Bringing the Railway to Daming

On the first day of the eleventh month of the twenty-seventh year of the Hongwu reign, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty issued an edict declaring the destruction of the Japanese Empire and establishing four new provinces to govern its territory.

The four major provinces are: Ninghai, Dongying, Fusang, and Anyang.

Ninghai Province was mainly composed of the former Japanese Kyushu Island, plus a small part of the main island west of Hiroshima (including Hiroshima), and a small part of the western part of Shikoku Island (one-third of the entire island).

A small portion was also carved out from the southwest of Lelang Province, roughly equivalent to three-quarters of the original Jeolla Province of Goryeo.

Tsushima Island was also placed under the jurisdiction of Ninghai Province, but Yingzhou Island remained under the jurisdiction of Shandong Province.

The provincial capital was located in Ningjin (formerly Fukuoka, Japan).

The territory of the Toyo Province included the eastern part of the former Japanese island of Shikoku (two-thirds of the entire island).

Furthermore, from the midpoint between Kyoto and Osaka, extending northeast to what later became Mito, the southeastern part of Honshu Island was incorporated into the territory of the Toyo Province.

The provincial capital was located in Yuchi (formerly Nagoya, Japan).

The Fuso Province mainly consists of the northwestern part of southern Honshu Island, extending west to Hiroshima (excluding Hiroshima) and east to Nagano (excluding Nagano).

The provincial capital was located in Yanggu (formerly Kyoto, Japan).

The territory of Anyang Province was the part of Honshu Island north of the two major provinces of Fusang and Toyo.

The provincial capital was located in Changning (formerly the Japanese Imperial Palace).

After the imperial edict was issued, the court immediately issued a series of appointment letters, and a large number of officials were promoted and sent to the four major provinces to take up their posts.

Thus, many Ming officials benefited from the war to destroy Japan, and the praise for the victory was even greater in the court and among the people. Any dissenting voices were drowned out by the celebrations of officials, soldiers and civilians.

As for sending the "Three Offices" (comprising the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard) to the four major provinces, as suggested by Liu Kuan, to investigate and punish the nobles and warriors who had committed crimes in the former Japanese Empire, Zhu Yuanzhang was in no hurry to do so.

Having been emperor for over twenty years, he knew very well what to do and when to do it. Japan had just been pacified, and the Ming court and officials had not yet gained much trust from the Japanese people. Even if the Ming was not afraid of Japanese nobles and samurai rebelling, it would still require the Japanese people to provide people or even evidence to accuse the Japanese nobles and samurai.

When the Ming government had little understanding of the local area and had not gained much trust from the local people, this matter was not so easy to handle.

Therefore, both Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao wanted to proceed with this matter a little later.

A month after establishing the four new provinces, Zhu Yuanzhang announced another major event to the world: he would abdicate at the end of the year and become the Retired Emperor, with his son Zhu Biao succeeding him as the new emperor!
The imperial edict caused a sensation throughout the court and the public. For a time, even the events of destroying Japan and establishing four new provinces were forgotten; everyone was discussing Zhu Yuanzhang's abdication.

Inside a mid-range restaurant in the capital.

"Why do you think the current ruler would abdicate? Could it be due to health problems?"

"If you do the math, that person must be around sixty-six or sixty-seven years old, right? Sitting in that position, working day and night, it's quite remarkable that they only started having health problems in their sixties. Look at all those who sat on the dragon throne in history, how many of them lived to be sixty?"

"That's true—but that one is a true emperor, certainly different from ordinary emperors. I just wonder what changes will occur in the court and the country after he retires."

"I think things are definitely going to change for the better—the Crown Prince is much more benevolent than that one, maybe our good days are really coming."

"Haha, shall we have a drink to celebrate?"

"Shh, keep your voice down, or the Imperial Guards will hear you."

"···"

Actually, it wouldn't matter if the Embroidered Uniform Guard overheard it. Such a big matter would be discussed by many people inside and outside the capital. No matter how many people the Embroidered Uniform Guard had, they could only listen to a portion of it.

Furthermore, they can only report public opinion related to this matter, and have no right to arrest those who discuss it.

royal palace.

Fengxian Hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao, and Zhu Xiong Ying are having a small meeting.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "Judging from the reports from the Embroidered Uniform Guard these past few days, although the court and the public are shocked by my abdication, they are not unable to accept it. Moreover, judging from the words of some people, Biao'er, you are very popular."

Although Zhu Biao knew that Zhu Yuanzhang meant nothing by those words, he was still a little worried and said, "No matter how popular I am, I cannot compare to Father Emperor."

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head, "Don't be modest. We were indeed a bit strict in governing the country, but it was necessary. The Mongol Yuan Dynasty governed the country with leniency, which was one of the reasons for its downfall."

"When we first established the Ming Dynasty, we not only had to learn from the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, but also had to sweep away the poison left by the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. We cannot govern the country without strictness."

"Now that the world has been at peace for twenty or thirty years, much of the lingering poison of the Mongol Yuan dynasty has been eliminated. When you ascend the throne, you can indeed be a little more lenient in governing the people."

"However, we cannot relax our efforts in dealing with officials—the corrupt officials are just like weeds in the field. Once you get rid of one crop, another will sprout up again if you don't pay attention for a while. We must clean them up from time to time to ensure that the administration is generally clean."

Zhu Biao nodded, "Your subject will certainly keep in mind Father's teachings."

Zhu Yuanzhang added, "As for other matters, such as developing science and technology, continuing to promote industrial development, continuously developing education, and optimizing various aspects of political and social reforms, these are already under your supervision, so we won't go into detail."

"What I want to say is that our Great Ming Dynasty now has such a vast territory. If we want to maintain a firm rule, we must vigorously develop transportation and communication." "Only when these two are sufficiently developed can we keep abreast of local conditions and, if a rebellion occurs, be able to send troops to quell it in time."

"Of course, a sound system for appointing and rotating civil and military officials is also crucial. You need to have a clear understanding of who can hold a position for how long—even if you trust someone implicitly, you cannot give them the opportunity to rebel. Do you understand?"

Zhu Biao nodded solemnly, "Son, I understand."

Then, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Xiong Ying and said, "Xiong Ying, after I abdicate, you will be the crown prince. You must diligently assist your father in handling state affairs."

“If you disagree with your father on political matters, don’t keep it to yourself. Speak it out. At most, you’ll get a scolding from your father. But if you keep it to yourself and it creates a rift, that’s not good.”

"Furthermore, do not let any villains take advantage of the situation to sow discord between you and your son, do you understand?"

Zhu Xiong Ying smiled slightly, "Grandson understands, Grandfather, don't worry."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "You're young, you look much more energetic than your father, and you're very confident in everything you do."

"But we still have to add one more piece of advice: confidence is a good thing, but never be arrogant. Be able to listen to different opinions. If there are too many opposing voices, think more about whether you are wrong, and don't be stubborn."

Zhu Xiong Ying thought to herself: When it comes to stubbornness and willfulness, how can I compare to you?

He nodded solemnly and replied, "Grandson will remember Grandfather's teachings!"

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "There is one more thing. After the Lantern Festival next year, we will prepare to move to Fengyang with all the concubines in the harem."

Zhu Biao and Zhu Xiong Ying looked at each other in bewilderment.

Zhu Biao immediately said, "Father, you mustn't—even if Father abdicates, he is still the Emperor Emeritus, and the father of his son. How dare I ask Father to move to Fengyang?"

"Besides, the Fengyang Imperial Palace is not yet fully completed, and the city's facilities are far inferior to those in the capital; it doesn't even have electricity yet. Father and the empresses are mostly old; how can they go there to suffer?"

Zhu Xiong Ying also chimed in, "Grandfather, there's still enough room in the palace, why do you need to move out?"

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head, "We've already abdicated and become the Retired Emperor, yet we still occupy the harem. What kind of image does that make?"

"Besides, the Chunhe Palace and Cining Palace where you and your son live are too small and cramped. How many concubines does Biao'er have now? And how many concubines do you, Xiong Ying?"

"If there aren't enough palaces, how will you take more concubines and have more children? We're really looking forward to having more grandchildren and great-grandchildren!"

At the end, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled with anticipation.

After hearing these words, Zhu Biao and Zhu Xiong Ying knew that Zhu Yuanzhang was not pretending, but really wanted to move out, and his mind was made up and it would be difficult to change it.

Zhu Biao then said, "Since there is still about a month left, I will have the Imperial Workshop and the Ministry of Works send people to repair the Fengyang Imperial Palace. First, install the heating facilities, and then have the Imperial Workshop connect the palace to electricity next year."

“Alright.” Zhu Yuanzhang nodded. “However, we plan to travel around in the future, and we probably won’t stay in the Fengyang Palace for long, so there’s no need to spend too much money and supplies on this matter.”

"My son understands."

Zhu Biao verbally agreed, but in his heart he was determined to renovate the Fengyang Palace so that Zhu Yuanzhang and his consorts could live comfortably in their old age.

If he can't even spare this little bit of money and food, then he is truly unfilial.

Zhu Yuanzhang continued, "The last thing we want to talk about today is that when we go out for a trip, we want to bring two children with us to keep us entertained, but neither your younger brothers nor Xiong Ying's younger brothers are quite suitable."

“We really like Chang’an and Ruoyue. Do you think we could talk to Liu Kuan and Huilan and ask them to stay with us for a while?”

Although Zhu Yuanzhang did not explicitly state why it was inappropriate to bring Zhu Biao's younger brother or Zhu Xiong Ying's younger brother, both of them understood.

In the past, when Qin Shi Huang went on tours, he often took Hu Hai with him, which led to Hu Hai's death halfway through the journey. Zhao Gao and Li Si then forged an imperial edict to enthrone Hu Hai and kill Fu Su.

Although the Ming Dynasty's crown prince system was much more complete than that of the Qin Dynasty, and Zhu Yuanzhang was on tour as the retired emperor, it was unlikely that something like what happened to Hu Hai would occur.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang clearly did not want any surprises regarding the succession of the Ming Dynasty throne, so he thought of taking Liu Kuan's two children with him—he did indeed like the twins Chang'an and Ruoyue.

However, Zhu Biao thought for a moment and said, "Father, Chang'an and Ruoyue are only six or seven years old this year, and will only be seven or eight years old next year. They are so young, wouldn't it be inconvenient for them to travel with you?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said, “When we travel to distant places, we can take a train, a boat, or a horse-drawn carriage. Even in places where there is no road access, we can ride a horse. We also have all sorts of attendants to take care of us. What’s inconvenient about that?”

Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang was a little unhappy, Zhu Biao had no choice but to say, "Alright, I will talk to my brother-in-law and my third sister about this later."

These days, if someone wants to take a relative's seven or eight-year-old child on a long trip, let alone if he were the crown prince, even if he were the emperor, he wouldn't dare to ask.

But Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head at this point, and as his son, he couldn't refuse.

Zhu Xiong Ying, standing to the side, was filled with envy: Chang'an and Ruoyue are such lucky children, to be able to travel with their grandfather and receive his teachings.

It's a pity my Wenyao (Zhu Xiong Ying's eldest son) is only two years old. If he were a few years older, he could stay with his grandfather, the Emperor, and the benefits would be numerous. (End of Chapter)