On May 3rd, the thirty-fourth year of the Ming Dynasty, it was eight o'clock in the morning at Huangzhuang, Xiyang Cape.
When Zhu Jingyuan received the news from Shen Fu and learned that Lucia had accepted the conditions for splitting the Xianbei region, he couldn't help but smile and sighed softly.
"Now we can really look forward to a long-lasting peace. Maybe it really won't be a twenty-year armistice..."
There is a high probability that the war can be avoided. The early aircraft that Zhu Jingyuan prepared in a hurry will have no chance of being used on the Lucia battlefield.
At the same time, after Lucia accepted its fate, Ming's negotiation goal was more than half completed.
Subsequent negotiations on Yinzhou may involve more land area, but the importance is far from before.
The overall nature of Yinzhou is still an overseas colony. The previous Ottomans and the current Lucia talked with the Ming Dynasty about the surrounding areas of both sides, which are directly related to the stability of the local areas.
Shen Fu, who was delivering the letter, couldn't help but smile and nod his head and said:
"Lucia is willing to split up the Xianbei region, and then Kazakhstan will become a vassal state, and the western border of China will be completely worry-free..."
Zhu Jingyuan nodded slightly after hearing this, and at the same time turned to look at the world map on the wall.
After the conditions negotiated this time are actually implemented, the entire territory of the Ming Dynasty will be surrounded by vassal states in all directions.
All land vassals are strategic buffer zones.
The most important of them are Dashi, Persia, Khiva, Kazakhstan, and the newly divided Western Xianbei of Lucia, which mainly isolates Lucia and the Western countries.
The maritime vassal state is the Great Wall on the sea.
The more important ones are Liugui, Kuwu, the Four Japanese Domains, Ryukyu, Luzon, Borneo, Java, and Old Port.
After the relevant provisions are implemented, the stability of the Ming Dynasty will reach a new peak.
After the formal reconciliation between Ming Dynasty and Lucia, as long as the Ming Dynasty does not collapse on its own, there will be no large-scale wars in China and surrounding areas.
The most important task after the Ming Dynasty was to properly control these vassal states and ensure the stability and prosperity of the entire civilization system.
Zhu Jingyuan thought this in his heart and reminded Shen Fu casually:
"Shen Shaoqing, I will trouble you to preside over the following negotiations, including the details of Lucia's split and establishment of the Xianbei vassal state, as well as the naval technical support and warship sales to Lucia. I, a layman, will not interfere. .
"I only have one request. After Lucia is split, Lucia's own country in the western part of Europe must also withdraw from the Anti-Ming Alliance. Otherwise, they will not give any support. If they have any objections, let them look at the name of this organization before speaking."
Shen Fu solemnly agreed:
"I understand that Lucia's withdrawal from the anti-Ming alliance is a prerequisite for any support from the Ming Dynasty."
Zhu Jingyuan discussed some details with Shen Fu and prepared to go to the craftsmen to follow up on the warship design.
Just at this time, the guard on duty outside ran in and reported:
"Your Highness, Suleiman, the son of the Duke of Persia, has asked to see you and has brought two gifts."
Zhu Jingyuan was somewhat impressed by Suleiman. He remembered that he asked him for land in the Baku area, so he nodded and let him in.
This chapter is not finished, click [next page] to continue reading -->>
【Ming 1805】【】
Not long after, Suleiman entered the lobby carrying a box, but behind him were two little Persian girls.
After Su Laiman took the two little girls and bowed, he faced Zhu Jingyuan's somewhat puzzled eyes and immediately carefully explained:
"To inform Your Highness, my father specially sent a map and land deed of the Baku area. He also found two tasteless Persian Orchid twins and gave them to Your Highness as maids serving tea and water. Please accept Your Highness's approval."
When Zhu Jingyuan heard the map and land deed, he subconsciously thought of Jing Ke's assassination of the King of Qin, and Tu Qiong's dagger met him.
Although it is impossible for Suleiman to do that kind of thing, it is necessary to take precautions before they happen.
Zhu Jingyuan asked the guard to take the box from Suleiman's hand, open it alone outside the lobby door, check it carefully and wait for time.
Zhu Jingyuan in the lobby looked up at the two little girls behind Su Laiman.
Both children looked Persian and seemed to be around twelve or thirteen years old. They looked almost identical and were twins.
At this age, he can only be considered a child, and his body is not fully open, but it is already quite lovable.
The main reason is that the eyes are very big, which makes people feel very smart. They are not particularly scared when they see themselves. They seem to be a little curious and yearning.
Seeing Zhu Jingyuan looking at the two children, Su Laiman took the initiative to introduce their situation to Zhu Jingyuan:
"They are twins who have just turned twelve this year. Their Persian names are Anahita and Freishta, which means river goddess and angel.
“If there are any taboos, His Highness can give them another name.
"These twins, as native Persians, do not have oily ears, and they should not have body odor in the future. This is very rare.
"After my father found out, he specially found it and sent it to His Highness as a small token of appreciation."
After hearing this, Zhu Jingyuan subconsciously asked:
"Found? How did you find it? How did you send it to me? Where are their parents and family members?"
Suleiman seemed to have been prepared:
"Their parents are businessmen in Tehran, and they all feel very honored to be able to serve as maids to His Highness the Ming Emperor.
"The two children are also very happy. You should be able to see that they are not bought and sold slaves.
"The two sisters are quite famous in Tehran, and many Persian nobles want to propose marriage for themselves or their children.
"But they were all rejected by their father because of their young age. Their father should have wanted to sell them at a price.
"So my father succeeded by taking out His Highness's identity, but their parents wanted a photo of you, Your Highness."
Zhu Jingyuan was a little stunned. He originally thought that Su Laiman would be vague and just make up an orphan or a bought slave or something.
It turns out that this child’s origins are quite complete, or is he relatively famous in Tehran? And then the parents want photos of themselves?
These two children really don't look like they have endured hardship, otherwise they wouldn't be able to be born with such grace. Children who are really suffering can tell at a glance.
And they don't seem to be afraid when they go to strange places. They are indeed a bit like children from merchant families.
But Zhu Jingyuan still asked in shock:
This chapter is not finished, click [next page] to continue reading -->>
【Ming 1805】【】
"But they are only twelve years old? They are still children who have not grown up, and now they are here to be my maids?
"And according to the rules of the Ming Dynasty, they can only be maids, and they will not even have the status of concubines in their lives."
Suleiman immediately replied:
"Of course my father knows the rules and has explained them to the other party's parents and themselves.
"But it is an honor for a merchant's daughter from a small Persian country to be the maid of His Highness the Ming Emperor.
"You are still young now, so you can be educated by the royal aunts for a few years, so as not to mess with the rules in the palace."
Zhu Jingyuan couldn't help but sigh this time and said:
"The Duke of Persia is very thoughtful, but I really don't want these maids. After all, they are actually slaves..."
Su Laiman sounded a little confused and a little nervous.
I originally thought this was a trivial matter, just sending two maids to the Prince of Ming Dynasty, and these two maids were quite unique.
There should be no possibility of failure, but I never expected that His Highness the King of Food would not want it?
Su Laiman said with some confusion:
"Your Highness, you're welcome. They are just two maids. When you open your house and set up a household, there will always be servants at home.
"Besides, your maids are indeed your slaves, but ordinary people would not dare to treat them as slaves."
At this time, Shen Fu next to him also interjected:
"Your Highness is a prince. It is normal to have a few orchids in the palace. Especially the tasteless orchids are the pursuit of many nobles."
Zhu Jingyuan was stunned for a few seconds and slowly understood what Shen Fu meant.
These different types of female slaves were like collecting achievements for the powerful people of the Ming Dynasty.
Various types of female slaves, regardless of whether you can use them or not, or even whether you like them or not, you must have a few at home...
After realizing this, Zhu Jingyuan's expression became a little ugly.
This is a very bad trend.
Zhu Jingyuan didn't want the maid given by others. Firstly, he didn't want to let anyone around him casually.
There is no absolute guarantee as to the origins, mentality, and whether the hands and feet of these maids are clean and reliable.
More importantly, Zhu Jingyuan himself supported the abolition of slavery.
The two maids in the family have been sent to crafts school, and they don't want to accept ordinary girls as maids in the future.
In the future, when I have a palace, most of my family members will be hired workers.
Zhu Jingyuan himself came from a later generation and did not like slavery.
But this is not a Virgin mentality. Zhu Jingyuan has never been brainwashed by Bai Zuo.
Zhu Jingyuan had long understood that abolition of slavery was driven by profit.
Zhu Jingyuan wanted to abolish slavery, and Emperor Shizu abolished human-powered sedan chairs and banned the people of the Ming Dynasty from being slaves. It is the same logic.
The purpose is to allow more people to work as workers in factories instead of staying in the homes of the powerful to serve others.
At the same time, it was necessary to prevent a large number of young people from becoming attached to wealthy families, which would in turn affect the stability of the Zhu Ming Dynasty's rule.
Why was Jiangnan able to resist taxes during the Wanli period? The large number of young slaves in those noble families was the key reason why they dared to resist.
According to official statistics before Chongzhen, throughout the two hundred and seventy years of the Ming Dynasty, the number of Dingkou remained the same as that of the late Hongwu period.
This chapter is not finished, click [next page] to continue reading -->>
【Ming 1805】【】
Always at the level of more than 60 million.
This is simply illogical.
Later historians estimated that the actual population in the late Ming Dynasty was about 150 million.
At least more than half of the population is hidden.
Su Laiman seemed to be even more angry when he saw Zhu Jingyuan, and he was really a little panicked.
He just couldn't understand why Zhu Jingyuan was unhappy about giving away the maid.
Shen Fu quickly understood that Zhu Jingyuan had proposed the abolition of slavery in the court:
"Your Highness... wants to abolish slavery, but abolition does not happen overnight, and Hu Ji is definitely not within the scope of early abolition.
"Persia itself is even more of a foreign vassal, and the court promised not to withdraw or change the vassal. As long as Persia does not abolish slavery, it will not affect the Ming Dynasty.
"Taking a step back, in the future, His Highness can truly support and preside over the abolition of slavery by liberating the slaves in his own family."
Zhu Jingyuan took a deep breath:
"I understand what Mr. Shen means, but the better way is to use only hired workers from the beginning, not slaves.
"The imperial court can also abolish slaves from all sources, and it can also ask Persia, as a vassal, to abolish slaves."
Shen Fu and Su Laiman both froze and didn't know how to persuade them.
Su Laiman was very annoyed and puzzled, why did His Highness, the King of Food, not act according to common sense.
As a grandson of an emperor and a prince, why do you support the abolition of slavery? Isn’t this difficult for yourself?
But Su Laiman had no way to debate the meaning of abolition of slavery with Zhu Jingyuan, and he was not qualified to do so. He could only persuade him from another angle:
"Then...how about just following His Highness's instructions and letting them work in your house as hired workers?"
Zhu Jingyuan glared:
"If you are working as a hired worker when you are only twelve years old, it must be considered child labor. I do not support children under the age of sixteen being workers."
Su Laiman and Shen Fu were completely speechless. His Highness's ideas were so different. Why can't children be workers?
Su Laiman no longer knew how to persuade, so he could only try his best to be affectionate:
"Your Highness, they really want to follow you. No one is forcing them. My father and their parents have made it clear.
"I came here by boat from Persia all the way, and I dreamed of living in the Ming Dynasty with you..."
Zhu Jingyuan laughed dryly:
"Who am I? Anyone who wants to follow me can follow me? Did I ask you to send the two of them to the Cape of the West?"
Su Laiman shut up immediately. It seemed that Zhu Jingyuan was quite disgusted with the kind of persuasion just now.
However, after Zhu Jingyuan finished speaking, he immediately began to reflect on himself. The words just now completely entered the identity of the emperor's grandson and prince.
As a traveler from the new era, I cannot abandon the most important modern mentality and cannot be assimilated into the indigenous world, otherwise I will lose my advantage.
Zhu Jingyuan muttered a few words in his heart and quickly adjusted his mentality:
"It's not impossible for them to follow me if they want. They can keep their freedom and become overseas students, and help me manage my land in Persia in the future."
Su Laiman let out a long breath and almost knelt down again out of habit:
This chapter is not finished, click [next page] to continue reading -->>
【Ming 1805】【】
"Thank you, Your Highness, for your support! On behalf of my father and sister Anahita's parents, I would like to thank you for your support."
Zhu Jingyuan waved his hand helplessly:
"Okay, okay, can the two of them speak the elegant dialect of the Ming Dynasty? Can they understand the text of the Ming Dynasty?"
Suleiman immediately explained:
"Yes, their family is a businessman, and their parents can speak, read, and write in the elegant dialect of Ming Dynasty. The two children have been learning from their parents since they were young."
Zhu Jingyuan nodded slightly, asked the guard to take back the checked map and land deed, and opened it himself to check carefully.
Suleiman stood nearby and explained carefully.
Zhu Jingyuan had exposed Suleiman's little idea of leaving the border all to himself, so now the land drawn does not include the border at all.
Zhu Jingyuan only wanted the area around Baku, but the Persian prince did not only give it to Baku, but extended much outward from the peninsula where Baku is located.
Following the coast of the Caspian Sea to the south, it reaches the plains on the southern coast of the Caucasus, and then extends some distance to the west. The overall shape is approximately rectangular.
In the end, a total of 35,000 square kilometers of land was allocated, equivalent to 52.5 million acres, roughly equivalent to the entire Hainan Island.
Except for the area around Baku, most of it is a coastal plain. If placed in the eastern part of the Ming Dynasty, it would be enough to be divided into three prefectures.
Now all this land has been given to Zhu Jingyuan personally. This can definitely be regarded as an extremely huge piece of land.
Can this be considered corruption? This is certainly corruption.
After receiving the land given by the vassal state, he arranged for people to operate and manage it in the vassal state, and only handed over the profits to himself.
This was also one of the ways for officials of the Ming Dynasty to make profits in the vassal states below.
And it's very difficult to control.
Of course, ordinary officials cannot obtain such a huge amount of land.
Even ordinary prince and minister level officials are not possible.
My current status is very special. I am a vassal king with actual title. A little bit of land cannot enter my eyes at all.
There are other reasons why they are willing to spend money.
Zhu Jingyuan looked at the map and land deed and frowned:
"There are too many, this is enough to build a country, I just want to buy around Baku..."
Suleiman immediately explained:
"Only the area around Baku, my father really can't take action.
“And this land still belongs to the Persian Kingdom, and it is not allocated to the Food Kingdom.
“The population and taxes of the land still belong to the Persian state.
"My father believes that His Highness's investment and management will definitely make the Persian country profit.
"So my father doesn't think this investment will be a loss..."
Zhu Jingyuan nodded softly in his heart. His investment would indeed make Persia money. Both the father and son of this generation of Persia were shrewd people.
He owns the Persian Gulf and goes to Baku to develop oil fields. He is really bringing development to Persia.
After changing his thinking in this way, Zhu Jingyuan finally took over the land:
"Okay, then I'll accept it."
