Early the next morning, Zhu Gaoxu walked out of the imperial concubine's palace, bid farewell to Miaojin, who was relying on him more and more, and went to the early court.

Later, when the Imperial Gate listened to the government, some ministers mentioned the Tatar people's request for peace.

Regardless of whether they advocate peace or oppose it, the reasons they say have little practical reference value. On the surface, everyone talked about righteousness, talked about right and wrong, and singled out the various bad deeds of the Tatars before their treachery; Regardless of whether the Ming court forgave or punished them, they all stood in a righteous place. Perhaps this is the reason why the ministers put forward their political opinions.

As for weighing the pros and cons, it's not good to argue in a place like Fengtianmen. It wasn't until Zhu Gaoxu retreated to the Rouyi Hall and summoned the cabinet of important ministers that people had different opinions.

Qi Tai, the secretary of the Ministry of War, said: "The minister thinks that the Tatars are seeking peace because of the eastward advance of the Warats. The Warat envoys claimed that they had helped the Ming to flank Arutai, but the court never asked for this. ”

Gao Xianning echoed in the back: "Ma Hamu, a Warat man, only attacked the official and military guards in Hexi last year, and obviously did not submit to the imperial court. ”

Qi Tai looked sideways, nodded, and then arched his hand to Zhu Gaoxu and said: "Therefore, Arutai does not want to continue to be threatened by the Ming official army in Liaodong, and intends to leave room for a roundabout retreat in the east. Once Arutai is defeated, it is still possible to retreat to the east of the Haravan Mountain, and it will not be destroyed. ”

He paused for a moment, and then said: "The Invarat people are ready to move, and if the main Tatar force is destroyed at this time, it will not be a good thing for the Ming Dynasty. The minister advocated agreeing to the Tatars' request for peace, so that Arutai would have no worries and resist Mahamu's attack with peace of mind. ”

It just so happened that Zhu Gaoxu also thought so. According to his wishes, the best situation is, of course, for the two forces of Mahamu and Arutai to fall together, leaving the north a plate of scattered sand; But at the moment it is clearly not possible. In retreat, Arutai and Mahamu contain each other, which has become a better situation. Otherwise, once a certain force annexes the various ministries and unifies the grassland, then the only place to be attacked next is the long northern defense line of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Gaoxu immediately turned his head and asked Hu Hu: "What are the Tatar envoys' requirements?" ”

Hu Hui said: "Yesterday, the officials of the Ministry of Rites met with the envoys, and the Tatars probably wanted to restore the territory before the battle of Liaodong, so that the main forces of Duoyan, Taining Erwei Wuliangha and the Horqin cavalry returned to Liaodong to garrison the herdsmen. They also asked the imperial court to subsidize iron tools, armor, weapons, rice and grain. ”

There was a discussion below, and some ministers scolded Arutai twice.

Zhu Gaoxu said: "Qi Butang's abacus, Arutai seems to have thought of it, otherwise how could he still have so much face?" ”

Qi Tai shook his head and showed a wry smile: "What the Holy Lord said is extremely true, Arutai is not only untrustworthy, but also cunning and wise. ”

Zhu Gaoxu pondered that immigrating to Liaodong was not something that could be done in a year or two, and it was impossible to immediately digest the vast land there, so he could only allow the Mongolian tribes to live as herdsmen. He said to Hu Hui: "When you go back and consult with the envoys, tell them that there are no iron supplies. The Horqin people could return to the northeastern part of Liao, but they could only live in the north of the Duoyanwei tribe; It is forbidden for the Horqin tribe to run between the two guards again. I think that Arutai's strength is not weak, and he can still fight the Warats without our support. ”

The Wuliangha people of Yan Wei and Tai Ning Wei, although they have just fought with the Ming army this year, but the situation has changed, and they may not necessarily surrender to the Ming Dynasty; Reducing the threat of the Korqin people to the Uliangha tribe can be gradually co-opted. As for the two ends of the snake and mouse of the Wuliang Ha people, they were shaken repeatedly, and Zhu Gaoxu was too lazy to care.

Hu Hui bowed and said: "The minister's decree." ”

At this time, Zhu Gaoxu glanced at the eunuch Wang Gui. Wang Gui bowed down and walked out from the side.

After a while, the eunuchs Wang Jinghong, Hou Xian, and the petty official Ma Huan bowed outside the hall, and after coming in, they bowed again. The ministers looked sideways.

Zhu Gaoxu told them to calm down, and said straightforwardly: "The first official army of Wude went to the Western Ocean, and you have been as far north as the Muslim holy land of Mujah, and the country at the end of the Red Sea is called Egypt, what is the current situation?" ”

Wang Jinghong gently stepped aside and asked Ma Huan to step forward to speak. Ma Huan is the general officer of the Ministry of Ceremonies, because he is proficient in many Chinese, he is on almost every voyage, and he has a lot of insight.

Ma Huan bowed and said: "Back to the saint, Weichen and the others have not yet set foot here, and they have only heard about some things near Mejia. The forces that held power in the area were slave warlords, known as 'Mamluks'. ”

When Zhu Gaoxu heard this word, he suddenly felt that the name was very familiar.

Ma Huan said: "It is said that earlier a Turk came to Egypt, established a kingdom, plundered and bought many slaves to fill the army, and those slave armies were called Mamluk. Later, the Mamluks overthrew the Turks and took charge of the region on their own. These people are martial arts in power, and they seem to be violent and aggressive by nature, and Wei Chen and others do not know the details. ”

Zhu Gaoxu nodded, pondered for a moment, and said: "The navy is currently well-equipped and brave and good at fighting, but it doesn't know anything about the climate and landforms of Egypt, nor does it know about Mamluk. The ancients were humane, knowing oneself and knowing one's opponent would not be defeated in a hundred battles. We don't have to act rashly. ”

Xia Yuanji, the head of the household, seemed to have something to say, but Qi Tai took the lead in standing up and persuaded: "The last time I went to the Western Ocean, the fleet went back and forth for nearly two years, and the fastest voyage took more than a year. ”

Qi Tai said everything, and Xia Yuanji and the others didn't say anything more.

Zhu Gaoxu said: "I have no interest in occupying distant land, but it is a new policy and national policy to extend trade and trade with more places. Egypt could become a sea communication artery, a gateway that is even more critical than the Strait of Malacca. It can be slowly drawn. ”

He also said: "This time to the West, the fleet can follow the route of Wu Dechu and reach Egypt. Silk, porcelain, and spices were traded with the Mamluks, and some gifts were given to make friends. As we do with other places, we want to be in harmony and then get the locals to trade and get to know the place better. We'll talk about the rest later. ”

Qi Tai no longer dissuaded, and the other ministers did not say anything for a while.

Since the beginning of the Taizong Dynasty, it has become a major policy; And to change the major policies of the imperial court, it is obviously not a proposition that is said casually. Zhu Gaoxu just said that going to the West was just a fait accompli, and he had not decided to go on an expedition, so the ministers would not be able to oppose it for a while.

After a brief discussion, everyone withdrew.

The Tatar envoys stayed in Beijing for several days, and finally reached a peace agreement with the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Gaoxu also decided to canonize Asari as a concubine as soon as possible, and let the Tatar envoys observe the ceremony.

…… In early autumn, the fleet of ships going to the West has gathered in Liujiagang near Taicang.

Zhu Gaoxu still appointed the experienced eunuch Wang Jinghong as the chief envoy and Hou Xian as the deputy envoy, and there were many civil and military generals, more than 10,000 naval officers and men, and a large number of silk, porcelain, and coinage were loaded on ships. When the fleet arrives at the port of Longyamen, it will also carry a batch of pepper there, and then go to the western countries to trade.

The number of people was smaller than usual. Zhu Gaoxu believes that the navy's more than 10,000 men are enough to cope with defensive warfare at sea and in ports, and the reduction of personnel is also aimed at reducing military spending. The largest expedition to the Western Ocean, on the contrary, was in the Taizong period, when the imperial court probably had a reason to show off its strength and wealth, and organized the fleet to be extremely large and terrifying; Now Zhu Gaoxu is not very interested in this.

Zhu Gaoxu led his ministers to Longjiang Temple, ready to practice for Wang Jinghong and others.

Wang Jinghong and the others had to set off from Longjiang Port on the Jingshi side. There are only three treasure ships in Longjiang Port, and the rest are all in Liujiagang. In fact, because the number of merchant ships on the inland rivers has increased rapidly in recent years, all the ports near Jingshi are extremely busy, and if a large number of warships come here, it is necessary to clear the merchant ships first.

Everyone came early, and the sky was just getting dark. Wang Jinghong and Hou Xian, the two eunuchs, came to a room to face the saint, and there were Qi Tai and a few other people next to them.

There is a nautical chart on the wooden table, and Zhu Gaoxu has slightly modified the shape with his own memory and feeling. He pointed to the picture and said: "I have checked what I have seen and heard in the West, and I have changed some places, but it is still not necessarily accurate. Take this picture with you and continue to repair it along the way. ”

Wang Jinghong stepped forward and said, "The slave and maid receive the order." ”

In addition to maps of various parts of the Western Ocean, there are also places where the fleet has never been. It is estimated that Wang Jinghong and others are also a little confused, where did the emperor get the map? However, what the emperor didn't say, these big eunuchs generally didn't ask much.

Zhu Gaoxu pointed to the location of Egypt and said: "This place goes north by land to the coast, and there is Europe, where there are many countries, large tracts of fertile land, and countless people. The Mongol army had been to those places, and the Silk Road in the Sui and Tang dynasties, goods could reach as far as Europe. Westerners are obsessed with silk, porcelain, and spices, and the goods shipped to Europe must be of great benefit; In the future, if this road is opened, we will be able to open up a sea trade route from a closer place. ”

Wang Jinghong and Hou Xian bowed down and said: "Slaves and maids dare not live up to the emperor, they must do their best to do their best to do a good job." ”

The monarch and the ministers talked to each other for a while, and the sky outside the window was gradually brightening. The group walked out of the room and walked outside the temple. Surrounded by the honor guard of the Jinyi guard and the army, Zhu Gaoxu sent Wang Jinghong and others to Longjiang Port and gave wine to practice.

Wang Jinghong and others bowed again and again, bid farewell to the emperor, and went to the dock to board the treasure ship.

The sun has not yet come out, there is some fog on the river, and the huge sails on the treasure ship have risen one after another, and they look even more spectacular in the hazy fog, as if a high-rise building is towering, mysterious and shocking.

On the white river, there are still many ships looming. The noise of early morning people and the ringing of bells from near and far floated in the harbor. In such an atmosphere, Zhu Gaoxu stood on the riverbank for a long time, watching the three big ships gradually move away.

He could no longer see the vastness of the fleet on the sea, but he could imagine that the journey would begin again with the sail of the open sea. In the future, the major events of going to the West have been given a new meaning.