Ming Dynasty: Charge, Emperor Yongle!

With everyone watching, Lan Yu declared: I will kill the Prince of Yan in this lifetime!

At noon, the New Year's Day court assembly had just ended.

The emperor hosted a banquet, and civil and military officials, as well as envoys from various countries, gathered at the Fengtian Hall. The banquet was filled with a dazzling array of delicacies.

In addition to fine wine and delicacies, the envoys from various countries also received extra rewards: gold, silver, silk, calendars, and other items.

"My lords, drink to your hearts' content!"

With a broad smile, Zhu Yuanzhang rose from the dragon throne and raised the golden wine goblet in his hand.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The ministers raised their cups in return, drinking the pepper and cypress wine in one gulp.

This wine can only be drunk during the grand court assembly on New Year's Day, symbolizing the warding off of evil spirits and disease, and the wish for health and longevity.

For a time, the emperor and his ministers got along well and were very happy. Many people even toasted each other and had a great time.

"The sixth year of the Hongwu reign!"

Zhu Di witnessed this moment with his own eyes, and his mind was filled with wonderful thoughts.

Under his intervention, the Ming Dynasty not only destroyed the Northern Yuan, but also established three major protectorates, expanding its influence to the Western Regions, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and the Southwest. Its strength was incomparable to that of the original historical period.

This grand court assembly at the beginning of the year was a magnificent performance that combined politics, etiquette, culture, and diplomacy. With extremely complicated and strict ceremonies, it reaffirmed the supreme authority of the emperor and the hierarchical order of the bureaucratic system; and with the scene of various states coming to pay tribute, it demonstrated the empire's openness and confidence.

From the shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" in front of the Fengtian Hall to the sounds of firecrackers echoing through the streets and alleys, the entire Ming Dynasty solemnly and joyously began the cycle of a new year. This was not only a change of time, but also a profound practice of national identity and cultural cohesion.

Fourth brother.

"I salute you, brother!"

King Qin, Zhu, grinned broadly and raised his cup to toast Zhu Di with a simple, honest smile.

"Second brother, cheers!"

Zhu Di was somewhat amused and exasperated. He understood that Zhu was thanking him for helping him resolve the issue of Wang Yuemin, so he simply said nothing and drank it all in one gulp.

"Fourth brother."

Prince Zhu Gang of Jin appeared before Zhu Di, accompanied by a middle-aged military general.

"Your Highness, Prince Yan."

Xie Chengli immediately greeted Zhu Di.

"Third Brother, General Xie."

"What are you doing...?"

Zhu Di turned around and asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Both the Beiting Protectorate and the Mobei Protectorate were established by my fourth brother."

"My father-in-law has never been to Hexi, and there are some things I would like to ask my fourth brother for guidance on."

Zhu Gang spoke modestly, saying that Xie Cheng was his father-in-law, and that it would certainly be a good thing for him if he could be granted a noble title and appointed as a general.

"Please enlighten me, Your Highness!"

Xie Cheng also tactfully bowed. Even Marquis Lu Ju of Henan had taken the initiative to pledge allegiance to this Prince Yan, which shows the weight of Prince Yan, Zhu Di.

He wasn't particularly outstanding among the people of Huaixi to begin with, so why should he tie himself to this ship that was destined to sink?

"General Xie, there's no need for such formalities. Since Third Brother has spoken, how could I possibly refuse?"

Zhu Di smiled slightly and said gently, "If it were any other province, I would have nothing to say. However, Gansu Province and Shaanxi Province were indeed established through my word and by imperial decree. Xining Prefecture and Jinzhou were directly governed prefectures established to pacify the Western Barbarians and stabilize Qinghai."

"You came to the right place!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Cheng, the military commander of Gansu, was overjoyed; his trip had truly been worthwhile.

"Fourth brother."

"Stop beating around the bush."

Zhu Gang knew that Zhu Di was skilled in both literature and martial arts from a young age, and was no less capable than himself, so he often held back a lot of his words.

It is likely that the establishment of the two major provinces in the Northwest was based on the advice of the Emperor and the elder brother Zhu Biao after consulting with Zhu Di.

"it is good."

Zhu Di smiled and said, "The Yuan court established the Xuanzheng Yuan to govern the former Tibetan territories."

"This vast snow-covered plateau is not a monolith; it has many ethnic groups and significant regional and religious differences."

"Among them, Ü-Tsang is the most central region (present-day Lhasa, Shannan, Shigatse, etc.), with the largest population."

"Northern Tibet, also known as Qiangtang, is a vast and sparsely populated area, largely desolate."

"The eastern part is Duogansi (covering present-day southern Gansu, eastern and southern Qinghai, and parts of northwestern Sichuan)."

"The western region was divided between Guge and Ladakh."

"Dokgan is divided into three parts: Dorgon, which is close to Sichuan; Qinghai, which is close to Gansu and Shaanxi; and Yushu, which is south of Qinghai and north of Tibet."

"The people we commonly call 'Xifan' mainly live in Duogan, where the Qiang, Tibetan, and Han ethnic groups live together."

"The Yuan Dynasty referred to the various tribes in Qinghai as the Sariweiwu, which originated from the Uyghurs during the Tang and Song Dynasties."

"Yushu is mainly inhabited by the Qiang people since the Qin and Han dynasties."

"Our dynasty's next focus of development should be the southwest and the northwest, primarily the southwest, followed by the northwest."

"Compared to the unruly Qiang and Tibetan people, the Uyghurs of Qinghai are obviously more docile."

"The establishment of Xining Prefecture was not only for pacification, but also for opening up trade markets."

"I see!"

Xie Cheng and Zhu Gang seemed to be deep in thought.

"General Xie, the duty of the Gansu military commander is to cooperate with Xining Prefecture in pacifying Qinghai. Fighting is not the goal; governing is."

"If Sariweiw could submit to my Great Ming, why would we need to wage war?"

"Lanzhou is different. The Shaanxi military commander will be facing the plundering Western Barbarians, and a battle is inevitable."

Zhu Di didn't mind doing some good deeds for this future Marquis of Yongping of the Ming Dynasty.

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness. This humble general understands."

Xie Cheng's eyes gleamed, his mind filled with many calculations.

Military merit is not only earned through fighting; if he could pacify the various tribes in Qinghai, that would also be a great achievement.

The second son really did find it!

Prince Zhu Gang of Jin glanced at Prince Zhu of Qin, who was feasting beside him, and a shadow crossed his eyes.

He, who considered himself the second-ranking prince of the imperial clan, was assigned to the Shanxi province, which was free from any war, while Zhu assigned him to the Shaanxi province. In the future, he would get the credit for pacifying the Duogan region for nothing. Where can he complain?

"Your Highness."

"This humble general salutes you!"

Just then, Geng Bingwen and Fu Youde saw Xie Cheng taking the initiative to curry favor with Zhu Di, and the two stepped forward to offer him a toast.

"Marquis of Changxing, Marquis of Yingchuan".

"Drink this glass, and let bygones be bygones."

Zhu Di raised his cup in return, speaking heartily.

"Yes."

The two men's faces lit up with joy.

They didn't have much conflict with Zhu Di to begin with, and Geng Bingwen even provided some assistance to Zhu Di during the Battle of Mobei.

If they hadn't sided with the Huai Xi Xun Gui, they wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

Now that they've become provincial military commanders, what face can't they save?

They never expected Zhu Di to be so magnanimous, erasing everything from the past with a wave of his hand, which is truly admirable.

This scene was undoubtedly very irritating to the nobles of Huaixi. Xie Cheng was the father-in-law of the Prince of Jin and had not yet been granted a title, so they didn't care. However, Geng Bingwen and Fu Youde were second only to Duke Feng Sheng of Song in status among the people of Huaixi.

"snort!!!"

"Brother Feng, there's no need to pay attention to these opportunists."

"Let's drink our own."

Marquis Guo Xing of Gongchang spat out a curse and pulled Feng Sheng to drink.

His sister was one of Zhu Yuanzhang's concubines, his younger brother Guo Ying was the commander of the Left Jinwu Guard, and his maternal grandfather Guo Shanfu had served as Zhu Yuanzhang's chancellor.

He was told that he would surely achieve great things, so he didn't care about being called the Prince of Yan or a prince.

"Come on, drink!"

Feng Sheng glared at Zhu Di with hatred, then turned around and drank heartily with the nobles of Huaixi.

In another corner of the main hall, Lan Yu was equally sullen. Zhu Di had casually remarked that he had gone from being the head of the Beijing army to the General of Anbei, and that most of the rising stars he had befriended in Huaixi had been sent to Liaodong as commanders of the guards, and he might never see them again in this lifetime.

However, Zhu Di, the instigator, had no time to pay attention to these defeated dogs. Instead, he chatted happily with Geng Bingwen and Fu Youde.

"Marquis of Changxing".

"Shanxi may have no external enemies, but it has internal troubles."

"Please enlighten me, Your Highness!"

Geng Bingwen straightened his expression, corrected his attitude, and listened attentively.

"Since the end of the Yuan Dynasty, thanks to the terrain advantages of Shanxi, it has not suffered much from the ravages of war."

"Shanxi has a population of at least 350 million, second only to Shandong, which surpasses that of other northern provinces."

"In the third year of Hongwu's reign, due to the urgent need for military provisions in border areas such as Shanxi, the imperial court recruited merchants to transport grain in exchange for salt permits. With these permits, salt could be transported and sold in designated areas, a practice known as 'opening the market.' The following year, the 'Salt Regulations' were established, and the 'opening the market' law originated from this."

"Most Shanxi merchants rented land near the Great Wall to grow grain, paid military rations on the spot, and exchanged them for salt permits. They then transported the salt and tea bricks to the north and transported local leather, wool, and livestock to the south of the Yangtze River for sale, making a considerable profit."

"After the fall of the Northern Yuan, the Mongolian Plateau came under the rule of the Ming Dynasty. Shanxi merchants no longer needed to worry about war and only became more unruly."

"Within the imperial court, countless people from top to bottom were involved."

"The lid cannot completely cover the rot underneath; one day, the lid will be opened."

Zhu Di used a metaphor that sent shivers down Geng Bingwen's spine.

"Your Highness."

Geng Bingwen stared at the boy in front of him, his eyes filled with worry, fear, and unease.

"Marquis of Changxing".

"I have heard this saying: If there is a 20% profit, merchants will be eager to make money; if there is a 50% profit, merchants will take risks; if there is a 100% profit, merchants will dare to risk their lives; if there is a 300% profit, merchants will dare to trample on all laws."

Zhu Di said quietly.

The lessons of history are very clear: Shanxi merchants prospered through the Kaizhongfa (a type of trading company), but ended up supplying goods to the Later Jin dynasty at the end of the Ming dynasty, eventually becoming one of the eight major imperial merchants of the Qing dynasty.

This loophole must not be opened; it must be sealed off from the very beginning, and the world must be warned with severe punishments and laws.

"Huh?"

Geng Bingwen staggered back several steps, his mind reeling.

"With the opening of the Liaodong policy, people from Shanxi will inevitably flock to the area outside the Great Wall."

"The same applies to Gansu Province, Outer Mongolia, Beiting, and Southern Mongolia."

"Immigrants from Shandong and Shanxi to fill the vacancies in the northern provinces are an important next step for the Ming Dynasty."

"Shanxi has nine prefectures and 70 counties, with a total of 9,000 prefectural soldiers, 21000 county soldiers, and countless local inspectors."

"As the adjutant, you must keep a firm grip on your subordinates and train your soldiers in preparation for any eventuality."

"This is no small achievement; it's enough for you to return to the capital from Shanxi."

Zhu Di had a high opinion of Geng Bingwen. He was not good at attacking but good at defending. If he were placed in a strategically important border region, he would definitely be an iron shield.

"Thank you, Your Highness. This humble general understands."

Geng Bingwen bowed deeply, taking these words to heart.