Ming Jiajing: Starting from Immortality

Chapter 332 Special Province, the Crown Prince becomes a fiefdom!
Double happiness.

There was a festive atmosphere in the Great Buddha Hall.

The Chief Minister Gao Gong, the Second Minister Hu Zongxian, the Assistant Ministers Li Chunfang, Hai Rui and Zhu Heng could not help but smile.

The great victory in Rajputana resulted in the complete loss of the elite main forces that the Mughal Empire had accumulated over the past few decades, especially the backbone of its own troops. The Maurya Corps and the Royal Guards were completely wiped out.

The Mughal Emperor Khusro thus lost the backbone of his war support.

The area north of the Ganges was completely conquered by Wang Chonggu's army, and most of the area south of the Ganges was also controlled by Wang Chonggu's army. Only one important royal city, Delhi, was left near the Ganges under the control of Khusro, but Wang Chonggu's next step was to march straight to Delhi and dig out its heart.

As far as the entire war situation in the South Asian subcontinent is concerned, after the Battle of Rajputana, the elite of the Mughal Empire were almost completely lost, and other resistance forces were also constantly weakening. The "Brahma Legion" newly formed by Khusro by gathering the remnants of the defeated army had already lost its spirit, and its military spirit was scattered, its morale was low, and its strength was very weak. This posed no threat to Wang Chonggu's army, and it was even difficult for them to organize an effective defense.

Moreover, the military failure triggered political turmoil in the Mughal Empire, and the emperor and his subjects were all worried and anxious.

The continuous changes of imperial power and the power struggles among the three factions of the Mughal Empire, namely Akbar, Jahangir and Khusro, gradually became more intense with the tragic defeat of Khusro's personal expedition.

Akbar and other old officials of the Mughal Empire took advantage of the extremely unfavorable situation in Rajputana and immediately proposed a "peaceful solution", which was immediately supported by old officials of Jahangir and other factions.

Under this situation, Kusro had no choice but to agree to the proposals of the two former emperors' old party and proposed peace talks with the Ming army.

Cede land, pay compensation... no matter what it is, as long as the Ming army is willing to withdraw, it can be negotiated.

However, since the Ming Dynasty's counterattack, the initiative to make peace or fight was no longer in the hands of the Mughal Empire.

Whether in terms of equipment advantage or high morale, the Ming army is far superior to the remaining combat forces of the Mughal Empire. Now, what Wang Chonggu has to do, and is doing, is to make the Mughal Empire's rule collapse and perish.

Now, the Ming Dynasty army, like a knife, has stabbed into the "heart" of the Mughal Empire. Once Delhi is captured, the South Asian subcontinent will be divided into two halves.

To the north, Sindh, Punjab, Kashmir, to the south, Bihar, Bilal, Hyderabad, Orissa, Bengal, Mysore.

These states were all meat on the chopping board of the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty had the final say on how to cut them and how to eat them.

The only trouble may be the belief of the South Asian subcontinent, Brahmanism.

"Your Majesty, the Brahman high priest Varna sent an envoy to meet with Lord Wang Chonggu, and also proposed a 'peace plan'. Brahmanism is willing to cooperate with our dynasty to peacefully resolve all wars on the South Asian subcontinent, let the Mughal Empire give up its rule, make Khusro hand over the imperial power, and make all Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras, and untouchables lay down their arms and welcome the royal army. However, they hope that after the South Asian subcontinent enters our territory, our dynasty will continue to give Brahmanism the supreme status and allow Brahmanism to enter our dynasty to preach." Gao Gong said until his mouth was dry, but his interest was still high.

The Ming Dynasty, which opened its eyes to the world, had a deeper understanding of the nearby empires and dynasties, and what it knew best were their resources, especially gold and silver.

Secondly, it is land. Thousands of years of farming culture meant that whenever the Ming Dynasty gained a piece of land, it would send professional officials to study what was suitable to do there.

However, the five provinces added earlier made the court a little disappointed.

Needless to say, the grasslands in Bac Nguyen Province are natural pastures.

In Goryeo Province, apart from growing Korean ginseng, other crops are not suitable for growing, and even in terms of livestock breeding, it is only suitable for raising cattle.

The Ryukyu Province is even more barren. Apart from one kind of cowpea and purslane, there is nothing else suitable to grow or raise.

Only Lingnan Province and Malacca Province slightly comforted the cabinet. Although they were not very suitable for growing grain, they produced a lot of fruits, berries and marine fish.

In short, the five newly added provinces of the Ming Dynasty were not particularly suitable for growing grain.

As for the South Asian subcontinent, according to the news brought back by Wang Chonggu, there is a clear distinction between drought and rain.

In the summer, influenced by the southwest monsoon, there is abundant rainfall, which is very suitable for growing grain.

In winter, the climate is dry due to the influence of the northeast monsoon, making it a great place to visit.

Therefore, the cabinet was more interested in incorporating the South Asian subcontinent into the territory of the Ming Dynasty than incorporating the five provinces of the Northern Plains.

In that subcontinent, religious authority was superior to imperial authority, and the cabinet was very excited by the submission of the Brahmans.

The majority of the cabinet approved of the Brahmanism's demands.

Hearing Gao Gong's excitement, Zhu Houcong did not react. He looked at the five people and asked, "Who among you agrees with the Brahmin's request, and who opposes it?"

Gao Gong and Li Chunfang immediately replied: "Your Majesty, we agree."

Hai Rui then replied: "Your Majesty, I object."

Hu Zongxian and Zhu Heng remained silent.

Obviously, neither agree nor disagree.

"High arch."

"The minister is here."

"Tell me why."

"Your Majesty, there is a huge Himalayan mountain range between our dynasty and the South Asian subcontinent. It is not difficult to rule. With the treasure fleet, no one in the world can resist our rule. But if we go down to govern, or follow the old laws of the five provinces of Northern Plains and relocate the people, this is impossible..."

As the saying goes, "It is easy to conquer the world, but difficult to keep it."

It was actually very difficult for the officials of the imperial court to cross the Himalayas or sail across the ocean to govern the South Asian subcontinent.

As for the idea of ​​migrating people from the South Asian subcontinent to other places in the same way as acquiring grasslands and peninsulas to reduce the difficulty of governance, Gao Gong was very conservative even though he did not say it was a pipe dream.

That's more than 100 million people. There has never been such a migration or movement of such a large number of people in the history of the world.

If this were to be done, the manpower and military force consumed would be incalculable, and even with the wealth of the Ming Dynasty, it would still be a huge loss.

Furthermore, Gao Gong had no good feelings towards the barbarians. He only liked the land but not the people on it.

"Therefore, I believe that, based on national conditions, the South Asian subcontinent should still be governed by the people of the South Asian subcontinent. A special province should be established. Our dynasty only needs to send some officials and troops to be responsible for personnel, finance, garrison and other matters." Gao Gong expressed his true thoughts.

The idea of ​​establishing a special province to rule the South Asian subcontinent is not only applicable to the South Asian subcontinent. Gao Gong's idea is to establish special provinces to govern all territories outside the Ming Dynasty.

Use personnel and garrisons to maintain rule, take away the money and resources of the special province, and leave the remaining matters and problems to the people of the special province to solve themselves.

Each province has its own situation, and the Ming court did not want to interfere. Take Brahmanism as an example. No matter how vicious Brahmanism is, with the help of Brahmanism, the Ming Dynasty can better maintain its rule and obtain money and resources.

As for how Brahmanism oppressed the people of the South Asian subcontinent, it had nothing to do with the Ming Dynasty. Even if violent conflicts broke out, they were conflicts between Brahmanism and the people of the South Asian subcontinent. The Ming Dynasty could completely stand on the dry shore and act as the judge of the outcome.

This system is simply perfect.

When Brahmanism proposed to spread its doctrines in the Ming Dynasty, Gao Gong did not even mention it and did not take it seriously at all.

Even though Taoism and Buddhism have their "hands" and "legs" disabled today, it is still a piece of cake for them to defeat Brahmanism.

Since the Qin Dynasty, the phrase "Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers of different races?" has killed all possibilities for the promotion of Brahmanism in the Central Plains.

"I agree with what Yuan Fu said," said Li Chunfang.

Zhu Houcong neither agreed nor denied it. He looked at Hai Rui and asked, "What do you think?"

"Your Majesty, I think this is inappropriate."

Hai Rui stepped forward, bowed and said, "Our great China has always been based on etiquette and morality. The Prime Minister's idea is too cold. I am afraid that our dynasty will not accept the wealth of all nations..."

Hear the words.

Gao Gong and Li Chunfang's faces turned dark.

This is just short of pointing fingers and scolding them, saying that they stole the wealth and resources of all nations but did nothing for their people. They are shameless people.

Gao Gong subconsciously wanted to refute that in exchanges between countries, it has always been the law of the jungle. The triangular trade between Spain and Portugal in Africa and America on the European continent, and the Ming Dynasty's establishment of special provinces in the South Asian subcontinent, which did not kill or enslave the indigenous people, did not set up colonies, and allowed partial autonomy, were already the most virtuous dynasties in the world.

Building a country on etiquette and convincing people with virtue, this corrupt scholar's fantasy completely ignores reality and is more than naive!

As soon as the words of rebuke came to his lips, he felt the emperor's restraining gaze, so he had to swallow his words back and listened to Hai Rui continue speaking, "Etiquette and morality are the foundation of a country. Although our dynasty has abandoned them, other countries have never had them. It is like the prophecy of heaven. Today, there are countless Confucian scholars in the north and south, who talk all day long, but stop at nothing. I think we should invite thousands of Confucian scholars to South Asia, use their skills to establish a mind for heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the people, inherit the lost knowledge of the past sages, and bring peace to the world for all eternity."

As Hai Rui spoke, the expressions of the people in the Great Buddhist Hall gradually changed. When Hai Rui finished speaking, Gao Gong and Li Chunfang showed fear, while Hu Zongxian and Zhu Heng were shocked and admired.

I thought Hai Rui was a conservative founding father, but I didn't expect that this conservatism was the kind that he thought radical founding fathers like Gao Gong and Li Chunfang were too conservative.

Etiquette and morality are all orthodox Confucian ideas. After thousands of years of inheritance, they have long been corrupt. However, for the South Asian subcontinent and for the believers of Brahmanism, the corrupt Confucian ideas are still supreme.

Previously, the various new policies of the emperor and the court almost completely destroyed the soil for the survival of Confucianism in the Central Plains. Several people in Gao Gong’s cabinet were abused by countless Confucian scholars.

Hai Rui claimed that he did not have a broad mind, but he had a sense of "repaying evil with kindness" and found a good place for these Confucian scholars.

That is the South Asian subcontinent.

Ever since the imperial examination system was abolished and then reformed, Confucian scholars have complained that the court did not give them a chance to display their talents and realize their ambitions.

Now, give it.

Go to the South Asian subcontinent to promote etiquette and morality.

You have to know that the Confucian scholars who have survived to this day are basically the most old-fashioned and demanding Confucian scholars, the kind whose words and deeds are so good that even the imperial court can hardly find fault with them.

But this kind of person has problems of his own. He can't do anything practical and can only show off his wit.

Let this group of corrupt scholars go to the South Asian subcontinent to change the thinking of the people there. The four cabinet ministers Gao, Hu, Li and Zhu believed that there was actually no difference between their teachings and those of Brahmanism.

In this way, the Ming Dynasty solved the problem of corrupt scholars within its own country and made outstanding contributions to the "ideological enlightenment" of the South Asian subcontinent, while reasonably collecting "rewards", that is, money and resources on the South Asian subcontinent.

Hai Rui was not opposed to Gao Gong's idea of ​​a special province, but he thought the idea was not perfect.

The right to education cannot be left to the indigenous people of the South Asian subcontinent.

The arrival of tens of thousands of Confucian scholars in South Asia lit a bright light for Confucianism. It was the last thing Hai Rui left for Confucianism in history and in the world after the reform of the imperial examination system.

Repaying evil with kindness is nothing more than this.

"Establish a mind for the heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the living people, carry forward the unique teachings of the past saints, and create peace for all generations."

Zhu Houcong recited this ultimate ideal which was defined by Zhang Zai, a famous Neo-Confucianist in the Northern Song Dynasty, for Confucianism, and he sneered. In this world, is there any kind of knowledge that can connect the past and the present, and is there any kind of knowledge that can solve all problems?

Facts have proved that Hai Rui was not a conservative scholar. Promoting Confucianism in the South Asian subcontinent could also strengthen the cultural identity of the indigenous people of the South Asian subcontinent. Even the empires and kingdoms in Europe knew to build churches and schools in the colonies and intervene in all aspects of faith, culture, language, etc. The Ming Dynasty would not forget this. Confucianism was really suitable.

Zhu Houcong nodded and said, "The Ministry of Rites will be responsible for organizing this matter. I will ask the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot to cooperate. The Confucian scholars in the famous mountains and rivers must not be left out. Once everything in the South Asian subcontinent is settled, we will immediately go to Southeast Asia and establish a 'Confucius Institute' to enlighten and enlighten the nations."

Those corrupt scholars are just like the dirt in the house. If you want to clean them up, you have to clean them up thoroughly and stop being an eyesore in the country.

"I will obey your orders!"

Gao Gong, Hu Zongxian, Li Chunfang, Hai Rui and Zhu Heng personally received the order.

"Do you have anything else to report?"

"Your Majesty, now that the Imperial Noble Consort has given birth to a son, the country is temporarily secure. Can His Royal Highness Prince Fu be allowed to leave the capital and become a fief?" Hai Rui asked again.

Zhu Houcong was stunned for a moment, then he remembered his forgotten eldest grandson. In the blink of an eye, Zhu Yijun was almost four years old. Time really flies.

His father Zhu Zaihou made many mistakes, but they had nothing to do with him. It was not easy for him to stay in Beijing for four years.

Zhu Houcong said silently: "The end of the year is approaching, so let's stay a little longer. After the Lantern Festival, the cabinet will submit a memorial to the palace. Gao Gong."

"The minister is here."

"Pick a better fiefdom for my grandson."

"The minister obeys the order!"

(End of this chapter)