Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 151: Believe in the People! (First Update)
Hot summer.

The river water blows by, bringing with it a hint of summer heat.

Yuan Gong turned his head and looked at the calm lake in front of him, but his heart was not calm.

Cast tools for the people.

What an ambitious ambition this is.

But is it really possible?

Even in Peking, Zhu Di would probably not agree.

After pondering for a long time, Yuan Gong did not ask Xia Zhibai about these things again, but asked about another one.

He asked, "Why would the King of Yan agree with what you said?"

"You mentioned improving the firearms for the three guards of Prince Yan's palace, and providing intelligence from the north. These are not things that can be done in a short time, and they are not necessarily achievable. Why did Prince Yan finally agree to your request?"

"why is that?"

Xia Zhibai stopped and said, "You misunderstood."

"Wrong?" Yuan Gong was stunned.

"Yes." Xia Zhibai nodded and smiled, "King Yan didn't agree to it because of these empty words, but because he was afraid!"

"Afraid?" Yuan Gong looked surprised.

He didn't quite understand where the word "fear" came from.

The dignified King of Yan would also be afraid? And what is there about Xia Zhibai that the King of Yan would be afraid of?

Xia Zhibai said: "Yes, I am afraid."

"You have never been to the imperial court before, so you don't know much about politics, and you know even less about the political games in the imperial court. Even if you know, your understanding is very superficial. It is normal for you not to understand. But the Prince of Yan is different. He is born into an imperial family and has been involved in it since he was born."

Yuan Gong nodded.

He had no objection to this.

He indeed rarely cared about the affairs of the court.

When the Yuan court was still in power, although he was a guest of many Yuan court scholars and officials, he only went there to read fortunes, gave some advice and then left.

He basically did not interfere in the politics of the court.

Xia Zhibai put his hands behind his back and walked slowly forward.

"Everyone in the world knows that your majesty has established a Jinyiwei to monitor all officials in the world. The princes of various places are also monitored, but few people in the world know that none of these princes of the Ming Dynasty are easy to deal with."

"They also have spies in Yingtian Prefecture."

Yuan Gong's expression changed slightly.

Xia Zhibai smiled and said, "I once recommended a situation to the court in Yingtian Prefecture, which is to use local data to understand and infer the actual local governance situation, and let the 'state-owned enterprises' in various places act as the eyes and ears of the court in the local area."

“Not many people know about this news.”

"But a few vassal kings such as the King of Qin, Jin, and Yan should be able to find out."

"One Jinyiwei in the dark has already made many princes tremble with fear. If we place another one in the local area, I'm afraid these princes will be completely uneasy and restless. These princes of the Ming Dynasty are not clean in private."

"They are very afraid of His Majesty."

"The more guilty one is, the more he will want to know about the situation in Yingtian Prefecture."

“I know all these things.”

"The princes of various places know about it, and so does His Majesty, but His Majesty is more familiar with his methods. Even though the princes of Qin, Jin, Yan, and other princes have purged the people in their palaces several times, they still haven't cleared them all. This situation of being constantly monitored and spied on by others makes them feel deeply uneasy and anxious."

"This is the first incident in the Guo Huan case in Peking."

“This may be a warning.”

"Your Majesty will not allow the princes to completely control the military and political power of a place. Over the years, the Prince of Yan has won over the officials of the original Beiping Provincial Government through bribery and other means. Therefore, using the Guo Huan case, Your Majesty has purged all these officials who 'have two masters in mind'."

"When the court arranges personnel in the future, with the lessons learned from this incident, how many people will be willing to get close to the King of Yan?"

"They won't say they are against the King of Yan, but at least they will keep their distance from him."

"And this also means that in this important city of Beiping, the Prince of Yan will be supervised by the local governor in addition to the Jinyiwei. If I successfully establish a state-owned enterprise here, the surveillance of Beiping will be even stricter. How can the Prince of Yan not be afraid?"

"What's more."

"In the eyes of many people, I am the prince's man."

"We must be on guard against others. After these two days of contact, the King of Yan can basically judge that I am unlikely to be the prince's man."

"But he didn't dare to take it lightly, nor did he dare to completely reject me. Otherwise, if I was really 'small-minded', then the state-owned enterprise I established in Peking in the future would become a shining sword, pointing directly at the chest of King Yan."

"What really made the King of Yan relent was that I asked him to review the information reported by state-owned enterprises."

“This is actually a collaboration between the two sides.”

"It's just that the King of Yan felt that he had suffered too much and was unwilling to make too many concessions, so he didn't want to continue talking."

"As for what you just mentioned, they are indeed just empty words. I have never taken them to heart. Of course, if I do it, then it will be effective. The decision is in the hands of King Yan. He can turn against me at any time, or even deny it."

After hearing Xia Zhibai's explanation, Yuan Gong suddenly understood.

He was puzzled before as to why Xia Zhibai could be so aggressive while King Yan could only tolerate it.

Here's why.

It’s not that the King of Yan can’t be tough.

I don't dare.

Because the governor of Beiping had just gotten into trouble, and he had heard that the "state-owned enterprise" was the spy, Zhu Di naturally panicked, fearing that His Majesty knew what he was secretly planning, so he made a special warning, but also worried that if he continued to be domineering, he would completely anger His Majesty and then be suppressed even more. So he could only swallow his anger.

Xia Zhibai is just taking advantage of the power of another.

But Zhu Di didn't dare to gamble, and he was not qualified to gamble.

It is true that he is a vassal prince, but he was granted this title by Your Majesty. How dare he challenge Your Majesty?

Moreover, he would not gain any benefit by completely offending Xia Zhibai, and it would only leave an even more unpleasant impression on His Majesty. And if Xia Zhibai became jealous and kept secretly watching him, he would be afraid that he would not be able to accomplish anything in the future.

The trade-offs are clear.

This kind of political game is actually very dangerous.

This is also what Yuan Gong has been avoiding.

But when these games fell into Xia Zhibai's hands, they seemed calm and peaceful, which made Yuan Gong admire him.

"I see." Yuan Gong nodded, then looked puzzled and said, "But I'm afraid the King of Yan won't help you so wholeheartedly."

"The iron mine is something that King Yan cares about. You secretly intervened, which already caused King Yan's dissatisfaction. You also squeezed King Yan in various ways. Although King Yan didn't say anything openly, he must be unhappy secretly. In addition, this iron mine is likely to become the 'eyes and ears' of the court. How can King Yan be happy to see it completed so quickly?"

Xia Zhibai smiled, revealing a cunning look.

He chuckled and said, "Of course I know this. King Yan will help me, but he won't try his best."

"He won't even hand over the thousands of soldiers under his command to me. Verbal agreements are always empty promises. I don't care, and King Yan won't care either. We both know this."

"But I didn't expect too much."

"My strong words are mainly about 'broken windows'."

"I came to Beiping this time with only one person and a few entourages arranged by the court. I can be considered to be short of manpower. If the King of Yan does not take action, it will take me more than half a year to build the ironworks by relying on my own strength and waiting for the court to dispatch manpower."

"The King of Yan might laugh at me in secret."

“When I first arrived, this was indeed the situation.”

"But now it is not certain, because King Yan will take action."

Xia Zhibai smiled, looking quite mysterious.

Yuan Gong was stunned.

Xia Zhibai stood with his hands behind his back, his back to Yuan Gong, and said, "In today's world, the most powerful people are always the people. I believe in the people and will try to mobilize them. With the help of the local people, it won't take long for the iron mine to be established."

"Mobilize the people?" Yuan Gong was even more confused.

He couldn't understand it at all.

Xia Zhibai didn't explain much, as what he explained before was not important.

He simply said, "Whether it's the staff or the civil officials in the Prince of Yan's Mansion, they all believe in violence and conspiracy too easily, and lack some dignity and righteousness. This time, I will teach them a lesson."

"What does it mean to be united as one?"

Looking at Xia Zhibai bathing in the sun, Yuan Gong was slightly distracted. He stared at Xia Zhibai deeply, and suddenly he realized that Xia Zhibai in front of him had changed. He was brimming with confidence and composure, as if everything was under his control. He was not restrained or embarrassed at all as he was at Prince Yan's Mansion.

It seemed as if everything in Prince Yan's Mansion was just an illusion.

The purpose was to deceive Zhu Di and set a trap for him. Now that the goal has been achieved, there is no need to hide it anymore.

Yuan Gong smiled bitterly.

He is also glad that he has never been involved in politics in the past.

Yuan Gong pondered for a while, and suddenly asked: "Are you really so sure?"

Xia Zhibai said: "Some things can only be known after they are done. It's enough to have a clear conscience. I also believe in my choice."

Yuan Gong was silent.

a long time.

Yuan Gong said: "I am not as good as you."

"Over the years, I know I am stupid and have almost never gotten involved in court disputes. I have always tried to avoid them. I have always done things according to the rules, but if no one responds, I will fight back. Rules are the thin layer of loyalty and trust, and the beginning of chaos!"

"If you can really do it, I can help you a little."

Hear the words.

Xia Zhibai was a little surprised.

He was actually not that worried about Yuan Gong.

I'm not worried that Yuan Gong will tell others about today's conversation.

As a fortune teller, Yuan Gong has developed the habit of protecting himself over the years and will not put himself in danger. What he said was almost obvious to King Yan and others, and once Yuan Gong opened his mouth, it meant that he could no longer maintain his independence.

This also means that there will be fatal disaster.

But he didn't expect that Yuan Gong would choose to help him.

Lost for a while.

Xia Zhibai nodded and said, "Okay."

"But if it's convenient, I hope you can find some literate people for me in Peking in the next few days."

"It doesn't matter what family you come from, whether you are Han, Semu, Mongolian or Jurchen, as long as you can read."

Yuan Gong hesitated for a moment and said in a deep voice: "Okay."

"Thank you." Xia Zhibai bowed.

(End of this chapter)