The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 448 The Prince's Toughness

Li Shanchang and others looked at each other in bewilderment. Even though Zhu Yuanzhang spoke personally, they still couldn't believe it.

This matter is really too mysterious.

The point is, no one ever mentioned it.

Now suddenly some people say that even if some evidence is presented to them, they will still doubt it.

Chen Jingke could guess what they were thinking, and he understood it.

Since Lao Zhu decided to show his hand, he had no more concerns and took the initiative to stand up and say:

"I know it's hard for you to accept this at first, but it's the truth."

"Before heaven and earth, humans are no different from summer insects."

Qiu Guangan looked embarrassed: "Lord Chen, it's not that I don't want to believe it, it's really..."

Chen Jingke smiled and said, "I know, anyone would do the same."

Li Shanchang took a deep breath, calmed himself, and said:
"My Lord, please forgive me for my disrespect. Do you have any other evidence?"

The implication is that this evidence alone is difficult to convince people.

Old Zhu was not angry, but said: "This matter was discovered by Jing Ke, so he knows it best. Let him explain it to you."

No one was surprised by this.

Chen Jingke's knowledge was mysterious and unfathomable, and he was the only one in the world who could make such a shocking discovery.

The key is to be able to convince Old Zhu, who is known for his stubbornness.

This is not the first time that Chen Jingke has proved the existence of the Little Ice Age, and he has been collecting relevant information over the years.

At this point, you have become familiar with this set of argumentation models, and the evidence is more complete and convincing.

Immediately, he explained it to everyone in detail from beginning to end.

First, the differences between warm periods and cold periods were discussed, with a comprehensive explanation from aspects ranging from climate to the distribution of plants and animals.

This will help them understand what warm-cold changes are.

Then, all the records of climate, animal and plant distribution from the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties to the present are listed according to the timeline.

The evidence can be said to be very detailed.

It was even so specific that a certain piece of evidence came from a certain record in a certain book.

He not only spoke, he also found a pen and paper and drew a curved line.

The curve intuitively shows the laws of climate change.

When the curve reaches the Daming time node, it is on a big slope of falling temperature.

"In about fifty years, the climate will enter a period of alternating warm and cold weather, and extreme weather will occur frequently."

"This period of extreme climate will last for about fifty years."

"About a hundred years later, the Ming Dynasty will officially enter a cold period."

Everyone couldn't help but gasp. Chen Jingke explained it in great detail, and they finally understood what this Wenhan transformation was all about.

Regardless of whether it is true or not... let's assume it is true.

The most dangerous period is not the cold period, but the period of alternating cold and warm periods.

Although the temperature is relatively low and climate disasters occur frequently during the cold period, it at least gives people a chance to catch their breath.

During the period of alternating cold and warm weather, climate disasters are no longer so simple, but occur all the time.

It can last for half a year or even several years, without giving people a chance to even breathe.

And such extreme weather will continue for decades.

No matter how wealthy you are, you can't afford such a ordeal.

Unfortunately, the Ming Dynasty is about to enter this period.

The only thing to be thankful for is that, according to the rules of previous unified dynasties, fifty to one hundred years is exactly the heyday of the dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty can survive this difficult period.

But...what is the price?

At the peak of its prosperity, it had to face such a disaster...

Moreover, after surviving the disaster, what we face is not a return to good times, but a deterioration of the entire macro-climate environment.

That would really be the straw that broke the camel's back.

I am afraid that the tragedy of the late Eastern Han Dynasty will be repeated.

But... again, all of this is based on assumptions.

Although Chen Jingke's evidence seems comprehensive and credible.

But for such a big thing, how could everyone believe it just because of his one-sided statement?

Only through your own detailed investigation, on-site inspection, and combining various evidences can you determine the authenticity.

At the beginning, Old Zhu also verified it from many sources before he believed the story of Wen Han's transformation.

But it is obvious that this time the ministers do not have much time to verify the facts.

He talked for nearly an hour in one breath, and finally explained the matter of Wen Han's transformation clearly.

At last, Chen Jingke said solemnly: "I know that for such a big matter, you should be cautious, but the people in the southeast can't wait any longer."

Several people looked at each other, not knowing what to say for a moment.

At this time, Shang Xishao suddenly asked: "The planting of grass and trees in northern Shaanxi and Hetao is not just for the purpose of controlling the Yellow River, right?"

He entered the cabinet from the position of Grand Censor, and his daily work mainly focused on supervision.

They are the main force opposing tree planting in northern Shaanxi and Hetao.

He is not completely against planting trees, but he thinks there is no need to invest so much resources.

Millions of strings of cash every year, what can you do with this money? Wouldn't it be more profitable than planting trees over there?

This is also what he is most dissatisfied with in the current government.

Everything else is easy to deal with. Even some radical policies can at least bring some benefits.

The only thing he couldn't understand was planting trees over there.

So he kept his eye on this and collected various evidences, trying to prove that it was unreasonable to do so.

This includes monitoring the flow of money.

How much was embezzled, how much was actually put into practice, and so on.

The reason why Zhu Biao kept him was precisely to take advantage of this.

With so much money being spent, if there is no strict supervision, I'm afraid that little of it will be put into practice.

With him as a cabinet scholar watching over and finding fault, the people below would not dare to be too greedy.

After listening to Wen Hanbian's theory, he finally understood the court's purpose.

But he still needed a definite answer, so he asked this question.

Chen Jingke was about to speak, but Old Zhu responded first:
"Yes, controlling the yellowing is only one of the reasons. The real purpose is to prepare for the coming of the cold season."

"Rainfall in the northwest will decrease during the cold period. If vegetation cannot be restored now, there will be no chance for recovery later."

"A hundred years later, the Ming Dynasty will face a completely desertified northwest."

"You should be able to imagine how serious the consequences would be."

"If we plant one more tree now, our descendants will have less stress."

Everyone is well aware of the consequences of the comprehensive desertification in the Northwest.

It is not only an important border defense location, but also a major horse farm.

Once desertification occurs, the border troops will no longer be able to obtain food and fodder locally and can only be transported from the Central Plains and the south.

The transportation costs alone can bring down the country's finances.

As pastures decreased and there was a shortage of war horses, the imperial court had no choice but to implement horse policies and let the people bear the cost of raising horses.

Horse policy has been a bad policy since ancient times.

Looking back on the horse policies of past dynasties, what is hidden beneath each line of words is the blood and tears of the people.

In dynasties that owned horse-breeding areas such as Hetao, horse policies were often relatively relaxed, and people's lives were much better.

The Ming Dynasty's horse policy has only improved in the last five or six years.

As the imperial court regained the Hetao and Hexi regions, it had a stable source of war horses.

There is no need for the people to bear this responsibility.

Several previous reforms involved horse politics.

To put it simply, we will rebuild several large horse farms and abolish the part of the burden borne by the people.

Because of this incident, several cabinet scholars in power received a lot of praise.

This policy alone is enough to make them famous in history.

However, once the environment in the northwest deteriorates, the Ma policy will have to be restarted.

Although they were already dead by then, no one could blame them.

But as cabinet scholars in the early Ming Dynasty, they were not lacking in ideals and ambitions to serve the country and the people.

I don't want to see this evil policy being restarted.

Therefore, it is undoubtedly necessary to restore the vegetation in northern Shaanxi and Hetao as much as possible before the cold period arrives.

Old Zhu continued, "Plant trees in the northwest, open up the sea, develop the South Seas, and divide the country into many fiefdoms..."

"It's all for the sake of accumulating more assets for our descendants." "Even if our descendants are unfilial and lose money, they can still lose money for a few more years."

"Using the military to fight disasters and save people is also to set a precedent and lay down new rules."

"In the future, when people face extreme weather conditions, they can send out the military to reduce losses."

These are the real heartfelt words, which you don't usually have the chance to hear.

Everyone was moved, but... they remained cautious.

The authenticity of Wen Han's transformation still needs to be verified, so the army cannot be dispatched easily.

In the end, everyone's eyes turned to Li Shanchang. It's time for you, the Prime Minister, to take the blame.

Li Shanchang smiled bitterly, but still said:

"Sir, it's not that we don't believe you, it's just that the matter is too shocking, and we still need to verify it carefully."

"There is no rush to deploy the military to fight the disaster."

"Let's first let everyone confirm the authenticity of Wen Han's transformation, and then we can discuss whether we need to send out the army."

"And even if we want to send out the army, we need to prepare in advance. It's too hasty now."

This is actually a mature and prudent statement, and Old Zhu couldn't help but nod slightly.

The main reason was that the army was suddenly dispatched to fight the disaster, which was too sudden.

Not only did he fail to gain support from his ministers, but he also did not have enough time to make many preliminary preparations.

Even Zhu Xiongying was somewhat tempted.

Chen Jingke was anxious and said, "Your Majesty, ministers, the people in the southeast are still in dire straits."

Li Shanchang sighed and said, "Lord Chen, we know that you have always cared about the people."

"If it were anything else, I would definitely support you, but this matter is of great importance."

"As the chief minister of the cabinet, I must consider the safety of the country."

Others also tried to persuade him, even Qiu Guangan and Lan Yu, two die-hard supporters, stood up and advised him to calm down.

Chen Jingke ignored them and looked at Zhu Yuanzhang. Seeing that he remained silent, he already knew his choice.

He was not particularly angry about this.

In fact, he had already anticipated this result.

In an imperial society, the first thing people consider is the country and the people, and other things come second.

I was able to convince Lao Zhu before because I took advantage of my position in his mind.

In addition, the successive serious illnesses of Empress Ma, Zhu Biao and Mu Ying did affect his judgment.

Now that he had calmed down and his ministers opposed him, he naturally changed his mind.

Not to mention the feudal emperor era, even in the 21st century, there is only one person who can dispatch troops for disaster relief.

One of a kind.

That person put in countless efforts to build that army into that form.

He did very little in the Ming Dynasty. Even his relatively radical "Great Harmony World" has not been published publicly to this day.

It has never been criticized by the people, nor has it gained the recognition of the majority.

It is too difficult to suddenly ask them to do something that goes against their cognition.

However, he still made a final effort, took a deep breath, and said solemnly:
"Everyone, I just want to say one thing."

Everyone turned their eyes to him.

“If we don’t do many things, our descendants will be even less able to do them.”

Everyone was somewhat dissatisfied with this statement.

Everyone understands the principle, but whether the Wen-Han transformation is real is still unclear.

Even if it is true, can we send out the army to fight the disaster?

What a child's play.

However, Zhu Xiongying, who had been silent all this time, stood up suddenly upon hearing this and said:

"Grandpa Emperor, please send an army over there."

Ministers:? ? ?
Old Zhu said with a headache: "This is a serious matter..."

Zhu Xiongying interrupted him and said, "Precisely because this matter is of great importance, we must have the determination and courage to break common sense."

"I know you are worried, and I know you are right to be worried."

"But in the face of natural disasters and the suffering of the people, we cannot just do nothing."

"We must not sit back and watch them struggle on the brink of death in the name of danger."

He spoke excitedly, but everyone present had a heart of stone, so how could they be moved by just a few words from him?

People even felt that the prince was too impatient and needed more training.

Chen Jingke was very moved. He knew that the reason Zhu Xiongying stood up was largely because of him.

Another small part is that his words and deeds over the years have enabled him to have thoughts and insights that transcend this era.

It is said that having one true friend in life is enough.

That's how he feels now.

Zhu Xiongying also knew that he could not convince these people, and he had no intention of trying to convince them.

What he had to do was to force these people to agree.

As the crown prince with real power, he has this ability.

It’s just that he had been very careful about his own positioning in the past and never sang a different tune from Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao on key issues.

After all, he is only the crown prince. His two elders love and trust him, and as their grandson, he must also properly position himself.

But now, he decided that it was time to officially make his own voice.

But he didn't act rashly.

After all, he was not a man as arbitrary as Zhu Yuanzhang. Influenced by Zhu Biao and Chen Jingke, he was still very strategic.

So, facing everyone's opposition, he said:
"This is just an experiment to show the world that the military can actually do something like this."

“So there’s no need to send too many troops over there.”

"Sending tens of thousands of imperial guards will be enough. It can achieve the purpose of the experiment without worrying about them causing chaos."

"When they get there, they don't have to use their flesh and blood to block the breach, they can just search and rescue the people to the best of their ability."

"Maintain the most basic order, build shelters for the people, and teach them how to save themselves."

"Make sure the food that is delivered can actually reach the people..."

“It shouldn’t be difficult to do this, right?”

Everyone fell silent. If they sent thirty or twenty thousand people over there, there would be no need to worry about them causing trouble.

To put it more realistically, if such a small number of people dare to cause chaos, they can be wiped out in seconds.

This made everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

Although the prince is radical, he does not act rashly. Instead, he is methodical and knows how to proceed step by step.

This made them feel relieved.

Instead of being angry at his grandson's sudden strength, Old Zhu was very happy.

It is good to be strong, so that you can control the ministers and take control of the court.

And what he said makes a lot of sense.

Send fewer people to do easier tasks, and the soldiers will be more receptive.

Add some rewards and honors, and they will naturally accept such jobs.

Other troops would only envy them for achieving such great achievements and honors just by taking a stroll around the disaster area.

Next time there is a natural disaster, everyone will rush to go.

At that time, we can let them do some heavier and more dangerous tasks.

In this way, they can gradually accept the responsibility of fighting disasters and saving people.

This technique looks very similar to Biaoer's.

Xiongying has absorbed the strengths of both us and Biaoer, that’s great.

Old Zhu finally made up his mind that he must send troops over.

Even if it is not for disaster relief, it is worth doing just to accumulate prestige for my precious grandson.

"Well, Your Majesty, this is a very good idea. What do you think?"

Everyone was not stupid, so they naturally knew that Lao Zhu had made up his mind.

There is no point in opposing it.

Moreover, this is indeed a good compromise, so everyone expressed their agreement.

The decision to send troops to provide disaster relief was thus made.

That’s not all. We also need to think carefully about which army to send and who should lead it.

Not to mention other qualities, this army must be educated in new ideas and be able to accept the task of disaster relief and protecting the people.

A name immediately popped up in Chen Jingke's mind.

Shenji camp.

(End of this chapter)