Daming: At the start of the showdown, Lao Zhu was stunned

Chapter 840 Potential Crisis
Zhu Yuanzhang also supported the Ming Dynasty's policy of changing from recuperation to expansion. He was a founding emperor who cared deeply about his descendants, and he hoped that one generation would accomplish the work of hundreds of generations. Expanding territory was essentially to accumulate assets for the Ming Empire. Even if there were crises in the future, a stronger asset would give future generations more opportunities to turn the tables.

Thanks to Zhu Su's foresight, the Ming Dynasty's expansion of territory in recent years has been very smooth: the Ming Dynasty always intervened in the civil strife of other countries at a critical time point, and achieved unexpected results with a little effort. It is precisely because of this that the Ming army never suffered losses in these foreign expansion wars. The army that went out to conquer all directions did not drag down the Ming Dynasty's economy. Instead, it brought the gold mines of Yingzhou and Fengmingzhou, the human resources of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, the furs and mountain products of the grasslands, the spices and marine delicacies of Southeast Asia, as well as prosperous trade and countless taxes to the court.

The imperial court became stronger and stronger as the war went on, and the entire Ming Dynasty was filled with confidence. Both the military and civilians were eager to achieve merit and fight.

However, Liu Bowen saw in this memorial a hint of impending crisis hidden in the midst of the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty: He believed that although the Ming Dynasty seemed mighty and powerful, the Ming territory had never truly been able to recuperate since its founding.

In order to seize those golden opportunities, the imperial court had to ignore the fact that the local people of the Ming Dynasty were exhausted and the fields were barren, and they had to develop military and commerce. In order to expand the territory and benefit the country, such actions were understandable. After all, opportunities wait for no one. If you miss it, you don't know if there will be such an opportunity again in hundreds or thousands of years. Therefore, during his lifetime, Liu Bowen was also a loyal supporter of the policy of expanding the territory.

But then... it was different from the past. All along, the Ming Dynasty had been expanding its territory by relying on the vigor it had just established, as well as the founding generals and elite soldiers who were still full of vigor. However, it is now the 20th year of Hongwu, and most of the founding generals and soldiers are old. Even if there are still some who are still strong, they should be tired after years of fighting. But if new soldiers are forced to be recruited, it will consume the people's strength. Since the end of the Yuan Dynasty, only one in ten people has survived, and the Central Plains is barren, with even ten miles of uninhabited areas. Even though many Japanese and Koreans were recruited to open up wasteland and cultivate, China is the China of the Chinese after all, and those foreign serfs are, in the final analysis, just a stopgap measure.

Times are changing. If the Ming Dynasty wants to develop, it cannot be conservative and stubborn. In the past, the old learning that was based on old ideas was stubborn. Fortunately, the new learning has emerged, and Your Majesty is brave and powerful, so the Ming Dynasty has become strong today. But now that the neighbors have submitted to us and Europe is far away, if we still force ourselves to conquer, I am afraid that before we can digest the sweetness we have gained, trouble will arise in the Ming Dynasty.

Liu Bowen believed that now was the time to change the policy. The Ming Dynasty should temporarily stop conquering, recuperate, manage the population, concessions, Fengmingzhou and other matters, first gain a firm foothold, and then look for opportunities to move out and continue to expand the territory... Otherwise, if the foundation is unstable, even if there are more merits, it is likely that the old Mongol Empire will fall apart and suffer constant internal strife after the death of Genghis Khan.

No wonder Liu Bowen submitted this memorial after his death... A change in a national policy often involves the interests of countless individuals and groups. In the past, when the Ming Dynasty changed its national policy, it affected the interests of many old-style bureaucrats, and many officials opposed it. It was Zhu Yuanzhang, with his supreme prestige as the founding emperor, who suppressed all these evil spirits with an iron fist. Today's policy of expanding territory has also involved the interests of countless interest groups. In terms of the number of years it has existed, it is even longer than the policy of recuperation in the early years... If Liu Bowen had proposed this policy in public when he was alive, I'm afraid he would have been criticized.

"Biao'er?" Seeing that Zhu Biao was still frowning in a daze, Old Zhu asked.

"..." He seemed to know the importance of this memorial. If he was not careful, the Ming Dynasty might go from prosperity to decline. As the crown prince, Zhu Biao had to be extremely cautious when speaking.

However, Zhu Biao was no longer a hesitant person. More than a decade of political experience had honed him into a qualified successor. He thought for a while, then gritted his teeth and said, "Father, I think what the Marquis Chengyi said in his will is very reasonable!"

Zhu Su couldn't help but admire him secretly. Zhu Biao's words were enough to prove that he had the courage and determination that a strong monarch should have, just like Zhu... If he chose to change the fundamental national policy of the Ming Dynasty, how many officials' interests would be affected? Zhu Biao would lose the hearts of many officials in an instant, and perhaps even bear a stigma... Zhu Biao's ability to ignore this shows that he was a great monarch.

"Oh?" Isn't this a test for Zhu Biao? Seeing that Zhu Biao did not choose to be with the world, Zhu was also relieved. "Why? Tell me, what is your idea?"

"Good Godfather, please know... the government affairs of our Ming Dynasty are indeed difficult." Zhu Biao showed bitterness on his face. Zhu Su then noticed that this elder brother, who should be only thirty years old now, actually had a lot of wrinkles around his eyes.

"I am trusted by your majesty and am in charge of the cabinet. You have also given me the power to govern and make decisions. I work diligently every day and dare not slack off for even a moment."

"But in recent years... there have been so many things to do, I often sit in the cabinet to review things, and forget to eat and sleep for three to five days."

"The Ming Dynasty has spread its power far and wide, expanding its territory, and its majesty is unstoppable. However, many provinces on the mainland are now empty... not because of financial problems, but because there are too few people."

"The Ming Dynasty was established only 20 years ago. Although the population has grown during these 20 years, it is far from saturation. As Liu Shi, the Marquis of Chengyi, said in his memorial, many fields in the Central Plains have been left barren for a long time and no one is cultivating them. The court has also taken many measures to encourage the people to open up wasteland, but due to the lack of population, the results are minimal."

"Because of the prosperity of the military and commerce, and the court has abandoned the household registration policy that prevents generations from changing occupations, most of the newborn children in the Ming Dynasty are determined to do business, join the army, or go to sea, but are too lazy to farm. In the long run, although the national finances are sufficient, the people are unwilling to farm, which will surely lead to disasters and chaos."

Zhu Su nodded secretly, agreeing with what Zhu Biao said. The change in the atmosphere of the country has led young people to prefer going to sea, joining the army, and doing business instead of farming, which will inevitably lead to a sharp decrease in arable land in the Ming Dynasty. Even if the divine seeds are obtained in the future, if few people cultivate them, the output will certainly not be able to supply the needs of the whole country in disaster years. At this time, there is no mechanized farming... Even if the potato divine seeds have an amazing harvest, there must be someone to tend and harvest them, right?
Although we can seek help from the major vassal states or the affiliated territorial states...but as a great country like China, if the food policy is in the hands of others, who knows whether the territorial states will not see the weakness of China and have evil intentions to take over China in the future?
You know, one of the main reasons why Zhu Yuanzhang agreed to expand the territory was to lay down more arable land for his descendants... Now the arable land has been laid down, but because of the changing customs in China, no one wants to farm it anymore. Isn't this putting the cart before the horse?

(End of this chapter)