The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 127 The Ming Dynasty Embarks on a New Path of Expansion

"The Han Dynasty was founded by Liu Bang, followed by Emperor Wen and then Emperor Xuan, making it only three emperors in total."

The Later Han Dynasty had Liu Xiu, and then Emperor Ming; there were only two emperors.

The Tang Dynasty had Emperor Taizong and Emperor Xuanzong, but only two emperors.

It seems that a dynasty's fate can only produce two unparalleled rulers.

The late emperor founded the dynasty, and Your Majesty is truly its founder. Do you really think that the Ming Dynasty will ever produce another monarch of Your Majesty's caliber?

Zheng He opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything. How could he not know that his voyages were all thanks to His Majesty's support? The entire Ming Dynasty was prosperous today because of His Majesty's foresight.

Zhu Di was both pleased and worried upon hearing Li Xianmu's words.

He was naturally pleased with his high position, but worried because Li Xianmu's words made perfect sense: since ancient times, the founding emperor of a dynasty has always been an outstanding figure, followed by another outstanding monarch, while the rest are all mediocre.

Looking at his own sons, whether it was the Crown Prince, the Prince of Han, or the Prince of Zhao, none of them were as talented in both literature and martial arts as he had been, which truly proved what Li Xianmu had said.

Ugh.

Wealth does not last for more than three generations.

The beauty of a gentleman will be cut down in five lifetimes.

This applies not only to individual families but also to the royal family.

This is something even sages couldn't solve; it's a problem that no one has been able to resolve since ancient times, so it can only be attributed to fate.

Zheng He asked in a hoarse voice, "Does Scholar Li have a way to ensure that the voyages to the Western Ocean will be passed down for generations?"

"If the voyages to the Western Ocean continue as they are now, costing two million strings of cash every year, they will inevitably be stopped eventually."

Li Xianmu said with emotion: "The money and grain spent by the court on repairing the Great Wall is more than that spent on the voyages to the Western Ocean. The expenses for repairing and maintaining the Grand Canal, managing the Yellow River every year, providing disaster relief to people in various places, and maintaining the three major battalions of the Imperial Guards are no less than those spent on the voyages to the Western Ocean. But why has no one ever suggested stopping these things?"

Everyone knew that Li Xianmu wasn't asking a question. These things were the foundation upon which the Ming Dynasty depended for its survival. When the country ran out of money for these things, it was probably time for the country to perish.

"The world is bustling with activity, all for the sake of profit. This profit is not the profit of money and cloth, but the profit of the nation."

"If the benefits are great enough, no one will object to the voyages to the Western Ocean."

Zheng He finally understood. He almost immediately bowed and said, "Please teach me, Scholar Li, how can we connect the voyages to the Western Ocean with the important affairs of our nation?"

Everyone was shocked, and even Zhu Di became curious. He never expected that Li Xianmu could change Zheng He's mind so easily with just a few words.

However, if they really wanted to persuade Zheng He, they had to give him a good reason. The emperor and his ministers were also very curious about how Li Xianmu would connect the voyages to the Western Ocean with the important affairs of the dynasty.

"I can't possibly link the voyages to the Western Ocean with the major affairs of the nation right now."

Before anyone could react, Li Xianmu continued, "But I have a way to preserve this huge fleet."

Although Zheng He was slightly disappointed, he quickly realized that as long as the court could keep the fleet, it would mean that he could go on voyages to the Western Ocean at any time.
Zhu Di chuckled and said, "Tell me, how can you convince future emperors to spend two million strings of cash every year to preserve the fleet?"

Li Xianmu asked a completely unrelated question in a mysterious way: "Does Your Majesty know why the Yuan Dynasty suddenly collapsed after Emperor Taizu Gao defeated Zhang Shicheng, and why the princes and nobles of Dadu fled like their lives depended on it, without even daring to resist?"
Logically, an expedition from the south to the north would involve numerous strategic passes along the way, and Dadu (Beijing) was also a formidable city. During the Jingnan Rebellion, Li Jinglong's 500,000-strong army failed to capture it. Why then did the Mongol princes and nobles not even bother to defend it?

According to the political correctness of the Ming Dynasty, it was natural that the Ming Dynasty had received the Mandate of Heaven, so the Yuan Dynasty obeyed the Mandate of Heaven and abdicated the throne. However, in this context, such words were naturally unnecessary to say.

There are many other reasons, such as the fact that the Yuan Dynasty had lost its strength, while the Ming Dynasty was in high spirits.

"Why do you think that is?"

"An army cannot move until its supplies are ready, because the Yuan Dynasty had no food and it was impossible for them to hold out."

Li Xianmu pointed to the geomantic map and said, "Like our dynasty, the Yuan dynasty established its capital in Beijing and relied on the Jiangnan region for grain. However, since the Red Turban Rebellion, the Central Plains have been in chaos, not to mention the transport of grain from the Grand Canal. Logically speaking, the food supply should have been cut off long ago."

However, most of the Yuan Dynasty's grain supplies came from the sea, so no matter how chaotic the Central Plains were, as long as Zhang Shicheng continued to supply grain to the Yuan Dynasty, those princes and nobles could survive in Dadu!
When Zhang Shicheng was defeated by Emperor Taizu, the supply lines between Jiangnan and Dadu were instantly cut off, and the Mongol princes in Dadu could only slink back to the grasslands in disgrace!

Now everyone knew what Li Xianmu wanted to say. His real purpose was not to stop the voyages to the Western Ocean, but to use the fleet to transport grain!
"You want to reopen shipping?"

Li Xianmu solemnly said, “Your Majesty, transporting grain via the Grand Canal is extremely costly and takes a very long time. No matter how wealthy Jiangnan is, it will inevitably be dragged down. All the transport workers along the way will be exhausted.”

"If we were to use river transport, then moving the capital to Beijing would truly be a disaster. My father, myself, and all those who advised against it would become eternal sinners of the Ming Dynasty!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di felt his eyelids twitch, and the others were also terrified, for Li Xianmu's words were far too serious!
A sinner for all time!

Li Xianmu even included his father in the discussion, which made everyone understand his determination even more. "The Yuan Dynasty used sea transport. Ships from Jiangnan could reach Tianjin and Dadu in just ten days, transporting more than three million shi of grain a year!"

Our Ming Dynasty has a more advanced shipbuilding industry, and it can even transport five million shi of grain a year.

And the cost of its journey is only one-tenth of that of river transport!

If we were to use sea transport, His Majesty could launch more than one northern expedition, even five, with ample provisions!

Transporting grain by sea, following the will of Heaven, is truly aligning with the will of Heaven!

With extremely short transport time and minimal losses along the way, sea transport is almost the perfect method of transporting grain.

The later Ming and Qing dynasties, however, were entangled by the bureaucratic group, and their rulers were also afraid of the sea, which led to the shift to maritime transport only towards the end of the Qing dynasty.

Is sea freight really that perfect?

Seeing Li Xianmu's confident words, Zhu Di couldn't help but ask again. He knew perfectly well that the reason most people opposed moving the capital to Beijing was that the area around Beijing was too barren, and it would take a lot of money to transport grain from the south.

"In terms of transporting grain, it is indeed perfect."

Zhu Di understood the unspoken meaning in his words: "So you mean there's something wrong with it?"

"If it's about transmitting military intelligence, it's naturally faster to travel by canal. The advantage of sea transport is that it can deliver extremely heavy items quickly."

Moreover, there are pirates at sea.

Li Xianmu did not shy away from the issue of maritime transport, saying, "For example, the Japanese pirates who wandered out of Japan would pose a danger."

This necessitates the voyages of Zheng Zhangyin's fleet.

Zheng He suddenly realized.

He had just said that many of the treasure ships that sailed to the Western Ocean were not used for transporting grain; they were all warships.

"Use a Western fleet to escort the Ming Dynasty's grain ships?"
"That's not bad. If it doesn't involve traveling thousands of miles, the cost of such a large ship isn't much, and the money saved will be more than enough. Is that your idea?"

"Your Majesty, that's not all."

Li Xianmu gave a slight smile, but his words were icy cold: "We must take the initiative to attack those Japanese pirates. How can we allow others to snore beside our bed?"

This is the sea route. Since our Ming Dynasty ships are going to sail from here, this place naturally belongs to our Ming Dynasty's territory.

It's just that this territory is at sea.

Japan is so close, and there are also Yizhou and Ryukyu. Only if these countries obey us can my Great Ming be safe.

"In my humble opinion, it is necessary for our Great Ming Dynasty to station troops in these areas to patrol regularly, combat pirates, and safeguard our grain supply lines."

Zhu Di quickly realized something else. He pointed to the location of Jiaozhi on the geomantic map and said, "I remember Zhang Fu said that this is an excellent place to build a harbor."

According to your logic, if I were to deploy an army here in Jiaozhi, wouldn't it be possible to march directly south from the capital without taking any land routes to Jiaozhi? It would take ten days to travel from the capital to Jiangnan, and it would also take only ten days to travel from Jiangnan to here!

"Can the army of my Great Ming Dynasty reach Jiaozhi within twenty days?"

Almost everyone was now on edge, rushing forward to look at the geomantic map, speechless with shock.

The straight-line distance from the capital to Jiaozhi is more than 5,000 li, and if it were a march, it would probably be 7,000 or 8,000 li. Now, suddenly, it is said that such a long distance can be covered in just over 20 days.
The words Zhang Fu had been whispering in Zhu Di's ear all along were now having a tremendous effect!
“What Your Majesty says is certainly correct, but there are risks at sea. When the Yuan Dynasty conquered Japan, it was twice wiped out by storms at sea. We cannot send out a large army every time. The best way is to station an army of several thousand men here at the port and then send supplies from Jiangnan by sea on time.”

Zhu Di had initially hesitated about maritime transport, but now that he had discovered its military applications, he immediately said in a deep voice, "The cabinet should provide me with a plan for today's matter, and summon the officials of the Six Ministries and Five Offices to the palace. I have important matters to discuss with you."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

During the court discussions on the voyages to the Western Ocean, the advantages and disadvantages of canal transport and sea transport were discussed.

Xian Mu said with a sigh: "If the capital is Yan, all officials and guards will rely on Jiangnan and adopt the river transport method. The people of Jiangnan will die because of the transport, and the treasury's money will be wasted on the river. The capital is harming the world."

The cost of canal transport is thirteen or fourteen percent less than that of land transport, while sea transport is seventeen or eighteen percent less. Although river transport eliminates the need for land transport, the labor of manual labor remains the same. By adopting sea transport, the people are spared the labor of manual labor, the nation's reserves are enriched, the people of Jiangnan do not neglect their work, and the capital remains orderly, thus benefiting the entire nation!

The emperor gladly accepted it, saying, "Xianmu's strategy benefits the nation and future generations." — Biography of Li Xianmu, History of Ming

(End of this chapter)