Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 277 The Privy Council is only a quick knife
"Strength and benefit." Zhu Changluo clenched his fist with one hand and took out a prepared ingot of silver with the other hand. "Firearms are no longer what they used to be. The Central Plains countries no longer have to fear the grassland cavalry. The general trend is there, and a little disturbance can be used to divide and pacify. From the military industrial park to this shipyard, you should not only see the military preparations, but also the real strength of the Ming Dynasty, which is the much larger production and manufacturing capacity than theirs at this time."

Xing Jie seemed to understand but not quite.

"I am the Son of Heaven, and you have no worries about food and clothing, but what do the people want? To live a stable life first, and then have a way to prosper and make progress." Zhu Changluo said solemnly, "Starting a war is to stop the war, to deter all directions with the military might that makes people fear and despair, and to create an environment where the Han people, Tatar people, and Jurchen people can live a stable and good life. As long as those leaders dare not fight, then the Ming Dynasty will solve this problem."

"Without the danger of war, the next thing is nothing more than food, clothing, shelter and transportation. I set up the Hundred Family Garden, hoping that the talented people of Ming Dynasty can specialize in various subjects. Can we make Ming Dynasty produce more food in the future, teach these foreigners to open up wasteland to grow food or raise more livestock in peace? Can we find a way to weave more and cheaper cloth to sell at home and abroad? Can we exchange what we have through sea trade and border trade, make them loyal to Ming Dynasty, and contribute to Ming Dynasty's finances through commercial taxes?"

Xing Jie was a man who had led troops in battle, and he pondered over what the emperor had said.

First comes power, then benefits, the goal is to win the hearts of the people.

He understood the aspect of strength, so after thinking for a moment, he said, "It takes victory in every battle to be able to be afraid of despair..."

"They complement each other, and things always have twists and turns. After winning the first battle, we showed them the benefits and treated these barbarians as Ming people. If there are any who have bad intentions, we still beat them mercilessly, and continue to show them the benefits after we put down our weapons. After a few times, more and more people can distinguish the pros and cons."

"…Those who are greedy for power are always the barbarian chieftains. The imperial court only wants to win the hearts of the people, but the benefits given out are always obtained by the barbarian chieftains, and it is not necessarily possible to spread the grace of heaven to those barbarians and the common people."

"That is not up to them, so I say we need to set a new example. After each fight, we will change. These restless barbarian chieftains will be completely wiped out, and old places like the Southern Desert and the Northern Xingdusi will be governed by exiled officials. There is no need to do this for the time being. If the Northern Desert and the Northeast are further away, they can still be friendly neighbors of the Ming Dynasty, and their barbarian chieftains will benefit from border trade. If they are restless and fight a few times, I will enthrone the vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty as their rulers. Even if they are content, if they still regard their people as slaves after gaining the benefits, then compared with their fellow tribesmen who have already naturalized in the Ming Dynasty, the people's hearts will also gradually tilt."

Zhu Changluo concluded: "In short, the key lies in winning the hearts of the people. I can use Dayun and Qin Liangyu as generals to make this a start. Give them peace, good food, warm clothes, and if they want to live by water and grass, we can give them cheaper and more durable cars and tents. Then, considering the special situation of this border area, we can promote virtuous and intelligent people among them as regular officials, and treat them equally and impartially. Life will be better than before, and it is only a matter of time before they become good and obedient people of the Ming Dynasty."

"…Giving them huge benefits would still not be worth the cost."

"Therefore, the fundamental thing is that the people in the Ming Dynasty can live better." Zhu Changluo nodded, "The heavy taxes and labor service make them barely survive. I have implemented strict exemptions, but it can only alleviate the suffering of the people. Where is the Ming Dynasty short of taxes and money? It is just concentrated in the gentry, the royal family, the nobles and the dignitaries. If the people of the Ming Dynasty can live better than before and have extra money, don't they need to buy some belongings and buy better things? Although the Ming Dynasty is vast and rich in resources, these bitter and cold places cannot be said to be really poor. If there is nothing to produce, why do so many merchants travel thousands of miles to trade?"

The premise of improving the consumption capacity of the Ming Dynasty is that the people of the Ming Dynasty are able and willing to consume. If they want to be able to consume, they must be relieved of the heavy tax burden. The Ming Dynasty always has financial needs, and to relieve their tax pressure, they can only target the wealthy people.

"The road is long, with numerous dangers and obstacles, and we are all involved, but we must do it." Zhu Changluo looked at the ministers of the Privy Council, "If I want to accomplish this, I must always hold a sharp blade and shock the world! The Privy Council can certainly worry about state affairs, but if there are too many concerns, it will be like a blunt blade, shrinking and not daring to show its edge. I am still young, and if God blesses me, I can ensure that two generations will not change this ambition. In the future, I will devote all my efforts to educating my son and to letting the Jinxian Academy cultivate more wise ministers with a long-term vision."

"I'm afraid only a few of you will be able to see what happened at that time. But if that day comes, the achievements will begin now. Lord Xi, the Privy Council should focus on military affairs and continue to train the Ming army to become a glorious blade loyal to the country and to me. Do you understand?"

Xing Jie understood now. After going through so much trouble and being so tactful, the emperor actually just wanted to say one thing: the Privy Council should not worry about the direction of state affairs, but should only focus on military affairs.

He couldn't help but look at Tian Le and Li Wen.

At this time, Tian Le said helplessly: "Jie Bo is the governor of Ji and Liao. The governor has to manage both military and civil affairs. Jie Bo is also worried about the country and the people."

"I'm not blaming Uncle Xi." Zhu Changluo laughed, "In the final analysis, to put it bluntly, the Privy Council is willing to listen to me. What I want to do is ambitious and far beyond the past dynasties. It's not easy to turn this corner. I can use you because you are dedicated to the country. Uncle Xi is like this, and so is Shen Yutai. It's just that the country's politics are complicated. In addition to being devoted to the country, the monarch and his subjects must also divide the work and learn to trust each other and focus on one thing."

"…So your majesty has taken great pains to clarify the duties of each of the four courts." Xing Jie smiled bitterly, "I understand. I am ashamed."

"The most difficult thing for me is to make sure that everyone has a clear duty and that the monarch and his subjects are of one mind and work together to make progress." Zhu Changluo was not impressed. "In my opinion, the past emphasis on selecting virtuous people and appointing capable people is too rough. In addition to selecting virtuous people and appointing capable people, we also need to clarify the positions and responsibilities of officials, and promote a large number of specialized talents to corresponding positions. We must not despise the use of various industries, which will eventually lead to the saying that all things are inferior, only reading is superior."

At this point he sighed deeply, "The affairs of a great country are complicated, and we cannot rely on a wise ruler and virtuous ministers to achieve everything. Many good policies have been abandoned because of temporary personnel and selfishness. In the final analysis, we still do not know clearly what a country is and how to govern it. My theory of investigating things to gain knowledge is just the beginning. If all the officials in the world can see through it, perhaps good policies can be continued stably, and only in this way can we not only maintain long-term peace, but also make it better year by year."

Tian Le was excited.

When the decision was made in the 28th year of Wanli, people only hoped that the new emperor would be a diligent and wise ruler who knew how to appoint people to the right positions.

But now, the ability, insight and vision displayed by the emperor far exceeded his expectations.

Nowadays, he is even able to guide scholars to change their ideas in terms of scholarship, and produce great works of good advice that make people feel a lot after reading carefully. He seems to have a vision and insight that is completely different from that of the great scholars of the time. So many issues that have been debated for thousands of years have a set of self-consistent logic to explain clearly.

For example, the emperor saw through the problem that Xing Jie was worried about now: Who said that the problem could be completely solved by fighting a war?

The knife itself is prepared for reciprocation, so the knife should be sharpened all the time, but the direction itself should be clear.

He has both ruthless tactics and a kind heart.

War costs money and kills people. But what problems can be solved by always being cautious?
In the end, he became nothing more than a paperhanger, but the day will come when the Ming Dynasty can no longer be papered.

Tian Le still remembered what the emperor said when he first discussed these matters with him in private: Fighting this battle can avoid thousands of battles.

From the Military Industrial Park to the Zhayanghang Shipyard, Zhu Changluo patiently explained to them the difference between hot weapons and cold weapons: If firearms can be further improved, the issue of military manpower will be the core difference.

How much time would it take for elite soldiers to practice when fighting with cold weapons? If firearms were to be further developed, how much would the power of elite soldiers who used to wield sharp blades and powerful crossbows be worth practicing?
It's not that it will turn into a war of attrition that requires the mobilization of additional soldiers, but the charm of firearms themselves.

The emperor said confidently that Ming firearms would only become stronger and stronger. The new gun was very convincing, and the improvements and new guns of a more advanced generation would eventually be made.

If the cavalry had to be subjected to a hail of bullets and even more powerful artillery during a charge, what was the point of fighting?

If we can only hide and dodge, how can we stop the Ming Dynasty from advancing south of the desert?
As for the seagoing ships and the Beiyang Fleet, it was easy to talk about the profit. The ministers knew how much profit the maritime trading families on the southeast coast and the maritime trade brought.

After reading these two passages, the Privy Council simply unified its thoughts.

Through the strategy of the Northeast, the emperor not only gained prestige and further solved internal problems, but also used it to reconcile the differences in the court, train a group of officials to handle the relations between the various vassal states and educate and govern the newly acquired territories, and also strengthened the Ming Dynasty's navy and army to prepare for the future.

The Privy Council only needs to make itself sharper and more disciplined.

The Ming officialdom was still mostly composed of traditional old officials. The emperor, who had different ideas and concepts, worked hard to change them starting with the important officials around him.

After that, they took a boat back to the capital, and Zhu Changluo relaxed a little.

The boat sailed smoothly, and except for a few words of encouragement to local officials along the way, he stayed on the boat the rest of the time. He was tired of thinking about ordinary things, so he dealt with some memorials sent to him, and was also entertained by the accompanying concubine Shen, Wang Jiayue.

At this moment, Xiong Tingbi had already returned to Liaodong, and the news was first sent to Hetuala City by express horse.

Tao Chongdao, the head of the Ministry of Rites' Department who was sent here, thought for a long time and then sent someone to find Gong Zhenglu, and then Gong Zhenglu naturally organized a reception.

Such receptions have been organized many times in the past month. Nurhaci's eldest son-in-law He Heli would still send someone to accompany him, but this time Gong Zhenglu asked him to attend, saying that the Ming emperor had already responded to the request of the Jianzhou Jurchen tribe.

When they arrived at the place, Gong Zhenglu saluted Tao Chongdao with great respect: "Greetings, Your Excellency the Imperial Envoy."

He Heli looked at him strangely: this guy did not speak to the Ming Dynasty envoy in the same accent as he spoke to other Han people, and his enthusiasm towards the Ming Dynasty envoy was also very different.

"Your Majesty has issued an oral decree to confer the title of consort to the fourth daughter of the governor of Jianzhou Guard. However, this is unusual and should be handled properly according to etiquette. Should the governor come to discuss this as soon as possible?"

Gong Zhenglu was overjoyed when he heard this: "She will be canonized as a concubine? Dong E's son-in-law, then the governor will be a relative of the emperor!"

(End of this chapter)