The struggle for the throne among nine princes—I really don't want to be the crown prince.

Chapter 475 Filial Piety and Parental Love: I Believe Everything You Say

No sooner had Tong Guowei and his group left than Emperor Qianxi began to silently study the Crown Prince's edict.

The more I look at him, the more I realize—this kid's got some serious stuff going on!
Recruiting pirates for his own use—good heavens, he could amass tens of thousands of pirates with a wave of his hand.

Although these pirates are unruly, as long as we can get our hands on them and send someone to discipline them, they will gradually become our own henchmen.
Moreover, this is probably just the first step the crown prince has taken.

Emperor Qianxi squinted, his mind already racing, taking several steps back.

If things continue like this, the imperial court will soon possess a navy that can dominate the four seas!

By then, will we still be afraid of foreign devils coming here? We can even visit their hometowns!

Why should the foreign devils occupy the whole world?
If the Crown Prince really builds up this fleet, will he actually go to a distant continent to establish a territory, and then... hehe.

As he pondered this, Emperor Qianxi felt a sudden urge to explore and expand his territory. How wonderful it would be if I could lead a fleet out to conquer new lands!

However, such a thought could only flash through one's mind.

I am the Emperor!

I rule over countless people, how could I possibly lead an army to conquer the world?
This is too outrageous!

Thinking about it this way, Emperor Qianxi's eyes dimmed slightly.

He was the emperor, he possessed everything, but precisely because he was the emperor, he had to bear all the burdens.

For example, constraints, for example...

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince requests an audience!" Liang Jiugong entered, crouching low, to report.

When Emperor Qianxi looked up, he realized that it was already dark outside.

Although it wasn't time to light the lamps yet, the clock had already been ticking for over an hour.

He glanced at the edict of General Fubo that he had spread out on the table, and said indifferently, "Let him in."

Shen Ye entered the Qianqing Palace with a smile on his face and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty!"

Emperor Qianxi waved his hand and said, "No need, no need!"

"You are the Crown Prince, so don't run around outside all the time, otherwise those censors will start nagging you again."

Shen Ye thought to himself: The one who least wants me to leave the palace is probably not the censor, but you, sir.

He smiled and said, "Your subject will definitely pay attention in the future."

"Mainly because there are too many things to do at the end of the year, and I need to take care of them all."

Emperor Qianxi stood up from his chair, paced back and forth a couple of times, and said, "The two-pronged advance into the snowy region is a matter of national destiny."

"As the Minister of Revenue, you must ensure the supply of these two armies no matter what."

"Just allocate the amount of silver the Ministry of War needs."

"If going back isn't enough, just come find me."

Hearing his cheap father's impassioned statement, Shen Ye was speechless.

He really wanted to remind the old man that although his words sounded very eloquent, in reality, his private treasury didn't have much silver.

You shouldn't make such big claims!
Can we be more realistic?
However, thinking that he had just "settled" Orondai, Shen Ye still smiled obediently: "Father, rest assured, your son has already asked the Ministry of Revenue to prepare enough silver."

“If needed, Yuqing Bank can also lend more money.”

At this point, he glanced at Emperor Qianxi and almost blurted out, "Why don't you mortgage the Imperial Household Department to me? That would be even more money." But fortunately, he stopped himself in time.

After discussing the military campaign with Shen Ye for a while, Emperor Qianxi casually asked, "Are you finding Orondai easy to use?"

“It’s easy, very easy.” Shen Ye knew that this was the key reason why Emperor Qianxi had summoned him.

But at this point, he had already put Orondai in the side room to study, so how could it not be convenient?

His smile became even more genuine: "Your subject knows that Father Emperor is more prone to reminiscing during the New Year."

"Lord Tong Guogang sacrificed his life for the country, and Father Emperor, you always wanted to discipline his son properly."

“Your Majesty has spoiled Orondai. You can’t bear to punish him, so you’ve sent him to me.”

"Don't worry, your son will definitely educate him properly."

"I will never let him serve in the government until he learns what loyalty, filial piety, integrity, and righteousness are written."

When Emperor Qianxi heard this, he almost laughed out of anger.

Do you really not know what it means that I gave you Orondai?

You know perfectly well what's going on!
And here they are, blatantly lying to me.

He claimed that he brought Orondai over there just to help Tong Guogang teach his son a lesson.

I really want to crack open the Crown Prince's head and see just how many schemes are hidden inside.

I'm not old yet, and I'm not senile!

But he couldn't very well say directly, "I sent Orondai over there to monitor you. If I did, wouldn't the harmonious relationship he had just created become a joke?"
He could only reply indifferently, "That guy Orondai, the older he gets, the more outrageous he becomes."

"Just two days ago, he actually got into a fight with Ruifu, the second son of Prince Gong, in the palace."

"For the sake of Tong Guogang, I cannot punish him severely, but I cannot let him get away with it."

"You need to be careful and work on his temperament."

Shen Ye knew that this matter must exist, but Emperor Qianxi's intention was definitely not like that.

But now that the father and son have tacitly set the tone, let's just let things unfold this way.

Whether Orondai can handle it or not is none of their business.

“Your Highness, I have read the edict issued by General Fubo. You want to recruit pirates into the army. This is a very good move.” “Not only can it build a battle-hardened navy in a short period of time, but it also reduces the expenditure of money.”

Emperor Qianxi's expression turned serious as he said, "But these pirates are all people who live on the edge of a knife."

"Aren't you afraid that if you gather them together, you'll eventually be devoured?"

Shen Ye was not surprised that Emperor Qianxi asked this question.

He calmly replied, "Father, I have naturally considered the possibility of the pirates turning against us."

"However, Father, you should think about this matter in this way."

“These pirates were originally bandits, and they were always hostile to the imperial court.”

"Even if the court doesn't offer them a chance to surrender, they will still cause trouble for the court."

"But once the court recruits them, they will be subject to some degree of restraint."

At this point, his voice became even more solemn: "Moreover, the imperial court has a vast territory and abundant resources, and the Green Standard Army has hundreds of thousands of soldiers, which is incomparable to these pirates."

"They want to rebel against the imperial court, but they're not qualified."

"Moreover, the sea is rough and the waves are high, and with the Westerners pressing in step by step, their lives are not easy either."

"With the support of the imperial court, they had a powerful backer."

"To them, the navy under the command of the Grand General Fubo of the Imperial Court is not the same as the identity of pirates."

Emperor Qianxi also had some understanding of the situation in the country.

So when Shen Ye mentioned this, he nodded slightly.

Pirates may sound like they roam the seas freely, but in reality, life at sea is far from easy.

Moreover, he had wiped out the remnants of the previous dynasty and knew that these pirates were still capable at sea, but their fighting power would be diminished once they reached land.

Furthermore, the Western fleets were growing larger and larger, creating a competitive relationship between them and the pirates.

Without powerful backers, pirates can only find life getting harder and harder.

"Furthermore, I also plan to build a real navy under the jurisdiction of the imperial court while suppressing the pirates."

At this point, Shen Ye pointed to a map in Emperor Qianxi's study and said, "Although pirates disregard the law, their experience in navigation is genuine."

"As long as we can recruit some elites from the pirates and bribe them, and use them as the backbone, it will be easy to build a truly capable naval force."

"For those old pirates, I think we should focus on appeasement and preferential treatment."

"Many of them are old and have robbed enough money, so they want to find a place to live as rich men."

"We should treat such people well, give them official positions and honors, and support them with honor."

"This allowed them to recruit their young subordinates and give them hope."

"As for those pirate leaders who still want to roam the seas, we welcome them as well. While making them abide by the laws of the court and pay tribute to the court, we will also provide them with benefits."

"However, their activities should be directly relocated to these islands in the south."

"This way, they can both occupy territory for the imperial court and put them on the front line against the Western fleet."

"As for some vicious and stubborn people, after repeated orders and warnings, they should be killed as a warning to others, so let's kill them as a warning to others."

Shen Ye smiled and said, "Father, I believe that after such a reorganization, we will be able to build a navy that is as strong as the arm of the court within three years."

"At that time, with the help of this force, the imperial court will be able to establish overseas territories."

Emperor Qianxi listened to Shen Ye's plan and nodded slightly.

He paced back and forth a few steps and said, "Building a navy is not easy. Where does your military funding come from?"

Shen Ye smiled and said, "Father, our attitude toward overseas trade has always been to let Westerners come over. Your son intends to encourage our merchants to go out and trade as well."

"Once our navy can control this area, we can support the navy just by collecting tolls."

As Shen Ye spoke, he lightly drew a stroke on the spot where the emperor had sailed to the Western Ocean.

Looking at the somewhat excited Crown Prince, Emperor Qianxi's mind raced with ideas, and he felt that the Crown Prince's plan was very feasible.

However, if the Crown Prince does this, a navy of 100,000 men will be in his hands within a few years.

Does this mean I should avoid going near the sea for the rest of my life?

He nodded and said, "Your plan is good, but it needs someone to execute it."

"Who are you planning to appoint as the commander-in-chief of the navy? You're not going to do it yourself, are you, the crown prince?"

Upon hearing Emperor Qianxi's words, which carried a hint of sarcasm, Shen Ye felt a sense of unease.

However, he had already prepared for this matter and did not want Emperor Qianxi to interfere in it.

He smiled and said, "Father, I think that my thirteenth brother is very capable of leading troops."

“He is a warm-hearted person who likes to make friends. If he were to be in charge of reorganizing the navy, my son thinks he should be able to get it done quickly.”

"And completely take control of this large army."

As Emperor Qianxi listened to the people recommended by Shen Ye, he thought to himself that the Crown Prince truly did not shy away from recommending worthy individuals regardless of personal relationships.

Ever since the incident involving the Fifth Princess, the Thirteenth Prince has been a staunch supporter of the Crown Prince.

However, the thirteenth prince is also his son.

It seems like it's not something that can't be considered.

　The second update for today is here! Please support me, everyone, and vote!
　
(End of this chapter)