King of Han Dynasty of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 239 Purpose and strategic purpose are not the same
There was silence.

What is the purpose of the war?
Even if you don’t ask, it’s all nonsense. Do you even need to ask?

Throughout the history of the dynasties, no court has not fought wars, and the reasons for fighting are actually all the same.

They are all for the purpose of purging the surrounding enemies and returning the people on the border to live and work in peace and contentment. These are just slogans shouted by those in power.

The real purpose is to purge the surrounding enemies and give the descendants of the royal family a peaceful and prosperous era, which can make the dynasty last longer, or even make it last forever.

Of course, this idea is just a ridiculous delusion.

Because no dynasty has ever really done it
Regarding this issue, Zhu Di frowned and pondered for a moment, glanced coldly at Lao Er, who looked calm, and said with warmth and anger in his words:
"Boy, can't you find something to say?"

"Why are we fighting, why must we go on an expedition to Mobei."

"This issue has been settled since Emperor Taizu founded the country."

"From whose hands did we take the world we have now?"

After hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu nodded in agreement and said:
"The Walas and Tatars harbor evil intentions and ambitions. They are eyeing our Ming Dynasty and harassing the people on the border."

"If we don't fight them, we will give them a head-on blow, weaken their strength, slow down their development, and wait for them to grow stronger until they come back."

Having said this, he paused, suddenly changed the subject, glanced at everyone, then his eyes fell on Zhu Di, and said in a deep voice:

"but."

"The reason and cause and effect are impeccable, there is no problem."

"But the purpose cannot be just that simple."

What do you mean?
There is no problem with cause and effect, but why can’t the purpose be so simple?
Could there be other purposes for fighting?
Or is there another way to say it?
Thinking of this, the faces of the three people couldn't help but change. They looked at Zhu Gaoxu with curiosity, wanting to hear what shocking remarks he could say or what kind of sophistry he had.

"But we can't waste people and money just because of these things. While fighting, we should think about how to obtain the maximum benefits in the war while achieving our goals."

Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu smiled, with a hint of coldness at the corner of his mouth, and said in a deep voice:
"The reason why we are fighting is that the Tatars and Walas are eager to see us, and their ambitions are obvious."

"You and I have been fighting on the battlefield. I don't believe you don't know or understand the ambitions and evil intentions of the Walas and Tatars."

"This is also what Emperor Taizu said to me when he asked me to guard the border when I was the prince."

"They have always been eyeing our country, the Ming Dynasty, and often harassed our territory, trying to ride south to overthrow our country and seize control of the Central Plains."

"For this reason, why bother asking such silly words."

"This is why I spoke out against it even though I knew the ambitions of Oara and the Tatars and the reason for my father's war."

Three people: "????"

"Emperor Taizu drove the Tatars, Oala, and Tatars back to the grassland. Over the years, the Oura and Tatars far away in Mobei have never been reconciled for a moment."

"The mountains and rivers that Emperor Taizu managed to conquer with great difficulty will be trampled by Ola or the Tatar cavalry, and the great rivers and mountains will be burned to the ground."

"I know this question, and I understand it at the same time."

"Thereby subsidizing the consumption caused by our war."

"You can't win every time and then recruit troops or even accept their surrender."

"While blocking the development of others, it is also suppressing the development of our Ming Dynasty, the prosperity of the country and the prosperity of the people." "After all, the price we paid is more than the enemy because we are on an expedition."

"I think this is the reason why Old Man Xia gets a headache, opposes, persuades, and delays whenever he talks about war. Because of this, the national treasury becomes increasingly empty, and the people are in dire straits. Even if there is a disaster in the world, the court has no money to provide relief. In order to save money and silver, His head turned gray with sorrow."

"What the war should bring is that the country is rich and the people are strong, the country is stable and strong, and the people can live and work in peace and contentment."

"But in so many years, since Emperor Taizu, has it been possible to do this?"

"Haven't you noticed that with the increasing number of expeditions to Mobei, Ming's national power, treasury, and people's lives have gradually become worse?"

"Is it really good for the Ming Dynasty and the country to continue like this?"

"Can we really achieve our original intention and goal in the end?"

"Fighting and stabilizing the border is the goal, but it is not our strategic goal."

The three of them listened to his talk. His words were not loud, but every word was like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's hearts and minds.

Everyone frowned subconsciously and fell into deep thought, with expressions on their faces changing from time to time.

To be honest, they seem to have never thought about this issue.

Now, with Zhu Gaoxu's words, the bloody truth is exposed in front of everyone.

People can't help but recall that in the many years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, after the development process of several emperors, it seems that the entire Ming Dynasty's treasury has never been strong, and it is slowly declining.

Thinking of these things, the expressions on everyone's faces suddenly became ugly. Even Zhu Di, who was full of anger towards Zhu Gaoxu just now, couldn't find the words to refute or scold.

But for Xia Yuanji, who had experienced several dynasties, he was deeply touched by what Zhu Gaoxu said, and secretly shouted in his heart:
"My close friend!"

"Well said, very well said."

"Watch. What kind of war? Is fighting so fragrant and comfortable?"

"Finally, someone has spoken out what he has wanted to say but dared not say for so many years."

Over the years, since Emperor Taizu, the Ming Dynasty has defeated the Oara and Tatars countless times, but what is the result?
After driving them away, their vitality was severely damaged. In a few years, others recovered their vitality, and what was supposed to come came again, jumping up and down extremely happily.

And every time the Oara and Tatars were stationed, the Ming Dynasty would waste manpower and material resources and send troops to the north for an expedition. After that, the cycle would repeat itself.

Many times, Xia Yuanji, who is in charge of the household department, sees a large amount of money and food being consumed in various ways, and the national treasury is extremely tight. He can't help but ask himself countless times, is such consumption really worth it?
In the end, all the self-questioning questions turned into a helpless sigh.

There was silence.

After a long time, Zhu Di was the first to come back to his senses, and his eyes towards Zhu Gaoxu slowly became softer. He looked at him with interest for a moment, with a hint of curiosity on his face, and asked aloud:

"For that matter."

"Second brother, do you have a good idea?"

After hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu shrugged noncommittally and said with a chuckle:

"The first is to attack the enemy, then the second is to attack the enemy, the second is to attack the army, and the third is to attack the city."

Zhu Di: "Speak humanly!"

(End of this chapter)