Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 323: Your Highness needs to set up his own residence!
Upon hearing Xia Zhibai's treasonous words, Zhu Biao's face suddenly changed.

He was shocked and angry: "Xia Zhibai, what nonsense are you talking about?!"

"I am the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty."

"Your Majesty has entrusted all the important officials in the court to me. Has any crown prince in the history of the dynasties been so respected? If you dare to sow discord again, don't blame me for being rude to you."

Zhu Biao shouted angrily.

He was really frightened by Xia Zhibai's words.

That's scary.

It's almost like saying that Your Majesty has "improper" intentions.

Although he himself had this feeling, there are some things that can be done but cannot be said. Once said, the meaning will be different.

Xia Zhibai's face remained calm as he continued, "Liu Bang once said to his ministers: In terms of planning and winning battles thousands of miles away, I am not as good as Zifang; in terms of stabilizing the country, comforting the people, providing food and supplies, and ensuring that the food supply is not cut off, I am not as good as Xiao He; in terms of leading millions of troops, winning battles and taking cities, I am not as good as Han Xin. All three are outstanding people, and I was able to use them. This is how I was able to conquer the world."

“But there’s another sentence on it.”

"The public knows one thing, but not the other."

"Although Liu Bang's original intention was not this, in my opinion, there is indeed a 'second'."

"Everyone praises Liu Bang's ability to employ people, but as a monarch, the most important talent is not only to employ people well, but also to know people. Knowing people and using them well is the basic quality of a normal monarch."

“From ancient times to the present, all those who have accomplished great things have started small.”

"Big things are done slowly, one step at a time, and then corresponding changes are made based on actual feedback. If everything is good, then we will increase our efforts. If we find many problems, we will make timely corrections."

“Whether a decision is successful or not does not depend on the size of the slogan or the importance it places on it, or the number of officials in the court.”

"It depends on whether the supporting policy details and talent pool are in place."

"And the core of it all lies in 'talent'!"

"Take the late King of Zhongshan as an example. If Xu Da had not fought for many years, he would have been just a soldier in the army."

"The so-called breaking out of the sac, the premise is that the awl is wrapped in a sac."

"That is, the environment makes the person!"

"Without an environment, it is often impossible to cultivate talents. Even Zhao Kuo, who has been ridiculed for thousands of years, actually lacked opportunities for training. If he had led the troops to fight more times before the Battle of Changping, he might have grown up quickly."

"Your Highness is now facing a huge problem in doing things."

"No one is available."

"Looking around the world, there is probably only one person who is short of talent like Your Highness."

"In every dynasty, the crown prince would have his own government and his own trusted team, but the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty does not have this. Not only that, but he also has to handle a large amount of political affairs. Yet, he is still praised as having the most stable position."

“It’s really absurd.”

"Your Majesty has been removing the thorns for Your Highness over the years, but after all that, Your Highness's power has not increased at all, and the people you can use are still the same few people. It seems that Your Highness has cleared away the troubles for Your Highness, but has it really cleared them away?"

Xia Zhibai sneered and shook his head.

"No."

"In the court environment, the primary focus is on politics."

"The only political correctness in the Ming Dynasty now is to be loyal to Your Majesty, and Your Majesty has only removed those who Your Majesty thinks are not political enough, and has only kept those who Your Majesty thinks are politically strong enough for Your Highness. It's just that this politics has been biased from the beginning."

"The talents that His Majesty left for Your Highness are all those that His Majesty left for Your Highness."

"But when it comes to a critical moment, can Your Highness really mobilize these people at will? And are these people really loyal to Your Highness?" "Take the current emperor for example. The ministers under the current emperor dare not disobey his orders, but these ministers have many ways to pretend to obey but secretly disobey. Even the emperor is like this, let alone Your Highness?"

"Your Highness has been so well protected over the years."

“I lack the ability to judge people.”

"All the talents your Highness uses are arranged by His Majesty. Your Highness only needs to use them according to His Majesty's instructions. His Majesty may even have informed your Highness of the personalities and preferences of these ministers one by one, so that your Highness can use them with confidence. Little do you know that this ability to 'use people and know people' can only be used by His Majesty."

"No one else can."

“Without the snake bending over the grass, there would be no dragon soaring into the sky.”

"Your Highness needs to recruit a large number of your own people, let them give you advice and make various policy details for you. Later, you can send them to various parts of the world and use them to strengthen your control over the world."

"Rather than leaning firmly on Yingtian Prefecture, hoping that the ministers who shout 'Long live the emperor' will be truly loyal."

"If Your Highness wants to rely on these successful and high-ranking officials in the court to promote reform, it is doomed to be a foolish dream."

"There are only individuals who betray their class, not the class that betrays its class. Any reform is a redistribution of interests. Their existing interests are already stable, so why bother with more? If they create some unstable situation, if they get into trouble or lose the benefits they have gained, wouldn't that be a big loss?"

"Your Highness needs to recruit 'Xu Da' and 'Li Shanchang' who are still in the grassroots and belong to you!"

"Even if these people are not that capable, at least they share the same interests with His Highness. They will do their best to complete what His Highness orders, rather than being so-called 'obeying orders but not declaring them' or 'pretending to obey but actually disobeying', which will ultimately make the so-called reform a mess."

"If your highness really wants me to give you a method."

"I can give it."

"But it's no use."

“These policies cannot be implemented.”

"In the end, it will only end up in a mess, and it may even make these people wary, making it extremely difficult to reform in the future."

"He who knows people is the master, and he who knows affairs is the minister."

"The ruler knows people, the minister knows affairs. Do not disturb the old laws, and the world will be in order."

"If Your Highness really has the ambition to reform, then you should express your feelings to Your Majesty and 'establish a government' in ten years!"

"Have the fifteen provincial-level units in the country recommend some available talents to you, Your Highness, to be employed in the Eastern Palace. Also, have the important officials in the court recommend one or two, both civil and military. Also, have your brother recommend talents to you."

"The main goal is fairness and equal treatment."

“No one is left out, no one is favored.”

"Use ten years of working together to recruit these people as your confidants. When you ascend to the throne in the future, you can either promote the officials who recommended these people, demote them secretly, or let them retire to their hometowns, or use other means to keep them away from the court, and then you can take over the power alone."

"And during these ten years, Your Highness will be in the stage of identifying and testing people."

"Your Highness, tell them your ideas and let them make decisions for you. Then let these people follow up. The capable ones will be promoted and the mediocre ones will be demoted. Then they will be divided into different levels. The capable ones will be reused, the loyal ones will be used more, and those with different intentions will be abandoned."

"But I also sincerely suggest that the Ming Dynasty's court should have people from at least fifteen provinces."

"It's okay to have a lower official rank, but it can't be less."

"The existence of these people will attract the attention and concern of their registered places, so that local scholars who have no way to serve the country can have the opportunity to climb up, and it can also strengthen the court's control over local power."

"The Ming Dynasty is destined to implement a strong central government."

"Your Highness is now over thirty years old, and it is time for you to stand up."

“It’s difficult, but it must be done!”

(End of this chapter)