In the Preface to the Ancient House of Fuzhou, it is proposed that "the protection of ancient buildings is conducive to preserving the traditional style and personality of famous cities". As the host of the 44th World Heritage Conference, Fuzhou is based on the characteristics of the ancient home and takes the "World Heritage Conference" as an opportunity to closely combine the influence of the ancient house in Fuzhou with the opportunities of urban development. The ancient architecture of Mindu is the evidence of Fuzhou's history and culture, and the Propaganda Department of The Fuzhou Municipal Party Committee has specially launched a series of reports on "Welcoming the World Heritage Conference and Entering the Culture of Mindu", inviting local experts and scholars in Fuzhou to tell the story of Fuzhou and pass on the culture of Mindu. The third article is launched today, so stay tuned.
"Xie Jie and the Seal of the Boat"
Author: Ying Luo
In the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were 5 envoys from Fuzhou, of which the two ming dynasties were Chen Fu and Xie Jie. Due to the lack of information, Chen Fu made it difficult to verify Ryukyu. Xie Ming made Ryukyu have a great influence on future generations.
Xie Jie (1535-1604), also spelled Hanfu and Fengmei, was a native of Jiangtian Town, Changle District, Fuzhou, Fujian Province. The Xie family tree records that the Changle Xie clan is a local wang clan. Xie Jie "young police min, erudite can ancient Chinese words", Ming Longqing four years (1570) township examination in the middle of the people, Wanli second year (1574) in the middle of the jinshi, the teaching of pedestrians. This position was of low status and high prestige among the Officials of Beijing, and his promotion was extremely rapid. He is a junior high school junior high school student who is proud of holding this position. Xie Jie was sent as an envoy to Ryukyu two years later, and after returning to China, he successively served as Guanglu Temple, Shaoqing of Liangjing Taichang Temple, Jing Zhaoyin of Suncheon Province, Right Attendant of Nanjing Punishment Department, Left Waiter of Jingcheng Punishment Department, and Shangshu of Nanjing Hubu. After his death, the Wanli Emperor "gave the crown prince Shaobao, sent officials to protect the funeral, and gave sacrifices." Xie Jie was promoted to Zheng'erpin from Zhengqipin when he was on a mission to Ryukyu, and was promoted to Congyipin after his death. It was rare for officials who could be so peaceful among the envoys of the Ryukyu Dynasty, who were favored by the Wanli Emperor and appreciated by their superiors, such as Xiao Chongye, the envoy of Ryukyu, and the Shaoqing of Taichang Temple, who was only an official of The Fourth Pin. Xie Jie did not achieve such a position by flattery, but instead routinely advised the emperor to "filial piety, respect the ancestors, and be diligent in government", and did his duty in every post.
Xie Jie has written a wealth of works, including "Shuntianfu Zhi", "Records of Ryukyu", "Summary Addendum to Ryukyu Records", "Records of The City of Nichidong Jiaotong", "Collection of White Clouds", "Testament Poems" and so on. Zhou Huang, who was an envoy to Ryukyu during the Qing Dynasty, greatly appreciated the Ryukyu articles written by Xie Jie. He said that Xie Jie's "Envoys' Addendum" for the first time seriously subdivided the contents of Ryukyu into 8 parts: the original commission, the envoy, the canonization, the employment of people, the initiation, the worship of gods, the national customs, and the imperial court. In addition, there is the "Records of the City of The East of Japan", the two trivia articles, the right to do things, and the pension service. In the "Summary Addendum to the Ryukyu Records" and the "Records of the Traffic City of Nido-Dong", Xie Jie elaborated on the employment of ships and ships. Zhou Huang greatly admired this, which prompted later emissaries not to dare to be sloppy and perfunctory, and to carefully improve their mission notes, and to write down the situation in Ryukyu more specifically, so as to facilitate the reference of later emissaries.
Xie Jie was also the first official among the Ming Dynasty envoys to Ryukyu to carefully record the problem of the Wokou, and together with his subordinates, he studied and wrote a book on the Japanese problem, "Pious Tai Wokou". So, what was Xie's experience with Ryukyu?
Build a canonical boat
In the fourth year of the Wanli Dynasty (1576), the Ming Dynasty appointed Xiao Chongye as the Ryukyu Canonical Envoy, and the Pedestrian Division Pedestrian Xie Jie as the deputy envoy of the Ryukyu Canonization, and went to the Ryukyu Kingdom to crown the Ryukyu Kingdom's son Shangyong as the King of Zhongshan. During the Ming Dynasty, the kings of the Ryukyu Kingdom reigned for a short time, and King Shangyong, who ascended the throne with the Wanli Emperor, reigned for 16 years and died of illness at the age of 30, but this was already the Ryukyu king who reigned for a long time in the Ming Dynasty.
In the first year of the Ming Dynasty (1573), the 9-year-old Emperor Mingshenzong Zhu Yijun and the 13-year-old King Shangyong of the Ryukyu Kingdom ascended the throne at the same time. Both were child emperors. When Xiao Chongye and Xie Were appointed envoys to Ryukyu in the fourth year of the Wanli Dynasty (1576), Myeongjinzong was only 13 years old. Readers who know the history of the Ming Dynasty know that after the Wanli Emperor ascended the throne, he did not govern, but the first assistant Zhang Juzheng presided over the work with full authority. In fact, in the third year of the Ming Dynasty (1575), the Ming Dynasty had agreed to crown Shangyong King, but the process of canonization was particularly troublesome, and various affairs dragged on until the summer of the seventh year of the Wanli Calendar (1579), when Xiao Chongye and Xie Jie went to Ryukyu. Why did it drag on for so long? Xiao Chongye said in his "Records of the Ryukyu Dynasty" that because the Wokou had been invading Fujian during the Jiajing period, Fujian had cut down many good trees in its territory in order to build many warships, and the chartered boats needed the best wood for their voyages, and the result was "wood harvesting for many years.". The harvesting of wood is not counted, and it is difficult to find suitable craftsmen for shipbuilding. What's so hard to do? It is mentioned in Xie Jie's "Summary Addendum to the Ryukyu Records".
Xie Jie was a two-sleeved and breezy official in the capital, and before he went to Ryukyu, he was manufactured by the Ministry of Works and awarded a set of Kirin clothes by the Ministry of Rites, but the jade belt he wore needed to be brought by himself. Because xie jie could not afford to buy it, he wanted to use Baoding stone instead, but the quality of the jade belt was very different, and he was worried that Ryukyu would laugh generously. It just so happened that his colleague Zhang Zhonggui was nicknamed "Zhongshan", and after learning of Xie Jie's troubles, he said to Xie Jie: "Xie Lingjun went to the Ryukyu Feng Sanfang Seven Lane Fu Ship Culture Center in the book seal boat bow model Zhongshan King, my number is also Zhongshan, this is also a fate!" He generously lent his jade belt to Xie Jie.
Xie Jie went to Fuzhou to take charge of the construction of the sealed boat, but he did not expect that this matter would not only be costly and laborious, but also necessary to find a suitable skilled craftsman and coordinate the forces of all parties. Therefore, Xie Jie recalled in the "Supplement to the Ryukyu Records" that it was difficult to build the sealed boat: "In the affairs of the world, if the power is used, it is easy to gather, and if the power is not in hand, it is difficult to achieve; in the case of Yi Navigation, big things, and dangerous things!" This means that it is easy to centralize power, but it is difficult to have no power in hand, and it is even more important to sail out to Ryukyu.
Why did Xie Jie feel this way? Because there was no inspector in Fuzhou at that time, all administrative affairs were managed by the inspector Yushi, and as a result, the power was scattered and the handling of political affairs was chaotic. Moreover, the Wokou in the Fuzhou area had not yet been cleared, they continued to come to harass, the army was unable to save itself, and it was powerless to help Xie Jie deal with the matter of sealing the ship, but simply posted a notice in the people: "Seal the ship, the warship, the matter is one." Those who violate the cheats shall be dealt with by military law. ”
The military posted such a notice because fujian's one wood, one material, one husband, and one battle were all managed by the army. The army was run by no one else, but by the eunuchs. This eunuch was corrupt and bribe-taking, and he had to intervene in Fujian's local affairs, and his power was in the ascendant. Logically, the eunuchs should assist in the work of the envoys, but these eunuchs who were favored by the emperor were uninhabited and lawless, and where was the life and death of the envoys? The military told the officials of the Fujian provinces: "Although the harvesting of wood is a matter of canonization, it will also harass the people." All sections are not allowed to cut down tomb trees, feng shui trees, demolition of hedges, and injury to people; once discovered, they are punished by military law. "In other words, the military does not want to help them build a chartered ship, but wants to save a little money and use it to build a warship." In this way, it is even more difficult to create a charter. Those who buy timber and build ships are often teased and falsely accused by some hoarders. These people can win every complaint and convict those who have built the canon. The conviction is still a small matter, and it is a great blessing not to have innocent people. Xie Jie therefore lamented that this was the first time since the Ming Dynasty had canonized the Ryukyu envoys that the army was so unreasonable. Of course, it was also difficult to build a canonized ship before, and even replaced the life of a warship with a warship regardless of the canonization, but that was during the extraordinary period of invasion by the Wokou during the Jiajing period. In the end, coordinated by Xie Jie's efforts, the military agreed to build the sealed ship.
A large number of iron bars and nails are required to make a book. The military sent people to Youxi to buy the worst quality iron at a great price. The officials in charge of shipbuilding found that the sealed boat made of such iron could not withstand the wind and waves at sea, so they refused to accept it. The procurer went to the military to make false accusations in good conscience, and as a result, the shipbuilder was tied up and imprisoned by the military. Xie Jie had no choice but to come forward to resolve the grievances of the shipbuilding officer.
The next purchase of wood also encountered many twists and turns. At that time, the wood for making the registered boat was the most suitable for Jianning except for the mountainous areas near Fuzhou. Among them, the mast must use fir wood, the rudder wood must use iron wood, and camphor wood and other miscellaneous woods must be used. These trees should be hundreds of years old. It is very laborious to transport from the deep mountains and old forests in remote counties to Fuzhou. Transporting giant trees through each township requires more than 400 people from the entire village to drag them. Every time you go, you have to change the people of Ichigo to pull. Ten townships will use three or four thousand people. Along the way, through the provinces and counties, about 100,000 people will be mobilized. In fact, every time so many people drag a giant tree, it takes only a few moments. When the military heard that it was so labor-intensive, it changed its approach, letting more than 600 soldiers do it, doubling their daily wages and pairing them with good food. The soldiers were happy at first, but no one was willing to do it for 10 days. Because what was supposed to take 100,000 people to take turns day and night is now handled by 600 soldiers, and it must be done in more than a month. After Xie Jie investigated and understood the situation, he went to the military to coordinate and explain, and still carried out according to the original plan.
It usually takes 3 years to build a chartered boat, and the problems to be solved are endless. Xiao Chongye was completely overwhelmed, thanks to Xie Jie to coordinate, so in his "Record of making Ryukyu", he sincerely thanked Xie Jie. This is due to the items that need to be used on the sealed boat, and Xiao Chongye and Xie Jie's official fees are simply not enough to pay, so they can only borrow the goods of private merchants and return them when they are used up. Some profiteers try to cope with inferior instruments. Xie Jie is a local and knows how to deal with it. His summary of the success of fuzhou's supervision of shipbuilding was: "I calmly, gently and patiently explained the communication, and the military can understand and accept my opinion." Therefore, although the construction period was postponed, it was also done by a righteous gentleman. ”
Xie Jie's affairs were difficult by the military in many ways, which was related to his low official position at that time, but he was good at communication and coordination, and he was magnanimous. Both the military and Xiao Chongye were very admired, and a later incident also showed his noble character. When he was young, his father, Xie Tinggun, was a scholar in Changle County, and in his later years, some of his people took his name to evade taxes. At that time, the county ordered Liu Yulong to tell Yushi to arrest Xie Tinggun. Xie Jie defended his father and was almost killed by the county servants. When Xie Jie was serving as the right deputy capital, Yushi Inspector Nangan, Liu Yulong retired from his post at Nangan. Liu Yulong was deeply afraid that Xie Jie would take the opportunity to retaliate, but Xie Jie did not do so, and the people of the world obeyed his measurements after they knew about it.
In addition to the difficulties in purchasing giant wood and iron materials mentioned earlier, the problem of employing people for shipbuilding and boating is even more difficult. Xie Jie said that navigation is for the ship, the shipbuilder is very important, this is the foundation, and the shipwright needs two kinds of people: one needs the shipwright in Zhangzhou to be responsible for building the ship strong and resistant to wind and waves; the other needs the shipwright in Fuzhou to reasonably design the specifications and styles of the ship. The shipwrights of both places are indispensable. During the voyage, the craftsmen in Fuzhou and Zhangzhou were indispensable, and each had its own strengths. Zhangzhou boatman is mainly responsible for steering across the sea, and from Fuzhou to Fuzhou need Fuzhou shipwright, because whether Fuzhou's waterway has a reef, how deep or shallow, fuzhou shipwright must be. Usually, Fuzhou shipwrights choose Changle Meihua and Lianjiang Dinghai people, who are well versed in Fujian and Zhejiang Haidao. Also choose a Fuqing Wan'an boatman. In this way, each voyage requires the guidance and cooperation of local shipwrights on different oceans. There are also 30 shipwrights from Ryukyu on board, who are responsible for the Ryukyu sea route. Xie Jie was the first envoy to write about shipbuilding and shipwrecking, which provided a very important reference for the envoys who later sent envoys to Ryukyu, took fewer detours, and greatly saved the country's shipbuilding expenses. Therefore, posterity praised Xie Jie for his great contribution to the construction of the sealed ship.
Before Xiao Chongye and Xie Jie, Chen Kan, Gao Cheng, and Guo Rulin all wrote the Records of the Ryukyu Dynasty. On this basis, Xie Jie has considered more thoroughly and carefully, and his work is also well-coordinated and coordinated. After that, the envoys to Ryukyu basically followed his records to build ships and employ people, avoiding losses.
Xie Jie's eyes are the things that are in the eyes of the Uighurs
Xie Jie and Xiao Chongye went on a mission to Ryukyu together. Xiao Chongye wrote "The Record of Making Ryukyu", and Xie Jie wrote two supplements, explaining that the reason why Ryukyu must invite Chinese angels to crown the king of Zhongshan in the Ryukyu kingdom is that the grand ceremony of the Chinese kingship in Ryukyu is very powerful and solemn, enough to shock the Japanese in Ryukyu and make them dare not act rashly in Ryukyu under china's protection. At that time, the small people of the Ryukyu Kingdom were poor and borrowed money from Japan from time to time. Whenever an envoy came to Ryukyu, no matter where he was, he would come to see the ceremony of the Chinese canonization of the King of Ryukyu. The Merchants nominally came to congratulate, but in fact they came to collect debts from Ryukyu, because the Chinese canonization always brought rich gifts.
When the canonized mission led by Xiao Chongye and Xie Jie arrived in Ryukyu, the Uighur merchant ships received news that they had arrived in Ryukyu earlier. Wokou were mixed in with wokou. The house of the Uighurs is only 2 miles away from the Angel Hall where the Chinese canonized missions lived. The Ryukyu officials were worried that the Uighur merchants would cause trouble in Ryukyu and would not be conducive to the Chinese canonization mission, so they often said some alarmist remarks to the two canonized envoys and wanted to move the canonized envoys to live in Kume Village. Xie Jie objected: "As long as you take care of yourself, you don't have to worry." If you move away without any reason, you are avoiding the womb, and there is no reason why China is afraid of other countries! I came this time, it happened that the merchants also came to trade, originally there was no dispute and resentment, not the enemy, don't worry! Overseas selfless intercourse, this is the regulation. As long as you take care of your subordinates and don't interact with the Uighurs, you'll be fine. He then again admonished his entourage that it was forbidden to trade with the Uighurs, and that all offenders would be prosecuted. After the order was given, the entourage was very disciplined and no one broke the law.
After some time, a typhoon struck, and the convoy of the canonized mission clashed with the Uighurs as they escorted their respective ships at the port, and the Uighurs drew their swords and wounded the leader of the Servants. The leader was bleeding. Xie Jie examined the leader's wounds, saw that the wounds were injured by the back of the knife, not the knife edge, and said happily: "This is an emergency defense and self-help of the Uighurs, not an intentional stab wound." I informed all the servants to come back to the Angel Hall, and later I informed the Ryukyu Envoys to go to the Uchijin Hall to warn them. These people will not be troubled. Soon king Nakayama of Ryukyu sent 2,000 men to assist the fleet of the canonized mission in properly guarding the canonized ship. The people did not dare to commit another crime.
It was this mission to Ryukyu that opened Xie Jie's eyes and profoundly understood the relations between China, Ryukyu and Japan, as well as the problem of Japan's woes, and laid the foundation for field research for the important work "Pious Tai Woe" written in the future. He introduced Japan's name, geographical location, mountainous terrain, etc. in "The Pious Tai WuLu", and recorded the process of the anti-Wu struggle on the southeast coast of China in the Ming Dynasty. Xie Jie believes that China should build coastal defense at an early date and take precautions to do a good job in advance. The book is accompanied by a detailed "Map of the Ten Thousand Miles of the Sea" and the styles of the Big Head Boat (Wu Feng) and the Min Boat (Bai Feng) in Dongguan County. There are six kinds of Min ships, the first and second Yuefu ships, the third Sentinel ship, the fourth Yuedong ship, the fifth Yuewu ship, and the sixth Yue fast ship. These six types of Fujian ships are all made of fir wood. The ship was as tall as a building, with a total of 4 floors, and was a weapon in naval warfare at that time. In the book, he also carefully asked people to draw the pattern of these ships one by one. In addition to these, even the weapon styles are introduced and accompanied by drawings.
Xie Jie's But Jin Zhi
Japan was eyeing the Ryukyu Tiger, and Ryukyu became more and more dependent on China, and the desire for China to send envoys to crown the King of Zhongshan also wanted to use China's strength to strengthen its courage, and naturally did not dare to snub China's angels. In the thirteenth year of Jiajing (1534), the King of Shangqing worked hard to thank the canonized emissary Chen Kan and gave 40 taels of gold, which Chen Kan refused. The King of Shangqing also ordered the envoys to present the 40 taels of gold together with a letter to the Jiajing Emperor. The Jiajing Emperor ordered Chen Kan to accept it. In recognition of their honesty and integrity, Ryukyu built the "Shōjin Pavilion" in Shuri (present-day Naha), where the princes and nobles lived. It became customary to give 40 taels of gold, and in the future, the king of Zhongshan would give a bounty of 40 taels to the canonized deputy envoy. The canonized envoys would refuse many times and write a golden poem to express their hearts. Xie Jie is no exception.
Xie Jie wrote in the "Poetry of Cho Jin":
Yizhong feasted and paid a reward, so that the king did not change his heart.
Return the king's honorarium to the king, and make a golden groan for the king.
……
Not changing his original intention is Xie Jie's bookish nature. Xie Jie had such a golden but golden zhi, was naturally clean and upright, and his official fortunes were prosperous, and he was appreciated by the Wanli Emperor. It is rumored that there were various adventures during his tenure. In the thirty-first year of the Wanli Calendar (1603), the cold winter came early, and seeing that the fortune was about to be delayed, Xie Jie was very worried and prayed to the heavens to burn incense. At this time, despite the heavy snow, the canal was not completely frozen, leaving a water transport channel for grain carriers to arrive as scheduled. It can really be said that the heavens are worthy of the heart, and the whole court is very surprised, and it is also full of admiration for Xie Jie.
——Published in the first issue of Mindu Culture in 2020
Source: Fuzhou Daily