Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

The compilation of a new history of Yuan Dynasty was supported by all the ministers.

However, not all ministers supported recovering the former territories of the Han and Tang dynasties and the Yuan Dynasty.

For the civil officials, it is unlikely that they will be able to gain merit by recovering the lost territories. Instead, it will allow the military officers and nobles to rise up and compete with them for power.

They also had to provide logistics for the soldiers in the court and even pay more taxes.

Therefore, after Taizu and Chengzu, the civil servant-led Ming Dynasty basically shrank. Even if it occasionally rose up, it was mostly because of unrest in the border areas.

After ascending the throne, Zhu Youjian always praised Taizu and Chengzu, and they were the first sentence written when formulating the Convention of Rites and Laws.

All the officials knew that the current emperor was not so honest, but they never expected that the emperor would call for the recovery of the former territories of the Han and Tang Dynasties and the Yuan Dynasty before Liaodong was pacified.

Thinking of the sufferings that the wars of the Han and Tang dynasties brought to the people, Liu Zongzhou, the Imperial Academy's chief academic officer, said:
"The Master said: If people from afar are not convinced, then cultivate culture and virtue to win them over."

"Your Majesty, as long as you cultivate virtue and emphasize education, you will naturally be able to attract foreigners to submit."

"Why mobilize the army and send soldiers to fight?"

Prime Minister Han Yu also said:
"The Jianlu have not yet been pacified, and there are also civil unrest in the northwest and the Central Plains."

"The imperial court has exhausted all its resources for these two areas, and there is really no more money and grain to restore the old areas."

"Your Majesty, please consider the people's livelihood and do not add to their burden."

The ministers responded one after another, all believing that a long expedition was not advisable, especially for those old territories, many of which were foreign vassal states.

In September of this year, the Lifanyuan also received envoys from Turpan.

If these foreign vassals knew that the Ming Dynasty wanted to recover the old territories of the Han and Tang Dynasties and the former Mongolian Yuan Dynasty, they would probably become wary of the Ming Dynasty, causing chaos on the border.

For the sake of border stability, they had to dissuade the emperor from doing so.

Zhu Youjian did not expect that he would arouse so much opposition just by expressing the idea of ​​recovering his homeland.

Watching these civil officials speak impassionedly, some of the civil officers in the Privy Council also seconded the proposal. He once again realized that the current Ming Dynasty is still dominated by civil officials, and many officials have the thinking of civil officials.

It is impossible to expand the territory with these people, and even if we conquer it, they will abandon us.

In order to change the minds of the civil servants, Zhu Youjian said in a roundabout way:
"Recovering our homeland is something we will do after we recover Liao territory. We will discuss this matter after we pacify the Jianlu."

"There are civil unrests everywhere in the northwest and central plains. If we don't relocate the population from these places, the civil unrest will not be quelled."

"If Liaodong can no longer accommodate these people, we can only recover some of their homeland and relocate them there."

"Yuan Qing, you are in charge of suppressing the rebellion and disaster relief, so you must make a good plan."

"We can't deal with it in a scramble when the time comes."

The matter was handed over to Yuan Keli, the leader of the civilian officers.

Compared with others, Yuan Keli, as the Privy Councilor, was not so averse to using military force.

Because he had to consider how to maintain the status of the Privy Council after pacifying Liaodong.

In order to ensure that the Privy Council always had a say, he agreed that the emperor would continue to recover the homeland after regaining the Liao territory, so that no one could ignore the Privy Council during the war.

Military generals who have made contributions do not have to be transferred back to the court to compete for power with the ministers of the Privy Council.

Therefore, he immediately accepted the order, believing that recovering his homeland would be helpful in suppressing the rebellion and providing disaster relief.

After he accepted the order, the voices of advice from his ministers died down for a while.

Zhu Youjian bribed the civil servants again and said:

"The border needs stability, and meritorious officials need fiefdoms."

"These are all things that need to be considered. Otherwise, where will the titles and fiefs of the nobles come from?"

"Compared to using barbarians as rulers, I prefer to use Han Chinese."

"I hope that after you obtain the fief, you can promote education and convert the barbarians into Chinese."

These words are both an expectation and a promise to them, indicating that they will have a share of the harvest after the restoration of their homeland.

The voices of those ministers who were awarded titles became even weaker now, as they could not go against their own interests.

Middle-level officials also have the same hope of obtaining titles and fiefdoms in the future.

Many people began to think that it would not be a bad idea to recover their homeland after pacifying the Jianlu, and they could also share the benefits from it.

In this way, the opposition voices were basically disintegrated. In order to encourage foreign expansion and change the ideas of literati, Zhu Youjian said to Xu Guangqi:
"Master Xu has had many exchanges with Western missionaries. Does he know about the Spanish Reconquista?"

"Spain was originally a small country, but after nearly 800 years, it finally completely recovered its lost territory."

“This laid the foundation for a great nation, and then it established large colonies overseas.”

"How did Spain rise in this process, and what lessons did it teach the Ming Dynasty? Xu Xueshi will write an article with Shi Xueshi and Li Xueshi, who are compiling world history."

"The Ming Dynasty's scholars and officials must not be complacent and must open their eyes to the world."

He gave earnest warnings to those who governed the Ming Dynasty, but most of the officials in the court were confused.

Even Xu Guangqi, whose exchanges with missionaries mostly focused on religion and culture, had little understanding of the Spanish Reconquista.

On the contrary, Shi Fenglai and Li Guopu, who were ordered to compile the "Chronicle of the World", collected some information in this regard. However, it is difficult to say that they have any profound understanding.

After all, most of the Westerners who came to the Ming Dynasty were businessmen and missionaries, and they only had a general knowledge of the history of Spain.

Now that the emperor ordered them to write about the rise of Spain, they realized that they only knew the basics of the West.

Shi Fenglai and Li Guopu, who were not very interested in compiling world history, secretly broke into a cold sweat. They could only be thankful that the emperor did not ask them directly, and they still had time to learn about Spanish history after leaving the court.

Xu Guangqi was also secretly ashamed, thinking that he did not know enough about the West. He did not even know much about the Spanish Reconquista mentioned by the emperor.

He decided to find Jesuit missionaries to learn more about how Spain rose.

It took Spain eight hundred years to completely recover its lost territory. There are certainly things worth learning from its process and practices.

But some people disagreed. Qian Longxi, the Minister of the Honglu Temple, said:

"Your Majesty, Spain is a small barbarian country in the West, why do you take it so seriously?"

"What lessons can we learn from the history of the rise of barbarians?"

Hearing this, Zhu Youjian frowned and directly reprimanded:
"You are the ones who close their eyes and ears, and cover their ears to steal the bell!"

"Although Spain is a foreign country, it has expanded from the West to the borders of Luzon."

"This country has become a neighbor of the Ming Dynasty. How much does the Ming Dynasty know about it?"

"Do you have to wait until Spain and other countries invade from the sea like the Japanese pirates before you are willing to take a look at the outside world?"

He severely reprimanded these ministers who were unwilling to open their eyes to the world, and made it clear again that foreign affairs were under the jurisdiction of the Lifanyuan, depriving other ministers of their right to speak on foreign affairs.

When the ministers saw the emperor's rage, they were silent for a moment.

They had previously seen the emperor strictly guarding against the barbarians and thought that the emperor looked down on the barbarians.

I didn't expect that the emperor would attach so much importance to the barbarian countries and ask his ministers to open their eyes to the world. Huang Liji, the head of the Lifanyuan, couldn't figure out what the emperor meant for a while. But he was better at catering to the emperor than Qian Qianyi, so he asked for instructions:

"There are many barbarian countries. Which countries' history can be used as a reference? Your Majesty, please let me know!"

Zhu Youjian's expression eased slightly, and after careful consideration, he said:
"Spain and Portugal, these two countries have had exchanges with the Ming Dynasty for a long time, and their history should be taken seriously."

"The Netherlands has risen in the west in recent years and has invaded the Ming Dynasty several times. We should also pay attention to it."

"There are also countries like France, England, and Russia that cannot be ignored."

"These Western countries have either already risen or are on the eve of rising."

"The Ming Dynasty will inevitably have to deal with them in the future, so we must pay attention to them."

"I sent Sun Yuanhua as an envoy to visit various countries and see their strength."

Some of the ministers had never heard of the names of these countries.

When they heard that the emperor not only knew them by heart but also sent Sun Yuanhua as an envoy, they were all silent for a moment, not knowing how to respond to the emperor.

These interactions have gone beyond their understanding of the outside world, and they simply don't know what to say.

They were used to waiting for tribute from foreign countries and had no concept of proactive diplomacy at all.

Zhu Youjian knew that these civil servants were unreliable and was too lazy to discuss with them.

Thinking about the current world situation, he told the officials of the Lifanyuan:
"Some time ago, I gave star ratings to public figures. I think we can also give star ratings to foreign forces based on morality, civilization, and strength."

"Some places are still in a primitive state, and some even practice cannibalism. It is impossible to communicate with them, and they are considered scattered barbarians."

"Some forces already have their own language and writing system, have established city-states or tribes, have leaders and leaders, and can barely communicate. They are classified as one-star forces."

"Those who have gone one step further and established city-states or even countries, but whose population is less than one million and whose territory is less than a thousand miles, are considered two-star forces. Examples include Champa, Brunei, Florence, Venice, etc."

"Countries with an area of ​​more than a thousand miles and a population of millions or even tens of millions are designated as three-star countries. Examples include North Korea and Japan."

"Those that go one step further and become regional hegemons, or even have influence around the world, are designated as four-star countries. Examples include Spain, the Netherlands, and Rugby."

"Different measures are adopted for four-star countries and forces. When dealing with three-star and four-star countries, we must be cautious."

This was the standard he set when he was thinking about establishing world order.

Under his leadership, the Ming Dynasty would inevitably go out into the world, become the world hegemon and establish world order.

How the Ming Dynasty interacts with other countries and how other countries interact with each other under the world order dominated by the Ming Dynasty are questions he often ponders.

Given the current world situation, it is impossible for all countries to interact equally, and it is impossible for the Ming Dynasty to treat all countries and forces equally. Therefore, he imitated the star rating of public figures to define the level of civilization.

Most three-star and four-star countries already have independent civilizations. It is difficult to conquer or destroy them, and they are qualified to have a certain status in this order.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian requested that these countries be treated with caution. For example, when interacting with them, authorization must be obtained. Without the permission of the Ming court, no conquest can be made without authorization.

There is no need to be so cautious with one-star and two-star forces. The nobles who are enfeoffed can organize their own armies and establish fiefdoms.

The Ming army, which had already adopted new firearms, was able to conquer them easily.

These were Zhu Youjian’s initial ideas. He also planned to invite some countries to establish international organizations and determine the world order dominated by the Ming Dynasty after the Ming Dynasty restored its influence in the world.

Only those countries recognized by the Ming Dynasty can be called civilized countries and have a place in the world.

Huang Liji and others heard such clear instructions, and naturally had a better idea of ​​how to deal with foreign countries and foreign vassals. They knew that the focus of the Lifanyuan was to deal with the relationship with three-star and four-star countries.

Some people are very interested in this star rating. Liu Zongzhou said:
“The four-star country is already a regional hegemon and has influence around the world.”

"How many stars is the Ming Dynasty? Is it higher than them?"

Zhu Youjian said to his ministers with a half-smile:
"How many stars do you think Ming is?"

"The five stars I have divided should be the overlords who rule the world."

"Confucius said: At fifty, one knows the will of Heaven."

"A five-star country should be a celestial empire that knows its destiny and has the mandate and legitimacy to rule the world. What is the Ming Dynasty like now?"

The ministers were silent now. Although they claimed that the Ming Dynasty was the Celestial Empire, they could not really call themselves the world hegemon now.

The Ming Dynasty was undoubtedly the overlord of its neighbors, but it did not pose much of a threat to Spain and the Netherlands.

Otherwise, Spain would not have wantonly massacred the Chinese, and the Netherlands would not have invaded the coast several times.

The title of the Celestial Empire has now been tarnished.

The ministers did not have a deep understanding of this before, but now they feel humiliated when they think that Ming can only be rated as a four-star country:

They never thought that the Ming Dynasty would be on par with barbarian countries.

How can a mere barbarian country be qualified to be ranked four stars together with the Ming Dynasty?

Immediately, a minister said:
"Your Majesty, Lumi has paid tribute many times and should be made a vassal of the Ming Dynasty."

"How can one be qualified to be ranked as a four-star with Ming Dynasty?"

Zhu Youjian sneered when he heard this:
"When was the last time Lumi paid tribute? Were the people who paid tribute real envoys? Can it really be called a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty?"

"Master Xu, tell them about Lumi's position in the West. When did Constantinople fall?"

Xu Guangqi's communication with the missionaries focused on religion and culture, and he didn't know much about these things before. In particular, Lumi was controlled by pagans, and the missionaries rarely mentioned it.

It was not until his disciple Sun Yuanhua was sent on a diplomatic mission that he learned from the emperor that Lumi was a big country that blocked the communication between the East and the West and ruled over Xizhou. He then learned more information from missionaries.

Hearing the emperor's question, Xu Guangqi said:

"Rumi captured Constantinople in 1453 AD and conquered the Byzantine Empire."

"This country dominates the Western Continent and is a first-class country."

"Previously, the tribute to the Ming Dynasty was probably for trade."

"Nowadays, there is little communication between us and we are not a country that often pays tribute."

"According to the current classification of foreign vassal states and foreign countries, they belong to foreign countries with which we have trade relations."

Now the officials understood why the emperor listed Lumi as a four-star country. The status of this country in Xizhou is like that of Ming in Shenzhou.

The Ming Dynasty was no longer the only overlord in the world, and it could no longer be called the Celestial Empire that ruled the world.

Seeing that the ministers were finally moved, Zhu Youjian suddenly stood up and said to the ministers:

"Knowing shame leads to courage. It seems you are not hopeless."

"The reason why I have worked so hard is to make the Ming Dynasty rule the world again and become the Celestial Empire."

"During the reign of Emperors Cheng and Xuan, were there any foreigners who refused to submit? Which country can compare with the Ming Dynasty?"

"In the future, the Ming Dynasty must restore the status of the Chengzu and Xuanzong eras, and once again allow all nations to pay tribute to it and become the Celestial Empire." (End of this chapter)