Ming Dynasty: Pick up attributes from the battlefield to create the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 321 Zhu Di's Utter Resentment: All Military Power Seized! He Lost!
Zhu Di's words.

This naturally gets to the heart of the matter.

If Zhu Xiong Ying had not appeared, even if his elder brother Zhu Biao had lived a long life, they, as vassal kings, would not have acted too drastically.

If their lives were truly short, neither Zhu Yunwen nor Zhu Yuntong would have achieved anything significant, nor would they have been so decisive.

But Zhu Xiong Ying is completely different.

He fought in the army for many years, gaining widespread prestige and the support of the army. After his identity was restored, he gained even more support from Huaixi.

He was even more capable and prestigious than his elder brother, Zhu Biao.

Having already incurred grudges with Zhu Ying, how could Zhu Di not be afraid?

Considering his current predicament, Zhu Di was the most worried and fearful among all the princes in the land.

Especially considering the precedent set by the second prince, Zhu Shuang, who was imprisoned in Yingtian.

At that time, Zhu Yingke had not yet regained his identity; now that he has, he is even more extraordinary.

It's also at this time!
"Report to the prince."

"The angel has arrived outside the palace."

"Moreover... it's not just angels, there are quite a few people here this time." Zhu Neng quickly entered the main hall and respectfully reported to Zhu Di.

"They arrived so quickly?" Zhu Di's face showed a look of surprise.

Although news of the imperial envoys' arrival in Beiping had been received long ago, judging from their travel time, it should have taken another day or two. However, they have arrived ahead of schedule, which shows that these envoys have been traveling day and night.

"Summon the Princess and the Crown Prince to come out and receive the imperial decree."

Zhu Di snapped out of his daze and addressed Zhu Neng.

"Yes." Zhu Neng immediately strode forward.

"Old monk."

"Now I truly believe that Father Emperor sending someone to deliver this decree is not a good thing." Zhu Di sighed, his unease growing stronger.

But now.

Zhu Di had no other choice.

To defy one's own father?
Even if Zhu Di only had a single thought, he felt a suffocating terror.

Given his father's ruthlessness, if someone truly defied him, he wouldn't care about having a son.

Imperial power is supreme!
"Let's see what the court is going to do," Yao Guangxiao said in a deep voice.

Now.

Everything contradicted his previous predictions; everything had slipped out of his control.

Besides waiting patiently.

He had no other choice.

Soon.

Outside the main hall of the Prince's Mansion.

Zhu Di was accompanied by a stunningly beautiful and elegant wife who stood beside him.

There were also three teenagers dressed in the robes of young noblemen; these were Zhu Di's three sons.

And this moment.

in front of them.

He was an official from the Ministry of Rites, and behind him were some generals and officers, as well as imperial guards and personal bodyguards.

There were also ministers dressed in civil official robes, as well as civil clerks.

This lineup.

At a glance, it's clear that this is not as simple as just announcing a decree.

"Your subject Zhu Di respectfully receives the imperial edict from Your Majesty."

Looking at the angel before him, Zhu Di knelt down respectfully and said loudly.

His wife, children, and other relatives knelt down to listen respectfully to the imperial edict.

Faced with Zhu Yuanzhang's authority, none of his sons dared to act recklessly. Even within the palace, there were Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards).

This demonstrates Zhu Yuanzhang's prudence and absolute control over everything.

"The Emperor, by the order of Heaven and the Mandate of Heaven, declares!"

"now."

"May Heaven bless the Ming Dynasty and allow our eldest grandson, Zhu Xiong Ying, to return to Heaven."

"This year, we will determine the rank of the eldest grandson of the emperor, recognize his ancestors and return him to the clan, and reinstate him in the genealogy. We hereby order all the princes of the realm to bring their wives, children and eldest sons to the capital to witness this."

"Appreciate this."

The envoy from the Ministry of Rites, who had come to deliver the imperial edict, loudly read out the decree.

"Your subject Zhu Di obeys the decree."

Zhu Di responded loudly.

But deep down...

I breathed a slight sigh of relief.

If it was merely a summons to Beijing to witness Zhu Xiong Ying's ceremony of recognizing his ancestors, then there seems to be nothing unexpected.

but.

To Zhu Di's surprise...

Then the envoy who was reading the decree produced another imperial edict.

"His Royal Highness King Yan."

"This is the second imperial edict. Please listen carefully, Prince Yan."

"His Majesty has given the order, and it cannot be disobeyed," the envoy from the Ministry of Rites declared loudly.

Zhu Di's expression changed slightly, but he still said loudly, "Your subject respectfully obeys Your Majesty's decree."

"The Emperor, by the order of Heaven and the Mandate of Heaven, declares!"

"In the past, when we enfeoffed princes throughout the land, we thought it was too impulsive. We disregarded the root cause of the downfall of our Chinese dynasties over thousands of years: the rise of powerful princes was the root of national disaster."

"now."

"We will correct the impulsive decisions we made back then."

"The imperial edict has been issued, from now on, the princes will not hold military power, but will only hold the power of administration in their fiefdoms, and all officials under their command will be appointed by the court."

"Upon seeing this decree, all the vassal kings of the fiefdoms must surrender their military power and military tally. Those who disobey will be punished for treason."

"Appreciate this."

The envoy from the Ministry of Rites read it aloud.

Upon hearing this imperial decree...

Zhu Di's expression changed drastically. He raised his head and looked at the envoy in astonishment.

Even he felt a slight tremor in his heart at that moment.

A decree stripped him of his military power.

With a single imperial decree, the fiefdom became neither a state nor a kingdom, and the vassal king became a king in name only.

How could Zhu Di not understand the contents of this imperial edict?

In summary, there are two points: from now on, the vassal kings will no longer command troops and will no longer have military power. Moreover, although the power of government affairs will still belong to the heads of the vassal states, all the officials under their command will be directly dispatched by the imperial court. In other words, the vassal kings will no longer have the power to appoint and dismiss officials.

"Wang Jue" is a nominal title.

Power is lost.

"His Royal Highness King Yan."

"Accept the order."

Seeing Zhu Di's stunned expression, the envoy from the Ministry of Rites, who had already read out the imperial decree, spoke again.

Faced with this.

With a look of struggle on his face, Zhu Di raised his head and asked, "May I ask Your Majesty, is this decree directed at me alone, or at all the princes of the realm?"

Obviously.

At that moment, Zhu Di immediately wondered if Zhu Ying had deliberately targeted him and stripped him of his military power.

"This decree was issued by His Majesty to all the vassal kings in the land, and it is not just for His Highness Prince Yan," the envoy from the Ministry of Rites said calmly.

As the minister who came to deliver the imperial edict, he was the Minister of Rites and the person personally appointed by the current Crown Prince to deliver the edict, so naturally he did not need to care about the vassal king's expression.

Why did Father Emperor suddenly change the national policy he set?

"There must be a reason for this, right?" Zhu Di asked, still extremely unwilling.

Obviously.

He did not want to accept this imperial decree.

Looking at Zhu Di like this.

The messenger and the generals behind him all changed their expressions, showing displeasure.

"Is the Prince of Yan not going to accept the imperial decree?" The messenger's face turned cold as he stared at Zhu Di.

Behind him, many imperial guards had their hands on their sword hilts, seemingly ready to seize Zhu Di on the spot if he did not obey the decree.

"Husband."

Seeing Zhu Di's expression, Xu Miaoyun immediately called out and gave Zhu Di a wink.

Zhu Di glanced around and immediately saw that the Imperial Guards were already poised to attack.

Clearly, Zhu Yuanzhang sent envoys this time to completely eliminate this potential threat. If the princes did not accept the decree, they might be captured on the spot.

If a vassal king dares to raise an army and rebel, he will be met with a large-scale military crackdown, and his followers will be punished with the extermination of their entire clan.

"Zhu Di."

"I understand."

Under these circumstances, no matter how unwilling Zhu Di was, he ultimately could not disobey and could only kowtow and accept the decree with intense resentment.

This may be the fundamental reason why Zhu Ying so strongly urged Zhu Yuanzhang to reduce the power of the princes during his reign.

With Zhu Yuanzhang's imperial edict in hand, his sons dared not disobey.

If Zhu Biao were to succeed to the throne, he might have the authority of an elder brother, but his younger brothers would certainly not submit easily and would inevitably stir up trouble.

Zhu Yuanzhang's authority was deeply ingrained in people's hearts, which made his sons even more fearful.

Zhu Di received the imperial decree.

The envoy from the Ministry of Rites nodded and said no more.

Subsequently.

He walked directly up to Zhu Di and placed the two imperial edicts in Zhu Di's hands.

"Your Highness, please rise."

The envoy said with a smile.

Zhu Di, his face ashen, slowly stood up.

But for that.

The envoy naturally didn't care, but he would report back truthfully upon returning home.

"His Majesty specifically instructed that we should depart immediately after receiving the decree."

"Please have Your Highness and Princess prepare yourselves properly today," the envoy said slowly.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Zhu Di frowned.

"This is His Majesty's decree; I was unaware of it," the envoy said with a faint smile.

Zhu Di's face was cold; he had no intention of saying anything more.

"I would like to trouble Your Highness Prince Yan to hand over the military tally of Beiping."

"This humble general is ordered by the Emperor to take over the Beiping Army."

At this time.

A general stepped forward.

When Zhu Di saw the person who had come, his heart tightened even more.

Because the person in front of him was Tang Shengzong, one of the generals of Huaixi, who held the title of Marquis.

"I never expected that Father would send the Marquis of Yan'an." Zhu Di said calmly, looking at the general in front of him.

"I have the trust of the Emperor and the Crown Prince," Emperor Shengzong of Tang said calmly.

"Gao Chi, obtain the military tally."

With the imperial edict issued and surrounded by the Imperial Guards, if Zhu Di dared to disobey, the situation would be irreversible.

Zhu Di had no other choice.

"Yes."

Prince Yan, Zhu Gaochi, respectfully responded and then strode towards the main hall of the Prince's Mansion.

"His Royal Highness King Yan."

"This is Fang Xiaoru, whom His Highness the Crown Prince personally appointed to serve as the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Beiping."

"As for Guo Zi, the former Provincial Administration Commissioner of Beiping, he will be transferred to Yingtian and reassigned to another post."

At this time.

The envoy from the Ministry of Rites then pointed to a middle-aged man beside him and said...

Fang Xiaoru?
If you know history, you'll know that this was a very important figure.

After all, throughout history, he was the first person whose entire clan of ten was exterminated.

but.

If you say he's wrong, then that's not right.

In history, the Jingnan Rebellion ultimately resulted in the victor becoming king and the loser becoming a bandit.

If Zhu Yunwen had won, Fang Xiaoru would have been a great hero. However, Zhu Di won in the end, so Fang Xiaoru's entire family was executed.

but.

None of this will happen.

Zhu Yunwen had already been demoted to a commoner and could no longer make a comeback.

Fang Xiaoru was originally an official under the Crown Prince, as were Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai.

The reason they supported Zhu Yunwen in the first place was because they were Zhu Biao's designated tutors. Now that Zhu Yunwen has been deposed, they naturally will no longer tutor him. Of course, in terms of ability, they may be far inferior, but they are by no means truly incompetent or mediocre.

"Meet His Royal Highness Prince Yan."

"By order of the Emperor and the Crown Prince, I have taken over the administration of Beiping Prefecture and will be working with His Highness the Prince of Yan in the future."

Fang Xiaoru stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist and smiled at Zhu Di.

"I have met with Provincial Administration Commissioner Fang," Zhu Di replied indifferently.

In this regard.

Fang Xiaoru glanced at it calmly and said nothing more.

But deep down...

He continued to sneer: "The Crown Prince's foresight is indeed correct. If the princes are not dealt with now, they will surely grow powerful in the future and eventually affect the stability of the country. It is much better to deal with them while the Hongwu Emperor is still in power than when the Crown Prince or even the Crown Prince was in power."

“This Prince of Yan is clearly unwilling to relinquish power, but he fears the Emperor’s might.”

"No wonder the eldest grandson of the emperor was so determined to reduce the power of the princes; he was right to do so."

"Compared to the eldest grandson of the emperor's skill and courage, perhaps His Highness the Crown Prince is somewhat inferior."

Obviously.

Fang Xiaoru also strongly agreed with the policy of reducing the power of the princes.

And this time!
Zhu Gaochi walked up to Zhu Di, holding a box in his hands.

"Father."

"Military tally".

Zhu Gaochi respectfully handed the box to Zhu Di.

Zhu Di accepted the military tally, his eyes filled with a powerful reluctance.

"I hope General Tang will treat the soldiers well."

Zhu Di walked up to Emperor Shengzong of Tang and reluctantly handed him the military tally.

"Please rest assured, Your Highness."

"Although there are many vassal states under heaven, they all belong to my Great Ming."

"Although the vassal states have vast armies, they all belong to the soldiers of our Great Ming."

"As a general of the Ming Dynasty, I will naturally lead the army according to the military laws of the Ming Dynasty," Tang Shengzong said calmly, and took the military tally directly from Zhu Di's hand.

"May I ask, General Tang?"

"After you take over the Beiping Army, how will you deploy the generals and officers?" Zhu Di asked with concern.

"This matter need not be of concern to the Prince of Yan."

"I will manage the army properly, and the court will also make arrangements for the former generals of the Beiping Army."

"After all, they are all generals of our Great Ming Dynasty, and we will make the best use of them," Tang Shengzong replied calmly.

Hear this.

Zhu Di's heart sank even further.

He was naturally able to understand the meaning behind the words.

The generals of the Beiping army would have been transferred away, which would have caused Zhu Di to completely lose control of the army.

"Alright, this humble general will not disturb Your Highness the Prince of Yan any longer."

"I would like to trouble Your Highness to send someone to accompany me to the military camp to take over the command."

"After all, this is something the Emperor entrusted to us, and it cannot be delayed," Tang Shengzong said with a smile.

"High ignition".

Zhu Di sighed inwardly and could only obediently call him Zhu Gaochi.

"Yes." Zhu Gaochi respectfully accepted the order.

"Please follow me, Marquis of Yan'an," Zhu Gaochi said, stepping forward to lead the way.

"That's it."

"I urge Your Highness Prince Yan to summon Lord Guo Zi, so that I may also have some discussions with him regarding political affairs," Fang Xiaoru said at this moment.

"Zhu Neng".

"Go and summon Guo Zi to the Prince's residence to make contact with Fang, the Provincial Administration Commissioner," Zhu Di could only continue.

He watched helplessly as he gradually relinquished his power.

all of these.

There was nothing they could do.

"Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness." Fang Xiaoru said with gratitude.

"Angel."

"Is there anything else that I need to do? Tell me all at once."

Zhu Di spoke to the envoy from the Ministry of Rites with a cold expression.

"Both imperial edicts have been delivered. Your Highness can start preparing your travel essentials in advance," the envoy from the Ministry of Rites said with a faint smile.

……

(End of this chapter)