Great Ming Dynasty Wen Chao Gong

Chapter 181 Ways to Appreciate the Wonders of the World

After leaving the palace, Zhang Xiao was not able to go home to rest. Instead, he went out and went to the Hanlin Academy, where the chief assistant Wang Xijue was waiting for him.

"Zhang Xiao, the main reason why I came to you this time is to discuss with you how to revise the "History of the New Yuan Dynasty". These days, the Hanlin Academy has also sorted out its collection of books and classics from the former Yuan Dynasty, but in fact There are too many to be compiled. The "History of the Yuan Dynasty" was compiled in one year, and I'm afraid I haven't had time to use these classics." Wang Xijue said.

"When Taizu compiled the History of the Yuan Dynasty, his main purpose was to declare the Ming Dynasty's orthodoxy to the world, so the book was indeed written in a hurry. Although the Yuan Dynasty only had a century of national destiny, it was a vast territory and there was still a lot to record." Zhang Xiao said .

"The Hanlin Academy already has dedicated personnel in charge of compiling these classics. However, you have suggested before that supplementing the "History of the Yuan Dynasty" should include foreign historical materials, and you also proposed to establish a Tongwen Museum for this purpose. Of course, I also know that Tongwen Museum will not Just for the purpose of compiling "New History of the Yuan Dynasty", it is now the responsibility of the Hanlin Academy to train interpreters. Since supplementing "History of the Yuan Dynasty" is your proposal, I would also like to ask if you have made any progress or have any ideas. You have also just gone to North Korea, so you probably won’t have time to be busy with "History of the New Yuan Dynasty."

"Chief Assistant, actually this time I went to North Korea to be busy with the "History of the Yuan Dynasty". Empress Qi, the empress of Emperor Yuan Shun, was from Korea. The Red Scarf Army also reached Korea during the Northern Expedition. Kublai Khan conquered the Japanese country. It is also based in Korea. This time I also visited Tsushima Island and saw the place where the Mongolian and Yuan troops landed. In fact, I would venture to guess that there should be many documentary records in the Japanese country, but now that the Japanese country is still in civil war, it is difficult to find this part of the information in the Japanese country. "

"Then according to what you said, the historical materials of the four great khanates should also be found from Persia, Russia and other countries."

"Yes, in fact, there should be some in the Ottoman State. After all, the Ottoman State was originally a tribe under the Roma Sultanate. The Roma Sultanate was also defeated by the Mongol army. In fact, there are many other countries that have this Mongol army. According to the records of the army, Batu's army reached the Hungarian area. However, Mengge Khan suddenly died later, and Batu withdrew his army. Otherwise, the European coalition forces had been formed at that time, so the Crusaders might have There is a lot of information.”

"The territory of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty was so vast that it had never been seen in previous generations, and there were large-scale conquests. It is not surprising that countries around the world have records of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty. It's just that some countries are too far away from the Ming Dynasty, and some classics are hard to find. Bar?"

"The imperial court can also send envoys there. It shouldn't be difficult to ask them to get some books and classics. It can also invite local scholars to come to the Ming Dynasty. This request is not too much. Maybe some countries will be very happy."

"That's true. But I'm afraid the imperial court doesn't have time to explore the world's countries now. After all, the northern border is troubled, and there is Yang Yinglong in the south."

Zhang Xiao once again walked into the Royal Academy. He had come more often. Although Zhang Xiao was still a little nervous, he felt more confident and calm when facing the two princes.

"Chief Assistant, I am still looking up information now, because Matteo Ricci has come to the capital. I have also asked many people from the Franco Kingdom, and also entrusted him to bring some related books from Europe, so that the writing can be more accurate. . Although it seems that the mainland of Folangji is far away from the Ming Dynasty, Folangji has colonies all over the world, and it can be regarded as an empire on which the sun never sets. I think it should be written carefully. "

"Thank you, Chief Assistant, for reminding me."

"Minglue, do you also want to be the Marquis of Bowang? In the Ming Dynasty, civil servants are still noble. It is not impossible for you to take the path of military merit, but once you are knighted, some things will be difficult to handle. "

"The Empire on which the Sun Never Sets? What does this mean?"

After leaving the Hanlin Academy, Zhang Xiao was finally able to return home. Next, I have one more thing to do, which is to teach the two princes. Although the emperor's intention was to free himself from restraint and let the princes gain some experience, Zhang Xiao always had to be carefully prepared if he really dared to chat with the two princes.

"Chief Assistant, I think that because of this situation, more envoys should be sent out. In order to defeat the Xiongnu, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian to find the Dayue clan, hoping that the two countries would jointly attack the Xiongnu. Later, Zhang Qian accidentally dug Western Region. Now we might as well take a longer-term view when dealing with Mongolia. Russia, for example, has plenty of experience and lessons in dealing with the Mongols. It is still fighting the remnants of the Golden Horde, so there is nothing wrong with dealing with them. harm."

"It doesn't matter. By the way, there is also the Rise of Great Powers series. How are you writing the Fo Langji chapter?"

"So that's what I mean. You should be well prepared for the chapter on Franji. In fact, you have already written the story of Cid and the story of Cortez. The story of Franji is very important to you when you write it. , it’s not that difficult.”

"Two princes, Zhang was ordered by His Majesty to teach the two Highnesses. What I want to talk about today is mainly the situation in Europe. Logically speaking, Europe is far away from us, and it is meaningless to talk about it. But it is different now. The world is an open world, and the current maritime hegemony is controlled by European countries, especially France, so the situation in Europe is not only about Europe, but also affects the whole world. "

"Shou Fu, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, but the earth is round. In some places the sun sets, and in other places the sun just rises. The Franco Kingdom has territory all over the world, so no matter what time, there is always land. It shines under the sun, so it is called the empire on which the sun never sets.”

"It's not difficult to write, but Xiaguan always wants to keep improving. In fact, when Xiaguan opened the Tongwen Library, he also wanted to bring books from all over the world to the Ming Dynasty and select the best ones for translation. Chen's family has done this before. It’s just that since the war, the family’s collection of books has been burned.”

"It doesn't matter. You can write it slowly and write it well to save yourself the trouble of having to rewrite it in the future. Before, I thought that supplementing "Yuan History" was just a matter of adding a few chapters. Now I see that supplementing "Yuan History" is better than writing a new one. It’s all a lot of effort, but it’s actually another official history. I hope that by completing this “History of the New Yuan Dynasty”, I can leave a name in the history books.”

"The Habsburg family is an ancient family in Europe. It originally had a small territory, but later the Habsburg family was elected as the Caesar of the Holy Roman Empire. The Habsburg family obtained a large amount of territory through marriages and other means. Territory, especially the throne of the Franco Kingdom."

"Although the Habsburg family later split up, and the Caesar of the Holy Roman Empire and the King of Spain were no longer the same person, after all, they were still ruled by the same family, which now dominates Europe. Therefore, other European countries, especially the United Kingdom and France, are bound to To overthrow the Habsburg hegemony, the most urgent one is the United Kingdom, which is already at war with France. The same is true for France. Although it has not sent troops directly, it is still supporting the independence of the Netherlands. France will not miss the opportunity to weaken the Holy Roman Empire if there is civil strife in the powerful Franchi country."

"The Ottoman State in the east is also stepping up its expansion. The Ottoman State's expansion direction is in all directions, but it is generally along two directions, one is to invade Europe to the west, and the other is to compete for hegemony with Persia to the east. The Habsburg Dynasty The ruling Holy Roman Empire and the Franco Kingdom all have huge conflicts of interest with the Ottoman Empire. Therefore, although the Habsburg Dynasty is powerful, it can be regarded as the enemy of the whole world." The emperor mentioned to Zhang Xiao before. He made suggestions, saying that the customs and customs that Zhang Xiao talked about before were too simple, so Zhang Xiao had to turn up the difficulty and talk about the international structure.

After Zhang Xiao finished speaking, the eldest son looked thoughtful, while the third son looked confused.

"Mr. Zhang, according to what you said, the Franconian Kingdom and the Holy Roman Empire were all ruled by the Habsburg dynasty. The Habsburg dynasty had so much land and plundered so much from all over the country. It is difficult for Britain and France to defeat the Habsburg Dynasty in terms of gold and silver wealth." asked the eldest son of the emperor.

"The Habsburg family is now at its peak. It is indeed difficult to defeat, but the stronger the country, the more enemies there are. From ancient times to the present, no country in Europe has been able to unify Europe, including the Roman state mentioned in "The Book of the Later Han". Even the Qin Dynasty failed to unify Europe because the terrain in Europe was too complex, there were many ethnic groups, the languages ​​were different, and there were conflicts and even hatred between the various ethnic groups, so it was difficult to unify the Habsburgs. The Burg family seems to rule a large territory, but the domestic nobles are also unruly. The nobles and gentry in many territories do not like to be ruled by the Habsburg dynasty. For example, this is the case in the Netherlands, which has been rebelling for many years. ." Zhang Xiao explained.

"Mr. Zhang, are there any books I can read about what you are talking about?"

"Returning to Your Highness, I am writing the chapter of Folangji on the Rise of a Great Power. When it is completed, it will be submitted to the imperial court. Now the Tongwen Museum is already in charge, and some classics written by Europeans will also be translated by then. His Royal Highness, the eldest son of the Emperor You can watch it then.”

"Mr. Zhang, can you speak Buddhist language?"

"I am somewhat fluent, but not very proficient. I am more proficient in English. But now the missionaries have brought books such as a Portuguese-Chinese dictionary. If His Royal Highness, the eldest son of the Emperor, wants to learn the French language, you can also read this book. "Zhang Xiao said truthfully.

"The translation is too slow, and the translation may not be accurate. I still learned it myself, and it seems faster. I also hope that Mr. Zhang will also recommend which books are worth reading."

"This is natural. The emperor's eldest son is diligent and studious, which is a blessing to the country."

"Mr. Zhang, I also have a question to ask you." The third prince looked at his eldest brother and Zhang Xiao, who were chatting happily, and finally couldn't help but ask.

"Your Highness, please speak."

"The countries you mentioned are indeed wonderful. It's just what the kings, nobles, and people of these countries wear, what houses they live in, what they eat, what they look like, and what these foreign countries are like. Although you have told me what a person looks like, Mr. Zhang, hearing it is always better than looking at it."

"Your Highness, in fact, if Your Highness wants to see it, you can also build a garden in the capital. The garden does not have to be that big. You can just imitate foreign buildings. Whether it is a palace, a castle or a church, you can also imitate a small one. As for clothing, you can also find weavers to sew it. There are many foreigners in the Ming Dynasty, and the clothing styles are relatively easy to imitate. "

"Mr. Zhang, why do you want to imitate a small one and make one the same size or bigger? Wouldn't it look better?" asked the third prince.

"Third brother, if we build them all to the same size, how much money and manpower will it cost?" The eldest son of the emperor quickly came out to explain.

Zhang Xiao listened to the words of the third prince and thought for a moment. It seemed that in the original time and space, China did have such a garden. Unfortunately, a fire and a blatant robbery turned this garden into an ordinary green park. . It seems that no matter how brilliant a civilization is, it will always need to be defended by force.

"I'm so stupid, Master, please forgive me," said the third prince.

"It doesn't matter. If His Highness really wants to see it, just build something similar. If it's too tall, it won't have any practical effect. For example, a European castle is a military fortress, but in terms of majesty, it's more powerful than Not as good as the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty has nine elite soldiers, and the capital has high walls and deep pools, which are not comparable to those of several small castles in Europe." Zhang Xiao explained.

In Foala City, Jianzhou, Nurhaci wore the robe of General Longhu newly given by the imperial court and carried the sword of General Longhu. He did not go hunting on horseback in high spirits. Instead, he sat upright and listened to Gong Zhenglu's lecture on history.

"Mr. Gong, I heard you talk about the history of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and I have a question to ask you." Nurhachi asked.

"Great Khan, please speak." Gong Zhenglu said.

"Since the Tuoba clan has already dominated the north, why must they still set their capital in Pingcheng? Pingcheng is now Datong Town, which is a frontier place outside the Great Wall. If it was because they were afraid that they could not defeat Yan Murong Chui of the country can escape to the grassland at any time. Why should he keep the capital in Pingcheng after the Central Plains is wiped out?

"Great Khan, I have also thought about this issue. I thought that although the Northern Wei Dynasty was able to take over the Central Plains, its rule was not stable. The Eastern Jin Dynasty Zhengshuo was still there at the time. Once the Eastern Jin Dynasty made the Northern Expedition, the people of the Central Plains might still defect to the Jin Dynasty. Tuoba By leaving the capital in Pingcheng, he could order all tribes in the grassland to control the Central Plains as long as he had 100,000 cavalry in hand. Just like Helian Bobo did not move the capital to Chang'an when he conquered Chang'an, but stayed in the grassland to build a city. Stabilize your grassland foundation," Gong Zhenglu explained.

(End of this chapter)