prosperous age

Chapter 939 1028 Dongfan Island

Huayu is located in the westernmost part of the Penghu Islands, 30 kilometers southwest of Penghu Island, with an area of ​​1.4729 square kilometers and an average altitude of about 40 meters.

At this time, apart from Japanese pirates, there are no aborigines on Huayu Island.

The northwest end of Huayu Island is mountainous, and the southeast is a stretch of rolling green hills. It is the westernmost island of the Penghu Islands.

The Penghu Islands are located between the main island of Taiwan and Fujian Province, east of the center of the Taiwan Strait.

However, Taiwan at this time did not have this name. It was called Dongfan or Xiaoliuqiu, and the Ryukyu Islands were called Daliuqiu by the Ming Dynasty.

The Penghu Islands are named because the sea outside the harbor is surging and the water inside the harbor is as calm as a lake. It consists of 64 islands in the southeastern part of the Taiwan Strait. The main islands are Penghu Main Island, Yuweng Island and Baisha Island, with an area of ​​approximately 96.6 square kilometers. , accounting for 76.1% of the total area.

面积超过1平方公里的岛屿还有虎井、吉贝、望安等8个，其余53个岛屿的面积都在1平方公里以下，其中有44个岛屿无人居住。

The development history of Penghu can be traced back to before the Qin and Han Dynasties. It was officially included in the Chinese territory in the Song Dynasty and belonged to Quanzhou Prefecture of Fujian Province. Its development time was more than 380 years earlier than the main island of Taiwan.

During the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, with the increasing number of immigrants, the Inspection Department was set up. However, the Ming Dynasty had always neglected to manage the area. Especially during the Japanese Rebellion in the early Ming Dynasty, in order to implement the maritime ban, the Penghu population was moved back to Fujian and the Penghu Inspection Department was abolished. .

However, this also allowed Daming to know the situation on Dongfan Island. There are some villages on the island where indigenous people live.

Annan is located at the junction of mainland China and the Indochina Peninsula. Once occupied, it can contain Champa, Siam, and Chenla in the near distance, and control Manchuria and Sumatran, Old Port, Kwawa, and Ning near the peninsula in the far distance. Mud and other countries.

It can be seen that the ancestral precepts set by Zhu Yuanzhang are not nonsense, at least it is proved to have some truth by facts.

In fact, many of the isolated overseas islands are no longer inhabited by residents, and most of the active people on the islands are Japanese pirates and maritime traders.

He made this announcement to various ministers at the Fengtian Gate of the Ming Palace in Nanjing: "If the overseas barbarian countries have troubles for China, they must not refuse to punish them; if they are not Chinese patients, they must not raise armies on their own.

If Dongfan Island is occupied by the Folangji people, it seems to be detrimental to our Ming Dynasty. "

All the generals agreed.

The ancients said that a vast land is not a plan for long-term peace, and the labor of the people is the source of chaos.

"Dongfan, actually the Fujian side probably knows the situation, but it's just that it's blocked by the sea and it's inconvenient to send people to supervise it.

General Youbu said.

For example, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty recklessly raised troops to conquer Ryukyu, killed the barbarians, burned their palaces, and captured thousands of men and women. The land he obtained was not enough to provide food, and the people he obtained was not enough to command. All historical records will be ridiculed by future generations.

He is not a threat to China, and it is also unlucky for me to raise an army and attack lightly. I am afraid that future generations will rely on China's wealth and strength, be greedy for temporary military success, and raise armies for no reason, causing harm to human lives. This must not be done.

His worries were not unfounded. In fact, the Ming Dynasty knew to some extent the misunderstanding at the founding of the country. There was indeed a so-called King of Ryukyu in Ryukyu, and he had always maintained a good relationship with the Ming Dynasty. From time to time, envoys would go to the Ming Dynasty for pilgrimage.

This is actually the main reason why Zhu Yuanzhang decided on these fifteen countries that would not be conquered. That is because the land is vast and the people are sparse and it is difficult to manage, and the gains and efforts are not equal.

However, because Annan was far away from the Central Plains, he finally moved towards independence and became today's Vietnam.

When the world is at peace, all we need to do is repair the armor and soldiers. It's just training soldiers to prepare for national defense.

Also because they discovered the Ming Dynasty's fear of this place, many Japanese pirates once operated this place as their lair.

"Commander, do you want to go and have a look at Dongfan Island? Last time Hao Jing came back with the news that the Fo Langji people discovered the island when they went to Japan for trade and called it Formosa.

However, Hu Rong and the northwest border are close to each other. After many years of war, they must select generals to train troops and be prepared at all times. "

Of course, Zhu Di also thought carefully.

Dongfan Island is too close to Fujian and can arrive at dawn or dusk. As far as we know, there is no royal authority on the island and there are ignorant villagers.

On the boat, Yu Dayou summoned his generals and ordered: "This time the army is divided into four groups to surround the Penghu Islands. All the islands and reefs in Penghu must be searched to ensure that no Japanese pirates are spared."

Why do you say that?

Everyone should know: the use of troops can eliminate disasters, but it can also cause disasters. If you rely on wealth to show off your strength, love success, and cause trouble, you will create grudges and provocations. This is not exactly causing trouble!

Just like a doctor prescribing dizzy medicine indiscriminately and forcing healthy people to take it, although it will not cause physical disability or death, it can seriously damage the vitality!

Therefore, those who are in power for the country should always talk about military affairs, but they must not resort to militarism!"

Xiaoliuqiu, on the other hand, is basically a deserted island. In the early years, Fujian people moved to the island.

Yu Dayou hesitated.

"The barbarians in the four directions are all separated by mountains and seas. They are isolated in a corner. The land they get is not enough to provide supplies, and the people they get are not enough to command. If they come to disturb us without thinking about themselves, it will be unlucky for them.

For this reason, even if the Ming Dynasty Navy found traces of Japanese pirate activities on Dongfan Island before, it would often just make a quick strike and immediately withdraw its troops, without actually entering Dongfan Island.

However, as large groups of Japanese pirates were defeated and annihilated, many of these nests once occupied by Japanese pirates have been abandoned.

However, the real reason that prevented the Ming Dynasty troops from landing on the island was that Xiaoliuqiu was one of the fifteen countries that Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang specified in the "Ancestor Instructions of the Emperor Ming Dynasty" that would not be conquered, which meant that this place was not included in the Ming Dynasty.

"Yes."

This is the "sincere teaching" of the experienced emperor who has paid attention to "Hongwu" and "Martial Arts" throughout his life. This is the epiphany that Zhu Yuanzhang gained from historical experience and lessons.

It was not until the 42nd year of Jiajing that the Penghu Inspection Department was reestablished in order to deal with harassment by Japanese pirates, but it did not really play a role in defending against Japanese pirates.

Even though people had been relocated to live there, the imperial court banned the sea. The island residents could not get supplies from the mainland and had to choose to leave and return to the Ming Dynasty.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang took military and politics as his "main occupation" throughout his life, he seemed to be particularly cautious in using troops.

In October of the 20th year of Hongwu, when discussing military affairs with the generals, Zhu Yuanzhang said: "The country uses troops, just like a doctor uses medicine. He prescribes a lot of medicines for the purpose of curing diseases. You cannot just take medicines when you are not sick." , that’s going to be bad!

The same goes for governing a country. When the country is not peaceful, troops are used to deal with the chaos.

In the later years of Hongwu, Emperor Lao Zhu was afraid that his descendants would be arrogant, frivolous, and willful in using military force, thereby causing disaster, so he specifically wrote his national policy of prudent external military use into the "Huang Ming Ancestor Instructions".

I have used the small barbarian countries to block the mountains and seas, and isolated them in a corner. They are not Chinese patients, and I will never attack them. The only exception is the Hurong in the northwest (referring to Mobei Mongolia). The world is troubled by China, so we must keep our ears open. You should remember what I said and know what I mean. "

But after the sea ban, most people have withdrawn.

Knowing the news that the Japanese pirates were hiding in Huayu Island in the Penghu Islands, Yu Dayou could not delay for a moment. He immediately ordered the Pingyang County Government to take the people into custody first, and he hurried back to the dock to board the ship, and then the fleet set sail for Huayu Island.

Even for Penghu, Quanzhou Prefecture is not willing to spend energy to manage it, let alone such a huge Dongfan Island. "

Later history actually proved to some extent that Zhu Yuanzhang's views on this were actually reasonable. After Zhu Di ascended the throne, he violated his ancestral precepts and attacked Annan.

Now that a general mentioned Dongfan Island and pointed out the impact of Dongfan Island's special geographical location on the Ming Dynasty, Yu Dayou had to think about it.

After thinking for a long time, Yu Dayou gave the order: "I will report this matter to the imperial court first, and the imperial court will make a decision.

The target this time is Penghu, and the first priority is to eliminate the Japanese pirates entrenched in Penghu.

After the Japanese pirates are eliminated, the fleet can circle around Dongfan Island to observe whether there are any traces of Japanese pirates on it and report it when the time comes. "Yu Dayou said this, and most of the generals knew it well. This was to give a good reason to talk.

If the imperial court wanted to take action against Dongfan Island, they would use their memorials to state the reason why Dongfan was occupied by Japanese pirates and send troops to Dongfan.

Yes, there are people on Dongfan Island, but without contact, how can you know whether they are Japanese pirates or aborigines?

If you can't tell them apart, you can only suspect Japanese pirate activities.

At the moment, Zhejiang has just been attacked by Japanese pirates. Although this group of Japanese pirates is about to be wiped out by them, the imperial court will definitely use thunderous means to deal with it. It mainly depends on whether the adults in the DPRK are willing to take over Dongfan.

The Nanyang Navy headed eastward towards the sea.

They didn't know that after they returned to the Ming Dynasty with great victory, their trip would also be recorded in history, because this incident finally gave Wei Guangde the opportunity to take action, and justifiably included Dongfan Island, or Taiwan, which should be called Xiaoliuqiu. China's territory.

Since there are people living on Dongfan Island and there is no royal legal system, they are just ignorant villagers. Naturally, they should feel the teachings of the saints and learn etiquette and respect.

Two months later, Beijing received an urgent report from Yu Dayou.

After reading the battle report, Wei Guangde immediately wrote a memorial with this title, describing in detail the role of Dongfan Island as a barrier to Fujian and protecting the tranquility of the East China Sea.

He also emphasized that Dongfan had no political power. Although the land was vast and sparsely populated, making it inconvenient to manage, the imperial court could establish garrison posts in the north and south of Dongfan Island and move the military households there.

At the same time, Wei Guangde also excerpted the description of the environment on Dongfan Island at this time from the battle report. Towering trees can be seen everywhere, lush and green.

I write this, of course, not because this is a beautiful island, but because Ming Dynasty is currently facing a dilemma of lack of good wood.

Of course, this shortage of good wood mainly refers to the Jiangnan region.

After years of development, most of the forests here have been cleared and the forest resources have been exhausted.

Nowadays, when the imperial court purchases giant trees, most of them come from Qiongzhou and Southwest China. The distance is thousands of miles and transportation is extremely troublesome.

In Wei Guangde's words, the Ming army's arrival on the island can bring the teachings of saints to the local aboriginal people, making them enlightened and wise, which is a great meritorious deed.

If the Ministry of Industry Shipyards in Nanzhili and Zhejiang are relocated, it can solve the material problem of sea-going ship construction for the Nanyang Navy.

Prior to this, most of the timber for Ming Dynasty ships had been transported from Guangxi to Zhejiang and Fujian shipyards. The transportation costs were high and there were many dangers.

When Wei Guangde wrote this, his purpose was naturally to turn Dongfan Island into a naval base and make it a home port for the Nanyang Navy.

With the resources on the island, it can fully guarantee the construction of the Ming Dynasty Navy for hundreds of years.

"Shandai, you will move the guard station to Dongfan and educate the local people."

During the cabinet duty, Zhang Juzheng kept rubbing the armrest with his right hand, and for a while he couldn't find any reasonable reason to object to his words.

Zhang Juzheng was actually very conflicted. Last time he wanted to expand his territory, but it resulted in news that thousands of people were massacred by Wang Gao's tribe.

It was good that the news was strictly blocked at first, but after the imperial court used troops against Liaodong, the news could no longer be concealed.

For this reason, both he and Wei Guangde were impeached by Ke Dao officials on several occasions.

As the chief minister of the cabinet, he is naturally the most scolded.

Fortunately, good news came from Liaodong last month. Wang Gao was bound and taken to the capital.

Recently, Wei Guangde's job has been to contact the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War to prepare for the prisoner presentation ceremony.

The extermination of the rebel chieftains could have been avoided, but Zhang Juzheng wanted to use this matter to save some of the face he had lost before.

Wei Guangde had no objection to this, so it was settled.

Now Wei Guangde supports Yu Dayou to take over Dongfan Island. Although as far as Zhang Juzheng knows, there are only a few aborigines on Dongfan Island and there are no kings. In other words, the Ming Dynasty can take over this place without bloodshed, but Zhang Juzheng asked in private Most Fujian officials are not optimistic about this.

To put it bluntly, although Dongfan Island is large, it is all land for development. If the imperial court really goes there, it must invest energy in development. The resources are a massive investment without any benefit.

Don’t the Fujian government know the situation on Dongfan Island?

Of course not, they knew earlier, even in the Hongwu Dynasty.

But considering the mismatch between input and output, everyone is an official, and there is no need to make wedding clothes for future generations.

Knowing the situation, Zhang Juzheng naturally hesitated.

Then I thought about it, taking Dongfan Island is actually opening up territory, but there is a huge obstacle that is difficult to overcome, and that is the "Huang Ming Ancestor Instructions".

Wei Guangde's main memorials deliberately avoided this matter.

But once the imperial edict is issued, the courtiers are not blind, especially those in the Hanlin Academy. They will definitely oppose it in every possible way.

Therefore, Zhang Juzheng said: "Once the edict is issued, the court will definitely oppose it based on the ancestral teachings. Has Shandai thought of a countermeasure?"

When Wei Guangde heard what Zhang Juzheng said, he smiled lightly and said: "This memorial is just a secret that will not be passed down. It only needs to be known to you, me and the palace.

Externally, it was under the pretext of the Ministry of War ordering the Nanyang Navy to go to the island to suppress Japanese pirates, and then water forts were set up in the north and south. This could also be said to prevent the resurgence of Japanese pirates.

As for the relocation of health stations, we can plan it gradually. Zhejiang and Fujian each select one health station to move eastward, and then move one shipyard from South Zhili and Zhejiang each. I plan to complete it in five years.

By then, if His Majesty announces this matter to the world, it will be a done deal, and it will naturally be like this.

At the same time, people from all over the world can also be recruited to go to Dongfan Island to educate the people. This can be done for a period of five years. After five years, they can return to the court and make up for the appointment of high-level officials. "

Wei Guangde made this arrangement because he wanted the scholars to respond.

When you go to Dongfan Island to teach, your students will naturally be children of military households and aborigines on Dongfan Island.

I am afraid that many people would not be willing to recruit directly as teachers. It would be very attractive to give them five years in exchange for completing the exam in nine years, and then directly arrange for them to serve in the county government as county magistrates.

In fact, many people who were promoted to official positions could only be promoted from county schools to government schools, and it was difficult to advance further after that.

There are very few people like Hai Rui who have risen from the rank of magistrate to county magistrate and then continued to rise.

(End of this chapter)