Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 314 Is it the will of Heaven, or the will of the people?
After spending a few days in Beijing, a series of good news arrived for Lao Zhu.

Zhu Di decisively defeated Wu Sangui at Xuanfu.

Wu Sangui was targeted by a drone. Zhu Di wanted to capture him alive, but Wu Sangui knew what would happen if he were captured alive, so he drew his sword and committed suicide.

Lan Yu, Tang Shengzong, Lu Zhongheng, Zheng Chenggong and others cut off the Tartars' retreat route, and the passage out of the pass was almost blocked.

The next few days were a massacre.

All the Manchu bannermen, including the Mongol Eight Banners and the Han Eight Banners, were doomed; not a single one could escape back to the border.

The Manchu city in Beijing was also purged.

The Southern Ming army did not sheath their swords for ten days, slaughtering countless people and leaving piles of corpses.

Human civilization has always been spent in such killings, but war has always been an eternal topic in human history.

Although war is bad.

However, it is undeniable that without war, humanity would have perished from hunger and disease.

War spurred technological development and was able to change systems of exploitation, whether it was slavery, feudalism, or the world today, all of which originated from changes brought about by war.

Therefore, killing is a barbaric act, and humanity must always find a suitable balance between civilization and barbarity in order to achieve relative stability.

Even if Zhu Yuanzhang helps the Southern Ming Dynasty to restore itself in the future, the Ming Dynasty will still collapse and perish hundreds of years later.

But at least for the next few centuries, there will be a period of relatively stable and peaceful development. With the help of the Hongwu Emperor, it is not impossible to establish a brand new technological era.

More than ten days later, Zhu Cibei's imperial carriage set off northward in a grand procession.

He had already retreated to the deep mountains and forests, spending his days farming with a hoe, but now he's suddenly been given the title of emperor for free, and he's going crazy with joy.

When they arrived in the capital, only Li Dingguo and a few others went to greet them.

no way.

Firstly, all the Han Chinese officials who had surrendered to the Manchus were now dead. Fan Wencheng, Hong Chengchou, and others were captured and executed by slow slicing, and their entire families were wiped out.

The rest of Jiang Hede, Cheng Kegong, Jin Zhijun, Hu Shian, Dang Chongya, Wei Zhouzuo, Feng Quan, and thousands of other Han Chinese officials in Beijing, large and small, were all executed.

They wanted to surrender, but Zhu Yuanzhang refused, so naturally no civil or military officials came out to receive them.

As for Fu Youde, Feng Sheng, and others.

The emperor of the Southern Ming Dynasty was not qualified to be greeted by them. Although in a sense there was a hierarchy between the two sides, their emperor was not Zhu Cibei, but Zhu Yuanzhang.

Therefore, only a dozen or so generals from the Southern Ming Dynasty came out.

But it doesn’t matter.

What else is there to care about if you can become emperor?
Anyway, the ancestors won't be staying for long, and the future of the country will still depend on him.

Zhu Cibei entered the city with a cheerful smile.

The motorcade passed through the Meridian Gate and the Fengtian Gate to the square outside the Fengtian Hall.

He alighted from the carriage with the Empress and his three children, tidied his clothes slightly, and then walked up the jade steps and entered the Fengtian Hall.

"Grandson Zhu Cibei and his wife paid their respects to the ancestor."

Zhu Cibei and his wife and children ran into the hall and quickly knelt down under the dragon throne.

"Ouch."

Zhu Yunfeng, who was on the dragon throne, plopped up and walked down the steps, exclaiming in alarm, "I'm going to shorten my lifespan, Ancestor!"

"what?"

Zhu Cibei looked up and realized that it wasn't Old Zhu sitting there at all; it was Zhu Yunfeng.

It's also because the room is too dark.

Moreover, after he came in, he didn't dare to look up directly, and he quickly knelt down.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Cibei got up and complained, "Grandson, why is it you? Where is the Ancestor?"

"He's talking to the Grand Duke in the side hall."

"Didn't you tell the ancestor that I came?"

"I already told them."

"That"

"Aren't you very important?"

"."

"wrong."

Zhu Yunfeng realized that he might have offended his ancestor too much, so he quickly changed his words and said, "What I meant was that the ancestor has something more important to do."

"If you can't speak, don't speak."

Zhu Cibei raised his hand to stop him, saying, "I'll wait here for the Ancestor."

"Row."

Zhu Yunfeng found a chair and said, "Let's sit down and chat for a while."

The two sat down.

Zhu Cibei's wife and two sons and one daughter were in an awkward situation, not knowing what to do.

"Old Mao, how come you have no sense of propriety at all?"

Upon seeing this, Zhu Yunfeng quickly called to Mao Xiang, "Go find some chairs."

Mao Xiang then went.

Zhu Cibei was incapable of commanding the Hongwu people; he couldn't even command a single soldier.

Aside from Zhu Yuanzhang and his men, only Zhu Yunfeng was someone they could command.

no way.

It's not about different statuses, but rather that in their hearts there can only be one sun, and that is Old Zhu.

Old Zhu had given orders that they must listen to Zhu Yunfeng, but he had never given orders that they should listen to anyone other than Zhu Yunfeng, Zhu Di, and others.

So let alone Zhu Cibei, even if they went to the Yongle era and met Zhu Di there, they still wouldn't give him any face.

Soon Mao Xiang had someone bring over a few chairs.

Zhu Yunfeng and Zhu Cibei sat below the steps where the dragon throne was placed, while the Empress, the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Eldest Princess sat a little further away.

After they were seated, Zhu Yunfeng winked at Zhu Cibei and said, "How about it, Ancestor? I'm filial, aren't I? I've made you an emperor."

“Good grandson, when the family genealogy is established in the future, I will put you above my grandfather.”

Zhu Cibei said excitedly.

"It's not necessary!"

Zhu Yunfeng quickly waved his hand modestly and said, "That would be somewhat contrary to the Heavenly Gang."

"Anyway, my dead grandfather wasn't good to me or my dad either."

Zhu Cibei pursed his lips, seemingly harboring resentment towards his grandfather, Zhu Changji, the Prince of Fuqing.

Although he didn't know what had happened inside, Zhu Yunfeng could guess the situation even with his toes.

According to the family genealogy, Zhu Cibei's father, Zhu Yourong, was the illegitimate son of his grandfather, Zhu Changji.

Zhu Changji probably didn't care much about this illegitimate son, so it's understandable that Zhu Yourong and Zhu Cibei suffered from the abuse of the legitimate son's lineage since childhood.

It is said that Zhu Changji, the Prince of Fuqing, owned seven or eight thousand mu of land. When he distributed it to his sons, Zhu Yourong gave him only two hundred mu.

As a result, Zhu Cibei, Zhu Yourong's second son, was allocated only a few dozen acres of land, which shows how unfavored Zhu Yourong was.

Now that Zhu Cibei has finally become emperor, although his grandfather has long since passed away and he can't do anything to him, he certainly won't show much respect to his dead grandfather.

That's only human nature. "Garlic bird, garlic bird, what's past is past, anyway, you're the emperor now."

Zhu Yunfeng changed the subject, saying, "Tell me honestly, when you were in Nanjing, did you ever think about taking a concubine?"

"hey-hey."

Zhu Cibei chuckled, but then quickly said, "With the Ancestor here, how could I dare?"

"You can fake it."

Zhu Yunfeng gave a thumbs up and said, "When our ancestor was alive, you pretended to be a kind father and a filial son, a virtuous father and a wise wife. Now that our ancestor is gone, you want to be extravagant and indulge in life, right?"

"Shh, don't talk nonsense."

Zhu Cibei was startled and quickly looked around. He only saw the guards standing imposingly around him. His wife and children were sitting a little further away, watching him. He guessed that Zhu Yuanzhang was still on the phone with Zhu Biao in the side hall. He was slightly relieved and whispered to Zhu Yunfeng, "Extravagance and debauchery are just thoughts. I've been very diligent in my duties in Nanjing. If you don't believe me, go ask Zhang Huangyan and the others. Jiangnan is now well-governed by me. Where do you think Li Dingguo and the others got all that grain for their northern expedition?"

"alright."

Zhu Yunfeng was just joking with the ancestor, saying, "By the way, speaking of which, the ancestor will probably be going back soon. He misses Grandmother too. You need to get the court and order back on track as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, the officials in Nanjing have already been assigned to their posts. I've brought the entire imperial court here, so we can move in immediately."

Zhu Cibei said, "I'm just waiting for the Ancestor to come so I can report to him. Once the Ancestor gives his permission, the civil and military officials outside the palace can come in to pay their respects to the Ancestor and then go to their respective departments in Beijing to perform their duties."

"Hmm, it seems you've arranged everything."

Zhu Yunfeng couldn't help but be impressed by Zhu Cibei's abilities.

No wonder he became the founding ancestor of his own family.

They do have some skill.

At first, I thought he was just good at hiding.

In retrospect, if he had only been good at hiding and lacked shrewdness, he would have been caught long ago.

"Of course."

Zhu Cibei smiled smugly.

"Our ancestors probably won't help you go beyond the Great Wall to fight the Jurchens and Mongols anymore. What are your thoughts on military power and continuing to lead expeditions?"

“I’ve thought about that too. It’s commendable that Li Dingguo and the others have been able to persist in their resistance. We should share our wealth and honor with them. They can lead the troops into battle, while the main force can focus on protecting the capital.”

"Well, the old ancestor is probably a little worried about whether you can control the situation. After all, you're not an emperor who rose from the ashes, and your military skills aren't even as good as Zhao Guangyi's. But I'll come and check on you from time to time; I'll protect you."

Zhu Yunfeng patted his chest.

Others are one thing, but Zhu Cibei is, after all, our ancestor.

no way.

The Ming emperors after Zhu Qizhen were not his direct ancestors.

Zhu Cibei was not only his direct ancestor, but also the founding ancestor of their Shangfeng Mountain, so he would definitely help him out.

"He truly is my good grandson."

Zhu Cibei was so happy that his mouth almost stretched to the back of his head.

"What are you talking about?"

Just then, Old Zhu came out from the side hall.

The side hall was the telecommunications room.

This was Zhu De's habit; wherever he went, he would set up a telecommunications room to ensure constant communication with the army and Hongwu's side.

Upon seeing Old Zhu emerge, Zhu Cibei and the others hurriedly stood up from their chairs, knelt down, and said, "Greetings, Ancestor."

"Ah."

Old Zhu walked onto the stage, sat on the dragon throne, and said, "Get up."

"Thank you, Ancestor."

Zhu Cibei stood up, his face full of ingratiating smiles, and said, "Our ancestor was heroic and victorious, and won a great victory over the barbarians. He was truly a god descended to earth, with the grace of a dragon and a phoenix."

"Stop flattering."

Old Zhu chuckled and asked, "Have all the civil and military officials arrived this time?"

"We've arrived. Everyone is waiting outside the palace for the ancestor to summon them."

"Well, no rush, there are some things I need to tell you."

"Please instruct us, our ancestors."

Zhu Cibei was very respectful.

Old Zhu let out a long sigh before saying, "My Ming Dynasty has lasted for more than two hundred years, and it is almost on the verge of collapse before it even reached three hundred years. I am deeply saddened. But if my descendants are immoral and harm the common people, leading to their overthrow, I have nothing to say. Throughout the ages, what dynasty has not perished? Division and reunification are the norm."

After saying that, he changed the subject, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes, and said, "However, the land was not obtained by the refugees, nor is it to be occupied by the Han people, but has fallen into the hands of the Jurchen Tartars. The Tartars are brutal and have committed countless crimes, slaughtering countless Han men. This is the wrath of Heaven and the resentment of the people, and the anger of both gods and men. Therefore, I have raised an army to punish the guilty and avenge the hatred of the Han people."

"It's all because the descendants were incompetent that the country was taken away by the Tartars, causing our ancestors to suffer. I deserve to die for this crime."

Zhu Cibei knelt down and kowtowed again.

"It doesn't matter."

Old Zhu waved his hand and said, "Now that the Tartars have been defeated and the empire has returned to our Great Ming, this is not a gift from Heaven, but a result of human will. I have come to understand that there is no such thing as divine will in this world; it is all about human actions. Now that I have destroyed the Tartar empire, it is time for me to leave. I will entrust the rest of the affairs to you. You must remember that Heaven will not grant an eternal dynasty, only the people will. If you love the people, then the people will overthrow your empire. After I leave, you must be diligent and never let the empire be lost again. Do you understand?"

Is it the will of the people, or the will of Heaven?

Zhu Cibei was not shocked, but Zhu Yunfeng was quite shocked.

Do you know what kind of person Old Zhu was before?
They quite disliked Mencius's idea that "water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it."

In his book "Imperial Dream Records", he also fabricated a story of "dreaming of visiting the Heavenly Palace and seeing the Three Pure Ones bestowing authority upon him" to enhance his divinely ordained rule.

Not to mention that the famous phrase "By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees" was created by him, meaning that the emperor is acting on the will of Heaven.

Although to some extent, Zhu Yuanzhang did this to strengthen his rule and consolidate his power, he tried to tell the people that it was Heaven's will for the Zhu family to become emperor.

However, in reality, Zhu Yuanzhang placed more emphasis on the ruling position brought about by divine will than on popular support.

I never expected things to change today.

But perhaps that's why he emphasized it so much.

Having now reviewed history, Zhu Yuanzhang realized that divine will is at most a means of maintaining rule. When ordinary people can't survive, nobody cares about your so-called destiny.

Therefore, the will of Heaven is illusory; the people are the real force.

The fundamental solution is to ensure that ordinary people can survive and that everyone has enough to eat, so that the country can remain stable and prosperous in the long run.

Think about it this way.

Old Zhu wasn't just changing his mindset; he was imparting to Zhu Cibei the secrets to becoming a true emperor.

A false true emperor is someone who becomes an exploitative class after becoming emperor, engaging in extravagant construction projects, building large harems, and arbitrarily killing officials and common people, treating them like pigs and dogs.

A true Son of Heaven, once he becomes emperor, will improve the status and treatment of the people, pay attention to their livelihood, reduce corvée labor and taxes, and punish corrupt officials.

Perhaps this is the difference between wise and foolish rulers in ancient times.

"Grandson has remembered."

Zhu Cibei bowed deeply and said earnestly.

"Good that you've made a note of it. Remember, you must treat the people well from now on and never lose their support. Let all the civil and military officials outside the palace come in."

Old Zhu closed his eyes, looking slightly tired, and said in a deep voice, "I just talked to Biao'er. It's been a long time since I left home, and I want to go back. I'll give you all the things I need to say. From now on, you should be a good emperor."

"Yes!"

Zhu Cibei responded again.

(End of this chapter)