Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 469 Jianyuan Hongxi
"In the 12th month of the 17th year of Yongle, in Gengxu, my virtue was weak and my abilities were fresh. I went through many hardships and relied on the blessings of my ancestors from heaven and earth to succeed to the throne. Now, in the 17th year, I have been worried and industrious at night and crawled on the ice and snow outside. Don’t dare to slack off. The current power of the country is ahead of the ancient times. He controls the north, east continent, west and south islands, and all the foreign barbarians in the west, at home and abroad..."

"Now I am old and sick, and the Crown Prince is mature and prudent. He is a sage, benevolent and filial. He is known to the world, knows the world, and has been in the hearts of the people for a long time..."

"The crown prince can assume the throne of emperor. I will call myself the Supreme Emperor and move to the Daming Palace. The ministers..."

On the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month in the seventeenth year of Yongle, when an edict of Zhu Di's abdication was spread, the first people to be shocked were the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Beijing.

No one could have imagined that the fifty-seven-year-old Emperor Yongle would choose to abdicate on New Year's Eve.

At the same time, in the Forbidden City's circular mound, Zhu Gaoxu walked up to the circular mound step by step wearing a crown robe, where Zhu Di, also wearing a crown robe, was waiting for him quietly.

Although Zhu Gaoxu had imagined this scene countless times in his mind, when it actually appeared, he still felt excited, as he had not felt excited for a long time.

Under the circle, more than 2,000 officials in Beijing, as well as envoys from dozens of countries, including Japan, Korea, Siam, Champa, Kampuschi, and Manchuria, witnessed this scene.

Under their gaze, Zhu Gaoxu walked up the circle step by step, knelt down in front of Zhu Di and bowed.

Zhu Di looked down at the second son who had helped him ascend to the throne, with mixed feelings in his heart.

When Bu Yu stood side by side, Zhu Di said to Zhu Gaoxu:

"I thank you for your holy grace!" Zhu Gaochi and others knelt down to salute, while Zhu Gaoxu continued to indicate his level.

Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaosui were sighing at most, but Zhu Zhanji felt a little disappointed for some unknown reason.

Zhu Gaoxu looked at Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Zhanji, Zhu Gaosui and others who were kneeling on the ground, and finally turned his attention to Zhu Di, who was standing there. After he opened his mouth and made peace, he followed the arrangements of the ministers of Honglu Temple and the Ministry of Rites, and went to Fengtian Hall to issue the enthronement edict. The general content is announced to the ministers.

The civil and military officials bowed and bowed one after another. Zhu Gaojiu nodded and signaled that he would stand flat, and then turned his attention to Zhu Gaochi and others.

"You are the emperor now. Although this Hong Xi is not as powerful as my Yongle, it is still suitable for you."

The father and son walked to the screen behind the golden platform to rest. Not long after, the whips of the imperial guards sounded, and the ministers and envoys from various countries walked into the Fengtian Hall in a hurry.

"Throughout the ages, emperors have granted amnesty to the world when they ascend the throne, but this does not have to be the case in the new dynasty."

"Although it is a new king who has ascended the throne, there is no need to go to great lengths. The ministers and officials from all over the country do not need to send congratulations or memorials. They only need to deal with their own affairs."

Zhu Gaoxu first talked about the issue of vassal states. After hearing this, the envoys from Korea, Japan and other countries knelt down and bowed: "I, my ministers, obey your Majesty's will."

"Sing!"

"Pingshen" Zhu Gaoxu raised his hand and continued:
"It has been seventeen years since the first year of Yongle, and it will be eighteen years tomorrow. Prices in the world have increased a lot, so the salaries of ministers above the ninth rank have been increased by 10%."

"After your edict is read out in a moment, I will go to Daming Palace to live. If anything happens, I will summon you."

Zhu Gaoxu paused, glanced at Zhu Gaochi and others under the circle, and calmed down: "Jianyuan Hongxi!"

Amidst the singing ceremony of "Entering the Class" by the Minister of Honglu Temple, many envoys, military attachés and civil servants joined the procession.

"As I ascend the throne today, I have policies and attitudes toward all countries at home and abroad, towards ministers, ministers, clan members, and the people. I will make it clear to you today to prevent no one from following them in the future and making a joke."

Hearing the change in his title, Zhu Di also accepted the change in his identity. After helping Zhu Gaoxu stand up, he took the initiative to walk down the circle.

"Long live your Majesty, long live long live..."

Except for Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu, who could take a carriage, the others had to go there on foot, so this gave the father and son a lot of time to talk.

"My reign name is Hongxi, which means that the new dynasty is vast and vast, the world is prosperous and harmonious, and the people are optimistic and open-minded."

"Sacrifice to heaven..."

After the sacrifice was over, Zhu Gaoxu walked down the circle, and all the ministers knelt down and bowed: "I see His Majesty Emperor Hongxi, long live long live long live long live..."

After they stood up, Zhu Gaoxu continued: "Although the treasury is full now, there are Beirut invaders outside and water conservancy, roads, and railway construction inside. It is inevitable. This is my fault."

Zhu Di handed over the big gui in his hand, and Zhu Gaoxu took it with both hands: "I respectfully obey the order of the Supreme Emperor."

They looked at each other, and then Zhu Gaoxu focused on his imperial edict.

During the singing, Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Di stood up and walked onto the golden stage, and took their seats almost at the same time.

After Zhu Di finished saying what he wanted to say, Zhu Gaoxu nodded: "Father, don't worry, no matter what happens, I will still be your son."

"Before ascending Yuanqiu, I asked Yan'er to arrange for your concubines to settle in the inner court. If there are not enough maids and eunuchs, you can ask Korea, Japan and other countries to prepare them for you, or you can choose from prisoners of war in the southwest. Don't harm the ordinary people. "People."

"Throughout the ages, ministers and officials all over the world have to avoid taboos, and this does not have to be the case in the new dynasty."

"Now that I have entrusted you with a great position, you should encourage me to work diligently and love the people."

As Zhu Gaoxu spoke, the Ming Dynasty's new year name was formulated, and the accession edict he prepared will also be published tomorrow.

"Well..." Zhu Di responded, and the father and son arrived at the door of Fengtian Palace at this moment.

"The concubines, maids and eunuchs of the inner court have all gone to the Daming Palace."

The two got off the platform, and there was one more chair on the golden platform than before, but its frequency was destined not to be very high.

On the circular hill, Zhu Gaoxu held a big gui and bowed to the sky while singing.

"Princes, princes, princesses, and princesses will each be rewarded with thousands of coins, which will be allocated from internal funds."

"Be flat."

"If there are any disputes among countries at home and abroad, they can report them to the Chinese Embassy in the country through the Chinese embassy in that country, and the Chinese will mediate. They are not allowed to fight in private."

"I would like to thank Your Majesty for His grace!"

"The Minister of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Shi Gao Xu, inherited the imperial decree of the Yongle Emperor. He set up an altar in Beijing on the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month in the 17th year of Yongle's reign to declare to the Haotian God, the Emperor and the Earth, the Ming Dynasty, the Night Ming, and the stars. , Sheji Taisui, Yuezhen, Haidu, mountains and rivers, City God, Jianyuan..."

He was not the only one who had mixed feelings, but also Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaosui, and Zhu Zhanji under the circle.

"Your Majesty, I am ashamed..."

Seeing that Zhu Gaoxu was not prepared to waive taxes, many people breathed a sigh of relief. After all, although there were still tens of millions in the treasury, if they were exempted from taxes for a year, then the money would definitely be of little use.

It was just that Zhu Gaoxu exposed his fault, which made all the officials kneel down to express their shame.

Zhu Gaoxu signaled them to get up, and then gave some general directions for the new direction.

To put it simply, the battles that should be fought have been fought in the Yongle Dynasty. It is not that there are no battles to be fought in the new Dynasty, but in the following days, the main focus will be on internal governance.

In addition to the troubled Oara in the north and the chieftains in Yunnan in the south who still need to be dealt with, the imperial court will not organize any major wars in a short period of time.

Zhu Gaoxu also increased the pension for disabled and retired soldiers. In addition, he did not plan to recruit new sergeants and made changes to the enlistment system.

The conditions for recruiting soldiers remain the same. Flag officers and ordinary sergeants will retire when they reach thirty. If they do not want to retire, they can study by themselves in the army and take exams, or perform meritorious service on the battlefield to advance to official positions.

Small flag officers and ordinary sergeants are retired at the age of 30, general flag officers are retired at the age of 35, hundreds of officers are retired at the age of 40, thousands of households are at the age of 45, commanders of the guards are at the age of 50, and those above the commander of the guards are the commander-in-chief of the Sixth Army. The time for retirement is determined based on the opinions of the government and myself.

Zhu Gaoxu formulated a new military system based on the national conditions of the Ming Dynasty. Although the emergence of this system would make about hundreds of thousands of soldiers without commanding talents face the prospect of being discharged, they could not even serve as a general flag officer until they were thirty, and they could not do so. It shows that they do not have very strong command ability.

After all, the current Ming Dynasty has a rotational army border guarding system. The armies of various inland capitals basically have at least two rounds of border guarding time.

During the six years of guarding the border, he did not achieve a single military exploit, which is also relatively rare given the current situation.

They cannot get promoted if they continue to stay in the army. It is better to retire early and enter society. This is good for the army and good for them.

If you stay in your forties and still charge on the battlefield, it means that the Ming army has no successors.

Although some governors in the Sixth Army Governor's Office did not agree with this, after all, it was Zhu Gaoxu who proposed it, and no one dared to object.

Seeing that there was no objection, Zhu Gaoxu simply said a few words, such as canonizing Guo Yan as the queen, canonizing Zhu Zhanhe as the crown prince, canonizing Mu as the crown prince, etc., and then announced his resignation.

"Long live your Majesty, long live your Majesty..."

Amidst the singing of the ministers, Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu stood up and left the front hall.

The two came to the back hall and changed their crown clothes into regular clothes. When they walked to the door, Zhu Di looked at Bu Yu and sighed:

"You still have government affairs to attend to, so I won't let you go to Daming Palace for dinner."

"I'll take the eldest brother, the third child, and Zhan Ji with them. Remember to ask Zhan He to visit the Daming Palace when he arrives in the capital."

After explaining, Zhu Di got on the Bu Yu and left Fengtian Hall.

But this time, his Buyu did not go to Qianqing Palace again, but walked outside the palace.

Watching the team gradually leaving, Zhu Gaoxu also took a carriage to Qianqing Palace.

This is his first time coming here as the owner of the palace, and everything here has been arranged the same as Chunhe Palace. Except for the size of the palace, there is no difference.

When he arrived at the palace, he saw Guo Yan who had been waiting for a long time.

Guo Yan brought a memorial, but this memorial was from the inner court.

"This is the concubine's canonization memorial compiled by my concubine. Please take a look."

Zhu Gaoxu is different from Zhu Di. Zhu Di's children are basically all born to Empress Xu. Therefore, no one will say anything if Zhu Di does not establish concubines during Empress Xu's lifetime.

However, compared to Zhu Di, many of Zhu Gaoxu's children were born to other concubines. For example, Zhu Zhanqi's mother Zhang Fengyi was one of them.

For them, Guo Yan selected and canonized them according to whether they gave birth to a son or a girl. Zhu Gaoxu read through and confirmed that there was no problem, and his pen circled red.

After doing all this, he came to his seat and sat down. Guo Yan also came over and kneaded his sore and stiff shoulders.

"Are you tired?"

Guo Yan asked him, and Zhu Gaoxu nodded: "I can't believe that I am actually the emperor."

"I can't believe I became a queen." Guo Yan chuckled and looked around:

"Honestly, I wasn't ready to be queen yet, but I didn't expect it to come so soon."

"Me too..." Zhu Gaoxu nodded and said at the same time:
"This time when Zhan He comes back, I plan to let him skip the first grade and follow his father to visit Mobei."

"But you don't need to be too nervous. Mahamu was hurt from being beaten last time. In addition, Taiping and Batu Polo are unwilling to fight with the army. Therefore, there is a high probability that they will not encounter the enemy when they go out of the fortress this time."

"Let him follow, just to show him how to dispatch a large army." "Although I don't think he has that talent, as an emperor, not commanding blindly is a course that must be learned."

"Let him follow his father and he can always learn a lot, which will help him in the future."

After the words fell, Zhu Gaoxu waited for Guo Yan to answer, but Guo Yan smiled and said: "I am not someone who dotes on children. Your Highness can just arrange it."

"Um……"

He stretched out his hand and patted Guo Yan's hand. Guo Yan immediately let go and saluted Zhu Gaoxu, and then left the side hall where he governed.

Not long after, Zhu Gaoxu lowered his head and began to deal with the memorial, while the abdication of Emperor Yongle and the accession of Emperor Hongxi continued to spread.

The news spread from Beijing to all directions, and at the same time, "Daming Daily", "Zhili Daily", "Jiangxi News" and other Beijing and local newspapers reported on it.

In just over half a month, the news had spread throughout the Ming Dynasty.

Even the illiterate people knew the news through word of mouth that Emperor Yongle abdicated and lived in the Daming Palace, and that the new emperor Hongxi ascended the throne and took over the Qing Palace.

Some yamen and common people who reacted erased the words "Yongle 18th Year" in their homes and replaced them with "Hongxi Year 1".

At this time, many people also complained a little. After all, in the past, when new emperors succeeded to the throne, they would usually show their generosity by giving away some money and food, but this time Emperor Hongxi did not, so the people criticized him a lot.

They will not understand how much change Zhu Gaoxu will do for them. They only know that they will not enjoy any benefits from the change of emperor this time.

Of course, this kind of thinking also depends on the place. For example, the land of Conglong that helped Zhu Gaoxu go south... In Bohai, Liaodong, Daning and other places, after receiving the news, the people all cheered.

"Look, look, His Highness has ascended the throne, and now he is Emperor Hongxi."

"I finally ascended the throne. I have been waiting for this year for twenty years!"

"Sigh, I don't know why I didn't ascend the throne directly. If I had ascended the throne directly, we should have a better life now."

"Times are not good now, old Ma, don't push yourself too far. Without His Highness to promote official education, you probably can't even write your name now."

"Go, go, I also went to a private school!"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

In Jilin City, when the "Bohai Daily" was published, the people who got the newspaper immediately smiled.

In the teahouse, people gather together in small groups, wearing cotton-padded clothes, holding a newspaper and reading together.

"Look, it says that the railway to Songyuan has reached Yongping, and it is expected to be completed in Songyuan in the seventh year of Hongxi's reign."

"Songyuan is not close to us..."

"Idiot, you can take a boat to Songyuan and then take a train to Beijing to see His Highness!"

"You brat, can you still see His Highness?"

"I...can't see you, but after all, we are alone..."

"By the way, now I have to address you as Your Majesty."

"Hmph, that's what you Han people call him. In our place, His Highness has always been the Great Khan of Bohai."

"The Great Khan of Bohai is not as powerful as Emperor Hongxi."

"You guys..."

For a while, the Jurchens and Han people in the teahouse began to debate who was more powerful, the Bohai Khan or the Hongxi Emperor.

The same debate was held not only in Bohai, but also in Daning. However, in the Daning capital, the group of Uuliangha Mongols who were recruited back then believed that Zhu Gaoxu was Bogda Chechen Khan.

Zhu Gaoxu caused the greatest damage to Wu Liangha. If he hadn't weakened Wu Liangha several times, Wu Liangha would not have been so weak in the battle with Zhu Di.

But even so, the surrendered Ulyanha people still believe that Zhu Gaoxu is their Bogda Chechen Khan, which means the sacred and great wisdom Khan.

Compared with the northern practice of calling Zhu Gaoxu Khan, after Hou Xian of Xifan informed the Xifan subjects that Emperor Hongxi had ascended the throne, they called Zhu Gaoxu both Emperor Hongxi and Vajrapani.

Zhu Di before Zhu Gaoxu was called Emperor Yongle and Manjushri by the people of Xifan.

In the southwest, in most areas that had been converted to rural areas, the liberated serfs named Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu according to the names of their own gods, believing that they were possessed by gods.

This situation is not uncommon, and it is still going on.

On the other hand, when the whole world was discussing the matter of Emperor Hongxi's accession to the throne and Emperor Yongle's abdication at the age of fifty-eight, as their descendant, Zhu Zhanhe rushed to Beijing with his wife Mu.

Starting from the first day of the first lunar month, they took a boat and did not arrive in Texas until the eighteenth day of the first lunar month.

The good news is that the northern railway has been laid to Xianxian County, so after spending a day riding north, they arrived at the train station in Xianxian County.

"Is this the train station?"

Standing in front of the train station, Mu looked at the train station in front of her with slight surprise, and at the same time followed Zhu Zhanhe to the platform.

Because he was guarded by soldiers, Zhu Zhanhe came to the platform with almost no one checking.

After communicating with the officer guarding him, the stationmaster immediately arranged a train for Zhu Zhanhe and the others.

When he walked into the train carriage and sat down, not only Mu was surprised, but also Zhu Zhanhe himself and the more than thirty cavalrymen who guarded him.

"Your Highness, is this your first time too?"

Mu asked Zhu Zhanhe after fastening his seat belt. Zhu Zhanhe shook his head: "It's not the first time, but I didn't have such a beautiful car when I sat in it before."

"Is this thing as fast as the newspaper said?" Mu was like a curious baby, but Zhu Zhanhe patiently explained: "It should be."

As soon as Zhu Zhanhe finished speaking, the driver operating the train got off the car and came to the carriage. He half-knelt on the ground and asked softly: "Your Highness, do you want to go to Beijing at full speed, or slower?"

"Go full speed." Zhu Zhanhe did not ask what the full speed was, and this would be the thing he regretted most today.

"Common man, take your orders." The driver bowed after hearing this, then got up and returned to the cab.

Not long after, the piercing whistle sounded, and the train pulling the carriage began to head north.

Just from the beginning, Zhu Zhanhe felt something was wrong: "This car... seems to be starting a little fast."

"Wouldn't it be better to hurry up?" Mu was still surprised one second, and felt a push on her back the next.

The driver who received Zhu Zhanhe's instructions immediately headed towards Beijing at full speed. Since he was dragging the coal and water tanks, the fastest speed was guaranteed to be about eighty miles per hour.

That speed was almost the same as the 800-mile express, so not long after the train set off, someone on the car started to vomit.

Only then did Zhu Zhanhe and the others realize that there was a wooden basin under their seats, and they pulled it out one after another with painful expressions.

"Your Highness, this..."

"vomit!"

Mu wanted to say something else, but she saw Zhu Zhanhe vomited a lot into the wooden basin as soon as he opened his mouth.

Before getting on the train, because the speed in the newspaper said thirty miles per hour, he mistakenly thought it was the speed of the train, so he deliberately ate a lot, fearing that he would not be able to arrive in Beijing until tomorrow morning.

Therefore, when he felt dizzy, Zhu Zhanhe immediately held the wooden basin and vomited without caring about his image.

Mu didn't feel any motion sickness, but Zhu Zhanhe was vomiting.

"Your Highness, how about we get off the car and ride horses?"

Mrs. Mu looked at Zhu Zhanhe's appearance and persuaded her with distress, but Zhu Zhanhe felt a little better after vomiting, and immediately raised his hand to support him and said: "It's okay, I just had too much for lunch, I'll be fine later." ”

"It takes at least five days to go to Beijing by horseback, and we can arrive at most tomorrow morning by car. Don't worry, I'll be fine... ugh!"

Before he could finish his words, Zhu Zhanhe held the basin again and started vomiting violently.

He kept doing this over and over until his stomach was empty, and he finally calmed down a little.

Time passed little by little, and while he was in a daze, Mu suddenly pulled him.

"what happened?"

Looking at the darkness outside the window, Zhu Zhanhe asked Mu as if he was from another world.

"The guard just said that we will reach Beijing in twenty miles."

"Twenty miles?"

Mu's words made Zhu Zhanhe speechless: "How long have I slept?"

"More than three hours, I don't know." Mrs. Mu explained the sleeping time of Zhu Zhanhe. Zhu Zhanhe had a strange expression when he saw this.

Under his suspicious eyes, the train continued to move for about two quarters of an hour, and then slowly reduced its speed.

After a while, the train stopped in front of the platform with torches.

After getting out of the carriage, Zhu Zhanhe looked at the three words "Beijing East Railway Station" hanging on the platform, his expression richer than after riding a roller coaster.

"This train is really a good thing..."

Just after finishing his evaluation, Zhu Zhanhe thought of the scene of him vomiting in the car just now, and couldn't help but feel embarrassed: "It would be great if I didn't know how to vomit."

"Your Majesty, I am here to take you into the city at your Majesty's command."

While Zhu Zhanhe was still recalling his embarrassment, Li Shiqué, who was on the platform, stepped forward to bow and explain that he had come to take over his mission.

"My dad is really powerful. He can tell when I arrive."

Zhu Zhanhe clicked his tongue a few times, and then thought of his grandfather who abdicated the throne, and his upcoming expedition to the north with his grandfather, and he was instantly full of energy.

"Dad, just watch. I'm going north this time so you can take a good look at what I'm capable of!"

(End of this chapter)