"What do you think is the best policy in the current situation?”
Zhu Yunwen asked.
Xie Jin thought about it and said,"Your Majesty, in my opinion, we should stabilize the court and gather all the officials. Outside, we should cut off the vassals and gather military power."”
Zhu Yunwen glanced at Xie Jin and said,"Be more specific."
Xie Jin said solemnly,"Taizu is strict, the officials are terrified, and even the ministers are uneasy." Your Majesty is benevolent, and all officials have been waiting for you for a long time. If Your Majesty implements the way of leniency and benevolence and straightens out maladministration, you will certainly win the hearts of the people. People's hearts are obedient, and the court can be as stable as Mount Tai.”
"As for the outside world, although the nine Great Fortress Kings were appointed by the Great Ancestor, they didn't have a strong army and only relied on the system of enfeoffment. It's not difficult to break out of this situation."
Zhu Yunwen looked at the confident Xie Jin and asked,"How do we break out of this situation?"
Xie Jin said bluntly,"Change the vassal state, change the place, steadily cut the vassal state."”
Zhu Yunwen pondered.
"I heard that King Gu, King Liao, and King Su have repeatedly petitioned to change their vassals, but were rejected by Taizu." Now that His Majesty was in charge of the world, he could bestow kindness on the Sai King and choose a suitable place to enfeoffe his kingdom. He could set an example for the other Sai Kings.”
Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly and agreed with this option.
In fact, King Sai was outside and the soldiers he controlled were all from the imperial court. Although they were under his control, they were only used to defend the border fortress against the Northern Yuan cavalry.
If he moved them inside, they would lose their military power and would naturally be no threat.
However, some people could not be solved by changing places.
For example, the King of Ning who had a large army and the King of Yan who was good at fighting.
Xie Jin did not wait for Zhu Yunwen to ask and said bluntly,"Looking at the nine great fortress kings, in terms of strength and numbers, they are the kings of Ning, Qin and Yan. However, the King of Qin had died early, and the heir was only a child, so he was naturally not a threat. King Ning has tens of thousands of elite troops, but he lives outside the Great Wall. If he loses the supply of the court, it will be difficult for him to survive for a long time.”
Zhu Yunwen frowned slightly, disagreeing with Xie Jin's theory.
Although Prince Ning was outside the Great Wall and relied heavily on the imperial court for logistics, if the blockade was not blocked in time, Prince Ning could lead his troops south and break through Xifengkou or Shanhaiguan to directly connect with Beiping Prefecture.
In history, Zhu Di had kidnapped Prince Ning and brought his troops to Beiping to strengthen his power.
Xie Jin only placed his gaze on the King of Yan, Zhu Di. He said that Zhu Di was the " head of the vassal kings " and was extremely difficult to deal with. He also proposed a measure of " implementation of benevolence first, followed by force ".
Zhu Yunwen smiled and praised Xie Jin's opinion, encouraging him to serve the court.
After Xie Jin left, Zhu Yunwen was silent for a long time before sighing,"A person's vision is still a little narrow. It seemed that it was time to push out the cabinet.”The news of the reduction of one hundred thousand soldiers finally caused a sensation in the capital.
No one had expected the new emperor to have such courage and means to dismiss the 100,000-strong army with a wave of his hand.
In history, it was often heard that emperors expanded their armies, but rarely did they reduce their armies.
As a result, some civil officials believed that the era of " civil rule " was about to begin, and they all submitted their memorials, praising the Emperor as a wise ruler.
The Minister of Revenue, Yu Dunben, smiled as he sipped his tea. He said to Xia Weizhe, the head of the Ministry of Revenue,"Your Majesty's actions are truly too generous."
"Lord Yu, it seems that the Ministry of Revenue has saved a lot of money and food this year." In the past, the dignitaries were powerful, and Taizu was concerned. Although the Ministry of War had the power to control them, they did not have the power to control them. In addition, the military register was in the Dudu Mansion. The amount they reported, the Ministry of Revenue had to allocate the soldiers 'money and food. Now, His Majesty's actions could be said to be very good.”
Yu Dunben took a sip of tea and said,"That's right. Cavalry receive two stones of grain a month, while ordinary soldiers receive one stone a month. The capital consumes a lot of food and pay. Cutting 100,000 soldiers would save food every year. Now that it's summer, there's a lot of rainy season. The repair of the river embankment and the rescue of the disaster will require money and food…"
"The matter of the Ministry of Revenue is difficult."
Xia Weizhe teased.
"Weizhe, you have to shoulder more responsibilities. You still need to put in more effort for the Ministry of Revenue." Yu Dunben chuckled.”
Xia Weizhe, the word Weizhe.
Xia Weizhe nodded solemnly. Looking at Yu Dunben, who looked a little old, he slowly said,"Is the matter of reducing the army related to summoning the King of Yan into the capital?”
Yu Dunben's eyes flashed with a bright light. He laughed and said,"Our Majesty is indeed extraordinary. Have you heard the news? Xie Jin has already entered the Imperial Academy.”
"I have already heard that although Xie Jin was frivolous and arrogant during the Taizu era, he was indeed an upright person. He pleaded for the people and spoke bluntly. It is a good thing for such a person to be by His Majesty's side.”
Xia Weizhe praised him generously.
Yu Dunben stood up and walked in front of Xia Weizhe, saying,"It's strange. When His Majesty was the Crown Prince, Qi Shangli and Huang Shi were members of the Eastern Palace. Now that His Majesty is in power, Qi Shangli is still the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War, and Huang Shi is still a scholar of the Imperial Academy. There is no promotion for the close officials, but Xie Jin…is a little unusual.”
For a newly ascended emperor, the most important people were usually the officials close to him.
However, Emperor Taizu had been sent to Xiao Ling for a period of time, and the new Emperor had not shown any mercy to his old subordinates. The first person to be promoted was actually Xie Jin, who had been far away from the court for many years. This was truly puzzling.
……
Zhu Yunwen was in the palace and did not attend court. In the court, all the officials looked around anxiously, but Zhu Yunwen was nowhere to be seen.
How could he do things without anyone's approval?
Does Big Ming still want to operate?
Some of the lower-ranking officials were even speculating whether the Emperor had fallen ill because of the death of Emperor Taizu. They went around asking around, hoping to write a letter to express their loyalty.
Zhu Yunwen walked out of the Wuying Hall and watched the sunset slowly sink. The majestic palace was about to fall into darkness again.
If it wasn't for the clear memories of the future, Zhu Yunwen would have forgotten where she came from.
"Jiang An, do you miss your family?"
Zhu Yunwen asked softly.
Eunuch Jiang An looked at Zhu Yunwen in shock. One had to know that during Zhu Yuanzhang's era, eunuchs were extremely strict. If they made a slight mistake, they would break their legs or die.
Moreover, after Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne, he also continued this kind of strictness. It was almost unimaginable to care and greet him now.
In fact, in history, Zhu Yunwen did not treat eunuchs as humans.
In the process of Zhu Di's rebellion, many eunuchs became Zhu Di's eyes and ears. One of the reasons was Zhu Yunwen's " cruelty." Although he had the name of " benevolence ", it was only for the officials and the people. However, for eunuchs, attendants, and other incomplete people, once they made a mistake, they would be punished.
The chamberlain and eunuch defected to Zhu Di because Zhu Di treated them as humans and trusted them.
The East Chamber, which was famous in later generations, was an organization led by eunuchs, which was enough to show Zhu Di's trust in eunuchs.
Jiang An was so touched that he wanted to cry. He quickly replied,"Your Majesty, I occasionally think of them, but I have no chance to see them again.”
"Why not?" Zhu Yunwen shook her head and said.”
"Once I enter the palace, I will be His Majesty's man." Jiang An replied respectfully. How could he see them again? Besides, even if I go back, they won't recognize me.”
Jiang An was right.
In ancient times, inheritance and clans were valued.
A eunuch was not qualified to enter the ancestral hall of the clan and was despised by others.
At least, that was the case in the early Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Yunwen looked at the lonely Jiang An and asked,"Everyone in the harem is like this?
"Naturally.
Jiang An hurriedly replied.
Zhu Yunwen's eyes flashed but she didn't say anything.
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