Daming has vast land and abundant products, and hardly needs foreign trade. Therefore, for the Daming court, the benefit is not in border trade, but in etiquette. Since ancient times, China's requirement for a prosperous world has been to enable guests from the four barbarians. It is not through war annexation, but by educating distant countries with virtue and etiquette, making them become one of the civilizations that are attached to the Ming Kingdom and accept the Chinese etiquette education. country.
Since there is no need for foreign products to be imported, China's request for the distant foreign countries is only that the countries recognize the status of the suzerain state of the Ming Dynasty, and Mu Anshun is not good at opening border disputes. On the other hand, the Ming Dynasty established the body of the monarchs and ministers of the two countries in the way of canonizing their kings, promoted their own culture and etiquette to their vassal states, and gave generous rewards and opened border trade to reward these ministers who obeyed the country.
In the twenty-eighth year of Hongwu’s reign, Tai Zu’s “Edict to Sacrifice the King of Siam” boasted that “since I ascended the throne, I have been ordered to go out of the borders, travel around the four dimensions, and go through all the countries, and there are thirty-six people who have fulfilled their borders; Thirty-one people who hear it. The customs are very different, there are eight out of ten big countries, and one hundred and forty-nine small ones."
In the years of Chengzu, Zheng He went to the Western Ocean seven times, pacified giant thieves overseas, saved the country and helped the crisis, and brought countless kings of small countries to court the emperor. At that time, overseas people called the power of the Ming Dynasty, and the Fan people were able to live and work in peace and contentment. Yunnan and Jiaozhi gold and silver were imported into China... It is also a grand event that will never happen again in future generations.
Until now, Daming has the confidence and financial resources to go abroad again.
In the past two years, Quanzhou and Fujian shipyards have dismantled several vertical sailboats with wheels and rudders like Europa, and built some new-style ships with wheel rudders; Compass, even if it goes out to sea, there is no risk.
Those missionaries and businessmen from overseas, didn't they all take those things and arrive at Daming safely
Among the Jinyiwei, there has been a wave of learning to read charts and use star maps to calculate navigation angles and distances. After hearing about the plague of Europa, smallpox, plum blossoms and other serious diseases, many people who are determined to go to the New World went to the doctor to be vaccinated with human pox, and they also went to Buddhist temples to ask for talismans to prevent them from contracting foreign diseases.
Xie Ying told Cui Xie about this after returning home, and sighed with pity: "It's too pitiful to see the children like this. When Wang Yanshi went to Europa, they scared the locals - everywhere in the city. They burned people to death. Their coffins were different from those of Daming. One end was pointed and crucified. The mourners did not wear filial piety. When they first met, they thought it was a treasure, but later they found out that it was pretending to be dead. Yes, I was in a cold sweat."
The Europa countries looked at civilization and heard knowledge, but they were so dirty that the servants in their fleet could not get down in many places. If it weren't for the important affairs of the imperial court, everyone would not be able to live on the boat. Every time they entered the city to negotiate business, they risked their lives.
At that time, I only went there for one trip, and when I had suffered enough, I would come back. In recent years, the crew members who stayed at Europa all rented an open space on the coast to farm the land, fish nets, and raise some pigs and sheep to eat. Poor people, they dared not eat the food sold in the city.
No matter how hooked or twisted the orchids in the city were, they didn't dare to touch them, for fear that these people would be sick.
Xie Ying sighed: "If we are like us, two people rely on each other, and they are not afraid of how far they go. It is much better than the one who thinks about women and dares not touch them."
Cui Xie smiled proudly, hugged him from behind, turned his head and rubbed his face: "Then this time, if we want to go to sea, we will go to sea together, and if we want to stay, we will stay together, but don't let me go. alone."
Xie Ying shook his head with a wry smile: "I knew what it was like when I was in the grassland last time, but this time I dared to leave my family behind and drifted on the sea for a few years? The new and old continents, no matter how good they are, are foreign countries. I'm a soldier, and I can't sleep on a huge land, and I can't spend much gold and silver, so why should I leave home just to earn some credit?"
Although the world is big, only the two connected mansions, this small garden, is where he lives, and only the person in front of him is the one who will accompany him all his life.
What kind of fame and career is worth the pain of being separated twice, and it is worth worrying and fearing the people in your heart
He sighed lightly, put his arms around Cui Xie, turned his face and kissed, and said, "If you want to go abroad, let's take a look at your maps together, where you want to go, even the names and lands of the countries are marked. It's settled, it's not like they can only see the rickety water surface when they sit on a boat for several months?"
Cui Xie also kept the map in the Xie family's cellar once, but the house was not raided later, so Xie Ying took out the map and returned it to him. The two went back and found the picture, under the pretext of studying the important affairs of the imperial court, they lit candles and watched the whole night at Cui's house, and the picture was also messed up—
Daming is about to go to the New World to confer gifts. Will there be another United States in the world in the future? The borders between North and South America may have to be redrawn, and Daming's future territory may not be the rooster he is familiar with.
But if he could avoid the tragic history he knew, that would be fine. On this map, only the continental boundary line is left, and the rest of the map is simply painted over, and it is redrawn by people from this generation, the next generation... five hundred years.
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Cui Xie was looking forward to going abroad at home, but the four elders in the court and the six officials had to argue for a while about the benefits of sailing to the national economy and people's livelihood before deciding whether to sail to the new continent. The ministers discussed from the treasury to the people's livelihood, from the discussion of the municipal shipping department to the opening of the sea, from the discussion of the missionaries to the overseas pirates...
It was not until the twenty-fourth year of Hongzhi that the border army in Jizhen recaptured Daningwei and moved the Great Wall to the north; Liaozhen completely subdued the Liaodong Nvzhi, and the court finally came to a conclusion.
It is possible to go out to sea, but it cannot be presided over by eunuchs as in the Yongle period. Instead, it must be dominated by the Ministry of Rites, with the Honglu Temple as the etiquette, and the supervision of the Metropolitan Court.
Emperor Hongzhi issued the imperial decree according to his words, and all the ministries were busy.
Cui Xie also served as the right servant of the Ministry of Rites after the 21st plan, and he was involved in arranging the canonization ceremonies at this time. He remembered that there are still Indian chiefs in the Americas, and they are not official kings, so he painted a few portraits based on the image of the Indians in American Westerns, but said that they were drawn according to the image of the Italian missionaries. Yes, take it out at the Xiaochao meeting and invite the emperor to share it with the elders of the pavilion and the ministries.
Seeing this picture, the emperor silently changed He Mu Yuanguo's goal to collecting fine seeds and raising and educating these poor natives.
The cabinet ministers and the Ministry of Rites also changed the canonization etiquette from the standards for North Korea and Champaign lords to the standards for chieftains, and the rewards were also increased or decreased according to their status.
Cui Xie was the youngest of the several court officials in the Ministry of Rites, so he shouldered this matter. He did not live up to the expectations of the kings and teachers, arranged appropriate rituals, and changed many of the gold and silver toys in the reward into silk, cloth, thread blankets, and iron pots, knives, and daily necessities favored by northern herdsmen.
The local people don't need any good things, gold, silver, precious stones, fine seeds, local medicine and local medicine commonly used by the local people are also acceptable. The team also has to bring a few skilled planters to record where those things should be grown and how to plant them.
The relationship between Daming and foreign countries has always been thin and generous, and he has always been generous in helping foreigners who are submissive. I'm afraid these Indians haven't had time to meet the white immigrants. Let them see the diplomatic style of Ming Huairou first. When they see the Mayflower and compare the two sides, they will not easily believe each other, and they will be massacred. right
If there is still such a thing, these Indian tribes are all under the Ming Dynasty tribute system, and the suzerain Ming Guo is also famous, and helps these people drive out the barbarians.
Do you want to... sell some weapons to the Indians
Don't worry, this time I have explored the road first, and after that, I will send people to the local development without end, helping the Indian brothers to build bridges and open roads to dig iron ore.
Cui Xie was only responsible for the canonization etiquette, and after injecting the etiquette into it, he was supposed to have nothing to do with him. But there was one thing in his heart that was hard to let go—
The nautical charts presented by the Italians were drawn centered on Europe. Many places they had not explored were blank, and the places they had explored were inaccurate.
Based on this map, it is accurate to travel from China to Europe, but it is too dangerous to go out to sea from Daming to a place that has never been before and the border of the mainland is not drawn accurately.
Unless they followed the European route and went to Europe first and then crossed the Atlantic to America, they were sure. But this route is too long, the chances of encountering pirates are also high, and the Atlantic Ocean has high winds and waves, in fact, it is not as good as the Pacific Ocean. Even if you don't go to the middle of the Pacific Ocean, but go north along the coast, from Alaska to the New World, it will save much time and effort than going to Europe.
He has a modern world map in his hand, a high-level map marked with longitude and latitude lines. I wonder if it can be dedicated to the imperial court.
He had a soft heart, but he had already converted the scale according to the map of the world and the map of China, and even marked the locations of Daming and Europa, as well as Japan, North Korea and other vassal states.
Xie Ying mostly stared at him when his eyes were not worth it. He didn't know what he was thinking? Then he joked: "If you don't dare to offer it, then give it to me. I said that I got the guidance of a god and gave me a volume of 'Sea Maps of All Nations'. The court may not believe it for a while, so why not explore a few more islands? Can you believe it?"
Cui Xie heard that he was making fun of himself. According to the tradition of ancient Chinese people, people who were given pictures by gods would not be burned to death, but he was still a little worried and asked: "I have offered this picture, and I won't let people think of it as a demon in the future. what?"
Xie Ying shook his head and said with a smile: "Don't President Yang often say that he is the reincarnation of an eminent monk? It's common for karma to be rewarded and auspicious from heaven. If you're really worried, let's get a Thai guy and ask him to present this picture."
No, no need. Why do you think it's a good thing to deceive the emperor? Now that the imperial court has banned the sea, foreigners who can go to Daming are all sent by officials, so how easy is it to find someone who is willing to cooperate with him to send a map of the world.
Just rely on superstition.
He even did the things that his ancestors entrusted him to marry, and he was so stubborn that people all over the country believed that his ancestors had entrusted him with dreams, so he would trouble his ancestors again!
Cui Xie made up his mind, resolutely scrolled Ba and Ba Haitu, and presented it at the afternoon Xiaochao meeting.
In order to match the appropriate scale, this picture is not enlarged to the size of a wall, and the width is just enough to cover the imperial case. The small one is placed on the emperor's desk, with detailed lines, the lines of the Great Wall and the river are clearly discernible, and it can be seen that the emperor Hongzhi was speechless for a long time.
Cui Xie played the best acting skills in his life, and said without blushing or panting: "I was in charge of the mission to the New World recently. After thinking about it day and night, I had a strange dream last night. The map was handed over to the minister, saying that it was given by a foreigner from the East China Sea…”
As he spoke, he looked at the ministers around him, hoping that they would give some feedback, so that he could adjust his expression and the content of the story in a targeted manner.
Some ministers looked indifferent, wondering what they were thinking; some ministers sneered lightly, as if they didn't believe it; some ministers frowned at him, as if they were evaluating what he said; some ministers shook their heads as he spoke, looking at him with some approval. He seems to really believe...
Some people really believe it... He doesn't know whether he should be proud of his ability to make up stories, or sad that Ming Dynasty officials are so superstitious.
But he swept his eyes to the end, but saw his teacher Li Xueshi looking at him with a bit of disappointment, but his expression was very gentle, and he nodded slightly, as if to support him.
Above the throne, Emperor Hongzhi showed a strange, relaxed and satisfied look—
When it finally came, Mr. Cui was as expected as the husband of the country said, a person who met with gods and immortals. On weekdays, Zang refused to say that when the country encountered a major event and needed something, he would always come up with the method of immortal guidance.