Bringing the Railway to Daming

Chapter 142: Duke Cao, Times Have Changed [Please Subscribe]

Li Wenzhong looked about three or four points like Zhu Yuanzhang, with a refined beard and gray hair on his temples.

There is a hint of unremovable melancholy between his brows.

Li Wenzhong seemed to have noticed something and his eyes turned to Liu Kuan.

Although Li Wenzhong was imprisoned, he was specially allowed to attend the wedding of Liu Kuan and Zhu Huilan, so he knew Liu Kuan.

At this time, he showed a look of surprise, as if he didn't know why Zhu Biao brought Liu Kuan to visit him.

The front of the mansion gate was not a place to talk, so Zhu Biao exchanged a few words with Li Wenzhong and then took Liu Kuan into Duke Cao's mansion.

The mansion is quite large, but there are not many servants. The courtyard and roads are clean, but the flower beds and landscape trees are neglected. In this early spring season, there is a sense of desolation.

The three of them sat down in the living room of the mansion, and the servant served them tea and then left.

Zhu Biao winked at Liu Kuan, indicating that he should speak first.

Liu Kuan was speechless and thought to himself: What should I say first in this situation?

Suddenly, Liu Kuan thought of Li Jinglong and asked, "Did Cao Guogong urge Li Jinglong to complete his homework at home?"

Li Wenzhong was slightly surprised, probably because he didn't expect Liu Kuan to speak first and bring up the topic of educating children.

He said a little embarrassedly, "I've been neglecting him these days, but I heard from my wife that he's been studying really hard over the past two months and has made some progress. I'm sure Deputy Liu has taken care of him."

Although Li Wenzhong was imprisoned at home, he was not isolated from the outside world and naturally knew that Liu Kuan was teaching at the main hall.

However, he was feeling depressed and distressed, and didn't even care about his children's education. He hadn't been aware of Li Jinglong and Li Zengzhi's schoolwork for quite some time.

Liu Kuan said: "Although Jinglong is a little naughty by nature, he is talented in all aspects. If he can be well educated, he will definitely be a pillar of the country in the future."

"However, a child's education depends primarily on the guidance and supervision of their parents, and only then on the instruction of their teachers. If Duke Cao doesn't want this child to grow up astray, he still needs to pay attention to him."

The phrase "grown crooked" is very vivid. Li Wenzhong understood it immediately. Even though he was in his forties, he couldn't help but blush with shame.

Since he was confined at home two years ago, he has been indulging in resentment every day and has indeed neglected the education of his children.

He suddenly reflected and wondered if it was a mistake for him to be so depressed in the past two years.

But when he thought of the quarrel with Zhu Yuanzhang, the inexplicable suspicion between uncle and nephew, and the fact that he was imprisoned, he really found it difficult to muster the spirit to do anything.

Thinking of this, Li Wenzhong sighed deeply.

Zhu Biao had been paying attention to Li Wenzhong's expression, and at this moment he said, "Cousin, I came to visit you this time to tell you a piece of good news - the emperor is going to lift your imprisonment."

Li Wenzhong was stunned at first, then his face was filled with surprise, "But is it true?"

Zhu Biao said, "I just learned about this and left the palace to tell you. It couldn't be more true. However, my father has a request. He hopes that my cousin will come to the palace to admit his fault for what happened two years ago."

The surprise on Li Wenzhong's face turned into a wry smile, and he said, "Uncle has indeed not changed at all... As for what happened back then, well, it's better not to talk about it."

Liu Kuan and Zhu Biao looked at each other and found that they both looked helpless.

Although Li Wenzhong looked uninterested when he mentioned what happened that year, deep down he obviously did not think he was wrong and was unwilling to admit his mistake to Zhu Yuanzhang.

From this we can see that Li Wenzhong not only looks somewhat like his uncle Zhu Yuanzhang, but also has the same stubborn temper.

There is a reason why the saying goes that nephews resemble their uncles.

Zhu Biao winked at Liu Kuan again, meaning: You come.

Liu Kuan coughed lightly and said, "I also know a little about what happened back then. There must be some misunderstanding between Duke Cao and Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty's anger back then was firstly because Duke Cao did not help him but instead interceded for an outsider. He thought you might have been deceived by Hu Weiyong's followers without realizing it."

"Secondly, Duke Cao's advice was somewhat offensive to His Majesty, causing him to lose face. This is why the following incident occurred."

"As for you, Duke Cao, the reason you spoke out so frankly is probably not because you truly sympathize with the Hu faction, but because you're worried that a major case involving too many officials and generals would damage the vitality of the country, is that correct?"

Upon hearing this, Li Wenzhong said with deep emotion, "I've only heard that Vice-President Liu was good at mathematics and natural sciences, but I never expected him to have such a keen understanding of human nature. No wonder His Majesty has chosen you to be the children's teacher."

Liu Kuan smiled, but couldn't help complaining in his heart.

I feel that Li Wenzhong is more like a scholar than a military general. He doesn't speak directly at all. It is hard to imagine how he was able to speak out directly and even have a big quarrel with Zhu Yuanzhang.

Li Wenzhong was reluctant to answer the question directly, so Liu Kuan pressed him, "Duke Cao, tell me directly. Was what you were thinking back then what I said?"

"Yes." Li Wenzhong nodded, then added, "Even today, I still don't think I was wrong. I refuse to admit my mistakes because I want Your Majesty to realize that those people are the pillars of our country and should not have died in such a major crime."

Liu Kuan had to admit that, judging from the subsequent Jingnan Campaign, Li Wenzhong's concerns were somewhat justified, but they were not absolutely correct.

Li Wenzhong was also considering the Ming Dynasty. The reason why he disagreed with Zhu Yuanzhang was mainly because they were in different positions, and the problems they saw and the things they cared about were also different.

Therefore, it would be difficult to debate the right and wrong of the incident and convince Li Wenzhong.

This matter has to be done in a roundabout way.

With this thought in mind, Liu Kuan asked, "Duke Cao, do you know what position His Majesty will transfer you to after he releases you from confinement?"

Li Wenzhong shook his head.

Liu Kuan said: "Left Commander of the Navy Commandery."

"Navy Commandery?" Li Wenzhong's expression finally changed. "What's the difference between it and the Five Armies Commandery?"

Although Li Wenzhong's residence was not isolated from the outside world, he was imprisoned after all, and received news relatively late. It was not surprising that he did not know about the events in the Navy Governor's Office.

Liu Kuan said: "The Ming Dynasty will establish three new navies: the Beiyang, Donghai, and Nanyang. Together with the inland navies, they will all be under the jurisdiction of the Navy Governor's Office."

Li Wenzhong's expression changed drastically when he heard this. He frowned and asked, "Your Majesty, do you still want to attack Japan?"

Liu Kuan said: "Japan has many large silver mountains that are easy to mine, and there are also islands rich in gold. Taking gold from them can alleviate the shortage of gold and silver in the Ming Dynasty."

"Besides, it's also true that Japanese pirates frequently harass the coast of Ming. Conquering Japan wouldn't eliminate the pirates, but it would significantly reduce their numbers. Why not fight?"

Seeing Liu Kuan's clear support for the attack on Japan, Li Wenzhong couldn't help but sneer and said, "Liu Fulang, do you know that Kublai Khan also sent a large army across the sea to attack Japan?"

"I know it."

Li Wenzhong was slightly surprised, but continued to ask, "Does Deputy Liu know the outcome of the Yuan army's attack on Japan?"

After Liu Kuan arrived in the Ming Dynasty, he looked up information on this subject out of curiosity. By comparing it with some later information he remembered, he learned a lot about the Yuan-Japan War.

At this point, he replied, "During the reign of Kublai Khan, the Yuan army attacked Japan twice. The first time, they sent 40,000 troops, consisting of Mongolian, Korean, and Han troops. They first occupied Tsushima and Iki Islands, then landed in Hakata on Kyushu's Oshima Island. However, they encountered stubborn resistance from the Japanese soldiers, and the battle went against them, so they retreated."

"The Yuan army learned from the failure of the first expedition to Japan and sent 140,000 troops to Japan for the second expedition, divided into two groups."

"But they encountered a hurricane at sea, and most of their ships and soldiers were destroyed before they even engaged the Japanese."

"It is said that due to a shortage of ships, the Yuan army generals hid it from the common soldiers and retreated with only their personal guards and elite troops, leaving most of their soldiers behind on the island. They were eventually captured and killed by the Japanese."

Li Wenzhong was surprised and puzzled to hear Liu Kuan describe the failure of the Yuan army's invasion of Japan so clearly.

"Since Vice-President Liu knew all too well about the Yuan army's two previous defeats in the invasion of Japan, why did he still want to attack Japan?"

"Don't you know that our Great Ming still has the Northern Yuan Dynasty that hasn't been destroyed? To the west, there are also the remnants of the Hu Yuan Dynasty and the Chagatai Khanate, a splinter group from the former Great Mongol Empire, eyeing us covetously. Even the remnants of the Hu Yuan Dynasty in the southwest have not yet been completely eliminated."

"Under such circumstances, if the Ming Dynasty were to suffer a defeat in its invasion of Japan, just like the Yuan army did in the past, and suffer heavy casualties overseas, I'm afraid even the remaining forces of the various Hu Yuan factions would be difficult to suppress, and the country would be in danger of collapse!"

Facing Li Wenzhong's rather sharp questioning, Liu Kuan simply smiled and said, "Duke Cao, what makes you think that just because the Yuan army failed in their invasion of Japan, the Ming army will also fail?"

"Also, who says Your Majesty is going to attack Japan now? Even if you do, it will definitely be after you destroy the Northern Yuan Dynasty."

"Once the Northern Yuan Dynasty is destroyed, we can defeat the Western and Southern states and ensure that they dare not covet the Ming Dynasty. Then the mainland will no longer have external worries, and the imperial court can send a large army across the sea to attack Japan!"

Li Wenzhong shook his head. "It's not that I'm being disrespectful. Although the Ming army is strong and has made great contributions in expelling the barbarians, it's probably still inferior to the Yuan army that successively destroyed the Jin, Xia, Tubo, Dali, and Song dynasties a hundred years ago."

"After the Yuan army landed on the Japanese island of Oshima, their offensive was still blocked, let alone us?"

"Also, the results of the Yuan army's second invasion of Japan show that our greatest enemy in crossing the sea to attack Japan is not the Japanese, but the unpredictable winds and waves."

"No matter how powerful the army is, if it encounters a hurricane at sea, its ships will be destroyed and its people will die, ending up in a tragic end similar to that of the Yuan army back then."

Liu Kuan sighed when he heard this.

Li Wenzhong thought that his words would convince Liu Kuan, but he didn't expect that Liu Kuan was not only not convinced, but sighed at him with a strange look on his face - he looked like he deserved a beating.

He resisted the urge to hit Liu Kuan and asked, "Why is Deputy Liu sighing?"

Liu Kuan said with emotion: "I sigh that Duke Cao was a famous general who founded the country. He traveled across the country for twenty years and rarely suffered defeat."

"However, after two years of confinement, he has been oblivious to the happenings outside the palace and still views things from the old perspective, unaware that times have changed."

　Second update.

　　Good night~
　　
　　
　
(End of this chapter)