After some inspection.
Wang Jinghong welcomed Zhu Gaoxu and others into the mountain chief's duty room.
Zhu Gaoxu sat on the main seat, listening to the sound of reading, and couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly.
"Jinghong, do you know why the late emperor asked you and Zheng He to sail to the West?"
Wang Jinghong felt a little dazed for a while when he brought up old things again.
Unknowingly, many years have indeed passed, so long that Wang Jinghong can no longer go to sea with Zheng He.
Recalling those magnificent years, Wang Jinghong couldn't help but smile on his face.
"Reporting to Your Majesty is to "show the virtue of the Kingdom of Heaven"!"
This is the answer given by Wang Jinghong. Zheng He's voyages to the West were to "show the moral power of the Kingdom of Heaven." To put it bluntly, he went overseas to promote the country's prestige.
"wrong!"
Zhu Gaoxu shook his head.
Isn’t that right?
Wang Jinghong was stunned, thought again for a moment, and then replied: "It's to secretly find Jianwen's whereabouts!"
In the past, Jinyiwei had been secretly tracking down Jianwen's whereabouts, but after working hard for many years, there was no trace of Jianwen. In the end, they could only speculate that Jianwen had escaped at sea.
Therefore, His Majesty Emperor Yongle sent Zheng He to the Western Seas with the intention of secretly searching for the whereabouts of Emperor Jianwen.
However, after Zhu Gaoxu heard this answer, he still shook his head.
"That's not right either!"
Um?
Why is it still wrong?
Wang Jinghong was stunned.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Gaoxu smiled and spoke.
"During the reign of the late emperor, from the first day when Zheng He's fleet set out to sea, the late emperor commanded, controlled and supported this great voyage on land."
"Why did the late emperor cooperate with Zheng He's voyages to the West? The late emperor ordered shipbuilding in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, and Hubei, and expanded the production of porcelain, silk, tea and other export goods nationwide. At the same time, he took advantage of the great voyage to implement the Yongle era and began Compile the "Yongle Dadian" and dredge the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal!"
"It is precisely because of this series of measures that the Ming Dynasty quickly realized its revival. With the joint efforts of the whole country, it supported an unprecedented great navigation cause!"
"Xun Ru, do you understand?"
Zhu Gaoxu looked at Zhou Chen, who nodded immediately.
"Your Majesty, I understand."
"Now our Ming Dynasty is doing the same thing. By opening factories in the Jiangnan area, setting up industry and commerce, expanding the production of Ming Dynasty domestic products such as porcelain, silk, tea, etc., we will use today's ocean trade to stimulate the economic development of our country!"
After so many years of political experience and Zhu Gaoxu's careful training, Zhou Chen, the Minister of Household Affairs in Nanjing, is no longer the Zhou Chen he used to be.
Even in a sense, the current Zhou Chen is much better than Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Household Affairs, because of the limitations of the times!
Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Household Affairs, was a native finance and taxation expert of the Ming Dynasty. When he was the head of the Ministry of Household Affairs in the Hongwu Dynasty, Xia Yuanji began to assist in the management of the Ming Empire, a huge financial entity. He was personally praised by Zhu Yuanzhang, Emperor Taizu Gao, as "Cao Wu Cong wins. Everything is done in an orderly manner.”
In addition, Xia Yuanji himself had outstanding abilities and quickly became familiar with the financial operation model of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, he undoubtedly had the most say in the matter of money and food of the Ming Dynasty.
Such imperial elite bureaucrats undoubtedly have rich financial management and practical experience.
Then all the major political affairs that took place during the Yongle period were enough to prove that Xia Yuanji was such a top national scholar.
Emperor Yongle devoted his life to both civil and martial arts. He compiled the "Yongle Dadian", built and moved the imperial capital to Beijing, dredged the North-South Grand Canal, sent Zheng He to the Western Oceans, and personally led six military expeditions and five crossings...
Which of these national policies should not consume countless amounts of money and food, as well as countless manpower, material and financial resources?
If you pick any one of these national policies and put it in other dynasties, I'm afraid a certain emperor would have to work his entire life to complete it!
But Emperor Yongle just did it, and even completed these big projects in Yongle's reign!
Why?
Because there is Xia Yuanji standing behind Emperor Yongle!
If Xia Yuanji hadn't been coordinating money and food for the Yongle court, the Ming Dynasty would have fallen apart and collapsed, and Emperor Yongle would have become the "second Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty", and he would have been infamously known as "a great success" and "a militaristic person"!
Xia Yuanji's talent is worthy of the name of a national scholar.
But the problem is that Xia Yuanji is old after all. He has read the books of sages all his life, and his mind is hardened and it is difficult to accept new ideas. Therefore, it is difficult for Zhu Gaoxu to impart the economic knowledge he knows to Xia Yuanji, and others will not listen to him at all.
So Zhu Gaoxu chose a brand new target, that is Zhou Chen and Zhou Xunru!
Facts have proved that young Zhou Xunru is far better than the old Xia Yuanji, at least in terms of accepting new ideas.
"Xun Ru, what you said is right."
"In the past, the late emperor moved the capital to Beijing, compiled the "Yongle Dadian" and sent Zheng He to the Western Seas. These three carriages drove the New Deal reforms in the Yongle period. Now in this Wude period, I will also use ocean trade as a driving force to drive the reform. The entire Ming Dynasty will undergo all-round reforms!”
Zhu Gaoxu smiled and said: "Zheng He led the treasure ship to start ocean trade this time, and he will trade with foreign countries along the way, such as Arabs, Persians, and even Europeans... When Zheng He took this ship All the tea, silk and porcelain were exchanged for gold, silver, jewelry, spices, ivory and other items and brought back to the Ming Dynasty. You can think of the sensation this will cause!"
"Especially in this land south of the Yangtze River, I'm afraid there will be a wave of people going to sea in an instant!"
After hearing this, Zhou Chen and Wang Jinghong both changed their expressions and looked solemn.
Others can say that those gentry and merchants will definitely be like sharks and mad dogs that smell the smell of blood, as His Majesty the Emperor said, rushing to the sea, trying to get a piece of this ocean trade!
In fact, they wanted to do this back then, even by controlling the supply of raw materials for porcelain, silk and other commodities, thereby forcing the Ming royal family and the Xungui Group to make concessions to them, allowing them to participate in this ocean trade and earn huge profits!
But unfortunately, they underestimated His Majesty the Emperor's determination and overestimated their own weight.
That time, all the Jin Yiwei were dispatched, and Tishuai Jigang went to Jiangnan again and killed a man with a river of blood and heads!
Is it possible that after Zheng He returns to the Ming Dynasty with a ship full of wealth, will the tragedy of that year happen again?
"Your Majesty, do you want me to make preparations in advance and knock those restless things?"
Zhou Chen asked tentatively. As the Minister of Household Affairs in Nanjing, he held great power and it was relatively easy to deal with some disobedient gentry and merchants.
Zhu Gaoxu smiled and shook his head, saying: "It doesn't have to be like this, I won't stop them this time!"
As soon as these words came out, Zhou Chen and Wang Jinghong were shocked.
Your Majesty, what does this mean?
"My Ming Dynasty needs to pay attention to the ocean, and we need to embark on the road to ocean hegemony!"
"Be it gentry or merchants, when they see the terrifying profits of ocean trade, they will rush to the sea at all costs. What follows is the rapid development of our Ming Dynasty's navigation and shipbuilding industry. This is exactly The result I want to see!”
"So, Jinghong, you have to be careful in the future, don't let others poach these precious teachers and students of the Naval Academy!"
Wang Jinghong: "!!!"
