Ming Dynasty: The Jingnan Rebellion has just been successful, and Zhu Yuanzhang has been resurrected

Tang He looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with a wry smile and continued, "Your Majesty, the measures taken by the imperial grandson Yuntong are something that ordinary people simply cannot do. You should not only see the final gains, but also the risks involved."

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said, "We understand this matter. Yunhu's approach has indeed been very effective, but all of this is based on his strong military power. If he did not have the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, he would not be in this situation of economic boom."

"Yes!" Tang He nodded.

Trade reform is not just a simple matter of four words; it involves a reshuffling of interests. Under such circumstances, how could the wealthy and powerful, who were originally the beneficiaries, possibly agree to trade reform? This would inevitably lead to conflict.

As mentioned before, imperial power is not a one-man show. Although the emperor has great power, even the founding emperor cannot act on his own whims and must make compromises with all parties involved.

Putting aside other matters, even Zhu Yuanzhang, when he abolished the prime minister system, spent a great deal of effort and went through numerous procedures before finally managing to abolish it. If he had not done one step well, he would never have been able to abolish the prime minister system in the end.

Very few emperors could achieve the absolute control that Zhu Yunwen did. This is the real reason why others could not carry out sweeping reforms. Throughout history, no reform has ever been easy. The biggest reason for this is that reforms require touching upon the existing interests of the parties involved.

"Speaking of which, once Yuntong returns from Beiping this time, we must talk to him. It would be better if he didn't personally go to the battlefield in the future. He has capable generals under his command, and I feel that he would be even more outstanding in governing the Ming Dynasty than in his performance on the battlefield." Zhu Yuanzhang looked up at the direction of the grassland and said softly.

Although Zhu Yunwen's performance on the grasslands surprised him greatly, it was still too risky for him to personally go to the battlefield. In addition, the changes in Yingtian Prefecture had shown him Zhu Yunwen's abilities, and he felt that it would be a waste of Zhu Yunwen's talents to send him to the battlefield with troops.

In terms of warfare, although Zhu Yunwen had purged many capable generals, such as Feng Sheng and Geng Bingwen, the Ming Dynasty still had many capable commanders, such as Zhu Di, Zhu Gang, and Lan Yu. With these people around, there was no need for Zhu Yunwen to personally go to the battlefield.

“This matter does indeed need to be discussed with Prince Yuntong. However, I feel that after this trip to the grasslands, Prince Yuntong will understand on his own. He is now the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Perhaps he hadn’t yet grasped the change in status before. Moreover, Prince Yuntong’s decision to lead troops north this time may have been partly motivated by a desire to consolidate his throne through military achievements,” Tang He said.

He could understand what Zhu Yuanzhang was saying, but he still expressed his own opinion. He had been in contact with Zhu Yunwen and knew very well that Zhu Yunwen was not the type of person who longed for the battlefield.

"Your Majesty!" At this moment, Jiang Huan hurriedly ran over.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and asked, "What is it?"

"A letter from the grasslands!" Jiang Huan handed a letter to Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Whoosh!" Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang and Tang He's expressions changed simultaneously. They both knew very well that the letter in front of them likely contained the results of Zhu Yunwen's northern expedition to the grasslands.

"call"

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath, reached out and took the letter, quickly opened it, and began to read its contents.

Meanwhile, Tang He pondered to himself, "The letter has been sent back. Does this mean that Prince Yuntong has conquered the grasslands? Or has Prince Yuntong made great progress on his trip to the grasslands? Or has Prince Yuntong suffered a huge loss on the grasslands?"

When the letter arrived, it was obvious that something drastic had happened.

Since all the news that had come before was good, Tang He's first thought was that Zhu Yunwen had conquered the grasslands. Only out of caution did he wonder if Zhu Yunwen had been severely injured on the grasslands. Of course, although he thought this way, he knew in his heart that the possibility of this was very low and could be ignored.

There was no other way; the sense of security provided by the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry was simply too strong, especially on the grasslands. Tang He really couldn't imagine how Zhu Yunwen could be severely damaged with these two troops under his command.

Conspiracy? Trick?
Before absolute power, all of these are insignificant.

If it were the Central Plains, there might be some uncertainties, such as landslides and floods. These are beyond human control. They might be able to deal with the Snow Dragon Cavalry and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, but on the flat grasslands, there is no chance of victory.

After a while.

After reading the contents of the letter, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression became somewhat strange, showing a mixture of elation, astonishment, and an undisguised doubt.

"Your Majesty, has the grandson of the Emperor Yuntong conquered the grasslands?" Tang He asked boldly after seeing Zhu Yuanzhang finish reading the letter.

He knew Zhu Yuanzhang well enough to see that Zhu Yuanzhang's expression did not darken after reading the letter. The lack of darkening meant that the letter contained good news.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "That's right. Yuntong has conquered the Northern Yuan. From now on, the Northern Yuan will disappear into the long river of history, and the grasslands will be our Ming territory."

Tang He was even more puzzled upon hearing this, and continued, "Your Majesty, the grandson of the Emperor Yuntong has conquered the grasslands, and the Northern Yuan, which you have always longed for, has also perished. These are all great things, so why do you not seem very happy?"

He knew in his heart that there must be a hidden reason behind Zhu Yuanzhang's current appearance, but he couldn't figure out what that reason was. After all, in his view, whether it was Zhu Yunwen conquering the grasslands or the Northern Yuan being destroyed, both were things that deserved to be celebrated. Compared to these two things, other minor matters could be ignored.

Zhu Yuanzhang gave a wry smile, handed the letter to Tang He, and said, "I can't explain this to you in just a few words. You should take a look for yourself."

At this moment, his feelings were incredibly complex. He had been too lenient. Since Zhu Yunwen conquered the grasslands, his management style had been far too lax. He had dealt with the Northern Yuan tribes his entire life and knew them all too well. These people believed in the survival of the fittest; there was no need to be so kind to them. To put it bluntly, the Northern Yuan were a pack of wolves. The better you treated them, the more they saw you as weak and easily bullied, and the more they would try to take advantage of you.

"What is this grandson of the Emperor Yunwen trying to do?" Tang He finished reading the letter and looked up at Zhu Yuanzhang with a puzzled expression. He didn't quite understand Zhu Yunwen's actions.

Did they conquer the grasslands too easily?
No, conquering the grasslands was easy because the Great Snow Dragon Riders and Tiger Leopard Riders were too powerful, not because the people of the Northern Yuan were easy to talk to. You don't have to give them a kind look!

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said, "Don't ask me. I am also filled with doubts and can't figure out what Yuntong's purpose is in doing this."

“If Prince Yuntong does this, the grasslands will definitely not be stable after he leaves. Your Majesty, why don’t you write a letter to Prince Yuntong and ask him to properly sort out the situation on the grasslands?” Tang He said hesitantly.

After conquering the land, dividing up the territory is such a simple act. Do you really expect the tribes of the grasslands to behave? Don't be ridiculous. It would be strange if they behaved. Of course, the Northern Yuan was definitely destroyed. However, after spending such a huge price, when they could have directly controlled the grasslands, they only managed to destroy the Northern Yuan. Isn't that a bit of a pity?

Tang He knew that Zhu Yuanzhang had always wanted to destroy the Northern Yuan, and that Zhu Yuanzhang's thinking was definitely more mature than Zhu Yunwen's. That's why he suggested that Zhu Yuanzhang get involved. After all, they couldn't just watch Zhu Yunwen's victory in this Northern Yuan campaign go to waste!

"Us? Forget it!" Zhu Yuanzhang showed a self-deprecating smile. He had no room to speak in front of Zhu Yunwen now. If he were to interfere with Zhu Yunwen's management of the grasslands, what if Zhu Yunwen didn't care about him in the end? Wouldn't that be very embarrassing for him?

Furthermore, was there some other plan behind Zhu Yunwen's lenient approach to the grasslands? After all, didn't Zhu Yunwen leave Zhu Di with 5,000 Great Snow Dragon Cavalry and 5,000 Tiger and Leopard Cavalry? Zhu Yunwen's loose approach to the grasslands might be due to other arrangements.

"Your Majesty," Tang He said, seeing Zhu Yuanzhang shake his head, intending to continue trying to persuade him.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said with a wry smile, "Don't try to persuade us. Yunhu may have his own plans for this matter, and we just haven't figured them out yet."

Tang He saw the determination in Zhu Yuanzhang's words, thought for a moment, and immediately realized what was going on. So he didn't say anything more and changed the subject, saying with emotion, "I really didn't expect that the grandson of the Emperor Yuntong would actually conquer the grasslands, and so quickly at that."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, his face also showing a sigh: "Who can disagree? Although I have read the letter, I still feel it is very unreal. Conquering the grasslands, of all the dynasties in the Central Plains, only the Tang Dynasty did it, and it took them a very long time. Yet Yuntong led his troops to the grasslands and did it directly. It is truly unbelievable."

Tang He looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, thought for a moment, and said with a strange look in his eyes, "Your Majesty, the more outstanding the performance of the imperial grandson Yuntong is now, the more it highlights how foolish you were back then!"

In the past, he would never have dared to say such things. However, he had been spending too much time with Zhu Yuanzhang recently, and his courage had gradually grown. Of course, he was mainly confident that even if he really offended Zhu Yuanzhang, the matter was to stand up for Zhu Yunwen, and in the end, Zhu Yunwen would definitely step in to protect him.

"Hmm?" Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned when he heard Tang He's words. The next second, he looked up at Tang He with a bitter smile on his face: "Yes, the better Yuntong performs now, the more foolish we were in the past. However, we are very happy that things have developed to this point."

Although he misjudged the situation, he was actually quite pleased with it. As for whether people would talk about it, so be it. In any case, the Ming Dynasty he had established, under the leadership of Zhu Yunwen, was gradually becoming stronger and undergoing rapid changes.

"Forehead"

Zhu Yuanzhang's reaction stunned Tang He. He scrutinized Zhu Yuanzhang from head to toe, looking at him as if he were a stranger. What Zhu Yuanzhang had just said was absolutely treasonous. In the past, even if Zhu Yuanzhang wasn't angry, his expression would definitely be displeased.

He knew Zhu Yuanzhang too well. How could someone as extremely arrogant and conceited as Zhu Yuanzhang allow others to call him incompetent?

"What's wrong?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked with a smile as he looked at Tang He's appearance.

Tang He came to his senses and said, "Your Majesty, you are really different now than before!"

He could never have imagined Zhu Yuanzhang's appearance if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, but he had just witnessed it.

"There's nothing I can do. We made a huge mistake in handling this matter. You could even say we almost missed an opportunity for the Ming Dynasty to reach its peak. To be honest, I've had nightmares many nights where I dreamt that Yunwen was really imprisoned in Fengyang for the rest of his life," Zhu Yuanzhang said with a wry smile.

Tang He thought for a moment, then hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, please don't say that. Actually, Prince Yunwen is not bad either."

Although Zhu Yunwen was far inferior to Zhu Yunwen, in all fairness, Zhu Yunwen was still capable. At least he could be a ruler who maintained the status quo without too much trouble, provided that he didn't act recklessly.

"Yunwen?" Zhu Yuanzhang was taken aback when Tang He mentioned Zhu Yunwen, then shook his head with a bitter expression.

What Zhu Yunwen said to him before and what he did after ascending the throne were completely different things. To be honest, if Zhu Yunwen had actually done what he was told after ascending the throne, that would have been quite good. But Zhu Yunwen did not.

Previously, Zhu Yuanzhang viewed Zhu Yunwen with a certain veneer of admiration, but now that veneer has shattered. Zhu Yuanzhang had once imagined that, not only was Zhu Yunwen now incredibly capable and able to seize the throne from Fengyang into Yingtianfu, but he also estimated that even without Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Yunwen would not have been able to hold onto the throne.

Zhu Yunwen was too hasty. He hadn't even warmed his throne before he impatiently attacked his greatest support. Moreover, the cruelty of his methods was beyond imagination. It is conceivable that if it weren't for Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Gang, Zhu Di, and others would have also raised an army.

Will Zhu Yunwen be able to defeat him then? Does Zhu Yunwen have any capable generals under his command? He initially trusted Zhu Yunwen's words, entrusting him with Zhu Gang, Zhu Di, and others as a safety net. But he never expected that Zhu Yunwen would change his tune so quickly after ascending the throne! (End of Chapter)