The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 239 Emperor Collapse
In June, the grasslands are prone to sudden downpours.

The sky was cloudless in the morning, but soon after noon, thick dark clouds descended like a collapsing sky, stretching to the distant mountaintop and swallowing the last ray of sunlight.

The grassland was shrouded in a suffocating darkness.

The Ming army built barricades in various places to guard against possible enemy attacks, and all the generals stayed in the camp to prevent possible camp bombing in such bad weather.

Li Xianmu walked out of his tent and headed towards the emperor's tent. Since the beginning of June, the army's food supplies had gradually become insufficient.

"With this torrential rain today, I'm afraid we'll have to return to the capital soon," Li Xianmu thought to himself. "If he passes away after returning to the capital, that would be much simpler."

Suddenly, a pale bolt of lightning tore through the sky, as if a god was enraged, and also illuminated the surrounding fields with lights, revealing the wild grasses that were swaying violently in the gale.

After Li Xianmu entered the emperor's tent.

Boom!

Wow!
A deafening clap of thunder followed, seemingly rolling overhead, and the torrential rain crashed down with the force of an overturned celestial river.

"Since everyone has arrived, I will not waste any more words. Since the northern expedition began, our army has searched an area of ​​nearly 1,500 li, but has not found any trace of Arughtai. He has probably fled far away to the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River."

Changbai Mountains and Heilongjiang River

That was not within the sphere of influence of the Ming Dynasty, and Zhu Di could not possibly lead so many people there to pursue the fleeing enemy and risk his life.

"Does His Majesty intend to withdraw the troops?"

"That's right, the supplies are no longer enough to support the expedition. I originally wanted to search for a few more days, but after today's rain, the grasslands are no longer suitable for marching. I plan to withdraw the troops directly."

Zhu Di's tone was filled with deep resentment. In the end, he was unable to have a satisfying battle. He had to return to the capital and die in the deep palace.

The courtiers naturally wouldn't object; they weren't here to make a name for themselves, and everyone knew that Arughtai certainly wouldn't be looking for trouble.

"At this time, the army is two thousand miles away from the Great Wall. The steppe people may appear at any time. Obey my military orders and retreat in an orderly manner."

Withdrawing troops is a technical task, even more difficult than advancing them.

The emperor's voice rang out from inside the tent, while the sound of rain pattered in the air. Every now and then, a gust of wind would lift the tent flap, letting in some rainwater.

Through the open cracks, one could see that the rain outside was getting heavier and heavier. The lush green grassland, unable to absorb the rainwater, mixed with mud, had actually formed a muddy torrent.

The sounds of wind, rain, and the emperor's voice all entered the ear, intertwining together like a stirring melody.

While Li Xianmu listened to the emperor's words, his thoughts had already flown to Java. Gazing at the endless rain curtain, he pondered how to effectively eliminate the threat from the grasslands.

He and his father had discussed this issue many times. Throughout history, various dynasties had made efforts to address it, but none of them were truly successful. Before his father passed away, they still hadn't come up with a solution suitable for the Ming Dynasty.

The most successful ruler in later dynasties was the Qing Dynasty, but the Qing Dynasty had unique advantages.

Born in the northern frontier, they were a small tribe bordering a large country, lacking the power to rule it. Thus, they were able to bring in Mongol nobles and form the Manchu-Mongol alliance.

The Ming Dynasty would never allow Mongols to be incorporated into its ruling class; in fact, no princes of Mongol descent were allowed to appear in the imperial harem.

Throughout history, there has never been a shortage of women from other ethnic groups in the Central Plains, but mixed-race children have never been heard of in the imperial court, and the bloodshed behind it is unimaginable.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang accidentally gave birth to a mixed-race daughter named Li Chongniang. He never granted her a princess title, nor did he even acknowledge her as his daughter, which shows how taboo he was about this matter.

His father's words echoed in his ears from time to time: "Mu'er, you must remember that the grasslands of today are completely different from those of the past."

The grasslands were once nothing but a patch of loose sand; today they were called the Xiongnu, tomorrow the Xianbei, and the day after that the Rouran.

They had no history, no glory, and therefore no dignity or anything else. So they easily submitted, and their tribal name was easily obliterated.

But after Genghis Khan, the grasslands were different. Even I have to admit that he was a great man who created a powerful nation and country.

They had great historical heroes, and they had a great empire that they could dedicate their lives to restoring.

This kind of ethnic group is completely different from those tribes that rose rapidly on the grasslands only to collapse just as quickly.

Li Xianmu sighed, just as when the Central Plains were shattered, there were always Han heroes who wanted to restore the country.

The people on the grasslands also dreamed of rebuilding the Great Mongol Empire and restoring the Yuan Dynasty's rule.

They idolized Genghis Khan and considered themselves descendants of God, so they always had a restless heart.

After thinking it over and over, Li Xianmu had no ideas. He then listened to the sound of rain, each drop falling into his ears like a long river from the heavens pouring down to earth.

...On the way back, Zhu Di felt unwell. By the time the army reached Yumu River, he could hardly bear it. He did not make a fuss, but secretly summoned Li Xianmu, Yang Rong, Jian Yi, and Zhu Zhanji to his room without disturbing Prince Han Zhu Gaoxu and Prince Zhao Zhu Gaosui.

The others were still somewhat bewildered, but Li Xianmu, who already knew the emperor was about to die, quickly went inside. Sure enough, he saw that the emperor's face was as pale as paper, and his eyes and face were filled with a gloomy aura. It was clear that he was not going to make it.

When Li Xianmu saw that the Prince of Han and the Prince of Zhao were not there, he felt slightly relieved. It seemed that His Majesty was not confused before his death and was going to pass the throne to the Crown Prince.

Knowing his health was poor and that he might die at any moment, Zhu Di, after seeing the others enter, immediately forced himself to say, "My lords, I'm afraid my health is failing and I won't be able to return to the capital."

The group immediately knelt on the ground, but dared not cry out or cause any disturbance. They were all aware of the critical situation they were in.

"Xianmu and Yangrong, you shall write the imperial edict. Crown Prince Gao Chi is the eldest son of the imperial clan and of noble character. After my death, the Crown Prince shall ascend the throne."

Li Xianmu quickly wrote it down, then presented it to the emperor, who affixed the imperial seal, and thus a valid imperial edict was obtained.

After the imperial edict of succession was written, the process did not end there. The emperor would then write another edict, or rather, his last words, outlining arrangements for his death.

Li Xianmu's thoughts had already drifted to the Prince of Han and the Prince of Zhao in the military camp. He was considering whether to detain the two princes directly to prevent any unexpected events from occurring.

But after thinking about it, he still couldn't do it. Detaining a prince without cause was too serious a crime, and it might even remind people of Jianwen.

However, he still decided to send people to keep an eye on the two kings. If there were any unusual movements, he wouldn't care about those other things.

Most importantly, as soon as the emperor dies, a messenger must be sent back to the capital at top speed to ensure the crown prince ascends the throne. Once the crown prince is enthroned, everything will be under control.

and.

Li Xianmu decided to write a letter to his father-in-law, the Duke of Yingguo, who had long since retired to the second line, at this crucial time. At present, only the Duke of Yingguo could be compared with the Prince of Han in terms of prestige in the army, and he was able to suppress the restless nobles.

After sorting through these matters and ensuring that every step was in order, Li Xianmu finally came to his senses and turned his gaze back to the emperor, who was giving instructions to Zhu Zhanji.

Just then, the emperor called him forward, and Li Xianmu quickly walked closer, only then truly seeing the emperor's current appearance.

The once valiant and extraordinary emperor was now extremely weak. His face was almost bloodless, his lips were as white as paper, his eye sockets were deeply sunken, his eyes were bloodshot, and his cheeks were slightly sunken. He looked like he was on his last legs.

Even though she had known for many years that the emperor would die in the twenty-fourth year of Yongle's reign, and even though she had been mentally preparing for many years and had a series of preparations for the emperor's death.

But when this happened before his eyes, Li Xianmu suddenly felt a deep sorrow welling up inside him. Extreme grief seeped from his very bones and then quickly swept through his bones, blood, and soul.

This is his uncle, the uncle who has doted on him since he was a child, the uncle who has lifted him up step by step over the past twenty years!
His mouth was open, but no sound came out; only large, hot tears fell onto Zhu Di's trembling hand.

"Good boy." Zhu Di gripped Li Xianmu's hand tightly, then took Zhu Zhanji's hand and placed it on top of his. "I am no longer able to live, but the Ming Dynasty still has countless wolves and tigers, swords and shadows. From now on, the Crown Prince and the Grandson are entrusted to you. Take good care of the Ming Dynasty. I believe in you."

Tears streamed down Li Xianmu's face uncontrollably; his last true elder in this world was about to depart.

Death is a cruel thing.

It brings so much suffering to the living, leaving people feeling regretful and helpless.

Li Xianmu choked up as he promised, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will do my utmost to assist the Crown Prince and the Grandson."

"Grandfather, rest assured, your grandson will definitely listen to his teacher from now on, and the Ming Dynasty will be fine." Zhu Zhanji was also very sad. His relationship with Zhu Di was even better than his relationship with his father, Zhu Gaochi.

"I have no regrets in my life."

A smile appeared on Zhu Di's face. "I thought I would die in the deep palace, but I never expected that I would pass away on the way back to the army."

This can be considered a good thing. Back in my youth, I vowed that I would never die in bed, and even if I did, I would die on the battlefield.

Now my wish has come true, which is wonderful!

“Father, you never thought your son would become emperor, but as it turns out, your son has done a very good job as emperor, even better than you could have imagined, and even better than you.”

The people and officials throughout the land praised the son's virtues.

Zhu Di chuckled and murmured, raising his hand as if reaching for something, "That good-for-nothing Jianwen cannot shoulder the burden of the Ming Dynasty. Your son is the best successor. You made a mistake by not choosing your son!"
You're wrong!

As she finished speaking, her arm fell limply to the ground.

In the twenty-fourth year of the Yongle reign, the emperor died at Yumu River!
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Emperor Wen, having learned military strategy from a young age, seized the strategically important location of Youyan (present-day Hebei and Yan provinces). Taking advantage of Emperor Jianwen's weakness, he launched a long-range offensive, eventually conquering the entire country. After ascending the throne, he widely promoted benevolence and righteousness, sparing none of Jianwen's loyalists and even erecting steles to commemorate them. He was adept at recognizing and employing talent, possessed keen insight into both inner and outer affairs, and his military prowess matched that of Emperor Gaozu. His six armies repeatedly marched out, clearing the northern deserts of dust. By the end of his reign, his prestige and virtue extended far and wide, with nearly thirty countries submitting to his rule and paying tribute. The breadth of his territory far surpassed that of the Han and Tang dynasties. His achievements were magnificent and truly remarkable. — *History of Ming Dynasty, Annals of Emperor Taizong*

(End of this chapter)