Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 21 Game of Thrones
"Grandpa Huang, my grandson doesn't understand why you would ask Gao Xu a question like this."

In the Wuying Palace, Zhu Yunwen asked anxiously at the dinner table, while Zhu Yuanzhang, sitting opposite him, was eating a bowl of mung bean chess noodles. He seemed to have a great appetite.

Looking at his appearance, Zhu Yunwen was confused.

He didn't understand why his grandfather would ask Zhu Gaoxu so blatantly about reducing the vassal status.

In his opinion, even if such a problem is now known to everyone, it cannot be said directly in the open.

"I said it because I'm not afraid."

Zhu Yuanzhang put down the empty bowl he had eaten, rinsed his mouth with tea, and then responded to Zhu Yunwen unhurriedly.

"Since ancient times, anyone who conquers the world with soldiers and horses will surely be killed by the soldiers and horses."

"But Yunwen, since ancient times, no emperor has ever been successfully rebelled by a feudal king."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Yunwen in front of him, shook his head and said: "This vassal king was left by my grandfather to your father to check and balance Lan Yu's gang of arrogant soldiers."

"Lanyu and the others are all dead now, but the vassal can't be cut down yet, because the Ming Dynasty still wants them to help you resist the Tatars in the north, the barbarians in the southwest, and the Fans in Gansu."

"If there are no more northern barbarians and southern barbarians in the future, you will naturally want to cut down the vassal vassal."

"You can cut the feudal clan, but you have to pay attention to the method and method."

"Let me ask you, if you want to cut down the feudal vassal, how should you cut it down?"

"Should..." Zhu Yunwen pondered for a moment, then took a careful look at Zhu Yuanzhang, and then said:

"We should be polite first and then use military force. We should embrace them with virtue and control them with etiquette. If it doesn't work, then cut off their territory. If it doesn't work, then destroy their people. If it doesn't work even better, then raise troops to attack them."

"Well..." After listening to Zhu Yunwen's words, although Zhu Yuanzhang was not particularly satisfied with the answer, he still nodded slightly, which was a kind of affirmation of Zhu Yunwen.

Seeing his affirmative expression, Zhu Yunwen breathed a sigh of relief but at the same time he was confused: "But why did he ask Gao Xu openly about this matter? If he told Fourth Uncle and the others, then..."

Zhu Yunwen didn't finish his words, but Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help laughing: "Haha..."

He looked at Zhu Yunwen, who looked worried, and said amusedly: "Do you think anyone in the government or the public can't see that the imperial court will reduce the vassalage in the future?"

"This..." Zhu Yunwen hesitated. He naturally knew that the government and the public had already known that the imperial court would reduce the vassalage in the future. Even most of the vassal kings knew about it. After all, Zhu Yuanzhang had personally told them to let them establish as much prestige as possible in the frontier fortress. , to minimize the honorable prestige.

Now that most of the arrogant and powerful generals are dead, the remaining nobles are all turning their tails between their legs.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang would not cook his own son as a lackey, he would definitely reduce his power.

Besides, ever since that incident happened two years ago, the voices in the temple regarding the reduction of vassal status can no longer be concealed, and how could my uncles not know about it...

“It’s one thing to know, it’s another thing to resist.”

While Zhu Yunwen was thinking, Zhu Yuanzhang was talking eloquently and did not take the vassal king seriously at all.

His words actually revealed the vassal king's attitude toward the imperial court's reduction of vassal status. After all, in the early Ming Dynasty, the vassal kings had very little power, and the number of soldiers and horses directly under their command was only a few guards, ranging from three thousand to fifteen thousand. .

With this small amount of troops, without the help of the generals guarding one side, the imperial court would only be able to annihilate them in a matter of seconds.

Because of this, even if the vassal kings inside and outside the court heard that there was a voice in the court to cut the vassalage, most of them still did not dare to react, except for a few vassal princes...

"The power of your uncles is only limited to the guards and the palace. The power of the local third divisions and guards is given to them by the imperial court."

"If the court can give it to them, you can take it back." Zhu Yuanzhang picked up his rice bowl and continued to eat.

"Uncles indeed only have military power, but their local prestige is not small," Zhu Yunwen said worriedly:
"Besides, judging from what happened to Duke Ying, Duke Song, and their two uncles..."

Zhu Yunwen glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang carefully, as if it was difficult to say these words, and his words also succeeded in making Zhu Yuanzhang's face darken, and he couldn't help but frown slightly at Zhu Yunwen.

His frowning behavior made Zhu Yunwen's heart skip a beat, and he felt that his own thoughts had been read through by his grandpa.But he didn't expect that Zhu Yuanzhang did not continue the topic, but changed the topic and asked him:
"How do you think Gao Xu would respond to the discussion of cutting down vassals?"

Facing the question, Zhu Yunwen shook his head: "My grandson is not very familiar with Gao Xu, so I don't know what he is thinking, so it is difficult to answer."

"..." Seeing Zhu Yunwen like this, although Zhu Yuanzhang didn't say anything on his face, he sighed in his heart.

"My grandson is still lacking in understanding people..."

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head silently in his heart, but at the same time he couldn't help but be curious about Zhu Gaoxu's answer.

He wanted to see from Zhu Gaoxu's answer whether Zhu Gaoxu had really changed his mind, and how the fourth son of Yan Mansion viewed Pei Fan.

To be honest, ever since Zhu Yuanzhang learned that his third and fifth sons had met privately and exchanged letters with Xungui, he had seen that his second and fourth sons were always suspicious.

Fortunately, the second eldest brother, Zhu Xi, is still as cruel as ever and doesn't seem to want to compete for the throne.

Regarding the second child, Zhu Yuanzhang is relatively reassured, but for the fourth child Zhu Di... Zhu Yuanzhang is a little unsure.

Although the fourth son, Zhu Di, was filial to him on the surface, did not do anything illegal, and was very kind to the people, Zhu Yuanzhang was still worried that his appearance was just disguised.

After all, he controlled the troops and horses in Peiping, and could also dispatch more than [-] troops and horses in Daning, Liaodong and other places at will.

Such suspicion in Zhu Yuanzhang gradually transferred from Zhu Di to Zhu Gaoxu.

Even though he thought many times that it was possible for the boy to turn back, he would still overturn this idea unconsciously.

A few months ago, a boy who was riding horses in the capital and hurting people at every turn suddenly changed his temperament after just entering the military camp and not even going to the battlefield. He went from being cunning and ruthless to being gentle, humble and polite. ?
Zhu Yuanzhang was worried that Zhu Gaoxu's current changes were all faked by him, and the reason why he could fake it was because someone was instigating him behind the scenes.

As for the person who instigated him, even if he didn't want to think about his fourth son, it was impossible.

Except for him, no one else can control Gao Xu's ability.

Because of this, Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to use Zhu Gaoxu to test Zhu Di, and by the way, beat his other two disobedient children, and at the same time explain the court's attitude to other children.

If that kid's answer is wrong, then let others reveal his attitude.

If he answers well, he can just use his article to make a fuss, so that the third and fourth children can continue to check and balance.

"Alas..." Thinking of this, even Zhu Yuanzhang himself couldn't help but sigh.

As a father, it is indeed torture for him to provoke his son's relationship in this way, but he has no choice...

With this thought, Zhu Yuanzhang raised his head and glanced at Zhu Yunwen in front of him.

Although he could not see any trace of Zhu Biao in Zhu Yunwen, he still did things that were unworthy of his other sons for this grandson.

"Biao'er, dad will never break his promise to you..."

　"History of Emperor Ming Dynasty"

　　Taizu said to Taisun: "I will surrender the captives to the king, so that the dust around you will not move, and you will be at peace."

　　Taisun said: "If the captives are not in peace, the kings will control them; if the kings are not in peace, who will control them?"

　　Taizu was silent for a long time and said, "What do you think?"

　　Taisun said: "Embrace them with virtue and control them with etiquette. If they can't do it, then cut off their land. If they can't do it, then change their people. If they don't do it, then use troops to attack them."

　　Taizu said: "That's right, there is no way to change it."

　　
　
(End of this chapter)