Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 127 The Ruler of All Under Heaven
Inside the Wuying Hall, the atmosphere suddenly became serious as soon as Zhu Yuanzhang uttered these words.

A few crows that had been perched on the roof cawed loudly, flapped their wings, and flew away.

It seemed unable to withstand the impact of the solemn atmosphere inside the hall.

Faced with Zhu Yuanzhang's sudden change of expression, Song Lian's expression changed slightly. He stood up and bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Your Majesty, I say this because I truly believe that the writing system of barbarians is not suitable for annotating the Chinese characters."

Of course, I also feel that it is indeed inappropriate for Your Majesty to use the elegant pronunciation of the Central Plains in the revised Hongwu Zhengyun.

These are not the same reason and should not be confused.

Song Lian appeared quite frank, meeting Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze and speaking his mind.

"Your Majesty insists on using a northern accent, which I can understand."

However... Your Majesty, you must also consider the true situation of today.

Your Majesty, I still hold the same opinion. Now, when we talk about wealth, the number of people, the backgrounds of officials, and the location of the capital, we should consider these factors.

When formulating the Hongwu Zhengyun (a rhyme scheme), the accents near the capital should be the primary basis, with the elegant accents of the Central Plains as a secondary basis.

We cannot forcibly elevate the Central Plains dialect to the status of Mandarin.

Looking at Song Lian, he seemed to be laying out his innermost thoughts and discussing the matter at hand.

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression, however, showed no sign of softening.

"Since Mr. Song has spoken so frankly with us, then let us also share our considerations with Mr. Song."

There's no need to hide anything.

Song Lian bowed with his hands clasped, indicating that he was all ears.

"Is our Great Ming Dynasty defined by the Jianghuai and Qinling Mountains as a line, and only the area south of this line is our Great Ming Dynasty?"
"Is the area north of this line not part of my Great Ming Dynasty, not part of my China?"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Song Lian and asked earnestly.
"Of course not."

Song Lian shook his head: "Many places north of the Qinling-Huaihe line, the Central Plains, the Qin Chuan region, and the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, are all part of my Great Ming Dynasty and my China."

It was lost because the Song Dynasty was weak back then.

But these have always been the land of my Chinese nation.

Even Song Lian would never dare to exclude the Central Plains and other regions in the north from China.

"Yes, Mr. Song is right!"
Then let me ask you again, aren't the many people living in these places citizens of China?

"In many places, such as the North, although they have been ruled by foreign tribes for many years, many people have been tainted by the smell of blood and goat meat."

But naturally, we are still the people of China.

Song Lian spoke very solemnly.

Song Ne, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy who had been sitting to the side without any reaction, changed his expression upon hearing Song Lian's words.

His gaze seemed somewhat dim.

Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to look at Song Lian and ask him some more questions, but he changed his mind before he could finish speaking.

"They were tainted by the smell of fish and mutton?"

Why did they get infected by the fishy smell?

It was because during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the world was in chaos, and the puppet emperor Shi Jingtang sold off the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

In exchange for the support of the Liao people to become emperor.

It was Zhao Lao Er, that incompetent scoundrel who drove the donkey cart, who killed his brother and, after becoming emperor, led a reckless army, causing the deaths of countless elite soldiers and generals of the Song Dynasty.

The Liao Kingdom terrified him so much that he defecated.

From then on, he not only gave up any thought of returning to Youyun for sixteen weeks.

They turned the tables and, by doing so, broke the backbone of the Song Dynasty's military generals.

It was Zhao Ji and his son who deserved to die as emperors, for they caused the Jingkang Incident!
The capital was captured, those two bastards were taken away, a large amount of territory was lost, and countless people were brutally murdered by the barbarians!
Zhao Gou first abandoned Hebei, then the Central Plains, and fled all the way to Hangzhou, then to the sea, abandoning his armor and weapons, and running away all the way, not daring to organize his troops to fight the Jin people.

They handed over the Central Plains and Guanzhong region to the barbarians.

This caused Grandpa Zongze to be filled with grief, and on his deathbed, he cried out to cross the river!
It was the emperor of the Song Dynasty, along with numerous literati and officials, and a morbidly repressed military general.

Thanks to Han Shizhong, Grandpa Yue and his men withstood the pressure from the Jurchens in the north.

They were spared from being slaughtered by the Jurchens.

However, once the situation eased slightly, they suppressed Grandfather Yue again and sought peace with the Jin people.

Later, twelve imperial edicts were issued in succession, recalling Grandpa Yue and having him killed on trumped-up charges.

This caused the Northern Expedition to completely fail!

The royal army will never again be able to pacify the Central Plains!

They were the emperor and his ministers of the Southern Song Dynasty, who were not ambitious and lacked initiative.

The nation is in grave danger, yet people are still vying for power and engaging in fierce infighting.

The dog's brain was smashed out.

As a result, they were completely wiped out in the Battle of Yamen.

What can ordinary people do in this process?
Given the prevailing circumstances, what can they possibly do?
The emperor and his ministers were so incompetent.

How can the blame be placed on ordinary people when the country has fallen into ruin?
At this moment, they actually found the smell of fish and mutton on them disgusting.

Where did the fishy smell on them come from?

Who gave it to us?
Moreover, if what you say, Mr. Song, is true, that only people from the North are tainted with the smell of fish and mutton?
We, people from many places like Jianghuai and Jiangnan, have not been tainted by the smell of fish and mutton.

These places were never ruled by Hu Yuan.

Our ancestors, including ourselves, were not ruled by the Hu Yuan dynasty in the past.
Mr. Song only said that the people in the north had a fishy smell, which we think is very inappropriate.

If we follow Mr. Song's words, then our emperor, our empress, our crown prince, including you, Mr. Song, a great Confucian scholar, as well as all the civil and military officials of our Ming Dynasty and many Confucian scholars...

Everyone has a fishy or muttony smell!

Mr. Song doesn't refer to people from the South, he only refers to people from the North.

Isn't that biased? How is it any different from the pot calling the kettle black?

Song Lian's face flushed red, and he opened his mouth several times as if to speak, but could not utter a word.

The Imperial Academy Chancellor, whom Song Lian referred to as the "Northern Barbarian," was sitting to the side, kneeling on the ground with his hands on a brocade stool.

He kowtowed to the ground, tears streaming down his face.

"Let me ask you again."

Zhu Yuanzhang took a breath, leaned forward, looked at Song Lian, and continued:
"Is our emperor half the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, or the emperor of the entire Ming Dynasty?"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty is naturally the ruler of all under Heaven, the emperor of our Great Ming Dynasty."

Song Lian's voice trembled slightly.

"Okay, then let me ask you another question: Over the past few hundred years, the North and South have been severely divided."

It is like a chasm, insurmountable.

China has been ruined like this by so many incompetent and deserving-to-die individuals.

The once unified Chinese nation was forcibly divided in two.

Torn apart.

Should we bridge this gap? Should we make China a unified whole again?

Song Lian said, "Of course we will."

"Good!" Zhu Yuanzhang praised.

"If that's the case, why didn't Mr. Song and others refer more to the elegant pronunciation of the Central Plains in their revised version of the Hongwu Zhengyun, as we suggested?"

Why does Mr. Song still oppose our work, which is based on the elegant pronunciation of the Central Plains and uses the Hongwu Zheng Yun (a phonetic system for the Ming Dynasty)?

Song Lian opened his mouth to speak, but Zhu Yuanzhang did not give him a chance to speak.

Then he continued, "What Mr. Song said is that the South far surpasses the North in terms of economy, culture, population, officials, and the capital."

We all know that.

But why do we still insist on defining the Northern dialect as the Hongwu Zhengyun and making it the official language?

Mr. Song was proud of the South's population, economy, culture, and food production.

We think we should think about it more deeply.

That's why the economy and culture of the South are so developed and prosperous.

Why is the North so far inferior?
Is it because many places, such as the north, have always been unsuitable?

Mr. Song has read more books and knows more than we do.

That's definitely not the case.

Throughout history, the prosperity of many places, including the North, has surpassed that of the South.

Even during the Northern Song Dynasty, the northern regions were just as prosperous.

On the contrary, these places in the south have been malarial and malaria-ridden areas for most of the time since ancient times.

But why has it turned out like this now?

We'll tell Mr. Song today.

This is because since the Qin and Han dynasties, countless northern barbarian tribes have invaded and wreaked havoc in China, and the north has always been at the forefront.

Countless people fought against them, and countless people sacrificed their lives in the struggle against the barbarians.

He died on the northern land.

That place was on the front line of the fight against the barbarians.

After the barbarian invasion, with its burning, killing, and looting, even if they could continue their southward invasion, the extent of their atrocities would be far less than when they were in the north.
If the north hadn't stood in front for so long, acting as a barrier and a battlefield to hold off the barbarians...

They bore the brunt of the harm caused by the satisfaction.

The prosperity of the North was reduced to ashes in the flames of war, and much of it no longer exists.

How could places like Jiangnan be so prosperous?
Even now, our Great Ming still has hundreds of thousands of soldiers stationed in the north to contain the grasslands.

They sought an opportunity to annihilate the Northern Yuan royal court in one fell swoop.

This will prevent the nomadic tribes of the grasslands from invading southwards again and wreaking havoc on our China!
From both a historical and contemporary perspective, these events are indeed real.

Why does Mr. Song only see the prosperity in the south and the desolation in the north?

But we fail to see the deeper reason behind all this?
Why can't we give more consideration to the price that the many people in the north have paid for the prosperity of the south?
Why can't we make some concessions or offer some compensation in other areas?

Song Lian's expression changed, and he stammered, unable to speak.

Song Ne knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face.

"When we offered sacrifices to Heaven in the southern suburbs, we said that we had a dream."

One of their dreams was to unify the North and South and eliminate this deep rift.

Let China be united as one again.

When people of China talk about people from the south and people from the north, it is only a distinction based on geographical location.

Without harboring many complex hostile emotions.

Since we've said this, we must make the corresponding efforts and take the corresponding actions to try to bridge the gap between the North and the South.

Mr. Song, we are both people of the Ming Dynasty, and also descendants of Yan and Huang.

We believe that we should not divide the Ming Dynasty into the South and the North.

People are divided into southerners and northerners.

Instead, the Ming Dynasty should be viewed as a whole.

One of the important tasks of our generation is to repair the huge divide between North and South that has been built up over the past few centuries.

They bridged that gap.

Mr. Song was a great Confucian scholar of his time, and he was well-versed in the words of the sages.

They certainly wouldn't want to see China divided up like this.

I don't want to see that although my Great Ming Dynasty has unified the North and South, the cracks still exist in reality.

Mr. Song would certainly be willing to work hard for the integration of North and South and for China to create new glories.

Mr. Song, let's both endure for the sake of the country and for the sake of China.

Zhu Yuanzhang got up and walked from behind his desk to Song Lian's side.

She held Song Lian's hand tightly.

Then, pulling Song Lian along, they walked to Song Ne, who was kneeling on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

He helped Song Ne up with one hand.

He then took Song Ne's hand.

"Mr. Song, let's work together to accomplish this historical mission."

They repaired this man-made crack that had persisted for hundreds of years.

As Zhu Yuanzhang spoke, he placed Song Lian and Song Ne's hands together.

That's how much force they used.

"Your Majesty, it was my oversight that I did not consider this matter beforehand."

Focusing solely on one aspect leads to short-sightedness.

Hearing Your Majesty's words today has been truly enlightening. In terms of magnanimity and vision, I, this so-called great Confucian scholar of our time, am far inferior to Your Majesty.

I am ashamed.

Your Majesty's use of the elegant pronunciation of the Central Plains as the official language and the compilation of the Hongwu Zheng Yun (洪武正韵) is most appropriate.

Your Majesty, I am willing to follow in your footsteps and dedicate myself to bridging the rift between the North and the South!

Song Lian stood there in a daze for a long while, then suddenly burst into tears and spoke these words with a solemn expression.

"Your subject is willing to work hard for this matter, even at the cost of fire and water, and even with your life on the line!"

Countless people in the north, upon hearing Your Majesty's words, will surely be overjoyed and grateful for Your Majesty's grace. Their hearts will be won over.

Let's eliminate the barriers between the North and the South as soon as possible.

Song Ne barely managed to compose herself, and after saying this, she couldn't help but burst into tears.

This person always looks very serious and rigid, as if they never cry or laugh.

It was hard to find any superfluous expressions on the old man's face.

Today, in front of the emperor, she completely broke down and cried like a newborn baby.

"it is good!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was also moved by this.

"We know that our Great Ming Dynasty still has many virtuous and righteous people."

It has many people who are deeply righteous and principled.

We know that countless people are willing to work together for this lofty ideal and this historical mission.

With the two Mr. Songs' words confirmed, we can rest assured!
This historical mission will surely be accomplished in our generation.

After we are here, the divide between North and South will surely disappear.

We will put an end to these centuries-old historical problems.

When history books talk about this in the future, how can it not be described as a great achievement?
How can future generations forget the efforts we have made?
Today, I have a saying to share with both Mr. Songs.

Upon hearing the emperor's words, Song Lian and Song Ne quickly composed themselves.

He stood bowing, listening intently.

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath and said with a serious and profound expression, "Those who serve the public will last for eternity, while those who seek personal gain will only last for a moment."

Rumble!
It was as if a thunderclap had exploded, causing their minds to tremble.

Those who serve the public will live forever, while those who are selfish will only live for a moment!
Those who uphold the public good will live forever, while those who prioritize personal gain live only for a moment!

These two sentences kept replaying in their minds.

Like a lingering melody, it seemed to continue endlessly.

Before these two sentences, it seems that all the petty scheming and calculations are no longer important.

"Mr. Song, the task of bridging the North and the South is arduous and the road ahead is long and difficult."

When doing things, one will inevitably encounter many trials and tribulations.

But as long as we persevere and accomplish this, those whispers and petty remarks will ultimately be nothing to fear.

It is difficult to slander them.

Right and wrong, merit and demerit, will be clearly recorded in history and judged by countless future generations.

We would like to invite both Mr. Song to jointly sign this Hongwu Zheng Yun.

We will also inform Propaganda Envoy Luo in the future.

Tell him to write an article based on today's events.

Published in the Daming Daily, it was circulated throughout the land.

"Your Majesty, I dare not fail to do my utmost to repay your kindness."

How can we not be loyal to our duties and contribute to the Chinese nation?

However…we two have made no contribution to the Hongwu Zheng Yun (a historical text), so is it perhaps inappropriate to include our names on it?

"What's wrong with that? Bridging the gap between the North and the South requires our joint efforts."

It is most appropriate for the two Mr. Songs to sign their names on it.

Moreover, one of the two Mr. Songs is from the south, and the other is from the north.

He has always been a key figure in the current literary circles, dividing the North and South.

If you two sign your names together, wouldn't that set an example for the world?
To be frank, we also want to leverage your reputations and influence to better promote this matter.

Mr. Song, please do not refuse.

Upon hearing what Zhu Yuanzhang said, both Song Lian and Song Ne nodded in agreement.

"We have another consideration here regarding promoting cultural development and academic prosperity."

We plan to compile a dictionary that includes all the existing characters in Chinese characters.

It also notes the evolution of the characters from ancient times to the present, explains their meanings, and their origins.

It makes it convenient for many students to study and view.

The dictionary's index provides two quick ways to look up words.

One method is to look up characters using pinyin, and the other is to look up characters using radicals or components.

The Pinyin character lookup method sorts characters by their first letter.

Record one entry from the set of homophones and sort them according to the first to fourth tone.

The method of looking up characters by radicals follows the stroke count, grouping radicals with the same stroke count together..."

Zhu Yuanzhang explained his considerations.

"Using this method, you can quickly find the location of the character you are looking for."

With such a reference book, students can easily find unfamiliar characters when reading.

You can quickly find the page containing the character by looking up its radical.

Then, based on the pinyin indicated on the specific page, you can find out its pronunciation.

And through the following annotations, we can understand the meaning of the words.

And what common words can it be combined with...

A journey to the future, through countless things, had a profound impact on him.

There were also countless things that amazed him, leaving him both impressed and envious.

This made him want to replicate it.

However, a towering building is built little by little.

Many things need to be done gradually, and a solid foundation needs to be laid.

For example, this dictionary is an example of that.

If the Ming Dynasty is to rise to prominence, it must further enlighten the people and popularize knowledge.

In addition to spreading Confucianism, other kinds of knowledge should also be incorporated into the teaching.

Let everyone learn, understand, and be guided.

To break down people's notion that Confucianism is the sole dominant ideology.

We cannot only study and research matters of ideology and morality; we must also develop some more practical things.

For example, science.

Zhu Yuanzhang's current plan to compile a dictionary is to take this first step.

Such a reference book is essential.

The influence of the Xinhua Dictionary on him in later generations was considerable.

It made him deeply realize how significant the existence of such a reference book is.

If that's the case, then this matter must be addressed.

He knew that Song Lian and the others would have no way to refuse his proposal, nor any reason to do so.

After all, this is a cultural golden age.

If you do it well, you will surely be remembered in history!
The reputation for enacting laws pales in comparison to this!
The meaning is also completely different.

In their struggle for the right to interpret the scriptures, the various schools of Confucianism were so fierce that they were willing to fight tooth and nail.

Now I want to compile a dictionary, starting from the most basic things, defining the pronunciation, form, and meaning of characters.

How could they not flock to it?
This can be considered a sweet treat offered to ensure the smooth implementation of the Hongwu Zheng Yun (a style of poetry).

However, this sweet date is not only effective for these people.

For Zhu Yuanzhang, it was also a sweet treat.

It can be said that this is a win-win situation where both parties benefit.

This would both reduce resistance and allow him to compile the dictionary he wanted.

This will lay a solid foundation for future widespread education and further enlightening the public.

Both Song Lian and Song Ne were taken aback by Zhu Yuanzhang's words.

They all felt a sense of sudden enlightenment and clarity.

They were taken aback by the emperor's suggestion.

Then came countless joys and a sense of awe.

Dictionary! Dictionary!
Why didn't we think of this before?

First, the Erya provides a preliminary explanation of the meaning of the characters.

Since Xu Shen compiled the "Shuowen Jiezi", this has been the standard.

How many years have passed since the Eastern Han Dynasty?

No new classics were published.

Firstly, I had never thought of it that way, and secondly, this was a huge undertaking.

It requires countless hours of effort.

With all these factors combined, many people never even considered this possibility.

But at this moment, when the emperor mentioned it, both of them couldn't help but feel their hearts flutter.

Even their breathing became rapid.

For these people, compiling such a dictionary and having it passed down through generations was a great achievement.

This series of books has become an indispensable tool for countless people when learning, and its appeal is incredibly strong!
If we're talking about establishing the Hongwu Zhengyun and defining the official language, that would be something that would excite and inspire many people.

It is a major event in literature.

Then there's no need to say more about the dictionary.

It is far superior to the revised Hongwu Zhengyun.

It's unclear how much it surpasses; you could say the two are worlds apart!

How could they refuse such a grand event?

"To rise to a higher position, that is indeed a very good consideration."

It's also a grand event!
Once completed, it will play a pivotal role in the transmission and further development of Chinese culture.

Your suggestion is insightful and profound; I am truly impressed!

Song Lian, right there and now, began to flatter the emperor, raising both hands in approval.

Song Ne also stated that this was a grand event.

He will definitely do his best to do it.

"However, Your Majesty, this matter is too vast, complex, and involves a huge amount of work."

This cannot be done by one person, nor can it be done in a short period of time, and the cost is considerable.

Song Ne began to consider the actual situation.

Compared to Song Lian, Song Ne was more practical.

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "That's why we should take the lead and gather talented and ambitious people from all over the country in the name of the government."

Let us do this together.

There's no need to worry about spending money on this.

How could we be stingy with such a grand event that benefits the development of Chinese culture?

All expenses for this matter will be covered by our private funds.

Upon hearing this, Song Lian and Song Ne were completely convinced and prostrated themselves on the ground.

They addressed him as the Holy Ruler.

After all, throughout history, many emperors have been desperately trying to rake in money from the imperial treasury.

It is extremely rare for an emperor like the current one to directly use money from the imperial treasury to compile a dictionary.

Zhu Yuanzhang asked the two men to stand up, and looking at them solemnly, said, "We have another question, and we would like to ask you two, Mr. Song, to answer it for us."

Zhu Yuanzhang paused, looked at the two men, and slowly asked with utmost seriousness, "Do you gentlemen think that Chinese characters should be simplified?"

(End of this chapter)