Going up to the study room, next to the imperial bank, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao looked at the Tianzhu area on the map with bright eyes.
However, Liu Bowen's heart was in turmoil.
Tianzhu? Isn't that an ancient country that already existed in the Tang Dynasty?
Why were Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao interested in that place a hundred thousand miles away?
And judging from Zhu Biao's tone, it seems that Tianzhu is still included in the Ming Dynasty's territory?
"Your Highness, you said you want to capture Tianzhu?"
Liu Bowen asked with some uncertainty:
"But Tianzhu and I, the Ming Dynasty, have no enmity or enmity, so how can they start a war for no reason?"
"Is it just because you covet other countries' land that you want to start a war?"
Liu Bowen's eyes widened, still not believing what came out of Zhu Biao's mouth.
You know, Zhu Biao has been influenced by many famous scholars and scholars since he was a child.
And Zhu Biao lived up to expectations and became a kind, filial and kind prince.
Both Song Lian and Liu Bowen had great expectations for this gentle prince.
But now Zhu Biao seems to have become a different person without even realizing it.
Before Zhu Biao could answer, Zhu Yuanzhang rudely interrupted Liu Bowen's question, asked Liu Bowen instead, and said:
"Bowen, let me ask you, have you ever heard of this place called Tianzhu?"
Liu Bowen was stunned and said reflexively:
"Of course I've heard of it."
"During the Tang Dynasty, Master Xuanzang traveled thousands of miles westward and arrived in Tianzhu in order to obtain the true scriptures."
"By the Song Dynasty, due to the development of maritime trade, there were more and more records about Tianzhu."
"Okay, in that case, tell us what the strength of Tianzhu is?"
Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up. Liu Bowen knew the land of Tianzhu, so it was naturally the best to save himself the trouble of making another trip to ask Li Jin.
Liu Bowen looked at Zhu Yuanzhang thoughtfully. In order to make Zhu Yuanzhang give up the idea of attacking Tianzhu, Liu Bowen said:
"The country of Tianzhu has a long heritage and has been at peace in the country for a long time. The armored men are almost the same as our Ming Dynasty, with millions of them."
"The people there are also extremely diverse, and it is a powerful country in the southwest."
Liu Bowen wanted to exaggerate Tianzhu's strength so that Zhu Yuanzhang could give up his unrealistic ideas.
But after Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, his eyes shone brightly, his expression was full of energy, and he shouted:
"Okay, great."
"If Tianzhu can support so many troops, and there are so many people in the country, there must be land in the country that is extremely suitable for farming."
"What our Ming Dynasty lacks is this kind of place that can allow the people of our Ming Dynasty to thrive."
"We are bound to win this place!"
Liu Bowen was stunned and looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with his mouth wide open. He didn't expect that things would turn out like this.
"Your Majesty, what is it that makes you so greedy for other countries' lands?"
"Our Ming Dynasty is vast, and its territory is more than ten thousand miles?"
"Nowadays, the land is full of wasteland and no one is cultivating it. Even if we occupy the land in Zhu, we still don't have the people to farm it?"
"Why bother to go on an expedition for this purpose and waste the country's strength in vain?"
Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Liu Bowen, slowly sat on the dragon chair, and asked him a heavy topic.
"Bo Wen, let me ask you, why has our Chinese dynasty, since Emperor Zhou, never been able to escape the fate of our country for three hundred years?"
Liu Bowen's brows furrowed into the character "Sichuan". Liu Bowen really didn't want to answer this kind of question.
When it comes to the national destiny of the Ming Dynasty, Liu Bowen rarely mentioned it again after Zhu Yuanzhang founded the country.
Because Liu Bowen knew that there was a gap in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart. If he said too much, he would only make Zhu Yuanzhang unhappy, and in the end he would probably be killed.
However, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao both stared at him in this matter. Seeing that they could not escape this time, Liu Bowen could only walk on thin ice and said:
"The emperor is the Son of Heaven, and the destiny of the country is naturally determined by God."
"As long as the emperor can implement benevolent policies and spread kindness widely, he will surely be able to influence heaven and continue the country."
"Ah!"
Zhu Yuanzhang was actually amused by Liu Bowen's nagging words.
"Nonsense, I think you just want to say that the dynasty was destroyed because the kings of later generations were cruel, unkind, arrogant and extravagant, which led to the people's deprivation of life."
"Thus started the rebellion, overthrowing the foolish kings of the dynasties one after another. Just like us, we drove the foolish kings of Mongolia directly to Mobei to eat sand."
"Yes or no?"
"The Emperor's clear warning."
Liu Bowen was so frightened that he quickly bowed and did not dare to quibble.
However, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression changed and he said angrily:
"But things are not that simple. The collapse of a dynasty is due to the nobles, gentry, scholar families, and landowners in the dynasty!"
"They are greedy and try every means to annex land, making other people's land smaller and their own land bigger."
"As a result, countless people were displaced, had no food to eat, no clothing to cover their bodies, and could only starve to death."
"These people are like moths, their corpses are empty of food, and they have made the world miserable for the people."
"When the refugees accumulate to a certain level, quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes, and eventually a dynasty will collapse."
"It was the same in the previous dynasty, and it was the same in the Tang Dynasty!"
"In the future, our Ming Dynasty may even be like this."
"In that case, why don't we find another way to seize overseas land?"
"As long as our Ming Dynasty has enough land, no matter how many people there are, we can still transfer these people to overseas lands."
"At that time, there will be no refugees, and our Ming Dynasty will naturally be stable."
Liu Bowen was frightened into a cold sweat by Zhu Yuanzhang's words.
For no other reason than because Zhu Yuanzhang's analysis penetrated deeply and pointed directly at the crux of the problem.
Doesn’t Liu Bowen know the contradictions between the landed class?
Of course this is impossible. Liu Bowen is well-read and has learned the art of slaying dragons, so he knows these things very well.
Then why didn’t Liu Bowen say anything?
Because it is very simple, Liu Bowen belongs to this class, and it is impossible for him to betray his own class interests.
He is a vested interest and has no need to break such a class pattern.
Of course, there is also the most important reason, which is that even if Liu Bowen speaks out, he cannot solve this problem.
Because if he wanted to rule the world, the emperor had to rely on the power of the gentry, and in this era, most of the gentry were the landlord class.
It is really difficult for students from poor families. Their families are already poor and they have to spend money and energy to study and study.
Studying hard in Hanchuang for more than ten years is equivalent to losing a labor force in the family, and it will also increase the burden of studying.
Therefore, in feudal society, students from poor families were extremely rare.
Another point is that once such students from poor families become officials, they value money more. This also leads to the fact that such students from poor families often end up becoming members of the landlord class.
The dragon slayer eventually becomes the evil dragon.
Whether they are students from poor families or officials from aristocratic families, they will eventually integrate into the landlord class.
When the entire Ming Dynasty was controlled by the landlord class, it was impossible for them not to annex land.
This is the common nature of human beings. Greed is a human nature that humans can never get rid of.
Therefore, the fate of the dynasty for three hundred years is destined.
However, what Liu Bowen did not expect was that Zhu Yuanzhang would find another way to alleviate this contradiction by occupying foreign land.
It's like dividing a pie. Since the huge pie of Ming Dynasty will be divided sooner or later, why not make a bigger pie and continue to divide it?
As long as there is land overseas, the big ship of Ming Dynasty will not sink.
Even if the refugees overseas rebel, it will not affect the Ming Dynasty itself.
When the Ming Dynasty's land begins to be overwhelmed, the Ming Dynasty's method of relieving the refugees will also change.
Next, Ming Dynasty only needs to transport these refugees to various places overseas, which will not only strengthen Ming Dynasty's control of overseas lands, but also solve the increasingly intensified class conflicts in the Central Plains.
It has to be said that this move was indeed a masterstroke, and Liu Bowen couldn't help but applaud and praise him.
But there is a problem that appears in Liu Bowen's mind. If this problem is not solved, then other good prospects will be nothing more than mirrors and castles in the air.
