Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 110 An unexpected turn!
Within a day, the news that the Northern Yuan army was about to march southward and head straight for the Hetao area spread like wildfire in the city of Jinling.

It soon exploded the official circles and public opinion in Jinling.

After the Yuan court was overthrown by the Ming Dynasty, it returned to the grassland and established the Northern Yuan Dynasty. Its remaining forces were still strong, and it was an irreconcilable enemy of the Ming Dynasty.

It is difficult for the farming people in the Central Plains to penetrate deep into the Mobei grasslands and stay there for a long time.

The nomadic people's habit of moving around without a fixed place to stay allows them to temporarily avoid the attack of large armies.

It was extremely difficult for the Central Plains dynasty to establish effective rule on the grassland.

Therefore, the Northern Yuan Dynasty became a major threat to the Ming Dynasty.

Send a large army to attack, and the enemy will flee.

As soon as the army withdrew, the enemy came again to harass and attack the border.

In history, this problem was never completely solved during the Ming Dynasty until the Qing Dynasty invaded the country, which eventually led to a catastrophe that will be remembered forever.

However, since Lan Yu led his army to defeat the Northern Yuan Dynasty court at Buyuer Lake four years ago, the remaining forces of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, which were still very arrogant, have been severely damaged.

In the past four years, there has been no major harassment of the northern border of the Ming Dynasty.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the princes and generals guarding the border to immigrate to the border, build new city walls and reclaim land on the northern border, so as to construct a new line of defense and push the border of the Ming Dynasty further outward.

Unexpectedly, the Northern Yuan Dynasty has made a comeback.

Prince Wu's Mansion.

Since Zhu Yunhuan became regent and officially began to handle government affairs, he set up a government affairs hall in the palace to specifically handle state and military affairs.

Today, urgent military reports concerning the border are being sent in one after another.

Outside the government hall, an old man was kneeling.

His hair and beard were all gray. He was crawling on the ground, trembling all over.

Officials would pass by this man when they came in and out of the government hall. Many of them would look at him from time to time, but no one would go up to greet him.

In the back hall of the Council of State, Yang Shiqi was reporting to Zhu Yunhuan the memorial he had just processed.

After all, Yao Guangxiao did not hold an official position in the imperial court, because he was a monk and was unwilling to return to secular life. Zhu Yunhuan was not the emperor yet, so it was not easy to directly confer an official title on him. Therefore, it was not convenient for him to come to the Council of State to handle government affairs.

Naturally, the burden mainly fell on Yang Shiqi.

Of course, Yao Guangxiao was not idle either.

The main task given to him by Zhu Yunhuan was to be in charge of the "Da Ming Daily" and its "Investigation Department".

As someone who could be the editor-in-chief of the Yongle Encyclopedia, Yao Guangxiao was also very suitable for this kind of newspaper writing work.

"Da Ming Daily" has become the most important mouthpiece under Zhu Yunhuan.

Today, it is not only distributed in Jinling, but also has branches in Suzhou and Hangzhou. The total daily circulation has reached an astonishing 500,000 copies.

Of course, due to the limitations of transportation and information transmission methods of that era, it was actually impossible for newspapers in different places to be distributed synchronously.

Newspapers from Suzhou and Hangzhou were all transported from Jinling City by horse-drawn carriages.

It will take at least a few days before the people there can see it.

Fortunately, people have long been accustomed to this and don't care about it.

The scale of the Investigation Department also expanded along with the circulation of newspapers, and became one of Zhu Yunhuan's most important eyes and ears.

In addition, Yao Guangxiao was also responsible for checking the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue, rebuilding the account books using double-entry bookkeeping, etc.

After checking the accounts for some time, we have discovered many problems in the Ministry of Revenue over the years, and we are just waiting for the final summary.

Yang Shiqi was mainly responsible for the business of the Ming Bank, which also included managing the national treasury and issuing new banknotes.

He has some skills in financial management and is very good at this job.

Then he helped Zhu Yunhuan handle the government affairs of the court.

With the identity of a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy, it is very convenient to do these things.

"Tongzheng Shizeng Bingzheng has been kneeling outside the government hall for several days. How does Your Highness plan to deal with him?"

When reporting to Zhu Yunhuan, Yang Shiqi mentioned it casually.

The old man kneeling outside the Council of Government was none other than Zeng Bingzheng, the former Minister of Public Administration who was in charge of the Ministry of Public Administration.

Some time ago, Zeng Bingzheng took leave due to illness and recuperated at home.

He had not participated in the matter of the Ministry of Public Security suppressing memorials and not reporting them.

After Zhu Yunhuan ordered Yang Shiqi to kill all the officials of the Tongzhengsi, he was the only one left in the entire Tongzhengsi who was not killed.

But after all, he was also the head of the Tongzhengsi. Although he was not directly involved in his subordinates' actions, he could not escape the blame for "poor leadership" in the end.

"This old man!" Zhu Yunhuan snorted coldly and said, "After the officials of the Tongzhengsi were killed, he did not come to apologize immediately, but still hid at home pretending to be sick and refused to come out."

"It was not until the last few days, when he saw that I was handling government affairs without any obstacles and that the Ming Bank and the issuance of new banknotes had achieved unprecedented success, that he panicked and came to apologize."

"If I don't put a dent in his prestige, what will happen if all the ministers follow his example?"

Yang Shiqi smiled and said, "Your Highness is right. He should indeed be taught a lesson."

"However, so many people from the Ministry of Public Administration were killed, and many of them were his colleagues and friends."

"It's normal for him to be angry and confused for a while."

"Now that I know I was wrong, in my opinion..."

He stopped here and looked at Zhu Yunhuan.

Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "Just tell me if you have any suggestions."

Yang Shiqi also laughed and said, "If Your Highness really wanted to kill him, how could he allow him to recuperate at home?"

"What I want to say is just what your Highness thinks."

"It is better to waste your time than to waste your time."

"After the officials of the Tongzhengsi were killed, it has never been rebuilt."

"All the affairs of the court are sent directly to me. This is not a solution in the long run."

During this period, he only slept two or three hours a day.

Although Yang Shiqi was in his twenties at the time and was strong enough to handle the pressure, he certainly couldn't continue like this.

"Hmm!" Zhu Yunhuan nodded and said, "How about this, first remove Zeng Bingzheng from his post as the Minister of Public Administration."

"I will also order him to temporarily take over as the Minister of Public Administration and have him rebuild the Ministry of Public Administration and make amends for his mistakes."

To put it simply, the punishment would be to demote him from a third-rank official to a commoner.

But he continued to work in his original position without rank or salary, and he was punished for his crime.

If you do it well, you will naturally be promoted again, and maybe even reinstated.

If you fail to do it well, you can be fired or even go to jail.

This kind of punishment was not uncommon during the Hongwu period.

Mr. Zhu was too harsh in punishing corruption and killed too many corrupt officials.

There are not enough officials.

Therefore, only some officials who had committed crimes and were dismissed from their posts could be retained to handle official duties and even to try cases in court.

At one point, there was a strange sight that both the officials trying the case in the court and the criminals outside the court were wearing shackles.

The Tongzhengsi was a very important government office.

In Zhu Yunhuan's view, it is also extremely useful.

He has not yet figured out how to carry out large-scale reforms of the Ming Dynasty's central institutions, and the time is far from right.

The Tongzhengsi still had to be retained for the time being, so it was only natural to order Zeng Bingzheng, the Tongzhengshi, to organize its reconstruction despite his punishment.

With previous experience as a lesson, I believe he will act with caution.

"Yes!"

Yang Shiqi responded.

Then he handed over a pile of sorted military intelligence reports.

"These are urgent dispatches from the border, saying that the Northern Yuan army will march south in a large force in the near future. I hope the court will make preparations early."

Zhu Yunhuan took it, flipped through it, and asked, "Are they all intelligence reports from the Northern Yuan Dynasty?"

Yang Shiqi nodded and said, "That's right!"

Then he explained: "In the past few years, the Ming Dynasty and the Northern Yuan Dynasty have been at war, and we in the Ming Dynasty have also planted spies and bribed informants in the Northern Yuan Dynasty."

"These military reports were delivered by the planted spies."

"After all, it would be too late if we wait until the Northern Yuan army attacks us."

Zhu Yunhuan frowned slightly, feeling that something was wrong, and asked again, "What do you think, Mr. Yang?"

Yang Shiqi pondered for a moment and said, "Any intelligence report cannot be accurate."

"After all, military situations change rapidly. The enemy may deliberately create false intelligence or change its decision."

“But we must not disbelieve.”

"The Daming Military Academy is about to officially open."

"Many generals from the entire Ming army have gathered in the capital, waiting to enroll and become my disciples."

"This is also a critical moment for Your Highness."

"If we let the generals leave the capital at this moment and go to the northern border to defend against the enemy, they will miss the opening ceremony of the Daming Military Academy, and you will not be able to perform the formal ceremony of paying respect to your Highness."

"This will be a big blow to your highness's prestige."

Most of these people have already made public statements in newspapers.

This was also Zhu Yunhuan's strategy to build momentum for himself.

If they did not enter the academy and did not become Zhu Yunhuan's disciple in the end, it would naturally damage Zhu Yunhuan's prestige.

Although it can be made up later, the meaning will be completely different.

"But if we don't let them leave, what if the Northern Yuan Dynasty launches a large-scale attack to the south?" "The North lacks a general to command the troops, and the armies can only fight on their own."

"Once the defense line is breached, the consequences will be disastrous."

Yang Shiqi smiled bitterly and said, "This matter really poses a difficult problem for me."

After all, he was new to government affairs and had no experience in dealing with war. For a moment, he didn't know what to do.

Zhu Yunhuan frowned and fell into deep thought.

The manufacture of guns has now reached a most critical moment.

Although it is impossible to create firearms as powerful as those of the 21st century, we have already made some progress in creating simple flintlock rifles.

Historically, the first flintlock rifle appeared in the middle of the sixteenth century.

Because of the appearance of Zhu Yunhuan, this time was advanced by one hundred and sixty years.

This is actually quite normal.

The development of agricultural society is actually very slow.

A hundred years earlier or a hundred years later, the whole society would not have changed much.

In other words, the relevant development has actually been basically mature for a long time, and all it needs is a historical accident.

It was very natural for Zhu Yunhuan, who was familiar with the situation in later generations, to bring it out in advance.

For the Ming Dynasty, this time advantage of more than a hundred years will be enormous.

If we could form an army equipped entirely with flintlock rifles, we could easily defeat the Northern Yuan army.

However, the flintlock rifle had not yet been finalized and there were still some minor problems that needed to be resolved.

Moreover, even if it is officially put into production, the production speed cannot be very fast given the productivity level of this era.

After production, the army needs to be equipped and trained in new tactics.

These all take time.

But the Northern Yuan Dynasty was moving south at this time, so how could he have the time?
Just when Zhu Yunhuan was feeling upset, someone came in from outside and delivered an urgent memorial.

Yang Shiqi took it, opened it and his expression suddenly changed.

Zhu Yunhuan asked, "What's the matter?"

Yang Shiqi handed over the memorial and said, "This is the memorial from the Prince of Jin requesting to leave the capital."

"The King of Jin said that the situation on the northern border is tense and the Northern Yuan Dynasty is about to launch a large-scale attack on the Hetao region."

"He is a vassal king of the frontier, and that area is his defense zone. It is his duty to guard the border for the Ming Dynasty, and he cannot shirk his responsibility."

"So from now on, I will lead my cavalry and escort to leave Jinling City and return to Taiyuan, Shanxi as quickly as possible to command the troops and resist the invasion of the Northern Yuan Dynasty."

Zhu Yunhuan's face darkened and he took the memorial and glanced at it.

The Prince of Jin has already left the capital on his own.

coincidence!
"He obviously did this on purpose!" Zhu Yunhuan snorted coldly.

Zhu Di's initiative to become a disciple put Prince of Jin Zhu Gang in a dilemma.

He is also a prince commanding thousands of troops, and he is also an uncle.

Zhu Di took Zhu Yunhuan as his teacher, so should he also do the same?

Zhu Gang was unwilling to accept the defeat.

If I don't bow, I'm afraid Old Zhu will be unhappy.

At this time, he left the capital under the pretext of the Northern Yuan's invasion of the south, perfectly avoiding the opening time of the Ming Military Academy and thus eliminating this problem.

"That's true!" Yang Shiqi said with a wry smile, "But their reasons are very sufficient, and we can't say anything against it."

Seeing that Zhu Yunhuan's expression had not improved, he advised: "Since Your Highness is going to take over the Ming Dynasty, you must bear the weight of the sacred artifact."

"The battle for the crown prince is just the first step."

"Prince Jin has many generals under his command, and his troops are strong and powerful. He has always been favored by Your Majesty, so his ambitions are probably not small."

"Even the assassination of His Highness that day may not have been without his involvement, it's just that we have difficulty finding evidence."

Thoughts flashed through Zhu Yunhuan’s mind.

Why was it that in history, Zhu Yunwen did not encounter so many obstacles after being named the Crown Prince?

It seems like everything is going smoothly.

But I am in danger everywhere and feel nervous at every step.

But soon, he realized something was wrong.

After Zhu Biao died and Zhu Yunwen was named the Crown Prince, Zhu Yuanzhang used the Lan Yu case as an excuse to massacre meritorious officials and nobles.

How many sword fights, how many open and secret struggles, and how many people were beheaded?

However, in the end, they all turned into a few simple and insignificant records in history books.

When I read the history books again, I couldn't see any waves on the surface.

But for those who are in it, the feeling must be completely different.

The King of Qin and the King of Jin also died one after another...

Are there some unknown truths about their deaths, buried deep in history?
Zhu Yunxun let out a long sigh.

The height is not cold.

If you want to inherit the sacred artifact, you must bear its weight.

When will the intrigues and power struggles in the court ever stop?
Not to mention that he was only the regent, even if he became the emperor, he would have to be extremely alert to deal with it.

Yang Shiqi said, "Your Highness should make a decision as soon as possible. Should we ask those generals to return to the northern border as soon as possible to command the army and prevent the Northern Yuan from advancing southward, or should we enroll in the military academy as usual?"

Zhu Yunhuan also found it difficult to make a decision.

Military matters, viewed from the perspective of hindsight, are very simple and clear.

But being in the game is completely different.

There is a lot of intelligence, which one is true? Which one is false?
How do you judge?
How can you make a decision if you can’t judge?
These are the most difficult ones.

Sun Tzu's Art of War says, if you know yourself and your enemy, you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat.

But how can we know ourselves and our enemies?

No matter how much information you collect, in the end there will always be a lot of information that is hard to tell whether it is true or false, or real or fake.

Analyses and decisions can only be made based on the decision maker's own keen observation and judgment.

Military fog is an eternal problem throughout the ages.

What's more, he was in Jinling City at this time, thousands of miles away from the northern border.

I've never dealt with anything like this before.

After a while, Zhu Yunxun asked in a deep voice: "What is Mr. Yang's suggestion?"

Yang Shiqi thought for a moment and said, "In my opinion, Your Highness can select a few generals and order them to go to the northern border immediately to command the troops in case of any emergency."

"The others will remain in Jinling City to attend the opening ceremony of the Daming Military Academy and pay homage to His Highness."

"It's just that it's still hard to determine who should go and who should stay."

According to common sense, those who have high prestige in the army and are good at fighting should be sent out.

But if these people are sent out, there will be little meaning for those who stay behind to become disciples.

Yang Shiqi paused, then said honestly: "After all, I have never dealt with military affairs, nor do I have any battlefield experience."

"Your Highness may immediately summon Duke of Liang Lan Yu and others to discuss this matter."

"Perhaps they have another good plan."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded slightly. Yang Shiqi's suggestion was quite reasonable and could be regarded as wise words for the country.

Under the current circumstances, I'm afraid this is the only thing we can do.

He was about to speak when he saw Yao Guangxiao walking in quickly from outside.

The old monk has always been steady and never panics when encountering things.

This was the first time Zhu Yunhuan had seen someone walking in such a hurry.

"Your Highness, I heard that an emergency military report from the north was sent to Jinling City. I wonder if you would be willing to let me take a look at it?"

As soon as he entered the hall, Yao Guangxiao couldn't wait to speak.

Zhu Yunhuan pointed to the pile of newspapers on the table and said, "These are all, take a look for yourself."

Upon hearing this, Yao Guangxiao immediately picked it up and quickly flipped through it.

After reading one book, I'll read another...

The expression on his face changed rapidly, and became cloudy.

Zhu Yunhuan and Yang Shiqi looked at each other, both somewhat surprised by Yao Guangxiao's reaction.

There seemed to be something wrong with the old monk's behavior.

However, neither of them spoke a word, but waited quietly for General Yao Guangxiao to finish reading the Qingtang News.

The old monk read very quickly, and soon put down the last memorial.

He just let out a long sigh.

Suddenly, the Buddha's eyes widened, and his voice was as deep as thunder, saying: "Your Highness, I think these reports are all false, and the north is peaceful and there is no war!"

call!
As soon as these words were spoken, an invisible cold wind seemed to sweep through the hall.

The atmosphere changed instantly.

……

(End of this chapter)