Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 308 The military and civilians are one family!

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent.

He never denied that he had selfish motives.

It was even almost public knowledge that he came from a poor family and wanted his family to live a better life. There was nothing wrong with that, and no one would think that there was a problem. If anyone thought that there was a problem, it was not his problem, but the person who thought that there was a problem.

He stared at Xia Zhibai and asked indifferently: "What do you want to say?"

Zhu Biao also looked puzzled.

Xia Zhibai said so much, both criticizing and denying. In the final analysis, the system of the Ming Dynasty could not last long. The system created by his father was also bound to have problems, and might even lead to a serious setback for the world.

But has he ever given a solution?
From his father's perspective, it is understandable that he wants the Zhu family to live a better life.

Although it is a bit too much, it is also a bit too indulgent.

But who isn’t like this throughout the dynasties?
Xia Zhibai brushed off the invisible dust on his body and said in a deep voice: "I said a long time ago that the people who truly control history are not Your Majesty, but the farmers who work hard in the fields, the merchants who travel on the official roads, the officials who make suggestions in the court, and the scholars who read late into the night."

“It’s the people.”

“The vast majority of them are destined to obscurity.”

"It is also destined that we will not be able to leave our own unique name in history."

“But these people make up history.”

"They are the real masters of the world."

"Your Majesty is only elected by the people to guide the direction of the world."

"Your Majesty is also a commoner."

“It also comes from the lower classes.”

"Your Majesty, do you still remember the way you came before you took the throne?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was a little dazed.

The road before becoming emperor?
Many scenes suddenly flashed before Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, including the wind and rain in his thatched cottage during his childhood and the bell of Huangjue Temple.

He thought of the flashing swords and shadows on the road to Chuzhou, and seemed to see the flames of war in Poyang Lake again. He saw many people, including Guo Zixing, Miao Daheng, the Little Ming King, Chen Youliang, Zhang Shicheng, and even Emperor Shun of Yuan.

Look back at where you came from.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang, who had a heart of stone, couldn't help but be shaken.

Yes.

I've been through so much in my life.

He started out as an insignificant soldier, fought his way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and got to where he is today. He experienced too many hardships and endured too much pain and torture, but he was never afraid, because he was Marshal Zhu, and he had no way out.

He could only grit his teeth and move forward.

Chen Youliang was so arrogant, Zhang Shicheng was so popular, and there was Fang Guozhen who repeatedly stirred up trouble along the coast. So many great heroes eventually fell at his feet one by one, and their corpses paved the way for him to ascend the throne and become emperor.

It was precisely because he had experienced so many hardships that he deeply understood how hard it was to establish the Ming Dynasty.

That's why he cherishes the existence of the Ming Dynasty so much and doesn't want it to be destroyed by anyone.

He read through ancient books and spent all his life trying to create a world that would last forever, to put an end to the turmoil and chaos in the world and to ensure that the world would always be stable. He worked hard for this, but his ideas were questioned and opposed by too many people.

finally.

He was angry.

Since it can't be explained clearly, I won't explain it.

He chose to clear out violently!

He himself had walked out of a pile of dead bodies, so what did it matter if he killed a few more people? As long as his policies could be implemented, as long as people were still afraid of him, as long as his officials did not dare to have any ambitions, all this would be worth it.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes became clearer.

In the end, it turned directly into a knife with a shining cold light.

Just one glance is enough to captivate the heart.

"Of course I remember."

"I remember it better than anyone else." "I even remember the face of the first person I killed."

"I will never forget the pain and struggle on that man's face when I chopped him down with my sword."

Xia Zhibai smiled and said, "So, Your Majesty, have you figured out what you want to leave behind for the world?"

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned, looked at Xia Zhibai, and asked in a serious tone: "What do you mean? Do you really think there is such a thing in the world?"

Xia Zhibai nodded seriously: "Yes."

"And all the emperors of the Ming Dynasty must have cared deeply about it."

"What?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked sternly.

"Violence!!!"

"Violence?!" Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a moment. He chewed these two words over and over in his mouth, and the confusion in his eyes became more and more intense.

How can violence last forever?

When it comes to militarism, no one in the world surpassed the Qin Emperor and Han Emperor Wu.

But what about the results?

Qin perished in the second generation.

Emperor Wu of Han issued the Luntai Edict in his later years.

Isn't the reason he is doing so much now, hoping that future emperors of his Ming Dynasty won't engage in excessive military expansion?
Isn't this putting the cart before the horse?

Xia Zhibai said calmly: "Your Majesty has relied mainly on violence along the way. Although it also involves a lot of strategies and conspiracies, in the end you still have to fight with your fists. The bigger the fist, the more powerful it is."

"And the reason why Your Majesty is able to hold the throne is because you control the army."

"As long as we control the army, Ming will have a foothold."

“Violence cannot solve many problems in the world, but it can make many people in the world afraid of trouble.”

"Since the Qin Dynasty, through the Tang and Song dynasties, the world began to use civil officials to control the military, and the status of military officials continued to decline. From a historical perspective, controlling the military is much easier and more manageable than controlling the economy, politics, diplomacy and many other aspects."

“But the military alone is not enough.”

"When Emperor Shundi of the Yuan Dynasty was in power, the Yuan Dynasty still had a lot of troops, but in the end it was unable to hide its decline and suffered a crushing defeat. Therefore, how to keep the army on the side of the Ming Dynasty was a test of your majesty's wisdom, and your majesty actually gave a solution."

Zhu Yuanzhang blinked and thought secretly.

Control the army.

The Five Military Commanderies are now implemented in the Ming Dynasty.

The Wei Suo system was implemented.

But the control that Xia Zhibai wanted was obviously not this kind of control. Rather, the fact that the Ming Dynasty was already corrupt, and the local people were still willing to believe in the Ming Dynasty's army, and the Ming Dynasty's emperor could still command these armies. All kinds of thoughts flashed through Zhu Yuanzhang's mind.

But he still couldn't figure out what Xia Zhibai wanted to tell him.

Zhu Biao couldn't think of it either.

finally.

Both father and son turned their eyes to Xia Zhibai.

"What is the solution?" Zhu Biao asked.

Xia Zhibai said: "The army is a very pure place, and it is also a place that needs to remain pure."

"In the fifteenth year of Zhizheng, Your Majesty began to rectify military discipline and subsequently won great popularity."

"But it is not enough to become a solid foundation for the world."

“It needs to go further.”

"The purity of the military cannot only be directed towards the upper levels, but also towards the lower levels and the outside world."

"Only if the army and the people are always treated as one family and the relationship between the army and the people is as close as that between fish and water, will the Ming Dynasty always have a chance to turn things around!"

(End of this chapter)