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

"Okay!" Zhu Gang nodded after hearing Zhu Yunwen's words.

Of course, he was filled with doubt and couldn't understand why Zhu Yunwen wanted to station troops in Annam.

He couldn't understand why they chose not to occupy Annam when they could have directly taken it over, but instead simply stationed troops there.

Zhu Yunwen smiled at Zhu Gang's appearance but didn't say anything more.

Undeniably, Zhu Gang was very capable. However, just like Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Gang's abilities were limited by his vision, and he was unable to see things from the perspective of the overall situation.

If you can't see the essence of things, how can you make the right choice? It's simply impossible.

"Gentlemen, let's raise a glass together!" Zhu Yunwen said with a smile, raising the wine glass in front of him.

After this Northern Expedition, he will need to focus all his energy on the development and governance of the Ming Dynasty, and naturally, he will become more relaxed.

He knew very well that from now on, the possibility of him stepping onto the battlefield again would be extremely low, and he might never be able to step onto the battlefield again, mainly due to his position.

Historically, Zhu Di did frequently lead his troops in campaigns across the country, but that was because Zhu Gaochi was there to back him up. Moreover, during the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty, both its influence and military strength were far inferior to those of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

To tell you something even more unbelievable, if the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty hadn't been supported by Zhu Gaochi, he might have been directly overthrown by Zhu Di. Many people may find this hard to believe, but it is a fact.

To give a simple example, Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, was undoubtedly one of the most powerful emperors in history, with his prestige and abilities at their peak. However, what was behind Emperor Wu of Han? Behind him was the accumulation of power by the two emperors before him, which enabled Emperor Wu of Han to conquer all sides without restraint.

Even so, in the later years of his reign, Emperor Wu of Han impoverished the entire Han Dynasty, causing widespread war-weariness among the common people.

This means that the purpose of the war was not planned at all; to put it more bluntly, the people did not benefit from the war.

For example, Emperor Wu of Han brought great power to the Han Dynasty and his own prestige reached its peak. But what did the people get in return? They got death, heavy taxes, and might even be relocated to completely unfamiliar places by the rulers in order to occupy the conquered territories.

Under such circumstances, how could ordinary people still be willing to go to war?

In fact, all of this boils down to one fundamental question: what is the purpose of war? To be honest, if war can bring huge benefits and can also benefit ordinary people, such as the military industry system of the Qin Dynasty, then the enthusiasm of the people for war would be extremely high.

Why did Western pirate civilizations rise in later generations? Wasn't it because they involved huge profits? Moreover, when pirate civilizations fought each other, surrender was allowed, and prisoners were exchanged for profits. This protected the interests of soldiers to a certain extent, so they didn't have to die if they lost a battle.

In contrast, the dynasties of the Central Plains in history were spirited and would rather die than surrender. They would rather die in battle than surrender. This meant that once they lost a battle, they were likely to die. Even if they escaped, they might be killed as deserters as a warning.

Historically, both the Tang and Ming dynasties had their glorious periods, but the glory of the Central Plains dynasties was that they truly regarded themselves as the Celestial Empire. This situation also led to them not exploiting the surrounding small countries much, and even providing certain assistance to those small countries in order to demonstrate the magnanimity of the Celestial Empire.

For example, during the powerful Tang Dynasty, countless small countries came to pay homage. Moreover, they were very willing to come to the Ming Dynasty to pay homage. The reason was very simple: every time they came to the Tang Dynasty to pay homage, they could receive more generous return gifts than when they paid tribute.

In reality, everyone forgets that diplomacy is based on strong military power. For example, the rise of Tibet during the Tang Dynasty owes much to the Tang Dynasty. Because Tibet was very submissive to the Ming Dynasty, they received a lot of help from the Tang Dynasty, which laid a solid foundation for their rise.

However, after the rise of Tibet, they became a serious threat to the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty, immersed in the dream of being a superior nation, did not realize how serious the problem was, which laid the groundwork for the later disintegration of the Tang Dynasty.

Zhu Yunwen's wishes were not actually that great. All he asked for was that the people of the Ming Dynasty would be well-fed and clothed, that every citizen of the Ming Dynasty would no longer suffer from hunger or the cold of winter, and that the people of the Ming Dynasty could go out with their heads held high.

Currently, everything is proceeding slowly according to Zhu Yunwen's plan. The Ming Dynasty is now taking off, and perhaps this path to takeoff requires the blood of foreign tribes and other countries. However, Zhu Yunwen does not care. A kind heart cannot command an army, and righteousness cannot control wealth. For the sake of the people of the Ming Dynasty, he is willing to be a villain.

"To Your Majesty!" The ministers all stood up and raised their wine cups.

The strength of the Ming Dynasty was not only felt by Zhu Yunwen, but also by the officials. It was really hard not to feel that vigorous momentum.

After finishing his drink, Zhu Yunwen sat down again with a faint smile on his face.

After a while.

A group of graceful women came in and began to dance.

The entire hall was filled with an atmosphere of extravagance.

at the same time!

In the small courtyard.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Tang He were drinking when Zhu Yunwen returned safely. Zhu Yuanzhang breathed a long sigh of relief. Although he had been receiving news of Zhu Yunwen, he could not put his mind at ease until Zhu Yunwen returned.

By now, Zhu Yunwen's feelings towards Zhu Yuanzhang have undergone a complete transformation, from initial indifference to current dependence.

Sometimes, Zhu Yuanzhang himself would wonder if Zhu Biao hadn't died, would he have done a better job than Zhu Yunwen?

He never got an answer to this question. But sometimes, no answer is an answer in itself.

Given Zhu Yuanzhang's doting on Zhu Biao, if Zhu Biao truly performed better than Zhu Yunwen, then there would be an answer.

"If we hadn't made the wrong choice back then, we could be attending the victory celebration banquet at the palace now!" Zhu Yuanzhang picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and looked towards the palace, his eyes filled with deep regret.

This wasn't the first time he'd regretted it, but he still couldn't help it every time he encountered it.

Tang He looked at Zhu Yuanzhang's appearance, opened his mouth, and didn't know what to say. Now Zhu Yuanzhang was obviously dead. Under these circumstances, even if Zhu Yunwen had forgiven Zhu Yuanzhang in his heart, he couldn't reappear, because that would likely bring some unnecessary trouble.

"Enough of this, come on, let's drink!" Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath, raised the wine cup in his hand towards Zhu Yuanzhang, and then drank it all in one gulp.

Tang He then downed his drink in one gulp, picked up the wine jar and poured some for Zhu Yuanzhang, saying, "Your Majesty, I heard that at today's palace banquet, Prince Yunheng invited the King of Annam. Do you think Prince Yunheng intends to formally intervene in Annam's affairs?"

Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a moment and said, "It's hard to say. Recently, Xia Yuanji has been going to the Huitong Hall frequently, and each time Chen Tianping sees him off with a smile. Just this afternoon, Xia Yuanji went to the Huitong Hall and then went to the palace. He hasn't come out since."

When it came to Annam, Zhu Yuanzhang was very hesitant. He personally advised against the Ming Dynasty getting involved in the Annam rebellion. In his view, Annam just needed to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty obediently, and the Ming Dynasty didn't need to care who was the king of Annam.

Moreover, he had studied Annam's geographical location long ago and listed it as a country not to be conquered. This was mainly because he felt that if the Ming Dynasty were to conquer Annam, it might eventually conquer it after paying a certain price, but it would definitely be able to draw a lot of energy away from Annam afterwards.

Therefore, after much deliberation, he decided to list Annam as a country that would not be conquered. He only needed Annam to obediently pay tribute and acknowledge the status of the Ming Dynasty, and he would not take military action against Annam.

Undeniably, Zhu Yuanzhang's vision was quite remarkable, at least in the context of his time. Historically, during the Yongle era, Zhu Di took advantage of the unrest in Annam and directly sent troops to occupy it. However, after the Ming Dynasty occupied Annam, it did not gain any benefits from it. Instead, it was exhausted from dealing with the situation and eventually abandoned it during the reign of Zhu Zhanji.

Annam, which Zhu Zhanji painstakingly conquered with great effort and resources, was abandoned by him after only a few years of occupation. This led to Zhu Zhanji being directly criticized in history. Of course, the reasons for this may not be entirely Zhu Zhanji's fault, but the territory of Annam was indeed lost under his leadership.

In reality, if Zhu Zhanji had been capable enough, Annam could still have been under the control of the Ming Dynasty, at most it would have taken some effort. But after Annam was suppressed by the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty would definitely have been able to obtain some resources from Annam.

Don't treat historical emperors as fools. If Annam had continued to cause headaches for the Ming Dynasty, given Zhu Di's personality, he would most likely have led his men to carry out another massacre. The reason why the grasslands were so obedient and docile when Zhu Di was in power was that they were terrified of being killed by him.

Force may not be the best solution, but it is definitely the simplest and most effective one. For example, Zhu Yunwen's Northern Expedition did not involve any fancy maneuvers; it was simply a matter of overwhelming force with sheer power. If you disagreed, you died.

Unfortunately, Zhu Zhanji's abilities were slightly lacking. Not to mention the external pressure, the pressure from the cabinet alone was enough to overwhelm him. He directly sent eunuchs to learn how to fight against the court officials, which tantamount to directly burying the Ming emperor's hope of turning the tide and seizing power.

Eunuchs, under no circumstances, could hold power alone. As people close to the emperor, they could only serve as appendages of imperial power. This was the only correct approach. If eunuchs were to seize power, the emperor would truly be completely powerless.

During Zhu Zhanji's reign, eunuchs fought against court officials, but what about the later dynasties of the Ming Dynasty? Eunuchs directly joined forces with officials, and in this situation, the emperor's life was truly not guaranteed at all.

A poorly competent emperor is truly unable to maintain a chaotic situation once he takes over. For example, Zhu Zhanji chose to abandon Annam and Liaodong entirely. Moreover, in terms of suppressing the grasslands, he relentlessly suppressed the Tatars and supported the obedient Oirats, which directly led to the rise of the Oirats and their becoming a scourge to the Ming Dynasty.

There are many factors that cause an event, but the emperor's decision is absolutely crucial. Of course, all of this was already destined when Zhu Zhanji was unable to govern the court well. He was already overwhelmed by the internal affairs of the court, so how could he possibly take care of the external affairs?
"Xia Yuanji went to the palace and hasn't come out all afternoon?" Tang He was taken aback when he heard Zhu Yuanzhang's words. He frowned and thought for a moment before saying in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I feel that the grandson Yuntong is most likely going to interfere in Annam this time."

Zhu Yuanzhang was taken aback by these words, then looked at Tang He and asked, "Oh? Why would you say that?"

"Squeak!" Before Tang He could speak, the courtyard door was pushed open from the outside, and Jiang Huan hurriedly walked in.

Seeing this, Tang He swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Jiang Huan greeted Zhu Yuanzhang respectfully.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said, "Get up, what's the matter?"

Jiang Huan glanced at Tang He beside him, and seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang did not intend for Tang He to leave, said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Jin has just pledged allegiance to the grandson of the Emperor, Yun Tong!"

"Huh?" Zhu Yuanzhang and Tang He were stunned upon hearing this, their faces filled with disbelief.

Both of them knew Zhu Gang's character and also knew that not long ago Zhu Yunwen had given the princes a choice, allowing them to go out and establish a territory.

"Why would Zhu Gang choose to submit to Yun Tong?" Zhu Yuanzhang steadied himself and looked at Jiang Huan. At this moment, he was filled with curiosity and did not understand why Zhu Gang would do this.

Jiang Huan thought for a moment and hesitated before saying, "Perhaps it is related to the Prince of Yan. Moreover, the Prince of Jin plans to lead troops to Annam to quell the unrest there, as a token of his loyalty to the grandson of Emperor Yuntong."

"Is it related to the fourth prince? What's going on here?" Zhu Yuanzhang was filled with doubt and utterly confused.

He had a vague suspicion that Zhu Yunwen was involved in Annam, so he wasn't particularly surprised when he heard Jiang Huan's words. However, he really couldn't understand why Zhu Gang had sided with Zhu Yunwen.

Jiang Huan hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Your Majesty, the Grandson Yuntong's involvement in Annam is not intended to seize Annam, but rather to establish a Ming military presence there." (End of Chapter)