My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 8: Zhu Yuanzhang's Fear

Kaifeng is also a famous historical city in China. It was built in the Spring and Autumn Period and was named Qifeng.

Later, in order to avoid the taboo of the name of Emperor Jing of Han, Liu Qi, it was renamed Kaifeng.

This name was used until the Yuan Dynasty, when it was changed to Bianliang Road.

In March, Xu Da led his army to capture Bianliang and then took over the entire Henan Province.

In May, Zhu Yuanzhang came to Bianliang on the pretext of urging the Northern Expedition and restored its ancient name Kaifeng.

However, only a very few people knew that his real purpose in coming to Kaifeng was to prepare for the relocation of the capital.

But when he arrived in Kaifeng, he found that it was already in ruins.

In order to prevent Han people from gathering in cities to rebel, the Yuan Dynasty ordered the demolition of cities all over the world, and the ancient city walls of Kaifeng were not spared.

During the decades of unrest at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, eight out of ten residential buildings were destroyed.

The entire Bianliang Road had a population of less than 100,000, all industries were in decline, and the land was barren.

Due to years of disrepair, the canal, which was dug by the Song Dynasty at great expense of manpower and material resources, has basically been silted up.

If the capital is placed here, it would be like starting from scratch.

Migrating population, building cities, digging canals...

Such a huge project would seriously damage the vitality of not only the newly born Ming Dynasty, but even a wealthy empire would suffer heavy losses.

Zhu Yuanzhang also considered more. After the Yellow River changed its course, Kaifeng lost its only line of defense against enemies from the north.

Once the grassland enemies bypassed the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, Kaifeng would be an undefended city.

Therefore, no matter from which perspective, this place is no longer suitable to be the capital.

Zhu Yuanzhang had to give up his plan to move the capital and focus his energy on military affairs.

In the commander's tent, Zhu Yuanzhang was looking at the map and deducing the situation in the world.

This battle aimed to pacify the world, and the Ming army was divided into several routes, and they came out in full force.

The armies did not disappoint him and victory reports came in frequently.

It took Xu Da only two months to conquer the entire Henan province.

Not long ago, Feng Sheng captured Tongguan, and rebels such as Li Siqi and Zhang Sidao fled at the sight of him. It was only a matter of time before Guanzhong was pacified.

Yang Jing also successfully captured Yongzhou.

Liao Yongzhong captured Wuzhou, and Xun, Gui, Rong, and Yulin states all surrendered.

It can be said that it was only a matter of time before the Ming Dynasty truly unified the world.

Even with Zhu Yuanzhang's shrewdness, he couldn't help but smile happily.

At this moment, the imperial guard Zhao Erhu came to report: "Your Majesty, Generals Xu and Chang request an audience."

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his head suddenly and asked, "Where is it?"

Zhao Erhu replied: "Just wait outside the tent..."

Before he could finish his words, Zhu Yuanzhang hurried out of the tent and saw Xu Da and Chang Yuchun waiting there.

"Haha, Tiande, Boren, you are finally here."

"Master, we are here to see you..." Chang Yuchun also laughed and wanted to step forward.

But he was grabbed by Xu Da: "Xu Da, please pay your respects to the superior."

Chang Yuchun finally realized what was happening and quickly retracted his steps, bowing and saying:
"Chang Yuchun pays homage to the superior."

Zhu Yuanzhang stepped forward and held the two men's arms, pretending to be displeased and said:
"Hey, you two are distancing yourself from us."

Xu Da stood up and said, "There is a difference between superiors and subordinates. Please don't blame me."

Chang Yuchun was not really stupid, and he also said loudly:

"You are the emperor now, the ruler of the world. We, as your subjects, must abide by the rules."

"If anyone dares to disobey the rules, I, Lao Chang, will smash his head in with one punch."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "Haha... With you two here, I can rest easy."

"Let's go, let's talk about it after we get into the tent."

The king and his two ministers came into the tent together and took their seats.

The relationship between the three was not that of an ordinary king and his subjects. They did not talk about business directly, but instead started chatting about family matters.

Xu and Chang first cared about Zhu's health, and then greeted Empress Ma and Zhu Biao.

Zhu Yuanzhang also told the two to take good care of themselves, as the Ming Dynasty still needed them.

At the same time, he also told them about the recent situation at their respective families so that they could fight with peace of mind.

Xu Da expressed his gratitude again.

Chang Yuchun was happy but also a little angry:

"Sir, please don't comfort me. I've heard a thing or two about that brat Chang Mao up there. Go back and help me give him a good beating."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "There's no need for us to do anything. The Queen sent a letter saying that Zhu Chong and Chang Mao had caused trouble together and she had thrown him into the Yingtian Prefecture prison to reflect on his actions."

"The Queen will discipline you personally, so you can be at ease."

When Chang Yuchun heard this, instead of being worried, he was overjoyed and said:

"Oh, now that the Queen has taken action, I feel more at ease."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said, "Why, you believe the queen but not me?"

Chang Yuchun was startled and said quickly, "No, no, please don't wrongly accuse me, my lord."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and shook his head, saying, "I was just joking with you. Look how scared you are."

At this point, he said seriously, "We are going to build a school in the palace for the prince to study."

"Then we will select outstanding children from among the officials and generals to study with us, and we will also let Chang Mao go along with us."

This is the prince's classmate and confidant. As long as nothing goes wrong, he will definitely have a place in the court in the future.

Even though his daughter was the future Crown Princess, Chang Yuchun was still very happy:
"Thank you for your grace."

Xu Da couldn't help but feel a little envious. Logically speaking, his son must be qualified to be the prince's companion.

However, his eldest son Xu Yungong is only four years old this year, far from the age to go to school, so he can only watch with envy.

However, who was Zhu Yuanzhang? How could he ignore this military leader?

After talking to Chang Yuchun, he turned to look at him and said with a smile:
"Tian De, don't blame me for being partial. It's your fault that your eldest son was born late."

"But don't worry, in a few years when we have a grandson, we will let Yun Gong be his playmate."

Xu Da smiled and said, "Then let's make it a deal. Boren, you will be a witness."

Chang Yuchun didn't listen to him at all, and his eyes were so dark from laughing:
"Hehe, your Majesty's eldest grandson, he is also my grandson."

Zhu Yuanzhang and Xu Da both burst out laughing.

After chatting about family matters for a while, the three of them turned the topic to military affairs.

First, the overall situation was discussed and the overall offensive strategy was determined.

After that it was the task of Xu Da and Chang Yuchun.

Zhu Yuanzhang said solemnly: "You two are the people I trust the most, and your mission is the most important."

"Go north and capture Dadu with lightning speed, completely extinguishing the possibility of a Mongol Yuan resurgence."

"Only then can we say we have conquered the world."

Xu and Chang accepted the order solemnly: "Please rest assured, our lord, we will fulfill our mission and capture Dadu."

After chatting for a while about the specific strategy of attacking Dadu, Zhu Yuanzhang asked the two to go down and rest on the grounds that they were tired from traveling.

In fact, he had a premonition that Yingtian's memorial should be delivered soon.

It’s not that he can predict the future, but the memorials will be delivered at about this time every day.

Sure enough, not long after Xu Chang and the others left, an express messenger from Yingtian arrived, traveling eight hundred miles.

He took the secret box containing the memorial and checked it carefully to make sure it had not been opened.

Then he took out the key and opened it.

He saw the letter at the top of the memorial at a glance.

Judging from the handwriting, it was written by Empress Ma herself.

A hint of tenderness appeared in Zhu Yuanzhang's cold eyes.

I picked up the secret letter and unexpectedly found it was much thicker than usual.

Could it be that the girl misses me and wrote a lot of intimate words to me?
Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but have a lot of thoughts in his mind, and a smile appeared on his face.

Zhao Erhu, who was guarding the door, immediately knew that it must be the Empress who had written another letter to His Majesty.

Only after seeing the letter from the Empress would His Majesty show this expression.

Your Majesty and Your Majesty are truly a loving couple.

Zhu Yuanzhang did not open the letter from Empress Ma. He planned to finish all his official duties and have some free time before reading it carefully.

He carefully put the letter aside and reached into the box again to take out a scroll of memorials. His expression hardened and became stern again.

Zhao Erhu's heart also trembled, and he quickly withdrew his gaze, not daring to peek again.
-
It took Zhu Yuanzhang almost half an hour to review these memorials one by one.

What concerned him most was the formulation of the Ming Dynasty laws.

The laws currently implemented in the Ming Dynasty are the "Laws and Regulations" formulated by Li Shanchang and his men during the reign of King Wu, which are very simple.

Now that the Ming Dynasty has been officially established, it needs a complete set of laws.

The ministers had a disagreement because of this matter.

A group of people led by Li Shanchang believed that harsh punishments should be used to deter people.

They even want to reintroduce some corporal punishments that have been abolished.

The reason is that severe punishments should be used in times of chaos. Only in this way can the world quickly return to stability.

The Confucian bureaucratic group headed by Liu Bowen believed that punishment should be cautious and education should be the basis.

They also cited the example of the Qin Dynasty.

The two sides argued endlessly about this matter, and it was under such circumstances that Li Shanchang humiliated Liu Bowen in public.

Seeing this, a hint of anger flashed in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes.

As a monarch, he knew too well the characters of the people under his command.

Liu Bowen was indeed a man of great talent, but he was not on the same page with the Ming Dynasty, or more accurately, with the Zhu family.

He was always on guard against Zhu Yuanzhang, so he was cautious.

In order to avoid being a pawn, he was willing to swallow his pride when Li Shanchang humiliated him in public.

This made Zhu Yuanzhang very dissatisfied.

The second is Li Shanchang, who humiliated the ministers in front of the queen. He was really arrogant and disrespectful to his superiors.

And as the prime minister, what you should do is lead all officials to solve problems.

But you are narrow-minded and attack and humiliate others when you encounter different opinions. How can anyone dare to do anything?
If the Ming Dynasty had not been in need of talents in its early days, if he had not really had no one else to use, he would have let the two of them step aside long ago.

Of course, the treatment methods for Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen were different.

Li Shanchang had come through life with him from humble beginnings, and was not comparable to ordinary monarchs and ministers.

Even if he was not allowed to be the prime minister, he would be given a very high and sinecure position, allowing him to enjoy wealth and glory for the rest of his life.

As for Liu Bowen, huh, just go home and retire.

Unfortunately, he could only think about this idea in his mind, because the Ming Dynasty really could not do without the two of them at the moment.

Zhu Yuanzhang was also very troubled about which path to take in the Ming Dynasty law.

Because of his experiences back then, he hated evil and wanted to kill all the bad people in the world.

Deep down, I was inclined to Li Shanchang's idea.

However, as a monarch, he was also very clear that these laws would most likely be used by evildoers to harm the people before punishing them.

By then, it is really possible that the story of the fall of Qin will be repeated.

He couldn't make up his mind for a moment, so he could only write a letter to Queen Ma asking her not to make a decision in a hurry and to make plans after he returned.

Only after he finished dealing with all the memorials did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Then his gaze turned to the letter on the corner of the table. All the trivialities in his heart disappeared in an instant, and a smile reappeared.

He picked up the letter and opened it, much to his surprise it contained nearly twenty pages.

At the same time, I also realized that the situation is not that simple.

Could something have happened?

He was startled and started reading immediately.

The more I watched, the more shocked I became.

Was the beggar pretending to be a royal relative a genius? Or a statesman? Or even someone who knew the art of ruling the country?
This……

He knew every word, but when they were put together... he felt a little dizzy.

I watched it again and it was still the same.

He carefully observed the handwriting again and found that it was indeed written by Empress Ma.

Can……

How can this be?

How could it be such a coincidence that he is not only talented in governing the country but also understands the art of ruling the country?

We searched the whole country but couldn't find this talented person, yet we found him in a prison?

And he's a beggar of thirteen or fourteen years old?

If he hadn't trusted Queen Ma, he would have thought she was talking nonsense.

But even so, he still couldn't believe it was true.

At this time, he had a rough guess about what the content of the letter would be.

I couldn't wait to read on, and sure enough, I saw what I wanted to see.

Guessed I wanted to move the capital? And predicted I'd be disappointed?

Zhu Yuanzhang subconsciously thought that his whereabouts had been leaked.

You can continue reading below...

First, use five factors to analyze the reasons why we want to move the capital.

We also used five factors to analyze the reasons for the failure of this trip.

Hiss... He couldn't help but take a breath when he saw this.

What shocked him was not only the other party's knowledge, but also the other party's courage to make a decision.

There are many knowledgeable people, but very few can truly apply what they have learned flexibly.

It is rare to find someone who can use it decisively and correctly.

The most typical example is the use of troops in war. After reading the same military book, some people can become military gods, while others can become Ma Su.

That Ma Yu obviously belongs to the former.

At the same time, he was also sure that the other party did not know the news in advance, but really analyzed it based on his own ability.

This made him feel a little relieved.

Read on.

Red seal and iron certificate?

Zhu Yuanzhang felt a tingling sensation on his scalp. Could he even guess this?
evildoer.

This is a monster.

If the previous question can be explained by extraordinary knowledge, this one really cannot be explained and can only be described as a monster.

At this moment, he had the urge to kill the other person.

Such a person must not be allowed to live.

But he quickly suppressed his murderous intent.

The girl must have understood this, and since she wrote this letter, there must be other reasons.

I want to see what is so special about this beggar that he can impress my girl.

Read on.

He looked surprised again.

Is it true that those who possess the red seal and iron certificate must die? Is it the story of Emperor Gaozu of Han who killed the kings of different surnames?
Hiss, he took another breath.

This time it was not because of the other party's knowledge, but because of fear.

He really had no intention of killing his meritorious officials, at least not yet.

The reason why I gave everyone the red-lettered iron certificate was really to reward the generals for their contributions and hope that they would live in peace and prosperity with the country.

But Ma Yu's analysis reveals the essence of the matter.

Regardless of whether you have the intention to kill the meritorious officials or not, once you have awarded them the red book and the iron certificate, there is only one way left, which is to kill them.

How could this not make him feel scared?

Especially when he thought that he would have to kill Tang He, Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Li Shanchang and others with his own hands, he felt cold all over.

My hands couldn't help but tremble.

At this moment, he finally understood why Queen Ma wrote this letter.

Regardless of whether Ma Yu has such great talent or not, this reminder alone is enough to show mercy and spare his life.

Take a deep breath and let your excitement calm down a little.

He then lowered his head and continued to read the following content.

(End of this chapter)