Chapter 778 The kings return to Beijing (Happy Mid-Autumn Festival)
Zhu Ying could actually guess some things about the Japanese country.
The four vassal kings made too much money in the Japanese country and therefore raised a large number of private soldiers. Naturally, Zhu Ying was not worried that he would not be able to control them.
Even if the old man leaves, he can easily suppress the four feudal kings of Japan.
After all, many of their personal guards came from the capital.
This hand was also a beating incidentally. If they really disobeyed the order, of course the old man would deal with them.
Zhu Ying also knew that no matter how worried and fearful King Yan and others were, they would still come to the capital to obey orders in the end because they could not afford to gamble.
Historically, before Zhu Di was imprisoned, he could only deceive Zhu Yunwen by pretending to be crazy and acting stupid.
The current Ming Dynasty cannot be shaken by Zhu Di. There is no blue jade case, and all the veterans are there. The military schools established by Zhu Ying in various places have trained a large number of outstanding middle-level officers, and gradually replaced the previous illiterate army, strengthening Zhu Ying
Control over military power.
The most important thing is that Qin King Zhu Chen and Jin King Zhu Fan will not follow Zhu Di. They seem to be the four vassal kings, but in fact Zhu Chen has a very good relationship with Zhu Fan and Zhu Ying.
Zhu Ping was able to go to the Japanese country, largely because of his gratitude to Zhu Ying.
Even when he was imprisoned and went to the southwest to annihilate the Tufan, it was Zhu Ying who helped him speak in front of the old man.
Not to mention Zhu Fan, Zhu Ying was always helping him in his hostility with Zhu Di.
Although due to interests, the four kings of the Japanese vassals apparently want to unite.
The first was to embezzle mineral deposits together, and the second was to fight against the Japanese state.
But to the contrary, of course not.
Over there, Zhu Di wanted to discuss it with Zhu Xi and Zhu Fan.
As a result, when the two heard the news that their father was critically ill, they didn't think about their grandson at all, and immediately prepared to leave for the capital.
King Qi listened to his brothers anyway.
Zhu Xi and Zhu Fan were a little cruel, but they also had true love for their father.
Regarding their grandson, the two of them were not as wary as Zhu Di. After all, Zhu Ying had never taken action against them, but instead helped them in various ways.
Moreover, the decree also stated that they were sent back to the northern steppe.
Zhu Di had no choice. If the four kings did not unite, it would be meaningless.
He also figured out that no matter what the outcome was, now was not the time to disobey orders.
——
The first person to arrive in the capital was not the four kings, nor Zhu Yunwen, but Ning Wang Zhu Quan.
Ning Wang Zhu Quan went to Goryeo under Zhu Ying's arrangement and accepted everything about Yao Guangxiao.
As a prince, Zhu Quan was obviously more powerful than Yao Guangxiao. During this period, Goryeo was surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, especially after the expedition against Japan. Yao Guangxiao returned with victory and developed a huge power in Goryeo.
The idea of Li Chenggui becoming king has been shelved, and the Goryeo royal family is still alive and well.
As the weakest party among the three parties, the Goryeo royal family could only choose to hug Ming's thigh tightly.
After all, even if all of Goryeo belonged to the Ming Dynasty, the title of their royal family would not be abolished. However, Li Chenggui was the one who wanted to seize their royal family. This concept is completely different.
Originally he was just like a puppet with no power at all. Once he is usurped by Li Chenggui, the consequences can be imagined.
So the choice becomes much easier.
When Li Chenggui faced Yao Guangxiao, he still had some strength to fight back, but when facing Ning Wang Zhu Quan, he was really helpless.
This does not mean that Zhu Quan is smarter than Yao Guangxiao and his political methods are tougher.
It was his status as the prince of the Ming Dynasty that gave Li Chenggui a sense of oppression.
Let's say that Li Chenggui is just a powerful official and has not yet won the throne. Even if he has indeed won the throne, he will still be three points weaker than Zhu Quan.
The relationship between the vassal king and the vassal states depends to a large extent on the strength of the suzerain state.
If the suzerain country is strong, the vassal king will be strong, and the vassal country will be weak.
If the suzerain country is weak, the vassal king will be weak and the vassal country will be strong.
Now the Ming Dynasty controls the world, intimidates the world, and has more than two million soldiers. This level of strength is very rare in the entire history of the Central Plains dynasty.
Therefore, the surrounding small countries are of course cautious and obedient towards the Celestial Kingdom, and do not dare to make any offensive moves.
Nominally, vassal states are subjects of the suzerain state.
Under such circumstances, Prince Ning Zhu Quan's life in Goryeo was very easy.
But he also came with his grandson's request.
Zhu Ying did not think about completely integrating Goryeo into the Ming Dynasty at once, but first asked Zhu Quan to open a Chinese school in Goryeo to spread Chinese characters.
During this period, Goryeo did not have its own written language, and they all spoke Chinese and wrote Chinese characters.
The reason why the school was opened was to break the blockade of knowledge by the Goryeo aristocrats and to allow ordinary people to have access to knowledge.
The situation of the Goryeo family was even more serious than that of the Ming Dynasty. Their hierarchical system was even stricter, and the superiors exploited the lower classes with great intensity.
This situation did not change even if it continued to later generations, even after Goryeo was divided into two.
Zhu Ying knew very well that if he acquired Goryeo from the perspective of aristocratic families, he would only be able to acquire Goryeo temporarily. These aristocratic families were most fond of rebellion.
It is easy to capture a land, but difficult to capture the hearts and minds of the people.
Therefore, he could only secretly promote the impact on Goryeo's social structure, causing it to undergo huge changes, and then guide it to integrate into the Ming Dynasty.
Only in this way can Korea truly become a member of the Ming Dynasty.
As King Ning, he opened Chinese schools in various parts of Goryeo, but people from those aristocratic families could only stare and had no choice.
Even if many aristocratic families turned to Li Chenggui because of this, Zhu Quan didn't care.
After all, Goryeo is too small.
The Ming Dynasty could dispatch tens of thousands of troops at will and bring enough firearms to seize Goryeo directly.
Compared with the Ming Dynasty, this tiny place is not at the same level at all.
Zhu Ying gave up Goryeo and chose to develop in Annan because Goryeo had too many limitations. No matter how it developed, it could only be like this.
End of the year.
The train from Jiubian to Beijing is basically open.
The reason why Zhu Quan was able to reach the capital as quickly as possible was also because of the train.
Sitting on the train, feeling the unparalleled speed, Zhu Quan was in a state of shock and excitement.
"No wonder Taisun dared to go to the Northern Expedition. With such a sacred weapon, the problems of military strength and logistics have been completely solved. What can the grassland do to resist it?"
"Next year's Northern Expedition will definitely be a great victory for our Ming Dynasty."
It was said that it took three to five days, but in fact it still took nearly seven days from the time Zhu Quan took the train to the time he arrived in the capital.
The train does not go directly to the capital.
With current engineering technology, it is still impossible to cut mountains and build bridges.
Therefore, the railway route can only be based on plains. If you encounter a big river, you will get off the train and take a boat, and then reboard the train from the other side of the river.
But even so, it is absolutely unbelievable for the entire Ming Dynasty.
It was the third day after Zhu Quan arrived in the capital.
Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Yunwen also arrived.
What they were traveling on was not a conventional ship, but a steam ironclad ship from the Ming Dynasty.
While vigorously developing railways, the development of steam ironclads has not stopped. Due to the problem of coal, steam ironclads are moved by stations.
The new port near Annam, north of Champa, is the supply station for steam ironclad ships.
A large amount of coal is shipped here every day to stockpile supplies.
In order to save coal, under normal circumstances steam ironclad ships would not frequently travel between Annan and Daming.
As the emperor's grandsons, Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Yunwen are of course qualified to ride.
Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Yunwen, who were sitting on the steam armored ship, were shocked and amazed, and at the same time they were even more in awe of their grandson.
Fortunately for Zhu Gaochi, although he was the crown prince of Prince Yan, he actually didn't have much ambition and was pure and kind-hearted.
The little flame in Zhu Yunwen's heart was pinched before it even started to burn.
Because he had lived in Champa for a long time, it was hot even in winter. Therefore, Zhu Yunwen, who had just arrived in the capital, did not adapt to the cold and accidentally caught a cold.
During this period, Zhu Yuanzhang even went over to visit him.
No matter what, this is his own grandson and the son of his eldest son.
When the four vassal kings arrived in the capital, it was already the end of the first year.
Although the decree was passed down years ago, there was no train or steam armored ship to reach Daming from Japan, so we could only travel at the current horse-drawn carriage speed, which was almost a month.
This year marks the 33rd year of Hongwu.
There is a saying that the dragon raises its head on the second day of the second month and Xuanyuan is born on the third day of the third month.
On March 3rd, the birthday of the Yellow Emperor, a large court meeting will be held to announce matters related to the Northern Expedition and officially launch the Northern Expedition.
There are still a few days until March 3rd, and the most lively thing is not the palaces of the vassal princes, but the courtyards of the distinguished military generals in Huaixi.
Especially the blue jade here.
"Mr. Liang Guo, our Ming Dynasty is going to expedition to the north, and Taisun has issued an order for all the vassal kings to return to the capital. This is to let the vassal kings compete for credit."
"I don't know if Liang Guogong has heard some rumors about his grandson's plans for us old people."
"We can't let us just sit idle in the capital for such a big thing."
Yang Chun, the former military commander on the left, said in a loud voice.
He has been staying in the capital for these years, and his status sounds noble, but the military power in his hands can be said to be declining day by day, and his prestige is no longer there.
Even if there was a war, it had little to do with the Governor's Mansion of the Fifth Army. Taisun skipped the Governor's Mansion of the Fifth Army and sent troops directly.
The Northern Expedition had just come up, and Yang Chun still wanted to make further achievements, but His Majesty had no arrangements, and what he was waiting for was the news of the return of the vassal kings to the capital.
This made Yang Chun feel very resentful.
Zhu Zhe, the right commander of the Commander-in-Chief of the Hou Army, also echoed at this time: "What Governor Yang said is true. I have been idle in the capital for many years. Previously, the Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth Army had an overview of troop training matters, and we often trained outside."
"Now Taisun is setting up a military academy and creating new military training methods. Military training has nothing to do with us."
"As long as there is no war in the court, we would be happy and free, but Grand Sun has forgotten us about such a major event as the Northern Expedition. What is the reason for this? Is it because he thinks that we old ministers are too old to carry it out?
Knife?"
"The relationship between Liang Guogong and the grandson is irreconcilable. When the grandson entered the palace, although we didn't express our opinions, our hearts were towards the grandson. This Northern Expedition has allowed us veterans to contribute to the Ming Dynasty.
Bar."
The commanders of the front and rear armies all spoke, and others followed suit.
It's nothing more than wanting to gain some merit.
In the final analysis, it is still a matter of power.
The imperial court delegated power to hundreds of officials, mainly for civilian officials to manage government affairs, rather than military attachés.
Zhu Ying tightly grasped the military power and worked from bottom to top, which can be said to be draining fuel from the bottom of the cauldron.
The beautiful name did not make many heroes tired, and they easily seized the right to train troops and farm fields.
Appointment, dismissal, and promotion depended on the Ministry of War, but in fact, it depended on the Taisun.
The Ministry of War originally had no sense of presence in front of the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion, but with the Taisun's order, the military attache could not resist the order and disobey it.
At that time, in order to prevent the dictatorship of the generals who commanded the army, Zhu Yuanzhang also stipulated that the Commander-in-Chief of the Five Armies had no power to dispatch the army, and its dispatch power was directly controlled by the emperor.
The only thing left to the Commander-in-Chief of the Five Armies is the power to command troops.
The so-called power of military command means that whenever there is a war, the emperor temporarily appoints a special person to serve as the chief military officer to lead the troops of the garrison to go out. When the war is over, the commander-in-chief returns to the seal and the army returns to the garrison.
However, this time Zhu Ying transferred the vassal king back to the capital. The intention here was probably to take action against the commanding power of the Five Army Commandery Mansion.
At this time, the governors of the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion could not sit still.
If this continues, then the Fifth Army Commander's Mansion will become a decoration.
A snake cannot move without a head, a bird cannot fly without a head, and a human cannot move without a head.
The Fifth Army Governor's Mansion can be said to be the private territory of the Huaixi military generals group, and Lan Yu is the leader.
Therefore, everyone came to the Duke of Liang's Mansion, in order to let Duke Liang take the lead and fight for a share of power for themselves.
Who doesn’t know that Lan Yu, Duke of Liang State, is his great-grandson’s uncle?
Lan Yu looked up and saw that the twenty or thirty people in the hall were all from Huaixi and were core members of the entire Huaixi Xungui Group.
Of course, not everyone is talking about it.
Those who were closer to Lan Yu, such as Zhang Yi, the Marquis of Heqing, and Cao Zhen, the Marquis of Jingchuan, basically didn't speak.
There are some differences between them. First, they are older and cannot bear the pain of war.
For example, Fu Youde commanded the elite cavalry of the Ming Dynasty. After fighting a wave of cavalry of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, he felt that it was too much and wanted to beg for his bones and return to his hometown.
Moreover, they are already hereditary marquises, so there is little point in trying to seize this meritorious service. According to the great importance that the grandson attaches to military power, it is easy to attract suspicion.
Including Lan Yu himself, although he is not old, but his meritorious service has reached its peak, he is already the Duke of the country. Should he ask for the title of prince?
Although Zhu Yuanzhang never said anything that he could not be crowned king unless he had the surname Zhu, but since the Hu Weiyong case, no one knows his Majesty's temperament.
Most of those who spoke were about the same age as Lan Yu, either older or younger, and were in a fighting age.
Some of them wanted to keep their power, and some wanted to take advantage of the Northern Expedition to make further achievements. They all had similar demands.
So I am not willing to miss this battle.
Lan Yu had no other choice in this situation.
I can only promise to go to the palace tomorrow to meet with His Majesty and Grandson to discuss the Northern Expedition.
With Duke Liang's promise, everyone's mood eased slightly, and they left after eating and drinking.
Afterwards, Cao Zhen said with some worry: "The Duke really wants to ask for orders for all the generals. The grandson has not sent an edict. The Duke should know the meaning of this."
"In addition, over the years, Taisun has tightly controlled the military, renovated the garrison, trained new recruits, and retired veterans. For Taisun, we have become an obstacle."
"In the Northern Expedition, Taisun obviously wants the vassal kings to take the lead, and the merits should be attributed to the royal family, not to the Governor's Mansion. If the Duke speaks out about it, I'm afraid he won't be happy with it."
Lan Yu sighed and said: "Why don't I know, but the situation is like this, I have to go there to have an explanation."
"I'm afraid that Taisun deliberately didn't mention the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion this time. He just wanted to take this opportunity to completely rectify the military power. I just hope that Taisun can see that the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion has made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty and can give some advice to future generations.
Let’s go.”
I wish everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival, happiness and good health