Yan Chenhao received the news quickly, and he was also very surprised. Obviously, he did not expect that the emperor would make such a decision at this time.
It was not that he disapproved of sending troops. He was born in a family of military generals, and he also knew that if he wanted to build his ideal world, conquests were necessary. Zhu Changxun guessed that he was not wrong. Conquests in the south and north were indeed the same. It was within Yan Chenhao's plan.
Just not now.
After all, the Ming Dynasty has been nearly three hundred years old, and he is already an old man. This incident of his can make this old man rejuvenate, but it cannot make him rejuvenate. Many social conflicts are not simply caused by these policies. What can be solved is already ingrained.
Many people are actually waiting for the old man to die now.
The civilian gentry, many greedy officials, and the eunuchs in the inner court who were firmly suppressed by him, because of Hidden's investigation, because they can no longer realize their dream of getting rich, and because the power of the ceremonial supervisor has almost been lost, they are all watching and waiting. His life ended.
But all he can do is to keep repairing this rotten house.
Conquering the four borders and pacifying the frontiers was also part of his preparation, but in Yan Chenhao's plan, it was not yet time, far from it.
At least, the priority is definitely not as high as that of Northern Water Conservancy. After all, the Ming Dynasty is not directly threatened by the grassland. As for Wala, as Li Ruhua thought, even if they can really unify, it will not be a short time.
No need to worry at all.
However, the construction of water conservancy projects was of real benefit to Ming Dynasty.
Both are actually big spenders of money. The difference is that the Northern Expedition will severely damage the vitality of the Ming Dynasty, which has finally begun to recover, while the water conservancy construction in the north is like the pain of a scalpel when cutting off a diseased area.
Especially for the Northern Expedition Grassland, if we are not delayed, the protracted war in the vast desert will consume an astonishing amount of money on the national treasury. If we are not good, it is possible that the Ming Dynasty will be dragged down. It is better to wait until the water conservancy construction is completed. It is more appropriate to launch the campaign after the national strength has been improved to a higher level.
After thinking about it in his mind, Yan Chenhao had already made up his mind - to convince His Majesty to take back this fate.
"Maofu (Li Ruhua's nickname is Maofu), you go prepare the manpower first and calculate the water conservancy needs in the North according to the original plan...Ni Wenhuan just told him to stop, no need to continue, I will go to His Majesty to explain."
He first told Li Ruhua.
Li Ruhua paused. He wanted to say whether he should wait for His Majesty's consent before implementing it, but then he thought about it. Over the years, the chief minister of the cabinet had always followed the emperor's suggestions, so he swallowed his words and felt relieved. And the land went away.
Yan Chenhao hurried to the inner court and arrived in front of the palace in a short time.
After inviting the eunuchs to report, not long after, he was welcomed into the palace by the emperor's personal eunuch.
Zhu Changxun was already waiting for him in the imperial study room. When Yan Chenhao greeted him, he also said hello:
"My master, you are here."
His face was a little dull, and the previous respect had also dissipated a lot. However, Yan Chenhao was eager to talk about the Northern Expedition, so he didn't care about it. Instead, he asked with a little urgency:
"Your Majesty, I heard that you appointed generals, took stock of inventory, and prepared to go north to fight against Oara. Is this true?"
"It's true, I just gave instructions to Chen Guogong and Ni Shilang."
Zhu Changxun nodded. He had directly ordered the officials. Naturally, he had not thought about hiding anything. In fact, he did not feel the need to hide anything. Even the emperor turned around and took down the map hanging on his back. ——Yan Chenhao then noticed that a map had been hung up behind the emperor's chair.
"When will Your Majesty add this map to the study?" he couldn't help but ask.
The emperor's smile froze and he said:
"My master, I have hung this map for more than a month."
Yan Chenhao was speechless for a moment. During this period, he was busy with various affairs and had indeed neglected his disciple a lot.
Fortunately, Zhu Changxun's expression recovered quickly. He seemed to have forgotten what happened just now. He spread the map on the table and showed it to Yan Chenhao:
"My master, look."
"The Tatars have been in decline since their defeat a few years ago. Although the Oaras occupy this large grassland, internal fighting and wars continue. According to the Jinyi Guards' reports, their population and resources have been drastically reduced, and their soldiers are exhausted. It’s unbearable, but the enemy leaders still have no intention of ending their troops.”
"And our Ming Dynasty, after being governed by my master, has a rich treasury, strong soldiers and horses, and the prosperous era of the Zhongxing Dynasty has arrived."
"If we send out troops at this time and attack Huanglong directly, it will be like melting snow with fire or hitting eggs with stones, without any obstacles! In this way, great things can be accomplished!"
"Within fifty years of the Ming Dynasty, there will be no more border troubles!"
"The last wish of Taizu Taizong will surely come true!"
Zhu Changxun's voice became louder and louder. When he got excited, he clenched his fingers into a fist and slammed it on the table, as if he had already seen the scene where the grassland bowed its head and he made immortal achievements.
After speaking, he turned his eyes to Yan Chenhao again, his voice trembling because of too much excitement:
"My master, what do you think of my plan? You are also from a family of military commanders. Can you see any shortcomings?"
At this time, the emperor's whole person exuded an aura called "excitement" and "impassioned".
He really thought that Yan Chenhao would not have any objection to his decision.
Yan Chenhao looked at the emperor's excited look and fell silent for a moment.
To be honest, he rarely saw his disciples be so enthusiastic about something.
But he decided to break that smile.
The chief minister of the cabinet shook his head and said slowly:
"I am not optimistic about this plan."
As if he didn't notice that the emperor's expression in front of him had begun to stiffen, he remonstrated as usual:
"Your Majesty, although the world has generally been improving in recent years, it is still not in great control. There are still many problems that need to be solved urgently. It is still too early to talk about the prosperous times."
"Sending troops to the grasslands is something only those with strong national strength can do. I am afraid that it will empty the national treasury...especially since I have just discussed with the ministers that the renovation of water conservancy in the North will also cost a lot of money. I am afraid that we cannot have both..."
"Besides, the chaos in the grassland will take several years to end. We still have plenty of time, so there is no need to be so impatient."
"Why don't your Majesty wait a few more years? When water conservancy is perfected and the prosperous age truly comes, it will not be too late to pacify the northern border."
Speaking, worried that the emperor did not understand the importance of the water conservancy project, Yan Chenhao continued:
"Your Majesty, this water conservancy is a top priority. Although it costs a lot of money, if it is successful, agriculture in the north will definitely prosper."
"In this way, wouldn't it be much better than the war that drained the national treasury?"
"Your Majesty, please think again."
After Yan Chenhao finished speaking, he saluted the emperor again.
Exactly the same as in past years.
(End of chapter)
