We all grew up together, so we all know each other well. Zhu Di's character has never been simple.
Or it could be said that, except for Zhu Tri, the previous vassal kings did not have very good personalities. Even Zhu Tri, in fact, in some aspects, his personality was not considered gentle. He just liked flowers and plants.
When these words came out of Zhu Di's mouth, everyone was somewhat surprised.
Zhu Ying looked at Zhu Di for a long time, not knowing what he was planning.
Don't you have any other plans?
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at it, hesitated for a moment, and then did not continue on this topic.
In his opinion, this is a good sign, because the fourth child has never been like this, or in other words, it was only like this when he was the boss.
Thinking of his boss, Zhu Yuanzhang felt a little sad.
That was his most beloved eldest son, and he was still by his side on Zhengdan last year.
He turned around and looked at Da Sun, then slowed down a little.
"Drink!"
Zhu Yuanzhang drank and raised glasses together.
This family banquet surprised many feudal princes, because it was just like a normal meal.
What they had imagined before, such as breaking a cup as a sign of honor, drinking a cup of wine to release military power, etc., were all gone.
The only conflict that existed was between King Zhu Di of Yan and King Zhu Fan of Jin.
The relationship between Taisun and Zhu Di is more subtle.
No one knows what King Yan thinks or what his grandson thinks.
Even after the banquet ended, the Chong princes were a little confused.
Is it over?
When they arrived, some of the feudal lords were even prepared to be reprimanded, have their military power removed, and so on.
Now I just have a meal and then go back.
"Fourth brother, you stay and leave later." Zhu Yuanzhang said.
Zhu Di was overjoyed and bowed in return.
Zhu Ying was not surprised, because the old man told him about this not long ago.
Even if Concubine Ning brought up this matter, she didn't hide it either.
Winter night always comes faster.
Before the banquet was over, the sky had completely darkened.
The moon was dark, the wind was high, and the cold wind was howling, giving people a creepy feeling.
In the study room of Qianqing Palace.
There are several braziers set up to keep the place warm.
The candlelight is also very bright.
Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Ying, and Zhu Di sat together.
"Fourth, I have suffered a lot from you these past years. There have been many wars in Beiping. Thanks to you, we have been able to keep the foreign races out of the Ming Dynasty."
Zhu Yuanzhang first said at the beginning.
The first sentence is to praise Zhu Di's achievements and recognize his merits and hard work.
"These are what I should do as a minister." Zhu Di quickly replied, but he had a bad feeling in his heart.
Sure enough, Zhu Yuanzhang's next sentence shocked Zhu Di's heart.
"You are our son, and we also know your abilities. Among the many princes, you are the one who looks the most similar to me, and the same goes for your personality."
"But Fourth Brother, you are the lord of the vassal. Today, we will give you some heart-felt words."
"Throughout the ages, there has always been a hurdle between the vassal princes and the court. The eldest grandson is still young and may not be able to convince the public, but he is your eldest brother's eldest son, and the future of the Ming Dynasty is destined to be controlled by him."
Having said this, Zhu Yuanzhang turned to look at Zhu Ying, and at the same time stretched out his hand, only holding Da Sun's palm.
Zhu Di's pupils shrank, and the implication was very obvious.
"My son and I have always been loyal to my father, the Ming Dynasty, and my grandson. I have never had any second thoughts. I can accept all arrangements."
"Whether it is to enclose a country overseas or to guard Liaodong, please rest assured, father, that there will never be an incident between uncle and nephew."
Zhu Di said in a deep voice, his tone also very firm.
These words, said at this time, almost put everything on the surface.
Especially in the sentence "Guard Liaodong", Zhu Di implicitly expressed his desire to go to Liaodong.
Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Ying.
An old fox and a little fox.
The words in these words are of course clear and understandable.
The old fox looked at the little fox. After the little fox hesitated for a moment, his eyes flashed, and the old fox understood.
"The affairs of Liaodong are related to the foundation of the Ming Dynasty. It is not only the gateway of the Ming Dynasty, but also the grain storehouse of the Ming Dynasty in the future."
"If you, fourth brother, want to continue to stay in Liaodong after the conquest of Japan, then you can only remove the vassal territory and take the title of general and the name of prince."
This is the result of Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Ying's discussion.
Zhu Di can go to Liaodong.
But there can be no vassal territory.
The black soil in Northeast China will definitely be an important grain producing area in the Ming Dynasty in the future, and it will have a very significant impact on the entire north.
Among them, food storage and transportation can only be arranged by people from the Ming court, and it is impossible to leave them in the hands of anyone.
Most of the vassal kings, such as Zhu Di, who had made great achievements in marching, fighting, and local governance, wanted to seal the country overseas.
Now this problem was directly kicked back by Zhu Di.
In other words, if you want to go to Liaodong, you can only be a general and specialize in fighting. It is impossible to touch the jurisdiction of food.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Di hesitated, and his expression became uncertain.
After a long time, he gritted his teeth and replied: "My son is willing to guard Liaodong."
Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Ying looked at each other again, feeling slightly relieved.
This is because of Zhu Di's hesitation.
If Zhu Di didn't hesitate at all, he must have hidden evil intentions.
It shows that everything is according to his plan.
"Now that the fourth uncle has thought about it, my nephew will understand. However, in the battle to defeat the Japanese, the fourth uncle still needs to go first to open up the situation."
"The affairs in Liaodong cannot be dealt with in one or two years. When the Japanese state is stable, I will ask my fourth uncle to guard Liaodong."
Zhu Ying said.
In fact, in Zhu Ying's mind, placing Zhu Di overseas was the best option.
But the current situation is that the old man is very conflicted. Obviously the old man is more optimistic about Zhu Di guarding Liaodong.
This comes from the trust between father and son.
Zhu Ying can also force the request, and the old man will of course agree, but this will also make the old man feel guilty.
The old man mentioned Zhu Di many times. In fact, the meaning is already very obvious.
Among the many princes, apart from the prince, the one whom the old man values most is Zhu Di.
Zhu Ying can clearly feel this.
Most of Zhu Di's fear came from the reputation of Emperor Yongle in later generations. In the current situation, there is no possibility of a comeback from any aspect.
If he can make a comeback like this, it only shows that he, Zhu Di, is God's favored and destined emperor.
Although Zhu Di agreed to go to Liaodong, Zhu Ying still held back on arrangements.
The Liaodong expedition against Japanese troops was carried out in parallel.
After the war against the Japanese is completed, the division of ownership in Liaodong is basically the same. If Zhu Di is parachuted over, it will not be so easy to touch the military power.
And for the Northeastern black soil, which is the focus, multiple secret plans will definitely be decided in advance.
By then Zhu Di will be an honest general and there will be no problem.
It would be embarrassing if you had any objections.
Let’s understand what it means to be surrounded on all sides and ambushed on all sides.
Zhu Di left with satisfaction.
After Zhu Di left, Zhu Yuanzhang asked: "Don't you think that the eldest grandson can control Liaodong even later with the ability of the fourth son?"
"When the troops and horses are strong, we won't have to worry about food. If we forcefully separate one side from another, it will cost a lot."
Zhu Ying replied with a smile: "My grandson made plans a year in advance and imitated the Goryeo Dynasty in those days. He acted openly and secretly, just like the royal guards of the capital. If you can lose like this, how can you win?"
"Besides, my grandson believes that my fourth uncle is not that kind of person. Whether it is Princess Yan, the prince, or my grandson, I have seen him before."
"Chidi is gentle and kind."
"When my fourth uncle grows old, I will invite him to the capital so that he can live his old age with peace of mind."
Zhu Ying is confident that he will live longer than Zhu Di.
As long as he is still here, Zhu Di cannot make any big waves.
And this passage means that when Zhu Di got old and couldn't lift a sword or ride a horse, he would retire from the rank of general and live a stable life in the capital.
Of three sons.
Zhu Gaochi will definitely not continue to stay in Liaodong, and the meaning of this sentence is also obvious.
As for Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Gaosui.
They were all legitimate second sons, so they could only be princes without vassal territory.
Compared to Zhu Di, these two people are so different that they are nothing to worry about.
Zhu Yuanzhang was quite satisfied with this arrangement.
This not only reduces the worries of separatist areas, but also properly arranges the relationship between one's own family.
This is also the situation that Zhu Yuanzhang wants to see most.
"Get some rest early. Tomorrow morning, I will go to pay homage to your father and grandma."
Zhu Yuanzhang sighed softly.
When Zhu Ying heard about her father and grandma, her face became serious and she nodded heavily.
...
In the palace of Prince Yan.
Xu Yihua had been waiting eagerly for Zhu Di's return.
Some of the palace meals were distributed to Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui, including the servants, and they could also get some food to taste.
Then Zhu Di entered the back room with Xu Yihua.
"I saw that the prince looked a little hesitant. Did something happen after the banquet?" Xu Yihua asked with concern.
Zhu Di nodded lightly and said: "After the banquet, my father asked me to stay and have a secret conversation with my grandson."
"Although the affairs of Liaodong have been agreed, the power of the vassal king will also be lost."
Zhu Di then recounted some of the details.
When Xu Yihua heard Zhu Di's agreement, she frowned and hurriedly asked the grandson's answer later.
After hearing the specific words, I felt relieved.
"Thankfully, the prince hesitated in his heart. If he had agreed directly, I'm afraid something would have happened." Xu Yihua said with lingering fear.
After hearing this, Zhu Di thought about it for a moment and suddenly felt scared.
Na Ming was in the middle of the game at the time and didn't think much of it. Looking back now, I realize that I escaped a disaster.
If you agree too readily.
I was afraid that after arriving in Japan, I would never come back.
Even in the Japanese country, there was no vassal territory.
Because if you agree to return to Liaodong, you will definitely be taken back the right to enfeoff the country. At that time, you will be in a dilemma and will be no different from being exiled.
"Fortunately, I was reminded by my beloved concubine. Otherwise, given my father's temper, it would have been difficult to predict what would happen next."
Zhu Di said with emotion.
This issue does not mean that it is over with the words just now. In the future, there will be many temptations from the father and the grandson.
If this had not been thought of and subsequent testing had gone wrong, the result would have been predictable.
At this time, Xu Yihua's brows were furrowed.
He looked at Zhu Di seriously, and then said in a deep voice: "Can the prince have a close relationship with me and what will he think in the future?"
"Really speaking, although the Japanese country is desolate and remote, and it is located overseas, there is no one to control it. With the prince's ability, he can definitely show off his talents."
"On the contrary, here in Liaodong, although the black soil is fertile and there is no shortage of food, it is not a prosperous place. There are many wars. The tribes on the grassland are far more ferocious and cruel than the Japanese."
"Compared with this, I feel that it would be more comfortable to go to the Japanese country."
This is Xu Yihua’s true thoughts now.
The Ming Dynasty can be said to be stable at present, but with its husband, King Yan, his status as a vassal king seems very embarrassing.
Your Majesty's current idea is obviously to help your grandson understand the affairs of the vassal king during his lifetime.
Moreover, the grandson was obviously not like the former prince to the vassal king, and he did not want to threaten the court.
These days, Xu Yihua was not idle either and went to Xu Mansion several times.
One is to visit her parents' family, and at the same time, she also inquires about some news about her great-grandson Zhu Ying.
Xu Huizu, the eldest son of Xu Da, succeeded Wei Guogong.
He is also the younger brother of Xu Yihua.
The relationship between siblings is still very good.
Through insinuations, Xu Yihua also learned a lot about his grandson Zhu Ying.
Especially in the court, regarding people's livelihood and military measures.
These are things Xu Yihua, who has been in Peiping for a long time, does not understand.
It is precisely because of this that Xu Yihua understands how powerful Taisun is. Many methods may seem simple, but in fact they are very profound.
While chatting with his younger brother Xu Huizu, Xu Yihua also discovered his younger brother's admiration for his grandson.
You must know that your younger brother Xu Huizu, who is eight feet five inches tall, handsome and talented, works in the Zuo Army Governor's Mansion of the Xunwei Department.
Almost all of his father's old ministries are under the control of his younger brother.
Among those old veterans, none of them were beaten out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Although the younger brother's own military ability is not as good as that of his father, he has trained many times in Shaanxi, Beiping, Shandong, and Henan and performed well, without losing his father's reputation.
And the reason why Xu Huizu admired Zhu Ying was.
The key to this lies in the military retirement system formulated by Zhu Ying himself.
Because on Xu Huizu's side, there are too many veterans who came here with his father.
Many veterans were discharged from the army due to serious injuries. Some veterans had accumulated injuries that were difficult to recover from, so all the rewards they received were used to buy medicinal materials.
In the retirement system proposed by Zhu Ying, in addition to retirement and career change, there is another particularly critical point.
That is, for those who were injured on the battlefield and retired, all the expenses required for medical treatment would be borne by Ming Dynasty.
It was such a simple thing that made Xu Huizu, who had never been in contact with his grandson alone,...
This is a deep recognition for Zhu Ying.
The Xu Mansion is not considered wealthy because it does not run any business and relies on the salary from its title.
The kind-hearted Xu Huizu spent a large amount of money every year to support veterans of the old army who were not living as they wished.
It became even clearer that Taisun's move was good news to the many veterans who had shed blood for the Ming Dynasty.
Because there are many other veterans, life is really difficult to describe.