Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 239 Leading the Crown Prince onto the Right Path!
Without a doubt, Chongzhen's policies were of no benefit to the country.

He could neither solve the problem of severe land consolidation nor collect taxes from the wealthy class.

He was so misled by the civil service that he lost his bearings, unable to see the true nature of the situation, the corruption in the army, the dire straits at the grassroots level, or that the Ming Dynasty was already on the verge of collapse.

A series of policies did not put a brake on the Ming Dynasty, which was rushing toward the edge of the cliff; in fact, they accelerated it.

That's why Zhu Yunfeng said he was stupid.

In fact, at least before the tenth year of Chongzhen's reign, Zhu Youjian still had the opportunity to carry out large-scale reforms, alleviate the pressure of land annexation, and change the fate of the Ming Dynasty's demise.

However, in his early years, Emperor Chongzhen was busy fighting among his court officials, eliminating the eunuch faction and the Donglin Party, and supporting some seemingly non-partisan individuals to come to power. In the end, they were all sycophantic villains who did nothing to help the country.

After the tenth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, the decline of the Ming Dynasty was already a foregone conclusion. Domestic bandits rose up everywhere, and the Jurchens repeatedly raided the borders. Beset by internal and external troubles, the Ming Dynasty was essentially beyond saving.

In this situation, even if Zhu Yuanzhang were reborn, without firearms like the AK rapid-fire cannon, he probably wouldn't be able to save the Ming Dynasty on his own.

Therefore, Zhu Yunfeng naturally had to point out his mistakes as a negative example.

Upon hearing that it was his father's mistake that led to the downfall of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Cilang moved his lips slightly, then fell silent.

In fact, Emperor Taizu had already reprimanded his father, but Zhu Cilang saw how hard his father worked every day, and he never felt that it was his father's fault, but rather the fault of the officials below.

Only now, after hearing Zhu Yunfeng's words, did he slowly realize...

His father was hardworking, but his hard work was misguided; he was putting in effort in the wrong direction, which meant he was wasting his time.

No wonder Emperor Taizu, Emperor Taizong, and the regent Prince Wu spoke so harshly to his father.

Zhu Cilang was somewhat dejected for a moment.

Zhu Yunfeng sat inside the hall. The Qianqing Palace was majestic and tall. The late autumn sun shone in from outside, making the ground look pale. It was cold inside, as if there was no warmth at all.

Seeing Zhu Cilang's dejected expression, he couldn't help but offer a few words of comfort: "You don't need to be so downcast. The Taizu and I won't be staying here for long; we'll probably have to leave next year. Then you'll sit on the throne. Although once you become emperor, it's impossible for you to disobey the Taizu's orders and bring your parents back, if you do well, achieve great things, and make the Ming Dynasty strong and prosperous, creating a golden age, the Taizu and Taizong might allow you to reunite with your parents. Your parents are still young; they can wait."

People in ancient times matured early. Although Zhu Cilang was only sixteen years old, he had experienced a lot and even witnessed the massacre of officials in the Jia Shen year. He didn't know how many officials died in front of him, so his psychological resilience was quite good.

Hearing Zhu Yunfeng's words, Zhu Cilang composed himself and nodded, saying, "I understand."

"That's fine."

Zhu Yunfeng continued, "Now that you've finished talking about the stupid things your father did, let's talk about how the country should continue to develop."

He pointed to a memorial next to him and said, "This is a memorial sent today by Zuo Guangxian, the governor of Zhejiang. The memorial says that Zhejiang has been restored to peace and tranquility, and that the replacement of officials in various places, the restoration of public order, the distribution of land, and the arrangements for this year's spring plowing have all been completed."

Zhu Cilang smiled and said, "The Ming Dynasty needs governance everywhere right now, so it's really gratifying to hear such good news."

Zhu Yunfeng said, "But I asked Zuo Guangxian to switch from rice to mulberry during the second autumn planting season this year, replacing about a million acres of land in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions with mulberry and hemp. Do you know why?"

Zhu Cilang asked, puzzled, "Why? The country is short of food right now. If we switch from rice paddies to mulberry fields, won't that cause problems?"

"This brings us to the second point."

Zhu Yunfeng held up two fingers and said, "For a country to become strong, it's not enough to just collect all taxes; it's also necessary to expand productivity. What is productivity? You can simply understand it as increasing the production of necessities like grain, cloth, salt, oil, tea, and wine. When there's more produce on the market, we have surplus goods to sell abroad and buy what we need from abroad. This creates a complementary business relationship, allowing the country to maintain its economy through taxation, and enabling the people to become wealthy."

“The farmers who grow mulberry and hemp, the weavers who weave cloth, the winemakers who brew wine, and the tea farmers who grow tea can all profit from it. When everyone has money in their hands, their lives will become better, and only in this way can the country prosper.”

"But the current objective conditions do not allow it. You may not know what objective conditions are. You can simply understand it as the current climate not being very good."

Zhu Yunfeng pointed outside. It was still snowing in Beijing in September. The snow had stopped, and although the sun was out, it didn't provide much warmth. The two people inside were wearing cotton-padded clothes and shoes, and there was a charcoal brazier, but they could still feel the chill.

"The climate has been abnormal in recent years, and the weather is getting colder and colder. Normally it is still very hot in the south in September, but now it is not only very cold, but sometimes it even snows and hails."

"Under such harsh conditions, many grain-producing fields in the north froze and died of drought, and the same was true in the south. In the Jiangnan water towns, it was so cold in spring and autumn that the land would freeze, and it was even worse in winter. Even if grain was grown, it would cause large-scale yield reduction."

"Therefore, we can adapt to local conditions. Since the weather is cold now, we can plant some drought-resistant crops. Mulberry and hemp are cold-resistant and drought-resistant, and do not require much water. They can be planted well and used for weaving next spring."

The weather during the Little Ice Age was so harsh that widespread snow and ice fell in the Jiangnan region last autumn and winter, leading to reduced grain production in the second season and triggering numerous rebellions.

This year's weather has been equally severe, with frequent droughts and locust plagues in addition to the cold snap.

Don't assume that cold weather means there won't be drought.

In fact, rain is formed by the sun evaporating water vapor from the earth. If the weather is too cold and there is not enough water vapor, it will not rain.

Furthermore, many rivers rely on the melting of snow from upstream mountains to increase their water flow, such as the Yellow River.

Cold weather, even in summer, can cause snowmelt to fail, leading to insufficient downstream water flow and thus drought.

Therefore, the Little Ice Age at the end of the Ming Dynasty was extremely devastating, and from an objective point of view, it can even be considered one of the main reasons for the demise of the Ming Dynasty.

If the weather is not unusual, even if Emperor Chongzhen is incompetent and foolish, he can still manage to cause trouble for several decades.

Upon hearing Zhu Yunfeng's words, Zhu Cilang questioned, "Then what about next year's grain?"

"This is what I mean by adapting to local conditions."

Zhu Yunfeng smiled and said, "There are several crops overseas, such as sweet potatoes and potatoes, which are very cold-resistant. Wheat in the north and rice in the south are struggling to survive the winter, but these sweet potatoes and potatoes can not only withstand the cold, but they are also not picky about the land and can be planted anywhere. They can survive with just a little water and fertilizer. I have already brought in a large quantity of sweet potatoes and potatoes, and this year I will plant and promote them extensively in the north. By next spring, we will have a large harvest of grain. In this way, we will have mulberry and hemp planted, and we will have grain, so there will be more products on the market."

Zhu Cilang's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "There are such miraculous things?"

"Yes, there are many amazing things in the world. Didn't Zhang Qian bring back a lot of crops when he went on his mission to the Western Regions?"

Zhu Yunfeng tapped the table and said, “These potatoes and sweet potatoes had actually already appeared in the south, brought to the east by Westerners from the Western continent. But the court didn’t value them, didn’t care, and couldn’t see their worth. While we can’t blame them, what I’m saying is that an emperor can’t be closed off, only thinking about staying safe in his own little corner of the world. He has to open his eyes to the world, see the development of other countries, learn better knowledge, and even communicate more with countries less developed than himself. That way, he can benefit, can’t he?” “Benefit?”

Zhu Cilang scratched his head and asked, "How do we make a profit?"

"Ever heard of a saying?"

Zhu Yunfeng laughed.

"What?"

"A gentleman has no authority if he is not serious!"

"I know that."

Zhu Cilang hurriedly said, "This is what Confucius said, that a gentleman should be dignified, so that he may have authority."

"Incorrect."

Zhu Yunfeng shook his head: "No matter how solemn you are, if you encounter a sword or blade, one stroke will chop off your head. What dignity will you have left then?"

"This means that a gentleman cannot establish authority if he does not strike hard. Authority is earned through force; one has authority only when one has a sword in hand. Having no sword in hand is different from having a sword in hand but not using it."

"Even if the monarch of a weak country is majestic and dignified, if he threatens you, you will find him to be pitifully weak."

"But if it is a powerful monarch and your country is weaker than him, even if he just makes a joke to you with a smile, you must be trembling with fear and trepidation."

"Therefore, it was a mistake not to continue large-scale military operations to eliminate the Jurchens after the Chenghua Emperor's purge of the Ming Dynasty. As a result, the Jurchens grew stronger, and the Ming Dynasty once again fell into the hands of foreign tribes."

“Such actions as Chenghua’s plowing of the court should be continued. Every year, we should go deep into enemy territory, plunder their property, and suppress their resistance.”

"And it's not just the Jurchens, but also the Mongols, Korea, Japan, Annam, Tibet, and the Western Regions. We have to fight and beat them every year. We also have to go to sea to fight those further away. We should learn from Emperor Taizong's voyages to the Western Ocean and bring back more gold and silver treasures. That would be a good thing."

"But the gentlemen say that this is a waste of resources and manpower to wage war."

These words made Zhu Cilang somewhat doubt life, and he said, "They say that the Qin Dynasty was so militaristic that it perished after only two generations. Emperor Wu of Han was the same, which brought the country to the brink of collapse."

Later generations praised Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, but in ancient times, Li Shimin said of them: "Qin Shi Huang was tyrannical and died when his son was born; Emperor Wu of Han was arrogant and extravagant, and his dynasty almost ended."

Zhu Xi said that "in their later years, the country was in ruins, not long after Qin Shi Huang. If Huo Guang had not quelled the chaos, what would have become of them?"

Basically, the reputation isn't very good.

Zhu Yunfeng laughed and said, "Warfare is wasteful and exhausting because it doesn't make money. If it did, it wouldn't be wary and exhaustive. Now, if there's a gold or silver mine in Shenyang, and you take Shenyang, capture the Jurchens as slaves to mine it, and use the gold and silver to cover military expenses without touching the national treasury, and even send the surplus gold and silver into the national treasury to develop the country, can that still be considered wary and exhaustive?"

"That's it, that's it."

In that instant, Zhu Cilang's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly, saying, "So that's how it is. Then why do you gentlemen hope to stop the fighting and make peace, and are unwilling to resort to arms?"

"Because there were more wars, the status of military generals rose. Since ancient times, civil and military officials have been in balance. However, from the Han, Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Tang and Song Dynasties, how much trouble did military generals cause? They attacked cities and seized territories, abused the people and massacred cities, and even ate people like sheep."

Zhu Yunfeng replied without hesitation, "Therefore, since the Song Dynasty, learning from the lessons of the late Tang to early Song period, including the emperor, civil officials joined forces with the emperor to suppress military generals, which led to the saying of 'ruling the world with scholar-officials.' In our Ming Dynasty, military generals showed signs of rising in the early Ming period, but the Taizu Emperor slaughtered half of them, and the remaining half mostly died young. After the Tumu Crisis, many military generals and nobles were killed or wounded, and civil officials seized power from then on. Naturally, they had to suppress military generals at all times to prevent tragedies from happening."

As he spoke, Zhu Yunfeng sighed, "Actually, we can't blame the civil officials for this. The bloodshed committed by the military generals during the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was too heavy. If I were the emperor, I would also have to join forces with the civil officials to suppress them. It's just that from the Song Dynasty to now, there has been some overcorrection. As a result, after the Song Dynasty lost the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, it wasn't until our Ming Dynasty that Yan and Yun were recovered. So, the way of civil and military affairs is to maintain a balance. An emperor must balance this well. If he does it well, he will be like Li Shimin; if he does it poorly, he will be like Li Longji in his later years. This really tests the emperor's ability."

Zhu Cilang sighed, "I understand."

"Well, it's good that you understand these things. Your father's biggest mistake was not understanding the underlying principles, which led to this situation."

Zhu Yunfeng said, “Governing a country is not as easy as you think, but it is not too difficult either. As long as you grasp the basic principles, that is, what are the most basic principles? It is that the people live well, that the people can eat, that the people can wear clothes, and that the people can make a living. Then even if the country is not rich, the people will not overthrow you. But if the people’s livelihood is impoverished and the people are still living in extravagance, then the country will perish. So being an emperor only requires knowing how to do one thing.”

"what's up?"

"We must rack our brains to keep the people alive."

"I understand now, this is what they mean by water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it."

"You can understand it that way, but how do you think it should actually be done?"

"Forehead"

Zhu Cilang hesitated for a moment and said, "I don't quite understand what the Regent means."

Zhu Yunfeng rolled his eyes at him and said, "What would you do if the people had no land, no food, no clothes, and no money? Think about what I taught you before."

"I understand!"

Zhu Cilang said without hesitation: "If the people have no land, kill the landlords and evil gentry and divide their land among themselves. If the people have no clothes, kill the corrupt officials and take their clothes. If the people have no money, send troops to plunder, even if it's from other countries, to ensure that the people have money!"

That moment.

The light of the right way.

It was scattered across the earth!
Zhu Yunfeng's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "This child is teachable, truly teachable!"

Rough words are not rough.

The crown prince of the Ming Dynasty has finally been taught a lesson by himself.

(End of this chapter)