Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 505 Old Zhu's Tears and Laughter! He's Getting Anxious!
This crying terrified the surrounding officials.

Everyone rushed forward to offer words of comfort, fearing that it might cause the Emperor to grieve too much.

But Old Zhu's tears flowed like rain, and he cried even more heartbreakingly, with tears streaming down his face and he couldn't stop.

The officials looked at each other, puzzled as to why the Emperor had suddenly started crying.

They dared not say anything more, nor did they dare to back down, and the scene became quite awkward.

Yoshigaki understood Old Zhu's thoughts best. He quietly signaled everyone to leave and not say anything, while he stayed alone to serve quietly.

After Old Zhu had cried until he was exhausted and his emotions had calmed down a bit, Yoshigaki gently comforted him:
"Is the Supreme Emperor missing his children and grandchildren?"

"With this telegraph machine, once the cables are laid and connected to overseas locations, those princes and grandsons who are stationed overseas can send telegrams to each other every day to inquire about each other's well-being, as if they were meeting every day."

"This servant congratulates Your Majesty! This is truly a joyous occasion that will last for millennia!"

Upon hearing this, Old Zhu suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly, the sound shaking the house. His tears were still wet, but his eyes were already shining.

Actually, the reason for that wailing and crying just now was because of this matter.

He always cherished his children and grandchildren the most. In his telegram, Zhu Yunwen mentioned that the cable could be laid to the seabed in the future, connecting thousands of miles away. At that time, no matter where he was, he could send a telegram to contact others at any time, as if they were right next to each other.

The thought that he would no longer be cut off from his children and grandchildren in the future, and that he could know their whereabouts at any time even if they were at the ends of the earth, filled Old Zhu with mixed feelings of sorrow and joy. He could not contain his emotions and burst into tears.

Having served Zhu Yuanzhang for a long time, Yoshigaki knew his temperament well, which is why he remained calm and composed without the slightest panic.

Old Zhu then ordered the officials from the telegraph station to come inside and explain to him in detail the working principle of the telegraph machine.

The telegraph station official respectfully reported that the reason why the telegram from Nanjing took more than an hour to receive a reply was because after receiving the telegram message, the Nanjing telegraph station needed to first translate it into text, and then Zhu Yunwen personally wrote a reply, which was then translated into code and resent. The time-consuming process was due to manual translation, while the telegram itself...

In reality, telegram signals arrive instantly upon transmission.

Upon hearing this, Old Zhu was amazed and full of praise.

The official in charge of telegraph affairs took the opportunity to explain to Zhu in detail what binary encoding is, how to convert Chinese characters into binary sequences, and then transmit them to the other party via electrical signals for translation back into Chinese characters, and so on.

These principles, which were considered basic courses in later generations, are groundbreaking new knowledge today.

However, it is not a difficult concept to understand; when explained to university students in later generations, it would only take one class period.

With Old Zhu's intelligence and talent, he only listened to the lecture for a short while before he had already grasped the essence and understood it thoroughly, nodding repeatedly in admiration.

"As expected of our grandson, he actually came up with such a brilliant idea and invented such a divine artifact!"

"Do you think he is the chosen one, sent by Heaven to rule the world?"

"Otherwise, where would he get such skills?"

Although he always liked to compete with his grandson, seeing his grandson create such a wonderful and ingenious device filled Old Zhu with pride and satisfaction, and his eyes and brows were filled with undisguised pride.

The officials all said in unison, "Your Majesty is wise and sagacious. He is the Son of Heaven, a man ordained by Heaven, and his blessings extend to all living beings."

These words were not mere flattery, but rather the heartfelt sentiments of everyone present.

Even though Zhu Yuanzhang was the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, in the hearts of many of his former subordinates who had weathered the storms with him, he was nothing more than a mortal man of flesh and blood.

After all, in the early days of conquering the country, Zhu and many of his brothers drank strong liquor together, slept on the grass together, herded pigs and sheep, raised cattle and horses together, played in the mud, endured hunger, and gnawed on tree bark together.

Do you think we don't know what kind of person Zhu Yuanzhang is?

The so-called "destiny" and "heavenly mandate" are nothing but rhetoric to appease the people and announce to the world. They can deceive the common people, but they can't deceive the old brothers around them.

In the end, it was nothing more than you, Zhu Yuanzhang, sitting in the top seat, and us following you to conquer the world. You became emperor, and we became dukes and marquises.

But their attitude towards Zhu Yunwen was completely different.

From the moment he stepped forward to vie for the position of crown prince, he seemed to have undergone a complete transformation.

Strategies, schemes, methods of governing... all sorts of ideas, all sorts of novel methods, all sorts of unheard-of things, emerged one after another, leaving people speechless at every turn.

Furthermore, there are countless incredible inventions and creations that inspire awe.

Those elderly people who had watched Zhu Yunwen grow up from childhood were secretly shocked: This child is no ordinary person, but rather like a god reincarnated!
Now, with this incredible telegraph machine, messages can be transmitted across mountains and rivers as if they were right next to each other, which has further solidified the sense of "divinity" in the hearts of the officials.

Because of this, everyone's loyalty to Zhu Yunwen became even more unbreakable, and they dared not harbor any disloyal thoughts.

After all, if it were an ordinary emperor, people could still harbor delusions and say things like, "The emperor's throne rotates, next year it's my turn," or "Is the emperor born with a special destiny? It's the one with the strongest army who becomes emperor!"
Deep down, they might still harbor contempt, thinking that it was just a peasant's good luck that made him emperor.

But when it comes to "God," no one dares to think that way.

They showed no intention of resisting them whatsoever, only submitting to their rule.

This subtle influence brought about by the rapid advancement of science has made Zhu Yunwen increasingly "deified" in the hearts of his ministers and the people, making court officials loyal to him, and their fear and respect for him far exceed that of the old Zhu. This is an outcome that no one had ever expected before.

Thanks to scientific advancements, Zhu Yunwen's throne became increasingly secure.

Hearing the words of his ministers, Zhu couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Seeing that the Emperor was in such a good mood, everyone's faces lit up with joy.

Subsequently, Zhu ordered that telegrams be sent to the governors and inspectors of Shaanxi and the northern provinces.

Not long after, the reply arrived swiftly.

Looking at the telegram in his hand, Old Zhu was overjoyed.

With the telegraph machine to contact the rear, it was possible to keep abreast of military and civilian situations in various places in real time, which was far better than the delays caused by relying on post stations, cavalry, and urgent reports in the past.

Its role in military operations is so significant that it is immeasurable.

This was tantamount to giving the Ming army a pair of wings to fly through the air.

Upon seeing this, an official at the telegraph station hurriedly stepped forward and reported, "Your Majesty, His Majesty has ordered the Ming Academy of Sciences to expedite the development of wireless telegraph machines."

"Wireless telegraph machines do not rely on cables and can be carried by horse-drawn carriages with the army."

"In this way, military intelligence at the front does not need to be transmitted by fast horses. A telegram from the commander-in-chief can reach the front in time and be delivered to all units instantly."

"Delays and risks caused by human communication can be greatly reduced."

"The various armies can also cooperate closely and act simultaneously."

"What's even better is that ships at sea can also use wireless telegraphs to maintain communication with the central command on land, without any further communication barriers."

"As far as I know, after nearly a year of dedicated research, the Academy of Sciences has made considerable progress in the development of the wireless telegraph machine."

"If all goes well, it won't be long before the Ming Dynasty's army and navy are equipped with this machine. At that time, communication will be smooth and commands will be as easy as an extension of one's own arm, and the Ming army's combat power will increase several times over!"

Old Zhu was startled. He suddenly remembered that before he left Nanjing, the Ming Dynasty had already successfully built warships that were entirely powered by steam engines, without the need for oars or sails, and with greatly increased speed. Now that he thought about it, they must have been built in large numbers.

A railway is also under construction.

Even telegraph machines have now been invented.

Thinking about all this, Old Zhu became anxious again.

With steamships, the time required to travel by sea to Europe would be greatly shortened. If Sun Tzu's army were to take advantage of this opportunity, would they be able to reach Europe first?

If that kid really steals the limelight from me, then all that effort I put into mobilizing so many troops, only to return empty-handed, wouldn't I lose all face?
Sun Tzu then introduced the telegraph machine, which had already garnered worldwide attention.

If he doesn't achieve great military exploits on the battlefield, how can he regain his reputation in front of the court and the people?

This way, they would know that he was Zhu Yunwen's grandfather, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and that he was still as powerful as ever!
Thinking of this, Old Zhu could no longer contain himself and said:

"Quickly! Let's return to the palace to continue our discussion. We must finalize the next step in our military strategy today! We must send troops as soon as possible; we cannot delay any longer."

The thought of his grandson getting ahead of him again made Old Zhu a little anxious!
……

In fact, Lao Zhu's guess was not wrong at all.

The industrial progress of the Ming Dynasty is advancing by leaps and bounds at an unprecedented speed.

Industrialization in real history was a turbulent and fraught process.

This involved both significant political resistance and violent sabotage resulting from the struggle between the public and various factions.

The technical approach has also been repeatedly questioned, and it is inevitable to take detours and go astray during the exploration process.

The combination of various factors has led to constant setbacks in the industrialization process and hindered its rapid progress.

However, even so, industrialization in real history still demonstrated an astonishing explosive force.

The productivity generated in just a few decades has already surpassed the total productivity of human civilization over thousands of years.

The current industrialization process of the Ming Dynasty is hundreds of times faster than the normal historical trajectory.

Zhu Yunwen devoted himself to promoting reform and development.

His determination and unwavering will made it virtually impossible for him to encounter any political resistance throughout the empire.

With the Ming Dynasty's rule stable, there was naturally no worry about violent destruction.

The technological roadmap has long been clear, the direction is well-defined, and the country has invested countless funds and continuously provided various resources, so the rapid development momentum goes without saying.

It should be understood that even during the decades of explosive industrialization in China in later years, funding and various resources were always severely constrained and limited, and trade-offs had to be made during development.

In the present day, the Ming Dynasty can be described as "always responsive to requests" in terms of funds and resources.

The investment of funds goes without saying.

The Ming Dynasty's banks, stock market, and bond market have all amassed countless funds, which have been poured into industrialization.

Iron ore, coal, and other mineral resources are readily available, in any quantity required.

Currently, we are in the early stages of industrial development, and the domestic iron and coal mines alone are sufficient to meet the huge demand in the short term.

As for natural rubber and similar products, these were transported to the Ming Dynasty by sea from Southeast Asian countries, which fully met the demand.

There's no need to worry about the future.

The resources and mineral deposits on the various new continents have long been firmly controlled by the exploration teams under the command of the major families of the Ming Dynasty.

With the continuous development of these emerging territories, a steady stream of minerals will flow into the empire, ensuring the long-term needs of the Ming Dynasty's industrialization.

Currently, the number of steamships being built has reached twenty or thirty.

Moreover, not only are the numbers increasing, but the ship designs are also becoming increasingly sophisticated.

The newer ships were not only much larger and had a much greater transport capacity than the original ships, but their ability to withstand wind and waves was also greatly improved.

The Ming Dynasty's fleet, like a giant beast awakening, is ready to ride the winds and waves and roam the four seas.

Since Zhu Shou led his army to conquer Siam and Pegu, displaying the unparalleled and terrifying military power of the Ming Dynasty, and after the battle shocked the Southeast Asia, the countries of Southeast Asia changed their attitudes, took the initiative to make peace with the Ming Dynasty, and sent envoys to pay tribute.

They not only sincerely proposed signing a friendly treaty and opening their domestic market, but also agreed to allow the Da Ming Daily to be published publicly within the country and to allow the Da Ming Bank to establish branches, intending to leverage the power of the Ming Dynasty to strengthen themselves and protect their interests.

These included Champa, Sulu, Srivijaya, Malacca, and Gumalan.

Even more so, in order to solidify the friendship, various countries granted special permission for the Ming Dynasty navy to set up military bases in important ports.

In particular, it is a natural harbor located at the throat of the Malacca Strait. Due to its extremely important strategic location, it was selected by the Ming Dynasty as the core stronghold for its military garrison in the South China Sea. From then on, it guarded the strait and controlled the flow of people and goods.

With its invincible fleet and well-connected trade routes, the Ming Dynasty's maritime power had expanded to the distant coast of India in just a few years.

The caravans traveled westward, reaching as far as the Persian Gulf and even as far as the African coastal countries.

India's high-quality cotton and various precious resources began to be continuously transported to the Ming Dynasty, bringing vitality to the Ming Dynasty's textile industry.

It is worth mentioning that the countries of Southeast Asia generally showed great welcome and cooperation with the entry of the Daming Bank into their countries and the opening of its branches.

The reason is not complicated: their trust in the Ming Dynasty's paper money was almost fanatical.

The countries of Southeast Asia often suffer from low productivity, political instability, political corruption, and frequent civil wars, resulting in extremely unsound monetary systems.

Although gold and silver were used as currency, there were no unified standards, and their quality and purity varied greatly, making it difficult to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit.

Even weighing gold and silver was extremely inconvenient, transactions were cumbersome, and trust was low.

As for currencies issued by national governments, ordinary people avoid them like the plague.

Because many regimes have over-issued and recklessly printed currency, their currencies have been on the verge of collapse for a long time, and the public generally lacks confidence in legal tender.

Due to these various factors, most of Southeast Asia remained in a primitive trading state, characterized by barter, supplemented by gold and silver, and with official currency being virtually non-existent.

This situation greatly disrupted the daily lives of people in Southeast Asia.

Therefore, once the Ming Dynasty's paper money was introduced, it quickly became popular in Southeast Asia due to its stable reputation and the backing of the country's strong power.

The common people eagerly accepted it, regarding it as a treasure, and were willing to exchange all kinds of goods for the precious notes, completely changing the original trading pattern!

……

(End of this chapter)