For Yang Rong and Xia Yuanji, Zhu Gaojie's words were truly shocking.
In their minds, the aristocratic families should be the biggest concern of the Ming Dynasty today. After all, these aristocratic families are becoming more and more powerful and intertwined, and through marriages and other means, these aristocratic families have made me one among you, and one among me. , seek various benefits together.
To this day, there are so many officials from aristocratic families in the court that they are already a very powerful force.
Even Yang Rong, the chief minister of the cabinet, feels constrained when it comes to handling political affairs, which is quite tricky. After all, various government orders formulated by the cabinet must eventually be issued to local governments and implemented by local officials.
As for many local officials, they were originally from aristocratic families, and coupled with their daily collusion, their stance was naturally self-evident.
Xia Yuanji, as the Minister of Household Affairs, was even more deeply touched.
The south was rich, so the court imposed heavy taxes, but what finally reached the Treasury's warehouse was always unsatisfactory.
And when it comes time to use money, each department will rush to get it first, eager to break their own heads, making the household department feel somewhat unable to make ends meet.
In this way, Xia Yuanji naturally knew that the wealthy families were competing with the court for money!
They were polite and courteous on the surface, but in fact they used various methods to exploit and exploit them. The money and food that the people of the Ming Dynasty handed over to the court had to go through their hands first. As a result, the court and the people were at a loss, and the wealthy families were enriched. What we eat is a mouth full of oil and a brain full of fat.
Such a result is naturally something they do not want to see.
Therefore, Yang Rong and others have always regarded aristocratic families as their top priority, thinking about how to help Zhu Gaojie suppress these greedy aristocratic families.
But now, according to Zhu Gaojie, it is the Tatars in the north that His Royal Highness pays the most attention to?
To a few of them, today's Tatar is just a defeated dog driven to the bitter cold land in the north. He may still have the ability to hurt people, but it should only be a minor problem.
After all, since Emperor Taizu destroyed the remaining Beiyuan, when the troops came, these aliens could only flee to the north miserably, surviving and licking their wounds.
Even if there were raids on the Ming border on weekdays, it was probably just ringworm and scabies. Why did Zhu Gaojie pay so much attention to it?
"Your Highness, the Tatar invasion should not be a serious problem since Commander Su has already sent his envoy."
"What's more, hasn't that person been fighting with the Tatars in Mobei..."
The former King of Han, now Zhu Gaoxu, has been exiled to the northwest since his rebellion failed. At the junction of Mobei, with few men and horses left, he lives under the intrusion of Tatars all day long.
Liu Rong, the Marquis of Guangning, who was the commander-in-chief of the northwest, respected Zhu Gaojie's secret order and monitored this person closely.
It has to be said that Zhu Gaoxu is still somewhat capable. In such a difficult environment, he still survived tenaciously. The war with the Tatars has been back and forth, and his territory has been stabilized by him.
Zhu Gaoxu didn't pay much attention to his second brother. What he was concerned about was whether the Tatars would take this opportunity to collude with Zhu Gaoxu and then kill in the Central Plains.
After all, no matter what Zhu Gaoxu said, he was still a former prince. Although he failed in the rebellion and was exiled by the prince, he could still be effective to some extent...
"My second brother, his fighting ability is just passable, but his mind is a mess."
Zhu Gaojie said slowly:
"At the beginning, the old man and I discussed keeping his life and sending him to Mobei. I also hoped that he could live a peaceful life and see if he could help Daming guard the border gate."
"However, I received a secret report that after he survived from the Tatars, he seemed to have some kind of contact with the Tatars, so he can live a relatively reluctant life on weekdays..."
"With this Tatar invasion, I'm afraid that my second brother will be confused and get on the wrong pirate ship. Will I be forced to send him on his way again?"
Several people looked at each other and said nothing. It was a royal secret and they were unwilling to talk too much.
After all, it's probably not good to get involved in this kind of thing.
Zhu Gaojie didn't care, he smiled and said:
"The Tatars are probably trying to support my second brother and come to compete with me. Maybe they even thought of using him to move south in one fell swoop in the early stage, which would be overwhelming."
"They don't even think about what I am doing with Liu Rong's 300,000 troops in the northwest!"
"I'm afraid that my second brother won't be able to carry it properly, and he will lose his own life in vain..."
After all, Yang Rong was the chief minister of the cabinet. He thought for a while and then said in a deep voice:
"Your Highness, this matter requires considerable consideration. After all, if the Tatars really want to do this..."
Zhu Gaojie smiled and shook his head and said:
"It doesn't matter. I have already given instructions to Liu Rong, including Su Wu. They naturally know how to deal with it. I will be responsible for everything."
"The key is to take advantage of this opportunity to decide the situation in one fell swoop. It is best to completely eliminate the Tatars!"
"Let there be no place for these nomadic aliens to survive in the grassland!"
When Xia Yuanji heard this, he immediately began to worry.
His household department cannot withstand the consumption of several wars...
Besides, I heard that His Highness the Prince meant to completely destroy the Tatars. The money, food and manpower required for this would probably be an extremely huge astronomical figure!
Even if he digs three feet into his household warehouse, he may not be able to collect it all...
"Xia Shangshu, you don't have to worry too much."
When Zhu Gaojie saw him worrying there, he smiled slightly:
"I know that the Ministry of Household Affairs alone cannot support such consumption of money and food, so we need to take a longer-term view."
"Although confiscating homes and exterminating clans is not a good method, it can also be used to replenish the needs of the national treasury."
"It's time for those aristocratic families to spit it out. The Ming Dynasty doesn't need aristocratic families that are holding back, let alone a wealthy family that is trying to steal everything!"
Several people were immediately taken aback and quickly tried to dissuade them:
"Your Highness, this matter must be considered in the long run. Now is not a good time to confiscate your family and exterminate your clan..."
"There are many entanglements among these aristocratic families, and one move can affect the whole body. Your Highness needs to consider it carefully."
Even Shen Qingyu on the side was shocked.
Is His Highness the Crown Prince going to kill the noble families?
But now is an extremely critical time. The old and new thrones are alternating, and there are internal and external worries. Your Highness should at least wait until he successfully ascends the throne...
After hearing the advice of several people, Zhu Gaojie's expression did not change and he said slowly:
"This is what I want to discuss with you today."
"Use this Tatar invasion to resolve these two issues together!"
