Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 302 Yang Shiqi's Ingenious Idea
This throne, my father, the Yongle Emperor, was definitely going to pass it on to me! It's just that some people got wind of it beforehand and hijacked it! The Prince of Han, who had already taken everything in stride and was preparing to go home and be a grandfather and take care of his children, suddenly became extremely unwilling again! The expression on his face became ferocious and twisted again!

"You little brat, I'll make you pay!" the Prince of Han thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Yang Shiqi of the Cabinet and Fan Zhong of the Imperial Guard were talking to Zhu Zhanji in their room.

"Your Majesty, the rebellions of the Prince of Han and the Prince of Zhao have been quelled. The army must return to the capital as soon as possible to stabilize the situation." Yang Shiqi looked at Zhu Zhanji, who sat calmly in the main seat, and then at the emperor's indifferent eyes. Suddenly, Yang Shiqi had a bad feeling.

"Grand Secretary Yang, has the cabinet received Annam's letter requesting aid?" Faced with Yang Shiqi's suggestion to return to the capital, Zhu Zhanji asked a question that Yang Shiqi was most reluctant to discuss.

"Your Majesty, the letter from Annam has been received by the Cabinet, and they are currently discussing countermeasures." Yang Shiqi knew that since Zhu Zhanji had inquired about this matter, it meant he was also aware of it. Therefore, Yang Shiqi answered truthfully, telling Zhu Zhanji that the Cabinet had received the letter from Annam. However, Yang Shiqi only mentioned "letter" and did not mention "letter requesting assistance," which was a fundamental difference. Furthermore, Yang Shiqi's unease deepened.

"What about the lands of Guangdong and Guangxi? How does Grand Secretary Yang intend to handle and reclaim them?" Zhu Zhanji looked at Yang Shiqi's face and asked another crucial question: what were the cabinet's plans regarding the lands of Guangdong and Guangxi, which had been occupied by the Crown Prince of Han?
"Your Majesty," Yang Shiqi replied, "after deliberation by the Cabinet and review of the Ministry of War's archives, "our Great Ming Dynasty now possesses over 3,500 warships of various types, along with over 100 government-run and privately-run shipbuilding bureaus. Aside from the navy's existing fleet, we have over a thousand ships available for deployment!" Hearing Zhu Zhanji's words, Yang Shiqi knew that after suppressing the rebellions of the Prince of Han and the Prince of Zhao, the Emperor was now targeting the Crown Prince of Han! However, Yang Shiqi's answer seemed irrelevant to Zhu Zhanji's question, which surprised Fan Zhong.

However, Zhu Zhanji knew that Yang Shiqi was telling him that after taking stock, they had plenty of ships, enough to redeem the lands of Guangdong and Guangxi from the Crown Prince of Han!

"Grand Secretary Yang!" Zhu Zhanji was clearly not satisfied with Yang Shiqi's answer and shouted loudly at him.

"The Crown Prince of Han has established a cabinet and six ministries in Yunnan! He has recruited officials! And invaded Annam! Doesn't the cabinet plan to take any action?!" Seeing that Yang Shiqi was not going to answer his question directly, Zhu Zhanji was so angry that he had no choice but to speak frankly.

"Your Majesty, each prince's residence has the right to recruit its own officials," Yang Shiqi replied to Zhu Zhanji's question about the recruitment of officials by the Crown Prince of Han.

"Then why is the Crown Prince of Han asking Grand Secretary Yang to recruit scholars?!" Zhu Zhanji was so enraged by Yang Shiqi that he blurted out something reckless in his haste. As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhu Zhanji regretted them, because his words directly implied that the Grand Secretary was colluding with the enemy!

However, Yang Shiqi seemed completely unconcerned about Zhu Zhanji's words.

"Your Majesty," Yang Shiqi replied, "Yunnan, in the name of the Prince of Han, has gathered no fewer than five hundred scholars from across the country. They are all assembled in Yunnan, awaiting evaluation by the Prince of Han's court, with the aim of selecting and appointing them to official positions in Annam. Among them are many humble scholars recommended by your humble servant." Yang Shiqi was not surprised that Zhu Zhanji knew he had recommended scholars from Yunnan. Furthermore, Yang Shiqi explained to Zhu Zhanji that he knew the Prince of Han had gathered scholars in Yunnan precisely to select them for official positions in Annam.

Upon hearing Yang Shiqi's words, Zhu Zhanji narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Yang Shiqi with a clearly dangerous glint in his eyes. He was obviously waiting for Yang Shiqi's explanation. Even Fan Zhong, standing to the side, was looking at Yang Shiqi in astonishment, his face filled with disbelief. Fan Zhong was also stunned. Grand Secretary Yang, the head of the cabinet, had actually recommended dozens of scholars from humble backgrounds to the Prince of Han's fiefdom? What was he trying to do?!

"Your Majesty, recommending scholars for Yunnan was one of the conditions I agreed to when I first went to Yunnan, to prevent the Crown Prince of Han from conquering Guangdong and Guangxi. This time, recommending scholars is simply keeping my promise." Yang Shiqi calmly told Zhu Zhanji, "I recommended scholars for the Crown Prince of Han, which was something I promised long ago, and I will keep my word!"

"But he still managed to occupy Guangdong and Guangxi!" Zhu Zhanji said through gritted teeth. In Zhu Zhanji's view, although he had previously promised the Crown Prince of Han that he would recommend scholars for him, now that the Crown Prince of Han had already occupied Guangdong and Guangxi, he should no longer recommend scholars for him!
Regarding the current situation inside the house, Fan Zhong said that he was just a wooden man, purely watching the show, and had no intention of expressing any opinion!

"Your Majesty, please allow me to explain in detail."

During the reign of Emperor Renzong, he discussed with the cabinet the possibility of abandoning Annam. Now that Annam has rebelled again, and the Crown Prince of Han is interested in Annam, the court can take this opportunity to extricate itself from the great vortex of Annam! Yang Shiqi's words were like a thunderbolt, completely stunning Zhu Zhanji.

Because, in the few months since Zhu Zhanji became emperor, he had never considered giving up any territory! After all, those were all hard-won by his ancestors! But now, when he heard Yang Shiqi say that his father, Emperor Renzong, had once wanted to abandon Annam, he was extremely surprised. Therefore, Zhu Zhanji stared at Yang Shiqi with a serious expression, waiting for his explanation, because this involved his father's reputation!
"Your Majesty, the northern grasslands of our Great Ming have been in constant turmoil. Emperor Taizong has been waging war for years but still cannot find peace. Meanwhile, there have been continuous rebellions in places like Jiaozhi. They have taken up too much of the country's energy."

Secondly, Annam's tax revenue was consistently insufficient to cover its expenditures. In fact, the state had to allocate nearly one million taels annually to subsidize the expenses of Annam and other regions.
Thirdly, Annam and other places have been plagued by rebellions for years, and the imperial court has been garrisoning large armies, which has consumed a lot of money and food, making it difficult to cope.

Fourth, Annam is located in a remote area and has barren land, so it is really not worth the court's investment;
"I urge Your Majesty to reconsider all of the above!" As the Grand Secretary, Yang Shiqi was fully aware of the burden Annam had placed on the court. Yang Shiqi had originally intended to wait until the court had stabilized in a few years before informing Zhu Zhanji of these issues, but the current situation did not allow him to delay any longer.

Moreover, Annam faced many other similar problems, such as language barriers, numerous powerful clans, and insufficient food production, which placed a huge burden on the imperial court!

"How could this be?!" Zhu Zhanji was stunned upon hearing the news. He had never imagined that Annam would be a burden on the court! A huge burden at that! But looking at Yang Shiqi, Zhu Zhanji saw no sign of him lying. Moreover, even if Yang Shiqi were lying, his words wouldn't stand up to scrutiny. Therefore, Zhu Zhanji knew that Yang Shiqi was telling the absolute truth!
Seeing that Zhu Zhanji was deep in thought, Yang Shiqi spoke again. Although he couldn't make the decision for the emperor, he could make the decision for him!

"Your Majesty, since the Crown Prince of Han is interested in the remote land of Annam, why not wait until he has taken Annam, and then have the court take back the wealthy Yunnan fiefdom, and then distribute Annam and other places to the Han Prince's residence? This would be a way to reward the Crown Prince's hard work. In this way, the court will not lose any territory."

"And Annam is close to the sea. If the court were to gift some ships and the Prince of Han's residence, wouldn't that show the Emperor and his relatives' magnanimity?" It must be said that Yang Shiqi is indeed a seasoned veteran of the cabinet. With just a few words, he turned what was originally a matter that would cause the court to lose face into a great thing that would benefit the court!

Zhu Zhanji heard this clearly, and Yang Shiqi's actions were nothing short of brilliant! He had used a fleet to exchange for the lands of Guangdong and Guangxi; he had driven the Han Prince's lineage to a remote and impoverished region to prevent rebellion; he had mitigated the negative impact of the Han Crown Prince's uprising that had wreaked havoc in Annam; he had removed a major burden from the court; he had reclaimed the wealthy Yunnan fiefdom; he had served as a warning to other restless princes; and he had demonstrated the court's magnanimity and boldness. In Zhu Zhanji's view, this was absolutely a superb achievement with multiple benefits!
(End of this chapter)