Jingnan had not passed for many years, and even the reign of Hongwu was only one or two generations old.
Therefore, the martial virtues of the Ming Dynasty were quite abundant, and the attitude between the government and the public towards military matters was not considered weak.
It's just that many officials have different positions...
Facing Zhu Gaojie's statement, some officials looked particularly excited and excited, while some officials frowned and looked particularly serious.
how?
Does His Royal Highness actually want to choose this time to start a full-scale war with the Tatars?
Now is not a good time!
The old emperor is seriously ill, undercurrents are surging in the court, and aristocratic families from all over the country are constraining him. The prince should sit down and calmly sort out the situation of the court. Only then can he succeed to the throne safely and securely. This is the direction of the king and will not shake the current status of the Ming Dynasty. situation.
But hearing the tone from His Highness the Crown Prince, it was clear that he was preparing to start a war frivolously!
Or with the northern Tatars, who have always been tyrannical and brutal!
Some mature and prudent ministers already looked a little worried, and wanted to go out and speak out to dissuade Zhu Gaojie from this seemingly crazy move.
Is this not militarism?
What is most important right now? Could it be that you, the Crown Prince, can’t figure it out?
Of course, stabilizing the government and smoothly taking over the throne is the way to go!
Why bother with the Tatars in the north?
For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall became a little strange.
Finally, the Minister of War came out and asked in a puzzled tone:
"Your Highness, do you mean to start a full-scale war with the Tatars?"
Zhu Gaojie nodded. Although the Minister of War did not stand firmly on his side, he was considered a neutral faction and was not too disturbed by the big families.
Therefore, Zhu Gaojie's attitude towards him was relatively gentle.
"Li Shangshu, I want to take this opportunity to beat up the Tatars in one fell swoop, or even completely eliminate them!"
"Otherwise, given the nature of the Tatars, even if we defeat them all this time, when they return to the grassland to lick their wounds, they will come back again in a few years and cause harm to our Ming Dynasty again."
He said in a firm tone:
"Either don't fight, or kill them all at once!"
"Otherwise, going back and forth like this will make them bite and bleed repeatedly on our Ming Dynasty. How much flesh and blood do we have for these aliens to chew on?"
"We must not give the Tatars this chance!"
Seeing Zhu Gaojie's resolute attitude, the Minister of War said hesitantly:
"Your Highness, this matter is no small matter. Although there are hundreds of thousands of troops on display in the northeast and northwest of the Ming Dynasty, the Tatars are good at attacking and mainly rely on cavalry. They are strong and come and go like the wind. If there is a full-scale war with them, I am afraid that it will be difficult to reach the border. Keep it..."
Although Zhu Gaojie swept through the Northeast and even attacked the Japanese country and incorporated it into the territory of the Ming Dynasty, for many court ministers, these foreign races in the north were always the biggest threat to the Ming Dynasty.
After all, it had only been a few decades since the Ming Dynasty overthrew the brutal rule of the Meng Yuan Dynasty.
Although today's Tatars are no longer as powerful as Meng Yuan, the memory of the steppe cavalry sweeping across the world is still vaguely hovering in the minds of many people.
"Exactly." Seeing that Zhu Gaojie was not angry at what the Ministry of War said, the Minister of Rites thought for a moment and glanced at Wang Zhi, the Minister of Personnel not far away. After getting the hint, he also stepped out and said:
"Your Highness, the national treasury is not yet full, and etiquette and morality are declining. It is really not a good time to start a war with other countries."
"We should cultivate our internal strength diligently and govern the country well. How can we start a war lightly and trap the Ming Dynasty in the flames of war?"
"Your Highness, I think this move is extremely inappropriate and you should think twice before taking action!"
Following the words of the Minister of Rites, the court suddenly became active as if he had received some order.
Many officials came out enthusiastically, speaking words of dissuasion. In and out of their words, they seemed to regard Zhu Gaojie, the Ming prince, as a frivolous person, vaguely looking like a tyrannical king...
Wang Zhi did not speak. He secretly planned to let these people label the prince as a militaristic person first.
As for war with the Tatars? We still have to fight, but how we fight, where we fight, and the scale of the war must be firmly controlled by people like them!
The prince must not be allowed to take the lead!
You can even use this opportunity to put some eye drops on this ignorant prince, severely reducing his strength and weakening his huge influence in the army!
You must know that in today's army, except for the old emperor who is lying on the sick bed and will not die soon, the prince's reputation is the most popular. Even many senior generals are far inferior to him.
As a result, whether it is a noble family or important officials in the court, it is always extremely difficult and full of obstacles for them to reach out to the army.
This made many people feel very uncomfortable. If the prince ascended the throne in the future and had the support of the army, wouldn't they be sidelined?
Just when Wang Zhi was thinking about how to add more trouble to the prince, Zhu Gaojie turned his attention to him, with a half-smile on his face:
"Wang Shangshu, what do you think?"
Wang Zhi was stunned. I am a minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and I didn’t stand up to say anything. What do you mean by rashly calling my name?
After hearing Zhu Gaojie's inquiry, the rest of the people in the palace immediately fell silent and turned their attention to this official of the Ministry of Personnel, an important minister in the court!
Among them, several academicians had expressionless faces. Yang Rong, the chief minister of the cabinet, glanced at him and turned away. She looked at him expressionlessly.
Wang Zhi was stunned for a while, his thoughts changed rapidly, and he threw away many distracting thoughts. Then he slowly walked out of the queue and said slowly:
"Your Highness, the old minister has never been familiar with military matters, so it is difficult for him to express his opinion on this matter. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
"But the veteran also knows that since ancient times, wars should not be started lightly. The military affairs are extremely dangerous and will greatly damage the vitality of a country. Therefore, I ask His Highness the Crown Prince to consider the people's livelihood more."
He is so cunning that he first degrades himself and sets Zhu Gaojie up when he opens his mouth. You want to build a higher image and gain a higher reputation through fighting, right?
Then I will use the people to stop your mouth first.
It has been said in history books and classics of sages that a king should put the people first and should not start a war lightly.
You, the prince of the Ming Dynasty, still want to go to war with foreign races and consume the country's power when your father is seriously ill. Do you think you have too little regard for the people of the Ming Dynasty?
Do we have to empty the entire treasury?
Do you still want to succeed to the Ming Dynasty throne?