The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 326 Confrontation
The live report from Luchuan was eventually uploaded to the capital with everyone's guarantee, and naturally, the activities of the military supervisors sent by Wang Zhen were also involved.

Therefore, this matter did not go through the cabinet, but went directly to the emperor's ears through the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Even though Zhu Qizhen was young, he couldn't help but feel angry. This matter really touched his heartstrings. As an emperor who had been influenced by his surroundings and was eager to seize power, he felt a deep threat from the hesitation of the generals.

Every time he thought he had seen through the immense prestige and tyranny of his great-uncle, a new major event would occur, slapping him in the face and blatantly telling him—"Little Emperor, you still don't understand Li Xianmu."

By the fifteenth year of the Yongle reign at the latest, he was already unmatched by any other civil official in the land.

By the twentieth year of the Yongle reign, he was already unmatched by any other official in the court.

He held a position second only to the emperor for nearly thirty years, and had countless disciples and former subordinates.

He received the imperial edict during the Yongle reign, and again during the Hongxi reign. During the Xuande reign, he was entrusted with the task of assisting the young emperor. After the death of the Empress Dowager, he was again entrusted with the task of assisting the young emperor.

Li Xianmu was already an unshakable pillar of support in people's hearts.

"However, there cannot be two suns in the sky, nor two masters among the people. Even if the prime minister is truly a loyal minister, this is still wrong."

Zhu Qizhen felt as if he were being pricked by thorns.

There was no need for Wang Zhen to say anything more to him; the education he received in the past had already deeply imprinted this concept in his mind.

This is what Li Xianmu has always worried about—that he and the emperor are destined to go in opposite directions, something deeply ingrained in their genes.

It has always been said that the Chinese have a natural concept of unification. Where does this concept come from?

How did it take root in everyone's heart?

In fact, it was created by the various schools of thought during the pre-Qin period and the historical facts of previous generations. There can be no two suns in the sky and no two rulers among the people. Confucianism, Legalism, and even Taoism all talked about this.

This is why the West practices various forms of separation of powers, while in China, power is always concentrated in one government, because every politician tries to possess all the power possible.

Li Xianmu had long seen through this. What he was using now was neither the power of a prime minister nor the power of a minister. Neither the power of a prime minister nor the power of a minister had such great power.

He was using imperial power, which had fallen into his hands because the emperor was young and because the late emperor and the empress dowager trusted him.

He was a powerful minister.

If you want to hold onto power, the only way is to suppress the emperor, and the only way is to make the emperor a human seal.

As for returning the power, that's a joke.

Many years ago, in the early years of the Xuande reign, when Empress Dowager Sun was still the empress, Li Xianmu had already decided to embark on this difficult and arduous path when he was unable to control the illegal acts of imperial relatives.

How much effort did he put into this during the Xuande era?

Only in this way can one maintain power above all others while gaining the emperor's trust, and even be placed first among the regents.

Was the emperor's trust something that came naturally?

Those were all pieced together word by word, sentence by sentence, event by event, bit by bit. It took ten years of effort plus seven years of the Empress Dowager's rule during the Zhengtong era to finally reach this point. Asking him to give up power is simply a pipe dream!
When the emperor's decree to increase troop numbers was rejected by the cabinet, the matter escalated dramatically. All the officials and ministers lined up in the hall, keeping their eyes fixed on Li Xianmu and the emperor, as this matter concerned the two of them.

"Why must the Grand Secretary prevent me from doing this?" Zhu Qizhen didn't understand. "What exactly did attacking Luchuan offend the Grand Secretary so that he could stand by and watch the Ming soldiers suffer from lack of food and clothing, struggling to make any progress in the vast mountains and forests, shedding blood and sacrificing their lives in vain, and remain indifferent?"

In the end, Zhu Qizhen's tone even carried a hint of lament and surging anger; there were some things he truly couldn't understand.

"But wasn't it His Majesty who sent the soldiers to the battlefield of Luchuan?" Li Xianmu said in a deep voice, "Even the preliminary plans were not done well, and the purpose of the war and the preparations for the war were completely inconsistent. The war was started directly, leading to the current result. Isn't this the work of His Majesty?"

Upon hearing this, the assembled officials in the hall froze. Whether they favored the emperor or Li Xianmu, none dared to speak. No one had expected the match to start so fiercely, with no one holding back. It seemed that a decisive battle would be decided in the hall today.

The outcome of the hundreds of thousands of troops thousands of miles away and the entire Luchuan battle will be decided today in this small temple.

Zhu Qizhen's face flushed red, but he could only continue speaking. He could use Wang Zhen to deal with anyone else, but Wang Zhen was no match for Li Xianmu.

In this court, Li Xianmu's status was so high that only the emperor, who held the supreme position, could speak to him as an equal.

"How could I not know what you are saying, Prime Minister? It's nothing more than the same old refrain of investing too much, and Luchuan is not worth such a high cost."

"But when did the Prime Minister ever consider that there are not only costs in this world, but also dignity and prestige!"

Zhu Qizhen stood up from the throne, and his slender figure exuded a dignified aura that intimidated everyone present.

He said with emotion, “I have heard the story of the thirteen Han generals who returned to Yumen Pass. I always feel excited and moved to tears by their loyalty. If we only consider the cost of doing things, shouldn’t the Han emperor have sent a large army to rescue these thirteen generals?
To save these thirteen people, how many more died on the road?

"How many such things have happened throughout history?"
I recall that the Grand Secretary once lectured on history in the Hanlin Academy and the Imperial Academy, praising such events highly, saying that they upheld the backbone of the Han people, and that these were things that would still be talked about and emulated by future generations hundreds or thousands of years later.”

Zhu Qizhen looked at Li Xianmu with red eyes, "Luchuan is just a small country, yet it dares to provoke the might of my Great Ming. If we do not pacify it, wouldn't all the small countries and vassals look down on my Great Ming and think that my Great Ming is no longer as prosperous as it once was?"

"That brat from Luchuan, if he isn't killed, how can I sit here peacefully and watch my soldiers shed their blood?"

Every word struck the hearts of the ministers in the hall with a heavy blow. His words were heart-wrenching and full of emotion, causing Li Xianmu to narrow his eyes. The emperor had truly matured and was already resembling the emperors of the past.

He glanced at Wang Zhen, who was sitting on the throne, and couldn't help but admit that Wang Zhen was indeed a very good actor, and the tricks he taught the emperor were very effective.

Indeed, Zhu Qizhen's talent wasn't bad. Judging from today's events alone, and considering his political skills, he could have been a competent emperor. However!

Here comes the most crucial point: a qualified emperor is never just someone who plays power games. His most important abilities are, firstly, the ability to use people, and secondly, the ability to grasp the overall situation.

Emperor Zhu Qizhen is now missing this aspect; he is too focused on Luchuan.

Thinking of this, Li Xianmu sighed slightly and said in a deep voice, "Has Your Majesty carefully read the memorial?"
If it is to be implemented as described above, then the funds will need to be transferred to the nineteen provinces, and a large number of elite troops from the border towns will need to be transferred.

Your Majesty, do you still remember what I said? Attacking Luchuan should not affect the northern defense line, nor should it exhaust the country. We only have one enemy.

If we cannot defeat Luchuan with our current strength, it means that the Ming Dynasty cannot fight on two fronts at the same time. That is the reality.

Does Your Majesty know of the defeat at Dafeichuan during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty?
At that time, the western part of the Tang Dynasty was threatened by the Tibetan Empire, while the eastern part was threatened by Goguryeo. In fact, after Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, attacked Goguryeo, first by capturing the city and then by relocating the population, Goguryeo was no longer a great threat. As long as the attacks were carried out step by step, it could be destroyed.

Meanwhile, Tibet was rising and had the ability to deliver a fatal blow to the Tang Dynasty. According to normal strategy, the Tang Dynasty should have focused its main efforts on Tibet and consolidated its western defenses.

However, Emperor Gaozong of Tang, eager for the credit of conquering Goguryeo, focused his efforts on this campaign, thus relaxing the western defenses. This led to the rise of the Tibetan Empire, instability in the Western Regions, and the resurgence of the Northern Turks. In one fell swoop, he essentially sent back all the foreign relations that had been in place during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang.

When a nation is unable to wage war in two directions simultaneously, it should choose a primary direction and a secondary direction. For the Ming Dynasty, the primary direction is the Mongols in the north. In recent years, small groups of Oirats and Tatars have occasionally invaded the border, proving that they have not yet completely submitted.

At such a time, launching a full-scale national war against Luchuan would place the Ming Dynasty in a life-or-death situation.

Your Majesty's words just now resonated with me. The blood of the Ming soldiers must indeed be repaid, but not now. Perhaps one day, when the Ming Dynasty has completely defeated the Mongols, the Ming Dynasty can naturally march south to avenge the defeat, just as Your Majesty said today!

Your Majesty, I humbly request that you rescind your decree!

These words were well-reasoned and supported by detailed historical facts, effectively debunking Zhu Qizhen's emotional incitement. Most of the officials in the hall sighed inwardly, realizing that experience truly matters, and that His Majesty was far too inexperienced compared to the Grand Secretary.

Zhu Qizhen felt the same way. Every word Li Xianmu said reached his ears. At this point, he no longer cared whether it made sense or not. He only saw that Li Xianmu had refuted his suggestions as worthless and completely annihilated his ideas.

even!

This time, the battle of Luchuan was also easily crushed by Li Xianmu. He was trembling all over and extremely angry.

"Motosuke!"

The emperor roared in extreme anger, "This matter must be done according to my will! I am the emperor! The 150,000 people of Luchuan are waiting for my decree! There is no room for discussion!"

"Your Majesty, I disagree!" Li Xianmu said fearlessly, "Your Majesty may continue to support us, but I will absolutely not agree to anything that may not benefit the Ming Dynasty."

"Does the Grand Secretary intend to defy the imperial decree?" Zhu Qizhen, blinded by rage, uttered these words coldly.

The courtiers in the hall had already lowered their heads. It was terrifying. They felt as if winter had suddenly arrived, as if a cold wind from the far north had blown by, and their whole bodies were covered in goosebumps.

Although it was expected that the emperor and the prime minister would have a dispute, it was not expected to be this intense. This clearly showed that the emperor had long harbored dissatisfaction, and the prime minister had long had a bottom line that could not be crossed.

"Does Your Majesty intend to disobey the late Emperor's edict?" Li Xianmu retorted without backing down, "Your Majesty has only recently assumed power and is unaware of the importance of military and national affairs. The matter of Luchuan is merely a minor ailment; why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? If Your Majesty is interested in military matters, why not have the generals of the Northern Garrison explain the affairs of Mongolia to Your Majesty?"

"You're arrogant!" Zhu Qizhen was completely stunned by the retort. He never imagined that he would encounter such a thing one day. Since he was the crown prince, no one had ever dared to treat him like this.

But he didn't even dare to suggest dragging Li Xianmu away and beating him. That was the Imperial Clan Court Commander, a first-rank official and Grand Tutor. He was his maternal great-uncle, a senior member of his grandfather's generation. Let alone beating him, even in today's dispute, he would probably have to bow down to the elders of the royal family, including his mother, Empress Dowager Sun.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and since there was nothing he could do, Zhu Qizhen left in a fit of anger.

Right in front of everyone, he left directly from behind the main hall.

The group of ministers left in the hall were completely bewildered, their heads full of questions. What was wrong with the emperor?
Why did you just leave like that?

Is the morning assembly cancelled?
No longer arguing with the prime minister?
The people who come here aren't stupid. At first, they were confused by the emperor, but after thinking about it for a while, they realized that the emperor could only stay.
The Grand Secretary is clearly not going to back down. Given his status, he can't be hit or scolded. So-called thunder and rain are both imperial favors, but now, if one of them is not used, wouldn't it be humiliating for the emperor not to leave?
Having understood this, the ministers in the hall looked at Li Xianmu differently. The current Grand Secretary seemed to look up to him with increasing respect and awe.

Everyone knows the prime minister is strong.

But after experiencing certain things, I realize that I was oversimplifying things.

The titles of regent and veteran official of four reigns are terrifying, but these titles alone are enough to deal with the situation. It simply means that the emperor will not be given any dignity, as long as he is willing to bear the criticism.

But if you add the identity of an elder of the emperor, and even an ancestor like a grandfather, then you're invincible.

"The Prime Minister is so valiant today, his heart is so devoted to the country that it puts us to shame."

"The old stories of Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty that Yuanfu talked about have enlightened us. It seems that the matter of Luchuan is indeed impossible."

Seeing the emperor leave, an order came shortly afterward for the officials to disperse. After the group of ministers left the palace, many people surrounded Li Xianmu and flattered him.

Li Xianmu nodded slightly, responding indifferently. The court was full of shrewd people, and since the emperor took personal control of the government, there were far fewer people who spoke up.

They all saw the conflict between him, the powerful minister, and the emperor, and were unwilling to get involved.

Li Xianmu's gaze fell on several ministers.

(End of this chapter)