Chapter 18 Zhu Yuanzhang’s Secret Letter
"That's right." Tang He said, "I have something for you. His Majesty gave it to you."
Soup and a hello. Immediately a guard stood up. He came out holding a box in his hands.
But I saw that the box was one foot square and made of mahogany. It doesn't look like there is any special pattern. Very plain. But there are nine words on it: "The Ming Dynasty is a top secret. Anyone who opens it without reason will be killed." There is a seal on it, sealed with mud. Sealed tightly.
He Xi took it with both hands and broke the mud seal in front of Tang He. When I opened it, there was nothing inside. There is only one letter and a small seal. It seems to be made of silver.
He Xi took out the letter first, opened it and read it carefully.
It was written by Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang mainly explained several things. The first thing is the ocean-going plan proposed by He Xi. Zhu Yuanzhang agreed very much. Let him preside over it. Let Tanghe assist him. Select elite soldiers and generals from the various guard posts along the coast. Prepare for this.
Another thing is this box.
In fact, Yongzheng used a secret box to record his affairs. It already existed in the Ming Dynasty. But it is definitely not as extensive as Yongzheng. Only the cabinet, six ministers and other ministers of this level can be granted the seal by His Majesty. In the Ming Dynasty, this system actually started in Yongle.
Now Zhu Yuanzhang has used it on He Xi.
The silver seal inside this box is the key point.
From now on, what superstition did He Xi write? Just use this silver seal to seal it. Go straight to the king through Jin Yiwei's channel. Only Zhu Yuanzhang could cut it.
He Xi picked up the silver seal and saw eight seal characters underneath: "Internal and external, Liuhe, everything."
He Xi secretly thought: "Your Majesty still has very high expectations for me."
He Xi also knew that he would write more letters in the future. When working outside, reporting more and asking for instructions more often is the only way to maintain your favor. And He Xi didn't feel that he didn't have Zhu Yuanzhang's informant around him. In this case, instead of letting others report him, he might as well behave himself.
Tang He said: "Your Majesty, what is your decree?"
He Xi said: "There is indeed something, and I need to ask Uncle Tang for help. Uncle Tang, please take a look." After saying that, He Xi handed the secret letter in his hand to Tang He.
Tang He did not catch it directly and said, "Isn't it appropriate for me to see this secret message?"
He Xi said: "Uncle Tang is your Majesty's old brother. My nephew and Your Majesty have some words that cannot be known to outsiders. But Uncle Tang is not an outsider."
It's really inappropriate.
The emperor did not say who should read this kind of secret message, and generally no one could read it. But He Xi knew that he would have to rely on Tang He for many things in the southeast in the future. As mentioned earlier, the influence of the founding heroes is not comparable to that of ordinary people. Their strength far exceeds their official positions.
Just like soup and. Others come to the southeast coast and can at most manage coastal defense. However, Tang He came to Southeast to make rules. Local officials were also very soft in front of Tang He. Almost what Tang He said, there are few people below who dare to stand up. Even though Tang He did not have the power to manage civil affairs.
Of course, Tang He was the most peaceful among the six founding fathers. Tang He couldn't do anything too arrogant. But if you can't make it, it doesn't mean that you can't make soup.
After He Xi understood this, he understood that the success or failure of his affairs in the southeast was probably whether he could have a good relationship with Tang He.
Yes. This secret message cannot be shown to others. But is Tang He an ordinary person?
He Xi let Tang He read the secret letter. First, it's a sign of goodwill. He expressed to Tang He that he really regarded Tang He as an elder. Many things are kept secret from Tang He. Secondly, it is also a demonstration. After all, let Tang He see it. Just look at one thing.
Tang He could see not only what happened to the sea, but also what happened to Mi Xin.
He Xi didn't know how Tang He was treated in front of Zhu Yuanzhang. But it is estimated that he is not qualified for such a secret box. After all, this is what happened just now. There are only a few people in the cabinet. But today's cabinet is really Zhu Yuanzhang's secretarial team. Compared with these founding heroes, the power is very little.
Many people don't notice.
Let Tang He know that he can actually contact Zhu Yuanzhang at any time.
Tang He is so sophisticated. He heard what He Xi said and what he thought about He Xi. I also figured out a lot. But it is true. Although Tang He is modest, he is not without courage. He Xi dared to let him see it, how could he not dare to see it?
What happened? Even if he saw something he shouldn't have seen, Zhu Yuanzhang wouldn't do anything to him?
To put it bluntly, Tang He followed Zhu Yuanzhang from the wilderness and walked step by step to where he is now. He has some secrets that cannot be known to outsiders, which is much more than what is contained in a mere secret letter.
There was nothing he didn't dare to see.
Tang He smiled slightly and said, "Okay, I'll see if your Majesty has anything to tell you." Tang He took the superstition and looked at it carefully. Then he looked up at He Xi and said with some interest in his eyes: "My dear nephew, your majesty really values me."
He Xi said: "Your Majesty, I love the house as much as the crow. My nephew is not worthy of it."
Tang Hecai didn't believe that Zhu Yuanzhang would value an outsider so much because of a daughter. Not that Tang He felt that Zhu Yuanzhang didn't love his daughter. However, Zhu Yuanzhang was never an emotional person. No matter how much I love my daughter, I will only give her glory and wealth, and I will never entrust important affairs of the court to inappropriate people. In his opinion, the reverse is most likely.
It was because he valued He Xi's talent that he married his daughter to He Xi.
Tang He said: "Do you want to listen to my opinion on going to sea?"
He Xi said: "Uncle Tang wants to give you some advice. It's my nephew's luck. My nephew is all ears."
Tang He handed the secret letter to He Xi, who carefully put it away. Tang He sighed and said, "I'll tell you the truth. I, the Ming Dynasty Navy, came from the Chaohu Navy. The Chaohu Liao brothers and the Yu brothers were both good water warriors. In the battle with Chen Youliang, they repeatedly stood up. Military achievements. It's just a pity that Yu Tonghai died in the battle at Pingjiang City. Liao Yong'an was captured by Zhang Shicheng's general Lu Zhen and died unyielding. Liao Yongzhong lived to the end of the world. I just don't know who listened to Han Lin'er. , built himself in."
"Although these generals are dead, the old brothers who were born in Chaohu are still there. I, the Ming Navy, are invincible on the Yangtze River and can still fight on the coast. But, if you really want to go deep into the sea as you want, , traveling tens of thousands of miles is really not something they can do.”
He Xi understood what Tang He said. The most important point is. The so-called Yu brothers died early. He Xi is not sure. But Liao Yongzhong was used under Tang He. Therefore, when Tang He evaluates these people, he is not just a veteran speaking of colleagues. But these people used to be their bosses and judged their old subordinates.
Others may still care about favors, but Tang He doesn't. Even if the people Tang He mentioned are still alive today, hearing Tang He's comments, they can only listen with their hands down and then criticize themselves.
What Tang He said was mostly true.
And from the process of Zhu Yuanzhang's conquest of the world. The importance of the Chaohu Navy was also discovered. Historically, Zhu Yuanzhang went all the way from Huaixi to the Yangtze River and was stopped by the Yangtze River Navy of the Yuan Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang faced the Yuan Dynasty Yangtze River Navy ship and didn't know how to start. Many people were sent to recruit the Chaohu Navy. At that time, there were many naval forces in Chaohu Lake. The Liao family and the Yu family were just one of them. Led by the last two families, more than 10,000 navy troops defected to Zhu Yuanzhang. The Yuan Navy fought hard for Zhu Yuanzhang. Although the Yuan Navy was not completely defeated by the Chaohu Navy in the end, it was encircled and suppressed in the port by Zhu Yuanzhang. But without the Chaohu Navy, Zhu Yuanzhang would never have been able to do this.
This achievement alone established the Chaohu family's supremacy in the naval field. It is said that Zhang Dingbian, Chen Youliang's first general, was surrounded and suppressed by Chaohu generals and shot into the water with random arrows.
With such merit, in addition, the navy is important. But really speaking, in the Ming Dynasty army, the navy's weight was just that. Therefore, all the founding naval forces were born in Chaohu. Even when I inquired about it, I found that my hometown was inactive.
These generals cannot be said to be unqualified. But they are indeed unfamiliar with the ocean.
