Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 146: Offer sacrifices to the heavens and ancestors, and officially establish the crown prince!
"It's absolutely true!" Zhu Yunhuan said firmly, "My grandson is willing to guarantee it with his head."

In fact, although there were potatoes and sweet potatoes in South America, their yield was far lower than that of later generations before they were artificially improved generation after generation.

But the thing does exist.

There is also great room for improvement.

The most important thing is to use this kind of thing to persuade Zhu Yuanzhang to agree to lift the maritime ban and send ships out to sea.

“I never thought there would be such a magical thing in the world.”

Old Zhu looked at the map and seemed to be lost in thought again.

After a long while, he said, "This place is very far away from Daming. It may not be easy to send a ship out to sea there."

"However, if there really are those two magical objects you mentioned, we must spare no effort and resources to get them back no matter what."

When Zhu Yunhuan heard that Old Zhu agreed, he immediately felt relieved.

Old Zhu pondered for a moment, and then said, "You said that you would use the method of enfeoffment of the kings and the descendants of the royal family to open up overseas territories, which is indeed a method."

"In this way, the descendants of the Zhu family can all be enterprising and self-reliant, and contribute to the Ming Dynasty."

"But before that, we must first completely wipe out the Japanese pirates."

"Otherwise, how can we send the princes and royal family members to sea if the sea is not peaceful?"

"Since the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Japanese pirates have been causing trouble for a long time. It will be difficult to completely eliminate them."

The Japanese pirates are not from a remote and barbaric land overseas. It is difficult to pacify them with only the princes and royal family members. The imperial army must be dispatched.

Zhu Yuanhuan smiled faintly: "Please rest assured, Grandfather Emperor, I will definitely put down the Japanese pirates' rebellion in a short time."

"Not only that, my grandson also wants Japan to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty."

"From now on, you will obey the orders of the Ming Dynasty and never invade the borders of the Ming Dynasty again."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said, "Sending troops to force Japan to surrender? This is no small matter. How confident are you?"

"One hundred percent!" Zhu Yunxun was full of confidence.

Now that we have guns from the Ming Manufacturing Bureau, new cannons and ships will be built next.

What can Japan use to fight against the Ming Dynasty?

"Okay, we support you!"

To Zhu Yunhuan's surprise, Old Zhu did not object this time and agreed immediately.

"If you can really pacify the Japanese pirates, we will agree to your plan of enfeoffment of the kings and sending the royal family members to expand the territory overseas."

"If not, we in the Ming Dynasty should just stay at home and live our own lives, and stop thinking about going overseas."

"We must go, and only send ships to this place."

Lao Zhu pointed to South America on the map.

"Bring back the sacred potatoes and sweet potatoes you mentioned."

Zhu Yunhuan cupped his hands and said, "Grandpa Emperor, please rest assured. Just wait and see how I, your grandson, will quell the rebellion of the Japanese pirates and clean up the Japanese country."

"Good!" Old Zhu nodded. "You have done a great job in running the bank, publishing the Ming Daily, and issuing new banknotes."

"This is enough to show that your ability to govern a country is far superior to mine."

"From now on, we won't ask you how to govern the country. You can make all the decisions yourself."

"If the Japanese pirates are completely eliminated, then lifting the maritime ban will be fine."

"As long as we see the Ming Dynasty prospering and the people having enough food and clothing, we will be satisfied."

Old Zhu waved his hand and authorized directly: "We also want to see how you will govern the Ming Dynasty if it is handed over to you!"

"What new changes will there be in our Ming Dynasty?"

"Just go ahead and do it!"

His eyes were full of anticipation.

Old Zhu was originally full of worries about the inheritance of the country.

I always worry that my descendants will not be capable enough to stabilize the government and the world.

I have thought about it over and over again and put a lot of thought into it, just wanting to help future generations eliminate all hidden dangers.

But as Zhu Yunhuan began to govern the country, he gradually realized that his worries were unnecessary.

For example, he spent his entire life trying to figure out the Ming Dynasty's treasure notes, but he still failed to get it right.

But once Zhu Yunhuan took over, he ran the business successfully.

For another example, the national treasury could be transferred to the supervision of the Ming Bank, and the Ministry of Revenue would only be responsible for withdrawals to prevent embezzlement. However, he had never thought of such a good idea.

Another example is the establishment and large-scale distribution of the Ming Daily.

As time went by, Lao Zhu increasingly felt the power of the Ming Daily in guiding public opinion.

Before this, this power almost exclusively belonged to scholars.

The imperial power can interfere to a certain extent, but in reality it is extremely difficult to guide.

With the establishment of the Ming Daily, public opinion was gradually controlled by imperial power.

In all these aspects, Zhu Yunhuan did better than himself.

In that case, just let him do it completely.

Zhu Yunhuan was stunned and a little surprised. He didn't expect that Old Zhu would hand over all power.

However, this is fine.

No matter whether Lao Zhu is testing him or assessing him, as long as he can achieve results, Lao Zhu will naturally be convinced.

The first step was to pacify the Japanese pirates.

We must fight this first battle in a glamorous manner.

"With Grandpa Emperor's words, I feel relieved. Then I will really make drastic reforms."

In fact, he just started with the drawbacks of the royal family system and then talked about letting the royal family members go overseas to expand territory. His ultimate goal was to persuade Zhu to lift the maritime ban.

After all, this is the key to opening the Age of Discovery.

You know, even in the Song Dynasty when maritime trade was not banned, maritime trade was already very prosperous.

By the Yuan Dynasty, Chinese merchants had almost monopolized maritime trade in the entire Indian Ocean.

The Ming Dynasty’s maritime ban can be said to be a tragedy of the era.

The once prosperous overseas trade vanished into thin air when it was needed most. The root cause of all this was the Japanese pirates.

Therefore, the first step in expanding overseas is to quell the Japanese rebellion.

The expansion of overseas interests and the acquisition of resources will pave the way for Ming Dynasty's industrialization.

This prompted the Ming Dynasty to move from the feudal era to the capitalist era.

"Hmm!" Old Zhu responded softly, but suddenly remembered something and said, "Yang Shiqi and Yao Guangxiao are both top talents."

"Looking at the ministers in the court today, I'm afraid none of them can compare to these two."

"You have a good eye for people, which is good."

"But you have to remember that if the knife is too sharp, it will not only hurt others, but also yourself."

"You can use someone who is too powerful, but you must control him with caution."

"If you have any doubts about him, you should kill him without mercy!"

“Don’t raise a tiger to cause trouble.”

Zhu Yuanzhang warned: "To govern the world, we certainly need talents."

“But we don’t need someone who is too talented.”

"An above-average appearance is enough."

"When the birds are gone, the good bow is hidden; when the cunning rabbit dies, the lackeys are cooked."

"When we were conquering the world, we needed top talents like Liu Bowen."

"But if I meet someone as talented as Liu Bowen again today, not only will I not use him, I will kill him!"

"Do you understand what I mean?"

Zhu Yunhuan was stunned.

I understood immediately.

The monarch and his ministers complement each other, but there are also conflicts and struggles between them.

Just like the conflict between the power of the monarch and the power of the prime minister.

If the minister's ability is too strong and the monarch's ability is too weak.

If the ruler is weak and the ministers are strong, the ministers will seize the emperor's authority.

Most of the changes of dynasties in history were not caused by rebellions by the lower classes of people that overthrew the imperial court.

Instead, powerful officials took their place and established a new dynasty.

As an emperor, you have to guard against this.

The people who pose the greatest threat to imperial power are not the common people who can carry the emperor up or down, but the emperor and the people who help him govern the world.

It was only because Zhu Yuanzhang saw that he was capable enough to control Yang Shiqi and Yao Guangxiao that he allowed him to continue using them.

Otherwise, I'm afraid Lao Zhu would have to kill them all.

From this perspective, Zhu Yunwen in history faced a situation where there were no capable ministers or good generals in the court after he ascended the throne. It can be said that this was all caused by Zhu alone.

However, despite all Zhu Yuanzhang's calculations, he did not expect that Zhu Yunwen, who had lost the support of capable ministers and generals, would become so useless.

Zhu Di's rebellion was actually successful!
Now that Zhu Yunwen is imprisoned, the Ming Dynasty will be handed over to Zhu Yunhuan, who has demonstrated extraordinary abilities.

It also greatly reduced Zhu's vigilance and murderous intent towards his subjects.

"Understood!" Zhu Yunxun said with a smile: "Grandpa Emperor, don't worry. Yang Shiqi and Yao Guangxiao are not founding heroes. Their foundation in the court is very shallow. Although they are capable, they are not capable of rebellion."

"I, your grandson, will not allow anyone to monopolize power. I will do everything I can to balance their power."

The older Mr. Zhu gets, the more suspicious he becomes.

He could only give a brief explanation.

"That's true." Old Zhu said with a smile, "It's good that you know it well."

"The way to be a king is to employ people first."

“The human heart is the most difficult thing in the world to grasp.”

"Today's loyal minister may be tomorrow's traitor."

"You must be aware of this."

After giving him a few instructions, Lao Zhu took his hand and said, "I used to be a monk in a temple, and I am also a disciple of Buddhism."

"Today, in front of the Buddha, I will officially grant you the title of Crown Prince!"

"From now on, the Ming Dynasty is entrusted to you."

……

The first day of December, the twenty-fifth year of Hongwu.

Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Emperor who had not attended court for a long time, came to court again, summoned his ministers, and offered sacrifices to the heavens and ancestors.

Then, he issued an edict to announce it to the world.

"I have heard that nature is the mandate of heaven, and following nature is the way; I have also heard that carrying forward the past and opening up the future is the great plan of the state."

"Since I started my army, I have fought hundreds of battles and finally conquered the world, thanks to the spirits of the ancestral temples and the efforts of my ministers and the people."

"Now I am old, but the country cannot be without a master for a day. I must choose my descendants to succeed me, to carry on the ancestral temple and govern the people."

"King Yunhu of Wu is a man of extraordinary talent, of pure and beautiful talent, of inner virtue, and of great power and benevolence."

"Now I respectfully inform Heaven and Earth, the ancestral temples, and the state that I will grant Yunhuan the imperial seal and make him the crown prince. Hopefully, a hundred years will pass and blessings will flow, and the benevolence will last forever, and the great cause will be forever consolidated."

"From now on, all government affairs will be entrusted to the Crown Prince Yunhuan to learn state affairs and inherit the throne."

"The orders of the Crown Prince are my orders. Those who disobey will be punished, and those who perform meritorious deeds will be rewarded."

"Announce it to the whole world, and let all know it."

"Appreciate this!"

……

On this day, Zhu Yunhuan officially became the Crown Prince and started a new policy.

……

(End of this chapter)