Hou Xian, a close attendant of the Son of Heaven, suddenly came to the military department with the emperor's dictation, saying that the Son of Heaven wanted to check the national map.

"Your Majesty has a word, and the Jiaozhi map submitted by the conquest army should be sent together."

Liu Jun, the secretary of the military department, and the right attendant Lang Mo Liang looked at each other, not sure what the Son of Heaven was doing, but the imperial decree could not be delayed, "Father-in-law Hou will wait a moment." ”

Liu Shangshu personally took the Jiaozhi map that had not yet been put into storage, confirmed that there was no omission, and handed it to Hou Xian.

Mo Shilang called a scribe and instructed: "Tell Ma Langzhong that Your Majesty wants to check the national map and choose the latest one to send it." ”

"Yes."

After the scribe left, Hou Xian took the Jiaozhi map, and he didn't need to follow the eunuch, he held it himself.

Soon, the maps of other provinces were delivered together, and it took a lot of effort for several eunuchs to lift up two large wooden boxes.

"Be careful."

Hou Xian commanded, turned his head to Liu Jun and Mo Liang and said, "Trouble Liu Shangshu today, Mo Shilang." ”

"Where the duty lies, I dare not say that it is troublesome."

"Your Majesty is in a hurry to see the picture, so our family will leave first."

"Father-in-law Hou walks slowly."

With a few polite words, Hou Xian left quickly with the map presented by the Ministry of War.

Back in the duty room, Liu Shangshu and Mo Shilang were confused.

What is the reason why the Son of Heaven suddenly wants to check the map?

It's just Jiaozhi, but even Nandian, Ganya Xuanfu Division and Eight Hundred Dadian, Mubang, Cheli, Laos and other Xuanfu Division, and even more distant Dagu and other places are included, which is really strange.

"Aren't you going to use troops again?"

"It's hard to say."

Mo Shilang's speculation, Liu Shangshu did not agree.

Not long after Jiaozhi was pacified, there was no news of the Tartars attacking the border, and it was the middle of winter, so it was not a good time to move troops.

What's more, the Ming Dynasty is a state of etiquette, and there must always be a suitable reason to send troops.

The Tartars threshed grass in the north, invading and harassing the border, and the border army was a legitimate defense against the enemy. Even if they run to the territory of Tatar and Warat to defend themselves, it is reasonable.

Who let Gui Lichi and Ma Hamu connive at their subordinates to rob in the territory of the Ming Dynasty?

There is no such thing as being overly defensive.

As long as the Tartars are robbed, the border army can also occupy the word "Li" when they go to the grassland to burn tents.

Not long ago, Wu Gao, the Marquis of Jiangyin, who guarded Datong, played: "The grass is flourishing along the border, and you want to burn it." ”

Zhu Di was happy.

As for whether Wu Gao burned grass or tents...... The Ming Dynasty insisted that it was grass, and the Tatars and Warat had nowhere to reason. The strength is not as good as the people, and there is no way to take the border army, so they can only dismantle the tent and move before the fire burns.

Uliangha is not a matter of business, hanging high. Anyway, I got the salary of the Ming Dynasty, and I didn't worry about the forage for cattle and sheep, so I should watch the excitement.

Fortunately, most of the "weeding" operations of the border troops were controlled within a certain range. When the fire is extinguished and new grass grows, the tribes that moved away will move back one after another. In addition to grazing, continue to wait for the best time for threshing grass.

It cannot be said that the border army does not have a sense of ecological protection, nor can it criticize the Tatars and Warat for their repeated teachings.

In the final analysis, the Ming army was to defend the country, and the tribes on the grassland were to survive.

The border army of Datong burned the famine, and the border army in Xuanfu and Liaodong and other places will not be idle. Ghost Li Chi and Mahamu should be busy moving, and they definitely don't have time to come to the border to find trouble.

Based on experience, Liu Shangshu believes that if the Son of Heaven really wants to move troops, it will not be the north.

"Is it the south?"

This thought popped up in Liu Shangshu's and Mo Shilang's minds at the same time, and it was quickly dispelled.

Jiaozhi was pacified, and the thieves in Guangxi were almost killed by Dingguo Gong, and tens of thousands of heads were cut off. Yunnan and Guangdong and other places have been affected, and no matter how unruly and ignorant the local people are, their brains will sweat and their scalps will be numb when they hear the words "Dingguo Gong". The security situation in the territory could not be better.

Rebellion under the nose of Dingguo Gong? I can't think about it.

There was no news of chaos in the neighboring Fanbang.

The local officials of the Eight Hundred Dadian and the Lao Xuanwei Division had just been warned by the Son of Heaven that they had behaved badly in the course of the conquest of Annam. It's just a matter of not cooperating with the troops, but he dared to take in the Li thieves, and he didn't report it if he took them in, which is really bold!

Zhu Di's warning is very simple, but it is quite rude-rude, "If you don't really change your ways, you will end up referring to Annan." ”

The local officials of the Eight Hundred Dadian and Lao Propaganda and Comfort Divisions were so frightened that they couldn't sleep, and personally led a team to Nanjing to plead guilty, and they are still waiting in the same hall.

It is definitely not them that the Son of Heaven wants to clean up.

Siam is possible.

A month earlier, the envoys of Champa, Sumatra and Manchraka had filed a joint complaint, accusing Siamese of bullying the weak and sending troops to rob the Ming Dynasty of the seals given to them.

The envoys of Sumatra and Manraka were robbed on the way back to China, and they were more unlucky to occupy the city, and they were directly sent by Siam to the country and bullied.

The Ming army conscripted the Li clan, and Zhancheng cooperated with the dispatch of troops, taking the opportunity to regain the land and city-state forcibly occupied by Annam. The kings and ministers of Zhancheng thought that Annan was flattened by the Ming Dynasty and would be able to live a comfortable life in the future. Unexpectedly, without Annam, Siam came to the door again to look for trouble.

If the persimmon is really soft, the bun noodles, is it a person who wants to pinch it?

After listening to the cries of several envoys, Zhu Di also issued a warning to Siam, "Continue to do this, and the end will be the same as Annan!" ”

After the warning, he added, since I ascended the throne, how many times has Siam paid tribute, once or twice? I didn't seem to have come last year, is this dissatisfaction with me? It doesn't matter if you are dissatisfied, I sent someone to Siam for a face-to-face interview to learn more about the situation.

Sent someone from the capital a little farther, it happened that Dingguo Gong was in the southwest, and it was close, so it was better to send him.

As soon as the news broke, Siam immediately relented.

All the robbed seals were sent back, and the Sumatran envoys returned? Hurry up, go to sea and send it!

The team of tributes to the Ming Dynasty immediately set off, referring to the western king of Java, Dumapan, there is no shortage of gold, and there are even more rare birds and beasts.

Mahouts, peacocks, pick the best!

The parrot must be able to shout hooray, hooray!

After the tributary procession departed, the Siamese king and his ministers huddled together and waited in horror for the Ming Dynasty's response.

Even if the treasury is emptied, it is better than Dingguo Gong coming to the door!

The Son of Heaven in the Ming Dynasty asked for money, and the killing god came to the door, which was definitely fatal!

Unconsciously, Shen Xuan's murderous reputation spread from China to abroad, and in the minds of international friends, it was directly equated with the "Category 12 Typhoon".

Dingguo Gong couldn't make friends in Daming, and it was the same when he went abroad.

Siam reacted in a timely manner, and Zhu Di didn't let Shen Xuan cross the country-border-line again.

Rao is like this, Siam and nearby Fanbang also wiped a cold sweat.

In order to make Emperor Yongle completely dispel the idea of sending Shen Xuan to "send an envoy", the price of grain sold to the Ming Dynasty dropped by three percent.

When Li Daling of Pingxiang learned the news, he immediately mobilized the wealthy merchants in the city to buy grain, and reported the situation to the town of Guangxi to guard Hanguan. Soon, Zhang Fu and others, who were packing up and preparing to leave Jiaozhi, also learned the news.

Deliver to the door cheap, of course, to take advantage!

The Jiaozhi Salt Division was suddenly busy, and the wells that had been stored were shipped out in large quantities, in exchange for millions of stone of grain. Most of them were transported back to Yunnan, Guangxi, and a small part was digested within the conquest army.

Jinyi Wei opened one eye and closed one eye.

Although they belong to different military attache systems, there is still a tacit understanding of this.

This method of "distribution" has already crossed the clear path in front of the Son of Heaven, and it will not be held accountable if it is reported. After all, the army's food and salary are self-funded.

In this regard, the Jiaozhi Political Envoy Division and the Salt Section Promotion Division only have envy, and there is no possibility of emulating them at all......

The food was available, Siam and the few consolation divisions that were not very obedient were honest, and there was basically no war in the south.

Liu Shangshu and Mo Shilang of the Ministry of War thought of a variety of possibilities, and denied them one by one. In the end, they could only look at each other and sigh, sure enough, it was the mind of the Son of Heaven, don't guess!

In the warm pavilion of the Wenhua Palace, Zhu Di was sitting at the desk to look at the map drawn by Meng.

Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui stood aside, stretching their necks, not daring to disturb their father, but their eyes were hot. Meng, the mapper, was pushed aside.

"Less insurance?"

Zhu Zhanyan is not as tall as the table, and his big eyes are fanning.

Meng gasped, clasped his left hand tightly with his right hand, and didn't stretch out his sinful claws to pinch the white fat doll's face.

If you dare to do this in front of Emperor Yongle, more than ninety percent of them may not see the sun tomorrow.

Hou Xian walked into the warm pavilion with Yutu, bowed down and said, "Your Majesty, the slave maid has brought Yutu back." ”

Zhu Di glanced at the two boxes on the ground, and buried his head again, "Find out the maps of Liaodong, Hebei and Gansu and Ningxia." ”

"Yes."

The box was opened, Hou Xian did it himself, Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui couldn't grab their father, so they simply stepped forward to help.

Meng took a step slower, and found that there was no place for him to stand, so he had to retreat to Zhu Zhan's table, remembering that he was here to teach Zhu Zhanyan, spread out a piece of paper, and while drawing a simple diagram, he taught Zhu Zhanyan.

Zhu Zhanyan looked at it with great interest, "Painted by Shaobao, but is it a map?" ”

"Exactly." Meng smiled, "The prince is wise, and the ministers can't reach it." ”

Zhu Zhanyan smiled and bent his eyes.

Zaohui is also a child, and she can't help but be happy when she is praised.

"Prince, please see, this is the land of the Ming Dynasty, here is Liaodong, here is Hebei ......"

Meng served in the army in northern Xinjiang, and once went into battle to fight against the Tartars, and before the Jingjing, he also followed Shen Xuan out of the fortress. Later, he was ordered by the emperor to guard Daning, and combined with the memories of later generations, the border towns in northern Xinjiang and the main state capitals north of the Yangtze River can be pointed out to the approximate location.

"This is Beijing...... Xuanfu ...... here"

Zhu Zhanyan said solemnly: "Xuanfu is the fief of my father, and my father farms here!" ”

"Ahem......"

Meng turned his head and coughed. straightened his expression, and his words were unscrupulous.

Zhu Zhanyan's spirit was even more sufficient, "Shaobao, where is Jinling?" ”

To the south of the Yangtze River, Meng is not as familiar as northern Xinjiang. But the general location of Nanjing is still known.

"Prince, please look, Jinling is here, and Fengyang, the capital of China, is here."

Meng taught seriously, and Zhu Zhanyan also studied seriously.

He has been enlightened and has a lot of literacy, but no one has ever shown him the pictures of the Ming Dynasty.

In fact, not only his father, but even the emperor's grandfather did not have this treatment.

Zhu Di is still buried in the map, and he is not affected by the word "farming" that his grandson just shouted. Zhu Gaoxu was also used as an excuse to make trouble by the officials in three days, and he was used to hearing it, which was really nothing. In comparison, it was the map that attracted his attention more.

The middle one of the table is painted by Meng.

Unlike the map presented by the Ministry of War, this map is very rudimentary, with only a rough outline of the terrain and a few major provincial capitals. Not to mention the prefectures and counties, in addition to the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, even the boundaries between Huguang and Guangxi are very blurred.

If it is replaced by any soldier, the map drawn is a hundred times stronger. However, this picture deeply attracted Zhu Di's attention and made him look at it intently. Because there are not only the Ming Dynasty on the map, but also a number of states in the southwest, Wara Tatar in the north, North Korea bordering Liaodong, and the Western Regions with a general outline!

There are islands of the Ryukyus and Japan across the sea. Further afield, there is a nameless land.

"This is the overseas land that the remnants of the former Song Dynasty said?"

It's not that Emperor Yongle is rich in associations, but that this line of words is written on the paper.

Zhu Di looked at it carefully, and compared it with the map submitted by the Ministry of War from time to time.

Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui found the map that Zhu Di wanted, and stood back at the table.

Hou Xian asked the eunuch carrying the box to withdraw from the warm pavilion, and stood five steps away by himself, the emperor did not call, and he definitely did not step forward.

After a long time, Meng pointed out all the state capitals he knew to Zhu Zhanyan, and Zhu Di finally raised his head and said, "Xingningbo." ”

"The minister is here."

"How did you draw this picture?"

"Back to Your Majesty, the minister was in Kaiping for the army, and then guarded for Daning, and he had seen the map of northern Xinjiang."

Zhu Di nodded, guarding one side, this is inevitable.

If you are not even familiar with the terrain, how to defend against the Tartars, and how to fight out of the fortress?

"Last year, the minister followed the army to conquer Annan. During his stay in Guangxi, he also had an understanding of the Southwest Fanbang and various propaganda divisions. Speaking of this, Meng deliberately paused, and seeing that Zhu Di's expression had not changed, Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui's faces flashed with a sudden look, before continuing, "This overseas land was learned by the minister in the early years, and its specific location and size are only speculation, and there is no real evidence. ”

The former Song Dynasty relics, the old man who returned from overseas, Zhu Di and his son had heard Meng say it earlier.

"But where there are high-yielding crops?"

"Exactly."

"If there is such a place, the fleet should be able to go there."

Zhu Gaoxu's words fell, and Zhu Di showed an expression of approval.

Meng sighed and continued: "This land in the Western Regions was learned from the mouth of the great food merchant, and it was confirmed by the Yi people who offered the Buddha Lang machine cannon. ”

"Good."

Emperor Yongle finally smiled.

Meng's heart was finally completely let go.

Originally, he wanted to draw all four oceans and seven continents. Although he can't go down to each country, he still knows the specific location.

After he started writing, he dismissed this idea again.

As a "native" of the Ming Dynasty, how did he learn this?

Self-taught? Not really.

Dreaming about it? Emperor Yongle won't listen to his nonsense.

Besides, without a reasonable explanation, what should I do if I am labeled as a bully?

For the sake of safety, the seven continents were reduced to two continents, and the names of the four oceans were omitted. Even Africa, which has been documented since the Song Dynasty, has been erased from the map.

The result of a hot head is not to bring glory, but to invite disaster.

Wise and close to the demon, in Meng's opinion, it is by no means a good word.

Except, of course, Lord Wolong in Romance.

Moreover, as long as the fleet of the Ming Dynasty is not thrown into the cold palace by Zhu Di's successor, this "stick figure" will be perfected sooner or later and become a real world map.

The reasons given by Meng are very tenable, and the result is the same as he expected, on the one hand, the purpose of "teaching" was achieved, and on the other hand, it did not arouse any suspicion.

What he didn't expect was that this map would also trigger another result.

After the initial excitement, Zhu Di looked at Yutu and suddenly frowned.

The territory of the dynasty is vast, and it is very good.

Tatarvarat to the north was very unpleasant to him, as was North Korea, which borders Liaodong.

A large area of the country, suddenly there is such an improper piece, next to Liaodong, which does not belong to the Ming Dynasty, and it is very eye-catching.

has the same feeling as Zhu Di, as well as Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui.

It is recorded in ancient times that after Zhou Fengshang, Jizi was in Korea. Tang destroyed Goguryeo and took its place.

In Hongwuzhong, Goryeo once wanted to claim the land of Tieling, although the Li family took its place and paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty every year, but the Li family was not really as honest as it appeared.

Thinking of Liaodong's guard Meng Shan's slightness, Zhu Di's eyes narrowed slightly, and his fingers tapped on the table, which happened to be on the position of North Korea.

Quanzhou seaport

Some of the ships returning from their voyages docked.

The merchant ships unloaded their cargo, coral, precious stones, spices, and rare birds and animals were not unusual, and the huge trees that were long were even more eye-catching.

Two boats of timber were unloaded in the port, and found that there were more than ten people who could hug the red sandalwood and agarwood. ”

How much does it cost!

When they learned that some of the timber would be sold here, the merchants' eyes were red.

If you miss this village, you won't have this shop, and you have to grab it if you smash the pot and sell iron!

Neither Zheng He nor Wang Jinghong disembarked, but sent someone to inform the city shipping department, and sent letters to the local officials and clans who had elements on the merchant ship, and after receiving a reply, they set sail again.

Most of the flotilla, including Zheng and Wang Jinghong, were to land in Zhejiang, while merchant ships carrying timber were to continue north to Tianjin.

Standing at the bow of the ship, Zheng He took a deep breath and finally smiled.

However, if he knew what awaited him when he returned, he probably wouldn't be able to laugh.

The Zhu family and his son are imagining the vast expanse of land and high-yielding crops across the sea.

Hearing that the fleet had returned, Zhu Di's first order was not to inform the brothers and his subordinates to prepare to receive money, but to order the Ministry of Industry to step up the rebuilding of 48 treasure ships and renovate 249 sea ships to prepare for the Western Ocean.

The emperor ordered, should the Ministry of Works delay?

Of course not!

The squire of the Ministry of Works personally supervised the work, and the result of the craftsman throwing off his arms was that after Gonggong Zheng and Gonggong Wang went ashore, it would not be long before they had to go to the sea again.