Simulates history, but Chongzhen is the Divine Emperor at the beginning

Chapter 124: Pirates and Sea Expeditions

"What? The Prime Minister wants to sail to the West like Zheng He?!"

[Once this news spread, it almost immediately caused an uproar throughout the Ming Dynasty! ]

There are two main reasons.

Firstly, it was too sudden. After all, you had just launched educational reforms. The science course had the eyes of Ming Dynasty students gleaming, leading many to plan to excel in the imperial examinations, hoping to gain the Prime Minister's approval... If they had the Prime Minister's approval, their future careers might actually be bright!

[At this critical moment, you're actually going to the West?!]

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister! Why are you so impatient? Can't you wait for your subjects? No one is forcing you to work, so can't you just take it easy?"

[The reform of the imperial examination system was already a major event that affected the nation's foundation, and now there's the voyage to the West... Aren't you really afraid that the Ming Dynasty will fall to its death from running too fast?]

[Secondly, regarding the voyage to the West...]

Zheng He's voyages to the West took place almost three hundred years ago. Although the Ming Dynasty managed to survive after nearly three hundred years, it hadn't been out to sea in so long that they had no experience at all. Even their nautical charts had been burned... Even if they wanted to resume the voyages, they would have to make preparations, right?

[You're so good, you just restarted it as if it were a dungeon...]

[Furthermore, Zheng He's voyages to the West were described nicely as "declaring national power," but to put it bluntly, it was "showing off wealth"!]

After seven voyages to the West, the Ming Dynasty gained little practical benefit, aside from acquiring a multitude of tributary states that were only capable of defrauding them of their money... What? They brought back a few ships of precious pepper?

[What good would that do? For the Yongle Emperor, a genius at economics, pepper was his best weapon to evade the salaries of his officials... What if the treasure notes depreciated, making them loath to pay? Give them silver?]

[No, no, no! Emperor Yongle will give you pepper directly! See, pepper is valuable enough, right? Why don't you kneel down and thank the emperor for his kindness?]

[The final result was that Ming Dynasty's economic geniuses successfully drove the price of pepper to a new historical low, causing the value of pepper to depreciate at a rate comparable to that of Ming Dynasty treasure notes. I guess the officials who received pepper salaries at the time were almost cursing...]

[Pure gold yuan coupons behavior! ]

Naturally, the miraculous operations of these economic geniuses would cause everyone to resent the whole family, including the costly and laborious voyages to the West. Ultimately, after the reign of Emperor Xuande, the official Ming fleet was no longer seen on the vast Western Ocean...

[Admittedly, Zheng He's voyages to the West did have their positive significance, but this positive significance could not be transformed into actual benefits, so it naturally could not exist for a long time in the Ming Dynasty.]

[Now, although you have already turned the Ming Dynasty's officialdom and customs upside down, the general attitude towards sailing to the West is still the same as before: it is a pure waste of money and effort to show off wealth, so it should be avoided if possible!]

[Furthermore, does the Ming Dynasty still need to promote its national prestige to foreign countries? ]

[To be frank, ever since the Divine Emperor slaughtered people throughout the Ming Dynasty and its surrounding areas, the Ming Dynasty's prestige has skyrocketed!]

[The Divine Emperor sending an atomic bomb to a foreign country would be more effective than Zheng He's hundred voyages to the West...]

[Under these circumstances, the officials really couldn't see any reason to restart the voyages to the West!]

[So when the news of your voyage spread, officials, in a rare move, submitted a letter of opposition to you: "Everyone was fine with the previous things, but this voyage is truly unnecessary!"]

Everyone was very resolute: Unless you force it, this won't work.

[Not only did the officials raise objections, but even the Divine Emperor in the deep palace took the initiative to meet with you.]

He asked you many questions with great concern, such as whether you had been deeply traumatized by the events of the past. For example, were you disheartened and disillusioned with the world?

He even suggested tactfully: If the Prime Minister is disheartened because of my orders, then the Jinyiwei issue could be discussed again...

This surprised you: Is the Divine Emperor really worried about you? Otherwise, why would he say such a thing?

[It's really hard for you to understand his train of thought...]

[However, even if He expresses a willingness to make some concessions, you cannot give up your voyage to the West!]

This isn't because you're arguing with Him, but because you're deeply aware of your own limitations: as long as you're still trying to stage a rebellion under the watchful eyes of the Divine Emperor, your plan to slay the gods will never succeed.

[You must find a new power that is independent of the current divine power system in order to defeat the God Emperor, and this new power is technology!]

Even if it takes a lot of time, even if there are many setbacks along the way, even if the possibility of failure is still high, but... at least it is better than the dead end of divine power. Now that the possibility of a successful rebellion with divine power has infinitely approached zero, you can only bravely try...

So you rejected the Divine Emperor's offer to back down, and the officials' pleas to stay, only to resolutely forge ahead... from leaving the Prime Minister's residence, to leaving the imperial court, and finally leaving the capital.

[Your determination to sail to the West has been made! ]

[However, although you were actively preparing the fleet and various matters for the voyage to the West, you did not go directly to Quanzhou Port to board the ship. Instead, you returned to your hometown in northern Shaanxi first...]

【…】

"Master, you're back?!"

[When you returned to your hometown alone, Li Laiheng came to see you almost immediately after hearing the news!]

You look at Li Laiheng, who looks even older than he did back then, the wrinkles on his face from excitement, his tangled white hair and beard, and you can't help but feel a deep sense of emotion: In your previous life, Li Laiheng and other bandits didn't even live to see this age. They died of old age when you were in your twenties.

[And yet, in this life, he has managed to live to this age thanks to his divine power...]

"Old Li, it's been years since we last met. Are you still feeling well?"

You asked him with concern.

【"Thanks to you, it's too hard!"】

The old thief couldn't help but grin, "Master, I've never forgotten how you asked us to gather strength from recruiting people in Shaanxi!"

"Ever since you came to Beijing to serve as an official in the fifty-first year of the Chongzhen reign, and now, in the ninety-sixth year of the Chongzhen reign... it's been over forty years. I, Old Li, have been spinning tops for over forty years! Finally, the Master wants to use me!"

Old Man Li's beard and hair fluttered as he spoke excitedly, "Now that you're back, are you finally going to slaughter that pig in the capital? I, Old Li, will be the first to chop it off!"

He thought, since you vowed to kill the God Emperor and allowed him to continue leveling in Shaanxi, it was inevitable that you would fight the God Emperor sooner or later. Now that you've returned, it means the time has come. It's time to kill the pig!

[But you shook your head: "No... the plan is temporarily suspended."]

【"ah?"】

Under Li Laiheng's bewildered gaze, you offered no further explanation, only saying in a deep voice, "The time is not yet ripe. I've decided to go out to sea first and find some help from overseas... Old Li, are you willing to go with me?"

"Going out to sea?"

Although Li Laiheng was a little confused, he nodded repeatedly after understanding, "I'm willing to go! I'm willing to go! If the master gives me any orders, even if it's through mountains of swords and seas of fire, I, Old Li, won't frown!"

"Lian Po, a mere mortal, could still mount a horse and fight at the age of seventy. I, however, possess divine power. Even at the age of a hundred, I could single-handedly slaughter my way through Shaanxi!"

"Master, please give the order!"

[Faced with the high-spirited old thief, you nodded.]

【"good!"】

【…】

In the ninety-sixth year of Chongzhen's reign, you brought a group of bandits from Shaanxi who had been cultivating their territory for over forty years, and then headed straight for Quanzhou Port.

[That year, you officially set sail with a Ming fleet consisting of nearly a hundred small and medium-sized ships!]

Your goal is to find great Western scientists and bring them back to Ming... This is the only way you can think of to shorten the time it takes to climb the technology tree.

[Even if it's still unreliable, it's better than doing nothing...]

[You, can't come to Daming for nothing! ]

……

(End of this chapter)