The treasury of the ten houses is the same, and the minds of the ten people are different.

—Salar proverb

Due to the fact that there are many criticisms of Zhu Di's ascension to the throne among the people and the former ministers of Emperor Jianwen, on the one hand, the supreme throne, and on the other hand, the condemnation of morality and conscience, Zhu Di's heart has always felt very depressed and painful.

He was very concerned about what others said about him and what kind of records he left in the history books. In order to go down in history with a good image, Zhu Di deliberately asked Gong Jiagui, who was born in martial arts, to become a civil official and specialize in managing the writing of historical books.

In 1403, Emperor Zhu Di of Yongle received a diplomatic delegation from the Oriental Kingdom at Yingtianfu. This is the first foreign mission to come to the DPRK since Zhu Di took office.

He was naturally very excited to see that foreigners had such respect for him. In his conversations with the guests of the Japanese Kingdom, he repeatedly mentioned that he had lived in Beiping for more than 30 years.

Zhu Di introduced: "Beiping is located at the northern end of the Central Plains Plain, surrounded by Yanshan Mountain on three sides and overlooking the Central Plains in the south. Since the Anshi Rebellion of the Tang Dynasty, Beiping's position in the country has become increasingly prominent, and it was once the capital of Nanjing of the Liao State, the Zhongdu of the Jin State and the capital of the Great Yuan Empire. Beiping is located at the border between the agricultural area and the pastoral area in the north, with convenient transportation and dangerous situation, and it is also the center of trade between the Han people and various ethnic groups in the north and the important political and military place in the north. The city is bound to play an even greater role in the future. ”

As soon as the guests of the Wa Kingdom left, Li Zhigang, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, and others presented a recital on their hind feet, saying: "Beiping is the land of the emperor's dragon prosperity." It is suggested that the emperor should follow the example of Ming Taizu (Zhu Yuanzhang) to set Fengyang as the central capital and set Beiping as the accompanying capital, which will be beneficial to the prosperity of Sheji and Guozuo. ”

This piece of music came very timely and completely met Zhu Di's wish at that time.

Zhu Di told Gong Jialu with a smile: "Li Aiqing is a clear-headed person. Be sure to put this in the memorabilia and tell it to every minister. ”

In 1368, Xu Da, a famous general of the Ming Dynasty, conquered Dadu, the capital of the Great Yuan, and renamed Dadu Beiping. He moved some of the city's residents to Bianliang, demolished Dayuan's palace, and built Jingshan on the old site. In order to facilitate defense, he also moved the northern wall to the south.

The originally prosperous capital city of Beijing has become a relatively deserted northern border city.

Zhu Di was later named the king of Yan by his father Zhu Yuanzhang, and set up a palace in Beiping, commonly known as Yanjing. After Xu Da's death, Zhu Di took charge of the border troops in North China and built Beiping into the border defense center of northern Daming. He operated in Beiping for more than 30 years, and his career was carried out smoothly, and the society was relatively stable during his reign. Therefore, he regarded Peking as his lucky place.

Zhu Di told Gong Jialu in private: "Dingdu Beiping to the north can not only directly face the invading Mongols, but also further control the northeast region; To the south, they can control the Central Plains, which is conducive to maintaining the unity of the whole country. This is a century-old plan, and we must plan ahead and start early. ”

As a result, Zhu Di vigorously promoted the status of Yanjing Beiping Mansion and constantly released signals to the outside world that the Ming Dynasty was ready to move the capital to Beiping.

Soon, he decided that Beiping would become Beijing and that Beiping Mansion would become Shuntianfu. At the same time, he ordered the relocation of displaced people, wealthy households from Jiangnan, and merchants from Shanxi to enrich Beijing's population.

In fact, moving the capital to the north was not Zhu Di's whim, but started with Zhu Yuanzhang. Since the capitals of the unified dynasties are all in the Central Plains in the north, for example, the capital of the Han and Tang dynasties is in Chang'an, the capital of the Great Song Dynasty is in Bianliang, and the capital of the Great Yuan is in Dadu, therefore, when the Ming Dynasty just unified the country, Zhu Yuanzhang planned to take the opportunity to move the capital to the north. He issued an edict to determine that Bianliang was Beijing, Yingtianfu was Nanjing, and built the capital in his hometown Fengyang, following the Beijing story of Zhou and Tang.

However, both Bianliang and Fengyang have been war-torn and dilapidated, and it is difficult to bear the heavy responsibility of the Beijing Division. Zhu Yuanzhang had no choice but to give up his plan to move the capital to these two places. In 1379, he abolished Beijing and replaced Nanjing with Beijing.

The Ming Palace of Yingtianfu was built by filling in the earth on the lake. Soon after its completion, the surface of the earth sank, and the palace gradually formed a situation of high in the south and low in the north, which is an ominous sign in feng shui.

In 1392, Zhu Yuanzhang sent the crown prince Zhu Biao to the Guanzhong region to investigate and prepare for the relocation of the capital to Xi'an. After Zhu Biao died of illness the following year, the elderly Zhu Yuanzhang suffered a heavy blow and was unwilling to work hard to change the capital.

Now, Zhu Di is determined to seize this opportunity and bid farewell to this Ying Tianfu as soon as possible, which makes his heart beat during the day and makes him nightmares constant at night.

One day, when Zhu Di was in the last court, he deliberately asked the ministers casually: "I had a dream last night, and I dreamed that the Jingshi had moved to Beiping. What do you think that means? ”

A quick-talking minister immediately replied, "I think about it by day and dream by night." It seems that the emperor's heart hopes to move the capital to Beiping. ”

Another minister retorted dissatisfiedly: "You are talking nonsense! Ying Tianfu is the prosperous place of my Ming Dynasty, how can there be a reason to abandon the imperial capital with rich water and soil and chase the cold and dry Beiping? ”

The quick-talking minister retorted: "The Son of Heaven is the ruler of the whole country, the soul of the country, not the farmer who farms the land. The location of the imperial capital should be conducive to the governance of the country, and it must not be biased over one side. ”

Other ministers were not impressed.

Zhu Di knew in his heart that moving the capital to Beiping was not an overnight thing, and it must be persistently and forcefully promoted.

In 1405, after Zhu Di sent Zheng He to lead a fleet to the Western Ocean, he immediately sent capable ministers to Beijing, recruited millions of craftsmen and people, and officially built the imperial palace and city walls in Beijing.

In 1410, Zhu Di used Beijing as a base to crusade against the Northern Yuan Dynasty, and at the same time built the Changling Tomb in Changping, near Beijing. He built his mausoleum in Beijing instead of Yingtianfu, the capital at the time, indicating that he had made up his mind to move the capital.

In the second year, Zhu Di returned to the north and ordered the Huitong River to be channeled, opening up the north-south transportation channel, and laying a good transportation and economic foundation for the relocation of the capital. He also ordered the construction of a seaport city southeast of Beijing.

People called that port city Tianjin, the ferry port of the Son of Heaven.

One day in 1417, Zhu Di convened a meeting of his ministers to formally discuss the matter of moving the capital to Beijing.

The vast majority of ministers were opposed to moving the capital. They believed that Beijing's distance from the economic center of the dynasty and the huge cost of transporting supplies from the south to Beijing would make the people exhausted and shake the foundation of the country.

Gong Jialu and a few other ministers who appreciated the relocation of the capital believed that since the new capital was close to the Great Wall to defend against the Mongols, the imperial court could effectively manage and mobilize troops to resist the invasion of the Northern Yuan, which was conducive to the stability of the country.

One minister retorted: "The large-scale relocation of the capital to Beijing has caused tremendous pressure on the finances of the imperial court on the one hand, and on the other hand, the sudden improvement of Beijing's status has caused the entire northern defense line to shrink inward and concentrate on Beijing at the same time, which has destroyed the balanced configuration of Taizu's defense in the north." ”

Another minister went on to say: "The poverty of the Central Plains is very obvious relative to that of the south of the Yangtze River. As a huge consumer city, Beijing cannot meet the large demand for materials nearby, so it must rely on the Grand Canal to transport them from the south of the Yangtze River. ”

One of the ministers in favor of moving the capital said: "There are too many captives in the northeast and northwest. During the reign of Taizu, he used to divide the kings to deal with the captives, but with little effect. Beijing is in the north, Taihang in the west, mountains and seas in the east, and the Central Plains in the south. The fertile soil is thousands of miles, and the mountains and rivers are victorious, which is enough to control the four razors and control the world, and the Cheng Emperor is also the capital of eternity. The remnants of the Great Yuan are still roaming in the north, and setting the capital in Beiping can strengthen the military defense of the north. ”

Gong Jialu whispered to Zhu Di: "Most of the Jiangnan scholars are supporters of the former Emperor Jianwen. They misunderstand you a lot and have a lot of grievances. If you continue to stay in Yingtianfu, it will be very detrimental to you. Only by returning to your original fiefdom, Beiping, will it be more conducive to the consolidation of political power. ”

Zhu Di patiently said to the ministers: "First of all, in ancient history, the Yellow River Valley in the north has long been the center of gravity in politics, economy and culture. As early as the Xia, Shang and Zhou periods, the center of activity of the dynasty at that time was concentrated here. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the north was the main battlefield of large and small wars. This also shows the importance of the Northern Central Plains. Since the Qin Dynasty unified the six kingdoms and established the capital Xianyang, most dynasties have given preference to building their capital in the north. Even if they were beaten to the south by the northern nomads and the separatist regimes that were originally in the south, they generally chose cities close to the north to build their capitals, such as Yingtianfu and Lin'an.

Secondly, in terms of transportation, because of the large number of rivers in the southern region, water transportation relies on wooden boats, and the shipping speed is slow. Therefore, it is clear that the establishment of the capital in the south is not conducive to the administration of the world. Because of the many plains and relatively flat terrain in the northern region, coupled with the relatively mature land transportation, the establishment of the capital in the north is also convenient for deterring neighboring countries. Further, before the Great Song Dynasty, the population and densely populated large cities were also concentrated in the northern regions. Choosing the capital in Chang'an, Luoyang, Bianliang and other large cities will also help to enhance the capital's political, economic, cultural, and military advantages.

In addition, in history, floods have been an important natural disaster that threatens the survival of people. Historically, so many dynasties chose to establish their capitals in relatively dry northern regions, such as Chang'an in the Han Dynasty, and there were also considerations to prevent floods. Although the Great Song Dynasty once built the capital in Bianliang, due to the impact of the flooding of the Yellow River, subsequent dynasties never chose to build the capital in this area.

Further, the terrain in the north is relatively high, and it is considered to be a place where dragon veins gather in traditional culture. It is always relatively easy to wage war from a place on high ground to a place on low ground. This is also one of the geographical factors that makes it difficult for many southern regimes to defeat northern regimes.

Finally, historically, it was a tradition for the Son of Heaven to guard the sheji. Whether it was the Great Qin, the Great Han, or the Great Song Dynasty, the nomads in the north all posed a great threat to the Central Plains. The establishment of the capital in the north also shifted the military, political, and economic center to the north, thus helping to concentrate resources against invasions from the north. On the other hand, if the Son of Heaven all went to the south to live a comfortable life, it would obviously not be a morale-boosting act for the soldiers guarding the northern border passes. Therefore, moving the capital to Beijing is a deterrent to the northern nomads, and it is also a demonstration of a hard-line attitude. ”

Zhu Di paused, and finally said loudly: "I have used Beijing as a base to crusade against the remnants of the Great Yuan many times. Beijing's advantages in military command are incomparable with Nanjing, which is in the rear. We can no longer abandon the north and Gou'an Jiangnan like the Western Jin Dynasty and the Great Song Dynasty. ”

However, the voices of opposition to the relocation of the capital have been rising higher and higher.

Zhu Di took decisive measures to punish those officials who opposed the relocation of the capital, and promoted the relocation of the capital with an iron fist. From then on, no one dared to openly oppose the relocation of the capital.

In 1421, the construction of Beijing, which had been going on for 18 years, was officially completed.

On February 2, Zhu Di issued an edict to announce that the Ming Dynasty moved its capital to Beijing and changed Tianfu to Nanjing.

In the tall and majestic Fengtian Hall of the Forbidden City in Beijing, Zhu Di, who was wearing a dragon robe, sat on the dragon chair with great ambition, meeting hundreds of officials, giving orders, and was full of confidence.

Since then, Beijing has become the imperial capital of the world's attention.

The Imperial Palace in Beijing is modeled after the Imperial Palace in Nanjing, and is even larger in scale. The newly built city of Beijing has a circumference of 45 li and is a regular square, which conforms to the ideal capital city shape in the "Zhou Li Examination Gong Ji".

After Zhu Di moved the capital to Beijing, he still retained the status of Nanjing's capital, and retained a set of central institutions, including six ministries, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the General Administration Department, the Governor's Office of the Five Armies, the Hanlin Academy, and the Guozijian Prison. The rank of the official is also the same as that of the Kyoshi. Beijing and Nanjing are collectively known as Erjingfu.

In the summer of 1421, the weather in Beijing was hot and humid, with constant thunderstorms.

One day, a dazzling flash of lightning streaked across the sky above the Forbidden City, striking the three palaces of Fengtian, Huagai, and Jinshen, which had been built for less than a hundred days, causing a rare fire.

The fire burned down the three major palaces and burned people's hearts.

The government and the opposition were talking for a while.

Zhu Di was at a loss, thinking that his morality, ethics and government were really lacking, so he provoked the anger of the heavens, so that he used thunder and lightning to warn himself.

In order to turn the will of heaven around, Zhu Di decided to open up his speech and listen carefully to everyone's suggestions and opinions. What he didn't expect was that this fire brought the "Returnuto faction" to the stage again.

The ministers did not say that the emperor's morality was not good, nor did they say that the emperor's governance policy was bad, but unanimously said that the three major halls were caused by the relocation of the capital.

Zuo Zhongyun Zou Ji said fiercely in "The Disaster of Fengtian Temple": "The relocation of the capital caused the people of Li to peel the bark of trees and dig grass roots for food. The old and the young moved, bumped the roads, and sold their wives and beards in order to make a living. After the relocation of the capital, Beijing had a huge bureaucracy and a large number of imperial relatives. A large population and army need to consume a lot of food. Transporting grain from the southeast to Beijing often consumes several stones to deliver one stone. Now that the will of heaven is like this, it is not suitable to work for the people. The capital should be returned to Nanjing immediately, and the mausoleum temple should be enshrined, and the cause of the catastrophe should be told to maintain the holy bow and rest in inaction. ”

Xiao Yi, the director of the Ministry of Rites, pointed out confidently: "After the capital is moved, everything is inconvenient, and it is really against the will of heaven to abandon the imperial line and filial piety. ”

Xiao Yi's bold remarks violated the bottom line that Zhu Di could endure.

So, Zhu Di was furious and immediately ordered Xiao Yi to be executed.

Gong Jialu said to Zhu Di: "After more than 50 years after the Ming Dynasty occupied the capital and the Great Yuan withdrew northward, the political center of the country finally returned to the north. Beijing has been out of Han Chinese control for about 500 years since Shi Jingjiao ceded the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun to the Khitans, and even longer since the Anshi Rebellion and the rise of the Hebei Domain. After the Jingkang Revolution of the Great Song Dynasty, the Central Plains was ruled by foreign tribes for nearly 250 years. After the capital was moved, Beijing and its surrounding areas became the core ruling area of the Ming Dynasty, and the Han people's control of the Central Plains returned to a prosperous era. This is a great cause of history. ”