Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 152 Zhu Di's Fury! (Second Update)
Prince Yan's Mansion.

Beijing has been very quiet these days.

Xia Zhibai was also very quiet, and the whole of Peking was immersed in stuffiness.

Zhu Di sat on a chair, fiddling with the iron ring on his fingertips, looking at Zhang Yu and asking, "Zhang Yu, what has Xia Zhibai been doing these days?"

Zhang Yu bowed respectfully: "Xia Zhibai has been very quiet during this period. He just went to the iron ore mining site to take a look at the situation, then found some people to do a simple cleanup of the periphery, and then returned to his residence."

"In addition, I went to the post station in Beiping to ask when the people sent by the court would arrive."

"There's nothing else to do."

"He was traveling with only a few people this time, and he had never been to Peking before. He was unfamiliar with the place, and there was nothing he could do except to check out the iron mine."

Yao Guangxiao's eyes moved slightly, and a hint of suspicion flashed across the corner of his eyes, but he did not show anything unusual.

Zhu Di sneered, picked up the teacup beside him, and sneered: "I thought Xia Zhibai was so powerful, but he is just a coward. He used to be so arrogant because he was in Yingtian Prefecture and had the protection of His Majesty and the Crown Prince. But when he really goes to other places, his tricks don't work."

“Arrogance is not a good thing.”

"If I hadn't been unable to guess what Father was thinking, I would have kicked him out long ago for all the big talk he said in front of me. How could I have allowed him to be so arrogant for so long?"

"But it's good to let him hit a wall and suffer a little."

Zhang Yu nodded.

He followed up and said, "Yingtian Prefecture is Yingtian Prefecture, and Beiping is Beiping. They cannot be generalized. In Yingtian Prefecture, some people may give him face because of the court, but in Beiping, not many people buy it, and he didn't bring many people with him. How can it be so easy to convince all parties and use them for his own purposes with his eloquence?"

Zhang Yu sneered and shook his head, revealing a bit of disdain.

He used to respect Xia Zhibai very much, but after observing him for a few days, he completely gave up this idea.

Because it's too mediocre.

Without the support of the government, nothing can be done.

Such people are just full of airs and can only talk big but can't accomplish anything great.

He was even a little annoyed that he was frightened by Xia Zhibai's words.

This really shouldn't happen.

Yao Guangxiao frowned, and his brows became more serious.

He felt wrong.

This was completely different from what he had heard about Xia Zhibai. Xia Zhibai was a very shrewd, even treacherous man. Could he not have guessed the situation here before coming to Beiping? Did he really think that a written order from the court would make all parties obey honestly?
Can it make him do what he wants?

impossible.

Xia Zhibai is very good at judging the situation.

They dared to act like snakes under the nose of His Majesty, so how could they be helpless in Peking?
This doesn't make sense at all.

But if Xia Zhibai has other plans, what would they be?

Yao Guangxiao lowered his head and thought deeply, but after thinking for a while, he didn't have much clue.

Because Xia Zhibai revealed too little.

He was completely shrouded in a fog.

It makes it difficult to see clearly, distinguish clearly, and see through.

Zhu Di took a few sips of the herbal tea and felt refreshed.

A few days ago, Xia Zhibai's passionate speech criticized him completely, and he was also very angry. Now seeing that Xia Zhibai had not taken any action for several days in a row, he felt refreshed, because in order to speed up the construction of the iron mine, Xia Zhibai could only come to him for help.

Then, even the arrogant Xia Zhibai will have to bow to himself.

Is madness useful?

Zhu Di put down the teacup, looked around, and said calmly: "I think Xia Zhibai has his own plans, but since your majesty has ordered, if he really encounters any difficulties, I, the Prince of Yan, will naturally help him. But as he mentioned before, I, Zhu Di, do not manage the army strictly, so I will strictly rectify the military discipline next."

"I'm afraid we won't be able to spare too many people."

"Haha."

A cheerful laughter rang out in the hall.

After the laughter died down, Zhu Di looked at Yao Guangxiao and asked, "How is the investigation going on, Daoyan? Is there really the situation in the army that Xia Zhibai described?"

Yao Guangxiao's pupils shrank slightly.

He closed his eyes slightly, glanced at the generals in the hall, and smiled, "Yes."

"What?" Zhu Di's eyes turned cold.

He looked at Yao Guangxiao suddenly, somewhat incredulous, even doubting his own ears. In the army he led, there was actually corruption and embezzlement? How was this possible?

Yao Guangxiao said slowly, "Your Highness, there has indeed been a lot of chaos in the army."

“And there are quite a few of them.”

Zhu Di had a gloomy face and looked at the general beside him with a cold gaze. He said sinisterly, "Oh, really? Then I really want to listen carefully. I also want to see what the army that I, Zhu Di, have worked so hard to build is like behind the scenes."

"Tell me everything you found out."

"Speak more carefully."

The soldiers below couldn't help but shrink their necks.

I felt a chill.

Zhu Di cared a lot about the three guards under his command.

This is the capital of all his ambitions.

Yao Guangxiao's face was calm, with a faint smile on his lips. However, this smile was seen by Zhang Yu and other generals as a bit scary, even a bit creepy. Yao Guangxiao said, "We have only found some clues so far, but we have not yet fully disclosed them. However, we have seen some clues from what we have found." "Qiu Ping, the younger brother of Captain Qiu Fu, has occupied more than 800 acres of land around Beiping in the name of Qiu Fu in the past two years."

"Li Bin's brother-in-law, relying on his wealth and power, occupied a lot of houses and lands, and colluded with many officials in Beiping Prefecture to sell many military households to local tyrants. Although many military households still have the military status of 'military households', they have become coolies and slaves of the rich and powerful families."

"There are also those who occupy military land."

"Based on our rough findings so far, most of the generals in the army are involved."

"only."

"The current investigation is not deep enough. We have only found that it is related to the relatives of the generals. As for whether Qiu Fu, Li Bin and others are involved, it is not clear."

“But this matter should indeed be handled with caution.”

"Because many of them occupied military land from orphans and widows."

"Many of these orphans and widows were the result of the male members of their families dying on the battlefields during the previous Northern Expeditions. These orphans and widows could not keep their land. In addition, some generals, taking advantage of their power, cooperated with merchants to oppress ordinary military households, seized their land, and sold the grain that should have remained in the hands of these military households to merchants."

“And then profit from it.”

"Some military commanders often 'thrift' and withhold the military pay that should have been paid in full."

"."

Yao Guangxiao said a lot in a row.

Every time Yao Guangxiao said something, Qiu Fu, Zhang Yu and others below turned paler. In the end, their faces were as pale as paper. They dared not even breathe. They were so anxious that they didn't even dare to look up at Zhu Di.

Zhu Di's face turned red with anger.

But what followed was a sense of fear and terror.

He considered himself to be very diligent and had always been in the military camp. However, his men were still unscrupulous and bullied orphans and widows. They even used their power to rob the military households of their food. In order to avoid being exposed, he even sold these people directly and never recruited them again.

"Good good."

"That's great."

“Every one of them is great.”

"Why didn't I see before that you all have such big appetites? Did I, Zhu Di, give you too little in the past? Have I, Zhu Di, ever treated you unfairly? You did all this behind my back? If no one had reminded you, would you have wanted to sell my head for a good price in the future?"

Zhu Di suppressed his anger and looked coldly at the generals below.

The hall was dead silent, no one spoke a word.

"Speak!" Zhu Di slapped the wooden table, and the anger in his chest could no longer be suppressed.

Zhu Di was completely furious.

He actually thought that some of his subordinates were corrupt.

This cannot be forbidden.

But he didn't expect it to be so bad and serious.

So much more.

They colluded with the government in Peking, military officers protected each other, and also colluded with merchants.

"Are you all mute? Weren't you talking so enthusiastically just now? Why are you all silent now?" Zhu Di roared angrily, "Just by not talking, you can pretend there is nothing? Do you really think of me, Zhu Di, as a brainless person? I usually trust you so much and think of you for everything good, and this is how you treat me?"

"Aren't you going to say it?"

"Row!"

"I don't want you to say it."

"Yao Guangxiao, you must investigate thoroughly and uncover all the dirty deeds among the generals."

"I want to see how corrupt the army I command has become over the past few years. Are there any clean soldiers?"

Yao Guangxiao remained silent.

Qiu Fu, Zhang Yu and others were unable to defend themselves.

They couldn't tell either.

There was so much corruption in the army, and as military officers, they had no way of defending themselves. Even if they did not participate, they must have known about it. Knowing they were in the wrong, no one dared to say a word. They all lowered their heads and endured Zhu Di's scolding.

Zhu Di was really about to explode with anger.

At the same time, he also felt a chill in his heart. If during the war, a soldier suddenly became dissatisfied and thought that he was shielding him, and attacked him, wouldn't he be killed on the spot?
Zhu Di said coldly: "Don't blame me for being ruthless."

"Your Majesty has repeatedly stressed that there are some things that cannot be done, and anyone who does so will be killed."

"I can forgive them, but who can forgive me?"

Zhu Di waved his sleeves and left.

Yao Guangxiao did not leave with them, but stayed in the hall. After the Prince of Yan left, he said coldly, "Everyone, you are too greedy sometimes. A little bit of profit can seduce you. Greed is understandable, but how many people in the world don't love money?"

"But there are some wealth that you cannot be greedy for."

"Can we take the money from military households with orphans and widows?"

"You take advantage of your status as a military officer and treat ordinary military households as slaves. You beat, scold and oppress them at will, and forcibly seize other people's fields and houses. As military officers, you know that His Highness loves the soldiers in the army. These are things that His Highness will never tolerate."

"I won't make it difficult for you."

"Before the truth is revealed, let's settle those matters."

"otherwise."

"All will be dealt with according to military law!"

(End of this chapter)