Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 399: Don’t just talk about it!

Zhu Yuanzhang did not hide anything.

He took the initiative to say: "Biao'er has also mentioned to me recently about rectifying the army. He is more careful than me and thinks I am too harsh on the generals of the Ming Dynasty. I should give them more respect and support. He wants me to learn from Li Shimin and Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty and erect a monument for you generals."

Tang He was stunned.

Zhu Yuanzhang continued, "Han Guangwu had the 28 generals of Yuntai, and Li Shimin had the 24 heroes of Lingyan Pavilion. We said at the time that we in the Ming Dynasty had the 24 generals of Huaixi. These 24 generals of ours are more powerful than those of Li Shimin and Liu Xiu."

"But do you know what Biaoer said?"

"What did you say?" Tang He became more and more confused the more he listened.

"Biaoer said that the founding of our Ming Dynasty was not based solely on the 24 generals of Huaixi, but on hundreds of thousands of soldiers. We should erect monuments for these 'unsung heroes' so that people all over the world will remember these good men." Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile.

"If that's the case, we'll just laugh it off and not take it seriously."

"As a result, this kid gets more and more excited the more he talks."

"He also said that he wanted to gather the old soldiers, improve their status, give them the glory they deserve, and let them enjoy the benefits of the founding of the Ming Dynasty. Of course, he would give them some money and food, and spread the truth that 'good men serve in the army' and 'every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the country'. He also said that he wanted to publicize the military exploits of military commanders by erecting monuments, and through these methods, re-establish the status of 'military officers' in various places."

"He also said that our Ming Dynasty must not follow the old path of history."

"We must not allow the military officers to be overpowered by the civil officials. Therefore, conventional methods will not work. We can only rely on increasing the recognition of the military officers by the people, and then improve the status of our military officers. I was very unhappy at the time. Isn't this just a waste of time?"

"How many of those who followed us all the way here have ever been educated?"

"Our Ming Dynasty has always attached equal importance to civil and military affairs."

"Why do we need to do so much? In the end, this kid insisted on doing it, so we just let him go and let him do whatever he wants. But this matter involves a lot, so Tang He, you have to help him privately. After all, this kid is young and inexperienced, and he might cause serious anger."

Zhu Yuanzhang gave Tang He serious instructions.

Tang He nodded confusedly.

But I'm still a little confused.

But he was very smart and after just a quick thought he figured out what was going on.

Tang He said uncertainly, "Your Majesty, do you want to erect a monument and write a biography for us military commanders in the local area? Let the local people know about our military commanders' deeds? Use this to publicize the military power of our Ming Dynasty and encourage the people to join the army?"

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed and said, "We don't know, maybe."

"This is all caused by the boss. We can't argue with him, so we can only let him do it."

"This kid is still not convinced. He keeps saying that no matter how powerful the generals of the Ming Dynasty are, they need to be promoted. If no one promotes them, no one will know about them no matter how powerful they are. He complains about us like this, thinking that we are not kind to the generals and that we are not good to you."

"I'm confused. We should be kind to our old brothers, right?"

"I was given an official position, I was given money, I was granted marriage, I was granted a title, and yet I was still scolded. I understand that my boss has grown too powerful and is no longer under the control of his father."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and spoke with a sigh, but his expression was full of complacency.

Tang He gave Zhu Yuanzhang a cold look.

How could he not tell whether Zhu Yuanzhang was speaking well or badly? He was clearly praising him.

Tang He pondered for a moment and said, "Your Highness has considered it very carefully. The north is not peaceful now, so the military generals still have some influence, but as the Ming Dynasty becomes more powerful, the north will no longer be a threat. Since ancient times, the right to speak has been in the hands of literati, and most literati like to gossip. Over time, the people of the world will develop prejudices against the military generals, and their status will then decline again and again."

"The court's active propaganda can largely avoid this."

"I think your Highness has made good considerations. Your Majesty said that both civil and military forces should be used, but in many cases, even if it is just for show, it is not implemented at all. I think your Highness is still thinking realistically and knows how to get to the point. I agree with your idea. If anyone in the court dares to oppose it, I will definitely speak for your Highness at the first time."

Tang He teased Zhu Yuanzhang and expressed his agreement with Zhu Biao's suggestion.

The use of both civil and military forces cannot be done just in words, but must be supported by practical actions. What Zhu Biao needs to do is to take real action.

And he didn't feel much resistance.

The court is now dominated by military generals, and those civil officials are nothing. Li Shanchang will not find fault with this matter, but if it is really that simple, I am afraid that His Highness would not have recalled him so hastily.

Tang He secretly kept a watchful eye on Zhu Yuanzhang, and said in a half-dazed tone, "This is a good thing."

"No one in the court should dare to object, right?"

"Then why did Your Majesty call me back in such a hurry?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's smile disappeared and he became much more serious. Seeing this, Tang He was startled and also put away his relaxed attitude.

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "It's not that easy. For many years, the world has been promoting the idea that 'good men don't join the army'. How easy is it to change this? Even with the current military discipline of our Ming Dynasty, can we still say this? You just came back from the south and conducted an in-depth investigation of the situation in the southern garrisons. You should know how lax the military discipline of our Ming Dynasty is."

“Who would believe this kind of propaganda?”

“It’s all counterproductive in the end.”

Tang He was silent.

The military discipline of the Ming Dynasty is indeed not as good as in the past, but it is far from as bad as Zhu Yuanzhang said. However, if the propaganda is continued, it will be difficult to convince the people with the current military discipline of the Ming Dynasty.

He asked tentatively: "What does your highness mean?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Re-enforce military discipline throughout the country, and enforce it strictly and vigorously."

"A man cannot stand without trust, and an army cannot succeed without authority."

"Since our Ming Dynasty is determined to protect the influence of military officers, we must reverse the negative news in the past. Therefore, we must make drastic changes to military discipline and punish all the bad apples who undermine military discipline and affect the impression of the army in the hearts of the people by military law!"

"But you also know what kind of people these generals of our Ming Dynasty are."

"They are all a bunch of arrogant and brave generals!"

"Zhu Biao still wants to subdue these people by himself. Is this a joke? In the end, even after I said so, he still won't give in. So I'll let him do it. I'll gather the generals in Kyoto for a banquet tonight. Then we'll see if our boss is really as powerful as he says."

"Let's see if he can subdue those fearless warriors!"

(End of this chapter)