Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 147 Yuan Gong leaves!

Qiu Fu said: "Xia Zhibai, do you think fighting is too simple?"

"Do you think fighting a war is just like playing house, where you hit me and I hit you? You just stop when you're done? That's not how war is fought."

"As someone who has never fought a war, what qualifications do you have to give orders here?"

"You're not qualified!"

Qiu Fu's tone was extremely cold.

He had no good feelings towards Xia Zhibai. Ever since he was insulted and beaten with fifty military sticks yesterday, he had been feeling angry, especially since his butt was still burning with pain. King Yan had not wanted to let him go before and only asked him to stay at home and recuperate, but he had insisted on coming here despite his illness.

He just couldn't stand it.

He started out as a small soldier and went through many life and death situations before he climbed to this position.

Is his experience in leading troops in battle no better than Xia Zhibai's?
Can you listen to his teachings?
Not only Qiu Fu, but also Li Bin, Liu Sheng and others showed disdain.

They simply didn't bother to listen to what Xia Zhibai said.

Zhu Di played with the iron ring on his finger with an expressionless face, vaguely revealing his attitude.

He also disliked Xia Zhibai's dominance.

This is Peking.

It was his fiefdom as King Yan.

It's not someone else's turn to point fingers.

Xia Zhibai's hands were stretched a little too long and too wide.

Since you are a business official, you just need to run the business well. There is no need to interfere in other things.

Listening to the ridicule from Qiu Fu and others, Xia Zhibai sighed in his heart.

I don't care too much.

Xia Zhibai said: "Since Your Highness and the generals don't want to listen, then I won't say much. But I also suggest that Your Highness ask more about the situation of the lower-level soldiers and rectify some military discipline and style. This is the basis for an army to always maintain its combat effectiveness."

Zhu Di frowned.

He pondered for a while and nodded.

He was going to look into what Xia Zhibai mentioned yesterday.

If someone really was doing something behind his back, Zhu Di would not tolerate it. He did not want to be fighting on the front line and then have a fire in the backyard. If he was caught by the Mongols, it would be a big taboo.

Xia Zhibai bowed slightly and left.

At first, he wanted to suggest opening an "Officers School" in the army to allow the generals in the army to study together and discuss the idea of ​​a Northern Expedition. As the saying goes, three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang. With so many generals, can't they think of some ways to defeat the enemy?
If one person is strong, you only need to avoid the edge of that other person.

If all the generals of the entire Ming Dynasty were strong, no matter how unwilling the enemy was, they could only shout "The Ming army is mighty" in frustration.

but now.

Xia Zhibai no longer had the idea of ​​speaking.

The prejudice of the world is like a mountain, which is difficult to shake directly by one's own strength alone.

Even if he spoke eloquently, it would be of no avail. Be it Zhu Di or generals like Qiu Fu, they already had their own prejudices. How could they be moved by his persuasion?
The more he talked, the more likely it was that he would cause dissatisfaction. In the end, not only would he not achieve any results, he might also end up making things worse and ruining what he had originally promised. His purpose was not to finalize the matter, but to take this opportunity to test the situation of the Ming generals.

Now the results are obtained.

There is no need to continue, nor is there much point.

After Xia Zhibai walked away completely, Qiu Fu and the others no longer concealed their expressions.

Qiu Fu cursed, "What are these scholars pretending to be? We fought the battle, but they said all the nice words. We fought hard and risked our lives to win a victory, but in the end we still get a bad reputation?"

"We really give these civil servants too much face."

"You dare to take advantage of me."

"It's only because I'm not in the military camp or fighting right now, otherwise I would be the first one to kill someone like that."

Li Bin teased, "There's nothing we can do about it. He's the top scholar. How can you, a commoner like me, understand what a top scholar is? He's the most accomplished scholar in the Ming Dynasty over the past decade or so. Doesn't he think he's superior and can look down on commoners like us?"

"I think what he said was very mild."

"I'd be him."

"I'm afraid it's even worse."

"This scholar is just seeking a good reputation. We, the military commanders, are the best stepping stones. If he steps on us, won't he be even more arrogant? It's only because we are really leading troops to fight, otherwise, after his high-sounding talk, someone might be persuaded."

"On paper, the literati are the best."

"But when will the scholars of our Ming Dynasty be able to lead troops and see blood?"

"If they really dare to fight the Mongols, I will respect them as men. Otherwise, I, Li Bin, will not buy it."

"."

Several generals in the hall were sneering at each other.

His eyes were full of contempt and disdain.

The civil and military officials look down on each other.

If Zhu Di approved, they might look at him differently, but it was obvious that His Highness did not approve.

They will naturally not control their temper.

Yuan Gong raised his eyebrows and glanced around, then bowed and said, "Your Highness, I have been in Beiping for some time. I came here today to ask for your resignation."

As soon as the words were spoken, all around fell silent.

Xia Zhibai was not favored by Zhu Di, but Yuan Gong was not. At the beginning, His Highness wanted to test Yuan Gong, so he specially selected nine guards in the palace who were similar to him in stature and appearance. As a result, among the ten people, Yuan Gong almost did not hesitate at all, and did not even stop at all, and directly selected His Highness, which surprised many of them.

They had been with His Highness day and night, but they didn't dare to confirm it directly just by looking at his back, but Yuan Gong did it.

Such people will naturally make them look at them differently.

What's more, Yuan Gong was already famous and was quite close to and trusted by the literati of the Yuan Dynasty. How could Xia Zhibai compare with such a talented person?

Now, upon hearing that Yuan Gong was leaving, generals such as Qiu Fu and Zhang Yu took the initiative to try to keep him without waiting for Zhu Di to say anything.

Zhang Yu asked, "Master Yuan, why is this?"

"You haven't been in Peking for long, but are we rough and reckless? Have we angered the Master?"

"If that's the case, I can apologize to you, Master."

Qiu Fu also said: "Yes, why are you in such a hurry to leave? His Royal Highness Prince Yan is so good to you. If you leave, won't people gossip about you? You'd better stay."

"."

Zhu Di frowned.

He looked at Yuan Gong deeply for a few times, and asked curiously: "Master Yuan, what do you mean by this? Is it me, Zhu Di, who treats you badly? Or do you think I, Zhu Di, am not worthy of your service? Or is it that I, Zhu Di, do not have the magnanimity to employ people? Do you feel wronged?"

Yuan Gong shook his head repeatedly and said, "Your Highness is worrying too much."

"The reason why I chose to leave was also for the sake of Your Highness."

"Your Highness also knows that I, Yuan Gong, am well-known. I am afraid that the fact that I came to Beiping cannot be hidden. It will not be long before it is known to Yingtian Prefecture, which will cause a lot of trouble for Your Highness."

"In addition, I have come into contact with many scholars and officials of the Northern Yuan Dynasty in the past. Now I am in a military stronghold like Peking, and it is easy for me to be criticized. If the court's future northern expedition goes smoothly, it will be fine. If not, I am afraid that it will bring a lot of trouble to myself and even His Highness."

"My departure was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but the result of careful consideration."

"Please don't worry, Your Highness."

"Leaving is also for a better meeting."

"It's just temporary."

"Why is your Highness so uneasy?"

Hear the words.

Zhu Di's pupils sank slightly.

What Yuan Gong said was true.

With the extent of Your Majesty's surveillance over the country, I'm afraid that the fact that Yuan Gong came to Beiping had already reached my father's ears. However, my father was not aware of the fact that Yuan Gong had read his face for him, because only he, Yao Guangxiao and Yuan Gong were present at the time.

He didn't believe that Yao Guangxiao would betray him.

But Yuan Gong was famous after all. It was indeed easy to arouse suspicion that such a talent was not in the hands of the prince but fell under his command.

Especially the prince's brother-in-law Lan Yu, who had always been wary of him and often complained about him in private.

Although Zhu Biao was open-minded and did not really mind, people's hearts would change. No one could tell when Zhu Biao would be persuaded, and the matter between him and Yuan Gong would become a hidden worry.

Think of this.

Zhu Di fell silent for a moment.

He is not qualified to "support scholars" now.

I can’t raise it, and I dare not raise it.

After a short silence, Zhu Di nodded and said, "I was not thoughtful enough. Since you have made your decision, I will follow your advice. However, I have also said before that you should keep your mouth shut and not tell anyone about what happened in Beiping, so as to avoid unnecessary trouble for you and me."

Yuan Gong nodded and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Your Highness."

"I, Yuan Gong, have always kept my mouth shut."

"But I would also like to advise you, Your Highness. What Xia Zhibai said is actually not unreasonable."

"Attaching importance to firearms is indeed a direction for the Ming army. Your Highness is currently the vassal who attaches the most importance to firearms in the court. Once there is a breakthrough in firearms, Your Highness will benefit the most. What Your Highness needs to do now is to consolidate the foundation while continuously expanding your own advantages."

Zhu Di stroked his beard and said, "Okay, I'll remember it."

"Firearms are indeed my advantage, and I should expand it a little, at least to prevent others from overtaking me."

Yuan Gong nodded.

He bowed to everyone around him and turned to leave.

Yao Guangxiao watched Yuan Gong leave with a changing look in his eyes, but ultimately he remained silent.

He still didn't tell Yuan Gong about his choice.

If Zhu Di knew that Yuan Gong was going to follow Xia Zhibai, he would probably be furious, or even angry out of shame. It is not the right time now. It will not be too late for him to tell Zhu Di when the time is right in the future.

Inside the palace.

There was no sign of Yuan Gong anymore.

Zhu Di was still looking at the palace entrance, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses.

Zhu Di sighed, "Alas, it's not the right time. I, Zhu Di, am weak right now and can't protect anyone. I can only watch the talent drain away. It's a pity. But I really shouldn't think so much now. As a vassal king appointed by His Majesty to guard the border, my top priority is still military affairs."

Zhu Di withdrew his gaze eagerly.

His pupils were filled with strong reluctance and dissatisfaction.

He is not satisfied with the current situation.

But the current situation forced him to lower his proud head, continue to lie dormant, continue to settle down, and wait for the opportunity to soar into the sky.

(End of this chapter)