Chapter 475 Hongzhi Wants to Draw a Line in the Southwest

It was February, and the capital had ushered in a season of colorful flowers.

Forbidden City, Fengtian Hall.

Amid the voices of civil and military officials, Zhu Youtang, wearing a dragon robe, came to the dragon throne in the hall and sat down, and was about to summon envoys from all over the world.

Since returning from Jiangnan, everything has returned to the right track.

He is the emperor of this great dynasty and the absolute core of this powerful empire. Now he has returned to the power center of the Forbidden City, and everything revolves around him or his will.

The capital finally ushered in a bright and clear world. The unstable force lurking in the dark was successfully pulled out, and now it has entered the time of reckoning.

Liu Ji's crimes are naturally impossible to forgive. This person not only conspired to help King Xing seize the throne, but also provided financial support to corrupt officials through Qianyi Qiansi, and became the mastermind behind the underground forces in the capital.

Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, not to mention that the Ming court had punished the prime minister with nine clans, even the prime minister who was pushed to the guillotine had never happened.

The court has now announced the crimes of the former prime minister to the world, and the sentence of killing all nine clans of Liu Ji has been officially issued, and Liu Ji will become the first prime minister of the Ming Dynasty to be killed.

Zhu Youtang has never been a hesitant person. Even if the scholars in the world want to call him a tyrant, he will not back down because of this reputation. He personally signed the decree to kill hundreds of people in Liu Ji's nine clans.

Prince Xing Zhu Youtang is suspected of conspiring with Liu Ji's gang to rebel, so he naturally cannot be merciful.

Zhu Youtang issued an order to strip Zhu Youtang of his title of king, demote him to a commoner, and place him under house arrest in the Prince Xing's mansion. Since dealing with the brothers' affairs involves a lot of things, the best way at present is to lock him up first, and how to deal with him later will be decided later.

As for other people involved in the case, the case has been transferred to the three judicial departments for trial, and they will try not to wrongly accuse a good person, nor will they let any bad person go.

Of course, these are all in the past. After solving the Jiangnan official gentry group and the Beijing conspiracy group, the Ming Dynasty also needs to look overseas.

Zhu Youtang knew that the difficulties he would encounter next would not be less than the resistance at home, and even required the whole country's strength to clear the way for China's rise.

"Call the envoys of various countries to see you!"

Guo Yong, holding a whisk, was like a diligent old cow. After receiving Zhu Youtang's gaze, he shouted loudly with a unique voice.

On both sides of the hall were the civil and military officials led by the new chief minister Yin Tai and the newly promoted Jingguo Duke Zhao Chengqing. After a major purge, the entire court was brand new.

The current Ming Dynasty is strong, especially after repeated victories in foreign wars, which has led to the upright backs of the civil and military officials in the hall.

Facts have proved that the current emperor is a rare wise monarch in a century. Now we only need to support this ambitious emperor, and then we will create a real prosperous era.

The sun was shining outside the palace, and the entire Forbidden City looked magnificent.

The Jinwu Guards were standing on both sides of the steps, and the envoys from various countries were waiting below. They looked up at the world's largest palace from below.

After hearing the call from the Fengtian Palace, they followed the officials of the Ministry of Rites to climb the stairs and were about to meet the high and mighty Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Because there were many envoys invited this year, the Ministry of Rites arranged for the envoys from various countries to enter the palace in batches for an audience.

The envoys from Korea, Malani and Ryukyu were naturally well-behaved. Now that they realized that the Ming Dynasty was becoming more and more powerful, they dared not make any rash moves.

Although Korea was the most powerful kingdom, it was now under great pressure from the Northeast Army, and the military power in the country had also fallen into the hands of the civil service group. Now the Korean King Li was more eager to cling to the thick thigh of the Ming Dynasty.

As for the leaders of tribal alliances such as Malani and Ryukyu, it was a great blessing to come to pay tribute every year, so they could all put themselves in the right position.

The four guards of Haixi Jurchen also sent envoys. Due to the influence of the development of the Northeast, they have also begun to cultivate land and learn the agricultural civilization of China.

The adult Ouchi Yoshioki entered the Fengtian Hall with several pro-Ming Japanese daimyo envoys to meet the emperor. It was not until he saw Emperor Hongzhi on the dragon throne that he knew that the Ming emperor was no longer the emperor who liked old women, but a young and heroic emperor.

Originally, there were still many dissatisfactions, but now seeing the young and heroic emperor, he knew that his sister might have found a good home.

Although the Ouchi family lost the territory of northern Kyushu, it was able to get the full support of the Ming Dynasty and expand its territory to the east.

"Your Majesty, this is the tribute list of envoys from various countries, please take a look!" Guo Yong presented a delicate list and reported it carefully.

Zhu Youtang became more mature, his eyes became deeper, and he took a few glances at the list.

The tributes from the envoys of various countries were just the same. The Malani Kingdom paid tribute to the Philippine crocodile, while Ryukyu sent Taiwan black bears, and Korea actually sent a group of beauties.

Zhu Youtang already had the idea of ​​building a national zoo, and said calmly: "Reward!"

Now the rewards of the Ming Dynasty have become simple and rough, and they are given Hongzhi silver dollars according to the size or closeness of their countries, and these silver dollars are allowed to be squandered.

Since the Ming Dynasty wants to become a real overlord, then I have to build a financial system centered on the Ming Dynasty, so that the Hongzhi silver dollar will become a well-deserved world-class currency.

"Thank you, Emperor Ming!" The envoys of Korea and other countries have already experienced the purchasing power and convenience of the Hongzhi silver dollar, and naturally they are very happy to thank you.

After the fixed ceremony, Zhu Youtang looked disinterested and raised his hand gently, saying, "Go!"

Li Yu, the Minister of Personnel, and Jia Jun, the Minister of Works, were already old men in the Hongzhi Dynasty. After seeing Zhu Youtang's calm appearance, they also exchanged glances silently.

When the Ming Dynasty captured the entire Kyushu Island in one fell swoop, everyone believed that the ambitious Emperor Hongzhi would definitely pursue the victory and send more troops to directly capture Japan's Honshu Island.

But this was not the case. Not only did Emperor Hongzhi not use Kyushu Island as a springboard to attack, but he also repaired his earlier relationship with the Ouchi clan.

Although some people believe that it was due to the beauty of Ouchi Saeko, the eldest princess of the Ouchi family, they already knew that lust was a bad image deliberately created by the emperor, and it was absolutely impossible to change the strategy because of a woman.

In the past few years, a similar thing has actually happened.

After the Ming Dynasty recovered Jianzhou and annexed the three Haixi guards, many people thought that Emperor Hongzhi would also annex the four Haixi Jurchen guards, but there has been no action so far.

They silently tried to figure out this ambitious emperor, and also wanted to keep up with the thoughts of this emperor, but there was no trace of the result.

The best direction for the Ming Dynasty to expand is to the east or northeast, but judging from the current reaction, this ambitious emperor seems to have suddenly lost all his fighting spirit.

Combined with the fact that Jiangnan brought back the Jiangnan courtesan Erxiang and included Japan's most beautiful woman Ouchi Sayoko into the harem, and now North Korea has sent a group of beauties, is it going to focus on the palace?

The envoys retreated cautiously, and the envoys from Mongolia and other countries who had been waiting outside for a long time entered.

Zhu Youtang thought of the enthusiasm of the Northern Concubine last night, and his waist suddenly felt a little sore. He couldn't help but cover his mouth with his hand and yawned.

In the past, he was proactive because he wanted to have a son, but now the initiative has completely changed.

When those women saw that the queen gave birth to twins, and that Concubine Jing, who followed them to the south of the Yangtze River, was pregnant, the women in the harem became more and more charming.

Even Lin Qiqi, the ninth concubine who was obsessed with poetry, no longer expressed her feelings for the mountains and rivers, and shyly said, "Mandarin ducks are in pairs in the quilt, and a tree of pear blossoms overwhelms the crabapple."

"The Southwest Envoys are here to see the emperor!"

The third batch of Southwest Envoys entered the palace together, and there were many unfamiliar faces here.

They were wearing strange clothes, and some of them even wore cassocks. What was even more surprising was that some of the envoys were arrogant and arrogant.

The fact that the Annan Li Dynasty dared to take over the territories of Guangxi and Guizhou of the Ming Dynasty was enough to prove that the southwestern countries had stronger self-confidence and stronger ambitions.

There are actually many reasons for this arrogance.

After all, in the history of some countries, the south of the Yangtze River belonged to Vietnam, and the north of the Yangtze River belonged to Bangzi.

Judging from the route to Beijing alone, the Southwest delegation naturally could not see the prosperity of Jiangnan all the way north, which gave them the illusion that the Ming Dynasty was vast but not prosperous.

Now most of these Southwest envoys went north from Yunnan. Even if they saw the prosperity of the capital, it was difficult to change their solidified views, and they only thought that the capital was the whole of the empire.

"Foreign ministers pay homage to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and wish His Majesty long live, long live, long live!" No matter what the envoys of Ava and other countries thought in their hearts, they saluted in a proper manner at this moment.

The Southwest delegation that entered the palace this time was actually mainly from the kingdoms in Myanmar.

At the end of the 13th century AD, the capital of the once glorious Pagan Dynasty of Myanmar was destroyed by the Yuan army, and Narathihapati lost the throne, and Myanmar entered a period of great division.

In northern Myanmar, the Ava Dynasty centered on the city of Ava was formed under the rule of the Shan people, while in the south, the Baigu Dynasty centered on the Baigu was formed under the rule of the Mon people.

From 1386 to 1425, the two countries continued to clash, which was known as the "Forty Years' War" in history.

In addition to the two major countries that split off, Myanmar also has Toungoo, Mubang, Monyang, Monmit, Arakan and other countries, among which the Burmese Toungoo Kingdom is the strongest.

Even though the once glorious Pagan Dynasty was only a medium-sized kingdom, after Myanmar was divided into pieces, the kingdoms and tribes became a mess, either surrendering to the Ming Dynasty or bowing to Siam.

Although kingdoms including Ava and Baigu had successively paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty, the dynasty controlled by the civil service group was not keen on paying tribute, so the two sides had actually interrupted their exchanges for decades.

As for the establishment of three Xuans and six Weis in the southwest by Emperor Taizong of the Ming Dynasty, it was actually in name only.

It was just that the Hongzhi Dynasty was obviously different. Not only did it quickly restore their status as vassal states, but it also required them to send people to pay tribute every year.

That's why the Ming Dynasty was in contact with these small and medium-sized kingdoms in the southwest this time. The Ming Dynasty was not very clear about the evolution of power in the Myanmar region, and these envoys from the southwest naturally could not appreciate the great changes in the six years of the Hongzhi Dynasty.

The tribute they brought this time was very shabby, and it can be seen that the kings of the southwest did not attach much importance to this tribute, and even just wanted to go through the motions.

This...

When Guo Yong saw the shabby gift list handed over by the southwest envoy, it was just like sending away beggars, and he looked at Zhu Youtang with an embarrassed face.

Zhu Youtang was not displeased when he took the gift list. After carefully scanning it for a few times, he frowned slightly and asked: "Why didn't the Baigu Kingdom send an envoy?"

This...

Officials such as Yin Tai and Zhao Chengqing exchanged glances silently, but they did not expect that His Majesty did not mind the shabby tribute of these southwestern envoys, but suddenly put pressure on a remote southwestern kingdom.

Not to mention that in the past, the Ming Dynasty did not want these poor southwestern kings to come to "ask for tribute", and it was not easy for them to come.

Myanmar is mostly swamps and primitive forests. Even if they go to Yunnan, it is not easy. It is a long way to come to the capital.

But they did not expect that the absence of the Baigu Kingdom this time would cause dissatisfaction with the emperor.

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Rites has issued a notice to the Baigu Kingdom in accordance with the formal procedures, but the Baigu Kingdom did not send envoys this time!" The new Minister of Rites Zhang Sheng stepped out and explained under pressure.

Although Zhu Youtang knew that the Baigu Kingdom in the south was quite far from Yunnan, he still said with a straight face: "Duke of Qian, have you notified them?"

"When I received the document from the Ministry of Rites, I also sent someone to Baigu Kingdom to inform them! Until the day of departure, I did not see the envoy from Baigu Kingdom, and I don't know why they did not respond to the call!" Duke of Qian Mu Cong was a middle-aged man who lived a life of luxury and respect. He reported respectfully.

He can be said to be a prince born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He was only ten months old. Because his father, Duke of Qian Mu Bin, died, he was determined to be the next Duke of Qian.

Because he was too young, his uncle Mu Lin took over Yunnan.

Mu Lin had a bad fate and died young. When he died, Mu Cong was still young, so another uncle of Mu Cong took over Yunnan.

For personal safety reasons, Mu Cong's biological mother was worried that her son would be harmed by his uncle, so she brought her son to live in the capital when he was young, so Mu Cong lived in the capital for a long time.

In the first year of Chenghua, Mu Cong was already sixteen years old, so he immediately requested to inherit the title of the third generation of Qianguogong. It was not until the third year of Chenghua that he wore the seal of the General of Zhengnan and returned to Yunnan.

If it were not for the powerful Ming Dynasty to preside over the overall situation, if it were not for the Ming Dynasty's great trust in the Qianguogong Mansion, it would be difficult for Mu Cong to inherit the title of Qianguogong as an orphan of October.

Mu Cong has always remembered the kindness of the Ming Dynasty, and he is loyal to the Ming court like his ancestors for generations. This time he received the imperial mission and did his best.

He felt that after guarding Yunnan for many years, he could vaguely guess why the Baigu Kingdom broke the promise.

The Baigu Kingdom is located in the south of Myanmar, too far away from Yunnan. Now they don't need to rely on the Ming Dynasty, and there are many kingdoms in between, so he simply doesn't send envoys to pay homage.

When Li Yu, the Minister of Personnel, and Jia Jun, the Minister of Works, saw that the emperor suddenly grabbed this small kingdom, they could not help but think of the past and quickly shook their heads to reject it.

The land in the southwest is mountainous and swampy, so it has no economic value at all.

Even if the Ming Dynasty sent troops to conquer it, it would definitely be a thankless war. This time, the attack on the three guards of Haixi Jurchen is conducive to building the Northeast granary, and occupying Kyushu Island is conducive to mining, while attacking the southwest has no economic returns.

With the emperor's calculating nature, he would never waste national power on these small countries, not to mention that such small countries are in the mountains that are extremely difficult to conquer.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, King Baigu did not intend to break the appointment, but he was devoted to practicing and did not want to care about worldly affairs!" It was at this time that an envoy stood up to defend the king's way of the Baigu Kingdom.

The Burmese region was influenced by Indian Buddhism, resulting in the emergence of many Buddhist believers.

The current King of Baigu, Dharmasiti, was originally a Buddhist leader of the Mon tribe. He was chosen as the heir by the devout Buddhist Queen Xinxiufu, and returned to secular life and married the queen's daughter.

Dharmasiti took over the throne in the eighth year of Chenghua. His rule was known for its generosity and kindness. He was committed to the revitalization of Buddhism and sent monks and envoys to Ceylon and North India to seek the Dharma.

Zhu Youtang looked at the envoy who stood up to defend the Pegu King and asked calmly: "Who are you?"

"The foreign minister is the envoy of Toungoo, Na Kongying!" Kongying said proudly in the face of the inquiry.

The current king of Toungoo, Mingjiyu, is a powerful ruler. After marrying the Ava Dynasty, he formed an alliance with the Pegu Dynasty and became the strongest emerging force in Myanmar.

The reason they were summoned this time was mainly to explore the strength of this Central Plains dynasty.

Zhu Youtang looked at the envoy deeply, and then said to the invited envoy from the southwest: "The reason why I summoned you to the capital this time is because I decided to build a road!" (End of this chapter)