I'm really not doing business

Chapter 1068 Iron hooves trample mountains and rivers, black clouds sweep across the land, and the wind carries the stench of mutton.

“Your Majesty, I am old and weary. What Chen Jingyi said is his opinion. My opinion is simpler. If we truly want the Overseas Governor-General’s Office to be stable and secure for a long time and to serve our Great Ming, the key lies in the garrisons.” Sun Kehong looked at the imposing Emperor and expressed his views.

"Oh? Let's talk in detail." Zhu Yijun sat up straight, his expression becoming much more serious.

He also wanted to know what wealthy merchants and tycoons in the private sector thought about the Wanli Reforms.

"Your Majesty, Liu Ting was appointed General Who Conquers the South, and Liang Menglong was appointed Commander-in-Chief. They led 280,000 Han troops to quell the rebellion in Bozhou. The entire army of 280,000 men lasted 114 days and ruthlessly crushed the rebellious ambitions of the Miao people, both the raw and cooked, led by Yang Yinglong."

"If we start counting from the Hongwu era, it had been a full 232 years since Liu Ting led his army into Hailongtun." Sun Kehong brought up a topic that Ming Dynasty scholars rarely discussed: that the Ming Dynasty was now old.

Based on past experience, at most another seventy years, and a change of dynasty will be imminent.

Even so, it was no easy feat and quite unusual for the Ming Dynasty to be able to muster such a large army to quell the rebellion.

During the more than four hundred years of the Western and Eastern Han dynasties, the most powerful era for the Han army was naturally when Wei Qing and Huo Qubing drove the Xiongnu north. After Emperor Wu of Han passed away, the renowned Liangjiazi and Yulin Army gradually faded from the historical stage, and from then on, aristocratic families dominated the world.

In short, the Han army's period of strength was short-lived, after which military power gradually fell into the hands of border troops and aristocratic families.

The Tang Dynasty lasted only a hundred years under Emperor Xuanzong. The Fubing system was abolished, and the An Lushan Rebellion ignited the flames of war, plunging everyone into chaos. The madness and darkness of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period were the stench of corpses left behind after the death of the glorious Tang Dynasty.

The military strength of the Song Dynasty lasted until the Battle of Gaoliang River during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Song. After that, the military weakness of the Song Dynasty became common knowledge.

The Ming Dynasty was completely different. By the Wanli era, more than two hundred years after its founding, the Ming Dynasty still had the organizational capacity to organize large armies of more than 200,000 people to fight, and was not worried about violence getting out of control.

The foundation of all this was the beggar soldiers and garrison troops of the Ming Dynasty.

His Majesty is very comfortable using the camp soldiers and will naturally favor them, but the soldiers of the military garrisons and garrisons are the foundation of the Ming Dynasty.

Another significant drawback of the Ming Dynasty, compared to other dynasties, was its extremely corrupt fiscal system. The court simply did not have enough funds to carry out its duties, and the people who sustained the Ming Dynasty were the beggar army left behind by the beggar emperor.

The only difference between military garrison posts and Han Dynasty's military settlements and Tang Dynasty's military units is that military garrison posts cultivated official land, not private land, and the means of production were collectively owned rather than individually owned.

Admittedly, mergers and acquisitions did occur for various reasons, but even so, the military garrison system remained the key to the survival of the Ming Dynasty.

Sun Kehong's meaning was very clear: the Ming Dynasty's opening of the seas was good in every way, but the only downside was the lack of military settlements and garrisons overseas.

The towns and villages of Han were settlements, equivalent to the towns of the Ming Dynasty. However, the countryside outside the towns and villages seemed to go unnoticed by the emperor, ministers, officials, and overseas governors.

Of course, this may be the same contradiction as before. Before, we were busy establishing our rule and couldn't pay attention to it. Now, it's time to do it.

Once you put something in your mouth, you should digest it completely, instead of spitting it out.

"What you say, Mr. Sun, is absolutely right. I did indeed overlook that. Thank you for reminding me, Mr. Sun." Zhu Yijun expressed his gratitude very solemnly. This Mr. Sun, who had been in a wheelchair for thirty years, was indeed quite capable to have managed to hold the position of Mr. Sun of Songjiang Ocean Trading Company.

In fact, from the perspective of powerful and influential figures, the 100,000 elite soldiers of the Beijing Garrison and the 160,000-strong navy were indeed formidable. But what was most terrifying was the public opinion that had arisen regarding the Beijing Garrison and the navy. The people were willing to become the sharp blade in His Majesty's hands under the leadership of the court, and were willing to trust the court one more time.

This popular sentiment was the fundamental reason why the Ming emperors were able to slaughter powerful and influential figures like pigs.

Anyone who frequently slaughters pigs in the countryside knows that there is only one person with a knife, who just makes a small cut on the pig's neck to bleed it. However, there are always several people holding the pig down to prevent it from moving.

“And Your Majesty.” Sun Kehong’s expression was complicated. He glanced at Chen Jingyi, then at the Imperial Secretary, hesitated, and after careful consideration, said, “Your Majesty, iron hooves have trampled mountains and rivers to pieces, and dark clouds sweep across the land with the smell of blood.”

"The Hu Yuan army marched south, trampling the Song Dynasty's land. Dark clouds loomed over the city, and the stench of barbarians swept across the entire land. Feng Sheng led his army westward, and for thousands of miles, all were barbarian captives. When Xu Da, the Prince of Zhongshan, arrived in Datong, the land of Yan and Yun, the Han people all spoke the language of the barbarians, yet they cursed the Han people from the city walls."

“To this day, these places have reverted to their former state of military settlements and garrisons, a means of imperial control.”

Sun Kehong had already considered the matter carefully, and he hoped that His Majesty understood his meaning.

These lands, lost for hundreds of years, eventually returned to the Han people's domain. The fundamental system was the establishment of military garrisons and outposts throughout the land, which absorbed those Hu people who were willing to submit, killed those who were unwilling to submit, and planted these Hu people who did not submit to the king's rule in the soil.

Zhu Yijun clearly understood Sun Kehong's meaning and said with a smile, "I understand. When Emperor Chengzu Wen conquered Annam, he established the Jiaozhi Three Offices and also set up guard posts, but he only built eleven guard posts and thirteen posts, which was indeed not enough."

Because it involved Emperor Chengzu, Zhu Yijun spoke rather politely. In fact, of the eleven guards and thirteen garrisons, only three guards and garrisons were ever built. After that, Emperor Chengzu became obsessed with the Northern Expeditions and no longer paid much attention to Jiaozhi.

At that time, Emperor Chengzu was trying to move the capital to the northern capital, so it was normal that he didn't care much about Jiaozhi.

"Your Majesty, Xiong Tingbi's land distribution system in the Kanto Plain is a reasonable approach, as he first needs to deal with the expulsion of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. His priority is to quickly develop sufficient military strength within three to five years."

“But afterwards, Governor Xiong still wanted to use military garrison posts.” Sun Kehong mentioned Xiong Tingbi. Xiong Da implemented the equal land distribution system in the Kanto Plain, but he only implemented it in Edogawa. For the rest, he still wanted to use the military garrison post system.

Zhu Yijun chatted with Sun Kehong and Chen Jingyi for a long time before Zhang Hong saw them off.

When he had nothing to do, Zhu Yijun would think: If Zhu Yuanzhang's talent in finance was as great as his talent in military affairs, that would be wonderful.

Unfortunately, Zhu Yuanzhang's talent in financial affairs was as little as his love for corrupt officials.

Zhu Yuanzhang's military garrison system naturally had some shortcomings, such as desertion and corruption. However, in the dangerous border regions, this system could be maintained for a long time and had extremely strong combat effectiveness. At the same time, the cost of fighting was extremely low for the imperial court.

In October of the second year of the Chongzhen reign, Huang Taiji, the chieftain of the small slave tribe, broke through Xifengkou and attacked the capital from there.

Emperor Chongzhen urgently ordered Geng Ruqi, the governor of Shanxi, and Zhang Honggong, the general, to lead 8,000 soldiers to the capital to defend the emperor. They provided their own food and supplies. When they arrived in the capital, their food rations ran out, and they asked the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue for more food. The Ministry of War refused to provide any, leaving the 8,000 soldiers hungry for three whole days, which led to a mutiny.

When Bi Ziyan, the Minister of Revenue, stepped in, he mobilized rations, and the mutiny was quickly quelled. However, someone had to be held responsible for the mutiny. The general who led the troops to defend the emperor was executed, and the governor was exiled.

At this moment, there are only fifteen years left until the fall of the Ming Dynasty. These beggar soldiers are willing to fight and risk their lives as long as they are given food.

When Emperor Dezong ascended the throne, he was determined to deal with the five military governorships in Hebei. Since the An Lushan Rebellion, these five governorships had been highly independent and refused to obey the court's orders. Emperor Dezong's move once again forced the five governorships in Hebei to rebel.

Emperor Dezong of Tang mobilized the Jingyang troops to quell the rebellion. Yao Lingyan, the military governor of Jingyuan, led 5,000 soldiers to Chang'an and demanded a reward from Emperor Dezong before agreeing to go to Hebei.

Emperor Dezong of Tang ordered the Prefect of Jingzhao to bestow rewards, but the Prefect only provided coarse tea and simple food, which immediately caused a mutiny. In the end, Chang'an was captured, and Emperor Dezong fled in panic.

When the Jingyang Mutiny occurred, the Tang Dynasty had only been established for 165 years. The army that had been summoned to defend the capital and quell the rebellion directly captured the capital and drove the emperor away.

A comparison reveals a clear difference, and the reason for this difference is indeed due to the crucial role played by the military garrison system.

These soldiers knew perfectly well that they were soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, not soldiers of a certain military governor.

It was also because of the military settlement and garrison system that the Ming Dynasty's violence did not easily get out of control and did not form regional warlords.

Zhu Yijun submitted a memorial to the cabinet, proposing the establishment of overseas military garrisons and outposts.

When the Ming Dynasty launched another campaign against Annam, how could it completely extinguish the Annamese people's will to resist and prevent internal traitors from seizing the fruits of victory? Military garrisons and outposts were probably the answer.

On July 14th, the Ming Emperor received envoys from foreign countries and answered many questions about the pricing of the Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance and the establishment of the Western Trade Alliance. The following morning, the Emperor convened the second special court meeting on military action against Annam in the West Flower Hall of the Imperial Study in the Huangpu River Palace.

"Your Majesty, Hu Junde, the prefect of Songjiang, has submitted a memorial requesting that the Huangpu River Palace be renamed Yanqing Palace, meaning 'peace and tranquility.'" Grand Minister Shen Li stepped forward and spoke of something that had nothing to do with war.

Songjiang Prefecture was very enthusiastic about winning the status of a secondary capital, and it could be said that it worked tirelessly, even resorting to tactics such as advancing step by step every day.

If Songjiang Prefecture is the secondary capital, then what about Yingtian Prefecture? How can there be two secondary capitals in Jiangnan!
Songjiang Prefecture remained silent, making progress day by day. If the Huangpu River Palace were to be renamed successfully, it would be upgraded from a temporary palace to the Emperor's permanent residence. Wherever the Emperor was, that place would become the capital, even if it wasn't a secondary capital.

"Yingtian Prefecture has tried to stop us for so long, but we can't stop them now. Let's rename it Yanqing Palace," Zhu Yijun said with a smile.

Yingtian Prefecture kept protesting, but couldn't come up with a good solution, so in the end, Songjiang Prefecture got its way.

Wang Xiyuan, the governor of Yingtian, was also a direct disciple of the Zhang family. Unfortunately, there was a difference in natural endowment. Songjiang Prefecture gathered the power of nine provinces, and Wang Xiyuan could not stop it.

"His Majesty has issued a decree to the Ministry of Revenue inquiring about the targeted issuance of additional gold and paper money to Guangdong and Guangxi. The Ministry of Revenue has decided on six million strings of cash annually," said Grand Minister Zhang Xueyan, stepping forward to report the results of the Ministry of Revenue's discussion.

"So much? Six million strings of cash in the heart of the Ming Dynasty, six million strings of cash in Luzon, and six million strings of cash in Guangdong, that's 1800 million strings of cash. I can only store 150 million taels of gold a year, so this is an over-issuance of three times. Is this really okay?" Zhu Yijun was startled. Although it was for building a reservoir, this one-time issuance of 600 million strings of cash was equivalent to 120 million taels of gold.

"Your Majesty, this may not be enough," Hou Yuzhao explained, already being quite conservative.

"Alright, it's my fault. I can't store more gold, so I'll follow the Ministry of Revenue's suggestion." Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and decided to issue more. The scale of sugar coupons in Guangzhou alone exceeded five million strings of cash, so this six million strings of cash really wasn't much.

When issuing currency, if there's no gold, then credit is used as a guarantee; Zhu Yijun certainly had that much credibility.

Guangzhou Prefecture is so short of money that even private notes issued by various sugar mills can be used as cash. Guangzhou Prefecture can't control it because if it does, the people won't have money to use. If it doesn't control private notes and counterfeit notes, it will impact official notes and gold ingots.

First, solve the immediate crisis in Guangzhou Prefecture, and then Zhu Yijun will think of ways to collect and store more gold.

In fact, the Ming Dynasty was really conservative. Based on the experience of Felipe's three gold bond defaults, if His Majesty wanted the gold notes to default, he would have to over-issue more than seven times the amount every year for several years. The more times the amount was over-issued, the faster the default would happen.

The Ming Dynasty has only over-issued less than three times the amount of gold notes. This is nothing. Not to mention precious metals such as gold, silver, and copper, the sheer volume of goods in the Ming Dynasty can support the issuance of this small amount of gold notes.

"All the prisoners on Gusu Island were castrated and sent to Luzon." Grand Marshal Liang Menglong stepped forward to report on the handling of the prisoners from the campaign against Annam.

Among the prisoners of war on Gusu Island were more than 1,100 people from the Ming Dynasty. These people were not second-generation immigrants, but native Ming people from Guangzhou, Fujian and other places. They had escaped from the Ming Dynasty after the Japanese pirate raids and the Wanli Reforms.

How to deal with these Ming people became the focus of recent debate in the court. In the end, the conservative Ministry of War won, treating them as barbarians, which meant stripping them of their Ming identity and treating them as barbarians.

According to the reformers, these people were all citizens of the Ming Dynasty. The series of problems that arose after Qi Jiguang was transferred back to the capital in the second year of the Longqing reign should not be treated as barbarians, but rather as citizens of the Ming Dynasty. They should be exiled to places like Luzon, Palembang, and Gold Mountain to contribute to the Ming Dynasty's overseas expansion.

After careful consideration, the Ministry of War decided to castrate them all.

"The army has its own rules, so let's do it this way." Zhu Yijun did not interfere excessively with the front lines.

Ultimately, it was Chen Lin who submitted a memorial to the Ministry of War, who finally made the decision. In Chen Lin's view, these prisoners of war, who were originally pirates, had committed all sorts of atrocities, including burning and looting, and were not worthy of being human. Bearing the ominous curse of killing prisoners, Chen Lin ordered four hundred of them to be sunk at sea.

The reason is simple: the pirates led by Lin Daoqian mainly made a living by selling people, including foreign slaves and Ming people.

Those with the blood of the Ming Dynasty on their hands all met a tragic end, drowning at sea. The rest were castrated and sent to overseas plantations as slaves.

"Your Majesty, why is a section missing from Li Yashi's 'On China'?" Grand Minister Shen Li stepped forward to inquire about Li Yashi's "On China." Shen Li had read the book and found it to be exceptionally well-written, demonstrating a profound understanding of the Ming Dynasty.

Those directly involved are often blinded by their own circumstances. People born and raised in the Ming Dynasty often take things for granted, believing them to be the way they should be. However, bystanders see things more clearly. Li Yashi's discussion of the Ming Dynasty's military, political, economic, and cultural aspects from a foreign perspective is highly valuable. If Li Yashi hadn't insisted on returning to Taixi, he would certainly have been qualified to be a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Rites.

"He insulted me, so I deleted it!" Zhu Yijun said angrily. "He even went so far as to call me a ruler who would bring about the downfall of his country at the end. This is simply outrageous! I imprisoned him for twenty days, which was already very lenient of me!"

"This..." Shen Li was shocked. Oh no, Li Yashi had really learned something! He was actually a righteous and upright official, and he dared to criticize the emperor in a book that was meant for the emperor to read first!

Li Ya also had nine generations of relatives in the Ming Dynasty!

What surprised Shen Li the most was that he was only imprisoned for twenty days, which proved that Li Ya was right.

"Your Majesty, I dare to ask what Li Yashi said?" Shen Li asked in a low voice. He wanted to know what problems the barbarians had seen from their perspective that had actually won His Majesty's approval.

Zhu Yijun pulled back his stool, stood up, and stood in front of the geomantic map. Pointing to the map of the entire Ming Dynasty, he said, "In these twenty-two years, I have not only worked tirelessly day and night, but I have certainly been very diligent!"

"I personally oversee agriculture and sericulture, and have established the Baoqi Agricultural Academy. Sweet potatoes, potatoes, forage grass, water and fertilizer, refined salt, fast-growing poplar, late-maturing potatoes, and so on, all benefit the people!"

"I have revitalized the military and rebuilt the capital garrison. I conduct daily military drills without ceasing, rain or shine. I have conquered Jianzhou, attacked Daning, and pacified Anda. Liaodong, Daning, Xinghua, Kaiping, and Guihua are now connected as one, and the Hetao region has been recovered! In the southwest, I have re-established the Three Xuan and Six Wei regions and set up six prefectures to govern them!"

"I alone will open up the sea routes, first to reclaim Ryukyu, then to establish the governor-general offices in Nagasaki, Luzon, Palembang, and Kinchi, and send my younger brother, the Prince of Lu, to be enfeoffed in the Kingdom of Jinshan. The global caravan will conduct global trade every year, and Ming Dynasty trading houses will be established extensively overseas. Furthermore, the Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance and the Western Trade Alliance will be established to ensure the long-term prosperity of maritime trade!"

"I reward the craftsmen by building seventy-four official factories, with forty-four more under construction, creating a vast expanse of coal and steel! I have established an Academy of Natural Sciences to study the infinite principles of all things, hoping that human effort can overcome nature! I have also built roads totaling thirty-five thousand li, connecting the north and south, east and west, so that all people may live in peace!"

"For twenty-two years, I have never been negligent for a single day. How dare he, a barbarian from the West, insult me!"

"I should have fed him black bread mixed with dirt, not sawdust! Let him choke to death!"

Upon hearing the emperor's fury, the ministers all kept their eyes downcast. They had attended countless court meetings, but His Majesty was usually as unmoved as Mount Tai collapsing before him or a deer leaping to his left.

This sense of composure has been present since His Majesty began to rule from the age of ten.

As a result, the emperor has now recounted all his achievements over the past twenty years because of a barbarian's words.

Hou Yu Zhao hesitated, wanting to remind His Majesty of the decree on returning farmland to the people, which was a tremendous achievement.

The land return decree was indeed proposed by Zhang Juzheng after the nationwide land survey in the ninth year of the Wanli reign. However, Zhang Juzheng could not implement it. The credit for the widespread implementation of the land return decree and the estate management system should be attributed to His Majesty, not Zhang Juzheng.

Anyone can talk a good game about principles, but getting things done is incredibly difficult.

This is what makes Hou Yu Zhao different from other ministers. While other ministers heard that the emperor was a little disoriented, Hou Yu Zhao heard that His Majesty had overlooked his own achievements. Hou Yu Zhao was always different from others, and once again, he was subjected to a reversed course of events.

"Stop! Stuff him to death!" Zhu Yijun flicked his sleeve and slammed his hand on the table. The West Flower Hall of Yanqing Palace was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop.

"Grand Minister of State Affairs, do you think I should let him eat himself to death?" Zhu Yijun asked Shen Li.

"Yes, Your Majesty is right, he should be stuffed to death! A barbarian who has lived in the Ming Dynasty for twenty years, and has only gained a little favor from the Emperor, has become arrogant and ignorant!" Shen Li quickly agreed. At this time, he had to appease His Majesty and not provoke him further.

The large sailing ship hasn't even left yet. If His Majesty, in his anger, were to execute Li Yashi, he would be unable to expand the influence of the Ming Dynasty.

"Right?" Zhu Yijun then sat down, his anger subsiding slightly.

"Your Majesty, what exactly did Li Yashi say?" Shen Li asked again after His Majesty was seated.

The ministers, who had been keeping their eyes down, suddenly turned to look at Shen Li. It must be said that Shen Li truly lived up to his reputation as a staunch and upright official, on par with Hai Rui. Even seeing the Emperor's fury, he continued to press for answers. Wasn't the Emperor's answer clear enough? "The Emperor doesn't want to say!"
Zhu Yijun looked at Shen Li, who neither flinched nor avoided his gaze, meeting the emperor's scrutinizing eyes.

"If you want to see it, then take a look." Zhu Yijun finally sighed, took out the part that Zhang Hong had deleted, and handed it to Shen Li.

After reading it, Shen Li circulated it to the other ministers.

After everyone had finished reading, Shen Li finally spoke up, saying, "Your Majesty, Li Ya is right."

“I know, otherwise he would have been a specimen by now, cut into thousands of pieces.” Zhu Yijun nodded and said, “I had no other choice.”

The unreserved bias towards the poor and laborers would indeed exacerbate divisions, but the Wanli Reforms had only one path and could only move forward in this way.

"Your Majesty is wise." Shen Li looked at the ministers and, seeing that no one wanted to offer an opinion, could only speak in this way.

"Your Majesty, Li Ya is right, but he is not entirely right either," Hou Yu Zhao suddenly said. "Your Majesty has indeed favored the poor and laborers, but you have never intended to drive powerful and influential people, wealthy merchants, and local gentry to their deaths."

"At most, it's just asking these meat-eaters to be more law-abiding. That's not an unreasonable request. To this day, within 20,000 li of waterway in the Ming Dynasty, there are no official ships or official trade vessels. Instead, the easiest and fattest cuts are given to these meat-eaters."

"The divisions are indeed widening, but a new consensus is also forming."

Hou Yuzhao was quite certain that Li Yashi was right. This kind of unreserved favoritism was indeed a bit too obvious. However, as long as the wealthy and powerful were willing to abide by the law, they would live better than before.

"The nation is changing rapidly, and the lives of these extravagant officials are much more comfortable than before. Your Majesty, I have noticed that in recent years, the amount of money embezzled by corrupt officials has also increased. Is it because the new officials are less moral than the old ones? I do not think so."

"Xu Jie was corrupt by nature. He embezzled so much silver, but he only managed to annex 400,000 mu of land because the Ming Dynasty was very poor at the time, and that was all he could embezzle." Hou Yuzhao said, referring to Xu Jie.

Xu Jie, as the Grand Tutor and Imperial Tutor, had a family fortune that was less than a quarter of Sun Kehong's current fortune. Sun Kehong's silver could buy 1.6 million mu of land in Songjiang Prefecture.

The scale of corruption has increased, which has nothing to do with morality. The main reason is that the current dynasty has developed for more than 20 years, and the lives of everyone from the emperor to ordinary people are much better than in the past.

This has always been Hou Yuzhao's idea: problems can only be solved during the development process. Once development stagnates, it takes someone like Zhang Juzheng to step forward and solve some of the problems.

"What you say makes sense, Lord Hou!" Zhu Yijun smiled brightly upon hearing this.

He admitted that he was indeed somewhat taken aback by Li Yashi's scolding. Although the scolding was brief, it left a deep impression on the emperor.

When he had nothing to do, Zhu Yijun would ponder things, and the more he pondered, the more upset he became.

Zhu Yijun's outburst this time was not due to Shen Li's lack of appreciation and constant questioning, nor was it due to Li Yashi's criticism of the imperial carriage. Rather, it was because he was getting impatient with his own inability to figure out the problem, and he was angry with himself. It was what he meant when he said, "There is no other choice."

He was at his wit's end; he had run out of ideas.

After Hou Yuzhao explained, Zhu Yijun finally understood. Problems could be solved through development. As long as they continued to expand overseas, these wealthy people would still be able to eat meat and wouldn't keep thinking about cannibalism. After all, the emperor wouldn't allow it, and the common people could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Your Majesty has issued a decree to the Cabinet and the Ministry of War, inquiring about the establishment of military garrisons and outposts overseas. I believe this is very necessary." Grand Marshal Liang Menglong said with a solemn expression, "This is the best policy. I request the Grand General to discuss this matter."

The Ming Dynasty was extremely hesitant about launching another campaign against Annam. What if they captured it and then lost it again?

The Ministry of War also had doubts about whether military garrisons and outposts could prevent history from repeating itself. After much deliberation, they decided it would be more appropriate to ask Qi Jiguang, who was most knowledgeable about military affairs, to make a judgment.

"General Xuan." Zhu Yijun did not hesitate and sent someone to invite Qi Jiguang. Qi Jiguang was fishing at Longchi while he led 30,000 troops to guard Yanqing Palace.

Qi Jiguang was invited to the East Flower Hall, and the eunuch quickly left to inform the general that he had arrived.

Qi Jiguang sat down. The sunlight was just right, and the crabapple blossoms in the courtyard were in full bloom. He suddenly turned his head and looked at the twelve-chapter imperial robe displayed behind the antique shelf in the East Flower Hall. This was the real emperor's robe.

A beam of sunlight shone down from the eaves onto the imperial robe, making the twelve chapters woven with gold thread gleam in the sunlight. The twelve tassels of the emperor's crown radiated a warm glow from the pearls and jade.

Qi Jiguang slowly stood up and walked step by step to the imperial robe. He did not reach out, but stood there, staring at the five-clawed golden dragon on the robe, his eyes slightly unfocused. He raised his hand, but stopped abruptly just before touching the five-clawed golden dragon.

The confusion in his eyes vanished, replaced by openness and acceptance.

The confusion in his eyes before revealed greed and desire, but now his composure and relief are a result of restraint and rationality.

"General," Zhang Hong whispered to Qi Jiguang, "His Majesty summons you to the West Flower Hall for a meeting."

"How long has it been?" Qi Jiguang didn't know how long he had been looking at it. Usually, it was a eunuch who came to summon him. Perhaps the eunuch was so frightened to see the general looking at the dragon robe that he scrambled back to report, and only then did the emperor send Zhang Hong.

"A quarter of an hour," Zhang Hong replied cautiously. Feng Bao was not there, and Li Yougong was in Guangzhou Prefecture. His Majesty reminded Zhang Hong not to say anything he shouldn't, and to go and pay his respects to General Xuan.

If there's anything to say, the emperor should say it. If eunuchs ask random questions, it's easy for trouble to arise.

"Let's go." Qi Jiguang turned and left, heading towards the West Flower Hall.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects. May Your Majesty be well." Qi Jiguang bowed respectfully.

"General Qi, you are too polite. Please have a seat." Zhu Yijun said with a smile, "Officer Feng, please have some good tea."

Zhang Hong immediately went to pour tea. Even though His Majesty called him by the wrong surname and Feng Bao was not present, Zhang Hong did not dare to correct him. This also shows that His Majesty's heart was not so calm.

"Did Commander Qi look at the dragon robe in the East Flower Hall for a while?" After Zhang Hong poured tea, Zhu Yijun asked without hesitation. Zhang Juzheng had taught him that once there was a rift, he must clarify it face to face, otherwise he would be slandered and driven further and further away.

This was Zhu Yijun's most important skill in managing his subordinates, and he asked it directly.

"Your Majesty, people are not greedy often because they cannot reach what they want, not because they lack ambition. Those who can obtain what they want will be greedy."

Qi Jiguang said quite sincerely: "What makes a person a human being, and not a beast, is that a person has reason and can restrain their desires, rather than becoming a slave to money and power."

"General Qi is magnanimous," Zhu Yijun said sincerely.

In the past, Qi Jiguang could have really reached it, but he held back.

Now that he is old, he rarely attends to affairs and is enjoying his retirement. He has even relinquished his position as the Commander-in-Chief of the Beijing Garrison, as he no longer has the power to do so.

"The older a person gets, the harder it is to control themselves." This wasn't the first time Qi Jiguang had seen the twelve-patterned imperial robe. He had seen it many times before and never thought anything of it. But today, he was actually dazzled by the sight.

The difficulty of overcoming the final hurdle is something everyone must face. Qi Jiguang was glad that he had been relieved of his duties in the Beijing garrison; otherwise, things would have been really complicated this time.

Emperors are extremely suspicious creatures. When you have the power to usurp the throne, the emperor will naturally become suspicious. Suspicion and power will only exacerbate the conflict.

Now Qi Jiguang no longer has that power. He is no longer the commander-in-chief of the Beijing garrison, and no one will put the imperial robe on him anymore. Without his supporters, even if the emperor is suspicious, he will show favor to win him over instead of calling for his death.

(End of this chapter)