Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 390 Sugar-coated bullet? !
Lan Yu was the brother-in-law of General Chang Yuchun.

Zhu Biao's deceased crown princess was the daughter of Chang Yuchun, so Lan Yu was actually Zhu Biao's uncle.

He has always had a very close relationship with Lan Yu.

More or less, the two of them are a community of interests. He needs to rely on Lan Yu's influence in the army, while Lan Yu needs to rely on Zhu Biao's power to consolidate his position. Zhu Biao knows this very well.

But he was equally clear.

Lan Yu was unruly and often boasted of his achievements, and had been scolded by His Majesty many times in the past. He defended and pleaded for Lan Yu many times, but even so, Lan Yu was still criticized a lot, but it never affected Lan Yu's ability to lead troops in battle.

Now Xia Zhibai made it clear directly.

Lan Yu is actually a knife sharpened by Your Majesty for Himself.

He did not deny this.

According to your majesty's method of employing people, even Lan Yu's arrogant and self-conceited character would have been suppressed, no matter how tough his character was, unless your majesty intentionally condoned it or turned a blind eye to it. After all, Chang Yuchun, who had a more murderous character, did not dare to challenge your majesty, let alone Lan Yu.

Zhu Biao had a wooden face and said with deep emotion: "You can't rule the world without laws, but in the early days, the laws were sparse, and in the days of peace, the laws became stricter, which was due to the circumstances."

"Commentators often lament that the bow is put away after the birds are killed, saying that this is due to the suspicion of the wise ruler, which is not the words of a wise ruler who understands the system of governance."

"When the world is at peace, and the situation is as stable as a rock, and you can command troops thousands of miles away, and they will run around in fear, why should you be suspicious and spare no effort to prune them? Because soldiers in armor are unruly and difficult to tame, and they can all stand out on the battlefield when they are sharp. When they are rich and powerful, they are full of ambition and arrogance. If you are close to them, they will cause crises with their arrogance, and if you are far away, they will use resentment to disrupt the literary network."

"The ruler cannot abolish the law and must make amends to preserve it. This is also out of necessity, not out of selfishness."

"I actually knew it a long time ago."

"You also know that Lan Yu and I have a close relationship. I can't bear to see Lan Yu suffer punishment. However, it's too early to discuss this matter.

"I heard that Lan Yu came to cause trouble for you that day."

"Don't be surprised."

"He is just a rough man. He doesn't understand so many principles, nor does he go through so many twists and turns like scholars. Just like you said, I still need Lan Yu to fight for me." Zhu Biao glanced at Xia Zhibai indifferently and reminded Xia Zhibai quite seriously.

He didn't want Xia Zhibai to be enemies with Lan Yu.

Just as Xia Zhibai said, he doesn't have many people he can use.

Even fewer can truly be trusted.

Lan Yu is one of them.

Moreover, Lan Yu was very influential in the army and had always stood firmly on his side and considered his interests. He had no reason not to speak for Lan Yu, so he did not want Xia Zhibai to have a conflict with Lan Yu, which would lead to a discord between the civil and military officials.

Xia Zhibai smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I have no ill will towards General Lan."

"General Lan is also a man of temperament. I will not argue with him. Moreover, I know the importance of this matter and will not have any grudges against him because of it. If necessary, I am even willing to retreat."

Xia Zhibai didn't take it too seriously.

Lan Yu's personality is like this. If you can't afford to provoke him, he can still avoid him.

And big things are important.

He was not in the court to make enemies or to be different, but wanted to use this to promote some reforms. Lan Yu was also a target to be won over at this time. He wanted to win over the close people in the court and also those who disagreed with him. He wanted to make as many friends as possible.

He understands this principle very well.

Seeing this, Zhu Biao nodded. He was afraid that Xia Zhibai had the arrogance of a scholar and would feel offended by Lan Yu and would never get along with him. This was not what he wanted to see, and he really needed Lan Yu and Xia Zhibai to do things for him.

Zhu Biao said: "According to your opinion, I should establish my reputation first?" Xia Zhibai nodded.

Zhu Biao added: "We should purge the people and eliminate the unstable existence among them, so as to clear some obstacles for other reforms in the Ming Dynasty in the future."

Xia Zhibai continued to nod.

Zhu Biao stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, nodded and said, "Okay, I will consider it, but if I remember correctly, you told me before that you want to rectify the military appearance and discipline of the army. I don't know how to rectify it specifically."

Zhu Biao looked at Xia Zhibai.

Xia Zhibai nodded seriously and said, "Now the Ming Dynasty court has both civil and military officials. It can even be said that the military officials are superior to the civil officials. But looking at history, as the world becomes peaceful, the status of civil officials will gradually rise, and the status of military officials will gradually be lowered, and eventually it will become civil officials controlling military officials, or civil officials suppressing military officials."

"If the Ming army wants to maintain its combat effectiveness for a long time, it must not repeat the mistakes of history, because civil officials will not go to the battlefield themselves. In the eyes of those people, fighting is like child's play, and the lives of soldiers are not worth cherishing. Even if many people die, they are just a number."

"Even in the eyes of many civil servants, many territories of the Ming Dynasty can be abandoned, and many wars do not need to be fought."

"So the military attaché must maintain a certain degree of independence."

“We cannot be completely constrained by the civil service.”

"The first thing is to change the world's mindset. Since the Song Dynasty, there has been a saying that 'good men don't join the army'. With the deliberate propaganda of scholars, this view has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and is recognized by the vast majority of the people. Therefore, if we want to rectify the army, we must change its reputation."

"Only good men can join the army!"

“Empty propaganda is useless.”

"No matter what, it can't beat the words of the literati."

“So it depends on practical actions.”

"First, by strengthening military discipline, the Ming army is different from the armies of previous dynasties. They come from the local people and fight to protect the local people and maintain world peace. This is the core."

"Any soldier or general who violates the military discipline of the Ming Dynasty will be punished by military law!"

"Second."

"Borrowing the good reputation of the great army of the past 'Marshal'."

"Before the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, the army led by Your Majesty was well-known in the local area. Therefore, it is necessary to awaken the people's sense of identity with this army, and at the same time transfer the people's sense of identity to the current army of the Ming Dynasty."

"The core is just five words."

"The military and the people are so close!!!"

"But for now, it's very difficult for the court to push this forward. Not only are the soldiers in the army very resistant, but even the generals who lead the troops in battle will also have strong opinions. Military men are a group of 'rough people', and they don't want to be controlled in this way. Compared to being controlled, most people only have one idea in their minds."

"As long as the war can be won."

"As for the rest, the imperial court should not bother with anything else."

"So it is not feasible to force it, and we must use both hard and soft methods."

"Let the generals leading the troops agree and take the initiative to do something."

"Is this really possible?" Zhu Biao asked with a questioning look on his face.

Xia Zhibai smiled and said, "The conventional way won't work, but what if you praise them? As the saying goes, you shouldn't hit someone who smiles at you. If you praise them in the name of praise, how many of them can resist this 'sugar-coated bullet'?"

(End of this chapter)