The Ming Dynasty: A Modern Return, Building an Overseas Empire

Chapter 76 Zhu Di's Ruthlessness, Zhu Gaosui's Calmness

Zhu Di felt a mix of emotions. He hadn't expected things to develop to this point.

Originally, his initial goal was not to act immediately, but to wait until Zhu Gaochi went to sea before taking action, in order to intimidate Zhu Gaochi and those people.

Zhu Gaoxu went to sea to assume his fiefdom. Zhu Gaochi and those people probably thought that Zhu Gaochi's position was more secure, and that they would gather around Zhu Gaochi.

Zhu Di was worried that this would make Zhu Gaochi's power even greater and directly threaten him, and he also wanted to prevent Zhu Gaochi from becoming arrogant and wanting to oppose him and compete for power.

He didn't want to deal with Zhu Gaochi at that time, but rather wanted to use these actions to intimidate everyone.

Let everyone understand this: even if Zhu Gaochi goes to sea, as long as the Ming Dynasty is in power, no one can cause any trouble.

The list given to Zhu Gaosui consisted of people who only knew how to oppose him, people he had wanted to get rid of for a long time.

The group of people that Zhu Gaosui was secretly keeping an eye on were actually the orphans of the Jingnan Rebellion. There weren't many of them, and this time he just wanted to deal with them on the grounds of being orphans of the Jingnan Rebellion.

In addition to this, Zhu Di also had another purpose: to obtain funds and provisions for his northern expedition by confiscating the property of these people.

These people were not only used to intimidate Zhu Gaochi and those with ulterior motives, but also to intimidate those who did not want him to go on the northern expedition and were unwilling to contribute money and supplies.

But things had progressed to this point, and many of his plans had ended before they even began.

He didn't even have a chance to pin the blame on the survivors of the Jingnan Rebellion, but the literati and officials labeled them as rebels and colluding with the remnants of the Yuan dynasty.

They again took the initiative to donate money and grain, and various places cooperated by actively paying a lot of taxes, which were supposedly the people's support in the form of money and grain.

He was prepared to be criticized, but he didn't hear a single curse.

The stubborn Censorate instead began impeaching its subordinates. Countless corrupt officials from various regions were impeached, and countless assets were confiscated.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards were so busy they barely had time to breathe. Those who usually disliked them were now completely cooperative, and not a single person wrote a letter criticizing them.

Now, the northern expedition seems to be no longer just his business, but the common wish of the entire Ming Dynasty and all its civil and military officials.

Those scholars and officials were even more eager than him to have the court launch a northern expedition.

Whatever the army lacked, he didn't even need to say it; his subordinates would take care of it all for him.

Zhu Di's complexity lies here.

Despite the fact that things have developed to this point, a situation he never dared to dream of, Zhu Di showed no joy whatsoever.

Zhu Di wanted to figure out exactly how the winds of change had suddenly shifted, leading to the current situation.

After much thought, Zhu Di concluded that the answer was that it was because he had taken drastic measures this time.

Moreover, he directly targeted Zhu Gaochi and the Crown Prince, especially Yang Pu, whom he ruthlessly killed, including all those who rose to the rank of Vice Minister, showing everyone that he was truly going all out this time.

These people were all afraid; they were all filled with fear.

In order to save their own lives, these people pushed those being investigated out to their deaths, and one by one, they actively cooperated with everything in order to save their own lives.

Zhu Di was reluctant to admit that the whole thing was so simple, but in the end he had no choice but to believe it.

This time, he was fully prepared to be called a tyrant, and he was even prepared to give up his so-called reputation.

But those people were afraid of death, and in the end, they all became afraid.

Thinking of this, Zhu Di gave a self-deprecating smile.

He has been on the throne for more than ten years. After ascending the throne, in order to get rid of those infamy, he actually made concessions to these civil officials and scholars.

He values these people and gives them important positions.

Everything they did was constrained. Whether it was conquering Annam, launching a northern expedition against the Tatars, strengthening their control over the Nurgan Regional Military Commission in the northeast, or Hami in the northwest, they all encountered considerable opposition.

At that time, he was only dealing with typical cases, but he didn't actually kill anyone.

Even Xie Jin, who was demoted twice, still courted death and died nearly three years later.

This time, he didn't choose to endure it any longer, and the situation became completely different.

Instead of showing them respect, these people became increasingly demanding.

It was only at this point that Zhu Di realized how right Zhu Yuanzhang had been.

Some people just deserve to be killed.

Only by killing can these people feel fear, and only then will they realize that they are merely subjects of the Ming Dynasty, and only then will they know to do their jobs properly.

Zhu Di thought about it a lot, and after gradually understanding, he finally smiled.

Since these people are resistant to force and prefer the methods of Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, he doesn't mind using those methods.

Zhu Di has now completely let go of his worries; he no longer cares about reputation.

Now all he wants is for the Ming Dynasty to become strong and for the Ming Dynasty to eliminate the threat from the north.

As for right and wrong, merit and demerit, let future generations judge.

Even though he was called a tyrant, he accepted it!

As long as he can achieve his goal, as long as the Ming Dynasty becomes prosperous and strong, the people live in peace and the country is rich and powerful, as long as he can completely wipe out the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty, he will bear the blame of thousands of people and curses alone!

After figuring things out, Zhu Di felt much more relaxed, and even his breathing became much smoother.

At this moment, Zhu Gaosui hurried over.

"Father, the arrests are complete! Everyone's been apprehended!"

"Third brother, have you really taken it down? In the Jiangnan region, some people escaped before the Embroidered Uniform Guard even made a move, right?"

You've only just begun to take action in the capital, and people outside already know about it.

"How could you possibly be a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

Zhu Di looked at the agitated Zhu Gaosui and, without any mercy, launched into a tirade of abuse.

In fact, he did some of these things himself, and he tacitly approved of others.

He didn't pursue Zhu Gaosui before because he needed Zhu Gaosui to do things for him.

Now that the matter is settled, if we don't reveal it now, how will Zhu Gaosui bestow rewards?

Zhu Gaosui has no more titles to bestow, so should we really make him the crown prince?

Zhu Di preferred Zhu Gaoxu to be the crown prince rather than Zhu Gaosui.

Zhu Gaosui stared wide-eyed at Zhu Di, completely stunned.

Those things had always existed before, and he had explained them to Zhu Di. Zhu Di had tacitly approved of them, so how did they become his fault now?

He was the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but did he really have complete control over the Embroidered Uniform Guard? Didn't Zhu Di have any idea of this himself?

Then he thought back to when Zhu Di held his hand at Jiming Temple.

At that time, Zhu Di himself said that the eldest son was often ill and the second son was not very bright, so he should work harder.

Now that the matter is settled, are you going to turn your back on us? Are you starting to find fault with him now?

Zhu Gaosui gradually came to his senses. He did not argue with Zhu Di, nor did he resist. His heart grew colder and colder.

At this moment, Zhu Gaosui had given up hope. He knew that he could not win that position by competing normally.

Zhu Gaosui really wanted to laugh, really wanted to laugh out loud and unrestrainedly.

He had previously been secretly mocking Zhu Gaoxu and cursing him for being stupid and being manipulated by Zhu Di.

Only now did he realize that he was even less capable than Zhu Gaoxu.

Although Zhu Di's use of Zhu Gaoxu was a blow, he still left Zhu Gaoxu with at least a glimmer of hope.

What about his turn?

There's nothing left.

This commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, do you really think he's something special?

As for questioning Zhu Di, he still vividly remembers what happened to Zhu Gaoxu at Jiming Temple.

Zhu Gaoxu has already questioned him, but was it useful? Did it have any effect whatsoever?

In the end, it was abandoned by Zhu Di and used by him to establish Zhu Gaochi's authority.

If Zhu Gaoxu hadn't given up on himself and insisted on going to sea to take up his fiefdom, would he still have any dignity as the Prince of Han of the Ming Dynasty?

And now, it's his turn.

Zhu Gaosui hated himself for believing Zhu Di's words.

Zhu Di said so many things to Zhu Gaochi, but he never kept them. Why should Zhu Gaochi believe them?

Zhu Gaosui was heartbroken, and hatred and regret kept growing in his heart.

However, Zhu Gaosui's expression remained completely calm, utterly calm.

"Father, I understand. It was my fault. I'm going back."

Zhu Gaosui stood up, not forgetting to bow to Zhu Di, and then withdrew.

Zhu Di felt a pang of pain in his heart as he watched Zhu Gaosui's departing figure.

He noticed Zhu Gaosui's unusual behavior.

For a fleeting moment, Zhu Di felt a pang of sympathy.

But in the end, I made up my mind.

Zhu Di closed his eyes, and a tear silently rolled down his cheek.