The most reckless man in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 428 Sworn Brothers
The night is deep.

The lights in the Qianqing Palace were still bright.

Different from the previous depression in the palace, after that great victory, the Qianqing Palace, and even the entire imperial palace, became delighted with the emperor, sweeping away the previous depression.

Eunuchs and palace maids no longer had to be as trembling with fear as before, fearing that they would be beaten to death if they were not careful.

At this moment, there was constant laughter and joy in the hall.

Obviously, at this time, there could still be such laughter in the palace. It must be that His Majesty the Emperor was teasing the little prince who was only a few months old.

But today is different. In addition to the little prince, there is also the eldest son of Duke Xin Tang Hao.

It was the first time for the two little guys to meet each other. They looked at each other curiously, and even glared at each other occasionally.

Seeing this, Tang Hao and Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but smile at each other.

"Savage, these two little guys are also destined to be together."

"Why don't we let them become sworn brothers? What do you think?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall, which was originally filled with laughter and joy, suddenly fell into silence.

The smile on Empress Dowager Zhang's face suddenly disappeared. She looked at Tang Hao deeply, and then winked at Empress Xia.

Queen Xia didn't react at first, but Zhang Jingshu was very clear-headed and immediately said, "Your Majesty, how can my son be so worthy of being your brother? This..."

When Queen Xia heard Zhang Jingshu's words, she reacted instantly.

"What is this that my sister is talking about?"

"Your Majesty, what you said makes sense. The two little guys are close in age and will grow up together. Their friendship is far beyond comparison!"

Zhang Jingshu has said it all. If Queen Xia still doesn't understand, she is really stupid.

What does "what virtue and ability do I have" mean?
Duke Xin's son Tang Hao is his eldest son and will definitely inherit the title of Duke Xin in the future and become a new generation of military leader.

And now, all the combat troops in the entire Ming Dynasty are under the command of Duke Xin Tang Hao.

In other words, if the two little guys can really become sworn brothers and have a brotherly relationship, then Queen Xia, the eldest son, will be able to take the throne of the crown prince unchallengeable by anyone!
Although the Ming Dynasty has always followed the system of primogeniture, according to etiquette, Queen Xia's son is the candidate for crown prince.

But after all, he is the crown prince of the country, and the situation is always full of variables. How many emperors in history are the eldest sons?
Now that there is a friendship in the Xin Guo Mansion, it is undoubtedly a security guarantee for the eldest prince!
Moreover, His Majesty the Emperor took the initiative to mention this matter, which clearly shows that he has recognized the eldest son's status as the crown prince. Now all that is left is the enthronement ceremony.

Empress Dowager Zhang also laughed and said, "What the Queen said makes sense, but I wonder what Duke Xin thinks?"

Tang Hao's heart moved when he heard this, and he looked more deeply into the matter.

There is no need to say much about the friendship between himself and Zhu Houzhao. We are like brothers, but better than brothers.

However, no one can guarantee whether this friendship can be maintained between the second generation after one generation.

The reason why Zhu Houzhao brought up this matter was simply to tie the Tang family of the Duke of Xin's Mansion closely together with the royal family, so as to ensure that the imperial power would not fall into the hands of others and that the military power would not fall into the hands of others.

This is also a good thing for the Xin Guo Mansion.

"It's my honor!"

Tang Hao chuckled and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince should be respected!"

Zhu Houzhao nodded proudly.

The savages are quite sensible!

After all, the prince is the heir to the throne, and the boy from the Tang family can be the prince's elder brother! Zhu Houzhao stepped forward, picked up his eldest son, and then pointed at Tang Hao's eldest son and said loudly: "Boy, look carefully, this is your younger brother, and he will be your right-hand man in the future. In the future, the two of you must protect the country and the people of our Ming Dynasty!"

After these words were spoken, Queen Xia's eyes became moist with excitement, and Zhang Jingshu also smiled and her face flushed.

The two girls smiled at each other, saying nothing.

There were laughter and joy in the hall, and outside the hall, a big general of the Jinyiwei was standing.

At this moment, the Ming Dynasty seemed to have a completely new look.

After the banquet, everyone dispersed.

Zhu Houzhao still kept Tang Hao as per the old rules.

"Savage, the court has not been peaceful these days."

"You saw it too. The gentry and officials were so angry that they dared not speak out. I don't know how they cursed me, the emperor, behind my back!"

"What a foolish ruler, what a tyrant, what a tyrant, my reputation has been completely ruined by them!"

His Majesty the Emperor took a big gulp from the wine jug, looking a little unrestrained.

Fortunately, everyone in the hall was dismissed, leaving only the king and his minister, so the news would not be made public.

Tang Hao looked at Zhu Houzhao with a half-smile and said, "What? Do you regret it?"

"I told you back then that there is no reputation to be gained by being an enemy of the gentry."

"The pen in the hands of a scholar is more sinister and cruel than the knife in the hands of a warrior, and can kill people without them even noticing!"

"My reputation as the Duke of Xin is not that good, so don't worry!"

Zhu Houzhao glared at Tang Hao unhappily.

"By the way, what about military reform?"

"The reforms in Shandong have shown initial results, but the cost to the court is too high."

"This is inevitable." Tang Hao sighed, "The military system of the guards is suitable for the national conditions of our Ming Dynasty, but if it is implemented for a long time, it will also lead to the army's combat effectiveness being too low."

"So the army and soldiers must be separated. The army is responsible for cultivating the land and providing logistical supplies for the soldiers; while the soldiers are responsible for training and guarding a place, ready to go to the battlefield or disaster areas at any time."

"The Thirty-Sixth General will go to the military garrisons in various places and be responsible for selecting and training elite soldiers. The soldiers will adopt a recruitment system in the future and receive salaries on time. Some of the eliminated garrison soldiers will be responsible for farming, while others will be relocated overseas!"

"Overseas?" Zhu Houzhao was a little surprised. "Will all the eliminated soldiers be sent overseas in the future?"

"That's right. Because they have been in the army for many years, their land has been annexed. Even if we let them go, they will become unemployed vagrants and become a cancerous scum that brings disaster to the local area."

"Instead of doing that, why not send them overseas, such as to Japan or Jeju Island, to help the Ming Dynasty control overseas. Not only the garrison troops, but also the border troops and the Beijing troops. All the unqualified soldiers will have only two choices in the future: either stay in the military settlements and farm, or migrate overseas."

Zhu Houzhao thought of a terrible thing, that is, Tang Hao was simply taking advantage of the situation and his real purpose was to expand territory.

If this is true, the future of the Ming Dynasty will probably be spent in war for many years.

"But the barbarians, if these people are sent overseas and are not subject to the imperial court for a long time, what will happen if they develop a desire to be independent?"

"Self-reliance?" Tang Hao laughed. "How can they be self-reliant? Even if they can be self-reliant, it won't be a big loss for the Ming Dynasty. After they establish their own country, won't they no longer be Han people?"

"As long as we hold their economic lifeline, they will have to work for us obediently and not have any other thoughts!"

(End of this chapter)