Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 507 The Submission of the South Seas: Newspapers, Banknotes, and Gunboats!
The lucrative profits from book publishing made the Daming Printing Bureau incredibly wealthy and its reputation spread far and wide.

However, Zhu Yunwen did not open up the private printing industry.

Nowadays, only with the official permission of the Ming Dynasty can books be printed by authorized printing companies.

This substantial profit naturally flowed entirely into the national treasury.

Besides books, paper is another major export product.

Zhu Yunwen promoted the innovation of papermaking technology very early on, which led to the vigorous development of the papermaking industry in the Ming Dynasty.

The paper produced by the paper mills of the Ming Dynasty today is of high quality and low price, and is highly favored by countries overseas.

Furthermore, after multiple rounds of negotiations and the conclusion of a treaty, the Da Ming Daily obtained the right to be publicly distributed in Southeast Asian countries.

Most of these newspapers were not printed in the Ming Dynasty.

Instead, they shipped printing presses from within the Ming Dynasty, set up a company there, and then imported ink and paper from the Ming Dynasty to carry out the printing.

In fact, the largest customer for imported paper was the overseas branch of the Daming Daily.

Newspapers printed and published locally generally use a bilingual format, with Chinese characters and the local language and script used together.

In addition to reporting on the events in the Ming Dynasty, the world's center, the content also focuses on local affairs, making it popular among people in many countries.

Today, the Daming Daily has evolved from a single newspaper publisher into a large conglomerate.

It publishes as many as forty or fifty different newspapers.

The distribution of newspapers in various countries allowed Ming Dynasty culture to deeply penetrate Southeast Asian countries, which was also a crucial reason for the smooth development of various trades.

The reason these countries agreed to allow the Da Ming Daily to be published within their borders was partly due to the awe-inspiring military strength of the Ming Dynasty, which made them hesitant to refuse the conditions proposed by the Ming Dynasty.

On the other hand, it was because the Ming Dynasty had proactively promised at the beginning of the negotiations that the content of the newspapers published locally would, to an appropriate extent, praise and protect the local rulers, thus helping to consolidate their political foundation.

For these rulers, this was undoubtedly a very attractive promise.

Therefore, they were happy to accept this arrangement and even vied to make it happen.

And the Da Ming Daily News truly lived up to its word.

After all, since the Ming Dynasty had chosen to cooperate with the local rulers, it naturally needed to provide some support in public opinion in order to maintain a good relationship.

After years of development, the propaganda methods of the Da Ming Daily have far surpassed those of the local indigenous regimes, and are extremely sophisticated and ingenious.

Many of the propaganda messages hidden within newspapers and magazines are often difficult for ordinary people to detect when reading them, yet they can subtly influence their beliefs and perceptions without them even realizing it.

For example, it is very difficult to win the favor of the people if you use simple and crude methods and blindly praise those in power.

After all, under any ruling class, there is never a shortage of voices of opposition from the people.

Not to mention that at that time, the ruling class in the Southeast Asian countries was extremely brutal and heavily exploited the people.

No wonder the common people don't like it.

However, the Da Ming Daily could use propaganda techniques to cover it up.

For example, if you want to promote the integrity of officials, directly praising them will only make the public scoff and feel disgusted.

Because it is often very different from what they see in their daily lives.

Such a contrast not only makes it difficult to gain people's trust, but will also cause readers to resolutely abandon reading it and regard the newspaper as a hypocrite.

However, if the story is subtly altered and cleverly presented as a struggle between honest and corrupt officials, the effect is completely different.

Such plots are both enjoyable for the general public to read and readily accepted, and the stories are full of climaxes and tension, making them captivating and engaging.

The story ultimately ends with the honest official defeating the corrupt one, the people's grievances being redressed, the country remaining prosperous and the court's image being positively consolidated.

This method can be described as achieving multiple benefits in one fell swoop.

The newspaper made money, the people enjoyed reading it, and the local rulers were also very satisfied.

As for other types of story-based promotion, there is no need to elaborate further. All of them can be flexibly adapted and promoted in a way that is subtle yet effective.

Of course, as the official mouthpiece of the Ming Dynasty, the Da Ming Daily would not miss the opportunity to promote and publicize the Ming Dynasty itself.

Such descriptions include: how prosperous and peaceful the lives of ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty were; how noble and upright the character of Ming Dynasty scholars were; how brave and fearless the Ming Dynasty generals were; how powerful and invincible the Ming Dynasty army was; how prosperous and dazzling the Ming Dynasty city of Nanjing was; and how honest and trustworthy the Ming Dynasty merchants were in business...

In short, no matter how good or bad the Ming Dynasty is, no country in heaven or on earth, throughout history, can match it.

Even the moon over the Ming Dynasty seemed rounder in the hearts of the people of Southeast Asia than in other countries.

Because of the sophisticated and skillful propaganda methods of the Da Ming Daily, which were subtle and pervasive, the people of Southeast Asia believed it without a doubt. Gradually, the Ming Dynasty became the most beautiful and powerful ideal country in their minds, like a "paradise on earth".

They generally believed that the people of the Ming Dynasty were all of high moral character, far superior to their own countrymen.

All products manufactured by Daming are top-quality and of the highest standard.

Merchants in the Ming Dynasty were known for their integrity and honesty, treating everyone fairly, young and old.

This is why they are not only happy to buy goods from the Ming Dynasty, but also willing to actively engage in trade with Ming Dynasty merchants.

This deeply ingrained cultural awareness played an indispensable role in promoting the Ming Dynasty's trade with Southeast Asian countries, establishing companies and businesses, opening shops, and selling Ming Dynasty goods to the people of Southeast Asia.

After all, the same product can instantly become much more valuable and sought after simply by being printed with the "Four-Character Gold Label," namely the four characters "Export of the Ming Dynasty."

When doing business, merchants are willing to offer more conveniences as long as they hear that their business partners are from the Ming Dynasty.

With such a cultural atmosphere and social psychology as a foundation, why would Ming Dynasty merchants worry about not being able to sell their goods or not doing well in business?
The Ming Dynasty court wasn't just all talk and no action.

The Ming government took various measures to strengthen control and regulate the behavior of merchants who went overseas to trade.

They are required to be mindful of their image at all times.

Zhu Yunwen's system of letters for reporting corruption, along with the increased oversight of officials by institutions such as the Censorate, had a significant deterrent effect.

In comparison, the officials of the Ming Dynasty were much more honest and dedicated to their duties than those of the Southeast Asian countries.

Although there were some corrupt officials among them, they were far better off than the backward countries in Southeast Asia.

With these officials in charge, the businessmen dared not act recklessly.

This makes them somewhat similar to the advertisements in the newspapers.

After witnessing the "integrity" of Ming Dynasty merchants, the people of Southeast Asia became even more convinced of the various descriptions of the Ming Dynasty in the newspapers.

Thus, trade between the Ming Dynasty and the countries of Southeast Asia proceeded smoothly, and Ming merchants' investments quickly spread throughout Southeast Asia.

At present, the Ming Dynasty's demand for resources from the Southeast Asian countries is becoming increasingly urgent and enormous.

Grains, cotton, natural rubber, as well as timber, medicinal herbs, and various minerals, all flowed into the Central Plains like a mighty river. Apart from grains, various raw materials were processed and refined in the factories of the Ming Dynasty, transforming them into a variety of high-quality industrial products.

However, the vast majority of these were still prioritized to meet the needs of the Ming Dynasty itself, with only a very small portion flowing overseas for export.

The grain was naturally supplied directly to the people of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, although the industrial products of the Ming Dynasty are renowned and sell well in many countries, and the trade landscape appears prosperous, the Ming Dynasty is actually in a state of "imports exceeding exports" due to the large scale of imports.

In other words, the Ming Dynasty is currently suffering from an extremely large trade deficit.

But this is not a cause for concern.

Because the true core export commodity of the Ming Dynasty was never machinery or cloth, but "Ming Treasure Notes"!
Once the "Ming Treasure Notes" were included in trade, the Ming Dynasty's trade deficit would instantly disappear.

After all, whether it was for resource procurement or investment and loans to Southeast Asian countries, the Ming Dynasty paid for them all with banknotes issued by the Ming Bank.

In addition to directly procuring supplies, the Ming Dynasty also established mining companies, opened trading houses, built wharves, purchased real estate and land in various parts of Southeast Asia, and even carried out various capital investments locally.

The total amount of these expenditures far exceeded the total value of goods imported by the Ming Dynasty in a single year.

It is no exaggeration to say that this is an astronomical figure.

In addition, there were "loans" to Southeast Asian countries.

What supports all of this is still those "Ming Dynasty Treasure Notes".

With the "Great Ming Treasure Notes" as backing, money was just a number to the Ming Dynasty court.

The printing press will print as much money as you need.

Of course, it's not something you can just print anywhere.

However, the demand for Ming Dynasty banknotes from overseas countries is now enormous, and there are basically no restrictions on printing them.

Zhu Yuanzhang's "Western Tour" was intended to force the Western Regions to open their doors, lift restrictions on resources, and accept trade with the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yunwen, on the other hand, used a strategy of gentle persuasion to overcome rigidity, subtly extending the influence of the Ming Dynasty into a wider territory through a combination of finance, culture, public opinion, and trade.

Of course, the foundation of all these strategies was always the Ming army, which instilled fear and respect in the countries of Southeast Asia.

The core reason why Southeast Asian countries were willing to open their doors, actively seek trade, and even open their domestic markets was not out of greed for profit, but out of fear.

They feared the terrifying military strength of the Ming Dynasty.

It's better to dance with a dragon than to deal with a tiger. This is their consensus, and also the choice they had to make.

That led to the excellent situation that followed.

However, according to Zhu Yunwen's plan and deployment, the military forces of the Ming Dynasty were more of a deterrent than a weapon to be used lightly.

In various parts of Southeast Asia, the Ming Dynasty navy had established multiple strategic bases to station troops, repair warships, and replenish food and ammunition, forming a series of solid maritime barriers.

These bases were not only military hubs, but also symbols of the power and prestige of the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty Navy frequently held large-scale live-fire exercises. The drills were earth-shattering, with cannon fire deafening and the raging waves displaying a fierce and murderous atmosphere, leaving the observers trembling with fear.

On the days of military exercises, the Ming Dynasty would also specially invite important officials from Southeast Asian countries to come and observe, so that they could witness the power of the Ming navy firsthand and nip any hostility they might harbor towards the Ming Dynasty in the bud.

After all, the Ming Dynasty navy unleashed a barrage of cannons, causing the sea and sky to lose their color and the mountains and rivers to tremble. Such a scene was beyond the imagination of people from ordinary countries.

The advanced ships, cannons, and combat systems of the Ming Dynasty navy were so unattainable that these officials from small, sparsely populated countries felt they could not reach them and were almost in despair.

They knew that going against the Ming Dynasty was tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.

At the same time, the Daming Daily was also systematically launching a media offensive.

Using the power of paper and ink, they depicted the might of the navy and the prosperity of the nation to the countries of Southeast Asia.

From the king to the common people, everyone was awestruck by the power of the Ming Dynasty.

Under such circumstances, no one in the Southeast Asian countries dared to openly propose resisting the Ming Dynasty.

Any voice attempting to oppose the Ming Dynasty will be met with countless opposition.

They not only failed to gain support from the central government, but also incurred public condemnation.

The kings of various countries also knew that it was better to take the opportunity to form alliances and curry favor with the emperor than to incur his wrath.

Zhu Yunwen used this combination of "deterrence as the blade and public opinion as the sheath" to steadily advance the Ming Dynasty's external expansion.

As the influence of the Ming Dynasty spread, it built more and more overseas military bases, spreading them far and wide, like stars scattered across key maritime locations.

Often, the Ming navy would first establish a base in a certain country, and before it was fully deployed, several neighboring countries would rush to request that the Ming navy also station troops in their countries.

They regard it as an honor, and even more so as their most important protection.

Having the Ming Dynasty's troops stationed there meant gaining the Ming Dynasty's recognition and protection.

Their own regime will become more secure as a result.

All trade terms and friendly alliances proposed by the Ming Dynasty, even those that implied a strong stance, were taken seriously and negotiated carefully, for fear of angering the Ming Empire.

When the Ming Dynasty envoys formally began negotiations with them, the formality carried an irresistible sense of oppression, causing unease within their court and among the public, and keeping many officials awake at night.

Often, before the negotiations are fully completed, the other party has already eagerly agreed to the terms, just wanting to play it safe and avoid any problems.

The goal can be achieved without resorting to violence.

The expansion of the Ming Dynasty has already reached a point where it is a natural progression.

In this way, the Ming Dynasty's maritime power grew like a snowball, advancing westward from Southeast Asia to India and reaching the coast of the Persian Gulf. Its prestige shook the world wherever it went.

To the east, the Ming Dynasty navy also reached Oceania, where it conducted extensive surveys and development.

This region, apart from a very few indigenous tribes, is basically uninhabited.

Once the Ming Dynasty's expedition team occupied it, it naturally became their property.

However, the mineral resources here are very rich, such as iron ore and coal, and the quality of the minerals is generally better than that in the Ming Dynasty, and they are also easier to develop.

Over time, a stable fleet gradually formed to transport iron ore and coal from here to the Ming Dynasty.

Further afield, Ming Dynasty expeditions discovered Guano Island in the Pacific Ocean and began transporting the natural fertilizer from there back to Ming China.

……

(End of this chapter)