On July 18, the sixth year of the Era, in the new city of Yingtianfu, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, the eldest uncle Shen Fu made a special trip to visit the emperor Zhu Jingyuan.
After meeting Li in the emperor's office, Shen Fu handed over a memorial written by himself:
"Your Majesty, I think it's time to compile a history of Rome and the Western countries."
Zhu Jingyuan was stunned after hearing these words, mainly because he was not aware of the matter of revising history.
Then he opened the memorial and read it. Shen Fu wrote on it the significance of compiling the history of Rome and the Western countries.
First of all, let me explain that Rome and the Western countries are different from Dali and Japan.
It has a vast territory, complex national composition, and a large remaining population.
The key is that with relatively high civilization characteristics, there are a large number of survivors who can manage society and have the ability to compile documents.
All these people will not disappear anytime soon.
They will leave many records, and there may even be a folk version of the general history of Taixi.
If the Ming Dynasty did not compile history, it would be equivalent to giving the right to interpret the history of Rome and Europe to these survivors of the Western countries.
The attitude of the history they compiled may not be in line with the political stance of the Ming Dynasty.
Instead of doing this, it would be better for the Ming Dynasty to officially compile a history of Rome and the Western countries, which can be as brief as possible, but can express the court's position.
From now on, the Ministry of Rites will be able to have a basic reference position in terms of cultural propaganda.
The Ministry of Arts and Culture can also have a standard when reviewing literary and artistic works.
The natural goal of the Ming court was to selectively incorporate other ethnic groups living in the world into the Ming Dynasty system.
Burning books, leveling tombs, and demolishing temples can help promote this process and cut off its roots as much as possible.
At the same time, compiling the histories of other ethnic groups will also help to promote this process, and finalizing the coffin can appease the emotions of the remaining survivors of other ethnic groups.
Acknowledge the fact that the other party existed in the past, and at the same time create a consensus that integration is the general trend.
The narrative of the past existence of other ethnic groups is gradually diminished in later generations as the fact of immigration from other ethnic groups gradually disappears.
The memorial is not long, the content is very concise, and the views expressed are very clear.
Compiling history is the responsibility and right of the imperial court.
There are too many remnants in Taixi, and their level of civilization is obviously relatively high, so they cannot be regarded as pure barbarians.
Therefore, in this aspect, Ming Dynasty could not quickly deal with those who had the ability to leave records like it did with Dali and Japan.
To some extent, some residues and traces of civilization will be left behind.
In this case, the court should take the initiative to take over the power of interpretation and turn these remaining traces to the court's advantage.
Other tendencies will be eliminated, leaving only the official word as the general understanding in society.
Then there was no official mention of these things.
This knowledge will not have practical requirements in any real environment.
In the end, no one in the world except the most partial enthusiasts will understand these things.
Zhu Jingyuan looked at the content of the memorial and recalled the various views in his previous life. There was a saying once circulated by a certain Internet politics school:
"The code name given by history to the Emperor Luo is Byzantium."
Outsiders have no way of knowing the specific inner meaning of the person who originally proposed this sentence.
But you can experience a lot of emotions.
The Eastern Roman Empire chose Hellenism in the later period, abandoning the concept of Rome as the absolute leader of the entire civilization circle, and became an independent country named Rome alongside other surrounding countries.
So in the end, even the name Rome could not be saved. After its demise, it was called Byzantium by outsiders.
Byzantium was the original Greek name for the area where Constantinople was located.
It is somewhat similar to the feeling that unrecognized regimes in later generations are usually called "such-and-such authority" based on their location.
The more positive ones are: Eastern Rome, which is content with Constantinople and cannot return to its old capital of Rome, is not worthy of being called Rome.
The more negative ones are: if you abandon Roman civilization, then you are no longer Rome and can only be called by the name of the place where the capital is located.
The more realistic thing is: after your own inheritance is cut off, after you die, your own history can only be defined by others.
In a similar situation, history gave Ji Han the name Shu...
In Zhu Jingyuan's view, it was precisely to prevent "there will be no China after Yashan, and no China after the fall of Ming Dynasty" to become a fact, and to prevent the Japanese from defining the Chinese dynasty.
Leave behind the insulting pronoun that was deliberately translated back into a foreign language.
Liu Futong, Zhu Yuanzhang, Hong Xiuquan, Sun Yat-sen... they passed down the ideal of rejuvenating China from generation to generation.
Only then can we have "there is no land of China in the mountains and rivers, and the sun and moon will reopen the Great Song Dynasty".
Now it's time to define Rome and the Western kingdoms for yourself.
What Shen Fu said makes sense, but this definition still needs to be defined.
Otherwise, even if the immigrants from Thailand and the West are not allowed to leave, the free scholars from Ming Dynasty may still go there.
Zhu Jingyuan finally wrote and approved the memorial.
At the same time, an on-site discussion with Shen Fu began to determine Ming's attitude in this history.
First of all, the narrative is of course centered on China, and the Ming Dynasty was the only orthodox dynasty in the world at the same time.
And then there is the definition of Rome:
"An overseas ethnic group with a relatively mature civilization system."
The Ming Dynasty recognized that Rome was "civilized", but they were not a special civilization and were obviously not as civilized as China.
Now that we actually understand the name of Rome, there is no need to continue to call it Qin.
To an opponent who is completely dead, some basic respect can be given.
Moreover, Rome was dead. The Western barbarians were mainly responsible, and Rome itself was responsible for committing suicide and failing to live up to expectations.
But it has nothing to do with the previous dynasties of China and the current Ming Dynasty.
When the Roman orthodoxy was completely cut off, the Ming Dynasty was still an old farmer who had heard nothing about the outside world in the fourth year of Jingtai.
So now it is directly called "Rome", and its people call it "Romans".
Instead of calling it a "country", it was called Rome directly, which was intended to recognize that it had a similar status as the co-lord of the world on the western continent.
After all, when he was a big man, he gave the other party a very good comment:
"It is similar to China. Countries look up to it like Zhou Jing, and it has the power to unify."
However, the titles of Augustus, Caesar, Ibratus, and Basilius in Rome can never be directly translated as emperor or vice-emperor.
The titles of Augustus and Caesar in Rome are not the same as the emperor of China, and their status is also very different.
First of all, the two were created with almost completely opposite ideas.
As the first emperor of the so-called Roman Empire, Octavian's official status and position remained that of first citizen and consul.
Rome did not call itself an "empire" until its final fall.
Judging from the name of the country, Rome has always been a republic.
res publica Romana.
Because of some bad memories in the monarchy era, the key is the reason for the foundation of the republic.
The actual supreme rulers of Rome deliberately avoided the title of monarch.
Caesar means I am Caesar, not a monarch.
Octavian said that I do not want to be a monarch, and I have absolutely no intention of becoming a monarch!
It’s just that the Senate gave me the sacred title of Augustus, symbolizing that I was the religious leader of the republic.
I also want to lead the army to attack the barbarians, so I am the military commander of Rome, Ibratus.
I am also the political leader of the Caesar family, so I inherit the name of Caesar.
All in all, it is to add a bunch of titles corresponding to power to oneself and implement actual monarchy.
But he is not called the monarch, let alone the king of kings.
Therefore, titles such as Augustus, Caesar, and Ibratus are only substitutes and deconstruction results of the actual monarchy.
It can even be suspected that the habit of Thai and Western nobles to have a long list of titles is an evil created by the Romans.
The emperor of China is very simple, that is, "he is the king of kings and the king of gods."
The king of kings is that it rules all kings, and the king of gods is because the three emperors and five emperors were originally gods, but now they have been overshadowed by the First Emperor.
Therefore, the emperor of China can sum up: I am the monarch of all monarchs and the common ruler of the world.
All power and glory are combined under one title, which is absolutely exclusive and exclusive to me.
No second person with the same or similar identity is allowed within a system.
The commander of Rome is an analytical enumeration. Because I have such a position, I can have the corresponding power and the corresponding identity.
I hold all the highest offices, so I am your supreme leader.
I can also give some of my positions and titles to others, because it is not an identity in the first place, but a bunch of titles put together.
Before the Christian era, the actual powers of the Roman commanders and the Chinese emperors were somewhat similar.
But after the Christian era, the gap between the two sides widened again.
The most suitable titles for the highest leaders in Rome should be "grand commander", "minor commander", "deputy commander" and "commander".
This fits their actual status and is close to the original meaning of their titles. The basis of Roman generals is military commanders.
The "vice emperor" was unacceptable to the people of Ming Dynasty, but it was much easier for the deputy commander to accept.
Their full titles also directly adopt the formats of "General Commander of the Romans" and "General Commander of the Romans".
All the history of Rome, in general, as a set of specialized histories.
It was recorded from the legendary era until the destruction of the Eastern Roman Empire.
The content can be divided into three parts: upper, middle and lower, respectively bounded by the end of the Republic and the fall of Western Rome.
Zhu Jingyuan’s attitude towards content narration is: to be as fair and true as possible.
Because the Ming Dynasty had not yet come of age, this traditional Rome had already died, and the two parties basically had no interests involved.
Next is the definition of the Thai and Western countries:
"Barbarians once conquered and civilized by Rome."
They are to Rome what the surrounding areas of China are to the Central Plains dynasty.
The various ethnic groups are called: Slavs, Germans, French, Spanish, Italians, etc.
In this narrative context, the Thai and Western countries and their ethnic leaders can no longer be called kings.
The king is a prince-level title in the Ming Dynasty and the title of emperor in the Zhou Dynasty. It is an important part and foundation of civilization and cannot be used by barbarians.
The noble titles below the king cannot correspond to the titles of duke, marquis, uncle, son, and male in China.
Those who used to be translated as kings will now be collectively referred to as chiefs.
People who were previously translated as dukes and grand dukes are now collectively referred to as chiefs.
The marquis is the chief, the earl is the leader, the viscount is the leader, the baron is the warrior, and the knight is the warrior.
The great chief and the chief's sons and heirs may be collectively referred to as minor chiefs.
The big leader and the leader's sons and heirs are collectively called the small leader.
The duke-chief was either a close relative of the great chief, or a semi-independent lord who was co-opted and appeased, and it was quite appropriate to be called chief.
Marquis-chief is usually a senior official under the chief, or a border lord who guards the territory directly under the chief's jurisdiction. He is a close subordinate of the chief.
Count-chiefs are chiefs, chiefs, middle-level officials around the chiefs, or middle-level lords similar to state officials.
Viscount-heads are usually personal attendants and low-level officials around chiefs, chiefs, and chiefs.
Barons-warriors are low-level officials around the leader, or the lowest-level feudal lords similar to county magistrates.
Knights-Warriors are the elite warriors beside lords at all levels.
The Holy Roman Empire overran and was renamed the Germanic United Emirates, and the corresponding head was also called the Grand Chief.
The same goes for the Habsburg Austrian Empire.
The Lucia Empire was also a transgression, and was later renamed the Rakshasa Kingdom, and its leader was also called the Great Chief.
The Hanover family were the Germanic Hanoverian chiefs who succeeded the Great Chieftainship of Britain.
After being ennobled as a prince, Zhu Zhuyu began to be called the "King of Great Britain in the Ming Dynasty".
The overall narrative style and idea is to narrate the past history of these barbarian countries from the perspective of the Ming Dynasty and the civilized world.
The Chiefs' affairs are already confusing enough, so there's no need to add any extra drama.
But be careful to keep away from their relationship with Rome.
From the perspective of the Ming Dynasty, it describes the whole process of them being conquered by Rome, then rebelling against Rome, destroying Rome, and calling themselves Rome.
During the discussion, Shen Fu asked Zhu Jingyuan about some details.
For example, should we refer to previous history books to assign a special ancestor to Rome and the Western countries and integrate them into the Chinese traditional system?
Zhu Jingyuan directly rejected this approach.
Then he specifically requested not to describe all kinds of unverifiable legendary things like traditional official history books.
Even if there is a true legend, it is listed directly as a legend and cannot be verified and is simply passed over.
The main text starts directly from where there are traces.
There is no need to pursue simplicity and literariness, and of course there is no need to continue to use traditional classical Chinese.
Classical Chinese is a writing style inherited from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and is a writing style specifically used for writing articles.
Ancient people did not use classical Chinese when speaking.
This revision of history also directly uses vernacular narratives that are "plain", "detailed" and "serious".
It doesn’t need to be too lengthy.
The official history book is just a book, not a specialized historical research material.
When Zhu Jingyuan and Shen Fu discussed Rome and the Western countries, they inevitably discussed the Ottoman situation.
This further involves the situation in Persia, Dashi, and Tianzhu.
When discussing Persia, Dashi, Tianzhu, and Ottoman, as well as when discussing Lucia, it is inevitable to mention the Mongol Empire.
Compared with Rome and the Western countries, Mongolia has a closer relationship with the Ming Dynasty.
It can be said that the nomadic people in the northern grasslands of China have been closely associated with the civilization of the Central Plains since their birth.
The Mongol Empire was the pinnacle of this steppe civilization.
This made Zhu Jingyuan suddenly realize that he could now write a serious history of Mongolia.
The history of the Yuan Dynasty compiled in the early Ming Dynasty can be said to be the roughest among the history books compiled by officials in the past dynasties. It was basically a direct compilation of the materials on the history of the Yuan Dynasty.
At that time, Emperor Beiyuan was still on the grassland.
The key is that the Mongolian ethnic group to which the Yuan Dynasty belonged was too broad in geographical scope.
Based on the situation and capabilities of the early Ming Dynasty, there was no way to figure out how huge the system to which the Yuan Dynasty belonged was.
Normally when compiling the history books of a dynasty, one needs to understand the ancestors of the founding emperor.
At least starting from the generation with titles, which are the so-called ancestors who established the foundation.
But the ancestor Genghis Khan was so powerful.
Compiling the history of the family from Temujin to Kublai Khan is almost equivalent to compiling the history of the world at that time.
The people of the Ming Dynasty at that time obviously did not understand the scope of the Mongol Empire, and even Beiyuan himself might not have understood it either.
I can’t figure it out anyway, so I’ll just make do with it.
The purpose of the Ming Dynasty in compiling this history book was to announce the demise of the Yuan Dynasty.
No matter how good it is, it just needs to be cultivated in the end.
By now, the Ming Dynasty has controlled all the places where the Mongols have visited, and has detailed actual information.
It is now possible to write a history of Mongolia from a broader and more comprehensive perspective.
Or it can be said to be a history of the grassland empire.
And this history is much more important than the history of Rome and the European countries.
The people of the Ming Dynasty were people of the Ming Dynasty, and the Mongols of today are also people of the Ming Dynasty. This is the history of the Ming Dynasty people themselves.
This is the history of China and the other half of China’s civilization.
Zhu Jingyuan and Shen Fu discussed for a long time and finally decided to make Mongolian history a key task in the future.
However, the name of this set of history books is not suitable for Mongolian history, because both Zhu Jingyuan and Shen Fu felt that it should be included in other grassland regimes.
In the end, it was decided to refer to the name model of "History of the Western Taipei Kingdoms" and name it "History of the Mongolian Grassland Tribes" based on the regional name plus the local conditions.
The history of Egypt, Persia, Dashi, Tianzhu, and the Ottoman region is also collectively referred to as the "History of the Kingdoms of Tianfang" based on the region and culture.
The names of tribes, nobles, and officials in various tribes in the Mongolian steppe adopt the ancient system, and the countries in Tianfang use transliteration according to tradition, such as sultan, emir, etc.
Each history book is divided into chapters according to country or tribe, and each country has a semi-independent history book.
These three summary histories of regions and ethnic groups, plus the Roman-specific "History of Eastern and Western Rome", resulted in a total of four sets of large-scale history books.
This is not a summary of a country or a dynasty, but a conclusive general history of multiple ethnic groups in a region and many groups of people that have ever existed.
Together with China's own history, it is the history of civilization in the entire old world.
However, these four sets of history books are completely different in nature.
The history of the tribes in the Mongolian grassland is based on the standpoint of revising one's own history, and we try our best to find original archives for reference.
That is to say, we must strive to show the most authentic history.
As for the other three sets of history books, you can watch the excitement from the perspective of a bystander.
You don’t need to care too much about the original archives or the original truth. The key lies in the impression the Ming people have on them.
What is the concept of the people of the past dynasties and the modern Ming Dynasty? Then write according to this concept.
I feel that you are what kind of person you are.
In other words, you will become who I need you to be.
At the end of the discussion on the basic directions, Zhu Jingyuan wanted to confirm one final thing: the specific scale of the history revision this time.
When it comes to compiling history, looking at the scale of the project and the time it takes, the gap between the upper and lower limits is huge.
"History of the Yuan Dynasty" took one year to compile, and "History of the Ming Dynasty" took 90 years to compile.
"Book of Sui" has only 110,000 words, "Book of New Tang" has 3.7 million words, and "History of Song" has 8.14 million words.
The number of words in modern Qing history may exceed 35 million.
Zhu Jingyuan thought for a while and finally handed over half of the problem to Shen Fu.
Let Shen Fu go back and organize the manpower to compile the basic framework of four sets of history books, and estimate the approximate word count and cost of the book.
If any set of history books does not exceed 10 million words, then start compiling this set directly.
Of course, the outline of the history revision still has to be handed over to Zhu Jingyuan, who will also give any possible opinions.
If any one movie is expected to cost more than 10 million, then make a more detailed plan to explain why so much is needed.
Go through a dedicated instructions and application process for the relevant departments.
This is a project coordination issue.
Shen Fu also directly agreed, then resigned and went back to make arrangements.
(End of chapter)
