Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 146 Transfer of Power
Zhu Yunhuan suddenly felt that he had been cheated, because when the morning court session of the new day began, the throne was empty.

Before he could react much, a eunuch came with an imperial decree that the emperor was in poor health and that the crown prince should directly observe and manage government affairs.

Originally, Zhu Yunhuan was a little worried about Old Zhu's health and psychology, but now he could only grit his teeth. Yesterday, the old man was talking sadly, but in fact he was digging a hole.

I originally thought that I might have to continue observing government for a while, and that it would be the end of the year before the emperor would be ill and the crown prince would take over government, but now it has been brought forward.

Old Zhu really trusts his great grandson. When he thinks he can do the job, he lets him go without hesitation and he just helps observe behind the scenes.

If Zhu Yunhuan had really made some achievements in the past two years, even if Zhu Yunhuan was not sick, he might have said that he was terminally ill, and then announced that the Crown Prince would be the regent, or even go a step further.

Complaining as he was, Zhu Yunhuan still walked up to the imperial steps and said, "I'll report to you."

Fu Youde immediately left the office and reported to the court, and the Five Military Commandery reported first, "Your Highness, I am old and weak, and I hope Your Highness will have mercy on me and exempt me from the duties of the Commandery."

Zhu Yunhuan showed a reluctant expression and said, "Duke Ying, do you really want to take off your armor at this time?"

Fu Youde was also a good actor, and he quickly said, "Your Highness, I am old and weak, and I have suffered many hidden injuries in the early years of fighting. Now the affairs of the Wuyuan are quite complicated, and I am really unable to take care of the affairs of the Governor's Office. I am always worried that the soldiers will be lost because of me."

Zhu Yunhuan sighed and said, "Approved. I will be relieved of my duties as the Duke of Ying. I will also be awarded 250 taels of platinum, 200 ingots of banknotes, and 20 li of fines."

Zhu Yunhuan continued to reward generously, "The son-in-law of the emperor, Fu Zhong, is appointed as the deputy governor of the Right Army Governor's Office."

The civil and military officials did not find it strange at all that Fu Youde was allowed to resign from the Governor's Office. Fu Youde had been requesting his resignation these days, and the emperor and the crown prince had been trying to keep him.

Everyone knew that this was just "three refusals and three declines". Maybe the Emperor and the Crown Prince had already arranged to reward Fu Youde.

Fu Youde was also "the one who could not be given any more titles". He was already the Duke of Ying, and his title was "A Military Minister Who Founded the Country and Assisted the Government with Loyalty and Devotion", which was the top rank among the founding nobles. He also had the ranks of Special Advancement to the Imperial Household, Zuo Zhuguo, and the additional title of Prince Tai Shi, which was already the highest rank he could reach.

So we can only make a fuss about Fu Zhong.

Just like Zhu Yunhuan's two uncles, whether it was Chang Mao or Chang Sheng, they were only "inheriting their father's career, loyal and devoted military officials, and right pillar of the country", but they did not have titles such as special promotion to Guanglu Dafu.

Lan Yu was so angry that he was gasping for breath. Although he was also a duke, his title was far inferior to Fu Youde. Now that Fu Youde had been given so many rewards, didn't that mean that Fu Youde was the number one noble now?
Xu Huizu and Li Jinglong were calm because they knew their own limitations. There were some differences between them, who inherited their father's titles, and Fu Youde, who actually founded a country.

But it was not a big problem, because Fu Youde had been relieved of his duties as the Five Military Governors' Office and was now in charge of the Wuyuan. It could almost be said that he had completely given up his military power and was beginning to leave the center of power.

Although this is not Fu Youde's true retirement, it is still somewhat different from Tang He's retirement and return to his hometown.

However, seeing that Fu Youde, a founding veteran, resigned and the high-spirited Crown Prince approved his resignation, this was the most obvious transition between the old and the new. Many people originally thought that all this would still happen in the hands of the Crown Prince, but now they have to accept the reality that the Crown Prince is in charge. Now the Ming Dynasty is beginning to develop towards the Crown Prince being in charge.

Although the emperor did not preside over the morning court, many things were in order under the chairmanship of the crown prince.

In particular, Zhu Yunhuan was not a talkative person and made immediate decisions on many matters. This made people feel that times were changing. The Crown Prince was no longer pretentious at all.

After returning to Wenhua Hall, Zhu Yunhuan called Lan Yu over and said, "I saw you complaining a lot during the morning court session. Are you still competing with the Duke of Ying?"

Lan Yu immediately said, "Your Highness, I dare not do that. Your Highness's previous lesson was right, and I have changed."

Zhu Yunxun smiled and then said, "The Duke of Ying went to Wuyuan to leave some legacy for his descendants. Fu Zhong has a mediocre personality and ability, so it's difficult for him to take on the responsibility. Don't you know this?"

Lan Yu replied, "I have dealt with the Prince Consort before, and he is a bit more honest and straightforward."

"Otherwise, do you think that the Duke of Ying would be willing to give up the power of the Five Military Commandery?" Zhu Yunhuan said with some amusement, "He was a marquis when he founded the country, and you were nothing at that time. You have the merit of destroying the small Northern Yuan Dynasty, and he has the merit of recovering Yunnan and Guizhou. What he has now, you will have in the future."

Lan Yu smiled and said, "I know, I know."

"That's good to know." Zhu Yunhuan said seriously, "Please train the Beijing army well. There will be no war in the next two years, but the training cannot be delayed. As for the firearms, think about it carefully."

Lan Yu got excited when he heard about the war, and said quickly, "Your Highness, can I take all those gunpowder grains to the Central Army Commander's Office?"

Zhu Yunhuan grabbed the paperweight and wanted to smash it. The current Central Army Commandery is under the management of Chang Sheng. As for the Beijing Army, the five military commandees each led a part, but Lan Yu had a good idea!

Knowing that he had said something wrong, Lan Yu was somewhat embarrassed. He was also quite distressed at times. The words were spoken, and he realized it belatedly, but could he take them back? Zhu Yunhuan said, "Firearms are very powerful. I know you like to use cavalry and infantry, so you can't ignore firearms."

Lan Yu quickly defended himself, "Your Highness, I can use firearms, but I am not as good as the Ninghe King. If we talk about the best firearms user in the army, the first one is the Ninghe King, and then the Grand Commander."

Lan Yu, who was beaming with joy, immediately realized that he had said the wrong thing. Who is the Grand Commander?
After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, there was no Grand Commander. The predecessor of the Five Military Commanders' Office was the Grand Commander's Office. The first Grand Commander was Zhu Wenzheng, who has not been posthumously honored or has no title.

"I think you all know the power of firearms, but nowadays firearms are mostly used to assist infantry and cavalry." Zhu Yunhuan said, "You are also a veteran general. Think about it carefully. If we gather all the firearms together to form an army, will it work?"

Historically, the elite troops of the Ming Dynasty were divided into three camps, among which the Shenji Camp was a special force specifically in charge of firearms, and it opened the precedent for firearms forces in the world.

There is a difference. Although the military has a large stock of firearms now, they are not professional.

Lan Yu thought about it carefully and said, "I need to go back and think about this matter."

Although he was not reliable in other matters, Lan Yu was still relatively reliable in military affairs. Even if some suggestions were made by Zhu Yunhuan, Lan Yu would not blindly agree with them, because they involved the military field and could not be sloppy.

Zhu Yunhuan nodded and said, "That's right. I'll write you a letter. You know better than me which people and government offices to look for. If you really want to find some people, just let me know when the time comes."

Lan Yu was immediately happy. Fu Youde seemed to be the number one noble among the current nobles, but could he compare with the Duke of Wei?

Speaking of trust, the people that the Crown Prince trusts the most are always Duke Kaiguo and Duke Liang!

While they were talking, Wuding Hou Guo Ying asked for a meeting.

Upon seeing Zhu Yunxun, Guo Ying said excitedly, "Your Highness, I found some traces of Japanese pirates and smuggling in Ningbo Prefecture!"

Guo Ying was also a war maniac. He once killed the Northern Yuan Dynasty's Taiwei Manzi in the Battle of Buir Lake.

This barbarian also played an important role in the Battle of Horqin, which was Xu Da's only defeat. To be more precise, the barbarian fought on equal terms with Li Wenzhong of the Eastern Route Army.

Zhu Yunhuan immediately said, "Okay! Then I'll trouble Marquis Wuding to go there. If there are any garrisons along the way that need to be relocated, please send someone to report."

Guo Ying was Zhu's absolute confidant. He immediately showed a ferocious smile and said, "Your Highness, do you want to wipe out all the big families that have committed crimes this time?"

Zhu Yunxun said calmly, "Don't kill too many people. I have also told the Prince Consort some things. He knows how to do it."

Guo Ying was even happier. He was not afraid of doing some shameful things for the emperor, nor was he worried about his own son doing those things. If the emperor and the crown prince did not trust them, these tasks would not fall on them.

Seeing Guo Ying leave happily, Zhu Yunhuan looked at Lan Yu who was eager to try, "Why use a butcher knife to kill a chicken? You don't need to send troops now, training troops is your job. If there is a real war, can you still count on Wu Dinghou to lead the army?"

Lan Yu thought about it and it made sense. He respected Wu Dinghou, but he also knew that Wu Dinghou was not a talented general. He was a fierce general, but it was too much to ask him to command tens of thousands of troops. There were only a handful of generals in the Ming Dynasty who could command tens of thousands of troops.

Lan Yu was not bragging, he was one of them, and he did not think that he was worse than that old man Fu Youde.

At this time, Zhang Fusheng came to report again that the Minister of Rites Ren Hengtai requested a meeting.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Lan Yu and said, "You should withdraw and think about the firearms carefully. Another thing is about the Duke of Ying. I don't expect you two to have a good relationship. Don't always get angry when you meet. It's really too ugly. Learn from my second uncle. He is so smart!"

Lan Yu didn't know what to say for a moment. He felt that the Crown Prince might not understand the founding duke.

Chang Sheng is not popular. He has a lukewarm relationship with Li Jinglong, Duke of Cao, and a bad relationship with Fu Youde, Duke of Ying. When he meets Feng Sheng, Duke of Song, he blushes as if they are enemies. How come in the eyes of the Crown Prince, this is a sign of intelligence?

If Lan Yu couldn't figure it out, he could just go back and think about it slowly. It wasn't a big deal.

He can leave now. Ren Hengtai is still waiting to report some things, and other civil and military officials may also be queuing up.

The emperor insisted that he was ill, so naturally the matter could only be handled by the crown prince.

(End of this chapter)