Mystery One, Toyotomi's Secret Order

, which may have also affected...the fate of those files later.As for the answer, maybe you guys can tell me.Ladies and gentlemen, this is the title of your final report for this semester. Any questions? "

Matthew screamed, "No! We fell for it. It's a trap."

"Matthew, what's your problem?"

Zhang Wei pretended to be impatient, but it obviously didn't stop the naughty student from continuing to protest.

"Yes! Teacher. What you just said...that...Chinese...what...Mr. Sinbad and his seven voyages..."

"His name is Zheng He."

"Yes! Zheng He... not all his data disappeared. How do I know what happened during his seven voyages... a ghost? A sea banshee? A cyclops? Or a giant flying bird...caused The Chinese gave up the idea of ​​colonizing overseas. There is no information, no answers, no reports...does it mean that we should go to the library to find "One Thousand and One Nights" and ask Sinbad...to compile...the final report?"

Zhang Wei pretended to be displeased and gritted his teeth, but Matthew didn't care.

"Of course, Matthew. In fact, there are many similarities between Zheng He and the legendary sailor Sinbad. Except for the similar sailing routes and the same number of times. I can tell you something by the way. .This Chinese Sinbad, Zheng He, is also a man. He can speak and understand Arabic. He has also visited...the hometown of Sinbad."

"The difference is that Sinbad was just a legendary sailor; Zheng He was a great commander, admiral and diplomat. What he led was not just a group of sailors, but an army. Their motivation for sailing also Not the same, maybe you can really find the answer you want from the story of "One Thousand and One Nights".remember!Anything is possible!Don't let the established ideas you have already engrained in your mind first determine your views on history or other things and things.Are you satisfied with this explanation? "

Matthew Doudou looked like eyes covered by dark clouds, rarely showing helplessness, as if silently protesting: "You are not joking."

Staring at Matthew, Zhang Wei continued half-seriously and half-jokingly: "I'm not joking! This is a lost piece of history. Before you find solid evidence, any inference...is possible. But, you have to find out the data carefully Come to corroborate the report. What I want to see is a report based on facts, documents, and imaginative inferences. Not... just imaginative fantasy adventure novels. Do you understand?"

"Teacher, you haven't told us... your thoughts and inferences about the reasons for the disappearance of Zheng He's voyage data?"

Zhang Wei turned around, a little surprised but not too surprised.

"Julia, you really want to know the answer!"

Meanwhile a voice echoed from behind.

Julia showed a sweet but somewhat shy smile, stared at her big eyes like a full moon, and made a firm request.

"Yes! However, I think everyone would love to know "you"'s answer."

There were booing and echoing voices in the classroom.

"Didn't I already tell you... my answer!" Boos broke out again.

Zhang Wei deliberately betrayed the truth: "My answer is that I said earlier that "motivation" determines the "result"; in the language of Eastern Buddhism, it means "There is a cause and there is an effect. ""

"Teacher, your answer is too "Zen". This is the west, New York, the center of the world, and it is very far away from the east."

It is rare for Julia to provoke Zhang Wei's response.Zhang Wei was surprised but happy.And Matthew gave the beauty a thumbs up on the spot to show his solidarity.

"No! Julia, you misunderstood. I don't believe in Buddhism, and I don't know how to talk about Zen...I'm just telling you...what's in my heart."

"The motive of Zheng He's fleet sailing may be related to the whereabouts of those documents later. This is what I call 'the motive determines the result'. As for the motive? Of course the official has an official statement, and the folk also have a private view. The two have the same There are also differences. This is a mystery, or it may be a secret.... I wonder if you guys are interested in solving these mysteries?"

"Oh! No! Another report. We are not fooled!" Matthew screamed again.

"If there are no other questions, ladies and gentlemen, we will dismiss the class! Please submit the final report directly into the mailbox in my office before [-]:[-] pm after three weeks. I accept early submissions, but do not accept any late submissions. If , you were unable to finish your final report on time. Sorry, I can only give you an "F" grade. "

Zhang Wei tapped the desk twice to attract attention.

"Oh! I must remind everyone here that F means failed or failed, not fine. Don't get me wrong."

Zhang Wei's humor also attracted a lot of laughter, which is why his class "Chinese Historical Mysteries and Myths" is so popular.Zhang Wei looked down at his watch.

"There are still 21 days, 2 hours and 58 minutes before the deadline for receiving mail. Please seize the time."

Zhang Wei tidied up the materials and books he had brought, and put them into the half-faded briefcase, which should have been light brown but now glowing khaki. Put the fedora on the head, put the antique dark suit on the leather bag, and pick up the leather bag with the dark and strong arms slightly exposed from the sleeves of the white shirt, like a chief in the jungle , leading the young clansmen, leaving the classroom on West 12th Street in the downtown amidst the noise of playfulness.

final report

Manhattan (Manhattan, NYC) 1940

Zhang Wei likes to use reports instead of exams to evaluate students' learning outcomes.Although doubts about plagiarism are unavoidable, he believes that this is the necessary cost of being a teacher, and it is also a way to motivate himself.As a historian, his motto is: "Human beings are living creatures; so history should not be a rigid teaching material." Writing reports, by quoting from many sources, using the past to learn from the past, or the present to discuss the past This method can stimulate more different viewpoints and give history more diverse aspects.

There are two stacks of student final reports on the table, and Zhang Wei already has a score in his mind; but adhering to rigorous academic principles, he has to confirm it again when he finally decides whether to live or die.Zhang Wei is not a stubborn old pedant who is critical, and the grades given to students are usually very loose.As long as it is written by myself and can be submitted on time, most of them can get a "B" rating; with a little bit of care, citing correct historical materials to prove your own arguments, even if the arguments are nothing new or even stereotyped, you can still get a good score; As for the few reports that make a different point of view and make good use of data to strengthen the argument, no matter how deviant and unconstrained, the content is unconstrained.Zhang Wei would not hesitate to give a higher rating; this is completely in line with his belief in "multiple" historical views.

The topic of this final report: Why did the area that Zheng He’s fleet passed through in the past, without large-scale colonialism, become a Chinese colony in the future?

Most students think that this result has a lot to do with Chinese cultural and geographical background.China is dominated by an agricultural society, staying in a closed society where life can be self-sufficient.Therefore, there is no urgent need and motivation to seek development outside.Secondly, China at that time was the richest and most powerful country in the world, and it regarded itself as the most powerful country.The people also regard themselves as their own people.Living in the most prosperous and powerful country in the world, there is naturally no incentive to emigrate overseas, especially to those countries or territories that the Chinese have always considered "barbarians".Furthermore, in terms of culture, China has always been based on agriculture; agriculture depends on land, and there is wealth in land, so the concept of resettling the land and relocating is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and the act of leaving home and emigrating overseas is not popular.Compared with countries with sea power such as Spain and the United Kingdom in Europe, China is a land power country with a relatively short coastline, which also leads to the lack of attention to concepts such as sea power and overseas colonization.

Most of the students' reports start from the above arguments, and the discussion is quite satisfactory.Julia's report mentioned that the ban on navigation issued by the Chinese emperor, the policy of locking the country, and the official feudal conservative self-centered attitude forced China to lose the opportunity to become a maritime power, and to use national power to develop colonialism, promote international trade, and become a geo-hegemony opportunity.

Among all the reports, the most unexpected and the most distinctive arguments came from a student who was full of opinions in the class-Matthew's report.This naughty boy really started his report centering on the legendary sailor Sinbad in Arabian mythology "One Thousand and One Nights": he mentioned the way and scope of Zheng He's ocean voyages, and the legendary Sinbad's famous seven times. The waters and routes traveled by the voyage have a considerable degree of overlap and similarity.Because these places have already been controlled by the Arabs, Muslims, and Mongols; in addition, Zheng He himself is also a slave, and he can speak Arabic, and he understands these areas better because of the mutual understanding of language, culture and beliefs. , coupled with the fact that China and many countries in these regions had to face a powerful common enemy - the Mongol Empire, alliances were more urgent and pragmatic than colonization.

This Jewish student who was full of opinions in class gave Zhang Wei another surprise this time.To support his argument, Matthew attached a legendary Sinbad's nautical map to his report.This seemingly simple ancient nautical map immediately captured all of Zhang Wei's thoughts.

this flat lay