Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1063 Fuso
The discovery of the New World can be said to be the greatest discovery since the Middle Ages, and it was also the beginning of great changes in the entire world after the Age of Exploration.

It was because Europeans discovered the New World that the Age of Exploration entered its heyday and prompted European countries to develop rapidly and become strong.

It can be said that the evolution of the world pattern in later generations, the final result is due to the discovery of the New World by Europeans during the Age of Exploration and the colonization of the New World. After listening to Zhu Shenzhu's explanation of the New World, including how Europeans ruled the New World and gained huge wealth through the New World, the young Zhu Cizhuo was surprised and felt very sorry. In his opinion, why didn't the Ming Dynasty discover such a chosen place first? If Zheng He had sailed eastward instead of the West, then perhaps the Ming Dynasty would have been the first country to set foot on this land, and the situation that Europeans later discovered the New World and occupied it would not have happened.

"That's not the case." Hearing Zhu Cizhuo say this, Zhu Shenzhui smiled faintly and shook his head, saying, "In fact, it was not the Europeans who first discovered the New World, but us."

"We?" Zhu Cizhuo was stunned, with a look of astonishment on his face. Could it be that Zheng He's fleet had been to the New World? That's not right! Didn't Zheng He's fleet go to the West? And the New World is east of the Ming Dynasty, how is this possible?
Furthermore, if the Ming Dynasty had discovered the New World in advance, why didn't they occupy this area? According to what the emperor said just now, after discovering the New World, the Europeans conquered the continent with only a few hundred people relying on firearms, and the Ming Dynasty's firearms were not weak either, not to mention people. The Ming Dynasty may lack other things, but it has never lacked people. If a few hundred people are not enough, then go for a few thousand people? Or even tens of thousands of people? Since the Europeans can do it, can't the Ming Dynasty do it? But why didn't he know about this?
Seeing that he was puzzled, Zhu Shenzhu finally revealed the answer and told Zhu Cizhuo that this was not a lie, but a fact. It was not the Ming Dynasty that discovered the New World, but the ancestors of the Chinese. As early as more than a thousand years ago, this continent was known to the Chinese and recorded.

There is a strange book in China, which is called "Classic of Mountains and Seas", and in "Classic of Mountains and Seas" there is a description of the New World.

According to the "Classic of Mountains and Seas", there are several islands in the wilderness east of the sea, where many people have hair and tattoos, and they are called the Hairy People Country. According to later research, this Hairy People Country should be the Ezo in northern Japan, which is the later Hokkaido, and also includes the Kuwu Island (Sakhalin Island) further north.

The facial features and living habits of the Ainu and Kuwu people are exactly the same as those of the Maoren Kingdom recorded in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas".

There is also a record in the Classic of Mountains and Seas that there is a country called Fusang, which is named after Fusang, thousands of miles east of Maoren Country. Based on this record, plus a record in the Book of Liang, it can be proved that the so-called Fusang Country is not Japan as previously believed, because Japan is not that far from China, and Fusang Country is located further east of Maoren Country. However, if Maoren Country is determined to be Ezo and Kuwu, then Japan cannot be the Fusang Country mentioned in the record.

Based on the inference from distance and location, including some other features, the only explanation is that this so-called Fuso country is not somewhere else, but exactly where Europe calls the New World. The most likely location is the Mexican region of the New World, including South America.

"How is this possible? Isn't the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" a myth? How can it become a fact?" Zhu Cizhao was stunned.

"The Classic of Mountains and Seas is a strange book. Although it contains some mythological descriptions, some are true. Besides, the Book of Liang is a history book, so it can't be a myth, right? There are records of the description of Fusang in the Book of Liang. Your father has read a lot of history books in recent years. You can ask your father when you go back, or you can find this book and read it carefully to find out."

Zhu Ci Zhao was even more surprised to hear Zhu Shen Zhu's answer. However, since the emperor said so, and was so confident, Zhu Ci Zhao secretly took note of it and decided to find the Book of Liang after returning to study it to see if it really recorded this incident.

That’s not all. Zhu Shenzui also told Zhu Cizhao that the indigenous people of the New World, the natives called “Indians” by Europeans, were actually of the same ancestry as the people of the Ming Dynasty and had been Chinese for thousands of years, in his opinion.

According to Zhu Shenzhui, these people should have traveled from China to the New World, that is, Fuso. Due to the war in the Central Plains at that time, or for other reasons, a group of people living in the Central Plains migrated northward to avoid the war and eventually arrived at the northeasternmost location of the Asian continent, that is, the Bering Strait.

Since the Anaheim Strait is very close to the New World, the shortest point between the two is only 70 miles, and it is located in the northern cold zone, when the temperature drops and the strait freezes, people can easily pass through the sea, walk from Asia to the northwest end of the New World, and then continue to go south, and finally survive and spread in the New World. Although this statement is bizarre, it can be proved from the genetic testing of later generations that the Indians in the American continent do carry the genes of Asians, especially the Chinese race. From this, it can be inferred that the ancestors of the Indians did come from Asia (China), but because of the long time, they gradually forgot their origins, and China also forgot those compatriots who went to the New World. Except for some fragments recorded in "Shan Hai Jing" and "Liang Shu", few people know about it.

It is impossible to determine the exact time when these people arrived in the New World. Perhaps they were descendants of the Yin people when the Shang Dynasty fell, or perhaps they were Chinese from even longer ago, or they could even be descendants of those who fled to the north when Emperor Yan and Emperor Huang fought with Chiyou.

But no matter what, these people have a deep relationship with China, whether in terms of appearance or some living habits including writing. Of course, in this era, I am afraid that except Zhu Shenzui, no one else would really think that this is the truth.

After all, there is no such thing as genetic testing in this era, and scientific methods are not used to prove the kinship between the indigenous people of the American continent and the Chinese. But so what? Zhu Shenzhui's real purpose in proposing these views was not to conduct scientific research, nor to find real evidence, but to use these as a reason to announce to the outside world that the Chinese were the first to discover the New World and live there. The so-called "discovery" of the Europeans was just a joke, and the local indigenous people and the Chinese had the same ancestors. For the survival of their ancestors and future generations, as the emperor of the Ming Empire, he had the obligation and responsibility to guarantee their lives and territory.

The Chinese have always insisted on having a "legitimate reason" for whatever they do, and now Zhu Shenzhu has set his sights on the American continent, preparing to intervene in this fertile land amidst major changes in the world, thereby competing with Western countries for the ownership of this continent.

Zhu Ci Zhao was summoned today precisely because of this matter. Before this, Zhu Shenzhui had discussed with Zhu Youjian the idea of ​​granting titles to members of the royal family outside the capital, and asked Zhu Youjian's several princes which one was willing to accept this condition and thus be granted titles as vassal states outside the capital.

Among Zhu Youjian's four older princes, only Zhu Ci Zhao clearly expressed his willingness to be granted a title outside the court. Unlike his younger brothers and two older brothers, Zhu Ci Zhao was the most adventurous, bold and careful one among the brothers. Although he did not study as hard as his brothers and often annoyed Zhu Youjian and was punished, his intelligence could not be denied. He could be said to be the most flexible one among the brothers.

This was also the case in the original history. When the Ming Dynasty fell, several princes of Emperor Chongzhen escaped from the capital, but later on, all the princes, including the crown prince, met with accidents. They were not lured into the trap by the Qing Dynasty, or were too credulous to expose their identities and be executed. Instead, only Zhu Ci Zhao hid himself under a false name and lived to the age of 75.

If Zhu Ci Zhao had not made a mistake due to carelessness, and although he changed his surname, he still named his children and grandchildren according to the ranking of the royal family, which was discovered and reported by someone with ulterior motives, perhaps Zhu Ci Zhao would have lived a peaceful life and had a good end in the end.

From this point of view alone, Zhu Cizhuo was much better than his brothers, not to mention that he was the only prince among Zhu Youjian's sons who expressed his willingness to be exiled. In his opinion, instead of staying in Changchun Palace to live like this, he might as well take this opportunity to try his luck. Even if the risk of exiled status was relatively high, it was also a great opportunity. As long as he could leave the cage-like palace and gain freedom, what would a few risks matter?

Zhu Shenzhu was very satisfied with Zhu Cizhuo's attitude. It was Zhu Shenzhu who originally proposed the external seal, and he had been considering the issue of Zhu Youjian. Although he could keep Zhu Youjian locked up for life, and Zhu Youjian himself also realized this, after all, Zhu Youjian's princes and princesses could not be locked up like Zhu Youjian forever. They would eventually grow up. Could he be ruthless and kill them all? Killing was easy, but the consequences of doing so were very serious. In the absence of other options, it was better not to do such a thing. Using the external seal method to send them away was probably the best option at the moment.

Moreover, Zhu Shenzhui also told Zhu Youjian about the real reason for the external appointment in his conversation. This approach can not only completely solve the problem of the Ming royal family, but also achieve the purpose of the Zhou royal family to appoint princes externally and protect the Ming Dynasty.

In addition, given the urgency of the current world situation and the fact that the Ming Dynasty has fallen behind Europe, if Zhu Shenzhui relies on the Ming Dynasty officials to conduct great maritime explorations, including the conquest of the New World, he has to consider the opposition in the court and other practical issues. In addition, there are other factors that will also be obstacles. It is more convenient to go directly through the external seal. This method can save a lot of trouble, and can also take this opportunity to gain a foothold in the New World first, and then slowly plan.

(End of this chapter)