Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 340 My Great Ming Dynasty Must Choose Cultural Victory? Your Majesty, That's "Shambhala"!
With a "whoosh," the Wanli Emperor's enormous body seemed to take flight, creating a whooshing sound.

Something flew up.

"His Majesty!"

"Wow! The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is so majestic!"

With a gasp of surprise, everyone gathered around and saw that on the slope in front of the Great Ci'en Temple, the Wanli Emperor leaned slightly backward and slid rapidly down the slope, stirring up a cloud of dust.

Not only the envoys from the vassal states, but even the court officials were dumbfounded.

The emperor's loud laughter still echoed in the wind.

"Hahaha! So happy!"

"That was so satisfying!"

"My lords! Quickly follow my lead!"

Standing at the top of the slope, Zhang Yunxiu was completely taken aback by the sudden turn of events, and when he looked down, he was startled.

His first thought was, if the Wanli Emperor went too far and accidentally ran into a hillside and died, would he be considered to have committed regicide?
For the Zhang family, was the emperor's sudden death a bad thing or a good thing?
The first to panic was the eunuch Zhang Jing. He was so frightened that he lost his mind. He stumbled forward, stuck his head out to look down the slope, and couldn't help but exclaim.

"Protect the Emperor! Quickly, protect the Emperor!"

Turning to look at the unmoved Zhang Yunxiu, she was so anxious she almost jumped up.

"Commander Zhang, what do you mean by this? Why aren't you protecting His Majesty? If anything happens to His Majesty, can you bear the responsibility?"

Zhang Jing was truly anxious. He had just replaced Zhang Cheng as the Grand Eunuch, and if the emperor were to pass away, everything would be ruined.

Zhang Yunxiu was about to argue when he saw the Wanli Emperor come to a steady stop at the bottom of the slope, indicating that the training over the past two weeks had been quite effective.

He chuckled and pointed downwards.

"What's the rush, Eunuch Zhang?" Zhang Yunxiu chuckled, pointing to the Wanli Emperor below. "Isn't His Majesty waiting for us at the bottom of the slope?"

"You!" Zhang Jing was furious, but when he turned around and saw the Wanli Emperor waving and talking below, he scrambled down the hillside. "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

The fact that Emperor Wanli was alright was a great relief to his officials.

Many officials from the Ministry of Rites appeared indignant, as if they were determined to remonstrate with the emperor to the death.

However, the envoys from the vassal states reacted completely differently. They were overjoyed, as if they had witnessed a miracle, and shouted loudly.

"Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty!"

For the envoys from grassland civilizations such as Turpan, Hami, and Tibet, Emperor Wanli's action was far more authoritative than sitting high on the dragon throne.

The people of the grasslands do not value civil administration; they only believe that the strong are respected.

They couldn't figure out why the Wanli Emperor could walk so swiftly and glide so fast, so they subconsciously attributed it to his superior martial prowess.

Moreover, adventurers and brave individuals are highly revered by them.

Wanli stood at the bottom of the slope, hands on his hips, his large belly protruding. Even though his legs were trembling, he still looked quite content and laughed loudly as he spoke.

"My lords, come down quickly. I will take you to Xishan Academy for a look."

At the top of the hill, Yu Youding was extremely anxious and even wanted to remonstrate with the emperor that he should not act so impulsively again. But when he turned around, he saw those enthusiastic envoys.

The emperor's momentary folly unexpectedly had a remarkable effect.

He couldn't help but sigh and say, "Fortune and misfortune are intertwined; this time, the envoy has been truly convinced."

Zhang Juzheng's tense body relaxed a lot, but when he looked at Zhang Yunxiu, his eyes were filled with burning passion again.

He gritted his teeth.

"What's that kid up to now!"

Yu Youding glanced at the Grand Secretary and sighed helplessly.

Zhang Juzheng's health has been improving lately, but his youngest son seems to be the biggest hidden danger, who knows when he might anger his father to death.

It seems the Grand Secretary never has a single day of peace.
Fortunately, all was well. After arriving at the bottom of the slope with several eunuchs, Zhang Jing carefully examined Emperor Wanli and confirmed that the emperor was not missing any limbs. Only then did he breathe a heavy sigh of relief.

Emperor Wanli had only suffered a minor scrape on his leg, and despite the pain, he couldn't contain his enthusiasm and waved to the envoys.

"All of you, proceed to Xishan Academy!"

The officials from the Ministry of Rites were thoroughly exhausted, but they had no choice but to follow along, and the group headed towards Xishan Academy in a grand procession.

After New Year's Day, the weather warmed up slightly, but overall, it was still unusually cold due to the influence of the Little Ice Age.

Fortunately, the road to Xishan was quite flat. There was a specially paved cement road three miles away. When the carriages and sedan chairs passed over the cement road, anyone could feel the "flatness" of it, which was completely different from the muddy ground.

The Korean envoy, Yi In-sin, couldn't help but exclaim from inside the carriage: "The grandeur of our country is truly remarkable. It has such a seamless and integrated road system. This audience has been an eye-opener."

The Annamese envoy, Nguyen Van Trung, scoffed, "What a waste of manpower and resources! What a waste of manpower and resources! How many people could be fed with the savings?"

Li Renxin shook his head and retorted, "Mr. Ruan, you are unaware of this. As far as I know, this road is paved with a kind of 'cement,' which saves a lot of manpower and resources compared to building bridges and paving roads in the past, and also greatly shortens the construction time."

"impossible!"

Ruan Wenzhong said decisively.

But then he realized he wasn't very convincing, so he quickly tried to make amends.

"So what if the work process is shorter? The people could have earned some wages by paving roads. Now that the working hours are shortened, won't they lose income? This is harming the people!"

Li Renxin looked at the other party as if he were an idiot: "In the past, the government conscripted laborers as corvée laborers, so where did they get their wages?"
Nowadays, all construction and repair work in Xishan is done with clearly marked wages, which are even higher than those outside.

"Once the road to Xishan is cleared, all vehicles and horses can pass through, and the people of the capital can benefit from it. How can it be said to harm the people?"

“Completely different! Completely different!” Ruan Wenzhong blushed, but still stubbornly insisted.

Li Renxin turned his head away disdainfully: "We came to the Great Ming with the intention of learning. Mr. Ruan, you are so nitpicky. No matter how good the Great Ming is, you can always find fault with it."

Ruan Wenzhong was furious.

"I disdain to ride in the same carriage as the lackeys of the Ming Dynasty!"

After saying that, he climbed out of the carriage.

Li Renxin's face was ashen; he simply assumed he had encountered a mad dog.

After entering the Western Hills, the mountain roads became rugged, and it was extremely difficult for ordinary sedan chairs to go up the mountain. So even the Wanli Emperor rode in a horse-drawn carriage. With the cement road winding up the mountain, the carriage could travel almost as if on flat ground, which was much faster than a sedan chair.

Even so, the carriage was still a bit bumpy.

Sitting on the soft brocade cushion, Emperor Wanli's chubby face still trembled up and down.

He couldn't help but complain a little.

"Although this carriage is fast, it is too bumpy. Every time I come to Xishan, I feel dizzy and disoriented."

Zhang Yunxiu, sitting to the side with a smile, said, “Your Majesty, please be patient. Our Xishan industry is just starting out. It will take some time before we can manufacture those four-wheeled carriages.”

The most important components in the manufacture of four-wheeled carriages are the steering system, suspension system, differential system, and shock absorption system. If mass production is desired, lathes and micrometers must also be included.

This is a complete factory system, and even if Zhang Yunxiu has a direction, it cannot be realized in a short period of time.

The current situation in Xishan is that it has no shortage of ideas or research directions, but it lacks enough talent.

Heaven help me, since Zhao Shizhen entered Xishan, he has hardly had a good night's sleep. Apart from some work assigned by Zhang Yunxiu or the emperor, he devoted almost all his time to research.

Steam engine?
Musket?

Precision machine tools?

microscope?
Almost every invention was groundbreaking. Xishan was like a child who had stumbled into a mountain of gold and silver, but lacked the strength to take all this wealth with him. Emperor Wanli sighed heavily and said, "I can't wait any longer. I really hope that one day I can see a carriage that can move on its own without horses."

And what about your grain that can make the world rich?

I can't wait any longer.

Zhang Yunxiu said with a smile, "Whether sweet potatoes are effective or not, we'll know when spring comes. But right now, our most important task is to pacify these restless neighboring vassal states."

Emperor Wanli dismissed it with disdain: "They are nothing but a small, insignificant country. Shiyuan, you are taking them too seriously. Letting them come to the academy to observe is just letting them off easy."

Sending them to study in the Ming Dynasty would be an immense blessing!

Zhang Yunxiu shook his head and said, "Although small countries are weak, the principle is not like that. Needless to say, even if it is the Japanese pirates or the Tartars in the north, do we, the Great Ming, really fear them?"

The Tartars had no fixed abode, wandering across the grasslands and making a living by plundering.

Although the Japanese pirates are powerful, can they really withstand the power of our Great Ming?

These enemies are all weak, so why are they so incredibly troublesome?

The Wanli Emperor gritted his teeth and said, "These petty villains never engage in direct combat. They fight and then run away. They reappear when the army rests. It's incredibly annoying."

Zhang Yunxiu nodded and said, "That's the point. It's not that the Ming Dynasty lacks the strength to fight, but that fighting would be a losing proposition. Even if we drive the Tatars deep into the desert, what will the Ming Dynasty gain? A grassland with no natural defenses."

Even with the establishment of a navy to suppress them, the Japanese pirates are like rats in a room, always popping up again from time to time.

"The imperial court has to expend a great deal of effort to suppress it, wasting a huge amount of money and manpower in the process."

War has always been another form of business.

Why did the Central Plains dynasties, even in their later stages, not resort to war unless they were desperate?

It's still not worth the risk.

You emulated Emperor Chengzu's northern expedition, driving the Tatars all the way to the North Sea, which indeed appears to be a testament to your civil and military achievements.

But then what?
How much grain and fodder was used? How many soldiers died? How much silver will the imperial court spend? How much profit will this battle bring? How much silver will be earned?

This is like an ordinary person spending their entire family's savings for a year to hunt down a beggar, only to find that the beggar's house is destitute and they get nothing in return.

If war doesn't bring in money, it's no wonder that the civil service is vehemently opposed.

Zhang Yunxiu said with a smile, "Therefore, compared to a hard knife, a soft knife is more effective. If the Ming Dynasty is to be revitalized, expand its territory, and pacify the north and south, a hard knife is necessary, but a soft knife is more economical and practical, Your Majesty!"

The Wanli Emperor shuddered: "You sent envoys to the academy and asked them to send sons of noble families from across the country to study there. Is this what you were thinking?"

“Education is of paramount importance in governing the world, and how can the world be confined to the territory of the Ming Dynasty?” Zhang Yunxiu asked with a smile. “Simply sending a group of gentry is far from enough.”

"Shiyuan, your idea is not bad," the Wanli Emperor said, frowning slightly. "But do you really think those envoys from vassal states are fools? They come all the way to the Ming Dynasty just to be conquered by our culture?"

The term "cultural conquest" was actually learned by Emperor Wanli from Zhang Yunxiu.

Zhang Yunxiu shook his head and said, "This is an open scheme. Our Great Ming is concealing its desire to export its culture, but can they really resist the temptation to come?"

He pointed outside.

"Having seen and heard in Xishan, I have no fear that they will be unwilling!"

As Zhang Yunxiu said, the delegation was not taken directly to Xishan Academy, but instead went around in circles.

First, they toured Xishan Village and observed the daily lives of the local people.

The people of Xishan were used to this kind of life of being "observed". They were only respectful to the emperor, and they would not even look at other officials unless they were of the third rank.

What is your official position?
Seeing these strangely dressed envoys from vassal states, the people of Xishan watched them more like monkeys. Some of the older folks were even more unrestrained, sitting at their doorsteps with bowls of melon seeds, commenting on them.

"How can there still be long braids? Men wearing braids is simply a sign of moral decay."

The accompanying Turpan envoys couldn't help but avoid eye contact and tuck their braids into their clothes.

“How can there still be monks? Come, great monk, chant Buddhist scriptures for my family, and I'll give you some incense money.”

The monks of Ü-Tsang avoided it like the plague.

"What country is this person from? How come he looks so ugly, like a monkey?"

When Annamese envoy Nguyen Van Trung passed by, he heard a group of elderly women criticizing him. Upon hearing the word "monkey," he couldn't hold back any longer and jumped up to curse.

"You insolent commoners! You audacious insolent commoners! Do you even know who I am? How dare you speak so disrespectfully! You lot!"

Before he could finish speaking, the older women scattered in fear, giving him no chance to retaliate.

Upon seeing this, Yu Youding, the Minister of Rites, quickly stepped forward to comfort him.

"I'm sorry to make you laugh, Ambassador Ruan. We common people of Xishan are used to seeing high-ranking officials and nobles, and there is little distinction between superiors and inferiors in Xishan. This has led to our temperament. I hope Ambassador Ruan won't hold it against a common woman."

That last sentence could have choked Ruan Wenzhong to death.

His face turned as red as a monkey's bottom as he shouted.

"This is utterly a collapse of morality and social order! Your country should be teaching its people a lesson!"

Yu Youding greeted him with a smile and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect.

"Ambassador Ruan, please don't take offense. This Xishan area has never been under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites, nor does the court have any responsibility for its education. If you have any objections, you can go and find Zhang, the head of the guards, as this area is under his jurisdiction."

He raised his finger and pointed to Zhang Yunxiu, who was leading the way.

Ruan Wenzhong had been acting aggressively, but when he turned around and saw Zhang Yunxiu's back, he immediately shuddered.

Before the envoys from various countries came to the Ming Dynasty, they had all heard that Zhang Yunxiu was a vicious and ruthless man who had killed countless Ming officials. The mere mention of his name could stop a child from crying!

For a moment, Ruan Wenzhong became much more obedient. He straightened his clothes and said in a low voice.

"How could your emperor tolerate such an arrogant and domineering person?"

In his eyes, Zhang Yunxiu seemed to be very disrespectful to the emperor, and did not have any sense of being a subject.

Yu Youding was stunned for a moment, then made a painful expression on his face and sighed.

Ruan Wenzhong seemed to understand something, and patted Yu Youding on the shoulder with empathy.

"Minister Yu's affairs in the court have always been like this."

The two felt a deep mutual respect, but their thoughts seemed to be completely different.

After visiting Xishan Village, Zhang Yunxiu led the delegation directly to the warm shed of the Xishan Reclamation Office.

Sweet potatoes are obviously not allowed to be displayed, but ordinary fruits and vegetables don't need to be hidden away.

Zhang Yunxiu picked two cucumbers, wiped them clean with his sleeve, handed one to the Wanli Emperor, and ate the other himself.

The emperor and his minister then began to crunch on the cucumbers, leaving the envoy dumbfounded.

The North Korean envoy, Ri In-shin, was the first to exclaim in shock, "This is a cucumber? It's only January, and it's freezing cold outside. How can there be edible cucumbers in this shed? Is this some kind of miracle?"

Not only Li Renxin, but all the Tibetan envoys were dumbfounded, and the monks knelt down to chant sutras as if they had encountered the Buddha manifesting himself.

"Om Mani Padme Hum!"

"Your Majesty the Emperor"

The Tibetan envoy, Yeli, was trembling. He disregarded etiquette and hurriedly stepped forward to ask the Wanli Emperor.

"Am I dreaming, or is this some kind of illusion? It's snowing heavily outside, so why is this place so lush and green? Is it possible that the Ming Dynasty is truly protected by Buddhism? Or is the Western Hills the legendary holy land of 'Shambhala'?"

(End of this chapter)