King of Han Dynasty of Ming Dynasty

In the pavilion.

As Zhu Gaoxu finished speaking.

The Crown Prince, who was sitting at the side, looked visibly solemn and serious. He looked at Zhu Gaoxu, who was so close to him, with an expression of disbelief and astonishment. He shook his head frantically, then nodded imperceptibly, muttering in a low voice:

"How is this possible?"

"How can a mere barbarian, such an inferior and uncivilized race, create firearms and cannons more powerful than those of our Ming Dynasty?"

"No, no, no, it's impossible."

"I... I absolutely don't believe it. I absolutely don't believe it."

The voice just fell.

Zhu Gaochi, who had lowered his head and was in self-doubt and silence, suddenly raised his head, his eyes wide open, staring straight at Zhu Gaoxu who was close to him, and asked solemnly and seriously:
"Second child"

"Is what you said true?"

"How can we be sure?"

"Where did you get the answer from? Did you see it with your own eyes, or did the spies you sent out report it back?"

"Is there any actual verification?"

This question is asked.

Although Zhu Gaoxu's words were true and decisive.

The prince was so shocked that he almost fell into deep self-doubt and stood there in a daze.

Wait until you come to your senses.

Zhu Gaochi couldn't help but feel doubts and suspicions in his heart.

How can this be?

How is it possible for someone, or a country, to create firearms and cannons more powerful than those of the Ming Dynasty?

In his opinion, it was a complete fantasy and undoubtedly a foolish dream. No matter how he thought about it, it seemed impossible.

In response, Zhu Gaochi subconsciously thought that the second brother was lying.

This is done deliberately to disturb his "Tao heart" and make him feel a sense of crisis, so that he will support some of his decisions and actions without reservation.

See this situation.

Is this unbelief?

Are you still on guard and suspicious of him?
Interesting, somewhat interesting.

Zhu Gaoxu glanced at him inconspicuously, staring at him straight, as if the prince wanted to see through his true inner self. He sneered, a hint of ridicule and sarcasm flashed across his face, and he spread his hands indifferently, saying to himself:
"Yo ho?"

"Do you really think I'm joking with you? Do you really think I'm making fun of you?"

"Dele!"

"Forget it if you don't believe it."

"That's all I have to say anyway."

Say it.

Afterwards, he reached out and picked up the warm tea on the stone table, shook off the floating foam, took a sip, then put down the teacup. Without any hesitation, he supported himself with his hands on the armrests of the armchair and slowly stood up from the chair.

He slowly walked to the side of the Crown Prince, stretched out his hands and patted Zhu Gaochi's slightly bloated arms heavily, stared at him for a long time, laughed contemptuously, shook his head at him, and continued:
"Fine!"

"I have said what I need to say."

"As for whether to believe it or not, it's up to you, not me."

"It's not enough to say nothing."

"Since you don't believe it, then just continue to be arrogant and stay in your own well!"

immediately.

Zhu Gaoxu stretched out his right hand, bowed slightly, and pretended to see someone off, saying:
"Boss"

"There's not even the most basic trust between us. There's nothing we can talk about."

"The gate is over there."

"Let's go!"

"Please, my prince."

In words.

I never argued with him, or forced myself to explain myself, or even tried to prove anything.

Throughout the whole process, he acted like a gentleman with an open and honest demeanor, without the slightest affectation or deliberate pretense.

See this situation.

The current situation made Zhu Gaochi stunned on the spot. For a moment he didn't know what to do. Should he believe it or not?

Is this still the second guy he knew?
When did he become so frank, open and aboveboard?

There was even a moment.

He couldn't help but wonder in his heart whether he was thinking too much, or whether what Lao Er said was true and he didn't lie to him at all.

Everything I say to him is from the bottom of my heart.

It wasn't as complicated as he had imagined.

However, this thought flashed through Zhu Gaochi's mind in an instant and he suppressed it.

As the saying goes: When things go wrong, there must be a monster.

Such a big thing must be carefully verified. After all, one move can affect the whole body, and it is not just talk.

after that.

Zhu Gaochi quickly calmed his mind, suppressed the many chaotic thoughts in his heart, and then simply organized his thoughts.

He did not actually leave even though Zhu Gaoxu asked him to leave.

One of them had a sincere smile on his face, his eyes almost sunk into his flesh and invisible, and he quickly stood up from his chair. He patted Zhu Gaoxu's arm with his chubby hands, gently pushed him back to his original position, and said with a smile:

"hey hey"

"No, no, no"

"Second brother! Second child!"

"It's not as serious as you say. How could there be no trust between us brothers?"

"Look at what you said. As a brother, I can always trust you very much."

"Don't be angry, don't be angry"

Having said this, he paused, his expression became extremely serious, and then suddenly changed the subject, and began to describe his own difficulties and the pros and cons involved, and continued:
"Hey"

"Second brother! Second child!"

"You are a smart man. You know the situation in the court."

"Sometimes, you have to understand your brother's difficulties."

"Making such an important decision is not something that can be accomplished simply by me nodding my head and saying I trust you."

"The Ming Dynasty belongs to our Zhu family."

"But the ones who herd the people for our Zhu family are the ministers in the court."

"We are the ones who make the rules, and we must abide by them. Otherwise, who among the court officials below will abide by them?"

"So when we overturn the previously designated rules, we must come up with a reasonable explanation and convincing reasons, so that we can succeed."

"Otherwise, if we can't convince the majority, then our move will undoubtedly be the first to break the rules."

"You know the consequences of this, without me having to tell you."

"So it's not that I don't trust you!"

"But even if I trust you unconditionally, you still have to give a reasonable explanation to those officials who are the herdsmen of our Zhu family."

"That's why I'm asking you to come up with substantive and favorable evidence."

"It is to silence the ministers."

"Do you understand?"

The helplessness in his words was evident.

Without losing sincerity.

For these words and answers.

Zhu Gaoxu did not comment, but he agreed in his heart.

At the same time, this answer was also the answer he wanted to hear.

In this regard.

Zhu Gaoxu nodded, and did not make any move to chase him away or send him away, nor did he dwell on this issue too much. Instead, he frowned, pondered for a moment, and said:
"Gunpowder was invented in the late Eastern Han Dynasty."

"During the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, all the barbarians from all around came to pay homage to our great dynasty and learn to ask questions from it."

"The prosperous Tang Dynasty embraced everything, and the sea embraced all rivers."

"Don't be stingy in teaching the barbarians, and give them a certain degree of enlightenment."

"As for the production and use of gunpowder, it was also introduced to the barbarians and spread widely."

"As for the production and use of fire guns on the battlefield, it began in the late Yuan Dynasty and flourished in the early Ming Dynasty, which was also the time when Emperor Taizu conquered the world."

"It took more than two hundred years."

"Who founded the Bao Yuan Dynasty?"

"Boss"

"I don't need to say more about this, right?"

Having said this, he paused, his expression became extremely serious, and suddenly changed the subject, continuing:
"Even the barbarians you all look down upon were able to create muskets, a groundbreaking product, under their rule."

"And gunpowder was invented in the late Eastern Han Dynasty."

"During the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, it was spread among foreign barbarians and widely circulated."

"How many years has it been?"

"It's been nearly a thousand years, right?"

"Nowadays, we can all make firearms, but why are you so sure? Or who gave you the confidence? Gunpowder is widely used among the barbarians. Why can't the barbarians make firearms and cannons that are more powerful than ours?"

"Who gave you the courage to think that if we can't make something, the barbarians certainly can't?"

"Just like before, we don't believe that the barbarians dare to invade our Ming territory on a large scale, and we look down on foreign barbarians."

"At the end of last year, the Timurid Empire deployed more than 200,000 troops in an attempt to invade the border of the Ming Dynasty."

"If the old man hadn't received the news in advance, we would have deployed in advance, and the leader of the Timurid Empire would have died in the middle of the march before he could launch an attack on our Ming Dynasty."

"Leaving the army of more than 200,000 people leaderless."

"Think carefully about it. Even if we win, how much will it cost?"

"Can we really defeat an army of more than 200,000 soldiers so easily?"

That’s all I have to say.

Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but flash a solemn look on his face. He sighed deeply and shook his head unconsciously before continuing:
“Pride and prejudice are a huge mountain.”

"If we continue to be so arrogant, we will eventually be dragged into an endless abyss."

"It was just a simple reform of the weapons workshop. In just a few months, the musket was transformed into a more user-friendly flintlock rifle."

"Who can guarantee that the barbarians we look down upon will not also undergo changes, or create something more powerful than this?"

"As the saying goes: For a country and its people, only by being prepared for danger in times of peace can it achieve long-term success."

"Boss"

"Ease is for the dead."

“Only by constantly innovating, advancing and changing can we get better and better, keep up with the times and not be surpassed by others.”

"During the Warring States Period, why did Qin conquer the six states?"

"Isn't it Shang Yang's reforms that laid the foundation for the Qin State?"

"And what happened to the other six nations that were so self-contained and arrogant?"

"Use copper as a mirror to adjust your attire, and use history as a mirror to understand your gains and losses."

"Think carefully about this!"

This statement came out.

It seemed to answer Zhu Gaochi's doubts, but it also seemed like it didn't answer anything.

but.

Zhu Gaoxu's shocking remarks were like a sound exploding in Zhu Gaochi's mind, making him fall into deep thought.

For a moment, the pavilion fell into an eerie silence, and time and space seemed to be frozen at this moment.

No one spoke.

There is always a gentle breeze that blows gently, causing the tender green willow branches to sway in the air.

I don’t know how long it lasted like this.

"call"

Zhu Gaochi came back to his senses from his daze, exhaled a long breath, slowly raised his fat head, half-closed his eyes and stared at Zhu Gaoxu who was very close to him for a long time, the expression on his face changed again and again, it was extremely interesting.

At the same time, my heart was filled with endless emotion and a bit of disbelief about these remarks.

Such thought-provoking, such thoughtful words.

It could actually be said by Zhu Gaoxu.

He also couldn't find any reason to refute it.

Is this still the King of Han he knew, the King of Han who only knew how to fight and kill, like a reckless man?
Although he couldn't believe it, it somewhat overturned his perception.

but
He had to admit in his heart that these words really convinced him.

After a brief pause, Zhu Gaochi simply sorted out his thoughts, retracted his gaze, and did not give an answer. Instead, a trace of suspicion flashed across his face, and he asked:

"Second child"

"What you are talking about today, was it something you had already thought about when you were preparing to take action against Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, or was it something you suddenly thought of today?"

After hearing this.

Zhu Gaoxu understood instantly, how could he not know that this was a test from the bastard boss, who wanted to take the opportunity to test his bottom line.

but
Based on his understanding of the prince.

As for his behavior, although he did not express his firm opposition to the changes and reforms as he did before, and he did not complain, confide his difficulties, or preach, he still used his most adept means of appealing to people's emotions and reason.

This means that the boss has almost been persuaded by him.

He has different views and ideas on certain things and issues.

For this reason, he also declared that the layout he had made had already determined the outcome, and he won in this plan.

Then, Zhu Gaoxu smiled without comment, nodded at him, and said directly without any pretense:
"If I have to say"

"Taking action on Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism should be regarded as a precautionary measure."

"And to be frank today, I want to drag you down with me and want us two brothers to join hands. It's because I saw the power of the new firearm 'flintlock' produced by the weapons workshop today, and I was inspired."

"It is also because of what happened today that the already strong sense of crisis in my heart has become even stronger."

"As for what you said"

"How do I know about the country of 'Falangji' on the westernmost coast and the threat of foreign barbarians?"

"For this reason, I am sorry that I cannot tell you."

"But if you do not believe, send your people to have a closer look."

"The answer will be known." (End of this chapter)