The world of film and television starts from the flow of money

The prince's enfeoffment was only the flagship of the empire's expansion. Yi Huawei knew that the real power was hidden in the people. He instructed the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Public Security to launch an unprecedented "ocean fever" propaganda campaign with the official mouthpiece "Jing Bao" as the main base:
The special column "Records of Strange Tales from Foreign Lands" serializes overseas experiences brought back or "processed" by "well-informed people"; "Dreams of Splendor from the Gold Mountain" describes the rivers in the "Gold Mountain Continent" where "gold sand is everywhere", huge trees towering into the sky (redwoods), and the natives (Indians) "using colored stones (turquoise) to make needles and thread, and treating gold as stone".

"Records of the Fairy Islands of the South China Sea": The "giant island of the South China Sea" is exaggerated as having "wheat that grows without cultivation" (wild grains), "beasts that jump with bags on their backs" (kangaroos), "combustible black stones" (coal), and "pearls feet thick" on the coast.

"Journey to the Spice Paradise": A detailed description of the island where the "Bao Wei Kingdom" is located, where "the fragrance of one tree is worth the tribute of ten houses"; in the jungle there are "golden birds" (birds of paradise) and "gentle giant elephants".

These "reports" are half true and half false, and are extremely exaggerated, portraying overseas as a paradise where milk and honey flow and gold is everywhere.

The "Biographies of Zhaowu Heroes" series focuses on creating the heroic image of folk pioneers.

"The Wealthy Merchant Lin Zhenhai Breaks the Waves to Open up Luzon": It tells the story of Lin, a maritime merchant from Fujian, who obtained a "colonization permit" from the government, led a fleet and thousands of militiamen, expelled the remnants of the Spanish entrenched in Luzon, established a port where Chinese people lived, and was named "Luzon Envoy" by the court.

"The Criminal Hundred Captain Zhang Po Lu Achieves Extraordinary Merits in the Snowy Region": It tells the story of a convicted military officer who led exiled prisoners and recruited poor people to cross the freezing cold "Luo Wilderness" and set up a stronghold in the far north. He discovered a huge herd of fur-bearing animals (sables and foxes), and was pardoned and given a title for offering 10,000 furs.

All articles highlight the theme of "Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers born into a certain class? Those who make contributions overseas can also be granted titles of nobility!", igniting the desire of the lower classes to change their destiny.

The front page of the Jingbao published the "Emperor Zhaowu's Edict to Encourage Colonization and Benefit the People" with a detailed explanation:
Any citizen of the Ming Dynasty (excluding naturalized Japanese, etc.) who has been reviewed by the government (no serious crime, wealth or skills) can apply for it. The certificate specifies the destination, the number of people that can be recruited (usually hundreds to thousands), and the types of weapons allowed to be carried (knives, spears, bows and arrows, a small number of muskets).

Anyone who discovered an unowned land and established a stable stronghold (with more than a thousand people, farming or mining) would be granted the hereditary title of centurion and be appointed as the inspector of the area.

Those who expand their territory to over a hundred miles and have over ten thousand households will be granted the title of hereditary earl, and will establish prefectures and counties, and their descendants will become hereditary local officials!
Anyone who presents verified maps of rare products and nautical charts will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins and awarded an honor.

New land, business transactions, ten years of tax exemption!

The court's incitement and the sweetness of its policies were like pouring cold water into a boiling oil pan, instantly detonating the long-accumulated energy among the people.

The big merchants along the coast of Fujian, Zhejiang and Guangdong (the Li Dan family in Quanzhou and the Pan Group in Guangzhou) heard the news and took action. They spent all their wealth to build or buy large Fujian and Guangdong ships, and even rented retired "Jinghai-class" warships from the court for escort.

Several big families held "colonization permits" and sailed directly to "Jinshan Island" to pan for gold, monopolized the spice trade in the "Spice Islands", and occupied pastures on the "Nanming Giant Island". They brought a large number of ironware, cloth, and porcelain as trade items, and recruited private soldiers (called "merchant protection teams"), craftsmen, and landless farmers, with a scale of thousands of people. For example, the Quanzhou sea merchant Chen family formed a fleet of 15 large ships with more than 3,000 people, aiming at "Jinshan Island"!
Farmers in the inland areas who went bankrupt due to land annexation and population pressure, and handicraftsmen who failed in competition in the cities, were tempted by the "overseas paradise" and "hereditary households" described in the "Beijing News". They sold their meager properties and moved to the coast with their families (or with their fellow villagers).

They either attached themselves to the fleets of large merchant caravans or were organized by hometown associations to purchase small boats (or even converted fishing boats) to form a large immigration fleet. Their targets were mostly the Mekong Delta in the "Indo-Southern Continent" and the east coast of the "Southern Sea Giant Island" which were relatively close and had a suitable climate. Their slogan was: "It is better to fight for life overseas than to starve to death in the ravines!"

Local governments were happy to pack up minor criminals in prisons (bandits, fugitives, and fighters) and even some serious criminals (who were granted amnesty) and give them to ship owners holding "colonization permits" to serve as cheap labor and vanguard death squads for development.

There were also countless desperate criminals, quacks, and speculators who wanted to get rich overnight, who brought their own swords, bows, crossbows, and even muskets (purchased on the black market) and boarded ships heading for the unknown. Their goal was the rivers of "Jinshanzhou" and the mountains of "Spice Islands", using blood and fire to grab the first pot of gold.

Young people who had received basic training in the study of nature, mathematics, and agricultural techniques at the "Zhixing School", as well as craftsmen who mastered shipbuilding, iron smelting, porcelain firing, weaving and other skills, became the "technical backbone" of the pioneering team. They were recruited with high salaries and were responsible for setting up simple workshops, teaching technology, and planning and construction in new bases. The court secretly encouraged them and even provided small "skill assistance loans".

Facing this surging wave of folk colonization, Yi Huawei not only promoted it, but also laid a tight control network:

Lifanyuan, a huge institution newly established on the east side of the Forbidden City, was directly under the emperor. It was not only a government office for managing the relatives of the emperor, but also a nerve center for monitoring all overseas colonization activities.

It consists of four major departments:
Department of Maps: Constantly updating and correcting the "World Geomancy Map", collecting and analyzing geographical information sent back by all parties.

Examination and Reward Office: Review the "colonization certificate", record the progress of each colonization point, and determine the rewards.

Fuyisi: Dealing with "negotiations" (appeasement or suppression) with the indigenous peoples of the colonized areas and coordinating resource allocation.

The Military Supervision Office (actually controlled by the Western Factory): dispatched "observation envoys" (actually spies) to the princely states and large-scale colonial groups to monitor their movements and report any irregularities.

The tasks of the Beiyang and Nanyang navies were expanded to include providing "limited" support to the princes' vassal states (with the vassal states paying for the cost), patrolling important waterways, inspecting privateers without "permits", and ensuring that colonial activities were roughly within the framework of the court's planning.

Xuanhua Department followed the pace of colonization. Wherever there were Ming strongholds with more than a thousand people, there would be "Da Ming Society School" and teachers wearing Confucian robes. The "Zhaowu Shengyu" and the recitation of Chinese became the most distinctive imperial imprint on the new land.

The Ming Empire was like a giant ship, with the royal princes as the bow, the desires of the people as the sails, and the iron-blooded laws and maps as the steering wheel. With unprecedented determination, it broke through the thousand-year coastline of the East Asian continent and headed for a deep blue era with turbulent waves, opportunities and risks.

Standing on the jade steps of the Fengtian Palace, Yi Huawei seemed to be able to hear, thousands of miles away, the fleet of the King of Chu cutting through the waves of Jinshan Island, the herdsmen of the King of Qi chasing kangaroos on the giant island of Nanming, the men of southern Fujian sweating profusely in the spice forest, and the camel caravans of Shanxi merchants crossing the icy wind of the Luo wilderness... The enfeoffed princes and the people of the colonies, like the countless tentacles of the empire reaching out to the globe, planted the sun and moon flag of the Ming Dynasty in every blank corner of the map.

This was a heroic expedition in which the entire nation was at stake, and its magnitude was far beyond the imagination of any history book.

.....................

October, the twelfth year of Zhaowu.

Xiyue Huashan.

The chill of late autumn has climbed up the Qinling Mountains, dyeing the lush green all over the mountains with varying shades of golden red and ochre yellow.

The mountain wind was fierce, blowing over the thousand-foot cliffs with a whimpering sound, blowing away the low-hanging clouds, revealing the winding Yellow River and the vast fertile plains of the Guanzhong Plain below.

A newly built wide stone staircase that can accommodate four horses running side by side, like a gray-white giant dragon, spirals up from the foot of the mountain to the Fengshan Terrace on the top of the South Peak. Along the way, you can see traces of felled ancient wood piles and huge rocks being moved. This is the thoroughfare that was opened for the emperor to visit in person, which took 200,000 civilians and skilled craftsmen three years to build.

Fengshan Terrace stands majestically beside Baxian Terrace, with its back against a cliff that reaches thousands of feet high, overlooking the 800-li Qinchuan Plain. The platform is paved with huge white marble, and it glows with a cool light under the thin autumn sun. In the center of the platform, a nine-layer bronze tripod stands majestically, with inscriptions on the empire's achievements in expanding territory, building water conservancy projects, and implementing new policies over the past twelve years. In the belly of the tripod, the best pine charcoal is burning, and the blue smoke rises straight up and merges into the high blue sky.

Next to the tripod, a complex instrument made of fine steel gears and brass pipes, the "Huantian Dynamic Instrument", is in operation. Its core is a small high-pressure steam boiler, which drives the precise celestial globe to rotate slowly, simulating the movement of the sun, moon and stars, symbolizing the empire's exploration and control of the ultimate truth of heaven and earth. The hissing sound of the instrument's exhaust adds a touch of strange and majestic modern atmosphere to this solemn mountaintop.

The platform was surrounded by flags that blocked out the sun.

The dark black dragon flag, the scarlet Vermillion Bird flag, the Phoenix flag representing the queen's status, and the crossed sword flag symbolizing military power all fluttered in the strong mountain breeze.

Under the banner, there were 3,000 elite imperial guards wearing black armor and holding the latest "Zhaowu Lianzhu Guns". They stood in a solemn manner, the steel of the gun muzzles gleaming coldly in the sun, and the "Thunderbolts" on their waists were faintly visible.

This army, armed to the teeth, silently declares the pinnacle of the empire's military power and is enough to strike fear into the heart of any peerless master.

Further away, there were martial artists dressed in various sect costumes, from the heads of Shaolin and Wudang, to representatives of the Five Mountains Sword Sect, Kunlun, Kongtong, Qingcheng and other sects, and even some bandit leaders who surrendered to the imperial court. They all stood solemnly with their hands down, looking at the center of the stage with complicated eyes. The air was filled with a unique smell of pine resin, charcoal fire, metal oil and the cool air from the mountains.

The auspicious time has arrived.

“Woo~~~~~”

The deep and long sound of the horn tore through the howling mountain wind, and nine bell rings resounded from the top of the mountain, and the sound spread for hundreds of miles.

Yi Huawei, wearing a black robe with twelve patterns and a crown with twelve tassels, slowly climbed to the highest point of the Fengshan Terrace as the crowd held their breath. His figure was as tall and straight as a lone pine tree on Mount Hua, and his face looked calm and majestic as the pearls and jade on the crown tassels swayed.

Twelve years of imperial career had washed away his frivolousness, except for his deep eyes, which occasionally showed a keen insight into the world. That was the manifestation of the Zixia Hunyuan Gong reaching the perfect state of "three flowers gathering at the top of the head, five qi returning to the origin". His aura was harmonious and restrained, but it seemed to resonate with this world. Every step he took on the white marble was as steady as a mountain, and his invisible aura made the nearest leaders feel a little breathless.

Half a step behind him were two queens in their best attire.

Ren Yingying was wearing a dark purple palace dress with golden phoenix embroidery, her hair was puffy and her golden phoenix hairpins were shaking with her steps. Her face was still beautiful, and the years had added grace to her. But deep in her eyes, the shrewdness and unruliness of the Saint of the Sun and Moon Sect had not completely faded, but were now cleverly wrapped in the majesty of the queen. She walked calmly, her eyes swept over the old friends in the martial arts world who were either in awe or complicated, and there was a faint arc at the corner of her mouth.

Yue Lingshan was wearing a bright red palace dress with a phoenix and peony pattern. Compared with her innocent appearance as a girl, she was more dignified and calm, like a mother of the country. However, when she stepped onto the familiar peak of Mount Huashan and her eyes reached the direction of the distant Yunv Peak, her eyes still couldn't help but show a layer of tears, which was her carefree girlhood. She turned her head slightly and looked at Yi Huawei in front of her, with love, dependence and deep nostalgia for the past in her eyes. Her hand unconsciously brushed the simple short sword hanging on her waist - it was the one she used to practice martial arts in Mount Huashan when she was young.

Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze, dressed in the formal dresses of the head and wife of Huashan, stood at the bottom position closest to the throne. Yue Buqun had a gaunt face, three long strands of beard under his chin were combed meticulously, and a long sword hung from his waist. His posture was as straight as a sword, and his face showed the calmness and honor of being the emperor's teacher, but his tightly pursed lips and slightly trembling fingertips revealed his inner excitement. Ning Zhongze's eyes were slightly red, looking at Yi Huawei and his biological daughter Yue Lingshan on the stage, who were like her own children, and then looking at her husband who had changed his temperament. She was filled with mixed feelings. If it weren't for the strict etiquette of the court, she would have almost shed tears.

The ceremony begins.

Yi Huawei walked to the huge bronze tripod, where a ceremonial officer was already chanting the great achievements of Emperor Zhaowu:

"...According to the mandate of heaven, we rule the four seas. In the north, we expelled the Tartars and plundered their homes; in the east, we conquered Fusang and divided the land; in the west, we pacified the Qiang and Rong people; in the south, we pacified the Baiyue people... Our military power was continuous and awe-inspiring; our steam power was ingenious; our textile industry benefited the people... Our population was prosperous, exceeding 200 million..."

As the chanting continued, Yi Huawei personally threw objects that represented his conquest into the cauldron: a golden sword seized from the Jurchen Khan, a battle flag from the Toyotomi clan of Japan, and a long scroll depicting a galloping steam locomotive and the roar of a textile workshop. The flames suddenly shot up, making crackling noises.

Then, he unfolded a bright yellow edict and spoke in a low voice, but with his inner strength, it echoed clearly in every corner, drowning out the sound of the wind:
"I rose from humble beginnings and grew up in Huashan. I know that the power of the common people can help the country, but it can also cause chaos. In order to protect the country and the people, I have set up a 'Martial Arts Academy' to monitor the martial arts sects in the world. All martial artists, whether monks or laymen, and from small and large sects, must be recorded in the register, with their teachers, martial arts, and whereabouts recorded. This is a custom, and those who violate it will be treated as treason!"

The martial arts heroes in the audience all changed color. Compulsory registration means that people in the martial arts world will no longer be able to escape justice, and the secrets of the martial arts sects are also under the control of the court. Some people are angry, some bow their heads in thought, and many more are silent. The black muzzles of the repeating guns in the hands of the imperial guards remind them of the price of resistance.

Yi Huawei's eyes were like lightning, he swept over the crowd and continued to read:
"In addition, in order to clarify the superiority and inferiority of martial arts and to set the rules of the martial arts world, I personally set the order of the 'Nine Ranks of Experts': from the Ninth Rank, the beginner, to the First Rank, the unity of man and nature, and so on. The ranks are assessed and evaluated by the Martial Arts Academy and recorded in the 'Martial Book'. Anyone who enters the Ranks should use martial arts to defend the way and protect the country and the people! Bullying the weak, killing innocent people indiscriminately, fighting for revenge, forming a party to plot treason... are all unacceptable to the law of the country!

The Jianghu should have its own rules; and these rules will be formulated by the court, enforced by the martial arts academy, and protected by the empire's muskets and cannons!"

The moment the words fell, Yi Huawei's aura suddenly released and then retracted.

In an instant, the howling wind on the top of the mountain seemed to be strangled by an invisible giant hand and suddenly stopped! The pearls and jade on the crown on the head moved without wind, making a clear and crisp collision sound, and within three feet around the body, all the dust and fallen leaves were pushed away.

An aura as deep as the sea and unstoppable spread out. It was the terrifying pressure of the perfection of Hunyuan Qigong, the mastery of Beiming Divine Art, and the pinnacle of Dugu swordsmanship!
Although it was only for a moment, all the martial artists in the audience, including Yue Buqun, felt as if their hearts were tightly grasped. Their internal strength was stagnant, and they felt an irresistible feeling of insignificance.

"Fire the guns! Report to heaven and earth!" the ceremonial officer shouted.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

Nine rows of soldiers of the Imperial Guard raised their guns to the sky one after another, and nine deafening volleys were fired! Gun smoke filled the air instantly, and the pungent smell of gunpowder overwhelmed the rosin. The brass shells clanged on the white marble floor, and the crisp sound struck the hearts of every Jianghu person.

The smoke gradually dissipated, and Yi Huawei stood alone on the high platform. The golden dragon pattern on his robe shone brightly in the sunlight that penetrated the smoke. He looked down at the martial arts heroes who were like ants under his feet, and at the vast and magnificent mountains and rivers of the empire.

A huge empire with rules made by the emperor himself, ruled by both firearms and internal strength, a population of over 200 million, an unprecedentedly vast territory, and science and technology going hand in hand with martial arts. Its majesty and order were firmly nailed into the cornerstone of history and deeply engraved into the souls of everyone present on the top of Mount Hua, in the interweaving of ancient Fengshan rituals and the hissing of modern steam and the roar of muskets.

Yue Lingshan's fingertips gently touched the cold stone wall, where there seemed to be traces of childish marks left by a young man with a sword many years ago. A tear finally slid silently across her dignified cheek and fell into the dust.

Ren Yingying, on the other hand, raised her chin slightly, like a proud phoenix, facing the scorching autumn sun that penetrated the smoke and illuminated the new empire.

(End of this chapter)