Chapter 73 Zheng He's Voyages to the West

The sixteenth year of Yongle.

Zhu Di looked at the crown prince and his grandson: "Crown prince, grandson, I know what you learn every day. You need to be 'benevolent', that's right. I have fought for my whole life, and the Ming Dynasty needs to recuperate. However, this does not mean that we should be merciful! Especially to those guys who dug up the roots of our Zhu family. You also saw that the Ming Dynasty finally perished, and the reason for this demise is inseparable from these guys who only care about their own selfish interests!"

Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji nodded, their faces not looking good, full of anger: "My son/grandson knows! Dad/grandfather, don't worry, I will never let this happen!"

Zhu Gaochi suggested: "Dad, why don't we record this in our ancestral precepts!"

Zhu Di agreed: "Yes, it must be written clearly. The fall of the Ming Dynasty is inseparable from this issue!"

Song.

Zhao Kuangyin was a little worried as he had just learned about a lot of problems in the Song Dynasty. Even beating his son did not relieve his anger.

Now, he had to think carefully. After all, his plan was to treat the civil officials well. Would the Song Dynasty also face the same problem? Could they not collect taxes, or would the ministers form cliques?

【Let’s talk about Zhu Di. 】

The scene on the sky began to change. The blue ocean, the endless sea, the coastline and islands in the distance...

Zhu Yuanzhang speculated: Could this be about the ocean? Maritime bans, merchants?
In the 16th year of Yongle, Zhu Di had already guessed what was going on. He smiled and said, "Eunuch Sanbao has made great contributions!"

[In addition to these traditional things, Zhu Di also embarked on a great cause - navigation.

As for overseas countries, any disrespectful foreign kings were captured alive, and the invading barbarian bandits were wiped out. As a result, the sea was peaceful and the foreign people relied on the country.

This sentence refers to the official maritime activities during the Yongle period, when the eunuch Zheng He led a fleet to sail to the Western Ocean.

Ming Dynasty, the 13th year of Hongwu.

Zhu Yuanzhang caught the key word again: "Eunuch? Lao Si, how many eunuchs did you use?"

Tang Dynasty, the third year of Zhenguan.

Li Shimin propped his chin up with his hand, listening to Tianmu's praise for the voyage to the West, and couldn't help but start thinking about going out to sea. The ocean...

【Zheng He, also known as Sanbao eunuch, was captured during the Ming army's attack on Yunnan, and later became a eunuch and entered the palace, and then followed Zhu Di to Beijing. And the time when he came to prominence was the same as that of other eunuchs that Zhu Di valued, that is, during the Jingnan Campaign.

On June 15th of the third year of Yongle, Zhu Di ordered the chief envoy Zheng He to lead a fleet to the Western Ocean. Zheng He's fleet sailed across the sea from Liujiahe in Suzhou to Fujian, and then set sail from Wuhumen in Fujian, starting his voyage to the West, and also starting a total of seven voyages to the West in the Ming Dynasty.

According to the History of Ming Dynasty, Zheng He's fleet had more than 240 ships of various types, carrying 28000 crew members.

These more than 240 ships include five types of vessels. The first is the flagship treasure ship that Zheng He took, which is meters long and meters wide, can accommodate nearly crew members, and has a spacious hull that can accommodate horses. The second type is the horse ship, which carries war horses and fodder; the third is the grain ship, which is used to store grain and daily necessities; the fourth is the water ship, which is used to store fresh water; and the fifth type is large and small warships used for external warfare.

Relying on these five fleets with clear division of labor, each doing its own job and cooperating with each other, Zheng He was invincible on the ocean. And the glory of the Ming Dynasty also spread across the oceans during these voyages.

Han Dynasty, the first year of Yuanshuo.

Emperor Wu of Han was obviously very interested in these magnificent ships.

The shipbuilding level of the Han Dynasty was actually quite advanced. For example, the building of the tower ship was tall and could have three floors. Each of the three floors had a parapet to defend against the enemy's arrows and stones, and also had shooting windows. In water battles, more than 2000 tower ships and 20 naval forces could be deployed in one battle.

Liu Che himself was extremely interested in ocean navigation and maritime trade. He had previously been trying to promote stable maritime trade routes, such as from the Shandong coast through the Yellow Sea to Korea and Japan. This would not only enhance the prestige of the Han Dynasty, but also bring him more money and treasures.

The sight of the huge Ming Dynasty fleet sailing to the West in the sky added fuel to his already burning ambition.

"Come here," he said to the attendant beside him, "tell the ship officer and the Minister of the Imperial Household to come to see me as soon as possible."

He wanted to build better ships and train better navy! However, there seemed to be no suitable place near Chang'an. Why not dig a lake outside the city that could accommodate the navy and let the Shaofu be in charge? However, should we set up a special official position to manage ships?
[The first voyage to the West was in the third year of Yongle, passing through Champa, Java and other countries. At the end of the voyage, Calicut, Zheng He gave the king a silver seal of imperial edict, built a pavilion and erected a stone tablet, "More than 100,000 miles away from China, the people and things are the same, the customs are the same, and the stone tablet is engraved here to show it to the world forever." On September 2, the fifth year of Yongle, Zheng He led the fleet back to China.

The second voyage to the West was in the fifth year of Yongle. This voyage was mainly to send foreign envoys back to their countries, and the scale was relatively small. When arriving in Ceylon, Zheng He's fleet donated gold, silver, silk, and incense oil to the relevant Buddhist temples. On the first day of February in the seventh year of Yongle, Zheng He and Wang Jinghong erected the "Monument of Donations to the Buddhist Temples in Mount Ceylon", recording the donations. In the summer of the seventh year of Yongle, Zheng He's fleet returned to the court.

The third voyage to the West was in September of the seventh year of the Yongle reign. Zheng He set sail from Liujiagang, Taicang, and sent envoys to Champa, Binh Thong Long, Zhenla, Siam and other countries. He returned to the court in June of the ninth year of the Yongle reign.

The fourth voyage to the West was in November of the tenth year of the Yongle reign. Zheng He led his fleet to sail around the Arabian Peninsula for the first time and reached Malindi (Kenya) in East Africa. He returned to China on the eighth day of the seventh month of the thirteenth year of the Yongle reign.

In December of the 14th year of the Yongle reign, Zheng He made his fifth trip and escorted envoys from various countries back to their countries. He returned in July of the 17th year of the Yongle reign.

On the 30th day of the first lunar month in the 19th year of the Yongle reign, Zhu Di ordered Zheng He to escort the envoys of the 16 nations back to their home countries. This was also the last voyage during the Yongle reign.

In July of the 22nd year of Yongle, Emperor Taizong of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di, passed away.

In the fifth year after the crown prince Zhu Zhanji ascended the throne, Zheng He embarked on his last voyage and died during this trip.

Ming Dynasty, Hongwu Years.

Zhu Di looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with a little excitement and said, "Dad, this is a prosperous scene with all nations coming to pay tribute!" Praise me, it's all my credit!

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him with disdain and said, "They are just some uncivilized foreign nations. What is there to brag about? However, if I can let them know that they are blessed by heaven and educated, and make a little embellishment to the prosperity of our Ming Dynasty, it can be considered a contribution."

The corners of Zhu Di's mouth began to rise. Isn't this a compliment to him?
"However," Zhu Yuanzhang changed the subject and began to criticize again, "Although the purpose is to publicize the benevolence of our Ming Dynasty, these seven missions to the West are a waste of money and manpower, and are ostentatious and go against the need to stabilize the people and the country!" He said solemnly, "We should still take agriculture as the foundation of the country, and not be tempted by a little fun!" Zhu Di was a little depressed, but he also agreed with Zhu Yuanzhang's words that "agriculture is the foundation", so he obeyed and said, "I understand, Dad, agriculture is our foundation."

"But the ocean is really huge!" Zhu Bo was still young, and he couldn't help but exclaimed in amazement as he looked at the places in the sky that lit up as Zheng He sailed.

Yes, the area above the ocean and outside the Central Plains of China is really vast! There are so many countries!
Zheng He made seven voyages to the Western Ocean, lighting up countless places from east to west and from north to south. He also showed the emperors and generals of all dynasties who were confined to the mainland how vast the world is and how many countries and lands there are outside the Central Plains!
Zhu Biao also spoke up: "Dad, although agriculture is the foundation, what Fourth Brother did is also right. In such a large place, our Ming Dynasty must have a place. At the very least, we must have the ability to protect ourselves."

In the early Ming Dynasty, the maritime ban was still very strict, but it did not conflict with their naval training and the manufacture of official ships.

The sixteenth year of Yongle.

Since everyone had already known about the voyage to the West, they were now concerned about another issue.

In July of the 22nd year of Yongle, Zhu Di died. Died? Died!

"father!"

"grandfather!"

Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji looked at Zhu Di at once, and it seemed that they were about to pounce on Zhu Di together.

Although Zhu Di was a little surprised, he was still relatively calm: "Why panic? It's no big deal. I'm not young anymore, and this day will come sooner or later." He smiled and looked at his son and grandson, "I don't believe in eternal generations or long life, those are just lies."

Seeing that Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji still looked unhappy, he remembered the common problems of the past emperors and said sternly: "Don't think too much. Besides, I don't believe in those elixirs and immortals, so you two shouldn't think about them!" His tone was stern. (In the 15th year of Yongle, Zhu Di ordered the execution of alchemists)
Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji agreed, but they were still a little unhappy.

"Dad, it's been sixteen years now. Tianmu said it was twenty-two years..." Only six years left!

Zhu Di smiled suddenly: "I thought you were up to something else. Why are you looking so sad? I'm just worried that by the time my idea hasn't been realized, there will be regrets..." Besides, his health has indeed been gradually weakening over the years.

Others may not know, but he himself may not know it. The continuous wars in his early years must have had an impact on him! And he did not rest in these years, and he still led the army in person. It was not surprising that he died in the 22nd year.

[Of course, Zheng He's voyages to the West were not just for symbolic purposes or as a simple envoy.

He was also responsible for establishing strongholds for the Ming Dynasty in Southeast Asia.

For example, during his third trip, Zheng He, who had a basic understanding of the situation in Southeast Asia, built the "Monument of Donation to the Ceylon Mountain Buddhist Temple" in Sri Lanka. This move seemed to be a commemoration and a gesture of goodwill, but in fact it was to strike at the Tamils, the main force in the area at the time, and to help the disadvantaged Sinhalese Buddhists.

This was obviously done for a political purpose, which was to establish a vassal force in the local area that was more obedient to the Ming Dynasty.

So after an armed conflict broke out in the area, Zheng He led his troops into the palace, brought the king back to the Ming Dynasty, and imprisoned him until his death. Zhu Di also took the opportunity to order the locals to re-elect a king.

In this way, the Sinhalese people regained their country.

Of course, there are more than one such place in Sri Lanka. For example, Zheng He led his army to eliminate Chen Zuyi of Jiugang, supported Shi Jinqing as the new ruler, and established the most important vassal of the Ming Dynasty in the South Sea Islands - Jiugang Xuanweisi.

Ming Dynasty, Hongwu Years.

Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, with a look of satisfaction on his face.

That's right! Such repeated missions to the West cannot be just to make those small countries come to pay tribute to our Ming Dynasty. Of course, there must be more measures and more critical tasks! There is such a vast place on the sea. Although we don't look down on it, we must have some bases! Just like the north, this will allow the Ming Dynasty to better demonstrate the majesty of the upper country!
Han Dynasty, the first year of Yuanshuo.

Liu Che couldn't help but feel shaken as he watched Zheng He establish one stronghold after another in the Southeast Asian countries and promote the development of forces that were loyal to the Ming Dynasty.

This seems to be quite effective...

Can the Han Dynasty do the same? Not in the West, but in the Western Regions... Let them get close to the Han Dynasty, let them become the base of the Han Dynasty and serve the Han Dynasty...

Speaking of which, what happened to Zhang Qian, who was sent on a diplomatic mission to the Western Regions and allied with the Dayuezhi a few years ago?

[Zheng He's voyages to the West were the only official mission to the West during the Ming Dynasty. After Zheng He, no one else did so.

There are many reasons for stopping the voyages to the West.

On the one hand, it is financially unaffordable.

The diplomatic missions to the West were not completely unprofitable. On the first and second missions, Zheng He led a fleet that brought back a large number of spices and treasures that were lacking in the Central Plains, such as pepper. These gold and silver treasures supported Zhu Di's large-scale construction activities; but due to the large fleet, the number of spices brought back was too large, causing the price of spices to begin to fall. Later, the price of spices made the diplomatic missions to the West a losing business.

Another aspect is the game between bureaucrats and imperial power. When Zheng He went on diplomatic missions to the West, most of the treasures he brought were directly placed in the emperor's private treasury. Ministers could not share the benefits of the diplomatic missions, but sometimes their interests were damaged. For example, when the price of pepper dropped, it was directly treated as salary and paid at the original price. If they stopped official trips and switched to private trade, they could gain more benefits.

Most emperors after Zhu Di did not have much strong desire to go to sea. In addition, the nomadic peoples in the north were always a major concern for the Ming Dynasty, so the government's going to sea was never carried out in the future.

What about private sea voyages? In fact, illegal sea voyages are still rampant, especially among big businessmen and wealthy businessmen along the coast.

What about the government lifting the ban on sea trade? This was actually opposed by many people. When the emperor planned to officially lift the ban on sea trade, it was already the middle of the Ming Dynasty, and various interest groups had already taken shape. Lifting the ban on sea trade meant that anyone could try to go to sea, which would not be of any benefit to the top merchants who monopolized the sea trade and the officials who had interests related to them.

Therefore, although the maritime ban policy existed in name only until the end, the official decree to completely abolish the maritime ban was never issued.

These words undoubtedly touched the hearts of all the emperors.

(End of this chapter)