The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 838: Premonition of the Empire's Division

Snowflakes were falling from the sky.

Snow fell into the nine gates of the capital, into the dilapidated thatched houses of the people, and into the magnificent imperial palace.

At night, the gray houses are covered with a layer of white snow, blending into the Wudang Mountains outside Tianxin City.

The impoverished and dilapidated city seems to want to hide itself so that no trace of it can be found.

Only the tall and majestic imperial palace stands proudly.

The snow buried his ankles and his toes were freezing cold as Belasco followed the big Han general and staggered through the palace.

Riding horses is not allowed in the palace, and there will be no sedan chair prepared for the Spaniard. Half an hour ago, this man was still a prisoner in the imperial prison.

The snow in Tianxin City comes later than in the northern provinces. It is said that this is related to the unique climate here. This was the work of the former national master Ke Zhen'e.

The missionaries stayed in the imperial prison for too long, and before they knew it, it was snowing season.

Long season.

"Your Majesty is reviewing memorials in Renshou Palace. Please hurry up."

Velasco quickened his pace.

The palaces stretch endlessly to the horizon.

The construction of this palace cost a total of 90 million taels of silver, which was equal to the three-year income of the Great Qi Dynasty.

In the first year of Wuding, Liu Zhaosun issued an edict to build the Tianxin City Palace in the southern suburbs of Junzhou, Huguang, based on the style of the Forbidden City in Beijing.

It took three million soldiers and civilians eight years to complete the construction.

The Tianxin City Palace covers an area of 1.08 million square meters, with a construction area of approximately 300,000 square meters. Buildings of this scale are extremely rare in the world.

The missionaries arrived at the gate of Renshou Palace.

The eunuch on duty instructed the missionaries on what to pay attention to when they meet His Majesty later.

No loud noises are allowed, no spitting is allowed, and the emperor must bow his head and look submissively when he speaks.

The Spanish listened attentively.

This was the first time that missionaries met Emperor Guangde alone. It was rumored that Emperor Guangde was cruel and would often throw his subjects into imperial prison and torture them severely.

Velasco was filled with fear and anticipation.

"Your Majesty is inside, please."

The eunuch led Velasco into the Renshou Palace.

In the empty hall, Emperor Guangde sat upright on a dragon throne. He was tall and handsome, and his demeanor was very similar to that of his father Liu Zhaosun.

"I, the guilty official, Belasco, the Director of the Imperial Observatory, kowtow to the Emperor."

"stand up."

Emperor Guangde did not directly inquire about the situation in Manila, but first talked about the weather, crops, and astrology. Finally, he seriously asked the Spaniards whether they had adapted to the customs of Qi after ten years in Qi.

"I am doing well in Tianxin City. My colleagues treat me very well. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

Liu Kan clapped his hands and laughed: "The red-haired barbarians are really straightforward and don't beat around the bush."

"Your Majesty, I am very grateful for your kindness. I will follow the local customs."

The king and his minister exchanged pleasantries for a while before Liu Kan got to the point:
"The Emperor is old."

"He has been seeking immortality for thirty years, but in the end, it was all in vain. I cannot repeat my father's mistakes. No supernatural powers will be allowed in Da Qi. Otherwise, the empire will be plunged into another catastrophe."

Liu Kan paused for a moment and continued:

"This is my original intention in banning religion. If we allow the spread of Catholicism, the doctrines you sincerely believe in will be exploited by those with ulterior motives. Catholicism could become a scourge like the White Lotus, a weapon for conspirators... Do you understand my explanation?"

"can."

Velasco replied cautiously, "I am in the middle of this situation, so I have to tell the truth. A similar thing happened in Japan in the past. The Catholic Church was about to interfere in Oda Nobunaga's domestic and foreign affairs."

Liu Kan nodded without comment.

"I am not interested in Japan."

Emperor Guangde did not want to dwell on this issue too much:
"My cabinet and advisors say that the limit of imperial expansion is Annan. If Japan is conquered, the imperial finances will soon collapse."

The cost of occupying a foreign country will far outweigh the benefits.

The people of the empire were still immersed in the triumphant victory of the Emperor's era, little knowing that the chariots were leading them into hell.

"Prince Liu Qian of Han supports the war against Annan, Princess Liu Yufei supports the conquest of Japan, and Prince Liu Xuan of Chu supports the attack on Manila. They have united to attack me and fabricated rumors to slander me, portraying me as a traitor who overturned my father's national policy."

Emperor Guangde was a little excited and paused.

"The ministers were bewitched by them. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that many people wanted to reap the benefits of foreign wars, so they supported them."

Velasco was amazed at Emperor Guangde's erudition and surprised at the young emperor's clear understanding of human nature.

"This ancient nation is superstitious about unity and does not tolerate any dissenting voices. During my father's time, the only voice was war. In the eyes of those in power, the existence of dissenters is inherently a provocation."

"I am different from these superiors."

Velasco dared not speak.

"Da Qi needs different voices to keep it moving forward."

Liu Kan waved his hand, and the palace maid brought two cups of hot tea and carefully handed them to the emperor and the missionary.

Liu Kan took a sip and watched the Spaniard finish his tea:
"The reason why Liu Qian and Liu Yufei were able to stir up trouble is because they have the support of the emperor."

Liu Kan respected his father very much, even though his father had ordered the death of Liu Kan's most beloved concubine...

"I respect my father."

Velasco, not understanding the Emperor's meaning, leaned forward slightly. "My father has fought for decades, conquered vast territories, and ruled over hundreds of millions of people. To preserve the empire and prevent it from sliding into corruption and becoming irreversible, I must take action."

Velasco knew something about the conflict between Emperor Guangde and Princess Han Wang.

The conflict existed since the founding of the empire, originating from the different personalities of the mothers of the princes and princesses.

Although Zhang Yan, Jin Yuji, Chen Yuanyuan and Liu Rushi are all stunning beauties, their personalities, experiences and ways of dealing with people are very different.

In addition, Liu Kan was later influenced by Francisco and Johann Adam Schall von Bell...

"I heard that the Emperor is planning to take over the King of Han,"

The missionary couldn't help but say the name, "Exiled to Annan."

The air froze for a moment, and the missionary heard the sound of heartbeats.

Emperor Guangde nodded. "It's not Father, it's my will."

The missionary couldn't help but ask, "Are all the Han king's close ministers and those who support him going to Annan? Are they staying in the capital because they're afraid they might undermine your majesty's national policy?"

Emperor Guangde remained silent.

Liu Kan and Liu Qian fought for more than ten years, and there was no clear winner, even after Emperor Guangde ascended the throne.

Now, the dust has finally settled.

The prince won.

If the King of Han wins and becomes the Emperor of Qi, he will continue to expand and provoke border wars.

Using the profits from expansion - if there are any profits - to satisfy the infinitely expanding desires of civil and military nobles is a paradox in itself.

"I have something to say."

"Please say."

The missionaries talked about their missionary experiences in Japan.

"I have lived in Edo for ten years and know the situation there. Edo is prosperous and wealthy, of course. But outside of Edo Castle, heading west, the grain income in Kyushu is less than that of the Han King's fiefdom of northern Shaanxi. Even low-ranking samurai can't get enough to eat. They can only eat barnyard grass."

The missionaries couldn't understand what the point was of mobilizing an army, conscripting 100,000 soldiers, stockpiling half a year's worth of food for 100,000 people, and building thousands of warships to conquer such a barren land.

Occupying Japan is not worth the cost, and the same is true for Annan. The Ming Dynasty ruled Annan for only twenty years, and I wonder how long the Great Qi could last.

However, if Japan was not attacked, where would the empire's growing nobility go to gain more profits?

There is no doubt that if they stop expanding overseas and stop making profits, they will extend their hands more domestically and exploit the people.

Fortunately, the Great Qi has abundant martial virtues, and fortunately, my father is still able to fight, otherwise I don’t know how to satisfy the appetites of these rats.

To curb expansion and the growing desires of the powerful, it is useless for the emperor to issue a few imperial edicts alone. More powerful clauses are needed to constrain them.

"What is the annual treasury revenue of Da Qi?"

"Eighty million taels."

The Spaniards sensed fear and wondered why Emperor Guangde told them so many secrets.

Are you really going to send me to Manila to die?

"But last year's expenditures exceeded 100 million taels. Ten million taels were spent on pacifying Annan, and five million taels were spent on Korea. Just because Empress Dowager Cisheng was Korean, the Ministry of Revenue needs to spend millions of taels every year to support Korea. Next year, conquering Japan will cost another 10 million taels."

The missionary's scalp tingled when he heard the astronomical figures.

You must know that his salary in the Imperial Observatory was only 15 taels of silver, and it was often in arrears. What does 10 million taels mean?
Even if he started receiving a salary from the time Jesus left Egypt until the establishment of the Great Qi Empire, he would not have earned so much money.

If new sources of revenue could not be found, the empire's finances would soon collapse.

The missionary closed his eyes, and the image of soaring prices and people's miserable lives emerged in his mind.

Mutinies continued, hundreds of thousands of soldiers armed with weapons demanded food and wages from the court. The Great Wall and fortresses in the border areas fell into disrepair and gradually collapsed. Officials in local prefectures and counties began to blatantly demand money and property from the people. The desperate people might end their lives, or they might take several lives before that...

"Of course, while increasing the treasury's revenue, the most important thing," Emperor Guangde continued, "is to re-establish the salary system, ensure that official salaries are reasonable, ensure that the powerful are supervised, and reform the mess left by my father."

The missionary listened silently, until then he discovered that Emperor Guangde was not as violent and arrogant as rumored by the outside world.

He did not show deep hatred for European civilization or extreme aversion to Catholicism.

Liu Kan seemed very gentle.

Emperor Guangde had a pair of clear, bright eyes, and his appearance fully inherited the advantages of his father, Emperor Liu Zhaosun, and his mother, Empress Zhang Yan. He had both his mother's handsome face and his father's tall and strong physique.

Most importantly, Liu Kan inherited his father's energy and perseverance, as well as his mother's flexibility.

Emperor Guangde abandoned the war, abandoned the war that exhausted the people's strength to enrich the nobles, and chose to sit down and negotiate with Britain, France and other countries to restore foreign trade relations in the first year of Wuding.

At the same time, Liu Kan did not want Catholicism to spread in the empire because his father's pursuit of immortality had left him with an indelible psychological shadow.

What a contradictory individual.

The missionary used an analogy: "When you open a window, sunlight comes in, but flies also come in. Your Majesty only wants sunlight, which is impossible."

"I can tolerate flies, but I cannot tolerate them sucking blood. Flies that suck blood should be swatted to death."

Religious mutation will corrode the entire country. Previous history has proved that Emperor Guangde does not want a new monster to appear before the reform is completed.

The missionary sincerely admired:
"Your Majesty is a true sage king, surpassing Yao, Shun, and Yu..."

Liu Kan shook his hand impatiently, interrupting the Spaniard.

"I've heard too much hypocritical flattery. Enough. Enough of this... Do you have the guts to go to Manila? Take my personal letter and stop this war. Try to resolve the dispute through negotiation and stop Liu Yufei, Liu Qian, and their conspiracy."

The missionary was terrified:
"Your Majesty, I can try..."

Liu Kan nodded: "Okay, I didn't make a mistake."

On that day, Emperor Guangde gave the missionaries a golden cross, two silver wine cups, a sword symbolizing the emperor's power, three sets of official uniforms for imperial envoys, and a dozen bottles of fine wine from southern France.

(End of this chapter)