Inheriting a Taoist temple, the story begins with Wu Zetian offering incense.

Chapter 418 Immortal Master, can you send that child Chongzhen? [Seeking monthly votes]

For the entire morning, Confucius and Zhu Yuanzhang played Red Alert on the computer, enjoying themselves immensely even though they only had a vague understanding of how to play.

Old Zhu, in particular, was shouting and yelling, urging Confucius to quickly deploy his explosive troops one minute and to build bunkers for defense the next. The two men, who were over a hundred years old combined, were as happy as a pair of internet-addicted teenagers.

In the kitchen, Zhou Yi stewed the large bones that had been brought from town into a pot, then began to plan the supplies for Zhu Yuanzhang:

Solar panels, high-capacity power supplies, mobile phones, tablets, telescopes, drones, walkie-talkies, laser spotlights, night vision devices...

These are commonplace items in other worlds, so we should also prepare some for Old Zhu, especially since there's fighting going on in Hebei, Shanxi, and Shaanxi right now. Even sending a few binoculars to the front lines would be very helpful.

As for the history of the Ming Dynasty, Zhou Yi plans to first print out the events that occurred in 1369, such as Chang Yuchun's westward attack from Yuan Dadu to the Datong area of ​​Shanxi in March, where he engaged in a fierce battle with Kökö Temür.

At this time, Emperor Hui of Yuan seized the opportunity to have his prime minister, Yesulü, capture Dadu (Beijing). When they arrived in Tongzhou, Chang Yuchun had just defeated Kökö Temür and was rushing back without stopping, giving Yesulü a brilliant surprise attack.

This counterattack not only routed Yelu, but also forced Emperor Yuan Hui, who was secretly directing operations from Kaiping, to flee north in panic, fearing that Chang Yuchun would give him a loving hug.

From the counterattack in Datong to the capture of Kaiping, Chang Yuchun led his troops on a surprise attack of more than 2,000 li. Although the results were great, the casualties were relatively high.

Now that we know the script in advance, it's best to rearrange things. Anyway, Kökö Temür is already a piece of meat on the chopping block, and we can change the knife whenever we want. As for Emperor Yuan Hui, if we can capture him in advance, we can save a lot of trouble.

We can then have Chang Yuchun feign an attack on Shanxi, while actually having the main force lie in ambush outside Juyong Pass. Once they arrive, we can catch up directly and trap the Northern Yuan prime minister like dumplings.

Alternatively, they could bypass the Yanshan Mountains and launch a surprise attack on Kaiping, employing a base-trading tactic. They could use the weakened Yuan capital to distract Yuan Shikai, seize the opportunity to capture Kaiping, and then bring Emperor Hui of Yuan to Nanjing to perform the "sheep-leading ceremony," thus washing away the shame of the Jingkang Incident.

Historically, Chang Yuchun, the great war god of the Ming Dynasty, suffered from a stroke on his way back to the capital after capturing Kaiping. He passed away before he could see his daughter marry the crown prince Zhu Biao.

Although Chang Yuchun is no longer going to die, he should still be careful in this regard; after all, it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Historical records describe Chang Yuchun as having "an extraordinary physique, tall stature, long arms, and superhuman strength." Before following Zhu Yuanzhang, he had been a bandit leader named Liu Juluo. When robbing people on the road, Chang Yuchun didn't even need to lift a finger; his sheer size was enough to make many people willingly pay for his passage.

Zhu Yuanzhang was handsome. When he was a common soldier in Guo Zixing's army, the soldiers called him Young Master Zhu. He was able to become Ma Xiuying's husband because of his handsome appearance and extraordinary bravery.

As for Xu Da, he was a general in the early Ming Dynasty without any weaknesses. He was both a civil and military leader, and could serve as both a general and a prime minister without any problems. Zhu Yuanzhang therefore gave Xu Da a posthumous title of "Wuning", which was above "Zhongwu" and could be considered a posthumous title exclusively for Xu Da.

What's rather counterintuitive is that among the three—Zhu Yuanzhang, Xu Da, and Chang Yuchun—Chang Yuchun is often depicted as a young man, while Xu Da is portrayed as a mature and prudent elder. In reality, Xu Da was two years younger than Chang Yuchun, while Zhu Yuanzhang was two years older than Chang Yuchun… Xu Da was actually the youngest of the trio.

Zhou Yi planned to show the novel "Water Margin" to Old Zhu later, and have him focus on reading the chapters about Zhu Wu, Chen Da, and Yang Chun, which he thought would give him a strange sense of familiarity.

During lunch, Zhu Yuanzhang discussed his idea of ​​reducing taxes:
"The northern lands were devastated and the people have finally returned to normal. I plan to exempt all taxes north of the Huai River so that the people can recuperate and rebuild. During the off-season, we can also dredge the canals to prepare for irrigation."

Emperors who came from poor backgrounds were more likely to empathize with the common people, but this made them the mortal enemies of the elite class. In fact, the entire Ming Dynasty, from its founding to its demise, was a struggle between the emperor and the bureaucratic class.

The bureaucratic class was based in Jiangnan, with intricate relationships. Zhu Biao died mysteriously shortly after proposing to move the capital to Luoyang. Before that, his first wife, the crown princess, and his eldest son, Zhu Xiong Ying, had died one after another. The daughter of the Lü family in Jiangnan became the crown princess under the recommendation of the officials and gave birth to Zhu Yunwen.

Zhu Biao's first wife was the daughter of Chang Yuchun, who represented the Huaixi military clique. The deaths of the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince indicated that the Jiangnan bureaucratic class had already begun making arrangements.

They forbade the military meritocracy from advancing further, prohibited the relocation of the capital, and stipulated that the emperor succeeding Zhu Biao must be able to represent the interests of the Jiangnan bureaucratic class.

As a result, after Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne, he made a huge mistake. The military merit group welcomed Zhu Di into the city, and the Jiangnan bureaucratic class had no choice but to accept their fate.

Just like in the early Ming Dynasty, this small group of people in Jiangnan claimed to be loyal, but their hearts were full of self-interest. They even put on a show of selling their children in front of Emperor Chongzhen, ultimately forcing the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty to his death.

The Zhu family started with a bowl and ended with a rope, which can be seen as putting into practice the promise of a monarch dying for his country.

As for the bureaucratic class in Jiangnan, they continued the integrity of the Southern Song literati and the Jiangdong tradition of being ambivalent, and their performance was stable.

Of course, as the saying goes, "one thing subdues another," the Zhu family couldn't deal with these gentry and officials, but Li Zicheng, the rebel king, was very good at it and made a fortune after entering Yanjing.

Confucius, holding a piece of fan bone, ate it while saying to Zhu Yuanzhang:

“In the past, you would hold the imperial examinations next year. This time, don’t bother with the eight-legged essay. Just classify the talents directly. If any Confucian scholars protest, I will kill them in my name. Although China is vast, it cannot withstand the torment of spineless people.”

After the meal, Zhu Yuanzhang did not go straight back, but sat down and carefully studied the history of the Ming Dynasty. When he read about Chongzhen hanging himself on Coal Hill, his eyes welled up with tears, and he sighed:

"What a pity for this child. He's quite hardworking, but he hasn't figured out the relationship between friend and foe. Why did you come up here and try to kill Wei Zhongxian? He was the sworn enemy of the Donglin Party, not the emperor... Immortal Master, can you pull him over here? I'll personally teach him how to be an emperor." Zhou Yi said:

"I can't interfere with whoever comes, but if Chongzhen comes, I can help him turn the tide."

Just give Chongzhen a token and have his ministers swear an oath. Chongzhen couldn't distinguish between loyalty and treachery, but that doesn't mean the gods of the Thunder Department couldn't either... Grandpa said that China began to fall in 1644, and it was Chongzhen's turn to save it.

For this reason alone, the gods won't be lazy when chopping people down; they might even increase the amount without raising the price, or simply offer a "chop one, get one free" promotion... After all, promotions need to be affordable.

After quickly learning about the history of the Ming Dynasty, Old Zhu started looking at the history of the Qing Dynasty. As he read, he frowned:

"Isn't it said that the reigns of foreign tribes in China don't last more than a hundred years? How come they lasted for more than two hundred years before being wiped out?"

The Book of Changes says:

"Because the Manchus were replaced by the Han Chinese long ago, Kangxi looked exactly like Hong Chengchou from the late Ming Dynasty. The Manchus' fat faces became the thin, long faces of the Fujian region. Many people suspected that Kangxi was the child of Hong Chengchou and Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. In addition, Kangxi was taken out of the palace to be raised for several years due to smallpox when he was young, which made it entirely possible for him to be switched at birth..."

Old Zhu was grieving the fall of the Ming Dynasty when he heard this and burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.

"Are you kidding me? The Manchus have really been replaced?"

Zhou Yi nodded:

"Not only did Hong Chengchou change their lineage, but Qianlong is also suspected to be the child of the Chen family in Jiangnan... Recently, there has been a lot of discussion about this matter online. Hong Qing and Chen Qing's inferences match all the details in history. The remnants of the Manchu Qing dynasty spent money to hire experts to refute the rumors, but the result was the opposite, and netizens found a bunch of new evidence."

Old Zhu was overjoyed, still grinning as he left. The Manchu imperial family had been replaced, which was truly gratifying.

He returned to the Ming Dynasty's Hongwu world with a large amount of supplies, including solar panels prepared by Zhou Yi, intending to install them with Biao'er so that his son could be exposed to modern technology as early as possible.

I wouldn't feel comfortable entrusting these things to anyone else; my own son is the best choice.

As for Xiao Si'er, let him continue to reflect on his actions and stop loitering around the palace; just looking at him is annoying.

At Hunyuan Palace, Confucius, worried that his disciples would slack off, took some supplies and left early, planning to return in five days to meet the other worshippers and continue to urge them to exterminate the descendants of Confucius.

The next day, Zhao Yan and Zhao Rui's first day of classes, Zhou Yi was hesitating whether to sneak a peek at the school when Gongsun Da Niang arrived at Hunyuan Palace, skipping and hopping.

It had been seven or eight days since she last left. Upon seeing Zhou Yi, the girl blushed, and the usually carefree girl transformed into a shy one.

"I've arrived in Luoyang, and I even saw the Heavenly Pivot that Sister Meiniang built. It's so majestic and powerful."

The Book of Changes says:

"History was completely ruined by Li Longji, so he shouldn't dare to act recklessly this time... Are the provisions in Luoyang ready?"

"I'm ready. I will give the grain from Luoyang's granary directly to Li Bai's brother, so they can fight without worrying about supplies. This will also ease the pressure on Chang'an."

The Book of Changes says:

"We're going to the provincial capital the day after tomorrow to get rid of that shaman. If you're going, bring the leaves of Emperor Gouchen with you these next two days. We'll set off early the day after tomorrow, first take a detour around the city, and then go to a scenic park to collect merit."

Upon hearing this, Lady Gongsun immediately went to fetch the Dragon-Slaying Sword:

"Haha, this young lady can take down a shaman with a single sword strike, leaving them nowhere to hide... Should I throw my sword into the clouds this time?"

Zhou Yi shook his head:

"No need. This time, Lao Han will be our support, so the whole process should be easy, not nearly as dangerous as the last time we killed the dragon."

Of course, although he said it was easy, Zhou Yi didn't dare to be careless. He brought all kinds of magical artifacts he could, including the Bagua mirror that could activate illusion arrays.

If the blind man makes a mistake, then use a Bagua mirror to cover it up... The story of Li Bai contemplating Baiyujing last time gave Zhou Yi a lot of inspiration. Recently, he has watched a lot of documentaries about Mount Everest and Antarctica.

If necessary, they could use the Bagua mirror to conjure up images, allowing that shaman to experience the extreme cold and lack of oxygen in Antarctica and Mount Everest without spending a penny... What a bargain for him!
(End of this chapter)