After the Battle of Zhoushan, Puttersmann's Dutch East India Company became a foreign army of the Ming Dynasty and was assigned to the Ningbo Maritime College, the Zhoushan Shipyard, and the East China Sea Fleet. At this time, the old naval powers Spain and Portugal had no time to look eastward, and the British Empire was still busy fighting for India, so there was a rare period of peace in the maritime frontier of the Ming Dynasty. With the establishment of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, more and more Europeans are coming to China to trade, which has also led to another large-scale collision of Eastern and Western cultures.

Zhu Youxiao was well aware of the importance of this exchange, and did not hesitate to reduce his value to meet many Westerners, and while further expanding overseas trade, he also obtained precious treasures, such as the latest world map drawn by the Dutch, and the musket gun invented by the English (that is, the successor to the flintlock pistol).

Of course, the primary purpose of these people coming to China was to earn high profits, and for this reason, in line with the principle of reciprocity, the imperial court did not hesitate to reward these contributors, and everyone was very happy. This also led to more and more Europeans who wanted to stay in the Ming Dynasty, some became merchants and wandered in the blue waters, some became officials and soldiers and settled in Middle-earth, and some followed Yan Siqi and Zheng Zhilong and became "pirates".

The open-mindedness of the Ming Dynasty caused great dissatisfaction in Portugal, which was the first to entrench in the area of Macao and always wanted to occupy the trade rights of the Ming Dynasty. Taking advantage of the Ming Dynasty's westward expedition, Mascolu reoccupied the Penghu Islands after the Dutch, in an attempt to control the Ming Dynasty's southward route and support the Zheng clan of South Vietnam in their invasion of the Guangxi border.

However, their luck was not very good, the governor of Liangguang and Guangzhou, Shang Zhou Zuo, was a good hand in foreign warfare, and when he was the governor of Fujian, he fought with the Dutch hotly, and had rich experience in naval warfare. After understanding the Portuguese conspiracy, Shang Zhouzuo first sent Yuan Chonghuan, the governor of Guangxi, to lead wolf soldiers to repel the Zheng invasion, and then ordered Jiang Dejing, the senator of Guangdong, to organize coastal defense ships to defeat the Portuguese fleet, and finally with the help of Xiong Wencan, the general soldier of Fujian, trapped Mashijialu in Macao for two months.

At this time, Zhu Kuiyuan, the governor of the four southwestern provinces, had returned to Beijing to receive the title, and his status as the third prince was extremely noble. He was overjoyed when he heard this, and he wanted to recommend Jiang Dejing to serve in the Military Aircraft Department. In the early dynasty, as soon as Wang An finished saying that something was going on, he stepped forward impatiently and said:

"Holy Lord, the minister has this book!"

Although this Zhu Kuiyuan is a handsome man who commands thousands of armies and horses, he likes to mingle with literati on weekdays, and he has always been calm and steady, and the city government is very deep. Seeing that he was so abrupt, Zhu Youxiao knew that something important must be done, so he nodded and motioned for him to continue.

"Shengshang, Guangdong Senator Jiang Dejing has put down the rebellion of Lingnan Tusi many times, and has made great contributions to the reform of the land and return to the flow of the imperial court. Now he has recovered the Penghu Islands in the southeast sea frontier, captured the king of Yi, the little Buddha Lang man, and the ministers dared to recommend him to join the court as the left attendant of the military department and participate in the important affairs of the military aircraft. ”

The scale of this naval battle was very small, and Shang Zhouzuo, the governor of Liangguang, did not even mobilize the main fleet, let alone think it was a thing, so Zhu Youxiao did not know about it. Hearing Jiang Dejing's three words, he secretly said that he was not the cow man who "saved the people"? This person is well-informed, impartial and upright, and has been in the dark with Emperor Chongzhen, in addition, he is open-minded, good at recommending virtuous people, and is a good hand at managing money and managing soldiers. After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, he went through the Fu King and the Tang King, and was loyal to the Ming Dynasty.

For this loyal historical celebrity, Zhu Youxiao tried his best to restrain his excitement, and said calmly:

"Aiqing attaches so much importance to it, it seems that this person must be extraordinary, where is he now?"

The Battle of Penghu was originally at sea, and after the defeat of the Portuguese fleet, it fled to Macau, which belonged to the territory of Nan Juyi and Xiong Wencan. These two people had heard about the emperor's plan to compete for hegemony in the ocean in Ningbo, and naturally regarded the Portuguese entrenched in Macao as a thorn in their side, so they took the opportunity to arrest the governor Ma Shijialu and accompanied Jiang Dejing to Beijing to play.

Along the way, the two talked at night, hated to see each other late, and there was a feeling of heroes cherishing heroes. Xiong Wencan knew that if he wanted to develop an ocean-going naval division and build a large ship, he must have sufficient military pay and generals who are well versed in naval warfare.

"Your Excellency, Senator Chiang is now waiting for dispatch at the military headquarters. When the minister entered Beijing, he traveled with him, and he learned that this person was very familiar with the inland and maritime frontiers of Guangdong, and also proposed to build a military port in Guangzhou Prefecture to be responsible for maintaining the security of the Nanyang maritime frontier, which coincided with the decision of the Sheng. ”

Zhu Youxiao thought to himself that my idea was just the light of understanding history, and it was really a bit of a dog's tail compared to Nan Juyi, Jiang Dejing and others. However, what made him happy was that Daming was full of talents, and now it was not in vain to gather together, and said half-jokingly:

"This senator is not simple, he was recommended by two humerus stocks at the same time!"

Sun Chengzong saw that the little emperor was so interested in a small senator, and knew that this matter was definitely not that simple. He knows his student too well, on the surface, he is giving Zhu Kuiyuan a face, but in fact, he has been planning for a long time. He had been in charge of the war in eastern and northwest Liaodong for many years, and knew that the purpose of Zhu Youxiao's eagerness to eliminate the land threat was to develop the navy with all his strength and compete with European merchants for the trade market. However, the system of the feudal dynasty is three outlines and five constants, and the iron law of agriculture and industry is unshakable, and if overseas trade is developed on a large scale, it will inevitably bring a large number of floating population, which will be the most unstable factor in society. Moreover, the increase in merchants will also affect the status of traditional scholars, which is unacceptable for an old minister.

"Holy Lord, listening to the description of the two adults, the old minister is also very interested in this senator. However, at present, the northwest has been decided, and the top priority is to agree on the establishment of the Western Regions Protectorate to ensure the smooth trade between our dynasty and the Rakshasa country. However, after hearing that Shengshang had set up the East China Sea Fleet in Ningbo, he wanted to set up the South China Sea Fleet in Guangzhou, and ordered the governor of Liaoshen, Lord Xiong Tingbi, and the general soldier of Shandong, Lord Yuan Keli, to jointly take over Korean affairs and build ports and horse farms. This time, the ambitious hegemony is not a foolish minister who can understand it in his heart, and I implore the Holy One to give him guidance. ”

Sun Chengzong's words were very subtle, and the voice outside the strings was that you kid don't hide from me, it's okay to develop the navy, but for now, let's get the northwest done first. Zhu Youxiao naturally understood what the teacher meant, and was relieved by his kind words without being impatient, and at the same time ordered Cao Huachun to carry the complete map of Kunyu Wanguo compiled during the Wanli period and the new world map drawn by the Dutch to the main hall, and said with a sword gesture:

"Do you know this picture?"

"Back to Your Majesty, this map is a complete map of all countries compiled by Westerners during the Wanli period, and then twelve copies were copied and painted by court artists as a blueprint and archived in the treasury."

Fan Jingwen once served as a member of the Wailang and the Seal Lang in the Wenxuan of the Shenzong period, and he knew a lot about Western affairs, and blurted out when he saw this map.

Zhu Youxiao couldn't help but be a little angry when he saw Fan Jingwen snatching his lines, and in a blink of an eye, he thought that it was a good thing that the Ming elite was so knowledgeable, so he asked:

"Fan Aiqing is erudite, but I don't know why Shenzong wants to copy this map?"

Fan Jingwen found out that he had committed the taboo of the little emperor, and when he saw it, he accepted it and said:

"Please forgive the ministers for being stupid and unable to perceive the art of the emperor."

This map of the world, drawn by the Italian Matteo Ricci, is much rougher than a modern map, but the general orientation and proportions are very accurate. In the upper right corner, there is a map of the ninefold heavens, in the lower right corner, in the upper left corner, there is a map of the northern hemisphere of the equator and a map of the solar and lunar eclipses, in the lower left corner, there is a map of the southern hemisphere of the equator, a map of the middle air and a map of the measuring scale, and nine sailing ships of various kinds are painted in the oceans, representing the determination of Europeans to go to the sea.

The new map of the Dutch followed the outline of the whole map of the nations, with more detailed descriptions of the Americas and Africa, as well as the main shipping routes and ports of the oceans. In particular, the map of East Asia is more accurate than that of the Ming Dynasty, which makes Zhu Youxiao very vigilant, a group of robbers who kill people and goods are carefully aware of the customs and topography of various places, and it is definitely a weasel to give a New Year's greeting to a chicken.

Everyone watched for a moment, and Zhu Youxiao said:

"Last year I subdued a Dutch fleet in Ningbo, and its warships were wider and stronger than those of our dynasty, and one ship could be equipped with nine naval guns, which were superior in range, accuracy, and firepower, and were easy to operate and stable in performance. For this reason, I made an exception to co-opt these Dutchmen, sparing no expense and even entrusting them with official positions, and now I finally have my own maritime academy and shipyard. ”

Everyone has long known about this matter, and at that time, while singing praises to Zhu Youxiao, he accused him of harming the national system by employing foreigners on a large scale. At this time, when he heard the little emperor mention the old things again, he knew that he was wrong, so he lowered his head and was silent. Zhu Youxiao didn't plan to bother with them, and continued:

These Western navigators used these maps to travel around the world, marking routes, building strongholds, slaughtering the inhabitants, plundering their wealth, and occupying their lands.

Now the Japanese Kingdom, Annam, Luzon, and Java have all been occupied by them, and even the coastal areas of our dynasty have been attacked, and the recent Guangdong Senator Jiang Dejing has repelled the Portuguese invasion in Penghu, which is enough to remind us to be prepared for danger in times of peace. I don't know who the next enemy will be, but I will never allow my people to be slaughtered and plundered by foreign forces again! ”

Since the Ming Dynasty's previous naval battles with the Europeans were defended by local coastal defenses themselves, neither the scale nor the impact was enough to alarm the imperial court, so even if Zhu Youxiao's alarmist words are heard now, everyone still feels that it is too trivial, and their faces are full of disdain and contempt for foreigners.

Zhu Youxiao's lungs were about to explode when he saw this, and thought to himself, don't you know the power of the Eight-Nation Alliance, 10,000 or 20,000 people can enter Beijing, although the late Qing Dynasty was corrupt and incompetent, but in the final analysis, the Europeans were indeed very powerful at that time. Such a good case but he couldn't say it, his face flushed after looking around, and he said indignantly:

"During the Chengzu period of our dynasty, Zheng He was sent to the West, the momentum was immense, the scale was unprecedented, not only the countries along the way established tributary relations, but also set up the old port in Nanyang, which is an extremely brilliant stroke in the history of the Chinese nation. It's a pity that after Zheng He, there is no Zheng He! ”

When he said the last sentence, Zhu Youxiao's mood suddenly became depressed, and everyone looked even more solemn when they saw this, knowing that it was not so much that the little emperor was remembering the great achievements of the martyrs, but that he was angrily denouncing the current incompetence of the rats. Of course, there is one person who is an exception, that is, Mao Wenlong, who was in the middle of the wind and water in Phi Dao back then, when he transported Huang Degong and Cao Wenzhao's cavalry to attack Houjin from behind, and threw himself to the ground with admiration for the little emperor. Now that he saw that Zhu Youxiao was overshadowed, Mao recommended himself:

"Saint, the feat of the Three Treasure Eunuchs is unprecedented, and the strategy of Emperor Chengzu is even more unprecedented. However, in the early years, when the captives were in rebellion, the Holy Lord had ordered his ministers to run Phi Dao, and used it as a base to sweep Nurhachi's lair, which once turned the tide of the war in the entire Liaodong. Now the saint sighs at the old land of Nanyang, and the minister is willing to ask for his life to go on an expedition to regain the territory of the Ming Dynasty. ”

Mao Wenlong stepped forward to surprise Zhu Youxiao, this move was quite in line with his own wishes, he decided to strike while the iron was hot, and deliberately stimulated the ministers who were not afraid of boiling water for the group of dead pigs below.

After Qin Shi Huang unified the six countries, he attacked the Xiongnu in the north and subdued the barbarians in the south, laying the territory of the Central Plains Great Unification Dynasty. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty pacified Dongou and Minyue, defeated foreign invasions, and gathered a group named after the country. The Tang Dynasty set up a capital protectorate in the Western Regions, and sent Princess Wencheng to marry Tibet, spreading Chinese civilization to all directions. After the founding of the country of Taizu in our dynasty, we successively set up the Nuer Gandu Division and the Wusi Zangdu Division, which further expanded the territory of the Central Plains. This hard work lasted for more than 1,800 years, and on the first day of last year, more than 30 vassal clans in the surrounding area entered Beijing to pay tribute. Now that I see this map of all nations, I know that I am just a frog at the bottom of a well, and the so-called Heavenly Kingdom has a long way to go! ”

The more people listened to these words, the more outrageous they felt, and they thought that the little emperor had smoked another style, and he had personally conquered twice in three years after ascending the throne, and successively exterminated the Jianzhou Jurchen and the Jungar tribe in the court, and the means were ruthless and extremely human. During this period, he also quelled the Lu'an Rebellion, repelled the invasion of Rakshasa and South Vietnam, captured the Dutch and Portuguese Yi kings, and recruited pirates such as Zheng Zhilong.

Fan Jingwen saw that his beloved disciple was a little too arrogant, and hurriedly admonished:

"Your Majesty, although the world is large, there are many wild and bitter cold places, and although there are many nations, there are no saints to preach. Now that our dynasty is prosperous, the people are rich, and the culture is prosperous, why should we be burdened by barbarians. ”

Everyone heard what Emperor Fan Jingwen said, and they all followed the meaning, and the angry Zhu Youxiao drew his sword, looked around the group of ministers in the hall with angry eyes, and said angrily:

"The scholar's view is pedantic. During the Yan and Huang dynasties, China was just a small part of the lower reaches of the Yellow River, and in the Zhou Dynasty, it began to enter the Yangtze River basin, and in the Qin and Han dynasties, it advanced to the southeast coast. After the Sui, Tang, Yuan, and Song dynasties, our dynasty spread civilization to Tianzhu, Persia, Dashi, and Tianfang, which shows that the Chinese civilization circle has been constantly expanding and expanding. Now that we know that there is still so much land in the world that has not been set foot in, why not inherit the legacy of our ancestors and continue to carry forward the Chinese civilization? ”