Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 312: Opening trade routes, setting up provinces, and coronation ceremony!
Zhu Yunhuan must destroy the Jurchens.

It must not be allowed to grow.

Moreover, the Northeast will eventually be incorporated into the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

However, Zhu Yunhu was also very clear that it was easy to defeat the armies of the three Jurchen tribes, but it was difficult to rule them effectively.

Compared with the Central Plains, the three Jurchen tribes were still in an extremely barbaric and backward society.

Being backward means that it is difficult to accept the advanced civilization of the Central Plains in a short period of time, and it is difficult to transform, which means it is difficult to rule.

At this time, most places in the Northeast were still very desolate.

Not to mention the mountains and forests around it, even the fertile plains in the middle have not been developed for the most part due to the extremely cold climate. It is still the "Great Northern Wilderness" with thousands of miles of fertile land but not many people.

But the area there is extremely rich in resources and is also the gateway to the north. By incorporating that area into the Ming Dynasty, and with the grasslands to the west also surrendered, the Ming Dynasty could truly rest easy in the northern border.

With this in mind, Zhu Yunhuan pointed at the map and said, "When we march into the Jurchens this time, we can order the civilians following behind to build a cement road, cut through the mountains, and build bridges over the water, so that we can go straight from Beiping to the hinterland of the Northeast."

The terrain of the grassland is completely different from that of the Northeast.

The grassland does not need to open up new roads, as it is interconnected on its own.

Although there is a large area of plains in the middle of the Northeast, it is a completely different environment compared to the grassland, and roads must be built to connect them.

"Yes, sir!" Yang Shiqi responded.

Zhu Yunhuan further instructed: "Although the grasslands have been pacified and some officials have been sent there, they are extremely scattered and there is no effective control at all levels."

"The court still needs to select two governors to go to the grasslands."

As he spoke, he casually drew two circles on the map.

"The grassland can be divided into two, becoming two provinces of the Ming Dynasty."

"Each province sends a governor to oversee the military and political affairs of the province."

He had been thinking about this plan for a long time.

First, the grassland tribes were divided, and the court sent officials to each tribe to assist in handling their affairs, and then provinces were set up.

In this way, the grassland could be truly and effectively ruled by the Central Plains court.

The situation in the grassland is very special. At the beginning, it is definitely impossible to govern it in different places like the provinces in the interior.

It is wise to let the governor take charge of military and political affairs and act according to circumstances when encountering emergencies.

After a short pause, Zhu Yunhuan continued: "After the three Jurchen tribes are pacified, three provinces will be set up and three governors will be stationed."

"Please keep an eye out for any suitable candidates and recommend them to me."

He did not intend to give any buffer time to the three Jurchen tribes.

Once the rebellion was pacified, provinces were immediately set up and rule was strengthened.

Since the recovery of Taiwan, the current Ming Dynasty has one capital and fourteen provinces.

Adding the five newly established provinces, there will be one capital and nineteen provinces.

Several people looked at each other, all slightly shocked.

Suddenly, the Ming Dynasty had to add five provinces, and the impact this would bring would probably be significant.

In fact, Zhu Yunhuan’s plan was far more than that.

However, that is something that needs to be announced after he officially holds the coronation ceremony, so there is no need to say it now.

"I obey your command!" the four of them responded in unison.

Yang Rong added: "Speaking of setting up provinces, there is one more matter that I would like to ask the emperor for judgment."

"Since Zhang Fu and Zhu Neng pacified the grasslands, our Ming Dynasty has opened up border trade and purchased a large number of war horses from various tribes on the grasslands."

"The tribes on the grasslands also imported a lot of supplies from the Ming Dynasty. They hope that the imperial court can relax the restrictions on ironware."

"There was endless debate in the court about this."

"Some people think that since the grasslands have already submitted to the Ming Dynasty, there should be no more restrictions."

"We can allow the sale of ironware to the grasslands, and we can also exchange it for a large number of war horses."

"Otherwise, the trade imbalance will be difficult to sustain."

"Some people also believe that although the grassland tribes have surrendered temporarily, they may not stop rebelling in the future."

"In the past, Emperor Taizong of Tang pacified the Turks and was revered as the 'Heavenly Khan' by the grassland tribes. The Tang Dynasty also adopted a policy of wooing and naturalizing the grassland tribes."

"But later, as the Tang Dynasty declined, the grassland tribes began to rebel again."

"During the Five Dynasties, countless Han people were killed."

"The Song Dynasty was weak and incompetent, and was oppressed by the grassland tribes until the Yuan army entered the Central Plains and poisoned the country for countless years."

"The lesson here is profound."

"Now, although the grassland tribes are subject to our Ming Dynasty, ironware is the foundation of the country. Even if we want to send it to the grassland tribes, we should strictly limit it."

"We can't let the grassland tribes have endless iron weapons. We need to strengthen their military preparations. We have to prevent this."

"Both sides held their own views and argued endlessly."

"How should I decide? Please advise me, Your Majesty."

Since the establishment of the salt and iron monopoly system in the Han Dynasty, the production and sales of ironware have been controlled by the state.

The Ming Dynasty was no exception.

Compared with the Central Plains, the level of productivity on the grassland was much lower and there was a lack of iron tools.

In the past, when the grassland tribes invaded from the south, the iron pots in the homes of ordinary people were important properties that the barbarians would rob.

An iron pot can be sold at a price dozens of times higher on the grassland than in the Central Plains.

Iron is the most important material for making weapons.

Therefore, the Central Plains dynasties have always strictly restricted the flow of ironware to the grasslands.

Zhang Fu and Zhu Neng pacified the grassland, and trade between the grassland and the Ming Dynasty began.

However, salt and iron were controlled by the state. Although after the mutual trade, driven by huge profits, it was inevitable that a small amount of ironware was sold to the grassland tribes by the people.

But this is still far from meeting the grassland tribes' demand for iron tools.

"Allow the sale of ironware to the grassland tribes." Zhu Yunhuan stated without hesitation.

Just kidding.

The steel mills of the Manufacturing Bureau are continuously producing more steel than can be used up.

He would be more than happy to open up a larger sales market.

Why not sell?
As for arming the grassland tribes and making them stronger, thereby giving rise to ambitions to invade the Central Plains and rebel against the imperial court... Zhu Yunhuan can only say, you are thinking too much!

Times have changed!

The days when people could use a little more iron to make iron pots and hoes to invade the Central Plains are gone forever.

The Ming Dynasty's steel production will soon be a hundred or a thousand times higher than before!
The little ironware purchased by the grassland tribes was a drop in the bucket compared to the steel consumed in industrial construction.

Yang Rong was slightly stunned. He did not expect Zhu Yunhuan to reply so quickly, so he asked again: "Does the court want to impose any restrictions? For example, how many kilograms per year?"

"No need!" Zhu Yunhuan shook his head and said, "As long as they can provide materials for exchange and can afford the purchase, we will supply as much ironware as they have."

"Of course, specially made knives and bows and arrows are still subject to controls."

"We can ask each tribe to submit a written report to the court, and then the officials will review it and release it."

“We try our best to meet normal needs.”

"The materials that can be exchanged are not limited to war horses, cattle and sheep can also be exchanged."

Zhu Yunhuan said: "Even if we buy it and kill it to eat the meat, that's not bad either."

"And wool."

"The textile mills of the manufacturing bureau need a lot of wool to weave sweaters."

"The textile mills need as much wool as there is on the grassland."

For individuals, there is a certain meaning to controlling knives and bows and arrows.

But for each large tribe, as long as they got iron, there would be blacksmiths to make it into knives and bows and arrows.

There is no point in imposing strict controls on this.

It would be better to take advantage of the Ming Dynasty's "industrialization" advantages and completely monopolize the production and sales of knives and bows and arrows on the grassland.

Let the blacksmiths on the grassland never work iron again.

After all, purchasing industrially produced knives and bows from the Ming Dynasty are not only of better quality but also much cheaper.

By making full use of the advantages of "industrialization", it is easy to control the knives and bows and arrows of the grassland.

Of course, there is no need to think about muskets and cannons.

Even now, the Ming Manufacturing Bureau is constantly updating and upgrading, eliminating early muskets and artillery and producing new and more advanced models.

However, the original muskets and artillery could still be used by the second-line troops or government officials. If that didn't work, they would be recycled and destroyed. It was impossible to supply even a tiny bit of them to the grassland tribes.

The police officers in Yingtian Prefecture have begun to use muskets, but the management of muskets is extremely strict.

In the eyes of Yang Rong and others, war horses are the most important resource.

But Zhu Yunhuan knew very well the importance of wool!
Historically, the Industrial Revolution in the West began with the enclosure movement, the so-called "sheep eat people" movement.

The opening of new shipping routes broke down the barriers between continents, and the world gradually became one. The start of the globalization process was like a timely rain for the budding capitalism.

The commodity market has been developed, but production cannot keep up with demand.

Food can be produced all over the world, but without advanced textile machinery and technology, textiles cannot be produced on a large scale and at low cost.

For countries that have undergone the industrial revolution, the low cost and high profit of sheep textiles have become a way to get rich quickly.

The wool supply was severely insufficient.

As a result, a large number of land nobles drove away the farmers who originally rented their land and turned the grain-growing fields into sheep pastures. This was the famous "sheep-eating movement" in history.

Zhu Yunhuan certainly would not allow such a thing to happen in the Ming Dynasty.

However, after industrialization, the demand for wool has increased dramatically, which is a reality.

There are vast pastures on the grassland.

A large number of sheep can be raised there.

However, the demand for wool was limited and had not yet been stimulated.

The herders on the grassland will not raise too many sheep that produce wool specifically.

In fact, there are not many breeds of this kind of sheep on the grassland, and the yield is not very high.

Sheep that produce a lot of wool and related breeds had to be introduced from the West, which was also of great significance in opening up shipping.

In any case, we should first boost the enthusiasm of grassland herders to raise sheep.

Judging from the speed of industrialization in the Ming Dynasty, it won’t be many years before the market demand for sheep far exceeds that for horses.

"I understand!" Yang Rong responded.

No matter how much debate there was in the court, Zhu Yunhuan had the final say.

This is the power of the emperor.

Xia Yuanji stepped out again and said, "There is one more thing, which is about your majesty's wedding and coronation ceremony."

"We have tentatively planned to hold the coronation ceremony on the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month and the wedding on the 6th day of the first lunar month next year."

According to Confucian etiquette, one should observe three years of mourning after the death of a close relative.

However, etiquette and laws are dead, but people are alive.

Confucian etiquette is not completely inhumane.

For example, one workaround is to hold a "funeral wedding."

That is, before the loved ones are buried, the newlyweds get married in front of the mourning hall.

According to etiquette, this is to let the deceased relatives watch their children and grandchildren get married, which is filial piety, not unfilial.

It had been just over two years since Zhu Yunhuan lost his father, and the mourning period had not even been completed.

The reason why he was arranged to have his "harem" was because the three-year mourning period was about to end.

Secondly, as long as Zhu Yuanzhang gave the order, the three-year mourning period could still be skipped.

This is also the etiquette of Confucianism.

That is, if the parents pass away but the grandfather is still alive, the length of mourning and when to get married are all decided by the grandfather, and no matter how long it is, it is not considered "unfilial".

After all, according to etiquette, grandfather is higher than father.

But in reality, grandfathers usually die before fathers and are unable to make decisions for their grandsons.

Therefore, this one is not used much.

As for happy events like the emperor's enthronement ceremony, they had long ago come up with a way to use one day instead of one month.

According to etiquette, the three-year mourning period is just a popular saying. In fact, the one year of mourning refers to nine months, not twelve months.

That is, the exact mourning period is twenty-seven months.

The royal family replaced one month with one day, that is, twenty-seven days after the death of the previous emperor, the new emperor could hold a formal coronation ceremony.

Although Zhu Yunhuan was still young, they all hoped that he could have children as soon as possible and did not want to postpone the wedding until twenty-seven months later, so they thought of holding a mourning hall wedding.

"I think it's inappropriate!" Just as Zhu Yunhuan was thinking, Yao Guangxiao stepped out.

The old monk was wearing official uniform and hat today, and he no longer called himself a poor monk.

This was the case every time he came to see Zhu Yunhuan these days.

But as soon as he left, he immediately changed into monk's robes and still called himself the monk "Daoyan".

He paid homage to the emperor when he went to court and recited scriptures after leaving the court.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at him.

Yao Guangxiao said loudly: "I think your majesty's enthronement ceremony was too hasty, there was not enough time to prepare, and it was not grand enough."

“The same is true for weddings.”

Xia Yuanji did not change color because of the rebuttal. He was always calm and his expression was calm at this time. He said, "I am following the etiquette."

"Your Majesty wants to be a sage king through the ages, so you must have a different aura." Yao Guangxiao said, "Now the Ming Dynasty is peaceful and prosperous."

"Before Your Majesty ascended the throne, he had already led his troops to defeat the Japanese pirates and pacify Japan."

"He also led his army north to destroy the Northern Yuan Dynasty and pacify the grasslands."

“Establish banks, build roads, construct reservoirs, fill the treasury, and fill the granaries.”

"The people are all grateful to your majesty and are full of praise for you."

"Now that Your Majesty has officially ascended the throne, we should hold an unprecedented grand ceremony that will go down in history forever."

"It is better to delay for a while than to do things half-heartedly."

Yao Guangxiao pulled out a booklet from his sleeve and said, "I have also drawn up a plan for your majesty's coronation ceremony and wedding."

"My plan is to hold the coronation ceremony and the wedding on the same day."

"Your Majesty not only accepted the worship of all officials, but also allowed the common people of the capital to come and participate."

Let all the people come?
It does have some similarities to the military parades of later generations?
Zhu Yunhuan's heart moved, he took the booklet, looked at it, and said, "I think your idea is very good."

“But it’s still not grand enough.”

He already had some ideas in mind.

Some people said that holding ceremonies was a waste of time and money, but Zhu Yunhuan had other ideas.

Why does an emperor hold a coronation ceremony when he ascends the throne?
In essence, it is to strengthen the rule by reinforcing the impression of the supremacy of the monarchy through grand and solemn ceremonies.

The ritual may seem complicated and useless, but it can actually cleanse a person's soul and mind.

To put it bluntly, this is similar to the slogans shouted by pyramid schemes in later generations.

If this is the case, then let more people participate, make the event more grand, and the ideological impact on people will naturally be stronger.

It can better highlight the status of imperial power.

On the other hand, the unique and grand ceremony also heralds the arrival of a new era.

"In addition, I will add one more thing. On the day of my coronation, I will also review the army of Ming Dynasty."

"The new army that will soon set out to the north to conquer the three Jurchen tribes will be inspected by me on that day."

"After the review, we will rush to the battlefield and start the third war against the Jurchens."

Changing the subject, Zhu Yunhuan ordered: "In the next few days, the Ming Daily should publish some articles about the three Jurchen tribes invading the territory of the Ming Dynasty and oppressing the people of the Ming Dynasty. Be prepared to mobilize public opinion."

Yao Guangxiao bowed and said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I have already made arrangements."

The decision to conquer the three Jurchen tribes was not made today.

Yao Guangxiao had naturally asked someone to prepare the manuscript long ago.

"it is good!"

Zhu Yunhuan nodded and said, "The coronation ceremony, wedding, and military review will all be held on the same day."

“This can also save a lot of expenses.”

“But it has to be grand.”

"At the same time, invite the leaders of the grassland tribes in Beijing, the royal family members of Japan, and the envoys from the southern barbarians, the Western Regions and all other countries to participate."

"Let them see the majestic aura of our Ming Dynasty."

"The ceremony can be postponed a little bit and held before the end of the first month of next year."

When they heard this, they were all shocked.

According to the original plan, the court officials did not intend to invite any foreign envoys to attend Zhu Yunhuan's coronation ceremony.

This is not in accordance with etiquette.

The new emperor usually receives foreign envoys after the coronation ceremony.

But Zhu Yunhuan's intention was obviously to break the original rules.

Combining the three ceremonies together would make the scale much larger even if the funding remained the same.

"I will receive the order."

……

(End of this chapter)