This ball is so big that it would take nearly 100,000 miles to circle around it. Compared with this big ball, people are too small, so within our line of sight, it looks like we are on a flat ground. However, it is not impossible to verify. There are still traces on weekdays.
It can be found. For example, when you look at a sailboat in the distance on the sea, the first thing you see is always the sail.
About a hundred years later, the Taixi people finally proved this with practical actions.
One of their fleets sailed westward without changing direction, and finally, after a few years, returned to port from their east."
Yang Feng said to the globe.
Homemade.
There is no shortage of craftsmen on Yang Wen's battleship, and there are even some who are professional at drawing maps...
He was exploring new routes, so of course he had to bring a map-drawing tool with him, so all Yang Feng needed was for the craftsman to make a wooden ball, which was nothing more than two oversized wooden bowls buckled together, as long as he could ensure a rough ball shape.
Then those who draw the map find a way to turn a rough world map into an image on a globe, and there is no need to worry about the details. It is just a land outline. After adding the longitude and latitude lines, this is still easy to achieve, and then paint it with different
Color. Especially the actual actual control area of the Ming Dynasty. This also needs to be painted. The current Ming Dynasty extends to the Songhua River Basin in the north, not even Heilongjiang, and Hainan Island in the south. At least not yet, the islands in the South China Sea have not been reached.
To the west is Andingwei, and to the east is Hanwei, namely Ruoqiang and Hotan.
The Shazhou Guard has not yet been established.
However, the Mongols in Shazhou have already paid tribute.
The Hami Guard has not yet been established. The Wunasili who controlled it had either surrendered or rebelled before. They were beaten violently by the Ming army last year and paid tribute, so it cannot be considered an area under actual control.
It should be considered a genus.
His identity is also King Hameri.
Yang Feng's standard for the Ming Dynasty's actual control area was the Weisuo and Xuanwei Division.
Xuanwei Division is also considered an area under actual control.
Although there are many Ming troops in Xuanwei Division, let alone Ming Dynasty officials, they are just chieftains, similar to autonomous regions within feudal borders. The Ming army has the right to conduct military operations in Xuanwei Division. Although it may never have happened in fact, there are
This power has been made clear by the words "Xuan" and "Wei". The former can mobilize the chieftain's army, and the latter can send troops into the chieftain's territory to comfort...
Of course, bring a cannon to comfort you.
In short, the current Ming Dynasty only has such a large area of actual control.
"Is this what Ming Dynasty holds?"
Zhu Yunxi turned the globe and looked at the Ming Dynasty with some dissatisfaction.
“This still relaxes the standards.
For example, when Uzangdu commanded the envoys, the imperial court would accept their tribute and occasionally send an envoy to give instructions. However, in fact, the imperial court had no control over how they managed it. However, that was all they could do there. After all, the place was too high.
Our people can't breathe even if they go up there.
There are also eight hundred Dadian and other Xuanwei bureaus. They only come to pay tribute, so we make them officials.
Not to mention actual jurisdiction, even our envoys may not have been there."
Yang Feng said.
"The gain of these barbarian lands will not benefit the country, and the loss of these barbarian lands will not harm the country. If we want to truly govern them, we have to send officials and soldiers, which will waste people and money.
I am a great Ming Huairou far away person.
As long as they surrender to the Ming Dynasty, why should they care about anything else?"
Huang Zicheng said from the side.
He didn't even have a seat, so he had to stand there.
In addition, I don’t bother to sit in such a smoky place. Look at the women around me who are all wearing immodest clothes, especially the most beautiful one. She doesn’t know how to cover up at all. She just stands with her chest out and her neck.
It's shameless to expose a large piece of it. He is a gentleman and he just glanced at it a few times.
So are other women.
Well, Ambassador Yang’s adoptive daughters wear more retro styles...
Restore the ancient times of Tang Dynasty.
After all, the clothes he designs must take into account his own aesthetics, so they must be cooler than at this time.
This is already very conservative.
He didn't come up with a full set of modern clothes, but he already respected this era.
"Emperor Grandson, please remember that there is no worthless land in this world, it's just when the value is revealed.
Babai Dadian is our name, and the natives call themselves Lanna. This word means millions of rice fields. It is the best rice-producing area. Even in our time, it was also an important rice exporter. The fragrant rice there is
High-quality rice. The barbarian lands that the court now considers are only of unexploited value. Take places like Mu State and Myanmar as examples. They have the best wood for making warships. Later, the Westerners occupied the land and used the teak wood to make warships.
It is unrivaled at sea. Uzang is indeed a plateau land. We can't breathe even when we go up there. But don't forget that the Tang Dynasty was invaded by Tibet and Chang'an was conquered. Such a place is not firmly in our hands. As long as another hero appears, or it is
Those who covet the control of the Ming Dynasty will never have peace in Shaanxi and Sichuan.
Look, there really is no worthless land in this world.
Or it may be fertile soil.
Or there are inexhaustible mineral deposits underground.
or have special strategic value.
There is always a time when its value is shown.
Even if it is for the sake of future generations, we must continue to expand our territories.
The world is so big, only the Ming Dynasty occupies a large part of it. Countries may be strong or weak. If you don't grab more when you are strong and leave as much land as possible to future generations, when you are weak, it will be someone else's turn to grab you.
Also, don’t think about Huairou. Yi and Di are afraid of power and have no morals. Huairou cannot buy stability. People just treat you as a fool and have a lot of money. They say some good things without really paying the cost, and then exchange them for rewards. I can clearly say,
Many of the Fanbang tribute envoys who paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty were businessmen and had nothing to do with their monarchs. They just created their own certificates of submission and took some worthless local products in exchange for rewards and trade from the Ming Dynasty in the name of tribute.
They paid tribute with several horses and some spices, which was more than a hundred times what the Ming Dynasty rewarded.
Huge profits!
How much do spices cost?
There are weeds all over the islands in the South China Sea, just like the weeds here.
The national power of the Ming Dynasty is hundreds and thousands of times that of these foreign countries. It can be said that the population of one county of the Ming Dynasty may be larger than that of their entire country. Even the population of those big countries may not be as large as that of Jiangnan.
With such a huge advantage, why not directly destroy the country, occupy its land, and enjoy everything from then on?
You have to learn from Hu Yuan on this point.
Hu Yuan did a very good job. He grabbed all the land he could. Those who were willing to surrender were treated like dogs, and those who were not willing to surrender slaughtered the city and exterminated their clans."
Yang Feng continued to bewitch Zhu Yunxi.
"The Ming Dynasty is a country of etiquette, and its benevolence and righteousness bless the world. How can it be like a barbarian?"
Huang Zicheng said angrily.
"When I was a serf owner, I used to call them the Great Yuan Dynasty. Now I see that they are in trouble, so I call them Hulu. It's heartless!"
Yang Feng sighed with emotion.
"Well?"
Huang Zicheng was speechless and speechless.
Of course, Zhu Yunxi had no interest in paying attention to the companion's mood. He was spinning the globe. It was estimated that part of his blood was awakening. After all, he was also half of the Chang family's blood...
The emperor's grandson finally left with the globe in his arms.
Of course, he didn't want it himself, he had to offer it to his grandfather. His grandfather would definitely make a few more, and they would be more exquisite, so he would definitely have one in the end. At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang's world map was still unfinished.
, only the eastern part has been completed. Now that Yang Feng is back, those who drew the map will soon continue their work.
"I've always wondered why you don't support the expansion of territory?"
Yang Feng looked at the leaving emperor grandson and asked Zhang Xianzong.
“Who pays for the food?”
Zhang Xianzong said simply.
Yang Feng smiled slightly.
"Everyone knows that opening up territory and expanding territory is a good thing, but who will provide the money and food to expand territory and territory? Your Majesty's expansion into Huining can already be said to have wasted people and money. There are indeed only 20,000 to 30,000 troops in the front, but how many people are transporting behind? Jiangnan?
The grain from Liaodong had to be transported by sea to Liaodong, which had to be transported along the Liao River to Kaiyuan, and then continued to be transported from Kaiyuan. In order to build ships in Jilin, thousands of craftsmen were recruited, and the needs of these craftsmen also had to be transported there.
From Jiangnan to Jilin, more than 100,000 people were transporting these tens of thousands of people.
And these more than 100,000 people have to consume more money and food.
It's all taxes paid by the people.
This is still Huining. There are sea and river transportation along the way, and transportation is convenient. If we go to the southwest mountains and the deserts of the Western Regions, how many people will be needed to transport us? If we go to the Southeast Asia, how many ships will be built and how many shipbuilding craftsmen will be needed? These craftsmen
How much tax will it cost to support it?
To expand territory?
One sentence is certainly easy.
But when you really expand your territory, you have to pay for it.”
Zhang Xianzong continued.
“But the rewards are also great.
Spices from Southeast Asia, trade from the Western Regions, even places like Myanmar have gems."
Yang Feng said.
"But what does this have to do with the people?"
"What does it have to do with the people of Jiangnan, or what does it have to do with the gentry of Jiangnan?
You might as well speak more clearly.
The fundamental reason is that the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River does not get much benefit. His Majesty the Emperor still has not liberalized private overseas trade. No matter how much money is made from the expansion of the Southeast Asia, it belongs to His Majesty the Emperor. Even if there are benefits from the expansion of the Western Regions, it is only those in the northwest.
Military generals, it was easier for the Mu family to expand to the southwest, but the money and food came from Jiangnan.
It’s no good and of course you won’t support it.
But what if there is?
First of all, although we have many differences, we are unanimous on this issue.
Private overseas trade should be open.
But the premise is that treasure banknotes must be used for transactions. But if you want to use treasure banknotes for transactions, you must use force to force those foreign countries, or you must first use force to develop. In the final analysis, if you want benefits, you must invest first. Only after solving this problem can we promote
Your emperor completely liberalized overseas trade.
You have to support him in expanding his territory first, it’s useless if you don’t support him anyway.”
Yang Feng said.
"How do you get His Majesty to liberalize private overseas trade?"
Zhang Xianzong said with some excitement.
He is from Fujian, and this is what the Fujian gentry is most looking forward to.
"Treasure money!
Don’t you understand that what he really wants to avoid is the loss of monetary dominance? The more prosperous overseas trade is, the more gold, silver and copper coins accumulated in the hands of private gentry and merchants. His real purpose from beginning to end is to promote treasure banknotes.
, the promotion of treasure banknotes is to control currency dominance, but if there are a large number of private gold, silver and copper coins, then no matter how strict he is, he cannot prevent the private sector from using these things for trade.
Developed overseas trade will make it increasingly difficult to promote his treasure banknotes. Even trading with spices is more popular than treasure banknotes.
It also makes him lose control of his currency.
Now he can print money and give it to the army, which then buys what it wants.
Once he loses currency control, he can only obtain metal currency through taxation. At that time, he can only compromise with the gentry, because developed overseas trade will allow the gentry to obtain huge amounts of metal currency. Simply put, the gentry has gained currency dominance.
He must yield to the will of the gentry.
That’s the key.”
Yang Feng said.
This is how the Ming Dynasty ended!
The collapse of Baochao caused the country to lose its monetary dominance.
The Jiangnan and Fujian-Guangdong gentry groups, which controlled huge amounts of overseas trade silver, completely controlled the country's currency. They relied on currency dominance to control the country's policies. In the end, they became the Donglin Party. Zhu Yuanzhang's mistake from the beginning was to choose
Although he had no choice but to use treasure banknotes as currency, after all, he really didn’t have that many copper coins. The Song Dynasty had already used iron coins. During the Yuan Dynasty, the Semu Group and the Mongolian nobles continued to search for metal currencies, and the Yuan Dynasty had already used treasure banknotes. Zhu Yuanzhang
It's just a helpless choice to face reality.
but……
This ancestral system cannot be changed by future generations.
Until the demise of the Ming Dynasty, Baobao was always legal tender.
Although it has not been used in practice for a long time, it is still legal tender if it is not used.
Silver is not.
It is legal to use both money and banknotes.
The loss of the authority of the Ming Dynasty government was a process of losing monetary dominance.
In the beginning, when treasure banknotes were mainly used as copper coins and supplemented by copper coins, it was the era of strong emperors such as Hongwu and Yongle. When the period when treasure banknotes depreciated seriously and copper coins were dominant, it was the emperors who were getting weaker and weaker. Because they could not stop the private minting of copper coins, in the later period, private copper coins were minted.
When the official copper coins were completely replaced, the imperial power could no longer hold on, and was finally suppressed by the civil servants. Then the silver from overseas trade completely kicked out the treasure coins like a dimensionality reduction blow, and the remaining copper coins also became more and more expensive because of the silver.
There are more and more and more weak, and when Baiyin completely takes the lead, it will become the emperors after Wanli.
Not only civil servants, but also local gentry behind the Donglin Party were able to suppress imperial power.
When Wanli's mine and tax supervisor was beaten to death like a dog by the local gentry, burned to death, thrown into the river and drowned, he couldn't even kill Ge Cheng, who was used as a scapegoat. A commoner who was executed by the emperor's decree actually joined the local officials and gentry.
Under his protection, he was served like a hero in prison for more than ten years, and then he was actually released.
What a magical world.
The bottom line is that Wanli has no control over currency.
Suzhou gentry have.
Wanli didn't dare to really offend them.
Therefore, it was easy for Zhu Yuanzhang to liberalize overseas trade. The gentry supported his treasure money.
Not verbal support.
Rather, it is to truly cooperate with him to complete the treasure-making of the currency and establish a sustainable system, so that he does not have to worry about his currency dominance, and then turn the targets of the leeks into the surrounding small foreign countries...
In other words, the king and his ministers work together to cause harm to those around them.
The king and his ministers build mutual trust.
Jointly establish a currency system that is acceptable to both parties and can operate in the long term.