Chapter 620: General Outline of Great Ming Hydrology

Institutional construction is not a process that can be achieved overnight, but one that takes a very long time to form. The formation of an inconspicuous regulation requires experience, struggle, and vertical scale.

Take the system of requiring the approval of the Ministry of War to mobilize more than 100 people as an example. Its formation was in the early Northern Song Dynasty, constructed by Zhao Kuangyin, who snatched the country from orphans and widows.

Zhao Kuangyin ended the darkest moment of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms and completely incorporated the military into the extension of politics. Of course, with Zhao Guangyi's defeat at Gaoliang River, this correction immediately became overcorrected and used too much force, evolving into valuing civil officials over military ones, leading to the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties' foreign wars always ending in a way that left people unable to laugh or cry.

Military affairs are an extension of politics. This process and the accumulation of experience require time and sufficient struggle.

Oda Nobunaga wanted to push such a political decree, but then he found that it was fundamentally impossible to do so. What made him even more desperate was that he could not see the day when it could be executed. This is the greatest tragedy: knowing the more correct answer, but being unable to complete the implementation of the political decree.

Li Chengli saw that Oda Nobunaga had stabilized the situation and led his troops to leave Kyoto, Japan. When leaving, Li Chengli not only took away Liu Zhangshan but also dragged away a pile of things. These were gifts of gratitude, treasures Oda Nobunaga had pulled out of the Imperial Palace to express his thanks. Oda Nobunaga's silver had to be kept for the Great Ming as war indemnity.

Without Liu Zhangshan, there were Zhao Zhangshan, Pu Zhangshan, and Song Zhangshan to continue doing business. As long as there were people, there was no fear of not having Great Ming goods. As long as there were Great Ming goods, there was no fear of not having silver.

Li Chengli wrote the report and handed it to the Coastal Defense Inspector, who sent it to the capital to be reported to His Majesty.

When the report reached the capital, the Great Ming Emperor was talking with Li Zhi in the West Flower Hall of Tonghe Palace. Lin Fucheng was not there this time; Lin Fucheng was still writing about his study tour, finishing the topic of the alienation of people by religion, leaving behind extremely valuable historical materials, recording why he set out now.

"I remember when I first met you, you were at Taibai Tower talking about 'no taxation without representation.' Why was there no relevant discussion later? I asked you many questions back then; how have you thought about them?" Zhu Yijun had once left homework for Li Zhi.

Zhu Yijun very much agreed with Li Zhi's point of view, but there were too many problems to be solved in practice. The few questions Zhu Yijun raised were only questions before setting out; more and more problems would be encountered on the road.

"Your Majesty, I have thought about it carefully, and my point of view is still too shallow," Li Zhi said helplessly. "Developing to the end, it is nothing more than that set of the two Song Dynasties—ruling the world with scholar-officials, not ruling the world with the common people."

Li Zhi had actually never given up his thinking, but after His Majesty asked him several questions at Taibai Tower, he was astonished to find that his point of view was not a novel one, but one that had long existed.

"Ruling the world with scholar-officials" in the two Song Dynasties—this sentence is known to every reader, and it is often discussed. Once mentioned, it is said that Chinese culture reached its peak in the Zhao Song Dynasty, but not a word is mentioned that this sentence by Wen Yanbo also has a second half: not ruling the world with the common people.

Therefore, the complete explanation of this sentence is that it is better to sacrifice the interests of the common people than to harm the interests of the scholar-officials.

However, readers often take things out of context, only citing the first half to prove that not letting the Emperor rule alone is progress, ignoring the second half—"not ruling the world with the common people"—to cover up the deep-rooted inferiority of the scholar-officials of the two Song Dynasties who only cared about their own small plots of land, not even bothering to cover up the evil of not even wanting to cover up the fig leaf of "helping the world when successful."

They didn't even want the fig leaf of "the people are the foundation of the country, and the foundation is solid, the country is peaceful."

At that time, Emperor Shenzong of Song summoned Wen Yanbo to discuss military affairs in Shaanxi. Wen Yanbo not only had no interest in discussing military affairs, but came up and bombarded the New Policies, saying: "The laws and systems since the ancestors may not all be unfeasible, but there are places where they have been abandoned or not implemented." The meaning is: You, Emperor Shenzong, violated the ancestral laws and engaged in reform; wouldn't that be chaotic? Isn't the military chaos in Shaanxi caused by your reform?

At that time, Emperor Shenzong argued with Wen Yanbo. Wen Yanbo said: "The ancestral laws and systems are all there; there is no need to change them and lose the hearts of the people."

Emperor Shenzong said: "Changing the laws and systems is indeed displeasing to the scholar-officials, but what is inconvenient for the common people?" Emperor Shenzong said: "Reform harmed the interests of the scholar-officials, leading to the scholar-officials not being very happy, but although the hearts of the scholar-officials were lost, reform has the hearts of the ten thousand people."

Wen Yanbo immediately said: "The common people? Where are the common people! Emperor, do you have no idea who you are ruling the country with? Ruling the world with scholar-officials!"

Where do scholar-officials come from? They come from the ten thousand people. But after putting on that Confucian robe, they finally changed their appearance.

Li Zhi racked his brains and could not think of a way, so he simply stopped thinking about it. Anyway, His Majesty is a wise monarch. "No taxation without representation" is not an urgent matter.

"I am dull. I... cannot solve any of the questions Your Majesty asked me back then," Li Zhi said sincerely. "The common people of the world are waiting for the rain, not knowing that the dragon is coiled here."

The common people of the world are longing for sweet rain to solve their suffering, but they do not know that the blue dragon is coiled here, hidden and unmoved.

The Emperor asked several questions back then.

The first is "attributing the achievements of one to another." If poor people and bitter laborers can be exempted from taxes, will the Great Ming be full of poor people and bitter laborers? How to solve "attributing the achievements of one to another"?

The second is identity politics, distinguishing by origin. Once this opening is made, it is to stack various identities for oneself, eventually making a mess. This has really happened. For example, when recommending filial and incorrupt officials, various strange "filial sons" appeared. The Central Plains finally overcame the predicament of identity politics; are we going to reverse history?

The third is betraying the class. How to ensure that this representative, after achieving a class leap, still represents the original class? Not forgetting why one set out?

The fourth is determining the candidate. How to select "someone" to represent the ten thousand people? How do the ten thousand people know of his existence?

Li Zhi tried to think, and then gave up. Li Zhi would rather discuss the alienation of people by power than think about these questions again. People should have self-knowledge, and Li Zhi knew he did not have that ability.

"I also took these questions to ask the Master. Guess what the Master said?" Zhu Yijun said with a smile.

Li Zhi's eyes lit up, and he asked impatiently: "What high opinion does the Master have?"

"The Master said, 'Look at the Mirror of Emperors'!" Zhu Yijun thought of Zhang Juzheng's frowning and slightly confused expression, and he was happy for a while. Zhang Juzheng finally chose to escape; he also did not know the answer, so he let the Emperor look at the Mirror of Emperors.

"I looked at the upper and lower parliamentary system in the Netherlands of the West, and originally felt that this system was quite good. The upper house is the old nobles, and the lower house is the representatives of the ten thousand people. This way, there is something to discuss. Later, I found that it seems to be unworkable, because the old nobles of the upper house are hereditary, and the representatives of the ten thousand people in the lower house will also become like this." Zhu Yijun had really thought about this question.

The son of a lower house member asks: "Father, father, can I be an upper house member?"

The lower house member father says: "No, because the upper house members also have children."

"I have also thought about it; it is unworkable, Your Majesty." Li Zhi knew very well about the Netherlands of the West rebelling against Philip II, and finally concluded that its route was not suitable for the Great Ming.

Because the Great Ming had already had similar experience with the upper and lower parliamentary system. In the early years of Zhengtong, it was the military meritocrats led by Duke of England Zhang Fu and the scholar-officials led by the Three Yangs. The final result was that Zhang Fu was forced to the point of not being able to attend court.

History is long, and it has this advantage: any messy thing can find a historical prototype. The various influences produced have all been answered by history, finally forming experience and becoming a system.

Li Zhi spread his hands and said: "I started thinking from the beginning, how this political counselor was born."

"For a political counselor to be widely known, it needs the flag-waving and shouting of poetry society writers, and it needs word-of-mouth. These all require money. But is money taken for nothing? Is the money given by the powerful and influential given for nothing? In this way, isn't it political corruption?"

"It's better to take scholars through the imperial examination."

"In front of me, of course you have to say so. Boring." Zhu Yijun knew very clearly that when various liberal factions emerged, the discussion of the system would be put on the agenda, eventually sounding the death knell of the imperial system.

But in front of the Emperor, a madman like Li Zhi did not dare to ring the bell; he lacked some courage.

Li Zhi looked at the Emperor and finally did not say the words he had been holding in his heart. He actually really wanted to say: If the Emperor were all like Your Majesty! Then he would support it with both hands and feet. Discussing what? The imperial system is the greatest system!

This is also an awkward point of public opinion. Except for the one thing of being violent, there is nothing to blame or criticize about His Majesty. Criticize His Majesty for being diligent? Or criticize His Majesty for being frugal? Or criticize His Majesty for hating evil as a foe? Or criticize His Majesty for being resilient, practicing military horses for twelve years as one day?

Li Zhi had two topics. One was "no taxation without representation," which came to an abrupt end because of the Emperor's wisdom. As long as His Majesty is still here, this topic cannot be discussed. The other topic, the alienation of people, Li Zhi completed very well. Li Zhi entered the palace this time to listen to the holy teachings.

"I am very dissatisfied with the alienation of people by money that you and Lin Fucheng just wrote," Zhu Yijun said while drinking tea. "It is not deep enough, not thorough enough, stopping at the surface, too bland."

The latest article on the alienation of people by money by Li Zhi and Lin Fucheng was denied by the Emperor. The discussion was too simple.

"Your Majesty, it is already very bold," Li Zhi said very certainly. "This is already the limit of what I know and what I think."

"Therefore, when you and Lin Fucheng go south next March, you will witness it with your own eyes at the Southern Yamen." Zhu Yijun knew Li Zhi's limitations, which lay in not understanding. To perfect the alienation of people by money, one still needs to see it with one's own eyes.

Li Zhi and Lin Fucheng believed that it was money that extinguished the rationality in human nature and magnified greed, causing the alienation of people by money. Zhu Yijun very much approved of this starting point, but the examples they cited could not powerfully support their point of view.

"Is the southern tour next March already decided?" Li Zhi asked with surprise. The wind that His Majesty was going south had been blowing for a year. It had been blowing, but there had been no action. Now there was finally substantial progress.

"It was initially decided for next March," Zhu Yijun shook his head and said. "I am not someone who can go wherever I want."

Zhu Di could personally lead five northern expeditions because he had the Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi, the regular vice-emperor, to handle state affairs. But when Zhu Yijun left the capital, the piles of government affairs would have no one to handle. But he must go south, because he needed to go to the Southern Yamen to see it with his own eyes before deciding on the next move of the Wanli Reform.

Zhu Yijun was somewhat unable to divide his body, and he had been thinking about going south for more than two years, but he could never walk away.

Finally, the Great Ming state affairs were in a stable period, and the Great Ming Emperor was going to the Southern Yamen to take a trip himself to witness the development and changes of the Southern Yamen. The person supervising the country was Prince Lu, Zhu Yijun, who would stamp small matters and send big matters to the Emperor on the southern tour.

Preparing for the Emperor's travel takes a year, which is already a very short preparation time. This is the travel of the Son of Heaven. Just the matter of where to stay is full of various variables.

Li Zhi got up to leave. He did not come for nothing. He clearly knew why the Great Ming Emperor denied his article. The alienation of people by money requires more and more detailed research to get a clearer answer.

Without research, without the reality of practice, and without facts, there is no right to speak. Any discussion detached from facts will lead to ridiculous and absurd conclusions.

Zhu Yijun picked up the report from Nagasaki and was silent for a long time after reading it.

In fact, Japan never let military affairs become an extension of politics from beginning to end.

Military affairs are an extension of politics. Understanding this sentence is very complicated. It can be simply understood as controlling violence so that it does not get out of control. This is the primary prerequisite for a country's stability, just as it is natural for a person to control their hands and feet. Because Japan never completed the control of violence, it was thrown two newly produced atomic bombs by the United States. Finally, Japan completed demilitarization in the hands of the Five-Star Emperor MacArthur.

And Oda Nobunaga being repeatedly assassinated was the most typical feature of violence getting out of control.

"The Honno-ji Incident is not the end, but just a beginning," Zhu Yijun said sincerely while looking at the report in his hand.

"It is really true as Your Majesty said. Nagasaki sent another report. After Commander Li Chengli left, Oda Nobunaga was assassinated again. The Honno-ji where he stayed in Kyoto was burned to the ground. Oda Nobunaga luckily escaped a disaster." Feng Bao presented the report sent from Nagasaki to His Majesty.

Honno-ji escaped Akechi Mitsuhide's sneak attack, but was eventually burned down by the fire. This assassination was not investigated clearly because it was arson, and it was not known whose hands it came from.

July and August reached the rainy season. At this time, it was unfavorable for the hydrofoil sailboats of the Coastal Defense Inspectors to act, because this rainy season was brought by typhoons. Violent typhoons raised strong winds and huge waves on the sea, making it inconvenient for fast ships like hydrofoil sailboats that could not resist wind and waves.

So these two reports, separated by two days, arrived at the same time.

Oda Nobunaga was assassinated again and again, and this time what he experienced was arson. The fire burned down the entire Honno-ji, and six people died, including the surviving retainers.

"Can he continue to be so lucky?" Zhu Yijun reviewed the report and wrote a long letter to Xu Wei, Sun Keyi, and Li Chengli. He asked the Nagasaki Regional Military Commission to auction off the gifts Oda Nobunaga gave to Li Chengli, exchange them for reward money, and distribute them to the troops in Japan. Then he asked Li Chengli to be ready in full battle array. If there was a drastic change in Japan, he should immediately withdraw to the Nagasaki Regional Military Commission and plan for the future.

Regarding Oda Nobunaga being repeatedly assassinated, Zhu Yijun could only shake his head.

The Garrison Battalion got the news in advance this time, but what about next time?

Oda Nobunaga had a total of three great rebels under him: Akechi Mitsuhide, Hashiba Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Now Akechi Mitsuhide had died under an explosive shell, and there were two more difficult ones. Among them, Tokugawa Ieyasu was the most old-fashioned and scheming. This guy was just like Sima Yi, old and strong, quietly lurking and waiting for an opportunity.

Zhu Yijun could only wish Oda Nobunaga good luck. At least before repaying the 15 million silver tael war indemnity, he had to live well.

"The Institute of Things sent a map, and this map is slightly different from the map seen before." Feng Bao asked two little eunuchs to pull open the scroll, which was covered with dense lines.

Zhu Zaiyu nominated: "General Outline of Great Ming Hydrology."

"What do these lines and numbers represent?" Zhu Yijun stood in front of the huge map and asked curiously. "Where is the Imperial Uncle? Is the Imperial Uncle so busy offering auspicious signs that he doesn't even show up?"

"Prince De said that it has not been studied clearly yet, it cannot be counted as detailed, and it needs further surveying, still needing time. These lines are temperature lines and wave height lines. Waves and water temperature have a great relationship, just like wind." Feng Bao explained the lines on the map.

The Institute of Things explained the formation of wind in the "Things Newspaper." Because the heat of the air increases and rises, a low-pressure area is generated, and cold air descends, forming a high-pressure area. High pressure flowing toward low pressure forms wind.

The ocean is also like this, which also explains why the ocean has three-foot waves without wind, and it is more complicated. The density of water is much greater than that of air, and the specific heat capacity is also much greater, so the convection of the ocean will carry greater energy.

On the huge map are the average water temperature lines and wave height lines observed for a long time by the Great Ming Four Seas Observation Station.

From Xinglongzhuang to the Luzon Miyangang route, there is a strait. This strait is called the Luzon Waterway. In summer, the Luzon Waterway has big waves 40% of the time. Even in winter, it has big waves more than 20% of the time.

And on the sea east of Jilong Island, the water temperature is higher, and strong winds and big waves are more frequent. According to observations, the sea east of Jilong Island is almost impassable in summer, and there are strong winds and big waves all the time.

In May, June, July, and August, huge storms will form on the sea east of Jilong Island, and these storms will be blocked by Jilong Mountain, spinning in this sea area. In the era of sailing, this is a forbidden zone.

Looking at the map, the Daheigou between the Great Ming and Jilong Island is a smooth road, but it is actually very difficult to walk. The Great Ming controls Penghu, Danshui Town, Xinglongzhuang, and other places. Then, if smugglers take the sea east of Jilong Island to bypass the areas controlled by the Great Ming, can't they avoid the Great Ming's tax inspection and jurisdiction?

But sailing from the sea east of Jilong Island means a huge, huge risk of capsizing.

"If the Great Ming wants to fully attack Japan's mainland, it needs to borrow the way from Korea, attack the Mori clan from Tsushima Island. This road is suitable for the main attack. And another road is from Ryukyu to Nagasaki, and then to Kyoto. This line has high risks, but can be used for support." Zhu Yijun looked at the map, frowning.

To prevent the tragedy of Kublai Khan's failure to conquer Japan due to hydrology and celestial phenomena from happening again, the most suitable route for the Great Ming is to borrow the way from Korea, use Tsushima Island as a springboard, and go to Japan. This road is also the route for Japan's greed being greater than its ability, attacking the Great Ming.

Borrowing the way from other countries is extremely dangerous. Even if Korea became a king after the Jingnan of Prince Su Yang, advocating "serving the great and befriending neighbors," but handing one's back to other countries, even if Zhu Yijun had no military talent, he could not issue such a political decree.

During the two Wanli Korean wars, the Great Ming encountered a very tricky problem: logistics supply.

The Great Ming army entered Korea, repelled the Japanese pirates, and brought peace to Korea. In the process of the war, logistics supply faced huge challenges, because the grain transported by the common people was always robbed, and they had to send troops to protect it. Korea, on the grounds of narrow land and many mountains, and war-torn land without farming, refused to provide grain. After fighting, the Great Ming court found that the burden was getting heavier and heavier.

The Great Ming court asked three times. The first time, Korea refused on the grounds of "grain and pay are not carried, and our country is devastated, with no grain." The second time, it refused on the grounds of "all abandoned." The third time, Korea refused on the grounds of "relying on the parent country, the vastness of the upper country should not be demanded." That is to say, the Great Ming is the heavenly upper country, the parent country, with vast land and abundant resources. A little grain, and you still have to ask us for it?

When the third Korean envoy refused, the officials of the Ministry of Rites directly broke their defenses and cursed: "Don't know how to train troops, always use China's troops as troops; don't know how to accumulate pay, always use China's pay as pay. How can you not perish!"

Die and be done with it, don't live.

Military supply consumes a lot, and whether logistics supply is sufficient directly affects the outcome of the war.

When Qi Jiguang attacked Guihua City, he moved step by step, set up permanent fortifications at the Daqingshan mountain pass and Jining Jining Hai Zi, drove the enemy out completely, and then went further, finally taking Guihua City and capturing Altan Khan alive. Qi Jiguang, who moved step by step, was also criticized for becoming timid after achieving success and being hesitant.

"Has the Commander Qi seen it?" Zhu Yijun pointed to the hydrology map for a long time and asked for Qi Jiguang's opinion.

Qi Jiguang was a radical in the matter of exterminating the Japanese pirates. According to Qi Jiguang's proposition, setting out from the old nest Songjiang Prefecture in April, hoisting sails and setting out for Jeju Island, and directly attacking Japan's mainland—this was undoubtedly a military adventure. But in the matter of exterminating the Japanese pirates, Qi Jiguang was easily radical.

"Seen it," Feng Bao said in a low voice. "Commander Qi's meaning is to let the Korean royal family move inland and be neighbors with Ryukyu King Shang Jiu and Japanese King Ashikaga Yoshiaki."

Offline monarchy, the Great Ming completely took over Korea, and then from Liaodong to Korea, a full-scale attack.

Would Korea agree? The answer is no.

At the beginning of the establishment of the Yi Dynasty Korea, there was Zheng Cun-dao who advocated attacking Liaodong. In the Jingtai years, when Lushan Prince Li Hongwei accepted the Great Ming's investiture at the Jingzheng Gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace, he firmly refused to perform the kneeling ceremony, triggering the etiquette of the vassal state and causing the storm of unfilial piety. Only then did Prince Su Yang Li Yao have the opportunity to launch the Jingnan.

"Korea and Japan also have you in me and me in you. The Tsushima Island powerful clan Zong clan is a dog of the Mori clan, and is the Tsushima protector of the Japanese court, and is also the Tsushima Island Lord invested by Korea. Moreover, Li Chenggui began from the beginning of the country to recruit and take in the Japanese who turned toward the transformation, granting them official positions to win them over, and they have long been communicating with each other and trading constantly." Feng Bao also explained the news heard from the Ministry of Rites.

Different from the Great Ming's imagination, Korea and Japan have never been dead to each other. On the contrary, they have close contacts. Korea, which has also suffered from the Japanese pirates, has carried out appeasement and compromise with Japan.

If the Great Ming insisted on letting the Korean royal family move inland, I am afraid it would drive Korea to the side of the enemy.

Ryukyu King Shang Jiu was ridden in the face by the Japanese pirates and really couldn't live, so he had to run to the Great Ming himself and pester it;

And Japanese King Ashikaga Yoshiaki was exiled by Oda Nobunaga and became a stray dog, running to everyone, and was finally sold by someone;

The suzerain Khan of the Northern Hu, Borjigin Tummen, was because he was bullied by the Great Ming and Altan Khan at the same time, and seeing that he was about to die, he had to agree to the Great Ming's request to personally go to the Great Ming to surrender.

And the Korean royal family is fine, and they will definitely not agree.

For the Korean royal family, they will not even borrow the way to the Great Ming. The truth of "if the lips are gone, the teeth are cold," Korea also understands. If Japan is gone, Korea will also be gone.

Zhu Yijun looked at the map. Attacking from Tsushima Island has Korea as a stumbling block. Attacking from Ryukyu has strong winds and big waves as obstacles. Large-scale military operations, the threat of such celestial phenomena, is no less than Liu Xiu's "falling meteorites."

"Slowly plan it. Japan's population is still too large, 8 million people. Let the Japanese kill most of them themselves." Zhu Yijun is not in a hurry, he is still very young.

"Next chapter Ministry of Rites, Korean tribute trade, changed to once a year." Zhu Yijun gave an order, ending the special treatment of Korean tribute trade.

Tribute trade is a money-losing business for the Great Ming. In order to show the generosity of a great country, for the sake of face, Korea sent some junk, and the Great Ming had to reward them with several times, or even dozens of times, the value. Moreover, Korea's tribute trade was not limited in frequency, and they could come at any time. And what the Koreans wanted most was grain.

Korea has many mountains, and the plains suitable for planting are mostly in the south, and the south is plagued by the Japanese pirates. Korea's grain production is insufficient, and it often has famines. But the main purpose of Korean envoys buying grain is not to deal with domestic grain shortages, but to brew wine.

Korea can develop Goryeo Ji into an industrial chain. This regime, which can be said to exist entirely by relying on the Central Plains, can have a few points of sympathy for the common people at the bottom?

Zhu Yijun's political decree is to make Korea uncomfortable, and it will not cause any substantial harm. Since Prince Su Yang in the Jingtai years, Korea has had no disrespectful actions, so if the Great Ming wants to force the Korean royal family to move inland, it needs a reason. And according to the ancestral laws, tribute once a year is a very good breakthrough.

Korea's unlimited tribute is not in accordance with the ancestral laws, because after Korea was listed as a country not to be conquered, it was decided that tribute would be once a year, but later Korea insisted on coming, and the Great Ming did not stop it, and over time it became a habit.

Ancestral laws, start! ===== CHAPTER 621 =====