Bringing the Railway to Daming

The meaning of this couplet is very clear. The poster once had great ambitions and had opportunities when the time came. Unfortunately, he was unlucky and failed to succeed. So he retired to his hometown and only talked about love from then on.

The commentary said: "With such heroic spirit and a clear understanding of everything, fate has brought one disaster after another. The people of Kaiping who survived the raging sea did not live a peaceful life. An even more turbulent and chaotic world is rushing towards them!"

The hollow five-story building began to rotate, and the camera entered the last segment of the video - the building was empty!
"This is Kaiping Liyuan, a private forest garden that combines watchtowers, gardens, and villas."

"The owner spent ten years meticulously creating this garden, starting in 1926. However, shortly after its completion, he fled overseas with his family and never returned."

“It really feels like I’ve walked out of another world.”

"In 1937, the Anti-Japanese War broke out, and the watchtowers and their owners faced another fateful decision. Some fled overseas, escaping the slaughter and opium destruction; others stayed, desperately holding on..."

The video then tells some stories about the Kaiping Diaolou during the Anti-Japanese War. With the bullet marks and cannon holes on the blockhouses, as well as the cannon sounds and gunshots as background sound, Lao Zhu, Zhu Biao and others feel as if they are in that chaotic world of artillery fire and bullets.

The following decades passed like a flash, and in the modern times, these deserted watchtowers became cultural heritage, continuing to stand on the land of Kaiping with a new identity, telling people the history they had witnessed.

The video has come to an end here.

"In fact, there are similar watchtowers in many places in Guangdong, not just Kaiping."

"This wasn't just the chaotic period of the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. Throughout China's 5,000 years, there have been countless wars and turmoil. Our ancestors moved from the Central Plains to the south of the Yangtze River, from the south of the Yangtze River to southern China, and from southern China to overseas."

"We migrate again and again, take root again and again, and then we migrate again."

“Perhaps, we all long for a stable castle, but life is never stable.”

After the explanation, as the curtain fell, a series of documents appeared on the right side of the video.

Among them were newspapers that told of the repeated deaths of Chinese workers overseas and even the massacre of immigrants; there were also bills against immigrants introduced in various places, including the famous "Immigrant Exclusion Act" implemented by Bald Eagle.

Therefore, after the video was over, Zhu Yuanzhang and others were silent for a long time before they spoke one after another.

Zhu Biao said: "Although the Kaiping Diaolou in later generations have been listed as a World Cultural Heritage, they were originally built by the people of that time out of necessity to cope with the chaos of the times."

"If the country is peaceful and stable, the people will never build houses that are primarily for defense."

Many people nodded after hearing this.

Zhu Xiongying said, "Although our Ming Dynasty has encouraged its people to venture overseas since the opening of the sea, it is different from the people in the chaotic late Qing Dynasty who went overseas to survive."

"At that time, the country was weak, and the people had no one to rely on when they went overseas. They were doomed to be bullied and oppressed by foreigners, their lives as miserable as those of ants. It's no wonder that one of the posters left the couplet 'Young people thrive, the yellow race strives for strength.'"

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said, "Now that our Ming Dynasty has become different from before, those things will not happen again."

"Not only that, we also want our Ming people to happily venture overseas, vigorously pursue their careers, reproduce and thrive in various parts of the world, and strengthen the strength of China!"

As more and more people joined in the discussion, Zhu Tan was thinking about the watchtower itself.

"The watchtowers in this video do have good defensive properties. The southwest tower and the Hakka walled tower are also good defensive buildings. If I were to establish a vassal state overseas, I could have the garrisons build these kinds of watchtowers as strongholds to defend against attacks from the natives."

"Besides, Cuba is tens of thousands of miles away from the Ming Dynasty, and the emperor has no control over it. Maybe I can get the cement there."

Thinking of this, Zhu Tan couldn't help but smile.

By the time Zhu Tan came back to his senses from some of his fantasies, Zhu Yuanzhang and others' discussion about this video had also ended.

"Okay, let's play the movie next. Look, the kids can't wait anymore, haha." Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile.

Queen Ma also laughed and said, "When have the children not been anxious?"

Liu Kuan smiled and picked up the tablet, called up the prepared movie and prepared to play it.

As usual, he introduced the film's content. "Your Majesty, this film is called 'Operation Red Sea.' It tells the story of a future time when a country called Yemen in southern West Asia experiences unrest, and the Xin Dynasty dispatches a fleet and special forces to evacuate the local Chinese population."

"Oh?" Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up when he heard about the military of later generations. He said, "Then why are you still hesitating? Play it now."

"Yes."

After Liu Kuan put the tablet down, he touched the screen to play.

After the opening credits, a cargo ship loaded with containers appeared on the vast ocean. The close-up and long-range shots immediately caught the attention of the Zhu family, shocking everyone.

Last year, Zhu Yuanzhang visited the Baochuan Factory and saw the 6,800-ton sail-steam hybrid steel-armored giant ship with a steel-wood hybrid structure manufactured by the Ming Dynasty. He was very proud of it at the time.

This massive ship boasted three decks and was armed with 56 powerful cannons. The two main guns at the bow and stern had a staggering caliber of 18 centimeters (industrial measurement had long been reformed under the Tiangong Institute's guidance), and an effective range of nearly four miles. But now, seeing the freighters in the movies, he felt that the --ton ironclad was nothing.

At this time, the movie showed scenes of the Navy and the Jiaolong Commando rescuing the hijacked cargo ship and personnel and fighting against pirates.

After reading this passage, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately dispelled the meaningless comparison mentality with later generations - they were completely on different levels, so what was there to compare? Wouldn't that just be asking for trouble?
Most people in Lao Zhu's family didn't think as much as Lao Zhu did. They were all concentrating on watching the movie.

Even Zhu Tan, who is particularly thoughtful, is no exception.

Although this is a film centered around battles, the "bullet time" shots of the hostage rescue on the freighter at the beginning of the film, as well as the later shots of bomb disposal and artillery fire such as rockets, all make young people like Zhu Tan feel extremely excited.

After all, they could only see one movie a year before, and not every movie had so many gun battles and artillery bombing scenes.

Although some of the plot in the film has flaws, the Zhu family, who have watched very few films, can't see them at all, so naturally they are not affected much.

The entire film is nearly 140 minutes long. Except for the occasional uncontrollable low moans, the Zhu family made no other movements or sounds throughout the entire process - even if someone wanted to go to the toilet, they probably forgot about it.

After the film was over and the curtain call was over, Zhu Yuanzhang and other talents came back to their senses one by one.

Zhu Yuanzhang was the first to speak. "This film is truly remarkable," he said. "It allows us to witness once again the demeanor of future generations' soldiers. But isn't Africa in this future too chaotic?"

Liu Kuan said, "Your Majesty, in later generations, Africa is indeed the most chaotic place in the world. Many countries have frequent regime changes, and wars between countries often occur."

Zhu Biao wondered, "Why is this happening?"

Liu Kuan shook his head and sighed, "It's all caused by the European colonizers. Europe colonized Africa for hundreds of years, leaving Africa with many problems."

"And in the subsequent wave of national independence, although various parts of Africa established independent countries after the withdrawal of European colonists, they were still influenced by them."

"Your Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince should have noticed that many African borders on administrative maps of later generations are mostly straight lines, unlike the borders of other places that naturally curve along the terrain."

"Why is this so? It was deliberately drawn this way by the European colonial powers before they withdrew, under the guise of consultation and justice."

"Among them, the British are the most fond of doing this. Their goal is to cause countries to fight over unreasonable border demarcations."

"Besides this, European colonists left behind many other problems that are difficult to describe."

"In short, their goal is to plunge African countries into chaos and war. Even if they no longer rule those places, they can still rely on their advanced industrial capabilities to continue dumping industrial products there, or even directly sell weapons, in order to plunder African resources."

After hearing this, except for Zhu Yuanzhang who remained calm, everyone else was surprised.

In fact, many people noticed the strange national borders in Africa before, but they thought that they were formed by some objective reasons in later generations. They did not expect that they were deliberately done by European colonists.

Zhu Biao said, "These European barbarians are really going too far. Their bandit nature is hard to hide."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted, "When a country is weak, it will be threatened and manipulated by powerful countries. This is something our ancestors understood during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. There is nothing to lament about."

Zhu Xiongying seemed to be thinking about something - he was thinking about what Liu Kuan said about the wave of independence of various ethnic groups in later generations.

Apart from these three and a few other princes like Zhu Tan, most of the Zhu family talked about the movie plots and the shocking battle scenes.

After chatting for about two or three minutes, Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and said, "Let's go to the side hall to discuss what we want to do this year in the Ming Dynasty."

Because it had become a habit, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't say anything, and the princes and grandchildren followed the rules of previous years - only those over twelve years old could follow.

Of course, as the number and age of the princes and grandchildren increase, there are more people who can go to the side hall to discuss matters this year than last year...
···
The 20th day of the first lunar month in the 24th year of Hongwu.

Prince Xiang Zhu Bo entered the palace and first went to Fengxian Hall to pay homage to Zhu Yuanzhang, and then went to the harem to visit Empress Ma and his biological mother, Concubine Hu Shun.

In her early years, Concubine Hu Shun was not favored among Zhu Yuanzhang's concubines. She only gave birth to Zhu Bo. Now she is old and ugly, and is not Zhu Yuanzhang's true love like Empress Ma. Naturally, she is even more inconspicuous in the harem.

After talking to Zhu Bo, she couldn't help but have red eyes.

"Son, do you really have to leave tomorrow? Can't you stay in the capital for a while longer?"

Zhu Bo said, "My father has ordered me to inspect the development and construction of Mobei Province and Luohuangdusi. I cannot go too late."

Concubine Hu Shun said, "I heard that Luohuangdusi is even colder than Mobei. It even snows in February. How would you bear it if you went there?"

Zhu Bo smiled and said, "Mother, the soldiers of the Luohuangdusi garrison can stay there for the winter and the New Year. I'm just going there for a few months of inspection. What's so hard about that?"

"Besides, it might not be snowy when my son gets there." (End of this chapter)