Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 514 Blood and Fire Conflict, Bedside Words!

Logically speaking, Lan Yu and Xu Huizu were Zhu Yunwen's maternal uncle and nominal brother-in-law, respectively. Both were Zhu Yunwen's closest and most trusted relatives and should have worked together as partners.

Unfortunately, the two had very different temperaments and differing ideas, especially on important military matters, which led to frequent arguments and heated debates.

A person who is strong, decisive, and swift in action.

A calm, cautious person who values ​​rules and regulations.

They each have their strengths, but they find it difficult to tolerate each other.

Although Zhu Yunwen was the emperor, he couldn't help but feel a surge of anger whenever he heard the two arguing heatedly.

The most troublesome thing is reconciling these kinds of "confidant disputes".

They were both important officials in the court and relatives; punishing them too severely would damage their relationship, while letting it go would affect the administration.

The true test of an emperor's skill lies in finding the right balance and balancing the interests of all parties.

Upon hearing Zhu Yunwen's words, Xu Miaojin's expression hardened slightly, and the wandering thoughts in her eyes disappeared. She immediately calmed down, her eyes becoming gentle and her expression tender.

She spoke slowly, her voice soft yet clear: "Before I was married, my brother often talked to me about things outside the palace."

“When he was young, he would tell interesting and strange stories, and he would tell them so vividly that I would often laugh uncontrollably.”

"As my brother grew older, he became more and more mature in his actions, and he often discussed political affairs with me and asked me to give him advice."

At this point, a nostalgic glint appeared in Xu Miaojin's eyes, and she sighed softly, "Since childhood, I have been unruly and love to dress up as a man, wander the streets and alleys, observe the local customs, and admire the city's scenery. I want to see everywhere."

"She also considered herself clever and always liked to give her brothers advice."

"They all doted on me, so much so that I, this little maid, was in charge of everything, big or small, in the household."

"But ever since I entered the palace and became His Majesty's concubine, the vast imperial city has become a prison."

"This is the first time I have ever left the palace."

She looked up at Zhu Yunwen, her tone revealing a hint of resentment: "Your Majesty often sneaks out of the palace to visit Jinling incognito, going to the streets, but you have never taken me with you even for a moment."

After speaking, Xu Miaojin paused, and her tone changed again: "Although my brother has entered the palace to pay his respects to me several times, he no longer tells me about things outside the palace as he did at home before."

"I once asked you out of curiosity, but you said: There are clear regulations in this dynasty that the empress dowager must not interfere in politics."

"If I were to be aware of political affairs and consider the interests of my family, I might have selfish thoughts and say a few words to Your Majesty one day."

"Or they might ask other concubines, maids, or eunuchs in the palace to secretly help them."

"But this would inevitably raise suspicions of interference in politics by the empress dowager, which would be undesirable."

"So my brother said it would be better to ignore it and know nothing about anything outside the palace, so as to avoid trouble."

“These are all things my brother said himself.”

She lowered her head slightly as she spoke: "Every time my brother enters the palace, he is under the watchful eyes of everyone, and I have never been without a maidservant by my side."

"I have never had a single moment of private conversation with my brother."

"If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may summon someone from the palace to ask him."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Yunwen raised his hand and gently slapped her buttocks, making a crisp sound, and laughed, "You deserve it! When did I ever say I didn't trust you?"

"You told me to ask the palace maids, does that mean you even doubt my feelings for you?"

Xu Miaojin was both ashamed and anxious, her jade-like cheeks flushed red, and she said in a reproachful voice, "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, how can you be so frivolous and rude?"

Zhu Yunwen laughed heartily, pulled her into his arms, and whispered in her ear, "So what if I'm going to be frivolous?"

I just love teasing you and seeing how you get angry and embarrassed.

After saying that, his hands became restless, quietly reaching for her sensitive spots.

Although Xu Miaojin struggled slightly, she did not truly resist. She then stopped moving and let him run wild, her eyes showing a hint of shy submission.

"However, I did hear some rumors in the palace about my brother's discord with the Duke of Liang."

Xu Miaojin, her breathing slightly rapid and her cheeks flushed under Zhu Yunwen's caresses, still forced herself to remain calm and continued:
“When my brother came to the palace last time, I couldn’t help but scold him a few times.”

"After all, the Duke of Liang is His Majesty's maternal uncle and is much older than him. Brother should show more respect and deference. How can you be at odds with him all day long?"

She paused slightly, a complex look flashing in her eyes: "But who knew that my brother would get anxious as soon as he heard this? He said that his dispute with the Duke of Liang was not a personal grudge, but a dispute for the sake of the country. If he did not fight, he would be failing his duty and failing His Majesty."

"When he talked about this, he became quite emotional and took the opportunity to bring up the reason for their recent argument."

"This is because the war in the southwest is going poorly."

"According to him, the Ming army's attack on Changdu and Ganmu was relatively smooth, but it encountered a considerable setback in Jinchuan."

"The reasons are twofold. First, Jinchuan has a steep terrain with towering mountains and difficult roads, making it difficult for our army to transport heavy artillery into the battlefield and exert its full strength."

"Secondly, the natives there built a large number of fortified towers, which were extremely sturdy and had loopholes on all four sides, allowing them to fire arrows from above."

"Although our troops had muskets to return fire, they often failed to hit the enemy because the enemy was hiding behind them. Often, they could not even find the enemy's shadow before they were hit by arrows and wounded."

"Moreover, these watchtowers are not far apart from each other, forming a defensive network."

"To attack any one of them, you will face arrows from all directions."

"In this situation, it is difficult to defeat the enemy quickly; we can only take them down one by one, one fortress at a time."

"My brother means that to deal with such a fortified mountain pass, we must proceed step by step and fight steadily."

"Although the enemy is holding strong in the fortified towers, they only have arrows, while our soldiers are equipped with advanced firearms, which have a longer range and are more accurate than arrows."

"If we do not rush for quick results and advance gradually, our army can often avoid losing a single person in each battle, or at most one or two people will be wounded in the heart, and we can annihilate dozens of enemy soldiers. By slowly grinding them down in this way, victory will be determined by itself."

"Although this method takes a little longer, it can greatly reduce the casualties of soldiers."

"In any case, Jinchuan will eventually be returned to the king's territory. There is no need to rush. Why shed blood and let our soldiers sacrifice their lives in vain just to gain a year or two?"

Xu Miaojin's tone softened, but her expression grew serious: "But the Duke of Liang disagreed."

He said that previously, local civil officials could defeat the chieftain's army by using local militia.

"Now that His Majesty has personally issued an edict, ordering the Military Affairs Department to dispatch the new army to suppress the rebellion, it should be swift and invincible. How can it be delayed like this?"

"If the new army's offensive is slow, it will not only disappoint His Majesty, but also cause the civil officials to underestimate the new army's reputation and fighting strength."

"Therefore, the Duke of Liang advocates a swift and decisive attack, aiming to capture Jinchuan within the stipulated timeframe, without any delay." "As for casualties, what war doesn't end in death?"

"As long as we can win a quick victory and take Jinchuan, we can report back to His Majesty, establish our authority in front of the civil officials, and demonstrate the might of the new army... What does it matter if a few people die?"

"A kind army cannot be commanded!"

"If the soldiers of the new army are afraid of death and war, and worried about casualties, then how can they be considered elite?"

"Why don't we pack up and go home to farm!"

Xu Miaojin sighed again, her voice revealing a hint of reluctance and worry: "But my brother always believed that the new army was the backbone of the army, which the court had spent a lot of money and effort to train. The number of soldiers was already less than that of the old army. Every soldier was precious and could not be sacrificed lightly, let alone used to exchange for a 'good-looking' victory."

"The two held firm to their own opinions, arguing heatedly until they parted on bad terms. This was the first thing they argued about."

At this point, she looked up at Zhu Yunwen again, only to see that his brows were furrowed, but he did not interrupt and just listened quietly to what she was saying.

However, perhaps because he was so engrossed in listening, he stopped what he was doing.

He simply kept his hands on those areas, without doing anything else.

"The second matter concerns the advance into Tibet."

"Most of our soldiers come from Jiangnan, Guanzhong and Southeast China, and grew up in hilly plains."

"Now the army has crossed the mountains and entered the Tibetan Plateau. Many people have contracted the disease of 'cold miasma' as soon as they arrived at the high ground."

“Old medical books have long recorded that the place is cold and often has unknown miasma. After inhaling it, one will feel dizzy, short of breath, have chest tightness and vomiting. In mild cases, one will be bedridden, and in severe cases, one may even faint. Therefore, the ancients called it ‘cold miasma’ or ‘smoke miasma’.”

In modern medicine, this is called "altitude sickness".

"It is said that the root cause of this disease is that Tibet is at a very high altitude, with thin air and low air pressure. Once a person enters that environment, the oxygen intake is far less than that at sea level, which naturally causes various discomforts."

"There is still no effective treatment for this condition. We can only rely on rest, less movement, and extending the stay to allow the body to gradually adapt to the environment."

"Based on this, my brother proposed that all soldiers should rest and recuperate in place for three to six months after arriving on the plateau, so that they can become accustomed to the local customs and conditions before planning to advance further."

"But the Duke of Liang did not agree with this proposal."

He said that speed is of the essence in war, and if we remain stationary for too long, we will give the enemy more time to prepare for battle and hold our ground, thus missing the opportunity to win.

"Furthermore, Tibet is a vast and sparsely populated region with rugged mountains and rivers. There is no arable land or sufficient supplies along the way. Food, weapons, clothing and medicine all need to be transported long distances from the foot of the mountain."

"The mountains there are extremely steep. The supply route may seem short, but in reality, it is incredibly difficult to travel there, equivalent to marching thousands of miles on flat ground."

"If the army stagnates on the plateau for several months, supplies will be strained and logistics will be unsustainable. At that time, before even attacking the enemy, the army will be in chaos."

"Besides, even if the grain and weapons could be transported up there, how much silver would it cost the imperial court?"

"Although the national treasury is currently full, money doesn't come from nowhere. How can we spend it so recklessly?"

"Once the army has reached the plateau, it should seize every minute and second to advance rapidly into the heart of Tibet. How can it be delayed at will?"

“But my brother disagreed. He said that such a practice was to risk the lives of the soldiers of the new army to gain merit, and that it disregarded the lives of the soldiers and the morale of the army.”

"Altitude sickness is extremely dangerous. If we suddenly go deep into the mountains, a large number of soldiers will fall ill or even die from altitude sickness. At that time, the army's combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced, morale will be low, and it will not be conducive to pacifying Tibet."

"But the Duke of Liang remained firm in his stance, saying, 'In war, people always die.'"

"We are willing to suffer heavy casualties as long as we can take down Tibet."

"He always believed that if the imperial court wanted to expand its territory and achieve hegemony, it had to be forged in blood and fire, and the death of a few people was just a necessary price to pay."

"For this reason, the two argued repeatedly in the military affairs department, exchanging heated words and even getting really angry."

"The other military ministers, some of whom favored my brother's steady and cautious approach, others supported the Duke of Liang's swift and decisive action, and still others were just trying to smooth things over, saying that both sides had their reasons, but in reality they avoided expressing their opinions for fear of offending either side."

"Thus, their dispute reached a stalemate, with neither side able to convince the other."

"I am a woman. Although I have been mischievous since childhood and love to wear military uniforms and play with spears and sticks, these are just childish games and are not respectable."

"I know I am not knowledgeable enough to speak on such a crucial matter as war, so I dare not speak presumptuously."

"Since Your Majesty has asked in person today, I can only report back to Your Majesty what I have heard, in its entirety."

"Your Majesty is exceptionally gifted, capable of governing the country with both literary and military prowess, and has repeatedly achieved remarkable feats since assuming power. He is truly the greatest military genius of the Ming Dynasty."

"Throughout history, no famous general has been able to match even a fraction of Your Majesty's abilities."

"How to use the troops and how to fight the battles, Your Majesty must already have a plan in mind."

"In my opinion, if this matter is left to be argued between my brother and the Duke of Liang in the Military Affairs Office, I'm afraid it will never come to a conclusion. Only Your Majesty's personal judgment can settle the dispute."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen frowned slightly.

He knew absolutely nothing about these things.

Recently, the Ming Dynasty has made breakthroughs in various technologies. He travels between the Ming Academy of Sciences and factories almost every day, and sometimes he will take time to visit the Imperial University of Peking to talk with the university's experts and scholars.

As for the affairs of the central government and the military affairs of the border regions, he had become a true handover manager, leaving everything to the Political Affairs Department and the Military Affairs Department.

Of course, it cannot be said that Zhu Yunwen completely abandoned political affairs.

In fact, he still personally reviewed several special reports submitted by various government departments every day, and was by no means completely indifferent to them.

The first document was a "Quick Overview of Memorials" compiled by the Administrative Office.

This responsibility, which originally belonged to the Office of the General Affairs, was later reorganized and is now directly taken over by the Administrative Office.

Its contents mainly consist of summaries of memorials submitted by officials from all over the country, as well as the government affairs office's comments on the memorials.

However, most of the content was only a concise outline, making it easy for the emperor to quickly grasp the key points.

Only when a minister of state affairs deems a memorial to be of great importance or involves fundamental matters of the court will a detailed explanation be attached for the emperor's decision.

The second document was a "Daily Briefing" jointly compiled by the Intelligence Bureau and the Intelligence Division.

This briefing compiles intelligence from all over the Ming Dynasty, covering everything from official movements, border disturbances, and trade, to the actions of various countries and the ups and downs of public sentiment. It was an important source of information for Zhu Yunwen to gather news from all over the country.

The third document is the "Military Situation Overview" submitted by the Military Affairs Department, which covers troop deployment, weekly movements, personnel arrangements, border defense, and war progress. If there are any new army exercises, personnel changes, or weapons procurement, they are also included.

……

(End of this chapter)