Daming Shuntian Mansion,

In the Imperial Palace of the Capital.

The West Garden is lush and lush, and a group of people are strolling through this royal garden.

Zhu Youxiao, Zhang Haogu, Eunuch Wei, as well as the cabinet ministers and officials, this time Zhu Youxiao took his cabinet secretaries and the officials in the capital to relax and travel around.

"Everything about the palace is good, but it is too big. There are so many rooms, and it always lacks some human touch. No matter how much it is repaired, whether it is planting trees or raising flowers and plants, it is not interesting. Therefore, people in the harem keep more cats. Cats and dogs should be companions."

"There are many eunuchs and maids serving in the palace, but there are also many places to take care of. The place where I live all day long is only a few rooms. Speaking of which, in such a huge palace, the one I spend most time in is Wuying. Palace, Qianqing Palace and other places, so I prefer Xiyuan to the Imperial Palace. The environment of Xiyuan is good, with rippling blue waves, lush greenery, and more popularity and landscape atmosphere."

"I keep all the rare and exotic plants and rare and auspicious animals donated from various places here. The environment in Xiyuan is good for raising people. Speaking of which, there are many pavilions and palaces in Xiyuan. If you calm down and look at it, you will find it has a bit of a fairy spirit."

Zhu Youxiao said, glancing at the palaces and pavilions on the island. Among the golden and fiery red trees and silver flowers, flying eaves, arches, withered beams and painted buildings could be seen layer by layer like mountains. Covered bridges turned and wind chimes danced, and birds and cranes stood on the sky. There is quite a fairy atmosphere above the water.

In the golden autumn of October, all kinds of plants in Xiyuan are still lush. Zhu Youxiao is dressed in Xuanyi, and he really looks like a Taoist immortal.

Speaking of which, the Ming Dynasty really worshiped Taoism. Many Taoist ideas and Confucianism were very consistent with the Ming Dynasty. What's more, Zhu Youxiao also encountered all the bad things caused by the Buddhist temple. The emperor destroyed the Buddha and cleaned it up. Buddhism, which grew wildly in the Ming Dynasty over the years, also knocked down Taoism.

But both Taizu Hongwu and Chengzu were good at Taoism, not to mention Wuzong and Shizong.

Now that things about Buddhism have been exposed, Taoism's luck has increased a lot, and Zhu Youxiao has gone along with the flow to support Taoism.

The most important thing is the propaganda of Buddhism. It is good to suffer in this life and enjoy happiness in the next life. But to encourage people to worship in Buddhist temples, to become a monk, to cut off all the worldly ties, not to get married, and to cut off ties with their original families. This is very fucked up. .

What's more, Buddhist temples do not produce or perform labor. They control a large population and land and do business. Some Buddhist temples take advantage of the large number of people to bully men and dominate women and seize land. They have no effect on the Ming Dynasty.

In fact, not all Taoist ideas are suitable for the Ming Dynasty, but compared with Buddhism, local Taoist ideas are more suitable, and Zhu Youxiao not only worships Taoism, you must know that the most important thing in the Ming Dynasty is Confucianism, and Zhu Youxiao studied with Zhang Haogu , more comprehensive, the three cultivations of Confucianism, Legalism and Taoism are fully developed.

The three-in-one of Legalism, Confucianism, and Taoism is Zhu Youxiao's royal way, and it is Zhu Youxiao's main idea of ​​governing the world. He governs by doing nothing, but he also does everything. Today, Zhu Youxiao can be said to have graduated. He is no longer the emperor's personal trainee who practiced for two and a half years, he is already an outstanding emperor.

Take Buddhism as an example. Although it was severely suppressed by Zhu Youxiao, Buddhism can still breathe. In some places, Zhu Youxiao still uses it when it is needed, and throws it away after use. It can be said that he is playing the tricks of an emperor. It's extremely smooth.

While admiring the landscape, Huang Liji said, "Your Majesty shows great love to the bachelors by locating the Royal Academy of Sciences here."

Zhu Youxiao waved his hand and straightened his sleeves: "These bachelors are the treasures of the Ming Dynasty. What they study is the foundation of the Ming Dynasty for all generations. I can't love them enough."

"I don't expect to live a long life, nor do I ask them to practice any Nine-turn Golden Pill for me. As long as they continue to study along the current path and create more things that are beneficial to the Ming Dynasty, my money will not be wasted.

"

As he said that, Zhu Youxiao looked at the ministers who held the core power of the Ming Dynasty and the ministers of various departments in the capital: "I called you all here because everyone has worked really hard. Since the second year of Tianqi, I have implemented the New Deal. This is a troublesome matter.

There are more and more. In the fifth year of the Apocalypse, the New Deal was fully implemented, the court's various policies continued, and there were wars every year, so everyone was very busy."

"Now that things in Nanyang are settled, we can develop slowly from now on. And the Ming Dynasty has also dragged down everyone's blessings. It is getting better and better now, and it is inseparable from your hard work. Since you are doing your best to worry about me, I am

I'm getting more and more comfortable. The days of Ming Dynasty are booming, so I can't burden you all. Please come and relax and take a swim in the lake."

Zhang Ruitu bowed and said: "It is only because His Majesty the Holy King comes to the court and knows people well and appoints them well that we can serve the court and have the Ming Dynasty today."

Zhu Youxiao smiled and nodded to Zhang Ruitu: "I am happy to hear what Cifu said. I don't dare to take it for granted that a sage comes to the court, but I know people well and do their jobs well. I think my vision is not bad. Well,

In the past ten years, I have judged many people and trusted many others, but the one who has the most accurate judgment is the chief minister."

Zhang Haogu bowed slightly after hearing this.

Zhu Youxiao smiled, turned around and looked at the island pavilion in the distance with his hands behind his hands: "It is said that it is difficult to be a wise king. You have to work hard and appoint people on their merits. It is difficult to create a foundation, but it is even harder to keep it. Nowadays, people are all

It is said that I am as wise as Grandpa Cheng, and as wise as the ancestors of the Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty."

"After hearing this, I feel happy and arrogant. It is inevitable that I also feel guilty. At the age of sixteen, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty mounted his horse to kill the enemy. At the age of eighteen, he destroyed the Sui Dynasty. At the age of twenty-seven, he ascended the throne and established the rule of Zhenguan. He spent his whole life fighting in vain.

, there is no hope of destroying the country, mount the horse to run the army, dismount the horse to govern the country, the Zhenguan Dynasty that governs it will have a great reputation, and all the nations will come to the court."

"Let's talk about Grandpa Cheng, who is now the emperor. He conquered Mobei five times and made seven voyages to the West. He fought on the battlefield all his life. Like Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, he personally witnessed battles and losses. He conquered all directions and united the four seas."

"Whether it is fighting on the battlefield or running the country, I am not as good as them, but my Tianqi Dynasty is now pacifying the four directions, and it is also the time when all the nations come to court, and it is also a prosperous world. Think about it, I have only known people well and appointed them without any doubts in the past few years.

That’s all.”

"Thanks to the dedication of all the gentlemen, I can live a more leisurely and comfortable life, especially thanks to Master, who manages the affairs of the government smoothly."

Hearing this, the elders in the cabinet became a little suspicious. You looked at me, I looked at you, Huang Liji, Qiao Yunsheng, and Qian Qianyi looked at each other, then at the serious Lu Xiangsheng, and then at Zhang Ruitu

, couldn't understand what the emperor was going to say, and the officials in the court were even more suspicious. Some people wiped away their sweat and then straightened their faces as if nothing had happened.

Zhu Youxiao smiled and said: "Since I promoted Master in the second year of Tianqi, there have been a lot of rumors in my ears. In the fifth year of Tianqi, I asked Master to be the first assistant, and there were even more rumors openly and secretly.

All kinds of comments, all kinds of overt and covert attacks, maybe because they are jealous that the master entered the cabinet at a young age and became the first assistant, which was not the case in the Ming Dynasty; or maybe they feel that the master has ruined their affairs, and then they feel jealous

..."

"I originally thought that as the New Deal gets better and better, the Ming Dynasty becomes better and better, and people's lives get better and better, there should be fewer such rumors, right? But I didn't expect it. It is getting better and better.

The more people recognize it, some people don’t. They only recognize what they think.”

"Ah."

With a chuckle, Zhu Youxiao looked at Zhang Haogu and said, "Master, I have sent you lots of firewood over the years, right?"

Zhang Haogu nodded: "Your Majesty sent me a lot of firewood. Up to now, I still have a large amount of firewood waiting for the winter."

Hearing this, some people in the court turned pale.

"Master, have you seen those firewood?" Zhu Youxiao asked.

Zhang Haogu shook his head: "I have never seen it."

Zhu Youxiao laughed: "I didn't look at it either, I was too lazy to look at it."

As he said that, Zhu Youxiao stopped laughing and found a stone to sit down on his own:

"The Emperor of the Han Dynasty had many advantages and disadvantages in his life. In terms of marching and fighting, he was not as good as the Marquis of Huaiyin; in terms of running the country, he was not as good as the Wenhou; in terms of strategizing, he was not as good as staying in waiting; what's more, Xiang Gong was born rich and noble, and he never moved forward, so he was called an overlord. But the Emperor of the Han Dynasty was

Won the world and established the Han Dynasty for 400 years. I believe that the greatest thing is to know people well and assign them well."

"The Duke of Zhou was afraid of the rumor, and when Wang Mang was humble and did not usurp it, Xiangshi died immediately. Who knows the truth of his life..."

"I am not as good at fighting and conquering the world as Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and Grandpa Cheng, and I am not as strong and strong as they are and can fight on the battlefield. In terms of governing the country, I am just a middle-aged person. But at least I am

You know one thing: if you doubt someone, don't use it, and if you employ someone, don't doubt it.

"Although Master and I are not brothers, we are worse than brothers. In my opinion, King Xin... is not as worthy of my trust as Master. My advantage is that I know people well, appoint them well, and employ them without suspicion. Therefore, I trust Master and delegate authority to Master. , I believe that Master will not let me down. I believed it before, I believe it now, and I will believe it in the future. I still hope that this good story about rulers and ministers not doubting will be recorded in the history books in the future, and his name will be passed down in history."

"I can treat the rumors as if they never happened in the past, and I don't want them to happen again in the future. Some things should be yours and won't run away. Don't take them if they're not yours. Who can be in this situation?"

Where you are and what you are doing, I can still clearly see these things."

"That's all, let's go and relax. I'll relax too. It's almost the end of the year now. We all don't have a few days to relax, but we're going to be busy again."

Everyone looked at each other and dispersed to rest. Zhang Haogu was also stopped by Zhu Youxiao, and the two took a boat and started to swim on the lake.

"I plan to hand over Ran'er to the master as soon as possible so that Ran'er can learn from the master's skills." Zhu Youxiao said.

After hearing this, Zhang Haogu said: "With your majesty's trust, I will give you all my money to teach the prince."

Zhu Youxiao nodded: "Today I led hundreds of officials to go out and play. I also want to take a walk. This Xiyuan is so good. I want to stay here all the time, but I can't."

After swimming in the lake for a while, Zhu Youxiao said: "It was said to be a day of leisure, but I couldn't take any time off. I stopped doing scientific research, and all that was left in my mind was state affairs."

"Master, do you think Liaodong can be pacified?"

Zhang Haogu said: "Your Majesty, whether Liaodong is pacified or not has less to do with the Manchu Qing Dynasty and more to do with the Liaodong military town."

Zhu Youxiao nodded slightly, stretched out his hand to lift the curtains of the cabin and looked outside: "Not bad, a military town in Liaodong."

"No, that is no longer a military town of the Ming Dynasty, but a warlord."

"Having control over a town's people's livelihood and military affairs, all major and minor affairs can be handled by hand, and the wind can't blow and the rain can't get in... The nine-sided strategy established by the imperial court to stabilize the border defense has now become a scourge for the imperial court."

"They ask me for money, food, and weapons every year, but in the end nothing gets done and they don't know where they went. It's like I don't know what they are thinking."

As he said that, Zhu Youxiao snorted: "Huh! Every year the imperial court allocates more than two million taels of silver to Liaodong, and there is so much military ration. Aren't they working in the fields? Where is their food? Where is their money?!"

"The military town has been abandoned in their hands. The Ming Dynasty's frontier troops have become their private army. They have raised themselves to be fat and fat, raising the bandits to respect themselves. It is really... useless!"

Zhang Haogu said: "The Manchu and Qing dynasties were enemies of the Ming in a corner, and now they are trapped in the land of Liaodong, preventing them from developing. The Manchu and Qing dynasties are no longer a concern for the imperial court, and are now no more than a scabies disease."

"If Shan Ruo quelled the troubles of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, he sent troops from the grasslands and southern Liaoning to continuously destroy their production, and then sealed the border. In less than a year, the Manchu and Qing Dynasties would surrender. However, it is not easy to destroy the production in Liaodong, and it is also difficult to block the border.

"

Zhu Youxiao said coldly: "Yes, there are people who raise slaves to respect themselves. It's a pity that the slaves they raised for decades finally bit their master."

Zhang Haogu continued: "Therefore, in southern Liaoning, eastern Liaoning and the grasslands, I mainly focused on siege. Since we can't stop the Qing Dynasty's trade, it's better for us to take the initiative to control its trade. At present, all the imports of the Qing Dynasty are under the control of the imperial court.

Among them, weapons, grain, various materials, porcelain, silk, tea, cane sugar, etc., all channels are under the supervision of the imperial court."

"The imperial court can rely on these to obtain money from Liaodong and at the same time control the lifeblood of Liaodong. As long as the imperial court wants, it can cut off the food routes in Liaodong at any time. If there is no food in Liaodong, the Manchu and Qing Dynasties will naturally be in chaos."

"But in the military towns in Liaodong, there are hundreds of thousands of people. The food and military pay distributed over the years have gone, but I don't know where they have gone. What I am worried about is that the imperial court has cut off the food supply to the Qing Dynasty, and the Qing Dynasty is still able to continuously obtain food, grass and weapons."

Zhu Youxiao also sighed: "The military town in Liaodong, with hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses, is hanging over the imperial court."

The Ming Dynasty now has more than 300,000 new troops, of which troops and horses are deployed in ten towns in the south, mainly in southern Zhili, totaling 130,000.

Two towns were released in Gansu and Shaanxi, three towns were trained in southern Liaoning, and the remaining troops were all in northern Zhili, around Shuntian Prefecture.

It can be said that with Shuntian Prefecture as the core, the Ming court could mobilize hundreds of thousands of new troops within a few days.

Why are so many soldiers and horses still stationed in the capital after the grassland troubles have been quelled and all the rivers and mountains in the three thousand miles of Monan have surrendered to the Ming Dynasty?

Yes, once the grasslands have been pacified, the Ming Dynasty can control three thousand miles of grasslands and millions of herdsmen by only stationing troops in two towns on the grasslands, as well as 80,000 carefully selected nomadic militiamen. It can be said that they are fully capable of undertaking border defense tasks.
To be continued...