Ming Dynasty: Charge, Emperor Yongle!

Chapter 96 Two dragons are jealous of each other, but the imperial father and son have no personal feelings!

"As for the capital army, I plan to first train 400,000."

"Establish four generals for expedition, four for garrison, four for pacification, and four for security."

"Song Yanzhang is appointed General Who Conquers the East, Hu Hai is appointed General Who Conquers the West, He Zhen is appointed General Who Conquers the South, and Sang Jing is appointed General Who Conquers the North."

"Ye Sheng, Wang Bi, Wu Liang, and Qiu Cheng were appointed as the four generals of the garrison."

"Zhang Long, Wu Fu, Jin Chaoxing, and Yu Yuan are appointed as the Four Generals of Siping."

"Han Zheng, Huang Bin, Cao Liangchen, and Lu Ju were appointed as the Four Generals of Peace."

Zhu Yuanzhang paused for a moment, glanced at Zhu Di, and continued, "Furthermore, appoint Lan Yu as General of the Dragon Cavalry and train 25,000 Dragon Cavalry soldiers."

Geek!

Crown Prince Zhu Biao glanced sideways frequently, fearing that Zhu Di would be angry.

"hehe!"

Zhu Di scoffed, dismissing the offer with disdain.

The name "Longxiang" has been of great significance since ancient times. Before Sima Yan, the founding emperor of the Western Jin Dynasty, usurped the throne from Wei and established the Jin Dynasty, he served as the General of Longxiang.

Fu Jian, the Heavenly King of the Former Qin Dynasty, once seized the throne by overthrowing his cousin Fu Sheng as the General of the Dragon Cavalry.

After being appointed General Longxiang by Fu Jian, Yao Chang, the leader of the Qiang tribe, betrayed the Former Qin and established the Later Qin, and then strangled Fu Jian.

Almost all dynasties regarded the Dragon General as a taboo, whose status was close to that of the Tiger General. The imperial decree appointing Lan Yu as the Dragon General was both an important appointment and a warning.

He had long known that Zhu Yuanzhang would not abandon Lan Yu, especially at this critical juncture, as Lan Yu was the crown prince's most trusted general.

Currently, the 400,000-strong capital army is led and trained by rising stars from Huaixi. Lan Yu's emergence is undoubtedly a way to cultivate a leader for the Crown Prince.

"Guo Xing was appointed as the Shandong Military Commander, Wang Zhi as the Henan Military Commander, Hu Qiang as the Jianghuai Military Commander, and Zhao Xi as the Jiangdong Military Commander."

"Zheng Yuchun was appointed as the military commander of Jiangxi, Fei Ju as the military commander of Sichuan, Liao Yongzhong as the military commander of Guizhou, and Yu Tongyuan as the military commander of Hubei."

"Hua Gao was appointed as the military commander of Hunan, Yang Jing as the military commander of Guangdong, Kang Duo as the military commander of Guangxi, and Hu Mei as the military commander of Fujian."

"The position of Yingtian Military Commander was established, similar to that of other provincial military commanders, in charge of 12,000 soldiers of Yingtian Prefecture. The position was held by Mei Sizu, the Marquis of Runan."

"Transfer Ma Yun and Ye Wangwei to command Luanzhou Guard and Jizhou Guard respectively."

"Governor of Hebei, Lieutenant General of Hebei, fourth brother, do you have anyone in mind?"

"have!!!"

Zhu Di met Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze and said coldly.

Zhu Yuanzhang not only appointed the capital army, but also placed the military power of the Huaixi Xun Gui in charge of fifteen provinces, and even appointed the commanders of the garrisons in the only two directly governed prefectures in Hebei Province. Was this because he did not trust him, or was he deliberately trying to control him?

The selection of the governor of Hebei and the military commander of Hebei was related to the enfeoffment of the Prince of Yan. He did not believe that Zhu Yuanzhang had no intention of doing so and was merely testing him.

Fourth brother!

Zhu Biao sensed the tension between the father and son and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

Whom would you like to recommend?

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at Zhu Di with a blank expression.

"Old man."

"If you want to use Hu Weiyong, Wang Guangyang, the Right Chancellor of the Central Secretariat, will definitely be an obstacle."

"Instead of finding a pretext to demote him, you might as well send him to Hebei as a governor."

"As for the Hebei Assistant Commander, it would be better to promote Chen Heng, the Commander-in-Chief of Beiping, to the position."

Without thinking, Zhu Di spoke.

"Chen Heng!"

Zhu Yuanzhang remembered this person: Chen Heng came from a prominent family. His father was a commander of ten thousand households in Yangzhou during the Yuan Dynasty and held military power.

At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang was in a weak position, and Chen Heng's arrival directly gave him a boost. Zhu Yuanzhang appointed you as the commander of the armored caravan and the commander of a thousand households. You participated in the battles of Haozhou and Chuzhou. Later, you followed Xu Da on the Northern Expedition. In the second year of Hongwu, you were transferred to guard Datong. You served as the deputy commander of the Yanshan Left Guard and the commander of Beiping.

"The position of Hebei Lieutenant General can be given to Chen Heng, but do you want to use Wang Guangyang?"

"Isn't this what Dad wanted to see?"

Zhu Di retorted sarcastically, "If not him, should we use someone from Huaixi?"

"Fourth Prince, you can't speak to Father like that."

Zhu Biao quickly reprimanded Zhu Di, fearing that his words would anger Zhu Yuanzhang.

"snort!"

Zhu Di snorted coldly, but did not restrain himself.

"The Twelve Imperial Guards have been established, and we also need to train the capital army and the Yingtian Prefecture army."

"The capital is garrisoned with as many as 500,000 troops, and I sit securely on the throne."

"You should arrange for your three guards to be sent to Beiping as soon as possible to guard against Nahachu in Liaodong."

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly brought up the three guards of the Prince of Yan, causing the atmosphere in the hall to freeze abruptly.

"Old man."

"Are you afraid I'll rebel?"

Zhu Di stared intently at him and spoke.

Wow!!!

An uproar erupted inside the Fengtian Hall, with eunuchs and palace servants trembling with fear.

"How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed?"

"Your three guards of the Prince of Yan are all iron-blooded elites who have fought their way through the battlefield."

"Let alone the twelve guards of the Imperial Guard, I'm afraid even 200,000 troops of the capital might not be able to stop them."

"How can I rest easy in the Qianqing Palace?"

Zhu Yuanzhang had no reservations whatsoever and spoke directly.

"Father, fourth son."

At this moment, Zhu Biao also realized something, looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, and then looked at Zhu Di.

"hehe."

Zhu Di smiled, it was unclear whether he was mocking Zhu Yuanzhang or himself.

He continued, "I will transfer the Three Thousand Battalion and the Five Armies Battalion to Beiping, while the Divine Machine Battalion will remain in the capital and be stationed east of Xuanwu Lake."

"As you know, I brought back a lot of firearms craftsmen from the Western Regions. I want to see if I can develop more powerful firearms."

"The Ming Dynasty currently only has single-eyed muskets and bowl-shaped muskets, which is far too few."

"it is good."

Zhu Yuanzhang saw no ambition in Zhu Di's eyes, so his attitude softened considerably, and he said, "I will issue an imperial edict."

"Establish a Firearms Bureau, which you will assist in managing. All necessary expenses will be covered by the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue."

"If new firearms are produced, they should be supplied to the Shenji Battalion first."

"Can."

Zhu Di nodded slightly and did not reject his suggestion of giving a reward for a beating.

After all, the Ministry of Works has gathered all the skilled craftsmen in the country, and with their assistance in developing firearms, the progress of firearms development will be much faster.

Even the most advanced weapons require human operators. When it comes to the use of firearms, no one in the world is more professional than the Shenji Battalion. It is no exaggeration to say that the Shenji Battalion was the world's first army equipped with firearms. Even if these firearms were deployed to the Imperial Guards and the Capital Army, they could not match the Shenji Battalion.

"Fourth brother."

What shortcomings still exist in both local and military settings?

Zhu Biao promptly changed the subject, attempting to ease the tense atmosphere between the two.

"The army is indeed missing one force: the Ming Dynasty Navy."

Zhu Di turned around and said frankly, "During the Yuan Dynasty, maritime trade was very popular. The reason why our Great Ming abolished the Maritime Trade Office was simply because there were many pirates at sea. Simply closing it off was not necessarily a good thing. It is better to guide than to block."

"If you can be a thief for a thousand days, how can you guard against thieves for a thousand days?"

"What do you want to do?"

Zhu Yuanzhang became interested upon hearing this.

His reason for implementing the maritime ban was not merely to prioritize agriculture and suppress commerce; to a large extent, it was based on the experience of the Song and Yuan dynasties. The maritime trade of the Song and Yuan dynasties brought in many foreigners, including Arabs, who, like Pu Shi, usurped the land and had no sense of shame.

Furthermore, during the early Yuan Dynasty, Japanese pirates were active in the southeast, causing banditry. As a result, Kublai Khan launched two large-scale expeditions to Japan, but both failed due to typhoons. In the early Ming Dynasty, remnants of Zhang Shicheng and Fang Guozhen occupied overseas and frequently caused trouble.

If he could change this situation, he would naturally not continue to insist on the maritime ban policy, cutting off the livelihood of coastal people.

"The navy can be divided into two parts: first, rivers and lakes; second, the sea."

"First and foremost are rivers and lakes. Water transport was the most important channel for transporting grain in the feudal dynasties of China throughout history."

"The Han Dynasty established its capital in Chang'an (present-day Xi'an, Shaanxi Province), and every year transported grain collected from the Yellow River basin to Guanzhong, connecting the Yellow River and..."

The Huai River, the Yangtze River, and the Huai River systems formed a new waterway connecting the north and south, laying the foundation for the later Grand Canal.

"Thereafter, from the Tang, Song, Yuan and even our Ming Dynasty, the Grand Canal was of paramount importance as it was crucial for connecting the north and south."

"Marquis Chen De of Linjiang is skilled in naval warfare. He can be appointed to lead the establishment of the Grand Canal Transport Office, serve as the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, recruit 3,000 soldiers, and lead boats to patrol the rivers."

"Marquis Jinghai, Wu Zhen, was the top naval commander of the court. He led the establishment of the Jinling Navy, which patrolled the coastal areas of Jiangdong, Jianghuai, and Fujian. At the same time, he established coastal naval garrisons, which were responsible for driving out Japanese pirates and capturing pirates."

"The Grand Canal Transport Commissioner and the Naval Commander were both of the second rank. The former was subject to the orders of the Secretariat, while the latter was under the jurisdiction of the Grand General's Office."

Zhu Di did not propose to establish the Ming Navy directly, because one cannot become fat overnight. The Ming Dynasty's vast coastline could not be maintained by a single navy, let alone expand outwards.

The main task of the Jinling Navy was to protect the coastal waters near the capital, serving as a seed to lay the foundation for the future establishment of a large navy.

"Boss."

"This matter is entrusted to you."

Zhu Yuanzhang gave Zhu Biao a look, indicating that both the Grand Canal Administration and the Nanjing Navy were crucial to the stability of the nation and should not be placed in the hands of others.

"Yes, Father."

Crown Prince Zhu Biao responded immediately.

Zhu Di watched coldly from the sidelines, seemingly unconcerned that his proposed plan would be implemented by others.

"Fourth brother, how should we address the issues in the southwest and Annam?"

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't stand seeing him idle, so he bombarded him with questions one after another.

"That depends on whether you want a permanent solution or just a temporary one."

"The temporary solution is simple: follow the example of the Yuan Dynasty and implement a system of tributary rule over the southwest, Tibet, Gan, and Qiangtang. They have a hereditary chieftain system, and as long as you acknowledge it, they can pay tribute to you every year."

"What about a one-time solution?"

Zhao Yuanzhang asked.

"That's going to be a problem."

Di's lips curled into a slight smile as he said jokingly, "Old man, I'm afraid you won't even see the South completely transformed into Han territory before you die."

"you...."

Zhao Yuanzhang was so choked by those words that his forehead throbbed, and he wished he could take off his dragon boots and beat this rebellious son of the West.

He was only in his forties, the prime of a ruler's life, yet Di was cursing him to die.

"Fourth brother."

Zhao Biao was speechless. Were these father and son enemies in a past life? They started arguing without saying a word.

"Alright, I'll just say it."

Zhao Di bluntly stated: "In the border areas of Guizhou alone, there were several powerful chieftains who ruled for at least several hundred years: Shui Reng'an Bian (ruling the area around present-day Bijie and Dafang), Shui Dong Song Bian (ruling the area around present-day Guiyang, Kaiyang, and Longli), Bozhou Yang Bian (ruling the area around present-day Zunyi), and Sizhou Tianwan (ruling the area around present-day Tongren and Cengong)."

"These chieftains in the region are different from the local emperors; they hold military power and are difficult to control."

"Previously, when Duke Deng Yu of Wei led his troops to pacify the Xiangxi area, he was assisted by these local chieftains' armed forces."

"Therefore, I propose establishing Bozhou, Tongrenzhou, Chishuizhou, Anshunzhou, Zhenyuanzhou, and Sizhou in Guizhou Province, and relocating the 33600 soldiers and their families from the six western garrisons to Guizhou. Within three generations, Guizhou will be teeming with Han Chinese, so what is there to fear from the local chieftains?"

"Yunnan goes without saying; every dynasty has directly ruled from there."

"South of the colorful clouds, the Dian Kingdom, Nanzhao Kingdom, Dali Kingdom and other regional powers were successively born, directly threatening Sichuan and other places."

In the first year of the Baoyou era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1253), Kublai Khan sent troops to destroy the Dali Kingdom and enfeoffed his grandson Ganmala as the hereditary governor of Yunnan, who was the Liang King of the Yuan Dynasty.

"From then on, Duan Bian of Dali and the Yuan Liang King ruled the entire western Yunnan. The former used Cangshan and Erhai as their base (present-day Dali, Yunnan), while the latter used Dianchi Lake as their base (present-day Kunming, Yunnan). The last Liang King, Bazarawami, and the last chief steward, Duan Shi, were unwilling to submit to the Ming Dynasty."

"Annam has been independent from the Tang Dynasty for about 500 years. The current ruler is Trần Bận. The country has been established for 147 years. It has defeated the invading Yuan army three times, promoted the civil service examination system, valued culture and education, and carried out large-scale land reclamation, forming a country that is completely different from the Central Plains."

"Destroying the old order is easy, but winning over the hearts of the people at this critical moment is the most difficult thing."

"Ussang, Dokham, and Qiangtang are all part of the Tibetan Plateau."

"The Yuan Dynasty designated this place as the jurisdiction of the Xuanzheng Yuan, which, together with the Zhongshu Sheng, the Shumi Yuan, and the Yushitai, constituted the four major military and political systems of the Yuan Dynasty."

""

"The Xuanzheng Yuan (the Tibetan government) established three Pacification Commissions (Xuanzheng Yuan) in the Rengzang Pass area: the Duosima Pacification Commission, the Duogansi Pacification Commission, and the Ü-Tsang Pacification Commission (comprising the three regions of Central Tibet, Western Tibet, and Ngari). These were further divided into 13 Western Ten Thousand Households (Xiwanhu), and each pass also had a Sangha Registry and a Sangha Chief (Sangha Director).

The subordinate agencies, such as the Capital Steel Bureau, managed the Buddhist temples and monks in various locations. Officials, both monks and laypeople, were employed, and their positions did not require appointment by the Yuan court.

"Now, the entire western Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is almost a mess, with Phagmodrupa, Sakya remnants, various Tibetan tribes, and Mongol Yuan remnants entrenched in the area."

"If the sons of the Han people want to enter this land, they must overcome the difficulties brought by the plateau, which will threaten the emperor's life."

""

"call!!!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuanzhang and his son Ye Biao's expressions became more solemn than ever before.

The problems in the south and the plateau are already very difficult to solve. Dealing with either one would require all our strength. The current national strength of the Ming Dynasty is not enough to support the wars in the south and north, and the internal situation is not yet stable.

"As for Liaodong, I think I don't need to say more. It has received over 100,000 troops and is entrenched between the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River."

"The Koreans, who live just a stone's throw away, number eight million and have hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and they rule over what they consider to be a beautiful land stretching for three thousand miles."

"King Jeon of Goryeo was the 31st king of Goryeo. He served as a guard in the Yuan Dynasty for ten years. After returning to his country, he carried out sweeping reforms, and Goryeo's national strength has greatly improved. He was even preparing to annex Tamna (present-day Jeju Island)."

"Although Goryeo accepted the investiture from our Great Ming in the third year of Hongwu (1370), and the old man even bestowed upon them crowns, robes, musical instruments,

Calendars, classics, and court ceremonies—but what about those? Did anyone send envoys to offer congratulations?

"Our Great Ming Dynasty only has the West Liaoyang Guard in Liaodong, which is the weakest in terms of power. Everyone wants to take a bite out of it."

Zhao Di, who was in awe of Zhu Yuanzhang's act of bestowing titles upon Goryeo, scoffed.

"The traitor!"

Zhao Yuanzhang knew he was telling the truth, and since he had no way to deal with him, he suffered an even worse heart attack.

>