The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 60 The Emperor Regrets
Yingtian seemed to have been put on pause, silent and filled with a silent sense of unease.

A sense of absurdity filled everyone's heart.

The imperial court spent two and a half years suppressing the rebellion, only to find that the rebels had been driven all the way to the banks of the Yangtze River.

Half a year ago, the situation was much better. The Yan army was holed up in Beiping and was being gradually eroded by the court. At that time, all the officials in the court were calling the Yan rebels and commoners, as if they could destroy the Yan king at any time.

Is this the result?

Some people even had wild speculations: was Yingtian really unsuitable as a capital city?
Why are the dynasties established here so short-lived? If the Prince of Yan hadn't been the eldest son of the late emperor, wouldn't the mighty Ming Dynasty have perished after only two generations?

In this atmosphere, many people naturally thought of the long-absent Imperial Son-in-Law Li Qi and lamented, "If His Majesty the Emperor had listened to Imperial Son-in-Law Li Qi's advice, would we have suffered this calamity today?"

Although Li Qi has been semi-retired for the past few years, he has not completely disappeared. He has been writing books and occasionally uttering snippets of his thoughts. He still has a group of disciples around him who are promoting his ideas, which are very righteous.

Naturally, some comments about the Jingnan Rebellion were leaked.

"Your Majesty should not be angered and raise an army. The court has a great and powerful influence, so it should use that influence to suppress it in a grand and imposing manner."

The Prince of Yan's rebellion proves that the previous policy of weakening the power of the princes was a mistake. The priority should be to appease the remaining princes, so as to unify the realm, connect the princes, and ensure mutual support. A line should be formed from Liaodong, Shanxi, Henan, and Shandong, and the Prince of Yan will inevitably be trapped in his own territory.

After the imperial court dispatched Geng Bingwen, rumors circulated that "the imperial court's decision to send generals north is an unwise move, as it is a case of the weak attacking the strong northern army."

Weapons are instruments of destruction; the best strategy is to subdue the enemy without fighting.

In the past, when Wei and Shu were at war, Sima Yi would stubbornly defend his city, wearing down Zhuge Liang's forces. Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, would often hold his city, deplete its supplies, and then launch a counterattack. Using strength to bully the weak and relying on power to oppress the weak—this was the way to victory.

Other examples include, "On the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes; only the principle of victory and defeat matters. Even fathers and sons, brothers, must fight each other. How can one consider the feelings between uncles and nephews and bind one's own hands?"

These things naturally reached the emperor's ears, but because they were said by Li Qi, Zhu Yunwen didn't want to hear a single word...

Li Qi deliberately spread the word. He knew Zhu Yunwen's personality too well and knew that even if he told Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Yunwen wouldn't listen and would even deliberately avoid these choices.

And indeed, that proved to be true.

With his covert assistance, Zhu Di captured Yangzhou a year earlier than in history, and his elaborate plan was ultimately not in vain.

……

It was the transition between summer and autumn, with the morning light gently warm and a refreshing breeze occasionally blowing. The iron hooves of the Yan army were stationed on the north bank of the Yangtze River, and the fragrance of cosmetics along the eight hundred li of the Qinhuai River had completely dissipated.

The willows at Princess Lin'an's residence still swayed gently, and the sound of reading aloud drifted from the small window. Li Xianmu, as always, served his father.

"His Highness the Prince of Yan has come from the north. Is Father perhaps feeling restless and yearning for more activity?"

Li Xianmu knew that his father had been in a good mood these past few days.

Li Qi turned to look at his son; he was indeed very happy.

If Zhu Di had arrived here a year earlier, the imperial examination could have been held a year earlier, and he could probably have seen Li Xianmu become the top scholar.

"The current state of affairs, while not entirely within reason, was certainly foreseeable. The change of imperial power is always a time to accumulate merit, and as your father, I naturally have something to do, concerning both the family and the world." Li Qi knew it was time for him to step up and earn merit. Whether the Duke of Han's family could be removed from the "Records of Traitors" depended on how much merit he could accumulate in front of Zhu Di this time!
Zhu Di and Zhu Yuanzhang were similar in many ways, but also very different. For example, Zhu Di's treatment of meritorious officials was unparalleled among emperors throughout history. Almost all the meritorious officials of the Jingnan Campaign inherited their positions and remained wealthy and powerful until the fall of the Ming Dynasty. This was unprecedented in the history of all dynasties.

Many later authors of fan fiction about Dream of the Red Chamber set the story in the Ming Dynasty. However, if the Ning and Rong families were indeed noble families in the Ming Dynasty, the Jia family's titles would not have been lowered with each generation, and the little things the Jia family did would not have led to the confiscation of their property. The imperial family would have only given them a reprimand and then let them continue to enjoy their wealth and status.

In terms of sharing weal and woe with the nation, the Ming emperors truly kept their promise to the meritorious nobles.

If the system's goal wasn't a family legacy of 500 years, but rather 200 years, he wouldn't need to go through all this trouble. He could simply follow Zhu Di in his campaign against the Ming Dynasty, obtain a hereditary dukedom, and then lie low until the end of the Ming Dynasty, thus successfully passing the test.

"His Highness Prince Yan's personality is somewhat like that of the late emperor in some aspects. He is rather tyrannical and bloodthirsty. Since he raised the army to quell the rebellion, he has encountered unimaginable hardships and experienced countless life-and-death situations before finally standing at the pinnacle."

He'll definitely go on a killing spree...

Li Xianmu pondered for a moment, then raised his head and asked, "Father, are you going to rescue Emperor Jianwen's loyal ministers? His Highness the Prince of Yan will not be pleased."

War is a gamble; both sides are betting their lives. If His Highness Prince Yan loses, the entire Prince's household will perish. This is a difficult situation.

"It's difficult, but not impossible."

Li Qi picked up his brush and drew on the Xuan paper, then wrote the four characters "White Hat King". "There must be something that can make him let go of those past grudges, and making this happen is a good thing for both the family and the whole world."

If this matter can be brought to fruition, the Li family's prestige will be greatly enhanced, which will be a wealth that they can benefit from for a very long time.

……

Zhu Yunwen in the palace was already deeply regretful. He never expected that simply reducing the power of the princes would lead to the loss of his throne.

Just as outsiders might have guessed, he couldn't help but think of Li Qi at this moment. Since the thirty-first year of the Hongwu reign, Li Qi's words had always been correct!
If Li Qi's method of weakening the power of the princes had been followed, the Prince of Yan might not have rebelled at all. And if Li Qi's method had been followed after the Prince of Yan rebelled, the rebellion might have been quelled long ago.

The most painful thing in the world is "once within reach but lost", let alone the "supreme throne" that he is about to lose. Regret is a poison that rots the guts, and there is no antidote in the world!

Since Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng were not in Yingtian, he could only seek advice from Fang Xiaoru. Perhaps no one will ever understand why the emperor still trusted Fang Xiaoru in the end, even though Fang Xiaoru had proven his incompetence countless times.

History can't give anyone the answers.

One can only say that Zhu Yunwen was perhaps truly foolish.

Zhu Di had already gone this far, and he was not going to stop. As the morning sun rose, he rode his proud warhorse and lashed out with his whip!
"One last battle is about to begin!"

Fate chose Zhu Di, who was about to rise from a rebel to become emperor.

The Yan army drank from the Yangtze River, and their whips pointed towards Yingtian!

Cross the river!

Cross the river!

Zhu Di gazed towards the south of the Yangtze River.

The mighty Yangtze River flows eastward, its waves washing away the heroes of the past!
Who is destined for greatness?
Only blood and swords can make God bestow a crown!
(End of this chapter)