Today's flight is back to my hometown and I will visit my father's grave.
For some reason, I haven't paid homage to him for a long time. I didn't understand why I had to pay homage before. I always felt that this tradition was a bit hypocritical, and I even thought that these things were done to show face to the living.
However, after I personally experienced it, I realized that the meaning of memorial service is not just about remembrance, but also about introspection and inspiration, as well as responsibility.
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Fengyang, the capital of Zhongdu, is a new city built by an old man in memory of his parents and relatives and to demonstrate his achievements.
From the second year of Hongwu to April of the eighth year of Hongwu, a total of 100,000 craftsmen and more than 700,000 civilians were recruited, and countless people, material and national resources were spent to build it.
It is a replica of another capital of the Ming Dynasty. Fengyang has all the things that a capital of the Ming Dynasty should have in Zhongdu Fengyang. Even what the capital does not have, Zhongdu still has it. Not only is it bigger than the capital Yingtianfu, it is even bigger than Beijing, which Zhu Di later moved the capital to build.
, and even bigger.
Such a city is extremely majestic, majestic and towering, like a temple in the sky.
However, it is located on the land of Huaixi, which is not very fertile, and it is built on the national conditions where people's livelihood has been in decline after hundreds of wars. Therefore, although this majestic city is spectacular, it is abrupt, and although it is gorgeous, it is also deserted.
If the old man has really done anything in his life that is inconsiderate of the people and acts like a bandit, it is the construction of Fengyang, the central capital.
This city truly turned the old man into a thieves who treated the people like slaves.
The important factor in making this decision is not only because this place is the hometown of the old man, where the tombs of his parents are located, but also because this place is the collective hometown of the entire Huaixi Honorable Martial Arts Group.
Wealth and honor do not return home, just like walking in brocade at night.
The new Fengyang City was no longer just Haozhou, but all the Huaihe River Basin when the army was first launched was included in the management scope, which greatly excited the entire Huaixi nobles.
The official responsible for the construction of Zhongdu was Li Shanchang, the then Prime Minister of Korea.
During the construction of the city, wood from all over the world was continuously sent to Fengyang. Twenty-three wheeled carts pulled by 200 people were used to transport dense wood. The green bricks used to build the city weighed fifty kilograms each.
They are all made by Twenty-one Houses in Zhili, Jiangxi and Huguang.
During the construction of Fengyang, the Huaixi generals at the front also changed from normal and no longer killed prisoners. Instead, they sent all the prisoners to Fengyang to work.
In the seventh year of Hongwu, Li Shanchang and other Huaixi nobles reported to the old man again. After decades of war, his hometown Fengyang was sparsely populated and not lively enough. The old man ruthlessly moved 200,000 landless tenant farmers from Suhang and other places in Shanxi to Fengyang.
Give fields and houses to enrich your hometown.
The entire Fengyang City is square in shape and built on the Phoenix Mountain. The city wall is more than fifty miles long.
Even so, the Huaixi bureaucracy headed by Li Shanchang was still worried that the city would not be grand enough. When supervising the construction, in order to meet the construction deadline, they even ignored the lives of the craftsmen and civilians.
Is this city really just for the old man?
Or is this city a monument to the achievements of the entire Huaixi bureaucracy?
Therefore, under the prosperous and magnificent appearance of this city, there are numerous bones and blood of poor people.
Zhu Yunxi and the old man's carriage slowly stopped outside Zhongdu City, looking at the city wall that blocked the sky and the sun. Thinking of the cause and effect of this city again, two words came to his mind, retribution.
The reason why Korean Gong Li Shanchang and a group of Huaixi nobles fell into that fate is probably related to the fact that they were too cruel and violent in building the city of Huaixi.
In the seventh year of Hongwu, I heard that Zhongdu was already in some shape, and the old man had the idea of returning to his hometown. He personally set out from Yingtian Mansion, led all the civil and military officials to Fengyang Zhongdu, and held a meeting in the newly built palace.
.
But before the old man could sit firmly on the dragon throne, the royal guards came to report. Because the labor was heavy like animals, the overwhelmed craftsmen carved a curse on the bricks for the Ming Dynasty and the Zhu family when they were building the city.
When the old man didn't understand what was going on, South Korea's Duke Li Shanchang wrote angrily to kill all the craftsmen and civilians as a warning to others.
It was Xue Xiang, the minister of the Ministry of Industry at that time, who tried his best to stop him and asked loudly, "If the grand master ruins the world, isn't he afraid of causing harm to his descendants?"
Facts have proved that Xue Xiang's words are correct. His charges in Li Shanchang's case do not include the incident in Fengyang Zhongdu, but there is cause and effect.
At the same time, the consequences of building this city at any cost also made the old man have his first deep reflection when he became emperor and was immersed in the great martial arts.
That year, in the magnificent palace in Fengyang, Zhongdu, which was like a fairyland, the old man was tossing and turning and had trouble falling asleep. Wearing a dragon robe, he thought of his naked childhood.
It reminded me even more of the tragic scene in the late Mongolian and Yuan Dynasties when the people were in dire straits and starved to death.
There is also the tragedy of people exchanging their sons for food, and officials forcing the people to rebel.
"Throughout the ages, the most virtuous people were led by Yao. Later generations competed for extravagance, enjoying the ultimate entertainment in palaces and pavilions, and playing with horses and treasures. If the desire is indulged, the death will be unstoppable, and chaos will arise."
"In the past, the government of the Yuan Dynasty was not in line, heroes fought hard, and the people were miserable. The emperor and the queen of the country took pity on the people... The ministers did not forget it. In the early years of Hongwu, the Central Plains was pacified... Then the ministers were ordered to meet, and they were all called Haodi.
In ancient times, Zhongli built its capital here to suit the needs of ancient and modern times, so the name of the county was changed accordingly.
Now we are building the capital city of Fengyang. The civil engineering work is really hard work for the people, and people are seriously injured in the work. There should be a supervisor. There have been repeated treasons, and the more serious they are, the sins of this minister are inevitable."
These are the old man's original words in his sinner's edict.
He even ignored the obstruction of Huaixi nobles and the huge Huaixi bureaucracy and stopped the construction of Zhongdu.
As of today, this magnificent city is only a half-finished product.
It is a city in this city, and it is also a prison in the old man’s heart.
Every year when the princes in the palace come of age, including Prince Zhu Biao, the first thing they do before they come of age is to walk back to Fengyang from Yingtian.
I say that I want the princes to know how difficult it is for their ancestors to start a business, but I am actually telling my children and grandchildren to go and have a look. Go back to your hometown and see how stupid things your father did because he was complacent about success. Look at your father, because his mother
How many people were killed in a moment of insanity!
"What Lian Jin has done is to make it a safe place. It should not be ornate, and all the carvings and decorations should not be used. My descendants will abide by this law."
Suddenly, Zhu Yunxi felt his hand being grasped by the old man's big hand.
I wonder if it was because of the freezing cold wind that the old man's palms were not warm at all.
Moreover, there was still some trembling.
"Grandpa Huang, are you cold?" Zhu Yunxi asked.
"We..." The old man's voice was a little hoarse, and he spoke with difficulty, "Now I suddenly understand a word, timidity in close proximity to home!"
"No, it's not that word, it's..." As he said that, the old man no longer looked at the magnificent city, but said, "But, I feel guilty!"
"Grandpa Huang, you have done a great job!" Zhu Yunxi knew why the old man said this, so he comforted him softly and squeezed the old man's hand.
"When we joined the army and entered this hometown city, we did many things against our will at first." The old man said in a low voice, "Later, we became famous, but we only thought about..."
"You used to exempt Fengyang from taxes for ten years. After your grandson ascended the throne, you also exempted Fengyang from royal grain for five years." Zhu Yunxi smiled and said, "It will be fine if you take your time!"
"But there are some things they will never forget!" The old man sighed.
At this time, Guo Ying jumped down from the cart in front, walked in with a smile and said, "Is the emperor coming to the city? If you two don't want the local officials to know, just go to the minister's house!" He said, laughing.
He said, "I haven't lived in my house in Fengyang a few times in the past few years. I heard that the repairs are better than those in the capital..."
As he was talking, he suddenly found Li Jinglong behind the two princes, winking at him. He understood and immediately stopped talking.
Cao Zhen, on the other hand, was still carefree, "My house is also here. It was your grace when it was first built, and it was built according to the imperial system!" He said, grinning, "The garden alone is great.
It occupies an area of two to three acres, and the beams in the house are all hundreds of years old wood, so it is not afraid of insects and ants. There is also my village outside the city, with more than 2,000 acres of land."
Speaking of this, he was full of energy, "If our ancestors knew what I was doing today, I would have laughed out loud! When I was working hard, I never thought that today would happen..."
"Come here!" The old man said to Cao Zhen.
Cao Zhen suddenly woke up, but he didn't dare not step forward.
"More than two thousand acres, damn you, your original land was only more than 800 acres!" The old man kicked Cao Zhen directly, "The extra fields fell from the sky? Where do you live?
We have a lot of money in the capital, so what’s the use of this little land?”
"My lord..." Cao Zhen felt aggrieved and was too weak to speak.
"We have long said that you should abide by the law, follow my example, remember the times of poverty and humbleness, and do not do extravagant things."
The old man's eyes were cold, "Have you all forgotten?"
Guo Ying and Cao Zhen quickly knelt down to apologize, not daring to raise their heads.
"Grandpa Huang!" Zhu Yunxi said, "Since my grandson returned to Fengyang last time, I have spoken to them in private. They have returned many fields. Although there are many fields now, I have not heard of any bullying of good people.
!”
"You are just soft-hearted!" The old man snorted, and then said, "Just like your father!"
In fact, it's not that Zhu Yunxi is soft-hearted, but how long can these veterans live?
After they died, whether to take it back or not was not up to Zhu Yunxi. He was just not as strong-willed as the old man.
"We're not going into the city anymore, we're going directly to the imperial mausoleum!" The old man quickly glanced at the towering city, "
