Bringing the Railway to Daming

After concluding that his tomb had been dug up, Zhu Yuanzhang lost his composure and immediately reached out to touch the screen to pause the video.

Some people were engrossed in watching and couldn't understand why Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly paused the video, so they looked over curiously.

Zhu Yuanzhang did indeed keep an eye on Liu Kuan and asked, "Liu Kuan, tell me honestly, was our mausoleum excavated in later generations? That is, the archaeological excavation you mentioned before."

Liu Kuan was taken aback for a moment, and then realized what Zhu Yuanzhang was worried about.

He immediately said, "Your Majesty, do you remember that I mentioned before that I came to Nanjing for sightseeing before I traveled through time, and therefore visited many of Nanjing's famous historical sites?"

"Because I am an amateur enthusiast of Ming history, I made a special trip to visit the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum. Xiaoling is the name Your Majesty gave to the mausoleum in history. It is the joint tomb of Your Majesty and the Empress."

Although it was somewhat inauspicious to discuss their tombs in front of the living, Liu Kuan couldn't care less at this point.

Besides, Zhu Yuanzhang started this topic, so he can't be blamed.

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang did not think about whether it was auspicious or inauspicious. Instead, he said, "Xiaoling is indeed the name we have in mind. It is also our plan to bury her with the Empress."

"But stop dawdling. Since you've visited our mausoleum, just tell us straight up whether it's been excavated or not."

Empress Ma, worried that Zhu Yuanzhang would take his anger out on Liu Kuan, said, "Six hundred years from now, you and I will both be dead. You, Chongba, will be a famous founding emperor. It's normal for future generations to excavate your tombs and do archaeological work—this can be considered our contribution to historical research for future generations, can't it?"

Zhu Yuanzhang neither refuted nor responded, but just stared at Liu Kuan.

"Your Majesty, please let me finish speaking." Liu Kuan smiled wryly. "Although I visited the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, I was unable to go inside. I only viewed the mausoleum grounds shown in the video just now."

"The reason is quite simple—the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum was not excavated in later generations. In fact, His Majesty has always had a misunderstanding about the archaeological work of later generations."

“Archaeologists do not go to excavate and investigate wherever they find an ancient tomb, and national policy does not allow this. Archaeological excavations are conducted on mausoleums that have been damaged by geological changes or tomb raiding, and they are carried out for protection.”

"As for well-preserved mausoleums, we will not actively excavate them, but instead protect them to prevent them from being looted by tomb raiders."

"When I visited the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, I learned that more than 600 years later, the earthen mound of the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum has never been disturbed—not only did the successive dynasties not excavate it, but even tomb raiders never went in."

Upon hearing this, the somewhat frightening look on Zhu Yuanzhang's face finally disappeared. He stroked his beard and laughed loudly, "Good, it's good that the burial mound hasn't been disturbed. I don't want to be disturbed or have my remains destroyed after I die, and to be unable to rest in peace."

Empress Ma, Zhu Biao, and others were also pleased to hear this.

For them, the excavation of the mausoleum was indeed a very bad thing.

In fact, even in later generations, people are very averse to such things and will not easily disturb the graves of their ancestors.

However, after laughing and calming down, Zhu Yuanzhang became suspicious again and said, "Liu Kuan, you're not lying to comfort me, are you?"

Liu Kuan immediately said, "Your Majesty, I can swear that when I visited the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, it had indeed not been excavated or looted—this has been verified by experts in later generations."

Zhu Yuanzhang did not readily believe Liu Kuan's oath, but instead asked, "Why has our grand mausoleum, located on Zhongshan Mountain, remained untouched for six hundred years?"

Liu Kuan was speechless and said, "Your Majesty, this is all because of yourself."

"Because of myself?" Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't understand it for a moment.

Liu Kuan: "After visiting the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, I searched for relevant information online. First of all, the location of the mausoleum that you had someone choose is excellent, even superb."

"According to expert research, the Dulongfu site chosen for the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum is a rocky mountain with a very solid structure. The craftsmen hollowed out the rocky mountain and built the mausoleum inside the mountain."

"This means that if tomb raiders want to get in, they must first dig through the outer rocky mountain—unless they use bombs to break through the mountain, the 'project' will be huge and will take a long time."

"The problem is that Zhongshan is located within Nanjing City. In the Ming Dynasty, it became the secondary capital, and in the Qing Dynasty, it was one of the top three important cities in Jiangnan. Many important departments of the Qing government were located there, and a considerable number of troops were stationed there."

"In addition, Nanjing has always had a large population. Under such circumstances, using explosives to cut through the mountain would definitely be discovered; and secretly excavating the mountain would also be easily discovered over time."

"In fact, His Majesty later established a special garrison army to guard the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, called the 'Xiaoling Guard'—this army, apart from farming, had only one duty: to guard the Xiaoling Mausoleum, and from the generals to the lowest-ranking soldiers, they were all known for their loyalty."

"I wonder if I have mentioned this before: when the Qing army entered Nanjing, the Southern Ming court had already surrendered the city under the leadership of the cabinet ministers, and the Ming troops in the city were also surrendering. Only Xiaolingwei resolutely resisted the Qing army's entry into the city."

“From the Yongle era onwards, the Xiaoling Guard was always commanded by members of the Mei family, specifically the lineage of the Imperial Son-in-Law Mei, and the Xiaoling Guard was essentially controlled by the Mei family.”

“It was originally a fully-equipped guard with 5,600 regular soldiers. However, starting from the Yongle era, the court repeatedly reduced the funds and supplies for the Xiaoling Guard. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Xiaoling Guard had only a little over 1,000 regular soldiers left, and only a few hundred of them were actually able to fight on the battlefield. The rest were mostly old and weak.”

Upon hearing this, the Zhu family members all displayed different expressions.

The most obvious reactions were probably from Mei Yin himself and Princess Ningguo.

Mei Yin never expected that watching a video from a later era would lead to him and his descendants. Fortunately, according to Liu Kuan, his descendants did not do anything to betray the Zhu family, and even remained loyal until the fall of the Ming Dynasty.

As for Lao Zhu, Zhu Biao, and Zhu Xiong Ying, the three people in the know, their expressions were quite strange.

They all knew that Yongle was Zhu Di's reign title, and that Mei Yin had stood on Zhu Yunwen's side to resist Zhu Di.

Therefore, it is quite reasonable that Mei Yin's descendants were demoted to guard the Xiaoling Mausoleum during the Yongle reign, and later the emperors of Zhu Di's lineage repeatedly reduced the expenses for the Xiaoling Mausoleum.

However, while it may be reasonable, it doesn't mean they can accept it—the people lying in Xiaoling at that time were Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma, who were also Zhu Di's biological parents!
'That fourth son is utterly unfilial; it seems I should find a chance to give him a good beating!' Zhu Yuanzhang thought to himself, fuming with anger.

'My fourth uncle seems quite heartless; I must be wary of him in the future,' Zhu Xiong Ying thought, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. 'If possible, after my grandfather passes away, I must find a way to suppress the Yan clan!'

Even Zhu Biao sighed inwardly. Liu Kuan continued, "When the Qing army entered Nanjing, they wanted to take over key locations. Upon hearing that Mei Chunhe, the commander of Xiaoling Guard, and his hundreds of soldiers were unwilling to surrender, they were furious and sent troops to attack."

"According to some records at the time, Mei Chun actually had less than 300 regular soldiers under his command. They first fought desperately against the Qing army outside Xiaoling Mausoleum, but the Qing army was numerous and powerful. Soon, only 18 of them were killed and they had to retreat into Xiaolingwei, where they continued to resist by relying on the terrain."

“These eighteen Xiaoling Guards were all elite soldiers, familiar with the terrain, and had set up some traps and mechanisms in advance within the Xiaoling Guards. As a result, they killed more than two hundred Qing soldiers, and did not surrender to the Qing until the last one died in battle.”

After Liu Kuan finished recounting this history of the late Ming Dynasty, the Zhu family fell silent for a moment.

Princess Ningguo gripped Mei Yin's hand tightly, tears welling in her eyes.

Then, Zhu Yuanzhang stood up, turned around and said, "Mei Yin, your descendants are really good. They have not let us down."

Mei Yin quickly stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, “Since His Majesty has chosen the descendants of the Mei family to guard Xiaoling, this is their duty. It is just a pity that in the end they still failed to guard Xiaoling and allowed the Qing barbarians to enter.”

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "At that time, the Ming Dynasty had already perished, not to mention that the successor emperors had failed the Mei family. The Mei family was able to defend Xiaolingwei to the death, and even died in battle. They had already done right by our family."

After speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang gestured for Mei Yin to sit down, and he sat back down as well.

"The Qing invaders killed and wounded many people when they attacked Xiaolingwei, but did they not desecrate our tombs?"

Liu Kuan smiled slightly and asked in return, "After Your Majesty conquered Beiping and the grasslands, did you send anyone to search for and excavate the tombs of the Mongol Yuan imperial family?"

Zhu Yuanzhang: "I am the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty. How could I do something like digging up other people's graves? Although the Mongol Yuan Dynasty was cruel and enslaved the Han people for a hundred years, it was still one of the legitimate dynasties of China. How could we humiliate them by digging up their graves?"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang already understood why the Qing court hadn't excavated his tomb.

Sure enough, Liu Kuan smiled and said, "Even Your Majesty doesn't excavate the tombs of the Mongol Yuan imperial family. When the Manchus entered the Central Plains, they were fighting against overwhelming odds. How could they dare to excavate your tomb?"

"In fact, the Qing rulers were well aware that in order to consolidate their power, they had to win over the Han people, and for this purpose they used a series of measures."

"One type of these methods is to affirm the Ming Dynasty and Your Majesty's achievements in founding the Ming Dynasty, and even to show great respect for them."

"Therefore, although some people died when the Qing government took over Xiaoling Mausoleum, it not only did not excavate or destroy it, but also sent troops to protect it."

"Even later emperors Kangxi and Qianlong, after visiting Jiangnan, came to Xiaoling Mausoleum to pay their respects to His Mausoleum. There are also rumors that they performed the three kowtows and nine prostrations during their worship. Although it is hard to say whether it is true or not, it is enough to prove that the Qing court did indeed regard the protection of Xiaoling Mausoleum and the worship as a face-saving project to win over the Han people."

"After all, they entered the pass under the pretext of avenging Emperor Chongzhen, and Nurhaci was a minor general on the border of the Ming Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, everyone from Emperor Zhu, Empress Ma, and Zhu Biao to the young imperial grandsons and princesses who had just come of age looked puzzled, as if they had never expected this.

The reasoning is simple, but it is indeed surprising.

Then Zhu Yuanzhang snorted, "These Qing people are quite clever; they know that using our tomb to win over the Han people is a very worthwhile thing."

Zhu Xiong Ying then said, "If they hadn't rebelled, they would have been loyal subjects of the Ming Dynasty, allowing our Ming Dynasty to continue to exist. Why would it be their turn to protect the Xiaoling Mausoleum?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao and Liu Kuan couldn't help but glance at Zhu Xiong Ying, because his words were rather far-fetched and domineering.

The root cause of the Ming Dynasty's demise lay in its inherent decay; it was destined to be replaced by a new dynasty.

Liu Kuan thought for a moment and decided to finish telling the story.

"Speaking of which, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom occupied Nanjing for more than ten years at the end of the Qing Dynasty. However, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom also respected Your Majesty and remembered your achievements in driving out the barbarians. Therefore, they also protected the Xiaoling Mausoleum. Their Heavenly King, well, that is, the Emperor, also went to the Xiaoling Mausoleum to pay homage."

"Of course, in addition to genuinely respecting His Majesty, Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan also revived the slogans used by the Ming Dynasty to expel the Mongols, in order to unite the hearts of the Han people."

"Later, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom failed, and the above-ground buildings of Xiaoling Mausoleum were damaged in the war. After the Qing government recaptured Nanjing, it claimed that the damage was caused by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and carried out renovation and repair on the above-ground buildings."

"But the Qing government was also facing financial difficulties at the time, so it was just a formality and the repairs were not very good."

"After that, two more provisional governments, and then the new dynasty, all took protective measures for the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum and regularly repaired the above-ground buildings."

After listening to Liu Kuan's explanation, Zhu Yuanzhang was both surprised and extremely pleased—he couldn't even hide the smile on his face, or perhaps he wasn't trying to hide it at all.

"Haha, these later dynasties are all vying to protect our tomb. It seems they quite recognize our achievements in 'expelling the Tartars and restoring China'."

Zhu Yuanzhang said these words with a smile, showing no modesty whatsoever.

Zhu Biao said, "My father's achievements are indeed worthy of respect."

Zhu Xiong Ying then said, "Grandfather, rest assured, not only will the Xiaoling Mausoleum be preserved in the original history and passed down to future generations, but our timeline can also be protected by our Great Ming for five or six hundred years!"

Liu Kuan thought to himself: Five or six hundred years? It seems that Xiong Ying is quite determined and confident in continuing the Ming Dynasty.

After saying this, Liu Kuan suddenly remembered something. So, after the others had also flattered Zhu Yuanzhang a few times, he mustered up his courage and asked, "Your Majesty, there is a rumor in later generations about your mausoleum, saying that you followed Cao Cao and set up many false tombs. Do you think this rumor is true?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's smile faded slightly, and he glanced at Liu Kuan standing there. "What, you're asking about this? Do you perhaps have some designs on our mausoleum?"

"Your Majesty was merely curious."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted, "Curious? Then you can ponder it slowly."

After speaking, he touched the screen to continue playing the video. (End of Chapter)