After the Ming Emperor Zhu Di seized the throne, he was of course ambitious and full of ambition. Therefore, after careful planning and preparation, Zhu Di sent his confidant Zheng and Lord Zheng to lead tens of thousands of people, riding on dozens of large ships, and setting sail in a mighty sail. All the way west, Zheng He reached the present-day Indonesian archipelago, India, and even eastern Africa. It can be said that after walking half the world, everywhere you go, it has brought great shock to the locals.
Western Europe, which is not far away from this, has also begun a continuous voyage, and its influence can be said to have opened a new era in the whole world. Then the question is, the same is to carry out a vast long-distance exploration, why the Ming Dynasty Zheng He did not bring back a huge amount of capital like Europe, let alone a vast colony like Europe, which is really puzzling. In fact, in detail, the reasons are nothing more than the following points:
First, the two sides set out for diametrically opposed purposes. Daming began such a pioneering act in order to show his talents overseas, to promote his orthodoxy and providence, and even more like rumors, in order to track the whereabouts of his nephew, after he seized his nephew's world. Zheng He's voyage to the West is, to some extent, a kind of propaganda, and the emperor wants Zheng He to bring back the recognition and praise of various countries for Daming!
Looking at Europe at that time, on the other hand, they were more of a combination of government and business, with serious commercial overtones, and were initiated driven by interests. It went to sea for money, and the kings of Europe demanded that those who went to sea bring back real money and silver. Therefore, the purpose is different, of course, the things brought back will not be the same.
Second, the two sides have different ways of contacting with overseas local areas. Daming's Zheng He team, under the instruction of the Holy Will, will be friendly with the various places they arrive to a certain extent (of course, there are exceptions), and even for the so-called friendship, they are going to make huge contributions, such as giving huge amounts of local Chinese specialties in exchange for each other's trust and attitude, in order to express the strength and enlightenment of Daming.
Looking at Europe on the other hand, they used such a force as cannons and foreign guns to conquer the places they arrived, and even in order to obtain the scarce and precious wealth of the local area, they did not hesitate to occupy that place in the form of war, expelled the indigenous people, and constantly colonized there, so as to establish a base area and better squeeze and steal local wealth.
Third, the sustainability of the two sides is different. It is precisely because of Daming's principle of not seeking material reciprocity that it is bound to lead to zheng he's heroic behavior without sustained motivation, even if it is seven times as many times, it will eventually be stopped when Daming's national strength weakens, because it is too expensive, and the reward is so small.
Europe, on the other hand, was seeking several times the cost of profit, and in a situation as enticing as the colonies, it would only continue to stimulate more and more countries and adventurers to join the ranks, so it had great sustainability.