The Ming Dynasty did not revolutionize

Chapter 414 How to Become an Opposition
Zhu Jianxuan's reply to his sons was sent back to the princes' train in the evening of the same day.

Out of necessary safety considerations, the train the princes were riding on did not run fast. After running for two days and one night, the train had not yet entered Guangdong.

It is estimated that it will take nearly two days, until tomorrow morning, for the train to officially enter the city of Guangzhou.

After receiving the reply, the twelve princes immediately gathered for a meeting that evening.

They naturally felt that they should coordinate internal issues as much as possible before officially arriving in Guangzhou.

Without their father's reminder, they all instinctively felt that if they quarreled in front of the ministers below, it might make their father unhappy.

Before the meeting began, according to the rules agreed upon by the princes, they first drew lots to select the host, and this time the sixth prince was elected.

However, this meeting was obviously different from the previous one, as it was to discuss how to respond to their emperor father.

The Sixth Prince was the host, which actually gave him the right to speak first:
"Father asked us to investigate before making a plan. It's obvious that he is not satisfied with our previous arrangements."

The Sixth Prince glanced at the First Prince as he spoke.

Several other princes also glanced at the eldest prince Zhu Jingkun.

The ninth prince Zhu Jingtan said directly:
“Everyone should still remember that we considered and made plans before leaving Beijing, and discussed it when we reunited outside Beijing. This arrangement was proposed by my eldest brother.

"My eldest brother said at the time that this was a natural plan and arrangement, and we didn't need to question or explain this arrangement..."

What the Ninth Prince said was indeed true, but it was obvious that he deliberately twisted the tone in an extreme direction.

Zhu Jingkun was speechless when he saw their reactions:

“First of all, Father did not express dissatisfaction, but only reminded us what we should do.

“The Emperor did not reject any of our proposals, nor did he directly give a specific method for adjusting administrative divisions.

"It is impossible that the emperor does not have his own ideas, but he asked us to discuss and conduct research.

“Father obviously wants to train and test our abilities through this matter.

"This includes our ability to do specific things, as well as the ability to collaborate and make decisions together, which is what this training specifically examines.

“Then, my suggestion at the time was to discuss the preliminary plan first, then conduct field research based on the plan, and then make actual zoning adjustments after the research.

"Without a preliminary plan, how can you conduct research? What to research? Just wander around aimlessly?

"Some people not only obstructed the discussion of the preliminary plan in every possible way, but also rashly asked the emperor for instructions when the discussion had not yet reached internal consensus.

“Of course, Father thought that the plan we discussed was the final plan we were going to make, so of course Father was not satisfied.

“That’s why Father told us to conduct research and then make specific adjustments.

"Finally, between continuing the discussion and asking the emperor for instructions, I tried to persuade everyone to continue the discussion instead of rashly asking the emperor for instructions.

"Someone was resentful at the time, so he insisted on speaking up, which led to the current result.

“All I can say is, don’t do that again.

“We can’t just push the matter over to Father to decide just because we have difficulty coordinating among ourselves.

"Then Father might think that we are incompetent, or that we are simply shirking our responsibilities, neither of which would be a good impression.

"Even if we all have our own opinions and are unwilling to convince others, the coordination process is very painful, but we still have to hold our noses and get things done."

Zhu Jingkun was a little evasive, but what he said was indeed true, and the main direction and meaning were relatively accurate.

The princes present at the scene all experienced the entire process in its entirety, and after a brief recollection and appreciation they would know who was right.

Then, the eleventh prince, who was the host of the last recollection, started to speak:

"I also supported my eldest brother's opinion at the time. We should continue to discuss and decide on the plan internally, rather than throwing everything directly to my father for decision-making."

Several princes who supported Zhu Jingkun at the time also spoke up and said similar things.

Even the Seventh Prince, who supported the division of Guangzhou Prefecture into four parts, echoed the idea:
"My eldest brother's analysis makes sense. Father's arrangement this time is to see if we can cooperate, not to have us fight against each other.

“Otherwise, we wouldn’t have said that if we didn’t do things well, we might all be eliminated.

"I also specifically reminded you that if anyone gets sick or injured unexpectedly, we will all be eliminated.

"This is a reminder for us not to fight each other without any bottom line..."

As the Seventh Prince spoke, he looked at the Ninth Prince Zhu Jingtan, who immediately became the focus of attention.

The Ninth Prince was in a very complicated mood. He had also basically determined that his father just wanted them to cooperate and see the results of their cooperation.

If I continue to confront my eldest brother, it might leave a very bad impression on my father and other brothers.

But he had already confronted his eldest brother, and he had never given him face before.

If I take the initiative to surrender and move closer to him now, it will appear that I have no principles. The key is that I will be obviously weaker than my elder brother in momentum.

From then on, the eldest prince was implicitly the leader among this group of princes.

Although he was the eldest brother and the governor appointed by his father, it was the most important official position in a province.

He should have been the actual leader of this training.

A series of confrontational actions between himself and other brothers made it impossible for him to gain a real status.

Now he is gradually gaining this status.

If the eldest brother becomes the team leader, or at least someone who can lead the discussion and direction of the meeting, he will definitely not give himself any chance to perform.

I won't be able to demonstrate my abilities and won't achieve anything, so these two years will be wasted.

This is obviously what he wants to see most.

If he refuses to give in and cooperate, what else can I do next?

The Ninth Prince was also a smart man. In just a few seconds, his brain vaguely discovered a potentially useful idea.

I can continue to confront my big brother, continue to question and oppose all the affairs led by my big brother.

As long as your doubts and objections are well-founded, they will not have too much negative effect, because you are supervising them like a censor.

At the same time, his well-reasoned doubts can magnify his elder brother's omissions and shortcomings and suppress his prestige and influence.

You may even have the opportunity to gain support from other opponents by taking a clear stand against the issue.

Then, based on the actual situation, find the right opportunity to unite with all opponents and seize the dominant position of this collective.

Besides, I haven't completely failed yet. I still have other brothers supporting me, but their number is smaller.

My own report and the reports of others must have basically explained the general process of the entire discussion, but my father did not criticize me specifically.

As a result, the Ninth Prince Zhu Jingtan's strategy for attending the meeting began to shift towards the opposition leader.

The Ninth Prince said something sarcastic:
"Yes, even if someone makes pointed suggestions, we can't let him get hurt accidentally, right?

“A mature plan is one that is refined through constant questioning and reshaping, and eventually becomes truly perfect.

“So my father specifically asked us to discuss and make decisions together, and specifically stated that the governor could not directly order the councillors and prefects.

“Otherwise, Father should arrange it the same as the previous regular training, so that we can do our official duties well.

“So everyone should not be bewitched or frightened by certain people. Father obviously encourages us to continue to express our opinions and encourages us to question each other.

“As long as our doubts are reasonable and well-founded, not only will it not offend the Emperor, but it will make him happy.

"Brother, do you think my analysis makes sense?"

At this moment, the mentality of the princes at the scene changed again, and everyone's eyes turned to the eldest prince Zhu Jingkun again. Zhu Jingkun sighed in his heart, he just wanted to get the dominant position that should have belonged to him, why was it so difficult?
Why is Lao Jiu so difficult to deal with? Why does he always find a reasonable angle to undermine himself?
I cannot oppose him directly, I can only agree with him to some extent.

If I directly oppose her, I would be questioning my father's arrangement and denying the idea of ​​cooperation and joint decision-making.

The little advantage you just gained will be lost again.

My identity is of no use now, and I can only express my opinions by emphasizing and supporting others.

Zhu Jingkun paused for a moment, then laughed and said:
"Ninth brother, what you said is very good. The process of our discussion is a process of questioning each other.

"Questions must be based on facts, otherwise it would be a deliberate attempt to delay the process, which is not in compliance with the rules.

“So let’s continue discussing our options in this way.

"The train should be able to arrive in Guangzhou tomorrow morning, and we should try to sort out the basic ideas tonight.

"The key is that there needs to be a quick decision-making process for subsequent matters in Guangdong and Guangzhou.

"We can't just sit there and hold meetings behind closed doors, arguing over details every day and not being able to decide on anything."

Most of the princes thought that what the eldest brother said made sense, so they expressed their support.

Then start discussing the matter on the spot.

However, it is not easy to make quick decisions without a clear decision maker.

Voting cannot satisfy everyone, and the efficiency of persuading each other is too low.

The meeting lasted until after eleven o'clock in the evening, and everyone had to go back to rest.

At the same time, we agreed that when we arrived in Guangzhou the next day, we would not get off the car and go into the city, but continue the meeting in the car before leaving.

The train continued to move forward slowly, and in the early morning of the next day it entered the built-up area around Guangzhou city.

The main officials of the four departments of Guangdong Province and Guangzhou Prefecture arrived at the train station before dawn to wait.

More than a dozen princes coming together would definitely be a huge trouble.

Whether or not these nobles have abilities is not the most important thing; the most important thing is the various impacts that their presence here will definitely have.

The policy of training princes and royal family members has been implemented for ten years, and what the princes will do during training has already spread.

As long as the Ming court and local bureaucrats were willing to inquire and understand, they could have a similar basic understanding of the princes' training.

The prince is equivalent to an imperial envoy and a censor, and they have to understand and participate in all the affairs of the government office where he is training.

They might write reports directly to the emperor, and the emperor would most likely read them.

These princes also have the habit of traveling to local areas and wandering around the entire jurisdiction, which they call research.

Many things that are taken for granted in normal times may not be legal, and if these princes suddenly encounter them, they will be in big trouble that they cannot avoid.

The key is that they may encounter danger, especially in remote mountainous areas, where anything can happen.

Even when they travel, they will be accompanied by several bodyguards, but they must also arrange additional local troops and Jinyiwei for protection.

No matter how officials usually handle things, they must follow the rules as much as possible when the prince comes for training.

When a prince arrives in a place, the officials in the government office will be on edge and work harder.

Now the emperor has sent twelve princes to Guangdong at once. How can the officials of the four government offices in Guangdong be so worthy of the title of "The Emperor"?

What about their safety, and what is the emperor’s real purpose in asking them to come?
The current officials in Guangdong cannot understand why the emperor made such arrangements.

Although the splitting of Guangzhou Prefecture and the adjustment of the administrative divisions of Guangdong Province had already been announced through imperial edicts.

However, the bureaucrats in Guangdong felt that there was obviously no actual causal relationship between this incident and allowing more than a dozen princes to come for training.

It was a natural arrangement to arrange a few ordinary Beijing officials to serve as imperial envoys and instruct local Guangdong bureaucrats to complete the split.

If the administrative boundaries of prefectures and counties are adjusted, and mainly by splitting them up, it will not have much impact on local officials and will have no substantial impact on local residents.

This kind of reform will not encounter any obvious resistance unless the imperial court arranges for an imperial envoy to intervene in matters such as conflicts between natives and Hakkas.

When the officials of the Guangdong Jinyiwei thought of the princes' habit of conducting field research, they felt their scalps tingling.

Lingnan is not the Central Plains, and the people in many places are very wild.

If something unexpected happens and he is considered to be trying to assassinate the king, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Why did the emperor ask them to come to Guangdong together?

Could it be that the emperor considered that the bureaucrats directly related to the prince's training place could not come to Beijing, so he deliberately replaced all the senior bureaucrats in Guangdong with the prince?

Is this a way to avoid resentment among local senior bureaucrats?

The original bureaucrats who took over their duties from the prince would leave after the prince took office and would not be affected by this rule.

Is this necessary?

The main officials of the four government offices of Guangdong, Guangzhou Prefecture and its subordinate counties lined up outside the Guangzhou Railway Station and waited for a long time.

The train pulled into the station shortly after daybreak and stopped steadily.

But the princes never came down.

The bureaucrats outside waited until after ten in the morning. When some old bureaucrats could hardly bear it anymore, the train door was finally opened.

The twelve princes continued their meeting for half the morning, but had to go out as it was getting dark.

The bureaucrats from the four offices of Guangdong had been waiting for half the morning. Many of them had begun to complain in their hearts, but they did not dare to show any complaints on the surface.

Led by the heads of the four departments, a large group of bureaucrats bowed and saluted to greet him.

The princes also bowed in return and arranged for their entourage to take the imperial edict and appointment documents to confirm their identities with the heads of the four departments of Guangdong.

The princes came here on a special train, bringing with them guards from the capital. The time of their arrival was exactly the same as the notifications from the court and the Ministry of Clan Affairs, so it couldn't be fake.

However, the basic procedures still need to be followed. After the two parties meet, they must first confirm their identities before they can do other things.

The Guangdong bureaucrats checked the documents brought by the princes with extreme caution, and then sent the princes to the governor's office to rest in an arranged convoy.

A group of Jinyiwei rode on two-wheeled motor vehicles, clearing the way in front of the princes' motorcade, leading the motorcade slowly out of the train station.

The princes cooperated very well with the bureaucrats and did not show any exaggerated arrogance. After getting on the car, the bureaucrats all breathed a sigh of relief.

But this relaxation did not last long, and was soon brought to a head by an unexpected incident.

Shortly after the convoy left the train station, three men from the crowd on both sides of the road bypassed the Jinyiwei on the roadside and suddenly rushed to the middle of the road.

The convoy immediately braked and honked the horn, and the accompanying Jinyiwei rushed to control the three men.

The three men did not resist at all. They knelt on the ground with their hands raised high, and shouted loudly to the convoy and the surrounding crowd:

"I have a huge grievance, please help me, Lord Qingtian..."

The three men shouted together with all their might, their voices exuding a heart-wrenching feeling.

When the officials from the four offices of Guangdong heard the voice, they suddenly felt a darkness before their eyes.

According to the rules set by Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, blocking the carriage of a newly appointed official to appeal for justice must be dealt with specially.

The key point is that the new officials on the car are twelve princes.

(End of this chapter)