Chapter 393 It’s better to ask in prison

Author: Potato Sweet Potato Pie

Chapter 393 It’s better to ask in prison

In fact, Xia Yuan felt that if he just asked, what could he do? Besides, there was no need to ask about this matter.

Liu Daxia was a Jinshi for the eighth year of Tianshun and the third year of Chenghua, only three or four years after he became a Jinshi.

At that time, Liu Daxia entered the officialdom for the first time. He was still very young and should not have been tainted by the officialdom. He should have the heart to serve the country and the people.

Why do we say serving the country and the people?

Because Zheng He's voyages to the Western Seas were a complete waste of people and money. In terms of benefits, they showed off their national power to other countries, opened up shipping routes, improved the Ming Dynasty's shipbuilding standards, and increased China's understanding of the ocean.

But there are more disadvantages. It does not conduct overseas trade and uses other countries as dumping grounds for Ming products to earn wealth.

He has an invincible fleet and does not use force to plunder other countries.

He even looked like a fool on horseback. Every time he went to a small foreign country, he was rewarded with large sums of real money and silver. It can be said that Zheng He's voyages to the West were a loss-making business.

Thanks to my grandma's house.

Every voyage costs millions of taels of silver, and what you get is nothing more than some so-called false fame and so-called friendship.

This friendship is a true friendship. Who doesn’t want to be friends with a fool who gives away money all day long?

When those small countries came to pay tribute, they could take away a large amount of wealth from the Ming Dynasty by just buying some local products.

Otherwise, what are the intentions of those small countries who have traveled thousands of miles and worked tirelessly to pay tribute?

Isn’t it because the Ming Dynasty is obviously a powerful empire, but this empire is like a retard?

If you give away some scraps of chicken or dog, you will get silk, gold, silver and treasures in return.

If not, who would want to come? How about I lie down at home and wait for you to drive your fleet to send me money?

No matter how Zheng He's seven voyages to the West are advertised, no matter how great achievements they are regarded as, it is difficult to conceal the absurdity and ridiculousness in them.

A fleet sailed majestically on the sea, sending rewards to those small foreign countries, behind which were the people of the Ming Dynasty who had been drained of their essence and blood.

It is a consensus among people that the voyages to the Western Seas wasted people and money.

Therefore, the subsequent ministers were always opposed to this matter. Emperor Chenghua wanted to impose a maritime ban and return to the Western Ocean, just to waste people and money.

At that time, Liu Daxia burned the nautical charts and the shipbuilding charts. Regardless of whether it was out of public concern for the country and the people or his selfish desire to gain fame, he succeeded in preventing this matter.

But today is different from the past. There are no nautical charts and shipbuilding plans. If you want to sail to the Western Ocean again, you have to start over and explore again.

How much time, energy, and money are required to do this?

After issuing the order to arrest Liu Daxia, Emperor Hongzhi's anger seemed to have found an outlet, and some of it was vented. Upon seeing this, Xia Yuan braced himself and said: "Your Majesty, now there is no shipbuilding plan, no sea map, but I

I feel like the ocean is still going to fall."

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Zhu Youtang turned to him and said, "I have nothing to say."

"I also know how important this voyage to the Western Sea is. Now there are no nautical charts, no shipbuilding documents, and no previous experience to draw from. However, this voyage to the Western Sea is related to our future plans, and we still have to launch it."

"Back then, our ancestor, Emperor Taizong Wen, was able to sail to the Western Seas, and so could I. Our predecessors were able to sail to the Western Seas from scratch, and people today can do the same."

Hearing this ambition, Xia Yuan felt relieved. He hurried to the palace just for this matter, fearing that Emperor Hongzhi would give up on the voyage to the West after hearing that there were no nautical charts or shipbuilding plans.

As long as you don't give up the idea of ​​going to the West because of this, everything can be discussed.

Ma Wensheng sighed secretly, his Majesty still thought too simply about the ocean. Although he was from Henan, he had served as an inspector in Fujian.

Fujian is a province close to the sea, and he knows a little about things on the sea.

The sea is extremely terrifying. Sometimes the wind blows, the sky and the earth change color, and the waves on the sea are hundreds of feet high. In the face of such a powerful force, no matter how many people are there, it is not enough.

And what about monsoons and tsunamis?

Among the nautical documents that were burned, there were not only shipbuilding charts and nautical charts, but also maritime information.

In the vast ocean, if you encounter wind and waves, how to deal with them, when traveling on the sea, how to judge whether there are big waves by looking at the sky, in which seasons the wind and waves will be strong and in which seasons the waves will be light, how to replenish fresh water at sea, on the endless sea

, and how to identify the direction.

These are all recorded with detailed information, records that were explored with human lives by previous generations.

But now that these are gone, how many lives will it take to fill them, and how long will it take? Can their generation see the fleets setting sail, and can they see the sailing fleets returning with grains?

To be honest, Ma Wensheng, the Minister of War, no longer had much confidence in the voyage to the West, and even backed down.

At this time, Xia Yuan mentioned the second purpose of his visit, "Your Majesty, I feel that Liu Daxia might not have burned these navigation documents. Liu Daxia had been an official in the court for several years at that time. He must have known about it.

This court is well behaved.

At that time, he was the head of the Staff Department of the Ministry of War, and his duty was to take care of the map files. If he really burned the charts, the late emperor would not hold him accountable. If he did, he would definitely be accused and even beheaded."

"I feel that Liu Daxia may not have burned it, or that his claim of burning it was just an excuse. He might have hidden the sea chart. If the late emperor had investigated it at that time, he could have taken it out again, which would reduce the guilt to

The minimum is the minimum, so you can be considered prepared."

What Xia Yuan said was not all his own speculation. In fact, there has been controversy in later generations as to whether Liu Daxia burned the charts.

Both parties have their own evidence. One is that if it was not burned, why did the chart data disappear? The other claims that if it was burned, how could there be relevant records about Zheng He's chart in the Military Bei Zhi of the late Ming Dynasty.

After all, what they say makes sense.

But from a logical perspective, even if Liu Daxia wanted to stop this forty years ago, he did not have to burn it with fire. He could just hide it and claim that he had burned it, and his goal would have been achieved.

In addition, there is nothing wrong with Liu Daxia's brain. Although last year, Xia Yuan took the opportunity to say that Liu Daxia was mentally retarded, this was completely a personal attack.

After hearing these words, Emperor Hongzhi couldn't help but feel that they made sense, and hope ignited in his eyes.

Ma Wensheng thought it was reasonable when he heard it. Liu Daxia's purpose was not to burn those navigation materials, but to prevent the late emperor from going to the West.

Thinking like this, he straightened up a little, "Your Majesty, if those charts and documents still survive, but were hidden by him, that would be a great blessing to the Ming Dynasty."

Xia Yuan continued: "Now all we need to do is ask Liu Daxia whether he burned these navigation materials back then, and if he didn't burn them, where he hid them."

"Of course, I feel that in order to prevent Liu Daxia from having the same temper as he did decades ago, it would be more appropriate to question him in prison."
Chapter completed!