3.7.8 The West and the East ---Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism Chapter
Zheng He nodded and said: " Emperor Yongle said, 'Hua Yi is a family, and I am the emperor according to the destiny of heaven. "We are all innocent, how can we have each other?" So we and tens of thousands of navy sailed on more than a hundred large ships to travel to foreign lands, and we were able to expand our territory and make progress."
Xiao Wu was greatly surprised. Said: "You are going to open up territory? Are you really so ambitious? I remember it said in "History of the Ming Dynasty": "Chengzu suspected that Emperor Hui had died overseas, and wanted to trace it, and wanted to show off his troops in foreign lands to show China's prosperity." That's all. I just want to say that your fleet has two purposes. One is to find the whereabouts of Emperor Jianwen, and the other is to show off your power in distant places."
Zheng He said with a smile: "Most of the people who write history in China know nothing about foreign lands. How do you know the ambition of becoming an ancestor? "
" Emperor Yongle often liked to appoint Semu people, Mongolians, and Koreans as officials. This was tabooed by Han Confucians, so I have no such knowledge in the books of those people. Before his last voyage to the West, he erected a stone tablet at the Tianfei Temple in Changle (Fuzhou). The text was "The God of Tianfei should be remembered", and he engraved a summary of the missions of all previous overseas voyages:
'The emperor and the Ming Dynasty mixed together in the sea, and their stories lasted for three generations. The Han and Tang Dynasties were bounded by heaven and earth, and they would not surrender to concubines. The country in the west and north of the Western Region was far away, but the journey could be calculated... He and others were ordered to command tens of thousands of officers and flag troops on a huge ship. More than a hundred ships were exchanged for money, so Xuande was transformed and Rouyuan people were also..."
Xiao Wu thought quickly: "Could this inscription mean that after the unification of the Ming Dynasty? , it feels like it has surpassed the Han and Tang Dynasties; wherever the heaven and earth go, they are nothing more than the subjects of and the Ming ! Arrived smoothly. "
" Yes, the inscription you set is of course first-hand information . However, you have "more than a hundred" giant ships and an army of gold and silver, and your purpose is only to "educate." "Rouyuan people'? What is the purpose of this?"
Zheng He said softly: "My ancestors once sat in Yunnan - in the Yuan and Ming dynasties, Yunnan Pingzhang's approach of suppressing foreign barbarians in the southwest is of course very familiar. "
" Moreover, Emperor Yongle's strategy for the Central and South China area also echoes that of the voyage fleet. The ultimate goal of our overseas voyage is to make the countries along the needle route become places similar to "三兴六狠""
小. Wu was shocked and said: "I know that the 'Three Propaganda and Six Comforts' include Burma, Northern Thailand, Laos, and other places. Although they belong to foreign vassal countries, their control was quite stable in the early Ming Dynasty. "
" Moreover, Emperor Yongle also took advantage of the civil strife in Annan to annex its territory. This shows that Chengzu's ambition to unite Central and Southern China cannot be ruled out. But do you still have ideas about the farther west? Is it really possible to have such a big appetite? "
Zheng He smiled and said: "Things like Ming Dynasty's annexation of Annan are probably accidental. Generally speaking, as long as the vassal state that is determined to be a vassal can pay tribute to the capital every few years and maintain communication and trade in peacetime; the Ming Dynasty is outside the territory, but it has something to ask for, and the foreign vassal can help if it is urgent. "
" Since Emperor Yongle, Master Dao Yan and others have such ambitious plans, far-sighted vision, and understand their intentions, I am also willing to surpass their predecessors and make a difference. And the predecessors I am talking about refer to the Yuan Dynasty, not the weak Song Dynasty. It should be noted that the ocean territory of Dayuan has reached far and wide, reaching into the sky, so I have to work very hard. "
Xiao Wu said in surprise: "You call the Chinese orthodox Song Dynasty the weak Song Dynasty? "
Zheng He nodded calmly and said: "When there was the Song Dynasty, the world was divided into seven, regardless of distant vassals. How could it not be weak? Of course, there were indeed many Han ministers in the court who always told Song Confucians how they should behave. Emperor Yongle has always been at odds with their thoughts, so he entrusted the tasks of other vassals to me."
Chart 18 The Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period 2.0 Edition
Chart 18 The Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period 2.0 Edition
Pictures from the Internet
Xiao Wu suddenly said: "It turns out that it is because of the cultural war! If you were placed in the previous dynasty, you would be considered a Dali person, not a Song person, so naturally you don't have to buy into their fault! It’s no wonder that those Confucian officials would try their best to write articles to blackmail Emperor Yongle , Master Daoyan, and you as well. "
Zheng He said softly: "Since we have the mission to 'Rouyuan people and promote virtue', the first step is to 'Rouyuan people' and establish contacts with people from distant countries that we were not familiar with before. "
" After the communication between the two parties is harmonious, it will not be too late to look for opportunities to educate. Therefore, when I went to the West for the first time, I completely adhered to this idea. I didn't worry about small gains and losses, and I first sought a place overseas where I could stay. Don’t seek extraordinary achievements, seek steady and steady progress first. "
Chart 19: Names of countries along the Ming Dynasty's voyage to the West (part)
Chart 19: Names of countries along the route of the Ming Dynasty's voyage to the West (part)
Xiao Wu nodded and said: "In this way, it is reasonable. Everything is difficult at the beginning. Did your first voyage go well? "
Zheng He shook his head slightly and said: " In the third year of Yongle (1405), our entire fleet swore to set off and sailed south from the ocean. Along the way, we visited many countries and opened our eyes. But after all, it was the first time, and there were quite a few crises encountered, so we could only try to find ways to deal with them. "
Xiao Wu said strangely: "Oh? Then tell me, what are your experiences and crises?
Zheng He nodded and said gently: "First of all, we arrived at Champa ( Champa ) below Annan, and found that Hinduism, Confucianism , Buddhism, and Islam were popular here at the same time. It was really surprising. However, religious conflicts were also very intense. "
" I heard that many Song people moved to Champa in the early Yuan Dynasty, and the Confucian literary style became more and more popular here. The people of the Song Dynasty evaluated the culture of the rulers and ministers of Champa very highly - "Not only were their ministers talented in poetry, but their masters were also good at writing, and their reputation as cultural relics was as good as that of Korea and far ahead of Japan." "
Xiao Wu said in surprise: "Does this mean that the Chinese level of Champa people is equivalent to that of North Korea, and far exceeds that of Japan? It’s incredible!
Zheng He blinked and said with a smile: "Then I will read a poem and give you an example:
I cry bitterly for the old lady from the south of the Yangtze River, and
the spring breeze wipes away my tears for sadness."
chronicles the world for no reason,
causes life and death in the world.
Thousands of white clouds cover the homeland, and a handful of loess covers the incense name.
The heroic soul is easy to flow eastward,
Don't complain to the side. "
" This poem was written impromptu when the king of Champa met the exiled scholars of the Southern Song Dynasty to appease the pain of the destruction of his country and his family. His literary talents are also quite impressive. Therefore, starting from Emperor Hongwu of this dynasty, because the people in Champa knew Chinese characters, the Ming Dynasty began to open schools in Champa to recruit scholars. Since then, the imperial examination has become a common practice, and other religions have become weaker. "Zheng He added.
Xiao Wu was shocked and said: "What a poem! The Ming Dynasty actually admitted people with Champa school status to take part in the imperial examination? It's a pity that I haven't heard of anyone who passed the Jinshi exam! Otherwise, it will definitely leave its name in history! "
" By the way, Champa is located in the Indochina region, where the Sino-Indian culture conflicts, and the conflicts between natural culture and religion are fierce---it is normal for one to wax and wane. "
Zheng He nodded and said: "Because Champa is also at the strategic point of the sea route, Arab Islam was also introduced during the Yuan Dynasty. But I also found that because it is not the mainstream, Islam has little prospect of existing here. Soon the fleet went south to Java Island , where we encountered a crisis, which made me feel mixed. "
Xiao Wu said in surprise: "Mixed joys and sorrows? how do I say this? "
Zheng He said softly: "When the fleet went to Java Island, I was quite vigilant. After all, this is the core territory of the great country Manchu Boyi . "
" The lessons learned from Dayuan's failed expedition to East Java were huge. The root cause is probably because the Yuan army intervened in the internal fighting in Java. Therefore, before setting off, Master Daoyan and I had discussed this lesson, saying that Javanese customs favor revenge killings, and we and other people from afar should not easily intervene in their internal fights."
" But I didn't expect that what I was afraid of would happen. I tentatively sent out a small team to land in the east of Java Island. A total of more than 170 people came ashore for trade. They happened to run into a fight between two local kings - the troops of the Western King mistook them for the troops of the Eastern King, and killed them all without any explanation. "
Chart 20 Map of Central Java and East Java
Chart 20 Map of Central Java and East Java
Pictures from the Internet
Xiao Wu breathed out quickly and said: "What bad luck! This is really a test for you! "
Zheng He nodded and said: "Not bad. After learning that all the boatmen who had landed ashore were killed, everyone aboard the huge ships, whether they were captains or sailors, were all excited and just wanted revenge, so that the Javanese people would know how powerful our Daming Navy was. "
" It took me a lot of effort to calm down. After all, the situation was unclear and I couldn't act rashly. So we ordered the fleet to cruise back and forth along the coastline of the northeastern part of Java Island, and we must let the locals see our strength clearly. "
" At the same time, we also found that there were many descendants of the Tang Dynasty on the shore. In Tuban alone, there were more than a thousand people from Zhangzhou and Guangdong. It was also for this reason that the local chiefs took our boatmen and The troops involved in the war made a mistake. So after asking those Tang people to help communicate between the two parties, we figured out the whole story. "
Xiao Wu nodded and said: "Is that King Xi scared to death? Are you afraid that you will settle a score with him? "
Zheng He nodded and said: "Not bad. After he learned about the situation and saw the strength of the Ming Navy, he sent someone to my ship to admit his mistake and said he was willing to use gold to compensate for innocent lives. I thought about it carefully and replied: Since the attitude of confessing is acceptable, I am also willing to forgive them. However, I cannot make any private opinion on the specific amount of compensation. I would like to ask the King of the West to send an envoy to accompany me back to the Ming Dynasty and wait for the emperor to make a decision. "
" made this decision because it did not want to get involved in the internal strife in Java. After all, even if the King of the West is destroyed, it will only benefit the King of the East, and how will it benefit the Ming Dynasty? When the Yuan army invaded Java, they suffered similar losses and were defeated, so I don't want to go into details. Moreover, the dead are already dead. If they can use this opportunity to allow the Ming forces to establish a foothold on Java Island, their death will not be in vain. "
Xiao Wu nodded heavily and said: "What you said makes sense! So I thought you were pretending to be generous? So, you will establish a foothold on Java Island from now on? "
Zheng He smiled and said: "Of course, in fact, Java Island is my blessed land. I went to Java six times during my seven voyages to the West. Every time I went there, I felt like I was back home. "
Xiao Wu was very surprised and said: "Why? Were you an Indonesian in your previous life? "
Zheng He said softly: "It doesn't matter, let me tell you my overall view of overseas foreign lands. Generally speaking, separated by the South China Sea Needle Road, overseas is divided into two major domains, the Eastern Ocean and the Western Ocean - the East Ocean domain refers to the countries to the left of the Needle Road (the left side of the route), and the Western Ocean domain refers to the countries to the right of the Needle Road (the right side of the route).
Xiao Wu interjected: "Yes, actually you have sailed to both major domains, right?" But why do people always say you went to the West, but no one ever said you went to the East? "
Zheng He said with a smile: "Because everyone in the world thinks that the Western Territory is more important. The trade route from the Ming Dynasty to Tianfang was an important route, and most of the roads along the route were Western lands. If you wanted to buy and sell products, you would most likely have to take this route. "
" However, I made another discovery that few others know about, and that is the uniqueness of the Oriental Domain. Precisely because no one paid attention to it before, this place is largely virgin territory.
Xiao Wu asked doubtfully: "So, the Western Territory represents the Maritime Silk Road, and at the same time, the Eastern Territory has not been developed much?" "
Zheng He said softly: "Except for Luzon , the main body of the Eastern Territory is the Majapahit Empire. Previously, I thought that this country was very powerful, ruling countless island countries with Java as its center. "
"But after having a deeper understanding of the situation in Java, I realized that the country of ten thousand islands has long since fallen apart, with endless civil strife and independent islands.Moreover, religion here is not deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and there is a lot of room for transformation. "
Xiao Wu was shocked and said: "Could it be that you want to rule the Majapahit Empire? "
Zheng He shook his head and said: "It is not necessary to rule, but I have deeply considered the balance of the South China Sea. To put it simply, it is to allow the Eastern and Western domains to check and balance each other. "
Xiao Wu Daqi said: "I have never heard of it, but I would like to hear the details! "
Zheng He said slowly: "The sailors saw that many Javanese people are superstitious, worship evil spirits, eat insects, ants and earthworms, carry knives with them, and assassinate those who touch children's heads. Temple fairs Kill with vindictive bamboo guns, cremate, and bury them. And so on, to name a few, they are completely transformed into barbarians. "
" However, its customs are barbaric, but they have not practiced religion, and the people are all innocent, so it is easy to educate them. "
Xiao Wu said in surprise: "I remember that Hinduism was not popular in Java before? There are still a few people who believe in Buddhism. Aren’t world religious miracles such as Borobudur and Prambanan built there? How can it be that he has not practiced religion? "
Zheng He said softly: "You are talking about some Javanese kings who did believe in Brahmins and built some buildings with great ambitions. However, this is not the case among the people. Ordinary Javanese people have nothing to do with the nobles, and no king is willing to educate them. Therefore, many mountain people believe in ghosts, gods, and gods, and their thoughts are quite primitive. "
"I heard that the upper echelons of the Majapahit Empire were good at strategizing and did not like to be moralized. Their conquests on various island states often left behind generations of hatred, so it was not long before they were exonerated. I did exactly the opposite.
Xiao Wu just understood: "So, you can use more advanced religion to slowly conquer the minds of Javanese people, right?" This is much more effective than using guns to conquer them. "
Zheng He nodded and said gently: "This is not only the case in Java Island, but in fact the entire Eastern Ocean. As for the so-called religions, as far as I know well, there are only four types: Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Hui. "
"But according to what I have observed, it will be more difficult to educate countries in the Western region; because most of them already have a strong religious background, they can only take advantage of the situation. However, the realm of the East is exactly where education can show its talents!
Xiao Wu frowned and thought: "Are you saying that in the Western realm, preservation is the main thing, while in the Eastern realm, we are determined to change?"
Zheng He nodded with a smile and said: "After going abroad several times, I have learned more and more about the countries in the South China Sea, so I have made comprehensive plans for both the East and West." "
" The two major areas can be divided into four major areas, among which: Annam and Champa are Confucianism; Luzon is Taoism; Java, Srivijaya are Hui; Siam is Buddhism. Other areas can also follow this outline and follow the trend of education. "
Chart 21 The religious divisions of the South China Sea countries
Chart 21 The religious divisions of the South China Sea countries
Xiaowu Daqi said: "What classification is this?" How exactly did you plan to do that? "
Zheng He smiled and said: "Western countries have a relatively long culture and it is difficult to change in a short period of time, so let nature take its course. Siam is a big country in the South China Sea and has converted to Theravada Buddhism, so it can only accept this fact. Although some of the big countries such as Annan and Champa were foreign countries and some had recently returned to the Ming Dynasty, they were deeply influenced by Confucianism and should also respect this situation. Therefore, the main religious culture of these two places does not need to change. "
Xiao Wujie sighed: "Whether it is Confucianism or Buddhism, Indo-China Peninsula has converged with China, so there is really nothing to educate. But the country of the East is different. "
Zheng He nodded and said: "As for the countries in the East, most of their cultures are not recognized by the Ming Dynasty - they are all foreign islands that can be cultivated. In the Luzon area ( Philippines ), I established a number of immigrants from the Tang Dynasty as governors of various sizes; they could follow the customs of Fujian and Guangdong, Taoism define the local area, and set up official offices to govern. "
" In the Java Island and Sriwijaya (Sumatra) areas, I established a number of Tang people and Semu people immigrant settlements, focusing on introducing Islam to the locals. I believe that over time, the number of believers will increase, guide the local people, and turn them into people who can be used by the Ming Dynasty."
Chart 22 Schematic diagram of Zheng He's religious transformation of the East Ocean region of the South China Sea
