eldest son of Ming dynasty

Chapter 857 Is the earth round?

On August 9, the 20th year of Zhengde's reign, Jing Yang, the special envoy of the Ming Emperor who had been on a mission for nine years, finally embarked on his way back north, greeted by Bo Weining.

In nine years, the prime of life has become middle-aged.

Zhu Houzhao welcomed him with the most grand ceremony at the Rehe Palace.

The Ministry of Rites and Honglu Temple sent people to play music all the way since he entered the city.

Music is still different. People along the way are organized to watch.

As a future generation, can he not understand the difference between having BGM and not having BGM?

Jing Yang was riding a tall horse, and behind him was an endless procession of envoys from various countries. Coupled with the heavy music, it immediately highlighted the grandeur of the scene.

In the palace, Zhu Houzhao announced all the ministers who had been brought to Rehe and lined them up in three columns on the left and three on the right. The officials were dressed in red robes with round collars and round hats with black gauze hats on their heads.

The main hall of Rehe Palace was named Chengtian Hall.

Its scale is twice as large as the main hall of the Forbidden City. More importantly, the houses in the Forbidden City do not have enough lighting. Zhu Houzhao was particularly concerned about this.

Therefore, he raised this issue when the Rehe Palace was being built. Therefore, the architectural styles of the palaces on both sides are actually very different.

The eaves here are narrower and higher, all for the purpose of lighting.

The effect it presents is naturally different.

The entire hall is transparent and bright in all directions, and the floor is paved with translucent black bricks.

Under the emperor's dragon chair, the steps are wide enough for two Han generals to stand.

As for the emperor, he was sitting in the center, and on his left and right sides, one was the eldest prince Zai Tuo who had just arrived in Rehe, and the other was the second prince Zai Yi.

In the prosperous times of a great country, the ceremony of pouring out one's heart must be magnificent and majestic, making all the foreign envoys unforgettable.

When the time came, the eunuchs standing along the steps from inside Chengtian Hall shouted one after another,

"It is said that the special envoy of the Ming Emperor, Jing Yang, has come to see you!"

The shouts floated in all directions with echoes, falling and rising again,

"It is said that the special envoy of the Ming Emperor, Jing Yang, has come to see you!"

Zhu Houzhao looked into the distance, feeling like he was looking down on all living beings. At the same time, the voice gradually faded away.

"It is said that the special envoy of the Ming Emperor, Jing Yang, has come to see you!"

……

After waiting like this for a while, he saw a black spot at the end of his sight. As Jing Yang climbed up the steps, he gradually saw the whole person.

When he reached the entrance of the palace, he finally had a clear look.

The Jing Yang in his memory was tall and tall, with a sparse beard, and his face showed the confidence and arrogance of a successful man.

Jing Yang, who was getting closer and closer, was thinner than before, with two wrinkles on his forehead, his skin was much darker, and his eyebrows looked more stable than those of a middle-aged man.

The excitement and excitement in Zhu Houzhao's eyes seemed to be squeezed out.

Jing Yang was Duan Fang's great gift, "Your Majesty, Jing Yang, was appointed as the special envoy of the Ming Emperor in July of the eleventh year of Zhengde. Together with his deputy envoys Meng Xianghong and Zhou Zhongduan, he led 3,700 officers and soldiers and sailed 34 treasure ships from Ningbo. Set sail from Zhoushan Port, and along the way we will send envoys to Sulu, Champa, Siam, Managa, Sinhalese, Tamil, Rashid... Michel, France, and England. The kings may send envoys , accompanied the treasure fleet to the capital for an audience. I respectfully request the emperor to summon you!!"

He had to name dozens of countries this time, but Zhu Houzhao remained seated and patiently listened to them one by one. Some of them he knew, and some he had never heard of.

When he finished, Zhu Houzhao raised his right hand flatly and said majestically: "Stand flat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"You three come forward and get closer."

Jing Yang may not have seen the emperor for many years, but he suddenly came back to pay respects. He was a little unfamiliar, so he just listened to what the emperor said and did what he said.

Zhu Houzhao looked at these three people carefully one by one. He couldn't remember the other two deputy envoys, "They look obviously much darker than our people in the Central Plains. Jing Yang, what you took away is three thousand seven." Hundreds of people, how many came back in total?”

Jing Yang lifted up his robe and knelt down, "Return to the Emperor. A total of 1,921 people returned with all the troops and horses led by me. Among the remaining 1,779 people, 654 died of diseases along the way. Of the people, 216 people were accidentally killed due to accidental conflicts, and 909 people were killed due to direct conflicts!"

"Which country can beat you?"

Jing Yang replied, "The main ones that have direct conflicts with my fleet are the Sinhalese Kingdom, the Michel Kingdom, and the Phutika Kingdom. The one that has friction is the Folangji Kingdom."

The Ming Dynasty had some confrontations with the Folangji people in Malacca, and the temporary peace actually did not last long.

"I don't even know the countries you mentioned. I will take out the map and mark it later. I will send a peaceful trade fleet. Since they have no good intentions and have offended our country, I will send a larger fleet to visit envoys next time. So I took care of them! Avenge the dead soldiers!"

The emperor didn't even ask the reason for the dispute. As long as something happened, he was the enemy of Ming Dynasty.

"It is the duty of the minister to die for the country in a righteous manner. I thank you for your unforgettable kindness on behalf of the soldiers who died!"

Zhu Houzhao said: "Not only I will not forget it, but everyone here today must not forget it. All the names of these people must be recorded, and I will erect monuments for them. We Han people have always been gentle and peaceful, and we do not want to take the initiative to interact with others in good faith." , and suffered the consequences instead. This hatred will be remembered for ten or twenty years."

"I respectfully follow His Majesty's teachings."

Jing Yang reported again, "Your Majesty, I have been sent as envoys to various countries to carry out trade and exchanges with them in accordance with your Majesty's orders. During the past nine years, I have recorded everything I saw and heard one by one, and spent three years compiling it into the "Illustration of Ten Thousand Kingdoms". This book contains the geography and customs of each country, the history of the kingdom, the essence of the products, as well as the unique skills of industry, navigation and other industries. I present it to Your Majesty today to help our Emperor create a prosperous age and create peace for all ages!"

You Zhi wants to go down and get it.

He didn't want the emperor to stop him, but turned to look at Zaihe.

The boss immediately understood what this meant, so he took a few steps, took it with both hands, and stood aside.

Zhu Houzhao concluded: "When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian as an envoy to the Western Regions, the Han people began to know the appearance of Dayuan, Kangju, Dayuezhi and other countries. Later, there was a champion who defeated Qilian in a battle. Today you, Jing Yang, have brought back all the The history of our country is also very helpful for our Ming Dynasty to understand the world. A hundred years later, how can your name Jing Yang not be mentioned in the history books?"

Then he raised his Qi in his Dantian and said: "I heard that the Tibetan tribes overseas are actually foreign countries. From time to time, there is a need to learn from the strengths of others and open up frontiers to promote virtue. Therefore, Jing Yang was ordered to send envoys to the Western countries, and they were not afraid of crossing vast oceans. Carrying far-reaching ambitions will make you stronger, spreading virtue and kindness to people who are far away, proclaiming the prestige of the country and establishing friendship, your contribution will be in the country, and you will be famous all over the world.

Since you have exerted all your efforts and achieved unparalleled achievements, all countries have come to the DPRK to be on the same track. I am very pleased and deeply feel your sincerity. Therefore, I specially sent down Lunyin, granted you the title of Bowang Marquis, granted you food and towns, and a generous salary from tin, so that I could carry out your dynasty overseas and spread my country's style to the infinite. Admire this! "The emperor had long wanted to be granted a title. Although the ministers opposed it, in the end the fight was won and the emperor directly made him a prince!

And it’s Zhang Qian’s Bowang Hou!

Zhu Houzhao's move was also a comparison with Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, letting the world know some of his foreign attitudes.

Jing Yang was overjoyed when he heard this, "Jing Yang, thank you for your kindness!!"

"Meng Xianghong and Zhou Zhongduan listened to the order."

"Chen is here!"

"You two are worthy of serving as deputy envoys. You have assisted the Marquis of Bowang for your merits. I will grant you the title of Uncle Zhongyong and Uncle Wu Yi!"

Except for the three of them, everyone who followed the envoys was naturally rewarded.

Later, Zhu Houzhao accepted the worship of envoys from various countries according to etiquette.

Because there were more than 20 countries and the process was long, it was already late in the afternoon when this was completed.

As it happens, the process behind this is a grand banquet hosted by the emperor in the palace.

It was a great scene for a while, but it has not been seen for a hundred years.

The emperor's excessive reward also shocked many people.

Jing Yang is like an 'oiran', respected by everyone.

Zhu Houzhao couldn't bear his excitement and drank a few more glasses of wine.

……

……

But few people really understand what Zhu Houzhao planned.

Later, Zaihe took the place of the emperor and exchanged cups with all the ministers.

Jing Yang had been away for many years, and when he saw that His Highness the eldest prince was already an adult, he naturally did not dare to neglect him.

Zaihe said to him: "My father often said that beyond the Ming Dynasty, there are even more magnificent mountains and rivers and fertile land. Let us open our horizons and not be complacent and become fools like frogs in the well. Bowang Hou's nine years of achievements have made a big difference. From now on, you and I will have more interactions with each other to see the wonders of the world."

Jing Yang was granted the title of Marquis today. For him personally, it was the result of many years of hard work. He knew that the eldest son of the emperor had not yet been granted the title of prince, but after all, his identity was here. Talking to him in such a tone greatly satisfied him. of pride.

Zaihe said that he wanted to consult with him about what he had learned from outside, so he went straight to the point and said, "Your Majesty, I would never dare to express my love to you so much. I am just trying my best to complete the important tasks entrusted by Your Majesty. In this process However, I was lucky enough to know one or two strange things. Since His Highness mentioned it, I naturally dare not hide it."

Zaihe looked around at the people holding wine glasses and said with a smile: "Look, look, you know that Bowang Hou's trip is worthwhile, there are all kinds of wonders in the world, then we all have to see it?"

"it is good!"

"it is good!"

There was a huge crowd,

Everyone was paying attention to Jing Yang.

Jing Yang cupped his hands and said, "This may sound a bit bizarre to you, but it is absolutely true. It is said that in 1519 AD, which was the fourteenth year of Zhengde, there was a Buddha named Fernando de Magellan. Lang Jiren, under the king's order, led a fleet of five ships and 260 crew members to officially set sail.

They first set out to the west, and the next year they encountered a strange continent. The continent lay in front of them, so naturally they could not continue westward.

So they had to go south along the continent, and finally reached the end of the continent. After bypassing the continent, they then headed west... By 1521, which was the th year of Zhengde, the fleet arrived at Lu, which we know today in the Ming Dynasty. Song Dynasty.

Unfortunately, the captain named Magellan died in a battle.

His crew continued to sail westward, returning to the country of Franji the following year. "

After telling this unremarkable story, none of the drunken ministers, including Zaihe, reacted.

Zaihe still laughed and asked: "What are Bowang Hou talking about? This is equivalent to... The king of Fo Langji also sent their Bowang Hou to go to sea for a long trip. Unfortunately, their Bowang Hou was not in good luck. , lost their lives on the way, and then the remaining people went back. This... is there anything surprising about this? "

Jing Yang pursed his lips and let everyone think for a while.

Sure enough, some smart people soon realized something was wrong,

"Folangji Kingdom is in the west of the Ming Dynasty, right?"

"good."

"This person came from the Kingdom of Folangji to the west."

"That's right." Jing Yang nodded again and said to Zaihe: "Your Highness, this fleet set out from the Kingdom of Folangji and headed west. After encountering the mainland, they headed south along the coast. As long as they found the direction The road to the west continued westward, and after three years, they returned to the place where they originally started.

In other words, this time I arrived at the Franco Kingdom from the west. But if you go eastward, you can also reach Folangji Country. "

"Impossible!" Gu Renyi immediately exclaimed, "Absolutely impossible!"

Everyone also responded, "Bo Wanghou, this is a strange talk. You can't treat it as a serious thing to invite us all to be happy."

Zaihe on the side was also confused. It was not that he didn't realize it, but he was shocked after realizing it. "So, the earth is round?!"

(End of this chapter)