If it were the previous emperor, Kong Yanzhi felt that the emperor would not risk the world's disapproval to touch him based on the fact that all scholars in the world were disciples of Confucius. However, the emperor who is currently in power is an iron-blooded emperor who has fought on the battlefield and killed countless people. He is also an emperor who is convinced by the whole world in Weijia. There is probably only one person who dares to touch the throne of Yansheng Duke, this emperor!
However, not to mention the danger of crossing the ocean, going to a barbaric land to get along with the uncivilized natives was definitely not what Kong Yanzhi wanted to do. If he really had this courage and perseverance, his performance in history would not be so bad. He would have lost all the backbones of the Confucian disciples!
After hesitating for a long time and thinking about it, Kong Yanzhi could not find a third way. Because he could feel that the meaning conveyed to him by Emperor Chongzhen was already very obvious. In the end, he looked up to the sky and sighed, his expression became extremely depressed, and he could only admit defeat!
The next day, Emperor Chongzhen sent an edict to summon Duke Yansheng for an audience.
The people of the capital, as well as the civil and military officials, heard that Duke Yan Sheng had arrived in the capital. For a moment, they all wanted to know if what was being spread on the streets was true.
When Kong Yanzhi got off the sedan chair at the Forbidden City, everyone he met admired him and said they cherished him. Kong Yanzhi was speechless and shouted in his heart that he really didn't want to do this!
In the Palace of Wenhua, Kong Yanzhi touched the prepared memorial in his sleeve and wanted to take it out several times, but he always wanted to take a chance and wanted to read it again.
When Emperor Chongzhen saw this, he naturally understood what he was thinking. He immediately sneered and said: "I think back to the time when Confucius wrote books and preached to the world, and debated with hundreds of schools of thought. His broad-mindedness is really appreciated by future generations. It’s endless. However, today in our Ming Dynasty, there are still some fake Confucian scholars who claim to be disciples of saints. They have read the teachings of saints and sages into the stomach of dogs. There is no tolerance for others, not to mention, and they even fabricate rumors. , slander other people’s doctrines, I will arrest every one of these people and will never tolerate them!”
Having said this, he turned to look at Chen Baoting, the admiral of the Dongchang who was serving beside him, and said, "I forgot for a moment, how many people like this have you arrested in the Dongchang?"
"Your Majesty, a total of three hundred and fifty-two people have been arrested!" How could Chen Baoting not know the emperor's intention, so he quickly reported loudly, "I suspect that there may be someone behind so many people, and we are conducting a strict investigation! "
After hearing this, the sweat on Kong Yanzhi's back couldn't stop coming out, and there was no longer any thought of luck in his heart.
So, he quickly took out the memorial from his sleeve, handed it to Emperor Chongzhen with both hands, and at the same time said to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, I heard that my Ming Dynasty conquered the Americas, and there are many uncivilized barbarians there. I would like to go to America to educate them. Please give me your Majesty’s permission!”
"Oh, it's a good idea that you have. I'm sure!" Emperor Chongzhen agreed without even looking at his memorial. "The teachings of the Ming Dynasty are also indispensable to the teachings of Confucius and Mencius. Therefore, I have decided to establish the Ming Dynasty Royal Family. The academy invites the world’s learned men to study the teachings of the saints and educate the world.”
When Kong Yanzhi heard this, he couldn't help but feel stimulated again. Originally, he thought that even if he went to America, the emperor would create another Yanshenggong. Unexpectedly, according to the emperor's opinion, it seemed that he would not do it. Instead, he would establish some kind of Ming Dynasty Royal Academy. Why does the emperor just like some novel things and do nothing?
He wanted to fight for the Kong family again. Just when he was about to speak, he suddenly thought that the title of Ming Dynasty vassal kings was no longer hereditary. Could it be that the title of Duke Yansheng could still be hereditary? The emperor treats all the princes equally. With the emperor's iron-blooded style, can he make an exception and grant the title of Duke Yan?
Is it possible that the current emperor in front of us has changed the situation that has never been seen before in the world and created a completely new atmosphere in the Ming Dynasty? Will the Holy Duke remain unchanged?
Thinking in his mind, he had the answer, and couldn't help but let out a deep sigh in his heart.
It was only then that Kong Yanzhi finally figured it out. In the final analysis, it was actually the title of Duke Yansheng that was to blame. Even if he had refrained from doing those things, the emperor would have taken action against the title of Duke Yansheng sooner or later.
As he was thinking about it, he heard Emperor Chongzhen say to him in a caring tone: "Kong Qing, going to America to teach and spread the teachings of saints is not a temporary achievement, nor can it be done by one person. Therefore, You can bring your clan members with you. As for the fields and other belongings you belong to, if you cannot take them away, you will be treated the same as the Ming Dynasty vassal king. In addition, I will think of ways to give you more help."
Hearing this, Kong Yanzhi couldn't help but feel like he was struck by lightning. The emperor is so cruel!
Originally, he thought that it was enough for him to submit a letter to be exiled to America as the emperor wished. In this way, it not only satisfied the emperor's wishes, but also gave himself a good reputation, which was not bad.
Then I thought that the emperor didn't even think about letting it go, and actually wanted to uproot the Kong family!
Of course, Emperor Chongzhen would never admit that this was a blow to the Confucius family. But for Yan Shenggong's feat, I was helping him. And the treatment of the Kong family is on the same level as that of the Ming Dynasty kings, so what else can they do? You can’t improve your salary any more, right? No matter how high it is, there is only the emperor!
Childish, I am so childish!
Think about it, the emperor in front of him can turn Qian Qianyi, a well-educated scholar of his generation, into a treasonous person. Now that he has the leverage in his hands, how can he easily let him go?
Childish, I am so childish!
However, Kong Yanzhi himself had no courage, and stepped step by step into the trap set by Emperor Chongzhen for him. He could not resist at all, and he couldn't help but sigh again in his heart. From now on, the good days of the Kong family have come to an end! I don’t know if I will get better again after arriving in that barbaric land?
After Emperor Chongzhen achieved his goal, he was too lazy to talk to Kong Yanzhi anymore and simply asked him to step back and prepare for traveling with the expeditionary force next year.
It can be said that the land owned by the Kong family in Qufu is not inferior to that of the Ming Dynasty vassals. Their local actions are also the kind that no one dares to take care of. Emperor Chongzhen has long wanted to deal with it.
However, after all, all scholars in the world are disciples of saints. Even if the new learning has spread all over the world, the time is still short after all. If we take action directly, it may cause unnecessary turmoil. Nowadays, the Ming Dynasty is gathering the strength of the whole country to develop domestically and expand its territory externally. Emperor Chongzhen does not want any civil strife to consume, so he uses this method to drive away this parasite.
As for Confucius's teachings, just as he and Kong Yanzhi said just now, the Ming Dynasty Royal Academy will be established to summon the world's most learned people to inherit and carry forward Confucius's teachings.
In fact, he didn't elaborate further. This Royal Academy of the Ming Dynasty not only inherits and carries forward the teachings of Confucius, but also the teachings of Mencius, new learning, and the teachings of various schools of thought. This is the cultural treasure of the Chinese nation that stands erect in the East and must not be lost.
Soon afterwards, the news about the Yanshenggong tribe going to America to civilize the uncivilized natives and the establishment of the Ming Dynasty Royal Academy were announced to the world. Local officials also received the imperial court's consent and encouraged disciples of saints from various places to follow Duke Yan to do meaningful things, that is, to go to America to educate the natives.
Not to mention, many conservative Confucian scholars in the Ming Dynasty were really moved by Yan Shenggong's feats and wanted to go to America.
In addition, those Confucian scholars who spread rumors and were caught were actually exiled and were about to be thrown into America.
For ordinary people, this matter can only be seen on the bright side. However, there are many smart people in the court, so how could they not know what happened behind this incident.
But since these are smart people, how can they reveal this matter? What's the benefit? With this approach now, Yan Shenggong can still gain a good reputation. If you really want to fall out with the current emperor, that will definitely be the worst outcome!
In this way, Emperor Chongzhen arranged all the titles in the Ming Dynasty. Except for the position of emperor, there were no hereditary and unchanged titles.
As far as Emperor Chongzhen himself was concerned, he was quite satisfied with the result of this treatment. The use of the Kong family can be considered to the extreme. If the Ming Dynasty wanted to turn America into its own vassal state, it must have the same clan, same race and same culture. And there are uncivilized Indians there. The most important thing is that the American continent was the first to be eroded by European culture.
If we don't pay attention to the ideological aspect, people who came from the Ming Dynasty will eventually be assimilated by others, or develop a different path. That is not what Emperor Chongzhen wants to see.
The teachings of Confucius are taught by the Confucius family and his many disciples. This power should be strong enough. Reaching this step can be considered as your best effort. As for how the Chinese people in America will develop in the end, we can only wait and see!
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While Emperor Chongzhen was busy with these things and paying attention to the various conditions of the people's livelihood in the country, Hong Chengchou, who was far away in the Tianshan Mountains, was dispatched without asking for anything in return, which once again confirmed that Tsarist Russia was at war with Poland, another powerful country. So, without any further hesitation, he immediately ordered 30,000 troops and began an expedition to the Caucasus.
Since we want to control the Caucasus, our troops must cross the Caucasus and explore the new frontier of the Ming Dynasty. Of course Hong Chengchou had done his homework and knew what to do.
Behind the 30,000 soldiers and horses he led, there were civilians escorting supplies to follow up, and he also told them that reinforcements coming from the pass would also continue to follow up.
At this time, the area around Tianshan had already been cleaned up by Hong Chengchou. Therefore, when the army set out, they did not encounter any enemies at all. In addition to the cheers of the herdsmen under Hong Chengchou, there were only those who did not submit to the Ming Dynasty and fled in panic.
As a result, the Ming army's westward advance was very fast.
