Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled a few times: "A Yang Ji died last year, so I thought I could make them behave a little better, but I didn't expect they would still behave like this. This time we have to kill their arrogance!"
Yang Ji, courtesy name Meng Zai, is famous for his poetry. He is also a calligrapher and painter, especially good at painting landscapes, bamboos and rocks. He was also the secretary of Zhang Shicheng's shogunate and served as the prime minister's office. After entering the Ming Dynasty, he still attached to the Huaiyuan Dynasty. He said: "The old hatred of the Six Dynasties is in the setting sun. Nanpu New Sorrow in the Drizzle" was sung among the literati who refused to serve in the Ming Dynasty.
The so-called four heroes of Wuzhong, Gao Qi, Yang Ji, and Xu Ben, all served Zhang Shicheng. The remaining Zhang Yu served with his father in the BC Yuan Dynasty. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the imperial court recruited Gao Qi and Yang Ji. Zhang Yu and Xu Bi took refuge in Wuxing and refused to be called upon.
In fact, there are not many such figures in Jiangnan. If there is any advantage of the Yuan Dynasty or Zhang Shicheng that literati are so fond of, it should be the relaxed political environment.
Zhu Biao sat down and picked up the teacup and said: "Zhang Shicheng was defeated and hanged himself long ago, but there are still people who want to use his name to stir up trouble and trace the source. The fundamental purpose is actually to point to his father's move to purge officials."
"I think if my father gives up the officialdom and eliminates corruption, abolishes the pro-military governor's office, and reduces the power of the supervisory censor, it will not take long for thousands of scholars to come to the capital, and the power of the court will be just around the corner. ."
Silence fell in the hall. The father and son looked at each other for a moment, neither of them could see the meaning, but they suddenly laughed together. How could they give in at this time after surviving the most difficult years? It was nothing more than killing.
"At that time, Zhang Shicheng's territory stretched from Xuzhou in the north to Shaoxing in the west, Sizhou in the east and the sea in the east. It stretched for more than two thousand miles and had hundreds of thousands of armored men. He was also assisted by counselors such as Gao Jidi, Shi Naian, Luo Guanzhong, Chen Weixian, etc. It can be described as powerful. Bullfighting is in the limelight, Biaoer, do you know why he lost?"
Zhu Biao lowered his head and thought for a moment and replied: "Zhang Shicheng used to have strong troops and occupy the right time, place and people. However, he was cowardly in nature. He was content with wealth and missed good opportunities. His words and deeds were slow and taciturn. He seemed to be capable, but in fact he had no long-term plans. This is a taboo for the monarch!"
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded happily and said: "Yes, the biggest problem of Zhang Shicheng, Chen Youliang, Ming Yuzhen and others is that they started from humble beginnings and then held a high position and then settled down to accept their fate."
"Back then, we were caught in the middle by Zhang Shicheng and Chen Youliang. Among the three parties, our power was the weakest and most dangerous. They kept sending people to persuade us to submit. When they saw that we were unmoved, they united with the east and west to attack Yingtian, preparing to carve up us first. At that time, everyone thought we were going to be defeated, and the people below were doing whatever they could to make a living."
Zhu Biao couldn't help but recall the situation at that time. He was five or six years old that year. Although he was still trapped in the rear mansion, he could walk and run after all, and he came into contact with more people.
I remember that at that time, Lao Zhu had not returned to his residence to rest for several months. He had been staying in the military camp outside the city with Xu Da and others. However, the residence was not quiet either. The wives and daughters of advisers and generals kept coming to see their mother and persuade her to leave the city. If you persuade the commander-in-chief, even if you surrender, you will be full of glory and wealth, so why risk your life?
At that time, the atmosphere in the mansion was very depressing, with gloomy clouds all over the sky, and it felt like the dark clouds were about to overwhelm the city. Even though no one would tell the young Zhu Biao about it, he still remembered it fresh, as did his mother at that time. Although he was much haggard, he still held him in his arms and sat in the rear. He did not go out of the city to see Lao Zhu, and he did not even send a letter.
Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and wandered around for two times. He was very anxious when he faced the trouble, but now he only felt proud when he thought about it, because he made the most correct choice at that time, and the enemies he had once been difficult to deal with were now dead in the grave.
"We were actually very hesitant at that time. The chance of winning was so small that even the morale of the soldiers under our command was low. We thought that we had already become the Duke of the country. Even if we voted, we should still be rich. We are not afraid of death, but we have to fight for you. Mom thought about it, but the more she thought about it, the angrier she became, why should our son kowtow to other people’s sons and work hard in the future?”
Zhu Yuanzhang's tiger eyes became brighter and brighter, as if he had returned to the troubled times of the past when heroes were vying for the deer, and he muttered loudly: "So we fought against all odds, winning again and again, and we have fought this way for thousands of miles. My son no longer has to kneel to others, hahahahaha!"
The laughter stopped suddenly. Zhu Yuanzhang looked back at Zhu Biao and said: "Biao'er, it's the same now. It's easy to bow your head and make concessions, but sooner or later you have to get it back. We don't know that as long as we give in a little bit, they will rush to kneel down to beg the official, but This is not what we want!"
Zhu Biao stood up and saluted and said: "Thunder, rain and dew are all your kindness, but my father can dominate and bring blessings!"
Looking at Zhu Biao and Zhu Yuanzhang, he couldn't help but laugh again. Perhaps to outsiders, the prince and he had completely different temperaments, but as a father, he knew his son's character best.
They all thought that after surviving this tyrant like him, they would once again usher in a prosperous age when monarchs and scholar-bureaucrats rule the world together, but they were destined to be disappointed or even desperate. Therefore, what a blessing it is to have successors. It is destined that their own efforts will not be successful. All in vain.
Zhu Yuanzhang turned around and returned to his seat: "We are going to stop the imperial examination. We will not hold it for the next few years. We will no longer be able to select suitable talents."
Zhu Biao was well prepared. It was not a day or two before an official from the imperial examination had made his father dissatisfied. Old Zhu was a pragmatist. He talked about morality and righteousness but shut up about morality, righteousness and morality. Officials who could only sit and talk and didn't even distinguish between grains were really unworthy. Suitable for this day.
This is also a blow to those who clearly have the ability but refuse to take the imperial examination. Originally, you were not just relying on your talent and arrogance, thinking that you could become an official at any time if you wanted to, but now it is no longer possible. The road to becoming a scholar through the imperial examination is temporarily closed. "
From now on, the imperial government will mainly use scholars who came from the Imperial College, supplemented by the recommendation system. Of course, the recommendation system must be approved by the emperor or the prince before they can enter the official position. This is another kind of screening, and it also affects the gentry group. limit.
And Zhu Biao also had plans for the future. The imperial examination was popular in the Tang Dynasty and flourished in the Song Dynasty. The scale of the imperial examination was also getting larger and larger. In the Tang Dynasty, the number of scholars for each subject was as many as 20 or 30, and for the Song Dynasty, the number of scholars for each subject was increased. There are more than a hundred people. The more people there are, the more people will pretend to be numbers.
The imperial examination is good, but Zhu Biao intends to restrict it. In the future, only the elite will be selected for the imperial examination. The ordinary grassroots officials will be those who came from the Imperial College. The Imperial College does not teach the Four Books and Five Classics, but only teaches the methods of local governance and peace of the people.
In fact, the imperial court does not need many outstanding talents. If the people in local states, counties, towns and villages can live and work in peace and contentment, then most of the problems in the world will be solved.
Of course, this is just an idea. Zhu Biao has enough time to properly improve its structure, but the expansion of the Imperial College is an urgent matter.
Zhu Biao unconsciously figured out where else he could get some money. The Imperial College was also a big consumer of money, and the various supplies amounted to a huge sum every year. Not to mention the expansion of enrollment and expansion. Education was so difficult.
We should not let Tangding Sapphire come from Japan. After all, the amount of silver mines in Japan at this time is very amazing, and most of them are very shallow and easy to mine. In this era, this is actually the most important thing.
The voyage to the sea is about to begin. Europe should still be using currency made of gold and silver, so it is very urgent to reserve some silver. After all, it is hard currency.
There are many silver mines in Japan, but the only one Zhu Biao can remember is the Shijian Silver Mine, and the location is also the most suitable. It is across the sea from Korea and is very close to each other.
If there is a way to capture Tang Ding Sapphire, then everything will be easy. We can go to the Ming Dynasty via Goryeo. Zhu Biao is not worried about Goryeo daring to be greedy for profit. If he really dares, that would be even better. It happens to be a famous teacher. After all, Goryeo In name, it was still a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, so it had to worry about the opinions of other vassal states.
However, we still have to ask what Tang Ding means first. Zhu Biao will not give random orders from such a long distance, otherwise it will be easy for something to happen and disrupt the overall situation, and then the gain will outweigh the loss.
"Biao'er."
Zhu Biao came to his senses and responded: "My son and I are here."
Zhu Yuanzhang didn't ask him what he was thinking about just now, but just said calmly: "Still the old rules, you should not get too involved in this matter, and you should also restrain the people in the East Palace."
The main role of Zhu Biao now is to serve as a buffer, so that those people will not despair. People can survive the stormy and long nights because they know in their hearts that there will always be the sun to disperse the wind and rain and illuminate the world. How sad.
……………
He stayed in Su for more than ten years, ensuring the safety of the country and the people, and doing little work and little wealth.
The fundamental purpose refers to the rule of the father and emperor. "
