Reporter: Good evening Empror Hongwu, it's nice to have you today.
Emperor Hongwu: Thanks for having me
Reporter: Now let's get started, I've heard you've been working on the Great Wall of China. How far have you reached with the rebuilding/connecting?
Hongwu: In all honesty, the Great Wall is very hard to build and connect, but since a few emperors build some towers and swaths, it's been less stressful. The Great Wall is very hard to build, my slaves have been taking a long period of time just to build one tower. But since I have millions of slaves building/connecting it for me, it won't take very long. I hope that no evil spirits will get through since I didn't make the walls straight because evil spirits go through straight lines. Another reason I connected/rebuild this wall was so invaders and enemies wouldn't come into China and ruin my dynasty, I'm going to make sure the Ming Dynasty stays the same for a long time.
Reporter: Interesting. I hope everything ends well, now since you brought up invaders and enemies, there was a war with Korea and Japan, and you're country was also involved. I've learned that you have given Korea supplies and soldiers, what was the purpose of you giving supplies and soldiers to Korea and not Japan?
Hongwu: I do not fond the Japanese, especially the wako's. The wako's are Japanese pirates who spent most of their life around China and Korea, they were the ones who what so called, "started the war." Japan has always wanted to conquer my dynasty but I won't let that ever happen, ever. During the late 1590's, Japan had invaded Korea, I was very shocked, after having a war with us, they started to attack Korea. Of course I wanted to be involved because I wasn't done having payback with them, for me to feel better in the inside, I gave Korea supplies and soldiers. I knew that Korea didn't have the best supplies and they did not have enough soldiers to fight with Japan so I gave them as many men soldiers as I could get. As I gave Korea these things, they have been fighting with Japan for quite a while, but around 1596 Japan had made truces with Korea, they couldn't take it and they were losing a lot of soldiers and they did not have enough war supplies. That's when I felt good in the inside.
Reporter: Wow. Your dynasty has been very good lately, what have you thought about your dynasty from the beginning till now?
Hongwu: My dynasty has been great, but it isn't be perfect. There has been some problems from the past like others trying to assassinate me, the war with Japan, and enemies invading China. I've been trying to make China a great place, there ha been many things my dynasty has invented, the bristle toothbrush, porcelain, etc. We are making a big accomplishment with connecting and rebuilding the Great Wall of China, also our trade is doing very well, we get what we need and Europe gets what they need and we're all happy. So, my dynasty has been good from the beginning til now.
Reporter: That's nice to hear, finally for the last question. Do you think you've been a good emperor from the beginning of the dynasty till now?
Hongwu: I feel that I have been a great emperor and that I've done the things I have, people who say that I haven't been a good emperor are just the people who disagree with the things I do. For example, there are many people who can't/haven't paid their debts, I won't just let them go, what I have given them, they have to work for it. So, with those people I make them do work like building the Great Wall, becoming servants, or even be entertainers for me. I do not trust them with making me food, letting them become my helper, or even making medicine because they haven't been educated or else they would haven't had problems with debts. But everyone else is happy with how they are, of course there are people who think that I'm a Legalistic person and that is debatable. I don't trust anybody, not even my parents because you do not know what would happen. They could look like a person you trust but then they can do something really bad to you like poison you which would not be great. So I don't trust anyone for particular reasons. Over all, my dynasty has been good and that means that I've been a good emperor.
Reporter: I see, well thanks so much for answering my questions. We hope to interview you another time.
Hongwu: I'd be honored to answer more questions in the future, have a nice day!
