Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 366 The Art of Deception! The Majesty of the Ming Dynasty Cannot Be Infringed Upon!
The civil and military officials entered the palace gates one by one and proceeded toward the court.

The actual scene of attending court was not as orderly as imagined; rather, it was subtly chaotic.

After all, the officials were not soldiers who had received rigorous training. Although they were taught the rules before going to court, they did not practice repeatedly like soldiers preparing for inspection.

These rules were merely enough to keep the official ranks from becoming too chaotic.

Especially on important occasions like the Grand Court Assembly, thousands of officials would attend.

Among them were seasoned veterans who had weathered many storms in the court, as well as newcomers who had just been promoted and were experiencing the grand scale of the court assembly for the first time.

When there are too many people, things can easily get chaotic.

However, there was still a general order; at least for now, no one dared to talk casually.

Everyone held their breath, their expressions solemn, and walked forward with steady steps.

Upon entering the palace, a eunuch specifically responsible for maintaining order during court sessions kept a close watch on them.

If anyone whispers among themselves, it will be recorded, and after the court assembly, the list will be handed over to the Ministry of Rites, which will then assign responsibility according to regulations.

For minor offenses, the offender will have their salary deducted and their mistake recorded in their personnel file.

In serious cases, those who commit such acts may even be flogged or dismissed from their posts.

However, although rules are made by people, they only truly have a binding effect on officials below a certain "level".

Officials of lower rank are especially cautious in such situations, fearing that the slightest mistake could lead to an irreparable error.

In contrast, the high-ranking officials who frequently entered and exited the palace seemed much more relaxed and at ease.

The palace was like their own home to them; they knew it all too well.

The sense of awe and mystery I felt when I first entered the palace has long since vanished without a trace.

At the forefront of the crowd, Zhan Hui and Wang Zuo strolled along, talking in hushed tones, their expressions extremely relaxed.

"I heard that Censor Ge Song went to your house yesterday?" Wang Zuo leaned closer and asked in a low voice.

A faint smile appeared on Zhan Hui's lips. He neither confirmed nor denied it, and continued to move forward steadily without stopping.

"What exactly do you want?" Wang Zuo did not give up because Zhan Hui did not respond, but instead pressed on.

“Ge Song had a fierce conflict with Yang Shiqi yesterday, and then went to your residence and stayed for a long time before leaving.”

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of worry and warning.

“Once this gets out, His Majesty will definitely think that you are backing Ge Song up and instructing him to oppose Yang Shiqi.”

"As ministers of state, our every word and action affects the political situation in the court. We must be extra careful with our words and actions, at least so that people do not misunderstand us and think that we are deliberately stirring up factional strife in the court."

Wang Zuo and Zhan Hui had known each other for many years and had a deep friendship.

After Zhu Yunwen promoted them both to the government office, the two naturally supported each other and formed a close-knit group.

After all, Yang Shiqi, Yao Guangxiao, Xia Yuanji, and Yang Rong from the government affairs office were all promoted by Zhu Yunwen at an extraordinary speed. They had relatively little seniority in the court and had no prior interaction with Zhan Hui and Wang Zuo, yet they accounted for as many as four of them.

In this way, Zhan Hui and Wang Zuo appeared to be somewhat outnumbered and outmatched.

However, Zhan Hui and Wang Zuo had served in the imperial court for many years, had deep roots and extensive connections, and could command a large following, which was far beyond what Yang Shiqi and others could match.

This created a delicate balance between the two sides.

Although everyone was secretly competing and fighting each other, they still had to maintain a harmonious atmosphere on the surface.

After all, if they were to completely break off relations, not only would they lose face, but they would also have difficulty explaining themselves to the emperor.

It was precisely because of this concern that Wang Zuo specifically reminded Zhan Hui.

Zhan Hui remained calm, his gaze fixed straight ahead, and said steadily, "Thank you for the reminder, Brother Wang. I understand the situation and know the gravity of the matter."

Wang Zuo carefully observed his expression, and seeing that his attitude was unchanged, he breathed a slight sigh of relief. Then he asked, "What is your opinion on His Majesty's sudden convening of a grand court assembly today?"

"Let's take it one step at a time," Zhan Hui replied calmly. "His Majesty didn't summon us to the palace beforehand to give us any instructions, so we can only wait until after court and see how things unfold."

Wang Zuo nodded slightly and said no more.

The two continued on their way and soon arrived at the Fengtian Hall, the venue for today's grand court assembly.

Zhan Hui and Wang Zuo led the officials into the hall, where Yang Shiqi, Yao Guangxiao, and several military ministers were already waiting.

A fleeting, almost imperceptible change crossed Wang Zuo's face, but he quickly regained his composure and stood calmly in front of him.

The officials entered in order.

Although there were over a thousand officials attending the court this time, the main hall was actually limited in space and could only accommodate one or two hundred officials.

The remaining officials could only stand in the square outside the palace and were unable to participate in the discussion directly.

It's just a formality.

Once everyone was in their positions, the eunuch above shouted in a high-pitched voice, "The Emperor has arrived!"

In an instant, a chorus of shouts erupted both inside and outside the hall: "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Zhu Yunwen, dressed in a magnificent dragon robe, strode confidently into the main hall with his head held high.

With his upright posture and dignified gaze, he sat firmly on the dragon throne and said in a loud voice, "All of you, rise!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Inside the hall, a group of officials kneeling on the ground expressed their gratitude in an orderly and respectful manner.

Then, they carefully rose from the ground, standing respectfully with their hands at their sides, not daring to breathe loudly, the hall solemn and dignified.

Zhu Yunwen frowned slightly, his expression solemn, and slowly said, "I recently received a secret report that some people are taking advantage of the court's lifting of the sea ban to commit illegal acts."

His voice was filled with anger and heartache.

“They used cruel methods such as abduction and kidnapping to capture the people of our Great Ming Dynasty and send them to the wild lands of foreign lands such as Siam and Bagan, forcing these innocent people to become slaves.”

“Those poor people suffered unimaginable torment and abuse.”

"The brutality of the perpetrators is unprecedented and utterly outrageous!"

"Yang Shiqi and Yao Guangxiao, please give everyone a detailed account of the situation."

Yang Shiqi immediately stepped forward, solemnly took out the blood-written plea for help from his sleeve, and read it aloud word by word in a clear and powerful voice.

Every word seemed to carry blood and tears, echoing throughout the hall.

Yao Guangxiao stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said in a steady tone, "According to the preliminary information obtained by the Intelligence Bureau and the Ming Dynasty Intelligence Bureau, since the court lifted the sea ban, the number of 'human slaves' trafficked overseas through various illegal means has probably reached tens of thousands."

Upon hearing this, all the ministers in the hall were startled.

In their original assumption, the number of victims should not be too large.

There are probably only a dozen or so, and at most no more than a hundred.

After all, traveling overseas is no easy task, and it is equally difficult for criminals to kidnap or abduct others to do so.

It's understandable that they would have such thoughts.

The Ming Dynasty developed rapidly, and it is no exaggeration to describe it as changing with each passing day.

Just a few years ago, going to Southeast Asia or overseas was indeed a very difficult thing.

Especially under the strict maritime ban policy of the imperial court, only a very few daring merchants dared to secretly go there.

Due to the small number of people going to sea, the scarcity of ships, and the lack of technology and experience, a trip to Southeast Asia at that time was almost like walking through the gates of hell, and it took a very long time.

The ministers were not ignorant country folk; most of them were aware of this.

However, their understanding had fallen behind the pace of development in the Ming Dynasty. With the widespread dissemination of scientific ideas and the establishment of scientific journals, various technologies were exchanged and discussed in these journals, and the technologies and processes published there were studied by many people.

Not only have the technologies of official large shipyards been updated, but even private shipyards have become completely different after absorbing scientific knowledge.

A large number of pointed-bottomed boats suitable for sea navigation replaced the previous flat-bottomed boats.

The design of the sails is also more scientific, more complex, and more advanced than ever before.

Advanced sails and suitable hull designs have greatly enhanced a ship's ability to withstand wind and waves, and its speed is much faster than before.

Furthermore, after the imperial court lifted the sea ban, navigational knowledge and experiences of life at sea, which were previously not allowed to be spread freely, were now widely disseminated and learned from by others.

From this point of view alone, it is much better than blindly going into business in the past, and the risks have been greatly reduced.

Thanks to a combination of factors, traveling to Southeast Asia is now very convenient and fast.

It's just that the development was so rapid that the "understanding" of the ministers in the court had not been "updated" in time.

"Currently, in places like Siam and Bagan, the buying and selling of 'human slaves' from the Ming Dynasty has become a widespread practice!"

The old monk's voice was calm, neither angry nor happy, yet it carried a compassionate tone.

"What's even more despicable is that those heartless human traffickers also forced the people they captured to write letters to their relatives and friends."

"The letter is full of lies, falsely claiming that life overseas is prosperous, there are gold mines to dig for, and you can get rich, in order to lure more people to go there."

“Once someone believes these lies and goes overseas, they will be immediately controlled and become a new slave in the hands of human traffickers.”

“These human traffickers use this method to spread the word from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred, causing more and more people to be deceived.”

"They colluded with the local natives, who even sent their troops to help them commit evil deeds. As a result, the deceived people had no power to resist."

"If anyone disobeys, they will be tortured. It's a scene of utter devastation, a veritable hell on earth!"

As soon as the voice fell, the court fell into a deathly silence, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Although the ministers had heard about it before, they only knew the general outline. This was the first time they had heard such detailed information.

Now, after hearing Yao Guangxiao explain in such detail, everyone suddenly realized what was going on and was utterly shocked.

No wonder so many people were deceived in such a short time; it turns out it was through such despicable means.

Ironically, the advanced and convenient postal system of the Ming Dynasty, which provided convenience for the people, became an accomplice to human traffickers' evil deeds.

They could easily carry out their scam simply by taking the letters they were forced to write in large quantities to any place within the Ming Dynasty and then mailing them out through the postal system. The convenience and speed were astonishing.

Without a postal system, given the current transportation conditions in the Ming Dynasty, sending people to deliver letters one by one would not only be extremely costly but also extremely inefficient, making it simply unrealistic.

Only with the help of today's advanced postal and telecommunications systems can these human traffickers commit crimes so rampantly and conveniently.

Those relatives and friends who receive the letter, once they believe the absurd claim that there is a gold mine to be found in the letter, whether they actively contact human traffickers or go to the address on the letter themselves, will eventually fall into the hands of criminals.

Then, they will be forced by human traffickers to continue writing letters to lure more people.

This vicious cycle, like a snowball rolling downhill, only gets bigger and bigger.

Therefore, within a few years of the lifting of the maritime ban, tens of thousands of people had already been abducted.

If Siam and Bagan hadn't been so far from the Ming Dynasty, and the journey hadn't been so arduous, even after the lifting of the maritime ban, it would still have been extremely difficult to travel there, and the number of people who were deceived would probably have been much greater.

What are your thoughts on this matter, my lords?

Zhu Yunwen sat upright on the dragon throne, his gaze slowly sweeping over the assembled officials in the hall, and asked.

“Your Majesty, I believe that the court should send troops to attack Siam and Bagan and rescue the trapped people,” a minister stepped forward and said.

"Your Majesty, all matters should be handled with propriety first, and then resort to force."

"Moreover, those who lured and kidnapped the people of our Great Ming were not the natives of Siam and Bagan, but the villains of our own Great Ming. Siam and Bagan were merely aiding and abetting the evildoers."

"I believe that the court should first send envoys to Siam and Bagan to strictly order them not to shelter those villains and to help the people of our Great Ming escape from their suffering."

"If Siam and Bagan are willing to obey orders, that would be even better."

"If they refuse to obey, it will not be too late for the court to send troops to punish them."

Another minister respectfully offered his advice, speaking earnestly and logically.

"I have long heard of Siam and Bagan."

Another minister stepped forward and said, "I have carefully studied the map. It is not necessary to travel to these two countries by sea. They can also be reached by land, as they are both connected to our Great Ming by land."

"However, these places are mountainous and densely forested, with miasma everywhere, making travel extremely difficult and taking several years to make and take."

"The climate in Siam and Bagan is similar, and the heat is unbearable all year round."

"Although our Ming army is sharp and powerful, and invincible, once it is trapped in such a wild and desolate place, even if it has ten parts of its fighting strength, it will be difficult to exert even one or two parts of it."

"If a large number of soldiers on the expedition contract disease due to acclimatization issues, the situation will become very difficult to manage."

"Therefore, the imperial court should not easily declare war on these two countries."

Just now, outside the palace, the officials were all filled with righteous indignation, shouting loudly that they wanted to send troops, as if the Ming army would crush Siam and Pagan in the next second.

But once they arrived at the imperial court, the atmosphere instantly became tense, and different voices arose.

One important reason for this is that those who were emotionally agitated outside the palace were mostly young officials of low rank.

These people are all standing in the square outside the palace at the moment, and have no right to participate in the discussion in the court.

Those high-ranking officials, confident in their status, would never freely express their opinions in public.

Compared to the impetuous and easily impulsive junior officials, the high-ranking officials who were qualified to stand in the palace were naturally much more composed.

They don't readily resort to violence; instead, they consider the bigger picture, weigh the pros and cons carefully.

However, some people hold completely different views.

"Why send an envoy!"

A military officer, his face contorted with rage, strode forward and roared, “Siam and Pagan know that the prisoners are subjects of our Great Ming Dynasty, yet they not only fail to rescue them, but also collude with the villains and aid and abet the evildoers.”

"They even openly sold the people of the Ming Dynasty as 'human slaves,' which is an outrage against heaven and earth!"

"Their actions clearly show that they don't respect our Great Ming Dynasty."

"They are blatantly provoking the majesty of my Great Ming Dynasty!"

"This is too much! This is too much!"

His eyes were bloodshot, and he was furious: "How can my great Ming Dynasty, the Celestial Empire, tolerate such bullying from a small country?"

"If they are not severely punished, where is the dignity of my Great Ming Dynasty? Where is the national system?"

"Do the people of the Ming Dynasty have to suffer such hardships when they go overseas?"

"If this continues, who will dare to go overseas?"

"Should the imperial court continue with its grand plan to expand overseas?"

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you issue an edict to send troops out to sea to bring all the criminals who have abducted and kidnapped the people to justice, rescue the imprisoned citizens of the Ming Dynasty, and teach Siam and Pagan a severe lesson!"

"Let them know that the people of the Great Ming Dynasty cannot be bullied, and the majesty of the Great Ming Dynasty cannot be violated!"

……

(End of this chapter)