Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 141 The weather is positive, and everything is flowing! (The third update)

Prince Yan's Mansion.

The lights are on tonight.

Zhu Di sat in the lobby, not feeling sleepy at all.

He needed to slow down and digest what Xia Zhibai had said.

Govern the people.

Zhu Di didn't have too many ideas.

He was not very interested in political affairs. What he liked was riding a horse and fighting on the battlefield.

Only when holding a blade did Zhu Di feel that his life was fulfilling.

But in Xia Zhibai's mouth, the military that he was proud of was said to be useless, and more importantly, he couldn't even refute it.

In fact, he rarely encountered such an embarrassing situation where he couldn't refute in his life.

Especially when facing a scholar.

Zhu Di took off his armor, wiped his goose-wing sword, and then placed it on the wooden rack.

At this time.

Xu Miaoyun came in with a basin of water for washing her face.

"Your Highness, it's getting late. You should take a shower and rest." Xu Miaoyun said.

Zhu Di glanced at Xu Miaoyun and said softly, "I can't sleep. I feel so upset. I've been a prince for so long, but this is the first time I've been speechless. This is the first time someone other than my father has said that I'm not a good person. I'm also very surprised. When did the literati of my Ming Dynasty become so powerful?"

"Why didn't I see that before?"

"This Xia Zhibai is in charge of the exam committee, the business committee, and now he can even make decisions on military affairs."

"I can't refute it."

"I'm furious."

Zhu Di put his hands on his hips, shook his head, and looked speechless.

Xu Miaoyun smiled and said, "Aren't the scholars of the Ming Dynasty still working for the Ming Dynasty? Isn't this a good thing? Do you have to be omnipotent? Didn't you only like military affairs in the past? You didn't like reading books and didn't understand many things. Isn't that normal?"

Zhu Di glared at Xu Miaoyun.

"Hey."

"Why are you still talking to him?"

"I admit that I don't like reading, but Yao Guangxiao and Yuan Gong read a lot, right? In terms of knowledge, they are still not as good as Xia Zhibai. What Xia Zhibai said today not only confused me, but they were also confused. Did they really think I didn't see it?"

Zhu Di sneered.

Xu Miaoyun wiped Zhu Di's face with hot water.

As she wiped it, she said, "How about he become the top scholar? This top scholar is certainly extraordinary, but he seems to know too much. However, I am a woman and don't understand these things. In my opinion, as long as what he says is right, why not listen to it?"

"You have nothing to lose?"

"If it helps you, isn't it a good thing?"

Zhu Di nodded and said coldly: "Of course I know this, otherwise why would I tolerate him for so long?"

"But if we really follow what he said, then there are many problems with the military system of our Ming Dynasty. This is no small matter."

Xu Miaoyun didn't say anything else.

As the daughter of a general, she was proficient in some military affairs, but she seldom asked about them. Moreover, she really didn't know what Xia Zhibai said in the camp today, so she had no way to tell him. After wiping Zhu Di's face and hands, Xu Miaoyun said, "No matter how many problems there are, we have to wait until dawn to solve them."

"Xia Zhibai is not in a hurry to leave, why are you so anxious?"

Zhu Di remained silent.

He naturally has his own ideas.

If Xia Zhibai's idea of ​​annexing the grassland could be realized, it might become his achievement. If he could present this idea to Yingtian Prefecture, let his father review it, and get his father's approval, then his status among his brothers would be greatly improved.

This is something Zhu Di cared about a lot.

Only by continuously gaining the recognition of his father will he have a greater chance of seizing the throne.

But is it really feasible?
Zhu Di didn't know.

He had not much idea about the matter.

It all happened too suddenly. He had never had such an idea before. Now it was really too much to ask him to figure it out.

See this.

Xu Miaoyun didn't ask any more questions and went out with the water for washing her face.

Before leaving, he asked Zhu Di to rest early.

Zhu Di agreed readily, but he didn't want to go to sleep at all. Xia Zhibai's words today had a great impact on him and opened up a new perspective for him, a perspective that he had rarely considered or thought of in the past.

He felt that his ideas on deploying and training troops were too outdated.

It's too conservative and lacks any novelty.

Things are different now than before. In the past, the Ming army mainly focused on sieges, but now they are more engaged in blocking battles and raids. There are obvious differences between the two. Continuing to train troops according to the previous combat ideas is basically in vain. Once you really go to the battlefield, these trainings will be basically useless.

It all depends on on-the-spot command.

This places high demands on the generals leading the army.

But as Xia Zhibai said, all of this could have been done better. They should have planned before taking action, and anticipated every move of the Northern Yuan army in advance, and then proceeded step by step. Wouldn't this be more exciting and a more clean victory than commanding on the spot?

But how to do this?

Zhu Di held his chin with one hand and pondered slowly in his mind.

the other side.

Yao Guangxiao and Yuan Gong also did not fall asleep.

The two sat in a small courtyard under the moon. There was a stone table in the courtyard with a pot of tea on it.

Yao Guangxiao made a cup of tea for each of them.

Yuan Gong greeted slightly, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said lightly: "You visited Songshan Temple in your early years. I saw your face at that time, and I said that you were a strange monk. Your eye sockets were almost triangular, like a sick tiger. You were rebellious by nature and fond of killing. You might become a person like Liu Bingzhong of the Yuan Dynasty."

"You really can't bear to remain silent."

Yao Guangxiao laughed and said, "Brother Tingyu, you are too kind."

"When I was young, Daoyan traveled around the world and set my ambition to assist an unparalleled emperor."

"Have I ever thought about assisting His Majesty?"

"But the current emperor did not value me. He was even unwilling to grant me the position of a monk official and was only willing to reward me with the lowest monk's robe. I, Yao Guangxiao, am a man of great knowledge, so how could I be willing to be buried? That's why I took the initiative to join the King of Yan, hoping to make achievements under his command."

“It’s worth all the lessons I’ve learned in this life.”

"Besides, are you really willing to remain silent?"

"If you were really willing to remain silent, you wouldn't have rushed to Peking just because of a letter."

Yuan Gong was silent.

He sighed softly, "The Prince of Yan does have the qualities of an emperor, but he is more inclined to martial arts. Such an emperor on horseback may not be a good thing for the world. Your Majesty already has the qualities of a dragon and a tiger, and if another one appears, it will cause too much harm to the world." Yao Guangxiao took the tea bowl, took a sip, and said with a smile, "That's why I recommended you to the Prince of Yan."

Yuan Gong shook his head: "I won't stay in Peking for too long."

"I am too famous among physiognomists. I am afraid that the news of my coming to Peking will soon reach the court. If I continue to stay for a long time, I am afraid that the King of Yan will be restless."

Yao Guangxiao frowned.

But after thinking about it for a while, he nodded.

Then, what Yuan Gong said made Yao Guangxiao's face change drastically.

Yuan Gong said: "I am going to leave with Xia Zhibai."

Yao Guangxiao frowned and asked in confusion: "Is Xia Zhibai really worthy of your attention? What is so special about him? Is it because he knows the suffering of the people? He really cares about the people? This is probably not enough."

Yuan Gong shook his head, hesitated for a moment, and said uncertainly: "I don't know either."

"In my opinion, this Xia Zhibai is very mysterious and hard to see through, especially his eyes, which are mature and profound beyond his age, and have wisdom that is different from ordinary people. I have never seen such a face."

"What I said today about 'Wang Di' is absolutely true."

"He really has a chance to become emperor."

"At least he was trained as the successor to the 'Emperor'. But for some reason, he gave up on his own, and gave up very thoroughly, directly transforming into a 'Crying Blood Cuckoo'. I can't easily see through such a person with great willpower, courage and perseverance."

"But only this kind of people are most likely to succeed."

"He is fearless and unafraid of death!"

"I have my own ideals and ambitions in my heart."

“Even if there are tens of thousands of people, I will still go.”

"Isn't it a pleasure to travel with such a person?"

"And I also want to see what this 'Crying Blood Cuckoo' can do for the world, what he can achieve, or what shocking words he can say, what shocking actions he can take, and what he can change the world into. Isn't this much better than sitting in a well and talking about the world in the past?"

Yuan Gong had a smile on his face and looked very relaxed.

He has made up his mind.

Yao Guangxiao looked at Yuan Gong deeply for a few times, and naturally could tell that Yuan Gong was not joking, but was speaking from his heart.

This decision was indeed made.

He said in a serious tone: "Since you have made up your mind, I will not persuade you."

"We are just acquaintances, but I have to remind you that Xia Zhibai is a troublemaker. Ever since he went to Yingtian Prefecture, he has caused dissatisfaction among others and even nearly killed him many times. If you follow Xia Zhibai, you may be implicated at any time and end up losing your head."

"From today's situation, he is a dissolute person."

"If Your Highness had not been so nervous recently, fearing that something might happen in Beiping again and completely anger His Majesty, with Your Highness's past violent temper, you would have driven Xia Zhibai away long ago, or hired someone to beat him up. How could you allow him to speak so arrogantly in the military camp?"

Yuan Gong smiled and said, "I know."

"He, Xia Zhibai, is the Blood-crying Cuckoo, which is bloody, which means that there will be no lack of killing, and he may even use blood to clear the way. This blood may belong to other people, or it may be his own. But how can there be anything perfect in this world? Since you have made a choice, you must naturally bear the consequences and risks."

"Blessings may be mixed with misfortunes, and misfortunes may be mixed with blessings."

"He, who is wrapped in blood, is not afraid, so why should I be afraid?"

"Besides."

"The current emperor is also bloody!"

"Your Majesty fought your way out of a sea of ​​blood and corpses. You are also covered in blood. Aren't the two of you compatible?"

Yao Guangxiao shook his head.

He could see that Yuan Gong would not change.

Yuan Gong also wholeheartedly agreed with his own statement of "crying blood cuckoo".

Yao Guangxiao said: "According to you, Your Highness should follow Xia Zhibai's advice? Should you loan these several thousand guards to Xia Zhibai for use?"

Yuan Gong hesitated and said, "It depends on your Highness's opinion. If your Highness is willing to believe, then I will lend you these troops. If you are not willing, then I will not lend you these troops."

"But I believe His Highness will lend it, because His Highness is a person who refuses to remain silent. Xia Zhibai's words had a great impact on His Highness. His Highness is currently 'looking for help', so he will not be embarrassed about such a matter. Moreover, if Xia Zhibai can really improve the firearms, it will greatly enhance His Highness's military capabilities."

"You may even be able to gain His Majesty's special regard."

"Your Highness is very concerned about this."

"even."

Yuan Gong hesitated for a moment, then said in a serious tone, "I think Xia Zhibai will not stop at this, but will ask for more, and ask Your Highness to pay more. However, I don't know Xia Zhibai, nor do I know his past, so I really can't say much."

Yao Guangxiao nodded.

Not only was Yuan Gong unfamiliar with it, he also didn't understand it.

Xia Zhibai appeared out of nowhere like a meteor, quickly passed through the sky, and then appeared in front of them, without giving them much time to prepare. The only things they knew were some fragmentary details that could not form a concrete image at all.

He was already considered to be someone who knew Xia Zhibai well.

But I still can't guess it.

Peking is still too far away from Kyoto.

In addition, the outbreak of the Guo Huan case forced them to be distracted.

Xia Zhibai had only appeared for a few months, so it was indeed a bit difficult for them to find out Xia Zhibai's background all at once.

"No matter what Xia Zhibai wants to do, as long as it does not involve the stability of Peking, what's wrong with letting him do what he wants? But I'm afraid that Xia Zhibai doesn't know when to advance or retreat, and will become more and more unreasonable. If that happens, I'm afraid Brother Tingyu will choose someone else." Yao Guangxiao teased coldly.

Yuan Gong laughed and didn't take it to heart.

He said slowly: "Brother Daoyan, people should be kind-hearted, and you should also love yourself. The murderous intent between your brows is even stronger."

Yao Guangxiao teased, "Brother Tingyu, you are wrong. Why do you favor Xia Zhibai and look at him differently when he is covered in blood and killing people all the way? I am just a little bit violent, but you don't care about me. This is a bit unfair."

Yuan Gong looked at Yao Guangxiao and said with a half-smile, "Your Majesty can suppress Xia Zhibai's murderous aura, but Brother Daoyan, the murderous aura in you is not something that the King of Yan can suppress."

Yao Guangxiao's eyes darkened and looked somewhat unfriendly.

Then he laughed.

Yao Guangxiao did not deny it, but admitted it immediately, saying: "I read Eastern Lu books when I was young, and learned Western teachings when I grew up. I passed two levels of barriers, which one is enlightenment? I am not tired of the loneliness of the mountains and forests, and I am not pleased with the honor of the bells and tripods. I live according to fate and act according to fate. I am like a solitary toad imprinting the vast ocean, or a cloud floating in the sky."

"There is nothing else to say. Even if someone asks me, what is more important than the 108 Luanzhu in my hand?"

"It really doesn't matter to me who I assist, and it also doesn't matter to me who I attack."

“What’s important is to be able to realize your ambitions.”

"That's enough!"

“But now I am assisting Prince Yan, so I must put Prince Yan’s interests first.” Yao Guangxiao stood up slowly. He was wearing a black robe, which looked a bit evil under the moonlight.

Yuan Gong held the teacup in his hand and watched Yao Guangxiao leave. After Yao Guangxiao was completely gone, he looked up at the sky and whispered, "This is the biggest difference between Xia Zhibai and us. We all have selfish thoughts in our hearts, but he always has a public heart."

"Heaven and earth have righteous energy, which flows in all forms."

"Below are the rivers and mountains, above are the sun and stars."

(End of this chapter)