Zhu Zhanji was silent for a long time, then suddenly sat up and said, "Uncle Qing, let's go."
"where to?"
"Look for grandpa." Zhu Zhanji said, "He must have a way."
Li Qing didn't think so, but he went to the commander's camp with Zhu Zhanji anyway.
In the handsome camp.
Zhu Zhanji briefly explained Li Qing's concerns, "Grandpa, how should we deal with this situation?"
"We can't deal with it." Zhu Di said simply, "The Tatars don't want to fight head-on, and we don't have any tricks at all."
"Ah? This..." Zhu Zhanji was dumbfounded: Grandpa Huang, your wise and mighty persona has collapsed!
In his impression, his grandfather was a man who could do anything, especially in the military field. He thought that his grandfather could do anything, but he didn't expect this to be the result.
Zhu Zhanji scratched his head and saw that his grandfather was still calm, as if he didn't care. He suddenly said: "Grandpa, you must have thought of a solution and deliberately made me guess, right?"
"I've thought too much. It's true this time." Zhu Di shook his head.
"Then aren't we..." Zhu Zhanji hesitated, "our trip was in vain?"
"Huh? You're not running in vain." Zhu Di said with a smile: "Victory is about achieving the goal, not how many enemies are killed. As long as the strategic goal can be achieved, it is victory."
"Isn't the strategic purpose to weaken the Tatars?" Zhu Zhanji was even more confused.
"That's right," Zhu Di nodded: "But whether to fight and how to fight, they have the initiative, so it is difficult to weaken them directly, they can only weaken them indirectly."
Zhu Zhanji's head felt a little itchy, "My grandson is stupid."
"It's very simple. Keeping Wala alive is to weaken the Tatars." Zhu Di said, "Once we come, they can only fight against us wholeheartedly. Whether they fight or not, they have no time to care about anything else."
"Of course, there are deeper considerations for sending troops." Zhu Di said with a serious face: "Zhan Ji, what do you think is the most important thing for an emperor?"
This question was too general. Zhu Zhanji didn’t know where to start. He thought for a while before tentatively saying:
"ability?"
"No, it's power!"
Zhu Di hummed: "If an emperor loses his power, can he still be called an emperor?"
"Grandpa said yes." Zhu Zhanji nodded.
Zhu Di asked again: "What is the composition of the emperor's power?"
This time with an entry point, Zhu Zhanji thought for a moment and replied: "The power of life and death!"
"It's too general." Zhu Di shook his head: "Remember, when you become emperor in the future, you only need to master three things to tightly hold the imperial power in your hands."
"Please teach me, Grandpa Huang." Zhu Zhanji leaned down and bowed down, feeling excited.
Zhu Di held out three fingers: "Military power, financial power, and the right to appoint, remove, and promote officials!"
"As long as you master these three things, you will be a veritable emperor." Zhu Di said calmly, "To tell you the truth, my grandpa's Northern Expedition was not for fighting, but to continue to control the military and use the army to control the court."
"This year's Northern Expedition, next year's Northern Expedition, and next year's Northern Expedition will continue." Zhu Di sighed, "As long as Grandpa's life is here, they can't even think of infiltrating the army."
Zhu Zhanji was startled for a moment, and then he realized it. At the same time, the pride in his heart disappeared.
He deeply realized that he was still too immature politically.
However, when he thought about the military expenditure, he hesitated, "Grandpa's continuous Northern Expedition has affected the country's finances..."
"Haha...it can't collapse."
Zhu Di sneered and said, "Have I spent less money since I came to the throne?
Expeditions to Jiaozhi in the south, expeditions to the grasslands in the north, compilation of canons, opening of canals, and building of new capitals...Did the Ming Dynasty collapse? "
"But……"
"But the people are having a hard time, right?" Zhu Di nodded, "The people have indeed been affected by the canal and the construction of the capital, but fighting is a matter for the army, so what has it done to the people?
The taxes that were previously increased have been reduced. Why do the people suffer? "
"But... spend money!" Zhu Zhanji was deeply influenced by Zhu Di, and at the same time, he was also influenced by Zhu Gaochi.
Zhu Di scolded: "What's not good about learning? Learn to be stingy like your father?!"
Grandpa lectured his grandson, but Li Qing couldn't interrupt. He reached out and pinched a grape in the ice bucket and threw it into his mouth. The ice was sweet and tasted wonderful.
So, he pinched another one.
After Zhu Di finished scolding, he said: "The water and grass are plentiful in spring. Apart from people, there is almost no need to worry about the rations of war horses and donkeys. Our Ming Dynasty cannot afford to support an army of hundreds of thousands in the grassland for how many months?"
Zhu Zhanji was speechless.
Zhu Di added: "I'm telling you, once the imperial power is damaged, Ming Dynasty's tax revenue will definitely shrink significantly, which will be much more than the money spent on the expedition. Maritime trade is still going on, and Ming Dynasty is rich!"
"Grandpa Huang said that." Zhu Zhanji's face was hot, feeling ashamed of his ignorance.
"As long as you know!"
Zhu Di's expression softened a bit, and then he sighed: "Do you know why Jianwen failed back then?"
"This... my grandson doesn't know."
Regarding Jianwen, Zhu Zhanji only dared to talk to his kind father in private, and never dared to mention it in front of Zhu Di.
"It's because of civil servants."
"That's it!" Zhu Zhanji suddenly realized. In fact, he had known for a long time that the essence of the Battle of Jingnan was a civil and military battle. Of course, it was also inseparable from the Emperor's wisdom and martial arts.
"What do you think of Qi Fanghuang and the others?"
"Rebellious ministers and traitors!" Zhu Zhanji replied politically correctly.
"I'm asking...forget it." Zhu Di changed the question, "Do you know why they did that?"
"To fight the general!"
"Yes, not entirely right." Zhu Di nodded and shook his head: "Actually, in essence, Jianwen's New Deal still has merits and can even be called a good policy."
"Ah?" Zhu Zhanji was a little confused: Grandpa actually praised Jianwen. Is the sun rising to the west?
Just listen to Zhu Di continue: "The main summary of Jianwen's New Deal: Emphasis on civil servants, light taxes, redress unjust prisons, change the official system, and reduce vassal kings; in fact, as long as these strategies are implemented properly, they will have many benefits for the Ming Dynasty."
Zhu Zhanji deeply believed it, but he didn't dare to agree. He knew there was a but, and at the same time, he didn't want to affirm Jianwen.
Because affirming Jianwen means denying grandpa and denying their lineage.
"But," Zhu Di hummed, "Those civil servants are not good people. Let alone valuing civil servants. Light taxes are not for the sake of the people, but for the benefit of officials and gentry. As for the redress of injustice... Haha,
Most of the officials Taizu punished were corrupt officials. They vindicated those who were unjustly imprisoned. Those who were vindicated were also corrupt and bribed officials. It can be seen that they rehabilitated the people? Oh, the purpose is to weaken the penalties for corruption;
Changing the official system and changing the imperial examination to recommendation examination is said to recommend talents, but in fact it is to compete with the emperor for power. If an emperor loses the power to appoint and remove officials, his deterrence and control over officials will also be greatly weakened;
The reason why the vassal king was cut off was because of the binding of the vassal king and nobles, which made civil servants afraid. "
Zhu Zhanji swallowed his saliva and suddenly felt that that group of people was scary.
Zhu Di hummed: "The three of Qi, Fang and Huang, especially Fang Xiaoru, have a high prestige in the circle of civil servants. The reason is that he can benefit the civil servants too much."
"I and his three tribes killed his students just to suppress this evil wind!"
Zhu Di looked murderous, then smiled bitterly and said: "Looking at it now, the effect is not very great!"
Zhu Zhanji said in surprise: "The emperor thought that the civil servants privately praised Fang Xiaoru not because he was loyal to the emperor, but..."
"Otherwise?" Zhu Di snorted, "After grandpa entered Nanjing, except for Qi Fanghuang who was on the list of people who were in trouble, did any of the other officials in the capital have a strong backbone?
Yang Rong also pretended to ask me to go to Xiaoling Mausoleum, what should he say?
Rujun even knelt on the ground and begged me to ascend the throne, one by one...still loyal to the king?
what? "
Zhu Di cursed. He looked down on these civil servants from the bottom of his heart. "After I marched into Nanjing, only Tie Xuan and a few local officials were still fighting to save the city. The others were thinking of changing their families."
"Now you know why they stopped us from sending troops, right?"
Zhu Zhanji looked a little ugly, "In order to weaken grandpa's military power."
"Yeah." Zhu Di said calmly: "I went out not to fight, but to take control of the military. I'm not dead yet, and they want to repeat their old tricks. Hmm, hurry up."
"Grandpa Huang is wise." Zhu Zhanji was convinced, "My grandson will definitely learn from you."
Zhu Di smiled, enjoying his grandson's flattery, "Good boy, better than your father."
"Uh...actually my dad is pretty good too." Zhu Zhanji whispered.
Zhu Di stopped smiling and cursed: "Bullshit, with the way he is...he is not suitable to be an emperor."
"Your Majesty, people should not be judged by their appearance." Li Qing finished eating the last grape and said, "The prince's political ability is obvious to all. In the past few years, he fought in the south and north, opened canals, and built grand ceremonies... The prince dealt with it and contributed a lot. The supervising officials also did an excellent job."
"I didn't say that he is not good at supervising the country." Zhu Di said flatly, "But he is only suitable for supervising the country, not being an emperor. He does not have the ambition and domineering to be an emperor, and he cannot be an emperor well."
Zhu Di never concealed his dislike for the good old man.
"Zhanji, grandpa has something to tell you."
"Hey, Grandpa Huang, please tell me."
Zhu Di said: "After I die, those bastards will definitely vindicate Fang Xiaoru. Your weak father will probably agree. When the time comes, you will have to mess with Huang."
"Well, don't worry, grandpa." Zhu Zhanji solemnly assured: "If that happens, my grandson will definitely stop it."
Zhu Di smiled and looked up at the tent: "Then grandpa will be relieved."
He murmured: "My whole life... I really haven't lived a comfortable life for a few days. I ask myself whether I am worthy of the country and the country. I am not wrong, and I will not admit my mistakes;
I don’t care and can’t control what future generations think of me;
But the Zhu family, the successors, cannot deny me or my achievements. "
"Grandpa Huang is wise and mighty, and he is a sage through the ages." Zhu Zhanji's face was full of reverence.
Although these words are flattering, they also come from the sincerity.
Zhu Di smiled heartily and happily: "Zhan Ji!"
"My grandson is here."
"Remember, an emperor without real power cannot be an emperor well."
Zhu Zhanji nodded and continued to listen.
Zhu Di's face became serious: "Throughout the emperors in the past, there were very few who achieved great achievements, and most of them were mediocre or even mediocre. Could it be that those emperors didn't want to make some achievements?
No, no, it’s not that I don’t want to, it’s that I can’t do it!
I dare say that the emperors since Qin Shihuang, except for the promiscuous Sima family members of the Jin Dynasty, the other emperors are almost all stupid. The reason why they give people the impression of being stupid emperors is because they are too weak;
Neither civil servants nor military generals can be controlled, so power can only be decentralized. But whether they are civil servants or military generals, when they have power, most of them will harm the public and enrich themselves.
And in the end, it was the emperor who took the blame! "
After taking a breath, Zhu Di continued: "Take Jianwen for example, doesn't he want to be a good emperor?
Does he want to destroy the Ming Dynasty?
The reason why he was in such a mess was that he was not capable enough, but more importantly, he was too weak. "
Zhu Di warned: "Remember, the weak king today will be the fatuous king in the eyes of future generations."
"My grandson, please remember this." Zhu Zhanji nodded seriously.
