Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"The capital city is even more prosperous now!"

Looking at the scene on the streets of the capital, Zhu Yujian said.

He remembered what the last time he came to the capital was like; it was nowhere near as clean and tidy as it is now.

Pedestrians didn't have as many smiles on their faces, nor did they seem as at ease.

Liu Zongzhou felt the same way when he saw this.

While in the capital, he didn't notice the changes, but after leaving the capital and returning, his feelings became much deeper.

He gained a deeper understanding of what the emperor meant by "civilization and barbarism".

They firmly believed that what the Ming Dynasty needed to do was to spread its civilization throughout the world.

When he met the emperor with Zhu Yujian, he said:

“In Annam, I have seen many barbaric places.”

"May Your Majesty extend Your Majesty's grace to the four seas, so that they may be freed from barbarism."

"The more civilized people there are in the world, the easier it is to communicate. Sages also prioritize education."

It is suggested that the emperor pay more attention to education and transform the barbarians into civilized people.

Zhu Youjian nodded in approval, believing that Liu Zongzhou had made great progress during his year away.

Their thinking has caught up with the times, which will help the Ming Dynasty expand its immigration.

He said to this Confucian master:
"It is the responsibility of civilized people to educate barbarians."

"This is a long and arduous task!"

"Therefore, I have divided the Han people, Chinese people, yellow people, white people and black people into different groups and determined the order of education."

"Those who admire China and are willing to integrate into Chinese society will naturally become Chinese after several generations."

"The more Chinese there are, the more civilized people there will be in the world. In the future, the world will be dominated by civilized people!"

Speaking of long-term plans, Zhu Youjian looked at the two of them and said:
"But before the world is united and most people become Chinese, we must clearly distinguish between those who are close and those who are distant."

Mencius said: "If everyone loves their own parents and respects their elders, then the world will be at peace."

"The definition of kinship must be clearly distinguished; we cannot treat unincorporated barbarians as relatives."

“That would not be the righteous path of the ancients, but rather Mozi’s universal love.”

The idea of ​​universal love is something that Confucianism vehemently opposes.

The book Mencius devotes a large portion to opposing this idea. He believed that "love has different levels" and opposed the Mohist idea that "love has no levels."

Zhu Xi further elaborated on this, saying: "Love your parents, love your brothers, love your relatives, love your village, love your clan, and extend this love to the whole world and the country. It is all from this one love that flows out, but within this love there are many different levels."

Zhu Youjian did not particularly like this theory that placed one's own clan before the nation and the world.

But he disliked even more the way some scholars treated barbarians with benevolence, disregarding the lives of the Ming people and even bringing them in, thus squeezing the living space of Han Chinese.

Therefore, he emphasized that love should be differentiated, and that the needs of Han Chinese, that is, the people of the Ming Dynasty, should be given priority.

What do the people of the Ming Dynasty need now?

Of course, it's immigration.

Anyone who is unwilling to submit to the Ming Dynasty and resists the migration of Ming subjects is an enemy of the Ming Dynasty.

Whether they lived or died, Zhu Youjian didn't care; for him, the people of the Ming Dynasty were the most important thing.

Liu Zongzhou fell silent upon hearing this, for he had discerned the emperor's hidden intentions and knew that they concealed iron and blood, which contradicted the benevolence and righteousness he had always advocated.

However, the ancient sages' statement that love has different levels is not entirely wrong.

If even the people of the Ming Dynasty cannot be settled, how can we possibly educate and civilize the barbarians?

He was caught in a dilemma, pondering which was more correct.
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Zhu Yujian wasn't too interested in these theories; what he cared about was whether he could go back.

Upon hearing the emperor's words, he forced a smile and said obsequiously:

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. You truly deserve to be called a wise and sagacious ruler."

"The people of the Ming Dynasty are fortunate to have such a monarch."

"Your Majesty, I am willing to do my part to help the Ming Dynasty's immigrants!"

His attitude was good, but Zhu Youjian could not let him off easily.

He wanted to give this ambitious but unruly member of the royal family a warning.

Looking at Zhu Yujian, he said:
"You say you understand, but you don't really believe it."

"If you truly understood, you wouldn't have so blatantly beaten your uncle to death." "How much cohesion would the Tang clan retain in the future?"

"Tell me yourself, is it still possible to return to Tang Fan?"

Zhu Yujian certainly wanted to say "yes," but he knew that wasn't what the emperor meant.

If he goes against the emperor's wishes, he might never be able to go back.

But what if they went along with the emperor's wishes? It seemed impossible to return to the Tang vassal state.

Therefore, he could only remain silent and not answer the question.

Zhu Youjian cursed "slippery" under his breath, but forced the conversation to continue:

"You should forget about Tang Fan."

"At most, I will allow you to recommend someone to succeed the Tang King, and have him express his understanding of your actions in the name of the Tang vassal clan."

"As a price, all your titles will be stripped, and you will be sent to India to establish a vassal state as an ordinary member of the royal family."

"And we must help the relocated Tang vassals open up new territories and bring the unruly natives of Southeast Asia to India."

This was Zhu Youjian's plan to completely assimilate Southeast Asia into Han territory.

Those natives who were willing to submit were assimilated, while those who were unwilling were driven to the Indian region.

The more chaotic the place, the better; ideally, it should be a place where various kingdoms and ethnic groups coexist.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yujian breathed a sigh of relief.

Even though he had been promised that he would not be executed after arriving in the capital, he was still very uneasy.

After all, he committed an unforgivable crime and might be imprisoned in Fengyang.

Once he's imprisoned for a few years, his power will be gone. Apart from a few staunch loyalists, the others will be recruited by other vassal states.

Now that the emperor wants to use him, things are much simpler. He can lead his subordinates to re-establish the Tang vassal state and carve out a fiefdom for himself.

As long as the fiefdom is large enough, he will still be a prince.

Whether this prince is a prince of the first rank or a prince of the second rank still needs to be discussed with the emperor:
"Your Majesty, if I were to establish a kingdom spanning a thousand miles, what title would I receive?"

Zhu Youjian replied without hesitation:
"Members of the imperial family who establish a kingdom spanning thousands of miles can obtain the title of Prince."

"If the merits are even greater, he can be treated like a prince, just like the Prince of Jingjiang."

"We treat you much better than ordinary people. It's a pity that there are too many spoiled brats in the royal family, most of whom lack ambition."

Ordinary people who opened up new territories had to offer them to the imperial court in order to retain one-tenth of the land as a fief and receive the corresponding title.

Members of the royal family, however, could obtain all of these titles; with the corresponding land, they could acquire the corresponding noble titles, a far more favorable treatment than that given to ordinary people.

However, very few members of the imperial clan did this, which puzzled Zhu Youjian.

His decision to send Zhu Yujian to India as an ordinary member of the imperial clan was intended to provoke the imperial clan.

The hope is that this example will inspire more members of the royal family to establish their own fiefdoms.

Zhu Yujian discerned this from the emperor's words and made a request:

"If I achieve great merit in India and expand the territory beyond a thousand square miles, will I be able to obtain a true princely title?"

"I do not wish for my descendants to always be ranked behind the princes."

In his view, he was a direct descendant of the Tang dynasty, and even if he had separated from the Tang, he should still have the title of prince.

Therefore, he hoped to become a prince, rather than like the Prince of Jingjiang, where multiple princes would be promoted one level.

Zhu Youjian did not attach much importance to the titles of princes and dukes; in his plan, the largest area of ​​the kingdom was a thousand square miles.

However, princes are all sons of the emperor, and if a major upheaval occurs, they may inherit the throne, so he cannot grant them to the emperor at will.

Considering that Zhu Yujian was a descendant of Emperor Taizu, after careful consideration, he told him:
"If you can conquer an area ten times, no, five times, a thousand li in size, then offer the excess to the imperial court."

"I will grant you the title of Prince, placing you on par with the Tang princes."

"They might even appoint you as the governor of your vassal state, granting you vassal territories outside of China."

"The world is vast enough to accommodate your ambition."

"I expect you to achieve great things, so don't let me down!"

Encourage Zhu Yujian's ambition and give him enough space to explore and make progress.

The land under Heaven was vast enough, and the tributary system, after numerous adjustments by Zhu Youjian, could accommodate such an ambitious person. (End of Chapter)