Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 177 I'm not in a hurry, and neither are you! (Bonus chapter, please vote!)

Zhu Youjian slowly sheathed the sword, producing a clear "clang".

He walked back to his desk and sat down again.

Zhu Youjian looked at the piece of the sword he had cut off on the imperial desk, then gripped the emperor's sword in his hand, and an uncontrollable thought welled up from the bottom of his heart.

This sword and this table were both involved in this dramatic scene.

A century from now, they will likely become the crown jewels of the Ming Dynasty Imperial Museum.

And beneath them will be "tribute" from the entire Western world!
I will use the scepter of the King of England to suppress the memorial!

I will use the crown of the King of France to hold my writing brush and ink!

I will use the gold from the Spanish Armada to cast the palace steps!

I want to use the Dutch East India Company's nautical charts as carpets!
All the codes, arts and treasures that the Western people are so proud of will travel across the ocean and become ordinary furnishings in this museum, embellishments under my feet!

They will silently prove an irrefutable truth to future generations:

Under the Emperor's sword, no crown will remain!
Wherever the sun and moon shine, that is Han territory!

……

"cough."

Zhu Youjian coughed lightly, forcibly pulling himself out of this overly childish reverie.

Okay, let's stop this now.

The new policies in Beizhili haven't even been fully implemented yet, and they're already thinking about conquering the world? That's far too ambitious.

First, ensure that the Ming Dynasty survives this global mini ice age, then we can talk about other things.

He composed himself, adjusted his posture, and then slowly spoke, his voice regaining its usual calmness.

"My lords, rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The ministers rose and returned to their seats, but their expressions still carried a lingering sense of excitement and awe.

As soon as Huo Weihua stood up, he was about to bow again and speak, as if he wanted to say something more to express his loyalty.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Youjian quickly raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Minister Huo," he said first, "your words and actions today, if placed in the past, would already be a beautiful story of harmonious relations between ruler and subject."

"Who knows, according to the routines of those traditional plays, the next line would be 'Jian is in the Emperor's heart,' and then he should rise to prominence and achieve great success."

Zhu Youjian paused, then abruptly changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over Huo Weihua before turning to all the ministers in the hall.

"But as I have said before, from this day forward, the rewards and punishments of the Ming Dynasty will not be determined by the Emperor's personal likes or dislikes, but only by the magnitude of the achievements."

"Therefore, although I admire Minister Huo's sincerity, in the end, everything still depends on the concrete things you do."

He leaned forward slightly, staring into Huo Weihua's eyes, and asked, word by word:

"Well, Minister Huo, are you confident that you can become the first capable minister in our Great Ming Dynasty to be awarded ten gold coins based on actual merit under this new policy?!"

"Are you confident that you can personally receive that earldom from my hands?!"

Huo Weihua was stunned.

He was interrupted by the emperor several times in a row. If he still couldn't sense the emperor's impatience with this "performance," then he would have wasted all those years in the officialdom.

The emperor was telling him that the play was over.

Now, let's get down to business.

He remained silent for a moment, swallowing back the impassioned words that had already reached his lips. In the end, he chose to quote a classical allusion to conclude this confrontation between the monarch and his minister.

He bowed deeply and said in a solemn voice, "Becoming a marquis is not my wish; I only wish for peace on the seas. I will take Qi Shaobao's words as my guide and dedicate myself to Your Majesty and the Ming Dynasty until my dying breath!"

“What a wonderful ‘May the seas be calm’!”

Zhu Youjian nodded approvingly. Seeing that Huo Yingdi had stopped acting at the same time, he said no more and directly changed the subject to business.

"I approve your final report regarding the investigation and anti-corruption efforts in various towns. However, there are a few details I would like to add."

"Firstly, you will take the lead in the matter of reinstating officials and selecting cadres in the capital, with the Ministry of Personnel assisting. Once the list is drafted, submit it directly to me for a decision."

"Secondly, I have granted your request to add palace eunuchs, Eastern Depot officials, and Embroidered Uniform Guard officers to the various audit teams for oversight. After court, you can go and ask Gao Shiming for the people."

"Thirdly," Zhu Youjian emphasized, "since we've gathered these seven groups of people to conduct this thorough investigation, let's make it even more solid."

"I order your department to, after clearing up the troop quotas and salaries for all your forces, not to rush back to the capital. Instead, stay in Liaodong for several months and, together with Commander-in-Chief Sun, to re-determine the troop quotas for the entire Ji-Liao region!"

"What is the current number of personnel? How many more will be needed if we want to hold our ground? How many more will be needed if we want to launch a counterattack? How will the civilian and capital transportation support these personnel be managed? How will sea and land transportation be handled? All expenses for warhorses, military equipment, fortifications, and other necessities will be carefully calculated and compiled into a clear and organized ledger!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Huo Weihua immediately bowed and accepted the order: "Your subject obeys!"

Zhu Youjian nodded slightly, but his gaze went past him and landed further away. "The details of the Liaodong matter will have to wait for Governor Sun and you to discuss and decide. I will not discuss the details today, but I want to tell you all the general outline of my thoughts."

He looked at the crowd, his voice steady and powerful.

"The Liaodong conflict has dragged on for almost ten years. I have had several private talks with Commander-in-Chief Sun, reviewing the past battles and discovering that there are many reasons for the defeats. Ultimately, it all comes down to one word: 'impatience'."

"The Battle of Sarhu gathered 80,000 troops, along with Korean and Haixi Jurchens, totaling 110,000, and was said to number 470,000."

"However, Du Song and Liu Ting were retired veterans, and the soldiers in each army were drawn from Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Sichuan, Shaanxi and other places."

"To send this army, whose soldiers know nothing of their generals and whose generals know nothing of their soldiers, to fight against 60,000 well-rested and exhausted slaves is no different from throwing eggs against rocks!"

"Moreover, the final decision on the day of deployment was not based on the timing, the terrain, or the opportunity of battle, but only on the concern that the troops were exhausted and supplies were scarce, which is why the troops were hastily deployed."

"How can we possibly avoid defeat when this battle is so absurd!"

Zhu Youjian looked around at everyone, his tone indifferent.

"I executed Yang Hao because he was a disgrace to the country and its borders, and I had no choice but to do so."

"But if we really talk about success or failure based on merit, how could this grand scheme be ruined by Yang Hao alone!"

"In the subsequent Liaoshen Campaign, the Guangning Campaign, the Jin-Fuhaigai Campaign... in which of these battles was it not due to insufficient provisions, incomplete military equipment, untrained soldiers, and undisciplined officers, that they attempted to seize the opportunity to achieve the glory of destroying a country?"

"Time and time again, they were defeated! It wasn't until the Second Battle of Ningyuan and Ningjin that they managed to stabilize their position a little, yet some people started talking about destroying the slaves again. How absurd and short-sighted!"

Zhu Youjian's voice echoed in the hall, each word striking the hearts of his ministers.

"Therefore, what I have decided for Liaodong is a 'ten-year plan'."

"The first two years focused on reducing the number of soldiers and investigating corruption. The next three years focused on training soldiers and stockpiling grain and fodder."

"Unless we have 150,000 elite troops from Liaodong and 150,000 reinforcements from within the Great Wall, totaling 300,000 troops, and ample provisions, I will never speak of a decisive battle!"

"Five years later, we will be able to use a righteous army to exert overwhelming force!"

"The first battle was fought at Guangning, the second at Liaoshen, the third at Kaiyuan, and the fourth at pursuing the fleeing enemy, destroying their stronghold, and exterminating their race!"

"If five years isn't enough, then seven! If seven years isn't enough, then ten! If ten years isn't enough, then twenty!"

"Before this," Zhu Youjian said, his gaze sweeping across the room, "all matters related to fighting corruption, eliminating abuses, building cities, establishing military farms, and training troops will be recorded as merits!"

"If we can train the troops well and prepare the provisions, the positions of earl and marquis will be vacant!"

"Whoever can annihilate the Later Jin dynasty and take the heads of the four Jurchen princes will be granted the title of duke, which I will not hesitate to bestow!"

At this point, Zhu Youjian tried his best to reveal his sincerity:

"Today, I would like to speak frankly and sincerely with all my ministers."

"I am only seventeen years old this year. I draw my bow sixty times a day and lift a stone one hundred times. I eat a light diet and dare not eat too much oil, salt, or meat. This is not because I want to live forever, but because I am afraid that my body will be ruined and I will neglect the affairs of the country and cause turmoil in the country again."

"My words and actions, whether it be the new policies in Beizhili or the military affairs in Jiliao, have always been about seeking slowness rather than haste, and stability rather than rashness."

"Therefore, I am not in a hurry at all, and I will absolutely not allow you to have any thoughts of being hasty or rash!"

——This is a lie.

Zhu Youjian was just as anxious as King Jiji.

Two years before Yongchang, the new policies had at least shown some improvement.

Ten years ago, Yongchang believed that the entire Ming Dynasty was about to enter a new market.

Otherwise, even if a sage ruler were to be reborn, or even if the Jade Emperor himself descended to earth, he could not save the Ming Dynasty.

Otherwise, Zhu Youjian wouldn't have forced Wei Zhongxian to his death as soon as he ascended the throne, and then personally stepped in to become the "new party leader."

However, the haste in tactics and the rush to improve execution efficiency must not escalate into strategic impetuosity.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian was determined to suppress the slogans, the tone, the rhythm, and the emotions that could be suppressed.

It appears fast but is actually slow; that's exactly what it means.

Zhu Youjian paused for a moment before uttering the final sentence:
"My esteemed ministers, have you all understood?"

After a brief silence, Li Guopu stood up, straightened his clothes, and bowed deeply to Zhu Youjian.

"Our lord does not rely on unpredictability for power, but on unwavering loyalty; he does not concern himself with temporary gains, but with the foundation for lasting prosperity. His ability to overcome difficulties and exercise patience is truly a great fortune for the nation!"

Zhu Youjian nodded with satisfaction and gestured for Li Guopu to sit down.

The matter concerning the Ministry of War has now been definitively settled.

He then turned his gaze to the last person at today's court assembly.

"Minister of Revenue Guo Yunhou, it's your turn. Stand up and receive the order."

(End of this chapter)