The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 128 The Age of the Sea
Apart from the grand court assembly, the Hall of Literary Glory has not been this lively in a long time.

Of the five hereditary dukes during the Yongle era—the Duke of Yingguo, the Duke of Dingguo, the Duke of Qiguo, and the Duke of Chengguo—only the Duke of Qianguo, who lived far away in Yunnan, was absent.

The commander of the Five Military Commissions.

Minister of the Six Ministries, Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, and Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.

A large group of people stood there.

These powerful and influential people, who were suddenly summoned to the palace, had no idea what was going on.

Judging from the atmosphere in the hall, it should be a good thing.

Li Xianmu gave Zhang Fu a look, and Zhang Fu immediately understood.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Zhu Di, adjusting his belt, said loudly, "I want to set up two government offices. All of you, please give me your opinions."

The emperor's first words shocked the officials who had just entered the palace.

The establishment of any government office means the division of power among other departments and the birth of a large number of bureaucrats.

How could the emperor not consult with these high-ranking officials of the second or third rank before deciding to proceed with such a major matter, but only with these Grand Secretaries?

The six ministers exchanged a subtle glance, wondering which department's interests the emperor would infringe upon later.

Zhu Di himself was also pondering the matter, among which the issue of maritime transport was the most relevant. Regardless of whether the Grand Canal would benefit the country, it would benefit the officials. Once announced, it would inevitably provoke widespread opposition, which was also what he hesitated about the most. When the capital was moved, it was with the imperial edict of the late emperor, and he did not lose his prestige. What about this time?

However, this matter was of great importance, and Zhu Di only hesitated for a moment before making his decision.

"I intend to emulate the Yuan Dynasty's Maritime Transport Office and establish a Maritime Transport Commissioner's Office, with one Commissioner, a second-rank official."

This building was constructed in imitation of the specifications of the three local administrative offices, only one level lower than the Six Ministries, and even higher than the Dali Temple.

But that's not the main point. The real main point is—sea freight!
The emperor wanted to open up sea routes, and since we were not too far from the Yuan Dynasty, they naturally knew that sea routes carried grain.

"His Majesty!
The imperial court has dredged the Grand Canal for several years, and the water is now clear enough to handle grain transported from the south to supply the capital and even the northern expeditions. The canal transport is safe and secure; why then open the perilous sea route?

Starting from the first year of the Yongle reign, the imperial court began dredging the Grand Canal. Previously, the grain and fodder for the northern expeditions were all transported from Jiangnan via the Grand Canal without any major problems.

Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Revenue, also said: "Your Majesty, since the grain transport can proceed smoothly, there is no need to make any further changes. The sea is full of storms, and a slight mistake could sink ships and people. Transporting grain is a major matter for the nation, how can we entrust it to the sea?"

"What will happen to the capital if there are problems with food supplies?"

This is classic thinking: when a system is still functioning, don't touch it to avoid problems.

Furthermore, Natsuhara Yoshiki linked it to the safety of the capital, which was a perfectly valid reason.

Li Xianmu immediately retorted, "Minister Xia is wrong. Just because the canal canal can be unimpeded, does that mean it can remain unimpeded in the future?"

Doesn't Minister Xia care about the annual expenses for maintaining the canal and the manpower and resources spent on it?

Moreover, using sea transport does not mean that river transport will be completely abandoned.

If half of the grain supplies from Jiangnan were shipped by sea, the damage to the Grand Canal would inevitably be reduced, the court would spend less on maintenance, and the manpower and resources required would also be less.

This would be a good thing for both the imperial court and Jiangnan, so why does Minister Xia oppose it?

Xia Yuanji was taken aback upon hearing this. He was from Jiangnan, as were most of the civil officials in the hall. He had originally opposed it, but Li Xianmu reminded him.

"Is this matter beneficial to Jiangnan?"

Xia Yuanji couldn't help but look at his fellow Jiangxi native, Yang Shiqi, and then saw Yang Shiqi nod slightly, at which point Xia Yuanji immediately shut his mouth.

Li Xianmu smiled slightly. The reason why none of the cabinet ministers in the hall had spoken up to refute this matter was that it would save grain from Jiangnan.

It is no exaggeration to say that the imperial court may even reduce agricultural taxes in Jiangnan in the future, because there will be less grain being wasted.

Now is the most opportune time to propose maritime transport, even though officials along the canal have already tasted the benefits of transporting grain.

However, the huge interest group (which depended on the livelihoods of millions of canal workers) had not yet been fully formed, and the emperor was at the peak of his power!
Among the three provinces south of the Yangtze River, Zhejiang and Southern Zhili, which have interests at sea, are the most likely to oppose it, but they have just been attacked and cannot spare the strength. Jiangxi, being an inland province, is naturally unlikely to oppose it.

Everything was part of Li Xianmu's plan!

The people who actually suffered losses this time were the northerners, but unfortunately, they were too weak in the imperial court.

Only Song Li, the Minister of Works, struggled to say a few words: "Your Majesty, since ancient times, agriculture has been the foundation of society. Farmers are honest and law-abiding citizens. Fishermen, on the other hand, are born on the water and are therefore cunning and cruel, and have been relegated to the status of lowly people. How can the court now emulate such lowly people?"

This sentence is not only an objection, but also an implication about coastal provinces. Li Xianmu knew that Song Li was from Henan.

Henan borders the Yellow River, and there are many vested interests involved in the section of the Grand Canal along the Yellow River. Officials at all levels are likely to be corrupt.

Although Li was close to the northerners, he never felt that the northern literati were any better than the southern literati.

Now, with the matter of grain transport involving interests, their treacherous and ruthless side has indeed been exposed.

Zhu Di was somewhat stunned, never expecting that the maritime transport would not encounter such great resistance.

The military officers naturally kept their distance, but why were the civil officials so unresponsive?
But he quickly realized why.

Because these officials are all central government officials, the real beneficiaries are the provinces and localities. Wherever the canal flows, there will inevitably be huge benefits. This matter will only attract a lot of opposition after it is announced.

"I did not expect you all to be so reasonable, but you are all intelligent. I hope that since you have agreed now, you will not remain silent in the future."

Zhu Di's words were an implication that if he agreed now, then when local officials objected later, they shouldn't pretend to be dead.

Li Xianmu knew he was in trouble as soon as he heard that.

What's wrong with the Emperor today? How could he say such muddled things? It's a good thing that these central ministers don't object. They actually want them to help him deal with local officials. What kind of pipe dream is that?

Will these people ever return to their hometowns?

The officials also looked at the emperor in shock.

Has the emperor gone mad?

Even if they remain silent, they'll be criticized; why should they help the emperor deal with the villagers?

Zhu Di instantly regained his senses. He had indeed been somewhat dazed, and as a result, he blurted out what was on his mind.

The hall contained only a group of dukes with no vested interests, as well as Jian Yi from Sichuan, Zheng Ci from Fujian, and Liu Jun from Huguang. Since the Grand Canal did not pass through these three provinces, there was not much of a reaction.

Before the ministers could object again, Li Xianmu spoke up: "Your Majesty, this is a good thing that benefits the country and the people. I believe that all the officials in the country will agree. If anyone disagrees, they must be up to no good."

I had previously heard that some people were embezzling funds along the route of transporting grain from Jiangnan to the capital. Perhaps only these people would oppose it.”

Having been given a way out, Zhu Di immediately accepted it, saying, "That's exactly what I meant!" At this point, the ministers no longer objected.

"The selection of the Directorate of Maritime Transport and the regulations have been discussed by the Six Ministries. Please give me a final result, and I will consider it carefully."

At this point, Jian Yi, the Minister of Personnel, spoke up: "Your Majesty, this yamen is a second-rank yamen. If it is located in the capital, it is no ordinary yamen."

This is a truly high-ranking official, a second-rank official.

In the Ming Dynasty, this rank was only available in local areas, because officials in the capital were automatically ranked one rank higher.

For example, a provincial governor who was a second-rank official and came to the capital would usually be appointed as a vice minister of one of the six ministries, which was considered a sign of being given an important position and being promoted.

Now that the emperor has set up an office of the second rank, the deputy, according to the custom of the Ming Dynasty, is of the third rank. It is really difficult to choose the right person.

If people are selected from local areas, then transferring a second-rank local official to the capital to hold the second-rank position is equivalent to a promotion of two ranks, which is bound to cause dissatisfaction.

The best way is to select people from the third-rank officials in the capital. There are twelve vice ministers in the six ministries.

Although this promotion is not as good as being promoted directly to Minister, it still means being in charge of a department, and a very lucrative one at that.

Only the emperor could choose the people.

Zhu Di also realized that he could only choose a few people, either from the five ministers of the Court of Judicial Review, who were all of the third rank.

"Let me think about it some more. You can choose these people for the structure and officials below."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The selection of the next person was easy; those of the third rank could be directly transferred from among the subordinates. Everyone looked at the Minister of Personnel with envy; this was the power of a high-ranking official, especially at such a moment.

The dukes were puzzled. Why were they being called in to discuss such matters?

These matters have nothing to do with military affairs; why not just discuss them with the civil officials?

"In addition to the Maritime Affairs Bureau, I also want to establish a new Military Affairs Bureau."

Zhu Di didn't let them guess. He pointed directly to the geomantic map and said, "Just now, Li Xianmu gave me a reminder."

When shipping goods across the sea, one must guard against pirates, and even against Japanese pirates from places like Japan.

I have considered that Jiaozhi is also located by the sea, and its people often rebel. My Great Ming army will send troops from the capital to Jiaozhi, which is a distance of ten thousand miles.

Their provisions were too heavy to bear.

I considered that Yunnan is very close to Jiaozhi, and that sea transport is convenient. Places such as Qiongzhou, Yizhou, and Ryukyu are all very close to Jiaozhi.

"I want to be here in Jiaozhi."

As he spoke, Zhu Di pointed out the seaport that Zhang Fu had mentioned to him, saying, "Build a city here, and establish a garrison within it. All the grain needed for the garrison will be transported by sea from the imperial court."

Then, a similar garrison would be established in Qiongzhou.

Zhu Di then pointed to a corner that faced the Jiaozhi garrison across the sea, saying, "This garrison was used to keep an eye on Jiaozhi."

Then, garrisons were established in several coastal locations along the route of the Ming Dynasty.

These garrisons differed from those of the Ming Dynasty; their main personnel were the navy led by Zheng He on his voyages to the Western Ocean!

Online trolls!

Ocean-going naval force!

In the past, the navy only sailed on inland rivers. All the so-called naval battles were actually just on the Yangtze River for crossing. But now the court really wants to build a navy that can sail on the vast ocean!
The purpose of the naval forces was also very clear: to consolidate the newly established Jiaozhi Provincial Administration Commission!
With this navy, even if it's Jiaozhi, thousands of miles away, the Ming army can arrive quickly!
Why didn't anyone think of such a good idea before?

If Li Qi were here, he would tell them that it was because the shipbuilding and navigation technologies of the past were too poor. Although the Yuan Dynasty was very poor, because it did nothing, the science and technology of the people were surprisingly good. Astronomy, navigation and shipbuilding all ushered in great development.

Second, fixed mindsets can be deadly.

If Ming Dynasty fleets could sail as far as Africa, wouldn't it be easy for them to just wander around their own backyard in the East China Sea, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea?
"Your Majesty, what about the matter of establishing a few garrisons?"

Why summon all four dukes to the palace just to set up a few garrisons?
Zhu Di waved his hand and said, "These garrisons are not under the jurisdiction of the Five Military Commands. I want to establish a new Naval Command, which is on the same level as the Front, Rear, Left, Right and Central Commands, and will be in charge of managing these naval garrisons!"

boom!
Everyone was stunned, even Li Xianmu was shocked by the emperor's extravagant gesture.

Compared to this news, the establishment of a second-rank government office is nothing.

When the Ming Dynasty was first established, there was a Grand Military Commission. Because of its great power, the emperor also served as the Grand Military Commissioner.

Later, the system of prime minister was abolished, and the Grand General's Office was also abolished. Instead, it was replaced by the Five Military Commissions: Central, Left, Right, Front, and Rear, which respectively managed the capital and the garrisons in various places. Each of these five military commissions had a left and a right commander.

Both of these Left and Right Commanders-in-Chief are high-ranking officials of the first rank!

In other words, there are ten first-rank official positions in the Five Military Commands!

In terms of rank, the Ministers of the Six Ministries were not even worthy of carrying his shoes, and even the Imperial Clan Court was not good enough to be defeated by the Five Military Commands.

Establishing a naval command would be equivalent to creating two more first-rank military officer positions.

Now all four dukes knew why the emperor had summoned them.

This is a huge undertaking; it represents a genuine transformation of the military system.

Almost everyone's attention was drawn back to the geomantic map. Could such a few garrisons really support a governor's mansion?
The emperor probably wanted more than just that!
Li Xianmu suddenly awoke from his dream. He looked up at Zhu Di and saw that Zhu Di was also looking at him. He saw endless ambition in the emperor's eyes, like a burning wildfire. He had seen such eyes before on the banks of the Onon River!
That was a longing for a picturesque land!

That's ambition for a vast territory!

A word suddenly popped into his mind: a country that cannot be conquered?

It should be said that these are countries that are not worth conquering or that are difficult to conquer.

It seems like a wind has risen in the world; it's very noisy.

Whizzed past.

The world has changed!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean marked the first time the Ming Dynasty showcased its advanced shipbuilding technology to the world. Li Qi and Li Xianmu, father and son, strongly advocated moving the capital to Beijing, one of their purposes being to propose maritime grain transport to the Ming emperor, thus ensuring the continued existence of the Ming Dynasty's invincible fleet.

From naval escorts to the establishment of naval garrisons, everything unfolded so naturally. The great Emperor Yongle keenly recognized the power inherent in this process and propelled its establishment with immense administrative force. From then on, the Ming Dynasty slowly but resolutely marched towards the maritime age! —From *Five Hundred Years of the Ming Dynasty*

(End of this chapter)