The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 129 New Items!

over nine days.

Looking at the scene unfolding in the Huagai Hall of the capital, Li Qi was deeply moved. Emperor Yongle, Zhu Di, was truly the most outstanding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, even surpassing his father, Zhu Yuanzhang, in many aspects.

This excellence is not in military or political matters, but in vision and the ability to accept new things.

If it were during the Hongwu era, there would have been no chance of such a grand event as Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean.

The maritime matters that Li Xianmu mentioned are absolutely impossible to implement.

The Ming Dynasty's maritime ban policy was consistent throughout.

The Maritime Trade Office, an institution of the Chinese Empire for overseas trade, existed since the late Tang Dynasty and brought substantial tax revenue to the imperial court during the Song and Yuan Dynasties.

In the third year of the Hongwu reign, Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the Huangdu Maritime Trade Office in Taicang.

In the seventh year of the Hongwu reign, an order was issued to abolish the three maritime trade offices in Quanzhou, Fujian; Mingzhou, Zhejiang; and Guangzhou, Guangdong, which had existed since the Tang Dynasty and were responsible for overseas trade.

In the fourteenth year of the Hongwu reign, due to the rampant Japanese pirates, an order was issued to prohibit seafarers from engaging in private trade with overseas countries.

In the twenty-third year of the Hongwu reign, another "edict prohibiting communication between foreign vassal states" was issued.

In the twenty-seventh year of the Hongwu reign, in order to completely eliminate overseas trade, the use and sale of imported foreign incense and goods were also prohibited for the general public.

In the thirtieth year of the Hongwu reign, another order was issued, stipulating that anyone who dared to engage in private trade with foreign countries would be severely punished.

Thus, the Ming Dynasty entered an era where not even a single plank of wood was allowed to be taken to sea.

Some may wonder why Zhu Di dared to violate ancestral rules and send Zheng He on voyages to the Western Ocean.

Because Zhu Yuanzhang allowed the existence of tributary relations with foreign countries, Zhu Di circumvented the ancestral rule by taking advantage of this.

Let's set aside the reasons why Zhu Yuanzhang banned the sea.

The key question is, can the maritime ban be effectively enforced?
I can't resist!
If the authorities forbid it, it's simply smuggling.

The smugglers took all the profits, and the imperial court not only failed to benefit, but also caused the people to resent the court for not giving them a way to survive.

Zhu Yuanzhang had three major problems.

First, he believed that everyone would actually listen to him.

Second, he felt he couldn't be wrong.

Third, they never admit their mistakes and always try to shift the blame.

So he would often slap his forehead and do these useless things, and in the end, he would stubbornly refuse to admit his mistakes.

For example, there's the famous Ming Dynasty paper money, the salaries given to officials, and the maritime ban mentioned above—the list goes on and on.

If Li Qi were to give an evaluation of the various economic policies he implemented after establishing the Ming Dynasty, it would be simply: "Kennedy riding in a convertible—a truly imaginative idea."

If I had to give one piece of advice, it would be: "Play the CK3 Ming Dynasty MOD, then use cheats to max out loyalty, and add Yuri's mind control, and you'll be able to execute whatever you want 100% of the time."

After Li Qi traveled through time, he witnessed Zhu Yuanzhang's maritime ban policy from beginning to end, but he never offered a single word of advice.

Because when he transmigrated and was able to speak, it was already the twenty-seventh year of the Hongwu reign.

If it were the third year of Hongwu's reign, Li Qi was confident that he could persuade Zhu Yuanzhang to change his mind. In the twenty-seventh year of Hongwu's reign, Zhu Yuanzhang refuted the policy that had been in place for more than twenty years.

Are you looking for death?
Do they really think that being a prince consort is a get-out-of-jail-free card?
Li Xianmu was incredibly fortunate to have entered officialdom during the Yongle era.

Zhu Di not only possessed formidable military prowess and a grand ambition to subdue the barbarians, but also had a vision that transcended his time, was open to new ideas, and had no fear of the ocean.

the most important is!

The Ming Dynasty was still in its early stages, without the intense factional strife of later dynasties, and without the vested interests of the Grand Canal. The imperial power was strong enough to initiate various new policies.

Zhu Di was very willing to do so.

Because in his heart, he always harbored the ambition to rival the founding emperor.

This is the best era to change the Ming Dynasty!

It's a pity that Li Qi couldn't step in and fight for him, and he couldn't reveal many things. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been long before he could make the Ming Dynasty a global superpower within a hundred years.

Now, Li Qi calculated, "Two hundred and fifty years, until the Chongzhen era, should be enough to make the Ming Dynasty famous throughout the world. Three hundred years, and it should be no problem to make the Ming Dynasty the empire on which the sun never sets."

It should be possible to establish a truly global empire within five hundred years.

However, the Li family needs to maintain supreme power. They hope that the subsequent Ming emperors will cooperate; otherwise, they will have no choice but to let the emperors rule by doing nothing.

But how can I continuously influence the family and tell them some key information?
For example, to solve the Ming Dynasty's money shortage problem, the Iwami Silver Mine in Japan, located opposite Korea, had convenient transportation, large reserves, and was mined until 1923. It was Japan's largest silver mine, and at its peak, its output accounted for 30% of the world's total silver production. If so much silver had flowed into the Central Plains, the deflationary situation could have been temporarily alleviated.

Most people know about inflation, which is simply the decrease in the value of money, while deflation is simply the increase in the value of money.

But this is by no means a good thing; it is far more terrible than inflation.

Mild inflation is beneficial because when money becomes less valuable, people will spend it on investment and consumption, which are two of the three drivers of the economy. This, in turn, reduces unemployment, promotes economic circulation, and leads to continuous growth in the wealth of the entire society.

Because of the lack of precious metals, China had been plagued by deflation for thousands of years. It was not until the Longqing reign of the Ming Dynasty opened up the seas that a large amount of overseas silver flowed in, which greatly alleviated the problem of the shortage of money. This is also the fundamental reason why Zhang Juzheng was able to implement the "Single Whip Law" and pay taxes in silver.

Many people criticize the "Single Whip Law" for leading to oppression and rebellion by officials.

This is not a smear campaign, but an objective reality.

Because of the deterioration of diplomatic relations in the later period, there was no longer a large influx of silver into the Ming Dynasty, so the value of silver immediately soared. However, taxes were still levied based on the original amount of silver, meaning that ordinary people had to pay more than twice the amount of taxes they used to pay. But Zhang Juzheng had been dead for many years by then, so these things cannot be blamed on him. It can only be said that later ministers did not know how to adjust policies according to the actual situation.

Li Qi, who came from later generations, believed that only three things could make an empire prosper: "gold, sword, and scriptures."

Gold is the financial system.

The sword is part of the military system.

The scriptures were the ideology of the ruling empire.

Unfortunately, the Ming Dynasty's scriptures have problems. The Li family has already begun to change them, and at the current pace, it should take about a hundred years to see results.

The Ming Dynasty also had problems with its swords; it didn't invest enough in or pay enough attention to military technology and equipment.

As for the financial system, it doesn't exist at all, nor could it possibly exist.

In autocratic monarchies, where imperial power is unchecked, the rampant issuance of paper money like Jiaozi and Daming Baochao was destined to lead to the downfall of this form of fiat currency.

Because the foundation of fiat currency is the credit of the central government, did the ancient government have any credit?
Would you dare to buy the government bonds it issues?
If you buy government bonds today, they'll confiscate your property tomorrow, and you won't have to pay them back.

In Li Qi's view, there are only two ways to build a modern civilized country on the foundation of the Ming Dynasty: the first is a constitutional monarchy, and the second is a Li family dictatorship. After all, if any of his descendants dare to cause trouble, he will strike them dead with lightning.

[Li Qi, the first head of the Li family, has died. Please check your reward.]

Suddenly a voice rang in Li Qi's ears, "Finally, the settlement was successful. I've been dead for four or five years. This system is too slow."

He had been waiting for this reward for far too long.

As the first patriarch of the Li family and the true holder of the system, Li Qi naturally deserves a very good reward, even though his time travel was only a little over ten years.

You are the true progenitor of the Li family. Your life was filled with legendary ups and downs. You were a sage of your time, and you profoundly influenced the future. The Ming Dynasty would change its course because of you. In the process of establishing this family over five hundred years, you laid a solid foundation for the family. Whether for the country, the family, or yourself, your performance was impeccable. Your wisdom and courage will be forever recorded in history.

You have obtained the Earth-rank item: Heavenly Mirror.

The Heavenly Mirror: (Seizing the creation of heaven and earth to illuminate the human world)

A mirror, crafted from a single piece of spirit jade, quietly appeared in Li Qi's palm. It felt warm and smooth to the touch, like the first warmth of the sun, yet it exuded a cool sensation, as if the moon's essence had solidified into cream.

A jade token of the same material and origin is attached to the mirror. It is shaped like a miniature blue cloud, about the length of a palm and the width of two fingers. It is smooth and flawless, and it is a perfect match for the precious mirror.

The mirror is not an inanimate object; a thin mist-like haze flows silently across it, its light shifting and flickering, exuding an ethereal and otherworldly charm untouched by the dust of the world.

"This is... a map from the Ming Dynasty?"

Li Qi reached out and touched the mirror, and saw a bright spot in it, which was exactly the outline of a map of the Ming Dynasty.

"It can be enlarged and reduced."

Li Qi skillfully manipulated the device, zooming in to see cities and zooming out to show the entire world, essentially creating a world map.

Li Qi took off the jade token and exclaimed in realization, "So this is the effect of this magic mirror."

This item is incredibly powerful.

The jade token in Li Qi's hand was a gift for his descendants.

The mirror will generate a lot of information, which is very diverse, including mineral resources, military intelligence, and so on.

Every year on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the descendants of the Li family would hold this jade slip and recite a sacrificial inscription. The Heavenly Mirror would then reveal some information, from which Li Qi could select one message and pass it on to the jade slip.

Besides the first day of the Lunar New Year each year, Li Qi can also spend a considerable amount of incense points to transmit some information, all limited to six characters. The amount of incense points spent varies depending on the importance of the information.

For example, if he only wants to convey the message "Gansu is experiencing a severe drought that has not been reported", about 20 or 30 incense points will be enough. But if he wants to convey the message "Japan has silver mines", even if he fills in all 50 incense points, it will only be enough for a small fraction.

According to this design, this prop is not intended for him to use autonomous transmission a few times; its main purpose is the first ability.

One super intelligence report every year!
In Li Qi's opinion, this is quite reasonable. If it weren't for such a large restriction, the level of the Earth-rank item would not be worthy of it at all. It should be a Heaven-rank item, or even a super Heaven-rank item!

In fact, having only one super intelligence report per year is already quite remarkable, as it allows him to influence future trends and choices.

The simplest example, "The emperor died in the first year of Hongxi's reign," was enough for Li Xianmu to prepare many things in advance.

"With this tool, every generation of the Li family head will be a third of a time traveler. If they still can't establish an empire on which the sun never sets after three hundred years, they should be called useless."

"go."

Li Qi glanced at the mortal realm and saw that Li Xianmu had already left the palace and was sitting in a carriage. He immediately threw down the jade token.

Li Xianmu was sitting in his carriage, deep in thought about what he had said in the palace that day. It could be said to have been a perfect dialogue before the emperor, and all the goals he wanted to achieve had been accomplished.

"There are only three things to do next: get promoted, get rid of political enemies, and expand the family's influence."

"Ok?"

The jade token that suddenly appeared in his hand startled Li Xianmu, and even with his composure, he almost threw it away.

The next moment, a message entered his mind, and he calmed down.

"Father!"

Li Xianmu stroked the jade slip in his hand and said in a deep voice, "Your son will make good use of this divine object."

(End of this chapter)