Zheng He's voyage to the West during the Ming Dynasty was a very important event in Chinese history. Zheng He led the fleet to the ocean, that is, to promote the national prestige of the Ming Dynasty to other countries. It also brought back many precious items from foreign countries to the Central Plains, which greatly promoted the development of the Ming Dynasty.
Most of the fleet that followed Zheng He across the ocean were men. A small number of women are also some old women. Such an arrangement makes many people wonder: why only bring the old woman, not the girl? In fact, this is exactly what makes Zheng He's clever.
Zheng He was able to be reused by Zhu Di, the ancestor of Ming Cheng, and was always inseparable from his own wisdom. Zheng Heben is not surnamed Zheng, but surnamed Ma. He turned out to be just an orphan wandering around in the Yunnan region. By chance, he was taken into the palace, subjected to cruel palace punishment, and became a small eunuch.
When he first entered the palace, Zheng He was often bullied, did not have enough to eat, did not wear warm, and lived a hard life. After spending some time in the palace, he was given a chance to leave the palace. At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to reward slaves to his sons who were sealed in various fiefdoms, and he wanted to select a group of palace women and eunuchs from the palace to send to the fiefdoms.
Zheng He happened to be among these people, and he sent him to Zhu Di, who was still the King of Yan at the time. Before this, Zheng He's experience has always been very bumpy. After coming to King Yan's side, his fate began to gradually change. At first, Zheng He was just a dispensable eunuch. Slowly, Zhu Di found that although Zheng He was young, he was very clever in doing things.
At that time, Zhu Di was jealous of Zhu Yuanzhang, the ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, and his actions in all aspects were restricted. He urgently needed to cultivate people who were loyal only to his own confidants. Therefore, Zheng He, who had no background but was clever and clever, was carefully cultivated by Zhu Di. Zheng He helped Zhu Di manage the affairs of the fiefdom and cope with wave after wave of malicious spies from the imperial court.
After Zhu Yuanzhang's death, Zhu Di's nephew Zhu Yunjiao succeeded to the throne. After Zhu Yunzhi succeeded to the throne, he began to implement a policy of cutting off the domain, deposing many princes. As the son of the former emperor, Zhu Di, the King of Yan, had an even more difficult life. Unable to bear it, Zhu Di launched the "Battle of Jingnan" and rebelled against Zhu Yunjiao.
Zheng He has also been with Zhu Di and together in the southern and northern wars, becoming the most trusted person around Zhu Di. After Zhu Di successfully ascended the throne, Zheng He was made an internal official eunuch, that is, the chief eunuch, in charge of some affairs of the imperial palace and imperial court. At this time, Zheng He, who was originally surnamed Ma, was given the surname "Zheng" by Zhu Di. At that time, it was a very high honor to be given a surname from the emperor.
After Zhu Di became emperor, under his rule, the government was clear and the people's lives were relatively stable. Zhu Di, who had great ambitions, hoped to spread the prestige of the Ming Dynasty to farther places. In ancient times, Emperor Wu of Han sent Zhang Qian on an envoy to the Western Regions to publicize the national prestige of the Han Dynasty. Zhu Di also decided to emulate Emperor Wu of Han and send envoys overseas to publicize the national prestige of the Ming Dynasty.
For the envoy, after several considerations, Zhu Di finally chose Zheng He, whom he trusted the most. After receiving the imperial order from Ming Chengzu Zhu Di, Zheng He began to form a fleet of ships to prepare for going to sea. Going to sea, boats are indispensable.
At that time, the shipbuilding technology of the Ming Dynasty was already very skilled. Zheng He urged the craftsmen to build many large ships that could carry thousands of people. Moreover, on the boat, it is also equipped with very complete living equipment. It is even possible to grow vegetables and medicinal herbs on board the ship and keep poultry and livestock in captivity.
In addition, Zheng He recruited sailors and shipwrights familiar with water throughout the country to form a relatively mature fleet. In the following twenty-eight years, Zheng He led the fleet to the West seven times, which was the largest sea voyage in ancient Chinese history.
Zheng He's fleet, mighty. The number of people in the fleet at each time they go to sea is more than 20,000. Most of these people are male members such as soldiers, sailors, and shipwrights who are familiar with water, and there are also some female members. However, these women are old women, not young and beautiful women. Zheng He's arrangement is of deep significance.
Most people will think that the sea time is long, and the boats are full of flesh and blood men. Therefore, it is more appropriate to bring some young women. However, if there were young women in the fleet, it was also very easy to cause conflicts between soldiers. Eventually, it could lead to members of the fleet competing with each other, passive slackness, and poor management of the fleet.
Moreover, young women, physically weak. The sea time is long, and the wind and waves at sea are huge, and the hull is often bumpy. In such harsh and harsh conditions, delicate women are difficult to persevere and easy to get sick. If you are sick, there will be problems such as manpower-consuming care and disease transmission. Taken together, not bringing young women is a very good option.
Most of the old women brought by Zheng He's fleet were tall, strong and powerful old women who worked all year round. Good physical fitness and rich experience allow them to better face the various risks that arise at sea. Moreover, they can cook and wash clothes for the crew and take care of the crew's daily life.
Among these inconspicuous old women, there are also a small number of people who are doctors and midwives. Whenever someone on board fell ill, the doctors were able to treat them and prevent their condition from getting worse. And with the midwife, it reflects Zheng He's cleverness.
During the Ming Dynasty, China's handicraft industry and ceramic industry were very developed. At the same time, the level of medical skills in the Ming Dynasty also reached a very high realm. At that time, Zheng He's ships carried a lot of ceramics, silk and other commodities, which could show foreign countries the prosperous economic development of the Ming Dynasty. The doctor and midwife can show the achievements of the Ming Dynasty in terms of medicine and culture.
The countries through which Zheng He passed to the West were very backward in their political, economic, and cultural developments. These doctors and midwives went to the local area and taught them the vast and exquisite medical skills of the Central Plains. Invisibly, it shocked other countries.
The journey to the West is arduous. But it has also made a very meaningful achievement. Zheng He's fleet remained in both the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. He has traveled to more than 30 countries and regions. It was the largest navigation operation in ancient China.
The reason why Zheng He went to the West was successful was inseparable from the full support of Ming Chengzu Zhu Di, and even more inseparable from Zheng He's wise arrangement and layout. Zheng He's trip to the West took place in the first thirty years of the fifteenth century, half a century before the great geographical discoveries of Western countries.
Zheng He successfully reached the countries along the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific, spreading the national prestige of the Ming Dynasty and making many Western countries yearn for rich and advanced Eastern countries. Zheng He's voyage to the West is a very important event in Chinese history and a very significant event in the history of the world.