Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 632: Power Strategies Determine the Fate, New Policies Usher in a Grand Plan!
Jinling.

Today, with the news of the Shandong coup arriving, the ministers of state and military affairs, who had been "detained" in the Hall of Diligent Governance and isolated from the outside world, were finally allowed to leave that disguised cage.

Because the Emperor has returned to the capital.

The docks of Jinling were filled with dignitaries.

All officials of the fourth rank and above in Jinling City lined up here, and the scene was completely silent.

However, beneath this deathly silence and solemnity, an indescribable sense of oppression and restlessness was surging.

Countless eyes were fixed on the large ship that was slowly approaching the shore.

A taboo question weighed on everyone's mind.

Is His Majesty, who set out from Shandong, keeping his journey a secret and not summoning any officials, still alive and well?
Or perhaps, what returns to the capital this time is merely a cold imperial coffin bearing the weight of national mourning?
"Your Majesty, we respectfully welcome your presence! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The moment the imperial procession stepped onto the stone steps of the dock, the dark-robed officials prostrated themselves on the ground like a tidal wave, their shouts echoing through the sky.

"My beloved subjects, rise."

A calm, clear voice rang out, so familiar it was unsettling.

This sound, which should never have been heard, exploded like a thunderclap from the heavens amidst the crowd!

All the officials who were prostrating themselves in worship, especially those with ulterior motives, froze instantly, as if struck by lightning.

The curtain of the imperial carriage was slowly lifted by the attendants, and a figure dressed in a bright yellow robe with dragon patterns came into view.

Wang Zuo mechanically raised his head, and when his gaze fell upon that young yet still dignified face, his pupils suddenly contracted to their maximum size!
He felt a sudden dizziness, as if the whole world was shaking, and his body trembled violently, almost collapsing on the spot.

Since his private conversation with Zhan Hui that day, he had considered the possibility that His Majesty was still alive.

But his overwhelming ambition had already clouded his reason, making him stubbornly believe in the guess that was most in his favor.

Only now, seeing Zhu Yunwen standing unharmed before him, did the last shred of hope in his heart finally crumble, turning into a chilling despair.

The other officials, who were unaware of the truth, were initially just following the crowd and making wild guesses. But when they saw the emperor's face, although they were terrified, they quickly suppressed their turmoil after a brief moment of shock and turned into a kind of ecstatic joy and reverence, as if they had survived a catastrophe.

Only Yao Guangxiao and Yang Shiqi, along with a few others in the queue, exchanged glances without showing any surprise.

These trusted ministers, though shocked by the secret edict announcing the emperor's "death," had already discerned the deeper meaning behind the emperor's "faked death" amidst the strange and calm political situation of the time, and understood the truth.

Lan Yu, however, was overjoyed, his booming voice filled with delight: "Your Majesty is in good health! We are overjoyed! You have caused us so much worry!"

Zhu Yunwen smiled faintly: "I am the true Son of Heaven, and I am blessed by Heaven. These petty villains are not worth mentioning."

After he finished speaking, his smile faded, his eyes turned cold, and he nodded slightly to the eunuch Zhao Rui beside him: "Zhao Rui, announce the decree."

Zhao Rui stepped forward, unfurled a bright yellow imperial edict, and his clear yet sharp voice echoed across the dock:

"Imperial Edict: Minister of State Affairs Wang Zuo harbors wolfish ambitions, colludes with traitors, and plots a rebellion. This is extremely disrespectful! He is hereby immediately stripped of all his posts and imprisoned in the Imperial Prison to await further judgment!"

"Imperial Edict:..."

One decree after another was ruthlessly read aloud from Zhao Rui's mouth.

Once the decree was issued, the guards of the Tian Shu Division arrested Wang Zuo and his cronies one by one!

Following his swift and decisive actions, Zhu Yunwen immediately announced the promotion of Xie Jin, Yang Pu, and others to head the Administrative Office to fill vacancies.

Following the Shandong campaign, Zhu Yunwen used himself as bait and, taking advantage of the momentum, carried out swift and decisive measures to thoroughly cleanse and reorganize the hidden undercurrents and malignant tumors within and outside the court.

Zhu Yunwen also deeply reflected on the dangers he faced in Shandong.

As the supreme ruler, when he toured the world, he should have relied on the core forces that were absolutely loyal to him. However, he made an extreme mistake by relying too much on local officials to mobilize troops for vigilance.

Especially in Shandong, after he purged the Provincial Surveillance Commission, he immediately used its troops to protect the imperial court, which made him even more of a mistake.

Although this crisis was resolved safely with swift and decisive measures, the lesson must be kept in mind.

The Tian Shu Division should be expanded, with its total staff exceeding ten thousand, forging it into a true sword of the emperor that obeys only his commands, making it much more convenient for him to travel and inspect.

It's worth noting that when the US president visits other countries, he arranges for tens of thousands of special agents to be present.

The downfall of Wang Zuo and others, and the far-reaching military remonstrance, made the term "traitorous learning" synonymous with "treason."

After this incident, the reputation of traditional learning was ruined, and no one dared to openly advocate for restoration or resist the new policies.

The new learning, freed from all constraints, ascended to the magnificent halls of the Ming Dynasty with unstoppable momentum.

A deeper tide of reform, aided by this favorable wind, swept across the entire Ming Dynasty without hindrance.

A series of edicts aimed at consolidating the new policies and promoting scientific development and people's prosperity were issued continuously from the Hall of Diligent Governance.

At the end of this political storm, the funeral of Prince Zhu Gang of Jin was also held with the utmost solemnity and honor.

The imperial court issued an edict posthumously conferring honors upon him and granting him burial next to the imperial mausoleum in Jinling, so that he could enjoy the bestowed honors.

On the day of his funeral, Emperor Zhu Yunwen personally attended the ceremony and read a eulogy, every word of which praised his unparalleled contributions to the expansion of the Ming Dynasty's territory.

This achievement cannot be denied by anyone.

When the Prince of Jin returned, he carried with him a staggering 100 million taels of silver.

Not to mention, he expanded the empire's territory by thousands of miles in the New World.

That fertile land brings a steady stream of silver and copper mines, as well as crops such as corn and soybeans, to the Ming Dynasty every year.

Such an extraordinary feat deserves to be recorded in great detail.

Zhu Gang was posthumously honored by the court as a "royal exemplar," and the imperial family was proclaimed to all members of the royal family to take him as a model and emulate his loyalty and bravery.

However, after reading the three wills that Ji Gang secretly presented, Zhu Yunwen neither made them public nor forwarded them to Zhu Gang or gave them to Zhu Gang's wife and children.

He burned all three letters.

The reason is simple: Zhu Yunwen clearly saw through the final trap that Zhu Gang had laid before his death, hidden in those seemingly respectful and repentant words.

This was his final act of defiance, a last-ditch effort to turn against his former allies.

Who is Lao Zhu?
How could he not know his son's arrogance and ambition?

How could someone who had been obsessed with the throne all his life really write such a submissive and obedient last testament, displaying the demeanor of a loyal minister and filial son?

These three letters, instead of illuminating the truth for Zhu Yunwen, will be like an indelible poisonous thorn, deeply embedded in his heart, arousing endless suspicion.

Zhu Yunwen was so shrewd; how could he have sown such a seed of disaster for himself?
As for Zhu Gang's wife and children, they had been by his side for many years and knew his mind very well, so they would not believe in this so-called "confession" on his deathbed.

Zhu Yunwen burned the three letters completely, as if they had never existed in this world.

Zhu Gang's supposedly clever final strike was thus silently neutralized.

The turmoil subsided, and the political situation stabilized.

Soon, exciting news arrived.

The first railway of the Ming Dynasty was officially completed.

As that steel behemoth, spewing thick smoke and roaring deafeningly, raced across the land with unparalleled speed, the shock it brought to the nation and its people far surpassed any political upheaval. The railway, the greatest creation of modern science, began to powerfully propel the economic chariots of the empire.

A new economic zone in the Yangtze River Delta, with Nanjing and Shanghai as its twin cores and radiating to Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other regions, has thus taken shape.

The tremendous success of the first railway was like the sound of a starting gun.

With its already mature experience and technology, the empire’s second and third steel arteries quickly broke ground.

The construction process became faster and smoother with each iteration.

This wave, led by steel and steam, is not limited to the Yangtze River Delta.

Soon, the Pearl River Delta economic zone, led by Guangzhou, and the northern coastal economic zone, centered on Beiping, also replicated this model and rose strongly across the empire's territory.

At the same time, the empire's overseas expansion was also progressing rapidly.

Coal, iron, copper, and other industrial foundations poured into the Ming Dynasty's mainland like mountains and seas.

Among these strategic resources, cotton, a once inconspicuous crop, is seeing its imports increase at an alarming rate every day.

Food is the most important thing for the people, and solving the problem of food and clothing is the foundation of a country.

However, for an industrial revolution that swept across the era, the real and largest initial consumer market originated from "clothing".

This is why, in the history before his time travel, the revolution began with the enclosure of land where "sheep ate people" and with the leap forward in the textile industry.

The logic behind it is clear and brutal.

The need for food has its physical limits.

Humans only have one stomach and eat no more than three meals a day.

This seemingly simple upper limit was an insurmountable barrier for thousands of years in the agricultural era when productivity was low.

However, with the power of industry and the support of global resources, it becomes incredibly easy.

With the global resources that the Ming Dynasty currently controls, it would not be difficult to feed the current population, let alone ten times that number.

The human stomach has a limited capacity, which means that the food market cannot achieve explosive and sustained growth.

But the "clothing" is completely different.

If clothing is only for covering the body and keeping warm, its market size is also limited.

But people's desire for "clothing" has never stopped there.

It embodies the desire for "decency," the desire to compare oneself with others, and the need to express individuality.

One person can't eat that much food.

However, he would buy hundreds or even thousands of pieces of clothing for different occasions and different moods.

The potential of this market is almost limitless!

This was the most massive consumer engine in the early days of industrialization, capable of devouring all production capacity and driving the flywheel to spin wildly!
Therefore, when sufficient and cheap cotton and wool flooded into the Ming Dynasty, this dormant consumer behemoth was instantly awakened.

Zhu Yunwen went with the flow and did not impose too many inappropriate restrictions on clothing.

He issued an edict that as long as the people had the financial means, they could freely choose the clothing styles they liked.

In just a few years, the clothing of the people of the Ming Dynasty transformed from patched-up clothes and dark blue-black clothes to colorful and bright clothes.

This is not just a change in clothing, but a manifestation of self-confidence.

The entire social landscape of the Ming Dynasty was also completely transformed in this revolution of color.

Alongside the wave of industrialization, the Ming Dynasty's aquaculture industry was also booming.

Once people were free from hunger and "having enough to eat" was no longer a luxury, their craving for meat was quickly ignited, and demand surged.

Zhu Yunwen used an iron fist to firmly lock down grain prices, preventing them from rising by even a penny.

However, meat prices skyrocketed due to this surge in demand.

People who have filled their stomachs are no longer satisfied with simple white steamed buns, but instead crave the taste of "big fish and big meat".

Traditional livestock farming, whether it's pigs, cattle, sheep, chickens, ducks, or geese, expands at a rate far exceeding that of industrial products like textiles.

The growth cycle is long and cannot be achieved overnight.

Faced with this problem, Zhu Yunwen turned his attention to the vast waters.

An order was issued to intensify efforts in fisheries.

In later years, the Yangtze River suffered from overfishing, which led the state to issue a strict fishing ban.

However, in the current era, the fishery resources of the Yangtze River have not yet reached their carrying capacity limit.

After all, the area of ​​a body of water is fixed, and the number of fish it can support is also limited; this is the natural ecological balance.

Later generations, with fishing tools far superior to those of the present day, could catch hundreds of thousands of kilograms of fish in a single net, easily sweeping away an entire body of water and completely disrupting this balance.

In the present Ming Dynasty, fishing gear is rudimentary, resulting in low fishing efficiency.

With the advent of industrialization, everything changed.

The surge in industrial production also benefited fishing net weaving.

New technologies have led to lower costs and the production of stronger fishing nets with more efficient catching capabilities.

The huge catch greatly alleviated the people's demand for meat.

Of course, Zhu Yunwen was well aware that the resources of the Yangtze River were ultimately limited, and he would never allow the resources to be exhausted.

From the very beginning, he demanded that all fishing activities be strictly controlled within the ecological carrying capacity.

The real key to success and a complete solution lies in the vast deep sea, namely, deep-sea fishing.

Within the boundless blue sky lies an almost inexhaustible treasure.

In later generations, the total weight of fish caught from the oceans alone reached nearly 20 million tons annually!

This astonishing catch continued for nearly a century.

What an enormous concept this is!
The total population of the Ming Dynasty is currently less than 100 million, and most of them are still children.

Because it wasn't until Zhu Yunwen initiated the Industrial Revolution, with both medical and food supplies booming and infant survival rates soaring, that the empire's population truly experienced an explosive growth.

This population base means that the ocean's generous bounty alone is enough to allow everyone to achieve "freedom to eat meat".

Given that land-based livestock production cannot keep up in the short term, turning to the ocean and using massive catches of fish to fill this huge protein gap is the wisest and most efficient choice at present.

……

(End of this chapter)