First Minister of Ming Dynasty

Zhang Ximeng said earnestly: "The next time I encounter this kind of thing, I don't want to hear those idiots from the Ministry of Rites talk about treating people with kindness and righteousness, and about treating them with kindness and fairness. Our Daming's family is not rich, so we can't afford to be betrayed by them like this! After all This is all people's fat and people's ointment!"

Mao Gui took a deep breath and finally nodded, "Mr. Zhang, the student understands!"

5 Chapter Twenty

Mao Gui accepted Zhang Ximeng's proposition composition, and did not dare to neglect it at all. He put in 120 points of effort, began to consult classics, and worked hard to complete the essay.

With the deepening of research, Mao Gui felt that how to deal with the outside world is a huge knowledge.

According to the information obtained by Mao Gui, the early diplomacy should be the exchange of protons in the pre-Qin period. For example, Qin Shihuang's father was once a proton, and Qin Shihuang spent his youth in Zhao State.

This kind of situation of sending protons was very common in the pre-Qin period. It was probably to show sincerity that a son was sent there. If he violated the agreement, he would lose his flesh and blood first.

And with the unification of the world, the land of the Central Plains became a unified big country. At this time, the foreign exchanges were not exchanges between the vassal states with roughly the same status, but exchanges with the surrounding barbarians.

Therefore, between the Han and Tang Dynasties, instead of sending protons, they made peace.

Marry your daughter in the past.Turn the barbarian leader into his son-in-law.

When Zhao Song arrived, I felt it was too embarrassing to get married, or... let's give New Year coins!

Mao Gui sorted it out all the way, and it was very fruitful, but when it fell on Daming, it seemed to be worth deliberating.

First of all, Zhao Song's old coins can never be given. As for claiming to be a minister, it is a shame and a shame, and he would rather die than do such a shameless thing.

Secondly, marriage marriages in the Han and Tang Dynasties are also not acceptable.

How can I, the noble daughter of the Ming emperor, marry the barbarians of Fanbang?

Even if you come to kneel and beg for marriage, it is absolutely impossible.

Because this matter involves national dignity.

As long as you marry a daughter, if you say you asked for it, they can say it was snatched, and things will not be clear.And once they get married, girls will be very miserable.

The foundation of the founding of our Ming Dynasty is that everyone is the same. From this perspective, women cannot be treated as goods and sent to barbarians in exchange for temporary peace.

Moreover, a weak in-law relationship cannot truly defend peace at all.The so-called marriages are often tragedies one after another.

Our Daming will have a bright future!

No marriage, no vassal, no old money... This is the principle that Daming should stick to.

Mao Gui looked at what he had written, and it seemed that he had an idea, but there was still something missing.

He didn't dare to disturb Zhang Ximeng, but went to see Liu Bowen.

To be honest, Mao Gui is a bit embarrassed, he is a vulgar warrior, and Liu Bowen is a great Confucian in the world, with extraordinary knowledge, that is to say, Zhang Xiang can steadily surpass Liu Bowen, and others can't at all!

But when Mao Gui shyly took out the text, Liu Bowen took a few glances at it before his expression became serious.

"General Mao, you wrote this well!"

Mao Gui blushed, "Mr. Bowen praised me, I, I just wrote about it..."

"No!" Liu Bowen waved his hand, "I can't say that. You summed up the ways of foreign exchanges in the past dynasties, and Zhao Song died at the hands of the Mongols. In the end, China fell, and China was covered in dust. For 100 years, we have all suffered from Zhao Song. The shame of being a minister! We really need to sort out the experience of foreign exchanges, we need to get to the bottom of it, we Ming must not repeat the same mistakes!"

Liu Bowen said with emotion: "This article must be done well, and the truth must be explained thoroughly, so that the world can understand it clearly! General Mao, if this is written well, it will be famous forever, and even be selected as a classroom textbook!"

Mao Gui's eyes widened even more, wasn't it a joke?

He is suffering from the word "school" now.

I was afraid that my grades would not be as good as my son's, and I was afraid of being punished for repeating a grade, which made me feel bad all over.But to be able to write an article, write an article that is enough to be included in the textbook, that would be amazing, and he would be able to straighten his back in front of the three brats and regain his father's dignity!

Even if the article is completed with the help of Zhang Xiang and Liu Bowen, it is something to be proud of for a lifetime.

Mao Gui became even more energetic, and with Liu Bowen's assistance, Mao Gui quickly enriched the information.

For example, in the foreign exchanges of past dynasties, in addition to sending protons, getting married, and indemnity, it also included land cession.For example, in The Theory of the Six Kingdoms, there is a saying that cut five cities today and ten cities tomorrow.

It’s just that Lao Su may not be clear about the cession of land. They were still powerful in the Song Dynasty. They first gave up the land of Yanyun, and then they were robbed of the Northwest by Xixia, and then they even lost the Central Plains.

It made Lu You have to go to Dasanguan to write frontier poems, which can be regarded as completely cutting off the land.

So after their summary, they came up with four principles, no marriage, no money, no land, and no vassal. These are the four basic principles.

Mao Gui discussed with Liu Bowen for some time.

They found that in addition to these diplomatic means to deal with powerful enemies, targeting ordinary barbarians, chieftains, and vassal states would not affect the dignity of the country, but they would also suffer losses in exchanges.

It is the so-called situation of thick to thin.

After thinking about it again and again, Mao Gui felt that a core principle must be added, which was to resolutely defend the interests of Daming.

Liu Bowen nodded, expressing his agreement.

"However, General Mao, there is another situation involved. If we don't give those benefits, and the other party is unwilling to serve Daming as the master, what should we do?"

"Then send troops to conquer?"

Liu Bowen shook his head, "As far as I know, there are quite a few chieftain tribes with a small population and rugged terrain. If you put them there, it won't affect much. But if you send troops to attack, even a [-] army may not be able to take them down. It will waste people and money. It's very troublesome."

Mao Gui thought for a while and said, "Then, we still need to give something... But when we communicate with each other, there must be exchanges. We can't suffer too much!"

Liu Bowen nodded, "Then add four more words: mutual benefit!"

Two people with different identities and different experiences get together, and the more they discuss, the happier they are, and they feel like they hate seeing each other later.Liu Bowen felt that although Mao Gui was a martial artist, he was upright in character, frank and straightforward, and he was a good friend.

Mao Gui also felt that Liu Bowen did not have the arrogance of a literati at all, but instead cared about the world, and he could be called one of the few civil servants with a conscience.The two got together, and after more than ten days of discussion, they finally came up with a draft.

Mao Gui called Liu Bowen to meet Zhang Ximeng together and asked Zhang Xiang to comment.

At this time, Zhang Ximeng had just accompanied his wife around... Originally, he only stayed in Shandong for a while, and after dealing with the Kong family's affairs, he went to Yingtian.

Jiang Nan also planned to go to Yingtian, but things happened one after another, Fudan School was created, soldiers and horses were reorganized, and Korea appeared... Zhang Ximeng couldn't leave for a while, and Jiang Nan came back from Kaifeng, but neither did he. Instead of going to Yingtian, she rushed over to be with her husband.

I still can't neglect my first child.

After all, Jiang Nan didn't work with a big belly.

The Du Branch Bureau is a matter, and it is temporarily handed over to Han Xiuniang. The two consecutive nominations are women, and the Du Branch Bureau also likes to be named the Heroine Bureau.

But if you think that if a woman is in charge of the house, the branch bureau is nothing to worry about, then you are very wrong.

Han Xiuniang was more ruthless than Jiang Nan. At the beginning of her tenure, she successively investigated and dealt with officials, two servants, three magistrates, and twelve county magistrates. This is the answer sheet she handed over to the world in less than half a year.

The sharpness of this butcher's knife was enough to make Sanfasi ashamed.

Seeing Han Xiuniang attacking so ruthlessly, Jiang Nan felt more at ease. As the delivery date approached, she was looking forward to adding a child to the Zhang family.

And Zhang Ximeng, who is about to become a father, is also full of spring breeze and a pleasant smile.

Seeing Mao Gui and Liu Bowen, Zhang Ximeng was shocked when he brought over their articles... No way?No way?These few words that are on the lips of future generations are actually summed up by them?

Zhang Ximeng just wants Mao Gui to write an article that can guide foreign exchanges based on his interests.

But the surprise Mao Gui gave Zhang Ximeng was a bit big.

After looking at it for a long time, Zhang Ximeng picked up a pen, crossed out the word "year coin" and replaced it with compensation.

Then Zhang Ximeng said: "The old coins were used in the Song Dynasty. This indemnity, that is, any form of giving away to outsiders for the sake of peace, is not allowed! With this article, the so-called thick and thin, It will be self-defeating. Persistence in mutual benefit will become inevitable."

Mao Gui and Liu Bowen nodded together in agreement.

After all, Zhang Ximeng is good at writing this kind of article, and he is also an authority in the world.

What Zhang Ximeng has written in these years is naturally not a majestic and magnificent prose... Putting him together with the articles of famous Tang and Song Dynasties, it will appear very rough, or even immature.

But regardless of the appearance, what Zhang Ximeng writes is different. He is re-interpreting the classics, summarizing the past, and elucidating theories... What he wants to do, Confucius has done, Dong Zhongshu has done, and Zhu Xi has done.

Not only did Zhang Ximeng do it, but he also tried to make the article understandable to ordinary people.

Therefore, under Zhang Ximeng's initiative, Daming's official documents became more straightforward and concise, even a bit vernacular.

"You have summed it up very well, but it seems that there is still something missing."

Mao Gui immediately bowed and said, "Please advise sir!"

Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "You said you don't want to do anything, but what we want, it seems that we only talk about mutual benefit. This is just economic and trade exchanges, which is not enough. We need to add a goal and direction to foreign exchanges!"

Liu Bowen was stunned, and immediately said: "Zhang Xiang, we have indeed discussed it, but we haven't reached a conclusion yet, so I ask Zhang Xiang for advice."

Mao Gui also said: "Mr. is not hesitant to teach, and the students are all ears."

Zhang Ximeng thought for a while, then smiled and said, "I'll just say a few words, to safeguard the interests of Ming Dynasty and restore the dignity of China!"

After finishing speaking, Zhang Ximeng added: "Since the collapse of Yashan, the Central Plains have fallen. Whether Huaxia can still do it or not is a very serious question! We established the Ming Dynasty to tell the world that Huaxia is back! Foreign exchanges are to restore Huaxia. position, regain the glory of the past, and establish an order dominated by China... In a word, rebuild China!"

"The country is Ming, safeguard the interests of Ming. The world is China, establish order in China. This is the root of our foreign exchanges!"

Mao Gui and Liu Bowen nodded in unison, "Mr. Zhang has a good opinion!"

Chapter 521 Zhang Xiang Has a Future

After discussions between Zhang Ximeng, Liu Bowen, and Mao Gui, the three finally published an eloquent article with as many as [-] words, which was called a masterpiece of diplomatic outline by later generations, and it turned out to be a masterpiece.

As such a document destined to be recorded in the annals of history, Mao Gui, who was born as a martial artist, actually ranked second, ahead of Liu Bowen. I have to say that this is really an anecdote.

What brilliant insights can a warrior have?

Isn't this nonsense?

Zhang Xiang actually followed the signature and publicized it for him, which would have lost Zhang Yingying's detachment!

With all kinds of thoughts, people opened the article, wanting to see what was written?

As a result, as soon as the article was opened, the meaning of this article was clear from the beginning. It was just four words, and there was a difference between inside and outside.

Ethical patriarchal law, the general morality, cannot be used externally.

The morals and ethics we recognize are limited to our country. The scholar-bureaucrats of the past dynasties are unwilling to study the situation of the barbarians seriously, and they are unwilling to understand the situation of the enemy's country, so they force the domestic experience and apply it to foreign countries. Therefore, various problems of acclimatization have arisen .

It greatly damaged the interests of the country and the dynasty. For example, Song and Jin's maritime alliance jointly dealt with Khitan. As a result, a wolf was sent away and a tiger ushered in, which directly caused Jingkang's shame.

Lessons learned from the past must be observed.

Therefore, when interacting with foreign countries, we must always keep Ming's interests in mind, and put Ming as the first priority. When dealing with foreign affairs officials, we must bear in mind and think clearly about what Ming needs.

In fact, this is attacking the original officials of the Ministry of Rites.

These people don't know what to think. They accepted Gao Li's rhetoric and justification without thinking.

Whatever the feudal kingdom wanted, what would Daming give?

So who is the vassal state?

Who needs whom?

What are Daming's interests?

Are you an official of Ming Dynasty, or a lackey of Goryeo?

Just seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang already applauded and applauded.

"Well written! The insight is brilliant, as expected of Mr. Zhang, of course... Mao Gui is also a rare talent, very good!" After admiring Lao Zhu, he turned his head and asked Guo Ying, "Have you checked, but someone followed me?" Do you have contacts with the Goryeo envoys?"

Guo Ying's heart moved, and his face was slightly embarrassed, "I, I only know that there seem to be people from the Imperial Academy who went boating on the Qinhuai River with the Korean envoys and visited Stone City together."

"check!"

Zhu Yuanzhang sternly said: "Check it out for us. We will find out whoever communicates with foreign envoys in private. If you take advantage of it, you will be killed without mercy!"

Lao Zhu picked up this article again. In the article, it was clearly written that foreign exchanges must be handled by a special yamen.Internally, there can be multiple yamen, arguing with each other.

But when it comes to foreign affairs, a special yamen must be responsible.Otherwise, they will be used by the barbarians to divide and disintegrate Ming Dynasty.

Different yamen will also cause differences due to different interests and be used by others.

As a superior country, falling into the hands of barbarians and being manipulated by others is definitely not something to be proud of.

Therefore, one voice to the outside world is very important, and this is a principle that must be adhered to.

Zhu Yuanzhang thinks so. In fact, just seeing this, Lao Zhu has already affirmed the value of the article.

Some people encouraged Lao Zhu to set up a country without conquest. Looking at this nonsense proposal, apart from some people being really stupid, it is absolutely impossible to rule out the reason why some people have broken hearts.

When Zhu Yuanzhang gave an order, Guo Ying had no choice but to obey. He ordered an investigation, but he was shocked by the result. After the envoys from Korea arrived, they treated guests dozens of times.

No less than a hundred Ming officials were invited to the banquet, including the Ministry of Rites, Honglu Temple, Imperial Academy, Guozijian, and even Zhan Shifu.

In order to entertain the officials of the Ming Dynasty, the envoys of Goryeo spared no expense, not only eating and drinking, but also generously giving presents. Among them, folding fans from the Japanese kingdom, Chengxintang paper from Empress Li, and ginseng from Goryeo gave quite a lot.

This result made Lao Zhu furious!