Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 102: Intensifying the efforts, is the God of War about to come out?

"I, Prince Di of Yan, have long heard of the name of my nephew, Prince Wu. He is gifted, well-read, talented, and of high moral character. He is truly the jewel of the royal family and the treasure of the country."

“Although I am old, I still feel that I am not very knowledgeable, so I admire them and want to find ways to improve myself.”

"Now, after careful consideration, I have decided to break the usual rules and not be bound by seniority. I am here to ask my nephew to be my teacher."

"This may go against common sense, but I firmly believe in the words of the saints. For the sake of learning, one should not be ashamed to ask questions."

"There is no distinction between the old and the young in learning, and no distinction between close and distant teachers. Only the talented can be promoted, and this is the right path."

"Therefore, I am announcing this to the world, hoping that everyone can understand my intentions and join me in this endeavor."

"May we join hands and do our best for the prosperity of our country and the well-being of the people."

"Please ask my nephew, the King of Wu, to teach me."

"I will strictly abide by the way of a disciple, learn with an open mind, and work diligently."

"Respectfully presented by Prince Di of Yan!"

……

The "Da Ming Daily" published this apprenticeship announcement, and at the same time, it also published the news that the Daming Military Academy was officially established.

As soon as it was announced, the whole city of Jinling was instantly in an uproar.

The founding duke's mansion.

During this period, Chang Sheng lived a life of both happiness and anxiety.

The good news is that his nephew, Prince of Wu Zhu Yunhuan, has secured a stable position and has been ordered to govern the country.

What is worrying is that Zhu Yunhuan was assassinated and no one knows how serious the injuries were.

He went to visit her many times but was turned away each time.

It was not until the day before yesterday that he heard that the King of Wu had officially begun to govern the country, which made him feel a little relieved.

Immediately afterwards, today I received the news that Prince of Yan Zhu Di wanted to be my disciple.

"My nephew has really done something big!"

Chang Sheng slapped his thigh.

The Prince of Yan is the fourth son of the Emperor and the uncle of Zhu Yunhuan. When he takes Zhu Yunhuan as his teacher, doesn’t that mean he acknowledges his position as the crown prince?
Besides, with the Prince of Yan taking the lead, wouldn't all the generals and nobles in the court have to follow suit and worship the Prince of Wu as their teacher?
From then on, all the generals in the world were disciples of the King of Wu.

It was only natural for King Wu to succeed to the throne.

Thinking of this, Chang Sheng could no longer sit still.

He immediately summoned all the military generals and nobles who were on good terms with him.

"Have you heard about King Wu founding the Ming Military Academy?"

"The King of Yan has gone to worship the King of Wu as his teacher."

"I am the uncle of King Wu, so naturally I have to take him as my teacher."

"As for you, do as you please."

After hearing his words, how could these generals and nobles not know what to do?

Everyone rushed to express their desire to study at the Ming Military Academy and become disciples of King Wu.

As for whether they would have to study and train hard in the Ming Military Academy, and whether they could endure the hardship, these thoughts and ideas had long been thrown away by them in Java.

……

Compared with the enthusiasm of Ru Changsheng and his group of friends, the reactions of other people in Beijing were much different.

As the Ming Daily made it public, people were also talking about it.

"Isn't the King of Yan the uncle of the King of Wu? Why does he want to worship the King of Wu as his teacher?"

"Yes, if this happens, wouldn't the seniority be messed up?"

"The King of Yan is the uncle of the King of Wu, and the King of Wu is the teacher of the King of Yan. So, who listens to whom?"

"Of course students listen to their teachers."

"No, it's the nephew who listens to his uncle."

……

"Actually, we can discuss our own issues."

"As the sage said: When three people walk together, there must be one who can be my teacher. The King of Yan is eager to learn and has the ambition to be a sage!"

"The King of Wu is now the regent and will soon be appointed as the crown prince. He will become the emperor in the future. No matter how senior the King of Yan is, he can't be older than the emperor, right?"

"More than that. The King of Wu has established the Ming Military Academy in the name of recruiting generals from all over the world as his students. This is to consolidate his foundation in the army. The King of Yan is doing this to lend a helping hand to the King of Wu, so that those noble generals who are much older than the King of Wu cannot raise their own status. This is the duty of a minister!"

Among the people, there are also some people with a little insight who can see the subtleties in this.

"So, the future master of the Ming Dynasty must be His Royal Highness Prince Wu?"

"Is this even necessary? Otherwise, why did Your Majesty appoint the King of Wu as regent?"

"King Wu is great! I've heard that 'When the King of Wu is enthroned, the world will prosper, and the world will be stable from then on; there will be 800 years of peace'." It means that as long as the King of Wu becomes emperor, the world will prosper, and there will be 800 years of peace and prosperity!"

"I have also heard about this. It is said that this was passed down by the gods."

"Now that Your Majesty wants King Wu to succeed to the throne, isn't this exactly what he said?"

"So, we ordinary people will have a good life in the future?"

……

"Despicable and shameless!" Huang Zicheng stomped his feet in anger when he heard the news.

"Is there any reason in the world for an uncle to take his nephew as his teacher?"

"Isn't this a violation of the order of generations and moral principles?"

"I never thought that the dignified King Yan could be so shameless!"

Fang Xiaoru was much calmer than him.

"There is no priority in learning, the master is the teacher."

“Don’t be ashamed to ask questions from those below you, and don’t go against the teachings of the sages.”

Huang Zicheng glanced at him and said in dissatisfaction: "Brother Fang, why are you still speaking for that shameless Prince of Yan?" Fang Xiaoru said: "I am just speaking frankly."

"Although the King of Yan's actions are contrary to common sense, if he is truly interested in learning, he can also be a role model for the world."

"Unfortunately, it's not."

He shook his head and said, "The King of Yan is not being studious, but simply trying to curry favor with the King of Wu and beg for mercy. It's pathetic and lamentable."

Zhu Yunwen was still planning how to kill Zhu Yunhuan at his mother's birthday party, but seeing him so triumphant, he couldn't help but feel hatred in his heart, and became more determined to kill Zhu Yunhuan.

Because he had something on his mind, he remained silent about the discussion between Huang Zicheng and Fang Xiaoru.

Huang Zicheng cursed and frowned.

"We will set up the Great Ming Military Academy and recruit military generals, nobles, the left and right governors of the Five Military Governors' Office, assistant governors, judges, and commanders stationed in various places as our disciples."

"In this way, all the generals in the world are his disciples."

"Who else in the Ming Dynasty can threaten his position?"

Fang Xiaoru sighed, "It's no use scolding them now."

"Can you really scold someone to death?"

"But." He stroked his beard and said, "Your Majesty has just appointed him as regent, and he has done this, accepting all the great generals in the world as his disciples. Does Your Majesty really not suspect anything?"

Huang Zicheng was stunned, and said with some suspicion: "The current emperor is different. You were also present at the court that day. Your Majesty has deep feelings for the late crown prince and wishes to hand over the country to him personally."

"Lan Yu openly said that he would follow His Majesty the Crown Prince in rebellion, but His Majesty not only did not punish him, but rewarded him generously instead."

"No!" Fang Xiaoru shook his head: "How can the weight of a divine weapon be compared to ordinary things?"

"Your Majesty lost your son not long ago. That day in the court, you suddenly felt nostalgic for him, so your emotions were different from usual."

"But I don't believe that if the King of Wu really wants to seize the artifact, Your Majesty will remain indifferent!"

Huang Zicheng hesitated for a moment and said, "Then according to your opinion, what should we do?"

"Continue to spread rumors that the King of Wu should be the emperor." Fang Xiaoru said, "We have already made arrangements before, and now we just need to increase the intensity."

"This..." Huang Zicheng hesitated.

Fang Xiaoru blew his beard and said, "What are you afraid of? The King of Wu first seized the treasury of the Ministry of Revenue, and now he is trying to seize the military power in the name of running a military academy. If he can create momentum, have both soldiers and money, he will be the undisputed number one in the world."

"Your Majesty is still alive. I don't believe Your Majesty can really tolerate him!"

Huang Zicheng looked at Zhu Yunwen and asked, "What do you think, Your Highness?"

In his opinion, Zhu Yunwen, as Zhu Yuanzhang's grandson, naturally understood Zhu Yuanzhang's character better.

At this moment, Zhu Yunwen's mind was full of plans to kill Zhu Yunhuan at his mother's birthday party, and he was not interested in the plans of the two of them.

Upon hearing this, he immediately said, "Just leave it to the two teachers to decide."

"Since His Royal Highness Prince Xian has no objection, then let's follow Brother Fang's advice."

Huang Zicheng thought for a moment and said, "Since Prince Yan has taken the lead, I'm afraid Duke Liang Lan Yu will follow suit immediately."

Fang Xiaoru sneered, "Although Lan Yu is the Duke of Liang, he has already lost his dignity and is extremely shameless. With the Prince of Yan taking the lead, he will definitely follow suit."

Huang Zicheng smiled and said, "Perhaps, we can make a big fuss out of this."

Fang Xiaoru asked quickly, "Does Brother Huang have any good ideas?"

Huang Zicheng stood up, walked forward a few steps, turned around, and said with a smile: "Prince Yan and Lan Yu are shameless, but other military generals and nobles may not be."

"Now that the Prince of Yan is taking the lead and Lan Yu is following suit, will the other generals and nobles follow suit?"

"After all, the King of Wu is their junior, so they are somewhat dissatisfied in their hearts."

"If I don't follow, the situation is so pressing that I'm afraid I have no choice but to do so."

Fang Xiaoru shook his head repeatedly and said, "In my opinion, even if those military generals and nobles are a little dissatisfied, they will not oppose the King of Wu on this matter."

"Others can't do it, but there is one person who can." Huang Zicheng said a person's name: "Duke Cao Li Jinglong!"

"Him?" Fang Xiaoru frowned.

"Yes, it is this person." Huang Zicheng said: "This person is the son of Li Wenzhong, also a royal relative, and inherited the title of Duke of Cao."

"Li Jinglong has loved reading military books since he was young. He is diligent and studious, and has a graceful demeanor. Although he is from a noble family, he is not like an ordinary playboy who spends his days in debauchery. Instead, he is very motivated and therefore highly valued by your majesty."

"A few years ago, he married Princess Yangcheng and was granted the title of Prince Consort Duwei."

"After all, Li Jinglong is also the uncle of the King of Wu."

The seniority here is actually a bit confusing.

Because Li Wenzhong was Zhu Yuanzhang's nephew.

But Li Jinglong, as the son of Li Wenzhong, married Zhu Yuanzhang's daughter, who was his cousin!

However, most ancient people did not care much about such things.

There are many cases where a father marries the elder sister and a son marries the younger sister.

Of course, there is an objective reason, which is that in ancient times people had many children, and the age difference between sisters might be more than ten or twenty years.

They are of different generations, but their ages may just match.

This also adds to the confusion.

Huang Zicheng continued: "Now the King of Yan is so shameless that he openly worships the King of Wu as his teacher."

"But Li Jinglong has always been very self-righteous. I am sure he will not want to follow suit and may even try to stop the Prince of Yan from doing this."

Fang Xiaoru's eyes lit up and he asked, "Are you sure?"

Huang Zicheng smiled and said, "I have dealt with Duke Cao several times before and I know what kind of person he is."

"As long as someone stirs up trouble over this matter, he will definitely feel unbearable and stand up to oppose it."

Fang Xiaoru asked, "Could it be possible that Brother Huang could be a lobbyist?"

Huang Zicheng groaned in silence and said, "My relationship with him is not that deep, so I can only give it a try."

"Without further delay, I will visit Duke Cao's mansion today."

……

(End of this chapter)