Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 403 Military Discipline! The Difficulties of Monopoly! Solutions!
When Yao Guangxiao heard Zhu Yuntong's question, he did not answer immediately, but instead slowly glanced at Yang Rong, Yang Shiqi and Xia Yuanji on his left and right.

As if he were considering something, he seemed rather cautious.

Zhu Yunwen's eyes flickered slightly, and he instantly understood.

Those who have come here to discuss matters today are all his trusted confidants and close ministers, and each of them holds an important position, so they are all qualified to participate in important state affairs.

However, there are subtle differences among them.

As the head of the Intelligence Bureau and the Ming Dynasty's intelligence agency, Yao Guangxiao possessed a great deal of top-secret intelligence.

Due to his principles of conduct and considerations of information confidentiality, he could not disclose certain confidential information to other ministers in the government affairs office without reservation; he could only report it to the emperor.

Similarly, the Censorate, which was under the jurisdiction of Yang Shiqi, also had a very small number of highly sensitive memorials that would be directly submitted to the emperor for his review.

The Daming Bank, managed by Xia Yuanji, also had some financial data that was classified as top secret, with access strictly limited.

Even the Minister of State may not inform them.

This is not a lack of trust in others, but rather a necessary code of conduct for the operation of the court.

Within the vast imperial court system, the higher the rank of a high-ranking official, the more clearly boundaries need to be defined.

Be clear about what you should know and what you shouldn't know.

Only the emperor, as the supreme ruler of the entire country, is qualified to oversee the overall situation and know all the "secrets" of the court.

Upon seeing this, Yang Rong, Yang Shiqi, and Xia Yuanji immediately understood and bowed respectfully, saying in unison, "We will take our leave first."

After saying that, the three of them tacitly retreated.

"Wait a minute." Zhu Yunwen suddenly called out to them, "What the old monk wants to say is nothing more than the matter of Zhu Shou and the expeditionary force. It's not exactly a top secret. You are all ministers of state affairs. What is there that you can't hear?"

"Stay here and listen together."

After he finished speaking, he gave Yao Guangxiao a deep look.

Zhu Yunwen knew perfectly well that the demonic monk had deliberately adopted that posture.

In reality, he just wanted everyone present to hear what was about to happen.

Most likely, they are worried that what they want to say will make them furious and cause them to make irrational decisions in a moment of impulse.

By keeping Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, Xia Yuanji, and others around, they could persuade the emperor at crucial moments and offer him advice.

However, Yao Guangxiao couldn't make the decision on his own, so he carefully acted out that hesitant expression.

Having dealt with these cunning and shrewd officials for a long time, Zhu Yunwen gradually figured out their methods and strategies, and he could see right through Yao Guangxiao's thoughts.

Of course, Yao Guangxiao didn't care whether Zhu Yunwen saw through his intentions.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so obvious.

"According to the intelligence I have obtained, Zhu Shou, the Marquis of Zhulu, first proposed to Duan Xiao, the warlord of Pegu, that he and Duan Xiao should partner with him to excavate the jade mines that were previously opened by human traffickers and slave owners."

"After Duan Xiao agreed, Zhu Shou led the Ming army deep into Bago under the pretext of needing to conduct a thorough investigation of the mines, and successfully controlled both banks of the Liujin River."

"At the same time, he secretly contacted forces that opposed Duan Xiao, and took advantage of the opportunity of holding a banquet to take down Duan Xiao and a group of warlord leaders who had colluded with those human traffickers and slave owners."

"In this way, the jade mines of Liujin River fell into the hands of our army."

"but……"

The old monk Yao Guangxiao hesitated again, his words becoming hesitant and stammering.

Zhu Yunwen, his face full of displeasure, shouted, "You wicked monk, why can't you even speak properly today?"

He never had a fixed way of addressing Yao Guangxiao.

When in a good mood or showing respect, one will respectfully address someone as "Master".

Normally, I'm more casual and just call them by their names.

When the mood strikes, he might call out "Old Monk".

She would occasionally scold him playfully, then laugh and call him a "wicked monk."

This casual form of address did not affect the relationship between the ruler and his subject; on the contrary, it made their relationship even closer, like that of old friends.

Yao Guangxiao chuckled and said, "I and the Marquis of Zhulu serve as officials in the court. He is in charge of military affairs, and I am in charge of political affairs. We each perform our duties."

"Logically speaking, I shouldn't have said anything about his actions."

"But since Your Majesty has put it that way, then I will speak frankly."

"The Marquis of Zhulu proposed to cooperate with Duan Xiao and others in developing the mine in his personal capacity. His original intention was to allow the Ming army to enter Pegu smoothly, reduce resistance, and then kill them."

"Moreover, Zhu Shou later signed the formal treaty in the name of the Ming Dynasty, so from this perspective, there is nothing wrong with it."

"However, although I am not a person who leads troops into battle, I do know a little about the matter of leading troops."

"According to the usual practice, the spoils of war captured by an expeditionary force led by someone like Zhulu Hou should belong to the soldiers."

Zhu Yunwen's face instantly darkened, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, and he said sternly, "Are you saying that Zhu Shou, the Marquis of Zhulu, is trying to seize the jade mine for himself, and that the so-called treaty is just using the name of the Ming Dynasty to facilitate his own actions?"

Yao Guangxiao quickly shook his head and explained, "It's not that serious."

"The jade mines are naturally the property of the imperial court, there is no doubt about that."

"But the mine was conquered by Zhulu Hou's troops. He has made great contributions and achieved numerous victories."

"Furthermore, the soldiers of the expeditionary force are all aware of the cooperation plan that was previously discussed with Duan Xiao."

"Now that the mines are under the control of the Ming army, even if Lord Zhulu is devoted to the country and selfless, what about the soldiers?"

"The climate in Siam and Bago is extremely hot. The soldiers braved the scorching heat and traveled thousands of miles to the battlefield, enduring countless hardships along the way."

"They took over the mine and handed it over to the imperial court; that was already fulfilling their duty."

"But shouldn't some of the jade that those human traffickers and slave owners have already mined be distributed to the soldiers?"

"As a military commander, Zhulu Hou also needs to reward his troops and boost morale."

"This is a tradition that has existed since ancient times."

"As the saying goes, 'An emperor will not starve his soldiers.' How can soldiers who have fought a great victory after a long expedition return empty-handed?"

"As far as I know, the amount of jadeite rough that has already been mined is quite considerable."

“In order to inflate the price of jadeite, the mine owners did not sell all of them, but instead hoarded them in large quantities.”

"If His Majesty follows his previous strategy of promoting jade and raising its price, I'm afraid the soldiers who received the reward will take the opportunity to sell their jade."

"This will inevitably ruin His Majesty's plans."

Zhu Yunwen frowned, lost in deep thought, and remained silent for a long time.

Although he had made great efforts to reorganize the Ming army, it was now completely different from what it used to be.

However, being in a feudal era, the limitations of the military could not be completely eliminated.

An army that can refrain from wantonly burning and killing civilians and looting property is already considered to have strict military discipline.

It would be illogical to expect them not to share even a single "spoils of war".

While the new army and the old army are certainly different, the habits formed over a long period of time and the ideas deeply rooted in people's minds cannot be easily changed overnight.

If the spoils of war are not rewarded to the meritorious soldiers, but are instead forcibly confiscated, morale will inevitably be low, and a mutiny is highly likely.

Let alone feudal armies, how many soldiers in modern nations can achieve this?

How could a victorious battle result in the spoils being handed over entirely to the state without any division of the spoils?

Very few!
It's really asking the Ming army to do what modern armies have struggled to do!

In fact, upon closer examination, distributing the confiscated jade as spoils of war to the soldiers was not a big deal.

They wouldn't keep it all for themselves; a considerable amount would be presented to the emperor.

It could even be said that the best and most valuable items would be selected and presented to the Ming Emperor, Empress, and concubines. The rest would also be chosen and secretly offered to imperial relatives and high-ranking officials.

What the soldiers received were actually items of low value.

But the key point is that once this happens, the Ming Dynasty would find it difficult to monopolize the supply of jadeite.

If the supply of goods cannot be monopolized, then the plan to drive up the price of jade and fleece a wave of wealthy people will burst like a bubble.

After pondering for a long time, Zhu Yunwen slowly spoke, his gaze sweeping over everyone, and asked, "Do any of you have a good plan for this matter?"

Xia Yuanji stepped forward first, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your Majesty, in the past, when the army obtained spoils of war, they were rewarded to the soldiers who went to war because at that time, the soldiers went to war for the country, but most of them did not receive the salary issued by the court."

"Those spoils of war are compensation for the soldiers."

"But nowadays, even the lowest-ranking ordinary soldiers in the new army receive a salary from the imperial court, so they should no longer embezzle spoils of war."

"If they achieve meritorious service, they can be rewarded separately after returning to the capital."

"This unhealthy practice of privately dividing up spoils of war has reached the point where it is time to make a strong effort to rectify it."

"I think we should start by reforming the expeditionary force led by the Marquis of Zhulu."

"They were strictly forbidden from taking anything and from dividing any spoils of war."

"Your Majesty may immediately issue an edict ordering the Censorate to dispatch censors to Siam and Pegu to closely supervise the expeditionary force."

"Those who disobey orders and embezzle spoils of war shall be severely punished as a warning to others."

Zhu Yunwen listened quietly to him finish speaking, without commenting.

He then slowly turned his gaze to Yang Shiqi.

The Left Censor-in-Chief, who was in charge of the Censorate, was frowning and still deep in thought, and did not respond.

Just then, Yang Rong, who was standing nearby, spoke up and said, "Your Majesty, although Lord Xia's suggestion has its merits, the soldiers of the expeditionary force have after all made outstanding contributions to the country."

"Now that we have just won a battle, the court not only does not reward the meritorious generals and soldiers, but also sends censors to supervise the army and even punish the meritorious generals and soldiers. I'm afraid this will discourage the soldiers of the three armies."

"If this leads to a mutiny, then it will be too late to regret it."

"In my opinion, it is important to rectify military discipline and reverse the old ways, but it is probably not a good idea to send an imperial censor to supervise the army at this time. I hope Your Majesty will think it over carefully before proceeding."

Xia Yuanji was always an honest and upright official who could not tolerate any illegal or disorderly conduct.

Hearing Yang Rong's words, he was extremely dissatisfied and immediately retorted, "If the soldiers of the Great Ming are so unruly, what kind of order will this be if this continues?"

"There are countless people in the world who have made contributions to the country. The law of the country is the law of the country, and merit is merit. The two should never be confused."

"How can we allow them to act recklessly and disregard national laws and military discipline just because they have won a battle?"

"The imperial court will not mistreat meritorious officials, but it must not tolerate or condone those arrogant and unruly soldiers who dare to trample on national laws and military discipline just because they have some merit!"

"As long as they strictly abide by national laws and military regulations, the censors will only record their achievements truthfully when they go to investigate. How could they be punished without cause?"

"Why should they be afraid?"

Yang Rong gently shook his head and said slowly, "What Lord Xia said is certainly reasonable. However, while these principles may be applicable when managing the Ming Bank, they may not be suitable for leading troops into battle."

"Civil and military officials have different duties and therefore different actions."

"As a civil official, it is only natural for soldiers to have doubts when they hear that the court has sent an imperial censor."

"Moreover, the situation at the front is complex and complicated. The censor is not familiar with military affairs and only knows how to act in accordance with national laws and military regulations. This will not only greatly restrict the army's actions, but also is very likely to cause strong dissatisfaction among officers and soldiers."

"There are many hidden reasons behind this, and we hope Your Majesty will understand."

After Yang Rong finished speaking, everyone turned their attention to Emperor Zhu Yunwen.

Ultimately, the decision on this matter rests with His Majesty.

Zhu Yunwen frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Since I started to build the new army, the discipline of the new army has undergone earth-shattering changes compared to the previous garrison army."

"I can say without exaggeration that the new army is the most disciplined army in history."

"But the army is ultimately made up of people, including many soldiers who were transferred from the old army."

“Deeply ingrained ideas cannot be changed overnight, and the new soldiers naturally still have many shortcomings.”

"However, we should also recognize their significant progress."

"The discipline of the new army must be further strengthened."

"The soldiers must completely change their mindset and hand over all spoils of war and captured items to the public."

"But it takes more than one day for ice to freeze three feet deep."

"This matter cannot be expected to be accomplished overnight; it can only be done step by step."

"In my opinion, it is not appropriate to send an imperial censor to supervise military discipline."

“The Military Affairs Department has a dedicated Discipline Department, and this matter should be handled by them.”

"Let the military affairs department send people to Siam and Bago."

"Firstly, to express our condolences to the soldiers who are fighting bravely on the front lines and to give them the rewards they deserve."

Secondly, we solemnly reiterate military discipline and investigate and punish those who violate it.

"In this way, it will not provoke any resistance from the soldiers, but will also serve to enforce military discipline."

To put it bluntly, sending a civil official versus sending a military official will produce vastly different results.

If a civil official is sent, even under the guise of rewarding the army, the soldiers will still believe that he is there to supervise the army, and will feel resentment and disgust towards him from the bottom of their hearts.

But if a military officer were sent, the situation would be quite different.

In the eyes of the soldiers, the military officers were their own people, so their views were naturally completely different.

Moreover, military officers already had experience leading troops, and most of the new army consisted of his former comrades and subordinates.

This undoubtedly makes it easier to understand the actual situation and handle military affairs.

"Your Majesty is wise; this arrangement is truly appropriate." Yang Rong and Xia Yuanji said in unison, with no further objections.

"Then what should be done about the jade?" Yao Guangxiao's dark eyes narrowed slightly, and he asked in a deep voice, "Should we also have the people sent by the Military Affairs Department handle it?"

"No!" Zhu Yunwen shook his head and said, "The people sent by the Military Affairs Department are only responsible for clarifying the military discipline in the future and severely punishing those who violate it. They should not dig up old accounts."

"After all, this is not a particularly heinous act of burning, killing, and looting."

"It's just a matter of the soldiers dividing up the spoils of war, as is the usual practice."

"If the Imperial Envoy from the Military Affairs Department were to bring up this old matter, it would only enrage the soldiers of the Expeditionary Force."

"In this way, it would be no different from sending an imperial censor."

At this point, Zhu Yunwen paused slightly before continuing, "The expeditionary force was led by Zhu Shou. Ultimately, this matter can only be resolved by him."

"Yao Guangxiao, write him a letter in your private capacity and, through the intelligence bureau's channels, send it to Zhu Shou by carrier pigeon as quickly as possible."

"Tell him that I intend to make a big deal out of the jade mines to supplement the national treasury's revenue."

"Inform Zhu Shou that he must fully cooperate with the court's plan."

"As for how to ensure that the jade does not flow out while keeping the morale of the soldiers, I am confident that he will be able to come up with a solution."

Yao Guangxiao looked worried, his brows furrowing slightly. He said, "Of course I can write the letter. But Zhu Shou is leading troops in the field, facing such a thorny matter. I'm afraid he will find it very difficult. Will he listen to my advice?"

"As the Minister of Military Affairs, the commander of the expeditionary force, and the Marquis of the Ming Dynasty, I trust him."

Zhu Yunwen spoke firmly, and after a moment's thought, added, "You can also tell Zhu Shou that he led his army to Southeast Asia to conquer Siam and Pegu, and made great achievements in the war."

"If this matter is handled properly, he will no longer be just a Marquis of Zhulu, but the Duke of Zhulu of the Great Ming!"

……

(End of this chapter)