Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 66 The Princes of the Zhu Family
Now there is no need to attend wakes or go to the main hall to study almost every day.

It seems that Zhu Yunhuan has a little more time, but that is just an illusion. He now has more things to learn and do.

He was assigned many tasks by Zhu Yuanzhang, and now he had to learn and remember the government offices at all levels and their main responsibilities, the abilities and evaluations of some officials, and so on.

Naturally, major legal regulations such as "The Great Edict" and "The Great Ming Code" also need to be learned and understood, not to mention "The Record of Ancestors' Instructions".

Zhu Yunhuan is very busy now. He cannot relax on his studies. He also needs to get familiar with the officials. Moreover, as a junior he also needs to be filial. He has to take care of both big and small matters.

After much difficulty, they managed to bring several princes to have a meal with Zhu Yuanzhang, but Zhu Yuanzhang turned his face away. He was apparently quite happy during the meal, but turned around and started to curse and show disdain.

Zhu Yunhuan knew what this biased and arrogant old man was thinking.

"Although the Mongolian Tartars lost their vitality after the Battle of Buir Lake, you must never be careless in the future." Old Zhu said to Zhu Yunhuan earnestly, "Although the remnant Yuan forces have retreated to the Lingbei Province, they are still very active and often invade the south. After much thought, we should respect the Zhou emperor and we kings should pacify the border."

In Zhu's conception, the princes of the royal family controlled the fortresses and were assisted by veteran generals, which could not only protect the central court, but also the nomadic peoples in the Lingbei Province would always face the threat of invasion of pastures and territories by the kings of the Ming Dynasty, and those nomadic peoples would have to worry about being hunted by the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yunhuan thought about it and said, "This matter must be discussed carefully, otherwise the uncles will definitely scold me."

Lao Zhu thought it was funny, but also didn't understand, "What did they scold you for?"

"Why are you scolding me?" Zhu Yunhuan said confidently, "From Liaodong to the northwest, many places are considered important towns, but they are not prosperous places. Uncles will definitely suffer if they go there, so please don't scold me!"

Old Zhu said angrily and amusedly, "They are princes, how miserable can their lives be?"

"It's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it's hard to go from luxury to frugality." Zhu Yunhuan said with a deep look, "Even if you are a prince, who doesn't want to go to a better place? Except for some people, like Uncle Twelve and Uncle Seventeen, they definitely want to go to war."

The twelfth uncle is Zhu Bo, the Prince of Xiang. He was enfeoffed in the 18th year of Hongwu.

The seventeenth uncle is Ning Wang Zhu Quan, who is still in Yingtian Prefecture and has not yet been enfeoffed. It is estimated that several princes will be enfeoffed next year. Ning Wang, who was deprived of military power by Zhu Di in history and promised to divide the world equally by Zhu Di, was later moved to Nanchang. However, Ning Wang's lineage has always wanted to take back the "country".

"Are you afraid of offending people now?" Old Zhu said jokingly, "They can't blame you for this. If they want to blame you, they will blame me and your father. It was decided at the beginning of the year, and a few titles were changed. They will be sent to their fiefdoms next year."

In March, Zhu changed the titles of several princes. For example, the 13th son Zhu Gui was changed from Prince of Yu to Prince of Dai, the 14th son Zhu Jian was changed from Prince of Han to Prince of Su, and the 15th son Zhu Zhi was changed from Prince of Wei to Prince of Liao.
If nothing unexpected happens, these princes will all be enfeoffed next year.

Zhu Yunhuan was not embarrassed and told the truth, "It's not that I'm afraid of offending people, I'm just afraid that they will think too much. Just one foot made me the crown prince, and the next foot the uncles want to go to a remote and cold place. What will they think!"

Old Zhu also sighed and said, "You can't be blamed for this. If you want to blame someone, blame them. They are born in an imperial family, so they are bound to be rich and glorious. If they can't even do these things well, they are just good-for-nothings. We don't lack sons, and we don't lack capable sons!"

After hearing what Old Zhu said, Zhu Yunhuan had to admit some facts.

Speaking of my uncles, putting aside their personalities, there is no need to say much about their skills and abilities.

My second uncle, third uncle, and fourth uncle all have outstanding military talents. My eleventh uncle, King of Shu Zhu Chun, has done a good job in protecting the country and the people and promoting education.

When it comes to the yield rate, there is nothing to say!
Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunhuan and said, "Next year, we are going to let your third uncle do something. We are going to compile the 'Three Northern Mountains and Rivers Map', divide the vassal pastures with Dongshengwei as the boundary, and order the kings of each fortress not to eat more than they occupy. Next year, your uncles will be enfeoffed, and by then the northern border will be stable, and the Tatars will have no way to survive!"

At the beginning of the year, the general commander Zhou Xing also sent troops, and the remnants of the Northern Yuan Dynasty were in a more difficult situation. After the victory at Buir Lake, the internal power of the Northern Yuan Dynasty was unbalanced, and civil strife broke out. The dispute between the Ariq Boke faction and the Kublai Khan faction revived. The Northern Yuan Dynasty eventually split into the Western Mongolian Wala tribe led by the Ariq Boke faction and the Eastern Mongolian Tatar tribe led by the Kublai Khan faction, and its strength was greatly reduced.

Zhu Yuanzhang was also constantly adjusting his border defense strategy, adopting both military and political means in exchange for long-term stability in the Central Plains.

Not only did the military strikes continue, but Zhu Yuanzhang also planned to send some of the vassal kings to the north. With sufficient military strength as support, Zhu Yuanzhang encouraged the people in the interior and the soldiers and civilians on the border to go to the southern part of the desert to cultivate and garrison, seize and squeeze the living space of the Mongols on the grassland, and use the population advantage to squeeze the strategic detour space of the Mongols, so as to achieve the goal of turning the southern part of the desert into Han territory.

Old Zhu was somewhat heroic and said, "If that is true, the soldiers and civilians and garrisons in the southern desert should be like the Tatars on the grasslands. By then, they will not only be able to protect our country, but also train war horses for us."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and then said, "If that's the case, Second Uncle will feel uneasy."

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunhuan and said, "You are smart. We want peace in the north, but your uncles should behave themselves. Your second uncle is convinced now, and that's because we are still here. We have to suppress him now. You have to pull one of your second uncle and third uncle and beat one of them. Don't let any of them become too powerful."

Zhu Yunhuan thought for a moment and said, "What about Fourth Uncle?"

"Old Four?" Old Zhu said with a smile, "He can't do that. He has nothing to compete with your second and third uncles. In a few years, when one of your second or third uncles dies, you will pull your fourth uncle in and suppress your second or third uncle."

Zhu Yunhuan felt that he had to make some arrangements when he got back, but he must not forget that his second uncle had been poisoned to death by the two old women.

As long as the second uncle or the third uncle was around, the fourth uncle would behave himself. Either of them, whether in terms of prestige in the clan or in the army, was far superior to the fourth uncle.

To be honest, my second uncle has more influence and prestige now.

Zhu Yunhuan nodded slightly and said, "Second uncle came to me a few days ago and said he wanted to go back to Xi'an."

"No, let's talk about it next month." Old Zhu became serious and said seriously, "I know you have a good relationship with your uncles, but you can't be soft-hearted about this matter. Wait until they kowtow to you and determine the status of monarch and subject, then let them go back!"

This was also what Old Zhu was thinking. He had not planned to let all his sons come back before because he felt that his grandsons were not very promising and he was worried that his sons would have some evil intentions.

Now that he found that his grandson was doing well, he had to let his sons stay in Beijing for a while. After the status of the monarch and his subjects was determined, even if his sons had their own ideas, they would not be able to do so properly.

"My second uncle and his friends want to go back now, but they can't save their face." Zhu Yunhuan complained with a wicked smile, "My second uncle and his friends love to tease me. When they see me when no one is around, they ask me to bow. I guess they know that if you miss this opportunity, you will never get it again."

Old Zhu smiled and joked, "You just like to mess around with them. It's okay, they have some sense. If you want to mess around, go ahead, we don't bother to care about you. Just remember, it doesn't matter if you mess around in private, but you can't lose your prestige in front of others."

Zhu Chong and others took the opportunity to ask Zhu Yunhuan to salute. Zhu Yunhuan basically saluted while complaining, and Old Zhu naturally knew it.

Old Zhu also understood what his troublesome sons were thinking, and what this grandson, who seemed to be a playboy but was actually very smart, was thinking.

He was too lazy to say anything, it was harmless anyway, just a family prank, he even thought it was good, the family was close. Just like when he was in his hometown, Old Zhu often deliberately provoked his two nephews.

The princes, first of all, have the surname Zhu!

(End of this chapter)