The Great Industrial Ming Dynasty Started from Beiping

Teahouse in Beijing.

The front door is from Auxiliary Street, and the back door leads to the main alley.

Men in short coats walked in a hurry, meeting in twos and threes to go out. Women and children in long skirts whispered to each other from time to time. There were also people riding mules and horses on long journeys, and traders carrying burdens walking through the streets.

The corners of the stone-brick houses were made smooth by the superb craftsmanship of the craftsmen, making it convenient for pedestrians to pass and avoid injuries. Unlike later generations, some people even had to block large rocks at the corners of their houses for fear that they would not be killed if they were hit.

When they meet an acquaintance, they will raise their hands to salute. If they are facing an elder, they will bend down to salute. Women and children mostly use the curtsey, which is one of the female etiquettes - Wanfu Li.

Blessings and prayers.

This is the way that ancient women bowed when meeting each other. This way of saluting was often called "ten thousand blessings", so it is also called the ten thousand blessings ceremony.

It has been circulated and evolved in China for many years. It has been recorded in the Spring and Autumn Period. It was not limited to women at that time. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, it also appeared in Su Shi's poems in the Northern Song Dynasty. Volume [-] of "Helin Jade Dew" by Luo Dajing in the Southern Song Dynasty records that Lu Xiangshan's family wakes up every morning. , the parents led all the children to pay respects to the ancestors' ancestral hall, gathered in the hall to bow, and the women said Wan Blessing in the hall.

"Running around the bush" was originally a specialized term for ancient architectural craftsmanship, but later evolved into an idiom.

In ancient times, due to the small design of streets and lanes, pedestrians pushing carts and carrying burdens were easily injured by collisions at corners.

So homeowners would ask craftsmen to remove the corners at the corners to make it easier for pedestrians with carts and burdens to pass. This is what it means, which reflects the overall excellent quality and moral level of the ancient people.

Being considerate of others is not a personality defect, but a good sign of social ethos.

Society is made up of people, and people cannot live without society. A society with good atmosphere is beneficial to every individual.

Any foreigner who comes to Ming Dynasty, in addition to feeling the prosperity of Ming Dynasty, what shocks them most is the etiquette of Ming Dynasty. They have never seen such gentle and moral people, and their inner views are subverted.

Therefore, the various laudatory names of the "Utopia" in the [-]th century were all attributed to the Ming Dynasty.

According to the descriptions of foreign scholars, Marco Polo was the first person in Europe to look across the sea and see the East. He introduced Chinese civilization to Europe. Although he saw only a few remaining traces of civilization in the Song Dynasty after the war, this It was already several centuries more advanced than Europe at that time.

After this passage was translated by domestic scholars, they paid attention to it and marked it because the Mongolians had not yet accepted Chinese culture at that time.

So returning to the views of Western scholars, they believe that it is a pity that Marco Polo did not see the traditional Chinese system for selecting officials-the imperial examination.

If Marco Polo had seen it, he would definitely have introduced China's advanced political system just as he introduced China's material civilization.

So during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, another Italian, the missionary Matteo Ricci, came to China. After landing in Macau, he was surprised to find that this ancient and distant eastern country was not only rich in material, but also had an excellent political system. The "Utopia" described by Plato.

He told Westerners an important fact: "Their country is governed by the intellectual class, people generally called philosophers." He also told the European fellows in a serious manner: "The system that finally realizes this principle in China is called Imperial examination system.”

The imperial examination system has been criticized by many people in modern China. In the eyes of the public, it is quite unreasonable for the imperial examination to determine a person's life destiny based on an eight-legged essay. In addition, many knowledgeable people and scholars with real talents and knowledge are imperial examination candidates. of losers.

For example, the great poets Li Bai, Du Fu, Li He, etc., the famous medical scientist Li Shizhen, the great genius Tang Bohu, Pu Songling, the author of "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio", Wu Jingzi, the author of "The Scholars", etc.

Therefore, people became increasingly suspicious of the rationality of the imperial examination system.

However, on the contrary, the mainstream view of modern Western scholars has a high evaluation of China's imperial examination system.

Western scholars in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries highly praised China's imperial examination system. They believed that ancient China's talent selection and appointment system was the most advanced, fair and scientific in the world at that time.

Why is there such a big difference in the evaluation of imperial examinations between China and the West?
  This is mainly due to their different frames of reference.

Modern Western civilization has generally surpassed Eastern civilization. Their scholars have higher quality and talents, so in their eyes, China is still an agricultural society.

It is only fair to compare China with the feudal era of Europe and the agricultural era of India. In this way, China's political system and talent selection mechanism will show obvious superiority.

In the world at that time, only China opened the way for civilians to enter the upper class and participate in state management. This was something that did not exist before the emergence of modern Western political systems.

The love and study of the ancient oriental countries was finally guided by the French and became a phenomenon of aristocracy in Western countries. The elites used the products of the ancient oriental countries to discuss everything about the ancient oriental countries, which became a symbol of the upper class society.

Until the middle and late Qing Dynasty, people found that the people of this country were very numb and ignorant, and were not as good as their predecessors said.

Coupled with the rise of German nationalist ideas, a high degree of self-confidence, and methods of confronting French ideas, the domestic opposition to China's advanced theory was one of them. In addition, during the Qing Dynasty's war with Britain, let alone country-to-country, it was even far worse. The achievements of Native Americans and African tribes against the British amazed the world, completely revealing their true colors and completely changing Western academia.

The world is changing, and so is civilization. It is not a straight line, nor does it always go backwards.

Newspapers are provided in the teahouse.

There is a famous storyteller on the stage, talking about "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

At least half of the guests who can come to the teahouse are literate. They could read "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" by themselves, but people still like to come to the teahouse. In addition to the eloquent and wonderful storyteller, there are also many observers. They can comminicate.

Communication is a human need.

If there is no communication with the outside world for a long time, it will gradually become rigid, ranging from individuals to groups.

Therefore, so many people have watched The Romance of the Three Kingdoms several times, but it does not prevent them from listening to it with gusto in a teahouse.

"See you next time."

The storyteller left something in suspense, and the guests in the audience were still interested. After the storyteller packed up his things, he would come to the audience. When he met the enthusiastic guests, he would take the initiative to stay and drink with them.

In addition to real skills on stage, there is also a lot of effort off stage, so that the storyteller can get more rewards.

"Tell me a joke."

"Some time ago, a famous student from the Imperial College picked up a box. When he opened it, it looked like ginseng. The Imperial College student was also brave enough to take a bite of it himself."

"How's it going?" People asked curiously.

"He slept for more than ten hours. He almost scared his classmates to death."

"Ginseng is a great tonic."

someone explained.

The man shook his head and said with a smile: "Later, the doctor looked at it and said it was not ginseng, but pokeweed. It's also because the country's fortune is high. If I take two more bites, I'm afraid I won't be able to wake up."

“What is pokeweed?”

"The last medicine that Shen Nong tasted from Baicao, also known as Broken Heart Grass, is also Phytophaga."

"Yeah, that's really lucky."

People in the teahouse discussed all over the world, and also talked about the affairs of Goryeo. The Ming Dynasty was going to war again. The guests in the teahouse were not afraid when discussing the war, but were full of interest.

People are used to war, because the Ming Dynasty is invincible and their living standards are getting better and better. Some people even slap the table and shout, "Anyone who dares to oppose our Ming Dynasty will die."

Everyone nodded, agreeing with this statement.

"The problems of Goryeo, Bonidus, Luzon, and the merchants may seem unrelated, but they are actually related and must be treated as a whole."

Inside the Wenhua Hall.

Zhu Gaochi does not support the use of force.

War is a continuation of politics, but war is not the purpose.

Regardless of whether he was planning industrialization in Peiping, promoting the development of social productivity, or competing with the capital, Zhu Gaochi did not regard war as his first resort. To this day, war is not Zhu Gaochi's primary solution to problems.

"I'm not afraid of raising troops. War is not a bad thing. However, if it can be avoided and there is a better way, then the military must obey the overall situation."

Zhu Gaochi said calmly.

Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the pace of war has never stopped.

If the Hongwu Dynasty still needed three to five years of cultivation, since the Yan Prince and his son entered the capital, wars involving more than [-] people had eased for two or three years, but wars involving less than [-] people had not stopped.

The current territory of the Ming Dynasty and the coming of all nations to the dynasty have completely ended the Hongwu Dynasty's idea of ​​prohibiting private maritime trade, using the tribute system, and establishing the vassal system.

Famous equipment, famous equipment, the name comes first.

Even when the Spaniards deceived and killed the Inca emperor, the missionaries deliberately dropped the Bible on the ground in advance to accuse the Inca emperor, who was unprepared and blindly welcoming the guests from afar, as a heretic. .

Historically, in the early Ming Dynasty, relying on domestic productivity and foreign demand for Ming products, they monopolized maritime trade and prohibited private commerce. Any country needed to recognize the Ming Dynasty as its suzerain country in order to conduct tribute trade and establish a vassal system for the Ming Dynasty. Made important contributions.

It is an extremely excellent political method other than military conquest. That is why senior American officials in later generations will say that later generations want to restore the Ming Dynasty's tribute trade system and restore influence in Southeast Asia.

Jin Zhong, Xu Huizu, Chen Heng and other officials from the Ministry of War, as well as the Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth Army, and even the cabinet ministers, looked at His Royal Highness in astonishment.

Sometimes they can't keep up with His Highness the Crown Prince's thoughts.

Zhu Gaochi sighed inwardly.

I never thought that one day I would become a conservative. Conservatives are not a complimentary word in the public opinion of later generations.

Today's Ming Dynasty is full of ideas of using force to solve problems.

Because force is more efficient.

However, what Zhu Gaochi wants is demand and bottom-up appeal, not top-down thinking. Otherwise, Zhu Gaochi has no confidence in whether the Ming Dynasty will change after his death.

The land area of ​​the Ming Dynasty is so large that it is an unprecedentedly huge country throughout history, including later generations. So in comparison, demand is the core driving force that ensures the continued expansion of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Gaochi explained in detail to the officials.

"The development of productivity has promoted the prosperity of the shipbuilding industry, and the scale of private material trade has given maritime transport the capacity to meet industrial needs. Therefore, I have no objection to the Daming Trading Company in Goryeo."

"The Ming Dynasty needs more energy, but I don't want to empty out the Ming Dynasty's domestic resources. Obtaining energy from outside is a supplement to the long-term national destiny of the Ming Dynasty. Looking at the world, only Goryeo is the most suitable."

There were many merchants of the Ming Dynasty overseas. Why was it that only the Ming Dynasty trading houses in Goryeo developed their power and even began to impact the power of domestic private trading houses?

In addition to the distance between Goryeo and Ming Dynasty, Goryeo's high Confucian culture and environment reassured merchants.

They dared to buy properties and set up factories in Goryeo, but they did not dare to go to Nanyang. Of course, this was a relative term. There were still a large number of Ming merchants in Nanyang, but they would only send goods and then return home with the ships.

Therefore, the phenomenon of Goryeo is inevitable. "However, I don't want Goryeo to promote local productivity with the development of commerce. Although I am not afraid of catching up with the footsteps of the Ming Dynasty, I can't allow others to snore next to the bed."

"There is no contradiction between supporting overseas businessmen and restraining them."

"If this problem is solved, the energy from Goryeo and some domestic energy will be used to promote the industrial development of Ming Dynasty, improve the economic level, develop commercial exchanges, and bring higher maritime transportation capabilities."

"Then using the Ming Dynasty Industrial Bureau as a fist, in Luzon, Boni, Sulu and other places, the imperial court will fund the construction of cities, open up wasteland and expand farmland for the immigrants, providing a large amount of material and financial resources, as well as organizational capabilities."

"Only in this way can a good cycle be formed. Within five years, profits will be obtained. With profits, there will be demand. Then this model can be replicated, and the country will have a desire to explore more unknown places overseas. "

Jin Zhong and Xu Huizu began to think deeply.

Chen Heng was a little confused.

"That's it." Jin Zhong finally realized.

No wonder His Highness the Crown Prince is unwilling to launch troops against Goryeo. He needs Goryeo's stability. A Goryeo that is stable but cannot become rich can meet the needs of the Ming Dynasty and provide a steady stream of blood transfusions for the Ming Dynasty.

"But the Controller of the Goryeo Right Army will probably not be content with the status quo. He has been preparing. If northern Goryeo cannot be stabilized as soon as possible, I am afraid he will take the opportunity to send troops. By then, our Ming Dynasty will face even greater trouble."

Jin Zhong pointed out the key.

The attitude of the Northern King of Goryeo, Xie Gui's thoughts, and more importantly, the [-] defensive troops. Too many factors made the situation in northern Goryeo complicated. Just relying on Jiang Binzhi, couldn't he be worth a hundred thousand soldiers with just one mouth?
  Some people believe that it is better to attack early than to attack later. Only by solving the problems in northern Goryeo as quickly as possible can we not give the southern king of Goryeo a chance and suppress his ambitions.

Zhu Gaochi nodded.

This is the benefit of a strong country. In addition to having more choices, it also has the foundation to wait and make the situation clearer.
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  The famous Honnōji Incident in Japanese history, tens of thousands of soldiers surrounded Honnōji. Their generals said that the enemy was at Honnōji, so the soldiers bravely entered the temple. Afterwards, they learned that the person they killed was Their shogun Oda Nobunaga changed Japan's national power.

The Associated Defense Corps is a product of the times.

During the years of military reforms, some traditional guardsmen were sent to Goryeo. At first, they were just to protect the safety of the second king of Goryeo. As Seoul became more stable, the second king and the people inside Seoul were no longer satisfied with the control of the Imperial Guard Corps by the Korea Guards. city.

So the first thousand or so soldiers left Seoul and were stationed outside the city, and their treatment became worse and worse until Xie Gui arrived.

Xie Gui was one of the founding generals, with high qualifications and the courage to do things.

After arriving in Goryeo, the situation of the soldiers of the Assistance Corps changed. Although they left Seoul, the number of the Assistance Corps expanded from more than a thousand to three thousand, and they obtained their own camps and territory.

The wealth of Ming Dynasty increased from one to one hundred.

The Ming Dynasty businessmen who came to Goryeo combined with the local enlightened Yangban class, and the domestic economy and trade, their wealth also expanded tremendously. This process was inseparable from Xie Gui's support.

Xie Gui is a traditional general, a veteran of the previous dynasty, and his style is not very good.

There are crowds of servants in the General Military Mansion.

Considering Xie Gui's age, the nephew arranged for his uncle to have eight young and beautiful maids from Korea, who took turns to warm the bed every night and slept at the end of the bed, holding Xie Gui's feet to keep Xie Gui warm.

Countless treasures were sent to the General Military Mansion by his nephew.

According to rumors, the entire street can be covered with jewelry from the General Military Palace.

Group after group of Korean women went to the Ming Dynasty, hoping to have enough food in the Ming Dynasty. At that time, Zhu Gaochi relaxed the restrictions and allowed the entry of Korean female workers to make up for the labor gap of military households under the Pianjing system.

Most of those maids led a better life than in their own country, and their influence was huge. Over the years, countless Korean men also wanted to go to the Ming Dynasty.

However, it was not allowed by the Ming Dynasty. Only envoys, or qualified businessmen and craftsmen, scholars and dignitaries could go to the Ming Dynasty. Ordinary people abroad would not be allowed to go.

The soldiers of the Associated Defense Corps each made a lot of money through this method.

On days like this, everyone is happy.

It was not until the ninth year of Yongle's reign that the picket action gradually expanded to Shandong, and then spread from Shandong to Goryeo, arousing people's awareness of crisis.

When it comes to overseas matters, the Metropolitan Procuratorate does not dare to investigate.

Jin Yiwei didn't dare to check.

It is easy to investigate, but if something goes wrong and the situation in Goryeo worsens, no one can bear the responsibility. Therefore, more than a year has passed since the Shandong case, and Jiang Binzhi appeared, which can be regarded as efficient. Extremely low.

When Jiang Binzhi arrived in Seoul, he made the General Military Mansion far away on Ping'an East Road sensitive.

Xie Gui is very old.

It was already past the stage of becoming an official in China. Firstly, Xie Gui himself was unwilling to let go. Secondly, there were many things in the court and the complicated situation in Goryeo, so it was delayed.

"Uncle, what should we do?"

The middle-aged man with a big belly said worriedly.

Looking at his nephew's figure, Xie Gui sighed inwardly. His nephew was considered a talented person back then, but he has already become like this in just a few years.

"Look at it."

Hearing his uncle's negative remarks, the middle-aged man became anxious.

That was not the case with my uncle before.

Not only his uncle's wealth, but also his own wealth. Over the years, the middle-aged man has been thinking of ways to transfer it back to the country.

since ancient times.

For example, the Tang Dynasty.

The Tang Dynasty established many military governors in the Western Regions. If the military towns in the Western Regions wanted to bring the money back home, their biggest enemy was the first pass. It was not easy to pass the pass.

The same is true today.

Regardless of land or sea routes, inspections are very strict, and general entrainment is not impossible, but their wealth is too much, and hundreds of cars cannot transport it all.

Not only the middle-aged people were anxious, but the soldiers of the Associated Defense Corps were also worried.

All kinds of rumors have caused this army, which was originally the strongest in Goryeo, to lose its fighting spirit. People are thinking about how to keep their wealth and return home.

Soldiers also make money.

Most people turn a blind eye to the pass, but the soldiers of the Associated Guards Corps make too much money, and it is all the wealth brought by smuggling people. How to pass the pass, everyone is discussing.

Some people even came up with the idea of ​​melting gold and silver to make gun heads, and other treasures began to be sold on the market.

"What kind of war can such an army fight?"

Xie Gui smiled at his nephew.

After hearing his uncle's words, the nephew looked at his uncle inexplicably, as if he didn't recognize the old man in front of him. Did his uncle really give up and leave his fate to others?

until one day.

The Ming Dynasty's Yanzi Banner suddenly appeared at the station of the Associated Defense Corps.

When the soldiers saw the Yan Ziqi in their minds, their hearts were suddenly hit hard.

"Ming dynasty."

An officer shouted subconsciously.

"mighty!"

The soldiers shouted back loudly and saluted in unison. Each soldier stood upright and accepted the review of the Ming Dynasty envoy. Xie Gui, who saw all this, closed his eyes proudly.

June of the [-]th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty.

General Xie Gui, the commander-in-chief of the Ming Dynasty in Korea, died suddenly of illness.

The Ming Dynasty is mighty.

The appearance of the Yanzi flag is like a pot lid, extinguishing the fire in the oil pot so easily.

Everything was silent.

Unexpectedly and not unexpectedly.

The merchants got what they wanted, even if it was not perfect. For example, the price they originally wanted was lowered by the Ming Dynasty. In the eyes of many people, the court was eating their profits.

The high tariffs collected by the customs made many businessmen regretful.

Domestic coal mine merchants were not very satisfied either. They did not get what they wanted in Goryeo. However, the coal mines of Goryeo merchants did not impact them, so they just accepted it with pinched noses.

A large number of Goryeo ministers received Jiang Binzhi's promise that their wealth in the Ming Dynasty would be protected.

New troops were re-stationed in Goryeo.

The original Associated Defense Corps was disbanded.

The King of the North of Goryeo formally submitted the enclosed memorial, but the King of Goryeo had no objection. The King of the South of Goryeo was furious and threw Ming porcelain all over the floor in his house.

Jiang Binzhi did it.

A mouth is worth a hundred thousand soldiers.

After returning to China, Jiang Binzhi kept a low profile and often said, "The great power of the Ming Dynasty is not the result of subordinates."

The humble Jiang Binzhi got his reward.

The first governor of Goryeo. (End of chapter)