Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 99 Twelve Essays on the Fall of the Ming Dynasty 11
"Ten theories about the fall of the Ming Dynasty: The emperor's neglect of government affairs." Zhu Zhanhe pointed to the tenth question and looked at Emperor Yongle, feeling unsure how to answer this question.

"Why are you looking at me? Just tell me the solution! Your grandfather is very hardworking." Emperor Yongle was very dissatisfied with the look cast by his grandson. After stealing a glance at Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi, he immediately straightened his neck and started talking.

"Grandpa, I mean this problem is really hard to solve!
There are these methods, but they all have huge hidden dangers!
So I don’t know what to say! "Zhu Zhanhe really didn’t know how to solve this problem!
After all, there really was no good solution in ancient times! And modern methods don’t work in this feudal dynasty!
"No good solution?!" Emperor Yongle stroked his beard and thought.

"Briefly tell me what you think." Emperor Yongle knew that this problem was difficult to solve, so he decided to listen to some opinions.

"Grandpa, the problem of the emperor's negligence in government affairs is ultimately due to the problem of choosing the emperor!
Since ancient times, there have been two ways to choose an emperor: the eldest son of the legitimate wife or the virtuous one! " Zhu Zhanhe looked up at the frowning Emperor Yongle and continued.

"The reason why everyone chooses the eldest son as the heir apparent is not only because he is the oldest, but also because of the influence of the maternal family, the influence of the imperial court, and other reasons. Of course, the most important thing is that this standard is the easiest to implement and there will be no disputes!

The standard of virtue is too broad. Being decisive in killing is virtuous, being kind is virtuous, being well-read and polite is virtuous, being observant is virtuous, being thrifty is virtuous, being respectful to the wise and humble, being a master of military strategy, etc. can all be virtuous!

So many standards of virtue!

For the sake of orderly succession of the country, everyone tacitly chose the more acceptable and distinct standard of establishing the eldest son as the heir.

But this position is the supreme position in the world, not everyone can sit on it!

If things go wrong, the whole world will be in turmoil and the ancestral temple will be overturned!

Therefore, from the perspective of choice, the decision can only be made by the emperor himself! "Zhu Zhanhe looked at the troubled Emperor Yongle and understood his dilemma. Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi was wise and benevolent, while Prince of Han Zhu Gaoxu was decisive and ruthless. Therefore, Emperor Yongle had no choice.

"Solution!" Emperor Yongle asked for a solution.

“There are three ways!

First, the emperor oversees overall rule and controls the military, while ministers manage domestic affairs, with each side checking the other. "Zhu Zhanhe described the emperor system during Japan's Meiji period.

"Next one!" Emperor Yongle asked directly about the next one.

"Second, the emperor is the symbol of the country and is supreme! Ownership can be decentralized! When the country collapses, the rulers in power will be replaced!" Zhu Zhanhe implicitly stated the emperor system implemented in modern Japan. The emperor is only a symbol of the country and has no real power!
"Is there anything else?" Emperor Yongle understood Zhu Zhanhe's words, his brows twitching, and he asked with gritted teeth.

"The third one is that the emperor rules but does not govern! He governs the country together with his ministers!..." Zhu Zhanhe once again mentioned the British constitutional monarchy.

"Alright, stop talking!" Zhu Zhanhe was interrupted by Emperor Yongle before he could finish his third suggestion of constitutional monarchy. "Do I have to give up power?" Even Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi asked reluctantly.

"Uncle, the emperor and power are equal! And if we want to solve the problem of the emperor himself in the inheritance of the throne, we must reduce their influence on power to the minimum!" Zhu Zhanhe said helplessly.

"There is no other way!" Zhu Zhanhe looked into Emperor Yongle's eyes, sighed, and said softly.

"A real man cannot live without power for a day!" Prince Han said proudly.

"Let's move on to the next question, let this one go!" Emperor Yongle squinted his eyes and thought for a moment, and finally decided not to discuss this issue. After all, there was really no good solution!

Zhu Zhanhe still had no objection to Emperor Yongle's request and immediately changed the subject.

"The eleventh theory for the fall of the Ming Dynasty: foreign invasion. Judging from the current geographical location of our Ming Dynasty, the most likely cause is the grassland tribes." Zhu Zhanhe began to talk about the issue of foreign invasion. In fact, this is also the fundamental reason for the demise of the Ming Dynasty in history.

"I've just discussed the reasons for the alien invasion, so now let's move on to the solutions. There are actually many solutions here, some quick, some slow, some good, some bad. I'll highlight some key ideas and share them with you.

"The novel uses bad methods. As long as people have no bottom line, they are invincible! For example, there are many cattle and horses on the grassland. As long as the cattle and horses die, they will be close to death. The simplest way is to poison their water source! The dead cattle and horses pollute the water source and make their livestock sick! Or the simplest way is to use catapults to throw the dead cattle and horses to them!" Zhu Zhanhe's words made everyone stunned.

We just asked you to come up with a solution, not such a vicious one. You are too cruel!

"Ahem, He'er, we are a great country, we should use proper methods, don't talk nonsense about these unorthodox methods." Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi covered his chest, swallowed his saliva, and spoke softly to his nephew. Even Prince Han covered his face in embarrassment, thinking that his son was really shameful!
"Well, let's try a long-term solution! We'll build a few cities on the border and trade with them. If the Ming Dynasty is short of cattle and horses, we'll spend a lot of money to buy them from them! We'll also exchange them for salt, tea bricks, and other supplies. Over time, even if their nobles want to go to war, their people won't agree!"

Besides, every ten or twenty years, we will continue to build a few cities deep in our territory and slowly devour them. After a few hundred years, won’t they be the border people of our Ming Dynasty? This is slower and no one will die.” Zhu Zhanhe proposed another method of slowly encroaching.

"This is good, this is good!" Emperor Yongle couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he heard this method. This method was much better, a hundred times better than the previous one!
"There is also a more ruthless approach, which is to make them extinct! First, divide the various parts of the grassland into tribes, divide the land among them, and let them not disturb each other; then divide them into noble levels, and give annual salaries such as gold, silver, and silk to people of different levels; the third step is to introduce Buddhism to the grassland, so that they all believe in religion, and those who believe in religion can be exempted from various corvee labor! In this way, after a hundred years, they will all become monks chanting "Amitabha" every day, and who will come to fight?" Zhu Zhanhe finally told the Qing Dynasty's method of dealing with the foreign races on the grassland.

Here we have to say that the Qing Dynasty was worthy of its Tartar origin, and it studied the ethnic minorities in the grasslands very clearly. Throughout the Qing Dynasty, the grasslands were basically very peaceful!
"Amitabha! What a great strategy! Disintegrate the tribes, divide the nobility, control their minds, weaken their wildness, exempt monks from taxes, and reduce the population!
If this continues, within a hundred years, only one in a hundred people will remain on the entire grassland. By then, even if they want to fight, there won't be anyone left!" Monk Daoyan quickly understood the reasoning, clasped his hands together, and said to Zhu Zhanhe.

"Master, thank you for your kind words!" Zhu Zhanhe replied casually.

“These methods can be carried out simultaneously, and the effect will be better!
But we need to scare them! Only then will they obey us!" Emperor Yongle also thought these methods were good, so he became more determined to go on the expedition!

(End of this chapter)