The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 450 Untitled
The imperial court summoned all civil and military officials in front of Chengtian Gate, and then the Shenjiying Camp left the capital. Such a big move could not be concealed.

All kinds of rumors spread at once.

What about another war, what about a rebellion somewhere, some people even linked it to Zhu Biao's illness...

Fortunately, there have been constant wars in the Ming Dynasty over the years, and the people are not afraid of fighting.

The main reason was that we kept winning battles and everyone had full confidence in the court.

Soon, specific news came that the Shenjiying was going to provide disaster relief.

???

Everyone was puzzled. Who made up this lie? It was too unreliable.

However, soon after that, the government sent people to the streets to publicize.

The Supreme Emperor and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince cared about the people and could not bear to see the people in the southeast suffer from the disaster, so they specially dispatched the Shenji Battalion to fight the disaster and save the people.

People don't need to panic or believe rumors.

Now everyone couldn't help but believe it.

Then came the shocks, all kinds of shocks.

And then... everyone split into two factions.

One group is mainly composed of grassroots people, who are naturally very happy. Living in the Ming Dynasty is really a blessing for us.

One group is mainly composed of officials, scholars, businessmen, etc.

Send troops to help? The emperor is confused.

How can we easily deploy such a dangerous thing as the army?

The passing of bandits is like a comb, and the passing of soldiers is like a grate.

The emperor emeritus also came from a time of war. Doesn’t he understand this truth?
The military discipline of the Ming Dynasty was indeed quite strict, and such things rarely happened.

But asking them to go to disaster relief is also a very dangerous thing.

Then the two factions started arguing over this.

Supporters believe that the opposition is a vulgar group of people who have enjoyed a good life for too long and have forgotten about the lives of ordinary people.

You can think of things that the emperor and the prince can’t think of?
Aren't they smarter than you?

You are just high and mighty and don't treat the people below you as human beings.

The opposition is naturally not willing to be outdone. You people are short-sighted, what do you know?
We know that the people are suffering from the disaster, but we are more aware of the dangers of the army.

All dynasties have never dared to use the army to provide disaster relief. Is it because they were unwilling to do so?

I don't dare.

The emperor is wise and brave, but how can he know the situation in the southeast in time when he is in the palace?
It will be too late to solve the problem after something happens there.

Anyway, everyone has their own opinion and no one can convince anyone else.

On the third day, the supplementary issue of Ming Weekly was published.

This issue has very little content, with more than a quarter fewer pages than previous issues.

The content is all about disaster prevention and relief.

The first one is naturally Zhu Yuanzhang’s.

He talked about his own personal experience, how miserable it was back then, and how almost all his family members died.

Later he joined the rebel army and gradually conquered the world.

Now that he is the emperor, he cannot forget his roots.

We have been doing our utmost to reduce the burden on the people.

He knew how hard the people suffered, and he knew even more how vulnerable they were in the face of disasters.

He was deeply worried about the disaster in the southeast and decided to send troops to fight the disaster and save the people.

He believed that the Ming army was different from that of the previous dynasty.

The Ming army also came from poor backgrounds, so they could understand his determination and take on this responsibility.

The opposition still scoffs at the article.

too naive.

But it did change the minds of a group of people.

Regardless of whether doing so would lead to adverse consequences, at least it is true that the emperor cares about the people.

Otherwise I wouldn't do it.

For a time, many people began to sing praises.

As for the lower-class people who already supported the imperial court, they shouted "Long live the emperor!" and the virtue of the emperor was known throughout the world.

The second article is the prince’s article, in which he directly teaches everyone a lesson.

He told the origin of the army from the beginning.

However, this is not the story of Dayu's flood control. It was because of Dayu's flood control that taxation and army were established. This was just a rhetoric used by Chen Jingke.

It is not necessarily true history.

Later, as he gained more experience, he developed his own ideas.

In ancient times, humans ate raw meat and drank blood. Faced with various dangers, a group of people emerged to act as guards and provide armed protection to the tribe.

They are also an emergency team and it is their duty to provide rescue services when disaster strikes.

This group of people later acquired an identity: soldiers.

However, as fighting between tribes became more frequent, the army became dedicated to warfare, and the rescue attribute was gradually abandoned.

Now the Ming Dynasty is sending troops to provide disaster relief in order to return to its roots.

However, this article is based on speculation, without any substantial evidence, and has not been widely accepted.

It’s just that because of Zhu Xiongying’s identity as the crown prince, not many people dare to criticize him.

Everyone chose to ignore it.

However, there are indeed some people who are affected and think that this is very likely the case.

In particular, the materialist school headed by Fang Xiaoru believed that this reasoning was very consistent with the laws of historical development.

However, their ultimate goal was not to support the court's decision, but to try to prove that the prince supported materialism.

Zhu Xiongying was very depressed about this situation, and kept cursing, saying that those people were ignorant and old-fashioned.

Chen Jingke smiled in his heart.

But no matter what, the publication of his article is still very realistic.

At least it tells the world that the army must have the ability to protect the people.

Moreover, he expressed this attitude as the crown prince.

It has guiding significance for future decision-making and the development of the military.

The third article was written by Chen Jingke, which mainly explains the significance of doing so.

Although it is dangerous, if successful it will benefit generations to come.

Compared with the rewards, the risk is worth taking.

This article became the focus of the debate, and everyone started a discussion about whether it was worth the risk.

The opposition believes that it is not worth it. Regardless of whether it can succeed or not, even if the emperor succeeds by relying on his prestige, will future monarchs be able to suppress the military?
Sooner or later, problems will arise.

Therefore, the army should only focus on fighting wars, while disaster relief and rescue of the people are the responsibilities of the civil service system.

Supporters believe that the Ming Dynasty should be brave enough to try. Once this path is successful, it will become a rule and deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

From now on, you just need to follow inertia.

Never underestimate the power of inertia in politics.

Both sides insisted on their own opinions and neither could convince the other.

Overall, conservatives still have the upper hand.

However, facing this dispute, Chen Jingke was very happy.

"The more we debate, the clearer the truth becomes. Through this kind of discussion, more people can understand the court's deep meaning."

"In the past, there were groups of officials, scholars, businessmen, etc. who generally opposed this matter."

"Now a large number of them have changed their views and believe that the court's courage to try is worthy of encouragement."
-
But the article with the greatest influence and the most profound significance to the intellectual world must be the fourth one.

This article was jointly published by Xie Jin and Fang Xiaoru.

In the future it will be given countless meanings.

The article first analyzes the process of the establishment of the Ming army.

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, many vassal states rose up, and most of the rebels at that time came from poor families and rebelled because they could not survive. However, many vassal states and rebels became corrupt after they gained power.

They went from being victims to being perpetrators, slaughtering civilians wantonly...

The Ming army commanded by the retired emperor had the strictest discipline and publicly punished generals who oppressed the people on several occasions.

It can be said that the Ming army was fundamentally different from other armies.

Seeing this, Chen Jingke almost couldn't help laughing out loud.

If you want to flatter someone, you have to be a literati.

Who wouldn’t be happy seeing this?

To a certain extent, this is true.

Zhu's rebel army did have the strictest military discipline.

But that is only relative, and is far from as good as described in the article.

However, the purpose of speech is naturally to serve a purpose. It is normal for Xie Jin and Fang Xiaoru to brag about Zhu Yuanzhang.

After all, he is the founder of the Ming Dynasty and the current ruler.

If you want to achieve your goal, you have to make him satisfied.

When Lao Zhu saw this part, he was naturally very happy and said repeatedly:
"Xie Jin and Fang Xiaoru have some foresight. They know why we can stand out and gain the world..."

As the saying goes, the real purpose comes out when the truth is revealed. After praising Zhu, they formally put forward their own opinions.

They analyzed the characteristics of the armies of all dynasties to prove the uniqueness of the Ming army.

There are two core viewpoints.

The Ming Dynasty was the first to propose the concept of Greater China, in which the army no longer served one family or one individual, but served the country and the Chinese nation.

Seeing this, Chen Jingke couldn't help but feel his scalp tingling. These two people were really looking for death.

Can you say that?

I secretly looked at Lao Zhu's expression and found that he was indeed very unhappy.

But maybe it was the flattery he received before, or maybe it was the influence of Chen Jingke all along, he didn't get angry.

He just sneered: "Scholar's opinion."

This made Chen Jingke breathe a sigh of relief, and then a deep joy rose in his heart.

Once the emperor approved of the concept that "the army is not the army of one family or one person", many things would become much easier in the future.

This can be said to be a huge progress in the world of thought.

Of course, it can also be said to be a return to the original meaning of the thoughts of the ancient sages.

The ancient sages clearly stated in the Six Strategies:
The world does not belong to one person, but to everyone in the world.

However, as the imperial power grew stronger, no one dared to say this openly anymore.

During the Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties, the gentry was powerful, and they used qualifiers when they spoke of "the world belongs to all the people of the world."

The so-called "people of the world" refers to the gentry, not the common people.

Later, when the aristocratic politics came to an end, no one dared to mention this sentence anymore.

At this time, Xie Jin and Fang Xiaoru brought up this point again, even if it was mixed with words praising Zhu Yuanzhang.

It can also be said that it is a risk of being beheaded.

After the article was published, Xie Jin and Fang Xiaoru both wrote their suicide notes.

One of the letters was written to Chen Jingke, apologizing to him and asking him to save his family's lives as much as possible.

After waiting for a whole day, no Jinyiwei came.

The two looked at each other and laughed, and it worked.

Then he took out the suicide note and burned it.

Never underestimate the acumen of politicians. When seeing this sentence in this article, countless people were shocked.

The degree of shock far exceeded the court's dispatch of the Shenjiying to provide relief to the victims.

Do you dare to say that?
Have you all forgotten that Mencius was moved out of the Confucian Temple?
They seemed to have seen a bloody storm.

However... after waiting for a day, everything was calm.

This is so abnormal. Could it be that the emperor didn't read this article? Or didn't he notice this sentence?
People with connections began to go around and ask around.

It’s not their fault for being sensitive, but the significance of this matter is too extraordinary.

On the surface it is just a sentence, but behind it it represents the rise of an idea.

Someone found out about Chen Jingke, after all, everyone knew his relationship with the royal family.

Chen Jingke naturally understood why they were so anxious, but he could not directly reveal the emperor's intentions.

Otherwise it would be a lack of confidentiality.

So, he only said four words: "Scholar's spirit."

But this sentence is enough.

Scholarly spirit?

The scholar has good spirits, so good.

The sky has really changed.

No matter why Zhu Yuanzhang's thoughts changed so much, it was enough that he changed.

The happiest ones must be the Neo-Confucian school. Is the Holy King really going to be born?

Is it possible that the situation where the scholar-officials and the emperor jointly rule the world will happen again?
Cautious people are taking a wait-and-see approach, but some are eager to do something.

However, the time is still too short and the influence of this sentence has not yet spread.

At present, everyone's attention is still on the military's disaster relief, and the discussion is mainly concentrated on this area.

As the newspaper spread, more and more people joined the discussion.

Then the unexpected came.

At the local level, people who support the court's policies generally prevail.

To be more precise, the opposition has the upper hand in big cities, while the supporters have the upper hand in small cities.

Facing this situation, Lao Zhu's view is very simple:
"People in the city have a good life and have forgotten the hardships they experienced in the past. It's time for them to suffer as well."

Chen Jingke sighed and said, "That is a reason, but not entirely."

"Country people have little experience and do not have so many opinions. They are more willing to trust the court."

To put it bluntly, it is easier to follow blindly and be coerced.

"City people are more knowledgeable and more capable of independent thinking. They can see the downsides of doing this."

"Then when faced with a choice, they know how to choose the best and avoid the worst."

Old Zhu was obviously very dissatisfied with this answer, and snorted coldly:

"There are many treacherous people in the city, so don't trust them too much."

Chen Jingke could only smile bitterly. It could not be said that what Lao Zhu said was wrong, but it was indeed too biased.

Fortunately, Zhu Xiongying was relatively calm and said thoughtfully:

"So different strategies should be adopted to govern towns and villages, and we cannot generalize."

Chen Jingke said with relief: "That's the truth. We should take advantage of the situation."

Zhu Xiongying nodded and did not go into the topic further.

If we want to discuss it, we have to wait until we have completed the investigation and have acquired certain data.

It’s hard to hit the point when talking about this now.

He then said, "This issue of the newspaper should have been delivered to the Shenji Camp. I wonder what the soldiers think of it."

Chen Jingke said: "I have sent the Jinyiwei to chase after him at full speed, and they should be arriving soon."

"But we can't just focus on the Shenji Camp. We need to launch corresponding propaganda for other armies as well."

Zhu Xiongying nodded and said, "I have already issued orders to the appeasement envoys to carry out propaganda around the Shenji Camp."

"The latest issues of the newspaper must be read to all soldiers, so that they can understand the court's profound intentions."

Listening to the two people discussing national affairs, Lao Zhu stood by in silence.

But when his eyes swept across a memorial, a look of cruelty emerged in them.

My dear grandson, I am not power-hungry. I just want to use this opportunity to remove the biggest obstacle for you.

An obstacle that had been deliberately ignored before, but absolutely could not be circumvented.

(End of this chapter)