Chapter 11: Empire’s Illness, Disloyal Li JingLong?

How Xu Miaojin selects and evaluates talents in the imperial academy is her own matter, and Zhu Yunwen neither wants nor can interfere in it.

Since the establishment of the Grand Secretariat, Zhu Yunwen has finally been able to free himself from countless memorials. Occasionally, he discusses matters with the cabinet ministers and the six ministries, and he appears to be more relaxed.

However, as Zhu Yunwen’s understanding of the Ming Empire deepens, he feels increasingly uneasy. The seemingly prosperous Ming Dynasty is actually like a volcano, and the fundamental problem lies in land occupation and taxation.

Zhu Yuanzhang was cruel in dealing with officials, but he was exceptionally kind to his own family and relatives. He once ordered that his descendants should be supported by the court, meaning that these princes and their descendants didn’t need to work and could rely on imperial provisions at home.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang had good intentions, this rule was seriously flawed. It’s hard to say about other aspects, but one thing is certain, Zhu Yuanzhang was not good at math.

Anyone familiar with “exponential growth” wouldn’t make such a decree.

your Zhu Yuanzhang’s time, how many people were there, and how much food was needed? But have you ever considered that after two hundred years, the descendants of your Zhu family have grown to a population of two hundred thousand? It would cost the court 8.6 million taels of silver annually just to support them. Have you ever looked at the state treasury and how much money is there?

And you stipulated that the descendants of the family don’t have to pay taxes. Fine, you don’t pay taxes, but at least don’t occupy the land. Each king grabs land as if they’re insane, and once they occupy land, they don’t pay any taxes on the output. How does the country sustain itself?

Zhu Yunwen remembers some statistics from the future. The land owned by the vassal kings in Henan during the Ming Dynasty directly occupied one-third of all cultivated land in Henan.

Great, it seems that one-third of the land doesn’t belong to the emperor.

If Zhu Yunwen were to speak, the downfall of the Ming Dynasty is closely related to these seeds of disaster planted by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Everything must be changed!

And it can only be changed during his own era, where the resistance he faces is relatively smaller.

But is it really smaller?

Zhu Yunwen can imagine that those uncles of his will likely attack him on the grounds of “disrespecting ancestral systems,” and these border kings, for their own interests, will inevitably fight back. They are no longer fat pig kings; they are wolves wielding heavy military power.

Not abolishing the fiefs, not reclaiming military power, I can’t even make a move against them!

Zhu Yunwen sighed.

Emperors are not omnipotent.

Zhu Yunwen put down the memorial and said to Shuangxi, “Summon Xie Jin.”

Soon after, Xie Jin entered the Wuying Hall.

Zhu Yunwen picked up a memorial and handed it over, saying, “Read it and give me your response.”

Xie Jin took the memorial and looked at it. This memorial was a secret report from Ge Cheng, the chief secretary of King Yan’s residence. It detailed the scene when Zhu Di was about to enter the capital and leave Beiping Prefecture.

“The common people wailed along the road, and the soldiers wailed endlessly. The direction of people’s hearts is to be feared, truly feared.”

Ge Cheng’s words surprised Xie Jin as well.

“King Yan’s entry into the capital is causing quite a stir.”

Zhu Yunwen sneered and said.

Xie Jin respectfully returned the memorial and quickly said, “Perhaps King Yan is worried…”

Zhu Yunwen looked at Xie Jin, who remained silent, and said, “Worried about what? Worried that I will detain him in the capital? Hah, forget it. Setting aside everything else, just this ability to control people’s hearts, King Yan does it better than me.”

Xie Jin broke out in a cold sweat, deeply alarmed for King Yan, Zhu Di…

The tone of the Emperor was chilling.

It seemed like a murderous intent was brewing.

“Your majesty is the sovereign of a nation, while the King of Yan is merely a vassal king. Although he has been governing Beiping prefecture for nearly twenty years, as long as your majesty gives the order, a large army can quickly capture it,” Xie Jin spoke frankly.

Zhu Yunwen waved his hand, took a deep breath, and said, “The matter regarding vassal kings, I have a way. I summoned you here today for a certain person.”

“Who?”

“The Judge of Five Army Commandery Tie Xuan^[1]Tie Xuan (Chinese: 铁铉; 1366–1402),[1] courtesy name Dingshi (鼎石), was born in Dengzhou, Henan during the Yuan dynasty and was … Continue reading.”

“Tie Xuan?”

“Yes, what is your evaluation of him?”

Zhu Yunwen looked at Xie Jin, with a mysterious smile on his lips.

Anyone who has some understanding of the Jingnan Rebellion would surely know the name Tie Xuan. In later generations, especially in various parts of Shandong, there are many temples dedicated to the “Iron Duke,” and the person enshrined there is none other than Tie Xuan of the Ming Dynasty, who brought great trouble to Zhu Di and saved the Jianwen Dynasty from a crisis.

In the Battle of Jinan, he held out against Zhu Di’s forces for three months with a depleted army. Later, Tie Xuan joined forces with Grand General Sheng Yong and pursued the enemy after achieving victory.

As a cabinet minister, Xie Jin naturally had some knowledge of the imperial officials. Upon hearing Zhu Yunwen’s inquiry, he replied, “Is Your Majesty referring to Ding Shi?”

Tie Xuan, with courtesy name Ding Shi, and these two characters were bestowed personally by Zhu Yuanzhang on Tie Xuan.

Seeing Zhu Yunwen nod, Xie Jin continued, “Tie Xuan has a resolute temperament and is intelligent and agile. During the reign of Taizu, he was appointed as a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Rites and worked diligently. He was later transferred to the Commander’s mansion as Judge, he made swift judgments and resolved pending cases. Tie Xuan is highly capable and a pillar of the state.”

Zhu Yunwen looked at Xie Jin, realizing that this person had a discerning eye and did not underestimate Tie Xuan due to his current low position.

“Transfer Tie Xuan to the Ministry of War and appointed as Left Deputy Minister.”

Zhu Yunwen issued the order.

Jie Jin quickly accepts.

Zhu Yunwen walked up to a map, looked in the direction of Beiping, and said to Xie Jin, “Our gaze should not only be fixed on the vassal kings. Our Great Ming Empire must become the jewel of the entire world. Come with me, I want to show you guys just how vast this world truly is.”

A fire ignited in Jie Jin’s heart as he looked at Zhu Yunwen with fervent eyes.

Zhu Yunwen laughed and suddenly said, “Arrange for the Ministry of Works to gather craftsmen from Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Huguang, Fujian, and Nanzhili, and have them enter the Longjiang Shipyard. I want a fleet of seafaring ships.”

“Seafaring ships?”

Xie Jin looked at Zhu Yunwen in confusion.

However, Zhu Yunwen did not explain further and simply said, “Go and make the arrangements.”

Jie Jin dared not ask further and could only leave with his doubts.

Zhu Yunwen was well aware of the vastness of the world and knew that Christopher Columbus had not been born yet.

The West enjoys colonization, don’t they?

Let the Great Ming Empire confront them and see who is more formidable, whether it’s them or the Great Ming Empire.

Most importantly, Zhu Yunwen wanted to send people to South America, not for colonization and conquest, but rather for potatoes, peanuts, chili peppers, corn, tomatoes, and tobacco…

And rubber trees as well.

During the early Ming Dynasty, it was unfortunate that these common ingredients and products that are easily found in later times were nonexistent.

Even something as simple as tomato and egg stir-fry was impossible to enjoy.

Smoking? Forget about it.

As for the combination of potatoes with beef, it was probably just a dream.^[2]TL’s note: in ancient times, killing cows is against the law.

For food… no, in order to improve resources, alleviate famine, and benefit the Ming Dynasty, it was necessary to establish a fleet.

Zhu Yunwen sat beside his desk, He held a brush and drew on the paper, feeling a bit awkward. But there was no other choice, as pencils did not exist in this era. However, there were chalks available.

“That’s right! A blackboard!” Emperor Zhu Yunjuan suddenly exclaimed.

He called over Shuangxi and instructed, “Go to the Bureau of Works and find some thin wooden boards, A length of about one zhang (approximately 10 feet) and a width of three to four chi (approximately 1-1.3 meters) would be sufficient. Additionally, bring some black lacquer as well.”

After Shuangxi carefully noted the instructions, he quickly went to make the arrangements.

Shortly after, Shuangxi returned with the requested items. Zhu Yunwen instructed Shuangxi and other eunuchs to apply several layers of black lacquer on the wooden boards and let them dry outside. He also had Shuangxi find some chalk, the chalk wasn’t made from lime but from natural white chalk(calcium carbonate).

“Your Majesty, Duke of Wei has arrived,” Shuangxi informed Zhu Yunwen amidst the busy preparations.

I apologize for the mistake. Here is the corrected translation:

Zhu Yunwen nodded, and after Xu Huizu paid his respects, Zhu Yunwen asked, “How is the disarmament proceeding?”

Xu Huizu wore a troubled expression and sighed, “Your Majesty, we have already dismissed five thousand soldiers…”

“Five thousand? Didn’t I tell you to reduce the army by a hundred thousand?” Emperor Zhu Yunwen expressed his dissatisfaction.

Xu Huizu quickly stood up and apologized, saying, “Your Majesty, the disarmament is fraught with difficulties. I dare not act arbitrarily…”

“Do you mean someone has pressured you and prevented the disarmament?” Zhu Yunwen looked at Xu Huizu, who immediately knelt down.

“I have heard that Duke Cao visited the capital army and instigated a group of people to resist the disarmament. Is this information true?”

Zhu Yunwen asked in a soft voice.

Xu Huizu glanced at Zhu Yunwen and couldn’t determine his attitude, so he cautiously replied, “Duke Cao did visit the capital army, but I don’t know if it is related to the resistance against disarmament, Your Majesty.”

“You don’t know, or you dare not say?” Zhu Yunwen looked at Xu Huizu, who gritted his teeth and remained silent. Zhu Yunwen raised his hand and said, “Rise. You are in charge of the central Military Inspectorate. If you cannot handle even such matters properly, it would disappoint me.”

Xu Huizu trembled all over and hurriedly said, “I will do my utmost and not disappoint Your Majesty’s trust!”

Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly and said solemnly, “You can inform Duke Cao and all the noble officials that the disarmament of one hundred thousand soldiers is my decree. If anyone is dissatisfied, they can come to me and voice their concerns. You just focus on executing the plan. I still trust Duke Wei’s loyalty.”

Xu Huizu looked at Zhu Yunwen, his emotions stirring.

After returning to the Military Inspectorate, Xu Huizu finally felt relieved. Compared to offending these noble colleagues, it was not wise to offend the boss.

Colleagues can be replaced, but bosses are not easily replaced.

Xu Huizu had this realization. As a result, the ambitious plan of military downsizing finally began, and whether it was Duke Cao, other marquises, or royal relatives, anyone who had occupied positions in the military with their servants and subordinates would be eliminated without exception.

In the mansion of King Qiyang, Duke Cao, Li Jinglong, was engaged in bird fighting when a voice came from a distance, “Big brother, Xu Huizhu is challenging us.”

“What’s the matter? talk it out!” Li Jinglong called out to his younger brother, Li Zengzhi, with a frown.

Li Zengzhi approached, stomped his foot in anger, and said, “I just received news that Xu Huizhu has issued an order to dismiss military personnel. The quotas associated with us have been eliminated, and some old generals with connections to our Li family have been expelled from the army.”

Li Jinglong looked at Li Zengzhi, his expression turning serious, and asked, “Did Xu Huizhu really take action?”

Li Zengzhi nodded repeatedly, gritting his teeth as he said, “Big brother if we don’t do anything, who will listen to us?”

“Insolence!” Li Jinglong shouted sternly, looking at the startled Li Zengzhi. He said with seriousness, “The capital Garrison does not belong to us but to the emperor! If the emperor wants to dismiss, let him dismiss.”

“But…”

Li Zengzhi was getting anxious.

Li Jinglong fell silent for a moment, then slowly said, “Is the King of Yan about to arrive in the capital?”

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