Jiang Xinghuo returned to his lazy salted fish state, lay down and patted the watermelon, and said with some interest.

"The strong Han and the Tang Dynasty, at the expense of military force, also want to control the Western Regions, it is not for the Silk Road from the east to the west."

"Whoever masters the Silk Road will be able to trade overland with the far West, and the state will have a new source of revenue, and will have untold wealth, and with wealth, the king will not be trapped in that pitiful amount of land withheld from the people facing the loess with their backs to the sky."

"Of course, whether it is a strong man or a prosperous Tang Dynasty, they all failed in the end...... This also involves the core of the "Theory of National Fortune", which will be discussed later. ”

"The Fortune of the Nation"?

Zhu Di frowned secretly and wrote down this term in his heart.

"In short, the land along the Silk Road is too desolate and too far away."

"How far?" Zhu Gaoxu asked curiously.

Jiang Xinghuo thought for a while and explained: "It may be difficult for you to understand in terms of distance, but you will know in terms of time...... For example, in the Yuan Dynasty, there was a Westerner named Marco Polo, who walked on land for four years before reaching the capital of Yuan, was received by Yuan Shizu, and stayed in China for more than ten years. ”

Zhu Di next door heard the words and ordered: "Ji Gang, go and check, whether Marco Polo exists, and if so, is the experience true?" ”

And Zhu Gaoxu here muttered: "Mr. Jiang, now that the Northern Yuan Dynasty has not been destroyed, the Timurid Khanate is located in the Western Regions, and the Silk Road is impassable." ”

"You can go by sea." Jiang Xinghuo is sure, "With the development of navigation technology, starting from the Song Dynasty, it is possible to replace land routes by sea and reach the end of the Silk Road." ”

"In the Song and Yuan dynasties, Mingzhou, Quanzhou, Guangzhou and other shipbuilding centers all manufactured large sea vessels, and the technologies of watertight compartments, multi-layer gangways, and keel structures have been matured...... It is not even an exaggeration to say that if the imperial court is willing, there is no problem in mass-producing ocean-going ships that can accommodate hundreds of people. ”

Of course, Zheng He's opening of a 10,000-ton aircraft carrier is just a joke, in fact, just like the solid bullets of the red-clothed cannon that erode for dozens of miles, the notes of the Ming Dynasty are full of exaggeration.

But in any case, even if we only refer to the shipbuilding technology from the end of the Song Dynasty to the end of the Yuan Dynasty from a stagnant perspective, there is no dispute that the Ming Dynasty has the technical reserves to manufacture ocean-going sailing ships of 500 to 1,000 tons in batches.

"In fact, in the future, Emperor Yongle must have realized that if he wants to complete the world-famous feat of 'governing the Tang and Song dynasties and advancing the Han and Tang dynasties', the only way to expand the source of wealth is to go...... Emperor Yongle had too much to do and too much wealth to need, and he would definitely send a huge fleet to the Western Ocean. ”

"Of course, Emperor Yongle went to the West, just to provide the necessary wealth for his own deeds, and it is impossible to be willing to share it with other classes.

Zhilong Tang and Song Dynasties, far away from the Han and Tang Dynasties!

When Jiang Xinghuo's eight words sounded in Zhu Di's ears, Zhu Di seemed to feel that his long-lost blood was boiling again.

Zhu Di, who won the battle of Jingjing that can be called "turning the tables against the sky" and ascended to the throne, lost his goal at a certain moment in his life.

This loss of goal is not because Zhu Di doesn't know what he should do......

On the contrary, as an emperor, what he wanted to do, what he should have done, what he had to do, was very, very much.

The planned relocation of the capital, the elimination of the Northern Yuan, the pacification of the current political situation, the killing of the Jianwen Yu Party, the future governance of the country, the Yongle Grand Ceremony, and so on.

But the more he did things, the busier he became, Zhu Di was a little dazed.

Since ancient times, heroes and heroes have all wanted to make contributions and pay homage to the prime minister!

And he, Zhu Di, is already the emperor of the world, and he is the only vassal king who has successfully rebelled in the Great Unification Dynasty, what other goals does he have?

Zhu Di once thought that if he had a character for reference, it would be Tang Taizong Li Shimin.

is also the eldest son of the founding emperor, and he is also the first in the world in terms of military ability, and he is also stigmatized by his improper position.

And the difference between Zhu Di and Tang Taizong Li Shimin, that is, Li Shimin has proved his ability to govern, while Zhu Di has not.

And today, in the edict prison, Jiang Xinghuo's eight words woke him up.

- Zhilong Tang and Song Dynasties, far away from the Han and Tang Dynasties!

What he Zhu Di wants to do is not to catch up with Li Shimin, but to win the rule of culture over the Tang and Song dynasties, and the territory far exceeds that of the Han and Tang dynasties!

That's what he's aiming for!

"Men should be like that!"

Zhu Di exclaimed: "Ji Gang, pour wine, these eight words, the bento is a big white!" ”

After a few glasses of spirits, Zhu Di's thoughts were completely immersed in the words just now.

He seemed to vaguely grasp something......

If you want to complete the feat of "governing the Tang and Song dynasties, and advancing to the Han and Tang dynasties", it is definitely not possible to rely on the natural recovery and recuperation like when Taizong of the Tang Dynasty did, or to squeeze the people like Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and use military force.

There is no point in squeezing the war-torn people, how much silver can be deducted from the land? The people have long since become poor ghosts.

Of course, Zhu Di knew the significance of the Silk Road, but since the Tang Dynasty, the overland Silk Road has gradually become lonely, and maritime trade has indeed become the only way to obtain additional huge wealth.

Therefore, if you want to complete the world's achievements, you must go to the sea!

Great minds think alike!

The Northern Yuan and other khanates split from the Mongol Empire still occupied the Silk Road, and Zhu Di was planning to send people to follow the example of the Song and Yuan dynasties and go west by sea for a huge official trade in order to realize his ambitions.

Jiang Xinghuo, think of it with yourself!

Can you hear Jiang Xinghuo say that the wealth of swallowing the sea alone is destined to not last long?

Zhu Di grinned unhappily, and under the influence of alcohol, his hidden emotions began to manifest unconsciously.

Outside the wall, Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but ask.

"Mr. Jiang, didn't you talk about 'how to solve the problem of offering to the clan'? Why did it move to the 'Ming Dynasty's maritime trade'? ”

Jiang Xinghuo explained unhurriedly.

"Because these two issues are closely related, the core problem of supporting the clan is that 'the growing population of the clan will put great pressure on the national finances' while the number of clans continues to grow."

"And this core problem, just rely on the first solution in the reduction of income, reduction of grades, system adjustment, etc., can not be perfectly solved, the best solution is to increase the national fiscal revenue, do incremental calculations instead of stock calculations."

"If you want to increase the country's fiscal revenue, you have to engage in maritime trade, understand?"

"But the territory of the Ming Dynasty is vast, and the farming culture has penetrated into the marrow of the people, even if the coastal areas tasted the sweetness of overseas trade in the Song and Yuan dynasties, as China, as an ancient civilization with a long history, has never lost the habit of farming."

"Therefore, in essence, the Ming Dynasty actually still maintains the conservatism of agricultural civilization."

"And the greatest enemy of maritime trade is the gentry class rooted in agrarian civilization."

"On the other hand, if the clan wants to expand its financial revenue and conduct maritime trade, why don't you need the power of the clan class to conduct maritime trade?"

Zhu Di, who was listening to the lecture next door, raised his hand and was stunned in mid-air.