Some people say that Zheng He went to the Western Seas in the Ming Dynasty to look for Wen Jian. Is it true?/You don't say. What is the truth?

From the first year of Wenjian (1399) to the fourth year of Wenjian (1402), Ming Di Judy of Yan finally fell to Yingtian (now Nanjing) in the name of "Jingnan", and Zhu Yunwen, the emperor of Wen Jian, burned down the palace and disappeared from then on. Ming Chengzu inherited the throne and changed his title to Yongle, but he may still be worried about the disappearance of Wen Jian and the loss of his legacy. In the historical documents of the Ming Dynasty, there are some rumors that Emperor Wen Jian may not have been burned to death, but fled overseas, and even told the story of his family returning to Beijing 20 years later. Therefore, some people think that Emperor Yongle sent Zheng He to the West because he wanted to find Emperor Jianwen. But this statement should not be true, because Zheng He's overseas missions are so huge every time. If Emperor Wen Jian hadn't fled overseas, he would have gone into hiding when he heard the wind. Going to the West to find Wen Jian on a large scale is by no means an effective way, and most scholars no longer believe this statement, but historical novels often emphasize this possibility for the sake of dramatization.

So what was Zheng He's seven voyages to the West for? Bian Xiao analyzed the following reasons.

First, the shift of strategic focus The political situation in the early Ming Dynasty was very unstable. The Yuan Dynasty and other huge groups of Han adherents intervened in politics, and a large number of false enemies and true enemies invaded the southeast coast. Wars often occurred in many countries, threatening the rule of the Ming Dynasty. After several northern expeditions, Judy basically weakened the Yuan army in the north and rushed to Mobei, which greatly reduced the threat from the north. Therefore, Judy saw the potential threat of the ocean to national security and emphasized the importance of controlling the ocean to the country. Decided to shift the national strategic focus from the north to a place that does not threaten the south.

Second, in order to build a tributary trade system in the Ming Dynasty, Zheng He's voyage to the West changed the policy of banning the sea since Zhu Yuanzhang, the great ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, and opened up overseas trade. Chu Di-xing, the prince of Yan, was the teacher of Jingnan, won the throne, rewarded meritorious soldiers, called the Confucian scholars in the world to compile the Yongle Grand Ceremony, sent troops to attack Yue, and built the Beijing Palace. In 14, the Wudang Mountain Taoist Temple was built with taxes from five southern provinces, which cost tens of millions, resulting in an empty state treasury and insufficient reimbursement. In order to solve the financial difficulties, Ming Chengzu promoted the voyage to the West and expanded overseas trade. According to scholars' estimation, the policy of opening to the west brought at least 200,000 to 300,000 yuan in gold and 10 million yuan in silver to the Ming government, which was more than ten times the income of shipping companies in the Song and Yuan Dynasties. In addition, the vassal States appointed by the Ming Dynasty imported western commodities such as aloe vera and gold-inlaid rings into the Ming Dynasty because they could trade at Quanzhou and Ningbo.

Third, after Zheng He's voyage to the West, the first thing to do was to publicize the imperial edict of Ming Chengzu in order to build a great cultural circle in China. Declare to all countries: the Ming emperor was the king of a great country according to the destiny of heaven, and he ruled the world according to the will of the "king of heaven". Governors from all walks of life and foreigners from all walks of life should do as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty said. Countries should not bully the weak and enjoy peace in the world.

Fourth, to publicize that during the Ming Dynasty and Wade Yongle, due to the strong national strength, Ming Chengzu showed China's prosperity to foreign countries and was deeply dissatisfied with the negative overseas policy in the early Ming Dynasty. Therefore, the foreign policy of the imperial court changed. After he acceded to the throne, he sent eunuchs abroad and called all countries to the DPRK, which undoubtedly improved the prestige of Ming Chengzu. Zheng He's voyage to the West enabled him to show off his troops overseas, brag about the prosperity of China, and publicize Wade of the Ming Dynasty to overseas countries.