Chapter 477 Sanyo, Rise Up!

In the Fengtian Hall, there was a brief silence.

Faced with this question, many important officials were stunned.

If it comes to the Four Books and Five Classics, they can be said to be eloquent and can talk for three days and three nights. Now, if we discuss geographical knowledge with them, they don’t even know where Siam is, let alone which country is next to Siam.

“It is the Burmese region!” Wang Yue saw that so many important officials looked constipated, and he seemed helpless to reveal the answer.

In fact, it was not that he was so knowledgeable, but when he led his troops to attack the Le Dynasty, he studied the forces of the entire Indochina Peninsula.

The eastern line of the Indochina Peninsula is North Vietnam, Champa and South Vietnam, while the powerful countries on the western line are Siam and Laos, and the Burmese region is already in a state of division.

This overseas Yi country seems very strange. It is true that they are far away, but after going around, I found that many of them are familiar faces.

Liu Jin smiled slightly, first respectfully said to Wang Yue, and then pointed to the other side of the West Ocean and introduced: "If you go east along the coastline from Burma, you can quickly reach Tianzhu!"

Ah? We actually reached India?

Minister of Personnel Li Yu and other important officials were shocked again, staring in disbelief.

Thanks to the story of Tang Sanzang's journey to the West, everyone now knows the mysterious ancient country on the Silk Road - India, the birthplace of Buddhism.

Now suddenly hearing that India is so close, many officials showed surprised expressions. Originally thought that India was 108,000 miles away from the Ming Dynasty, but after such an explanation, it turned out that the two places are not far away.

Compared with the various obstacles on land, the difficulties of the ocean are undoubtedly much smaller. It turned out that it is easier to reach India, which has to go through many difficulties and obstacles, from the ocean.

At this moment, many important officials had to abandon their previous inherent concept of land and look at this magical ocean with a new perspective.

Liu Jin drew a straight line on the map with a red pen and smiled mysteriously: "If we build a road from Yunnan to the coastal cities of Myanmar, can you find something?"

This...

Many important officials couldn't keep up with the pace at all and looked at each other again.

It was just different from the confusion of the previous party. After Liu Jin's explanation, he had a vague idea in his mind.

"Your Majesty does not mean an inch of land in Myanmar, but the Indian Ocean?"

Liu Zhong, the Minister of Agriculture, stared at the line drawn with a red pen and expressed his point of view with enlightenment.

Since there are no gold and silver mines in Myanmar, and now Liu Jin, under the instruction of Your Majesty, pointed out that Myanmar is connected with the West, then the intention is obvious.

Although he felt that investing 5 million taels was too expensive, thinking of the ambition of the emperor in front of him, everything seemed to be explainable.

The East China Sea brought countless silver mines, and Nanyang also had Luzon gold mines. More importantly, these countries became the targets of the Ming Dynasty's maritime trade.

That's why he had every reason to suspect that the wise and powerful emperor was not greedy for the merit of conquering the land of Myanmar, but wanted to march to the Indian Ocean through Myanmar.

When the officials such as Minister of Revenue He Cong heard Liu Zhong's point of view, they also nodded in agreement, but they did not dare to look at the ambitious Emperor Hongzhi with certainty.

In fact, they also had some concerns in their hearts. The investment of 5 million taels was too large.

Although almost every decision made by Emperor Hongzhi since he ascended the throne seemed wise, it turned out that there would be mistakes. Hongzhi was not a perfect emperor after all.

At this time, a eunuch hurried into the hall.

Ah?

The important officials present saw this eunuch who suddenly broke in, and the atmosphere in the whole hall suddenly became tense.

It was not that this eunuch was so terrible, but his appearance contained another meaning. Whenever the highest meeting was held, if it was not a very urgent matter, he must not enter here.

Now this eunuch dared to break in here, which undoubtedly indicated that a major event had occurred in the empire.

That's why all the important officials in the hall became nervous in an instant, staring at the urgent document presented to the emperor, wanting to know the content on it.

Zhu Youtang naturally knew the meaning of the eunuch's intrusion, but his face did not show too much emotion.

Although he slowed down the pace of expansion to the east, he was not sure whether Japan would counterattack Kyushu Island, or whether the wild Jurchens would take the initiative to invade the Northeast granary, or whether Mongolia would suddenly move south.

Zhu Youtang saw Guo Yong pass the urgent letter up, and he took it calmly.

At this moment, the whole Fengtian Hall was filled with a tense atmosphere.

Not all important officials are afraid of war. Jingguogong Li Chengqing was promoted because of military merit, and now he is not afraid of the counterattack of these forces at all.

In fact, if he, the Duke, wants to be hereditary, he needs greater military merit to prove himself and prove that he, the Duke of Jingguo, can expand the territory for the Ming Dynasty.

When Zhu Youtang opened the urgent letter, his face showed a trance.

This...

The important officials such as He Cong, the Minister of Revenue, who are good at observing words and expressions, saw that Zhu Youtang had such a reaction, and suddenly became more nervous.

Zhu Youtang slowly put down the urgent letter in his hand, his eyes turned from blurry to firm, and he said: "God bless the Ming Dynasty! According to the urgent letter just sent back by Zhang Sui, the governor of Luzon, Liu Zhang, the governor of America, has returned to Daming City with the treasure seed, and is expected to arrive in Tianjin in mid-February!"

After two years of waiting, the treasure-hunting fleet that he had high hopes for finally returned successfully.

"Treasure seeds? Are there really treasure seeds outside the East China Sea?"

"Haha... It turns out that Taizu's dreams are all true!"

"It's been two years. God bless my Ming Dynasty. Your Majesty is the greatest emperor in the history!"

...

Facing this treasure seed that has been gradually forgotten and even become a taboo topic, it is now not only confirmed that it really exists, but Liu Zhang has actually successfully brought it back.

If there were doubts about the emperor's decision earlier, now Liu Zhang crossed the East China Sea and brought back the treasure seeds, as if he had supplemented the last shortcoming of the emperor.

Living in this era, how could they not know the value of treasure seeds.

Once the grain output goes up, then China's land will no longer only be able to support 80 million people, but can double several times, so that the country's population will usher in a big explosion, and it can also liberate more people from the land.

Millions of silver were invested in those years, but there was no news for two whole years. This made everyone unwilling to doubt whether there was a continent outside the East China Sea, and whether the treasure seeds really existed?

But now things have come to a great harvest. Liu Zhang brought back the precious seeds from the other side of the East China Sea, and the Emperor Hongye, who directed all this, was simply emitting holy light.

The emperor of the ages, now it is probably not just a slogan.

Zhu Youtang had already known about the existence of potatoes, corn and sweet potatoes, but there were undoubtedly many variables in bringing back this economic crop from the American continent.

Since Liu Zhang's fleet had been missing for two years, he had to doubt that people could not come back.

Zhu Youtang's heart was instantly filled with excitement, and he ordered ecstatically: "Ministry of Rites, immediately arrange for the reception at Tianjin Port!"

"I obey your order!" Zhang Sheng, the Minister of Rites, felt Zhu Youtang's ecstasy and immediately expressed his attitude seriously.

Zhu Youtang put down the urgent document in his hand and looked at Zhao Chengqing: "Duke Jingguo, the matter of precious seeds is related to the rise and fall of China. I would like you to go to Tianjin Port to welcome it on my behalf!"

As soon as these words came out, the important officials present looked at each other in surprise.

Liu Zhang was only a governor, but now he had to appoint a duke to represent the emperor to welcome him. This treatment was unprecedented.

You know, Liu Zhong spent several years measuring every inch of land in Huguang, and the emperor only welcomed him at Zhengyang Gate.

"I accept your order!" Jingguo Duke Zhao Chengqing thought that Liu Zhang really deserved this treatment, and immediately bowed solemnly.

Zhu Youtang met the eyes of the important officials present and said half-jokingly: "When I returned from Jiangnan, the Eastern noble man predicted that I would be angry this year. Haha... I heard such good news shortly after the beginning of the year. What is there to be angry about in the world?"

"God bless the Ming Dynasty, your majesty is wise!" Wang Yue and others smiled knowingly, and naturally did not take Dongfang Dao's prediction seriously.

Zhu Youtang was in a very good mood, so he got back to the point and said, "The reason why I want to open up the Ming-Myanmar Highway is exactly as Liu Aiqing said! The Ming-Myanmar Highway is not in Myanmar, but to open up the southwest of the Ming Dynasty and connect it to the Indian Ocean! I want to make the Ming Dynasty connect to the East China Sea in the east, the South China Sea in the south, and the Indian Ocean in the west in my lifetime, and become a well-deserved maritime overlord. Are you willing to help me?"

Next, the new world will definitely belong to the ocean.

Compared with traditional transportation methods, sailing on the sea is technology, and technology represents advanced productivity.

Although the Ming Dynasty connects to the East China Sea in the east and the South China Sea in the south, it is far from enough to be limited to Asia to become a true maritime overlord.

The reason why he is obsessed with southwest expansion and extends the tentacles of the Ming Dynasty to the chaotic Myanmar region is actually the Indian Ocean.

Although according to the traditional Maritime Silk Road, the Ming Dynasty's fleet sets sail from the southern end of the Ming Dynasty, bypasses the Indochina Peninsula, and can enter the Indian Ocean from the Strait of Malacca.

However, the current navigation technology has considerable risks, and it takes several months. Such a long time span can easily lead to loss of control.

Taking the hegemons of the future as an example, why did Britain lose the United States?

Although the reasons are diverse, they have a lot to do with the distance between the two places. The United States has already become independent, but the British headquarters did not know about it, let alone sending troops.

The shorter the time it takes to transmit a political order, the easier it is to grasp it, otherwise it is easy to be far away from the emperor.

If the Ming Dynasty needs to bypass Malacca to the Indian Ocean to transmit political orders, it will take more than half a year to go back and forth, and the daylily will have been cold.

On the other hand, the Ming Dynasty opened up the Burmese region from Yunnan, so it could directly march to the Indian Ocean.

Whether it is to take a bath in the Nile River in the future, to grow vegetables in Africa, or to spread the Chinese legalist civilization in Europe, Myanmar will become a good springboard.

"Let's do it!"

"Five million taels to open up the Indian Ocean, it's worth it!"

"If those small Burmese countries don't cooperate, my lord will lead the troops to destroy them personally!"

...

Baozhong successfully returned from the New World, proving once again the correctness of Emperor Hongzhi, which ignited everyone's fighting spirit, so they all made new choices in their hearts.

Although the investment of five million taels is too large, thinking of the emperor's various actions over the years, they can't help but be full of expectations for this investment.

"We are willing to die for your majesty!" Jingguogong Zhao Chengqing and others no longer questioned Zhu Youtang's decision, and stated their position with a sincere heart.

Zhu Youtang was very satisfied with the statements of the important ministers present. If the plan of Ming Dynasty to enter the Indian Ocean through Myanmar is successfully implemented, then Ming Dynasty can continue to extend its tentacles westward through the Indian Ocean.

It was noon, and a ray of sunlight fell from the top of the roof as if by magic, and sprinkled on the magnificent hall, forming mottled light and shadow, adding a bit of sacred atmosphere to this solemn occasion.

Zhu Youtang, sitting on the dragon throne in a bright yellow dragon robe, looked deep and firm, and looked more and more like an emperor who was strategizing: "The construction of the Ming-Myanmar Highway is another major event of our dynasty after the search for treasure seeds. It is related to the prosperity of Ming Dynasty and the well-being of hundreds of millions of people. I hope that all the nobles can work together to overcome difficulties and create a new situation for Ming Dynasty!"

Now that the plan has been finalized, the next step is to make suggestions for the construction of the Ming-Myanmar Highway, and also be prepared for the potential resistance to the construction of the Ming-Myanmar Highway.

The biggest resistance is undoubtedly from the many small kingdoms in Myanmar. These small kingdoms may not cooperate, and may even stand up to stop it.

Faced with this possible war, the Ming Dynasty would not hesitate.

Today's Ming Dynasty has long abandoned the concept of "sharing the blessing of peace", but is determined to create a new prosperous era. Those who dare to prevent the Ming Dynasty from reviving will die.

It is okay for small Burmese countries such as Ava to cooperate obediently, but if they dare to stand up and challenge the Ming Dynasty, then the millions of lions of the Ming Dynasty will not be vegetarians.

Jia Jun, the Minister of Works, held a detailed map. After asking Emperor Hongzhi for instructions, he also explained the route and construction plan of the highway in detail to the important officials present.

His fingers kept moving across the map, and he would stop and explain carefully at every key place, fearing that any details would be missed.

With the current infrastructure capabilities of the Ming Dynasty, especially with the most advanced bridge-building technology in the world, there is no big technical difficulty in building this Ming-Myanmar Highway.

Other ministers listened attentively, nodding their heads from time to time to express their agreement or put forward their own opinions, striving to achieve an optimal construction plan.

At this moment, every important official participated seriously.

They clearly felt that they were no longer scholars who were nitpicking, but officials who truly worked for the country and the people, and public servants who were willing to give everything for the new Ming Dynasty.

As for the personal glory and wealth that they had considered before, although it was impossible not to have a little utilitarianism, it has obviously weakened a lot now.

They have all fallen into the blueprint drawn by Emperor Hongzhi, and their hearts are full of longing and expectations for the future, hoping that the Ming Dynasty will become a maritime hegemon facing the three oceans.

This supreme meeting lasted for a long time, and some people even started to hold their urine.

However, when talking about his professional knowledge, Jia Jun, the Minister of Works, seemed to want to fight for the Juren, but he kept showing off his professional knowledge.

In the end, after the joint efforts and repeated discussions of the monarch and his ministers, the plan to build the Ming-Myanmar Highway was finalized.

Zhu Youtang was not from an architectural background, and he was more willing to leave these things to professionals, but he believed that the Ministry of Works would not disappoint him, and the Ming Dynasty would definitely control the entire Indian Ocean through the Ming-Myanmar Highway.

It was in this February with birds singing and flowers blooming that the Ming Dynasty finalized a brand new grand blueprint. (End of this chapter)