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In 1911, Sri Lanka fished out the Ming Dynasty stone stele and translated the inscription, only then did Zheng He know the purpose of going to the West

author:Thinking of the cold dust

Zheng He traveled to the West seven times and left his footprints in many places overseas, his life expectancy is short compared with modern people, but his life is far more exciting than many people.

Through TV series and anime based on his story, both adults and children know something about him.

The well-known story of Zheng He says that his seven trips to the West were for peaceful diplomacy, establishing friendly relations with other countries, and promoting the national prestige of the Ming Dynasty. But not everyone agrees with this statement, and there are some other speculations about his real purpose in going to the West, even if these speculations are not supported by historical data.

In 1911, Sri Lanka fished out the Ming Dynasty stone stele and translated the inscription, only then did Zheng He know the purpose of going to the West

It was not until the Indian Ocean salvaged the stone tablet that Zheng He brought out from the Ming Dynasty and translated the ancient text engraved on it that his true purpose was basically determined.

Adventurous bloodline

Zheng Heshi was called the "Three Treasures Eunuch", that is, the castration.

Whoever it was, would be a little surprised to learn that he was entrusted with this career by the emperor as a eunuch.

Because eunuchs are remembered by people as people who are trapped in the palace and cannot be freed.

Eunuchs are mostly looked down upon, even if in the palace they are divided into three, six and nine, and some great eunuchs even let the courtiers see each other, but their reputation among the people is not good, and few people will truly respect a eunuch.

In 1911, Sri Lanka fished out the Ming Dynasty stone stele and translated the inscription, only then did Zheng He know the purpose of going to the West

But Zheng He was truly loved by the people, and even a statue of him was erected for future generations to admire. The statue is tall and burly, without any servile appearance. Except for this typical feature, it is impossible to tell at first glance that he is a eunuch.

In ancient times, those who would be sent to become eunuchs were mostly sold from poor families, and some were prisoners of war. Zheng He is the latter. If it weren't for that war, his chances of becoming a eunuch would be almost zero.

"Zheng" is not his original surname, his original name is Ma He, and "Zheng" is the surname given by the later emperor for his favor.

Ma He's Ma family is a Hui ethnic group, whose ancestors moved to Yunnan, and once belonged to the Yunnan king of the Yuan Dynasty, with a noble title and laid a foundation.

In 1911, Sri Lanka fished out the Ming Dynasty stone stele and translated the inscription, only then did Zheng He know the purpose of going to the West

After the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, the remnants of the Yunnan king did not disappear, so the Ma family was not greatly affected and still very famous in the local area.

In addition to the title of nobility, the spirit passed down from their ancestors is also one of the reasons for gaining respect.

The Ma family, like most Hui people, believe in Islam and yearn for Mecca, which is a holy place, and pilgrimage to the holy place can be said to be a major wish in their lives.

But the distance between China and Mecca is too far away, "parents are there, not far travel, travel must be good", from this can see the difficulty of travel in ancient times, a long trip is life and departure, and it is not impossible to die in an unexpected guest.

In modern times, there are planes, trains and other means of transportation, and in ancient times, the fastest was only horseback riding. What's more, in ancient times there were not so many convenient roads to ride or drive, and some places could only rely on their own legs to walk through, and there were many dangers.

In 1911, Sri Lanka fished out the Ming Dynasty stone stele and translated the inscription, only then did Zheng He know the purpose of going to the West

From Yunnan to Mecca, thousands of kilometers away, every step is full of unknowns. But the arduous journey to the holy place of pilgrimage, not only his grandfather miraculously completed, but his father also miraculously fulfilled the Hajj wish.

Because of the presence of the two pilgrims, the locals have a heartfelt respect for the Ma family. If nothing else, this tradition and glory will naturally be passed on to Zheng He's generation, but the conflict between old and new forces has completely disrupted their lives.

In 1381, Zhu Yuanzhang's throne was secure, and he finally had the energy to remove the old dynasty forces entrenched in Yunnan that he regarded as a thorn in his side. With the purpose of cutting grass and roots, he sent troops to ignite the war in Yunnan, vowing to never suffer from future troubles.

The first to bear the brunt of this war was the Ma family, a family closely related to the old dynasty.

In 1911, Sri Lanka fished out the Ming Dynasty stone stele and translated the inscription, only then did Zheng He know the purpose of going to the West

The iron hoof shattered Zheng He's peaceful life, and Zheng He, who was only eleven years old, became a prisoner of war. After being castrated, he was sent to the palace as a small eunuch, and at the age of fourteen, he entered Zhu Di's Yan palace as an attendant, ushering in a major turning point in his life.

Zhu Di loves talent and cherishes talent, although Zheng He experienced great changes when he was a child, but his heart has not crossed, he is smart and motivated, and naturally entered Zhu Di's eyes.

And eunuchs are different from ordinary people, their net worth and life no longer belong to themselves at the moment they become slaves, and they can only live dependent on their masters. It is easier and easier to win over them than others, and the most important thing is that even if they have some knowledge, they are generally unable to turn over the storm by default.

Zhu Di made good use of this, selecting talents from among the attendants to serve closely.

In 1911, Sri Lanka fished out the Ming Dynasty stone stele and translated the inscription, only then did Zheng He know the purpose of going to the West

In order for them to play their strengths and become his own help, he never skimp on nurturing them. Not only did the teacher specially invite them to teach them knowledge, but the books in the house were also read with them.

With the formal learning opportunity, Zheng He cherished it immensely, he studied the military book diligently, and practiced his fists and feet. Thanks to the inheritance of his father's good genes, he should have been born tall, and after losing male characteristics, he also practiced a good physique, and at a glance did not have the femininity of a half eunuch.

Coupled with his talent, Zheng He, who was both civil and martial, stood out among the attendants and was reused by Zhu Di.

Later, he played an important role in Zhu Di's plan to seize power, and fought on the battlefield with a body that was taller and stronger than a normal man, which was impossible for ordinary eunuchs, participated in military command, and made great battle merits.

In 1911, Sri Lanka fished out the Ming Dynasty stone stele and translated the inscription, only then did Zheng He know the purpose of going to the West

With his excellent strength and this merit, Zheng He became a big red man in front of the new emperor. In recognition of his bravery in the Battle of Jingjian, Zhu Di gave him the surname "Zheng", and from then on Ma He changed his name to Zheng He and promoted him to the rank of eunuch of the internal official.

In the second year of his ascension, Zhu Di sent the heavy task of voyage.

Like his ancestors, Zheng He embarks on a journey to distant lands to meet unknown adventures.

Appointed to sail along

Zheng He's seafaring career began in 1405 and ended in 1433.

He was 62 years old when he died, which was considered an advanced age in ancient times, but in the eyes of modern people, this age is not considered long-lived. Heavy thinking and running around caused him to accumulate fatigue.

In 1911, Sri Lanka fished out the Ming Dynasty stone stele and translated the inscription, only then did Zheng He know the purpose of going to the West

Knowing that his health was deteriorating, he just wanted to return to his roots, but unfortunately he did not last until the moment he set foot on his homeland, died of illness on the way home, and returned to the motherland as a cold corpse.

For his frequent voyages in the early stage, descendants have always speculated about the real purpose behind this, and some people believe that his main task is to find Emperor Jianwen, the usurped emperor.

Zhu Di's accession to the throne is not justified, and this is a fact that cannot be changed in any way. His throne was snatched up, not from his brothers of the same generation, but from his ascended nephew, Emperor Jianwen.

The rebellion of the clan kings had existed before, and their ambitions were generally proportional to their power.

In 1911, Sri Lanka fished out the Ming Dynasty stone stele and translated the inscription, only then did Zheng He know the purpose of going to the West

After all, a person without ambition, why should he try his best to develop his power, and be an idle king is enough for them to eat and drink until the end of their lives. Only for self-preservation, you should also know how to converge the edge, and the emergence will become the sand that cannot be tolerated in the eyes of the emperor, and lead to the scourge of killing.

At that time, Emperor Jianwen not only had to guard against his brothers, but also against the clan kings who did not know what to plot in secret.

Zhu Di was the oldest and strongest among the remaining clan kings. He was originally the most conspicuous, and he has always absorbed talents to strengthen himself, and he does not look like he has no intention of the throne.

Emperor Jianwen was always worried that he would have the intention of rebellion, so he proposed a policy of reducing the domain, intending to wipe out the lord of the domain, mainly to solve the great trouble of Zhu Di, a henchman.

In 1911, Sri Lanka fished out the Ming Dynasty stone stele and translated the inscription, only then did Zheng He know the purpose of going to the West

The two uncles and nephews have been fighting openly and secretly for many years, dividing each other day and night, and Zhu Di is hindered by the fact that he does not move from the head without seizures. As soon as the policy of cutting the domain came out, it was equivalent to putting contradictions and suspicions on the surface, so Zhu Di took the opportunity to rebel.

Seeing that the defeat could not be reversed, Emperor Jianwen did not want to become a prisoner and humiliated, so he chose to send himself off with a fire.

To live to see people, to die to see corpses, Zhu Di did see a charred corpse, but he couldn't distinguish the identity of the charred corpse at all. The people made up various endings for Emperor Jianwen, whose life and death were unknown, some went into seclusion, some died by self-immolation, and some absconded overseas.

One day is uncertain about the life and death of Emperor Jianwen, Zhu Di's throne will not be steady, and those who support Emperor Jianwen will not be settled. Therefore, when he arranged for Zheng He to sail to sea, there was speculation among the people that it was to find Emperor Jianwen.

In 1911, Sri Lanka fished out the Ming Dynasty stone stele and translated the inscription, only then did Zheng He know the purpose of going to the West

But no matter what the real purpose is, Zheng He represents the Ming Dynasty abroad, so every voyage is fully equipped, and there is no shortage of people and property. When a big country takes the initiative to establish diplomatic relations peacefully, the general country will not think of making bad relations, but will go along the water to establish friendly relations, but there are exceptions.

When Zheng He went to the West for the second time, he made a special trip to Ceylon, which is now Sri Lanka. He also brought a stone tablet engraved in three languages, which was enshrined in the Ceylon Mountain Buddhist Temple, and then underwent the changes of time and space and was lost to the sea.

During this period, the two sides clashed, the specific reasons of which are unknown. One theory is that the king of Ceylon was greedy for money, blackmailed Zheng He, and even wanted to kill people. Another version is that Zheng He offered to take the Buddha's tooth relic they enshrined to the Ming Dynasty, but Ceylon was unwilling.

Fortunately, the skills honed by Zheng He on the battlefield were still there, and he returned home without danger, and brought back the relics when he went to the West. As for why he asked for relics, of course, this was Zhu Di's signal, in order to calm the people's hearts by using the words of ghosts and gods.

In 1911, Sri Lanka fished out the Ming Dynasty stone stele and translated the inscription, only then did Zheng He know the purpose of going to the West

The stele remained intact in Ceylon, where it was salvaged in Sri Lanka in 1911 after hundreds of years. The Chinese script engraved on the excavated stone tablet is well preserved, recording Zheng He's intention to go to the West.

Raise the might

Those who remained in Ceylon with the stone tablet were also the rich gold and silver treasures brought by Zheng He. The "Zheng He Charity Monument" clearly states that Zheng He went here to establish friendly relations, and most of the money he brought with him was used for meeting gifts.

However, Zheng He's trip to the West was not only a simple establishment of diplomatic relations, but also cleaned up maritime threats by the way, and opening up new shipping routes was a side gain.

From ancient times to the present, the problem of piracy has been repeatedly prohibited, and in severe cases, it has affected the livelihood of coastal people.

In 1911, Sri Lanka fished out the Ming Dynasty stone stele and translated the inscription, only then did Zheng He know the purpose of going to the West

Inland water bandits are under the jurisdiction of officers and soldiers, and they will no longer be able to hide and escape the country. However, in the vast sea, pirates who make a living by robbing ships use ships as their home, and there are small islands in the sea for them to hide, which greatly increases the difficulty of governance.

Most troublingly, some of these pirates came from other countries, such as the notorious Wokou, or had their own hideouts in other countries. Once they cannot be annihilated in one fell swoop, let them flee to other countries to recuperate, they will be like endless weeds, coming back again and again.

Zheng He has rich combat experience, although he has no sailing experience before, but he is not afraid of adventure in his bones and knows how to be flexible. As long as he was assisted by someone who was proficient in the art of navigation, he would not have a problem leading a fleet at all.

Zhu Di usurped the throne, and the courtiers submitted on the face, but they did not know what to think in their hearts. The eunuch under him who can trust and be able is none other than Zheng He, so this heavy responsibility will fall on his shoulders.

In 1911, Sri Lanka fished out the Ming Dynasty stone stele and translated the inscription, only then did Zheng He know the purpose of going to the West

Zheng He's fleet was like a sea patrol, and ordinary pirates did not dare to provoke, and also deterred some people who coveted the forces of the Ming Dynasty.

One of the achievements of his voyage was to eradicate Chen Zuyi, who was known as the "Pirate King" at that time.

Chen Zuyi was a native of the Ming Dynasty, originally engaged in illegal smuggling business, as the government's jurisdiction over smuggling became more and more strict, Chen Zuyi's business was difficult to do.

Thinking that he had some connections at sea, he did not stop doing anything, and simply took his whole family to become pirates.

In 1911, Sri Lanka fished out the Ming Dynasty stone stele and translated the inscription, only then did Zheng He know the purpose of going to the West

At sea, Chen Zuyi was like a fish in water, and even formed his own pirate team, and also usurped the throne of a king and established himself as king. The small country harassed by him dared to be angry and did not dare to speak, and paid tribute to this pirate like a vassal state.

And he was brutal and thirsty for killing, including the ships of the Ming Dynasty, and when he met Chen Zuyi, he had no return, and his people and wealth were empty. When Zhu Yuanzhang was in power, he offered a reward of 500,000 taels of silver to capture him, and Zhu Di was so angry that he offered a reward of 7.5 million taels of silver.

Chen Zuyi, who was accustomed to mischief at sea, even set his sights on Zheng He's fleet. Thinking that he was a strong fighter on land, but not necessarily his opponent at sea, he pretended to surrender and took the initiative to approach.

And Zheng He was ordered by the emperor to set sail, and may have planned to arrest Chen Zuyi. Zheng He destroyed his pirate team in one fell swoop and brought him back to the Ming Dynasty to behead and show public display, uprooting a major cancer at sea.

In 1911, Sri Lanka fished out the Ming Dynasty stone stele and translated the inscription, only then did Zheng He know the purpose of going to the West

In addition to these thrilling experiences, Zheng He is more often visiting overseas countries and opening up trade.

Many of the countries he visited were backward and poor. People in these places have no power to fight back in the face of outsiders with powerful forces, so they are strong and willing to seek protection.

Zheng He not only traded with them on an equal footing, but even took the initiative to teach some Ming Dynasty techniques, culture and etiquette to help them accelerate their development. To this day, there are still buildings commemorating Zheng He overseas, and the story of Zheng He is passed on.

As for those countries that are not weak, Zheng He will not oppress by force, but maintain a friendly attitude. Some of these countries will take the initiative to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty, open trade routes with the Ming Dynasty, and some will voluntarily become vassal states of the Ming Dynasty.

In 1911, Sri Lanka fished out the Ming Dynasty stone stele and translated the inscription, only then did Zheng He know the purpose of going to the West

With the help of the safe routes discovered by Zheng He, the private caravans tried to trade with long voyages, and the Ming Dynasty was active at sea for a while. Silk porcelain and other specialties exported by the Ming Dynasty sold well overseas and greatly enhanced their popularity.

At the same time, the specialties brought back by the caravan from overseas and the characteristic culture brought by the foreign caravan also brought benefits to the Ming Dynasty.

Zheng He's seven voyages to the West brought countless benefits to the Ming Dynasty, and the new routes that benefited future generations were priceless.

Unfortunately, the detailed archives of Zheng He's voyage to the West disappeared during the Qing Dynasty. Some say that it was an official who looked down on his status as a eunuch and maliciously burned his archives. Some people also say that Qianlong personally destroyed it.

In 1911, Sri Lanka fished out the Ming Dynasty stone stele and translated the inscription, only then did Zheng He know the purpose of going to the West

But regardless of the truth, the loss of this legendary archive is a great loss for future generations, especially those who study relevant history.

In modern times, some people still look down on Zheng He's status as a eunuch, but a person's behavior should not be judged by sexual characteristics, and his contributions and legendary deeds are real.

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