Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 173 The common man is not guilty
Making the Minister of Rites an envoy does not necessarily mean an extraordinary treatment. After all, the Annan dynasty is different, and the level of the envoys sent can also represent the attitude of the Ming Dynasty, the suzerain state.

After the court session, Zhu Yunhuan called Ren Hengtai and others to the Wenhua Palace to arrange and discuss a series of matters related to the diplomatic mission to Annan.

Fortunately, there is not much to worry about in these matters, and the court has certain procedures in this regard.

So you just need to basically follow the procedures and processes, and naturally there is nothing to worry about.

What is needed most is that Ren Hengtai should be able to adapt to circumstances and complete the tasks assigned by the court while demonstrating the demeanor of a great country. This is obviously enough.

It can be said that the requirements are not particularly high, but this series of requirements is not low. For Ren Hengtai, this is not a big problem. He can sit in the position of Minister of Rites very securely, and his ability must be no problem.

After Ren Hengtai and others left, Zhu Yunhuan called Daoyan and said, "Let someone tell you about Annan. It's good for you to know the situation."

Daoyan then asked, "Your Highness, what plans do you have for Annan?"

"Planning?" Zhu Yunxun said with a smile, "I have a lot of ideas about Annan. I heard that it originally belonged to Jiaozhi County and seemed to be together with Champa. Champa rice is still popular."

Daoyan said, "Your Highness, Champa rice was already widely spread in China during the Song Dynasty."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and nodded, but still said, "It's just that over there, rice can be harvested three or four times a year. Even in Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and Guizhou, it's difficult to do so. If it weren't for the fact that the Ming Dynasty is so far away, it would be really hard to give up."

Daoyan looked at Zhu Yunhuan and asked tentatively, "How can I allow others to snore beside my bed?"

Zhu Yunhuan corrected him, saying, "The man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure."

Daoyan didn't think it was strange that Zhu Yunhuan said this. It was just that the Crown Prince was too ambitious, and he was similar to Emperor Hongwu in that he couldn't move when he saw good things.

However, Daoyan still reminded, "Your Highness, the court needs to deploy troops in many places now, and there are still some hidden dangers in the north. We also need to pay attention to the northwest. There are often some barbarian rebellions in the southwest, and Liaodong is still in confrontation with Goryeo."

There seems to be nothing wrong with saying this, because although the current Ming Dynasty has strong military power, there are also many things that need attention.

The so-called peace in the world is just some wishful thinking. In fact, the overall situation is just relatively stable at the moment.

Daoyan continued to persuade him, "Your Highness, I don't know much about Annan, but I know that Annan has been established for a long time and has a long history. If you want to destroy it in one fell swoop and govern its territory, I'm afraid it won't be done in a short time."

This also speaks to what Zhu Yunhuan is most worried about. Whether he can defend the city after conquering it is a question.

In history, Zhang Fu destroyed Annan, and the people of Annan were afraid of him, but once he left, they started to rebel.

Zhu Zhanji also felt that governing Annan would require too much effort and the input and output would not be proportional, so he simply gave up on conquering Annan.

Zhu Yunhuan asked, "What if we adopt a conciliatory approach? We can nibble away at them step by step. What do you think?"

Daoyan did not give a direct answer, but asked, "Why is your highness so obsessed with this place? It is true that Annan produces grain, but it is enough for the court for the time being."

"It's enough now, but we can never have too much food in the Ming Dynasty." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "Master, you have experienced the Mongols and the wars. You should know that the Ming Dynasty has been established for 30 years, and the registered population is growing. If we continue at this rate, without more fields and food, it will definitely not work."

Daoyan said, "The court has already relocated people to Guanzhong, and the King of Chu and the King of Xiang are both cultivating fields in Jingchu."

The relocation of people is still ongoing. The population in Guanzhong, Henan and other places is small, so one of the plans of the court this year is to purposefully relocate people to these areas to increase the population base here.

"If you don't think about the future, you will have immediate worries. I'm afraid you don't understand, Master." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "Annan is a good place. Not only is it spring-like all year round, but you can grow food there all year round. Although the journey is a bit far, you can still come here from Guangdong and Guangxi."

Food is indeed a good thing. Zhu Yunhuan doesn’t need to say anything. Daoyan also understands it.

No matter how much food there is, it is not too much. If there is more food, the price of food can be cheaper. Then people can eat more white rice throughout the year, and if the family conditions are better, they can think about three meals a day.
This is simply unthinkable. No matter how much food there is, it is not enough for the Ming Dynasty.

What's more, brewing wine and other things also require grain, so no matter how much grain you have, it is not enough.

Zhu Yunhuan also continued, "I also know that it is not easy to govern Annan, but I also think that our generation or two has suffered so that future generations can enjoy some happiness and comfort." Hearing what Zhu Yunhuan said, Daoyan could only say, "Your Highness is far-sighted and I admire you."

"Don't flatter me, just do your job well." Zhu Yunhuan looked at Daoyan and said jokingly, "I am just thinking about a few things now. First, the ministers of Annan cannot usurp the country. Second, they can cause chaos but not too much. Third, we need to leave some blood of the Annan monarchs of the Chen family, so that we can have a legitimate reason to fight in the future."

This has touched upon Daoyan's expertise. When it comes to disrupting state affairs, causing unrest in the world, etc., he is even better at it.

Daoyan immediately said, "Your Highness, I think there are still many people in Annan who admire China. I think we can recruit some of the children of Annan nobles to come to Beijing and train them. These people will also be the internal support for Ming Dynasty to send troops to Annan in the future. If we want to govern Annan, we will also need the help of these noble families."

Zhu Yunhuan immediately laughed, it was a coincidence, "I thought so too, we can let them enter the Imperial College."

It is very necessary to cultivate a group of public intellectuals and a group of traitors. These people can indeed become assistants in the future of the Ming Dynasty. Even if they cannot become a decisive force, as long as they can help a little, it is enough.

After taking a look at Zhang Fusheng, Zhu Yunxun said, "Call Jiang Lin and Zhu Zhong over, and have Duke Wei, Duke Liang, Duke Cao, Duke Ying, and Duke Kai wait outside."

Daoyan couldn't help but look at Zhu Yunhuan. He was sure that the crown prince really had feelings for Annan and was not just talking casually.

As soon as Jiang Li arrived at Wenhua Hall, he knelt down and apologized, "Your Highness, I have failed to do my job well. Please forgive me."

Zhu Yunxun asked with a smile, "Forgive me? This really confuses me. What crime have I committed?"

Jiang Li replied seriously, "Your Highness, Your Highness had already made arrangements and reminders about the Qin Palace, but we were unable to complete it in time, which put Your Highness the Qin Prince in danger."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "That's not the case. Fortunately, you guys have done the job, so it can't be considered a crime."

As the number one Jinyiwei chief of the Ming Dynasty, Jiang Li has become more well-behaved in front of Zhu Yunhuan, and is also a little afraid.

Take the case of Qin Wang Zhu Chong for example. Jiang Lin did not think that this was Zhu Yunhuan's foresight, nor did he think that the three old ladies were arranged by the crown prince. But the crown prince knew about it, which only meant that in addition to the channels that Jiang Lin knew about, His Highness had other sources of information.

Even if a Northern Pacification Office was set up before and Zhu Zhong was expelled, this seemed to be a source of intelligence.

However, Jiang Li felt that Zhu Zhong seemed very confused about this matter, which only meant that in addition to the Jinyiwei and the Northern Pacification Division, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had an extremely covert source of intelligence, and was monitoring the sensitive vassal kings.

By the same token, it can be inferred that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince may not only monitor the princes, but also the officials, etc. This is entirely possible, and it is done so perfectly that almost no one is aware of it.

Thinking about it carefully, the emperor didn't seem to know that the crown prince had such a source of intelligence!
It's terrifying to think about it. There is a reason why this prince was able to emerge unexpectedly as the crown prince. It's because he is so scheming and resourceful!

Zhu Yunhuan didn't care about that and said directly, "You should know about Annan's affairs. I know that the Jinyiwei also has spies in Annan. Discuss these matters carefully with the monk and let him know the necessary intelligence."

Zhu Zhong and Jiang Li immediately looked at Daoyan. This great monk was a rising star. It seemed that he had suddenly gained the appreciation of His Highness, and the highness was placing more and more importance on him.

Let's not talk about the nobles for now. Many people on the civil service side think that Ren Hengtai is the number one minister under Zhu Yunhuan, followed by Xu Guan and Xia Yuanji. Yan Zhenzhi, Yu Xin and others are ministers who are appreciated and used by the crown prince, but not particularly close to him.

As for the great monk Daoyan, he gradually had the intention of becoming the crown prince's close minister and adviser.

Although Daoyan's official position is not high now, the officials who frequently go to Wenhua Hall dare not disrespect this monk who changes into monk's robes when leaving the palace.

When the emperor conquered the world, he recruited talents of all kinds, including officials and generals surrendered from the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, bandits, robbers, and failed scholars. The same is true for the current crown prince, even a monk can become a prominent official.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "Remember this, we need to send more people to Annan. We need to investigate the political situation in Annan. We need to win over officials and noble families who can be won over. We also need to investigate the dangerous passes, military deployments, etc. if we can!"

Jiang Li and Zhu Zhong naturally obeyed the order. Whether it was the Jinyiwei or the Beizhenfusi, they were not just simply supervising officials. It was also their responsibility to incite enemy officials to defect, investigate enemy intelligence, etc.

After these things were arranged, the five dukes were also summoned, including Fu Youde, who was busy trying to train military generals.

(End of this chapter)