Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 112: Deterrence and Conquest, the Way to Train an Eagle!

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help but smile and asked, "What is this?"

Yao Guangxiao said loudly: "With this item, I can make Lan Yu obedient from now on."

"As for how to use it, your Highness is so smart that I don't need to say more."

As soon as he finished speaking, someone came in from outside to report that Duke of Liang Lan Yu wanted to see him.

Really talking about Cao Cao, Cao Cao is here.

Seeing that the Ming Military Academy was about to start, Lan Yu finally could not sit still anymore.

Zhu Yunhuan ordered: "Just say that I am handling official business and ask Duke Liang to wait outside."

Yao Guangxiao stroked his beard, nodded slightly, and said, "I still have things to deal with, so I'll take my leave first."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Only then did Zhu Yunhuan open the scroll given by the old monk.

The first line reads, "On the seventh day of the eighth month in the nineteenth year of Hongwu, Zheng Qiu, the adopted son of Duke Liang, seized more than 120 mu of land from Zhang Siliang in Liyang County, Yingtian Prefecture."

His pupils shrank slightly, and then he continued to look back.

"On the fifth day of the sixth month in the twenty-first year of Hongwu, Qu Xu, the adopted son of Duke Liang, got into a fight with someone because of a verbal dispute and broke the leg of a man named Wang on the spot."

"On March 24, the 23rd year of Hongwu, Ao Ye, the adopted son of Duke Liang, forcibly took a commoner girl named Liu as his concubine. Liu's family went to the county government to file a complaint. The county magistrate, fearing the power of Duke Liang, mediated, and Liu's family was forced to withdraw the lawsuit."

……

The above records every illegal act committed by Lan Yu's subordinates and his adopted sons.

Lan Yu has always been arrogant and unruly.

And those who worship him as their adopted sons are not good guys at all!
Fighting, bullying men and women, and running rampant in the village are common occurrences in daily life.

Relying on their status as Lan Yu's adopted sons, generally speaking, no one dared to do anything to them unless they ran into a problem that was too big or too hard.

In the end, most of them ended up in nothing.

Yao Guangxiao was in charge of the "Da Ming Daily" and also took this opportunity to set up the "Investigation Department".

Naturally, these things were all found out by the people from the Probe Department.

The time, place and characters are all included, which can be said to be very detailed.

It is indeed a good idea to use this to hold Lan Yu hostage and make him obey.

The Intelligence Department was established not long ago, but it was able to find out so much information, which shows that Yao Guangxiao's ability is extraordinary.

Zhu Yunhuan's expression changed from gloomy to bright. He read the contents of the scroll carefully before calling someone over and saying, "Let Duke Liang come in to see me."

After a while, Lan Yu came in from outside and saluted Zhu Yunhuan and said, "Greetings to His Majesty the King of Wu!"

Zhu Yunhuan smiled faintly and said, "Why did Uncle Grandpa have time to come here today?"

Lan Yu bowed and said, "I came here today to ask His Royal Highness the King of Wu to spare Wang Bi, the Marquis of Dingyuan, and others."

"Then Uncle has found the wrong person!" Zhu Yunxun said with a smile: "The Emperor has already issued an order for the case of Wang Bi and others to be presided over by Huang Zicheng."

"If my uncle wants to save someone, we should go find him."

"Although I am now the regent, I cannot change the emperor's order."

Lan Yu's expression suddenly changed slightly, and he said in a deep voice: "Your Highness, Wang Bi and others were convicted for coming to rescue me after all."

"If I can't rescue them, I will be restless."

"That fellow Huang Zicheng has been dragging his feet on the case even after receiving the imperial edict. What's going on?"

"Now, their families are hoping that they can be released from prison as soon as possible."

"The soldiers in the army also hope to see the generals get out of prison as soon as possible."

"It's not a solution to keep dragging the case on like this."

"Every day when I think of these old brothers who are still suffering in prison, I feel heartbroken and can't sleep or eat well."

"I hope they can be released from prison soon."

"But I waited and waited, but there was no movement."

“The case isn’t even being tried.”

"I would like to ask Your Highness to make a decision for me and for the brothers imprisoned in prison, and order Huang Zicheng to investigate the case as soon as possible and clear the name of Wang Bi and other brothers."

Zhu Yunhuan's smile disappeared, he looked up at Lan Yu and said coldly: "Wang Bi and others, armed with weapons, gathered a crowd to besiege me. I did not ask the emperor to execute them all, which is the most righteous thing I have done."

"Why should I make the decision for them?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Lan Yu's face was instantly filled with fear.

He heard that Zhu Yunhuan had pleaded for Wang Bi and others in front of the emperor, so he naturally thought that the other party would not pursue the incident of that day, but now it seems that this may not be the case.

But if you think about it, it's true that anyone who is surrounded by a group of people with knives at their disposal would definitely feel resentful.

What’s more, Zhu Yunhuan is the King of Wu!
Zhu Yunxun continued:
"As for innocence, what kind of innocence does Uncle want to give them?"

"According to the Great Ming Law, what Wang Bi and his gang did is no different from treason. According to the law, they should be executed along with their entire clan."

"You are in a hurry to let Huang Zicheng try the case. Do you want to execute them all?"

Lan Yu was stunned for a moment, speechless.

Zhu Yunhuan threw the scroll that Yao Guangxiao had just given him to him and said, "Granduncle, take a look at these things yourself first."

Lan Yu picked it up, unfolded the scroll and took a look at it. His expression suddenly changed again.

"Your Highness, King Wu, everything written here is nonsense."

"My adopted sons would never do such a thing."

"Really?" Zhu Yunhuan's voice suddenly rose, as loud as thunder, and he said, "Then I will issue a decree now, ordering the three judicial departments to arrest all the people, and investigate and investigate the matters recorded above one by one."

"Give them a clear name."

"I wonder what you think?"

"This...this...this..." Lan Yu stood there in a daze, speechless for a moment.

Although he did not know everything his adopted son had done, he had heard some scattered rumors a long time ago.

But Lan Yu was born to be protective of his children.

He also felt that his adopted sons had earned a little credit by charging into the front lines, fighting bravely and risking their lives, and they deserved to enjoy some of the rewards.

In front of ordinary people, being a little arrogant and domineering is nothing.

When I saw the detailed records of their crimes, I was shocked.

"Do you think that if they have made some military achievements, the laws of the Ming Dynasty will no longer apply to them?" Zhu Yunhuan asked calmly.

"That is not my intention."

It was not until this time that Lan Yu woke up from his dream and realized that something was wrong.

If this scroll were to be sent to His Majesty, given His Majesty's hatred of evil, it is self-evident what the consequences would be.

Even he himself would be implicated.

Lan Yu originally thought that with his relationship with Zhu Yunhuan and his contribution in supporting him, his position in the court could be further improved.

His adopted sons also thought so.

During this period, they were all in high spirits.

Only Wang Bi and others had not been released, which made Lan Yu feel uneasy.

When I saw this thing at this moment, I felt like a basin of cold water was poured over my head.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at him and said, "Now that things have come to this, the only way is to cut off the arm of a hero!"

"You said in the court that day that you adopted many sons in the army for my father's sake."

"Now that my father is gone, I plan to open the Ming Military Academy and recruit generals from all over the world as my disciples."

"From now on, you no longer need to adopt a son to consolidate the foundation of the army."

"These adopted sons of yours are a calamity after all!"

"Are you willing to sever ties with all the adopted sons you once took in, and hand over any who have committed crimes to be severely punished?"

Lan Yu's face showed a look of pain and struggle.

Zhu Yunxun sighed and said, "You are my great uncle. We share the same fate."

"Of course I hope you are safe."

"But the Ming Dynasty is not a bandit group that occupies the mountains and becomes the king after all."

"The Ming Dynasty is an empire that rules the people of the world."

"Within the vast territory of ten thousand miles and the four seas, all are citizens of the Ming Dynasty."

"If you still can't let go of the old ways of talking about brotherhood, how can you gain a foothold in the future of Ming Dynasty?"

"You keep saying you want to rescue your brothers from prison, but aren't your brothers in prison because of you?"

"If you continue to be stubborn, you will only bring disaster to all the brothers around you."

"Such a simple truth, don't you understand?"

Lan Yuru felt like she was electrocuted and stood there, motionless.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at the scroll and said, "And your adopted sons."

"You only want to protect them."

"But the more you protect them, the bolder they become, and the more illegal things they do."

"One day, there will come a time when you can no longer protect me."

"If they were punished at this time, most of them would either be beaten with a stick, dismissed from their posts and sent to the army, or exiled three thousand miles away, but their crimes would not be punishable by death."

"If you continue to help them cover it up, when things get out of hand, when they cause even bigger trouble, it won't be so easy to resolve." "Behead them, confiscate their property, skin them and stuff them with straw, and kill the whole family... Do you think you are helping them, or harming them?"

Zhu Yunhuan's voice fell calmly.

There was no more sound in the hall.

After a while.

Lan Yu showed a very fierce look on his face. He knelt down suddenly, holding the scroll in both hands and said: "Lan Yu begs His Royal Highness the King of Wu to punish Lan Yu's adopted son according to the law of the country."

Zhu Yunhuan showed disappointment on his face, and said calmly: "Is that all?"

I have been talking for so long, but I don't expect Lan Yu to do just this.

Lan Yu slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and continued: "When I was in command of the army, I recruited many sons in the army to facilitate command of the troops."

"I thought that this would make it easier for me to command the army, but now I think there are great hidden dangers."

"My adopted sons relied on my name to do evil things outside, and they did a lot of illegal things."

"I, Lan Yu, hereby announce that from now on, I will sever my father-son relationship with all my adopted sons, in order to enforce military discipline and national law."

"I would also like to ask His Royal Highness the King of Wu to issue a ban and use me, Lan Yu, as a warning."

"From now on, all generals in the army are not allowed to adopt any sons under any name. Anyone who has adopted any sons before must sever ties with them from now on. Anyone who violates this rule will be severely punished."

Zhu Yunxun finally nodded slightly, and then asked, "Anything else?"

Lan Yu kowtowed and said, "Earlier, Wang Bi and his old subordinates gathered together with weapons to besiege His Royal Highness the King of Wu. This is truly a heinous act."

"This incident was caused by me, and I cannot escape the blame."

"I have come here today to apologize to His Majesty the King of Wu!"

"Your Highness, King Wu, please make your decision."

When Zhu Yunxun heard what he said, a smile appeared on his face. He reached out and helped him up, saying, "Uncle, you are too kind."

"I don't blame my great uncle."

"But this incident happened in public. If I don't punish him severely, how can I convince the public in the future?"

"You just said that Huang Zicheng was delaying the trial of the case."

"But have you ever thought about this? Huang Zicheng has always supported King Xian and is my enemy."

"Even if I send someone to pass on the message, will he listen? Won't he make excuses?"

"He dragged his feet on the case, and I remained silent."

"First, I am annoyed by the actions of Wang Bi and others that day. It is clear that they did not take me, the King of Wu, seriously."

"If we don't teach them a lesson, will they learn their lesson?"

"Secondly, it's really not easy to interfere."

Lan Yu hurriedly said, "Wang Bi and his men are indeed arrogant. It is only natural for Your Highness to teach them a lesson."

Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "I'm not a stingy person."

"Today, in front of my great uncle, I tell you the truth. If I hadn't intervened for them in front of the emperor that day, they wouldn't be in jail now, and they would have been beheaded long ago."

"I saved their lives by repaying evil with kindness."

Lan Yu nodded and said, "I have heard about this as well."

"Your Highness's great kindness, great virtue, great benevolence and great justice will surely be remembered by Wang Bi and others, and they will repay you with their lives in the future."

The news that Zhu Yunhuan was pleading for them had already been spread through other channels by Zhu.

Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "It's not that I don't want to help my uncle, I won't save them to the end!"

"But now even if I want to save them, they have to cooperate!"

Lan Yu asked quickly, "What does your highness want them to do?"

Zhu Yunhuan smiled slightly and said, "I saved them out of kindness before, but until now, none of them has taken the initiative to write to me and apologize for their mistakes."

"You said that Huang Zicheng has been dragging his feet on the case and hoped that I would intervene and put pressure on Huang Zicheng."

"But have you ever thought about it?"

"If they took the initiative to write a letter to apologize and admit their mistakes, then even if Huang Zicheng wanted to delay the trial, would he be able to do so?"

"They have not taken the initiative to confess their crimes, and as a result they have been locked up in jail and are unable to get out. Isn't this their own fault?"

Lan Yu was shocked and came to his senses in an instant.

Yup!

If Wang Bi and other military generals and nobles confessed their guilt, the case would be solved.

It makes no difference whether Huang Zicheng is tried or not.

What are you still delaying?

But, plead guilty?
To confess is to commit treason!

How could Wang Bi and others dare to admit it?
It was not until this moment, when he heard Zhu Yunhuan, that Lan Yu suddenly understood!

Grace comes from above!

It actually doesn’t matter what crime Huang Zicheng charged Wang Bi and others with, or whether it was treason or not.

Because even if the crime is the most serious, doesn't the Emperor still have the final say on how to punish it?
What Your Majesty wants is an attitude.

This attitude also determines whether Wang Bi and others can still be used by the King of Wu.

After all, it is an ironclad fact that Wang Bi led his men with swords in hand that day to besiege the King of Wu.

If they don't even have an attitude, it means they can't be used by the King of Wu, and Your Majesty has no choice but to kill them all.

Thinking of this, Lan Yu suddenly felt that everything in front of him was clear, and said, "Your Highness is right."

"If Wang Bi and others do not plead guilty, they must not be released."

At this point, he already knew how to save Wang Bi and others.

Zhu Yunxun smiled faintly.

Wang Bi and other military generals and nobles have been imprisoned for such a long time that they are almost done for.

However, the last step of "starving the eagle" is the most important.

Because we want them to recognize their Lord again and never betray again.

The heat must be just right.

We must not let them feel any resentment in their hearts, but instead let them be grateful to us.

I had ignored it before and let them "misunderstanding".

Now I tell them through Lan Yu that it’s not that I don’t want to save you, it’s that you are not motivated enough, and there is nothing I can do.

When they wake up, they will understand that everything is their fault. The King of Wu is so kind and righteous!
Later, they confessed their crimes and were sentenced to death. They became desperate again, so Zhu Yunhuan rescued them.

After experiencing two consecutive ups and downs, subtle changes will occur in people's hearts, and they will be loyal to the people who saved them from then on!

Only in this way can the goal of "Ao Ying" be achieved.

Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "Is there anything else, uncle?"

Lan Yu bowed and said, "Your Highness wants to set up a military academy and recruit meritorious officials and military commanders from all over the world as disciples. This is a great thing that has never happened before."

"Although I am a rough guy, I am ambitious and would like to study in the academy."

"I came here specially to become your disciple today."

He originally wanted to say something flattering like "His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu is a man of extraordinary talent and bravery."

But when I opened my mouth, I found that I still couldn't say anything.

Lan Yu had very complicated feelings towards Zhu Yunhuan.

Ever since he started competing for the position of crown prince, he seemed like a completely different person.

There is no trace of the ignorant look as before.

Although he is only a teenager, he is so mature that he even surpasses his great uncle who is quite old.

The many methods and brilliant ideas involved made him admire them very much.

Unknowingly, Lan Yu had truly placed Zhu Yunhuan in a position of superiority.

Rather than his own nephew or grandson.

Before this, only the Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang and the deceased Crown Prince Zhu Biao had such a status in his heart.

now.

After witnessing Zhu Yunhuan's various tactics, in Lan Yu's eyes, Zhu Yunhuan seemed three times more terrifying than his father Zhu Biao.

Lan Yu no longer dared to underestimate him.

In terms of seniority, he is the other party's great uncle.

But honestly, the other person's skills and abilities are really qualified to be my teacher!

If I had had his insight earlier, I wouldn't have been in danger before.

The Zhu family is truly blessed by heaven.

My son and grandson are so amazing.

A hundred times more powerful than the children of ordinary military generals and nobles!
But the more emotion he felt in his heart, the less he could say any flattering words.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Lan Yu and guessed what he was thinking. He stopped being polite and said, "Okay!"

……

(End of this chapter)