Chapter 4 Chapter 4 After Zheng He, there is no more Zheng He

We have introduced before that Zhu Di sent two people to look for Emperor Jianwen, one was Hu Wei. We have already talked about his affairs. Many people are not familiar with Hu Wei's life, which is not surprising, because he was engaged in It's a secret job, hype is not good. But the fortunes of the other group of people were quite different. They were not only famous at the time, but also left their names in history, and they will be famous through the ages.This is the famous Zheng He fleet and their feat of seven voyages to the West. The same secret mission is carried out, but the circumstances are so different, we can't help but ask: the same people, why is there such a big gap?

There are many reasons, such as the size of the team, side missions, etc., but in my opinion, the greatest credit for such a feat should go to the commander of this fleet—the great Zheng He. The word greatness is absolutely not excessive when used on Zheng He. He is not a member of the royal family, nor does he have a prominent family background, but he has achieved a legend with his own efforts and wisdom-the Chinese sea legend, before Zheng He There have been countless princes and generals in history, and there will be many after him, but Zheng He has only one. Let us introduce the magnificent life of this great navigator below.

Zheng He was born in the fourth year of Hongwu (1371). His original name was Ma Sanbao. He was born in Yunnan. , and Yunnan is not a place to go to sea, why Zheng He likes sailing? This is because Zheng He is a devout Muslim, his grandfather and father both believed in Islam, and all Muslims have one greatest wish in their hearts - to go on a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. Going on a pilgrimage to Mecca is the greatest wish of Muslims all over the world. The believers living in Mecca are lucky because they can always look up to the Holy Land, but for Zheng He at that time, this was really an extremely difficult task.Mecca is in today's Saudi Arabia. Friends who are interested can connect Mecca and Yunnan on the map, and then multiply by the scale to know how far away it is.Fortunately, his family's economic conditions are not bad. Both his grandfather and father have been to Mecca. When Zheng He was a child, his father often told him about the thrilling experience of sailing through the waves and trekking through mountains and rivers on the pilgrimage and the journey thousands of miles away. , Strange people and strange things in foreign countries.All these deeply affected Zheng He.

It is precisely because of this that the young Zheng He was different from those children of his age. He did not sit at the desk and recite the words of the sages day after day in order to gain fame in the future, but worked hard to exercise, study and sail. Relevant knowledge, because in his heart, he has such a belief: one day, he must ride the wind and waves and make a pilgrimage to Mecca. If his life continues like this, perhaps in more than ten years, he will be able to realize his wish, fulfill the long-cherished wish of an ordinary Muslim, and live an ordinary life. But some people are not destined to spend their lives in an ordinary way. Great missions and careers seem to be done by these chosen people, even if sometimes in a very cruel way.

In the 14th year of Hongwu (1381), Fu Youde and Lan Yu went on an expedition to Yunnan under the order of Zhu Yuanzhang. The Ming army was as powerful as a bamboo, and it took only half a year to pacify the entire territory of Yunnan. It was this expedition that changed Zheng He's fate.By the way, in this battle, Qi Xiang, a general of the Ming army, was killed. His sacrifice brought his family a hereditary military position and changed the fate of his family. Since then, his descendants have practiced martial arts for generations.This Qi Xiang is just an unknown person. The reason why he is specifically mentioned here is because he has a very promising descendant——Qi Jiguang.

History is really elusive. For the Ming government and Zhu Yuanzhang, this was just one of countless expeditions, but for Zheng He, this expedition was a turning point in his life, a painful and unknown turning point. After the war, many children became prisoners of war. Ordinarily, prisoners of war were prisoners of war, and they were taken to work as coolies. But at that time, there was an extremely cruel practice for child prisoners of war—castration. The purpose of this practice is self-evident, and it is really unbearable to say more, and Ma Sanbao, who is only 11 years old, is one of these unfortunate children.

It is not difficult for us to imagine the pain of Ma Sanbao back then. Countless dreams seem to have left him, but history has told us countless times that the beginning of tragedy is often the beginning of glory. Tragedy or glory depends only on you, on whether you are strong or not. From then on, this eleven-year-old boy began to follow the Ming army to fight everywhere. The wind and snow in the north and the yellow sand in the desert left his traces everywhere. At his age, he was supposed to play and play at home, but he suddenly became Became a member of the war, galloping on the battlefield where blood flowed into rivers and corpses littered the fields.Swords and spears replaced wooden horses and dolls. In the barracks, no one would treat him as a child, and no one would take care of him. In a war, no one can guarantee that he will survive tomorrow, so the only one who can take care of him is His is himself.

But how can an eleven-year-old take care of himself? We can't imagine how much hardship Ma Sanbao suffered, how tired he suffered, and how many times he escaped from death. What we know is that the tragic experience did not wipe out the hope and belief in his heart. He survived tenaciously and finally became The great Zheng He. Summarizing the childhood experiences of famous people in history (such as Zhu Yuanzhang, etc.), we can assert that it is not a bad thing to suffer more when you are young. After five years of homeless life, he met a person who influenced his life, and this person was Zhu Di.

At that time, Zhu Di was still the King of Yan, so he immediately took a fancy to this taciturn but firm-eyed boy, and chose him as his personal bodyguard. From then on, Ma Sanbao followed Zhu Di around and became his confidant. Gold shines wherever it goes. Ma Sanbao is a man who is destined to achieve great things. In the subsequent battle of Jingnan, he followed Zhu Di through life and death and made great contributions. As we have introduced before, in the battle of Zhengcunba , Zhu Di adopted his strategy to defeat Li Jinglong's seven battalions and defeat the Southern Army. From then on, Zhu Di also got to know this personal bodyguard again. In the first year of Yongle (1403), after Zhu Di ascended the throne, he immediately appointed Ma Sanbao as an eunuch, which was already the highest official position for an internal official. His greater glory was given the surname "Zheng". After that, he changed his name to Zheng He. This name is destined to shine in the annals of history.

You know, the emperor's surname was the supreme honor of the Ming Dynasty. After Zheng Chenggong was given a surname by the emperor, he took it as the greatest honor in his life. highly rated. God wants you to suffer, and will often reward you more. This is not uncommon. Zheng He has been reused by Zhu Di and has become a hot figure in the court. As Zhu Di's subject, he has obtained many things that others can't even imagine. I think Zheng He should have been content with the glory. But fate seems to make him a legend and make him immortal.A greater mission and glory will come to him, and a greater cause will wait for him to create.

Zhu Di arranged for Zheng He to go to sea with a deep-seated purpose. In addition to finding Emperor Jianwen, Zheng He also shouldered the mission of conquering the world and caring for people far away. This can roughly be regarded as an old tradition in Chinese history. There must be some such actions, such as the Silk Road connecting east and west during the Han Dynasty, and many students from developing and underdeveloped countries came to my country to learn advanced science, culture and technology during the Tang Dynasty, all of which are manifestations of this tradition. China is strong and prosperous, and all nations admire it. This is probably the biggest dream of emperors in history. China did not have too many territorial claims in history. This is because we have always been very arrogant. The heaven is a kingdom and everything is abundant. Why bother to rob others? Ragged clothes? But just as the saying goes, the sharpness will have its day, and the brilliance of China, which is powerful in the East, cannot be concealed. When its advanced and civilization are recognized by the world, the time to conquer the world will naturally come. To be honest, when China was strong, although it also had territorial disputes and wars with foreign countries due to the expansion of its power (such as the war between Tang and Arabia), it also launched wars against neighboring countries (such as the war against Koryo). But generally speaking, China's foreign policy is relatively enlightened. We generously give help to outsiders and spread the advanced scientific and cultural achievements of the Chinese nation to all parts of the world. The four great inventions are the biggest examples. On the whole, we can use four words to describe the tradition and purpose of China's far-sighted people: Convince people with virtue. Now China has become a powerful country again. After a long period of war and recovery, as well as the hard work and hard work of several emperors who can be called model workers, the land of China has become a truly peaceful and prosperous age, where the people live and work in peace and contentment. With enough silver, it's time to do something about it. What else is there around this huge country of ours?This is a question that every powerful dynasty is very interested in. The Ming Empire is a powerful dynasty, and the land area around the Ming Empire has been explored by the expedition heroes of the Han and Tang Dynasties. The long coastline is more likely to arouse people's reverie. What kind of world is there on the other side of the vast sea? The first thing that catches people's eyes is Xiyang. It needs to be explained that the meaning of the term Xiyang in the Ming Dynasty is different from that of today. The so-called Xiyang at that time was actually the current Nanyang. , but that was just a relatively simple action and had no major impact. People are not very clear about what is on the other side of the sea, but Zhu Di, the ruler of the powerful Ming Empire now, is a different person. Therefore, he is considered to be a rare wise monarch in history, not because of kindness or kindness, but because he has done many things that no one has ever done in history. Now, Zhu Di will entrust Zheng He with a task that has never been done before in history. This is an honor and a great trust. No matter from which point of view, Zheng He is the most suitable candidate. He not only has rich navigation knowledge, but also has been tested by wars, has high military literacy, and has a firm and tenacious character. Finally, he will go to many Western countries. All believe in Islam, and Zheng He himself is a devout Muslim. Ordinarily, this was just a voyage mission, so why send Zheng He, a diverse talent, to go there? However, the facts proved that what Zheng He had to face on this voyage was not just the sea. History will remember this day. On June 15th of the third year of Yongle (July 11, 1405), Zheng He set sail at Wuhumen, Fujian, and started the greatest voyage in Chinese history. Zheng He stood at the bow, Looking at the huge fleet that is about to set off and the vast sea in front of you. He understood the mission and responsibility of his voyage, but he didn't know that at this moment, he was creating a piece of history, a history that would be eulogized forever by future generations. His heart is full of excitement, the sea that he has longed for since he was a child is now in front of his eyes, waiting for him to conquer!A great journey is about to begin! set sail! We have been using the term fleet to refer to Zheng He’s fleet before, which seems a little exaggerated. How can a diplomatic and tracing fleet be called a fleet, but after reading the introduction below, I believe you will agree , apart from the fleet, there is really no other word to describe his fleet. Zhu Yuanzhang attached great importance to shipbuilding technology under the guidance of Chen Youliang, the hero of the generation. It is no wonder that Lao Zhu suffered a lot in the water battle with Lao Chen, and almost lost his life.With his encouragement, the shipbuilding technology of the Ming Dynasty developed greatly. According to historical records, the largest of Zheng He's ships at that time was called a treasure ship. How big was this ship? Chi, eighteen feet wide; the middle one, thirty-seven feet long, fifteen feet wide."You can calculate it yourself. According to this length, Zheng He can hold a sports meeting after sailing. It is definitely not a problem to set up a 100-meter runway. And the sails of this boat are by no means the single sails we see on TV. It is unimaginable that it has twelve sails!Its anchor and rudder are also giant-shaped. When turning, it takes hundreds of people to shout slogans and work together to swing it. In the 1950s, Nanjing City once excavated the Ming Dynasty treasure ship manufacturing site, and a wooden pole was unearthed. This wooden pole is eleven meters long. The question is, which part of the ship is this wooden pole? The conclusion of the appraisal came out, and everyone was dumbfounded. This wooden pole was not the mast as people expected, but the rudder stock! If you don't understand what this concept is, I can explain it. Everyone should know what a mast is. The so-called rudder stock is just the control linkage rod of the rudder blade of a ship. After calculation, the height of the rudder blade connected to this rudder stock is about six meters or so.In other words, the rudder blade of this boat is three stories high! An aircraft carrier, a veritable aircraft carrier. This kind of treasure ship is the capital ship of Zheng He's fleet, which is what we usually call the flagship. A water boat that transports people between ships. Zheng He led such a fleet, and the name of the fleet is well deserved. This is the case of Zheng He's fleet, so how many people did he take to the West? "There are more than 27,800 soldiers and soldiers." To be honest, judging from this number, this fleet does not seem to be looking for people or doing diplomacy anyway, but it is very suspicious that it is going out to find trouble and fight.But the facts tell us that this is indeed a friendly fleet. Wherever it goes, there is no war and blood, only peace and friendship. To be strong but not bully, to be mighty but not hegemonic, this is the bearing and heritage of a great country and nation. Zheng He's fleet sailed south and first arrived at Champa, then they went south from Champa, and arrived in Java (Java Island, Indonesia) half a month later. This place, at that time, was also a densely populated place with rich products. Of course, there was no unified Indonesian government at that time.And to this day, we don't know who formed the island's government at that time. After Zheng He's fleet arrived here, they wanted to continue going south, but a tragedy happened suddenly, and the fleet's voyage was forced to stop, and Zheng He would face the first difficult test in his nautical career. The thing is like this, when there were two kings who ruled Java, they fought with each other. According to historical records, they were "Eastern King" and "Western King". The "King of the West" defeated the "King of the East". After the "East King" was defeated, the country was also destroyed, and the "West King" was going to settle accounts after the autumn. Upon closer inspection, more than 170 crew members of the fleet were killed. After Zheng He heard the news, he was very surprised. The soldiers under his command heard that the armed forces in this palm-sized place dared to kill the people of Ming Dynasty. They were very angry and excited. They ran to Zheng He, weeping, and demanded to solve the problem on the spot. "King of the West", let him go to the west to be a king worthy of the name. Zheng He calmly looked at the excited subordinates around him, and he understood that the reason why these angry people did not attack Java was because they had not received his order. Zheng He had seen many of the crew members who were victimized. Everyone worked so hard to follow him to the west to complete the mission, not to die. Zheng He was also very angry when their innocents were killed. He had every reason to go Attack the so-called "King of the West", and there is no doubt that this is a war without any suspense. Our army is equipped with advanced weapons such as artillery and muskets, and the opponents are just some local aborigines. Under the order, his fleet will easily win and avenge the dead crew members. But he gave no such order. He calmly looked at those eager subordinates and told them that we must not go to war because we have a greater mission. mission of peace. If we go to war now, we can naturally win, but that will deviate from our original intention of sailing to the West, and it will also delay our itinerary. What is more serious is that if the news of defeating Java spreads to all parts of the West, countries will doubt our intention. Our mission is really impossible to achieve. After Zheng He finished speaking, he tried his best to stop the reckless behavior of his subordinates, and ordered to send envoys to the Xiwang's residence to negotiate the matter. Zheng He is really an amazing person. He was able to keep a clear mind, restrain his anger, and put the overall situation first when he was armed with heavy troops. What kind of endurance is needed for this!Facts have proved that Zheng He's behavior is by no means cowardly, but wise. What Zheng He needs to face is patience, but what the King Xi faces is fear, great fear. When he knew that his subordinates had killed the crew of the fleet sent by Ming Dynasty, he was so frightened that he sent envoys to Zheng He to explain the misunderstanding repeatedly. He was afraid that this would not work, so he ordered people to go to China overnight by boat. To apologize is not necessarily because of how ashamed and regretful he is, but because he understands that with Da Ming's strength, killing himself is as easy as crushing an ant. After Zhu Di learned of this, he praised Zheng He's behavior of taking the overall situation into consideration, and severely taught Xiwang's envoys, asking them to pay 60,000 taels of gold (the price of this pension is quite high). Two years later, Xiwang sent The people sent compensation, only ten thousand taels of gold, not because they dared to go back on their word, it is such a small island, even if they dug three feet, they could not find sixty thousand taels of gold. There is really no other way, the family only has so little possessions, so you can figure out what to do. When the envoy of King Xi anxiously delivered the gold, he got an unexpected answer. Zhu Di told him clearly, I knew you would not be able to raise it, and I want you to compensate the gold, just to make you understand your sins That's all, don't you still lack your little gold? This statement by Zhu Di completely conquered Java, and since then they have voluntarily and consciously paid tribute to China every year. In this incident, Zheng He fully demonstrated his calm thinking and accurate judgment ability, which also shows that Zhu Di has a unique vision for seeing people. After this turmoil, Zheng He's fleet went all the way south, passed through Sumatra, Mount Ceylon and other places, and communicated with Western countries and carried out trade activities along the way. These countries also sent envoys to follow Zheng He's fleet. , ready to go to China to pay tribute to Emperor Yongle. With the items obtained from trade and envoys from various countries, Zheng He arrived at the end of the voyage - Guli. Guri is today's Kozhikode in India, located at the southwestern tip of the Indian peninsula.This place is an important transit point. As early as the Hongwu period, Zhu Yuanzhang sent envoys here, but this time Zheng He came here with another important mission. Since the ruler of Guli had sent envoys to pay tribute to China many times and professed his vassal to China, in the third year of Yongle, Ming Chengzu issued an edict (letter of appointment) to the ruler of Guli, formally conferring him the title of king, and bestowing seals and other things .Of course, Guli people don't necessarily use seals like Chinese people, but since they are kings, they always have to do some rituals. But after the edict was written, it was not so easy to send it over, because the entrusted man was still in India, so Zheng He came to Guli this time with the edict, and he took the edict, in the name of Emperor Ming Officially named the local ruler as King Guli.Since then, the relationship between the two countries has become closer. Since then, Zheng He's voyages to the West have always used this status as a transit point and foothold. After completing this important event, Zheng He began to prepare to return to the voyage. At this time, it has been more than a year since he set sail. He reviewed the various encounters during the voyage, and he was full of emotion. After so many turmoil, he finally came to the This country called Guli has completed its ultimate mission. There are rich products, beautiful scenery, kindness, generosity, friendliness and enthusiasm, all of which left a deep impression on Zheng He. Keep it as a souvenir. He led his subordinates and local people to build a stele pavilion and engraved an inscription to commemorate this period of history. The text reads: This is a historical milestone. Zheng He's fleet started to return, and Zheng He, who was standing on the boat against the wind, watched the Guli coast that was gradually receding. This is a beautiful place, and we will come again! Perhaps it was fate, Zheng He would not have imagined that the beautiful Guli would not only be the end of his first voyage, but also the end of his legendary life! The first voyage was completed in this way, and the fleet returned to China in a mighty way. However, God seemed unwilling to let Zheng He return to the motherland in such a peaceful way. It had prepared the last difficulty for those who were eager to go home. , For Zheng He and his fleet, this is a real test, a test of life and death. Since ancient times, traffic arteries have never been a safe place, because many people who used to depend on the sky for food will find that it is more effective to rely on roads for food, so there are road tyrants on land and pirates on sea, but no matter land or sea, their The opening remarks and slogan are the same - if you want to live from now on, stay and buy money. It seems that Zheng He's fleet should not have been harassed, but this is by no means because the bandits were moved by the fleet's peaceful mission, but because of the deterrent effect of military strength. Even the most ferocious bandits have to consider the cost of the robbery. It is really hard to deal with a master like Zheng He who leads tens of thousands of soldiers with muskets to swagger through the city, and an aircraft carrier with cannons. No matter how rampant the pirates in Northern Europe were, they would not dare to rob Spain's Armada. Before robbing, they had to weigh their weight first. This principle has long been kept in mind by many smart robbers in ancient and modern China and abroad. But in this world, if there are shrewd robbers, there must be clumsy ones. There are many people who dare to grab a tank with a pistol in a moment of heat, misjudge the situation, and we are going to introduce such a hot-headed man . This person's name is Chen Zuyi, and he is about to start the biggest robbery in his life. Of course, it's also the last time. Chen Zuyi, a native of Chaozhou, Guangdong, fled overseas due to crimes during the Hongwu period. There was no Interpol and no extradition regulations, so no one cared about him anymore. Later, he fled to Bo Lin Bangguo became a general under King Manazhe Wuli. It's amazing, this Chen Zuyi is just a fugitive, and I didn't find out what position he held before, at most he was a village chief, but in this Bolin state (sorry, I really don't know where it is now), he actually became an important minister, China What a talent. What's more powerful is yet to come. After the king's death, he gathered a group of pirates and made himself king. In this way, Chen Zuyi became the king of Bolin State. The above is the history of Mr. Chen Zuyi's struggle and success, and it may not be regarded as glory for the country. Chen Zuyi had soldiers (pirates), so he often started his old business near the Strait of Malacca—robbing. This is also normal. His subordinates are all pirates. harm, but since these countries are very weak, there is nothing Chen Zuyi can do. In this way, Chen Zuyi's courage and appetite grew, and he gradually evolved to rob big ships and merchant ships. He ran rampant for many years until he met Zheng He. When Zheng He's fleet sailed past Sanfo Qi, it happened to bump into Chen Zuyi. Zheng He had heard about this man for a long time, so he was ready to fight. Unexpected decision. He decided to surrender to Zheng He. You know, although Chen Zuyi is greedy, he is by no means a lunatic. It is not easy for him to get into the position of the king (actually it is only a small tribe). No sane person would be willing to be cannon fodder. But pirates are pirates after all, and Chen Zuyi's surrender was just a stopgap measure. The gold and silver treasures on Zheng He's ship were the biggest temptation. In Chen Zuyi's view, as long as he did this vote, he would have enough food and clothing for the rest of his life. But how to do it, hard work is definitely not enough, so outsmart it! Chen Zuyi decided to use a fake surrender to paralyze Zheng He, and then summoned a large number of pirates to take advantage of the unpreparedness of the officers and soldiers to raid Zheng He's flagship, control the center to disrupt the deployment of the Ming army, and defeat them one by one. It should be said that this is a good plan. As far as Chen Zuyi's strength is concerned, he can only choose such a plan. After careful planning, he confidently began to arrange various preparations before the robbery. In Chen Zuyi's view, Zheng He is a sheep, a fat sheep that can bring him great wealth. Soon to be rich. In order to successfully complete this robbery mission, Chen Zuyi searched everywhere for his accomplices, and he managed to find more than 5,000 people and more than 20 warships. So he led his subordinates to send the Ming army warships full of ambition. Approaching, ready to hit the Ming army by surprise. As expected by Chen Zuyi, the Ming army fleet remained silent, and even the number of sentries on board was less than usual. Chen Zuyi was overjoyed and ordered the pirates under his command to attack. Ming, Chen Zuyi's fleet was divided and surrounded, and became the target of the cannon.The dumbfounded pirates went to Huangquan before they woke up from their dreams. Chen Zuyi finally understood that he had been ambushed by the Ming army, and it was completely over for him. The well-trained Ming army gave these loosely disciplined pirates a military training class. They quickly resolved the battle, wiped out more than 5,000 pirates, sunk more than ten enemy ships, and captured many ships. The organizer of the operation, Chen Zuyi, was also captured alive. Chen Zuyi never dreamed that Zheng He, who accepted his surrender with a smile on his face, suddenly changed from a fat sheep to a fierce tiger. He had a feeling of being fooled. In fact, the reason why Chen Zuyi thought that he was sure to win was because of self-confidence on the one hand, and because he didn't know what kind of person Zheng He was. Maybe Chen Zuyi has stayed in Sanfoqi for a long time, and even became the head of the tribe. He is paid tribute by a group of people as masters every day, so he really takes himself seriously. In fact, it can be seen from the identities of the two people that Chen Zuyi is An ordinary prisoner who escaped only after China couldn't get along, but Zheng He was one of the best! Chen Zuyi has led his pirate subordinates to rob ships for a long time, commanding at most a few thousand people, without encountering any resistance. He seems to naively think that fighting is as simple as that, and this man named Zheng He will definitely become his subordinate. defeated. And Zheng He has been in the army since he was eleven years old, and he has rich military experience. He has experienced hundreds of battles under Zhu Di, and he participated in major battles commanding hundreds of thousands of troops. Hyun, Sheng Yong, Ping'an and others went into battle, and those super fierce men couldn't help him, not to mention the little pirate leader Chen Zuyi. Chen Zuyi's tricks couldn't escape Zheng He's eyes. The reason why Zheng He didn't expose Chen Zuyi immediately was because he decided to use his tricks and set up a better trap for Chen Zuyi to jump in. It would be convenient for him to find all the pirates around him. Catch them all.In addition, in Zheng He's view, it is necessary to capture Chen Zuyi alive, because this person will come in handy in the future.As for what it is useful for, we will introduce it below. After clearing these pirates, Zheng He continued to march towards the motherland. In September of the fifth year of Yongle (1407), Zheng He gloriously completed his mission and returned to the capital, where he was warmly welcomed and received by Zhu Di. At this time, Chen Zuyi became a useful person, because he was a fugitive and had been a pirate. To commemorate the completion of the voyage mission and the success of the eradication of pirates, Zhu Di ordered Chen Zuyi to be killed in front of the envoys of various countries. And beheaded to show the public, to warn others.From this point of view, Chen Zuyi has somewhat contributed to the propaganda cause. Although this history-making voyage did not find Emperor Jianwen, it brought a large number of envoys from Western countries. These envoys witnessed the prosperity of Ming Dynasty and admired them very much. . It is good to have a strong country, and it feels really good. And Zhu Di also learned about the customs and customs of many distant countries from them. He also learned that there are dark-skinned peoples and their mysterious countries in more distant places. This is really a very interesting thing. Not only can you visit the world that you didn’t know before, but you can also spread the reputation of the Ming Empire overseas, and do some business along the way. Why not do it, although the cost of sailing is a bit high, but The Ming Dynasty can still get this little money, who made us rich? Therefore, with the full support of Zhu Di, Zheng He continued his voyage. After that, he traveled in September of the fifth year of Yongle (1407), September of the seventh year of Yongle (1409), winter of the eleventh year of Yongle (1413), and Yongle. In the winter of the fifteenth year (1417) and in the spring of the nineteenth year of Yongle (1421), he led the fleet to the West five times. The five voyages were similar to the first one, except for the different routes, different arrival places, and different encounters on the road, the others were basically the same, so I won’t elaborate on them here. The main purpose of Zheng He’s five subsequent voyages to the West has been changed to peaceful exchanges and official trade. Of course, he and his fleet also did some small things during these voyages, as follows: Adjust national conflicts and maintain world peace (Siam and Sumatra); Clean up the country that blocked the road and robbed it, and did not listen to it (Mount Ceylon), and took the king back to China and put him in prison (enough); Take the kings of other countries to China for sightseeing (the delegation of the Sulu Kingdom, the king personally led the team, with a total of more than 340 people, and it took more than a month before returning); It brought back the beast that the Chinese have longed for thousands of years—the unicorn (it was later confirmed to be a giraffe). (To sum it up, it seems that it is not trivial to find these) Through the efforts of Zheng He, Western countries established good relations with the Ming Dynasty. Although their living habits were different and their national strengths were very different, the open Ming Dynasty did not regard these countries differently because of this. Conquered these countries from the bottom of my heart. China under the rule of the Ming Dynasty did not put tweeters on the fleet, proclaiming that they came for peace and friendship, just like those Westerners who took the Bible and took a few small boats and shouted that they came to spread the gospel . Zheng He's fleet brought a wealth of trade and aid (some countries are indeed poor), his fleet never took the initiative to attack, even self-defense was very measured (such as the King of Mount Ceylon , and was later put back), never bullying others (although they do have this capital), people in Western countries, regardless of race, rich or poor, can see sincere smiles on the faces of these strangers, they Know in your heart that these people are kind givers. After experiencing the initial surprise, the western explorers soon discovered that these countries had great wealth but no strong military strength, so they used all kinds of violent means, murder and arson, just to rob the property that belonged to the locals . A famous politician in South Africa once said: Westerners came to us with the Bible in their hands and gold in our hands, and later it became, they had gold in their hands and the Bible in our hands. This is a very pertinent assessment. For those Westerners, the locals know in their hearts: these people are evil predators. Even if they are finally conquered by these Westerners, they will never give up their resistance, and they will fight for the day of freedom, because such a brutal conquest cannot be stabilized. It is clear at a glance which is right and which is wrong. There is an old saying that is very suitable here: to trust the masses, the eyes of the masses are discerning. So I still repeat that sentence: Convincing people with virtue is definitely not a joke. Don’t you see that a certain big country is shouting at the east and west in the world today, and the guide is attacking the north. It is very prestigious, but it is also troublesome and rebellious. Violence can be a backstop for solving problems, but it can never solve them. At that time, the most powerful Ming Dynasty in the world had an overwhelming military advantage, and it was not easy to treat those small countries equally, respect their sovereignty and territorial integrity, and give instead of looting. It is not a conqueror by force, but it has really conquered almost all the countries along the voyage with its own friendly actions. This kind of conquest is the conquest of the heart, it exists in everyone's heart.When the mighty fleet arrives, people will not hide around, but come out one after another to warmly welcome these guests from afar. In my opinion, this is the real conquest. 圆满完成外交使命之外，郑和还成功地开辟了新的航线，他发现经过印度古里（今科泽科德）和溜山（今马尔代夫群岛），可以避开风暴区，直接到达阿拉伯半岛红海沿岸和东非国家。这是一个了不起的成就。 在前六次航程中，郑和的船队最远到达了非洲东岸，并留下了自己的足迹。他们拜访了许多国家，包括今天的索马里、莫桑比克、肯尼亚等国，这也是古代中国人到达过的最远的地方。 大家可能注意到了，上面我们只介绍了郑和六下西洋的经过，却漏掉了第七次，这并不是疏忽，而是因为第七次远航对于郑和而言，有着极为特殊的意义，就在这次远航中，他终于实现了自己心中的最大梦想。 之前的六次航程对于郑和来说，固然是难忘的，可是他始终未能完成自己一生的夙愿——朝圣。这也成为了在他心头萦绕不去的牵挂，但他相信，只要继续下西洋的航程，总是会有机会的。 可是一个不幸的消息沉重地打击了他，永乐二十二年（1424），最支持他的航海活动的朱棣去世了，大家忙着争权夺位，谁也没心思去理睬这个已经年近花甲，头发斑白的老人和他那似乎不切实际的航海壮举。 郑和被冷落了，他突然之间就变成了一个无人理会，无任何用处的人，等待他的可能只有退休养老这条路了。 幼年的梦想终归还是没能实现啊，永乐皇帝已经去世了，远航也就此结束了吧！ 上天终究没有再次打击这位历经坎坷的老者，他给了郑和实现梦想的机会。 宣德五年（1430），宣德帝朱瞻基突然让人去寻找郑和，并亲自召见了他，告诉他：立刻组织远航，再下西洋！ 此时距离上次航行已经过去了七年之久，很多准备工作都要重新做起，工作十分艰巨，但郑和仍然十分兴奋，他认为，新皇帝会继续永乐大帝的遗志，不断继续下西洋的航程。 事实证明，郑和实在是过于天真了，对于朱瞻基而言，这次远航有着另外的目的，只不过是权宜之计而已，并非一系列航海活动的开始，恰恰相反，是结束。 朱瞻基为什么要重新启动航海计划呢，我引用他诏书上的一段，大家看了就清楚了，摘抄如下： “朕祗嗣太祖高皇帝（这个大家比较熟悉），太宗文皇帝（朱棣、爷爷）、仁宗昭皇帝（朱高炽、爹）大统，君临万邦，体祖宗之至仁，普辑宁于庶类，已大敕天下，纪元宣德，咸与维新。尔诸番国远外海外，未有闻知，兹特遣太监郑和、王景弘等赍诏往谕，其各敬顺天道，抚辑人民，以共享太平之福。” 看明白了吧，这位新科皇帝收拾掉自己的叔叔（这个后面会详细讲）后，经过几年时间，稳固了皇位，终于也动起了君临万邦的念头，但问题在于，“万邦”比较远，还不通公路，你要让人家来朝贡，先得告诉人家才行。想来想去，只能再次起用郑和，目的也很明确：告诉所有的人，皇帝轮流坐，终于到我朱瞻基了！ 不管朱瞻基的目的何在，此时的郑和是幸福的，他终于从众人的冷落中走了出来，有机会去实现自己儿时的梦想。 作为皇帝的臣子，郑和的第一任务就是完成国家交给他的重任，而他那强烈的愿望只能埋藏在心底，从几岁的顽童到年近花甲的老者，他一直在等待着，现在是时候了。 宣德六年（1430）十二月，郑和又一次出航了，他看着跟随自己二十余年的属下和老船工，回想起当年第一次出航的盛况，不禁感慨万千。经历了那么多的风波，现在终于可以实现梦想了！ 他回望了不断远去而模糊的大陆海岸线一眼，心中充满了惆怅和喜悦，又要离开自己的祖国了，前往异国的彼岸，和从前六次一样。 但郑和想不到的是，这次回望将是他投向祖国的最后一瞥，他永远也无法回来了。 郑和的船队越过马六甲海峡，将消息传递给各个国家，然后穿越曼德海峡，沿红海北上，驶往郑和几十年来日思夜想的地方——麦加。 伊斯兰教派有三大圣地，分别是麦加、麦地那、耶路撒冷。其中麦加是第一圣地，伟大的穆罕默德就在这里创建了伊斯兰教。穆斯林一生最大的荣耀就是到此地朝圣。 不管你是什么种族、什么出身，也不管你坐船、坐车、还是走路，只要你是穆斯林，只要有一丝的可能性，就一定会来到这里，向圣石和真主安拉吐露你的心声。 郑和终于来到这个地方，虽然他是一个优秀的航海家，虽然他是一个开创历史的人，但在此刻，他只是一个普通而虔诚的穆斯林。 他终于来到了这片梦想中的地方，他终于触摸到了那神圣的圣石，他终于实现了自己的梦想。 这是一次长达五十余年的朝圣之旅，五十年前，梦想开始，五十年后，梦想实现。这正是郑和那传奇一生的轨迹。 从幸福的幼年到苦难的童年，再到风云变幻的成年，如今他已经是一个风烛残年的老者，经历残酷的战场厮杀，尔虞我诈的权谋诡计，还有那浩瀚大海上的风风雨雨惊涛骇浪，无数次的考验和折磨终于都挺过来了。 我的梦想终于实现了，我已别无所求。 朝圣之后，船队开始归航，使命已经完成，梦想也已实现，是时候回家了。 但郑和却再也回不去了。 长期的航海生活几乎燃尽了郑和所有的精力，在归航途中，他终于病倒了，而且一病不起，当船只到达郑和第一次远航的终点古里时，郑和的生命终于走到了尽头。 伟大的航海家郑和就此结束了他的一生，由于他幼年的不幸遭遇，他没有能够成家，留下子女，但这并不妨碍他成为一个伟大的，为后人怀念的人。 他历经坎坷，九死一生，终于实现了这一中国历史乃至世界历史上伟大的壮举，他率领庞大船队七下西洋，促进了明朝和东南亚、印度、非洲等国的和平交流，并向他们展示了一个强大、开明的国家的真实面貌。 虽然他的个人生活是不幸的，也没有能够享受到夫妻之情和天伦之乐。但他却用自己的行动为我们留下了一段传奇，一段中国人的海上传奇。 而创造这段传奇的郑和，是一个英雄，一个真正的英雄，是我们这个国家和民族的骄傲。 古里成为了郑和最后到达的地方，似乎是一种天意，二十多年前，他第一次抵达这里，意气风发之余，立下了“刻石于兹，永昭万世”豪言壮语。二十年后，他心满意足的在这里结束了自己传奇的一生。 郑和，再看一眼神秘而深邃的大海吧，那里才是你真正的归宿，你永远属于那里。 古里的人们再也没有能够看到大明的船队，郑和之后，再无郑和。 六十多年后，一支由四艘船只组成的船队又来到了古里，这支船队的率领者叫达·伽马。 这些葡萄牙人上岸后的第一件事就是四处寻找所谓的财宝，当他们得知这里盛产香料、丝绸时，欣喜若狂，这下真的要发财了。 找到这个可以发大财的地方后，达·伽马十分得意，便在科泽科德竖立了一根标柱，用他自己的话说，这根标柱象征着葡萄牙的主权。 在别人的土地上树立自己的主权，这是什么逻辑？其实也不用奇怪，这位达·伽马在他的这次航行的所到之地都竖了类似的标柱，用这种乱搭乱建的方式去树立他所谓的主权，这就是西方殖民者的逻辑。 然而这位挂着冒险家头衔的殖民者永远也不会知道，早在六十年多前，有一个叫郑和的人率领着大明国的庞大舰队来到过这里，并树立了一座丰碑。 一座代表和平与友好的丰碑。