Chapter 3: The Emperor's Decision Author: When the Bright Moon Rises txt Traditional Chinese

  Capital relocation

  Another far-reaching thing Zhu Di did was to move the capital, and moving the capital is a big deal in any dynasty. Zhu Di's move of the capital was undoubtedly the one that had the greatest impact on later generations. Today's Beijing has tens of millions of people, countless high-rise buildings, is the capital of our country, and is one of the most prosperous cities in the world, and all this originated from Zhu Di's decision.

  In the first year of Yongle (1403 AD), in March, the Mongolian army attacked Liaodong and looted extensively. The local commander Shen Yong was incompetent and unable to resist, nor did he report to his superiors in time. When Zhu Di heard about this, he was furious and immediately killed Shen Yong, summoning his ministers to ask about the reasons for the deterioration of the northern military situation.

  Zhu Di asked his ministers, the northern defense is so weak, the Mongolian army can enter as if no one is there, how can this be done, who should be responsible for it?

  However, contrary to Zhu Di's expectations, the ministers, although they did not utter a word, were not timid, but instead stared at him blankly. A surge of unprovoked anger rose in Zhu Di's heart, and he was about to erupt when he suddenly changed his mind and swallowed his words.

  Why?

  Because he finally understood why these ministers had been staring at him all along, the one responsible for this matter was himself!

  In the Ming Dynasty's defense system, those mainly responsible for defending the north were Yan King Zhu Di and Ning King Zhu Quan. However, during the Jingnan Campaign, Zhu Quan was taken hostage by him, and he also fled to Nanjing to become emperor. The northern border lost these two men, basically becoming an undefended area. How can you blame others?

  Nanjing is a great place, also very suitable for building the capital, because of its strategic location, good feng shui, and being a major grain-producing area. At that time, China's economic center had already shifted southward, so building the capital here was very beneficial for maintaining the Ming dynasty's rule.

  But the problem is that the Ming Empire's residence was not a single-family home, and in the north of the empire there were several unfriendly neighbors who often entered the house without permission and took away things they liked, never leaving an IOU. Once or twice would be fine, but how can this go on for long?

  Sending troops to conquer them has no effect, because these neighbors are basically guerrilla organizations that use the policy of "you come and I go, you leave and I come again". They themselves belong to nomadic nationalities and do not farm, their daily work is just riding horses running back and forth, even if they are idle, who will they rob if not you?

  It's not going to work no matter how hard we try, and giving up is not an option either. This is really a tough problem.

  The military and political situation was indeed the main reason for the later capital relocation, but there were also some other reasons that cannot be ignored, which is Zhu Di's personal characteristics.

  Was Zhu Di's personal relationship with Yan Yu also related?

  The answer is affirmative. If you still remember, we mentioned earlier that Zhu Di was born in Nanjing and had a Nanjing household registration, but he went to Beiping at the age of 21 and lived there for twenty years. Although he did not change his household registration (it was not difficult to enter Beiping at that time), his living habits had been completely northernized.

  According to historical records, Zhu Di preferred northern cuisine and was particularly fond of Korean kimchi. At that time, the King of Korea, Yi Sang, sent a Korean chef (huǒ zhě) to serve Zhu Di, who gladly accepted. It's likely that Zhu Di, who enjoyed northern flavors, wasn't too interested in southern dishes. Although the north had more wind and sand, far less beautiful than the south's scenic mountains and rivers, Zhu Di had always lived in such an environment, and for him, what was familiar was best.

  Of course, the main reason for Zhu Di's capital relocation was still political necessity. Since the decision had been made, then relocate it was.

  Wait! This isn't something that can be done by simply moving, and it's not just a matter of packing up and calling a moving company. The biggest problem is that Zhu Di isn't going to move to Beiping alone. If he were, that would be easier.

  The relocation is not only about relocating Zhu Di, but also his many wives, officials, soldiers and civilians. These people need to find a place to live and build houses. The city of Beiping has been ravaged by war for many years, the streets and palaces need to be rebuilt, and the urban layout needs to be rearranged. Moreover, those who follow him to Beiping are not ordinary people, requiring a large amount of funds to settle them down. The difficulty is absolutely no less than rebuilding the capital.

  Although these problems are difficult to handle, they can still be solved. There is a bigger problem in front of Zhu Di. If this problem cannot be solved, the capital will be moved in vain.

  We know that Zhu Di's relocation of the capital was mainly to control the northern border and ensure national security. It is said that relocating the capital can solve this problem, but have you all thought about it, there is still one thing that must be done.

  That's food.

  The area around Beiping is not a grain-producing region, and the relocation will inevitably lead to a large influx of people (Chinese people have always had the habit of rushing to big cities), these people need to consume a lot of food, and in order to control the border, they must maintain a large number of soldiers. Although the Ming Dynasty implemented military colonies (soldiers farming during peacetime and fighting during wartime), which can solve part of the army's food problem, the elite troops in the capital city (such as the three major camps) do not farm, so many people eat what, can't just drink northwest wind.

  A more serious problem is that just ensuring the food supply for the soldiers and civilians in Beiping is not enough, because the Ming government may frequently go out to comfort those not-so-friendly neighbors and give them a little lesson. As the saying goes, "before the troops move, the grain and grass come first". If you send 100,000 people to fight, you need to prepare food for 100,000 people, but the grain yield in Beiping is absolutely insufficient to guarantee these actions.

  Some people may say, what's the big deal? Just transport grain from the southern granary to the north.

  If you think so, then congratulations, you've finally found the crux of this problem.

  The problem of food supply became the biggest obstacle to the capital relocation, and it was difficult to transport. In that era, there were no trains, cars or planes, and grain transportation could only rely on human power. Today, we take modern transportation from Nanjing to Beijing and spend a lot of time, while people back then took more than a month for one trip. Moreover, don't ignore the fact that those who transported food also needed to eat. No matter how dedicated they were, you should have a clear understanding: they would not starve to death before consuming all the grain they transported.

  So if you hire someone to transport grain by land, you have to prepare extra rations for the transporter, let him push two carts of grain on the road, one cart is transported and the other cart is eaten. When he arrives at his destination, he hands over the part that has not been eaten yet, and it's considered a job well done. The extra rations you prepared may be more than the grain he transported.

  If there is any government willing to transport goods in this way for a long time, then the fate awaiting this government has only one - bankruptcy.

  So the Ming government's only remaining option was - river transportation (also known as grain transport).

  Yes, the problem seems to have been solved, and the answer is quite simple. Using a boat to transport grain can complete the transportation task quickly and in large quantities, so why are you still going around in circles?

  I can assure you, absolutely no intention of fooling everyone, on this issue, I can answer with two words:

  Doesn't work.

  At that time, the waterway from the main grain-producing areas in the south to the north was not smooth, and the canal was blocked. The river changed its course, bringing great inconvenience to the river transportation at that time. Unless the ships of the Ming Dynasty were amphibious, it would be absolutely impossible to sail smoothly all the way. Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, had suffered greatly from this. When he fought wars, he needed to transport military grain from the south to Liaodong and Beiping areas, but the river transportation was not smooth. He had no choice but to take the sea route, transporting through the Bohai Sea. Not only did it take a long way around, but also because of the big waves, it was very unsafe. If half of the 10 kilograms of military grain could be delivered safely, it would be a blessing from heaven.

  But rectifying the river course is not something that can be casually proposed. Everyone should still remember that the fuse of the Yuan Dynasty's demise was precisely the governance of the river course. Water conservancy projects have always been a key investment project for the country in any era, requiring a large amount of money and manpower. Moreover, if too much money is spent, it could shake the foundations of the state, making the problem very serious (the example being Sui Yangdi's Grand Canal). Therefore, this matter is like revising a book - it's not something you should even think about in times of prosperity.

  Zhu Di's era was a prosperous age.

  After a long recovery during the Hongwu period, combined with Zhu Di's correct governance strategy, the Ming Dynasty at that time already had enough economic strength to accomplish things that were previously unimaginable. The Yongle Encyclopedia was also compiled, and it was naturally easy to carry out water conservancy projects.

  In the ninth year of Yongle (1411 AD), Zhu Di ordered the Minister of Works, Song Li, to manage the Huitong River to ensure its smooth flow. Song Li was a very capable water conservancy expert and completed the task. Later, Chen Xuan, the Grand Coordinator of the Grain Transport, further dredged the river, making it possible for grain transport to proceed smoothly from south to north without any obstacles. As a result, the problem of food supply was finally solved, with the transportation route stretching over 3,000 miles from the southernmost part of the Yangtze River to the northernmost point at Datong Bridge.

  Other work on the new capital was also proceeding apace, with the government offices of the various central departments being completed as early as 1409 and construction on the city itself beginning in 1415 and taking over thirty years to complete.

  When the opportunity was ripe, Zhu Di formally ordered in the 19th year of Yongle (1421 AD): Move the capital!

  The original capital was renamed Nanjing, and Beijing was confirmed as the new capital of the Ming Empire. From then on, Beijing officially became the capital of the Ming Dynasty and continued for more than 200 years. However, its history did not end with the demise of the Ming Dynasty. On the contrary, it has been thriving and developing ever since, and eventually became one of the most influential cities in the world.

  As we stroll through Beijing, this modern metropolis, taking in the towering skyscrapers and bustling streets, let us not forget that it was Zhu Di, over 500 years ago, who laid the foundation for all of this.

  It is worth noting that Zhu Di had a considerable modern consciousness when building Beijing, and he paid great attention to the overall planning of the city. He built several main lines and branch lines separately, planned the urban area of Beijing into a square shape, and formulated strict regulations to prohibit random construction and paving. A complete sewage system was also laid out.

  Now we see the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven, etc. famous buildings in Beijing, are all built on the foundation laid by Zhu Di (and later renovated by Qing Dynasty). The Forbidden City is particularly worth mentioning, it covers an area of 170,000 square meters, using countless labor force, took twenty years to complete, originally it was only for the emperor's residence, ordinary people had no chance to enter, nor could they buy tickets to visit, but this cannot affect its status in history. Now the Forbidden City has become a historical treasure of the Chinese nation and a pride of every Chinese.

  It is undeniable that this is Zhu Di's achievement and cannot be denied or erased.

  It is worth mentioning that the relocation of the capital at that time was not smooth sailing, and many people responded to it. In fact, there were hardly a few people who agreed with Zhu Di's decision.

  The reason is simple, except for those people who are difficult to bring with Zhu Di, most of the courtiers have been living in the south for a long time, their wives and children are in Nanjing, and their social relationships are also here, who would be willing to follow Zhu Di to the north to suffer?

  Soon after the capital was moved, a fire broke out in the imperial palace, and many places across the country were hit by natural disasters, which people at that time called "heavenly calamities". The ministers naturally attributed these events to the relocation of the capital.

  Zhu Di was indeed ruthless and decisive, but after all, he lacked sufficient theoretical knowledge of natural science, so he was a bit flustered and sought opinions from the officials to make up for his mistakes.

  But what he did not expect was that the ministers took this opportunity to launch a fierce attack on him.

  Many officials petitioned, stating the harm of moving the capital and that the reason for the natural disasters was the result of the move. Among them, Shi Yigui's words were the most severe, with historical records stating "Yi's words were particularly stern". As to what he actually said, it is not recorded, but it is estimated that he scolded Zhu Di, everyone knows that Zhu Di has never been a person who can tolerate humiliation and remain silent. His response was also very straightforward, directly killing Shi Yigui.

  This has stirred up a hornet's nest. You should know that scholars are not easy to mess with, having listened to the words of sages since childhood and considering themselves born of the gates of saints. What about emperors? Are you afraid they won't make it?

  Many officials then submitted memorials, with opinions surging like a tide. They even gathered outside the Meridian Gate to hold public debates, which were actually criticism sessions targeting Zhu Di. If it had been an ordinary emperor, he might have wavered in the face of such opposition from his subordinates, but Zhu Di was no ordinary emperor. He stuck to his own views and reaffirmed his decision to move the capital.

  "None of you should say anything more, it's all my decision, we must move, I've made up my mind, that's final!"

  It took courage for Zhu Di to do so, as he persisted in his views without yielding an inch even when the opposition was in the majority. In fact, many of the opinions put forward by the ministers were also very pertinent, such as the fact that relocating the capital would cause hardship to the people and lead to corruption, which were objective facts. However, history will prove that Zhu Di's choice was correct.

  In history, there have been some very capable individuals who could foresee the future development of things before the situation was clear. For example, Zhuge Liang could think out the future division of the world into three parts in his thatched cottage, but this kind of thinking did not require any cost, and even if he thought incorrectly, no one would bother him.

  What is easy to get into trouble is the choice, that is, some immediate benefits must be sacrificed in exchange for more distant benefits in the future. This choice is often extremely painful, because the immediate benefit is visible to everyone, but the long-term benefit is invisible, just like you let everyone put down the cash in their hands and follow you to dig for gold, the gold mine is indeed tempting, but whether it really exists or not is a big question mark, can you say it does? What's the basis?

  More than a hundred years later, the great reformer Zhang Juzheng fell down on this choice, because those ministers would rather hold their hands and wait for death with that little family property, and did not want to follow him on that unknown road.

  Zhu Di was such a high-level leader, also a bold decision-making leader. He knew that moving the capital was a major project that would take time and effort, but he accurately judged that the biggest factor affecting the long-term stability of the Ming Empire was the Mongols in the north. If they wanted to live a peaceful life in the future, they had to give up their current interests and move the capital to Beijing. Otherwise, the Ming Dynasty would be difficult to escape the fate of the Southern Song Dynasty.

  Compared to Zhang Juzheng, Zhu Di had one advantage - he was the emperor and a hardline emperor at that, an emperor who dared to defy public opinion and stick to his own ways. Therefore, he was able to persist in his own beliefs and finally complete the difficult task of relocating the capital.

  Zhu Di's decision to move the capital was opposed by many people at that time, and many also asserted that this move would not work, but Yu Qian standing on the city wall of Beijing nineteen years later looking out into the distance probably wouldn't think so.

  History is the ultimate judge of things, and it will undoubtedly tell everyone soon: Zhu Di's choice was correct.