Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 263 Lao Zhu: Age and experience are the key to success. I, your grandpa, am better than you!
"We have been corresponding with Zhu Sun for so long, but I forgot to ask him how old he is."

"He has such a wide range of experience and profound knowledge, so he must be quite old, right?"

"But it doesn't matter. Ambition is not limited by age."

"Even if I'm a little older, as long as I can still make suggestions for the court, there will be no problem."

"Besides, as you get older, your temperament will be more stable."

"That rebellious grandson is missing someone older and more stable."

Old Zhu muttered to himself.

He was still very satisfied with Zhu Yunhuan's governance.

There were at least two things that Zhu Yunhuan did very well.

First, the foreign war was won.

The Ming Dynasty put down the Japanese pirate rebellion and conquered Japan.

He then went north to eliminate his biggest threat - the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty held a meeting of various grassland tribes at Mount Langjuxu and forced them to offer sacrifices to the Chinese soldiers, thus declaring its absolute dominance over the grasslands.

From now on, the Ming Dynasty’s northern border can rest easy for the next few decades.

Second, the court’s finances are very sufficient, the treasury has money and food!

People always think that only ordinary people worry about money.

This won’t happen to nobles and high-ranking officials.

As for the emperor, that is even more impossible.

The whole world belongs to the emperor, how could the emperor worry about money?
In fact, this idea is totally wrong.

Almost all emperors were worried about money.

It’s just that they are not like ordinary people who worry about money for food and medical treatment... What they worry about is the national fiscal expenditure.

Zhu Yuanzhang was in power for decades. From conquering the world in the beginning to ruling the world later, there was not a single day when he did not worry about money.

Without him.

The country’s fiscal revenue is insufficient.

It's never enough.

In the end, they always had to borrow money from here and there and make do with what they had.

Especially when the imperial court was about to launch a foreign war and an expedition to the Northern Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang was often so worried about raising the food and military expenses needed for the war that he couldn't sleep all night.

If the soldiers and horses are not moving, the grain and grass will go first.

When ordinary people see war, they only see the bloody battles of the soldiers on the front lines.

But only those who truly command a war and take charge of the overall situation know that logistics support is the key to a war.

Only with sufficient financial and food support can we truly be able to attack when we advance and defend when we retreat.

Otherwise, many battles would not be fought.

Doesn’t Old Zhu want to completely eliminate the hidden dangers of the Northern Yuan Dynasty?

Why didn't they pursue the victory and go deep into the northern grasslands to eliminate the threat once they had won a victory on the front line?

There is no other reason.

The court simply lacked the financial resources and food supplies to continue the war.

We have to stop.

Save up money and food for a few years, and then continue fighting.

However, after Zhu Yunhuan took over as regent, the Ming Dynasty's finances became more abundant than ever before.

There is too much money to spend.

Moreover, this money was not obtained by plundering the people and making their lives miserable.

The economic situation among the people remains prosperous.

The money and grain in the national treasury were piled up like mountains, so there was no need to prepare money and grain specifically even for war.

If one can achieve these two things, he can be called a wise ruler throughout history.

When it comes to governing the country, almost no emperor throughout history has been able to do it.

As for the rest, even if there are some shortcomings, some things that Lao Zhu can't understand, or some things that he is dissatisfied with, the merits outweigh the flaws.

It can even be said that compared with the previous two, it is not worth mentioning.

What's more, during this period of time, through observation of Shanghai's economy and correspondence discussions with Zhu Sun, Zhu's knowledge of economics has reached an extremely high level even though he is illiterate.

I also understand more and more about Zhu Yunhuan's many policies for governing the country.

"We have been away from Beijing for so long, but he has been able to hold on to the throne with his own skills and abilities, making sure that no one dares to rebel. He is indeed capable enough to rule the Ming Dynasty."

When he left the capital, he originally wanted to lure those who rebelled against Zhu Yunhuan out so that he could catch them all in one fell swoop.

Clear the last obstacle for Zhu Yunhuan to ascend the throne.

However, he did not expect that despite all of Zhu Yunhuan's tactics, such a person would never appear.

As to the reasons, Zhu Yuanzhang analyzed them himself and also discussed them with his grandson in letters.

First, the terrifying combat power of the Ming Dynasty’s new army frightened potential opponents and made them dare not act.

This army trained and cultivated by Zhu Yunhuan demonstrated extremely amazing combat effectiveness.

Those who opposed Zhu Yunhuan knew very well that they had no chance of winning a direct confrontation with the new army.

The only person who formally challenged him was Prince of Jin, Zhu Gang.

But in the end, Zhu Gang took the initiative to give up the idea of going to war with the new army.

Apart from these, everyone else knew that a head-on confrontation with the new army would be tantamount to seeking death.

Because of this, when the Commissioner of Taxation launched a tax war and aroused opposition from the entire court, no one dared to test the power of the new army.

The new army is Zhu Yunhuan’s greatest confidence.

The second is the Huang Zicheng case and the subsequent establishment of a reporting system.

In fact, when the Huang Zicheng case was still under trial, Zhu Yunhuan’s power was in the most dangerous time.

But when the case was settled later, he used it to win the hearts of civil and military officials in the court, and the crisis was resolved without warning.

The establishment of the reporting system and the secret reporting system further strengthened the supervision over ministers, and Zhu Yunhuan's power was strengthened to an unprecedented level.

The third is the public opinion guidance of the Ming Daily, which took the right to speak, which was originally held by scholars, into its own hands.

This is also an extremely critical link.

In the past, the "contest" between court officials and the emperor always relied on the support of public opinion.

That is the main battlefield for scholars.

Even imperial power should be avoided head-on.

However, since the establishment of the Daming Daily, the dominance of public opinion has gradually shifted to Zhu Yunhuan's hands.

In Zhu Sun's words, public opinion does not naturally belong to scholars, but to the millions of ordinary people in the world.

It’s just that in the past, scholars held the right to speak, so they naturally “represented” the people of the world.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince used the Ming Daily to mobilize the people and allow the court to communicate directly with the people, rather than having scholars relay messages, thereby depriving them of the right to guide public opinion.

The fourth is the abundant financial resources brought by the establishment of Ming Bank.

Without money you can't move forward.

If the imperial court was short of money, ministers would use this as an excuse to "blackmail" the emperor and share the "imperial power."

Lao Zhu has a deep understanding of this.

A key reason why Hu Weiyong was used and tolerated for such a long time was that Hu Weiyong was able to help Zhu Yuanzhang manage the Ming Dynasty at that time.

To put it simply, Hu Weiyong was able to raise money and balance the country's fiscal expenditures.

It was for this reason that Lao Zhu tolerated him for so long.

Otherwise, Hu Weiyong's power would never have been able to grow to that extent.

But this also shows a huge disadvantage.

That is, the emperor cannot rely on a certain minister financially and depend on a certain minister to solve financial problems.

Otherwise, the imperial power would be in danger of being unstable.

The above four points are the key to Zhu Yunhuan's ability to hold power and remain as stable as a mountain.

Zhu Sun concluded in the letter that it is the gun, the pen, institutional building and financial support!

When these four are combined, power is naturally consolidated.

Other departments such as the Investigation Department can only play a supporting role.

Old Zhu fully agreed with Zhu Sun’s analysis.

But in Zhu Yuanzhang's opinion, Zhu Yunhuan still had some shortcomings, that is, he had too few trusted men and his prestige was not high enough.

Ultimately, power still comes from the hearts of the people. You can only have power if the people below you obey your orders.

Otherwise, all the systems, techniques, conspiracies and means will be in vain.

As the founding emperor, all the meritorious generals and ministers in the court were trained by Zhu Yuanzhang himself, and all the ministers were promoted and employed by him.

Old Zhu naturally did not have the problem of having too few trusted followers and insufficient prestige.

To put it bluntly, all the civil and military officials in the court were his confidants, not to mention his prestige.

But Zhu Yunhuan was different.

Except for Yao Guangxiao, Yang Shiqi, Xia Yuanji, Yang Rong and other close confidants he brought up, all the others respected his status as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

The soldiers of the new army may be different.

But the foundation of the new army's soldiers was too shallow after all.

Many things within the court cannot be solved entirely by force.

After all, conquering the world and ruling the world are different.

If Zhu Yunhuan wanted peace in his country, it would be impossible for him to conquer the world again.

As for prestige, it’s a little hard to explain.

Although the name of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is being praised throughout the world, it seems that his prestige is at its peak.

But as Zhu Sun said in the letter, this prestige is shallow and can easily change suddenly once any major changes occur.

It is not as deeply rooted and popular as the old emperor's prestige.

Of course, for a successor to a dynasty, achieving the same level as Zhu Yunhuan is actually completely sufficient.

But Lao Zhu was worried.

I have to say, what Zhu Sun said about Lao Zhu's symptoms of anxiety disorder was quite accurate.

Old Zhu was very worried about whether the power of the Ming Dynasty would remain stable after his death.

Since ancient times, a newly established dynasty would experience one or more upheavals after the death of the founding emperor.

Only after it has survived can the dynasty truly stabilize.

Liu Bang established the Han Dynasty. After Liu Bang's death, the Lu family came to power. The ministers killed the Lu family, and the Han Dynasty's government was in turmoil for many years.

Not to mention the period of the Two Jin Dynasties, when dynasties changed frequently and turmoil continued.

The Sui Dynasty fell during the reign of Emperor II, and after the Tang Dynasty was established by Emperor Li Yuan, the Xuanwu Gate Incident broke out.

In fact, it was a power grab initiated by a group of meritorious officials represented by Li Shimin against Crown Prince Li Jiancheng and even Emperor Li Yuan.

After Zhao Kuangyin's death, the throne of the Song Dynasty was seized by his younger brother...

All of these are precedents.

In fact, there are many short-lived dynasties that are not well-known in history, most of which perished in the second generation.

Because it takes three generations for people's hearts to stabilize.

The same is true for dynasties.

A new dynasty will always fall into a dangerous period after the death of its founder.

The more Zhu read history, the more uneasy he became.

He originally wanted to kill everyone, but was persuaded by Zhu Yunhuan.

As Zhu Yunhuan's power became increasingly solid, he also found that his health was getting worse and worse, and the uneasiness in his heart did not disappear.

He always wondered whether there might be some potential opponents who had not been eliminated?

Those nobles are now obedient to Zhu Yunhuan, but what will happen after he dies?

Will the attitude remain the same?
Don't worry!

After all, I'm still worried.

"We need to have a good discussion with Zhu Sun to see if there is any way to help Hu'er consolidate his power."

Although they had been exchanging letters for such a long time, Zhu Yuanzhang had never revealed his identity as emperor to his grandson, so these matters were naturally difficult to discuss.

Furthermore, such a top-secret and important matter cannot be mentioned in a letter.

We can only talk about it when we meet in person.

Since leaving Shencheng and coming to Jinling, I have heard a lot of new news along the way.

Zhu Yunhuan promulgated the "Ming Dynasty Farmland Rent Reduction Regulations", and various places began to reduce rents and reclaim land.

When Prince of Jin Zhu Gang went out to sea, Zhu began to worry about his son's safety again.

Then came the rumors that the imperial court was going to withdraw from the feudal system, that the royal family was going to go to sea, and that mercenary groups were to be opened up...

Things happen one after another.

Zhu Yunhuan's reforms are still being carried out in a vigorous manner.

Because he was on the road and had no fixed address for receiving or sending letters, the correspondence with Zhu Sun was temporarily interrupted. No one discussed these things and the impact they brought, which made Old Zhu feel very uncomfortable.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang thought of going to the location of Science journal first instead of returning to the palace.

I think Zhu Sun will be surprised when he sees me.

Despite his talent, he was buried by the journal Science and was never reused.

Although the article he wrote was accepted by the court, his superior took credit for it in his name. We must help him redress this "injustice"!
Ni Sun is a black man who hides his true colors. He has made such a big fuss about fighting against corruption, but this kind of thing happened in the journal Science, which he founded.

To embezzle other people's "articles" that offer advice and suggestions to the court and claim them as one's own is also called "embezzlement of other people's credit." Its nature is even worse than embezzling money.

In Lao Zhu's heart, he had already sentenced the group of officials in charge of Science magazine to death.

Although they published the journal Science, they also made great contributions.

But credit goes to credit and fault goes to fault.

Old Zhu is a person who cannot tolerate any grain of sand in his eyes.

Besides, the Science journal was founded by his grandson.

In terms of merit, Zhu Yunhuan certainly made the greatest contribution.

Those people were just doing what he said.

Just kill them and replace them with another batch.

Thinking of this, Old Zhu couldn't help but look forward to the scene of meeting his grandson.

After being emperor for so many years, his old brothers have gradually drifted away from him, leaving him alone.

Over the years, and only in the last few months, through correspondence, have Zhu Sun and I become good friends who can talk about anything.

Except for not revealing his true identity to Zhu Sun, Old Zhu told Zhu Sun all about his hardships.

She even told him that she had a grandson who was very powerful and amazing, but disobedient.

Each of them said that his son had died and that he wanted his grandson to inherit the family business in the future.

She told him that she was very uneasy and worried that the housekeeper and servants in the house would not accept the discipline of her grandson after her death.

……

Old Zhu told his grandson about situations like these.

After all, in Old Zhu's eyes, Zhu Sun is a man of great wisdom.

Not only did he understand economics and how to govern a country, he even gave detailed explanations to the "science" that his grandson had pioneered and which Zhu Yuanzhang never understood.

Old Zhu felt that what he said was absolutely right.

It turns out that analyzing Shanghai’s economy through its dock workers, ships, and unloading quantities is science!
If Mr. Zhu has any questions, he will of course ask him for advice.

Moreover, Zhu Sun’s reply letters never disappointed Zhu.

Zhu and Sun made a very detailed and serious analysis of the situation faced by Lao Zhu.

However, correspondence is ultimately no match for face-to-face conversations.

This time when I meet Zhu Sun, I must talk with him for three days and three nights.

And that rebellious grandson always thought he had the ability to judge people.

He used Yang Shiqi, Yao Guangxiao, Xia Yuanji, Zhang Fu and Zhu Neng quite smoothly.

I feel proud of the fact that Bole has found a good horse.
Although those people are pretty good, how can they compare to the Zhu Sun that he has his eyes on?

When I recommend Zhu Sun to Ni Sun, he will definitely be surprised.

He probably still believes that the policy on state governance written by Zhu and Sun was the result of collective discussion in the journal Science.

Hahaha!
A smile appeared on the corner of Lao Zhu's mouth.

He felt very happy when he thought of Nisun's surprised look.

Older gingers are more spicy!
Although you are very powerful, your grandfather is even better!
The carriage rolled forward, and before they knew it, they had arrived in Yingtian Prefecture, and the city of Jinling was already in sight in the distance.

……

(End of this chapter)