Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

Different from the concept of "sharing the blessings of peace" advocated by the rulers of the Ming Dynasty, the Annan Li Dynasty, as one of the strongest countries in the Indochina Peninsula, has always regarded neighboring countries such as Champa, Laos, Siam, Java, and Laga as The big one bullies the small ones.

Relying on its strong military strength, the Le Dynasty conquered the surrounding small countries such as Champa, Laos, Siam, Java, and Laga, making these vassal states pay tribute to them every year, creating a "sub-vassal system."

For example, in the sixth year of Chenghua, Li Sicheng personally conquered Champa, captured the capital of Champa, Panluo Chaquan, and returned alive, and established Guangnan Province to govern three prefectures and nine counties.

In the fifteenth year of Chenghua, Li Sicheng personally conquered Laos and won a great victory. The king escaped, but he seized a lot of property, population and land from the Laotians.

But in the vast land of the East, after all, there exists the most powerful country in the world, and it is also the nominal suzerainty of all countries in the Indochina Peninsula.

In November of the 22nd year of Chenghua, Prince Gu Lai of Champa led his troops to invade the territory of the Li Dynasty. Facing the counterattack of the Li Dynasty army, he was frightened, so he led his princess, princes, grandchildren and thousands of people from the tribe to carry Fangwu. Go to Guangdong to ask for help from the Ming Dynasty.

Xianzong was a master who was not afraid of trouble. After learning the whole story, he did not adopt the civil servant's suggestion of "verbally warning the Li Dynasty", but immediately ordered the Nanjing Youdu Yushi Tufu, who was in charge of the Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate, to deal with it.

After all, the two places were too far apart. Even if Xianzong wanted to teach Li Chao a lesson, he still needed to understand the whole story.

After Tu Yu went to Guangzhou to understand the whole story and knew that the Li Dynasty was at fault, he went to Shu to ask Xianzong to transfer the Li Dynasty and order it to cease its troops.

He personally led thousands of brave men on 20 ships owned by Zhang Xuan, a merchant from Dongguan, to escort Prince Gulai of Champa back to his country, and then canonized Prince Gulai of Champa as the King of Champa in Champa territory.

Although the strong intervention of the Ming Dynasty led to a truce between Annan and Champa, the two sides had already forged a bloody feud.

This time the envoys of the two countries met in the capital of the Ming Dynasty. Annan envoy Li Guangdu, as the victor, continued to use words to directly humiliate Wen Jin, the envoy of Champa.

Although the king of Champa has returned to his country in ancient times, most of the territory has fallen into the hands of the Le Dynasty and the rebel generals. Today, Champa can be said to be on its last legs.

"Haha... the smell of the women you occupied is really amazing. I heard that your wife was defiled by our soldiers, but it's a pity that I didn't taste it!" At the banquet just now, Annan envoy Li Guangdu deliberately used The words angered Wen Jin, the envoy to the city.

Wen Jin, the envoy to capture the city, was hit in a sore spot, and he no longer cared about the Ming Dynasty's rules. He immediately rushed towards Li Guangdu and said angrily: "I will accept my life!"

The Ministry of Rites arranged for the British Duke Zhang Mao to host the banquet on his behalf. When he saw that the two sides were about to fight, he stood up and tried to break up the fight.

"The British man was able to draw a bow and shoot an arrow, but fighting was not his strong point, so he was beaten in the eye socket!" Xu Qiong, the Minister of Rites, observed Zhu Youtang's reaction and reported bitterly.

Zhu Youtang finally understood why Xu Qiong was so panicked. Although no one was killed at the banquet, the British prince Zhang Mao was injured when he attended the banquet on his behalf.

This matter may not be considered big, but it may not be considered small.

During the great Ming Dynasty, people from all over the world were professed as ministers, and all the nations came to court. However, a small envoy from Annan dared to attack the respected envoy. How could he have any dignity if this matter spread out?

Zhu Youtang realized that the nature of the problem was serious. Although Zhang Mao, a noble waste, had lost the face of his ancestors, he still defended him clearly: "Who beat the British father?"

"Annan envoy Li Guangdu, at that time he also kicked the envoy Wen Jin of the city. The envoy of the city was no match for him at all!" Xu Qiong swallowed secretly and appeared to be cautious in reporting.

Among the five envoys who came this time, the most difficult one was undoubtedly Annan Le Chao. Although the strength of this outer vassal is average, there are too many mountains and forests there, which makes it a hard nut to crack.

"You are really arrogant! According to the usual practice, how should we deal with such incidents?" Zhu Youtang naturally would not be a coward, and immediately said angrily with a stern face.

Because he was determined to build Ming Dynasty into the world's textile center, he needed to re-establish the prestige of the Ming Dynasty suzerainty, so he needed a massacre to establish his prestige.

Not to mention that the Li Dynasty under Li Sicheng often offended the Guangdong and Guangxi regions. An independent Li Dynasty was not conducive to its control of the Indo-China Peninsula. The fact that Laos, Siam, Java, Laga and other countries did not send envoys here shows that the Ming Dynasty was in Indochina. The prestige of the peninsula is declining.

That's why, once he has a suitable excuse, he doesn't mind taking the initiative to launch a war, a battle like the bloodbath of Annan during the Zhu Di period.

Xu Qiong, the Minister of Rites, sensed Zhu Youtang's murderous intention, but he replied bravely: "Your Majesty, this matter has not been customized, and it has never happened before. I don't know how to deal with it!"

"Liu Jin, go and call Mr. Wange over for discussion!" Zhu Youtang ordered helplessly when he noticed that his obedient ministers often misbehaved.

Wan'an is an old man in his seventies. Although he has lived a good life for many years, his lack of exercise has made his health worse, especially when he coughs from time to time.

As Zhu Youtang officially moved his office here, the current cabinet also moved to the South Pavilion outside Yangxin Hall.

After Wan An learned the whole story, he made a suggestion: "Your Majesty, the British minister represents your face. Now that he was injured by the Annan envoy for trying to break up the fight, he has to punish him! It's just that Li Guangan is an envoy of a foreign vassal after all. The Ming Dynasty is also a state of etiquette, so it is not appropriate to punish too harshly and cause trouble! The old minister thought that the Annan envoy could be banned from the Huitong Pavilion, and he would send the Annan envoy out of Beijing tomorrow. This move not only protected the face of the Ming Dynasty, but also allowed Annan to The mission has nothing to say!”

After Xu Qiong heard this solution, she couldn't help but give a thumbs up secretly.

"It's an advantage for him! Chen Qing, just follow Wange Lao's method to deal with it!" Although Zhu Youtang was unwilling to accept it, he also knew that Wan An had handled it appropriately, so he ordered Xu Qiong.

Even if he wants to fight, now is not the best time. After all, this reason is too far-fetched, and there is no suitable leader at the moment.

Seeing that the diplomatic dispute had been resolved, Xu Qiong immediately said respectfully: "I accept the decree!"

"Mr. Wange, I am going to the Spring Festival tomorrow. If you have any inconvenience, just stay in the capital!" Zhu Youtang found out that this paper-mache elder who was belittled by later generations was actually a diligent old man who was sincere in seeking the country, so he made arrangements. .

Wan An's body is indeed not suitable for mountain climbing, and he said gratefully: "Your Majesty, I am sincerely considerate of you! I will stay in the South Pavilion tomorrow to share your Majesty's worries!"

It's more than half of March, and green seedlings are growing in the farmland outside the capital.

A mighty procession came out from the Fucheng Gate of the west gate. The flags were dazzlingly illuminated by the spring sunshine, and in the center of the procession was the golden palace carriage that only the emperor could ride on.

The emperor's travel was never a trivial matter. In addition to the armored captains, the royal guards alone dispatched as many as 5,000 people, followed by hundreds of accompanying civil and military officials.

At this time, the green grass on both sides of the official road, the spring swallows pecking at the new mud, and the green willows swaying in the wind, made this field a vibrant scene.

Zhu Youtang had a break from his busy schedule today. He was sitting comfortably in the palace car, admiring the scenery of the fields on both sides, and could see the lake from time to time.

But what concerned him the most was the farmland. Although there were mainly rice fields on both sides of the road, cotton was also planted in some fields.

Cotton has just emerged. The seedlings, which are very similar to bean sprouts, show a thriving vitality and seem to be working towards the world's textile center.

Zhu Youtang deliberately checked the tax situation of Daming cotton. Although it could not be compared with the millions of tons of cotton produced in later generations, he was already satisfied when he saw that he could receive 120 tons of cotton every year.

As long as he insists on promoting planting and making cotton a cash crop with a high return rate, China will not need to worry about the raw materials of cotton cloth.

Although the difficulties of the flying shuttle loom have not yet been overcome, the spinning jenny is a thing that breaks the inertia of thinking, so it is only a matter of time before it comes out.

After spending the night at the Shahe Palace, the royal honor guard arrived at Tianshou Mountain near noon the next day.

Tianshou Mountain originally had a very common name - Huangtu Mountain. Zhu Di chose this mausoleum for Queen Xu, and it was naturally his resting place, so he changed its name to "Tianshou Mountain".

Tianshou Mountain is not only the mausoleum of Zhu Di, but also the mausoleum of the Ming Emperor. The only exception is the Jingtai Mausoleum of Emperor Jingtai.

Not long after the incident of seizing the gate, Emperor Jingtai was reduced to king. After his death, he was buried as a prince at Jinshan Pass in the west of Beijing.

After Emperor Xianzong ascended the throne, although the imperial title was restored for Emperor Jingtai and the mausoleum was rebuilt, he did not move the Jingtai Mausoleum to Wanshou Mountain. Moreover, the green glazed tiles were still used, and the scale was obviously much smaller than that of the Ming emperor's mausoleum.

This kind of treatment is the difference between the big emperor and the small emperor. More importantly, Emperor Jingtai not only lost his bloodline, but also lost his heir. Even if he was treated like an emperor, how could Zhu Youtang go to offer sacrifices again?

Just seeing Emperor Jingtai's treatment, Zhu Youtang secretly made up his mind to have more children.

If history had not changed, it would be the greatest injustice in the world for Zhu Houcong to be given the title of emperor, but in the end he would make his own father the emperor.

The throne cannot be exchanged for someone calling you daddy. There is no worse business in the world than this. The Empress Dowager Zhang who chose the emperor is worthy of being "the best cheater in the world".

Zhu Youtang personally offered sacrifices to the Changling Mausoleum of Emperor Taizongwen, the Yuling Tomb of Emperor Yingzongrui, and the Maoling Mausoleum of Emperor Xianzong Chun, while ministers offered sacrifices to other mausoleums on their behalf.

Since the Xiaoling Tomb of Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang is in Nanjing, the Changling Tomb of Emperor Taizong Wen is the first of all the tombs, and Yuling and Maoling are the grandfather and father, so this three tombs are the most suitable.

It's not that Zhu Youtang doesn't want to worship the other two tombs, but the distance between the imperial tombs is not close, and the three imperial tombs are already a hard job, and neither physical strength nor time allow it.

But the first stop was not Changling, but Maoling, which had just been built.

"Your majesty, my servant, respectfully greets you!" Liang Fang, the eunuch in charge of the Changling Shrine Palace, saw Zhu Youtang arriving and immediately saluted respectfully.

Zhu Youtang saw that Liang Fang's hair was obviously much whiter, and asked with concern: "Liang Fang, how are you doing recently?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Everything is well with you!" Liang Fang said very happily when she saw Zhu Youtang coming.

Zhu Youtang originally wanted to continue to reuse Liang Fang, but Liang Fang insisted on coming here to guard the mausoleum, so he had even more respect for this loyal eunuch.

Although in the writings of civil servants: civil servants are more loyal, eunuchs are more treacherous. But when the army came to the city, all civil and military officials were busy opening the city gate to welcome the new master, and the only eunuch who accompanied Chongzhen, Wang Chengen, died for his country.

"Your Majesty, the servants have made arrangements. Please go up the mountain to pay homage to the late emperor! The late emperor will definitely be proud of you if he knows that you are such a civilized and martial artist!" Liang Fang kept paying attention to the court and smiled sincerely.

Although the late emperor once said, "The prince is not like me," the late emperor was wrong after all. Today's Hongzhi must be even better at power than the late emperor.

Zhu Youtang looked at the newly built several hundred meters of sacred road in front of him, as well as the palaces and buildings above. In fact, this was his second time here.

At the end of December last year, when Zhu Jianshen was buried, he came to attend the funeral in person. It's just that at that time, only Xuan Palace was repaired, but the buildings on the surface had not yet started.

But now that I have come here again, what I see before me is the most standard imperial tomb.

Zhu Youtang walked into the road paved with stone bricks. This road is called the Shinto. Since there are streams in Wanshou Mountain, a stone bridge will be built along the Shinto of each mausoleum.

The sun is quite bright today. Even though there is a eunuch named Lux ​​holding an umbrella, it is not an easy task to climb up to Fangcheng on foot.

The first thing that appeared was the wordless stele pavilion, which stood in the middle of the Shinto.

Continuing to walk forward, the layout is similar to that of the Fengtian Palace of the Outer Dynasty. The front one is the Qin'en Gate, which is a three-room palace gate in the style of a single eaves resting on a mountain, with a gable extending into the distance on both sides.

After passing through the Qin'en Gate, you will find the Qin'en Hall in front of you. This hall is a single eaves on the top of the mountain, five rooms wide and three rooms deep. Its construction cost alone has reached 200,000 taels.

"Your Majesty, would you like some water?"

"Need not!"

"Your Majesty, please wipe your sweat for me!"

"Need not!"

…

Zhu Youtang found that being an emperor was a hard job, and even an emperor could not shirk this kind of sacrifice. In particular, Maoling gave the ministers a reason to speak up.

On the third day after the completion of the Maoling Cemetery, thunder, lightning, wind and hail suddenly came from the Tianshou Mountain area. Many of the mausoleum buildings, halls, kitchens, pavilions and prison halls were smashed and many tile decorations were broken.

After learning about this, many officials went to court to ask Zhu Youtang to cultivate his virtue.

Zhu Youtang knew that he couldn't just take the throne and do nothing, so it would be unkind if he didn't use some of his energy during this Spring Festival, so he had to persevere no matter how hard he worked today.

Behind the Hall of En'en are three gates, which are in the shape of a glazed flower door. The middle gate tower is in the shape of a single eaves and a mountain top. Fortunately, passing through the door is the final Lingxing Gate.

If we were in the outer court area just now, now we are entering the real palace.

Entering from the Lingxing Gate, there is the Stone Five Offerings, and behind it is the Fangcheng, and above the Fangcheng is the Minglou. In front of the Ming Tower stands a mausoleum with the inscription: The mausoleum of Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Youtang was already out of breath when he got here, but he still gritted his teeth and walked straight in through a coupon hole and came to the stone altar table in the square behind, where he needed to perform sacrifices to the treasure top on the treasure city.

Today is destined to be a tormenting day for the emperor. After the sacrifice here, he has to walk down the mountain. There are two other imperial tombs to go to for sacrifice.

Spring Festival, the day of disaster for the emperor.