Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 34 Zhu Yuanzhang who loves his people like his own children?
The warm room fell into silence because of Zhu Yuanzhang's sudden rage.

At the critical moment, it was Zhu Biao who stood up and advised Zhu Yuanzhang: "Father, I think it is not necessary to make such a big fuss. Don't get angry and hurt yourself."

Zhu Yuanzhang put his hands on his hips and said angrily: "So he was talking about you before, not you!"

He turned his head and looked at Zhu Di and shouted, "This guy said that the national policy you made harmed our Ming Dynasty, and you just stood there like a dead man? Can't you refute it?"

"Forehead"

Zhu Di also shrank his neck and dared not say a word under the power of his father.

He felt wronged.

He was wronged.

Although Zhu Yunfeng said that his policies harmed people, the problem is that he didn't even know what policies he had formulated. How could he refute him?

What's more, his identity is very embarrassing now, because Zhu Yunfeng exposed that he later usurped the throne of his nephew, cancelled the posthumous honor of his eldest brother, and demoted all of his eldest brother's descendants to commoners.

As a result, he couldn't even raise his head in front of Zhu Biao. Whenever he looked at Zhu Biao, he would think of this incident. How could he take the initiative to talk about national affairs?
We don’t dare to say it, and we don’t dare to ask it either.

"Grandpa Tai, the old ancestor is too emotionally unstable."

Zhu Yunfeng could not help but complain to Zhu Biao: "The national policy he formulated is harmful to others and himself. History has proven this. Why don't people say it?"

"Okay, okay, stop talking."

Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang was on the verge of a rage, Zhu Biao stood up from the cot, pulled Zhu Yuanzhang and said, "Father, I think Yunfeng is not a person who shoots without purpose. This matter concerns the Ming Dynasty. We should learn from the lessons of the future. It is better to listen to what he says first. After all, father does not want the Ming Dynasty to perish in the future."

"Humph!"

Zhu Yuanzhang angrily walked back to the study, dragged out a chair, slammed it heavily on the ground, sat down and said, "I want to see what kind of fart this kid can come out of his mouth!"

Seeing that his ancestor was so angry, Zhu Yunfeng curled his lips.

These situations were actually expected, because based on his understanding of his ancestors, the policies he made must be his masterpieces.

Although many of them have not been implemented, most of them have been completed or have been prepared.

For example, he slaughtered meritorious officials on a large scale. A month later, he used the Hu Weiyong case as an excuse to launch a catastrophe for meritorious officials.

There is also the establishment of the Jinyiwei, which will be renamed from the current Yiluansi in three years.

Others such as the feudal system, the closed-door policy, the garrison system, the issuance of treasure notes, the hereditary household registration system, etc. have now been promulgated and implemented.

Therefore, the policies that Zhu Yunfeng mentioned were basically the eternal strategies carefully planned by Zhu Yuanzhang and formulated for the Ming Dynasty. He believed that he could protect the Ming Dynasty for hundreds of years without worries.

As a result, when Zhu Yunfeng spoke, he kept saying that the Ming Dynasty was being disturbed and the country was in vain. How could Zhu Yuanzhang not be angry?

However, Zhu Yunfeng also had reasons to say.

That's the truth.

Those systems led to many serious consequences. If it were not for Yu Qian saving the Ming Dynasty and Zhang Juzheng's reforms, the Ming Dynasty would have perished long ago.

It would be too much if we don't let people speak out about the truth.

"Then let's talk about the strategies of our ancestors and how they brought down the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Yunfeng glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang, whose face was becoming increasingly ugly, and then continued: "Remember what I told our ancestors before, that the demise of the Ming Dynasty was caused by multiple factors?"

Zhu Biao nodded his chin slightly and said, "I remember."

"And some of the national policies formulated by our first and second ancestors are one of these factors."

Zhu Yunfeng said: "Let's start by reversing history and enfeoffing the princes. I want to ask our ancestors, why did we enfeoff the princes?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said without hesitation: "Of course it is to expand the territory for the Ming Dynasty and continue to fight against the tyrannical Yuan Dynasty! Besides, this enfeoffment of vassal kings is a continuation of the Yuan Dynasty system."

"Since you are determined to drive out the barbarians, why do you want to inherit the barbarian system? Didn't the Han court have a system to follow?"

"This"

"Besides, our ancestors said that we should expand our territory and fight against the Mongols. I'm afraid it will be more than that."

Zhu Yunfeng smiled and said, "There are so many famous generals who are good at fighting, but they want to enfeoff their sons who have hardly fought in a war. Is it really to strike back at Mongolia?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was choked for a moment, so he had to confess: "Yes, I just want to weaken the military power of those generals!"

"But have you ever thought that the military commanders who hold military power threaten the imperial power? Is it possible that the princes who hold military power will also threaten the imperial power?"

Zhu Yunfeng glanced at Zhu Di and said, "Second Ancestor should have a say in this matter."

who am I?
where am I?
What am I going to do?
Zhu Di sat there with his eyes wide open, his whole body tense, at a loss as to what to do.

Especially after feeling the unfriendly gaze from my eldest brother, I felt a chill on my back.

Do I have a say?
What right do I have to speak?
Only if I succeed in my rebellion and become emperor will I have something to say.

But now I am only nineteen years old. It is not time for me to rebel yet. How can I have the qualifications to speak?

My dear great-great-great-great-great-grandson, can you please stop talking about this?
"Of course I have thought about it."

Zhu Yuanzhang said calmly: "No matter what, they are still descendants of the Zhu family."

"It's understandable that the meat is rotten in the pot. In addition, you also asked Zhu Yunwen to reduce the power of the vassal states in his later years, but you asked him to do it slowly and not to be impatient. This shows that you have long realized this point."

Zhu Yunfeng continued, "However, the ancestors probably didn't consider that once the feudal lords were reduced, they would rebel. Would it be possible to cause the Rebellion of the Seven Princes or the Rebellion of the Eight Princes? Even if the central court could calm the situation, would it cause great suffering to the people?"

"Hmph, so what?"

Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes.

All lives are lost?

As long as the Zhu family's kingdom is preserved, what does it matter if more people die?
Seeing that he didn't care, Zhu Yunfeng shook his head.

Some people in later generations said that Zhu Yuanzhang loved his people like his own children. But it was precisely because they were members of the Zhu family and had a deep understanding of Ming history that they knew what their ancestor was thinking, and that was why they had to be on guard against even their ancestor.

Not to mention the hereditary household registration, the untouchables and other caste systems inherited from the Yuan Dynasty, and the dozens of times heavier taxes imposed in retaliation against the people of Jiangnan who supported Zhang Shicheng.

In the four major cases alone, the number of people killed is conservatively estimated to be over 100,000.

And most of them are implicated.

Some people say that in the four major cases initiated by Zhu Yuanzhang, the victims implicated were not innocent.

Because "the premise of not bringing disaster to the family is that the family will not benefit from it. And those corrupt officials embezzled, and their family and friends benefited. Shouldn't they be punished when the time comes to punish them?"

But Zhu Yuanzhang not only killed the families of corrupt officials, but also massacred the entire county.

The "History of Ming Dynasty" mostly glorifies these things and does not mention them at all, but many scholars of the same period secretly recorded these things.

Yu Ben's "Huang Ming Chronicle" written in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty recorded that "the people of Shangyuan and Jiangning counties under Yingtian Prefecture formed a party with Hu Weiyong and slaughtered all men, women, old and young!"

Zhu Yunming's "Ye Ji" also recorded: "In the 23rd year of Hongwu, the people of the capital rebelled, half of them were humiliated, and the other half were exiled to foreign lands."

And Lu Rong's "Shuyuan Miscellaneous Notes": "In the 23rd year, the people of Beijing were massacred."

Even Zhu Yuanzhang admitted in his own "Great Edict" and "Collected Works of Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty" that after the massacre and exile, at least 20,000 to 30,000 households, or more than 100,000 Nanjing residents were missing.

According to the "Veritable Records of Ming Taizu", because there were too many massacres in Nanjing, Zhu Yuanzhang began to move tens of thousands of people from Peking, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang to fill the gaps in Shangyuan and Jiangning counties starting from the 24th year of Hongwu.

In November of the 28th year of Hongwu alone, more than 20,000 households were forcibly relocated from various places and moved to Nanjing to supplement the population.

Could Hu Weiyong really get all the people in the two counties under the capital to rebel with him?
Obviously not.

In addition, Zhu Biao disobeyed him and was unwilling to wear mourning for Concubine Sun, which made Zhu Yuanzhang want to draw his sword and kill even his own son, the eldest son.

This is enough to show that although Zhu Yuanzhang was a political figure, he was extremely cruel and bloodthirsty, and his emotions were very unstable.

In Zhu Yunfeng's opinion, the people can only rank fourth in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart.

The first is the Ming Dynasty.

The second are Empress Ma and Zhu Biao.

The third is other offspring.

After all, he refused to listen to the advice of Empress Ma and Zhu Biao, and insisted on slaughtering meritorious officials to maintain his rule. And according to the "Imperial Records of Misconduct" written by Zhu Yuanzhang himself, most of his sons did whatever they wanted in their fiefdoms and treated the people cruelly.

As a result, Zhu Yuanzhang either just reprimanded or shaved the hair of the princes who broke the law, and there was no serious punishment at all.

It can be seen that his son is much more important than those ordinary people.

Even though history books repeatedly record Zhu Yuanzhang's remarks that he valued the people, he also reprimanded his descendants to treat the people well.

However, judging by his actions rather than his heart, he said that he valued the people, but in fact he was extremely cruel and tyrannical to them. It is inevitable that his words and deeds were inconsistent.

To put it bluntly, Zhu Yunfeng was valuable to him and could play a key role in saving the Ming Dynasty, which was important to Zhu Yuanzhang, from its future destruction.

Otherwise, a descendant of the Zhu family for more than 20 generations, a descendant without any feelings, could be killed at will.

After all, even his nephew Li Wenzhong, who had followed him for many years, almost couldn't escape the disaster. If he hadn't been saved by Empress Ma, he would have died under Zhu Yuanzhang's butcher knife long ago. What about his descendant Zhu Yunfeng?

"So this is what I mean by the real reason for the demise of the Zhu family."

Zhu Yunfeng let out a long sigh.

"How?"

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered and said, "If a few civilians die, the Zhu family will be gone? The Ming Dynasty will be destroyed? With so many princes holding military power, what is there to fear?"

Zhu Yunfeng shook his head and said, "Wrong, really wrong. What I want to say is that on the surface, the worst result of the feudal system is to lead to the Eight Princes Rebellion, but the deep logic is actually to make the princes of various places lose their sense of belonging to the Ming Dynasty. Once the Ming Dynasty falls into danger, these people will not think that they have a share of responsibility for the Ming Dynasty, and will watch the Ming Dynasty perish before their eyes."

"what for?"

Seeing that something was not right, Zhu Biao quickly interrupted and asked, trying to distract Zhu Yuanzhang's attention.

"In fact, as I have always emphasized before, the original intention of our ancestors' early systems was good and beneficial to the country's governance. It was only later that they became bad policies. However, our ancestors were too impatient and kept ignoring what I said."

"Just like enfeoffment of vassal kings, enfeoffment of frontier fortresses is conducive to population development and economic recovery. Because the north was in decline at the time, letting the kings of the frontier fortresses take root and build the local area is like building a corps."

"Also, the border kings have very little power to mobilize troops in normal times. Only in times of war can they mobilize the main army, which can keep the enemy out of the country, and the border kings can also check and balance each other and support each other."

"Their economy also needs the court's assistance, their troops are also under the court's management, and the population under their rule is far less than that in the south where the court is located."

"It can be said that the feudal prince system designed by our ancestors has always been under the control of the emperor. If they say to surround the Prince of Yan's mansion, they will surround it. Someone takes the lead in clearing the emperor's side, and no one follows suit. The people's hearts are with the court. It is a fairly complete system."

Zhu Yunfeng still made a very objective analysis and did not continue to belittle it. Instead, he first talked about the benefits of enfeoffment of vassal kings.

There is no doubt about this. When Zhu Yuanzhang first designed the vassal system, he had already taken into account the possibility of rebellion by the vassal kings. Therefore, the central court still had a strong control over the border.

"If that's the case, why do you say that enfeoffment of vassal kings is wrong?"

Zhu Biao asked with a frown.

"This question is even simpler. When our ancestors first established the vassal states, the vassal kings were not strong, and with our ancestors suppressing them, they naturally could not cause any trouble."

"But as time went on, the princes operated in the local area and relied on their personal prestige to gain enormous power. After the death of the ancestor, the princes became stronger and stronger, and their troops became more and more sufficient, which made the central government feel extremely insecure."

"The most typical example is the Second Ancestor. Some people on the Internet say that the Second Ancestor had only 800 soldiers when he started his army, but in fact there were about 40,000 or 50,000 soldiers. Later, the number quickly expanded to 100,000. At that time, Zhu Yunwen sent people to surround the Prince of Yan's mansion, preparing to capture the Second Ancestor. At the Second Ancestor's command, all the defenders of Beiping City obeyed the Second Ancestor's orders, and in an instant they occupied Beiping with tens of thousands of troops."

"To be honest, many people say that Zhu Yunwen was stupid because he was too hasty in reducing the power of the vassal states, which forced the Second Ancestor to rebel. But in fact, that was already the best time to reduce the power of the vassal states. Because if it had been a few years later, who knows how many armies the border kings would have had?"

"It was because our ancestor had just passed away and the remaining power of the tiger frightened the other kings. Only the second ancestor rebelled. If it had been delayed for a few more years, I'm afraid it would have been another rebellion of the Eight Kings."

"You all know what happened next. The Second Ancestor fought rebellions and won every battle. His army grew larger and larger, and he eventually conquered Yingtian Prefecture and became the emperor."

Zhu Yunfeng spread his hands and said, "During this process, the other princes all held their own troops and watched from the sidelines. No one supported Zhu Yunwen, but no one helped the Second Ancestor either. This also indirectly reflects the advanced nature of our ancestors' feudal system. However, Zhu Yunwen's reduction of the feudal system lost the support of the people and made him the target of public criticism. If you think about it, you would also be anxious if the princes' power grew stronger. It can only be said that our ancestors established this system, and it is also a fact that the princes became too powerful to be eliminated. From the perspective of the central government, it is naturally a failed policy."

In the final analysis, Zhu Yuanzhang's original intention of establishing frontier vassal kings was good, and it greatly helped the recovery of the northern population, production and economy.

But as time went by, the population, production, economy and other aspects of the north recovered, and the strength of the princes became stronger and stronger. After all, the princes had been guarding the local area for decades. Even if there was a so-called restriction that troops could not be mobilized in non-wartime, their personal prestige was there.

Taking the time when Zhu Yunwen first came to power as an example, Zhu Di was able to quickly take control of all the troops around Peking and had an army of 40,000 to 50,000 overnight.

The other princes may not have as many as Zhu Di, but they should have about 20,000 to 30,000.

If the nine kings of the frontier united, they would have an army of 200,000 to 300,000. It would be a lie for Zhu Yunwen to say that he was not panicking. If they were allowed to develop for another ten years, the number of troops would be even greater. What would happen then?
Therefore, reducing the power of the princes is inevitable, and no matter who is in Zhu Yunwen's position, he has to consider this issue.

"Well, that does make sense."

Zhu Biao thought about it and nodded slightly. He had to admit that this was the fact, but he was puzzled again and asked: "Then why do you say that the princes are disunited?"

"This is even simpler. As I said just now, as time goes by, the vassal kings will become stronger and stronger, and the central court will become more and more worried. Then, of course, they will have to reduce the power of the vassal kings. This is what happened after the Second Ancestor came to power."

Zhu Yunfeng said: "After reducing the power of the feudal lords, how should we treat the royal family? The Second Ancestor's method is to support them, using the country's money to support a group of parasites. If this continues for a long time, they will become disunited and alienated."

"Looking back at the history of the late Ming Dynasty, when the country was about to perish, only a very small number of princes were willing to contribute money and effort to help Chongzhen, while most princes stood aside and did not care about the matter."

"Prince Fu Zhu Changxun was extremely wealthy, with numerous mansions and fields. In the 13th year of Chongzhen, when Li Zicheng attacked Luoyang, the then Luoyang governor and Nanjing Minister of War hurried to Prince Fu's mansion and begged the richest prince in the world to give him some money as military pay."

"Zhu Changxun refused. The hungry Ming soldiers who were guarding the city angrily said, 'Prince Fu is the richest man in the world, but he is unwilling to give us a penny to fill our stomachs.' So they angrily opened the city gates, and Prince Fu was beheaded by Li Zicheng."

"King Zhu Zhishu of Shu was the richest man in the world. At first, he could use some money to reward the defenders. However, when Sichuan Governor Liu Zhibo advised him to use his wealth to recruit people to defend the city, he sternly refused."

"As a result, Chengdu was captured by Zhang Xianzhong, and all the family property was taken away by Zhang Xianzhong. The result of choosing money over life is that you lose both money and life."

"In the following years, the military pay for Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong basically came from the Fuwang Mansion and the Shuwang Mansion. If this money was given to the court, how could they not be able to destroy the bandits?"

"Moreover, the late Ming Dynasty was already in chaos, officials were corrupt and incompetent, and coupled with natural and man-made disasters, the court had no money, and had to spend money to support so many parasites, which further increased the expenditure of the national treasury. It can be said that the feudal system was one of the root causes of the Ming Dynasty's demise!"

He looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and said seriously, "The feudal system alienated the princes from the central imperial power, alienated the officials, civilians, and soldiers of the enfeoffed areas from the Ming Dynasty, and the growing expenses of supporting the princes seriously dragged down the finances. Old ancestor, tell me yourself, is this feudal system a step backward in history and a disaster for the Ming Dynasty? Do you still think you are not wrong?"

"Humph."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly and said, "That's just your one-sided statement."

A dead duck has a tough mouth.

Zhu Yunfeng complained in his heart, and then said: "In that case, there is nothing more to say. After I go back, I will compile a document for you on how the princes of the Ming Dynasty harmed the Ming Dynasty. You can read it slowly by yourself."

"you!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was furious.

Zhu Yunfeng folded his hands over his chest, turned his head away, and didn't want to pay attention to him.

These words were objective facts, and he had no intention of slandering anyone. He even expressed many things in a more tactful way.

He did not talk about things like how those princes harmed the people of the Ming Dynasty in their own territories, how some of the hundreds of thousands of royal family members were wealthy while others were poor and destitute, and how after the Ming Dynasty fell, princes from all over the country proclaimed themselves emperors and there were as many as five small courts.

It can be said that during the Ming Dynasty, except for the princes during the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang who still played a role in garrisoning the nine frontiers, the rest of the time were basically parasites to the Ming Dynasty, constantly gnawing at its foundation.

But apparently "lies hurt no one, the truth is the sharpest knife".

Old Zhu felt that this was a work he was proud of, but now it was criticized by Zhu Yunfeng and was completely worthless, so he was naturally furious.

Zhu Biao said hurriedly: "This is good, it will also be a lesson for the future, and we can consult with you. Father, now the big mistake has not been made, there is still room for recovery, you must not hide your illness and avoid medical treatment, and insist on doing it on your own."

"Humph."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, stood up from his chair and said, "If you want to listen, listen for yourself."

He returned to his study with a frown on his face.

As a person of later generations, Zhu Yunfeng must have made a final judgment on the policies he made, so he did not doubt that what Zhu Yunfeng said was false.

But as the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty who had the final say, he felt really embarrassed when Zhu Yunfeng accused him of being short-sighted and having a peasant background, and of ruining the Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, he did not think that it was necessarily his policies that ruined the Ming Dynasty.

Because he felt that these policies were the best means to maintain the Ming Dynasty at present.

If the princes are not enfeoffed, how can we reasonably take back the military power of those arrogant and powerful generals?
If we don't set up garrisons, how can we accommodate so many troops?
If we do not strictly control the people, prevent them from leaving the area at will, and prevent them from inheriting their household registration, what should we do if bandits arise and public security becomes chaotic?
These strategies clearly made the Ming Dynasty as stable as before, so how could they possibly harm the Ming Dynasty?
Therefore, it must be the corrupt officials below who were at work, distorting his good intentions and leading his policies to the demise of the Ming Dynasty.

Thinking of this, the murderous intent in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes became even stronger.

Zhu Yunfeng said that he went on a killing spree, which led to the demise of the Ming Dynasty, so he must go on a killing spree even more, until rivers of blood flowed.

Those corrupt officials must be skinned and stuffed with straw. Under such severe punishment, no official will dare to fabricate and distort the national policy and ruin the Ming Dynasty in the future!

(End of this chapter)