Preparations for moving the capital are underway, and voices opposing the move have suddenly increased.
Zhu Yunwen understood why these people opposed moving the capital, and he might have objected even if he was an official.
There are mostly southern officials in the imperial court. Once the capital is moved to Peking, it means that it will not be easy to return home. Even if the imperial court seals it for a month, it will take at least twenty days to go back and forth. When I get home, I have not taken good care of my parents, and my hometown. Say hello to my neighbor, I am about to return to Beijing.
This is not to mention issues such as living habits and eating habits.
Some officials wrote a letter saying that Wu Liangha was gone, the Tatars had been defeated, and the threat from the northern border was already very weak, so there was no need for the imperial court to move its capital to the north.
This statement seems reasonable, but in fact it is short-sighted.
Not to mention that the dynasty's national fortune in the southern capital was very short, and there was no precedent for longevity. Let's just say that the threat on the grassland is small. So should the grassland be controlled or managed?
It is somewhat beyond our reach to manage grasslands in Nanjing. But it was different in Peiping. The imperial court was able to control the grasslands to the greatest extent and transform them into natural pastures for the Ming Dynasty.
Moreover, when there are problems in the south, most of them cannot be dealt with, and the enemies on the grasslands are like grass that cannot be burned by wildfire. If not taken care of, enemies will appear there again in less than twenty years. The enemies here may be The Oara and Tatar tribesmen may also be potential enemies further north.
The grassland is so big that the Ming Dynasty cannot wipe it all out. The current strategy is to rely on Peiping and send force to the north, northwest, and northeast.
Moreover, the Ming Dynasty will need to build railways in the future, and it is still possible to travel eight hundred miles in a day and night. This also ensures the speed and ability of Peiping to radiate to the outside world. If you stay in Jinling, even if there are trains running day and night, it is easy to miss the opportunity.
In Zhu Yunwen's view, in addition to the grassland, there are only two strategic focuses for the Ming Dynasty in the future:
One, the sea, sailing.
Second, land and the Silk Road.
Navigation requires shipyards and certain industries to support it. Nanjing has formed a complete system and is located on the Yangtze River, so various conditions are extremely convenient.
There is no need for shipyards to move north. It is enough to develop the shipbuilding industry with Nanjing as the center to support long-distance voyages.
But the opening up of the Silk Road, heading west into Central Asia and Europe, and pouring the Ming Dynasty's prestige, products, and resources to the west, required a capital further north, a capital that could better pump up the national power of the Ming Dynasty.
In the long run, from the perspective of overall strategy and future layout, Peiping is more suitable to be the capital of the Ming Empire. If Ming Dynasty is compared to a giant, Jinling is the belly of the giant, and Beiping is the heart.
Move the capital!
No one can object!
After spending countless manpower and financial resources, more than two million craftsmen and civilians have been built for Beiping over the years. Now that the construction is about to be completed, do you still dare to oppose the relocation of the capital?
I am not Taizu, and Peiping is not Fengyang. I will never allow Peiping to become an unfinished building.
Court meeting.
Zhu Yunwen picked up a memorial, looked at the officials with cold eyes, and said coldly: "Relocating the capital is a national policy, and it was decided many years ago! Now that the preparations for relocating the capital have just begun, you have stood up to oppose it. You can all say so It’s high-sounding and well-reasoned, but it doesn’t take the foundation of the country and the great interests of the country into consideration. It’s full of personal selfishness!”….
"I don't care how many documents you submit against moving the capital, or who opposed it before. From today on, whoever opposes moving the capital should stay in Jinling, stay in the south! I have made up my mind, and moving the capital is imperative! Make preparations as soon as possible Speed up, and send officers from various ministries to go in batches. The Imperial College, the Second Artillery Bureau, the Military War Bureau, the Science and Technology Bureau, etc. are also going in batches. In the autumn of next year, I will enter Peiping!" There is no room for objection or discussion.
Facing the powerful Emperor Jianwen, all the officials could not refute.
As the four-party war came to an end, with one major victory after another and powerful enemies defeated one after another, Emperor Jianwen's prestige was at its peak, which made him more arbitrary and decisive.
Opposing the move of the capital and staying in Jinling would mean changing from a capital official to a local official and being far away from the center of power. This was impossible for officials to accept.
Wuying Palace.
Prince Zhu Wenkui
, the cabinet ministers Xie Jin and Yang Shiqi, and the Minister of Household Affairs Xia Yuanji were all there.
Facing the somewhat sulky Zhu Yunwen, Yang Shiqi expressed his position: "Your Majesty, after all, the majority of people in the court support the relocation of the capital, and the opponents are mostly censors, ministers, and principals, etc. It is difficult for them to be elegant. As far as I know, , the six ministries have the same attitude as the cabinet and firmly support the relocation of the capital.”
Zhu Yunwen shook his head slightly, with a cold look: "Occasionally, one or two censors will stand up and oppose it, but if twenty or thirty people stand up and oppose it together, it means that someone has given instructions and wants to change my will through this joint letter!"
Xie Jin and Yang Shiqi looked at each other, and Xie Jin walked out and said: "It is imperative to move the capital, and those who comply will be honored. The emperor has spoken, and I think they will not object again. I just have something that needs to be decided by the emperor."
"speak."
Zhu Yunwen said in a deep voice.
Xie Jin bluntly said: "Moving the capital to Peking will definitely cause a lot of damage to Nanjing. Although there were previous measures to make up for it, using the shipbuilding industry as support and retaining the Nanjing Imperial College, these measures are still not enough. I sincerely request that Nanjing be designated as the companion capital and retain The prince lived here, firstly, to stabilize people's hearts, secondly, to have a member of the royal family to take care of Nanjing, thirdly, to inform the world that Nanjing is second only to Peking and its status still exists. Fourthly, Nanjing's position is extremely important. It is the place where Taizu founded the country and should be preserved. There must be civil and military officials and sergeants taking care of the imperial city..."
Zhu Yunwen waved his hand: "The Ming Dynasty does not need to accompany the capital, and the prince does not need to live in Nanjing. The imperial city of Nanjing only needs to stay with some old eunuchs, palace servants, and a group of personal guards. As for the six ministries, Dali Temple, the Ministry of Punishment and other government offices, Then take off the door plaque. The affairs of Nanjing will be handed over to the governor of Tianfu."
Xie Jin was a little shocked, and Yang Shiqi was also a little shocked.
Zhu Yunwen understood their intentions and their considerations.
There are advantages to setting Nanjing as the companion capital. It is like a redundant backup. If one day Peking cannot stay, or cannot stay for some reason, it can be withdrawn to Nanjing.
Institutions and personnel are retained, and entry and exit are convenient.
In fact, after Zhu Di moved the capital in history, his son Zhu Gaochi and grandson Zhu Zhanji also wanted to return to Nanjing and did not want to stay in Peiping.
However, Zhu Gaochi was not ready to move the capital back to Nanjing yet, so he went to Zhu Di to explain the situation and the reasons.
Zhu Zhanji considered that he was still young and didn't want to spend time with his grandfather. In addition, there were frequent earthquakes in Nanjing during that time, and he thought he wouldn't be able to sleep well after returning, so he simply put it aside.
The process of Ming Dynasty moving the capital to Peking was neither firm nor smooth sailing, but had twists and turns.
Zhu Yunwen did not allow this kind of twists and turns to continue to exist. There was no one to accompany the capital or one to work in. There were no six departments in Nanjing, and no team was left in Nanjing. The only political center of the Ming Dynasty was Peiping, and no place could compare with it!
(End of chapter)
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