.
Although the Ming Dynasty has always claimed to be a great country, it is not arrogant and feels that there is only the Ming Dynasty in the world.
On the contrary, Zheng He's voyages to the West brought back a lot of refreshing news. Therefore, anyone with a little knowledge knows that on the other side of the West, there are countless small countries dotted all over the place.
This map is called "Kunyu Ten Thousand Kingdoms", which is a false reference. The implication is that it covers the map of all countries. No wonder Zhu Huixun said that this map has such a grand tone.
You know, even Zheng He, who traveled all over the West, probably did not dare to say that he could reach all the countries.
And, more importantly, as he just asked, whether it was Zhu Huixun or Zhu Shiyi, the first reaction when they saw this picture was why was the Ming Dynasty so small?
This picture was of course drawn by Zhu Qiyu himself. The Complete Map of Kunyu and All Countries was completed during the Wanli period. It was later published in large quantities and given to high-ranking officials and nobles. It was originally hidden in the palace. Therefore, Zhu Qiyu had naturally seen it, but unfortunately, he was just out of curiosity at the time. Take a look.
Along with this map, of course, missionaries from the West also came to the palace. Zhu Qiyu also learned from them that on the other side of the West, there were people from different countries with completely different civilizations and developments.
Of course, what particularly concerned him was the missionaries' descriptions of Western firearms and some grains. In their descriptions, some places had extremely high grain yields, capable of three or even four crops a year, and the power of their firearms , far beyond the firearms Zhu Qiyu knew.
Nowadays, although the Ming Dynasty uses firearms, they are very restrictive, with high cost, low power, short range, and inconvenient ammunition loading. Most of the time, they can only shoot one round, and then they can only continue to fight with swords.
To put it bluntly, in terms of power and portability, bows and arrows are even more useful than firearms. In fact, this is also the reason why the Beilu cavalry can dominate the Ming Dynasty.
Nowadays, the most useful firearms of the Ming Dynasty are the cannons that are easy to explode. Although these cannons are difficult to move and can easily hurt others before themselves, they are indeed very good for defending cities.
As for other firearms, they are really unsatisfactory. Before the regiment camp was restructured, Zhu Qiyu personally watched the Beijing camp's tactics in order to test the strength of the Beijing camp. To be honest, he was a little disappointed at the time.
The Shenji Battalion is the most proficient in using firearms, but even so, the main formation still relies on swords, guns, swords and halberds to attack. Firearms tactics are useful, but they are too limited.
Of course, this is the conclusion that Zhu Qiyu came to after hearing the missionaries' descriptions of Western firearms and comparing the two.
Unfortunately, he had not seen the firearms described by these missionaries. However, judging from their descriptions of the war conditions in Western countries at that time, firearms did play a vital role.
It is not difficult to fabricate a lie, but it would be too difficult to fabricate even the details and direction of the war.
Therefore, this kind of firearm should indeed exist in the West. The missionaries' description of many things was not clear enough and the details were unclear.
Zhu Qiyu had no way to ask questions at that time, so he could only speculate from a few words.
At this time, Western countries should have produced self-generated fire guns that can be inspired by flint and are not afraid of wind and rain. In addition to improving firearms, the power of Western gunpowder is also stronger than that used by the Ming Dynasty today. It should also be made improved.
This was what he valued most. The Ming Dynasty had the habit of using firearms. If they could get these Western firearms and fuse them, it would be much easier at least on the northern border.
In addition, Zhu Qiyu was also very interested in the improved varieties that the missionaries described, with grain that matures more than a year.
In their mouths, these places are often civilized and backward, and the people are barbaric, and they don't even know how to take care of the fields, but the yields are high. After thinking about it, Zhu Qiyu attributed this to the grain they used, which may itself be better.
It was at that time that he once lamented that the Ming Dynasty indeed knew very little about the entire world. Although Zheng He's voyages to the West were very wasteful, they were not without benefits.
However, although he read it carefully at the time, he did not think about writing it all down. After all, at that time, he did not think that he would have another chance.
However, after waking up in Prince Xi's Mansion, Zhu Qiyu realized that he had been a little hasty, but there was nothing he could do.
Because of this, the map now displayed has many details that are different from what Zhu Qiyu saw.
He has tried his best to restore it, and he also specially consulted various maps, geographical records, and even the navigation charts of Zheng He's voyages to the West retained by the imperial court for comparison.
In order to make the map clearer, he even doubled its original size to draw it. However, even this can only confirm part of it, and there are still many unclear places in the entire map.
Even so, for now, it's almost enough. Of course, this cannot be said directly to King Min and others, otherwise, it will be difficult to explain how he could draw this picture.
You must know that this map not only contains the names of the terrain, but also the customs, customs, and customs of many places. These are not easy to explain if you take a serious look at them.
Therefore, facing Zhu Huixun's question, Zhu Qiyu pondered for a moment, then came up with the words he had prepared long ago and said.
"It is said that during the reign of Emperor Taizong, a man from the West sailed to the Ming Dynasty via Quanzhou Prefecture. He carried a map with him and said that he came from Franji to find China. He was shipwrecked on the way and only one person survived."
"At that time, it was difficult for the officials to distinguish the authenticity from the fake, so they sent the map he carried to the capital first. However, perhaps due to injuries accumulated during the long voyage, the Taixi man died of illness before the map arrived in the capital, and the map he brought was sent to the capital. In the palace, it was retained by Qin Tianjian.”
"Later, when Zheng He, the eunuch of Sanbao, went to the Western Ocean, he planned his route based on this map, which confirmed that many of the countries in the map did exist. After returning to the court, based on his experience, he drew a ship from the Bao Shipyard, sailing from Longjiang Pass to foreign countries. "Zhufantu", after I ascended the throne, due to the civil war, I reviewed many maps preserved by the Ministry of War and the Qintian Prison, and then I discovered this old map."
"Therefore, after the war, I ordered the officials of the Qin Tianjian to draw this map based on this old map, combined with the maps left over from the Yuan Dynasty, Zheng He's navigational charts and other verifications." After saying this, Zhu Qiyu pointed out He pointed at the scroll in front of him and said.
"Except for the territory of the Ming Dynasty, the places marked in vermilion on this map are the places passed by the Three Treasures eunuchs, and the records are detailed. However, the rest of the places are either recorded in ancient books or marked on the old Taixi map. There are many places in them. It still needs to be verified.”
"However, I have consulted many classics from other countries that were brought back by the Sanbao eunuchs, and many of them mentioned countries bordering them. From the two facts, it can be concluded that although the details of this map need to be corrected, the general terrain should be Correct..." With these words, Zhu Qiyu turned a few corners and all of a sudden transferred the origin of this picture to the Yongle era. Even if someone really wants to ask, this happened decades ago, a Even if you want to check, you can’t find a mere Thai-Western person.
Moreover, in order to increase the credibility of this picture, he also pulled Zheng He out. Anyway, no one knows how many ancient books Zheng He consulted when he went to sea. However, as a Sanbao eunuch who had been ordered to sail to the West several times, His signboard is still useful. At least, after Zhu Qiyu said these words, most of the doubts in the two people in front of him about the map disappeared.
However, even so, Zhu Huixuan was obviously not very interested, said.
"So, is the territory of our Ming Dynasty really that big?" Looking at this uncle's appearance, Zhu Qiyu couldn't help but laugh. After thinking about it, he said.
"The map drawn on this map should be true, but most of the countries in it are the result of weak national power. Some places are even barren lands, still in the age of growing hair and drinking blood. Even compared to the barbarians, many are inferior. "
"Of course, there are also powerful countries, such as the Western countries, France, Italy and other countries. Their national power is also strong, but there are often wars. I don't know what the situation is now. However, I am afraid that a prosperous place like our Ming Dynasty will No." After saying these words, Zhu Huixuan's expression finally improved a lot.
In his opinion, or in other words, in the eyes of the Ming people, it is not that there is no country and land outside the Ming Dynasty, it is just that they are all foreign lands and not worth mentioning.
The prosperity of civilization and national strength is the self-confidence engraved in the bones. So, after recovering from the shock, Zhu Huixuan looked at the map up and down again and asked.
"Your Majesty, this map is quite novel. Since it is a foreign country, it has nothing to do with my Ming Dynasty. However, it would be a good thing if we could exchange information."
"I wonder what your majesty wanted to draw this map?" If he didn't react at the beginning, then thinking about the transfer of the feudal vassal by King Dai at this time, coupled with his previous guesses, Zhu Huixun felt that he was vaguely aware of the situation. He also grasped a little bit of the emperor's thoughts.
Sure enough, when he handed over the words, the emperor's eyes immediately fell on Zhu Shixi beside him and said.
"After all, this map was drawn with reference to ancient books. There is no solid evidence in many places, and many details are not very detailed. Therefore, I have always wanted to send people out to sea to complete and verify this map. As the uncle of King Min just said, if it is on this map All the paintings are true, so being able to exchange supplies with the countries in Europe and the West is a great thing for the Ming Dynasty." What is different from Zhu Huixun's casual remarks is that Zhu Qiyu's last words, He said it very seriously.
Because only he knows best what meaning this picture will have for Ming Dynasty if it can be completely confirmed or perfected.
Since ancient times, all dynasties have pursued a policy of focusing on agriculture and suppressing business. Why? In fact, it is very simple, that is, merchants' exchange can only bring profits. Its essence is to buy at a low price and sell at a high price. The buyer pays, the seller delivers the goods, and the merchant earns the difference in the middle. This process itself is not What will generate new wealth will only allow businessmen to grab profits.
However, in a unified country like the Ming Dynasty, individual profits are meaningless. What the Ming Dynasty needs is wealth, a steady stream of food, cloth that can cover the body and keep warm, a variety of ironware and porcelain, and more and more cattle...and these , it is exactly what business cannot bring. This is the reason why Emperor Taizu suppressed businessmen as much as possible when he founded the country.
You know, for small households that are half farmers and half businessmen, they farm when they are busy, and go to the city to sell fruits and vegetables, raise their own chickens and ducks, weave cloth, etc., etc., the court not only does not prohibit these, but also very encourage.
However, if it is a businessman who specializes in reselling and buying to make profits, he will not have any output, but he will seize the wealth of the people.
The more people who specialize in business, the fewer people will farm and weave. Correspondingly, the total amount of food and cloth will decrease. From a national level, this will affect the court's annual income, which will naturally be Suppressed.
This has been true throughout all dynasties, not just the Ming Dynasty. However, this has an important premise, that is, the entire country is in a relatively closed state.
Since it is closed, all the wealth is flowing within the country. Merchants are not engaged in production, but they grab most of the profits. It is normal for them to be suppressed.
However, what if it is trade between different countries? Since it is a transaction between countries, then the behavior of merchants buying low and selling high is actually taking profits from other countries and using them for the Ming Dynasty.
In this sense, can merchants be regarded as another form of 'producer'?
At this point, Zhu Qiyu has always only had the concept of a model lake. He first came up with this idea after the Longqing switch. Before that, he had always felt that it was unnecessary to interact with the Western countries. Especially later, as the Ming Dynasty's national power declined and Japanese pirates were raging in the southeast, it was difficult to organize them anymore. After a fleet as large as Zheng He's voyage to the West, he felt that a sea ban was the best policy.
Therefore, when Long Qing switched the switch, he actually disapproved of it. Of course, at that time, he had no choice but to disapprove.
After the Nangong Incident, the one who inherited the throne was no longer of his lineage, so he couldn't even entrust his dream, and even if he could, he probably wouldn't be believed.
However, what surprised him was that after the Longqing switch, Daming's tax situation showed signs of improvement.
Apart from anything else, Emperor Wanli collected mining taxes for so many years. Although there were complaints from various places, it may have been collected for so many years, which is a good explanation of the problem.
Where does this money come from? Of course, it was after the Longqing switch that it flowed into the Ming Dynasty from the Western and Eastern countries. Because of this, Zhu Qiyu slowly changed his view on the sea ban. At the same time, he began to rethink whether merchants were useful to the Ming Dynasty.
With this idea in mind, Wang Wen used the mutual market to negotiate terms with Tuo Tuo during the War in Wala.
At that time, Zhu Qiyu had already made plans. After the war, whether it was a big victory or a tragic victory, he would start trading with the grassland.
It is true that the mutual market has shortcomings of one kind or another, but this is Zhu Qiyu's attempt to verify his own ideas.
And in the end, it turned out that his idea was right...
