Chapter 28 Seclusion of the country eventually led to the decline of Ming Dynasty
next door.
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he thought deeply.
He never had a good impression of businessmen in his mind.
He has always believed that the existence of businessmen is a bunch of parasites who exploit the people.
It would not be of any benefit to the Ming Dynasty.
But now after listening to Lin Che's detailed analysis, I am quite touched.
Lin Che was right, Yingtian Mansion was much more prosperous now than before.
Yesterday I went to Liu Bowen's Mansion, passed by the North and South Streets, and saw the prosperous scene there. Aren't these all created by those businessmen? If you suppress commerce and attack merchants, what benefits will the people get from it? As Lin Che said, no!
What benefits did the court get from it? None!
Then we are going to formulate a policy of "focusing on agriculture and suppressing business", for whom? For the imperial court?Or for the common people? Zhu Yuanzhang weighed it in his heart and made a negative decision.
"Boss, you've recorded everything for us in detail. I'll prepare a memorial later."
"Let's go back and study it carefully."
Zhu Biao agreed, raised his pen and listened intently.
the other side.
Zhu Xi finally recovered from the shock.
He stood up quickly, put his feet on the chair, and looked at Lin Che excitedly:
"inappropriate!"
"It's definitely not appropriate to do this!"
"When we go back, let father write a note to the emperor..."
Lin Che waved her hand towards him, telling him not to be so excited.
“Business is so much more than that.”
“It not only creates employment and promotes economic development, but also promotes social progress.”
"These contents are a bit out of line, just listen to them."
"In a word, commercial development will bring no harm to the Ming Dynasty."
Having said this, Lin Che stretched out her hand to take the wine jar. Zhu Ming, with quick eyes and quick hands, hurriedly filled Lin Che's wine jar.
"Mr. Lin, when you say this, I think business is indeed very important, but why doesn't the current generation of British emperors consider it this way?"
Zhu Xi said, picking up the wine bowl and touching it with Lin Che.
Lin Che took a sip of wine and said: "It's not that the current emperor didn't consider it, but made a decision after weighing it carefully."
"Agricultural civilization has been passed down for thousands of years and is deeply rooted, which is good for maintaining the rule of rulers."
“When talking about the Ming Dynasty’s emphasis on agriculture and suppression of commerce, we have to talk about the Hongwu Dynasty’s maritime ban policy!”
Zhu Xi drained the wine in the bowl and asked doubtfully: "Sir, you said you emphasized agriculture and suppressed business, but why did you end up talking about the 'sea ban'? Are the two related?"
In the university hall, Zhu Xi and Song Lian, the great Confucians, explained the 'sea ban' policy to the princes like them.
The sea ban was one of the most stringent policies implemented by Zhu Yuanzhang.
In Zhu Yuanzhang's view, overseas trade did not have much benefit to the Ming Dynasty's economy.
As an emperor who came from a peasant background, Zhu Yuanzhang valued farming far more than business, let alone overseas trade.
This mentality drove him to adopt a 'sea ban'.
At the same time, in order to prevent the intrusion of Japanese pirates and the nuisance of Zhang Shicheng and Fang Guozhen's remaining troops, and to protect the safety of the coast, Zhu Yuanzhang promulgated in the fourth year of Hongwu that "it is forbidden for coastal people to go to sea privately".
In the eighth year of Hongwu's reign, it was promulgated that "forbidden access to coastal people and overseas countries" was announced.
Not only that, in the third and seventh years of Hongwu, the agency responsible for maritime trade was abolished twice: the Municipal Shipping Department.
The great scholars in the university have always believed that the development of agriculture is the orthodoxy of the dynasty.
When they explained it to Zhu Feng and other princes, they also followed the emperor's thinking in analyzing the sea ban.
It is to prevent Japanese pirates from nuisance and protect coastal safety.
In Zhu Xi's understanding, the 'sea ban' was nothing more than a strategic move of the Ming has nothing to do with "emphasis on agriculture and suppression of business".
"You are wrong. The 'sea ban' is not only related to the 'emphasis on agriculture and suppression of commerce', but is also closely related."
Lin Che drank the wine in the bowl and said: "The maritime ban policy is, to put it bluntly, a disguised form of favoring agriculture and suppressing business, and it is even more stringent."
"This 'one-size-fits-all' maritime ban policy has deprived the vast majority of maritime residents who rely on overseas trade."
"This has led to these seafarers joining the ranks of Japanese pirates and pirates, confronting the government, some fleeing overseas, and some simply engaging in smuggling."
"The imposition of a maritime ban is actually the implementation of 'isolation', which will eventually marginalize the Ming Dynasty and lead to its decline."
A secret room separated by a wall.
The oppressive atmosphere is eerie.
Zhu Yuanzhang's face was gloomy, the veins on his forehead were beating wildly, and he was clenching his fists, ready to hit the wall at any time.
Zhu Biao held the writing brush in his hand and sat there without daring to breathe. Big beads of sweat fell from his forehead.
The day before yesterday, when explaining land annexation, Lin Che said, "The Ming Dynasty is in danger!" Now, the Hongwu Dynasty's "sea ban" policy has led to the decline of the Ming Dynasty.
Why doesn't this kid have a word of comfort?
Thinking about how the Ming Dynasty, which was founded by my father in the mountains of swords and sea of blood, was in its prime and prosperous, it seemed to this boy that it was like a broken house that was about to collapse at any time.
Not to mention that my father was furious when he heard this, and even he felt that this boy was being alarmist.
Zhu Yuanzhang was breathing heavily.
It took him a long time to say to Zhu Biao:
"Remember! Write everything down for us. I want to see how else he can explain it!"
……
Zhu Ping, who was on the opposite side, obviously did not agree that the Ming Dynasty would be marginalized and decline.
He stood up, looked at Lin Che, shook his head in disbelief and said: "Sir, what you said is too alarmist."
"The maritime ban is only to prevent Japanese pirates from rebelling and causing nuisance and to protect coastal defense."
"This policy does not threaten the foundation of Ming Dynasty at all."
"How could it be possible for Ming Dynasty to be marginalized and decline?"
Seeing Zhu Xi's dissatisfied expression, Lin Che did not refute.
Instead, he dipped his finger into the bowl with some wine and drew a simple map on the table.
Point to the location of Daming on the map and its surroundings:
"This is our Ming Dynasty. To the south are Annan, Siam, Chenla and other countries."
"To the north are the remaining forces of the Northern Yuan Dynasty and the Jurchen and other tribes."
"On the sea to the east are Ryukyu, Japan and Goryeo."
"To the northwest are the countries of the Western Regions, and to the west is the huge Mongol Timurid Empire."
Lin Che glanced at Zhu Xi, who was looking at the map attentively, and continued:
"My Ming Dynasty is in such an environment. To the north is the vast Gobi and grasslands. It is barren and barbaric. There is nothing to fight for. We only need to drive the remnants of the Northern Yuan Dynasty and the Jurchen tribes far away and not intrude on the Ming Dynasty's border defenses."
"To the west are the countries in the Western Regions that are blocked by deserts and Gobi deserts. The roads are far away. During the Tang and Han Dynasties, our Chinese Empire had commercial exchanges with the countries in the Western Regions. There was a Silk Road connecting the two places. Now because the countries in the Western Regions are basically controlled by the Timur Empire Silk Road trade was cut off.”
"To the east is the vast sea, and the island countries of Ryukyu and Japan are also barren lands, not worthy of Ming Dynasty's concern."
"Only Annan, Siam, Chenla and other countries in the south have a climate suitable for farming, a vast land and sparsely populated areas, and rice is ripe. There are rivers and lakes there, which can provide a large amount of aquatic products. Various fruit trees in the wild can provide various Grow fresh and delicious fruit.”
"Annam, Siam, Chenla and other countries are really suitable for the Ming Dynasty to expand their territory. However, the land route to these countries requires passing through remote places such as Yunnan and Guizhou. Not only are the mountains high and the roads are long, but they also have to pass through dense virgin forests."
"Not only will the distant troops waste people and money when they go on an expedition, they will also cause unnecessary casualties to the troops due to miasma, poisonous insects and ferocious beasts."
"It would be different if we took the sea route!"
Lin Che dipped her drink in the wine and drew an arrow on the map, pointing directly to these countries.
"Through sea routes, we can enter the hinterlands of these countries in one fell swoop and capture them!"
(End of this chapter)